http://www.columbusalive.com/content/ Eat & Drink News from Columbus Alive Copyright 2012, The Dispatch Printing Company Copyright 2012, The Dispatch Printing Company http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/06/13/distilled-move-over-pbr--here-are-six-other-cheap-beer-options-.html Is it possible the beloved Pabst Blue Ribbon could fall out of favor with the young, unkempt masses? I’m calling my shot now and going with a resounding yes, as the price of PBR is actually going up due to its popularity. Besides, isn’t the point of drinking PBR that you’re a cool non-conformist? Well, not if everyone is drinking it. jesse tigges http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/06/13/distilled-move-over-pbr--here-are-six-other-cheap-beer-options-.html http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/06/13/ultimate-party-patio-grandview-caf-offers-festive-atmosphere-in-neighborhood-setting.html For this installment of the Ultimate Party Patio contest, Alive hits up a neighborhood joint. Grandview Cafe is an immensely popular neighborhood spot and has the history to prove it. For as long as Grandview residents can remember the Grandview Cafe has been there, slinging stiff drinks and dishing out hearty pub grub meals with friendly service in a good-time atmosphere. jesse tigges http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/06/13/ultimate-party-patio-grandview-caf-offers-festive-atmosphere-in-neighborhood-setting.html http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/06/13/restaurant-review-downtown-restaurant-si-senor-glows-brightly-with-latin-fare.html Matriculating from a Pearl Market table to a cramped little Long Street sandwich shop to this airy and attractive new space, Si Senor’s ambiance is now as upbeat as its percussion-powered Latin soundtrack. g.a. benton http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/06/13/restaurant-review-downtown-restaurant-si-senor-glows-brightly-with-latin-fare.html http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/06/13/grandview-growler-station-ohio-taproom-focuses-on-in-state-brews.html Growler stations have popped up all over the city, becoming a ubiquitous part of the craft beer scene. The addition of The Ohio Taproom could be construed as just another growler option, but a couple unique aspects separates it from the pack. jesse tigges http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/06/13/grandview-growler-station-ohio-taproom-focuses-on-in-state-brews.html http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/06/13/wine-trip-across-the-globe.html It’s time to explore a little-known wine-producing region: South Africa. Your favorite wine shop might not have an overwhelming selection, but at least a few bottles will likely be devoted to some of its many syrah, sauvignon blanc and chenin blanc choices. Among them, you might find pinotage. http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/06/13/wine-trip-across-the-globe.html http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/06/06/ultimate-beer-lovers-patios.html As an extension of Alive’s Ultimate Party Patio Contest, we decided to add some other categories outside of Party Patio (in case you’re not in the mood for a party). First up is the Ultimate Beer Lovers Patio, which is as simple as it sounds — great beer, great patio. Don’t forget to vote for your favorites at columbusalive.com. jesse tigges http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/06/06/ultimate-beer-lovers-patios.html http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/06/06/distilled-rum-done-right.html Rum isn’t liquor I’m particularly knowledgeable about. So I sat down with Grass Skirt Tiki Room owner/operator Carmen Owens and Matt “Kuku Ahu” Thatcher, co-founder of the Fraternal Order of the Moai and cocktail consultant for the bar, for a bit of an education. (And if you hadn’t noticed, this week’s cover story is about summer cocktails, and Grass Skirt serves tropical drinks year round.) jesse tigges http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/06/06/distilled-rum-done-right.html http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/06/06/review-jenis-gravels-showcases-companys-restless-brilliance.html Usually the thought of chewing on gravel causes me to wince, but since “gravels” are the hottest new thing at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, I decided to rethink my position. Currently starring on Jeni’s website, gravels are described there as “crunchy ice cream condiments in flavors inspired by American pop culture.” g.a. benton http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/06/06/review-jenis-gravels-showcases-companys-restless-brilliance.html http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/06/06/restaurant-review-frezno-bar-and-grill-gives-brewery-district-shot-of-energy.html Kevin and Lori Ames were well ahead of the Columbus restaurant curve when that curve was almost a straight line. In our less cosmopolitan days (the mid-’90s), the Ames’ influential approach to kicky brunches (Dagwoodz), remodeled dive bars offering good grub (The Press Grill) and casual/fine dining (Frezno Eclectic Kitchen) breathed life, fresh ideas, fun — and Zs! — into a still-gentrifying Short North. g.a. benton http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/06/06/restaurant-review-frezno-bar-and-grill-gives-brewery-district-shot-of-energy.html http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/06/06/32-must-drink-summer-cocktails.html Here are 10 places that have created some wonderful summer cocktails. It’s an eclectic group that features everything from speakeasies and fine dining restaurants to even a locally-adored dive bar/rock club. Craft cocktails aren’t just a trend — they’re an evolution in the bar scene that’s only moving forward every day. jesse tigges http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/06/06/32-must-drink-summer-cocktails.html http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/30/ultimate-party-patio-contest-park-street-patio-columbus-most-consistently-popular-hangout-during-summer.html It would be impossible to hold an Ultimate Party Patio contest and not include Park Street Patio. As the elder statesman — and most consistently popular hangout during the summer — of the CGS Group’s Park Street lineup of bars, Park Street Patio is one of Columbus’ best-known party spots. jesse tigges http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/30/ultimate-party-patio-contest-park-street-patio-columbus-most-consistently-popular-hangout-during-summer.html http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/30/restaurant-review-the-crest-has-lots-of-promise.html This was a hard review to write. See, throughout a month of dining at the rebooted and usually packed Crest Gastropub (nee Tavern), every visit was a different experience — but an uneven one. Also, like all Clintonvillians, I want this transformed-from-crusty-old-dive-to-sparkling-new-“gastropub” upstart to succeed — hell, thrive — as an alternative to driving to all those Short North fun spots. g.a. benton http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/30/restaurant-review-the-crest-has-lots-of-promise.html http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/30/beer-five-summer-beers-in-cans.html For whatever reason, I associate drinking beer in the summer with cans. Does beer taste better in cans when it’s hot outside? Possibly. Do cans get colder than bottles? Some believe so, but I generally don’t want ice-cold beer anyway. jesse tigges http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/30/beer-five-summer-beers-in-cans.html http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/30/wine-on-the-rocks-with-a-twist.html Introducing: Wine cocktails. That’s right, wine can get even more boozy (and be served over ice). http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/30/wine-on-the-rocks-with-a-twist.html http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/30/distilled-is-infusing-beer-better.html Beer has always been fantastic and continues to get better thanks mainly to experimentation and out-of-the-box thinking. So when Alive’s graphic designer, Lauren Kuntz — a fellow beer enthusiast — showed me the Serious Eats post “Use a French Press to Add Flavor to Your Beer,” I was immediately intrigued. Google it and you’ll find it. I promise. http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/30/distilled-is-infusing-beer-better.html http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/23/ultimate-patio-contest-your-chance-to-choose-columbus-best-party-patio.html Summer is possibly best celebrated with drinks on the patio; an activity to wash away the day’s doldrums of paperwork, yard work — any kind of work — for a bit of revelry. As the sun hangs low in the evening sky and sweat beads on your beverage of choice, patio imbibing is the festive respite many demand this time of the year. jesse tigges http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/23/ultimate-patio-contest-your-chance-to-choose-columbus-best-party-patio.html http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/23/restaurant-review-ray-rays-chicken-wings-fly-high.html In a scenario befitting far-fetched fiction, Buffalo, New York radically changed our country’s dining habits. Yeah, that unlikely “trend-setting” city began the hot-sauced chicken wings craze still raging all over these United States of Gourmet-rica. http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/23/restaurant-review-ray-rays-chicken-wings-fly-high.html http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/23/restaurant-review-borgata-pizza-cafe-a-hidden-gem-that-doesnt-cut-corners.html Borgata Pizza Cafe is an under-the-radar restaurant that should be brought up in “hidden gem” discussions. Skillfully catching floppy, high-tossed dough-discs for nearly four years now, this hard-working family operation doesn’t cut corners — not when slicing its pizzas into pie pieces, not when scratch-making its own crusts, sauce, meatballs, pastas and so on. http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/23/restaurant-review-borgata-pizza-cafe-a-hidden-gem-that-doesnt-cut-corners.html http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/23/distilled-happy-hour-of-the-month-carabar.html It’s my job to go to happy hours. But, to be completely honest, this gets repetitive because many happy hours offer the same specials. Occasionally, I come across one that goes above and beyond the rest. This is one such happy hour. http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/23/distilled-happy-hour-of-the-month-carabar.html http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/23/bar-profile-local-cantina-keeps-things-thankfully-simple.html Grandview’s Local Cantina is a Mexican restaurant and bar that makes its bones by keeping things simple, but appropriately fun. The interior is characterized by roadhouse tchotchkes — license plates, hubcaps, sombreros, Polaroids and various aviary statuettes — and a mustachio theme. It all goes perfectly with Local Cantina’s self-described “taco truck with bar stools” vibe. http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/23/bar-profile-local-cantina-keeps-things-thankfully-simple.html http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/23/staff-pick-growler-alley-crawl.html As I’m sure many have noticed Clintonville (specifically the few blocks between Crestview and Midgard roads) has become Columbus’ best new beer haven with The Crest Gatropub, Savor Growl and Studio 35. http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/23/staff-pick-growler-alley-crawl.html http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/16/distilled-clintonville-the-citys-best-new-beer-locale.html A small stretch of Indianola Avenue has become a destination for discerning beer drinkers thanks to welcomed renovations at Studio 35, the Crest Gastropub and Savor Growl (formerly Weber Market). Each are longtime Clintonville businesses that underwent substantial transformations, including ramping up beer offerings. jesse tigges http://www.columbusalive.com/content/stories/2013/05/16/distilled-clintonville-the-citys-best-new-beer-locale.html