Bonus LFM: Bakersfield

That's right friends, a BONUS Local Foodie Moment!  To add to the bonusy goodness its another taco place!  I'm not really sure why this restaurant didn't end up on Columbus Crave's New Restaurant List this year but maybe they had enough Mexican restaurants already on the list.

Anyways, my friend Asha and I wanted to get together before the holiday madness so we made a dinner date to try this relatively new Short North eatery. Even on a Monday night the place was packed!  We cozied up to the bar, on their oversized stools, and had some very yummy fare!

I ordered a margarita (back to that "when in Mexico" mindset), it was nice and tart, served in a quaint Mason jar.

We ordered the chips and guacamole since we didn't know if the tacos would be very filling or not.  Bakersfield serves their chips warm (YUMM), their guac has great lime flavor and is a little on the chunkier side.  I love a guac with a lot of lime so I was a very happy camper.  Asha and I agreed the chips serving is far too big, if they used smaller baskets and refilled them with warm chips when you got low it'd probably be a better set up.

We each got two tacos (but they actually brought out an extra hence why there are five in the picture).  They serve them on pizza pans altogether.  Asha got the Short Rib, braised short rib, queso fresco, crema, pickled onion, cilantro and radish and the Cochinita Pibil, achiote braised pork, pickled red onion, habanero salsa and cilantro.  I got the Rajas (veggie), poblano, fresno, bell peppers, ejotes chihauhua, queso fresco and cilantro and the Short Rib.

Cochinita Pibil on the left, Short Rib in the middle, Rajas on the right

I LOVED the Rajas taco, it was a little acidic but the peppers were really fresh and all the flavors together were delicious.  We both agreed the Short Rib was good, nice a tender, good flavor and good toppings.  Asha said she wasn't totally in love with the pork but as you can see from the picture they stuff their tacos pretty well so they ended up being plenty filling.

Like I said before it was packed on a Monday night so its definitely a popular spot!  The service was good, there was a couple miscommunications but I attribute that to it being noisy and hard to hear (the bartender asked if I wanted salt on my marg or not, I said no, he still put salt on the rim, he also put in an order for an extra taco for Asha that she didn't ask for).  But the atmosphere is cool, old western movies play on large TVs, stools made out of saddles were placed around some of the high top tables.  Service was pretty speedy, but like I've mentioned in previous Mexican LFMs the cuisine is pretty easy to churn out at a fast pace.  Overall we had a good meal and I definitely wouldn't mind going back!

Well Christmas is drawing closer and closer!  Who's ready?!  This little blogger is a bit behind this year, still struggling to get everything done!  Like last year we are all over the place visiting family and friends this holiday season so my blogging may fall a little behind.  If I don't get another post up before Christmas I hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday!

Cheers!
Steph

Local Foodie Moment: Local Cantina, Grandview

Well we keep on moving through our new restaurants checklist, this time around we gave Local Cantina in Grandview a try!  We went in a little tentative as some of the reviews on urbanspoon weren't exactly positive. But we left very pleased!

Local Cantina is off of Grandview Avenue tucked in the back corner of the plaza next to Aladdin's.  It's not really what you'd expect out of a Mexican restaurant in a plaza.  It's got a great vintage vibe with eclectic wall art, dim lighting and a selectively diverse menu.  The bar is a series of wood slats with shelving for bottles with pictures hung here and there.  There is a vintage washer which holds fresh tortilla chips and salsa for a serve yourself snack.  

The salsa and chips were just what us hungry diners needed to curb our appetite while navigating the menu.  The salsa was very good, it had just the right kick!

We started off with cocktails, I ordered a Dark 'n Stormy (very similar to a Moscow Mule but with dark rum so it turns out a tad sweeter) and Chris got Columbus Brewing Company's Andyman Ale.  My drink was delicious and a welcome change of pace instead of tequila (I know I know when in Mexico, drink tequila but it just hurts my body too much hah!).  They did have other cocktail options, obviously with margarita choices for all.  They also had a pretty good beer list.

Dark 'n Stormy

Then came tacos!  We decided since we did mostly tacos at El Camino, in order to compare we'd have to do the tacos at Local Cantina.  Plus our server highly recommended the tacos over the other options.  Chris ordered the fish taco, brisket taco and roasted carnitas taco with a side of street corn.  The carnitas disappeared before I could snag a bite but Chris said it was good especially with the fruit salsa.  He really liked the fish taco, I decided to take his word for it (I'm not a fish fan).  The brisket was very good, I managed to grab a bite, good BBQ sauce, tender beef and a sweet jalapeno slaw that really added to the taco.  The street corn, slathered in a butter and queso mixture was pretty phenom.

Fish, Roasted Carnitas and Brisket Tacos

Street Corn

I ordered the veggie and avocado B.L.T. tacos with a side of Mexican rice.  The veggie was delicious, it had a black bean and corn salsa, cabbage, pico de gallo, guac and a chipotle vinagrette type of sauce.  The avocado B.L.T. was creative but kind of standard tasting, nothing overly special about it.  The mexican rice was good, fluffy and well seasoned.

Veggie and BLT Tacos

Mexican Rice

We both agreed we preferred the tacos at Local Cantina over the rest we've tried in our new restaurant journey.  We went on a Thursday evening and there were plenty of tables available.  We had a mix of servers due to a shift change but our first one and the one from the bar were both very friendly and very nice.  Our first sever was a little quirky and gave really good suggestions.  She even stopped over after she clocked out to check in on us.

This review is featured on urbanspoon!

Given the nature of the cuisine it's pretty easy for the food to be prepared quickly, as we've found at most Mexican restaurants.  The atmosphere and staff at Local Cantina make for a great dining experience whether you want to grab a quick bite or if you want to stay awhile.  They have specials and events like trivia that you can find on their Facebook page from week to week.  Good food, good service, good atmosphere, a definite win on the new restaurants list!  

It's crazy busy before the holidays but I would like to get some more posts up that aren't just LFM's!  Stay tuned!  

Cheers!

Steph

Local Foodie Moment: New Restaurants of 2013

It is far too chilly outside and it SNOWED last night.   I'm distracting myself with a fun new idea Chris and I will be tackling this holiday season (I mean as if we weren't busy enough haha!).  Columbus Crave recently published this list of new restaurants that made their debut this year.  I thought "hmmm, instead of just putting these on my urbanspoon wishlist, why don't we actually GO to these before the end of the year"!  Chris does a similar list completion around Academy Awards time with movies.

Of course I emailed Chris right away with abounding enthusiasm with my idea.  He of course questioned its feasibility (Mr. Practical).  Then I did my research and figured out we only hadn't been to six out of the list of ten.  Of course I drafted up a little chart that tells us the restaurant, the type of cuisine, whether we'd been there or not and if I'd blogged about it (Ms. OCD).  We figured out that it would indeed be feasible as well as fun to support local restaurants plus we'd have some date nights in our future!  Win, win, win all around!

The list is as follows (ones with links are places we've visited and I've blogged about):
101 Beer Kitchen
Pint House Beer Garden
Local Cantina
The Pearl (blog post coming soon!)
Plate
Frezno Bar and Grill
Philco Bar + Diner
South of Lane
El Camino Inn
The Crest

Soooo stay tuned for some fun LFM's before the end of the year!

Cheers!
Steph

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