Fat Patty's

When you visit a new city in the United States, people typically recommend one burger joint over the others. In Huntington, West Virginia, that place is Fat Patty's. 

Sure, they have common bar appetizers like fried pickles, chips and salsa, soups and wraps here. They also sell chicken wings. But people go to Fat Patty's for the burgers.

The veggie burger, called the Not-So-Cow Patty, can be topped with cheese and comes with the traditional lettuce, tomato onions and pickles. The pretzel bun is a great add-on for the burger.

The restaurant, decked out in kitschy knick-knacks, is located adjacent to the Marshall campus. The atmosphere is somewhere between TGI Fridays and a Thundering Herd sports bar.

The drink menu is heavy on macro drafts and 1970s cocktails. Of course, not everybody requires Chateau Margaux with their cheeseburger.

Believe what the masses say when it comes to picking burgers. While the general public doesn't get everything correct, they are definitely right that people looking for a burger in Huntington need look no further that Fat Patty's.

Red Velvet Cafe

Red Velvet Cafe is a bakery with locations in Pickerington (the original) and Downtown Columbus. Come for the traditional cupcake offerings, and stay for the excellent sandwiches and coffee.

There are vegetarian and vegan items on the menu. The cafe is open seven days a week from breakfast to dinner. 

The cupcake flavors skew conservative with a rotating selection including German chocolate, banana cream pie, Buckeye (a.k.a. peanut butter-chocolate), carrot cake and apple cinnamon. Some less common choices include taro, made with taro cake, taro jam and taro buttercream, 

There are three vegetarian sandwiches for lunch and one for breakfast. The lunch panini options include a straight veggie, grilled cheese with avocado and Sriracha, and a traditional grilled cheese. The breakfast sandwich is made on ciabatta with roasted tomato, provolone cheese, spinach and egg.

The avocado Sriracha grilled cheese is a California style panini with Asian accents. It's rich, sweet, creamy and just about perfect.

The coffee bar is a treat. It carries selections from One Line in the Short North. There are a variety of international drinks offered from across the globe - Turkey, Vietnam, Cuba and more. Typically, a house bland and a single origin coffee are available.

Tom and Chee

Tom and Chee is Cincinnati's fast casual grilled cheese-ery. The small chain has three central Ohio locations - one in Pickerington, one in Hilliard and another in the University District.

The concept exists in other restaurants like Melt and Gooeyz. Tom and Chee focuses on the traditional grilled cheese and tomato soup with a few extra bells and whistles.

There are vegan and gluten-free options available. Sides include soup, salad and mac & cheese.

Sandwiches were passably better than what could be made at home. Junk-food add-ons like donut grilled cheese put a few interesting spins on the dish.

There are three tomato soups. The classic tomato and chunky tomato basil are vegan. The creamy tomato is a vegetarian dish.

The decor is bright and fun. Service is relatively brisk.

Durangos

Durangos seemed to take forever to open. The inconvenient sign announcing the restaurant preceded its opening by 8 months. The business concept mirrors Chipotle with a Tex Mex spin, and the added bonus of delivery to Grandview, Upper Arlington and the Short North should help keep the place on people's radar.

There are plenty of vegetarian options on the menu. All of the beans are vegetarian, as is the cilantro lime rice. There are burritos, tacos, salads, enchiladas, salads, rice dishes and the requisite chips and dips.

A burrito is good, sure. It is a fine delivery device to carry rice, jicama, nopales, red pepper, beans, lettuce, tomato onion and guacamole to your mouth. But the delivery becomes better when the burrito is deep fried. It achieves perfection when it is drowned in red enchilada sauce.

Guacamole has a nice essence of citrus. It's a great add-on with tortilla chips for $2.45.

The laid back crew grows their own cilantro at the restaurant. The vibe is friendly.

Prices with delivery included match or are slightly lower than Chipotle. It's a fun carry out or delivery option if you can't stand the line at Chipotle.

Guild House

The Guild House is Cameron's Mitchell's latest shot in the quest to occupy every building in the Short North. The farm-to-table small plates concept is vegetarian/vegan-friendly, and business seems to have been brisk since its opening.

The decor features interesting juxtapositions. Dark wood gives the room a forest feel, the open ceilings add a modern touch, and the green chandeliers seem to have been time-warped from some past grandmother's parlor. The whole thing almost doesn't fit together.


The soundtrack was workout music played too loudly. The music seems a pinch louder than in other Mitchell restaurants, but the music also might have stood out because it sounds better on a weight bench than a dining room.

Despite minor atmosphere complaints, the menu shows promise. The menu favors local ingredients. Outstanding breads come from Dan the Baker. There are Blue Jacket Dairy cheeses. Ohio's original national ice cream Graeter's is part of the dessert menu.

Brussels sprouts were prepared with caramelized onions, white cheddar, pecans and sweet mustard dressing. The dish is rich, sweet and deeply addictive.

The house-made chips and onion dip are also a great bar snack. A couple orders at happy hour with cocktails seems like the right idea. 

The vegetable lasagna is topped with crispy garlic, asparagus pesto, cabbage, onions, peas and more. The pasta carries a deconstructed version of the dish that showcases a bounty of vegetables.

Desserts were very good to excellent. The flourless chocolate torte with peanut butter mouse and vanilla tuille looks too good to eat. It isn't, but it's close. It's a must order barring nut allergies.

The house-made doughnuts were greasy. They would have succeeded if the pasties were better executed.

 The two person cocktail served in a glass porthole looks like a blast. The wine list has a nice range of selections, and there are a few draft beers, including one from North High Brewing.

Guild House is a great farm to table concept packaged in a strange dance club. Despite a few problems, there is plenty to like here.

Alchemy Juice Bar

Alchemy Juice Bar is tucked in a developing strip of Parsons Avenue near Nationwide Children's Hospital. The store is tough to find from the street, but the place puts a nutrition focused spin on the classic all-natural Berkeley juice bar/restaurant. Walk past the gym once inside, and follow the signs.

The menu consists of sandwiches, salads, smoothies, shakes and a few other odds and ends. There is coffee and gourmet toast for breakfast.

Vegans and gluten-sensitive diners have plenty of options. Smoothies and shakes are available with most of the requisite nutritional additives.

There are three meatless sandwiches - a bean burger on a brioche bun, a hemp pesto Caprese Florentine, and a hummus and hemp pesto sandwich with tomato, avocado and kale. 

The drinks are thick. The vegan peanut butter chocolate had a creamy mouthfeel that might have benefited from a colder serving temperature. The fruit smoothies had vibrant flavors.

Alchemy gives the South Side (End?) a great option for health-conscious diners. A few others have popped up around the city in the past six months. I'm not sure how it compares to the others, but it certainly exists in a vegan vacuum on Parsons Avenue.

Panzera's Pizza

Panzera's Pizza has been keeping Grandview satisfied for a half century plus. The shop serves classic thin crust like many others in the area that's simply better than most of them.

The crust is a soft pocket in the middle blanketed by by a crisp exterior. Pizzas were served with a nice amount of browning from the oven, including the toppings.

Toppings include most of the old school classics. The shop sells beer and wine. There is a limited amount of dining spaces. Panzera's delivers.

The veggie pizza was covered with mushrooms, green peppers, onions and banana peppers. It's pretty traditional, The diced white onions might not be for everyone.

There are plenty of outstanding pizza options in the Grandview/5th-by-Northwest/Upper Arlington area. Panzera's stands out if you're in the mood for a simple thin crust pie.

Nada

Other cities are furiously hoisting Mod Mex taquerias upon Columbus, and Nada is the latest entry from Cincinnati. The colorful restaurant can be found in the Arena District.

Nada has fewer vegetarian options than competitors like Condado and Bakersfield. It is also expensive related to portion size. While $14 seems like a reasonable entree price, the three tacos are small. They require a side dish and substantial appetizer to make a full meal, pushing bills skyward.

Guacamole was at best unmemorable. At $12 for a large portion, it's better avoided.

Other vegetarian starters include a salsa sampler and Mexican macaroni and cheese. The vegetarian hongos tacos are made with portobello mushrooms, guacamole, black beans, Chihuahua cheese, rice and pico de gallo.

The bar features cool cocktails, some on draft, as well as sangria, an array of Mexican beer and a few carefully selected craft beers. The drinks are reasonably affordable, helping ease the financial hit of $14 micro tacos.

Service seemed disinterested. With so many other options for tacos in central Ohio, it's hard to justify keeping this one on the radar. 

Condado Tacos

Condado is a Modern Mexican taqueria with fusion influences packaged in a nifty casual environment. The endless variations on build-your-own tacos give diners the option of customizing their perfect taco.

There are plenty of vegan and vegetarian options. Taco fillings include portobello mushrooms and Thai chili tofu. Taco shells include soft, hard and soft wrapped around a hard shell with guacamole and queso - obviously the wisest choice.

Overall, the best tip is to remember that less is more when selecting taco fillings. Scores of ingredients might score a messy taco.

The sweet Thai chili tofu is breaded and doused in a sweet-hot red sauce. It's a solid filling with more flexibility than the mushrooms. 

The bar is stocked with craft beers, top-shelf liquors and cocktails. There is an armada of margaritas that go great with everything. 

Service, like the atmosphere, is casual. Decor is heavy on the Day of the Dead. Vegetarian and vegan questions were answered effectively. The cards to order are located on each table, allowing diners to customize meals quickly and easily. 

Black Sheep Burritos and Brews

Tucked right off the Marshall University campus, Black Sheep Burritos and Brews is a cool modern Mexican fusion restaurant. Ohio diners might be familiar with Casa Nueva and Mad Mex, two establishments with similar menus and bars.

There is also a Black Sheep in Charleston, West Virginia. The atmosphere in the Huntington outpost is laid back, and service matches the decor. 

The bar features a number of craft beers, as well as great cocktails. Margaritas are a safe bet. The horchata drink, made with the traditional spiced Mexican rice drink, Rumchata liqueur, cinnamon and cardamom saffron simple syrup, should make cocktail aficionados with a sweet tooth smile. The barrel-smoked Old Forrester Old Fashioned sounds bourbon-snob approved.

The menu is loaded with vegan and vegetarian dishes. Burritos, quesadillas and tacos are filled with international fare with the flavor of the Mediterranean, Thailand or China. There are also gluten free items. Side dishes are all vegetarian with a few vegan choices.

In addition to meatless salads, there are also chips and salsa, guacamole and queso dip. Veggie taco options include portobello mushroom, tempura fried avocado and beet. Burritos include Thai tofu, General Tso's tofu, falafel and hummus, a regular Mission style burrito and a vegan burrito with miso glazed smoked tofu, kimchi and  seasoned rice.

The vegetarian nachos are piled with black beans, queso, pickled jalepeños, pico de gallo and lime Sriracha crema. It's a satisfying combination that sometimes over-saturates some of the chips into a mess.

The Thai burrito is filled with tofu, rice, pickled daikon carrot slaw, smoked cashews, cilantro and peanut hoisin sauce. There are crunchy textures as well as delicate tofu. The burrito is sweet with a hint of spice.

 There is also a popular brunch menu at Black Sheep. There are plenty of sweet and savory choices, as well as a vegan tofu scramble.

G. Michael's Bistro & Bar

Chef David Tetzloff operates the must-try G. Michael's in German Village. They produce low country cuisine rooted in the bounty of fresh local ingredients.

Tacos Hass

Taco Hass is a Mexican gem secretly stashed in a Dublin strip mall. It is a casual spot with a wood-fired grill, and it is delightfully affordable. $10 buys a great meal here.

The bright space is located next to La Favorita Mexican Grocery. Taco Hass has a limited selection of alcoholic beverages a la Chipotle.

The vegetarian taco is the taco verde. Flour tortillas are filled with nopales - roasted prickly pear cactus - potatoes and melted white cheese. The soft cactus almost melts in your mouth, the potatoes add a nice texture and the salsa gives the taco a subtle spiciness. Four tacos is probably a reasonable lunch portion.

The quesadillas also pick up a nice flavor on the grill. They are a great vehicle for the different house-made salsas.

The menu is small, but the flavors are huge at Hass. Vegetarians only have a few options, but jt should be a main lunch destination for anybody withing a reasonable distance of this Sawmill Road delight.

Ethyl & Tank

Ethyl & Tank is the campus project from the folks who own the popular Crest Gastropub. This restaurant has a more casual menu than its Clintonville cousin. The excellent craft beer program is augmented by a full-service coffee counter.

The space is large and it can fill up quickly. There is a small rotating console arcade upstairs with classics like Street Fighter II Championship Edition, Mortal Kombat II, Rampage, NBA Jam and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Cocktails are named after video game characters. The restaurant is loaded with HDTVs.

The menu is loaded with options for vegetarians. and vegans. Many of the sandwiches have gluten free options. All of the sandwiches are better with a side of waffle fries.

Everything isn't a home run. For example, the falafel sandwich needed a greater amount of creamy dip to offset its dryness. But more items work than don't.

The tank nachos are a hot mess in the best way possible. A mountain of tortilla chips is piled with refried beans, queso cheese, Colby Jack, pico de gallo, jalepeños, corn and black bean salsa, sour cream and guacamole. They can definitely be shared.

Entree  options include veggie tacos, grilled cheese, smoked Caprese panini, veggie panini, green chile mac and cheese, and a variety of large salads.

Servers answered all questions about vegetarian and vegan options. The casual nature of the establishment sometimes results in uneven service. 

Cray Eatery & Drinkery

Cray is part of the old Wonder Bread factory. It's an open, casual space that specializes in sliders and infused-liquor cocktails.

The infused liquors aren't the run of the mill raspberry and vanilla flavors, although you might be able to get those too. They are flooded with things like smoked ginger, pumpkin spice, banana nut, garlic, hibiscus, candy corn, Skittles, Werther's and Lemonheads. 

These liquors make up traditional cocktails with an extra kick. Think garlic bloody Mary or smoked ginger vodka Moscow mules. There is also a solid beer and wine selection with about six taps.

The sliders and other pub grub go pretty well with a few drinks. There are three different veggie sliders - quinoa, portabella and tofu. There is a normal and pretzel bun, as well as a bun-less gluten free option.

The tofu can be prepared vegan. It is breaded and fried and topped with cole slaw. It is almost a vegetarian fried chicken slider.

The quinoa patty has a texture more like sloppy Joes. It is swimming in sundried tomato pesto and topped liberally with arugula. 

The portabella is topped with provolone cheese and caramelized onions. It is the classic grilled mushroom preparation, and it works really well on the pretzel bun.

Service can be uneven. Orders came out slowly on one visit, and it was difficult to get dishes served in a traditional appetizer - entree order. Nonetheless, servers and staff were all warm and accommodating As long as the kitchen isn't swamped, it's probably better to order dishes in a tapas fashion. 

Bareburger

Bareburger, the New York-based burger chain, is located in the Short North. The new menu has two veggie burgers on it, and offers options for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diners.

The menu features pre-fabricated burgers, as well as build-your-own options. There are a number of salads and traditional burger accompaniments - various types of fries and onion rings.

The bar has a small but nice collection of beers. The cocktails are fun. But the main attraction, of course, is the burgers.

The two veggie burgers are the black bean burger and the farmer's quinoa burger. The quinoa is soft with a nice vegetable blend. The black bean is a more classic style patty that pairs well with Mexican and Southwestern flavors.

Burgers can be ordered with three different buns and a leafy green wrap. There are nine different cheeses including a vegan cheddar. Burgers can also be topped with different veggies and condiments.

The restaurant decor is a quirky take on utilitarian. Service was adequate. It's an attractive option for takeout.  

S & D Polish Deli

S & D Polish Deli is a treasure nestled in the heart of the Pierogi Pocket in Pittsburgh's Strip District. The grocery/restaurant offers Polish delicacies of all shapes and sizes. If your Polish grandma made it, you can probably find it here. If she didn't make it and it's Polish, you will probably also find it in stock.

I did not get to experience the joy of S & D Polish Deli firsthand. Lucky me that somebody loves me enough to bring them to my door after a recent trip to Pittsburgh.

The pierogi are available in many formulations fresh or frozen. The medium sized dumplings come liberally dressed in butter. The potato and farmer's cheese pierogi were rich and surprisingly light with a hint of sweetness. The potato cheddar cheese ones are closer to the type that most people buy at their grocer's freezer, but elevated. The spinach and mushroom pierogi are earthy, almost meaty, and make an excellent savory main course.

Finger-sized kolaczki, little cookies related on the evolutionary tree to Czech kolaches, are filled with cream cheese, chocolate, or a variety of fruits. The cream cheese and apricot cookies are excellent.

Other Polish grains, baking supplies, condiments, fruit preserves, dried mushrooms and beverages are sold. It covers many if not all of the items in the Eastern European pantry.

Food can be eaten on site, and orders can also be take to go. 

While not everybody has a special someone who will deliver Polish goods to them, the website allows you to order these goods to your door. This could be an addictive bad habit.