Having visited the very LGBT-friendly city of Columbus, Ohio, a couple times, I wondered if a third time ( with a writers' group ) would continue being the charm, to put a spin on the phrase.
However, after encountering a mix of the old and the new, I am happy to report that Ohio's capital is as alluring and fun as ever.
DIY Columbus
This most recent excursion started with a return to Barcelona Restaurant and Bar ( 263 E. Whittier St.; www.barcelonacolumbus.com/ ), which offers everything from chorizos to cheeses to entrees such as pasta de camarones ( sauteed shrimp, capellini pasta, piquillo peppers, onions, poblano peppers and tomato sauce ).
From there, it was on to The Kitchen ( 231 E. Livingston Ave.; thekitchencolumbus.com/ ), which definitely has something different in store for patrons—a participatory dining experience. That's right: Patrons play chef ( to a point ) as they prepare their own dishes, although the staff cooks what's been made. At first, I was definitely hesitant ( I can hear people say, "If I wanted to make a dish, I'd stay at home" )—but interacting with other people while being Martha Stewart for a few minutes made for an extremely fun time.
After eating what you've done, take a little time to go to places such as eXile Bar ( 893 N. 4th St.; www.exilebar.com/ ), an LGBT nightspot, or Seventh Son Brewing Co. ( 1101 N. 4th St.; seventhsonbrewing.com/ ).
( German ) Village people
The second day started with a trip to Katalina's Corner Cafe ( 1105 Pennsylvania Ave.; www.katalinascolumbus.com/ ), which is in the Harrison West neighborhood. The laid-back eatery advertises itself as "the little cafe with lots of local goodness"—and it certainly deserves that line. Any place that serves scrumptious pancake balls as well as biscuits and veggie sausage gravy deserves a look—and return visits. ( Among the reasons this visit was even better was that Andrew Levitt ( aka drag-queen icon Nina West ) dined with us. )
Then it was about art as the writers visited the Pizzuti Collection ( 632 N. Park St.; www.pizzuticollection.org/ ). Mark Zuzik provided an extremely informative tour of the venue, which holds only a small percentage of the holding of Ron and Ann Puzzuti. During our visit, we saw exhibits such as "Cuban Forever." ( Currently, it's showing "Now-ism: Abstraction Today" and "Ori Gersht: Portraits." )
A walking tour of the Short North district followed. This extremely attractive area of tour has everything from lounges to art gallery to stores that sell almost everything one can imagine.
Curio at Harvest ( 491 S. 4th St.; www.curioatharvest.com/ ) serves some of the best pizza I've had outside of Chicago—and a lot of the pies have a definite kick.
Working off the meal ( and drinks ), we went on a tour of German Village—a gay mecca that's filled with history. Historian John Clark regaled the group with tales of the area's history, including the urban renewal that took place in the 1950s as well as the reasons gays moved to the area ( cheap property and wide-open spaces ).
The walk through the neighborhood was filled with surprises, such as the priest who suddenly appeared and asked if we'd like to take a look at St. Mary's Catholic Church ( 684 S. 3rd St.; www.stmarygv.com/ ), which is stately, to say the least. Another highlight was visiting Hausfrau Haven wine shop ( 769 S. 3rd St.; hausfrauhaven.com/ ), which has signs such as "Unattended children will be sold—or towed away, at parents' expense!" Pistacia Vera ( 541 S. 3rd St.; www.pistaciavera.com/ ) is not for the carb-phobic, as it continues to offer some of the tastiest sweets in Columbus.
Also, one cannot discuss German Village without talking about the contributions of the late couple Fred Holdridge ( who died in 2010 ) and Howard Burns ( who passed away in 2001 ), who made contributions to the area for half a century. ( In June, German Village Society celebrated the pair by unveiling a new plaque in the couple's honor. )
Those who appreciate alcohol should stop by Middle West Spirits ( 1230 Courtland Ave.; middlewestspirits.com/ ) and microbrewery North High Brewing ( 1288 N. High St.; www.northhighbrewing.com/ ). Middle West—which has, among other things, OYO honey vanilla bean vodka, offers 90-minute tours ( at $15 per guest ); North High has a unique menu with brews and paninis.
After a brief respite, it was then off to the decade-old restaurant Basi Italia ( 811 Highland St.; basi-italia.com/ ), which serves some of the best food I've tasted in Columbus. Braised pork belly, eggplant parmesan and mustard-crusted golden trout are just a few of the dishes that will tickle the taste buds.
The night ended in extraordinary fashion—with "Nina West's Excellent Adventure Drag Show" at Axis on High nightclub ( 775 N. High St.; axisonhigh.com/ ). West's two-and-a-half-hour show, which has since ended, was extremely entertaining but literally involved the scatological as she held an interactive, time-traveling show that put its own twist on Doctor Who as she travelled through the "TURDIS." ( Starting Sept. 6, West and Svedka Vodka hosted "Nina West's Think You Can Drag?" for men and women. )
Animal instincts
This writer's last day in Columbus began at a place I've previously visited: The Pearl restaurant ( 641 N. High St.; www.thepearlcolumbus.com/ ). The cuisine was just as delicious as I had remembered and breakfast at The Pearl encompassed everything from oysters to shortrib poutine to a current standard—chicken and waffles. Of course, having a courteous ( and hot ) server made things even better.
Then, the day and city were ours for the taking. Several of us decided to visit the expansive Columbus Zoo and Aquarium ( which is actually in Powell, Ohio; www.colszoo.org/ ). An undeniable highlight was getting to feed a very docile rhinoceros named Rosie. ( She was so calm that several writers took selfies with her. I was content just to be shown feeding her. )
By the way, I went to the zoo using Car2Go ( www.car2go.com ), an extremely convenient service involving a vehicle that's small on the outside but is deceptively large inside. In addition, people can feel great about using the vehicles, as they're environmentally friendly.
Lastly, after hitting the see-and-be-seen restaurant Level ( 700 N. High St.; www.levelcolumbus.com/ ), there was something I've taken part every time I've visited: Gallery Hop Night. Thousands of people go up and down High Street in the Short North area as galleries stay open late and all types of performers, vendors, etc., dot the streets the first Saturday of every month—regardless of the weather.
It provided the perfect ending to another great visit to Columbus, a city that manages to be comfortable and vibrant. Here's to visit number four!
