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.

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.

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. 

Grandpa's Cheese Barn

Wild horses couldn't drag me away from a business called Grandpa's Cheesebarn while driving north on I-71. Normal people could make a two hour drive to Cleveland without cheese curds. I can't. So I stopped at Grandpa's Cheesebarn off Route 250 in Ashland.

This family-run business has been open since 1978, with the original owner's family history in the Ohio dairy industry stretching back to the early 1900s. The shop is stacked to the ceiling with cheese from Ohio, house-label mustards, jams, jellies and breads. Most everything is available to sample.

There is a small lunch counter inside the Cheesebarn that makes sandwiches, soups, salads and milkshakes. Your sweet tooth can also be satisfied next door at Sweeties Jumbo Chocolates, which makes fudge, candies, nuts and other sweets.

The cheese is Ohio-produced, and much of it takes on classic styles - cheddar, gouda and Swiss (more properly, Emmental). Cheeses are dusted and studded with herbs and spices of all varieties.

Curds likewise come in an array of flavors. The grilling cheese, a domestic approximation of halloumi, was excellent.

Grandpa's Cheesebarn is adorable. It's worth a stop whether you're buying cheese to take home or simply satisfying a craving on a two-hour road trip.

Cambridge Tea House

*Cambridge Tea House is an adorable spot to grab a spot of tea in Marble Cliff, alongside all the accompaniments that go well with the classic beverage of China/India/the U.K. The menu is replete with teas of all types, as well as soups, salads, sandwiches and baked goods.

As one would expect at a tea house, the age demographic skews on the old side. Service was relaxed and a little uneven due to a busy lunch crowd.

The decor is tastefully restrained. The colors, table cloths and curtains call back to yesterday. The exposed brick adds a nice touch to the interior.

The tomato bisque lived under a thin layer of Parmesan shavings. The flavor was bright with layers of basil and time showing through.

The veggie sandwich was served on a thinly sliced, eggy white bread. The bread was spread with lemon hummus, and then stacked with sliced carrots, cucumbers, sprouts, cucumbers and avocados. The variety of textures work well together, and fresh vegetables marry well with the citrus in the hummus.

The scones come in many flavors, and they look like the perfect accompaniment to a pot of tea. 

The Carvery

The Carvery is an Italian sandwich stop in Downtown Columbus that is a cut above the rest of the competition. A meal can be eaten quickly here, but the slow-food roots show in everything that comes out of the open kitchen.

There is one regular vegetarian sandwich on the menu, as well as a few meatless side dishes. Additional vegetarian sandwich make irregular appearances as specials.

The vegetarian sandwich, served on ciabatta, changes along with the seasonal produce. A recent visit saw the sandwich piled with beets, onions, mushrooms and goat cheese.

The pesto pasta salad was a nice side. Fresh basil and garlic take turns in the driver's seat, anchored by al dente bow tie pasta.

Counter staff capably answered all questions about dietary restrictions. Service is quick, and it can be even faster with call-ahead ordering.

In addition to fabulous bread, The Carvery also produces other delicious baked goods, many for dessert. Methods of satisfying your sweet tooth include giant chocolate chip cookies, butterscotch-chocolate brownies, chocolate chip cookie pie and shortbread cookies.

Tatoheads Public House

Tatohead's Public House in Merion Village is the brick-and-mortar incarnation of the Tatohead's food truck. The menu is expanded but it still centers around potatoes and things mostly built on spuds.

The restaurant is located in the space that formerly housed Hal & Al's, a popular South Side vegan dive bar. A great deal of discussion was generated about how much of the new Tatohead's kitchen would continue to produce vegan items. While the menu is no longer exclusively vegan, there are vegan and vegetarian choices on the menu, and the staff accommodates most dietary restrictions.

The bar still focuses on craft beer. There are a few less beer taps than before, and a limited selection of bottles. Buckeye State breweries are well represented.

Some items have transitioned from Hal & Al's to the Tatohead's Public House menu. The vegan sauerkraut balls were on both menus, and the fried guacamole calls back to the fried avocados from the Hal's menu.

The standout appetizer, however, were the fried cheese curds. Made with lightly breaded Laurel Valley Creamery cheese curds served with horseradish ranch, these can be eaten like popcorn - very fatty popcorn. Eat a few order and get your daily allowance of cholesterol in one sitting.

The food truck choices of fries or tots in your choice of seasoning and sauce is available in a modified form in the restaurant. In addition, Sophie's pierogi can be piled with a variety of toppings. Vegetarian options include Mediterranean, with hummus, tzatziki, Sriracha, cilantro and tomato, and chili cheese, which can be made vegan with Daiya cheese.

There is also a veggie and vegan burger, served with fries. It can be customized with brioche or pretzel buns and choice of cheese, including vegan cheese.

The menu seems to undergo small changes at an irregular basis. It is still a work in progress.

The interior transition has been slow and steady. Fast food booths were tight and uncomfortable, with the bar high-tops and seats being far more agreeable. There are still a few couches. The latest decor updates included rock music themes with a potato references.

Prices are reasonable. There is real money saving potential that could be amplified by  happy hour drinks.

Brazenhead

Brazenhead is an Irish pub with an American menu of comfort food classics. Burgers, sandwiches, fried appetizers, soups and salads are paired with large-production craft beers and a few local taps.

The atmosphere is typical of an Irish American establishment. The bar is busy at happy hour. Bands play inside the bar area as well as on the patio some evenings.

There are multiple choices for vegetarian starters. Options include warm soft pretzel sticks, hummus, Greek fries, house-made potato chips and chili glazed cheese balls. The onion rings and pickles are breaded with Guinness, which contains isinglass, a fish gelatin. This is your vegetarian warning.

The pretzels are an addictive snack that can be eaten by the sackful. Though sometimes a little greasy, the piping hot starter tastes better with mustard and best with beer cheese dip.

The chips, which come standard with entrees as well as alone as an appetizer, are golden brown and delicate yet crispy. The subtle garlic dip adds creaminess and layers of flavor.

The vegan burger is a deconstructed take on the traditional veggie patty, made from eggplant, mushrooms, grains and onions. It is served on a brioche bun, topped with lettuce, tomato, sprouts, sliced avocado, balsamic vinegar and mustard.

The grilled cheese is slathered in Cabot cheddar pimento cheese and walnut pesto, with sprouts and pears making up the difference. The sandwich is served on nine grain bread.

India Oak

India Oak Grill is hidden on Oakland Park Avenue. The unassuming neighborhood pub makes delicious grilled submarine sandwiches declared, "The best in Clintonville."

For more than 40 years, India Oak has been located in the neighborhood in some form. It was originally called Hollies and found in the Huntington Bank spot on Indianola, Its current building used to be a car wash, and the take-out window is a relic from those days - it is not a drive-through.

The subs are made on toasted Auddino's sesame seed buns. They have a cheese sub and a veggie burger in addition to starters like the hummus platter.

The Cheesy Veggie Sub is topped with lettuce, tomato, onions, banana peppers, melted provolone and American cheese. The simple ingredients are simply perfect. It's a steal at $6.25.

The bar has a small selection of beer and liquor with some pretty reasonable happy hour rates. During happy hour, a beer and a sandwich cost about $10 or so, tip included. 

Expatriate

Tucked in an unmarked space across the street from Beast, Expatriate is a speakeasy small plates spot in Northeast Portland. Cocktails that riff on the classics are mixed skillfully by Kyle Linden Webster, and they pair with small plates by Mrs. Linden Webster, a.k.a. Naomi Pomeroy of Top Chef Masters/James Beard Award fame. 

The space is dark with a stylish minimalist vibe. The mood can vary based upon the flavor of vinyl that the proprietor spins from his vault.

Every drink has a story. The old school drinks explain their origin, noting the inspiration. The Infante, named after Mexican idol Pedro Infante, mixes Pueblo Viejo tequila blanca, fresh lime juice, fresh orgeat and local honey. It is dusted with fresh grated nutmeg, and the spectacular ice cools the drink beautifully.

The Royal Hawaiian contrasts a spicy gin base accented with bitters and citrus juices. It is named for a hotel opened in the 1920s influenced by the work of Rudolph Valentino.

The food is every bit as interesting as the drinks. While there are only a few vegetarian options on the menu, everything was perfect paired with the cocktails. 

I will crave the James Beard tea sandwich until my dying day. Crustless white egg bread is layered with cold butter, parsley, thinly sliced white onions and crunchy grey sea salt. Imagine the most delicious cucumber sandwich and elevate it. 

The hot and sour Indian curry fries are liberally dusted in a makeshift garam masala, and served with cilantro raita, curry ketchup and sumac ranch. The hints of sweetness temper the spiciness, and the creamy condiments add another layer of richness to the gourmet bar snack.

Epatriate has popped up on the radar in many important places, including being nominated as one of Bon Appetit's 50 Best New Restaurants of 2014. It is a fun experience, less serious than Beast across the street. Neither Beast nor Expatriate should be missed, though Expatriate's menu seems more vegetarian friendly. 

AJ's Cafe

AJ's Cafe is a fast-casual spot Downtown that offers soup, salads and sandwiches. It is located in the spot that formerly held C-Town Market and Deli.

The owner, Ajay Kumar, owned the Taj Mahal on campus. It was sold to relatives and reopened as Mughal Darbar. While Kumar didn't bring the menu with him from his old restaurant, he definitely brought the Indian flavor profile to a number of the dishes at AJ's.

There are many vegetarian and vegan dishes on the menu. The restaurant is open Monday through Friday for breakfast and lunch, and Saturday for lunch.

Soups include an outstanding vegan lentil and spinach, as well as broccoli cheese. There is a vegetarian green salad and a vegan lentil salad. There are a variety of baked goods in the morning as well as a vegan breakfast wrap.

The spiced chickpea wrap hints at dal makhani, and the tamarind chutney adds another layer of sweet Indian flavor. It makes a filling lunch with a side dish.

Prices at AJ's are reasonable, and service is quick. It is another strong option for the Downtown dining landscape.

Red Brick Tap and Grill

The Red Brick Tap and Grill was thoroughly transformed by the owner of Easy Street Cafe. Walls once decorated with ghastly baseball caricatures now have been replaced by neon lights and a fun comic book montage. The cheap but limited bar has now been replaced by one with a wider selection of taps.

The bar changed through the years. The kitchen once sold DiGiornio Frozen Pizzas, advertising it as if the brand name were a badge of honor five years ago. The new menu is a big step up from those roots. 

The atmosphere also makes Red Brick more welcoming than it used to be. There are still plenty of dive bars in Merion Village if the place seems too refined for your tastes.

There is a decent amount of vegetarian items on the menu, which is classic pub grub including sandwiches, pizza, calzones and bar staples including soft pretzels that can be dipped in a rich beer cheese soup. There is a nice variety to the offerings.

The veggie burger is a grilled mushroom cap that has the perfect texture to deliver layers of smoky flavor. It is topped with spinach, artichoke, onions and mild white cheese.

The pizza, while certainly not good enough to knock Harvest off of its best pizza in the city pedestal, is certainly another excellent option for the neighborhood. The crust is a medium thick hand tossed pie available in small (12 inch) and large (16 inch) sizes as well as by the slice.

The veggie pizza is the Lisa Simpson. Topped with sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, mozzarella, smoked tofu, red onions, peppers, tomatoes and black olives, the pizza has great balance. The tofu acts like a vegetarian sausage, adding a nice savory punch to the sweetness of the vegetables.

Service for the most part was excellent. Vegetarian questions were answered quickly and effectively. The floor was extremely short staffed on a recent weekend, creating a delay in seating and meal service that was inconvenient. However, this was not the case with later visits. The staff performed well even with the deck stacked against it for one evening. 

The bar can fill Red Brick growlers for home consumption. The televisions surrounding the dining room make the place a good spot to watch sports.

Melt Bar & Grilled - Cleveland Heights

I possess a minor aversion to waiting to eat. I am a sucker for instant gratification in matters of dining. I also really want to go to Melt in the Short North. In order to save myself a wait, I instead visited Melt in Cleveland Heights.*

Melt is a bar that serves grilled cheese sandwiches. These sandwiches entered the zeitgeist through Man vs. Food when host Adam Richman powered his way through the Melt Challenge, a culinary feat of strength involving five pounds of grilled cheese sandwich, cole slaw and fries.

But the place is more than just a big sandwich. The bar offered up a nice selection of Ohio craft beers. The menu has a good selection of vegetarian and vegan fare at resonable prices. 

The decor is fun, especially the mural of Ohio celebrities. Despite the "bar" part of the name, the restaurant is rather kid-friendly.

Vegetarian starters include salads, soup, pierogies, mozzarella wedges, tofu wings, spinach artichoke dip and garbage-sink cheese fries. The pierogies were adequate, but displayed more in common with stateside versions of the dumplings than authentic Polish ones.

The Godfather is essentially a fat slab of lasagna between two slices of bread. It had sweet tomato and  basil flavor delivered by rich, creamy ricotta and mozzarella cheese.

If a pasta sandwich isn't your cup of tea, there are plenty of other choices on the menu, including sandwiches made with vegan cheese. 

Melt isn't a must-do for foodies, but it is a fun place with good potential for repeat visits. I'll have to make a trip closer to home in the next month when the weekend wait gets a little shorter.

* - This is exaggerated for humorous effect.

Houlihan's

Houlihan's in Upper Arlington is a relaunched version of the old TGI Friday's-esque chain. They replaced the old menu's cookie-cutter Americana with fresh food that more than makes the grade for the gourmet set.

The menu offers a fair amount of choices for vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diners. The menu has symbols that represent vegetarian and gluten-free items, while many items can be prepared vegan upon request.

There are a few vegetarian apps, salads, soup, veggie sliders, flatbreads and sandwiches. All of the side dishes are vegetarian but the baked potato.

Veggie sliders can be ordered individually or in a three pack. It is a soft black bean and chickpea patty topped with aged cheddar and ranch-dressed greens. It's a great happy hour snack.

The bar offers an array of flights from craft beer to wines and even sugary martinis. The decor is cool, and the restaurant is kid-friendly.

Hills Market Downtown

The Hills Market Downtown is a little bit smaller than the original location outside 270. It brings the same focus on fresh, local produce to the heart of Columbus, with an excellent hot bar and deli fare to eat in the store or to-go.

There is a salad bar, a warm bar and a deli at The Hills Market that prepares pizza and sandwiches. The deli sign says that they will heat anything you buy at the Market.

Regular specials are on an ever-changing rotation at the Hills Market. They are a good follow on social media to help keep up with the latest thing they have had delivered.

The dining area is small but makes great use of the space. It should be bustling with Columbus State and CCAD students as well as Downtown workers.

Mai Chau

Mai Chau is a Vietnamese food truck. It has a fairly limited menu, but luckily for vegetarians and vegans, it offers a vegan pate bahn mi sandwich on a regular basis that makes it a destination worth tracking down.

The pate is vegan mushroom walnut. It is a meatless equivalent of cha lua, the classic Vietnamese pate, though it has a deeper savory essence that mimics truffles.

The bahn mi is served on a perfectly soft French bread that is hollowed out and filled with pate, cilantro, daikon, carrots and hot sauce. It is a substantial sandwich.

The staff is receptive to vegan and vegetarian requests. Mai Chau can be tracked via Twitter, Facebook or related food-truck social media. 

Burger Bar

Las Vegas is full of burger joints operated by celebrity chefs. If you have seen them on TV, you can probably find a burger carrying their name somewhere in the city. Burger Bar is run by Hubert Keller, whose name is well known from Fleur de Lys in San Francisco and Las Vegas, as well as from his TV appearances on his show Secrets of a Chef on PBS and Bravo's uber-popular Top Chef: Masters. 

Chef Keller's culinary style puts great emphasis on vegetarian and vegan dining concerns, putting his veggie burger at the front of Vegas celebrity chef line. Fleur de Lys was one of the first fine dining restaurants to offer a vegetarian menu, and its legacy shines in the veggie burger.

Burger Bar is a casual restaurant. The pub atmosphere is supported by a great list of draft beer. The cocktails are also solid.

Fried food is the most natural pairing with burgers (veggie or otherwise). Burger Bar offers a delicious array of fried sides, from fat fries to skinny fries, as well as sweet potato fries, buttermilk zucchini fries, onion rings, fried pepper jack balls, cheese sticks and mac & cheese croquettes. The fries were very good, but the onion rings, pepper jack balls and zucchini fries were outstanding. 

The veggie burger at Burger Bar is made with caramelized onions, button mushrooms, lentils, green peas, brown and white rice, pumpkin puree, potato, bread crumbs and mozzarella cheese. The pumpkin gives the patty a rich, deep essence that plays well with spicy ingredients. The wide array of available toppings and buns allows for virtually endless customization. 

The vegan sandwich is roasted eggplant with Roma tomatoes, zucchini and peppers sandwiched between two portobello caps. It is served with a side of skinny fries.

Desserts run the gamut from beer shakes and boozy milkshakes to non-alcoholic sundaes, and cakey dessert burgers. It's tough to save room for dessert with a veggie burger and piles of sides, so plan accordingly.

Mikey's Late Night Slice - Commons Cafe

Mikey's Late Night Slice is easily Columbus' most colorful pizza chain. Consisting of operations based in ramshackle buildings, food carts and bar kitchens, the pizza shops headed by a team including the namesake Mikey Sorboro feature a variety of New York style pizza slices prepared in such a way to blot out the damage of excessive drinking. Mikey's received national attention after a high profile event where service was refused to a gay bashing customer. It's more fun than fussy.

Each location has slightly different options based on its configuration. The latest spot in the Columbus Commons offers breakfast and sandwiches starting at early morning hours, a nice wrinkle for Downtown workers. The Commons Cafe also has 7-inch vegan pizzas with two toppings for $6.

The main attraction, though, is the pizza by the slice. I'm a fan of the Cheezus Crust, a grilled cheese sandwich made from two slices of pizza of your choice encasing slices of American cheese. There are a variety of sauces available as dips for the pizza, including the slut sauce (which is called Unmentionable Sauce in the PG environment of the Commons).

Pizza by the slice includes cheese with fresh basil and mushroom with roasted garlic. Slices are $3 each, and whole pizza specials run between $12 and $18.

There are three different meatless sandwiches for lunch. The veggie delight is made on a soft, toasted hoagie bun that is piled with tomatoes, mushrooms, banana peppers and provolone cheese. The adult grilled cheese two cheeses pressed Cuban style. 

Side dishes include tater tots, fried mac and cheese balls and fried ravioli. 

The Commons Cafe has been open for a short time. They were working through some patches of slow service during a few busier times when Mikey's first opened Downtown. Service speed has picked up, although it seems that the expanded menu doesn't hum along with quite the same precision as the PizzAssault Truck and the location next to Bodega. If it finally does start firing on all cylinders, it will be another great lunch option for vegetarian and vegan pizza-files.

101 Beer Kitchen

101 Beer Kitchen is one of the latest concepts launched carrying the gastropub banner. The focus is on craft beer and comfort food made from local ingredients. 

The cavernous space hidden in a modern Dublin strip mall used to be a Hoggy's. The space is open and well appointed.

Diners can take a growler home of one of the 20 drafts. The brews are tasty, but might benefit from adding one or two more local handles. There is also an army of bottles. The sample prices encourage trying a variety of brews.

The menu has vegetarian starters, salads, sandwiches and entrees. The pizzas looked excellent. Most of the appetizers are a pretty natural pair with a cold brew. Pretzels and fried cheese, obviously, greatly augment the hedonistic properties of fermented beverages.

The fried cheese curds were lightly breaded with a hint of cornmeal. They were addictive. The soft pretzels, served with a beer cheese dip, had a pronounced caraway note. While they were well made, they pale in comparison to the pretzels from Matt the Miller's, which has two locations close to 101 Beer Kitchen.

The vegan burger patty was made with black beans, sweet potato and onions, topped with a vegan jalepeño cream, spinach and tomato and served on a whole grain bun.The beet chips were light and added a sweet, crispy contrast to the burger. 

The salted caramel pot de creme is a perfectly balanced yin and yang of sweet and salty. The salt crystals also added a delightful crunch to the dish.

Happy hour specials combined with appetizers make 101 Beer Kitchen an attractive draw. Service was even paced and friendly. The growler filled with water at each table is a cool way to keep water glasses full while reminding you of beer.