Resident Foodies say: The mango chutney hot dog–called the Hot Bollywood–was really yummy! We were not so enamored with the BBQ brisket dog (a bit bland), and the fries were just a tad soggy. Great, fun atmosphere inside.
Bamboo Cafe
774 Bethel Road, Columbus, OH 43214-1900
(614) 326-1950
(Map) Near McDonald’s
Resident Foodies say: for Columbus, this Thai restaurant was decent. Pad Thai was probably the best we’ve tasted in Columbus. Bamboo Cafe has far more Thai offerings, though, so we wouldn’t call it a Vietnamese restaurant.
Website: click here Yelp reviews: click here
Resident Foodies say: Cafe Tandoor is a cute Indian restaurant with locations in Westlake, Cleveland Heights, and Aurora. We visited the Westlake location and really enjoyed the food there. The restaurant is located in a strip mall next to Marc’s, but don’t let the location fool you. The food is far better than the no frills surroundings. We usually get the butter chicken, aloo gobi (potatoes and cauliflower), cucumber raita, garlic nan, and saffron rice. For Cleveland, Ohio (not exactly a mecca for Indian food), the Indian food at Cafe Tandoor is very good. And the prices are very reasonable!
Owners: Kent Rigsby (Rigsby’s Kitchen and Eleni-Christina Bakery) and his wife Tasi.
Location: click here for map
Website + menu: click here Yelp reviews: click here
Resident Foodies say: Tasi Cafe is a small, hidden gem in the Short North. Tucked away off High Street (turn on Brickel St. and then at corner of Pearl), Tasi is short on space (communal tables and smaller tables), but long on assorted selections for breakfast and lunch daily (and dinner on Friday and Saturday). The lunch sandwiches are very creative and tasty (e.g., open faced zoe tuna salad, with capers relish, onions, hard boiled egg, on sourdough toast), but today we sampled some good old fashioned breakfast! We had the huevos rancheros, and two different cafe fritattes with mesclun salad–one with chorizo, potatoes, onions, peppers, and the other with mozzarella, spinach, and roasted tomato. They were delicious. You can’t find this kind of selection anywhere else in Columbus. Oh, and the baked goods are amazing. The place gets packed on the weekend, so be prepared to wait some for a table and find a spot at the communal tables.
Resident Foodies say: Cleveland is not known for its sushi, but Shuhei in Beechwood is fantastic! The fish is fresher than anything you’ll find in Cleveland, and perhaps in all of Ohio. The bento box, shown above, is a total feast, served also with a bowl of udon noodles, salad, and even miso soup.
Executive chef/owner: Shawn McClain
Location: 1460 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60642 (map)
Website: greenzebrachicago.com Yelp reviews: click
Resident Foodies say: Green Zebra is a modern vegetarian restaurant that makes you forget you are eating vegetarian. The dishes are so very interesting and tasty, served on quite generous tasting plates. Chef Shawn McClain (also of Spring and Custom House in Chicago) has put together one of the most impressive arrays of vegetarian dishes we’ve encountered. There’s even one nonvegetarian dish for those who don’t believe that vegetarian can be just as tasty and filling as the standard fare.
Green Zebra’s incredibly innovative vegetarian dishes have both Western and Asian influences. Our favorites were the slow roasted shiitake mushrooms with crispy potato and savoy cabbage. Not only was the presentation beautiful, the combination of soft shiitake mushroom and crispy potato encasing was scrumptious. We also loved the creamy parsnip and leek soup, which was a heavenly creation.
We do have one caveat to note: although the vegetables are incredibly fresh, one should not necessarily assume that all of the vegetarian dishes are for the most health conscious (meaning that some probably use butter and/or salt). Having said that, plenty of the dishes are for the health-minded (or at least seemed so to us). And we counted 11 dishes that were vegan. Green Zebra has something for everyone.
Spence Farm poached egg, smoked potato puree, country sourdough
vegan Thai spiced sweet potato-coconut soup, crispy rice noodles
slow roasted shiitake mushrooms, crispy potato, savoy cabbage
Executive chef: Bill Kim, co-owner with wife Yvonne Cadiz-Kim
Location: 1912 N. Western, Chicago, IL 60647 (under Western blueline stop) (Map)
Phone: 773.252.1414
Website: www.bellyshack.com Yelp reviews: click
Resident Foodies say: Fantastic Korean-Latin fusion! Chef Bill Kim and wife co-owner, Yvonne Cadiz-Kim, opened a new restaurant on October 20, 2009, right underneath the blue line Western El stop. The Shack follows their acclaimed Urban Belly restaurant. We sampled: (1) quinoa ssam (lettuce wrap) with Korean chili paste, Bibb lettuce, and apples, (2) the boricua sandwich (fried plantains, marinated tofu, organic brown rice, spinach), (3) Korean BBQ kogi with pita and kimchi, and (4) kimchi.
Put simply, Chef Kim is killing it with these amazing fusion dishes. The ssam and BBQ kogi have unmistakable and authentic Korean flavors–yet they are transformed in wonderful modern fusion dishes. The ssam or lettuce wraps were so refreshing, and the portabello inside so tasty, that it brought a smile to our faces. The BBQ kogi was sweet, and, when coupled with kimchi inside a pita, made for the yummiest of Korean-influenced concoctions. Finally, the boricua sandwich used fried plaintains to create a mouth watering, vegetarian sandwich with tofu, rice, and spinach inside. Belly Shack may well turn out to be our favorite new opening in Chicago this year!
Resident Foodies™ is a site for foodies. We review restaurants, discuss popular food shows on TV (including Bobby Flay Throwdown, Top Chef, Next Iron Chef), and provide interviews with chefs. Please send us tips on new restaurants to review: residentfoodies[at]gmail[dot]com
