Califrozencation

A couple of months after my move to Ohio, I was asked how I was dealing with the Buckeye State's winter. At that time, the winter had been something of a mild one, with little in the way of either snow or single-digit temperatures (naturally, those events occurred on the days when I was unloading my stuff from my shipment pod AND the day we moved our belongings into a bigger place.)

A friend of my wife told me then: "Oh, noooo, this doesn't count. You really haven't experienced an Ohio winter yet."

Well, two solidly cold winters (well, one solidly cold one plus a solidly cold February) have arrived since that fateful statement, and I believe they have had quite a profound effect on the logical portion of my brain. I find myself saying some rather weird things nowadays. To wit:

"Walking the snowy sidewalk with regular work shoes? Yes! I love me a challenge!"

"Big snowflakes! Yeah, none of that pixie dust! 

C'mon, Mother Nature...do your worst!"

"Thank goodness it's only single-digit negative wind chills this morning."

"Hmmm, reminds me of an ice pizza...mmmm, pizza."

"You know, I actually prefer this to San Francisco freeways at rush hour."

In all seriousness, Ohio winters have bolstered my cold-weather tolerances pretty well, from the negative-temperature wind chills to the sometimes treacherous trek to your car or back home due to ice and snow. The bonus part is I do get some beautiful sights that I just couldn't get in the Bay Area proper such as a frozen fountain at Goodale Park.

With that said, my spouse and I, and probably most Ohioans will agree: the quicker winter gets its ass out here, the better. Bring on spring!

One Line Leads To Another: One Line Coffee/River Road Coffeehouse

The specially-roasted coffees of One Line Coffees provide the uniting factor
for co-founders Mark and Dave Forman's various coffee ventures.

At first glance, a compact, sleek, brick-lined space in Columbus' stylish Short North would not have too much in common with the rustic spaciousness of a former farmhouse in predominantly rural Licking County. But while the spaces may reflect contrasting motifs, the product they sell within it - the carefully sourced and finely roasted coffees of One Line Coffee - unites coffee lovers of the communities that live around these locations.

Father-and-son team Mark and Dave Forman have been grinding in the coffee business in the Central Ohio region for over a decade, and their passion for their craft is undeniable. After opening up their first stores in 2003 and using coffee from various local coffee roasters, the Formans started asking themselves deeper questions about the coffee they were serving, from its origins, the nature of coffee community as a whole, and eventually serving the very best coffee they possibly could.

In 2009, they started roasting their own coffees under the One Line Coffee brand, and they have continued to move forward from there to a growing and increasingly appreciative customer base. My spouse and I have the pleasure of being part of that group, as we have enjoyed their wares from both their River Road Coffeehouse in Granville as well as their shrine-of-sorts to the fine coffee arts at their Short North location (the Formans also operate a second River Road Coffeehouse in Newark as well as Wiggin Street Coffee in Gambier.)

River Road Coffeehouse offers a very homey atmosphere in which
to hang while enjoying your coffee drinks and pastries.

Similar to Worthington, Granville and the surrounding township were built up to resemble a New England town. The River Road Coffeehouse lies on the outskirts of the town, residing close to the intersections of State Routes 16 and 37 in an old farmhouse (ironically enough, the farmhouse was relocated to its current location due to the construction of the State Route 16.)

The farmhouse provides a unique atmosphere which provides a myriad of options to hangout for the customer; part of the joy of stopping by is to simply take a break from the day, whether its plopping out on their couches by the fireplace mantle or grabbing some sun on their three-level deck during warmer months. Artwork from local artists displayed throughout the dining area space adds another folksy touch that we have appreciated during our visits.

River Road has provided a perfectly convenient spot for me and my spouse (and occasionally, some younger relatives of ours) to drop by for a cup of java in addition to a cafe treat or two. Like many of their brethren, this coffeehouse offers all the usual coffee house amenities, from the standard coffee drinks, wi-fi access, and a selection of food. In terms of the latter, River Road offers treats from local purveyors such as Lucky Cat and ToodleSquat Bakery and supplements them with their own homemade baked goods. Bagels and a homemade hummus are also on the menu as well as gluten-free goods. If coffee isn't your drink, River Road offers teas from Granville-based Petali Teas as an option.

One Line Coffee's store in the Short North is a coffee shrine, with
media materials, the best equipment and their amazing Kyoto-drip setup

In contrast to River Road, One Line Coffee's shop in the Short North was initially meant to be something of a polar opposite. Amenities such as free wi-fi, food items and the general ability to hang out for a couple hours were eschewed; coffee and the the various channels to produce the very best of all things coffee-related was the original sole focus of the Formans in opening this storefront.

A few minor concessions have been made since One Line opened its Short North location in July of 2012 - a small area to hangout does exist to the rear of the space, and a select collection of food items from local purveyors like Destination Donuts and Pattycake Bakery are available to customers. But for the most part, One Line Coffee's stated intent still remains intact, and the result has been some of the best coffee that Columbus has to offer.

One Line's standard pour over coffee makes for a great cup of coffee, but their iced coffee creations help fill a personal jonesing for the best iced coffee I can find (coming from generally fair-weather California, iced coffee drinks were my preference.) One Line Coffee definitely ranks in the top three that I have had since moving to the area.

Their standard pour over iced coffee is an mouth-pleasing concoction in itself (let's say I haven't come close to being able to do that here at home); however, it is their Kyoto-drip iced coffee that has taken this beverage to a whole different level for me. I had only learned of this slow and meticulous method of creation after my move here to Columbus and was immediately intrigued.

When One Line announced they had it available, I got down there in fairly short order. this brew's uniquely aromatics and chocolate, fudgy overtones had me dancing this unique liquid deliberately in and around my tongue, something I typically only do with beverages such as beer or wine. Even better, this unique brew is available in growler form for home consumption, especially convenient for those who can't quite make it down to their store front as much as they might like.

As the sign alludes, One Line has some of the best hand poured coffee around

In general, One Line shows their enthusiasm for their craft in many ways, from their regular cupping events, their vast array of coffee equipment, and just plain old conversation with staff members, both engaged in and overheard. A quick chat about the subject can lead to simply something about coffee you never knew before, or perhaps an impromptu sampling of a newly released coffee.

And it appears that their pursuit of coffee excellence will reach even more people now, based on One Line's recent announcement that they will be taking over the former Peet's/Caribou Coffee at the Huntington Center in Downtown, with a target opening date of March 2nd.  With longtime area veterans Cafe Brioso and Cup O' Joe already in the area, and the social-justice-focused Roosevelt Coffeehouse nearing its own opening date, the transformation of Downtown Columbus into a new mini-hotbed of local-coffee excellence appears to be at hand.

River Road Coffeehouse
935 River Road
Granville, OH 43023
(740) 587-7266
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One Line Coffee
745 North High St (Short North)
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 564-9852
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Watching Our Flings Be Flung: Pippin at the Playhouse Square (Cleveland)

Magic to Do: Pippin the Musical stopped by Cleveland's
Playhouse Theater during its current national tour

My spouse is huge into Broadway musicals, with her most favorite of them all being Pippin. The original 1972 production, centered around the title character's life as prince and heir in King Charlamagne's court, detailed his quests for his life's ultimate fulfillment. The ultimate failure of the prince's searches and his resultant feelings, mostly those of frustration and emptiness, were both channeled to the audience and cajoled by the Leading Player character (played originally by Ben Vereen) and his accompanying era-appropriate performance troupe members. The final act, after Pippin has failed to find his ultimate meaning in the fields of war, sex and politics, is spearheaded by the Leading Player and fellow troupe members. The group urged the prince to go out in an actual "blaze of glory" by flinging himself into a fiery pit, rather than "settle" for the mundane existence as head of a peasant family.

Despite mixed reviews, the play's derring-do helped fuel the play to a successful five-year run on Broadway. The original cast featured prominent names like Vereen, Jill Clayburgh, Irene Ryan (best known for her role in The Beverly Hillbillies), and John Rubinstein as Pippin. In addition, the play featured the choreography of the famed Bob Fosse, the financial backing of the Motown record label, as well as the tunes of multi-Grammy/Oscar/Tony-winning composer Stephen Schwartz.

The most recent Broadway production of Pippin, which took home four Tony Awards in 2013 (including Best Revival of a Musical), replaced the era-specific performance troupe with a more modern, Cirque du Soleil-type traveling circus. This aspect piqued my spouse's interest in the revival the most, and just added more reason to catch this play on its national tour.

While seeing the play was an easy decision, the decision of when to see it was more tricky: since no dates had been scheduled for Columbus for 2015, the choice for us came down to a possibly winter-weather laden trip in February in Cleveland or a summertime heat/humidity jaunt to Louisville, KY. We chose Cleveland in February and, suffice it to say, the weather was plain nasty on this Valentines Day, with single-digit temperatures, gusty winds and occasional whiteout conditions.

Vicious Valentines Day temperatures, snow and winds greeted us
as we made our way to the watch the play

Despite the rambunctious weather, we persevered and made it to the main parking garage for Playhouse Square. While many parking options, most of which are less expensive, do exist around the Square, we chose to purchase a pass to the main parking facility as an add-on with our tickets due to the possibility of bad weather. This turned out to be a golden decision, as the garage has a covered walkway all the way into the facility. Valet parking is also an option for those theater-goers who want to spend a few more bucks.

This visit was our first trip to Playhouse Square for both of us, and we were caught off guard a bit by the size of the facility. Emerging in 1921 and 1922 as a conglomeration of five theaters, Playhouse Square had its heyday fairly in their early decades of existence; however, the rise of television, incidents of vandalism and general neglect, and a fire at the Ohio Theater in 1964 led to plans by the theater owners to raze the buildings.

Thankfully, efforts spearheaded by educator-turned-historical-preservationist Ray Shepardson started in 1970 allowed the theaters to prove they were still viable as performing arts facilities. Since then, Playhouse Square has undergone extensive restoration and revival efforts that have transformed it into the largest performing arts complex in the United States outside of Lincoln Center in New York. The current facility now holds 11 theater stages and numerous shops and restaurants, and has become a major anchor in the ongoing revitalization of Cleveland's downtown area.

A panorama of sights both outside and inside the Connor Palace Theatre

The 2,800-seat Connor Palace Theatre (formerly Palace) Theater hosted Pippin for their run in Cleveland. Like Columbus' own collection of historic theaters, The Connor's architecture had its own distinctive elements (the one-time world's largest theater lobby, for instance) that makes a visit to any of these theaters a special, unique experience.

The play featured highlight performances from two of its most elderly cast members. John Rubinstein, who originated Pippin in the initial Broadway production, came full circle of sorts in playing Pippin's father for the national tour. Contrary to the serious demeanor of the original production, Rubinstein's played the role as a bit of goofy incompetent and brought a manic energy to the stage. His centerpiece came with his deft handling of the song proclaiming the glories of battle, "War Is A Science", including its rapid-fire, rap-like final verses.

The other obvious highlight was Priscilla Lopez's handling of Berthe, Pippin's paternal and rather randy grandmother. She played to the crowd in perhaps the most sing-along tune in the play ("No Time At All") and handled herself on the trapeze like few performers, 60-plus-years-old or otherwise, could do. Lopez drew a rousing response from the gathered right after her act as well as the loudest cheers during her curtain call.

As a fan of the play, my spouse thoroughly enjoyed this revival. She appreciated the elements that they did keep from the first production (for example, despite the new circus theme, they enhanced and paid homage to the original Fosse-created choreography) and really welcomed the appended ending involving Pippin's step-child Theo, as he became the new mark for the Leading Player and attending circus performers' attentions.

Inside the 2,800 seat Connor Palace before showtime
as well as a listing of the Pippin's cast.

As someone who is nowhere near the Broadway musical fan as my spouse (I have seen productions of A Chorus Line, Phantom of the Opera and Rent, but do not actively seek these shows out), I found Pippin a pretty fair experience that held my attention from beginning to end. For me, the songs (save for "No Time At All") were solid but didn't quite venture into super-memorable territory, and the second half of the play just doesn't quite have the energy of the first. However, the combo of amazing acrobatics and illusion, along with the solid cast (along with Lopez and Rubinstein, Sam Lips as Pippin and Sasha Allen as Leading Player gave strong performances) showed me why this play revival drew the rave reviews and praise that it did on Broadway.

Playhouse Square
1501 Euclid Ave
Cleveland, OH 44115
(216) 771-4444
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Pippin (U.S. Tour)
Next closest-distance shows to Columbus
Nashville, TN (6-hour drive): March 10 - 15, 2015, Tennessee Performing Arts Center (TPAC)
Louisville, KY (3-hour drive): June 2 - 7, 2015, The Kentucky Center
Chicago, IL (5 1/2-hour drive): July 29 - August 8, 2015, Cadillac Palace Theatre
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Unflappably Fun: Jack Flaps (Cleveland, OH)

Driving around Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood reminds me a bit of roaming around San Francisco's cross-bay neighbor, Oakland. There's a little bit of artist enclave (Jingletown) mixed in with a bit more fancy (Rockridge) and everything in between (Fruitvale and West Oakland.) To be truthful, though, Ohio City is its own unique district with its own distinct personality, a place that is now on the radarscope for visitors to the area, with its well-known attractions like the West Side Market, Mitchell's Ice Cream and Great Lakes Brewery. The neighborhood also is attracting new residents: Ohio City was only one three Cleveland neighborhoods to add population in the past ten years, according to Ohio City's own website.

Cleveland overall is also the home to an increasingly prominent food scene, and Ohio City has its own collection of worthy eateries. On a recent trip up to the area, we stopped by the neighborhood and scoped out what turned a terrific combination of tasty food and fun atmosphere in Jack Flaps.

Jack Flaps sports a small, tidy and hip interior, artwork that exudes
fun and a menu of inventive breakfast creations

Opening of December of 2013 in the former space of quirky but well-received chili purveyor Palookaville, Jack Flaps is a collaborative effort between Chef Eric Williams and Randy Carter, both of whom are involved in the popular modern Mexican restaurant Momocho.

After spending time trying to find a legal parking spot for our car (we luckily landed one on the street close to their entrance; note that parking spaces along the main street are limited to one hour) we walked in at what turned out to be a good time and were seated pretty quickly. It was no surprise with the hip atmosphere that most of the diners looked to be twenty-somethings; however, we never felt out of place, and the service was incredibly friendly and welcoming. An additional welcoming feature was the photo artwork of faces in various stages of egg splatter; the captured facial expressions couldn't help but bring a smile to our faces.

Jack Flaps spiffy logo, surrounded by their Breakfast Kimchi,
Candy Jalapeño Pancakes and the Currantly Winter Waffle

We started off with their house-brewed coffee (they source beans from local roasters City Roast) and decided that, with a name like Jack Flaps, one of us had to try their pancakes. Their Candy Jalapeño Jack Flaps ($9.50) sported just a hint of those mildly-heat laden peppers and an overall slightly cakey texture, something which we both really enjoyed. What made this dish pop was a special bourbon caramel sauce that they had just for that day; we had to take it home along with our leftover pancake.

I had wanted to try their Carrot Cake Waffle but alas, they were out of this item, so I went with the Currantly Winter version that we ended up quite enjoying as well. This buckwheat-battered waffle was light and airy, with a tangy currant-gooseberry compote with chunks of snickerdoodle crunch to add some texture contrast.

We added a couple sides to our order: their Vietnamese-style Sausage Patties ($3) were on the skinny side but sported a good flavor with what seemed to be a hint of cinnamon, vaguely reminiscent to the flavor of a Vietnamese chả quế. Kimchi may be coming something of a trend, and Jack Flaps' version ($1) was really one of the more funky-fermented-tangy versions we've had; it's a definite order again candidate on a return visit.

Jack Flaps' smaller space will lead to backups at time in the natural course of things (there was a bit of a queue waiting for a table by the time we left.) However, this is but a small detracting factor that should not prevent you from dropping by this eatery to sample their uniquely fun atmosphere and scrumptious offerings.
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Jack Flaps
​3900 Lorain Avenue (Ohio City)
Cleveland, OH 44113
(216) 961-5199​
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Downtown Mashup: MEATBar and Mashita Noodles

The MEATbar has hung in there at its South High Downtown Columbus
location since its soft-opening in October 2014.

Certain locations seem to evolve into erstwhile "Bermuda Triangles" in terms of restaurants. No matter what eatery goes into the building, they go missing after a few short months. On my commute to work in San Francisco, I drove by such a restaurant location that saw numerous iterations that never seemed to last more than a few months at a time, sandwiched between long periods of vacancy.

I've noticed a couple of spots in Downtown Columbus that have gained at least a hint of that notoriety. The space at 12 E. Broad Street had been home to Cafe Lola since 2008 before they branched out and later contracted to their current location (at the 1 Columbus Center building at the northwest corner of Broad & High.) Since Cafe Lola's departure, the fast casual sushi-oriented Maki Go and the very short-lived Yuan Ye Kitchen gave it a go and were unsuccessful (the property currently remains without a tenant.)

122 South High has a similar history. with Wendy's/Tim Horton's abandoning shop from that location (Tim Horton's later came back to the area at the northeast corner of Broad & High in 2011, replacing a Dunkin' Donuts.) Since then, Chez du Bon and Fin tried and failed to get a foothold there. That has not stopped others from giving it the good old college try, including the space's two current residents.

The currently longest-standing member of this twosome is MEATBar. Starting off as a test concept of Yavonne Sarber's FAB Dining Group (whose currently operating restaurants include Oliver's, Manifesto and De-Novo; they also were behind the previously mentioned Chez du Bon and Fin) with a soft opening in October 2014, MEATBar has more or less settled in as the space's main tenant.

MEATBar has an expansive space and a sleek, unifying motif

Similar to other locally-based bowl-style-meal purveyors like Bibibop and Acre Farm-to-Table, MEATBar offers the diner a variety of food items (Mac and Cheese, Spaetzle Noodle, Quinoa, etc.) and, befitting the restaurant name, gives the diner a fancier-than-normal protein add-in, including pork belly, ahi tuna, and duck) to add into their bowl.

This eatery also offers daily specials, including shrimp and grits (I am not generally a seafood person, but I found the latter to be one of the best things I've had there) as well as tacos, plus some not-so-typical embellishments such as beer, wine and what look to be better than average desserts (including a bacon cheesecake.)

I found that MEATBar's serving containers (which resemble large-diameter cake pans) really dampens the ooh-look-how-appetizing-this-food-is-in-this-photo factor, and thus no food pictures here. With that said, I will say that I've found their bowl combos to be generally tasty and a fairly interesting counter-point of sorts to nearby Market 65's fresh produce-oriented bowls.

The return of Mashita Noodles was the result of too much success

Interestingly, MEATBar's new dance partner inside the space arrived there because of TOO much success. Mashita Noodles was reawakened because, as owner John Franke explained in this interview for the WOSU All Sides radio program, his Jobu Ramen venture in Grandview Heights (my previous post on which can be found here) turned out to be more popular than he ever imagined. Franke revealed in the interview they were caught off guard by the overwhelming response on their opening day late May of 2014, ending up in what turned up to be an non-winnable game of catch up all the way until their announced closing the first week of 2015.

It hasn't taken too long for Franke to get back on his feet, however, as he has revived the concept he started in his Mashita Noodles food cart as a brick-and-mortar pop-up within MEATBar's space.

Clockwise from top left: Fried Chicken Steam Bun, Spicy Kimchi Ramen,
Karaage Venison Steam Bun, and Kimchijeon (Kimchi Pancakes)

One will find one big change in relation to the pricing: with lesser overhead costs, Mashita can now charge one or two bucks less for each item than they could at Jobu's Grandview location. Otherwise, the food quality and menu options have more or less remained the same with a couple slight tweaks. Unlike Jobu (which had four set ramen items,) Mashita offers a standard Spicy Kimchi Ramen ($9; a very nice pleasant experience, especially during these colder days) as well as a build your own bowl option ($8 or $9, depending on your add-ons.) Special spicy noodles can be also used for your ramen order for $1.

Steamed buns ($4 or two for $7) come with a rotating selection of proteins (I had an very tasty venison steam bun; a fried chicken version was just slightly salty but otherwise fine) and wings now come with three variations instead of Jobu's regular five-spice dry rub option. Kimchi Pancakes (Kimchijeon; $5) had a less fermented tang than what you might get elsewhere (perhaps a concession to the predominantly downtown worker clientele?) but were otherwise pretty flavorful.

This MEATBar mashup is apparently just the starting point for the resurrected Mashita; per this Columbus Alive article, dinner-time offerings can be found at the Brewery District's Double Happiness, and the food cart is slated to reappear during the warmer months later this year.

Mashita Noodles
122 South High St (Downtown)
(dinner service also at
Double Happiness
482 S Front St (Brewery District))
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 450-2259
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The MEATBar
122 South High St (Downtown)
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 357-7874
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08/17/2015 Update: The MEATBar has closed. However, Mashita continues its mobile operations and can be found numerous regular locations like Tri-Village's Tree Bar and 1064 North High Street in the Short North. The latest location updates for Mashita can be found on their Facebook page.