Local Foodie Moment: The Crest

How was everyone's 4th of July?!  We had quite the marathon of events!  I feel like I needed the first part of the week just to recoup!

We kicked off our mini vacation with dinner at a new restaurant, The Crest, and Red, White & Boom!  Then we scooted off to Erie, PA to visit family and spend some time on one of the local lakes.  Then back to Cleveland to meet our dear family friends' new puppy, SugarBear, she is the cutest!  Then back to Columbus for the O.A.R. concert where we got to enjoy fireworks from the baseball game next door.  THEN Sunday we vegged/recovered from it all! All in all it was a fabulous couple days!  And of course I couldn't help but share a few pics with you!

My 4th of July Wreath, finished just in time!

Meet SugarBear!  She even had a yummy martini created in her honor!

O.A.R. Concert plus fireworks from Huntington Park!

Each year Chris and I do our best to make it to Red, White & Boom!, Columbus' BIG fireworks show. This year was no exception but with all the travel and crazy that has been going on lately we didn't want to feel rushed in getting downtown and finding a place to eat.  We decided to try a place we'd been hearing about that's in Clintonville, away from all the parking hassles of Boom called The Crest.  This gastropub has been the talk of the town lately and it was time we see for ourselves!

The Crest has quite a few unique identifiers.  Interesting touches like veggies and herbs grown on site in rooftop and patio boxes help it standout in the farm to table trend.  The exposed duct work and wrap around wood bar give it a pub feel but as soon as you look at the menu you know you are in for an elevated experience.

Some shots of the interior

Even things like fresh cut flowers in the ladies room sets it apart from your typical pub (or your typical bathroom hah!).  I was particularly enamored with the vintage mirrors.

Vintage mirrors and sinks plus a cute little vase of fresh cut flowers add such a nice touch!

Garden boxes with fresh herbs line the parking lot, patio and rooftop

We had made a reservation the night before so we checked in and were seated at a high top table on the back corner of the restaurant.  It took a little while for a server to get to us but it gave us time to mill over the cocktail menu.  I had the Grapefruit Moon with local gin, grapefruit juice, local honey mead and sage.  Chris selected a local beer.  My cocktail was delicious!  It had a very floral and earthy element to it which I wasn't expecting.  It was smooth and just the right sipper for a warm evening.  I told Chris it was almost too smooth because it disappeared rather quickly!

Grapefruit Moon

Our server gave us the specials for the day and Chris locked in on the Bison Burger with a side of Sweet Potato Fries.  I got the BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders with a side of grilled marinated veggies.  Both choices were delicious and very sizable!  Presentation was great, served on rustic butcher boards and cast iron pots.  Chris would have liked his burger a little less well done, he had asked for it medium but it still had great flavor.

Bison Burger with Sweet Potato Fries

The BBQ Pulled Pork sliders were very good and much larger than your normal slider.  The sauce to pork ratio was just right, not too messy but not too dry.  Yummm makes me hungry just thinking about it! 

Pulled Pork Sliders

Grilled Marinated Veggies

We also tried the housemade hot sauce that was on the table.  Ooowwwweee it is hot!  But its super flavorful with just the right heat.  I drizzled some on my veggies and was supremely happy.  Overall we liked our meals and liked the atmosphere.

Housemade hot sauce

The prices match the higher end/creative dishes but its more expensive than your typical pub.  At the time, we made it for happy hour but I couldn't recite back what all that entailed.  It did seem like there was discounted drink prices for a good variety of drinks to tickle your fancy!

I think another thing that makes The Crest unique is that its not part of a major row of restaurants or stores or anything.  It kind of sits on its own little block in Clintonville.  Definitely an up and coming establishment in the area to try!

This weekend is bridesmaid dress shopping and I've been trying all kinds of new recipes this week so stay tuned!

Cheers!
Steph   

Weekend Getaway!

Hi everyone!  I'm just getting back into the groove of work and blogging after a long weekend in Winston-Salem, NC visiting Chris' sister, Andrea, and one of my best friends, Coco!  We had a wonderful trip, the weather was great, saw lots of neat spots and had fun with our hostesses!

In typical foodie fashion I managed to mostly take pictures of food rather than the great scenery or fun times we had.  Although Winston-Salem is in the south and they cook up some great southern comforts it doesn't feel like an overwhelmingly "southern" city.  Sparse "ya'll" usage, the occasional accent but nothing as noticeable as other southern states.

Our first morning there we went to a restaurant called Breakfast Of Course.  With our new wedding slimdown challenge I tried to err on the side of healthy with a egg white scramble with spinach, goat cheese and mushrooms. As a little splurge got the side of grits.  These were pretty yummy especially when I spiced them up with a little Sriracha!

Later that night we went to Foothills Brewing for dinner and watched the first NCAA basketball game.  Then we went to a bar called Old Winston Social Club.  They have board games, shuffle board and other tabletop games to play which made it pretty fun!  We ended our evening at a great craft cocktails bar called Tates.  I got a Tom Collins that was perfect; warm weather cocktails are here!  (I know, I live in Ohio and in-climate weather is part of the deal but 40 degrees in April has come close to killing me.)    

Sunday morning we went to Old Salem for brunch at The Tavern in Old Salem.  Old Salem is a cute historic part of town where Salem College for Women is located.  After brunch we walked around town enjoying the weather and the history.  At brunch Chris and Andrea decided to try a Southern favorite, Chicken and Waffles.  I've always wanted to try so I snagged a bite of Chris' and boy does it live up to the hype!  Chris has now decided that he wants this for breakfast every day of his life.  I happily reminded him of our wedding weight loss challenge and that although Chicken and Waffles are delicious and a lovely travel treat there is no room in our waistlines for it as everyday fare.  I imagine we'll be on the hunt for a place here that masters the dish.

For Sunday dinner we went to a nice restaurant called Village Tavern.  They actually have multiple locations, we went to the one at Reynolda Village which we had previously walked and shopped around on Saturday.  We sat outside under a tent that was nicely decorated with twinkle lights for ambiance.  (So romantical for Chris, being on a date with four crazy women, talk about a dream come true!)

In between our meals we walked around Winston-Salem in different parts of town.  Stopped in some vintage shops and stumbled upon a chocolate shop called Haute Chocolate.  Even though we were pretty full from breakfast we found a smidge of room to try these gourmet chocolates.  Chris and I split a Chamborsin and The Dude.  The Chamborsin is made with wine and The Dude is Big Lebowski inspired to taste like a White Russian and was made to look like a little bowling ball!

Chocolates upon chocolates!

Well it's off to catch up on all the things we've avoided (mainly housework!) and get another week of spring under our belts!  We are hosting a sushi night this weekend where I'm testing out a new sushi maker, we will see if it rivals the Sushezi!  I'm also giving a few new recipes a try over the weekend so I'll be sure to share!

Cheers!
Steph