Category: Retro (page 6 of 6)

December 15, 2015

Grilled Cheese for Grownups

Originally published in the Winter 2015 issue of Stock & Barrel

This city’s sandwich scene seldom sides with nostalgia. From experimental to reckless, Columbus “carbovores” reward few endeavors more than a radical idea between two pieces of bread.

But simple pleasures aren’t easily outgrown.

“It’s the most comfortable of comfort foods,” mused Ian Hummel — prolific singer/songwriter, Shazzbots skipper, and grilled cheese guru. (The local music loyal may recall Hummel’s off-beat ballad, “An Ode to Cheese.”)

“As a grown up, of sorts, I have come to appreciate the enhancements made to the world’s greatest sandwich,” Hummel confessed, rattling off the range of cheeses now available on the simple staple. “Meat eaters and vegetarians love ’em — it’s still the perfect food.”

Affirming its enduring charm, The Shazzbots television pilot even used sandwich making as a metaphor for childhood creativity and self-expression. Much like its most notable ingredient, our affection for grilled cheese often improves with age.

Despite the rise of restaurant chains and food trucks redefining the delicate blend of crispy and gooey, there are equally sophisticated takes found off the radar. Paired with the right cup of soup, these grilled cheese for grownups will surely warm your soul and win over your inner child.

Katzinger’s
475 S Third Street | katzingers.com

Finding a new favorite at this German Village landmark is quite the pickle, and not the kind found in their barrels of garlics and dills. Next time, skip the New York standards in favor of Franklin’s Kibbetz — housemade mozzarella and pesto with tomato on grilled sourdough. A cup of intense chicken soup with egg noodles or matzo balls is customary, but Seth’s daily special may also include tomato, red onion, or fresh greens.

Bodega
1044 N High Street | columbusbodega.com

This neighborhood haunt is nearly legendary for their $1 grilled cheese during Monday night happy hours. But don’t let that low price dissuade you from going any day. The three-cheese pleaser features cheddar, Swiss and Monterey Jack—then makes a deft departure by adding tomato aioli and zesty arugula. Jalapeños add extra punch and the seasonal soup of the day round out the palate. If you’re lucky, it will be a ladle of lentil.

Philco Bar + Diner
747 N High Street | philcodiner.com

Eclectic ingredients conspire to create a remarkable balance of smooth, savory, salty, and sweet at this sleek spot in the Short North. Ohio cheddar, Havarti and bacon contrast the tart taste of diced Granny Smith apples, served on slabs of Texas toast. Add a cup of turkey, chorizo and white bean chili with the peppery bite of matchstick radish, chopped cilantro and a dollop of sour cream on top for a mix of Midwest meets Southwest.

101 Beer Kitchen
397 Stoneridge Lane and 7509 Sawmill Place | 101beerkitchen.com

Suburban watering holes aren’t the kind of places you expect to take craft beer and comfort food so seriously. But that’s exactly where you’ll find creamy brie and pears on crusty sourdough with fig and honey jam served with a side of crisp, crimson beet chips. Butternut squash soup with spicy pumpkin seeds, duck confit, and crème fraîche will make you wonder what else you’ve been missing away from downtown and outside 270. ▩

December 15, 2015

Hand to Mouth

Originally published in the Winter 2014 issue of Stock & Barrel

Columbus is a working class town with a working class appetite, and no metaphor better embraces our close-to-the-bricks heritage than a meal that doesn’t require utensils. Sadly, some of our city’s unsung sandwiches are hiding on familiar menus beside more pricey or famous fare.

Signature sandwiches can be dangerously seductive. It’s easy to obsess over the prom queen and overlook the girl next door—a bit more demure, but equally alluring if you just give her a chance.

So here are some suggestions you’ve probably missed — five sandwiches under $8, each worthy of its own celebrity status.

CHICKEN & WAFFLE SANDWICH
Ethyl and Tank | 19 E Thirteenth Avenue | ethylandtank.com

Sandwiches aren’t exclusive to late-risers and the lunch crowd. That’s why your long day should begin at the unlikely convergence of coffee shop, campus bar and old school arcade. Ethyl and Tank is just the kind of joint to strike the precarious balance between hangout and hotspot, with a menu to match—and their twist on chicken and waffles is worth the trip.

Poultry meets pig with a breaded breast of chicken and applewood-smoked bacon slipped between two golden waffles. Made better with cheddar and a drizzle of maple syrup on top, this sandwich will make you wonder why anyone would start their day any other way.

VEGGIE PANINI
The Carvery | 51 E Gay Street | carverycolumbus.co

With a name like The Carvery, you’d presume everything worth having on the menu is freshly plucked or off-the-hoof. And you would be dead wrong. Perhaps the best vegetarian sandwich in the capital city can be found at a perennial haunt of naysaying carnivores. Stuffed with zucchini and summer squash, a smooth slice of muenster, a splash of herbed-oil, and smear of hummus, all on a grilled ciabatta bun, this veggie sandwich will make you a true believer. It’s an unexpected paradox for the palate—a meat-free sandwich bold enough to bite you back.

ITALIAN BEEF SANDWICH
Wholly Joe’s Chicago Eatery | 1182 E Powell Road | whollyjoes.com

Wholly Joe’s faithfully serves the holy trinity of Chicago’s culinary creations. Beyond their epic execution of deep-dish pizza and distinctive hot dogs, they also offer the only legitimate Italian beef sandwich in Central Ohio. Seasoned, slow-roasted beef is piled high on a chewy, Italian roll—properly ordered “hot” and “dipped,” topped with giardiniera (a spicy mix of pickled peppers, celery and carrots), then the whole roll is dunked back in the bath of au jus to soak up more meaty juices.

Just like their pies and dogs, there are no compromises on authentic ingredients. Nearly everything is shipped in from the Windy City. The Cubs will win the World Series before you find a better Italian beef this side of Chicago.

MEATLOAF SANDWICH
Sí Señor | 72 E Lynn Street | sisenorlatinfusion.com

Sí Señor is celebrated for their traditional Peruvian pork shoulder with pickled onions and sweet potato mayo, and rightly so. But their meatloaf sandwich is not to be missed. Chorizo and ground beef, cut with onions and poblano peppers—baked, sliced, and served on a crusty bun with gooey white cheddar and housemade tomato jam. This ain’t your mama’s meatloaf sandwich. It’s a South American spin on a Southern standard.

JAEGER BURGER
Thurman Café | 183 Thurman Avenue | thethurmancafe.com

Never mind Thurman Café’s namesake sandwich. You want the Jaeger Burger because it breaks all the rules. Can you call it a burger if there isn’t a bun? There’s no cheese, so it’s not a patty melt either. Is it even a sandwich if you can’t pick it up? The Jaeger Burger is both tempting and taunting, so it’s okay to be a little intimidated. PRO TIP: Use that mountain of steak fries to eat through the mound of French onion dip before taking a knife and fork to the sautéed mushrooms and onions covering the seared steer slab and Texas toast underneath.

Don’t even ask about calories or carbs. Just try to ignore the sound of your arteries clogging. At a little better than $12, it also breaks the $8 cheapskate rule. But, it’s big enough to be easily shared, or split and saved for another meal. Your date and your doctor will thank you. ▩

December 15, 2015

One Pit Wonders

Originally published in the Winter 2015 issue of Stock & Barrel

Barbecue is easily maligned as the one-night stand of comfort food. Whether it’s slow and smoky or sticky and sweet — even when it’s not that good, it’s probably not that bad.

But barbecue is also becoming perilously passé. Wendy’s is putting pulled pork on a burger and Arby’s has Ving Rhames slinging brisket sandwiches as a side gig. Not exactly the local charm of a “one pit wonder” — a single location setup that serves burnt ends and genuine swine to only those who know where to find them.

There are as many kinds of barbecue as there are cities famous for it. But purists everywhere all swear by smoke.

You won’t find a legit pit on a map or in a mini-mall. It’s a blackened, fire-breathing behemoth in a parking lot emitting a telltale trail of smoke that calls to you. They’re urban legends spread by the fearless and the faithful. You won’t always see them, but you can smell them a block away.

A real barbecue pit is like a neck tattoo. It says hello before you do.

Fortunately for folks in Central Ohio, you can keep your street cred at any of these upstarts or mainstays. Whether you’re big on beef or dig the pig, there’s a local, little barbecue joint to satisfy—each with a singular charm.

B&K SMOKEHOUSE | 1114 E Main Street

This Olde Towne East eatery is easily a drive-by, but it should be a destination. There are only a handful of tables but a whole lot of love from the owner. The brisket is excellent and unexpected, cut more like a perfect pot roast than simply sliced. The collard greens have just an extra punch of vinegar that others often lack. And the rumors are true: turkey ribs are a real thing — succulent and tender smoked shoulder meat to be precise. They’re like a Thanksgiving surprise all year round.

BARBEQUE SHACK | 5755 Maxtown Road

A drive-thru espresso bar isn’t easily converted into a barbecue joint. But if you’re really looking for slow, smoked flavor with fast food efficiency, the Barbeque Shack in Westerville is the only game in town. It’s a bit surreal having someone hand you a bona fide pulled pork sandwich and mac and cheese through a car window. But the folksy feel and surprising seasonal specials will have you driving through often. If you’re lucky, grilled corn on the cob and smoked bacon may be on the menu.

IRON GRILL BARBECUE & BREW | 5295 N High Street

If you think you’ve had barbecue every way possible, you probably haven’t been to this Clintonville revival of the old Pig Iron launched by the same owner as the Gahanna Grill. Crispy Carolina pork rolls stuffed with sauerkraut, pulled pork flatbreads with cheddar-jack cheese, and pulled pork quesadillas may be the most original three little pigs you’ll find in greater Columbus. But the best deal on a cold day might be the rich and meaty all-you-can-eat brisket chili and homemade cornbread.

MALLORY’S RIB SHACK | 3386 Westerville Road

When a fast food franchise meets its demise, the building is typically leveled, being too iconic to pass as anything else. Yet, this one-time Dairy Queen in Westerville promises “the best soul food in Columbus” and probably delivers. Whether you buy wings by the handful or the hundreds, Mallory’s has you covered. The sweet potato pie makes plain ole pumpkin seem like a forgotten cousin. But the standouts here are still beef ribs by the slab, a rare find exceptionally executed every time.

BARREL & BOAR | 5251 N Hamilton Road

The old Holy Smoke at the edge of Gahanna and New Albany offers a radical reinvention of the former brand. If upscale barbecue is a trend, this is what it looks like. And if a barbecue brunch is on your bucket list, this is the place. Why not put brisket in an omelet with sharp cheddar, or offer pulled pork, candied bacon, and spicy syrup sausage grits? Add a curated collection of craft beer that will satisfy the harshest barbecue and beer snobs alike and it’s a dinner winner as well. ▩

December 15, 2014

From CowTown to CoffeeTown

Originally published in the Winter 2014 issue of Stock & Barrel

Americans are an odd lot with fierce loyalties.

We’ve long been picky about our pizza — even hostile over hot dogs. But less than a generation ago, coffee became cultish. Back when Pike Place in Seattle was still more famous for throwing fish than grinding espresso, Columbus was starting its own evolution from cowtown to coffeetown. In 1988, Tom Griesemer opened Stauf’s Coffee Roasters on a sleepy little street in Grandview, and the once-maligned beverage of beatniks became the currency of a new Columbus culture.

“Before Stauf’s, there was no coffee scene,” said Andy Dehus, who runs Columbus Food Adventures along with his wife Bethia Woolf. “Now Columbus is recognized for its full range of credible, quality coffee.” The couple’s business offers behind-the-scenes group tours of Central Ohio’s intriguing eats and obscure cuisine. Known for their taco-truck trips and ethnic eatery excursions, Columbus Food Adventures also hosts a traveling coffee tour.

These expeditions cater to local aficionados and out-of-towners looking to start their own roasting businesses, who consider Columbus a destination and an inspiration. The tour includes an intro to espresso at Café Brioso downtown, a roasting and “cupping” session at Stauf’s wholesale operation in Hilliard, and lessons on improving home-brewing at Luck Bros’ in Grandview.

“The collaborative relationship between competitors is unique to Columbus,” Dehus said. “There isn’t the pettiness you might expect.”

The annual North Market Coffee Roast and regular “barista jams” keep the community connected through positive competition, according to John Justice, director of operations at Café Brioso. The High Street hot spot was started in 2001 by Jeff Davis, formerly the head roaster for Stauf’s.

“There are so many styles and expressions in local coffee, we actually encourage our employees to go to each other’s shops,” Justice said.

“We’re in an urban setting, so we have to operate at the tempo of our customers,” he continued, emphasizing how the neighborhood dynamic plays a significant role in the overall experience. “We’ve rounded off the rough edges to remain focused on providing the highest-quality coffee while still raising expectations. We’re in one of the only industries where we see our customers every day.”

The close proximity and varied specialties of downtown coffee roasters inspired the Columbus Coffee Trail, a self-guided, eight-stop itinerary promoted by Experience Columbus.

“The Columbus Coffee Trail was eight months in the making and helps people follow the evolution of coffee,” said Joe Capatosto, director of customer experience at Mission Coffee Co., which brings the national coffee scene closer to Columbus through a rotating repertoire of roasters from Chicago, Portland, Nashville, and other burgeoning coffee locals.

“People also love our cold-brew growlers, which we dispense on tap,” added Capatosto. “Cold-brewing has less acidity and showcases the chocolate properties of the coffee.” Along with the seasonal shift to steamed milk, espresso drinks, Mission Coffee Co. also introduced a cascara cider.

“It’s a tea made from dried coffee cherries steeped with local spices,” he explained. “Typically the fruit of the coffee that remains is discarded. The cider turns a waste product into something more sustainable.”

Innovative repurposing and environmental responsibility also converge at Backroom Coffee Roasters, which operates adjacent to the Trek Bicycle location on Lane Avenue. Launched in 2010, the micro-roaster grew out of founder Chris Bishop’s shared passion for cycling and coffee—and an available “backroom” at the bike shop.

“I’d been roasting coffee at home for years, in part because I lived north of the city,” Bishop said. “At the time, once you passed Polaris, there just weren’t many coffee shops or any roasters. People outside of Columbus bought their coffee at the grocery store.”

Unlike most local roasters, Backroom Coffee doesn’t have its own retail coffee shop presence, instead opting to distribute to businesses and local specialty markets like Weiland’s, Lucky’s, Clintonville Community Market, and Earth Fare.

“If you’re within a seven-mile radius of us, we even deliver coffee by bike,” Bishop said, also explaining how imported Danish cargo bicycles became part of the company’s purpose and logo. “We built our brand around it.”

The company’s commitment extends beyond just their novel delivery. As a member of “1 Percent for the Planet,” Backroom Coffee Roasters donates 1 percent of their “top-line” revenue to local sustainability projects and programs, like Simply Living.

The “farm-to-cup” philosophy is also evident at Impero Coffee Roasters, founded in 2009 by Matt and Lucinda Sontag—first as a wholesale roaster, but now with a Short North retail location as well.

“We focus on direct relationships with farms. Our roaster has worked in the same fields side by side with our farmers,” explained Joe Shaw, Impero’s operations manager. “We only roast in 10-pound batches, for greater control. We’re small-scale by design.”

The mix of patrons who work and live in the neighborhood keeps them connected to the community, Shaw said. “Unlike in larger cities, we’re still a very approachable shop. Our customers ask for recommendations, and offer suggestions. That’s how we grow; that’s how every coffee roaster grows.” ▩

November 1, 2014

Triple Espresso

Originally published in the November 2014 issue of (614) Magazine

The “newest” coffee roaster in Columbus opened more than 25 years ago.

Last month, Stauf’s opened two new locations – a sudden and surprising expansion from the local roastery, which started in Grandview in 1988.

Stauf’s merged with Cup O’ Joe in 2000, with Stauf’s growing predominantly into a wholesale roaster and Cup O’ Joe driving the retail presence. Mark Swanson, president of Stauf’s, said the reason for the Stauf’s expansion now is the opportunity to roast in the shops.

“If you think about all of the great folks at the North Market and the exceptional quality of the shops and restaurants in German Village, roasting on-site was critical to make sure we had the freshest possible coffee and the best experience,” Swanson said.

Small-batch coffee roasting is no small feat. Tom Griesemer, the company’s founder and the first coffee roaster in Columbus, would know.

“The quality of the beans and talent of the person roasting them are crucial, but so is the roaster itself,” Griesemer said. “It took us months to secure our two new roasters.”

The roasters are built in Germany, and Stauf’s scored the last two roasters of the type available in the country. Probat, a company that’s been making coffee roasters since 1868, only builds so many a year. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.

“We were lucky to get the last two, or the expansion could have been postponed another year. Just like roasting, timing is everything,” Griesemer said.

Though greeted by the familiar Stauf’s logo, regulars from the Grandview coffee shop will find the look and feel of the new locations unexpected. Guests are greeted by slate gray millwork and natural wood tones punctuated by pops of red at both locations. The earthy aroma of beans and brewing leaves just enough room for the hint of scones and sweet rolls from the kitchen in German Village.

Stauf’s retains local relationships for sourcing ingredients and edibles from many area entrepreneurs and start-up shops, but there is a renewed emphasis on baking in-house as well – for both Stauf’s and Cup O’ Joe.

“Each store will be responsive in their offerings, with Grandview and German Village baking for their own needs, and the rest of the stores,” Swanson said. “Blueberry muffins are always our number one seller at every location, but two, three and four are quite different. We see the same in coffee sales; our goal is to focus on each community.”

With three Stauf’s locations and three Cup O’ Joes (Clintonville, Lennox, and Downtown) serving faithful foot traffic and commuter connoisseurs, it’s easy to forget the original Grandview store was once the only place in Columbus where coffee didn’t come out of a can. According to Griesemer, Columbus didn’t have any good coffee when he first moved to the area, with only two coffee shops, both serving coffee shipped out of New York.

“There was no selection to speak of and what was there already tasted old,” said Griesemer.

As a transplant from University of California, Davis, Griesemer was well-versed in the growing California coffee culture, ultimately turning around one of those local shops by introducing fresh-roasted coffee to the Columbus market. But when his offer to buy the business he helped build was rejected, he decided to put his experience in the restaurant industry to work for himself. Stauf’s Coffee Roasters opened two months later, with a lot of long hours and late nights.

“Tom started in a sleepy little strip mall in Grandview in just 800 square feet,” Swanson said.

“I used to say I worked the ‘B-shift,’” Griesemer said. “I had to be there when we opened and be there when we closed. We even built the furniture ourselves at night in OSU’s theater department.”

Griesemer’s lean operational insights and initiatives paid off. Stauf’s was profitable in just two month’s time, and the original location has since expanded its space more than four-fold. That same commitment to customers and community still shines decades later.

“Being a smaller company allows us to be more flexible. Each store can have similarities and differences,” Swanson explained. “Grandview grew organically, so we’re not going to drop a ‘widget’ into another location and expect it to be the same.”

“No matter how great our coffee is, our guests are partners in the experience,” Swanson said. “Everyone who works for Stauf’s – we were all customers first.” ▩

Read more about the evolution of the Columbus coffee culture in the third volume of Stock & Barrel, (614) Magazine’s new quarterly food and drink publication, out mid-December.

September 5, 2014

South High Double Feature

Originally published in the September 2014 issue of (614) Magazine

Amid the modern movie houses remains a monument to local motion picture history — the South Drive-In.

Central Ohio was once home to 17 drive-in theaters. But with the closings of the Kingman and 40 East a decade ago, the South sadly has the distinction of being the last drive-in theater in Columbus.

But this isn’t a eulogy.

Even as traditional theaters are struggling to compete with the ease and instant gratification of Netflix and Redbox, big screens are big business again. Audience interest in 3D films has declined in recent years, but ticket sales for large-format features are booming.

Though not exactly an IMAX experience, the South’s super-size screens make those puny multiplexes look like bed sheets and your flat-panel TV look like a postcard.

Tonight’s crowd is as mixed as the cars they drive – a pickup for every Prius, a muscle car for every minivan.

“It’s definitely more family-friendly, as is the price,” said Jason Harddarger of Columbus. He and his wife Carol have been coming here with their children for more than seven years. Adult admissions are comparable at $9, but children 11 and under are only a buck.

There are newbies, as well. Sixteen students from Dublin Coffman’s cross-country team are here to see Guardians of the Galaxy. Some had already seen the film, but none have been to the South before tonight. They said they were willing to caravan past several first-run theaters to see the space epic on a giant scale.

“I grew up in Illinois and went to my first drive-in movie when I was nine,” said Piper Hayward, the 17-year-old senior who organized the outing. “I wanted my friends to see how different the experience really is.”

The South’s gas-powered popcorn popper certainly beats the pre-popped alternatives you find elsewhere. But they also let audiences pack their own snacks. You can even bring your own grill, so long as the coals are cold before the film starts. (Just try bringing hotdogs and a Hibachi to any other theater in town).

Seating options are also up to you. Enjoy the quiet comfort of your car, cozy up under a blanket in the bed of your truck or just break out the lawn chairs. Audio is available from vintage speakers or through your vehicle’s radio. As for rain, refunds are rarely necessary – though there was that one time in 1973 when a tornado actually took out the main screen just as the movie was starting. Now that was 3D.

You also get two films for the price of one. The South has two screens, each showing a different film after sundown and a second movie on each after that.

But the South’s double feature isn’t just the second screening. On weekends and Wednesdays, it transforms into Central Ohio’s largest open-air flea market.

There are the usual suspects: crates of vinyl records, tools and trinkets, dubious DVDs and knock-off purses. But also the unexpected: wooden lobster traps, tube radios, old-school game consoles, golden age comics, and antique furniture.

Several farmers have set up stands near the entrance and holler like carnival barkers. “Cantaloupes, one dollar! Sweet corn, Three dollars a dozen!”

Joseph Ponder has been selling various wares at the South for three years. A former welterweight boxer-turned-writer originally from New York, his wits are still as quick as his jabs once were.

“They open for sellers at 5 a.m., but I arrive around 3 a.m. every Saturday to get one of the best spots,” he confessed. “I think folks come here because they can wheel and deal.”

It’s equal parts kitsch and collectibles, where hipsters and hillbillies mingle and you’re never quite sure if the mustaches and sideburns are ironic or sincere.

After a mile of meandering, I left with a tall stack of 78 records, a flashlight that looks like a Coke bottle, and a sack of tailgate tomatoes — all for less than I pay for a haircut.

If you come looking for something specific, you’ll likely leave disappointed. If you come looking for something interesting, you won’t leave empty-handed. ▩

South Drive-in and Flea Market is located at 3050 S High St. and is open until mid-November.