Pick of the Liter: Combustion Brewing

One of the blaring headlines in the craft beer world to hit early in 2017 was one that might worry aficionados at first glance. Growth in what seemed to be at times an unstoppable juggernaut of a business model in the 2010s slowed dramatically in 2016: Brewers Association statistics noted that the segment grew only 6% in volume (compared to 12-15% in prior years) and ticked up only a notch (0.1%) in total market share.

What is somewhat hidden in the statistics is that the smaller segment of younger brewpubs and breweries that open up in under-served communities continues to boom. Typically, these establishments are much more tuned in to their surrounding community and, when done correctly, are transformed almost instantaneously into local hangouts. This niche is one that the newly opened Combustion Brewery and Taproom definitively falls into.

Nothing Like Opening Day! (A Farmers Market Pictorial)

For me, the opening of Farmers Market season in Ohio brings me as well as many others a measure of joy. As much as the winter season may try to fight back (as it did during the opening day of the Clintonville Farmers Market this year), the opening of these markets for me means the warmer, sun-laden months will soon be winning out.

While the Worthington Farmers Market is my favorite area market, I enjoy visiting all the markets around the region whenever I can. I was very happy to recently drop by the opening days of two of the area's markets.

First off, an old standby in Downtown Columbus' Pearl Alley Farmers Market:

Short and Sweet: Red Velvet Cafe and The Early Bird

Here's a couplet of quick summaries detailing one soon-to-be-opened eatery and a food truck returning to the fold:

Red Velvet Cafe: At last year's Asian Festival, I learned about a food eatery of some sort in Pickerington which was the first one in the area opened up by Filipino-American owners. Pickerington in not a place I ever had much chance to frequent, so that bit of information went unexplored until now, as their second location is set to open up in Downtown Columbus.

Currently in soft opening phase, Red Velvet Cafe is located in a part of South 4th Street that has developed into a flourishing destination spot with current tenants 16-Bit Bar Arcade, Dirty Frank's and Little Palace; popular pizza maker Mikey's Late Night Slice is set to join the fray later this spring. This particular branch is owned and operated by Krizzia Yanga, daughter of owners Reuel and Lida Cruz of Red Velvet's Pickerington location.

From top left: Red Velvet's ube (purple yam) cupcake, their menu of
mostly Filipino-influenced sandwiches, artwork along their interior
brick walls, and the store's owners grabbing my sweet treat

Red Velvet has earned a reputation for its tasty cupcakes, with familiar gourmet flavors like salted caramel, black forest and maple bacon. However, on this visit I was hoping for, and yes, they came through with an ube (purple yam) cupcake. This distinctly Filipino creation was enjoyed very much by my spouse and I later that day.

Their panini sandwiches are quite intriguing to me, hearkening back to my younger days with their protein options like chicken adobo (chicken stewed in vinegar and soy sauce), lechon paksiw (roasted pig stewed in vinegar) and bistek (typically sliced beef cooked in soy sauce and lemon juice with carmelized onions.) While I did not have one on this quick visit in, this will be on the definite to-try list on future visits.

The brick-walled interior is nicely attired with artwork and other decor that should prove to be an inviting place to kick back and hang out inside with one of their multitude of coffee drink options. Indeed, the cafe has the capacity with all the right equipment and a solid coffee source (locally-based Impero Coffee) to brew some solid drinks.  With the "hot" weather (compared to February's weather, 60 degrees is a virtual heatwave right now) I ordered up a very nicely done Vietnamese Iced Coffee, made up in a traditional stainless steel filter. Bubble tea, a very familiar sight back in California, is also available here for downtown-area patrons.

Red Velvet Cafe's official grand opening is set for this Saturday, March 14th at 11 AM.

Red Velvet Cafe
246 S. 4th Street (Downtown)
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 636-3967
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The Early Bird has risen again with the promised warmer weather

The Early Bird: Ohio's winters are tough on mobile food businesses, and unfortunately it proved to rather tough for owner Libby Glover's rig and equipment. Temperatures below twenty degrees would force a closure of the food trailer for the day, and Glover herself took a winter break the last week of January. This turned out to be a timely move in hindsight considering that the Central Ohio region was hit with one of the colder months of February in recent memory.

However, good news is here for all you beignet lovers: Glover recently announced on her Facebook page that the Early Bird will be up and running again starting Monday, March 16th, promising some spring-inspired flavors to join some old beignet favorites to order with quality coffee (the Early Bird uses coffee beans from One Line Coffee.)

The Early Bird can be found parked in front of the Indianola Church of Christ, located on Indianola Avenue just north of Lane Avenue.

My initial Early Bird post can be found here.

The Early Bird
2141 Indianola Ave (North Campus)
Columbus, OH 43201
(614) 715-0906
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Tried and True: Columbus Running Company

CRC's Short North Location

Running is one of those topics where there seems to be very little middle ground. Those who have found running to be their cup of tea are pretty staunch advocates of its various benefits. Those who don't care for it generally can't comprehend what makes this activity pleasurable in the least.

I fell into running as part of what was my final serious (and thankfully successful) attempt to gain control of my slowly but surely ballooning weight issue. Running wasn't even my first choice in cardio-based exercise, but eventually I found running not only beneficial in cutting my weight (through running and diet, I figuratively became half the man I used to be weight-wise) but also a release for the day's tension. On my runs, things that were worrisome faded away and my brain was allowed to roam carefree from one thought to another. As a bonus, running provided the catalyst that allowed me to meet Mrs. 614orty-Niner - she followed a similar path in terms of using running to help her arrive at a more healthy weight, and our involvement with a running forum allowed us to meet for the first time at the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati seven years ago.

Coming from an area of the country with a fairly prominent running culture, I was pleasantly surprised to see how strong the scene is here. I found quite a few cars with those ubiquitous mileage stickers (the 13.1 half-marathon distance seems to be popular) on their back windows, and it's not too hard to find a running event around the metro area on any given weekend. Even during the bone-chilling winter days (weather that would send most Californians to their treadmills indoors,) I still always seem to spot a couple or three runners plowing along the roads during my everyday travels.

All the accessories a runner could ever need

Overall, runners are very encouraging and supportive of other runners, whether it be someone who is trying to run in their first 5-kilometer race, or accomplish  one of the crown jewel achievements a recreational runner can ever hope to obtain such as qualify for the Boston Marathon. While there are many fine groups and organizations around the Columbus metro that support and foster area runners, I wanted to highlight one that both my spouse and I have grown well-acquainted with over the years..

The Columbus Running Company (CRC) got its start in 2004 in Dublin, and has expanded over the years with locations in Pickerington, Westerville and their newest location in the Short North this year. The company has made it a priority to engage and support endeavors in their local communities via their running activities, whether it be through charity events, support of local high school track and field programs, and the hosting of and/or assistance with local race events.

In terms of the running customer, purchasing running apparel and related gear from their stores allows one to earn loyalty program points, which translate to cash discounts on future purchases. In addition, they have a running club, host regularly scheduled run groups for different levels of runners from their various locations, and offer training programs catered to your abilities and goals (my spouse consistently used their programs to successfully train for her half-marathons.)

My results for the "Run a Mile in Our Shoes" test run

Finally, special other events and clinics catered to the running public are offered throughout the year; two recent instances I found truly helpful was the "Run A Mile in Our Shoes" program, where you got to test run a variety of shoes from numerous manufacturers, and a free run clinic that offered film analysis of your stride and a good overall perspective on what runners should be looking at to make their running experience a better one.

Most importantly, my spouse and I have always found CRC to be a very inviting and friendly place, which in many ways is a reflection of the company's owners Eric, Matt and Jim. They are all very down-to-earth people who are easy to chat with about all manner of topics. Moreover, they are truly interested in making all people who come visit their stores, from the rank beginner to the experienced veteran, feel welcome. This welcoming attitude is also reflected with the store staff people we have encountered, and in our minds has provided the main impetus that has allowed Columbus Running Company to celebrate its milestone tenth anniversary this year. It seems to be a safe bet that CRC will be reaching and bypassing many more such milestones as time passes by.

Columbus Running Company
6465 Perimeter Dr (Google Maps)
Dublin, OH 43016
(614) 764-0855

1250 Hill Road N. (Google Maps)
Pickerington, OH 43147
(614) 863-4073

50 N. State Street (Google Maps)
Westerville, OH 43081
(614) 523-2377

765 N. High Street, Suite B (Short North - Google Maps)
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 947-7717
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