Foodletter Eats: We Visit the Ohio State Fair & Hilltop Dairy Twist
The State Fair's food offerings get an upgrade, plus a longtime ice cream stand reopens on the West Side.
State Fair Eats Get an Upgrade
Every year there is buzz around the opening of the Ohio State Fair about what crazy new dishes have been added to the already bewildering array of fair food offerings. This year’s list includes churro Korean corn dogs, root beer float cream puffs and tanghulu (a Chinese snack of fruit skewers dipped in a crisp sugar glaze).
This year brings more novelty on the food front beyond outlandish street foods, plus there are brand new food venues that opened for the first time this year. That’s because the fairgrounds are in the midst of the Ohio Expo 2050 Vision Project, a $460 million, long-term master plan to modernize the 360-acre Ohio Expo Center and State Fairgrounds. Some of the new buildings resulting from the master plan have already been completed, including a new agriculture center and the new Ohio Showcase Building. Here’s an overview:
Ohio Agriculture Center
This multipurpose building features kitchens, dining space, meeting rooms and more than 100,000 square feet of multiuse convention space. The old Taste of Ohio Café has been torn down and moved inside the agriculture center. The deviled eggs that have become a fair staple have been moved outside the agriculture center to their own standalone Deviled Egg Headquarters, and the number of flavors on offer is larger—and wackier—than ever. Apple pie, birthday cake, Cincinnati chili and Columbus-style pizza flavors are just some of the varieties.
Ohio Showcase Building
The Ohio Showcase Building includes a brand-new food hall that features six Ohio restaurants and boasts both indoor and outdoor (shaded) seating. You’ll probably recognize that five of the six hail from Columbus:
Cheesecake Girl
Daisy’s Fish Shack (a spinoff of Modern Southern Table)
Glass City Pizzeria
Marlow’s Cheesesteaks
Schmidt’s Sausage Haus
Sweet Carrot
The fair’s $3 Thursday has returned this year (July 30 and Aug. 6). On both Thursdays of the fair, vendors will offer a menu item of their choice at a smaller size for just $3—a great way to sample your way around.
—Bethia Woolf
Hilltop Dairy Twist is Back
Rejoice, soft serve fans! The retro ice cream stand Hilltop Dairy Twist (2860 Sullivant Ave.) has reopened under new ownership—and now accepts credit cards. After serving the West Side for decades, the ice cream stand closed last year following the death of then-owner Larry Cordial. Recently, the old-school Sullivant Avenue stand quietly reopened with a walk-up window, four picnic tables and drive-thru.
The dessert menu is large, offering about 30 soft serve ice cream flavors plus milkshakes, sundaes, slushies, banana splits, root beer floats, Twisters (similar to a Blizzard) and more. Plus, there’s a small savory menu with burgers, hot dogs, fries and nachos.
I ordered a Classic Burger and vanilla-chocolate swirl cone—a rare lunch for under $10. I devoured the soft serve first. Though it’s no Preston’s, I really enjoyed the roadside burger with its slightly kicky, mayo-based Twist sauce and brioche bun.
Hilltop Dairy Twist’s hours are currently 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. (closed Mondays).
—Erin Edwards
News
Around the Columbus Food & Drink Scene
Mikey’s Late Night Slice will debut its new Grandview location on today, July 31. The storefront at 1312 Grandview Ave. (formerly Homefield sports bar) will be Mikey’s 11th location overall. The pizzeria will add lunch hours at a later date. Doors open at 4 p.m.
The owners of Silav Cafe & Grill (330 S. High St.) recently announced that they’re shutting down the Downtown restaurant while they look for a new location. Its last day will be July 31. Silav, which serves one of our favorite breakfasts in town, is a rare Kurdish restaurant in Central Ohio. We hope they find a new location soon.
Tomorrow (Aug. 1) Gatto’s Pizza will hold the grand opening of its new kitchen inside Hoof Hearted Brewing at 26 E. Fifth Ave. The pizza shop is offering $5 off any pizza to celebrate the occasion. Gatto’s has operated in Clintonville since 1952, and this is its second location.