Crank'O'Ween 3

Just spreading the word about a bouldering comp being held at my gym next Tuesday, October 23rd in Columbus, Ohio.  More info can be found at Kinetic's website or Facebook page.  There should be tons of good problems, a bunch of new holds, lots of prizes, and a good group of people.  So if you are in the area and are in the mood to crush or if you just want to hang out, stop on by!  If you have not yet been to the gym and have always wanted to check it out, next Tuesday is a pretty good time to do it.  So mark your calendars, put it in your planners, set reminders on your phone, whatever.  Do it!  Do it now!

As for me, I will be there at some point in the evening, but it would depend on what time I get home from work.  I have not yet decided if I will climb.  I have never really enjoyed climbing in competitions since the large crowds, abundance of noise, and craziness of it all is just way too hectic for me.  But we shall see.  Maybe I will enter and use it as a high volume training day...

Gallery Hoppin' and Sweet Potato Munchin'

My sister and Mike were in town during the first weekend of March to celebrate their near completion of med school with some of their friends.  They had some free time after dinner and wanted to "try" and meet up with Nadya, our friend Lisa, and me for some gallery hoppin'.  I use the word "try" because if they couldn't find any parking around the Short North they were going to bail.  Fortunately they did find parking, but the funny thing is that after walking one block, the two of them became too cold and decided to turn around and leave.  However, as they were walking back to their car I spotted the two of them before they could make their escape and they ended up tagging along for a little bit.  Hehehe.

We started at the north end of the Short North and decided to warm ourselves up with some hot beverages from Travonna Coffee House on the corner of 5th and High.  Then we made our way south.

 

White mocha from Travonna Coffee House.  Isn't it pretty?

We went into a few "vintage" furniture stores/galleries during our hop.  I can't say I'm a big fan of "vintage" furniture.  They are all so ridiculously overpriced too.  It seems like they just buy people's old furniture for dirt cheap, jack up the price, and label it "vintage".  Whatever.  Some people like it.  I'm just not a big fan.  What really creeped us out was that one of these stores had a child/baby casket for sale.  How can anyone sell something like that?  Seriously?  Now that I look back on it, I should have checked the price tag on that.  I wonder how much they were selling it for? 

I always wonder how these stores and galleries stay open.  None of them have closed during my time in Columbus and it seems like more keep popping up.  I guess a bunch of people in Columbus must like this stuff.

F-U-N-K-Y mugs

Maybe the best ice cream in the world?  No ice cream for us tonight :(

My sister and Mike ended their gallery hop early due to the cold and their hungry bellies.  I guess they had dinner beforehand but were not impressed nor were they satisfied with what they had.  I think they went to Tip Top Kitchen.  I've heard good things about the place so maybe their not so great experience was a rare one.  I can't say.  Nadya and I will just have to check it out one of these days. 

Towards the end of our hop, my sister texted me about some food truck with really delicious sweet potato fries.  It sounded good, but the three of us didn't really want to eat something unhealthy this late at night.  As we were walking back we spotted the truck.  It was called Tatoheads.  We decided to check it out and.....we ordered some sweet potato fries with some seasoning and some roasted pepper ketchup.  Oh food.  Why can't we resist you.  But, I'm glad we bought some because they were amazing.  Definitely keep your eye out for the Tatoheads truck.  I think they post their whereabouts on their Facebook page.  Check them out!  We ended our night with some very satisfied taste buds.

Tatoheads

Delicious sweet potato fries

The next morning, my sister, Mike, Nadya, and me went to our go-to breakfast place in Grandview, DK Diner.  Breakfast was delicious as always.  Below are some parting shots from breakfast.

Mmmmm creamer with a touch of coffee

Oh my



Another Weekend of Edible Goodness

I had another taste bud satisfying weekend with trips to two restaurants that I have not been to before: Katalina's Cafe Corner and Aloha Hawaiian BBQ & Asian Bistro.

Let's talk about Katalina's Cafe Corner first.  Katalina's is this tiny little white building situated on the corner of West Third Ave. and Pennsylvania Ave. in Victorian Village.  The building is very small and cramped and definitely does not seem like it was initially meant to be a restaurant.  There isn't much inside seating either but there are plenty seats outside for when the weather is lovely making it a great place to eat in the warmer, sunnier months.  My parents were in town for the day so why not try another new restaurant?  I remembered seeing an article about Katalina's in one of Columbus' dining magazines, Crave, and have always wanted to give it a whirl.  Nadya also recently had lunch there with a friend and both found the food to be delicious.  My parents, Nadya, and I arrived at Katalina's around 1pm on Saturday and the place was packed!  All the seats were taken inside, but luckily a group of people sitting outside under the sun got up to leave as we were making our way in.  It was a good thing it was nice and sunny out and unusually warm for mid-February.  My mom ordered the 3rd and Penn (pastrami, swiss, spicy mustard, mayo, and sauteed balsamic onions grilled on marbled rye), my dad ordered the Classic Reuben (corned beef, swiss, sauerkraut, and russian dressing grilled on marbled rye), Nadya ordered the Figs & Prosciutto (kalamata figs, prosciutto, provolone, balsamic reduction, and white truffle oil grilled on old-world loaf), and I ordered the Chimichurri Steak (roast beef, sauteed onions and mushrooms, provolone, topped with house-made chimichurri sauce on a toasted roll.  And of course we had to order the Swedish Pancake Balls filled with Nutella to share.  After waiting an excruciating 40 minutes or so we decided to make our order to-go.  The clouds rolled in and we were all starting to get cold.  We were hoping the food would have arrived sooner to warm us back up, but it didn't.  After another 10 or so minutes we received our order and headed for home as fast as we could.  We were all starving.  The food was definitely worth the wait.  It was soooo good!  All of our sandwiches were tastier than tasty and the pancake balls dissolved in our mouths.  We wanted more!  Even my mom finished her sandwich, which she rarely does.  I can't believe I haven't been to this restaurant before!  Aside from the terribly long wait, one million thumbs up for the food!  Sorry for the lack of pictures.  I'm pretty sure I will make a trip back there again and I will be sure to take some pictures then.

That same evening Nadya and I carried out some Aloha Hawaiian BBQ & Asian Bistro for dinner.  If we had not put in a 9-miler beforehand we probably wouldn't have eaten out again on the same day.  Although the 9-miler was kinda miserable (Nadya ran circles around me and then left me in the dust), I'm kinda glad we did it because we were rewarded with more tasty food.  Since we were too lazy and tired from our run, Nadya and I decided to call in a carry-out order.  Looking at the menu, the dishes were split up into Hawaiian meals and a mix of Japanese, Korean, and Chinese meals.  I'm not quite sure how authentic their "Hawaiian" menu is, but we wanted to try it anyway.  So, we ordered the Hawaiian BBQ Chicken and Beef Combo, the Chicken Katsu, and the Spam Musubi.  When we arrived to pick up our food there were no other customers there and we started to second guess our decision.  But, the place was recommended to us by my sister who, like us, has been spoiled with lots of good food.  So it can't be that bad.  The restaurant is setup like your standard order-at-the-counter Asian joint.  The place was very clean and the workers at the counter were very pleasant and nice.  Driving back home, the aroma of the food filled the car and started making us even more hungry.  Once back, we opened up our carry-out containers and BAM!  Although very simple, the food looked delicious.  The Spam Musubi consisted of a slice of Spam over rice and wrapped like sushi.  It was delicious although it could use a little less rice.  I'd say half the amount of rice would be perfect.  I think too much rice covers up the tastiness of the Spam.  For some that may be a good thing, but I LOVE Spam, so less rice for me please.  The two entrees were served over lettuce with a side of steamed rice and a side of macaroni salad.  I didn't care much for the macaroni salad, but everything else was delish!  The sauces used on both entrees were tasty, the quality of the meat was pretty darn good, and the portions were quite large for the price.  Our first experience with Aloha Hawaiian BBQ was excellent.  Our post-run hunger may have added some taste to our meal but I would like to think that it didn't.  We'll be back for sure!  Maybe I'll try the Loco Moco next time...

Spam Musubi (Mmmmm Spam...)

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken & Beef

Chicken Katsu