Category Archive

Fall foliage on Kenny Ave.

Here are the top ten things I’ll miss about Columbus, OH:

10. German Village. A cobblestoned neighborhood with a ton of shops and eateries that is perfect for a meandering stroll. Though Schmidt’s is a local and tourist fave (and I admit their Bahama Mama sausages are mighty tasty) it does not define the entire scene here. The Old Mohawk is excellent, as is Juergen’s.

9. The Short North. Town’s with more cultural cred would drool to have as active of an art scene as exists here. It still seems to be the restaurant heart of Coulmbus, and my biggest regret is not eating at Rosendale’s before I left.

7. Columbus Metro Parks. I believe that there are 16 of them now, but my wife and I spent most of our time at Higbanks on the Dripping Rock Trail. Each one has its own charm, and all of them are worth at least one hike through.

Monarch at Prarie Oaks Metro Park

6. The Columbus Zoo. We purchased a yearly membership for about $80 and were able to visit as many times we wanted each year. Regular admission for 2 adults is $20, so if you go 4 times in a year it pays for itself. We went that many times the first month. We miss the manatees and zoolights and, well, the whole shebang.

Baby gorilla with caretaker at Columbus Zoo

5. The many Asian markets. We were regulars at Columbus’s CAM, though that’s a bit redundant. Through alphabetical serendipity there are 3 “CAMs” in Ohio. The folks that run the Columbus Asian Market also run the Cleveland Asian Market and the Cincinnati Asian Market. We lived within 5 minutes of about a dozen east and south Asian grocers, many of which had hot and/or cold deli counters.

4. Rossi Burgers. The best known burger in town is available from Thurman’s, and if big is what you want, that’s the place to go. That link is to their myspace page, and you can see some pictures of the monster burger in the comments section. My personal favorite in town was from Rossi Bar & Kitchen. A good review of it can be found here. The fries with aioli are really good, but reading that review made me remember the superior fries at Nazareth in North Columbus. The Nazareth is also home to the best gyro in Columbus (and the best hot sauce). This is a big claim. I stand by that big claim.

3. The North Market. The best one stop specialty marketplace in Columbus. I always enjoyed doing my shopping there and eating lunch in the upper level. Lunch was never complete without eating at least a single scoop from. . .

2. . . . Jeni’s Ice Creams Though available at other locales now, the North Market is my favorite. I had a minor addiction to the “Thai Chili” and “Salty Caramel” when I lived there. Very yum.

1. Without a doubt my favorite place in Columbus was/is Thurn’s Specialty Meats. Everything there is good. They have the best braunschweiger, head cheese, souse and country pate I’ve ever had. They make everything in house and take great pride in their offerings. I loved the place so much that I regretted not telling them that I moved, so they wouldn’t take it personally. Here are a couple of reviews from restaurantwidow.com: visit one and visit two.

I’ve never seen a Thurn’s ad, so I don’t believe they pay for advertising. They do not need to. They’re open Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and part of Saturday. It is not unusual for them to sell out of many products by Saturday (if not Friday). They are really that good. Lastly, learn your slicer measurements. They love it and, though they’ll give you a hard time, they’ll remember you.