Columbus Foodie

Back at last from another successful round of Taste the Future, *the* foodie event of the year that provides scholarships for up and coming culinary arts students at Columbus State.

I cannot put into words just how fantastic most of the food was, so I’ll let the pictures do the talking. Add to that fantastic weather (sunny, in the 70’s), and it was a perfect evening.

If you’d like to see more pictures, check out the Flickr sideshow. Hope to see some of you there next year!

The trip driving up I-75 had to be one of the longest of my life. Exit after exit of the same old fast food joints, gas stations, and hotel chains, with no way to differentiate one location to the next. Yuck. So homogeneous, so friggin sterile. So when I saw a billboard advertising “real pit BBQ” at the next exit, my interest was piqued.

Turns out that the exit was for a little tiny town in Tennessee called Sweetwater, with a total population of 5,586 people. I followed the signs and came upon a place called Bradley’s Pit BBQ and Grill.

Bradley’s is a hidden gem - owned by one Tom Bradley, who is on premises and acts in a multitude of roles - sometimes host, sometimes cashier, and always in the kitchen. The restaurant itself is unassuming, attracting both local folks and passing travelers who were as enthralled by the prospect of eating something good as I was. The service was saccharine, with true Southern lady waitresses who dropped the words “honey” and “sugar” like it was going out of style.

The menu offers all of the usual barbecue fare - pork and brisket and ribs and a few other things, along with all of the usual sides. Wanting to experience a little of everything, I went with the the Pork Sampler ($11.95), which consisted of both ribs and pulled pork. For my sides, I chose a baked potato and green beans.

The meat? Just fired on all cylinders. The ribs were fall-off-the-bone tender, full of flavor and finger-licking. The pulled pork was moist and a bit smoky, and with the additions of their sauces, went from good to great. The baked potato was swimming in butter and sour cream, a outright fat bonanza. A little to rich for my tastes, but I ate what I could. The green beans? Right out of the can, without the benefit of seasoning. Some added seasonings, bacon, and onions could take these from blah to edible. The Texas toast? An afterthought, mostly there to sop up sauce.

Now, about those sauces. Bradley’s makes three different kinds, two of which I tried and loved. The sweet sauce is your basic barbecue sauce, with (I’m sure) his own secret ingredients that set it apart from the others. It worked extremely well with the ribs, and almost as well with the pork. But where it was really at was the vinegar sauce. Oh my goodness, the tang and the pucker were just what that meat needed to elevate it to something really special. My favorite was a combination of both, about 33% sweet to 66% vinegar.

Full of protein, and fat and happy, I went about my merry way, but not before ordering a boatload of pulled pork and sliced brisket to take home with me. I don’t know if I’ll ever get down that way again, but if you’re traveling through Tennessee on I-75N, keep an eye out for the Sweetwater exit. It’s an oasis in a desert of mediocrity.

If you’d like to go: Bradley’s Pit BBQ and Grill, Exit 60 off I-75, 517 New Highway 68, Sweetwater, TN, 423.351.7190

On Thursday, I spent most of the day driving back to Ohio, but even a driver has to eat sometimes. I had skipped breakfast and lunch, so by 4pm or so, I was starving. By that time, I was about two hours into the drive, and around the Tampa area.

For some reason, I had the bright idea to have my husband ask his boss for recommendations, since his boss lives and works in the Tampa/Brandon area. Without hesitation, he told my husband to tell me to go to The Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City, a historic district in downtown Tampa.

This restaurant has been around pretty much forever - since 1905, actually - and has seen five generations of the family being involved in running it. Because of this, The Columbia Restaurant is a Florida institution, with people coming in from all around.

The building itself is imposing - it takes up a whole city block, and has 15 dining rooms that seat 1,700 people. Once you find parking (in the parking lots either across the street from or behind the building), it’s very easy to go in the wrong door like I did. I entered through the bar area, and in many ways I’m glad I did. I was definitely underdressed for the place (I was wearing shorts, a shirt, and sandals), and felt a little out of place among the tux-sporting waiters and men in business casual garb, but decided to eat at the bar since I was dining alone. Good choice. The bartender who took my order and waited on me made me feel very comfortable and right at home. Let me apologize in advance for the quality of the pictures, I was trying to take pictures on the down low in a low amount of light, and some of them came out blurrier than I would have liked.

The bread service consists of Cuban Bread, nice and toasty and served with butter. While great on it’s own, I think it pairs with their salad (more about that later) perfectly.

As an appetizer, I got their Croquetas y Croquetas, which is 4 each of both the Croquetas de Pollo (Chicken) and Devil Crab Croquettes. The chicken ones were delicious - each crunchy nugget containing a creamy concotion that reminded me of chicken pot pie. The delicate flavor of the crab in the other croquettes got a bit overwhelmed by the spices, but even these were quite good.

Now, about that salad - their 1905 Salad is absolutely amazing, which I find hard to believe considering I’m not a big iceberg lettuce fan. But the combination of flavors? Julienned ham and swiss? Tomatoes and olives and a fantastic vinaigrette? Rocked my world. I’ve already found the recipe for it online and am planning to make it at home soon. I opted for a side salad, which was huge! About the size of entree salads in these parts. This pic does not do it justice at all.

For an entree, everything on the menu looked so delicious that I had a hard time deciding. I settled on the La Completa Cubana platter, which is a sampler of several different things - roast pork, boliche (chorizo stuffed eye round), empanada de picadillo (ground beef turnover), platanos, yuca root, black beans and yellow rice. I can honestly, without a moment’s hesitation, say this is the best Cuban food I’ve ever had. The meat was tender and flavorful, the sides inventive while staying true to the traditional, and was a great way to sate several cravings at once. The yuca root didn’t do much for me, but I think it’s a texture thing that has nothing to do with their preparation.

I would have liked to say that I tried something from their dessert menu, but I didn’t. I was full after the salad and croquettes, and was only able to take a few bites of my entree. I opted instead to box it up for eating in my hotel later (and it was just as tasty cold as it was hot).

I did, however, get a to-go order of both the ropa vieja and the paella campesina to take home to Ohio with me so Paul could share the experience with me. I cannot express in words how helpful the bartender was in getting everything packaged in microwave-safe containers and steady in the bags for the long trip. And the food survived just fine, and made for many delicious meals in the days to come.

I hear tales of flamenco dancers and cigar rollers, but unfortunately I was just passing through and didn’t get to experience either. I do know that on a return trip to Florida, this will require a day trip to experience the right way. If you’re lucky enough to live in Tampa, I probably don’t have to tell you how awesome this restaurant is. The fantastic food got me through another 10 hours of driving before I stopped for the night. And the leftovers got me through the next day. It sure as hell beat the fast food joints along the interstates.

If you’d like to go: Columbia Restaurant, 2117 East 7th Avenue, Tampa, FL - 813.248.4961