Ice Cream Chronicles (Vol. 12): Sock Hops and Frostops

Sock Hop Soda Shop makes for a colorful presence at The Pearl Market
as well as pretty much any other venue.

Opening day at the downtown Pearl Market saw its share of pomp and circumstance, along with familiar faces and a cache of new vendors. This market has become one of my favorite places of escape from the office environment into the outdoor landscape of downtown Columbus. One of the most colorful new arrivals to the market hearkens back to a bygone era, where the ice cream soda shop was the king of the hangout joints, with a modern day twist.

Now in its second year of operation, Sock Hop Soda Shop is the brainchild of Terri Levine, who I had the pleasure of chatting with during a not-quite-so-optimal day for frozen treat consumption. Essentially, this venture into a realm of fifties nostalgia came from the meeting of two different family-based desires, according to Terri. Her grandfather Eddie had always wanted to own an ice cream parlor, while Terri herself had wanted to bring a fifties-styled diner to the city limits of Columbus. The merging of these two desires led to her establishment her business, whose main focus is catering events both small and large.

While Sock Hop offers both retro fun (hula hoop competitions are a standard occurrence at their events) along with simple diner-styled hot items (grilled cheese, hot dogs and bologna sandwiches, for example) and familiar ice cream treats, the queen of their offerings is truly the ice cream float. Here, Terri combines two longtime Central Ohio companies for her floats. Originating in Springfield, Ohio in 1926, Frostop Root Beer once had stands in all 48 states until generational trends caused it to fade away mostly into obscurity. Sock Hop Soda Shop is one of the integral parts of the brand's revival by acting as its catering arm, providing exposure for the soda's current flavors (along with root beer, Frostop produces retro-styled flavors such as sarsaparilla, orange and cream, and red birch.)

Along with hot food items and familiar frozen confections, Sock Hop
Soda Shop combines two long-time based Central Ohio vendors
(Frostop Soda and Velvet Ice Cream) for its ice cream floats

The other half of that float belongs to Utica's venerable Velvet Ice Cream; the Dager family's product, which last year reached its landmark 100th anniversary, is used exclusively by Terri and her crew. In a nice bit of fortune for her company, Terri's Sock Hop Soda Shop trucks have been designated official Velvet Ice Cream rental trucks for your events of choice.

Now I have a confession - I have a very touchy relationship with root beer and similar-styled products. Traditionally, root beer is something I do not enjoy and my first bout with traditional sarsaparilla (encountered at the formerly-held Forage SF's Underground Market) was a rather unpleasant one. However, had something of a reconsideration when I found myself enjoying Rambling House Soda's version of sarsaparilla, and I figured I can't not try the signature product of a business. Thus, with hula-hoopers practicing their sway in anticipation next to us, I went for the root beer float.

This may be the only time I have a root beer float for lunch, but I found myself highly enjoying it as I listened to Terri continue with her story, from her ties to California to recent events they've catered and discussion about her grandfather. In fact, Sock Hop's newest vehicle, which can be seen at the Pearl Market, is nicknamed in tribute to him. Another fun little secret about the vehicle lies in the phrase "Service With A Twist" on the side: besides the nod to retro fads like hula hoops and the dance of the same name, the vehicle actually was a SWAT police vehicle in its previous life that was both lightly used and a perfect fit for her business.

Terri's expressed fortune in finding that vehicle was perhaps the most memorable part of my conversation with her and representative of where she stood in life at the moment: this was someone who was working hard, but feeling fortunate to be not only doing but also enjoying what she was doing. And it involves ice cream to boot - kinda' hard to beat that, right?

Terri's got a tasty ice cream float ready for you

Sock Hop Soda Shop
At the Downtown Pearl Market
(Tues & Fri 11 AM - 2 PM)
and other privately catered and public events
(614) 975-0081
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Sandwiches Around The Statehouse: Milo's Capital Cafe

With my recent post on our visit to Ohio's Statehouse, it only seemed appropriate to add another post to this mini-series of blogposts. However, this is a case where the more appropriate preposition is probably an "in" rather than "around."

Entrance to the Capitol Cafe at the Ohio Statehouse

Milo's Capital Cafe is probably one of the more unusual settings in the downtown area where you could chow your lunch down.  The original Franklinton-based Milo's was built to handle the overflow from nearby Tommy's Diner, with both businesses established by the Pappas Family in the late 1990s. Early in 2014, the original Milo's space was converted to handle all catering operations; meanwhile, restaurant operations focused not only on their Capitol Square space but also on their two recently opened spaces on the north side of town along the I-270 beltway on either side of I-71.

The dining space intermixed with views of the menu shot and coffee dispensers

Nestled on the lower level of the Statehouse, diners who eat in are surrounded by the substantial walls of limestone quarried back in the mid-1800s to provide the building's foundation. Some may feel a little claustrophobic with the tight ordering area and the formidable walls that surround them; however, the sense of being surrounded by history as well as modern touches such as TV sets and wi-fi access makes this atmosphere a uniquely winning one.

Cajun Chicken and Pork Belly Asian Wraps

The food menu for Milo's Capital Cafe consists of diner-styled breakfast and lunch items; with most of the regular lunch items are very reasonably priced, falling in the $6 to $7.50 range. Daily specials are also available at a slightly higher price range as well. Dessert lovers also have reason to stop by, as local favorite Jeni's Ice Cream is available for purchase for cafe-goers. 

Perhaps my expectations were somewhat lower than they should have been, but I've been really happy with my lunches here. The Cajun Chicken Wrap ($6.25) had a good savory flavor profile with a tender piece of chicken. On another occasion, I was slightly worried that my Pork Belly Asian Wrap ($7.95) might be too sweet, but it turned out to be well-balanced, with a nice salty-sweet mix and good balance of rice, pork belly and and crispy slaw.

Milo's has a few things that work against it. Not only is it located in a somewhat difficult to reach location, but it is also nearly impossible to figure out it exists on a casual walk-by of the Statehouse. In addition, its operating hours are definitely geared to the the downtown/Statehouse working crowd (7 AM to 3 PM Mondays thru Fridays.) Despite all this, Milo's is definitely worth a visit or two by anyone working in or visiting the Downtown area; this consideration level jumps up a few notches if your business takes you to the Statehouse itself.

2017 Update: Milo's Capitol Cafe has rebranded itself as the farm-to-table concept Graze Columbus, and its catering services have been consolidated into one location on West Broad Street.  The social links below have been updated to link to the current eatery and catering operation.

Milo's Capitol Cafe
1 Capitol Square (Downtown - Google Maps)
(Lower level of Statehouse nearby the Map Room/Gift Shop/Museum)
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 728-9231
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Catering Services:
980 West Broad St
Columbus, OH 43222
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