Skillet

 Happy Sunday brunchers!

Today we met up in German Village to partake in the wonderful foods and atmosphere that Skillet has to offer.

This inconspicuous spot is located on E. Whittier in the classic and beautiful German Village. Today was an especially beautiful day, the sun was shining and the restaurant was buzzing with all kinds of people. Usually our go to "girls only" brunch spot, we decided let the boys crash for a taste of something a little different.

One thing to keep in mind when visiting Skillet is to COME EARLY. We prefer to arrive around 8 or 8:30 before the throngs of hungry villagers show up. Also be aware that your entire party must be present to be seated as they only have about 10ish tables in the whole restaurant.

peepin in the kitchen

Their coffee is some of the best around. Its a great dark roast that really wakes you up in the morning, albeit a little pricey (worth it). So make sure you take advantage of the bottomless cup!

Part of the excitement of going to Skillet is that the menu is ever-changing, though there are a few permanent residents (see cinnamon roll below). Skillet tends to develop menu items based on what fresh ingredients are in season at the time. 

The all mighty cinnamon roll

Skillet's cinnamon roll is a main attraction, probably, I'm assuming, bringing people in from far and wide. Typically this isn't a menu item we order (as previously mentioned, the ladies are frequent patrons of Skillet), but for the sake of the Columbus Brunch Experience, we ordered one - you're welcome. This cinnamon roll is massive. As pictured above you are only served HALF of the roll, and it's still enough to feed a small family. Dripping with warm cinnamonny-caramelly oozy-gooey goodness, the cinnamon roll is a perfect cake texture inside with a light crispiness on the outside. 

It's prettttttttty good.

Marissa: The first time I ever came to Skillet, it was a beautiful late summer day, much like today, and also cherry season. On that day, I ordered one of the most incredible breakfast dishes I've ever had in my life - silver dollar pancakes with Michigan cherries and fresh goat cheese laced through them. Today, I did not order that - mainly because it wasn't on the menu, but also because I ordered... oatmeal!!! No, I'm not 97 years old, but oatmeal is kinda of my go-to comfort food and it's not common to see a restaurant offering their own personal touch on oats and hot milk. Naturally, I was intrigued. 

Skillet's oatmeal was unique in the way that it also included red quinoa and topped with creme-fraiche and fresh, fresh, fresh blueberries. This oatmeal was really quite incredible, which I know sounds silly, but I woke up several days after eating this thinking about it. Ok, I'm still thinking about it. I also appreciated the powerfood combo of oatmeal-quinoa-blueberries because the brunch crew went for an amazing kayaking trip/Sunday Funday later that day and this bowl kept me fueled until DINNER.

I also ordered a side of bacon, which was good.

Grant: I ordered the Papas Bravas - a mix of eggs, chorizo, potatoes, garlic, grass clippings, and more garlic. They really went overboard with the garlic and there wasn't enough chorizo. However, it was a good amount of food and I didn't get hungry until much later in the day,  but also kind of expensive. The potatoes, or "fingerlings" as they called them, were the best part of this not-so-great meal. Wish I had more nice things to say... the cast iron skillet they served it in was cool!

Devyn: You can't come here and not try these cheese blintzes. These are small crepe-ish numbers filled with creamy sheep's milk ricotta cheese and topped with fresh cherries and cherry goo (the toppings change with the seasons). I can usually make it through all three of them just on their deliciousness alone. They're light and airy with just the right amount of filling and riddled to perfection. My belly morphs into a bottomless pit as soon as we walk into this joint. 

Fin: This potato dish was on the menu for Grant and I today, with slightly above "alright" reviews on my end. It was advertised as home fried potatoes with chorizo, an over easy egg and garlic aioli on top. I also ordered some bacon on the side because bacon. The bacon was great as expected but the potato to chorizo ratio was all off. The spicy sausage seemed to be taking a vacation during this course. The most I could find were a few good sized chunks hiding amongst the potatoes. The garlic aioli was good at first but became really overpowering toward the end if the plate. This was also a pretty expensive brunch excursion and I had hoped for a little bit more from the food.

Sunday Funday!

So, clearly, quite a difference of opinions between genders. But you don't have to be a girl to enjoy Skillet... I don't think. Skillet is a unique little place nestled in one of Columbus's most beloved neighborhoods and deserves to be checked out.

The Crest

Dun duh dun dum!

The Crest *applause* 

behold it's rusty greatness

Today we decided to keep it in the neighborhood and slugged our hungover asses to The Crest.
This place has grown from a humble restaurant with local food to a real must-go in Columbus. With one of the top beer selections (constantly changing too!), and some really great food partially sourced from their rooftop/peri-parking lot gardens.

G-G-GARDENZ

The patio is superb. They have an "indoor" and outdoor patio to accommodate all types of weather. Roll up plastic window-wall things provide a shield for any rogue rain or chilly mornings. The decor inside and out is cool and inviting with chalkboard menu and specials board to a centrally located bar.

Sidenote: The Crest allows dogs on their outdoor patio! Just in case you want to enjoy a brew or two with your best furry friend. They are fully prepared and welcoming with water bowls on hand and waitstaff that enjoys squishing furry faces.

Now, we are very sad to report that due to Clintonville's laws, they cannot serve liquor on Sundays. Boo boo and boo. So no Bloody Mary's today. But Mimosa's were still available as well as their extensive beer menu.

After some investigating (looking over at what the people next to us had ordered) it appeared that the Crest had a bloody answer to the liquor laws of Clintonville. Referred to as a "Crestelada", one might assume that it is the Crest's crack at a Michelada, a popular Mexican spirit. It consisted of some sort of beer, tomato juice and lots of pepper. Fin approved (he also suggests adding a piece of bacon for extra flavor), but Marissa and I were on the fence. It started off very crisp and bubbly and ended very savory and peppery.

Coffee was on tap instead and it was great. A nice, full bodied dark roast was satisfying this morning.

Devyn: The BELT was on the menu for me today, as I was a little gun shy with a few of the fancier flavor profiles of some of the dishes. This was a simple sandwich consisting of bacon, a sunny side up egg, lettuce, melted cheese, tomato, and their amazing garlic aioli. All this accompanied by McDonald's style has browns.

The sandwich was pretty good, although it required some boa-esque unhinging of the jaw to eat. I found it to be on the bread-y side, but otherwise a good choice for brunch here. The bread was crispy, the tomatoes were thick and juicy, and the bacon was delicious. Their garlic aioli is so good, they also offer it with their Pub Chips appetizer and its like heaven in your mouth.

Marissa: After a steady night of beverages the night before, I did not quite have the will power to even think about eating and appreciating some of the Crest's more interesting brunch dishes. So I kept it classic: The Crest Breakfast. Complete with 2 eggs your way (I chose over easy), bacon, a ridiculously large sausage link, 4 hash browns and toast. I ordered a waffle on the side because my eyes are bigger than my stomach. I realize that it is difficult to review this meal as a whole because of all the different components, so I will highlight the individual pieces.

Hash browns: Upon first glance, you may think that someone dumped out McDonald's hash browns out of their little paper bag and neatly placed them next to some other breakfast foods then put a weed on it. That's kind of what I thought. But unlike McDonald's, these hash browns were delightfully crispy and NOT greasy on the outside, and warm and flaky on the inside. Maybe they just need a little bit of a facelift.

Bacon: This bacon was just really delicious and I felt that it deserved its name bolded.

Sausage: This is where the meal turned sour for me. First of all, this sausage is a monster and is very much unlike any breakfast sausage I've ever seen. It's basically an Italian sausage. For breakfast? No thanks. Actually, I just really don't like Italian sausage so I never want it. I feel like the Crest reached a little too far out of the box with this one... I think most people just want a nice little maple breakfast sausage. Maybe that's just my opinion.

Waffle: I liked this waffle. It had a nice spongey texture and was flavored with almond. But as previously mentioned a few posts back, I was a fool to order this waffle because I have already eaten the best waffle in the world at Zen Cha.

Eggs & Toast: Eggs and toast is eggs and toast.

The meal as a whole was decent. It wasn't mind-blowing, but it was good enough to eat and keep me full for a majority of the rest of the day.

Fin: This meal was great. The eggs were cooked just right and the hash browns were crispy and delicious. The steak was on the thin side which sort of defeated the "how do you want it cooked" question. It came out a little on the medium-well side regardless. I also ordered a side of bacon because bacon. No complaints there.

pinkies out always

free buttons!

Though the service was a little spotty today (our waiter failed to mention the Crestelada when we were obviously heartbroken over the lack of Bloody Marys and then he disappeared for a long period of time when we really just wanted to get our checks and move on with the rest of our day), we had a great time brunching at The Crest. The patio was great and offered a warm and relaxing atmosphere. The covered patio made for a great seat to enjoy the weather and each others company. Hooray!

Ratings: 

Food: 3.2
Drinks: 3
Atmosphere: 4.5
Price: 2.8 (that waffle was $8...!)

Ta-ta for now, brunchers!

The Blue Danube

The Blue Danube, affectionately referred to as the Dube, is a campus diner staple. We've been patrons of the Dube for several years now, and it's kind of the place that brought brunch into the spotlight for us. So without further ado, and without too much bias, let's talk about this wonderful little gem.

The Dube is an eccentric little place - kinda dark, kinda dingy, but somehow warm and inviting. The ceiling tiles are yellowed with age, but have been painted over the years by various artists with subject matter ranging from popular culture to personal sentiments. They also have a pretty incredible juke box.

The Dube's coffee is good. It's nothing terribly special, but it's good. The kind of coffee that you can just keep drinking and drinking and drinking and drinking....

Grant: To echo the sentiment above this is pretty much the place that sparked our love of brunch. For me this place has it all, the food is unbelievably good, the coffee is easy drinking, and the bloody marys are peppery and delicious. You also get great portions and the prices are not bad at all. I went with my old favorite, the breakfast burrito. This one has all the fixins in it - bacon, ham, sausage, eggs, hash browns, topped with all the sauce. If there's a better breakfast burrito out there I ain't seen it. 

I also got to finish the breakfast pizza down below since the little lady couldn't handle all of it. That too is damn good. Love this place.

Marissa: My go to dish at the Dube is usually the biscuits and gravy - it's incredible. HOWEVER, Devyn ordered the biscuits and gravy so, for the sake of a well rounded breakfast blog, I ordered something new and a little out of the ordinary for me - a breakfast PIZZA. It was good. It was no biscuits and gravy, but it was good. A fluffy and doughy crust is piled high with scrambled eggs, hash browns, cheese, bacon and sausage. The hash browns are a really nice touch, but the pizza was a little heavy on the eggs. Also, there was no "sauce" component (what kind of pizza is this?!), so I ordered a side of sausage gravy and that sufficed rather well. I would definitely recommend the gravy to break up all the dry ingredients. It's a lot of food - I only ate half of it... but I got to take the rest home and it made for a tasty dinner later that night.

Devyn: Having worked on Sunday's most of my adult life, I was not really able to appreciate how awesome brunch really is. The Dube was my very first brunch experience many years ago. The biscuits and gravy were legen-waitforit-dary with their thick sausage gravy, fluffy biscuits topped with cheddar cheese. Still to this day one of my favorite brunch items hands down. I enjoyed them a little bit more this morning due to the large amount of beer that was consumed Saturday night. It was a nice hearty breakfast without being too heavy for a fatigued stomach. I also ordered some fruit and bacon on the side to round everything out (though the fruit cup consisted mostly of various types of melon, gross.) This meal really hit the spot.

 Fin: Also feeling the need for a nice filling meal, Fin went with the steak and egg breakfast. This dish had everything you could ever want in a manly man's breakfast: two eggs and a generous slab of steak cooked your way, crispy hash browns, and two slices of toast. This was a lot of food to tackle this early in the morning, but the steak was cooked perfectly and the eggs were also on point. Two thumbs up for this one!
WARNING: NO BACON. -Sad Fin.

And the main event: The Dube's Bloody Mary. The Sunday liquor laws always bite us in the ass, and being early brunchers, it was not quite 11:00 AM when we came to eat. So, naturally, we ate, then waited until 11:00 AM to order these wonderful concoctions.

*angels singing*

Ok guys. If you're only going to come to the Dube for one reason, this Bloody Mary is it. It may not look like anything special, but this Mary is the standard to which I judge all other Marys against. This Bloody Mary leans more on the side of tomatoes, and according to Fin, who has a more refined palate than I, it may or may not have clamato juice as well. The bloody/vodka/spice ratio is perfect - every. Single. Time. Oh yeah, and it's only like $5.

MIM

OSA

  

Ernest loves the Dube and you should too, knowhutImean?

Ratings:

Food: 4.7

Drinks: 5

Price: 4.8

Atmosphere: 4.3

The Crafty Pint

The OG brunch crew

Happy summer, brunchers! This week, we finally all got back together, in addition to a few friends, to take you to... the Crafty Pint! Located on Dublin Granville Road, this place is a little far out, but still a cool place nonetheless.

cool chalk stuff

The Crafty Pint offers a wide selection of brunching items, from traditional breakfast to a few things that are a little more unique.

The Crafty Pint has taken the rustic industrial crafty design and ran with it. Lots of wood, metal, bandana napkins and mason jars. We chose to sit on the patio on this particularly warm summer Sunday morning, where the design aesthetic carried out. It's a cool atmosphere and makes for an enjoyable dining experience.

Ok, well anyway, let's get down to business. Per usual we'll start with drinks.

Coffee was good. Pretty standard medium roast coffee. The creamer served in little glass jars was a nice touch, though.

The mimosa was much more champagne than orange juice at this joint, but I can't complain when I get extra alcohol in the morning!

The Bloody Marys were decent. Served in regular and spicy variety, we tried both. My (Marissa) regular Mary was good, but it was... yes, you guessed it, a bit too pickley. But I just added some A1 sauce which seemed to counter the acidity of the pickliness. And in all honesty, that's part of the beauty of the Bloody Mary; it's basically just a hodge podge of stuff until you get the right taste.

Ok, on to the main event: food!

Grant: Per usual, I was drawn in by one of the southwestern items on the menu and ordered the chorizo hash. This included chorizo, cheese, and crafty potatoes topped with two sunny eggs. Crafty potatoes are a mix of regular potatoes, sweet potatoes, and some kind of purple potato thing that was actually really good. I didn't think that the sweet potato belonged in this one and kind of took away from it. It also seemed to be missing something and ended up being pretty bland. I really liked this place for the atmosphere, but the food was just ok and kind of expensive for breakfast. I guess I would say this place is worth a try, but with places like Ethyl and Tank and Hang Over Easy out there I don't plan on going back any time soon. 

Marissa: I chose to go with the Toad in a Hole... partly because it sounded good and partly because I like the name. The Crafty Pint's toad in a hole is unique in the way that rather than regular old toast, they use french toast. Upon presentation, the toad in a hole looked like a sandwich: two slices of french toast with fried eggs in the middle, stuffed with bacon and arugula served with a side of crafty potatoes. I don't like arugula so I took that out. I ate the bacon separate from the sandwich, which was my personal preference, but I'm sure if it stayed on the sandwich it would be just as good. I was pretty into the crafty potatoes... I've never had a purple potato before but I think that purple potato was the prize winner of the entire plate. It was a good meal, but was nothing spectacular.

Lil toad in the hole

Devyn: Today, the biscuits and gravy were calling my name. With the rich chorizo buttermilk gravy and cheddar biscuits this meal sounded too good to be true..and it might have been a little bit. The plate that came out sort of resembled meatballs and tomato sauce and I had to refresh myself on what I actually ordered. I was skeptical at first as the biscuits were very firm to cut with a fork but the bread and gravy together was actually pretty good. I ordered asparagus on the side so as not to be overtaken by the avalanche of gravy. Wise choice on my part. All in all this meal was ok, after tasting some of the other meals at the table I'll probably choose another dish next time around.

Other meals that were tried were the Farmhouse, which is a substantial meal made up of eggs, waffles, potatoes and bacon, and the crab cake benedict. Both dishes were successful, though the crab cake benedict was heavy on the hollandaise.

Farmhouse

Sunny side up eggs, or boobs.

Overall, the Crafty Pint is a cool place with potential. The food was good, but a bit pricey for the lack of stand out flavor.

Ratings:

Food: 2.8

Drinks: 3.2

Price: 2.5

Atmosphere: 3.6

Leaving our mark

Katalina's at Oddfellows

What's this?! 

Thats right people, the Columbus Brunch Crew is back in action!

This week we were going to take you to Katalina's, but due to some time constraints and a line out to the sidewalk, we decided to forgo the brick and mortar restaurant and head to Oddfellows Liquor Bar. Here they serve Katalina's brunch and "munch" foods from 10am - 3pm on Saturday and Sunday. 

We arrived just after 10am and were please to discover that we were the first people there and we took advantage of it!

The front windows were open to the sidewalk which was perfect for our morning brunch. The unique and colorful chairs made out of old wine barrels made for comfortable seating and primo for taking in the sights.

During its day job Oddfellows is a cool and quirky bar with so much character. The seemingly random decor all melds together to form an infinitely interesting sensory experience. This coupled with the attentive and friendly bar staff makes it a must on any Columbus bar list. 

First off, drinksssss:

We went for the classics to see what Oddfellows had to offer:

The Mimosa was great as far as they go. Just the right amount of orange juice and champagne to make a bubbly and delicious morning drink (I may or may not have had two!)

The Bloody Mary's were AWESOME. The perfect blend of peppery and tomato-ey to satisfy any bruncher. It also came with a wedge of smoked gouda and a cherry tomato skewered for your enjoyment. 

 Now for the foods:

Apparently you can't eat at Katalina's without sampling their famous pancake balls. These are little pillows of goodness that can be made with either Nutella or dulce de leche filling. They also come with a side of her "Sweet n' Spicy" bacon. Aka heaven. They also provide a cup of syrup on the side for dipping. I have to say this may have been my favorite brunch item so far on this tour. The pancake balls were light and fluffy, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Even with the sweetness of the fillings, the syrup was a great compliment to the dish. And I think it goes without saying that the bacon was tasty and perfect. It was nice to have the bacon as a break in the sweetness of the pancakes. All around a goooooood choice from this restaurant. 

Next up next is the breakfast tacos. Three tacos with egg, chorizo, green salsa, tomato, and cheese on corn tortillas. These were a great option for those looking for a little bit of mexican flair in their brunch experience. Filling and wonderfully tasty, I'm happy to report that we left with an empty plate!

Last but not least is the Katalina's Mazatlan pork and egg sandwich. I mean it when I say this sandwich is GOOD. Big slices of crusty bread with tender shredded pork, a fried egg, fresh avocado and roasted peppers. Being full from our individual meals didn't stop us from trying bite after bite of this sandwich. The nice crunch of the bread paired well with the tender meat and veggies. Definitely a must try.

All and all this was a great Sunday brunch spot. Not too busy, great seating, fast and friendly service makes Katalina's at Oddfellows a fun and enjoyable place to eat and drink. Don't forget to check out Oddfellows during their normal business hours during the week too!

Ratings:

Food: 4.5

Drinks: 4.5

Price: 4

Atmosphere: 5!