Cheap Mexican (Texas-style) eats

I feel obligated to mention Talita's Mexican-Italian Restaurant on N. High St -- and not just because I worked there this summer. Well, partly because of that; but also because they have some great vegetarian options but don't see much business from veggie customers.

The restaurant itself is a little shabby looking (it's next to a Valvoline, fer cryin' out loud), but the food is decent and inexpensive. My favorite is the Talita (or Enchilada) Supreme, which was designed to be kind of a vegetarian Mexican lasagna. It's composed of layers of veggie stuff -- spinach and sour cream, refried beans, rice -- in between tortillas (corn or flour) and then covered in enchilada sauce and melted cheese. One is enough for two people, I think, although I have seen some of our larger customers down the whole thing in one go.

The enchiladas are also very good, but mostly because they smother them in the aforementioned sauce, which is damn tasty.

They also have burritos, quesadillas, tacos, and salads, all with vegetarian options. And their meat dishes sell very well, too (although I can't speak for them personally).

The lunches run between $4-6, and the dinners are almost all under $10. Stop by, eat some food, tip well, and smile at your waitress.

Free the Chickens!

The humane society is currently pressuring Trader Joe's to stop selling eggs from abusively caged chickens. (Whole Foods and Wild Oats have already adopted this policy). Visit the humane society campaign page, to learn more and send an automated email. You also can fill out comment cards at the Joe's about this issue.

A Shout out to Spinelli's Deli

For those whose primary exposure to the Columbus bagel scene comes from the sad offerings in the English Dept, know that there is hope: Spinelli's Deli at Neil and Buttles (in the same shopping center as the eagle).

This locally owned shop--which promotes cool things like pride and ladyfest--makes its own bagels, and they are damn good. Their bagels are a little different in style than a classic New York bagel, but they're still a thing of wonder and beauty.

My favorite Spinelli's dish: fried egg and regular cream cheese on a toasted everything bagel (only 1.89).

My one complaint: the only fair trade, organic coffee they offer is a light roast; the dark roast blend is "unfair" and pesticide-riddled. (Must we sacrifice flavor for conscience? I think not.)

Pad Thai Restaurant: A Cut Above the Rest

Ever since I've been in Columbus, I've been on the hunt for really good Thai food. Although I've been to a lot of places, I mostly have just resorted to making my own.

Last night, Lisa Ann and I checked out "Pad Thai" restaurant in the "McThai Shopping Center" at 3589 Refugee Road. (This coincidentally is only a 1/2 mile down the same road as Bangkok Grocery, Columbus' only specialty Thai Market).

At Pad Thai restaurant, we shared two dishes: the pad ped gapow (pad ped krapow) and the massaman curry. The Pad Ped Gapow, stir-fried vegetables and tofu in a brown sauce with spicy thai basil, was exceptional. The very spongy fried tofu soaked up the spicy, yet complex sauce. A lovely mixed of greens, beansprouts, tomatoes, mushrooms, and onions complemented each other nicely. All around a delight. The massaman curry--a reddish yellow curry with potatoes, peanuts, tofu, and assorted vegetables--was quite different than the version at my favorite place in Florida, but it was definitely good. It had a subtle sweet flavor of cinnamon and cardamom. If the sauce/broth had been a little thicker and the potatoes cut smaller and cooked longer, I would have been in heaven.

It's worth mentioning that Pad Thai restaurant is inexpensive--about 6 - 7 dollars an entree--and that it offers lovely Thai pop background music.

So, in the end, my search for the perfect Thai Restaurant in Columbus is not over. But, I will throw down for Pad Thai being well worth seeking out--truly a cut above. I just wish they were located in the Sho No or campus strip.

Whole Foods: Everything I Hoped And More

I've taken a couple tours of the Whole Foods lately (on 161 near sawmill), and I'm impressed. Here are some highlights:
1) Glorious Fresh Organic Figs
2) Over 15 different kinds of loose organic eggs (you thought the eggs at northstar were delicious...try these; and the egg carrying baskets are sooo cute).
3) A ridiculously impressive spread of mushrooms (I recommend the lion's mane, lobster, blue oyster, and hedgehog)
4) Fresh roasted nuts (including curried almond and butterscotch walnut)
5) A huge selection of interesting wines under 10 dollars.

Go there and be amazed.

And,the new Whole Foods is right next to a lovely Indian market (on 161) and the Trader Joe's (over on Sawmill) so don't forget to stop there too.

I will still be regularly shopping locally in the Sho No, but damn if the Whole Foods doesn't make me want to drive to the suburbs. And, that's saying something.

abby recommends

The September 5th New Yorker, the annual food issue, especially Judith Thurman's piece on tofu. The young's dairy fall festival, this year scheduled for October 1 & 2. This NPR piece on the katrina catastrophe and food.

Garden & Seed Catalogs

Kevin Kelly's "Cool Tools" blog recently had a write-up on several seed and garden catalogs, some of which specialize in heirloom seeds (a popular topic here).

Gardening catalogs are the very epitome of dreambooks. Some are quite beautiful, all ripe with the promise of fulfillment in a slightly other universe, but here are the three that make late winter in the heartland a little less bitter:

Go there:
http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/000928.php