Tale of two cities

Did something out of the norm last night and left the car at home. Since we're not in walkable distance of anything, we took the COTA bus downtown for dinner at a newer restaurant It's been a stressful time and this was a good opportunity to relax, have a good meal, a couple of drinks, and not have to worry about parking downtown or getting an OMVI on the way home.

I did not realize Salt and Pine took up most of the length of a city block. It does not go deep into the building, but the layout is very modern. Some tables are intimate and secluded, while others seem to be on public display. We got a window table with a view of High Street.

The service is excellent, though I could not help but notice our female servers had one button extra unbuttoned on their work shirts. The flank steak I had was outstanding, my wife had a pork cheek pasta that was very good. The cocktails were fresh and potent. I had my first taste of Pisco. Our fig pudding dessert was the one minus. It was too dry and needed a soaking in the sauce.

It is odd, paying an electric bill for dinner. What a few years ago would have been a serious luxury was not so this time. We can't afford to go there weekly, or even monthly, but this was a gift for my wife and I. Ten years ago this would have been impossible. Finances have improved. We're alright, not great, but better than ok.

On a day where the city of Columbus deemed that the short north was no longer a place for low income people to live, the ride home was an unsettling reality of the two cities in my city.

This is the route my wife takes, everyday, and she hears stories, sees things and they're not pleasant. At one stop, a good portion of the passengers got off and crossed over at West Mound. These people were all going to the homeless shelter on Harmon. Heaven help this city if there's another shelter for people in the inner core. We have to have them outside of downtown, out of sight, at a spot you can't access easily by foot. Where your journey to a cot for the night begins at an unlit bus stop.

I do not have any real answers, and I'm not going to be guilt tripped after having an expensive dinner. There's a gap though, between me in a warm room tapping this on my Macbook Pro in our underwater mortgaged house. There are changes coming for the better for my family. Others though, I wonder where there is hope.

A Journey to The World of Beer

Regulars to this blog know that I like beer. Beer, is good. Still, when I found out that World of Beer was opening up a couple of miles from my house, my response was a bit tepid.

It opened up on Halloween and I gave it a couple of weeks for the initial hysteria and crowds to die down a bit. Stopped in yesterday afternoon and found a decent, half filled bar drinking beer and watching football.

Got a seat at the bar and was immediately asked by the bartender if I was doing alright despite the Bills score (I was wearing my Bills polo), then presented with a two sided sheet of their fifty beers on tap and a substantial book listing their bottled beer.

Looked at the list online earlier in the day, glanced at sheet in front of me, and ordered a Kolsch draft. You do not see too many of those in bottle in Central Ohio, let alone on tap. I was happy. The beer was good. The bartender asked what I thought of the beer. Great flavor, light nicely balanced between malt sweetness and bitter hops, what more could I ask for?

What I did not tell him was that it was cool to see such a simply made yet complex beer on the list. That I'm sick to death of seeing over hopped, high alcohol beers with every ingredient but the kitchen sink dominate American craft brewed beer culture these days. Yes, I'm looking right at you Dogfish Head!

They do have a massive selection of beers from all over the United States and the world. They're trying to represent every style, it's a very deep, and well presented selection.

My wife showed up and placed her order. A few minutes after that one of the bartenders with a lot of cleavage asked us how the beer was. It was odd, there were a few female bartenders, but not all, doing this. It was not Hooters, The Pub, or, heaven forbid, The Tilted Kilt. But it was strange, I kept waiting for an invite to a private beer room where she'd sit on my lap and pour me a bottle of Westvleteren or New Glarus while whispering to me about HBU's and ABV.



Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy a good cleavage, but it showed up in an unexpected place. And it's not that I did not enjoy going to The World of Beer, I just found that the service tried a bit too hard. Maybe that will settle down once everyone gets used to the place, I hope so.

Also keep in mind that the selection is beer (and some wine) only. There is no hard liquor and no intention of bringing any in. Also, there is no on site kitchen, all food is brought in through neighborhood restaurants, the friendly bartenders will offer you menus and the restaurant will deliver.

What I did not like about the World of Beer is the pricing. I get what they're doing, but if you're on a budget five dollar pints empty the wallet quickly. Which is something I will keep in mind before my next visit, and there will be one - or, shall I say, more than one.