East meets West in... Columbus?

Nothing beats having the parentals come into town on business.  This rare event provides the amateur restaurant reviewer/recipe guru the chance to have a night out on the town.  My stepmom Molly was in town recently and we decided to point our gaze East for our cuisine. Our choice? Lemongrass Fusion Bistro.

Located in the uber trendy Short North, Lemongrass boasts a blend of Thai favorites with traditional Western influences.  Curries, sushi, filet medallions; all are on the menu at Lemongrass.  This is not my first visit to this dining spot.  I first dabbled back in late 2004 as a freshman at Ohio State.  Lemongrass holds the distinction of being my first Thai experience and was good enough to give me a little jungle foodie fever.

On this visit Molly and I had a competent served named TC.  He was prompt to bring out waters and offered cocktails, which we ordered promptly.  Their bar menu features a respectable wine list.  Like many Short North venues, I found the cocktail menu to be a bit too female-centric (flirtinis) for my tastes and stuck to a glass of wine.

A wide variety of appetizers were available.  Thai spring rolls, chicken satey, steamed dumplings, and tuna tartar were standouts.  We opted for the dumplings and also went with the waiter’s suggestion of the lemongrass soup.  Anyone ever see the Family Guy episode where Peter is pointing out when the name of a movie is said in the movie (i.e. Clear and Present Danger)?  Well, Peter’s excitement reflects my own at restaurants.  Often times if the name of the restaurant is reflected in the dish, the outcome is sublime,  as was the case with the lemongrass soup.  This hearty vegetable soup packed a delightful punch thanks to some Thai chili oil, as well as some al dente vegetables.  The dumplings were tasty; the best part about them was the soy ginger jus for dipping.  Pricing of the dumplings I found a little silly.  I believe it was $5 for two silver dollar sized dumplings…

Now let’s talk entrees.  Remember, this is a fusion restaurant and the entrees reflect that.  Seafood is by far the protein star on this menu. Two tuna entrees, halibut, salmon, and shrimp are victum to Chef Louis (a la the Little Mermaid. Anyone….. anyone?).   Turf-side filet medallions and chicken are available for landlovers.  I opted for a green curry with coconut milk with chicken and grilled zucchini served over angel hair pasta.  Tastily prepared with a perfect touch of heat, this dish embodied what a nice fusion dish should be.  My step mom got a tuna steak, beautifully seared rare, served with shiitake mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, spinach and other veggies, served with penne pasta. I thought my dish was good, but after trying Molly’s food, WOW was I impressed by the tuna.  I found very little of the dish Thai tasting to me.  One bite and all I felt was Mediterranean! (Not that that’s a bad thing, clearly it isn’t, just unexpected).

Not to cut our little chat short, but I am… how you say… “le tired”.  If you’re in the mood for a great ‘East meets West’ food stop and are in Columbus’s Short North district, hit up Lemongrass, you’ll be glad you did.

PS.  I’ve had their Pad Thai, and it’s divine here too!

 

Lemongrass Fusion Bistro

641 N. High St.

Columbus, OH 43215

Pass by old Pompeii. Head to Piada: Italian Street Food

It’s a daily struggle. It’s lunch time, everyone is hungry and the guys at work and I cannot agree on a place to grab some grub.  On a recent trip to Greek Corner European Cuisine (review to follow) my buddy Eric and I discovered a new digs opening soon:  Piada, Italian Street Food.

This Lane Ave stop isn’t your campus pizzeria.  The décor is modern/urban feeling with clean lines.  Abundant chrome and wood play nicely together to give a feeling of cleanliness mixed with warm ambiance.  For the first of many comparisons to Chipotle, the kitchen is open and you can see the fresh ingredients out for your choosing, as well as see the kitchen staff busily prepping more food.  My one comment about the establishment that I found unusual is regarding the chairs.  They are VERY heavy.  Even my pack of burly research lab colleagues from the  found them difficult to move… so I’m sure less spry individuals would be inconvenienced.

Now let’s talk about the service.  We arrived around 2pm, so after the lunch rush.  The place was slow as local businessmen had already finished their lunches, but non-the-less when we walked up to the service station we were warmly greeted by a middle aged man.  We later found out he was one of the 3 co-owners, and had been a corporate chef for Brio Restaurants. We talked and joked with him for a while, asking for his recommendations (he pointed us to their Diavolo sauce, which as promised hit the spot, stay tuned…)  His friendly manner and obvious excitment about the culmination of his dream were more than enough to make this diner feel welcome and ready to dive into the food.

For those who have never had piada before, I would describe it like the Italian’s version of a crepe- meaning it is a thin simple dough that can be filled with either sweet of savory choices.  The texture, however, is like ultrathin flatbread, chewier and dry.  Piada: Italian Street Food focuses on savory, and wisely so.  Calling this restaurant an Italian Chipotle is rather apt.  You can choose between Piada, Pasta, or Salad (like your burrito or bowl option) then you go down the line and fill/top your creation with your choices.  Point 1: this foodie LOVES the fact that as they prep your Piada dough (oh, that’s another note.  You’re at a place called Piada.  Forget the pasta or the salad… get the dang piada! You’ll be happy you did) they slap it onto a flat iron grill, brush with some EVOO, and SEASON!  Yes ladies and gentlemen,  my new friends over at Piada have  taken a tip from my own cookbook and are seasoning every step as they go!  For those who have enjoyed my Chicken Parmesan, that’s my secret ;)   Anyway, I digress.  I ordered a Piada, with the pasta (think the rice at chipotle) which is a seasoned angel hair, then choose a mix of steak and chicken, some marvelous grilled zucchini, sautéed red peppers.  Next came cheese choices.  They boast the king of cheeses- parmigiano  reggiano, as well as low moisture mozzarella, and feta.  I’ll get picky, but they should sub out the feta for ricotta salata (if you haven’t tried this cousin of traditional ricotta, give it a whirl)  Next comes sauce.  I went with the chef’s choice, the Diavolo.  Don’t let the name fool you, its not THAT spicy.  It has a little kick, so to tone it down I asked for a dab of their creamy parmesan which was a nice contrast. Lastly you pick your fresh veggies; I opted for arugula and olives.  They then wrap your creation up, just like their Mexican counterparts at, where else, Chipotle.  Pricing was around $6-$8.  Special thanks again to the chef/owner who also gave us some free dessert in the form of cannoli chips with sweet crème with chocolate chips. 

Overall, I was very pleased.  This is not Marcella’s, Ciao, or some other fine Italian eatery.  It is what their name suggest, street food, just with a nice Upper Arlington twist.  Flock past the Forum, cruise past Capri, or meander past Milan, as long as your destination is Piada.

1315 WEST LANE AVENUE
Columbus, OH 43221

Meet your Blogger

Welcome to Omnivore's Obsession!  Meet me, your friendly neighborhood foodie.  Above you will see Yours Truely doing a little mise-en-place creating one of my favorite dishes penne alla carbonara up at our cottage in Michigan for my 24th birthday. 

Anyway, food is my passion; cooking, eating, talking about food, good beer and wine, family and friends are what I am all about.  Food to me equals family.  Some of my favorite memories with family and friends are centered around preparing and eating meals.  Food doesn't have to be fancy or pretentious, just as long as the good conversations and wine never run out. 

Please join me, as I review local restaurants I stop into, as well as my review of new recipes I'm testing, plus my just gushing about some of my favorite tried and true, slam dunk aces I keep tucked in my back packet.