Le Chatelaine
1550 W. Lane Avenue
Columbus, OH 43221
(614) 488-1911
A LONG DAY. After visiting Sara, Chris, and nine-month-old Jonathan last evening, and stopping by see Stella and Mandy one last time, today Mint flies back to Brooklyn and my mom and I are driving ten hours south to Wilmington, NC. Yes, that's a long drive.
For lunch, my uncle John invited us to meet him at Le Chatelaine, a french bistro just west of the city on Lane Avenue. I had never been to or heard of the place, so we had no idea what to expect. For anyone visiting Le Chatelaine for the first time, I can see why that might make for a confusing experience.
The bread and pastry counter that dominates the entrance is certainly inviting, but the cafeteria-style food counter would certainly throw a few for a loop. Don't be put off, though--the bread, the food, everything at Le Chatelaine is incredible. The entire restaurant was literally built arond its bread oven, which should give you an idea how seriously they take their food here.
With no pretense of fanfare, just file through and order what you like. The tomato basil soup was fantastic, and all of our sandwiches, on house-baked baguettes, were delicious and made with fresh-cut veggies and meats. Le Chatelaine serves up authentic, hommade French meals just as you find them in France.
From there, Mint and I met my mom back at my aunt and uncle's house, where we packed up and drove to the airport, dropped Mint off, and headed south on Rt. 33. We took I-77 through West Virginia to I-74 and, several hours later, finally turned east onto I-40 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It was about 3 a.m. when I-40 dumped us out into Wilmington. And for the record: my mom got a speeding ticket.
MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: Yes, even if it's only for the bread and sweet stuff.
Showing posts with label Columbus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Columbus. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Monday, March 5, 2007
Spring Break, Part VI: Skully's Music vs. Diner
Skully's Music Diner
1151 N. High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43201
(614) 291-8856
www.skullys.org
SKULLY'S MUSIC DINER is one of those places that wasn't around until after I left Columbus some seven years ago. Sitting on High Street between downtown and the campus of Ohio State University, I've passed it by on several visits but never stopped in. I knew it was a club by night, but, discovering they also served breakfast after noon, we figured we'd give it a try this morning.
This brings up a pretty good rule that is appropriately mentioned right now: eating food at any music venue should be done with great caution. Alcoholic, grumbling, dirty road-bound rockers and food preparation really don't mix (though, The Cake Shop on New York's Lower East Side, however, immediately strikes me as an exception to this rule.) Fortunately, or not, we were hungry enough to not care.
We immediately ruined our breakfast plans by ordering fried mac n' cheese bites as an appetizer. They were, of course, disgusting, but amazing in their orange, gooey grossness. Had we been hungover, they would have been the stuff of legends. They were followed by a rather bland breakfast burrito for me and an order of steak and eggs for Mint that showed up looking remarkably classy--a huge cut of good-looking beef with two over-easy eggs (the dish comes with an absolutely unnecessary three, and she wisely requested one less.)
In the end, we would have had a more all-around satisfactory meal at any hole-in-the-wall diner, but then again Mint certainly isn't complaining about her steak and eggs. So, I'll leave this one up to someone else.
MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: Porbably not, unless Mint tells him to.
1151 N. High Street
Columbus, Ohio 43201
(614) 291-8856
www.skullys.org
SKULLY'S MUSIC DINER is one of those places that wasn't around until after I left Columbus some seven years ago. Sitting on High Street between downtown and the campus of Ohio State University, I've passed it by on several visits but never stopped in. I knew it was a club by night, but, discovering they also served breakfast after noon, we figured we'd give it a try this morning.
This brings up a pretty good rule that is appropriately mentioned right now: eating food at any music venue should be done with great caution. Alcoholic, grumbling, dirty road-bound rockers and food preparation really don't mix (though, The Cake Shop on New York's Lower East Side, however, immediately strikes me as an exception to this rule.) Fortunately, or not, we were hungry enough to not care.
We immediately ruined our breakfast plans by ordering fried mac n' cheese bites as an appetizer. They were, of course, disgusting, but amazing in their orange, gooey grossness. Had we been hungover, they would have been the stuff of legends. They were followed by a rather bland breakfast burrito for me and an order of steak and eggs for Mint that showed up looking remarkably classy--a huge cut of good-looking beef with two over-easy eggs (the dish comes with an absolutely unnecessary three, and she wisely requested one less.)
In the end, we would have had a more all-around satisfactory meal at any hole-in-the-wall diner, but then again Mint certainly isn't complaining about her steak and eggs. So, I'll leave this one up to someone else.
MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: Porbably not, unless Mint tells him to.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Spring Break, Part V: Onward! Columbus!
Katzinger's Deli
475 S. 3rd Street
Columbus, Ohio
(614) 228-3354
www.katzingers.com
I LEFT WARREN early enough to make the three hour drive to Columbus before Mint's flight arrived. After two days on the road and four days with my ma, it was time for my five or sixth city and phase two of my "Spring Break" trip: babies.
Specifically, friends' babies. We met up, first, with Mandy and almost five-month-old Stella at Katzinger's Deli in Columbus. Which is sort of an odd place to see your friend's baby for the first time, but we were all really hungry and Kyle, father of said baby, was still at work. That, and Mark, another friend, works at said deli.
How I managed to grow up in Columbus and never visit Katzinger's sort of surprises me. Yes, it's just a deli, but it's pretty flipping fantastic. I mean, just click on that link and read the menu. And Mark recommended some sandwich that wasn't even on it (you order by number, and numbers do come and go from the menu), which turned out to be piles of melted goat cheese with fresh spinach and olive spread. Mint's matzoh ball soup was reportedly great, and Mandy's sandwich was, as is often the case, enough for two meals.
Next, as if that wasn't enough for one day, we headed for dinner at my aunt and uncle's house (whose kids, Evan and Ellie, I have known since they were babies, if that counts towards my theme), where both Gloria and John are better cooks than I'll ever hope to be. My uncle's recipe for homemade gnocchi (NOTE: which is included in a later post) left us both wondering why we ever bother ordering the stuff when we're out to eat. Along with the fresh bread and Explorateur cheese Mark sold us from Katzinger's--more than enough for one day.
MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: And hopefully soon.
475 S. 3rd Street
Columbus, Ohio
(614) 228-3354
www.katzingers.com
I LEFT WARREN early enough to make the three hour drive to Columbus before Mint's flight arrived. After two days on the road and four days with my ma, it was time for my five or sixth city and phase two of my "Spring Break" trip: babies.
Specifically, friends' babies. We met up, first, with Mandy and almost five-month-old Stella at Katzinger's Deli in Columbus. Which is sort of an odd place to see your friend's baby for the first time, but we were all really hungry and Kyle, father of said baby, was still at work. That, and Mark, another friend, works at said deli.
How I managed to grow up in Columbus and never visit Katzinger's sort of surprises me. Yes, it's just a deli, but it's pretty flipping fantastic. I mean, just click on that link and read the menu. And Mark recommended some sandwich that wasn't even on it (you order by number, and numbers do come and go from the menu), which turned out to be piles of melted goat cheese with fresh spinach and olive spread. Mint's matzoh ball soup was reportedly great, and Mandy's sandwich was, as is often the case, enough for two meals.
Next, as if that wasn't enough for one day, we headed for dinner at my aunt and uncle's house (whose kids, Evan and Ellie, I have known since they were babies, if that counts towards my theme), where both Gloria and John are better cooks than I'll ever hope to be. My uncle's recipe for homemade gnocchi (NOTE: which is included in a later post) left us both wondering why we ever bother ordering the stuff when we're out to eat. Along with the fresh bread and Explorateur cheese Mark sold us from Katzinger's--more than enough for one day.
MIKE EATS NEXT TIME: And hopefully soon.
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