Columbus Foodie

We had plenty of time to kill before meeting the other two people interested in the supper club on Thursday, so we decided to head over to Grandview Avenue early, and eat dinner at Spagio. We had been there previously for brunch, but were looking forward to coming for dinner.

We arrived around 6:00, and asked to be seated on the patio so I could have better lighting for taking pictures. My husband was a bit chilly, but braved the cold for the sake of art. The wait staff was extremely attentive, as we had barely sat down before our waiter came out to check on us.

For starters, we had the appetizer-sized Thin Crust SPAGIO Pizza. It was very simple, but its simplicity was what made it good - the olive oil base on thin crunchy crust acted as an excellent delivery system for the fragrant blend of fresh tomato, garlic, and Parmesan.

Before having our entrees, both my husband and I opted to get the half-sized chopped salad, which acted as a great palate cleanser. It was extremely fresh tasting, with lots of good stuff such as eggs, tomatoes, cheese, and peppers in every bite. It was dressed with a very subtle vinaigrette, and the combination of the dressing, the cilantro, and the tortilla strips on top gave it a very Southwestern vibe.

My husband opted for the Veal Meatball Pasta with Marinara as his entree. The house-made marinara was thick but not too thick, fragrant with Italian herbs and served over a bed of rigatoni. The veal meatballs were melt in your mouth tender, with great flavor that wasn’t overpowered by the sauce. Portion size was ample, with 6 golf-ball sized meatballs in the order.

For my entree, I chose to go the comfort food route - I ordered Hungarian Goulash served over spatzle and finished with creme fraiche. Goulash has always brought back memories of my childhood, as my Oma (grandmother) would make a batch of it every week. Even though I always think her goulash will be the best ever, Spagio gives Oma’s goulash a run for her money. Tender cubes of beef that melt in your mouth and meld with the flavor of the spices take me back 30 years to sitting at Oma’s table with the chairs so high that my feet dangled in mid-air, looking at the snow outside while the goulash warmed my tummy. Chef Hubert’s spatzle are browned to perfection, adding a subtle nuttiness to the goulash.
Spagio has a great reputation, and for good reason. The service was impeccable, not too intrusive but always there to fill up an empty glass or take away our dishes at the right times. The food was cooked to perfection, and was plentiful. And the crowd in general seemed very laid back - the atmosphere of both the restaurant and Spagio Cellars next door was very welcoming and upscale without being daunting.

Spagio can be a bit on the expensive side, depending on what you are ordering - but if the rest of the food is as good as what we had, it’s worth every penny. Be sure to check their website for events, as they have regular wine tastings that are paired with food.

If you want to go, Spagio, 1295 Grandview Ave, Columbus, OH 43212. 614.486.1114

Paul and I met on Thursday with two people that we got in contact with through the Cooking Light message boards about putting together a supper club. The meeting itself was interesting, as we were all from different backgrounds - some had previous experience with a supper club, others didn’t. The meeting seemed to go well, and we all made plans to have the first supper club at the end of June. We planned to fill out the group with friends of the other two people.

A couple of days later, the first person emailed to say she was backing out because she didn’t want to take part in a co-ed club, which didn’t seem to be an issue before, but suddenly was. Today, the other person emailed to say that she too was backing out of the supper club thing. I’m feeling rejected, but am not totally giving up on the idea.

If there are any supper clubs around who wouldn’t mind having two down-to-earth, non-pretentious fatties who can cook really well and are adventurous in our eating in your group, please give us a heads up. And so there are no surprises: we’re married, mid-30’s, educated professionals who happen to live in a Maronda-built house on the southwest side (I’m thinking this was part of the problem, since the one person’s body language visibly changed when we mentioned this).

Forgive me for the extended break, I had some computer issues which took the better part of the weekend to resolve. So I’ll be posting a lot today to make up for the few days I missed. First up was something I made last week that tasted much, much better than it looks in this picture. This is one of my old favorite recipes, bourbon short rib stew. Technically, it’s supposed to be served with white cheddar grits, but we were fresh out of white cheddar, and decided to serve it over whole wheat farfalle instead. Next time, rather than using short ribs, I’ll use beef cubes (my usual substitution), as the final outcome was a little too fatty for my tastes, although it gave great mouth feel to the gravy. To maintain the integrity of the original recipe, I’ll include the recipe for white cheddar grits below.

Bourbon Short-Rib Stew
Courtesy Emeril Lagasse (1999)

4 lbs beef short-ribs, cut into individual ribs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup bleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cub bourbon
3 tbsp chopped garlic
3 bay leaves
2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
4 cups beef stock
1 pint pearl onions
1 cup baby carrots or 1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup baby turnips or 1 cup sliced turnips
1 1/2 lbs new or small red potatoes
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
2 tbsp chopped horse-radish

1. In a mixing bowl, season the short-ribs with salt and pepper. Toss with flour and mix well.

2. In a large dutch oven, add 1/2 cup of oil. Add 1/2 batch of the meat a time and brown them. Repeat.

3. After 3 or 4 minutes —take the beef ribs out and set aside. Add 1/2 cup bourbon to deglaze pan. Add beef stock —add garlic, bay leaves, thyme and a teaspoon black pepper. Then add short ribs back to the pan with stock Cook for 2 hours.

4. In a mixing bowl, add pearl onions, baby carrots peeled, baby turnips new potatoes quartered and season with salt and pepper. Add vegetables to stew and cook for 1/2 hour. Stir in 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley. Then stir in 2 tbsp horse-radish. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Keep warm until ready to serve with grits.

5. TIP: If you want liquid to thicken liquid of the stew make a slurrey with 2 tbsp flour (or 2 tbsp corn-starch) + 2 tbsp water and mix into broth of stew.

Serves 4.

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White-Cheddar Grits

2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup quick-cooking white grits
2 tbsp heavy cream
1/2 cup grated white Cheddar Cheese

1. Bring the milk, seasoned with salt, to boil in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining butter. While stirring, slowly add the grits, breaking up any lumps.

2. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the grits are tender and slightly thick, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the heavy cream and 1/4 cup of the cheese, stirring until the cheese is completely melted. Season with salt/pepper.