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Like my digestive tract my writing had slowly worked it's way to the biological end. I stopped. In reading a blog I came across my earilier work. This is a test to see if this would appear. Columbus Chow.

Sunbury Grill - Engineering the Perfect Joynt!

 Jersey Boy was in the mood to cruise the Interstate so it was off to Sunbury and the delightful charms of the Sunbury Grill. It helped that this was also the Good Guys Weekend and Jersey Boy's palms were sweating in anticipation of seeing any 60's GTO.... seems like he 'engineered' the creation of a lot of teenage memories in the backseat of a goat! We wanted to checkout the menu, service and staff at the Grill to see if they had continued with their good food and prompt but 'hash slinging, gum chewing, take no guff' service staff. Yeah....it hadn't changed.

During our first visit we came away with the feeling that this was a place were 'everybody knew your name' and it was confirmed this time. Chris and Stacy Selvaggio remembered Jersey Boy when they heard him order 'burnt toast....black as coal!' Chris said, "hey, your that crazy guy that ordered  charcoal toast last year! And skunked up the joint" Yup. That's Jersey Boy....  See? Everybody knows his name.

Stacy is so much nicer than Chris.
 

Anyway, the eggs were just right and his toast was burnt! Even some of the other diners yelled out "hey, those guys were here last year!" Anyway, the breakfast was good, the staff was on their game and it was worth the trip. Chris is an engineer with a very well respected Columbus engineering firm and as such knows that the key to success is being able to count on materials and contractors to perform the same way time after time. The Sunbury Grill staff does this to perfection....they should they've had over 50 years of practice.

The Grills very own 'Mel' -- he just needs a sailor's hat!

 Afterwards, we wandered thru the Farmers Market and then off to the car show.

 

Looking for a morning drive in the country? You could do a lot worse than hitting this diner and then off to the male of the species 'chest pumping, muscle flexing, passive-aggressive world of hot rods!' Grab yourself a eyeful and mouthful of Americana!

 

We proudly award four Bellies!

Eating our way into Spring

 

"Adorable," said Jersey boy.

"Adorable?" I said.

"Yeah, adorable." he repeated with a smirk.

I muttered "adorable" under my breath because you've got to know the physical dimensions of Jersey Boy...this guy 'ain't no ballerina!' He steps on the scales north of 200 lbs and stands over 6 feet tall. I never, ever envisioned him doing anything 'adorable.' What I certainly could see him slamming somebody up against the side of a building and talking to him like a character out of the Sopranos. So when he uttered, "Adorable" I was speechless. What had caused this earth-shattering utterance was:

 

The Olde Village Diner

Downtown Pickerington, Ohio

 

It's a one room diner that has been serving the pioneering people of this Columbus suburb for the last forty years. Located in 'old' Pickerington you will  step back into the time when every small town had a diner. The place for a simple meal or, even more tasty, a serving of today's gossip. A Greek by the name of Angelo bought this 13 years ago from the prior owner who had run it for 27 years. Angelo, being true to his Greek DNA, brought his style and his culinary heritage to tiny diner. The old-timers love it.

Four stools protect the kitchen staff from the white-haired diners.
 

What about the food! Five different types of soup, homemade desserts all served in the cleanest restaurant we've ever been in.

 

We both couldn't pass up the Steak and Eggs!

 Four ounce portion of steak (not chopped,) eggs, potatoes, toast and coffee

  or you could get 2 Pancakes, 2 Eggs and 2 Pieces of Breakfast meat
Either for only $6.77.

 

The service counter, held down by four stools, along with the booths is ruled over by a very unique and special hash-slinger. Donna, from Jersey, who has a mile-wide smile was our server and she did a great job. Creative, spirited and able to banter back and forth with Jersey Boy! That's quite an accomplishment because most of the time, when trying to speak his Jersey-style butchered form of the English language he just grunts and snorts.

Donna, as Lady Godiva, played the lead in her high school play. Why is Jersey-boy so happy?
 Donna went to high school in New Jersey of course! She's a fellow sojourner from the east.

Back to the start. The 'Adorable' phase of this experience. This place is small, it's got a very  hometown frilly décor, it's spotless and all the locals eat there.....frequently. They don't have a web page, a maître d', they aren't on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and they don't take Credit or Debit cards! Angelo just serves honest food, freshly prepared and with ample portions. That's how he runs this place. If you are in the mood for a real neighborhood diner... get in the car. Worthy of your attention and taste buds!

 

We proudly award this little gem 4 Bellies

 

the Olde Village Diner
46 East Columbus Street

Pickerington, OH 43147
614/837-9364

 



Super Chef #2 in Gahanna

Good News Northeast Columbus. It's Open!

 

 

 

ComicCom, the convention for all things comics with special emphasis on Super Heros, is going full blast in C-bus and for us somewhat 'normal' people it's greeted with a big 'Ho Hum!' But what could more appropo than a SUPER HERO themed restaurant to kick open this new location!  One of our absolute favorite breakfast joynt's has opened a second location and Columbus Culinary landscape is better off because of it. Super Chef has opened in Jeff Blocks' Gahanna Shopping Center at the southeast corner of Cherry Bottom Road and East Morse Road. We've been watching this location for months and finally got to check it out last week. Our initial reaction is that breakfast is great and truly unique. The lunch menu didn't offer this Southsider a lot to get excited about.

 

I had the Pineapple Upside Down Pancake Stack and Jersey Boy, not exactly feeling up to normal max super power, went with the French toast. Both where well prepared, well presented and absolutely perfect. The Breakfast menu is right on and you can get some of the traditional eggs and bacon stuff by just asking one of the absolutely DYNAMITE servers. Megan greeted us and Diamond took us to the bank!

Pineapple Upside Down Pancakes for One!

Jersey Boy and Diamond about to pour
 maple syrup all over his French toast.

 

The interior features Super Hero's motif and your kids and grandkids are going to go ape over it. Honestly, it gives us the impression of a great sports bar.... perhaps they'll go for a liquor license so we could get a bloody mary with our eggs next time. Heads up! This is a special place and you're not going to get out of the door cheap. But it's worth the investment.... did I tell you that they've got a full drum set in the front window? Don't know what a full trap set signifies but it could be disaster if one of my grandkids spies it. I did notice that the cymbals and drum sticks are missing.  These folks aren't dummies.

Remember, they just opened so cut them some slack while they work out the kinks. This isn't your same-old same-old plastic chain restaurant with frozen entrees made in Mexico, that's warmed in an oven and brought to you by servers wearing name tags designed by a focus group in Cherry Hill, NJ. It's a mom and pop with a great menu that worthy of your tastebuds. So put them on your must-visit list.

 

Super Heros' come in all sizes and shapes at Super Chef #2!

Our staff was young, eager and good looking. Whoever is running the HR Department for Super Chef #2 has a discerning eye. Keep up the great work! We enjoyed our first visit and will return.

 

Super Chef (#2)

1344 Cherry Bottom Road

Gahanna, OH  43230

 

We proudly award this restaurant 3 Bellies

 and award their staff 1,000,000!



German Village Coffee Shop

German Village Coffee Shop does breakfast and lunch.

It's a weekend of extra effort in C-bus. Pelotonia is pedaling towards a cure for cancer with hundreds of 'funds-raising' riders pedaling to beat cancer. Jersey Boy and I had thought about pedaling along the 100 miles or so but laid down in Schiller Park til that insane desire passed into history. Rising, brushing off the dust and grass we walked over to what has become one of our favorites; The German Village Coffee Shop at 193 Thurman Avenue. This neighborhood institution is situated between two other very nice and famous restaurant endeavors; Easy Street Café and Thurman's (as seen on TV.) The German Village Coffee Shop has had numerous owners but the current Masters of Disaster are: Christa and Craig Foreman. They are doing a great job in maintaining the very high quality of verbal abuse, disrespect and general nastiness they heap upon their customers, staff and suppliers! It's truly a wonderful thing to watch people who really enjoy abusing other people. A truer example of Amerian Diner tradition can't be found.

To the food, Southsider, you shout!

The sign outside states it's home to the World's Best Western Omelet and I agree. It's my favorite dish. Three egg omelet with all the ingredients one needs to personalize it. They do it right....first they sauté the vegetables and diced meat, then add the eggs and swirl til it's set...Add the cheese and fold over on itself. Then, here's their secret, put into the microwave to finish cooking the 'original' top side, which is now the inside...and melt the cheese. This isn't made in the French style of a crepe..it's made in the industrial, hash style of working German factory hands. Big, substantial and filling.  The Club Sandwiches are not to be beat in Columbus....try one for lunch.

From the left. Darcy, husband, children Renee, Fred and Heather Abramovitz

But, if the truth be told, this place is the go-to joint for Pancakes. Just order one, that's all you need. Each cake is about the size of a medium pizza and you're good for the day! Yesterday, the pancake special was: Pineapple Upside Down Cake Pancake. It was very popular especially with some old friends of Your ColumbusChow Team who happened to be dining. Dr. Fred and Mrs. Renee Abramovitz along with Heather and Darcy, husband and numerous grandsons has travelled in from Bexley in order to load Heather (A visiting Chicago Northsider!!!) up with grease from this Columbus institution. You might know Fred....he's delivered more babies than Donald Trump has had wives.



Chrsta the boss of the da' grill and\
Scott the boss of da' cash register

 

The food is good, economical and served by two of the most memorable, and abrasive, hash-slingers you'll ever make the mistake of being served by. Debbie and Jeff have been here way too long. If the plate gets within 6 inches of where it supposed to go.....they are happy...if you ask for something special; forget about it! They take turns trying to be most un-caring servers possible, but their fundamental goodness shines thru. These two are a joy to be around, always happy to see a regular or newbie. Usually with a new, raunchy joke and a fresh pot of coffee.

Deb and Jeff. Or is it Jeff and Deb?

What makes the German Village Coffee House special? It's the people! The owners Craig and Christa, the staff during the week and Deb and Jeff on most Saturday mornings. It's the regulars; the Judges, Lawyers, Landscapers, entrepreneurs, ne'er do wells, bums, trust babies and more. Visit this place a few times and you'll know everyone's life story. And they'll know yours. It's like a comfortable pair of weekend shoes....just feels good.

The German Village Coffee Shop

193 Thurman Avenue

Columbus, OH 43206
 ( Christa and Craig also own and operate The Aladdin in Granville, OH. )

We proudly award this Columbus Greasy Spoon

3.95 Bellies!

ALa Carte Cafe - Port Clinton

You just never know where or which Columbus Chow-ers will discover a neat restaurant. Today was such a day! The old 'Southsider' was invited to spend the day on board a 38 foot Island Packet sailboat, named Class Act, skippered by local barrister Scott Shaw. Jersey Boy stayed in bed. So at 0-dark-thirty I headed north; to the north coast of America. If you are un-familiar with the harbors and islands of the Ohio, especially around Sandusky Bay then prepare to be impressed; Put-In-Bay, Kelly Island, Lakeside, Sandusky and of course, the iconic Cedar Point Amusement Park. But the real economic engine is Lake Erie fishing. And those early risers need grub and the go-to joint in Port Clinton is ALa Carte Café. My skipper took me to this 23 year institution to enjoy what everybody in this part of the world knows.

When you are THE CAPTAIN you can relax while your SAILORS do the work!

Opening at 4:30 am everyday of the week during fishing season and following the sun the rest of the year this little place serves a powerhouse breakfast. We sauntered in (sailors saunter don't you know) at 8:30 and grabbed the last two seats. This place was packed! Housed in a cinderblock storefront with cabinets and countertops from Home Depot, freshly painted and spotlessly clean the 'Front of the House or FOH' is tightly laided out and everybody sits close  together. What a wonderful feeling when you walk in the door to a new place and find every seat taken. The national chains would kill for this business.

Lisa Black and Ellie Carte...two very nice, and happy, restaurateurs

23 years ago Denny and his bride, Ellie Carte opened for hungry fishermen and last January passed the spatula to Lisa and Bill Black. Lisa, their niece, had spend the last twenty years teaching food service in the Ottawa School System, so she was ready.

Capt. Scott is at a loss for words as our feast is served by Diane.

Was the food good? Let the plates decide.

To the menu You Shout! It's traditional American Grub. Eggs, Bacon, Ham, Sausage...great portions and all at a very moderate price. I had two eggs, corned beef hash and a homemade biscuit...Captain Scot and I split a Quarter Order of Hashbrowns and still had some leftovers. The traditional breakfast that we try to have at all of our stops is Two eggs, meat, and toast. At Ala Carte it was $5.95. Very moderate pricing. For lunch they've got fresh lake perch and other nice entrees. Close at 2pm.

Lisa runs a very competent and skilled staff. While her first love (after Bill) is the griddle she handles the FOH with the skill of a traffic cop. Tight spaces call for tight coordination with FOH and the Back of the House (BOH.) In all my foodservice experience I've never seen a restaurant with two griddles located on opposite walls....I can't begin to tell you how difficult it is coordinate having all the items you need to be ready at the same time....it's hard enough when the grills are located next to each other; it's impossible to do it when you can't see the grill. Lisa and her crew make it look easy...

The North Grill and ten feet away....

The South Grill

The Southsider awards this Port Clinton Gem a rating of 4 Bellies. Good food, good portions, good prices and great people make this a winner...add it to your must visit list.

ALA Carte Café

225 Madison Street

Port Clinton, OH 

419/734-9939

 

4 Bellies!

Voted Best Breakfast in Ottawa County for 2014