Going Off The Rails on the Wholesome Train: Acre

Looking back at that Columbus Underground "Best New Restaurants of 2014 List" that I had mentioned on a post last year on Bareburger, I noticed just how many of these restaurants have become or were regulars in our rotation.  Of course, there's local phenomenon Hot Chicken Takeover, but in addition I found the now (sadly) departed Double Comfort, the Brewery District hot spot Arepazo Latin Grill (I have blogged about their first two locations in Downtown and Gahanna), and Clintonville's Harvest Bar & Kitchen, an offshoot of the original Harvest Pizzeria in German Village.

Also on this list was an eatery that for some reason had for some reason slipped through the cracks in terms of a blog post in the locally-focused, fast-casual eatery known as Acre.

Sandwiches Around The Statehouse: Si Señor

One of the San Francisco Bay Area's slightly under the radar culinary treasures lies in its Peruvian restaurants. From the more upscale (Limon, Piqueos and Fresca) to the street level (Sanguchon and Cholo Soy,) you'll most likely be treated to something almost familiar but ultimately tasty in the end. Columbus does not have much in the Peruvian category at either end (alas) but it's most prominent representative is a good one: the sandwich-oriented Si Señor.

Like most downtown places, Si Señor can get busy around the lunchtime hour, but its popularity exceeds that of many of its surrounding restaurants. This has not stopped the sometimes overflow crowds as their sandwiches, where even standard-sounding offerings like Grilled Cheese and a Meatloaf Sandwich are given a Peruvian or Latin twist, rate high on the flavor scale.

Nowadays, the restaurant crew handles high volume of customers with plenty of aplomb. After their initial move, a couple of my orders ended up lost in the shuffle, but I have not noticed this issue in recent visits. Despite this, Si Señor would not be the place to go if you wanted a quick grab-and-go meal unless you arrived before the lunch rush.  If you are not inclined to fight the crowds and are able to grab a later lunch (or even early dinner), the restaurant has unusually long hours (11 AM to 6 PM) that probably signifies how popular this sandwich place has become.

Chicharrón Peruano sandwich, plus pics of the interior

For a space wedged in a downtown alley, the restaurant's interior is fairly spacious all things considered, with nice artistic touches such as wood-paneled floors and various pieces of artwork, including a display of simply inscribed ceramic dishes.

I've found that you really can't go wrong with their pork sandwiches, enjoying both the Pork and Pork (pork loin topped with chorizo) and the Chicharrón Peruano (pictured here; Peruvian style fried pork shoulder with salsa criolla (pickled red onions)) sandwiches during my visits. Ostensibly healthier options on the sandwich side include a Roasted Portabella with Chimichurri and a Peruvian Style Chicken Salad and Tuna Melt, as well as a collection of salads and their meat empanadas.

Their prices (basically between $5 to $7) makes these tasty sandwiches a solid value; I'd personally add on the combo deal where you can add a beverage and their nicely crunchy homemade potato chips or a side salad for a couple extra bucks. Tres Leches cake slices, flan, and lime pie slices are also available if you need your sweet tooth satisfied, as well as an intriguing box of homemade "Tejas" candies at the front register that I have yet to try, to my chagrin.

Si Señor continues to do a great job in producing uniquely tasty sandwiches and is definitely worth a spot on any downtown-goer's sandwich spot rotation.

2017 Update: Si Señor has been so successful, they have expanded into Grandview Heights with a second location. For more information, please click on the previous link or consult the updated social media links for the downtown location below.

Si Señor
72 E Lynn St (Downtown - Google Maps)
Columbus, Ohio 43215
(614) 227-0070
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Sandwiches Around The Statehouse: Freshbox Cafe

The cafe's entrance at the Trinity Episcopal Church

The symbiotic relationship that baseball and hot dogs has acquired over the years can easily be attached to lunchtime and sandwiches as well. With downtown Columbus around the Statehouse crawling with thousands of working folks on a typical weekday, plenty of food establishments have this ubiquitous item on their menus. Making this staple item something that stands out from the crowd, however, is something that takes some doing.

One way to distinguish a sandwich is on the culinary side, through the use of exceptional ingredients or a culinary variation (e.g. the Vietnamese bahn mi sandwich.) Another way to make it stand out lies in the people making your meal. It is this latter aspect that puts Freshbox in its own unique downtown lunchtime corner in two different ways.

Freshbox's Purpose Statement

The first of those lies in Freshbox Cafe's location, which resides in a very atypical location: the basement level of the Trinity Episcopal Church at the corner of 3rd and Broad Street in downtown. This location in essence gives away the second unique aspect of Freshbox: the cafe, along with their sister catering business, is owned by Lutheran Social Services, and is meant to offer meaningful employment to Central Ohio residents suffering from poverty and homelessness while giving the people of downtown Columbus
to satisfy their appetites through their food offerings.

The inside of the cafe is bright for a basement level space, dominated by a bright apple green color theme. Enough space and seating is available that one could bring in a nicely-sized group of colleagues for work or business and not feel crowded by lunchtime throngs of people.

The ordering counter and dining space

Freshbox's offers a fairly familiar selection of sandwiches/wraps ($5.79; all these choices come with a side sauce/dressing of some sort) and salads ($6.79). Additionally, a selection of assorted sides (including a soup of the day,) sweets (including a very rich turtle brownie and their signature chocolate-covered Oreo) and drinks (soda pop and bottled water.)

Based on my first few visits, Freshbox appears to be accomplishing their stated mission on both fronts. The employees I've encountered are friendly and service with quick. And while the items I have tried (Spring Turkey Salad, Thai Chicken Wrap and the Napoli Sandwich) wouldn't be considered fancy gourmet creations, they were all freshly made and solidly tasty. Freshbox Cafe will be in my regular rotation of downtown lunchtime spots for the foreseeable future.

2017 Update: Freshbox appears to have gone strictly back into the catering business. For information on how to utilize their catering services, please use the updated social media links below.

Freshbox Cafe
Basement Level of Trinity Episcopal Church
125 E Broad St (Downtown)
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 859-9146
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