Columbus Monthly / March 2011 / A fun cocktail with a raunchy namesake

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A fun cocktail with a raunchy namesake

Fill’r up!

The Hubbard Grille, which opened in early January at the old Rosendales restaurant space, 793 N. High St., has brought a new high-efficiency beer dispensary concept to the Short North. Picture this: You pour your own beer from a tap at your table, a digital meter tells you how much you’ve spent and a server gives you your bill when you’re ready to leave.

It’s called the Table Tender, by Atlanta-based company Table Tap LLC. And four of the high-tech spigots are available to customers at two tables. Each table has two taps that general manager Dan Morris says will be changed out occasionally, but feature selections from the Elevator Brewery now. (Fourteen-ounce pints run between $5 and $5.50.)

For Morris, who says the tables can be reserved, their addition isn’t just about efficiency; he says he observes a fundamental change in how his customers interact. “People that are on dates, groups, families—everyone’s got their phones out,” he says, but at the tap tables, folks are more communal and “create a lot of laughter and conversation. The interactive part is what I love.”

COSI After Dark

COSI isn’t just for kids anymore. In fact, it never was, according to spokeswoman Chris Hurtubise. “Lots of adults think about COSI being a kids’ place, but then they get here and they understand that science is ageless,” she says.

As part of its effort to reach grown-ups, the science center in January introduced COSI After Dark, a monthly cocktail and small plate gathering that allows those 21 and older to experience the exhibits. Admission ($20 or $18 for members) includes parking and $4 in vouchers toward food, drinks or concessions. Hurtubise says that domestic beers are $3, import beers and small plates $4 and wine and mixed drinks $5.

COSI After Dark is from 6 to 9 pm on the third Thursday of each month. On March 17, the theme will be Progress, which Hurtubise says will introduce guests to the fictional town of Progress. Two identical streetscapes are displayed—one depicting a scene from 1898 and the other from 1962. The idea, she says, is to demonstrate how technology has changed the world over time. For more information or to order tickets, visit cosi.org/after-dark.

News

Co-owner Greg Lehman of Grandview’s Watershed Distillery, 1145 Chesapeake Ave. Suite D, says he’s barreled what he believes is Central Ohio’s first legal batch of bourbon since Prohibition started in 1920. The process began late last year, and Lehman says his hope is to have it ready to sell in 2013, though it all depends on the flavor. “A lot of people age it a lot less than that,” he says. “We’re trying to push a little bit beyond that and make sure what we’re going to release is going to taste how it should.”

Big Woody’s is moving into the space formerly occupied by Lodge Bar this spring at 165 Vine St. According to an early February press release, the newcomer—under new ownership—will be a “high energy restaurant and bar with an unpretentious attitude and infectious atmosphere” and feature “dozens” of flat-screen TVs, live music and a mechanical bull.

A drink and a drag

Restaurateur Liz Lessner, who reopened the Jury Room, 22 E. Mound St., in mid January, is making sure to add a few elements of her own to the venerable downtown establishment. “When we took over Jury Room, it was important to us to infuse some of the fun and outrageousness we have at our other bars, you know, make sure we’re not too stuffy,” she says.

One apparent result of this immersion is an updated drink menu, which includes, among many other new samplings, the Nina West martini, named after a certain spicy performer. Made with Smirnoff Pear Vodka, X-Rated Liqueur, a splash of champagne, pop rocks and a candy cigarette (no joke), the $7.50 drink is a worthy recipient of its moniker, according to its namesake.

An acclaimed local drag queen, West performs at several Short North gay bars, combining raunchy comedy and political commentary with Broadway show tunes and plenty of gaudy camp.

West is not a transvestite—a common misconception. That’s for people who cross-dress as a lifestyle. Much like the ballet dancers of Trockadero de Monte Carlo, drag queens are those who practice cross-dressing for performance. “I leave it all behind after the show,” says West, the winner of the 2008 Entertainer of the Year pageant in Louisville, Kentucky, awarded to the best female impersonators in the country. “Drag is much more of an art form than it is a way of life.”

A theater graduate, West planned to move to New York City to pursue a career in show business. Then, the attacks of Sept. 11 rocked the nation, prompting a change in plans. Deciding to stay in Columbus, West struggled to find a way to perform. A friend suggested drag, and the rest is, well, “herstory.”

“My goal when I entertain is to make people laugh, think or forget about something,” West says. “There are so many different things going on in the world: People don’t have jobs, they’re sick . . . if I can for a moment make people laugh and forget about all that, then it’s worth it to me.”

The next opportunity to see West is at Axis, 775 N. High St., where her Nina’s Playhouse will be showing March 25 through 27. “She’s fabulous and raunchy and absolutely over-the-top ridiculous,” Lessner says. For more information, contact Axis at 291-4008 or visit West’s website, superdragqueen.com.