I wandered into that area after going to the multi-modial transit hub charrette.  I thought they would have smaller, casual restaurants.  I was rather disapointed because I wasn't dressed properly, and I felt awkward going into all the places alone.  I finally settled at MoJoe's Cafe on the Cap, it was still expensive.  Yikes!

 

come on now, its not all expensive -- i see phillips coney island is still hanging in there.

come on now, its not all expensive -- i see phillips coney island is still hanging in there.

 

I passed that on the monday that I mentioned before.  I was really excited to see it because I felt that was the only place I was dressed for, but it was closed and it didn't look like it had been open earlier that day.  :-(

Happy Greek is relatively inexpensive as well (they have $5.50 gyro platters for Christ sakes).  Even The Rossi Bar + Grill has cheap foods ($7 burger and fries).

...and upon further research, us Vegetarians/Vegans have a thrifty friend in North Star Cafe near High & Second.

Crowds warmly greet Rosendales

Tuesday,  March 20, 2007 3:29 AM

By Barnet D. Wolf

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Opening night is always exciting and nerve-wracking, whether it's a play or a new restaurant.  Saturday night was no different at Rosendales, the new upscale Short North restaurant in the former Winders auto dealership, 793 N. High Street.  Expectations have been high because of the background of the restaurant's 31-year-old namesake, Richard Rosendale.

 

The classically trained chef, most recently at the Greenbrier Resort's prestigious Tavern Room Restaurant in West Virginia, was the American Culinary Federation's 2005 Chef of the Year.  He also was named captain of the American team for the 2008 Culinary Olympics and has amassed more than 40 national and international medals.

 

Full story at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/03/20/REST20.ART_ART_03-20-07_C1_HI64EFD.html

Taste of Puerto Rico

 

Brothers Rick and Brian Perez tied together their favorite cuisines, Italian and Puerto Rican, at Costelos, their new restaurant at 6140 Cleveland Ave. in the Atrium Center.  The dishes are prepared from family recipes passed down through the generations.  The brothers have been working in the restaurant business in Puerto Rico and central Ohio for about 15 years and have tried out their recipes for five years at LatinoFest.

 

http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/03/20/REST20.ART_ART_03-20-07_C1_HI64EFD.html

Well, I wish it well!

Who here remembers when J&G diner was in the Short North?  That used to be my old favorite when I was testing the urban waters as a former suburbanite.

Oh, I loved J&G!  We went there all the time. There was also a restuarant on the otherside of the street we went a lot . . more across from Victorian Gate . . Can't remember the name. I remember a really good sandwich.

Dublin restaurateur, partner take tavern approach to heart of Powell

 

Tim Picciano humbly calls his first restaurant a hole in the wall, but he must have done something right because he intends to replicate the joint.  Picciano and his wife, Cynthia, opened the Dublin Village Tavern, a 1,100-square-foot pub and restaurant in Dublin's historic district, seven years ago.  As a second venture, Picciano and business partner Chris Beardman plan to open the Liberty Tavern this summer in Powell.

 

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/03/26/newscolumn1.html?page=3&b=1174881600^1436268

...and upon further research, us Vegetarians/Vegans have a thrifty friend in North Star Cafe near High & Second.

 

best veggie burger i've had.

...and upon further research, us Vegetarians/Vegans have a thrifty friend in North Star Cafe near High & Second.

 

best veggie burger i've had.

 

+1

 

They cook a mean breakfast too!

German Village residents sound off on MoJoe plans

BY SUE HAGAN | THIS WEEK

March 28, 2007

 

GERMAN VILLAGE - About 30 people crowded into a German Village Meeting Haus room on March 27 to hear more about Mark Swanson's plans to expand Cup O' Joe on South Third Street into a MoJoe Lounge.  They mainly wanted assurances that patrons wouldn't place an excessive demand on parking spaces, that cooking odors wouldn't waft into their homes and that noise would be kept to a minimum.

 

Cup O'Joe, 627 S. Third St., plans to expand into adjacent space recently vacated by Caterina Ltd., which moved to a larger building.  Swanson, with the help of designer Lincoln Street Studio, has drafted a preliminary concept that will add 40 seats inside and convert the small, existing parking lot into a patio with umbrella tables, greenery, possible sculpture and a wrought iron fence.  The patio, along with existing seating outside Cup O'Joe, will hold about 36 people.

 

Read more at http://www.thisweeknews.com/?sec=home&story=sites/thisweeknews/032907/GermanVillage/News/032907-News-328690.html

The Buddha Bowl from Northstar is a wonderful thing...

Polaris area gorges on restaurant chains, adding 3 new names to mix

 

Polaris has been an attractive destination for diners since development began shaping the retail-and-office corridor more than a decade ago.  Yet NP Ltd., the master developer of the Polaris Centers of Commerce, continues to find space for new restaurants for the area.  Franz Geiger, NP managing director, said the Columbus company has secured three more national restaurant chains for the area: Pei Wei Asian Diner, Noodles & Co. and Shane's Rib Shack.

 

Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/04/09/newscolumn1.html?b=1176091200^1443536

Bexley business offers West Coast-inspired eats

 

A restaurant with California roots has made its way to Bexley. Flavors Eatery Inc. opened March 23 offering a menu of California-style wraps, salads and pizzas along with shakes and smoothies.  The three-shop chain is based in Centerville and also has a store in West Chester, but the 23-year-old restaurant goes back to Carmel, Calif. Founders Elaine and Richard LoRusso moved the business to their native Ohio in 1998.

 

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/04/09/newscolumn1.html?page=2&b=1176091200^1443536

Wings joint delivers 1st area outlet targeting campus, nearby suburbs

 

Patrick Daly has a simple formula for his business: College students + chicken wings + delivery = good trade.  It's a formula he is applying to Ohio for the first time with Wings Over Columbus, which opened April 9 at 1315 W. Lane Ave. It's the 21st shop but just the fourth company-owned outlet for Agawam, Mass.-based Matcal Corp.

 

"We love (Ohio State University)," said Daly, Matcal's chief executive officer. "Our proximity to campus is great. ... We have a college focus, but we're starting to branch out."  With the new location, Daly is adding a variable to his equation - hungry suburbanites.  Though college students typically make up much of the restaurant's customer base, he hopes the location's proximity to Upper Arlington and Grandview Heights will draw customers from those communities.

 

Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/04/16/newscolumn2.html?page=2&b=1176696000^1446655

Chen's showy steakhouse readies for a summer debut in Clintonville

 

Vic Chen's second Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse will be smaller than his first restaurant on Columbus' east side, but the restaurateur sees the newest iteration being his big earner.  Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse Inc. plans to open a restaurant in late summer at the Graceland Shopping Center in Clintonville.

 

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/04/16/newscolumn2.html?page=2&b=1176696000^1446655

Houlihan's taking a hiatus from its Columbus operations

 

Houlihan's has left Columbus, but the chain doesn't expect to be gone for long.  Leawood, Kan.-based Houlihan's Restaurants Inc. has shuttered its casual dining place at 3580 W. Dublin-Granville Road.  Spokesman Nick Powills said the restaurant was a franchised operation that the company recently repurchased and then closed.

 

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/04/16/newscolumn2.html?page=3&b=1176696000^1446655

Bob Evans shutters 11 restaurants

 

The restaurant chain that promotes itself for being down on the farm, has put 11 restaurants out to pasture.  Columbus-based Bob Evans Farms Inc. reported late Thursday it closed the restaurants, including two in Columbus.

 

"The financial performance of these restaurants contributed to the decision to close these locations during our fourth quarter," Steve Davis, chief executive and chairman, said in a release.  The company shuttered restaurants at 1611 Polaris Parkway and 2475 Brice Road, as well as eateries in Florida, Kansas, Missouri, Pennsylvania, the Carolinas and Virginia.

 

Bob Evans plans to open five restaurants in its fiscal 2008, which begins April 28.

 

More at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/04/16/daily26.html?surround=lfn

Movie Tavern to serve up food, brew with movies at Mill Run theaters

 

There are two questions movie-goers will have to answer when arriving at Movie Tavern at the Market at Mill Run when it opens May 18: "What movie do you want to see?" and "May I take your order?"  Movie Tavern Partners LP, a Dallas-based chain with 900 employees, has taken over the lease from the former 12-screen Cinemark Theater at 3773 Ridge Mill Drive in Hilliard, and given the place a $2 million face-lift, updating the décor and bringing it in line with the company's cinema-restaurant concept.

 

The new Movie Tavern will offer first-run movies and a casual-dining menu that includes burgers, salads, sandwiches, even a seafood platter, along with a bar that serves wine, mixed drinks and its signature "bucket o' beer" -- all brought to your movie seat by a trained wait staff.  "Our food is equivalent to a Chili's or Outback Steakhouse," says Movie Tavern President and CEO Jeff Benson. "People can expect restaurant-quality food and service."

 

Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/04/30/focus5.html?b=1177905600^1452968

I got wings from Wings Over Happy Valley once... they were pretty tasty... I think I got honey mustard or something... they were breaded... which I didn't expect... seems most wing places default to non-breaded...

Uncommon waterfront settings lure landlocked patrons

Thursday,  May 3, 2007 4:00 AM

By Tim Feran

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

1. Brio Tuscan Grille

Easton Town Center, Columbus 614-416-4745

Hours 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

 

2. Confluence Park Restaurant

679 W. Spring St., Columbus 614-469-0000

Hours 4:30 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 5 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays (closed Sundays and Mondays)

 

3. Creekside Cafe

53 Granville St., Gahanna 614-478-2904

Hours 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sundays (closed Mondays)

 

4. Hoover Grille

170 N. Sunbury Rd., Westerville 614-891-0200

Hours 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays

 

5. The Old Bag of Nails Pub

63 Mill St., Gahanna 614-337-9430

Hours 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 9 p.m. Sundays

 

6. Trattoria La Tavola

6125 Riverside Dr., Dublin 614-760-8700

Hours 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 5 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (brunch) and 5 to 9 p.m. (dinner) Sundays; 4 to 7 p.m. happy hour (closed Mondays)

 

Full story at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/weekender/stories/2007/05/03/9_ALFRESCO.ART_ART_05-03-07_T13_J86I87R.html

Brio Tuscan Grille @ Easton!! Are they joking?

LMAO... Easton Waterfront.

Brio...at...Easton...?

Smokey Bones restaurant operator shedding chain

 

http://dayton.bizjournals.com/dayton/othercities/columbus/stories/2007/05/07/daily4.html?b=1178510400^1458841

 

The operator of Smokey Bones Barbeque and Grill restaurants is shedding the 127-outlet chain, although the four locations in Central Ohio will remain open for now. Darden Restaurants Inc. said it closed 54 underperforming outlets Saturday and will put the remaining 73 for sale. Smokey Bones locations on Polaris Parkway, Morse Crossing and in Grove City and Reynoldsburg have had strong sales and will be among the outlets put on the selling block, spokesman Joe Chabus said.

 

Lenny's Sub Shop coming to Central Ohio

 

A franchisee group has signed a multi-unit agreement to open Lenny's Sub Shops in Central Ohio.  Lenny's Franchisor LLC said Wednesday that Golden Olive Enterprises LLC plans to open its first two restaurants in Franklin and Delaware counties.

 

Golden Olive also has plans to open the Philadelphia-style sandwich restaurants in Licking and Fairfield counties.  The locations will be the first Lenny's Sub Shop restaurants in Ohio. Memphis, Tenn.-based Lenny's Franchisor owns or franchises 125 restaurants in 13 states.

 

Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/05/07/daily18.html?b=1178510400^1459764

Qdoba Mexican Grill to open second Columbus eatery

 

Qdoba Mexican Grill is opening another restaurant in Columbus.  Jack in the Box Inc., which operates the chain, said it plans to open the doors to its second Central Ohio restaurant at 1689 W. Fifth Ave. on Thursday.

 

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/05/14/daily7.html?b=1179115200^1462297

Alta on High closed as owner retreats to concentrate on R.J. Snappers

 

http://dayton.bizjournals.com/dayton/othercities/columbus/stories/2007/05/28/newscolumn1.html?b=1180324800^1467893

 

Alta on High has hit a low.  Owner Richard Stopper said the fine-dining restaurant on the first floor of the Hampton Inn on North High Street in Columbus closed May 19.  "I decided it was best to get down to one restaurant," said Stopper, who owns R.J. Snappers at 700 N. High St. in the Short North.

 

Cameron Mitchell's latest opens on N. High

May 29, 2007 | COLUMBUS BUSINESS FIRST

 

COLUMBUS - Cameron Mitchell Restaurants LLC on Tuesday opened the doors to an Italian wine bar and eatery.  Marcella's Ristorante, Pizzeria and Wine Bar, located two blocks north of the Greater Columbus Convention Center at 615 N. High St., is modeled after a traditional Italian cafe and has a selection of 50 wines and an open kitchen, the restaurant operator said.

 

Marcella's seats up to 120 with prices ranging from $10 to $19 a plate.  Columbus-based Cameron Mitchell runs a catering division and multiple restaurant chains, including Mitchell's Steakhouse, Mitchell's Fish Market and Martini Italian Bistro.

Qdoba Mexican Grill to open second Columbus eatery

 

Qdoba is like a drunken high school production of Chipotle.

 

Dos thumbs up for Chipotle.

 

Nada for tu, Qdoba.

Damon's prototype steps into the light

 

Operators of Damon's Grill knew they had a problem when the quality of home entertainment systems surpassed the audio-visual capabilities at the Columbus-based restaurant chain.  The 28-year-old company once was considered an innovator, luring hungry sports fans with its multiple-projection-screen clubhouse layout. But the features that once made the chain distinct have become a hindrance - executives acknowledge the layout is dark, dated and inefficient.

 

The restaurants' layout is just one aspect Damon's International Inc.'s new leaders sent back to the drawing board - along with the chain's logo and 75 percent of its menu. The results will debut in Central Ohio with the planned introduction in late summer of an overhauled menu and the opening of a prototype restaurant by year-end.

 

Read more at http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/06/04/story3.html?b=1180929600^1470716

Max & Erma's to overhaul Hilliard restaurant

 

Max & Erma's Restaurants Inc. said it will close its outlet in Hilliard for five days while it undergoes renovations.  The restaurant at 4279 Cemetery Road will close Sunday evening and reopen at 5 p.m. on Friday, June 15, featuring a new look, the company said.  Max & Erma's last year renovated a restaurant in Gahanna with an updated design.

 

The Columbus-based restaurant operator has plans to renovate all of its restaurants over the next few years.  Max & Erma's owns 77 of its namesake restaurants and franchises 24.

 

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/06/04/daily12.html?surround=lfn

3rd Jeni's to open in Short North

Tuesday,  June 5, 2007 3:27 AM

By Barnet D. Wolf

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Jeni Britton, simply put, makes splendid ice cream.  The flavors at Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams are alternately tangy and bold, decadent and challenging. Sometimes, they're just plain weird.  But they're never boring.

 

The 33-year-old, recently married entrepreneur is adding a third shop, just north of R.J. Snapper's in the Short North.  The new store, at 714 N. High St., is slated to open by the July 7 Gallery Hop.  It will join the original in the North Market and a second at 1281 Grandview Ave.

 

Read more at http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/06/05/REST05.ART_ART_06-05-07_C12_9K6TA1G.html

GREAT!!!  I love Jeni's and a store in the Short North will do EXCELLENT.  Good for her!

so I finally went to Schmidt's for the first time ever.

 

absurdly good food (bahama mama?) and service except for the part where the server implied that I was "playing for the other team".

^The Tigers?

^The Tigers?

 

apparently I'm their switch-hitting catcher.........

 

ba-zing.

^And not afraid to take one for the team.

From ThisWeek Clintonville, 6/28/07:

 

 

Noodles & Co. gets variance approval from Columbus BZA

Thursday, June 28, 2007

GARY SEMAN JR.

ThisWeek Staff Writer

 

Carb-loading Clintonville residents soon will have cause for celebration.  The Columbus Board of Zoning Adjustments voted 4-0 Tuesday night on a variance that will allow Noodles & Co. to occupy the vacant Pier I site at 5030 N. High St.  The site is being developed with 54,000-square-foot retail shopping space across from Graceland Shopping Center.

 

http://www.thisweeknews.com/?story=sites/thisweeknews/062807/Clintonville/News/062807-News-379570.html

 

Dublin on rib maker's menu

Montgomery Inn negotiating to bring popular restaurant to shopping center

Saturday,  June 30, 2007 3:26 AM

By Barnet D. Wolf

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

http://www.dispatch.com/dispatch/content/business/stories/2007/06/30/montinn.ART_ART_06-30-07_C10_L875QFF.html

 

For decades, central Ohioans have been making the trip to the Cincinnati area to dine at one of the popular Montgomery Inn restaurants.  The drive soon could be considerably shorter.  Montgomery Inn officials yesterday confirmed that they are negotiating to locate the company's fourth restaurant at the Shoppes at River Ridge now under construction in Dublin.

 

Montgomery Inn...In...DublInn...

 

Hmmm...

This is slightly interesting...

 

IHOP ready to acquire Applebee's

July 16, 2007 | BUSINESS FIRST OF COLUMBUS

 

COLUMBUS - Applebee's International Inc., which runs 14 restaurants in Central Ohio, has agreed to sell to IHOP Corp. in a deal valued at $2.1 billion.  Glendale, Calif.-based IHOP said Monday it would buy Applebee's for $25.50 a share, a 4.6 percent premium from Applebee's Friday close of $24.38 a share. The companies expect the sale to close in the fourth quarter. The deal needs approvals by Applebee's shareholders and regulators.

 

Applebee's owns and franchises 1,943 Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar restaurants in the United States and 16 countries.

 

IHOP owns 1,319 restaurants in North America and Mexico, including 27 in Ohio but none in the Columbus area.

Meanwhile in Columbus... from Business First of Columbus - June 14, 2007

 

---

Max & Erma's posts loss in 2Q

 

Max & Erma's Restaurants Inc. fell back into the red for the second quarter, attributing the decline to soft consumer spending.  For the three months ended May 13, the Columbus-based restaurant operator said it lost $101,813, or 4 cents a share, compared with a gain of $161,685, or 6 cents a share, in the same period of 2006.

 

Sales slid 3.8 percent to $41.1 million, from $42.8 million, while same-store sales dipped 3.4 percent at restaurants open at least a year.  After ending 2006 in the red, Max & Erma's reported its profit soared during its first quarter to $749,331, or 29 cents a share.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/06/11/daily22.html

Mom & pop brands take a back seat

 

http://dayton.bizjournals.com/dayton/othercities/columbus/stories/2007/07/16/focus2.html?b=1184558400^1490237

 

It's all about branding. As the Columbus Regional Airport Authority and its concession manager, HMSHost Corp., reconfigure the restaurant and retail lineup at Port Columbus International Airport, older and generic options are being replaced with more current and recognizable fare.

 

"People like brands they're comfortable with, whether it is a local brand or national," said Joe Waller, HMSHost vice president of business development. "They want something they're familiar with."  David Whitaker, Columbus Regional Airport Authority vice president of business development and communications, said surveys of passengers have confirmed that name-brands are what they want.

 

Stauf's gets its MoJoe working again

 

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/07/30/story6.html?b=1185768000^1497300

 

Customers who like their coffee mixed with something stronger than cream will soon have a new dining and drinking destination in German Village.  Stauf's Coffee Roasters Ltd. is ready to bring its MoJoe Lounge bar and restaurant to the neighborhood, after getting the approval of Columbus City Council July 23 on a set of variances.  The company's MoJoe restaurants serve coffee and an expanded menu of food, as well as wine, mixed drinks and beer.

 

The first two MoJoe lounges share space with Cup O' Joe shops in the Short North and at Easton Town Center. The German Village outlet will be next door to the company's Cup O' Joe at 627 S. Third St., and will share a patio with the coffeehouse. Work on the site is expected to begin immediately with October as the projected opening.

 

I used to love going to the MoJoe lounge at the Cap.  Best happy hour ever.

Noodles & Co. to open near OSU campus

 

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2007/08/06/daily30.html?surround=lfn

 

Noodles & Co. is following up its Central Ohio debut with a new restaurant near Ohio State University's campus.  The Boulder, Colo.-based eatery expects to open its third area outlet at 2124 N. High St., just south of Lane Avenue, Aug. 18. Its first Central Ohio restaurant opened in January near Grandview Heights and an Upper Arlington location opened July 6.

 

Noodles & Co.'s entry in the campus restaurant scene comes weeks after Steak n Shake Co. shuttered its location about three blocks south of the Noodles restaurant for what the company said was slumping sales and the lack of a drive-through window.