Columbus Dining Guide Feed

Brunch: Worthington Inn

By Shelley Mann — Fri, 07 May 2010 14:33:49 GMT

Brunch at the Worthington Inn is a Columbus institution, the place to go on occasions like Easter or Mother's Day.

Lucky $13: Third and Hollywood

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:59:52 GMT

Lucky $13: Worthington Inn

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:59:25 GMT

Restaurant review: Latitude 41

G.A. Benton — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 21:33:01 GMT

Too often, hotel restaurants are uninspired eateries travelers settle for out of convenience. Latitude 41 manages to shatter that image.

Brunch season: Worthington Inn

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:32:07 GMT

This venerable neo-Colonial Worthington landmark has been in the hospitality game since 1831, so it clearly knows what it's doing. Plus it's such an incredibly well-preserved gem of an old country inn that parts of the pretty old brick building - which include vintage genre paintings and elaborately carved wooden furnishings - almost recall a living museum.

Brunch season: Lindey's

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:31:30 GMT

Lindey's is the grand old dame of Columbus fine dining. Pretty and sophisticated, its French-bistro-esque main room features an airy high ceiling, an opulent copper bar, huge windows onto German Village and lots of arty appointments.

Brunch season: Dragonfly

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:31:09 GMT

The words "vegan restaurant" can strike fear into the thumping hearts and awaiting palates of prospective fine diners. Dragonfly proves that needn't be the case.

Restaurant review: Spagio

Shelley Mann — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:14:39 GMT

The longtime Grandview hot spot Spagio is all over the place in all the right ways. It's most definitely a fine-dining destination, but the ambiance is quirky enough to set anyone at ease, and the menu diverse enough to accommodate any taste.

Mactacular: Latitude 41

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:05:28 GMT

Latitude 41 can shatter your expectations of a hotel restaurant. Located in the opulent Renaissance Downtown, its swooping, airy and dramatic space is locally unique.

Mactacular: Dragonfly

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:03:16 GMT

"Thank you James Beard," is written on a mirror in Dragonfly Neo-V. Why? Because Magdiale Wolmark, Dragonfly's highly talented vegetarian kitchen specialist, has been honored as a semi-finalist for the Best Chef: Great Lakes category of the James Beard awards, i.e. "the Oscars of cooking."

It's Just Brunch: Lindey's

G.A. Benton — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:47:51 GMT

Wanna smooth out and class up a "what in the heck did I do to myself last night?" Saturday morning? Could your cruddy-weather Sunday use some white-tablecloth-style brightening? Do you deserve a pampering treat to complete your weekend?

Burger kings: Rigsby's

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:31:16 GMT

Rigsby's epitomizes what makes the Short North special. It's sophisticated but not stodgy, it's smart but not pretentious, it's "Continentally" shrewd but Ohio-proud. Long a leader in locally sourced, scratch-made food, the versatile Rigsby's is a great place to dine on authentic and seasonal Italian cuisine or even an all-American burger.

Bargain Binge: DeepWood

G.A. Benton — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 03:06:31 GMT

Do I have to worry about DeepWood? That distressing notion crossed my mind because neither the seats in its deeply stocked bar nor its creative, scratch-cooking and handsomely "woodsy" restaurant seem to enjoy the kind of business and crowds they clearly deserve. And we all know the toll this wicked economy is taking on local eateries.

Edible Art: Rigsby's

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 03:28:24 GMT

Edible Art: The Refectory

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 03:28:09 GMT

Edible Art: M at Miranova

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 03:27:31 GMT

Edible Art: DeepWood

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 03:26:55 GMT

In Season: Black Creek Bistro

G.A. Benton — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:31:23 GMT

Unlike the practices of self-promoting citizens and fly-by-night businesses, I believe restaurants mostly use their superpowers of tweeting for good. And with so many eateries tweeting about their seasonal dishes, nightly specials and other various semi-newsworthy goings on these days, I decided to coin a term to describe them: Twitter-rants.

Bargain Binge: Worthington Inn

G.A. Benton — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:29:27 GMT

What adjectives pop into your head when you think about the Worthington Inn? Probably ones like venerable, grand and expensive? Yeah, it's definitely all that. But it can also be low-key, relaxed and ... cheap!

Nightly Special: Spagio

G.A. Benton — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:00:20 GMT

These days, a lonely sawbuck won't purchase much around suppertime at many of our city's finer-looking, top-tier, chef-driven restaurants. Oh, maybe a nice little appetizer, a couple of cups of potage, or, say, a single, professionally shaken fancy cocktail.

In Season: Rigsby's Kitchen

G.A. Benton — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 03:22:58 GMT

Given its enduring and critical role in the maturation and refinement of the Columbus restaurant scene, Rigsby's Kitchen often seems to me to be misunderstood.

Bargain Binge: The Refectory

G.A. Benton — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:43:15 GMT

The scary skies were not complying with my plans for patio dining. And the bar and lounge areas were all peopled-up - a good sign for the pricey restaurant, but another bad omen for me.

Top 10 patio picks

Shelley Mann — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:49:51 GMT

It's finally getting warm enough for enjoyably eating outside, so here are our top picks for patio dining in Central Ohio.

Al Fresco: Alana's

G.A. Benton — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:52:15 GMT

Alana's rhythmic name is merrily spelled out in the fencing that separates her restaurant's outdoor seating from a High Street sidewalk. That seems fitting, considering her audacious personality is stamped onto all of her boldly delicious and fiercely creative dishes.

In Season: Black Creek Bistro

G.A. Benton — Wed, 27 May 2009 22:18:18 GMT

Last week I was informed via e-mail newsletter that Black Creek Bistro was releasing a stream of warmer-weather menu goodies, so I backstroked down to soak them in.

Al Fresco: Lindey's

G.A. Benton — Wed, 27 May 2009 22:14:16 GMT

With my right index finger pointing to the sky, I moved my hand through an imaginary loop and announced, "We'll have one of each." Then, in an instance of ambition not overreaching ability, I and a group of two other dedicated masticators actually managed to eat everything on the menu.

In Season: G. Michael's

G.A. Benton — Wed, 06 May 2009 23:11:18 GMT

Surviving 10 years in the rough and ruthless restaurant business testifies to a talent for consistently pleasing palates. G. Michael's Bistro and Bar has done that by delivering lushly comforting food that reflects the taste and vision of its accomplished chef, David Tetzloff.

Afternoon delights: The Worthington Inn

G.A. Benton — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:16:57 GMT

This stately mainstay and vintage country inn is jeans-casual at midday, even though ladies-who-lunch of a certain age may be more dressed up. With its historically themed folksy paintings, crafty woodwork and jazzy music, the Inn is a perfect setting for classic techniques finessed onto contemporary American cuisine.

Afternoon delights: Lindey's

G.A. Benton — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:15:59 GMT

Austere but familiar, polished yet easygoing, Lindey's has been around long enough to qualify as a Columbus classic. In fact, with its giant potted plants, "power bar," pressed-tin ceiling, unvarnished wooden floor and upscale bistro feel, this grande dame is still the barometer for local mover-and-shaker sophistication - and it has a huge, all-over-the-map lunchtime menu to match.

Afternoon delights: Rigsby's Kitchen

G.A. Benton — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:15:44 GMT

Any talk of top restaurants in Columbus must include the once groundbreaking and still fresh Rigsby's Kitchen. Its sophisticated and graceful mood is set with a pretty wood-planked floor, bold and large-scale original artworks and wine-inflected food with such convincingly Italian character that you might think you're dining in Tuscany - the real one, not the cartoony one so often claimed by risibly un-Tuscan chains.

Afternoon delights: DeepWood

G.A. Benton — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:14:40 GMT

Sprouting up less than a year ago, DeepWood's made a rapid climb to the top limbs of the Columbus restaurant tree with its unique and outdoorsy insides and its bold and artful food. Lunchtime brings prime views of High Street, the Greek Cathedral and creative flourishes lavished onto homemade comfort classics like burgers, ribs and spaghetti.

Toque talk: Matthew Litzinger of L'Antibes

G.A. Benton — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:56:15 GMT

Diners familiar with the beautiful symphony of colors, flavors and textures served at L'Antibes won't be surprised to read that its precise chef and owner, Matthew Litzinger, not only honed cooking chops at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, but also studied music at Miami University.

Toque talk: Thomas Smith of Worthington Inn

G.A. Benton — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:55:16 GMT

"Some of my earliest and best memories are of my grandmother preparing glorious, fresh dishes, such as braised salmon with fines herbes, and pears poached in red wine," writes executive chef Thomas Smith on the Worthington Inn website.

Nightly Special: Barcelona

G.A. Benton — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:45:16 GMT

In case you don't know it, Barcelona is not just another pretty patio. No, that German Village institution rightly famed for its elegant outdoor dining setup is also one of our better restaurants - with prices to match. But I'm here to report that if you're willing to venture out on a Monday, then you can have your tapas and eat them too - at half price!

Road Eats: The Short Story Brasserie

G.A. Benton — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 16:03:34 GMT

It was spare, dark and masculine. It was rich, earthy and deep. It had a hard-polished exterior. And lurking barely beneath the surface, it whispered always of blood. What could I be referring to? Two things - the hugely influential writing of Ernest Hemingway, and a lusty, meaty appetizer I eagerly sliced through at the Short Story Brasserie.