Ohio

Speaker 1: How many dad jokes can you tolerate? Anyway, uh…
Speaker 2: (laughs)
Speaker 1: We moved to Columbus in 2002, and we knew, like, this is going to be the place for us. We like all the people here. We like all the things to do.
Speaker 2: There was an energy here that it felt like it was really happening all around us, and that people were ready to really connect with other people.
Speaker 1: It was a big city, but it was a big city that was still kind of discovering itself. And that’s it… the secret to our success.
As we were getting to know Columbus, I found that we would discover all these cool places. I wanted to write down: Where was this little diner that we went to? Where’s this cool little place in this neighborhood? So, in 2007, I started a blog called “Breakfast with Nick.” I had enough of a following that people started emailing and asking for suggestions or they would recommend different places.
Speaker 3: Head down the street to the Book Loft, which is a bookstore.
Speaker 4: Scioto Mile is awesome to walk or jog down.
Speaker 3: Get ice cream at Jeni’s Splendid.
Speaker 2: When we first moved to Columbus, we really wanted to get to know the city organically, and so, we would walk around. And the way that Columbus is set up, it is welcoming and hospitable to people. It really makes it easy to walk almost every neighborhood in Columbus.
Speaker 1: One of our favorite phrases that a lot of people use is, they call it, “the biggest small town in America.” There’s a lot of layers to the city for a wide variety of interests. So, I mean, Columbus is very heavy on sports with the Ohio State football team here. We have professional hockey, we have professional baseball and soccer.
In terms of the arts scene, I feel like there’s this growing number of galleries and artists’ collectives.
If you’re really into international eats, you can find just about any world cuisine somewhere in Columbus.
It’s super family-friendly, so if you want things to do as a family, we have all these great attractions and cool little neighborhood parks to the science museum and stuff like that.
Speaker 2: I think a classic day that we would have with the boys is…
Speaker 1: Oh right, three kids. I mean, lights of our lives.
Speaker 2: We would potentially go down and walk along the river, the Scioto Mile, or go and play in the fountains downtown. And then, we maybe head over to the Columbus Art Museum and check out their kids area.
Speaker 1: One of our favorite things about the art scene in Columbus is how it is very accessible. There’s a variety of mediums that we can engage with, whether it’s visual art or live music. There’s all these great festivals and activities.
Food in Columbus mirrors the way the city works in general in that I think we are this really good balance of tradition and innovation and that we love traditional stuff, but at the same time, we’re also experimental. We’re also innovative. And so it’s really wonderful that when you go out to eat and when you experience Columbus, that you can choose from one of those two things.
Speaker 5: We use some really awesome short rib that we slice across the bone, which we cook for two days.
Speaker 4: We do a house-made pastrami and house-made gravlax. They are fantastic.
Speaker 3: I recommend the morning bun to everybody. It’s very good.
Speaker 6: Oh man. My personal favorite donuts? I love the apple fritters.
Speaker 2: Columbus food doesn’t take itself too seriously. You want to have fun when you’re eating. You want to experience something new. And I feel like Columbus chefs are really great at that. Avishar is the chef at Service Bar. He is obsessed with chalupas and the gorditas.
Speaker 5: This is our cheesy brisket crunch. This has been our most popular menu item.
Speaker 2: Oh man, it’s delicious.
Speaker 1: Yeah, so I think on the more innovative and experimental side of things, one of our favorites is The Table, which is in Short North. They’re a great example of modern restaurants. They talk about how they are sourced locally but inspired globally.
Speaker 2: And then there’s Veritas, which is in an old bank building, and is just an amazing place that really works a lot with molecular gastronomy. So, you can go in and have different takes on things that you might have had before.
Speaker 1: Another spot is called Katalina’s. It’s this delightfully quirky place. Their signature dish is pancake balls. They put dulce de leche or Nutella in them. It’s a really colorful place too.
Speaker 2: And we also love Fox in the Snow. They make an egg sandwich that anyone in Columbus will tell you is the absolute best egg sandwich that they’ve ever had.
Speaker 1: In terms of traditional places, one of our favorites is Buckeye Donuts, which is right across the street from the university. It’s run by the third generation of the family, and they still make all their donuts by hand. And the other crazy thing is that they’re open 24/7, 365 days a year. The owner has said he doesn’t know where the key is.
Another great traditional place is Tommy’s Diner. It’s like one of the quintessential examples of it. I love how it looks very much like an old-school American diner. It has this big wall of photos just inside the door of like all the famous people who have stopped by. That’s one of my goals, is to get my picture on his wall ‘cuz that’s when like you know that you’ve made it. Tommy, if you’re listening, please.
Speaker 2: I think one of the big jokes in Columbus is that it feels like every week there is a new brewery, which we think is the best problem in the world to have. These breweries are doing things like family days, or they have a patio with board games.
Speaker 1: They just want to be the place that is loved by the neighborhood, where they do cool events, produce really excellent food, excellent beer – where it’s just like the neighborhood hangout.
Speaker 2: I love how connected Columbus feels. There is a friendliness to it that makes you feel really included, and everyone seems to be very hospitable. To have a city like that is really special.