We're Going To Give It 101%

The Meat Cut chart at Columbus's The Pearl Restaurant that
started the whole 101% Cow Conundrum

In the big-wide world of sports cliches, the phrase "He/she gave 110 percent" is both overused and rather nonsensical from a mathematical standpoint. I imagine most would feel the same if the cliche used 101% instead.

However, would you look more quizzically at me if I said that it was a cow that was giving you that 101%?

Our encounter with the 101% cow conundrum came, at all places, The Pearl Restaurant. One of several Cameron Mitchell concepts which occupy the southern section of the city’s Short North neighborhood, The Pearl is touted as a seafood-oriented gastropub supplemented with fancy cocktails and a international beer list.

During our meal, my spouse was drawn to a chalkboard drawing of a cow which outlined the traditional primal butcher cuts (round, chuck, sirloin, etc.) and the corresponding percentages. After a long glance, she motioned over my shoulder. “Look behind you...does that all add up to 101%?”

I turned, spotted the cow diagram, and mentally added the numbers. “Yep, that’s 101%. Those are some pretty productive cows,” I chuckled.  Of course, I knew the diagram was wrong, but that brought me to thinking: was there such a thing as a definitive meat cut by percentage chart out there?

Well, I decided to look into that topic and came up with a few surprises.

Punching Up In Weight: Hoppin' Frog Brewery (Akron, OH)

In my mind, the two biggest breweries in Akron paired together sound something like the beginning salvo to the Biblical plagues of Egypt. Perhaps this would be the case if there was a third beer-oriented place in the area (Lupulin Locust Brewing? Hail and Fire Brewpub?) to back up this line of thought, but that's probably not the image the Rubber City would like to put forth for area visitors.

In reality, all you have to fear from these Akron mainstay breweries is to miss out on some pretty delicious beer. After our brief visit to survey the taproom of Thirsty Dog (detailed in this blogpost), we made the trip across the metro to have dinner and brews at Hoppin' Frog, which celebrated its 10th anniversary of operation just this summer.

Comfy in Clintonville: The Crest Gastropub

We admit freely that we were not terribly impressed with our initial breakfast-time visit to The Crest a couple months after its initial opening in 2013. There were a number of factors in play at this time, including the copious hype that came with its initial opening, those who wished the no-frills watering hole this eatery replaced (The Crest Tavern) was still around, the ironing out the kinks in regard to timely service (granted, that wasn't easy considering the initial crush of interested diners) and visibly harried servers, and food that didn't quite seem to live up to the price we paid. We made the decision then to come back after a few months to see if they had found their legs.

As it turned out, our intent of just a few months for our next visit ended up being more like a couple years. That was definitely not the goal, but eventually enough sightings of a less-than-packed front parking lot, the implementation of brunch service (our favorite meal to enjoy together,) as well as the opening of The Crest's well-received second location on Parsons Avenue close to the Nationwide Children's Hospital campus got it through our heads that it was time to give the eatery a second chance.

H-Town Happenings: Beachy Keen and Hibiki Harmony

"Deep in the South of Texas

Not so long ago,

There on a crowded island

In the Gulf of Mexico

It didn't take too much money,

Man, but it sure was nice.

You could dance all night if you felt all right,

Drinking whiskey and throwing dice."

"Balinese" - ZZ Top

A staple of any beach town, pulled taffy is a specialty of La King's Confectionery,
which has been creating sweet treats on Galveston Island since the 1920s

As Columbus-area natives often head south to the Hocking Hills to get away from city life, Houston folks make a similar trek down to the beaches of Galveston Island along the Gulf of Mexico. On a particularly clear and promisingly warm day, we made the similar trek along back roads along Texas Highway 6 to this sandy paradise.

Whether you are weather-attuned or not (we admit to being a couple of weather geeks ourselves), you cannot visit Galveston without the specter of deadly hurricanes in the back of your mind. In 1900, Galveston, then the fourth largest city and the economic powerhouse of the state of Texas, was hit with what is still the deadliest hurricane in U.S. history blew ashore and killed over 6,000 people. Most recently, 2008's Hurricane Ike dealt released its wrath over the area, an mental and economic body blow that the area has only now recovered from. But as noted by this Texas Monthly article on the city, the struggle to best protect "the (most) quintessentially Texan" of cities from here on out is still being debated to this day.

Oh, The Places You'll Eat: The Crafty Pint

The gastropub in general has become a little bit of a mini-trend in the Columbus area the past couple years, paralleling the rejuvenation of this area's micro-brewery scene. Places like 101 Beer Kitchen, The Crest and Bar 145 have been making their mark in this scene, and joining them in this group is the now five-month-old Crafty Pint, which occupies a location that has seen several restaurant iterations over the years (the last of which was Gallo's Pit BBQ.)

As implied by the word "crafty", this eatery uses a lot of whimsy for both practical and decor purposes. For example, old board games provide both those aspects in terms of entertainment (a random assortment of original edition Trivial Pursuit cards is available for guests to quiz each other during waiting periods) while old game boards provide the backing for their drink menus. Mini-lamps present at each table are made from Maker's Mark Whiskey Bottles. Finally, but certainly not lastly, your bill is brought to your table within a Dr. Seuss book. A quick glance inside these books informs the customer any creative commentary and artwork they can contribute on the pages within is encouraged. Personally we like this fun vibe, but I imagine there are a few out there who might find it a bit too cutesy and precious.

Clockwise from Left: Clue Board (the backside of a drink
menu) and regular menu; housemade crab cake; the
Chicken Churasco Sandwich

The "pint" part of their name is certainly lived up to in their beer offerings; a rotating list of 40 tabs featuring a mix of Ohio-based and national breweries is a draw for the beer aficionado, along with a selection of cocktails. The outdoor patio area has been dubbed "The Beer Garden" and flights of their beer are available as well.

The Crafty Pint's food menu is a fairly select one, but it seems intended to try to offer at least one or two items to please every palate. Prices can reach up near $30 (the Boneless Ribeye) per item but most items fall in the $8 - $15 range. Winning dishes that we've sampled include the Crab Cakes ($9; I'm not much of a crab fan, but even I enjoyed these) and the Chicken Churasco Sandwich ($12; unlike many preparations, the chicken was moist and was matched up well with a combo of smoked bacon, onions and gouda on a brioche roll.)

Clockwise from Top: Mimosa French Toast; Outdoor
Beer Garden area; Block O Belgian Waffles

In mid-August, a weekend brunch was added to their repertoire, which added some breakfast items to their normal lunch-time menu. Prices for all items here range from the $8 to $15 range.

The Block "O" Belgian Waffles ($8), with a red velvet doughnut glaze and topped with whipped cream, is probably a glazed doughnut lover's dream, but most likely is too sweet for most. Our waitperson gave a sage piece of advice by saying I could swap out one of the waffles for a side of bacon instead; this sweet and salty pairing made for a better eating experience. On the other hand, the Mimosa French Toast ($9) was a much more well balanced item. The orange bread provided a nice, zesty citrus tang, paired up with the champagne-based whipped cream and a bourbon-based syrup, it earned a definite re-consideration nod the next time we stop by for brunch.

The Crafty Pint
2234 W Dublin Granville Rd. (Google Maps)
Worthington, OH 43085
(614) 468-1675
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