Email
PrintA hidden campus fixture
Owner Terry Fahy at Mama's Pasta & Brew.
Dan Trittschuh
It’s possible, but unlikely, that the average Ohio State undergrad could go from orientation to commencement without hearing of Mama’s Pasta & Brew, let alone ever stepping inside. That’s despite the fact the owner of the tiny joint tucked away just off campus has, in many ways, been content with its off-the-beaten-path location.
Owner Terry Fahy—who bought the dive, which lies a block east of High Street between 14th and 15th avenues, in 1983 just a few short years after graduating from OSU—acknowledges the difficulties of keeping a bar afloat in such a hidden locale. “You don’t get the walk-in business,” he says. “You have to want to come here, so you have better people coming here.”
The watering hole, which has been around since the 1940s, has served the campus community under several names and owners. Since he took over, Fahy certainly has tried to turn the place into an institution. A “hall of fame” honors his regulars, who not only frequent the bar, but also participate in Mama’s dart and softball leagues, its golf outings and even its annual whitewater rafting trip, set for May (Fahy is a certified whitewater guide).
Photo collages depicting smiling faces in long-outdated fashions tell of a gathering place with a bit of a history. “Last year, my furnace was going bad,” Fahy says, “so I called up the maker to get it replaced, and they said they stopped making that model in 1947.”
Moose and ram busts protrude from the wood-paneled walls. The ram sports a necktie that blows whimsically each time the heat switches on. And graduating seniors have taken to kissing the moose for good luck.
Fahy was an interesting candidate to take the reins at the bar, which he used to visit as a student. No, the place wasn’t handed down from his mother; in fact, he’s unsure whose mama it’s named for, though he suspects it was the previous owner’s. “I always wanted to own my own business,” he says. A few years after graduation, he got his chance. “Mama’s was for sale, and I was young and naïve.”
As for whether he ever regrets not working more in his studied field, natural resources, Fahy shrugs. “Beer is natural, isn’t it?”
Up in smoke
Hitting up a hookah bar is an eclectic alternative to Starbucks for those looking to spend time reading, relaxing, chatting, studying or just plain schmoozing.
Hookahs, which originated in Persia and India, are smoking contraptions that divert the flow of (often flavored) tobacco smoke through water before inhalation. While health professionals say it’s no safer than smoking cigarettes, it certainly is tastier and far less odorous. For Misha Imhoff, who frequents Shisha Lounge, 2369 N. High St. in the north campus area, it’s about the atmosphere. “There’s easy conversation and it’s a really good place for people-watching, which I love to do,” says Imhoff, 23, who adds that she is repulsed by cigarettes.
Here are a few other hookah hot spots, which are open later than most bars. Sahara Shisha, 20 E. Arcadia Ave., Clintonville; Gypsy Cafe, 874 N. High St., Short North; Midnight Hookah, 1167 Mount Pleasant Ave., Short North; Leen O’ Caffe, 2498 Summit St. near East Hudson Street.
News
The spot formerly occupied by Banana Bean Cafe and, subsequently, Coyote Jane’s Bar & Grill, 340 Greenlawn Ave., is getting a new tenant. Field House Tavern is expected to open in April, according to general manager Brandon Bowsher. In early March, Bowsher and owner Mark Weidger were installing new flooring, booths and such. Bowsher says the hope is that the sports tavern will feed off the energy from Berliner Park, which is just across the street.
The building that housed Bar L’étranger, 132 E. Fifth Ave., has been sold. Todd Anderson, who owned the place and also its previous incarnation, Bristol Bar, says an opportunity arose that would allow him to focus more on his candle business, Lumiere Candle Co. “Back in January, I got approached to sell the place to some investors,” he says, adding he wasn’t sure the direction they might take it.
Bier Stube is getting a patio. Co-owner Craig Kempton says he hopes the off-campus watering hole, 1479 N. High St., will have the outdoor expansion ready by April, although he says it’s up to the timeliness of the state liquor inspectors.
The movie theater at Lennox Town Center just got outfitted with a bar, according to AMC spokesman Ryan Noonan. The concept, which the company has incorporated into many of its theaters around the country (including at Easton), is called MacGuffins, and it allows folks to bring drinks and cocktails into the auditorium or enjoy them at the bar before or after a show.
