Summer Series #4 - Grapes of Mirth

In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage. ~The Grapes of Wrath

 
Location:

Grapes of Mirth

59 West Spruce Street

Columbus, Ohio 43015

614-221-9463

Located on the east wall of the North Market, Grapes of Mirth is your one-stop-shop for all exotic beer and wine needs.  They feature over 600 wines and 200 beers, all crammed into a teeny tiny area comprised mostly of eight to ten foot high shelves and small wooden skids with the occasional haphazard stack of cardboard crates.

David Bihn has owned Grapes of Mirth since 2003 and, according to the website, has been with the company for over fourteen years.  He’s a friendly fellow,  always ready to lead you to your favorite bottle or suggest something new if they don’t have what you’re looking for; however, if they don’t have what you want, he will gladly order it on the spot.
 

Grapes of Mirth features artisan wines as well as “commercial” wines, and they carry a plethora of Ohio wines as well.  From what I could tell, many of the Ohio wines available are not readily available in your everyday local wine shop or grocery store.  Yay, Locavores!  They have the largest selection of Belgian beers in the central Ohio area, possibly in all of Ohio, and the best part of the beer selection (and the wine selection) is that if you ask David a question, odds are he knows the answer.  Not only does Grapes of Mirth have the physical inventory, they also have the mental inventory.

When I stopped by Grapes of Mirth, I was on a mission: find Vinho Verde, my number one most favorite wine of all time.  It’s a sweeter wine, which I normally don’t care for, but the fermentation and bottling processes cause the wine to have a slightly carbonated feel about it – not as fizzy as beer or pop but definitely more tickly to your tongue than a normal white wine.  I was in luck – big time – because David had just gotten in a large shipment of Vinho Verde!  There were four inexpensive choices ranging from $5.99 to $7.99.  At the time I thought I was just getting lucky on the price, for in the past I had paid up to $15.99 per bottle at another wine shop near Dublin.  Apparently Grapes of Mirth always sells their Vinho Verde for these low-low prices!  Having worked in yet another wine shop since that day, I can tell you 100% that you will NOT find a lower price on this delicious wine.

Official tasting parties or events are not regularly scheduled, but you can arrange a “private” tasting with the owner.  Obviously Ohio laws call for a charge, but this is typical of all alcohol tasting venues and events.  Also for sale at Grapes of Mirth are different accessories, such as gift bags, wine keys, corkscrews and so forth.

For more information, visit their website here.

Overall Scores: (1-5, 1 being lowest, 5 highest)                    

Cleanliness: 3 (everything has that dusty wine-cellar feel to it)

Value: 5

Accessibility: 3 (the North Market is easy to get to, the shop is easy to get to, the bottle are definitely not easy to get to!)

Friendliness: 5

Menu: n/a but the selection is mind-boggling!

 

Summer Series #3 - CaJohn's Flavor & Fire

Location:

CaJohn’s Flavor & Fire

59 West Spruce Street

Columbus, Ohio 43015

888-703-FIRE

When you walk into the North Market from the east side of the building, turn to your left at the first intersection and you will see CaJohn’s on the right.  They are a “salsa” company, a “hot sauce” company, or maybe a “dare-you-to-try-this” company.  CaJohn’s always has samples set out, usually 5-7 of their featured salsas, complete with a pretzel stick or tortilla chip to test them out.  The samples are set up in order from mild to wild, and I’m the one who always starts at the end, trying the hottest, craziest flavor first.  I love a rush!

CaJohn's Fiery Foods was started in 1996 by John Hard, a Fire Protection Engineer by day and Gulf Coast cuisine enthusiast by night.  John’s wife, Sue, just happened to have been raised on the coast of Mississippi. It was a match made in heaven, one which lead to the beautiful marriage of Southwestern and Gulf Coast flavors and birthed the joyous bundle we call “CaJohn’s”.  The flavor profile has expanded to include Asian and Caribbean as well as Southwestern and Cajun spices.  There are 150 children in the CaJohn’s family; Salsas, barbecue sauce, hot sauce, rubs, mixes, spice blends, and mustards make up the fabric of this spicy quilt.  Names, flavors and combinations have been inspired and created by John & Sue’s real-life children, and the entire family is involved in the company to this day.

CaJohn’s assigns levels to the heat of its products, ranging from Mild (1) to Stoopinfyin’ (XXX).  They have won numerous honors, including two 2010 Golden Chile awards.  Their factory is located in Westerville, and there is a store at this location as well.  For more information, visit their website here.

Overall Scores: (1-5, 1 being lowest, 5 highest)                    

Cleanliness: 5

Value: 5

Accessibility: 5

Friendliness: 5

Menu: n/a but the selection is unbelievable!

A Few Words about Fast Food

Morgan Spurlock: What is this a picture of?

Child: I don't know. George W. Bush?

[Morgan shows the camera that it is actually a picture of Jesus]

Fast Food is so often given a bad reputation by the health mongers of the world, and more often than not, I agree with them.  I think it's sad that a kid would think that G.W. is actually J.C. and that they would be more apt to recognize Ronald McDonald than the president.  But I'm not here to wax poetic on the evils of sodium and preservative-enriched dog food; I'm here to talk about what's great about franchisees!

One of the best inventions in the fast food world was the ability to franchise.  It allows a person with the drive but not the means to open their own restaurant to do so.  Franchises come with built-in customers and demographics, well-known menus and gimmicks and histories.  It's up to the owner of each franchise to make their store their own and make it profitable.  I have to specifically mention two franchises in the Dublin area.  

First is the Burger King at Sawmill & Bethel.  I'm not sure if the management specifically targets applicants for their sense of humour and jovial attitude, but everytime I go in, no matter who waits on me, I always end up smiling.  They are SO FRIENDLY!  The menu is generic Burger King menu, however, they do one thing that I absolutely love: Everytime I order a large water, they actually give me a large water.  None of this kids-cup here's your free-freaking-water bullcrap, no.  LARGE CUP barelyfitsinthecupholder FREE WATER!  Amazing.  

Next is Dublin Dairy Queen at Sawmill & Emerald Parkway.  Dublin DQ used to be located in the richer part of Dublin on Avery-Muirfield Road.  When rent skyrocketed in that newer shopping center, owner Tim Tanner was forced to relocate to an old worn-down shopping center north of Hard Road.  He kept his spirits up though, and despite a poor economy and a shrewish wife, Dublin DQ is still hanging on.  They pay their employees fairly, even above what normal fast food kids make, and you are always guaranteed hours.  The menu is just as diverse as any other DQ, except at this one you are always able to order a BBQ pork sandwich and fried mushrooms if you desire.  Those are two local items that not all Dairy Queens offer!  I happen to love the mushrooms... just don't eat them right away - they have to sit a few minutes to cool down otherwise your taste buds will be burned right off your tongue.  The best thing about Dublin Dairy Queen isn't the food or the atmosphere or the employees - it's the owner himself.  Tim Tanner has been an essential part of the Dublin community for over 15 years.  He's a staple at the Irish festival every August, he donates time and treats to local charity events, and he provides rewards and parties in ice cream form to children in most, if not all, of the Dublin schools.  Everyone in Dublin knows Tim!

My point is, the next time you are hungry for fast food, think about "the little people" who put their financial lives on the line for your satisfaction, and try to choose a franchised retaurant.  Despite being "big namers", they are truly a part of the community and should be looked at with the same type of respect and regard as most mom & pop shops.

Bluer than Ginger were her eyes...

Location:

Blue Ginger

6234 Sawmill Road

Dublin, OH 43017

(614) 792-3888

I love sushi. LOVE LOVE LOVE it.  So when my friend Josh wanted to take me out one afternoon for an impromptu sushi feast, I jumped at the opportunity to try someplace new.  We ended up at Blue Ginger in Dublin, a small restaurant in the middle of a small strip mall next to a Buy Backs and a few doors down from BD’s Mongolian BBQ.  I was unimpressed by the exterior, and feared it would be some sort of modern-fusion bright lights and wacky music type place.  Upon entering the first set of doors, I was immediately corrected when we were confronted (yes, confronted!) by a gigantic wooden door that seemed as if it had been transplanted from a 15^th century castle; I could barely open this door!

On the other side of this ancient-looking portal was a mahogany and wrought-iron fortress of deliciousness.  Beautiful leather booths, dim lighting and soft sitar-based mood music made me feel almost like Oriental royalty.  We were lead to a back booth by a gracious hostess, offered water, and then the magic began.  The hostess brought us two small plates with an individually wrapped warm cloth on each.  Superb!  I adore tiny details like that.  Josh did all the ordering, and we ended up with an overflowing plate of potstickers and two large platters of sushi.  The potstickers, which I had never had, were delectable.  The slightly crispy outside was nicely paired with a soft (but not mushy) meaty inside and complimented by a salty brown sauce. (*Note: when I went to Blue Ginger’s website to view the menu, I could not locate the potstickers anywhere.  I’m not sure if the menu is outdated or if they’ve been removed, but it would greatly benefit you to ask your server if they still have them should you desire the awesomeness!) 

After the appetizer came the main course – beautiful sushi.  I had been watching the Sushi Chef from our booth, and he was truly an artist.  There was no lump of wasabi or pile of shredded pickled ginger on our platters, rather, there was a beautiful ginger rose and a cute round nub of wasabi complete with hatch marks.  We indulged in the Crunchy Spicy Roll platter (salmon, tuna, yellowtail), the Mind Eraser (no rice, Chef’s special sauce, jalapeno, avocado and 4 types of fish), the Kamikaze (fried shrimp and tuna with tuna and eel on top), and the Scorpion King (soft-shell crab, tuna, cucumber and lettuce).  I already know what you’re thinking – “Oh my god, that’s a LOT of food!” and yes, it was a lot of food, but if you know anything about sushi then you’re full aware of the fact that not only are gourmet rolls smaller than generic store-bought rolls, but they also come in groups of 5-7.  For two people, that’s not really too much food!  We devoured almost all of it before I could take pictures… I was so happy to have all this gorgeous and remarkable sushi in front of me that I had to start enjoying it without delay!

After the main course, Josh being the spectacular human being that he is, decided we also need dessert.  He ordered the Key Lime pie (“Tastes like it came from a box in the freezer” was his only critique) and I had fried green tea ice cream, which, on the opposite side of a critique, tasted freshly made and scrumptious.  The last time I had fried ice cream was in 1998 at Chichi’s in Westland Mall – I was more than pleased to eat the gourmet Asian counterpart twelve years later!

Overall, despite a steep tab ($65+) for a meal that did not include alcohol, I have to say that Blue Ginger is an awesome restaurant.  My suggestion is to go for lunch and limit yourself to a few choice items, that way you can try something new and back it up with something “old” that you already like and not break the bank in the process.  I can understand why the prices are what they are; Sushi-grade fish is held to strict industry standards higher than regular fish, and only certain types of fish from certain areas can be used.  (For more information, click here).

Visit Blue Ginger's website by clicking here.

Overall Scores: (1-5, 1 being lowest, 5 highest)                    

Cleanliness: 5

Value: 3

Accessibility: 5

Friendliness: 4

Menu: 5