Dine Originals week starts today! This is a great opportunity to support locally owned and operated restaurants, celebrate the independent restaurant scene in Columbus or to try somewhere that’s been on your ‘keep meaning to try’ list. By participating you’ll also be supporting Local Matters and their education programs. If you picked up a copy of this week’s Columbus Alive you may have already browsed through some of the menus and started making plans, but with over 50 restaurants it can be a little overwhelming. Here are some of my picks of menus that I think look interesting. Black Creek [...]

You may have seen Kokoborrego cheeses popping up in markets and restaurants around Columbus. They first caught my attention early this spring when I heard (via twitter) that they were the first commercial sheep’s milk cheese producer in Ohio. Kokoborrego make sheep’s milk cheeses from their own flock of East Friesan crossbreeds and, because the sheep’s milk supply is limited, they also make cow’s milk cheeses using milk from a neighboring farm. All of the cheeses are raw milk cheeses which mean that they have to be matured for at least 60 days before sale. Their name Kokoborrego comes from [...]

Glenlaurel Inn is a cosy Scottish-themed country inn in the Hocking Hills, about an hour drive from Columbus. We made our first visit there earlier this month for dinner as guests of the Inn. Glenlaurel is the perfect place for an anniversary or intimate dinner for two and with a range of accommodations, including crofts and cottages, you can turn your dinner into a romantic getaway. Dinner is served at 7pm each evening and consists of a 6 course set menu (7 courses on Saturday). The entree protein varies daily so if your preference is duck, salmon, pheasant or beef [...]

A morning without a good cup of coffee is, to me, a grim proposition. Caffeine is, of course, the primary necessity, but I’ve grown accustomed to the luxury of choosing from a variety of interesting, flavorful single-origin arabica beans and have steadily built up the better part of a kitchen counter full of equipment (burr grinder, water heater, french press, Aeropress, etc.) for preparing it. In short, I’ve been inching my way down the path towards coffee geekdom. Fortunately, Columbus is a pretty good place to be for anyone with such inclinations. For that, and before we get to the meat [...]

When I had breakfast with Josh Ozersky earlier this month, he said that one of the food trends that excites him most is the increase in house-made condiments. This may strike some as being a slightly quirky focal point, but we have to admit that it’s one we share with him. At minimum, house-made condiments show an attention to detail and a desire for the restaurants to control the entirety of the experience. At best, they can transform the meal to a surprising degree. Fortunately, fantastic house-made condiments abound in Columbus. Here are a few of our favorites: Taco Trucks [...]