Stuff is happening

We've been away. In New York for a family event. On Sunday there was a dedication of a bench in the park my Mom worked. The day was beautiful and a good number of family turned out. The bench had some special engravings of daffodils and shamrocks that were done by a former co-worker of Mom's.



We all had turns sitting on the bench during a solemn but pleasant day. The bench is located by the hatchery in the park. I was walking around and found that my Mom's picture is used as part of the guided tour.



My wife and I also had time to hit a hidden winery. Loughlin Vineyards is in Sayville and is run by a very friendly 88 year old man named Barney. I did not really talk wine with him, but we talked about World War 2 as there were several old signs and maps in the tasting room. He went on, "The Germans and the Americans all had one thing in common, when they were dying, they all cried for their mothers - Let's try the merlot!"



The wine is quite good, we liked the chardonnay. There was also time to hit the beach. It was quite the shock seeing the damage that remains after Hurricane Sandy.



Used to be a gentle slope that led you to the water, not an eight foot sudden drop. That's the power this storm had.



We got lucky with the weather when we went into Manhattan. It seems the people were all released after a harsh winter. I have been going to the city for years and have never seen the streets so crowded.



Had some very good pizza at Juliana's then took on the bridge. Which led us, after a lengthy walk to McSorley's. Experienced a subway delay before goofing off with a drink in Times Square.



It was a good and necessary visit. If you're going to Long Island I recommend the Hilton Garden Inn in Ronkonkoma, which was a good base to plan from. I was upgraded to a Prius by the effervescent Shannon of Enterprise at the Islip Airport, an interesting car to drive around town in, but not one I would be comfortable in for long trips despite it's exceptional fuel economy.

Lots of other plans and items are coming, thanks to my Mom. Looking into a new heating and cooling unit for the house, and we got the new roof already. I bought a new turntable today so the Back Room is turning into a bit of a man cave and next week I'll be upgrading my old Macbook. The flights were ok. Came home to a piece of siding hanging from the house, thank you wind, so that is being addressed as well.

They had me at coal oven

A couple of weeks ago I got an email from a local, local newspaper. The headlines mentioned a new pizza place opening in the Worthington area, which would ordinarily not be major news to me, but this headline mentioned a coal oven.

Being born and raised on the East Coast, my version of a good pizza is different than the rest of the world. I try not to be a snob, there is good pizza to be had in Columbus. Really. Buffalo on the other hand...

Pizza cooked in a coal fired oven is a time honored tradition. I've been to the big three of Manhattan pizzerias that use a coal oven: Grimaldi's, John's and Lombardi's.

These might not even be the best pizza places in the city, but they make a great, if not slightly pricey pie. To me, these places are a standard for how a pizza should be made.

So it was with excitement and trepidation that I went to eat at the recently opened Natalie's Coal Fired Pizza.

It's a refurbished chain sandwich place with a decent amount of parking, although it was filled when we left. There's a bar right when you walk in, a small patio, and a decent sized dining area. There's also a stage, the place is investing in live music with a lot of local and indie bands being booked. In fact, I saw the former owner of a now defunct Columbus club that was an institution working behind the bar.

The decor is pleasant, with some of the owner's personal rock memorabilia on the walls, and on the tables.  Here's what was on our table.

There's also a decent draft beer selection, a fair amount of bottled beer and a full bar. I understand they are waiting for their application for a wine license to be accepted.

We ordered the Arancini, a risotto with goat cheese, then deep fried appetizer to go with our pizza. Remember, I'm with a Scot. It was good, my wife wanted more goat cheese, she always does.

The pizza came, we got the  Margherita, and it certainly was big enough for two to share. Somewhere between 12-14 inches. I do not do food porn, so I did not take a picture. It looked good.

The crust was excellent, the coal makes it crisp and chewy to go with the thinness. The sauce had a good tomato base with other spices. They skimped on the mozzarella though, but I always want more on my pie. As fine a pizza I've had in Columbus.

We were feeling so good we ordered a cannoli-tini for dessert. Riccotta cheese with the light sweetness in a martini glass with slices of the canolli dough. Quite good, the dough could have used some more crunch, but that's me.

Overall an excellent first experience at a place that had not even been open for a week. The prices are quite fair. Service was friendly, I got into a pleasant conversation with the chef about coal oven pizzas when I was looking at the pizza oven. We will return, will recommend and wish this place much success.

The Last Slice

It's hard to find a local where I live. A place you can walk to and become a regular. Be it a bar, which there are none. A grocery store - there is a sad IGA down the block where a girl got shot in the face a few years ago. The carry out three houses from me does not offer much either, a place for a soda or a 24 ounce can of Genny Cream after mowing the lawn. There used to be a pizza place, The Pizza Chateau, behind the carry out but only an aging sign remains.

These guys are down the road from us. They do not make the best pizza in Columbus, but they make a decent enough pie for me to come here 3-4 times a month. They've been around for years. I call, they know my number and are now asking if I want my pizzas pie cut. I'm East Coast, I hate pizza that comes in squares. They know me now as Pie Cut Plunkett my wife tells me. Been going here for about nine years.

This concludes my April Project of Infamous Places I've been in Columbus. Hope you enjoyed the ride. Normal blogging resumes tomorrow. Thinking about another project, which would digitize some stuff I did in the nineties and put it here. We'll see.