Columbus Foodie

I’ve participated in the Taste & Create event on and off for years now. Basically you cook something from another blog, while they cook something from yours. By luck of the draw, I almost always seem to get paired up with vegetarian blogs. While it still leaves me with a ton of options, I’m sure it completely narrows the choices for the other party. This time around, it was the Shortcut to Mushrooms blog. Sorry about the delay in getting this up, I got a bit distracted with school starting.

Cooking from a vegetarian blog means that I inevitably end up making a side dish of some sort, and this was no exception. The only thing I did differently was to use a green bell pepper instead of red, because that was what I had on hand. It had an interesting flavor to it. It was a bit spicy, a bit starchy, a bit salty, but definitely a nice side dish. Would have been even better with fresh corn off the cob. Next time around, I may think about incorporating some maple into it somehow.

Corn Pudding
recipe from the Shortcut to Mushrooms blog

Mix in a bowl:
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
1 slightly-beaten egg
1/4 cup milk
Big handful of grated sharp cheddar cheese
Black pepper to taste
(You won’t need salt using canned corn, but might if you use fresh corn)

Sautee in butter until tenderish:
A few tablespoons each of:
Minced onion
Diced red bell pepper
Diced poblano pepper

While still cooking in the pan, add to the veggies:
2-3 tablespoons of hush puppy mix (or flour w/ some added seasonings if you’d like, or just flour)
Mix well to coat the veggies. Let the flour brown a little.

Allow the cooked veggies to cool a bit.
Mix them with the stuff in the bowl

Pour all of this into a buttered glass baking dish.

Bake in a 325 degree preheated oven for at least 30 minutes. Check for the consistency you like. It may take up to an hour to cook in a deeper pan (or if you want it to be more chewy-licious and golden-brown on top).

Let cool as much or little as you want. This is great hot, room tempurature or cold (but admittedly, I like corn more than most people!)

I’ve been aware of Tastecasting for a while now. Since the whole concept started here in Columbus, there’s a fairly active group of individuals that belong and cross my path in a myriad of ways. Some are even readers. Most that I’ve met face to face or traded tweets with are really, really nice people. For the longest time, I had a “live and let live attitude” with the group – it wasn’t my thing, but more power to them if that’s what they wanted to do.

But I’ve got to tell you, I’ve got a really big problem with Tastecasting. If you’re not familiar with the concept, essentially what it entails is that a team of tasters, led by a team captain, visits a local business and is provided free food in return for good publicity for the business in the form of blog entries, tweets, etc. I’ve even seen tweets recruiting people with the mantra “want to tweet for food?”

As a group, though, my experiences with them have been less than pleasant. I’ve been to an event or two that they were covering (in return for free food and drink, naturally), and they show up as a group, clad in blue “tastecasting” shirts and with their own printed credentials, totally dominating the event and not allowing others that aren’t part of the group to get a word in edgewise. These are, mind you, events that I’ve covered for years out of my own pocket. At one event, I overheard a Tastecaster talk about how she was just there for the $80 in free booze she just drank.

Online, it’s been a little more annoying. The members are people I follow, because 95% of the time, I really enjoy their tweets. During an event, however, they tend to flood my Twitter feed with bite-by-bite steps through whatever it is they are tasting, retweeting each others insincere (and yes, it does show) tweets over and over and over again. I must’ve seen 50-100 Tweets all saying the same thing come from the same people within an hour. It was #donatos #handtossed this, #donatos #handtossed that, etc. So I made a snarky tweet, something to the effect of “when will the #tastecasting event at #donatos be over with – all the #handtossed tweets are coming across like a #handjob” – even followed it up with a comment that I was joking. The next day, I get a direct message from one of the Tastecasters, someone whose tweets I read regularly and enjoy, asking me to “delete the comment because the client will read it and get upset” – I politely told her I wouldn’t, and why, but I’m kind of bothered that I, someone who is not a member of their group, was asked to censor an opinion. I was so annoyed by the Twitter spam that I was very tempted to unfollow anyone who had been tweeting about #donatos #handtossed that evening, even though I really enjoy their posts the rest of the time.

So, with that in mind, I’m doing this blog entry explaining my thoughts on Tastecasting. If nothing else, hopefully this will generate some discussion on what the rest of you think, and for my readers that are Tastecasters, maybe you can explain what the draw is. (BTW, Tastecasters – know that I have no problems with you as individuals, just Tastecasting as a concept).

First things first – I’ve built up my network the old fashioned way. I’ve been blogging for 4 years now (come next month), and in that time, I’ve posted almost 1,000 posts, visited and reviewed 100+ restaurants, covered numerous events, gotten to know many restaurant owners and community leaders through crossing the same paths over and over via various channels. I value the network I’ve built. So much so, that when something comes out of my mouth, they know it is sincere. My big mouth has gotten me into trouble more than once, but I’m one of the most transparent people you’ll ever meet. People joke that my nickname should be “WYSIWYG” – because that is true – what you see IS what you get with me. All of my opinions, thoughts, etc. on restaurants and establishments are completely, 100% organic. I share them with my network because I truly believe that there is some good reason (the food, the service, the owners, etc) that you should be spending your money there. Because I pay for my own things, I know the value of the meal in real world $$ terms. Knowing that people will take me at my word, I respect them enough not to direct them to dreck.

I don’t think Tastecasting reviews, by their very nature, can be objective. When I review a restaurant, I do it completely incognito. I look like Jane Average. I don’t call ahead, I don’t demand freebies or favoritism. I try to be as low-key as possible when taking pictures. I try my best not to let any restaurant employees see me taking pictures. I pay full price like everyone else, and leave a good tip like everyone else. I know, when I’m reviewing a restaurant, that I’m getting the exact level of service that everyone else is. Not being recognizable like the reviewers from mainstream media works to my advantage. Tastecasters, on the other hand, show up to a Tasting event in uniform, cameras and iPhones and video cameras ablazin’, with the restaurant fully expecting them and pulling out all stops to please them. When a restaurant knows they will be on display, it goes without saying that you are getting the best food and the best service possible. Your experience will not necessarily be representative of everyone elses. These favorable reviews, skewed by the lack of anonymity, dilute the effect of REAL reviews.

I, as a general rule, accept no freebies. The only exceptions to this are press passes to major events (like the Apron Gala & Taste the Future) and the Blogger Getaway (which was a coordinated event). The fact of the matter is that being recognized as “press” has only been a recent development, after a few years of covering the events paying for the tickets out of my own pocket, and taking pictures that the organizers felt really captured the event in a way they enjoyed. In other words, I paid my dues the hard way – lots of money out of my own pocket to establish credibility and a repuation, lots of time covering events and writing blog entries, lots of networking and talking to and developing relationships with the right people. I kind of resent the fact that Tastecasters waltz in expecting the same level of respect that it took many of us several years to earn.

When Tastecasting was first developed, the point was supposedly to bring exposure to independent businesses, ones that many people didn’t know about and that could really use the traffic. However, this appears to have gone by the wayside, with recent events at Donatos, Hoggy’s, and an upcoming event at Qdoba, to name a few. Chain restaurants get plenty of exposure – it seems the only reason they are doing the events lately is for the free grub.

I don’t like the groupthink mentality of Tastecasting. As part of the group, you are expected to tweet positive experiences only. There’s a certain amount of peer pressure that erases all individuality from the participants. People who are normally extremely pleasant to communicate are reduced to being sycophants who post what is essentially a press release. Looking over someone’s shoulder, I saw that they actually had a handout on what they were supposed to post on Twitter. Where’s the integrity in that? Are you really comfortable in selling your soul for a slice of pizza? Are you really willing to subject your network to that, therefore diluting your credibility and stature with them? Is being a “social media expert” worth being devoid of anything that makes you an individual outside of your brand?

I also have a problem with the financial aspect of Tastecasting. It appears, by their own FAQ, that eventually they will be charging both the tasters AND the establishments a fee. With the concept of Tastecasting already having spread to 22 cities in less than a year, the Tastecasting founder stands to make a fortune, exploiting both the need of the establishment for exposure, and the participants want of a free meal. So honestly, the participants will be paying a fee for providing PR that they SHOULD be getting paid for? Nice racket, that.

I’m also curious as to the effect that a Tasting has had on a business. Businesses (and I know there are a few readers who are business owners that have hosted an event), have you seen an increase in business because of the event? Has it played out in real world numbers, sustained long after the event is over? Have you run into negative reactions such as mine?

There are lots of other reasons I would never be involved with such an organization, but lets start with those. Thoughts?

Many of my meals this past summer have been centered around what I’ve grown in my garden. With summer coming to a close, it’s time to tear out what remains of the garden, and I’ve found that this is a great way to use the last of those zucchini and tomatoes, while keeping it healthy. I can’t tell you how many times I made variations of this over the summer.

Summer Squash Scramble with Fresh Tomato
recipe from “The South Beach Diet Taste of Summer Cookbook” by Dr. Arthur Agatston

3 large eggs
1 tsp. chopped chives
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. canola oil
1 small summer squash, halved and thinly sliced into half-moons
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 medium tomato, finely chopped

In a small bowl, beat eggs, chives, salt and pepper until well combined. In a medium nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add squash and onion, cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to brown, about 8 minutes.

Add egg mixture to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until eggs are set, about 2 minutes. Spoon eggs onto 2 plates and sprinkle with tomato. Serve warm. Makes 2 servings.

Per serving: 180 cal, 12g fat, 2.5g sat fat, 11g pro, 8g carb, 2g fiber, 390 mg sod

…to mourn the passing of summer. And to say goodbye to one of my favorite meals of the season, a perfect heirloom tomato with sliced burrata mozzarella on top, dressed with good olive oil, balsamic glaze, basil, and seasoning.

Until next year, my dear friend. I shall miss you horribly.

Given that Banana Bean Cafe had rolled out a whole new menu just weeks before with many different new options that we had never tried before, we thought that Restaurant Week, given the incredible value, was the perfect time to try them. When else would we get the option to try 2 brunch entrees + an app we weren’t familiar with for $20.09? We made the decision to go back again on Saturday morning after doing our farmers market run.

Unfortunately, our second experience didn’t go QUITE as smoothly as the first.

Even though it’s not a new menu item, we had never tried the Sarotogo Chips, which by the description, sounded a lot like Banana Bean’s version of the Maytag Blue Cheese on potato chip app over at Cap City. So that’s pretty much the expectation we had. Banana Bean’s version just didn’t do it for us. The chips were soggy, not crispy at all – kind of like a strange cross between home fries and chips, and they were topped with a thin, cold alfredo sauce and cold blue cheese. While we ate them, we didn’t really enjoy them. If we ever ordered this again, it probably wouldn’t be early after they open.

Our waitress had punched our order in wrong on the computer, so instead of getting what I ordered, I was served the Enchilada omelette. I sent it back immediately, so I can’t tell you how it tastes, but just figured since it made it to our table I may as well take a pic of it before it went back to the kitchen. It looks good enough that I may order this in the future.

Paul ordered Grandaddie’s Chicken and Waffles, which would have been really good had there been more of the apricot syrup – the waffles are dense enough that they needed the extra moisture. The underlying flavor was solid, though – especially the chicken, which would be fantastic on a salad of some sort. With that one minor modification, this dish would have gone from “meh” to good.

I went with the North Shore Seafood Omelette. While there is a decent amount of seafood in this dish, the flavor fell a little flat for me – the sauce it’s served with doesn’t really pop, or bring out the natural sweetness of the scallops or shrimp. With some minor modifications to the seasoning/sauce, though – this one could be a contender.

We’ve been having fairly good experiences at Banana Bean Cafe since they’ve moved to Greenlawn, but I think they’re going through a tweaking process with the new menu. Hopefully a little bit of constructive criticism will help them refine what is a solid menu into a fantastic one.

If you’d like to go: Banana Bean Cafe, 340 Greenlawn Ave., Columbus, OH 43223, 614-443-2262

It’s crazy how the weeks just all blended into each other, and without my really keeping up with everything, the details of the markets that seemed so sharp at the time seem to be slipping away from me now. Sad, that – part of the reasons I do the farmers market updates is so I can look back at my entries in January and February when the winter is the coldest, and give myself something to look forward to. Because I checked out (in more than one way) this summer, I won’t have that next year. Sorry about that, guys.

Nothing much to say as far as details with regards to these pictures – just one comment to make on them – the yellow produce below are heirloom cucumbers. I was heartened to see many more heirloom varieties in the markets this year. So I’ll just leave you wish the sights of a random summer market in August.

Hopefully the pics I have of the other markets for that month will jostle my memory a little better.

In advance of going back to Athens tomorrow, I wanted to talk some more about my trip to Athens last month. Let us not kid ourselves. It was ALL about the food. It always is for me. I think you can tell so much more about an area by the food you eat than by any other factor. And Athens is quite the foodie town.

I think one of the best things we ate that weekend was completely by accident. We had been stalking the Burrito Buggy unsuccessfully, and in the process of trying to find them at the county fairgrounds, got turned around on a back road and ended up at Miller’s. Miller’s Chicken is an Athens institution which honestly didn’t look like much on the outside (or the inside either, really – unless aged formica is your thing). We really didn’t hold out much hope, but decided to order a bucket of 10 thighs for the road anyway, along with some salads.

OMFG. If we hadn’t already been on our way back to Columbus when we dug into the bucket 10-15 minutes later, we would have turned the car around and gone right back and got more of everything. This, quite honestly, is THE best fried chicken I’ve ever had. Completely moist meat, with almost a dual layer of fried skin – not the way you normally think of fried chicken, but instead a cracklin’-like layer of skin, followed by another layer of fried skin underneath. It was crisp, but not by being artificially breaded. KFC, eat your hearts out. Paul said it was pure torture on that ride home – between hearing the “crunch crunch” of my teeth savoring the skin, the sound of me smacking my lips in happiness, and the way the fantastic smell filled up the car, he darn near pulled over a dozen or more times not content to let me feed him some now and then as he was driving.

The salads were nearly as good. If I had known how good, I would have opted for more than just a small potato salad and individual sized macaroni & cole slaw.

I’m notoriously particular about macaroni salad, but theirs was quite solid. Not cloyingly sweet like most.

Ditto with the cole slaw. I like my cole slaw to have a finer chopped texture rather than long shreds, and this did not disappoint.

No matter where else we go, this *will* be a stop on our next visit. It’s even good cold.

If you’d like to go: Miller’s Chicken, 235 W. State St, Athens, OH 45701, 740-593-6544

If I happen to be away on vacation, or in an unfamiliar area, there are always two things I look for to get my bearings, and to get a feel for what life is like there – public markets, and farmers markets. On this particular date, we were in Logan at the Inn at Cedar Falls, so making the trek down to Athens to visit a market with a reputation for being so good that we hear about it all the way in Columbus seemed like a no-brainer.

Athens Farmers Market comes by its reputation honestly. Located in a large parking lot, the size of it is massive. Think Worthington but bigger. There are all kinds of things – prepared foods, produce, artisan cheese, baked goods, meat – the possibilities for making good, clean, and fair meals are endless. This place is Slow Food heaven.

This is just a single example of a vendor at Athens – see the beauty of that produce? Yeah, I know – I’m weird. I find produce beautiful. Think that it’s one of the best things to photograph, think that the nuances that nature puts in each type of fruit or vegetable are what macro photography is made for. The beauty was overabundant, since we were in the height of the growing season at the time.

But this – this will make me come back down to Athens again. If this is the only thing I get, it was worth the 90 minute trip each way. Crumbs Bakery’s Veggie Pizza, a thick crusted (for a good reason!) slab of yeast goodness, topped with all manner of veggies and cheeses. If it grew in the ground, it’s in there, and topped with cheese. Oh. My. God. We scarfed this in the car, and went back to look for more and were so sad that they had sold out that quickly, as they did with most of their goods.

Did you all know that Crum’s sells down there too? Neither did I.

One of the places I was told to absolutely not miss was Integration Acres, with their fresh goat cheeses. We got a selection to take home with us, because we were totally impressed with nearly all the samples.

It was here that I saw the first shell beans of the season.

One of the prepared food stands, Ali Baba’s, has absolutely wonderful beef & potato kofte. We’re planning on going again this weekend, and hope they still are selling these.

And we saw a lot of stuff that’s available to us locally here as well. Like grapes, although they seemed to have more selection there.

While it’s not practical for us to go to Athens every week, we were so impressed that we’ll be going at least a couple of times a season. Including tomorrow. More about that later.

I’m a real sucker for Greek food. I first had this dish at Anna’s a few years ago, and was spending so much money getting her version that I decided to find a recipe and give making it here at home a try. This recipe is very close to hers.

Galaktoboureko is an interesting dessert – crispy filo above (although my latest attempt was not so crispy), chewy filo below, and in between a slightly grainy (from the semolina) custard. Delicious.

Galaktoboureko
recipe courtesy Allrecipes

6 cups whole milk
1 cup semolina flour
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 eggs
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup butter, melted
12 sheets phyllo dough
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar

Pour milk into a large saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat. In a medium bowl, whisk together the semolina, cornstarch, 1 cup sugar and salt so there are no cornstarch clumps.

When milk comes to a boil, gradually add the semolina mixture, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and comes to a full boil. Remove from heat, and set aside. Keep warm.

In a large bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer at high speed. Add 1/2 cup of sugar, and whip until thick and pale, about 10 minutes. Stir in vanilla.

Fold the whipped eggs into the hot semolina mixture. Partially cover the pan, and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish, and layer 7 sheets of phyllo into the pan, brushing each one with butter as you lay it in. Pour the custard into the pan over the phyllo, and cover with the remaining 5 sheets of phyllo, brushing each sheet with butter as you lay it down.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top crust is crisp and the custard filling has set. In a small saucepan, stir together the remaining cup of sugar and water. Bring to a boil. When the Galaktoboureko comes out of the oven, spoon the hot sugar syrup over the top, particularly the edges. Cool completely before cutting and serving. Store in the refrigerator.

For me, The Worthington Inn is one of those places I’ve walked by for years, always talking about how I need to eat there soon, etc. – but preconceived notions always kept me from stopping in – misconceptions that it was frou frou and fussy, or that everyone who eats there is all dressed up, or that service would be stuffy. Let me just say now for the record that I was completely wrong.

We decided to head there for lunch during Restaurant Week, where they were offering your choice of 2 lunch entrees for $20.09. 2 people eating for 20 bucks at the Worthington Inn? Yes, please!

We would have loved to sit on the patio, which faces High Street but seems a lot more remote. However, all of the tables were reserved. One of these days, we definitely will.

Instead, we ate on the porch, which was still quite nice – the day we went was absolutely beautiful weather, perfectly clear and in the 70′s with a nice breeze. The wide porch reminds me of the “lemonade porches” you see in the Deep South. Dare I say it was quite charming?

Bread service was a loaf of fresh baked bread with the unusual choice of an aioli instead of butter. Although it seemed a little strange at first, the combination was quite good.

Not as part of Restaurant Week, but a la carte, I ordered a cup of their Summer Corn Chowder ($4), a hearty cup of contrasting flavors and textures – the sweetness of local corn, the smoky flavor of the bacon, the potatoes that studded the soup, and the luxurious richness of the creamy broth, all finished off with a cheddar crisp that slowly melted back into the soup as I was eating it. Divine.

For his entree, Paul chose the Spaghetti Cassandra (normally $13), a substantial portion of al dente spaghetti tossed with large chunks of chicken, sun dried tomatoes, spinach, feta cheese, garlic, chili flake and olive oil. The flavor was quite subtle, maybe a touch TOO subtle. While filling, it didn’t really pack a punch.

My Petit Filet Worthington (normally $15), while small, was cooked to a perfect medium rare. The blue cheese and demi-glace made a good steak even better. The au gratin potatoes weren’t the best I’ve had, but they were well prepared, and were a nice accompaniment to the steak. The spinach? Sauteed to perfection. I don’t know why, but I just love the combination of spinach and steak.

Our service was great, and we had heard great things about the Brunch at the Worthington Inn (it’s supposedly the food service workers destination of choice for the best brunch in town), so our server advised us to make reservations if we wanted to go. We did that before we left, and got one of the two last reservations available. The Restaurant Week deal on the brunch was 2 Brunch Buffets + beverages for $30.09, which is a substantial discount from it’s normal price of $21.95 per person.

I was totally blown away by the brunch. Oh my goodness, the quality and quantity of food they offered was beyond compare – I haven’t seen anything quite like it in my time here in Columbus. To say we’ll return for brunch again is an understatement. Here are just a few of the highlights:

An omelette station that made omelettes to order. I had a fantastic vegetarian omelette with all manner of fresh veggies. Although there was a bit of a bottleneck at the station at times, I was eventually able to (on my second round) order an omelette and get it in a couple of minutes without much of a wait.

All different kinds of danish, which I didn’t try because my strategy at buffets is to not fill up on carbs, and to concentrate on getting a lot of protein in. They sure looked good, though.

Smoked salmon with all the fixings. I’m not usually a big fan of smoked salmon, but theirs was quite yummy.

Lots and lots of crispy bacon. This bacon piggy was in hog heaven!

A really delicious, moist, stuffed pork loin with a fantastic gravy. I know apple figured into it somewhere (either the stuffing or gravy), but it lent a sweetness that was just pure porky perfection.

Other items that you can see on my plate: a respectable eggs benedict, shrimp with cocktail sauce, an okay salad, an underwhelming and dry chicken marsala, equally underwhelming potatoes, and the best darn prime rib I’ve had in ages.

More about that prime rib. It was absolutely perfect. Everything about it. The perfect level of doneness, the nice crispy flavorful outer edges, the thickness of the cut, the wonderful creamy horseradish sauce and the jus it was served with. I went back for seconds, and got 2 pieces instead of one. Yes, I love prime rib that much. The only thing that would have made it better would have been some Yorkshire pudding on the side ::drool:: Also on the second round, I got made to order Belgian waffle topped with raspberry sauce and miniature semisweet chocolate chips, that aforementioned veggie omelette, loads of bacon, and some cheese. I quite literally cleaned my plate, and had I had room in my belly for more, would have gone back for thirds.

Paul showed a bit more restraint than I did, playing it safe with the eggs benedict, some salmon in a red pepper sauce, potatoes, that wonderful pork and some bacon.

I think you can tell from his second plate how much he loved the pork. And after trying a bit of my prime rib, he had to get some of his very own.

So many choices for dessert. Although only one thing really caught my eye on the way in.

We both had a piece of this neapolitan cheesecake. I’m not sure if it’s house made or not, but it was definitely good. Paul wants me to try to make my own version of this here at home.

Needless to say, we truly enjoyed both experiences at The Worthington Inn, and hope to return again soon. I’m glad our misconceptions of the place were proven wrong.

If you’d like to go: The Worthington Inn, 649 High St., Worthington, OH 614-885-2600