Mulholland Brewing Company

You would have to drive a car into me while overcharging me and force feeding me dead animals in order for a brew pub not to pass my (less than) stringent judgment criteria. That being noted, however, Mulholland in outside-the-mainstream Reynoldsburg easily meets my heavily relaxed quality standards.

I read about the place in today's Columbus Dispatch review. I checked the interweb, and wouldn't you know it--Mulholland sells Belgian-style beer and vegetarian food. That means a late lunch for me.

The fringe benefits of a late lunch include the $2 draft beers at happy hour price. Mulholland offers six of their own drafts plus a dozen or so more brews from various local, national and international microbrew operations. The Saison was citrusy with a clean, yeasty finish, and the Imperial Red showed aggressive hop character that is often absent in beers of this style.

I started with the red pepper hummus, which had a great presentation that featured pita triangles and red and yellow peppers surrounding a ruby-hued mashed chickpea and olive oil base. It was quite good.

My main course was a fettucine in a white wine, garlic and butter sauce with sauteed tomatoes, peppers, squash and spinach topped with chunks of goat cheese. It was like a creamy, pan-Mediterranean interpretation of pasta primavera, and it's pictured above.

The other interesting feature of this spot is that it is a more upscale restaurant upstairs and a sports bar downstairs. There are, however, big screen televisions throughout the bar areas on both floors. Think of the upstairs as business and the downstairs as business casual.

The menu does a good job explaining the brewing process, and the brewing equipment is closer than it typically is in most brew pubs, putting patrons within spitting distance of the brewing and fermenting action. I'll definitely be back to check the new seasonal beers. Check out the pictures below.

Mulholland

The deraj1013 diet

Eat as much vegetarian food as you can. Drink beer while doing cardio with a steep incline on the treadmill. Repeat as necessary (and I named this diet plan, so 85 years from now, when every numbnuts on the planet is blindly following my dietary manifesto rather than Atkins or South Beach or Jenny Craig, you'll know which crackpot to credit). Wearing a sweater while exercising is optional but very recommended to complete the joke.

Amul India

Amul India is a convenient, if slightly inconsistent, Indian restaurant on Sawmill Road in Columbus. I stop there frequently when I'm shopping at the Anderson's Market or Whole Foods. The buffet, while well priced, is not the best in the Columbus area. Some items can be of an excellent quality; however, on this visit, Amul failed as often as it succeeded.

There are many items on the buffet for vegetarians. There was a potato curry, a mushroom mater, saag paneer, dal makhani, vegetarian lentil soup and vegetable pakoras. The free naan is a nice addition to the buffet. While I appreciate free bread, however, it is difficult to keep naan hot enough to truly enjoy under the glare of a heat lamp.

Truthfully, I enjoy eating at Amul more when I order off the menu rather than being limited to the buffet. The staff is typically helpful if not a touch distant. The crew when I was visiting was unable to answer my question how many vegetarian items are part of your buffet. This question is usually easily answered at most restaurants from the Indian subcontinent. On most of my previous visits, the staff and its service have been very efficient and friendly, so I'll mark this trip down as a hiccup in an otherwise well oiled machine.

My beverage did come to the table flat. I normally have a very good meal at Amul, but this was another symptom of a visit that definitely missed the mark. My advice would be to skip the buffet and order form the menu. The rice pudding is at least very good whether you get it from the buffet or the main menu.

One of the points noted in the Columbus Dispatch review of Amul India is that the cuisine they offer is more Northern Indian in character (very true), and therefore, less vegetarian friendly. It is an Indian restaurant, however, so there are definitely a number of choices for those who don't eat members of the animal kingdom.

If you are really in the mood for Indian food, give Bayleaf and Cuisine of India a try. These are my two favorites, and I definitely rank them above Amul in terms of atmosphere, food and beverage options. I will be back to Amul in the future, as all of my previous visits have been positive experiences. Even Babe Ruth struck out every now and again, and unfortunately my last visit was more like Jim Rice's last run at the Hall of Fame...close, but no cigar. Check out the pictures below.

Amul India

Spaghetti Warehouse

When I railed against pasta emporium Italian restaurants in yesterday's review of La Plaia, I think I might have been describing the Spaghetti Warehouse. Considering the prices, you would be better off making pasta at home yourself.

Considering that this menu consists of many pasta dishes, you'd think there would be more vegetarian pasta dishes than there are. I tried the manicotti, which was stuffed with ricotta cheese with alfredo and tomato sauces and sauteed mushrooms. The bottomless salad is a nice touch. The sourdough bread was tasty. But for $12, the whole was definitely a problematic price to quality ratio.

The service was efficient. In downtown C-bus, the place is so enormous that I don't think there's enough parking to fill the whole place. The decor is kitschy Americana.

They are basically an Italian-American TGI Fridays. It's probably a good spot for kids who aren't adventurous eaters. Check out the photos below.

Spaghetti Warehouse

La Plaia

If there was a cuisine that could be summed up by an analogous comparison to a cookie cutter, Italian food would be that cuisine.

With places like Buca di Beppo, the Olive Garden and Carrabba's on slightly fewer street corners than Starbucks, interchangeable, run of the mill pseudo-Italian slop is churned out in massive quantities for a slew of diners with the palate nuance of a drunken banana slug.

Luckily for me, there are still places like La Plaia hidden from this barbarian horde that craft great food that tastes like it came straight off of a plane from Piedmont rather than from a laboratory kitchen facility in Hackensack, New Jersey.

Many of La Plaia's specials are for carnivores. They feature a slew of pork and veal dishes prepared in the classic Italian style (My table of meat eaters spoke very highly of their dead animal dishes). The vegetarians will have to settle for the carefully prepared pasta dishes that are as complex as they are delicious.

The salad was prepared in a light olive oil that brought out the subtleties of the greens. The ciabatta bread was fresh baked, piping hot and absolutely divine. The bruschetta was laden with tomatoes, a sharp, clean olive oil and fresh basil.

The alfredo sauce was a careful combination of freshly grated Italian cheeses and cream with thick fettucine noodles. The sauce showcased the parmesan and romano cheeses. You could tell this alfredo sauce was made by hand.

The staff is very friendly. They took the time to update the playoff football scores for us as we dined. The owner and the chef often come out and make sure every detail is to your satisfaction.

The wine list is small. It might be the one shortcoming in a place that elevates classic Italian cooking to another level. The wines are nice, but you probably won't be drinking a bottle of 1990 Gaja Barolo if that's how you roll. You'll have to make due with delicious food and a limited (but tasty) selection of wine from the boot-shaped country and elsewhere.

The interior is small and tastefully appointed. The lighting is soft and (dare I say it?) romantic. La Plaia fills up fast for dinner, so I would recommend reservations. They also offer limited weekend lunch hours.

Check out the pictures, and next time you get a hankering for pasta, steer clear of the dime a dozen Italian eateries that ruin the reputation of a great cuisine and head on over to La Plaia.

La Plaia

Tip Top Kitchen and Cocktails

Sometimes looks can be deceiving. Take Tip Top Kitchen and Cocktails in downtown Columbus for example.

I had strolled past Tip Top many times, taking it for a dirty little dive bar in the desolate wasteland that is the heartland of the Buckeye capital. Once I got by the unassuming storefront, though, I was more than pleasantly surprised.

The understated wood-accented interior more than makes up for the vanilla character that defines the exterior. Tip Top also has a menu that pushes local produce, alongside an Ohio-themed list of cocktails and brews.

The menu has a ton of vegetarian and vegan options. The kitchen is also open late all week long, which puts it light years ahead of the other downtown establishments that close at 3 in the afternoon and aren't open on weekends.

The spicy corn chowder was delicious. It was chock full of vegetables and had a sneaky bit of heat that slowly overtook my mouth spoonful by spoonful. I also applaud the vegan French onion soup because whichever jerkoff ruined the onion by assaulting it with boiled beef juice should have to be taught at least once in their life how to cook this vegetable properly. It's gooooood soup.

I also sampled the vegetarian pot roast, prepared in a vegetable stock with potato, tomato, carrots and all the fixins (pictured above). Besides Ohio origins, the menu is held together by the central theme of comfort food--hence the pot roast (and hence the mac and cheese and hence the sammies with fried sides).

Sandwiches abound on the menu, including a veggie sandwich, a grilled tomato and cheese, a portabella sandwich, an eggplant, tomato, spinach and mozzarella melt and a vegetarian or vegan Italian beef (Viva Chicago!), which was a giardinera laced delight.

The owner is the same person who owns the Surly Girl Saloon, one of Columbus' best beer-and-a-bite establishments, and the same attitude that defines the Short North watering hole is present in the downtown model. They also own Betty's, and they serve Betty's delicious mac and cheese. The staff is very friendly, and they seem to be able to get people in and out in a fairly efficient manner.

Pop is served in glasses that are the size of a pipe of port. The beer is more conservative than Surly Girl's more adventurous selection, but it still features a few gems. The main drink focus is whiskey cocktails. There is no shortage of whiskey and whisky, as well as a number of drinks that have other spirits in them. The drinks all have an Ohio related name. There is also a small but interesting selection of wines.

Check out the review by the mainstream media, check out the photos, and then get over to Tip Top and sample some of their lovely wares.

Tip Top

Vino 100

I've driven past Vino 100 about 100 times. I finally decided to check it out today. It's a slightly different store that is geared toward the novice wine drinker rather than the well-trained sommelier, and I'll definitely be back after my first trip into the store.

The concept of the store is 100 wines priced at $25 or less. There are also a few carefully selected wines from a higher price bracket. The wines are arranged by body rather than by appellation or varietal. This mirrors a number of restaurant wine lists, which help sell fermented grape juice to people who could care less about whether a wine is a right or left bank Bordeaux and more so whether it is dry or sweet, or light or full bodied. I applaud the idea, and I hope it catches on elsewhere.

The staff was very helpful and friendly. They offer wine to taste (which is always a must do in my book). There are a wide variety of wines from all over the map, including the U.S., Italy, France, Australia, Austria and Germany.

There is also a limited selection of olive oli, pasta sauce and cheeses, including four cheeses from Sacramento area Pedrozo dairy, an artisinal cheesemaker that uses raw milk to produce cheeses that taste like Gouda, some of which are treated with rose sparkling wine, Cabernet Sauvignon and stout beer to give it a little extra flavor.

This is a chain, which probably gives the organization more buying power, allowing them to offer 100 wines for less than $25. There are two Columbus area locations, one in Westerville and one in the Short North. This isn't the kind of place you go to get trophy Bonnes Mares and Sauternes. It's more of a place you go to get a cool bottle of wine to share with your friends alongside pizza on a Tuesday night.

Check out the pictures below.

Vino 100

Cheryl & Co.

Tucked between ball bearing factories and the Westerville Post Office is Cheryl & Company, a cookie outlet that seeks to overpower your New Year's resolution to eat better and to lose weight. Don't worry...your weight gain will taste quite savory as you throw your best intentions right out the window.

As a diabetic, I might be the wrong person to review a cookie shop. Luckily for me, Cheryl was kind enough to whip up some sugar free cookies that are light years better than the crap you can buy at your local grocery store (I'm partial to the chocolate chip cookie...but there are usually at least three different options available).

The main business of Cheryl & Co. is on the internet. This holiday season, however, they experimented with a retail wing of their manufacturing facility in the Westerville industrial park. The holiday experiment was so successful that they decided to keep it open year round.

There are many other retail locations open throughout the area. There are a number of sales on the holiday cookies, which are still fresh but are priced to move. They also make a ton of Buckeye-themed cookies, which most fans are now trying to move to the deepest part of their subconscious after the third straight National Championship defeat at the hand of the SEC (football-basketball-football).

The frosted cookies are fantastic (don't tell my endocrinologist). If buying cookies directly from the source isn't fresh enough, you can also buy dough and bake the cookies at home. Check out the pictures, and I'll add additional ones as I eat them. So much for MY New Year's resolution!

Cheryl & Co

Lee's China Kitchen

Lee's China Kitchen is located adjacent to the abandoned City Center Mall. They proudly advertise that unlike the rest of downtown's last black hole of a mall, they are not going out of business. Lee's offers fast, no-nonsense food and prices that should help keep them afloat.

To be honest, Lee's is what it is...takeout Chinese made quickly enough to give you time to take a walk on the second half of your lunch break. It isn't four star food. It probably isn't tremendously healthy. But there are a fair number of vegetarian items priced in lunch portions for less than $7.

There are 14 vegetarian entrees on the menu. I tried the ma la tofu, which is more or less fried tofu slathered in a spicy brown sauce with a bed of steamed rice. I probably should have ordered something with more veggies, but the tofu was still crispy and flavorful.

The main reason to eat lunch at Lee's is the fact that from the time I sat down to the time I paid my bill, it took less than 25 minutes. This might not be grade A gourmet food or health nut cuisine, but it sure beats the tar out of eating at Wendy's or Chipotle or Subway or whatever other conglomerated food dump you spend your lunch budget on.

Check out the pictures, skip out on your next appointment with Quizno's and try some of Lee's vegetarian offerings for lunch.

Lees China Kitchen

El Arepazo

I finally succeeded and took pictures while I was eating lunch at El Arepazo. They prepare Pan-Latin food that is made fresh and cheap with enough vegetarian options to keep you from repeating an item during the working week.

I have eaten here a number of times. Unfortunately, I kept forgetting to take my camera. The store is small, and both the inside and outside walls feature interesting art work. El Arepazo is located in the Pearl Alley by Gay and High Streets.

Carlos Gutierrez, the owner, does a virtual tour of food from the Spanish speaking New World. There are vegetarian burritos and empanadas on the menu, as well my personal favorites, the arepa and the patacon from Venezuela.

An arepa (pictured above), is a sandwich on grilled corn meal disks. The vegetarian arepa is made with lettuce, tomato, cheese, black beans, banana peppers and a pinch of the cilantro sauce. It also costs less than $5, tax included.

The patacon is a boat made of deep fried plantain stuffed with lettuce, tomato, black beans, avocado and cheese. It is delicious and enormous.

There are some great sides, including deep fried plantains, the delicious Cuban cousin of the banana that gets a caramel sweetness when cooked in oil. El Arepazo also has free delivery for lunch orders of greater than $10.

They are open Monday through Saturday, and it seems like their hours can be a little bit flexible (as in they open when they get around to it, not by the exact hours on the door). But the service is fast and the fare is affordable and well made.

El Arepazo has been featured in a number of other blogs (here, here and here), and rumors are swirling that Carlos and the owners of Due Amici are planning on collaborating on an upscale Latin venture. If it's half as good as El Arepazo, I'm there with bells on for opening night. Check out the pictures below.

El Arepazo