The Restaurant List

Restaurant: Qdoba

2008-08-20T22:25:00.000-07:00

Breakdown
Name: Qdoba
Address: 1689 West Fifth Ave, Columbus
Food: Mexican by way of Colorado

Ratings
Service: 6 out of 10 - the guy behind the counter was soft-spoken. He had to repeat "Beans?" a couple of times before I heard it. Also, no one was there when I went back for my keys.
Atmosphere: 8 out of 10
Appetizers: 7 out of 10. Angie had the chips and salsa
Drinks: 7 out of 10. How does one score fountain drinks?
Mains: 6 out of 10
Desserts: We didn't have any.
Overall: 7 out of 10

Recommendation?

The Chipotle in Grandview gets very very busy. Rather than wait it out, you could hit Qdoba.

The food is good. The value is not great.

I had the nachos with pork. Angie had a steak burrito. We both liked the food, but neither of us would choose it over Chipotle.

Things get tricky over the nachos. Chipotle doesn't have them.

You could order a burrito bol and some chips, of course, but Qdoba offers melted cheese. That's a big draw for fans of nachos.

Angie, Nila and I went to Qdoba on Saturday. We decided to walk there and around 5th ave because it was a gorgeous day. So, we walked about 3 miles total.

When we got home, I realized I didn't have the house keys!

I had left them at Qdoba. I had to walk another mile back to the restaurant.

I do not recommend that you leave your keys at Qdoba. It's tiring.

Lucky for me, Mom was in the area and she picked me up from Qdoba and drove me home.

One final note: Kate hates Qdoba.

Places: Pistacia Vera

2008-07-12T19:47:00.000-07:00

Tiny expensive cookies at a great location in German Village.

Breakdown
Name: Pistacia Vera
Address: 541 S. Third St., Columbus
Food: Foofoo Dessert

Ratings
Service: 9 out of 10
Atmosphere: 8 out of 10
Desserts: 8 out of 10, but value is closer to a 2 out of 10
Overall: 7 out of 10

Recommendation?

It was good, don't get me wrong, but... $1 for a tiny cookie is too much. $5 for a tiny cake? If it's a gold cake, maybe.

Eat some oreos or an oatmeal creme pie at Schiller Park.

Restaurant: Acme Hotdog and Sausage Company

2008-07-12T19:32:00.000-07:00

This place sounds GREAT. You choose your dog, your bun and any topping you want.

I had the Boston Slaw dog and the Junkyard dog. The first had baked beans and cole slaw. The second had french fries, slaw and coney sauce. The idea was nice, but the bun was too chewy and the coney sauce was not good. I told Angie that I felt the bun was 'al dente.' A bun should never be al dente.

Sis had the Acme coney. "The bun was hard. The hot dog was dry. The coney sauce was nasty and it had seven onions and an ounce of cheese which is not enough for me. But my fries were rockin'."

Angie had a dog with peppers, onions and sweet relish. "I liked all of it. I thought it was great." She also had the baked beans. "I liked it. It had real bacon."

Mom had onion rings, mac and cheese and a milk shake. She doesn't like coneys.

Breakdown
Name: Acme Hotdog and Sausage Company
Address: 4989 Cleveland Ave, Columbus
Food: Hotdogs, Sausages and fair foods

Ratings
Service: 9 out of 10 - better fast food service
Atmosphere: 6 out of 10
Appetizers: 7 out of 10. We had fries and onion rings.
Drinks: 7 out of 10. Mom didn't love her milk shake.
Mains: 6 out of 10
Desserts: We didn't have any.
Overall: 7 out of 10

Recommendation?

My personal recommendation is to go to Phillip's Coney Island on North High Street and get the slaw dog there.

In fact, go to either Phillip's locations or George's and skip Acme altogether. It's not bad, but there's better in Columbus.

Restaurant: Union Cafe

2008-07-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

We went here on a beautiful summer day and sat on the patio. The patio sits right on High Street for maximum people watching. Even if the food hadn't been good, it would have been a great place to be.

Sis had the Turkey Club. She would give it 27 out of 5 stars.

I had the Chicken Salad. It was pretty good. I always order chicken salad, but I don't usually love it. This was much as could be expected.

Angie ate a chicken sandwich with fruit chutney. It wasn't what she ordered and she wouldn't order it again.

Nila ate food brought from home. She enjoyed it, but it doesn't really count.

Breakdown
Name: Union Cafe
Address: 782 N. High Street, Columbus
Food: American

Ratings
Service: 8 out of 10
Atmosphere: 10 out of 10
Appetizers: We didn't have any if you can believe it.
Drinks: We only had soda and water.
Mains: 9 out of 10
Desserts: We didn't have any.
Overall: 9 out of 10

Recommendation?

Go on a beautiful day and sit outside. The food is good and the atmosphere is better.

Movie: Persepolis

2008-07-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

Two movies in one weekend. Whoa!

You know I don't love watching movies at home, but, if you've been reading 13Months, you know Angie and I have been sick for some time. Add to that the indignity of basic cable and to that add a broken tv remote!

Now you see what's going on over here.

The second movie of the weekend was Persepolis. This animated film is based on the graphic novels of Marjane Satrapi entitled Persepolis 1 and 2. I read them both about two weeks ago having been recommended them by Nick Hornby's Housekeeping vs. the Dirt.

The books and movie are autobiographical. We follow Marji as she grows up in Tehran, is sent away to Austria by her worried parents during the Iran-Iraq war and then returns to Tehran as an outsider following the war.

Her personal struggles give valuable insight into a story that, to us in the west, seems simply chaotic and incomprehensible. The story she tells of herself, her family and her friends as they struggle which changing regimes and their changing lives helps to make the history more personal.

Breakdown
Name: Persepolis
Year: 2007
Stars: Chiara Mastroianni, Gena Rowlands, Sean Penn, Catherine Deneuve and Iggy Pop - all voices
Director: Marjane Satrapi

Ratings
Plot: 8 out of 10
Acting: 6 out of 10
Soundtrack: 6 out of 10
Overall: 7.5 out of 10

Recommendation?

Yes. I recommend you at least read the books. Her story begins just before the Iranian Revolution and runs through the Iran-Iraq War and beyond. It has great historic value, in my opinion.

And, hey, if you don't like to read, the movie can be a great help to you.

Movie: Sophie Scholl

2008-07-04T22:01:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, Angie and I stopped by the library to pick up a book I had placed on reserve.

We went to the Hilltop Library which, after the Main, is my favorite branch. On my way in, she told me to pick up a movie, so I got my book and then went to the movie section. It had been picked through like they were giving away free twinkies outside of a Jennie Craig.

Seriously. There were maybe two copies of Glitter. I glanced over to the other side of the room and noticed that the foreign film section was virtually untouched. This is the Hilltop after all.

I rummaged through and narrowed it down to three: Diary of a Country Priest (French), Turtles Can Fly (Kurdish) and Sophie Scholl (German). I have already seen Turtles Can Fly and, while it's very good, it's quite a downer. The book version of Diary of a Country Priest was mentioned in the book Gilead which I just finished reading and loved. But I was afraid it might be a little boring being the diary of a country priest and French.

I settled on the German film.

Angie and I watched it tonight. She called it "gripping," which is what the reviewers on the cover also said! Crazy.

It's based on the true story of the White Rose resisitant movement in Nazi Germany. She was arrested for distributing anti-Reich leaflets at the University of Munich and subsequently executed.

There's more to the story than that, but that's a basic summary.

Breakdown
Name: Sophie Scholl
Year: 2005
Stars: Julia Jentsch, Fabian Hinrichs
Director: Marc Rothemund

Ratings
Plot: 8 out of 10
Acting: 9 out of 10
Soundtrack: none to speak of
Overall: 8.5 out of 10

Recommendation?

Yes.

I think the best thing that people get out of language studies is an appreciation for movies made in other places. Granted I think most people prefer movies in the language which they studied, but I think it makes one more open to that section of the library, so the speak.

I think the exception to this rule might be those people who only took Spanish in high school. I think they don't really care.

Not Shutting Down

2008-06-21T21:32:00.000-07:00

Tonight I debated closing down the old restaurant list. you see, we haven't really been doing anything here; no new reviews, no new places, no new foods. Nothing.

I went back through and read all thirty entries (yes, 30 in two years. Yikes) and I realized that keeping this blog alive might really be pointless.

But the idea of shutting it down made me feel too sad. Honestly sad. I don't know why, but I couldn't do it.

Any Middle School Cafeteria

2007-12-08T11:51:00.000-08:00

I remember middle school. Not fondly, of course, but I do remember it.

I remember the cafeteria, too. I must admit, I don't really remember it that well. I mean, I remember the tables, but that's probably because they were the same from elementary through 8th grade. I don't remember much about the food, except that there was a food line and a snack line and the snack line has milkshakes. I think.

I remember how when a middle school kid got mad she'd lash out at those around her with lame barbs and comments. You know, like fat jokes and fart noises.

Well, I've never really wanted to revisit the middle school cafeteria. It, however, has decided to visit the restaurant list.

I recommend you read the comments under Smackie's and BJ's.

I could delete them, I guess. I mean, they're pretty mean-spirited. But they are so ridiculously uninspired and lame that i'd rather everyone read them.

People, these were written by an adult. When I read them I assumed it must be a joke - someone making fun of Anonymous posters by posting the most juvenile comments they could come up with. But, as it turns out, they're real!

I love it!! I don't know when I've been this entertained by someone trying to lash out and be tough.

Oh, wait. It was middle school.

The Point

2007-10-30T12:28:00.001-07:00

I forgot that the point of this blog was to list restaurants to which I haven't been but want to go.

I want to go to Smackies

Rubio's is the Slam

2007-10-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

Whenever we went to Rubio's, Angie would dog on some nachos.

We don't have any in Columbus, but you should eat at Rubio's the first chance you get!

Taco Hell

2007-09-19T18:41:00.000-07:00

Had Taco Bell for dinner. It was okay.

Here are two interesting facts I think you need to know:

The new Beefy Cheesy Melty Melt or whatever is just a giant meximelt
The Taco Bell website gives really good nutritional information

So you know exactly what you put in your mouth. Yikes!

Tacone

2007-09-15T11:27:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't eaten here.

Yet.

Two days ago we got our new Yellow Pages, so, obviously, I flipped through the new books looking for anything, well, new. I do this every time we get new books as I'm sure everyone else does.

I just look through that front part which lists all the fun and fascinating things to do in town and the menus towards the back. I mean, I'm not a freak or anything.

I found one restaurant which looks pretty good. It's called Tacone.

They sell sandwiches, quesadillas, wraps and smoothies.

Mmmmm....smoothies.

If you invite me to go to Tacone's with you, I will surely say yes.

And, when you pay, I will say thank you!

Not Quite as Big as My Head

2007-09-14T19:57:00.000-07:00

Angie and I went to La Bamba's to grab dinner tonight. You remember La Bamba's, right? It's the burrito place on campus touting burritos as grande as your cabesa.

There's now one on Georgesville Rd. It's been ther for less than a year I think. You may ask yourself why, but you shouldn't. 43228 has the densest population of spanish speakers in Franklin county.

Here's what we ate:

Burrito - I opted for the regular burrito with the beef/pork combination. It had meat, beans, lettuce, onions, sour cream and cheese. It was pretty good in that "I shouldn't be eating this" kind of way.

Super Nachos - Nachos, yes. Super, no. However, these actually were as big as my head. They're no Applebee's.

Taco Salad - Angie ate this and she's upstairs so she can't comment. I just remember that she likened the meat to something she would have eaten in a school cafeteria.

Here's why we ate it:

Chipotle's was too crowded with a line almost out the door.

A Critique

2007-08-28T21:21:00.000-07:00

I saw this online this evening and I couldn't let it pass without remark. You can read more here.

Clearly, it's a spork that has been upgraded to include a knife. Typically one uses a knife with a fork. And I mean one in each hand, not the two utensils mutated together as one.

How is the knife any more useful than an un-serated fork tine? I don't understand.

Maybe I am expected to hold the food with my hand while I cut it? Maybe I am being too critical. Perhaps I'm not thinking outside of the box. Whatever it is, I hate the super spork!

Any thoughts?

Chipotle...

2007-08-22T14:16:00.000-07:00

... is still freakin' fantastic.

FYI

Don't Go To Jimmy V's

2007-08-22T13:51:00.000-07:00

I visited Jimmy V's in German Village twice over the past week. Both times i left feeling sort of blah. I don't mean I felt sick or anything, but rather than I felt underwhelmed and underimpressed.

The first time I went with Angie, Mom and Sis. We sat on the back patio and I had...crap, I don't remember what I had.

Sis had the gyro, Angie had the Philly Panini thing and Mom had food of some sort. Who knows.

Oh yeah, I had the chef salad. It didn't stack up to the salad at Perkins which, taste and quality-wise, may be Jimmy V's closest competition.

The second time I went with Angie, Nikki, Miranda and Ted. I had the chicken Parmesan panini, Angie had something, Nikki had the cheeseburger - which I will discuss later - Miranda had the Penne ala Vodka and Ted had the gyro. We sat on the front patio.

The back patio is better that the front and they're both better than inside. If your going, you should sit outside for the generally enjoyable experience of eating outside. The food is not good enough to endure a poor dining atmosphere.

Oh, the food. Miranda's past tasted like a cheeseburger (I don't think on purpose), Angie's panini tasted like cardboard and my panini tasted like chicken on bread minus all the flavor, but the real kicker was Nikki's burger. Nikki took of the top bun to check things out and found a puddle of oil. Enough oil that everyone at the table gasped when they saw it. Nikki was a trooper and tried to soak up the slick with her napkin. She did, but the cheese, of course, came off with it. She ate it, but I wonder how long it stayed in her stomach with all that grease attached.

Sorry for the visual. Sorry Nikki that I involved you in it...

I think Ted summed it up best when he said, "I'd say this place is a solid 5 [out of 10]" I have searched the internets to see what other people have said and it seems that other people like the place. It has 4.5 stars at both CitySearch and Yahoo!Local. And that's out of five not, like, 14 or something.

Maybe everyone fills up on the signature martinis until they don't care what the food tastes like. That's my working theory.

BJ's

2007-03-21T13:30:00.000-07:00

I had high hopes for this blog:

I would write often
Others would write often
Posts would be thorough
People would read it
It would introduce readers to new places to enjoy

Well, I can't do anything about 1-4, but I can introduce a new local restaurant. OK, it's not local; it's a chain. And, I guess it's not new but, rather, new to the area.

It's new to me and it's great. BJ's serves a variety of food I guess, but I have only had three items:

Pizza: deep dish and soaked in garlic. Its like a pizza dream come true.
Bruschetta and Artichoke dip combo: drool....
Pizzookie, Pizooky, Pizuki?: I don't remember how they spell it, but it's a giant cookie baked in a personal-sized pizza pan and topped with vanilla ice cream. It's really tasty.

If you've been, let me know what you think.

Benny's

2007-03-15T17:39:00.001-07:00

Cheese steaks = Good

More later.

UPDATED
Kate took me to Benny's for a late lunch while I was sick about two weeks ago. As I so succinctly stated earlier, the cheese steaks were very good. I must admit that not being able to breath definitely lessened my enjoyment, but I would certainly make the drive again.

Benny's is located in the Kroger-anchored strip mall on Avery Rd just north of 161. You can't miss the sign. It says "Benny's," so, unless you can't read, you should be able to find it.

Pita Pit

2007-03-01T14:50:00.000-08:00

The Pita Pit is opening this weekend on High Street next to Bob's Bar.

I hear that they're offering free food Saturday and Sunday!!

UPDATE
I ate at the Pita Pit a couple of weeks ago. More specifically, I ordered food there and then ate in the car while I waited for Angie to get her hair done.

I had the shwarma which, loosely translated, means meat and fat shaved from a giant rotisserie and served on a bun. It tasted just like the kind of food I would get in the bazaar in Iraq. Which is to say that it is very poor quality food that tastes wonderful!

I haven't been back, but I would like to return. I recommend it.

Noodles Accomplished!

2007-02-05T11:18:00.000-08:00

I finally got to go to Noodles! Sis, Kate and I went on Saturday.

It was pretty good. I got the Bangkok Curry which was only ok, but Sis got something that she really liked (Mushroom Stroganoff, maybe. I don't remember) and Kate got some Japanese noodle deal that she really liked, too.

They serve flatbread (which is very good) and giant rice krispie treats (I didn't eat one, but it looked good).

I will have to go back and try something else. There was a lot to choose from, and I think I can do better.

Noodles

2007-02-01T12:45:00.000-08:00

I haven't been yet, but I really want to go!

Bear Rock Cafe

2007-01-15T22:14:00.000-08:00

Nikki took me to the Bear Rock Cafe (BRC) after church on Sunday. (I went with her to Xenos, which is not a cult)

From the outside it looks like that coffee shop on Lane Ave near North Star. Do you know the one I mean? I always assumed that the BRC was just a coffee shop, but NO! They also serve food of all varieties.

Anyway, it was just like eating at Panera except for the following:

Panera has better food (esp. Bacon Turkey Bravo!)
BRC serves Mello Yello!
BRC serves something named "Sasquatch"

I ordered the "Make Your Own" combo - called "You Pick Two" at Panera. I had half of a chicken salad croissant and chili. The chicken salad was not as good as my beloved BTB, but it was good and they gave me the whole sandwich, not just half, which I, of course, liked very much.

Panera serves a baguette with the combo, BRC serves a crappy roll, but also a bag of chips.

They also serve a loaded baked potato thing, but Nikki and I didn't try it. If that's your thing, you might enjoy the BRC.

All in all, it's an OK joint. If you're shopping at Graceland and need a place to eat, there it is.

Or you can drive a block south and eat at Panera.

Cuco's

2006-12-23T09:26:00.000-08:00

Sis, Kate, Angie and I headed to Cuco's for Kate's birthday this Monday. Her birthday was the 14th, but we went this week after our Somali tutoring that night.

I told Kate we'd go somewhere she'd never been and Cuco's qualified.

It's pretty good straightforward Mexican food. If you're in the area, check it out, but I don't see any need to make a special trip; El Vaquero is better.

Cuco's does serve fish tacos, though, which I love, but after having the Tilapia at El Arepazo, they were only so-so.

On the upside, it's 100 times better than Coco's!

El Arepazo!

2006-12-14T22:54:00.000-08:00

This restaurant was officially brought to my attention by Miranda and it's FANTASTIC.

It's a little hole-in-the-wall Venezualan place on Pearl Alley just south of Gay St.

I had the Talapia and it was the best fish that I have ever eaten. Ever.

Angie had something and Jen had something else. The important thing here is that it was excellent and inexpensive and the fish is really, really good!

Oodles

2006-11-14T22:23:00.000-08:00

So, it's not a great restaurant, but I read that there will soon be one in the Market Exchange District. (That's Main Street between 71 and Grant)

This means that, when I finally move back to my favorite part of town, I can eat mediocre noodles anytime I want!!

You can read more here.