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: El Camino Inn

Alright and we're back!  How was everyone's Thanksgiving?!  Ours was hectic and fabulous!  We went to Chris' aunt and uncle's house for his family's Thanksgiving celebrations.  First everyone watched the Lions game, then we got gussied up and ready for family pictures, then a delicious dinner then grandkid Christmas gift exchange (phew a lot to pack in in one day)!  Over the weekend we celebrated my Momma's birthday too, 50 years young that amazing lady turned!  Here are a few pics of all the fun!

Chris and his godson, Noah, cheering on their Lions!

All the handsome Mutchler men in their new ties!

Lunch at Melt in Cleveland Heights, one of the many yummy meals we had to celebrate Mom's 5-0!

Delicious dinner made by Daddy with special guests Granny, cousins Jenn & Todd and their little one Logan!

Alright now that we're all caught up!  In our quest to try this year's new restaurants we checked another one off the list, El Camino Inn.  This restaurant is owned by the same restaurant group as The Little Palace, Club 185, Philco Diner and Rossi Bar and Kitchen.  El Camino is located downtown on South 4th Street (next to Little Palace and down the street from 16-bit).  I like this strip of restaurants and bars downtown, there's never a parking issue, there's always good eats and good drinks!  Going here actually rounded out my restaurant/bar visits for that block (Dirty Franks, Little Palace and 16 Bit).

We went for dinner on a Thursday and there was quite a few people but we still found a table right away.  The atmosphere is kind of cozy yet eclectic.  Music plays from a record player and a giant marlin (or maybe it was a swordfish?  I'm not really fish savvy) hangs over the mirrored bar.

As to be expected of a Mexican restaurant, El Camino's cocktail list specializes in tequila.  Neither Chris or I are tequila fans but I figured "When in Mexico" and ordered the Paloma which was on special for happy hour.  This was light and refreshing and went really well with my dinner.

Paloma

Chris ordered a bourbon cocktail that for the life of me I can't remember its name, something like Sweet Romance, not sure?  It was a little on the sweet side.  They have a good selection of beers, all of which are served either in cans or bottles which enhances that casual, cozy feel.

For dinner we each ordered tacos and I ordered the Chicken and Rice soup.  The soup was very good, had nice hints of cilantro giving it a really fresh taste.

Chicken and Rice Soup (little blurry, sorry!)

The tacos we're very yummy and were reasonably priced.  We tried each of the kinds of meat on the menu between us: chicken, chorizo, barbacoa, carnitas and carne asada.  These were all pretty good.  Chris' favorite was the chorizo and mine was probably the carne asada.  I liked that everything seemed very fresh and not greasy.

Carne Asada and Chicken tacos

Tacos Especial

What's nice about El Camino is that it's not pretentious, its casual but good food.  The service was great and the staff was very friendly.  The prices ($2 a taco, add 25 cents for especial style) were reasonable and the food came out relatively fast.  It's places like this that offer a fun atmosphere, sit down restaurant style but cut the waiting for food time practically in half.  They make it easy and accessible for you to get to your next event but they also make you comfortable enough that you don't really want to leave!

This review is featured on urbanspoon!

I definitely recommend El Camino if you are up for some simple and delicious Mexican food and drink.  The restaurant, although small, accommodates groups large and small (probably max. table size is for 6 to 8ish) so grab some amigos for a pitcher of margaritas and some tasty tacos!

Cheers!
Steph

LFM: Frezno Bar and Grille, Brewery District

Well time for another Local Foodie Moment on WWSV!  Chris and I had a Miami alumni event in the Brewery District and found ourselves needing a late dinner afterwards.  We asked a friend who lives in the area what he'd suggest, he said Frezno and conveniently it was right next to where we were.

Understandably so it was a little dead given it was later on a Thursday night and the weather was far too chilly to enjoy their patios.  We took a seat at their copper bar and started perusing the menu.  One of the owners, Kevin Ames, was there.  He helped us choose beers, offered tastes before deciding and had a nice chat with us.  We learned that he and his wife had just opened the restaurant a couple weeks ago but they are seasoned restauranteurs having owned other Columbus hot spots such as The Press Grille and Dagwoodz before selling them in the early 2000s.  The original Frezno restaurant was in the Short North where the Union Cafe is currently.  He said he does most of the management while his wife runs the kitchen.  

Given that it was late and they had recently opened I wasn't expecting much but I was beyond pleasantly surprised!  We ordered the Short Rib Tacos and the Parma Prosciutto Pizza.  These are not really a likely pair but our friend who suggested the restaurant said he loves the short rib tacos and the Parma Prosciutto sounded good to us.  We'd have to go back to test the speed of service when they are more busy but that night the food came out very fast.

The tacos were pretty good, a very tiny bit on the dry side but we attributed that to the meat probably being cooked earlier in the day.  Great flavor and texture with the shredded and marinated veggies on top.  I'm pretty sure there was some jicama in the mix which gave it a fabulous crunch.  Typically I don't like tacos without heaps of cheese and salsa but the slight crunch of the veggies and the flavor of the meat made me not miss it at all!

Short Rib Tacos

The pizza, oh the pizza!  This was fabulous!  I love pizzas with greens on top (and I've been a little obsessed with arugula lately) so the fresh arugula with balsamic drizzle and shredded parmesan cheese was great.  The crust was just right, not too crunchy not too soft with a good fluff factor (I sound like the Goldilocks of pizzas over here).  Ample cheese and pieces of prosciutto plus asparagus and you've got yourself a gem.  I LOVED the added crunch of the asparagus with the saltiness of the prosciutto!  (Can you tell I want this pizza again?  Like right now preferably.)  As you can see from the pictures its a little dark around the crust but it doesn't have the charred taste that comes with pizzas made in wood or coal fired ovens.  This makes me even more of a fan because I strongly dislike the taste of carcinogens on my food (if you've ever grilled a hot dog for me you'd understand).

Parma Prosciutto Pizza 

Kevin shared with us that they were starting to offer Sunday Brunch and gave us a peek at their upcoming brunch menu.  Just the mention of Gingerbread Pancakes and Foccacia French Toast we told him we'd be back!  Unfortunately our weekend schedules have us rather busy and not in town most Sundays but its definitely on the foodie wishlist!

Overall, friendly and speedy service plus delicious food left me one happy foodie.  Everything seemed very fresh and the menu has a lot of creative muscle behind it.  I can't wait to go back!  If you are in the area, give it a try!

Cheers!
Steph