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[big_giant_head]

Any forumites planning to be there? 

Closely related: anyone know where the best places to eat in Columbus are?  I'm not a bar person, but I do love good food. 

[barred_owl]

I'm not going to the conference, BGH, but you should be able to find plenty of good food options in Cols.!  There are many restaurants serving international/ethnic cuisine (Ethiopian, Indian, Japanese, etc.) and the entire gamut of dining options ranging from Irish pubs and burger joints to nouvelle cuisine, vegetarian and vegan.

There's a sort of food corridor between downtown and the university, running along High Street, where you'll find most of the ethnic places.  If you choose something closer to the university, though, I'd recommend taking a cab or finding a carpool option, since the distance between downtown and the university is several miles, and the route passes through some rather unsavory neighborhoods.

I'll see if I can track down some information I had about some of the ethnic and fine dining restaurants, and will get back to you.  What's your preference, in terms of cuisine?

[big_giant_head]

I love Indian, Thai, Lebanese, and everything else if it's done well. Those three are at the top of my list currently.  A colleague will be going with me, though...I'll have to find out what kinds of food she likes. 

[barred_owl]

This isn't quite the info I thought I had, BGH, but it's a start, at least (Bing search results):

Indian:  http://www.bing.com/local/default.aspx?what=indian+restaurants&where=Columbus%2c+Ohio&s_cid=ansPhBkYp01&mkt=en-us&ac=false&q=indian+restaurants+in+columbus   (Indian Oven has received good reviews, and is very near downtown)

Thai:  http://www.bing.com/local/default.aspx?q=thai+restaurants+Columbus%2C+Ohio&form=LLSV

And, the Blue Nile (Ethiopian) restaurant near the university:  http://www.bluenileohio.com/   (very affordable, and has gotten some very good reviews--if you can round up a group, it will be very inexpensive!)



Oh, and in terms of other things to do in Cols., consider taking in the Chihuly exhibit at the Columbus Museum of Art, if you have time before/during/after the conference!  http://www.columbusmuseum.org/

[mystictechgal]

If you'd like I can ask my elder sister if she has any recommendations, BGH.  She's lived in Columbus most of her adult life and was an ESL teacher (retired).  She doesn't get out much any more (MS), but I know she'd probably have good ethnic restaurant references from her former students.  Her suggestions probably wouldn't be any upscale places, though--but, they'd be authentic, and good.  As a result, they might not be in what you'd see as one of the more savory areas of town, but they'd generally be safe, no matter what the area looks like.  PM me if you'd like me to ask her.

[dellaroux]

Good German food in the German Village area...Schmidt's, Diebels, etc. Bratwurst, etc. are made on the premises at the former; the latter used to be a singing-waiter place, don't know if it still is.

The OSU campus has some good spots nearby, and many ethnic restaurants of various levels of pricyness and quality. The "Short North" area, between the campus and the downtown area, has a lot of small galleries and cafes, as Barred_Owl notes.

North of the campus in the Clintonville area is a great piano bar/dessert place, Mozart's, worth an evening visit just for the campy good fun of it.

Also, across the river in the Upper Arlington/Dublin area, around Reed-Henderson Road or above, there are a few spots tucked in between the strip malls that have taken over that area.

Second the CGFA suggestion, a very good array of work, Chiluly included.

If you want to get outside of town a bit, the Golden Lamb (a 2-hour drive) is a family favorite, and for museums, you should also check out the Ohio Village, set in the 1830s. The music is very good, if they're singing that day, too.

[big_giant_head]

If you'd like I can ask my elder sister if she has any recommendations, BGH.  She's lived in Columbus most of her adult life and was an ESL teacher (retired).  She doesn't get out much any more (MS), but I know she'd probably have good ethnic restaurant references from her former students.  Her suggestions probably wouldn't be any upscale places, though--but, they'd be authentic, and good.  As a result, they might not be in what you'd see as one of the more savory areas of town, but they'd generally be safe, no matter what the area looks like.  PM me if you'd like me to ask her.

Might take you up on this later.  Thanks.

[big_giant_head]

Good German food in the German Village area...Schmidt's, Diebels, etc. Bratwurst, etc. are made on the premises at the former; the latter used to be a singing-waiter place, don't know if it still is.

The OSU campus has some good spots nearby, and many ethnic restaurants of various levels of pricyness and quality. The "Short North" area, between the campus and the downtown area, has a lot of small galleries and cafes, as Barred_Owl notes.

North of the campus in the Clintonville area is a great piano bar/dessert place, Mozart's, worth an evening visit just for the campy good fun of it.

Also, across the river in the Upper Arlington/Dublin area, around Reed-Henderson Road or above, there are a few spots tucked in between the strip malls that have taken over that area.

Second the CGFA suggestion, a very good array of work, Chiluly included.

If you want to get outside of town a bit, the Golden Lamb (a 2-hour drive) is a family favorite, and for museums, you should also check out the Ohio Village, set in the 1830s. The music is very good, if they're singing that day, too.

Quality is more pertinent to me than price.  It may sound awful, but this trip is being paid for out of a federal grant and all our food will be reimbursed.  I don't care how much it costs.  You're buying.  :-)  And I adore German food and had no idea there was a "German Village" in Columbus.  That's definitely on my list now, thanks.

I imagine we'll stay reasonably close to the downtown area, though.  We're staying at the Hyatt.

[dellaroux]

Which Hyatt? There are four--I'd guess the one at 350 N. High street, but...yes, OK, the website for the conference confirms that.

OK, you're very close to the Short North and not far from the German Village area.

1) There's a kind of fun redux of the old North Market with a food court and many vendors of local fresh produce (you don't have to go far out of Columbus to find the farm country, still) a few blocks up from the hotel. Good for a lunch-away-from-the-conference if you, as I do, find yourself feeling as if the whole thing gets anaerobic rather quickly.

Good for buying "buckeyes" to bring home as treats or small gifts (these are a staple of Ohio food sales since they turned up in the early 70s: a peanut butter fudge with a dark chocolate coating, dipped to resemble the real (but dangerously inedible) real state tree's fruit/(nut).

Also good for pumpkin and other unusual jams and preserves and butters. Shades of the State Fair (in August) in fact, the North Market is good for strolling in even if you don't buy much.

2) The latter area's brick homes and Schiller Park form a coherent urban pocket of cultural and architectural history; 1840s arrivants had within a decade founded singing societies (still in existence) and other groups. It's a good place to wander in on a Sunday afternoon, and there are concerts associated with some of the area churches (St. Mary's Catholic church is within that area, for example).

You could get there easily by walking about 8-10 blocks down High Street towards Town St., over the bridge and then make a left at about Stimmel St. (to see St. Mary's, on 3rd and Stimmel) then right a couple more blocks towards Frankfort (the original Max & Erma's) or further down towards Kossuth and up three blocks past 5th to Purdy Alley (Schmidt's).

To get to the park, go four more blocks south on Purdy to the park. There are statues, a band shell, a pond, and good spots for just sitting (if it's warm by then, it might be...) or just walking around.

   http://recparks.columbus.gov/Parks/Parks_5.asp

3) There are many bookstores and antique shops in both the German Village and Short North areas; there is also a smaller area, called "Victorian Village," along Neil Ave. between the western part of the Short North and the OSU campus.

There are city buses and pretty good cab service but you can do a lot of this by walking, although the walk to the OSU campus would be a longish one from your hotel, and probably better done on wheels.

The campus itself has a gorgeous central Oval, the Orton tower and the lake nearby are nice, and the stadium (for the real die-hards) is also nearby...well, another longish walk, but you get used to it.

4) I'm betting folks in the OSU Ed. School might have some places to suggest as well, if you have any contacts there they might have good topical bookstores to recommend.

People tend to be very welcoming and hospitable, and unlike some other parts of the world, usually know how to give reasonable directions, since the town is pretty much on a grid system, thanks to early surveyors' influences.

[ck_dexter]

In German Village:

A second vote for Schmidt's German restaurant, but my favorite in the area is Katzinger's Deli--fantastic corned beef and good pastrami.  And Barcelona, a Spanish place which I don't recommend but everybody else seems to love.  There's also Book Loft, a fantastic bookstore down the street from Katzinger's.

For art museums, the Wexner for the Arts on the Ohio State campus is the best, though the Columbus art museum is good too.

[ck_dexter]

Above should read: Wexner Center for the Arts.

And I almost forgot the most important place in Columbus:  Jeni's ice cream.
http://jenisicecreams.com/

[dellaroux]

NOT Graeters'?

 OOO
  \  /
   V

   http://www.graeters.com/

:--}

We used to go out there for ice cream when it was a roadside shack on the way to the old OSU airport on Henderson Rd. (I think it was Henderson)....

[ck_dexter]

Graeters is fine, but sorry, it's no contest with Jeni's.  It's another level altogether.

Where else can you get goat cheese with cognac figs ice cream? Or black current? Or Thai chili? Or Bourbon Pecan?

[dellaroux]

Hmm...I've been to Jeni's, there's one near my folks; it was fine, the mango sherbert made a great lassi but..I don't like chili in my ice cream--or cognac figs or chevre, or bourbon, for that matter--and Graeters in fact has a great black raspberry, so I think I'll stick with that, thanks....

Always good to know there are options, though.

[ck_dexter]

dellaroux,

I'm honestly not usually into overtly eccentric flavor combinations, but Jeni's surprised me -- the flavors are very immediately accessible.  They'll also let you taste any flavor, as many as you like, so you won't get stuck with a dud.

If you like more traditional fruit varieties, Jeni's is still spectacular--such intense, fresh, real fruit flavor.  Maybe the sherbert isn't their strength?  I really recommend giving it a second chance.

Graeter's black raspberry is definitely a favorite for me, too...