Columbus Ohio real estate

We eat at the Polaris, Smokey Bones a lot.   Officially the name of the Polaris area restaurant is Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill.

Smokey Bones has great coupons... In the Columbus Dispatch... Sunday Dispatch I assume.  What does a Sunday Dispatch cost?  Isn't a "Buy One Entree, Get One Free" coupon worth the cost of a Sunday Columbus Dispatch?

I did not really know where the Smokey Bones coupons come from... but we always seem to have one.   The Columbus Dispatch, The Bag, the mailbox, direct from some barbecue heaven ???   Dino the manager of the Polaris Smokey Bones  said the Smokey Bones coupons are in the Columbus Dispatch.   I'll believe him.

I don't know when we started going to the Smokey Bones at Polaris.  It is a chain* and it is not the only barbecue place in the Polaris area.  Smokey Bones might not even officially be my favorite barbecue restaurant in the Polaris area but it is the barbecue restaurant we go to the most often because  those coupons keep on coming. 
 
Smokey Bones at Polaris was our first choice last Saturday night.  Their parking lot was jammed so we went to our second choice, Claddagh.  Bad decision.  We should have just waited for a table at Smokey Bones.  I wrote a post about dinner Saturday night at Claddagh.  Our waitress Jessie was great, the rest of the experience... not so great.

Recently I won a free happy hour at Smokey Bones for my office.  We went Thursday... It was a real small group from Real Living HER Worthington.  I won the Free happy hour by putting a business card in a box in their lobby.  A FREE happy hour is free appetizers.  We bought our drinks!

Stimulating the local economy...

1.  Buy a Columbus Dispatch

2.  Pray for a Smokey Bones coupon

3.  Visit Smokey Bones at Polaris (Polaris Town Center - south side of Polaris Parkway... it looks like it is built of Lincoln Logs)

4.  Remember to put your business card in, in the box in the lobby for a drawing...

5.  Tell 'em Maureen sent you

* Not being a food blogger I have the freedom to eat at chain restaurants and blog about it.  Yes we use coupons... week one and week two are gone in the photo.  They were buy one entree, get one free.  Mm mm good!    We missed using the buy one entree get one free coupon that expired on 1-17-2010.  Now that I've tasted their appetizers it could be harder to ignore those appetizer coupons.

Thanks to Dino, Rob (or Robb?), Erin and Smokey Bones at Polaris. 

I don't like the  Smokey Bones website but here's a link.  Odd noises, slow  loading flash, the Smokey Bones website tried to tell me Easton was the closest Smokey Bones to the 43085 ZIP code.... WRONG!

This or something very similar was first published on ColumbusBestBlog.com , another blog I write.

If Wimpy came to town where would you suggest he go for the best burger in Columbus?  Where is the best Columbus neighborhood to find a burger?   Would you direct Popeye's friend....who will "gladly pay Tuesday" for a hambuger today?  To one of Columbus suburbs?  Downtown?  German Village?

I saw a food forum where someone suggested some of the great places for steak in Columbus, including the Claremont, a comment on the forum about the Claremont:

The comment above about the Claremont, "not the best neighborhood"?  always struck me because the commenters opinion about the neighborhood The Claremont is in German Village.. Then the commenter recommends a restaurant in the same Columbus neighborhood,  German Village, Max and Erma's.  

Or is The Claremont Restaurant in the Brewery District rather than German Village? The Claremont is at  684 S High Street,  Columbus, Ohio 43215. The Claremont Restaurant's site plays music volume control is at the bottom.  Their site says there in German Village and have been since 1947.

I love the Claremont.  To be fair I believe the comment was written in 2006 and some exterior updating to the 50+ year old restaurant was done in 2006 or  2007... I think in time for their 60th anniversary.   I've never had a burger at Claremont... I live and work way, way up in the Worthington area when I go to the Claremont I want prime rib or steak... especially if someone else is paying for it... and the last three times I have been to the Claremont someone else paid for dinner....

The post on the food forum as I recall was suggesting going to steak places for the best burgers in town.  Best Columbus neighborhood if you are looking for burgers.... might well be German Village...

Columbus Best Burgers Map

There's the original Max and Erma's that this person thought had terrible service..... 739 S 3rd St. Columbus, Ohio  43206.

There's the Thurman Cafe.... 183 Thurman Avenue Columbus, Ohio 43206

According to the writer in the food forum there's the Clarmont that the writer had recommended... 684 S High Street,  Columbus, Ohio 43215.

German Village is NOT where I sell homes but I am glad it is a place I enjoy going out to eat occasionally, go to plays in Schiller Park and sometimes just walking around to enjoy the beauty of the historic neighborhood. 

Tomorrow is a big day in German Village, the 50th Haus und Garten Tour, in a great Columbus neighborhood.

More posts about Columbus neighborhoods and more:

Where's the best beef in Columbus?

The Brewery District Columbus Ohio

Crime How Safe is the Columbus Neighborhood?

Downtown Columbus is a nice place to visit

Who has the best hamburgers in Central Ohio?

Columbus is of course the home of White Castle and Max and Erma's and the birthplace of Wendy's ....

Clara Peller asked "Where's the beef?" about burgers other than Wendy's back in 1984.

I must have blogged about burgers back on the original Discover Columbus, my RealTown blog...or maybe when it was still named Columbus Best Blog.

A road trip searching for the best burgers?   What a life.

He says a road trip to the south.  Or south of NY? 

Columbus Ohio is in Central Ohio approximately 3 hours and 47 minutes  south of the Canadian border (Google tells me so.)  Columbus is  straight west from NYC.  ....Columbus is a great place to approach the south.. Cinci or maybe even Dayton is where the south starts unofficially... Officially the south is right across the river from Cincinnati Ohio... rapid immersion.

Back to Central Ohio..I've heard Thurman Cafe has the best burgers.....in Columbus.  I've had one.  I don't remember it though.

The Columbus food bloggers must know local burgers.... well except any Columbus food bloggers who are vegetarians...

• Lisa of Restaurant Widow
• Columbus Foodie
• Rosie of Bitchin in the Kitchen with Rosie

all seem like true carnivores.

Happy Cinco de Mayo Central Ohio

What is your favorite Central Ohio Mexican restaurant? Mine are mostly in the Clintonville and Polaris area. Feel free to add a comment with the name and location of your favorite Mexican restaurant in Central Ohio.

Compliments of Maureen McCabe Real Living HER Columbus and Central Ohio real estate

McCarthy's Wildflower Cafe is in Clintonville at 3420 Indianola Avenue, just north of Oakland Park Avenue.  

The address is   3420 Indianola Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43214

I had never eaten at the Wildflower Cafe until this week.  The restaurant website says:

"The atmosphere is casual and welcoming, with many regulars and a friendly staff." 

The waitress was very nice, she helped me read the menu...  I had looked at the menu online already and knew everything was relatively inexpensive

Actuallly I could read almost everything but the prices, I had left my reading glasses at home and was trying to decide between the Huevos Rancheros and the Corned Beef Hash.  I thought it said the Corned Beef Hash was $8.00 and change  and that was just too much for a some corned beef,  potatoes and a couple of eggs but it was $5 and change... I went with the Huevos Rancheros anyway.... It was good but the corn tortillas were greasy... I eat a lot of corn tortillas... next time I'm asking them just to warm up the tortillas in the microwave. 

.

Wildflower Cafe is NOT a very pretty restaurant inside or out.  The parking is out front and very close to the front door.  A huge billboard looms north of the parking lot.  Right now the billboard  is a Christmas ad for Miller beer.  The Wildflower Cafe  sorta matches Indianola Avenue, not real pretty but real interesting.  The  tables and chairs are mismatched and worn yet the restaurant is casual and comfortable.

Although Wildflower Cafe is small it was a good spot for people watching and more. 

Friendly regulars...

The waitress wrote the amount of my check really big so I could see it.  I told you she was nice.

Compliments of Maureen McCabe - Real Living HER Worthington - 614-388-8249

Catchy?  The "business establishment where meals or refreshments may be purchased" is Merriam-Websters Dictionaries definition of restaurant.    It is a bit wordy.  What about Columbus Restaurant "period of seven successive days"  That kinda sorta comes from Dictionary.com  

A dispute over the rights to call next week  "Restaurant Week" or "Columbus Restaurant Week" seems darn silly.... in the face of what's going on in the economy.  A local magazine registered the right to the term "Columbus Restaurant Week. "  The Other Paper has the story, written by Kitty McConnell, Wrangling over Restaurant Week  says:

“Restaurants are really struggling with the economy. The first thing people give up is eating out. What’s great about our industry is we do come together when times are tough,” said Lessner. “Restaurant Week’s an effort by the restaurant association to let people know we’re in it with them, so we’re offering deals.”

Lessner is Elizabeth Lessner president of the local restaurant industry trade group Central Ohio Restaurant Association and owner of local "business establishments where meals or refreshments may be purchased" including Surly Girl, Tip Top Kitchen and Betty's.

The event next week is sponsored by Dine Originals Columbus

A Columbus food blogger, Columbus Foodie (Becke Boyer)  brought the story in the Other Paper to my attention via Twitter.

Dine Originals,  Columbus "business establishment where meals or refreshments may be purchased" Week starts Monday March 9, 2009 and runs through Sunday March 15, 2009. According to the Dine Originals website, the deals are:

"Each restaurant will prepare a special fixed-priced menu- some restaurants at $15 and some at $30 (excluding gratuity and tax)."

Menus for the  Dine Originals Columbus Restaurant "period of seven successive days" (that may not be true of each restaurant, some are NOT open seven days so lets just call it a Week  are on the Dine Originals Columbus website.

Over 40 local, original restaurants are participating in next weeks event including The Worthington Inn, The Refectory, Maca Cafe in Powell.

I guess it is OK to call it Dine Originals Columbus Restaurant Week...

The photo is of course The Worthington Inn.

Compliments of  Maureen McCabe  -  Real Living HER Worthington   - 614-388-8249

Coming soon

Or coming back?

Chutnys, an Indian restautant in the Crosswoods area of Columbus opened and closed very quickly. I think.   I swear I read in one of the papers that Chutnys opened.  As I recall it said the restaurant was able to come right in because the previous Indian Restaurant in that location, the equipment was still there.   I can not find the article though.  Searching I just find a lot of recipes for different chutnys.

The Crosswoods area in Columbus is north of the city of Worthington and south of Polaris.   It's just north of 270... Crosswoods is all hotels and restaurants and a movie theater..  and a lot of  empty space... kind of a tough area to compete, it seems.

A sign in the window says Chutnys is coming soon and will have new management. 

The signs at the entrance to the Crosswoods area still say Tandoori Palace, which was in the location that Chutnys was and will be in again soon... according to the sign in the window.    

I am a big fan of Indian food but my love affair with Indian food is a relatively recent relationship.  It started at Tandoori Palace ... at this very spot, about four or five years ago.

Chutnys will be at 195 E. Campusview Blvd.  Columbus Ohio Sometimes soon, I hope.

Crosswoods

What to wear at the Columbus Fish Market 

Indian Food

Bayleaf India Bistro is for lovers

Polaris Restaurants, Siriusly It's a Dog Eat Dog World

Compliments of  Maureen McCabe  -  Real Living HER Worthington   - 614-388- 8249

That's where we went for Valentines Day because sadly I did NOT win the Mortons Columbus Twitter contest... and because neither of us could get reservations at the places everyone wanted to be on Valentines Day when it got close. And because we love Indian Food...

I believe Bayleaf India Bistro is a bit more special because we have NOT gone there a bunch of times like another Indian restaurant in the Polaris area, Cuisine of India. 

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What I loved

My entree... I tried something new, a salmon dish pictured above.  I usually order the same thing over and over.

The appetizer he chose... a paneer (Indian cheese) dish...

What I did not love

Bayleaf India Bistro is too open and drafty for me...  it used to be a Ted's Montana Grill

My salmon was supposed to be mild.  His lamb was supposed to be medium, they got switched. The restaurant was too busy and we were too tired of waiting to send our entrees back once they arrived.

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If you go Bayleaf India Bistro - is in the Polaris area, southwest of Polaris Fashion Place at

Oh to be a fly on the wall in the men's restroom....

My Sweetheart  talked to an Indian man about good places to get Indian food in Columbus. He talked to a stranger in the restroom about great Indian food in Columbus. The man  does not like a place we go to a lot on Bethel.  He recommended a place on Sawmill.... my Sweetie remembered the first two letters...  My Sweetie failed to get the word on the place we have never have tried yet in the Polaris area.  No comment on the place in Crosswoods that came and went so quickly Chutney's, but that sadly doesn't matter anymore.  The man gave Cuisine of India thumbs up.  That's what I remember from what was reported when my Sweetie returned to our table.

wait there are no flies on the wall this time of year, and if I was a fly the men's room is not where I am hanging out...

Previoulsy on DiscoverColumbusOH.com

Polaris Restaurants, Siriusly It's a Dog Eat Dog World

Who do you love? BEST steakhouse in Central Ohio?

"what to wear at the columbus fish market" was a search that ended up on my ColumbusBestBlog recently but I am going to answer it here.

Columbus is casual... 

We could NOT get into Columbus Fish Market (Music alert!!!) on Valentines Day this year... either location.

We could NOT get into Mortons Columbus on Valentines Day this year... ( I tried to win a Valentines Day dinner...)

Not because we were not dressed right.  We just waited too late to get reservations at lots of great restaurants in Central Ohio. We do most years, we ate at Hoggy's at Polaris a couple of years ago. No tie required.  

We eat at the Columbus Fish Market quite a bit really.  Usually the one at Crosswoods but for more special occasions the one on Olentangy River Road.  I am not sure why driving about 12 minutes more and dressing up a bit more makes it more special than the closer Columbus Fish Market, for me.

We ate at a nice Indian Restaurant, Bayleaf India Bistro in the Polaris area this year for Valentines Day.  We went to a movie first but went home and changed before going out to dinner.  Looking around I would not have been out of place wearing jeans and a sweatshirt.  There were people as dressed up as us, and less dressed up. Valentines Day is a day to get pretty though.

One time long ago we went to the  Columbus Fish Market at Crosswoods on a Friday evening kinda grubby.  Sorry it is so long ago I have no idea what we wore.  I just remember they tried to seat us in the bar.  This was before the smoking ban... so we would not eat in the bar.  They found us a table very quickly in the restaurant. They were not that busy.  I got in a snit so it is seared in my memory and I pay a lot of attention to what people are wearing when we go there. 

"Columbus casual" is true.  We would have dressed up more I am sure to go to a downtown restaurant... I probably wore a dress and heels the one time I ate at Morton's Columbus. I dress up for Hyde Park Grill, Mitchell's Steakhouse...   Usually you don't have to dress up to go out to eat in Columbus.  Come as you are.  You can. If you go out "Columbus Casual" and they try to shove you in the bar, just say no... unless of course you wanna eat in the bar.

Photo Credit.  Ties from the past  is from The County Clerk's Photostream.  The photo is licensed with a Creative Commons License and it is OK to use commercially according to Flikr.

Who's the best steakhouse in Columbus?

Since PollDaddy Polls aren't currently working well on ActiveRain I am going to ask you to step across to my other blog to vote...  ColumbusBestBlog.com to vote.  I had to struggle with the poll there too but I was able to get the poll posted there.   I am getting tired of bottomless polls and I love polls.

Meat Lover's Poll... who has the best steak in Central Ohio? 

For me dinner at a steakhouse is the best thing for Valentine's Day, way ahead of flowers or chocolates...  Not that we do go out to a classy restaurant on Valentine's Day.... We don't make reservations ahead of time.

We did Hoggy's two years ago.  I love Hoggy's... we had the place to ourselves (Valentine's Day snow storm, remember?)

This year with Valentines Day on Saturday... Will Friday night be impossible to get into restaurants as well?  Or will the economy keep people from dining out at more expensive Central Ohio restaurants?

There is an "Other" Button on the poll just in case my meager meat experience (north, northwest and downtown... actually it (my meager meat experience) stretches as far south as German Village.

I know The Top in Bexley is an old time favorite for Central Ohioans.  I have never eaten there.  When I asked via Twitter I heard "The Top" from @dieverdog

Mitchell's Steakhouse has two locations, Downtown Columbus and Polaris.

Morton's Columbus has one location, Downtown Columbus.

Hyde Park Grill has four locations  Downtown Columbus... I was thinking it' the Short North (to me distinct from downtown Columbus  but now that I think about it... Hyde Park is on The Cap isn't it?? The other locations are Dublin, Upper Arlington and Worthington.  Strangely I have never been to the one in Worthington, in Crosswoods.  Strange because I live and work in the Worthington area.

The Clarmont is the only one of my four choices (from my carnivorous experiences in Central Ohio) that is not a chain, it is the Central Ohio restaurant furthest from where I live and work but it is the one I have been to most often I believe and definitely the restaurant I have been to most recently, just before Christmas!

Other could be Longhorn, Outback, a Japanese steakhouse... what is the BEST for you?  Thanks in advance for voting in the poll.

Copyright 2009 Maureen McCabe