TidBites

TidBites:

Think of the TidBites section as snippets of easily digestible ramblings—about food, farmer’s markets, ethnic groceries, travel, books, restaurants, events, and happenings that we want to share.

Cooking Demos:

With co-owner Ron still recovering from his cancer surgery, sandwiched between two heart attacks, we are not doing any cooking demos in the immediate future. In the meantime, we highly recommend checking out the North Market’s cooking classes. Also check the Wednesday Food Section of The Columbus Dispatch for upcoming food related events around the Columbus area. You can visit the North Market’s cooking demos by clicking on this link - North Market

Ethnic Groceries:

It is not unusual to eat Thai one night, Mexican the next, and Middle Eastern the following day. Most people forget, that in the not to distant past, we pretty much ate the foods of our immediate ancestors. If your grandparents were Italian, you pretty much ate Italian foods every day. The changes in availability, both in restaurants and the shipping of fresh ingredients changed all that. However, it can still be a bit intimidating to cook foods you are not so familiar with in terms of ingredients and technique. On the Ethnic Grocery Stores page you will find a list of local sources for good quality Ethnic ingredients. Some familiar, and some not so familiar, depending on your ancestors.

Spring is in the air... and so are thoughts of fresh local produce

Having grown up on a farm, it always amazes me that an incredible number of people don’t have a clue as to when various fruits and vegetables are available locally. I regularly tell people about the call I received in December, from a lady wanting to know where she could buy locally grown fresh strawberries, for her Christmas dinner. My first thought, was “Lady have you looked out your window recently. The ground is frozen and it is snowing!”

Farmer’s Markets in the Columbus area usually start operating in late April with herbs and peas, if Mother Nature is kind, and we have an early warm Spring. Mid to late May is not unusual, if our Spring is cold and damp. The end of harvest season is usually October, but has been as late as Thanksgiving.

On the Farmer’s Market page you will find a list of local Farmer’s Markets, and further down the page is a list of “What’s Fresh When” in the Columbus area.

News Bites:

For neighborhood food news, click on the News Bites tab. The Short North neighborhood has been making quite a splash lately!

Best Local Restaurants:

Don't you just hate the arrogance implied by those words, particularly when applied to the infinite number of places to eat. You could spend a lifetime eating out and chances are you still wouldn't have eaten nearly enough to know what's "the best." And, who is to say what I think of as good eats will be the same as your opinion.

We've compiled a list of our favorites—the best, if you will, Short North neighborhood restaurants ranging from casual cuisine through fine dining. You can compare your favorites to ours, on the Best Local Restaurants tab.

Dinner and a Movie:

The other night I watched Julie & Julia on one of the cable channels. What a delightful movie. We saw it at the Drexel Theatre last year when it opened, but I enjoyed it just as much the second time.

There are a number of great food themed movies. I thought it might be fun to share some of them. Kind of lends a whole new meaning to "dinner and a movie." Click n the Dinner and a Movie tab for a full listing of our favorites.

Travel - Chicago and dinner at Chilam Balam:

Back on March 13 through 16, Nancy was in Chicago to attend the International Housewares Show. It is always a good show, for finding new stuff and seeing what will be added to various suppliers lines for the coming year.

Friends Zoe and Jack happened to be in Chicago at the same time. They have a cozy little apartment in the Windy City because Jack spends so much time there on business. On Monday night, we got together for dinner. Jack and Zoe don't care much for dining at the current trendy hotspots. Not so much because these places don't have good food, but Z & J care more about the food and less about being trendy. We had dinner at a superb little Mexican restaurant called Chilam Balam. The menu is small but the flavors are huge. We ordered an assortment of their small plates and shared. The pork belly carnitas were magnificent. We ordered seconds.

If you happen to be in Chicago... make reservations as the place is small, and BYOB. Down right inexpensive for dining out in Chicago. You can visit their website here - www.chilambalamchicago.com

Books worth reading (and owning):

We absolutely love Harold McGee and his books, which are a scientific explanation of the preparation of food. We own a copy of On Food and Cooking, and did not know it was now back in reprint. It has been described by Alton Brown as "the Rosetta stone of the culinary world." You can your own copy here, on McGee’s website http://www.curiouscook.com/cook/on_food.php

Cooking, like so many creative endeavors, is defined by relationships. For instance, knowing exactly how much flour to put into a loaf of bread isn't nearly as useful as understanding the relationship between the flour and the water, or fat, or salt . That relationship is defined by a 'ratio,' and having a ratio in hand is like having a secret decoder ring that frees you from the tyranny of recipes. Michael Ruhlman’s book Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking is that decoder ring. Michael’s book is available on Amazon and at local bookstores. You might find his blog of interest too - www.blog.ruhlman.com

Art Exhibit:
We are currently exhibiting paintings from the Funky Kitchens series, by local artist Petersen Thomas. We love this series, not so much because they focus on the kitchen, but because of the lively color schemes and whimsical way in which Petersen presents these everyday objects. Click on the Current Art Exhibit tab for more details.

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Columbus OH 43215

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