DK Diner- Get-your-own-drinks

First, I hope you all enjoyed St. Patty's Day! Byrne's Pub in Grandview was where I spent my Saturday afternoon people watching all the crazy dancing leprechauns in the tent area, kilt wearing redheaded Irish men slinging back fireball, wannabe Irish men throwing back tequila, and a killer authentic Irish drum line and bagpipe band. Overall, the celebration of St. Patrick was a solid one that he'd be proud of. It's only right that the next day we checked out another Grandview staple... DK Diner.

Eating at DK Diner is always a treat! Be sure to show up early to get a seat or be prepared to put your reservation in and expect a lengthy, but worthwhile, wait as DK Diner gets packed quickly. 

The vibe of this casual, get-your-own-coffee, diner reminds me of a hostile in a way. There is a serve yourself drink station and the kitchen shares the same room as the customers' booths. The walls are covered in graduating seniors' high school class pictures from the 90's and early 2000's and there are white lights strung through the over sized umbrellas outside to give this, already charming, diner an extra cozy feel. 

While waiting for your table, or for your main breakfast or lunch dish, order a few "appetizers," like one of their signature homemade sour cream donuts or their Bloody Mary that is served with a stick of tater tots wrapped in bacon! Yes, you read that correctly! And here's a picture to prove it...

As for the main dish, I really enjoy their DK Skillet which is a fried egg laid flat with hash browns(chucked) and sausage gravy on top. The pancakes are made with with their "secret" batter...(think about it, they are known for their donuts) and are delicious! The Mess is another staple with corn beef, onions, peppers and two eggs and side of toast. 

Now that I made your mouth water, go check this place out asap, and invite me along for the experience too! I love DK Diner! Enjoy! 

Atmosphere: A+, causal 

Food: A, great for brunch!

Service: A, for always being busy, these servers work hard to keep up with demand and usually are always on point. 

Who do you think has the best Bloody Mary's in town? Are you a fan of Bloody Mary bars?
Have you ever been to a restaurant that has serve yourself drinks like DK diner? Did you like that experience? Do you feel you should tip the server less, more, or the same as you would if it were truly a full service place?

Wings and brew at Smokehouse Brewing Co.

I've driven by this place many times and never saw many cars parked out front, so I wasn't sure what Smokehouse Brewing Co. would be like (of course the parking lot is in back which explains a lot ha!).

My boyfriend and I joined our two good friends for a Grandview brewery tour and this was the first stop on tour. This brewery tour (which I'll tell you more about soon) included a bunch of beer samples at 4 different local breweries and light appetizers at our first stop, Smokehouse. If you came here on your own and not a tour, it would probably be a different experience, but overall, I think it would be a good one like ours.

While at Smokehouse Brewing, the very knowledgeable owner and his son took time to speak with us about the beer brewing process and some history on breweries in Columbus. We sampled all of their beers (the Scottish/Scotland one and the Christmas Ale are/were my favorites!). Did you know that you should give each beer 20 seconds of tasting/after-tasting before you fully judge it?! Apparently that gives the taste buds just enough time to determine if you like it or not. Anyways, I'm going to bring a growler up there sometime so I can have the beer handy before a night out. Yes, they fill growlers! They also have a bunch of unique ways that they store and pour their beer (you'll have to ask, because honestly I forget what each method is called, I just know it was really cool hearing about).  

Picture of the best wings ever - frame worthy!

After trying a few beers, the staff brought out 2 appetizer platters for the big group of about 14 people. There were wings, beef brisket, sauerkraut balls, hummus and soft pitas. The wings, OH MY the WINGS, are the best! They had a rub on them, no breading, no sauce, just amazing flavor! I highly recommend these!  The beef brisket was good, I think, but since it was such a small piece I tried, I wasn't sure. Onion straws and pickles were crisp, the hummus and pitas were what you would expect. And the sauerkraut ball, wow, those are good! I never realized I liked those. Actually, I never even knew what those were until I tried them at Smokehouse. I recommend getting out of your comfort zone and trying them. 

The only minor set back, which I'm not sure who's doing this was, the Brewery Tour Company's or Smokehouse's doing, but there wasn't enough samples of each food item on the platter to go around for each person to try. So 14, mostly strangers, looked awkwardly at each other and back at the mouth water food wondering who got to try what, while the owner continued sharing fun facts. Total bummer and I thought it was rude? annoying? uncomfortable? and not very productive to what they were trying to do, you know, get the word out about their food (Smokehouse) and give a good experience for paying brewery tour customers(brewer tour). I thought someone should have stepped up and brought out 3 sampler platters or added enough food so each person got to try each food item.

Anyways, lucky for me, and my group of four, we got to try each of their amazing food items they offered AND we really enjoyed the brew too!!

Ps. You can gain Delta SkyMiles from eating here! :) If you're not sure what I'm referring to, see my previous blog post, "Eating your way to vacation" and start earning miles while eating here!

-Have you ever gone on a brewery tour in Columbus before? Did you get food? What food samples did you get and did you like it? 

-Crazy tough question, "What's your favorite wing place in Columbus?!" Mine is a tie between Smokehouse Brewing Co. and Wings Over Columbus (which, I get, is almost like comparing apples to tomatoes though)

Lessons learned from a pizza shop all thanks to Papa John's

One of my favorite guys from college really let me down the other night... And by "favorite guys" I'm referring to Papa John's. This review is in regards to the Grandview/Upper Arlington on W 5th Avenue location in Columbus. Here's what happened and more importantly, what I learned from this experience. 

I wanted to order online late Fat Tuesday night (yep, I felt the need to participate in this event), but Papa John's website wasn't working on my phone & I didn't want to be FORCED to download their app using MY diminishing month's data/3G (don't you love shared family plans? ((which I was informed it takes the same amount of data to load websites as it does on apps oops)).

So I called in to order a late night pizza and told them I couldn't download their website which is why I was being forced to call in. I ASKED if they have any coupons or discounts that were online that I could use. They said no. So, still hungry and wanting the goodness, I ordered a medium meat lover pizza add banana peppers(thinking it would be typical meat lover type, so the chicken was a surprise. As an FYI, they only have a pizza called "THE MEATS" ((see below!:))

Ok, this looks amazing!

Anyways, how much does that typically run?!  Mine, $16.47 plus tax & tip according to the ticket/receipt on the side of the box. I used cash, so also a BIG mistake when ordering from here because my boyfriend paid & said it was $17 something plus tax so more like $18 plus a more than generous tip he left.

So, here's the issue I have... I feel like we got ripped OFF on this pizza because my friend went online last night to order a pizza and told me about this medium 5 topping pizza for $9 and asked if I had gotten that deal. I didn't...humm...I paid for 2 of those pizzas Tuesday night but only got one...so I figured I would call in and they would make it right.

I played "dumb" asking how much this medium "THE MEATS" add Banana Peppers pizza would cost, and she said it would be $17 something (I was mad at that). I told her what they charged me the other night for it and about the coupon that I felt I should have received given the circumstances. The person said you must ASK specifically, word for word apparently, for the exact coupon/discount you intend to use. I thought my story explained it, but hey, they are a business too, just thought they would be a little more understanding and explained again asking if it was enough that I asked given the circumstances.

"No. You must ask for that deal specifically." The pizza person replied. The person was, unfortunately, unable to assist or do anything further. They quickly said a half-hearted "sorry" (I could hear the shrug that went along with it in their voice) and rushed to get me off the phone just about as quickly as I jabbed the "END" button on my phone. I wasn't very thrilled with this situation since I am always looking for a good deal and would take advantage of an offer like the one mentioned above had their website been working or had I enough data this month to download their app (and delete right away to destroy the evidence ;).

Anyways, moral of this story and LESSON learned:

1. NEVER order over the Phone from Papa John's or ANY Pizza place that has a website/app
2. DON'T be forced to download their app that will use your data to download/use once in a great while
3. And ALWAYS pay with Credit Card 
4. Oh and...you must ASK/read word for word the exact coupon/discount you intend to use
5. And Yes....Order THE MEATS! :) (It's really good) 

PS...AND HERE'S the real TRUTH.. I'll still order from Papa John's once in a blue moon in because, let's be real,  I do/did enjoy their pizza (especially the side banana pepper!), but I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed in this situation.


What are some of your pizza delivery stories gone wrong? Or better yet, does anyone have funny pizza delivery stories?... Like the time we ordered a pizza and a slice was missing...but really my boyfriend just shoved it in his mouth when he walked in and he found a way to avoid looking at me while chopping away. Ha! Men! 
What's your favorite pizza toppings? Anyone ever try sauerkraut on a pizza?!


WHAT'S NEXT? The best "naked wings" in all of Columbus! You won't want to miss out on learning about this next place on the list.  Check back on 2/3/2015 for my next post. 

Bodega - I love brunch & chicken n' waffels

Bodega

As I mentioned, I LOVE a good brunch spot! And I often crave Chicken n' Waffles. Per my earlier post, I talked about dreaming of Hang Over Easy's delightful dish. Well, Bodega in Short North almost gives the beloved OSU's staple a run for their money!

While my sister was in town, we decided to check out a brunch place and headed down to the Short North to locate the right spot. Bodega caught our eye with a chalk board sign out front that indicated "Bloody Mary's $5 11am - 4pm on Saturday and Sunday." We love those spicy things (I'm a little strange and like to substitute vodka for rum though). Anyways, it was a done deal, Bodega it was and I am happy to report back that it was a worthwhile stop.

We were told that the restaurant has recently been remolded. The inside had a modern, yet rustic feel to it with the wood tables and clean lines. There's a liquor wall with 47 craft beers on draft too. I would like for it to be a full service place, but it was not a big deal to walk over to the window and place an order, while my sister grabbed us drinks. When the food was ready, they brought it to our skinny wood table where we were sipping on our Bloody Marys.

We both got the Chicken n' Waffles (which this along with the rest of brunch is only served Friday to Sunday 11am to 4pm). As you can see below, there's also delicious fresh fruit along with a good size piece of chicken on top. On the side was a tangy hot sauce and maple syrup for dipping.

TIPS: Enjoy window shopping in the area before or after, but be warned, the cutesy shops in this area aren't for those with a small wallet. Good thing the daily deals at Bodega will help keep you on budget.

SCORE CARD 
5= I love it! I am changing my address to this location since I'd live here if I could.

4= I really like it! 

3= Good enough for me!

2= May give it another chance if I have to, but rather not.

1= Not for me, next!

Bodega
Atmosphere: 4 - recently renovated sleek wood decor, wish it would have been warmer inside though
Service: 2 - friendly, attentive, a little slower than we'd have liked, but will give it another shot
Food: 4 - I love it!
Price - Wallet friendly

Overall: 3 - This place is good enough for me! Bodega has a super cute vibe, great alcohol selection, and a good brunch. I look forward to going back, using their patio and trying other food on their menu.

Check out their website: http://www.columbusbodega.com/

"My life at home gives me absolute joy. There are some days when, as soon as you've finished cooking breakfast and cleaning up the kitchen, it's time to start lunch, and by the time you've done that, you're doing dinner and thinking, 'There has to be a menu we can order from."
-Julia Roberts

Source: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/breakfast.html#dygjZt8FbJhxfQbD.99

My lovely sister Robyn's breakfast

Have you been to Bodega? What is your favorite meal there? Have you tried one of their bourbon special cocktails (and does anyone know what it's called?)

Mac's Cafe - Hometown kind of place

Mac's Cafe

We stopped in here for a few drinks before a concert one night before Christmas. We were walking around the Short North and decided to stop at Mac's simply because we had a guy named "Max" with us, so we thought "Max/Mac...it just makes sense!"ha!

Walking in reminded me of bars back home, with brighter lights, bar lights on the wall, oak everywhere and lots of frames on the wall. It made me feel at home. My friends and I claimed one of the old school round oak tables and pulled up a chair for our group of 5. The server quickly came over and told us the happy hour specials (including a super cheap draft list! Cheap like $1.50 cheap!). The server even told us when happy hour was about to end so we could grab another round before the price went up. Now that's a server and a place that deserves a good tip and another try!

Overall, Mac's was a laid back, dive-vibe type of place that set the stage for a fun filled few rounds of drinks before our concert. We had a great time toasting to random things and laughing the entire time we were there. And although we didn't have food, from what others' looked like, I will give it a try next time (I've heard their fish and chips are great). With the right group of friends, I'll go back for sure! Especially during their cheap happy hour!   

SCORE CARD 
5= I love it! I am changing my address to this location since I'd live here if I could.

4= I really like it! 

3= Good enough for me!

2= May give it another chance if I have to, but rather not.

1= Not for me, next!

Mac's Cafe
Atmosphere: 3 - simple, brighter lights, old school tables - good enough for me!
Service: 4 - friendly, fast, detailed
Food: will need to update after trying it
Price - 5 - Wallet friendly (great happy hour specials!)

Overall: 3.5 - Good enough for me! It reminds me of bars back in my hometown. I look forward to coming back again soon. 


"In Wales it's brilliant. I go to the pub and see everybody who I went to school with. And everybody goes 'So what you doing now?' And I go, 'Oh, I'm doing a film with Antonio Banderas and Anthony Hopkins.' And they go, 'Ooh, good.' And that's it."

- Catherine Zeta-Jones 

Source: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/pub.html 

Source: Yelp

What bars reminds YOU of your hometown? Comment below with the bar's name, your home town, and why it feels like home. :)

Local Cantina - Grandview has tacos

Local Cantina
I went on a Tuesday night aka $2 taco night! While we waited & admired the cool decor & lighting, we grabbed chips & salsa which had just enough zest & flavor for my liking. The server suggested the blood orange margarita add jalapenos...I love jalapenos & this drink didn't disappoint on flavor. It was hot, yet sweet. Kinda weird, but in a good way.

The guacamole was also really good, but I wish they had a bigger serving for the price. The tacos were pretty yummy! I ordered 3 and it was the right amount of food for me (and let's be real, I liked having 3 different options to satisfy all of my taste-buds). I really liked the shrimp tempura one with a delicious sauce on it.  The menu's content is really funny and creative too. I'll go back again,  especially on taco Tuesday nights and when the patio is open!

TIP:  This place gets busy, so while you wait, grab chips and salsa. Also go on Tuesday nights closer to 9:00pm. That way if the parking lot is full (good chance it will be) you can park on the street and only use a few quarters until the meters are up at 10:00pm.

SCORE CARD 
5= I love it! I am changing my address to this location since I'd live here if I could.

4= I really like it! 

3= Good enough for me!

2= May give it another chance if I have to, but rather not.

1= Not for me, next!

Local Cantina
Atmosphere: 4  - loud music, great vibe and pretty decor
Service: 4 - friendly, fast
Food: 4 - I love it!
Price - Wallet friendly (on Tuesday nights, other nights it could get pricey depending on how many tacos you order)
Overall: 4 - I really like it! This place knows how to bring on the heat!

Blood Orange with Jalapenos on the left & house marg on the right. ©LindsayLu 

Who makes your favorite a la carte style of mexican food places in Columbus? Who makes the best margaritas in Columbus? 

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