Columbus

On The Road: The Best Breakfast and Sandwiches

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After Scott and I closed on our house, we were technically homeless.  We couldn’t leave for Colorado just yet because Scott had a business trip he had to take later in the week.  So we were kind of stuck.  Thanks to our friend, Bob, we had a place to stay which led to discovering a new place to eat before we left.

Even though this place is in Columbus, I’m still considering it as part of the “On The Road” series since we were technically on the road.

Scott and I love breakfast.  Love. It.  And if I can find a place that serves breakfast all day, I am a happy happy girl.

While browsing the Yelp iPhone app to see what was around our friend’s house, Scott came across The Best Breakfast and Sandwiches.  We decided to check it out.

It’s a little diner tucked into a very nondescript strip mall.  If you weren’t looking for it on purpose you would probably pass it by.

We walked in and were greeted with smiles and a sense of humor.  The diner is small and you have your choice of sitting at the counter or at a table.

Keep in mind that the tables are small and next to each other so the chances of you eventually introducing yourself and talking with your neighbors are high.

Scott and I immediately fell in love with this place.  The atmosphere, the food, and the people are excellent.

For the week and a half that we stayed with our friend, we probably ate there 6 times.  No joke, it was that good and since we knew we wouldn’t ever be back, we wanted to get our fill.

I had breakfast each time we were there and on one visit, even got a sandwich to take home for dinner later.

The breakfast is the best breakfast I’ve had while living in Columbus.  The potatoes are exactly how breakfast potatoes should be.  Large slices of soft potato fried up in some butter with peppers and onions.

I’ll let you in on a secret, I’m not a fan of hashbrowns. At all. So when I can get some actual breakfast potatoes with my eggs, I will be doing a happy dance in my seat.

The don’t skimp on portions either, scrambled eggs will take up half your plate.

They make their own bread and their own hot sauce.

The bread is sliced thick and you have the choice of white or whole grain.  It’s soft and has plenty of texture.  Biscuits are also homemade, flakey, and perfectly buttery.

If it’s your style, they also make their own corned beef which is used for the rueben and their corned beef hash.  We brought the rueben home for our friend and he loved it.

If you’re in the mood for some great breakfast definitely make the trip up to Westerville for The Best Breakfast and Sandwiches!

The current owners are looking to sell it and from talking with their daughter, the idea is that the new owners won’t change the menu or how the restaurant is run.  But don’t delay, get your butt up there for some eats!

Ericka: Columbus Ladies Beer Club

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Today we have Ericka who is going to talk about founding the Columbus Ladies Beer Club! Oh I wish I had known about this sooner!

Columbus Ladies Beer Club: 

I like beer. I like other people who like beer. I especially like other ladies who like beer – and like to talk about beer.

If you’re a man, feel free to keep reading, but this one’s for the ladies.

 

About a year ago, some friends and acquaintances and I decided to start a club. Not another book club or any of those traditionally female-only, wine-swilling girly clubs. We wanted to drink beer together.

Don’t get me wrong – you can be girly and drink beer, but you’ve got to be serious about it.

We put together a Facebook invite and crossed our fingers that people would show up at the site of our first happy hour-timed event – Yellow Brick Pizza in Olde Towne East (If you haven’t been there to

try out their pizza and beer selection, you’re missing out. They have a revolving door of taps, their current menu can be found here.

Those of us who live in the downtown area knew of their great beer selection courtesy of many previous trips and thought this might be a good place to try out this “club” idea of ours.

We took over the front window table and waited. At least 10 ladies showed up and I met some great new people.

One of our fearless leaders (and perhaps the most organized of all of us), Jamie, handed out sheets for us to record each beer we tried.

We also promptly got to the rules:

1. You always have to order and drink beer and, well, you’ve got to be a lady. Not in the “I-have-proper-etiquette-and-am-not-going-to-use-foul-language” way, but in the “I-have-a-uterus-and-I’m-proud-of-that-fact” way.

Oh, and anyone who has met me knows that foul language need not be exempt at our gatherings (Andrea says: A girl after my own heart!).

Another tradition that we started that evening was that there is a question asked of the table.

What seemed to be the most appropriate question at this first meeting was why everyone came and what they were hoping to gain from beer club.

Nearly everyone that night said they were hoping to learn more about beer – making it, drinking it, and loving it more.

Over the next few months, we met at other local watering holes known for their beer selections – Surly Girl Saloon, Bob’s Bar, Hal & Al’s, World of Beer.

We have had a beer tasting for each of the seasons and discovered some pretty obscure pumpkin and winter ales.

We had a group outing to the Winter Beer Fest at the Convention Center, where we definitely all discovered a new favorite beer (no one else liked the Bourbon Barrel Stout from Weasel Boy Brewing as much as I did for some reason).

We had a tasting in April of spring, fruit and farmhouse ales. Who knew that there are actually some fairly drinkable fruit beers out there? (Now is probably a good time to let you all know I will almost always favor stouts and porters.)

My favorite gathering thus far has been our June one at aforementioned Jamie’s house. After a few months of hearing some ladies say they still weren’t sure of each style and what the difference was, we concluded a proper tutorial needed to take place. Jamie (again, with her organization) compiled an entire packet of beer-centric info.

I can now confidently say I know the difference between an ale and a lager and can also give you some of the most random beer facts ever.

Did you know that George Washington had his own brewhouse on the grounds of Mount Vernon? Yet another reason why he was such a cool dude.

Jamie put each attendee in charge of bringing a sampling of a particular style. Mindy(our other leader) and I had entirely too much fun at the carryout picking out our styles. By the end of the evening, I think everyone felt a lot more comfortable about styles they liked and even some they didn’t. And maybe we were all a little drunk too…

So, why am I telling you all about this? Frankly, we love introducing new people to the group and want to drum up interest. And, personally, I really do get a kick out of a lady discovering that they don’t actually hate a certain beer.

Feel free to like the group on Facebook – Ladies’ Beer Club Columbus for information on future events.

Our August event will be on the 17th at House Beer (set to open the week prior, so here’s hoping they pass all inspections).

Here’s the article from Columbus Underground on the new business.

I’m not saying we’re experts in our group and we don’t claim to be, but we do love getting together and share what’s going on about town while downing some delicious brew.

On an additional note, we are celebrating our one-year anniversary in September. Plans are in the works to have a more formal dinner party, complete with course/beer pairings. If you have any interest in cooking or coming, please let me know. If you’ve done this type of event before, feel free to give me some pointers. This is definitely a dream of mine to host (I love to throw parties), but want to make sure it’s done right. Stay tuned.

Like us on Facebook!

And please support your local bars and breweries!

Cheers!

We Be Leaving

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Scott and I officially start our journey towards Colorado tomorrow afternoon.

We’ll be on the road for several days and then once we get to Colorado we are going to start looking for housing.

I have some guest posts lined up for your enjoyment covering a variety of topics, including beer (hooray!)!

I would love to say that I’m going to update along the way but whenever I try to make plans like that they never work out how I expect.

So I’m just going to say for now, I will try to update while we’re on the road but there are no guarentees!

There will be a few ways you can stay updated during our travels.

Twitter:

Follow me at FoodEmbrace or you can follow the hashtag #OH2CO

Instagram:

FoodEmbrace (just do a search and you should find me) where you can see pics of our travels and most likely most of our eats along the way.

The trip is going to be long and the goal is to drive at least 8 hours each day.  The plan is to arrive in Colorado by the weekend but we’ll see how that goes.  Both of us get tired of being in the car after awhile so while some of the trip is “planned”, we are also just going to go with the flow.  We’ll get there at some point.

So we’re off and I’ll update when I can.  See you in the west!

Homeless State

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Just doing a quick check-in to catch up and connect!

I apologize in advance if this post seems a little incoherent, the last two weeks have been stressful, crazy, and exhausting. All of that is finally catching up to me and I’m pretty much a walking zombie at this point.

As of today, Scott and I are officially homeless.  We sold our lovely house in Hilliard (pictured above) and today was the closing where we passed along the keys to another family.

The movers came last Saturday to take away our stuff.  We were up all night on Friday and Scott finished packing the last box as the movers pulled in the driveway Saturday morning.

After they left, we crashed for a bit and then headed out to see some friends who are also moving out of Columbus.

Sunday and Monday was spent gathering up the last remaining bits of trash and things from the house and setting that out by the curb.

Then we said goodbye to the house, loaded up the car, and headed to Westerville (suburb north of the city).  It was a bittersweet moment.  We loved that house and our neighborhood.  It was the first place we lived that we really enjoyed.  The house was good to us.  I was surprised by how sad I was because everything up until that point has been consumed with visions of Colorado and house selling stuff.

Once I had a moment to stand back and realize this was it, I got a little sad.

We’re staying in Westerville with a friend until next week and then it’s off on our biggest adventure to date.  We’re counting down the days until it’s time to hit the road and see what the west has in store for us.

Off For A Few Days

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Normally I add a picture of something completely appropriate and relating to the blog post however at the moment I’ve got nothing. Unless you’d like to see a lot of boxes and some empty gin bottles. So instead I’ll just show you a picture of a BLT that I had a few weeks ago.

It’s a lot nicer to look at!

We are in the final stages of wrapping up stuff here at the HQ and that means we are super busy.  Packing all day everyday.  Doing the same thing each day has me confused on what day it is because every day is the exact same.

I believe this is Tuesday but I can’t be completely sure.

The movers arrive on Friday to tag our stuff and then they come back on Saturday to load it up.  This means everything needs to be packed by Thursday.

Two days from now (I think).

So my friends I have to bow out of blogland for a few days so that I can focus on packing up the house and packing up our life here in Columbus.

I’ll be back to chat either Saturday or Sunday!

Training Tues, Uh, Wednesday

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Training Tuesday got pushed over to Wednesday this week due to the crazy sauce situation we are currently in.

I got new shoes! But we’ll talk about those bad boys later.

The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activity as we were in the final stages of getting the house ready to go up for sale.

That totally affected my training.  I wish that wasn’t the case but it was and it’s time to move on from that.

This week starts brand new and I’m happy to say that I’ve gotten in two 3 mile runs at this point.

Hooray for progress!

I’ve hit the pavement early in the morning before the heat hits and that has helped tremendously!

The humidity totally got to me the last few weeks, a couple of runs I had to stop and walk for a minute.

The last two 3 milers I busted out with no walking at all.  Breathing was spot on and no hip pain afterwards.

YES!

Early mornings are my friend!

AND I’ve also bumped up my run to 3.5 miles.  Progress!  I finally feel like I’m back on track to start building up my mileage and endurance again.

Now the goal is to try to stay on schedule as much as possible through all the house-packing, trip planning, and moving craziness.

How’s your training going?

 

Cue Holy Shit Mode in 3, 2, 1

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So since last we spoke, uh, yesterday, our situation has drastically changed.  What I didn’t tell you yesterday is that we were already in negoitations with a potential buyer.

Again, going back to my fear of jinxing things, I didn’t want to say anything too quickly for fear it would fall through.

I suppose that technically is still the case but I highly doubt it at this point.

We came to an agreement with those buyers and we have sold our house and are officially under contract.  The kicker is that we have to be out of the house in two weeks.  We close on July 31st.

Scott and I are pretty much in holy shit mode right now.  Our convo last night went a little something like this:

Me: Hey, do you want wine to celebrate tonight or something stronger?

Him: STRONGER.

Me: Well okay then.

Thankfully for us we’ve already packed up the majority of our belongings so there’s little packing left to do.  What’s left though are odd things like garage stuff. Fun.

Due to the timing of it all we will be displaced and staying in a hotel downtown for about a week.  If you have any suggestions for a place to stay that also has suites so we have a mini kitchen, I would love to hear them! We want to be at least within walking distance of some restaurants and stuff to do.

Shanna is our realtor and has been completely awesome to work with.  She gets her stuff done.  If you need a realtor for the Columbus area you should definitely contact her because she will get your house sold.  She sold ours in a day (no really a day) so yeah, she makes it happen.

Mountain Dreaming

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Way back when, I posted about Scott and I taking a much needed vacation.

We were going to travel to Boulder and hang out for a few weeks.

I wasn’t completely honest with you in that post.  It is true that we were going to go on vacation, yes.  But that wasn’t all.

Our trip to Colorado was also going to be a scouting mission to find a new place to live.

Scott and I are moving to Colorado.

We ended up not going on vacation this year and decided to save that money for the big move.

It wasn’t a matter of “do we want to move to Colorado” because the decision is made. We are moving to Colorado.  More specifically we are looking for someplace between the Denver and Boulder area.

Since that was the case, for us it made more sense to just move verses driving out, staying, driving back, and then putting the house up for sale.

Also I’ll be honest, once we got out there I know we wouldn’t have wanted to drive back to Ohio.  That would have been a long and sad drive back!

So all the cryptic messages I’ve been posting about doing house work and big projects and so on, that was us updating the house to get it ready to put up for sale. It was a lot of work but we reached that goal!  Now we just have to sell the house.

Sorry for being cryptic, I tend to get nervous that I’m going to jinx things if I talk about it too early. That’s the only reason I kept this on the down-low for so long. Only a few people knew and that’s how I wanted it to be.

And I’m going to address this now before anyone asks about it.

Sadly, Rocky will not be making the trip with us.  He unexpectedly passed away in May. I didn’t say anything because it’s a hard thing to go through and Scott and I wanted to grieve and deal with this privately. He was our baby and we miss him very much.  Please, I ask you, let’s not focus on the past but instead look towards the future and to new adventures.

This will be the biggest move that Scott and I have ever made and I would love to hear your feedback!

If you’ve got tips for traveling long distance please share!

If you’ve moved a big distance before I would love any advice you have.

If you have a recommendation for movers, I want to hear it!

If you have any connections in Colorado, please send them my way!

Columbus RunFest Meetup 2012

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Are you planning on running any marathons or halfs this year?  Then you know that training starts next month and it’s time to take action.

Come get inspired and motivated at the Columbus Marathon’s 3rd Annual RunFest!

Next week, on July 7th,  drop by Landmark Aviation, 4130 E. Fifth Ave. to chat with other runners, visit booths set up to offer training advice, and get some grub from some local food trucks!

Plus there’s a Meet-Up planned where you can meet other local runners looking to start training along with some local bloggers and running advocates!

I’ll be there along with several others as hosts for the Meet-N-Greet that will take place at 1:30.  We can chat running and healthy eating during your training.

Go to Columbus Marathon’s page for full details and check out the Facebook Page to RSVP for the event!

Here’s a few details:

What: Nationwide Children’s Hospital Columbus Marathon & ½ Marathon RunFest 2012
When: July 7, 1-4 p.m.
Where: Landmark Aviation, 4130 E. Fifth Ave.
Details: A FREE event that features giveaways, sneak peeks at this year’s race shirts and medals, booths offering training advice and healthy living tips, free food from some of Columbus’ favorite food trucks, the full line-up of Nationwide Children’s Hospital Patient Champions and more!

Now stop on by to get your running mojo on!

Keyholder Fundraiser by the Women’s Fund of Central Ohio

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There is a local organization called the Women’s Fund of Central Ohio.  A nonprofit that supports and aids in the empowerment and development of women and girls.  A little snippet from their website:

We stand for social change for women and girls.
We are all bound to this purpose – and to one another – by these simple but powerful beliefs.

Potential is what you make of it.
Every woman and every girl holds hope within her. She just needs time, energy and support to make it real.

When you empower women and girls, all of society benefits.
We believe, and research shows, that empowering women and girls impacts entire families and uplifts entire communities.

I was asked by them to help promote their big event!

Each year the Women’s Fund puts on their Keyholder event which is all about celebrating women and girls by recognizing them as keyholders of change in the community.  This year the event is a big one and features Whoopi Goldberg as the keynote speaker!

Here’s a little snippet from The Women’s Fund:

The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio is excited to welcome special guest Whoopi Goldberg to Nationwide Arena on Friday, June 29th for Keyholder 2012. The Women’s Fund’s annual Keyholder event is a preeminent gathering in the central Ohio area, attracting thousands of people to honor the women and girls who have made a significant impact in their lives. Tickets are on sale now for $50 each and all proceeds are used to provide grants that promise social change for women and girls. Call 614-225-9926 to purchase tickets or stop by http://womensfundcentralohio.org for more information. Connect with The Women’s Fund on Facebook and Twitter (@WomensFundCO).

The women’s fund also asked if I would answer two questions related to their mission and their event

1. What woman or girl has made the greatest impact in your life?

Hands down my paternal grandmother.  She was a strong and caring woman who lived a life full of ups and downs.  She taught me that creating food with love will always be the best option.  Not to let someone stand in your way and always be yourself no matter what.

2. What is one thing your readers can do this week, month or year to spark change in their community?

I’m sticking with food related suggestions and I’m going to say start shopping at your local markets more often.  By shopping at your local farmers markets and business you are helping to keep your community thriving while supporting others just like you.

If your local area doesn’t have one, perhaps start the efforts in order to bring one to you! Everyone benefits from local resources!

Again if you’re interested in going to the Keyholder event please go the the Women’s Fund of Ohio’s website or call to purchase tickets!