- My “Welcome to Columbus” Pint
Columbus, Ohio (Sorry, U of M fans) is just about five hours from Detroit, so when I was invited on a culinary press tour I jumped (well, drove quickly) at the opportunity. Four days of eating, drinking, schmoozing with Columbus’ finest and other food writers from around the country? Yes, please.
If one thing can be drawn from the trip, it is that Columbus is definitely an up and coming city. Everyone we ran into was excited about the city.
I spoke briefly about Columbus’ distillery scene last month, but now we’re going to talk about and admire some of the delectable dishes Columbus’ chefs are cooking up. Given the depth and volume of the food consumed, this will be a three part series focused on all things edible.
Milestone 229
Studded with flash fried fresh jalapeno slices
Milestone 229 is located on the newly renovated Scioto Mile, a riverfront park connecting downtown Columbus to the Scioto River. An impressive craft beer list paired with a inventive small plates and a gorgeous view make this an ideal spot for wining and dining or a romantic evening.
Basi Italia
Eggplant parmesan being plated
Basi Italia is a tiny, local ingredient (whenever possible) driven Italian restaurant owned and operated by Chef John Dornback and his wife Trish. John is jovial fellow beaming with excitement about his establishment. They opened in 2003 to much fanfare and the following for their simple, rustic cuisine has only grown in that time.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream
Spicy ice cream, salted caramel, sweet bananas, and fresh cilantro. Perfection in a bowl.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream is quite possibly Columbus’ most well known company. Known for their hand crafted ice cream and unique flavors, Jeni’s uses primarily local ingredients, including all of the cream used in their ice cream (sourced from Snowville Creamery). With signature flavors like Wildberry Lavender, Queen City Cayenne, and Cherry Lambic Sorbet, Jeni’s is continuously pushing the envelope of what ice cream is and should be.
Here are some more photos from day one:
Special thanks to Experience Columbus for inviting me to participate in this wonderful weekend excursion.
More photos of the entire Columbus trip can be found in our Flickr Collection.
