Part 3: Can Columbus Be a Good Food City Without a Signature Dish?
We wrap up our "Food City" series, and Erin recommends a breakfast item that's out of this world.
Can Columbus Be a Good Food City Without a Signature Dish?
Cincinnati has chili. Nashville has hot chicken. Buffalo has wings. Columbus?
By Andy Dehus
In previous installments, we’ve explored the question “Is Columbus a good food city?” through the lenses of creativity and diversity. Today, we’re looking at local food traditions and signature dishes.
When “Top Chef: Portland” contestant and Columbus native Avishar Barua presented his novel spin on the traditional buckeye candy that won the show’s “Layered Dessert” challenge, you could feel his pride in showcasing a local culinary symbol to a national audience shared by viewers throughout the city.
Outside of Ohio, I think it’s fair to say, “What’s a buckeye and why does it matter?” was the general reaction. Peanut butter and chocolate spheres just aren’t all that captivating for the U.S. at large, or at least not before they undergo Avishar’s liquid nitrogen wizardry. And when it comes to iconic foods, that’s about the best Columbus has got.
Which is not to say that we don’t have any noteworthy food traditions. It’s easy to rattle them off from top of mind: Bahama Mamas and creampuffs, Columbus-style pizza, Johnny Marzetti and war sue gai, for starters.
Then there’s Jeni’s, which singlehandedly created the super premium category of ice cream that both beguiled a U.S. president and exemplifies the city’s outsized love affair with the dessert. We can even size up the quality of just about any NYC pizza joint by asking if they use Ezzo Sausage Co. pepperoni. They’re the national gold standard.
“Harold & Kumar” would’ve made for a lousy movie without White Castle as a destination, and many a childhood would’ve been happier without the post-church wait for a table at Bob Evans.
Wendy’s taught the nation’s Gen X’ers where the beef is, and taught Columbus that a contrived caricature of a doughy local buffoon could make a fortune in food by fumbling his way across America’s TV screens.
Feel the nostalgia and see the problem: The traditions that are of a national scope aren’t unique, and the traditions that are unique to us haven’t gained much awareness anywhere too far outside of I-270.
We have no jambalaya, clam chowder, Buffalo wings or Mission burrito. No Tex-Mex, hot chicken or local barbecue style to crow about. No distinct pizza style that anyone would travel for. No chili with our city’s name in front of it (dodged that bullet!), or any beloved signature sandwich to call our own.
There’s no sugarcoating it—Columbus has not developed a distinct, recognizable and traditional identity through a signature food.
Does it matter though?
On one hand, the national food media leans on these iconic dishes as a cheap and lazy shorthand for culinary validation, and to be without one is to be without the other.
On the other hand, so what? Very few American cities could make a genuine claim to having a destination-worthy dining scene based upon their traditional offerings alone (New Orleans and Charleston are perhaps notable exceptions), and cities like Seattle, Portland and Atlanta are viewed as exceptional food cities without having any nationally recognized traditions attached to them.
It’s an interesting question with no clear answer. What do you think? Is Columbus missing the third leg of the creativity/diversity/tradition stool, or are we poised to stand on our own two feet? Let us know in the comments below.
Don’t miss the first two stories in this series:
“Part 1:Is Columbus a Good Food City?”
“Part 2: One Strong Argument for Columbus as a Food City? Its Diversity”
Breakfast Find: The Big Ol’ Pancake
I’m not a pancake person. I’m an eggs, bacon and homefries person. (Perhaps I’ve been traumatized by too much time spent standing in line at Nashville’s Pancake Pantry.) And yet … I’m smitten with Mercury Diner’s Big Ol' Pancake. Just look at that planet-sized beauty. This single pancake is nicely crispy on the outside—almost with a smash burger-style edge—and full of flavor and fluffiness on the inside. On my recent visit, the Parsons Avenue diner was careful not to skimp on the berries (blueberries were on the menu, but I received blackberries—not mad about it). If you don’t finish your Big Ol’ Pancake, no problem, it reheats nicely. I plan to head back to Mercury soon to check out its Space Cowboy Burrito.—Erin Edwards
Notes
Around the Columbus Food & Drink Scene
Continuing a flurry of steakhouse openings in Columbus, the high-end restaurant chain Mastro’s Steakhouse is now open at 3965 New Bond St. at Easton. (You can read about its strict dress code here.) Mastro’s boasts steakhouses around the country, including cities like Beverly Hills, Chicago, Las Vegas and others. (For more affordable steak options, check out our story “Great Steak Without the Spend.”)
Block’s Hot Bagels announced it would be closing the 60-year-old bagel shop indefinitely, just a month after the death of founder Harold “Hal” Block. The last remaining location at 6115 McNaughten Road is set to close Sunday, March 2. It’s possible that the iconic bagel shop will make a comeback. In a post on Facebook, the Block family stated: “The family remains hopeful and looks forward to exploring ways to carry forward Hal, Audrey, and Steven’s passion for baking kosher bagels and fostering connection. This is not goodbye, but an opportunity to explore how Block’s can continue to serve Columbus in the future.”
One of the Short North’s longest running restaurants, Happy Greek, is set to close after failing to resolve a lease dispute with the restaurant’s landlord. Happy Greek has been in business for nearly 20 years. Its last day of business will be Saturday, Feb. 15.
And after 40 years in business, the landmark Columbus diner The Grill & Skillet is set to permanently shut down on Sunday, March 2. You can read the owners’ farewell letter here.
I’ve thought about this before! I think the city can stand on its own and we don’t need a signature item. It’s like “Columbus: it’ll surprise ya!”