Brio Tuscan Grille: Easton location’s fountain makes this fine-dining destination our top family-friendly restaurant for August

Brio Tuscan Grille

Easton location’s fountain makes this fine-dining destination our top family-friendly restaurant for August

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It’s August and it’s hot. But that’s no reason to consume another box of mac and cheese in an air-conditioned home. Instead, consider heading to Brio Tuscan Grille at Easton Town Center for penne pasta and cheese, enjoyed on Brio’s patio adjacent to Easton’s Town Square and fountain.

Columbus-based Brio has multiple locations, but the fountain is key to the family-friendly quotient at Easton. Ask to sit on the patio, alongside the fence that faces the fountain. Reservations are not accepted for this area, so it’s first-come, first-serve. We sat by a gate that allowed our children to exit and re-enter the patio. It gave us a chance to enjoy fine food and a conversation, mostly uninterrupted by our kids, who were frolicking in the fountain.

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Town Square is the site of many ongoing events during the summer at Easton, including an outdoor movie series on Tuesdays, concerts on Wednesdays and a farmer’s market on Thursdays. So if the fountain isn’t running, such as during concerts, the patio is still the best seat in the house. Learn more about events.

Are bathing suits acceptable attire?

We were skeptical if it’d be OK for our children – ages 7 and 9 – to wear their bathing suits concealed by coverups to the restaurant, only to tear them off during dinner to splash in the fountain. Assistant General Manager Brian Peters assured us that it was OK. Just be sure to bring a towel and change of clothes, if you plan to splash in the fountain. If you forget, though, there’s a Gap Kids a stone’s throw away.

Brio recently updated its menu, but Mike’s go-to dish remains the Pasta BRIO, made of rigatoni, grilled chicken, seared mushrooms, and roasted red pepper sauce. I like to try any number of the delicious seafood dishes. “Bambino Favorites” include ravioli, lasagna, chicken parmesan and grilled salmon – all under $7.

Our kids loved the mac and cheese, but the fountain got all their attention. They ran around in circles with other kids and soaked up the experience. That is, until we had Torta di Cioccolata, a cake-based dessert with a warm chocolate center, vanilla bean gelato, anglaise sauce and a chocolate drizzle.

And for the parents?

Mike and I liked having a good meal somewhat by ourselves as we watched our kids play in the fountain – something we thought they may have outgrown. It was nice to see they hadn’t – at least not yet.

Brio Tuscan Grille is located at 3993 Easton Station, Columbus. Learn more.

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Old Skool: $2 hot dogs on Wednesdays, including veggie dogs, makes this retro hangout our top family-friendly restaurant for July

Old Skool

$2 hot dogs on Wednesdays, including veggie dogs, makes this retro hangout our top family-friendly restaurant for July

Secondary_OldSkoolSchool’s out for summer and our family-friendly restaurant pick of the month is Old Skool in Clintonville.

Why?

This retro hangout, with bleacher-style seating, free popcorn and breezy garage doors, is the place to be on Wednesdays when all generously-topped hot dogs are just $2, including veggie dogs, during happy hour from 3-6 p.m.

What to eat.

Top your dog in groovy style by selecting from the music-inspired menu. Try the Def Leppard with chili, cheddar and onions. Or the Blues Brothers with pickle, tomato, mustard, relish, onion, peppers and celery salt.

Third_OldSkoolBut the sports bar, operated by George Tanchevski who runs Local Cantina and Aladdin’s Eatery, is best known for its barbecue and house-smoked ribs on Sundays.

For dessert, try the deep-friend Twinkie.

What’s in it for the kids?

Kids will like the sides including mac and cheese, tater tots and baked beans. They’ll also enjoy the school gym-like atmosphere, table-top video games and pinball machine.

And for the parents?

This place is as casual as they come, and tolerable of children. Sports fans will like the 10 televisions and local brews.

Old Skool is located at 2941 N. High St., Columbus. Visit www.oldskool614.com.

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Nutcracker Family Restaurant: Quizzical ’50s-style diner near Pataskala makes you smile
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Nutcracker Family Restaurant

Quizzical ’50s-style diner near Pataskala makes you smile

After visiting the impressive Works science museum in Newark, we were famished. Wendy had heard about a ’50s-style diner in nearby Pataskala, so we sought out the Nutcracker Family Restaurant.

It’s easy to see where the place got its name. There are nutcrackers everywhere, on wall ledges, windowsills and even on top of an old gas pump.

The combination of retro signs, neon lights, classic candies at the checkout counter and other ’50s accouterments didn’t seem to jibe with the dozens of nutcrackers, which emit a Christmasy, Germanic vibe. Still, it’s one of those places that elicits a smile when you enter.

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The counter has seating for half a dozen or more, and I suppose the wonder of finding a place like this amid rural Pataskala was worth the effort. The fact that the Nutcracker has been open more than 20 years is impressive enough on its own.

But the food isn’t something to write to Vienna about. My Reuben sandwich used what seemed like a pressed type of corned beef that wasn’t overly flavorful. Wendy said her veggie burger was “good.” The kids had kids meals, and they were decidedly kids-meal like.

However, like 6- and 8-year-olds would say, they can’t wait to go back. “It was so much fun,” Rosie said. She and Max dared each other to pick up one of the nutcrackers that was decked out like a firefighter. Wendy thought they would be glued down, but they weren’t.

They also enjoyed an animatronic-type band that appeared from behind a curtain and played along with the music they chose for a quarter on the jukebox. They also loved that their meal came with a free lunchbox, which they each chose upon departure.

The bottom line is that the Nutcracker Restaurant is a fun place to seek out if you’re on an adventure. As long as you check your “foodie” instincts at the door, you’ll enjoy the visit.

That said, the pies are made fresh daily, and weekly specials include all-you-can-eat perch on Tuesday and Friday, all-you-can-eat pasta on Wednesday and all-you-can-eat fried chicken on Thursday. Veterans eat free on Veterans Day and the day after Memorial Day.

The Nutcracker Family Restaurant is located at 63 E. Broad St., Pataskala. For more information, call 740-964-0056 or visit www.nutcrackerpataskala.com.

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Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop: Find retro treats in funky Short North store

Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop

Find retro treats in funky Short North store

We’ll most likely never witness a bull in a China shop in our lifetimes. But my husband, Mike, and I recently had the pleasure of seeing a kid in a candy store.

It happened when we took our 6-year-old son, Max, to the Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop in the Short North. The candy store in the heart of Columbus’ Arts District is just what you’d imagine it would be – but visibly way better if you’re a kid.

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As its name suggests, Rocket Fizz is a nostalgic soda pop and candy shop offering thousands of types of candies and more than 500 varieties of bottled sodas from around the world – all colorfully displayed alongside retro posters and gag gifts.

The destination proved to be a real treat for Max and a reminder to us of the allure of candy. As we watched our son move about the store in an apparent sugary haze, we could see a spark of wonderment in his gaze with so much candy within his reach. Dots, Necco Wafers, Pop Rocks, Goobers, Cow Tales, Now and Laters – they’re all there in perfect harmony with face-sized lolly pops and footlong Charleston Chews.

There’s also a neat assortment of Japanese candies, bins of salt-water taffy in such flavors as chili mango and blueberry muffin, and bubble-gum cigarettes (amusingly sold at the cashier’s station).

The store enticed a steady stream of customers (mostly curious adults), who viewed the candies and sodas like they were in one of the many art galleries in the area. Rocket Fizz sells its own zany line of soda flavors based on food, such as bacon with chocolate. They’re made with mountain water from the High Sierras and real sugar.

The prices of candy and the soda are not what you might come to expect. With the high rents of the Short North, some of the candy seemed quite expensive. But the assortment is worth the visit.

The Short North store, 944 N. High St., is among more than 70 stores across the U.S., with dozens more locations set to open, according to rocketfizz.com.

For more information, visit rocketfizz.com or call 614-525-0052.

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The Kitchen: Make meals, memories at participatory eatery in German Village
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The Kitchen

Make meals, memories at participatory eatery in German Village

It was a sweet chore that my family was only too happy to perform. We carried marshmallows, candy corn, licorice whips, and other confections to a food-preparation table, where we constructed edible haunted houses out of gingerbread cutouts and frosting.

Our handicraft was part of a participatory food experience at the Kitchen in Columbus’ German Village neighborhood. The business, which opened in 2013, offers the tools and guidance for guests to tackle intimidating culinary creations in a fun environment. It’s housed in a hip, 1920s-era building with hardwood floors, exposed brick walls and a tin ceiling.

“Our focus is on the social side of getting people together with food. The educational component is sort of accidental,” said Anne Boninsegna, who co-owns the Kitchen with chef Jen Lindsey.

We visited the Kitchen on Halloween. For $20 apiece, we were given all the fixings to create masterful haunted houses during a three-hour workshop. It was a bargain, considering the amount of preparation that went into the craft, including setup and cleanup.

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Chef Lindsey made the icing and the tasty gingerbread cutouts that formed the walls of our houses. She also made energizing, whimsical snacks including apple slices with caramel, veggies with ranch dip and hot dogs wrapped in biscuits that she called “mummy dogs.”

The Kitchen is open most days of the week for public and private events, each priced according to the number of participants and necessary ingredients. The space offers a commercial cooking environment with professional tools and a seasoned chef.

Most Kitchen experiences are adult-oriented, and the place is often booked for corporate business. But several times a year, families take center stage. Family-related events have included candy making on Valentine’s Day and creating a vegetable soup with colorful ingredients to the theme of the children’s book Rainbow Stew, by Cathryn Falwell.

“Just fun stuff that brings parents and kids together,” Boninsegna said.

The owners say that the best memories are formed around a dinner table. Guests can help prepare a meal before they sit down together to enjoy it, narrowing the line between patron and chef.

“We feel it’s great to sit down and have a dinner with somebody,” Boninsegna said. “But if you cook food together first, you get a richer experience than if you just make reservations and go out to dinner.”

Themes have included a gluten-free dinner party and a Harry Potter potluck, when guests, dressed as characters from the books, created dishes that corresponded with their personalities.

So how can you get a taste of the Kitchen without attending a private party? Attend Taco Tuesday, weekly from 5-9 p.m. The event features unique taco themes – from Mexican to Italian to southern BBQ-inspired tacos. The menu is served a la carte and features specialty cocktail selections, beers and wines that pair with the night’s theme. No reservation is needed for this family-friendly dinner.

For more information, visit thekitchencolumbus.com or call 614-225-8940.

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The Blueberry Patch

Head to Mansfield to pick your own plump berries

If you typically avoid the tasteless blueberries that often populate your local supermarket, there’s no need to plan a trip to Maine to pick your own. Just head to the Blueberry Patch in Mansfield.

The Blueberry Patch is Ohio’s largest blueberry farm, 45 minutes northeast of Columbus. Steve and Lisa Beilstein began planting the now well-established bushes in 1981, and their foresight has paid off. The 27-acre patch yields plump, tasty berries that are easy to pick.

Seventeen varieties of blueberries grow in the ideal sandy and acidy soil where thousands of honeybees are needed per acre for pollination.

Blueberry season is from late June through August. We arrived in late July to pick mid-season berries called Blue Ray, which are large and flavorful. Each member of our family was given a plastic bucket to take to a designated area in the patch. Rows and rows of bushes were loaded with blueberries, ready to pluck at our leisure. We combined our buckets into one then had them weighed. We paid $20 for four pounds of berries.

Stick around to see all the blueberry products in the gift shop. Troyer Home Pantry in Apple Creek, Ohio, uses the blueberries to make pies and jams. Also on site is a greenhouse, coffee beanery and Blossoms Cafe, where you can get brunch after morning berry picking, which begins daily at 8 a.m. The cafe is open until 4 p.m.

I had the quiche with a warm blueberry muffin, fresh fruit salad and blueberry iced tea, which was delicious. Of course you also can get blueberry smoothies, shakes and parfaits.

On a future trip, I’ll take time to enjoy the onsite winery aptly called Winery 1285 for its address. Sample a selection of wines including dry and sweet blueberry varieties, order wood-fired pizza or even participate in a “wine and paint” party. This handsome bar could fit into a vibrant Columbus neighborhood.

Once home, Mike transformed our blueberries into tasty scones, a sauce for angel-food cake and frozen yogurt.

Can’t make it to Mansfield in the near future? Blueberry Patch berries also are sold at central Ohio farmers markets including the Clintonville and Worthington markets.

The Blueberry Patch is located at 1285 W. Hanley Rd., in Mansfield. For more information, call 419-884-1797 or visit theblueberrypatch.org.

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Don’s Downtown Diner: Keep Bellefontaine restaurant top of mind for burgers, shakes when visiting nearby attractions
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Don’s Downtown Diner

Keep Bellefontaine restaurant top of mind for burgers, shakes when visiting nearby attractions

The back of the menu at Don’s Downtown Diner in Bellefontaine, Ohio, reads: “You shouldn’t drive out of our community to enjoy a great meal.”

But Columbus folk like us who have driven an hour northwest of home will be lucky to find this modest joint in the heart of Logan County. Don’s serves “quality food at a fair price,” which includes the best chocolate-and-peanut-butter shakes we’ve ever had. It’s well worth the effort to seek it out.

We discovered Don’s on the Internet while researching places to eat in between exploring caves and riding horses at nearby attractions. The restaurant is located near Ohio Caverns and the Piatt Castles in West Liberty and Marmon Valley Farm and Mad River Mountain in Zanesfield.

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Don’s received rave reviews on Yelp, Trip Advisor and Urban Spoon. The most accurate, we learned, was one that read: “The exterior gives the wrong impression of the place.”

Once in downtown Bellefontaine, we nearly passed the squat, white-brick building while driving along Main Street. The restaurant is located one block south of the Logan County Courthouse and Court Avenue, the oldest concrete street in the nation – paved in 1891.

It’s small inside, too. There are a dozen tables and booths and a half dozen counter seats. The decor is mostly stainless steel and black vinyl. The floor and walls are white, except for a splash of red on the side where we sat. We could see the cook’s ball cap bobbing behind a wall as he prepared meals to order.

We also learned that produce is purchased in season from local farmers and fries are hand cut. The menu includes sandwiches, salads, sides and stellar shakes made with ice cream from Young’s Jersey Dairy in Yellow Springs, Ohio – more about that in a minute.

Don’s is best known for its steak burgers, which come from a local, family-owned butcher’s shop, and are priced from $6.99 for a hamburger to $17.99 for the Baby Matilda – a deluxe model made with two half-pound patties, two grilled cheese sandwiches, bacon and cheddar cheese.

Other out-of-the-ordinary menu items include deep-fried pickles, a bacon cheeseburger topped with peanut butter, and the “Fatty Patty,” featuring bacon and cheese served between two Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. We passed on that one, but I’d love to hear from someone bold enough to give it a try.

Kids meals, which cost $4.99, include the standard chicken fingers, grilled cheese, hamburgers and hot dogs, with fries and a drink.

Mike had a simple cheeseburger with pepper jack and extra pickles. It was pretty large, and he said it was “terrific.” My fried fish was tender and white on the inside and delicious between a wheat bun with a side of fries, and the kids ate their grilled cheese sandwiches and fries without complaint.

The highlight, though, were the shakes that arrived in the stainless-steel malt cups that they’re mixed in. They’re thick, creamy and full of flavor and served before your meal arrives, which might explain why they’re so good. Who wouldn’t want dessert first?

Don’s is located at 208 S. Main St., Bellefontaine, Ohio. For more information, call 937-599-4444.

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Schmidt’s Sausage Haus und Restaurant

Landmark eatery serves authentic German cuisine in historic neighborhood

Schmidt's Cream Puff

Schmidt’s Sausage Haus und Restaurant is a landmark eatery in central Ohio, drawing large crowds daily. Alongside the schnitzel, cabbage rolls and potato salad, you’ll find decadent, half-pound cream puffs and Schmidt’s signature Bahama Mamas – hickory-smoked sausage served on a bed of sauerkraut.

Located in a nationally registered historic site and tucked along a brick-laden street in Columbus’ neighborhood of German Village, Schmidt’s has been the go-to spot for authentic German cuisine for more than 120 years.

My family and I visited on a Friday evening, when the line to get your name on a seating list went out the door. We passed a half hour’s time by posing for pictures behind wooden cutouts of a German couple – the male figure wearing lederhosen and holding a beer. We also had time to visit the nearby Schmidt’s Fudge Haus, offering handmade chocolates such as “Schmurtles” with chocolate, carmel, peanut butter and pecans.

Schmidt's serverSchmidt’s has been operated by five generations of the Schmidt family since 1886, when patriarch J. Fred Schmidt ventured to America from Frankfurt, Germany, to open a meat-packing house. The restaurant opened nearby in 1967, serving passed-down family recipes by traditionally dressed servers.

Guests can experience an Oktoberfest atmosphere every Thursday and Friday as the energetic duo Schnickelfritz takes stage, performing German oom-pah-pah tunes on a horn and accordion.

Schmidt’s is located at 240 East Kossuth St., and is open seven days a week. No reservations are accepted.

For more information, call 614-444-6808 or visit www.schmidthaus.com.

Schmidt’s also sponsors Columbus’ annual Oktoberfest in late September at the Ohio State Fairgrounds. Admission is free. Learn more at www.columbusoktoberfest.com.

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