Zen Cha Tea Salon

It's that time of the week again people. Brunch time.

Heyyyyyyyy TEA

Today we travelled down High Street to the Short North where we found the Zen Cha Tea Salon, which is a lovely establishment influenced by Eastern cultures and cuisine.

With locations in the Short North, Bexley, and downtown on Gay St, there are many options if you choose to check this place out for brunch!

tea fuh dayz

As the name suggests, tea plays a large role in the menu of Zen Cha. Pictured above is the quite extensive tea menu, with teas divided up by their geographical origin.

Devyn: After my head stopped spinning from the sheer number of teas this place offers, I went with the first tea that caught my attention. The Lady Londonderry from the British tea selection was nice and light with hints of strawberry and lemon. A little cream made it a perfect breakfast drink, I didn't even miss my morning coffee! I can't wait to come back and try different teas from around the world. My husband Fin (this was his first real tea experience, and mine as well) ordered the coconut chai and he LOVED it.

                                 

Marissa: I went with a Zen Cha original creation and ordered a lavender tea latte. I'm a huge fan of lavender in all forms, so needless to say I enjoyed this tea very much. The lavender steeped in milk made for a comforting and relaxing morning beverage, and I didn't have to sacrifice my need for my morning caffeine intake.

Devyn: Zen Cha's menu was chock full of great sounding stuff. It was really hard to decide what to get! Today I went with the peach french toast. This was a crispy, cinnamon-y, peachy plate of heaven. The toast was crispy, yet soft on the inside which was perfect for soaking up all of the peach juice. There was some sort of magical cream cheese under the peaches that pulled the whole dish together. This was all topped off by almonds and a dusting of cinnamon. Highly recommend trying this dish, you won't be disappointed!

Fin, not having much of a sweet tooth, ordered the spinach parmesan quiche. This came with a ton of great food people, so come hungry if you plan on ordering this guy. The quiche was so fantastic. A flakey, buttery crust with mucho spinach and lots of cheese. It also came with hash browns and a little salad that tied everything together perfectly. We were all very impressed with this dish.

Marissa: I had a tough time deciding what to order this morning. I was torn between the Chado (green tea pancakes with red bean paste, walnuts and syrup) and the Arabian Night waffles. In the end, I chose the waffles and I'm positive I made the right decision. The waffles are infused with date and walnut with passion fruit cream cheese spread over them and served with cardamom orange syrup. Every bite of these waffles was heavenly. And when I got a bite with a candied walnut, it was double heaven. I honestly cannot talk up these waffles enough. I don't think any other waffle will ever compare. Ever. Like... I may as well not ever order waffles again because it would just be pointless.

Overall, the experience at ZenCha was great. It provided a peaceful and tranquil (zen maybe?) atmosphere and offered a uniquely delicious menu. The tea service was a new experience for all of us, and one that we'd all like to become more familiar with. This is certainly a gem of Columbus.

Ratings: 

Food: 4.75

Drinks: 4.75

Atmosphere: 4

Price: 3.5

DK Diner

Hello again fellow brunchers!

This week we take you to DK Diner... a lovely little spot nestled within the quaint neighborhoods of Grandview Heights. Once again we had to do an evening brunch (I think that may be an oxymoron), so we were delighted to find that DK Diner serves breakfast items up until 9PM.

that face?

It just so happened to be a lovely spring night when we chose to brunch at DK, so imagine our excitement when we saw that the diner had a cozy outdoor seating area.


From what we hear, DK Diner has a great reputation for offering a full and delicious breakfast menu - this place was actually highly recommended when we were harassing other Columbus natives for good brunch places to experience.

Upon first impression, we were not disappointed. As I mentioned before, the outdoor seating area was a huge plus, especially considering DK's location - the neighborhoods of Grandview Heights are so tranquil and the overall atmosphere of the patio was just what we wanted. The inside of this place is pretty dive-y, and I really mean that in the best way possible.



So, luckily for us, DK Diner also offers a full bar... which means Bloody Mary's and... gin and juice? Yes, someone (Devyn) in the party ordered a gin and juice... more on that later.

The Bloody Mary's were ok. I (Marissa) have this thing with Bloody Mary's where I love them (so much) but I am very sensitive to certain ingredients that can sometimes be used in them.. such as pickle juice. In fact, the phrase "too pickley" is one that has been used to describe many a Mary. Unfortunately, DK was a little bit too pickley for me. HOWEVER, we cannot fail to mention the most important part of the Bloody Mary that may have trumped the pickley-ness - THREE BACON-WRAPPED TATER TOTS AS A GARNISH.

You haven't done brunch right until you harness your inner Snoop Dogg (Lion?) and sip some gin and juice. With no specification on my end of which kind of gin or juice I'd prefer, I just let the bartender surprise me. What resulted was what could best be described as "floor polish, but in a good way". But that's pretty much most gin related drinks I suppose. This was a delicious drink and I would definitely order it again. And again. With my mind on my money and my money on my mind.

We didn't try the coffee... mostly because it was 7pm on a Thursday night and we all had to sleep and go to work in the morning. HOWEVER, it was noted that DK Diner serves local Crimson Cup coffee and I stop there almost every morning on my way to work, so I can confidently say that the coffee at DK Diner is superb.

Ok. Let's move on to what's important here: the food.

Marissa: Being an avid fan of biscuits and gravy (I may have mentioned that a couple of times...?), I went with the DK All The Way. This dish DOES go all the way... to my heart (both emotionally and physically) with two biscuits, Canadian bacon, two over easy eggs all topped with sausage gravy and with home fries on the side. Every single component of this meal was delicious. If I could make any changes, I just wouldn't have gotten the eggs on it... the consistency of the gravy and the gooey egg yolks was just too similar for my liking. However, biscuits = perfect, bacon = perfect, gravy = perfect, home fries = so perfect. 

A beautiful mess

Devyn: My brunch experience thus far has been sadly devoid of sweet items. Today it was time for pancakes and DK did not disappoint. The cake was a heavier one and yet still fluffy and awesome. It also offered an extra special flavoring that put them over the top (almond perhaps?), regardless they were great. I can't wait to go back and try their donuts!

Grant: I finally stepped away from the breakfast burrito and was not disappointed. DK's doughnut sandwich, with egg, cheese, and bacon between a delicious fresh glazed doughnut, was pretty incredible.  Really rich, but just the right amount of food that it wasn't too much. This place is definitely one of best hidden gems I've been to in a while, and can't wait to come back and try the breakfast burrito.

America personified

Other than the donut on Grant's sandwich, we made a horrible mistake and did not try any other donuts (so stuffed from evening brunch and bacon wrapped tater tots). Apparently, this place has got great donuts. We looked over the list and they all sounded delicious and they're the kind that are all abnormally shaped, so you know they're good. But anyway, until next time, brunchers!

Overall ratings:

Food: 4.3 eggs

Drinks: 2.8 eggs

Atmosphere: 4.3 eggs

Price: 3.6 eggs

Double Comfort

Two brunches in one week?!

Not ones to miss out on good food and time with friends, this is the brunch experience x 2.

Today we bring you to Double Comfort located across from the convention center downtown.

This place is definitely is working to pull off the southern vibe. A small restaurant with a little patio, the walls boast reclaimed wood from local barns and the food gives a nod to classic southern cuisine.

Make sure to come early on Sunday's. Due to reservations and a busy morning, we waited for a table for over half an hour. Keep in mind we arrived at peak brunch time (10am), so that was our own fault!

The menu has a little bit of everything, from yogurt and granola to your traditional fried chicken and waffle. Having a few vegetarians in the group today made the variety very important. Some issue with their website wouldn't let us look up the menu, so we just hoped for the best.

Starting with drinks, this ended up being the best part of the visit for us... I'm talking about

BUCKETS OF MIMOSAS, PEOPLE.

Split between the 5 of us two buckets came out to about $10 per person and provided about 3-4 drinks each. Not bad if I do say so myself. Another bonus is being able to make them as strong as you want. All champagne with a spit of orange juice? Thats cool with us.

Bloody Mary's would have been ordered, but their mix couldn't be made without worcestershire sauce and this was not cool with our vegetarians. So we all stuck with Mimosas today.

Food food wonderful food:

The waffle with greek yogurt and granola was a favorite at the table today with 3/5 diners choosing this option. One major bummer was the lack of fruit that was supposed to come with it. We were informed that the table next to us took the last of it. Bastards. But it was good none the less with a little bit of honey added for sweetness.

Behold the GLT biscuit. Goat cheese (Ohio made), Lettuce, and Tomato with the option of adding a fried egg. This was coupled with a big basket of sweet potato fries and ranch on the side.

The review of the biscuit sandwich was lukewarm and $2 for a fried egg seemed a little steep. But the fries on the other hand were a whole other experience. They were light and crispy and complimented perfectly by the ranch sauce. Definitely a must try.

off to the races!

 Looking at the "sides" section of the menu, you'll come across the Sizzling Skillet Bacon Cornbread.
I'll tell you there was nothing sizzling on my end of this bread and the bacon was hard to come by. Luckily I ordered a side of yogurt and granola that came with honey, which I ended up using on the bread as well. I did enjoy the yogurt and crunchy and sweet granola that came with it.

This was an interesting visit to Double Comfort. The service was a little spotty but they were fairly busy due to the time of day. Even though we didn't go with many of the staples of this place (i.e. chicken and waffles) I think we got the gist of the menu. Be sure to check this place out!

Ratings:
Food: 3 eggs (probably would have been better with the addition of the missing fruit)
Drinks: 4.5 eggs
Atmosphere: 2.5 eggs
Price: 3.5 eggs (mostly because of the pricy eggs)

Toodles!

Hangover Easy

Hello brunch...wait wait. It's Thursday. And it's 6PM.

Yes friends, due to scheduling conflicts this week we have decided to move brunch to Thursday evening!

To accomplish this we searched for local places that served breakfast/brunch all day long. Luckily this investigation lead us straight to Hangover Easy, smack in the middle of OSU campus. A common go-to for those who like to party hearty and just regular guys who like good food.

This place never fails to impress. Our visit on this random Thursday was not the first for any of us, but we weren't dreading this meal in the slightest. The food and service are always great, the decor is interesting, and the people watching is fab. Like any other great breakfast joint, they tend to be pretty busy during peak hours, but come a little early or a little late (they close at 8pm during the week) and you're sure to get a good seat.

The restaurant was staffed sparsely during our visit, with one waitress tending to the tables and the bar. Despite their lack of man power our food and drinks came out in a pretty timely manner and our waitress maintained a positive attitude throughout our stay.

The Power Bird

Da bah

We'll start with our customary dranks:

The mimosa was good enough to order two (happy thirsty Thursday), though the first one to come out was a bit on the warm side. It was tangy, delicious, and a very refreshing drink to go along with a heavier meal.

The Bloody Mary was delicious. Spicy and peppery and tomatoey. They were so good that Grant had two... and a half.

Devyn: With it being around dinner time I decided to go with something more savory today. The HOE Benny was calling my name with its creamy avocado and salty sausage. What came out was a dish piled high with an english muffin, avocado, sausage, and over easy eggs topped with salsa, sour cream and shredded cheese.

All of this with a side of their own special HOE fries. These are what appear to be a baked potato mashed with skin on and browned in a skillet until crispy. Yum. 

The whole dish was perfect. The sausage was a great texture enhancer for me since it was accompanied by a bunch of mushy stuff. The egg was cooked perfectly and the richness of the yolk complimented the rest of the fresh ingredients well.

It looks like a huge mash of random things but the way it all came together was excellent. Especially when the egg yolk cascaded down the mountain of food like lava from a volcano created by god himself.

Word.

Marissa: Ok, so I don't remember what my dish was called exactly, but you could probably just call it perfection. So basically what it was was a breakfast sandwich... the bread component was french toast and inside was a sausage patty, an over easy egg and some jarlsberg cheese, which I've never even heard of before, but I enjoyed it. On the side were some home fries. Drizzle the whole thing with syrup and you have the most amazing breakfast concoction ever. The perfect balance of sweet and savory (which seems to kinda be my thing I guess). I would eat this all day every day. Seriously.

Grant: The dirty sanchez is not changing the breakfast burrito game. This is decent and by no means a bad breakfast burrito. Even though my meal was not that memorable this place on its own still is. The service is great, the bloody marys are flawless, and the place just has a a great laid back atmosphere. Will be back. 

All in all, Hangover Easy is a pretty great place for breakfast. It's classic breakfast, but with a unique twist. We also really enjoyed the laid back atmosphere which allowed for a really great time... either in the AM or the PM.

Ratings:

Food: 4.16 eggs (this is an exact science, people)

Drinks: 4 eggs

Atmosphere: 3.5 eggs

Price: 3.8 eggs