Columbus Monthly / October 2010 /  A bargain lunch deal

 Email  Print

A bargain lunch deal

A new Doody place

Piada Italian Street Food, 1315 W. Lane Ave., was bustling with friends and family eager to try out the new concept during a tasting before it opened in early September. Here’s how the fast-casual place, the latest venture from Chris Doody, works: Step up to the counter and order either a pasta bowl, chopped salad or piada (thin-crust dough made from natural organic flour and olive oil). Next, select chicken, steak, salmon, Italian meats or Italian sausage, and choose from several sauces, including diavolo (spicy!) and fresh basil pesto. There are five side options, such as artichoke and spinach dip, served with piada chips, as well as calamari fritto misto. Beverages include Italian teas and sodas, plus beer and wine. If you still have room after your meal, there are cannoli chips with chocolate chip cream for dessert. An entree and soft drink is under $10.

“I think people are always wanting something better,” says Doody, co-founder of Bravo Brio Restaurant Group. “They’re looking for healthy alternatives prepared fresh and served at a reasonable price. We think it’s one-of-a-kind. It’s pretty exciting.” Piada is open for lunch and dinner daily. There’s a drive-through window, which opens early for pickup orders on Ohio State football game days.

—Taylor Swope

Time for tea

At one point, Mary Boesch moved to Manhattan for six months to care for a grandchild while her daughter attended the French Culinary Institute. After touring teahouses around New York, Boesch was inspired to open her own back in Columbus. “I think the feeling when you go to a teahouse is special,” she says. “You can relax and linger. . . . It’s a little more refined.”

At the Cambridge Tea House, 1885 W. Fifth Ave., Boesch offers breakfast and lunch, as well as a traditional afternoon tea, including herbal teas, flavored white tea and flavored oolong. And she doesn’t want guests to overlook the scones. “We’ve been told by a lot of people we have the best scones outside of England,” she says proudly. (After all, she prepares most of the baked goods.) The Cambridge Tea House is open Tuesday through Friday from 8 am to 4 pm and Saturday and Sunday till 3 pm.

—Taylor Swope

Cheap eats

Café Istanbul, 3983 Worth Ave. in Easton Town Center, serves classic Mediterranean fare. If you’re looking for a big meal for a small price, the lunch special might interest you. Manager Joel Arias says Monday through Friday from 11 am to 3 pm, customers can order a starter, entree and dessert of the day for $9.95.

Openings

Cibo Restaurant & Bar is expected to open in early October at Reed and Henderson roads, says co-owner Carla Piolata. Menu items include fried calamari and beef carpaccio, plus a variety of pasta dishes and salads. The restaurant, which is located in a shopping center, seats 54 in the dining room and 30 in a separate lounge area. Piolata, formerly of Da Vinci Ristorante, which closed in 2006, says after four years away from the restaurant business, she’s more than ready to be back. “It was like coming home. We know everyone and everyone knows us. When people come in, they’re coming into our home,” she says. Cibo will be open Monday through Thursday from 5 to 10 pm, till 11 pm on Friday and closed Sunday.

Gooeyz opened at 1554 N. High St. at the South Campus Gateway in the former Happy Greek location in mid August, says Dave Bennett, who owns the grilled cheese shop with his wife, Lanne. Menu items include Eggs over Gooeyz, Texas toast with egg and cheese, and five signature sandwiches, with such options as lamb, chicken and corned beef. Prices are under $8, and the restaurant is open Monday and Tuesday from 7 am to midnight, Wednesday through Friday till 3 am, Saturday from 10 am to 3 am and Sunday till midnight. Bennett says there’s a full bar and seating for 140 guests, as well as live music four nights a week.

City Barbeque is expanding east. The local chain will open a new location in late October in Newark at 1195 W. Church St., says president Rick Malir. He adds the dining room will seat 90 and the patio 52. Beer will be available. The barbecue joint is open daily from 10:30 am to 10 pm.

If you’ve ever craved Cajun cuisine or beignets, you may have been to Creole Kitchen, 1052 Mount Vernon Ave. Chef and owner Henry Butcher confirms that he’s “putting a business plan together” to expand his current operation near the Lincoln Theatre. He expects the upgraded location to seat around 80 people, and if all goes as planned, he hopes to open next year.

Updates

There’s a new menu and chef at Vonn Jazz & Blues, 245 E. Campus View Blvd., says Kate McAndrews, who handles marketing for the Crosswoods restaurant. The new chef is Mike Black, who also has worked at G. Michael’s and Alana’s Food and Wine. Menu items include Southern-style potato skins, Caribbean-influenced mahi tacos, a South Carolina-inspired duck confit sandwich and macadamia-encrusted grouper.