Year in dining: Keen cuisine

2007 in review

Year in dining: Keen cuisine

By G.A. Benton

People are lazy. I'm lazy. That's why we all love to read stacks of year-end lists. They enable us to replace the sprawling and complicated annual big picture with a thumbnail sketch — that someone else has done all the work to draw.

So, yeah, I'm not above scanning through mags and rags for the ubiquitous top-10s, but frankly I hate like hell to write them myself (that lazy thing). Only for you, dear readers, have I rummaged through my dirty laundry to locate a few new food stains worth commemorating.

Here, then, I present my off-the-cuff (and smeared collar and greasy pant leg) list of 2007's newest and best. Note, this list — which only references restaurants launched during the past year — does not claim to be thorough or even reach the magical number of 10. Because let's face it, I could use a nap right about now.

Best new place to take a boring conversationalist

Marcella's, Cameron Mitchell's newest hit, is so ear-splittingly loud — I'm talking state-fair-tractor-pull loud — that it can liberate you from pretending to care what a dull dining partner is jawing on and on about. So instead of staring again in suppressed horror at a blurry mouth relentlessly spurting out commonplace observations and delusional proclamations, you can simply raise your palms to the ceiling, shrug your shoulders and guiltlessly smile while wholly concentrating on Marcella's excellent Italianate food (at very nice prices), like the Insalata Con Rucola, Zucchini Parmesan, Melted Pecorino Cheese and the best tiramisu in town.

Marcella's Ristorante

615 N. High St., Short North

614-223-2100

marcellasristorante.com

Best place not to eat a bug even though you could

Diaspora, on the OSU campus, is a neat and sleek, modern Korean restaurant with a real-deal menu that includes (are you sitting down?) a silkworm pupa. I haven't yet summoned up the cajones to bug out on that one, but I have enjoyed raiding Diaspora's homemade dumplings (Goon Man Du), pork bulgogi (Daeji Bulgogi) and soups (Jiham Bong, Kimchi Jigae).

Diaspora

2118 N. High St., Campus

614-458-1141

Best new place to score some pot

Fiending kind-buddies and crispy skunk punks can stop reading now because I'm not talking about weeding. I'm referring to Tip Top Kitchen & Cocktails' top-notch pot roast. Tender, juicy and delicious, it comes either in entrée or sandwich form (on a pretzel roll with cheese and mustard). I also recommend you calorie-splurge on a side order of rockin' Ohio Nachos — homemade potato chips with nacho fixins, cheese sauce and Ohio-made sausage.

Tip Top Kitchen & Cocktails

73 E. Gay St., Downtown

614-221-8300

Web: tiptopcolumbus.com

Best new place to drop a load of dough

Smart and stylish, Rosendales in the Short North offers both classic and up-to-the-minute creative cooking from one of the hottest chefs around. Pecunious revelers can have their last 2007 meal be a great one with Rosendales' $185 amazing-looking seven-course wine dinner.

Rosendales

793 N. High St., Short North

614-298-1601

Web: rosendales.com

Best reason to undergo a parking meltdown so you can stand in a single-cashier line

Tasi is Rigsby's very casual counter-ordering café, and though it has no car lot and only one order-taker, it has a great made-from-scratch menu. Try the Poached Eggs with Black Bean Cakes, tuna sandwich, wonderful homemade potato chips and brilliant bakery goods.

Tasi Café

680 N. Pearl St., Short North

614-222-0788

Web: tasicafe.com

Best excuse to write yet another tired pun

All Thai-ed up. Thai one on. Thai and mighty. High Thai-ed. Thai and Thai again. Getting Thai-red of this? Because I've got a million of 'em. Fortunately, I keep most of these knuckleheaders to myself when writing about our burg's amazing number of terrific Thai restaurants. A new, mostly take-out favorite of mine is the uncommonly named P.S. Thai Tai. I think it has the best Thai beef salad in town, but I also like the Tom Yum soup and Shrimp with Sour Cabbage.

P.S. Thai Tai

1577 King Ave., Grandview

614-488-3369

Best place to fuel a tractor

Black Creek Bistro is so green (take that in for a few beats ... OK, move on) that it uses spent cooking oils to power vehicles on the farm it owns and on which it raises some of its raw materials. If that weren't reason enough to patronize Black Creek, its food is also darn alluring. And the fine wine choices are all sold at state minimum, plus a small corkage fee. While the menu is ever-changing, I've had excellent success with salads, pork dishes and creative desserts.

Black Creek Bistro

53 Parsons Ave., Olde Towne East

614-246-9662

Web: blackcreekbistro.com

December 27, 2007