When we head home we have our round of belly filling bites, some for tradition-sake and some for the sake of discovery (Kihachi)! So these are just a few of our favorite spots in Central Ohio, yes, I said Ohio. You will notice the high and the low represented here from the higher-end The Winds in Yellow Springs and Kihachi in Dublin (just tried both of these spots) to the taste-tested Skyline Chili (from Cincinnati) and the G&R Tavern in Waldo (fried bologna sandwiches). We reconfirmed, we wouldn’t trade one for the other, that’s for sure!
When we were at Kihachi, a very unique food experience no matter where you are from, we sat next to a really cool couple from Ohio, come to find out, highbrow foodies. We got into a conversation about restaurants and the husband said, “There are no good restaurants in Columbus. My wife can make a great steak at home so why would I want to go out to eat at a steakhouse?” The couple mentioned places they had been in New York City and Chicago such as Rick Bayless’s Topolobampo. We also learned that they had discovered Kihachi from a friend on the night that Anthony Bourdain was in town eating at Kihachi. Then we discussed wines and we talked about living in one of the greatest Pinot Noir Regions, the Santa Cruz Mountains, CA. We found out they like big, bold reds, no fruity Pinots. The Pinot Noir conversation was actually pretty funny because a few nights before we were hanging out reading the news and I just blurted out, “I don’t know about Pinot Noir anymore.” John said, “Are you serious right now?” After a lot of wine drinking over the holidays, it struck me that you have to get such an expensive bottle of Pinot Noir for it to be of a high-quality, otherwise it is very fruity without depth (come to find out, I like the spicier Pinots). John said, “Just to remind you, wine is made from fruit.” I do have a point here. The wine and food conversation with this couple got me thinking about the high and lowbrow food and drink. We realized that we love the lowbrow comfort food of our American childhood memories as much as we appreciate the over-the-top incredible creations in highbrow cuisine, just not in Pinot Noir!
Some of our Ohio Favorites from Low to High:
- Skyline Chili (out of Cincinnati) – Cinnamon in the sauce & served on spaghetti
- Crabill’s Hamburgers – (Urbana, OH) – Sliders
- G&R Tavern – (Waldo – North of Columbus) – World Famous Bologna Sandwich Since 1962
- Bodega (Columbus on High Street) – Awesome Happy Hour (M-F 4-8pm) & Impressive Seasonal Beers on Draft
- Schmidt’s in German Village (Columbus) – German Food since 1886 – Bahama Mamas!
- The Winds Cafe & Bakery (Yellow Springs, OH) – Creative Cuisine
- Kihachi (Dublin, OH) – Japanese Restaurant
