A Brunch and Bundt’s Birthday – Columbus Short North

The Saturday before my birthday we drove the 1 hour and 50 minutes or 91-miles to my daughter Mallory’s residence hall at OSU in Columbus to celebrate early as she would not be home on my actual birthday. She was waiting patiently by the door as we pulled onto 10th Avenue and we then proceeded to Columbus’s Short North Arts District, just a few blocks south on High Street. The Short North as it is commonly referred to as the arts and cultural hub of the city. According to the Short North Arts District web page the history of the district is…

Before it was a vibrant sector of art and culture, the Short North Arts District was a rough area comprised mostly of deserted, derelict buildings with boarded up windows. There were few actual businesses, and the newly built Convention Center highlighted just how neglected High Street had become. The stretch of High Street that has helped put Columbus on the map was at that time known to residents as the “Near Northside.” It was local police who dubbed the area the “Short North,” as it was north of downtown Columbus and short of The Ohio State University campus. Beginning in 1980, a handful of people who were integral in founding the Short North Arts District worked hard to create its identity as a place where artistic culture and small businesses are celebrated. One of the most recognizable products of the SID is the District’s lighted arches, which harken back to 1888 when Columbus first became known as “Arch City.” Ohio was chosen to host the centennial celebration of the creation of the Northwest Territory since it was the first state carved out of the territory. Wooden arches lit by gaslight were built to both light the streets and dazzle visitors. Steel and electric lights replaced the arches in 1896, but in 1916 they were torn down and replaced by light posts. In 2002, almost 100 years later, 17 steel arches were reinstalled on High Street from Goodale to Fifth Avenue, giving the Short North Arts District its identifying feature. Today, the Short North Arts District is the most vibrant spot in the City of Columbus and is home to over 300 exciting businesses, the majority of which are locally owned or headquartered. It has received numerous national accolades, is considered a model for urban revitalization, and is the art and soul of Columbus.

So, there you have it…Short North is now a very hip, trendy and place to be when in Columbus. It offers a plethora of restaurants, cafes, bars and diners offering every imaginable choice of cuisine. We usually try and choose a different place each visit we make and for my birthday, we chose The Pearl. The Pearl is a gastropub, restaurant, tavern and oyster house owned and operated by Cameron Mitchell which also operates another one of our favorites, Marcella’s. Saturday’s and Sunday’s at The Pearl are brunch days from 10am until 4pm – but we are talking made from scratch food taken to the next level, not your basic fancy breakfast. We started by ordering the Jalapeño Spoon Cornbread, baked in its own cast iron skillet and served with whipped butter and honey. I’ve eaten a lot of cornbread in my lifetime having come from West Virginia and this rates as one of the best I’ve ever had. I ordered the Short Rib Poutine (I’m a huge poutine fan) and was not disappointed as it was thick fresh cut Tavern fries loaded with cheese curds, swimming in rich short rib gravy and tender pieces of short ribs all topped with eggs (I opted for over easy). Three in our party ordered the Pub Burger which was fresh ground beef, Cambozola Cheese, Tomato Jam, Tavern Fries. We all agreed a very tasty burger and even better with the house-made Tomato Jam slathered on it. Mal ordered the Chicken and Waffles and was treated to a large waffle topped with two Southern style fried chicken tenders and served with a blueberry sauce and Ohio maple syrup. We were happy with our choice for choosing The Pearl which was ranked as “One of the Top Spots in America” by Open Table. They make their own fresh baked pies, but we had our eyes set on something a little different than pie for dessert, it was a birthday celebration, so cake was in order of course. After brunch we explored the many shops and galleries on High Street and even visited North Market, where Mal is hooked on Bubble Tea. Unlike Cleveland’s Westside Market, North Market is more of a culinary eating destination with a few booths offering true market items. A must are the donuts at Destination Donuts where only 7-8 flavors are offered each day, Heather Morris the owner knows donuts and does them the best in the city. There is a place in North Market that I keep wanting to try, Hot Chicken Take Over located on the upper floor, the smells coming from this place are amazing and the line of guests that serpentine out the door and down the stairs must be a good indication of what I’m missing – soon Hot Chicken Take Over…soon I promise! After leaving the market we headed back to our car which I conveniently parked in the garage on Russell Street, close to everything and reasonably priced, finding parking on High Street is at a premium if found at all. We headed to Lennox Square across the Olentangy River in Upper Arlington in sight of Ohio Stadium for some shopping, for me some bench sitting – people watching and then on to Nothing Bundt Cakes. I have been seeing these delectable bakeries popping up all over in my travels between Columbus, Cleveland and Detroit and had to give them a try. We sampled the Pumpkin Spice and it was a delicious taste of fall. We decided that since we couldn’t agree on a flavor we would get 4 of the Bundtlets allowing us to try 4 flavors in which we chose, Pumpkin Spice, Classic Vanilla, Pecan Praline and Lemon. Each are moist and covered in icing and so good. The lemon reminded me of my Grandma Reed’s wonderful Lemon Pound Cake and visions of her popped into my mind at the very first bite. We decided to share with two of Mal’s roommates, so we returned to her dorm where we devoured all four cakes in no time at all, which made watching the Buckeye-Iowa game a little bit more palatable. If you’re looking for a special treat, I highly recommend Nothing Bundt Cakes. After a day of Brunch and Bundt’s for my birthday we departed Columbus to make the 91-mile drive back to Norwalk, with of course the mandatory stop at Raising Canes Chicken Fingers on the way out of town, forgive me Hot Chicken Take Over but “Chicken…Chicken…Chicken which combo you picking” is a must whenever my car is in Columbus! It was a wonderful way to celebrate another year of life, with the people you love.

Thinking of my Grandma Reed as I write this, I decided to share my version of Lemon Pound Cake – I hope it brings you as much happiness as it does me.