(I’m hoping that some of you find these land-based reports interesting – I know that I often prefer to read the trip reports that include air travel, so consider yourself forewarned that there's nothing airline related in this report.)

INTRODUCTION

I’ve decided to make the most of the next 18-24 months or so that I expect to be living in Michigan by visiting cities that I’d be highly unlikely to visit if I lived in another part of the country. As an added bonus, this little project gives me an excuse to retain my status with Hyatt and Starwood.

Two weekends ago we headed to Cleveland, and last weekend, we drove down to Columbus for one night. (Mats – I have to remember to ask for recommendations next time. )

The three-hour drive down to Columbus was a breeze – no traffic and nice weather the whole way. My partner (Renato) slept for most of the ride, so I spent my time daydreaming about elite status, snacking on Serrano ham, and feeling paranoid about Ohio state troopers. (My last ticket was in Ohio many years ago…)


DINING

KIHACHI JAPANESE RESTAURANT
2667 Federated Blvd
Columbus, OH
614.764.9040

Based on my Cleveland experience with less than stellar dining, I decided to do some more intense restaurant research to ensure that our meals would be enjoyable. I was a little skeptical of the reviews that stated that “California has nothing on Columbus” when it comes to Kihachi, but was still impressed by the positive reviews on Citysearch, Digital City, and other websites.

Needless to say, we were not disappointed. This was one of the most spectacular Japanese meals I have eaten in the States. The restaurant provides two menus – one appetizer menu that contains ~30 unique dishes that I doubt you’ll find on your neighborhood Japanese restaurant’s menu, and a dinner menu that includes many of the familiar classics (such as tonkatsu, tempura, teriyaki, noodle dishes such as soba, etc.) In addition, there are several specials, including some sushi and sashimi. The prices are not low, but the food and service were top flight. Here’s the recap:

Hot towels offered

Beverages orders taken
Me: a large Canadian Asahi (and another one later)
Renato: a Coke

Menus offered

Appetizers
Blazed duck with tamari – excellent
Grilled squid – very good
Some grilled tuna dish – good

(There are many other exciting and unique dishes on the menu (e.g., fermented squid) that I might try on a second visit.)

Main dishes
Me: Tonkatsu – nice piece of pork and tasty breading
Renato: Chicken & Tempura – grilled chicken with a vaguely teriyaki-like tasty, but far more unique. The side of vegetables was also delicious.

Desserts
Homemade Mango Ice Cream
Mochi with Red Bean Stuff (sorry, forget the official name)

Green Tea

Total bill with tip and tax: ~$100. Inexpensive? No, but absolutely worth it. All in all it was a fabulous experience, and we’ll definitely return the next time we visit Columbus. If you’re interested in going, be sure to make a reservation ahead of time, and consider sitting at the counter – it’s fun to watch the chefs at work. Also, please be patient – good food takes time. There were some fellow gringos in the restaurant who were griping about the turnaround time on the food, and it really wasn’t fitting with the atmosphere.


MOZART’S BAKERY AND CAFÉ
2885 N High St
Columbus, OH
614.268.3687
http://www.mozartscafe.com/default.htm

Various websites laud the pastries and Austrian food at this restaurant, and some even suggest that it’s one of the Governator’s favorites when he’s in town. I figured, hell, let’s make it a “free day,” and chow down on pastries and breakfast.

We started with Apple Strudel and a Poppy Seed “Plunder” and moved on to breakfast dishes – Renato had the Tyrolean Special (sautéed potatoes in onions, ham, and bacon with two fried eggs), and I had the sausage omelet with onion and Swiss cheese. Both were well prepared. All in all, it was a very good and reasonably priced breakfast.

SIDEBAR: OMELETS
I’ll admit it; I’m kind of an “omelet snob.” In my experience, most chefs are very lazy when it comes to omelets – they make the gross, cakey, folded ones, and some don't even cook the omelet long enough to melt the cheese properly. (Or they throw the cheese on top – the nerve! ) Blech. Anyway, the good news is that Mozart’s gets the thumbs up on the omelet front.


ZUM RATHSKELLER AT COLUMBUS MAENNERSCHORR
966 S High St
Columbus, OH
614.444.3531
http://www.maennerchor.com/rathskeller.shtml

Our original plan was to go to “Schmidt’s Sausage Haus” for a late lunch before heading back to Ann Arbor, but they were closed for Easter. So, on a whim, we went to “Zum Rathskeller” after we saw their sandwich board on the sidewalk. It seems our timing was quite good, as the restaurant was just recently converted into a fully public establishment.

The basement atmosphere was a kick, the service was good, and the German Easter Brunch was tasty. I’d certainly consider a second visit to test out their regular menu, but expect we will opt to try something new on our next trip.



HOTEL

HYATT REGENCY COLUMBUS
http://columbus.hyatt.com

Although we didn’t spend much time in the hotel (since we didn’t get out of our 2.5 hour dining experience at Kihachi until about 11), we were perfectly happy with our room.

The room (#1911) was in the corner of the diamond-ish shaped building, and as a result, it had a rather odd trapezoidal shape. Because if its configuration and location, the room had tons of windows (in both the bedroom and bathroom), but it was rather tight on space (and didn’t even have a desk). I wasn’t bothered though – I had no need for a desk on a Saturday night, and, at $60.10 a night, I wasn’t about to complain.

One suggestion re parking: the Convention Center parking garage is not affiliated with the hotel, does not offer in-out privileges, and can be more expensive if you’re parked for a longer stretch of time. The Hyatt’s garage is across the street and is connected by a skywalk to the hotel.



ACTIVITIES

COLUMBUS MUSEUM OF ART
480 E Broad St
Columbus, OH
614.221.6801
http://www.columbusmuseum.org/

The museum was small, but very enjoyable. “Monet to Matisse” wasn’t really (and never is) up my alley, but the “Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art” exhibit was interesting.

As added bonus, the museum was free (as it is on all Sundays.)


TOPIARY GARDEN
corner of E. Town St. & Washington Av.
Columbus, OH
http://www.topiarygarden.org/

This topiary interpretation of a Seurat painting was worth the quick walk through the park required to view it. I imagine it will be more impressive as the weather improves (and even more so as it grows.)


NEIGHBORHOODS - GRANDVIEW, GERMAN VILLAGE, and SHORT NORTH
We drove and strolled around these neighborhoods for a bit. Many of the shops were closed since it was Easter Sunday, but it looked like each area had some interesting stores to browse.


CONCLUSION

After our German brunch, we hit the road. We followed a slightly different route home so we could blow through Marysville to see where my car was born. By 8, we were back in Ann Arbor.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable (but quick) trip, and we look forward to returning next month to revisit Kihachi and hit the Zoo as well.

NEXT WEEK: Austin and San Antonio. (Two places I love to visit no matter where I live.)

Thanks for the trip report - I'll admit that I usually prefer air trip reports, but this was good - particularly since I grew up in Columbus and moved away after high school. I have no family left there, so I go back every 4 or 5 years for weddings/funerals.

Japanese restaurants in Columbus improved dramatically, as I recall, after Honda opened its manufacturing plant in Marysville.

Greg

As a former Columbus resident, and a "soon to be" Cleveland resident, I'm wondering which you preferred...I enjoyed living in Columbus, but moved to Boston for more "exciting" city living.

Anyhow, I'm headed back to the Buckeye state, this time to Cleveland. Funny U bring up the trapezoidal rooms; I worked at the HR Columbus back in the mid 80's, soon after it opened. Those "11" rooms (and the corresponding "33" rooms at the other end) are very cool. I stayed in one recently, and agree that they could sure use a better furniture design...but the view from the bathroom is pretty interesting. That hotel, although a big convention house, has a good share of suites and those 11/33 rooms. Additionally, the rooms right next to those are also unusual....triangular. The "standard" rooms are pretty blah though.

That's great that you know about the trapezoidal rooms! If I stayed at that Hyatt a second time, I think I'd request one of the 11 (or 33) rooms again. I liked the views, including the bathroom windows...which are always a pleasant surprise. (No exhibitionist jokes, please. )

In terms of Columbus v. Cleveland...I liked both cities for different reasons. Cleveland has a nice feel of diversity that I don't sense in Michigan, an appealing "urban grit" factor, and, from an architectural/city plannin perspective, a little bit more of an East Coast feel to me than other cities in the region. On the less positive side, in my pre-trip research, I found that Cleveland hyped its neighborhoods, but in reality, I felt they had consistently poor "retail/restaurant cores" in comparison to Columbus, where the neighborhoods had a much more lively feel. I imagine Columbus has some advantages over Cleveland on the economic front, so it's probably not fair to knock Cleveland too much in this area.

I don't know exactly how to explain it...I enjoyed both cities, but Cleveland was pretty much what I expected, and Columbus was a pleasant surprise.

I'm a newbie to Columbus...I'll go check out the Japanese place...sounds great!

Wow... I've lived here for four years and I've never heard of the Japanese place. I plan to try it as soon as possible.

I'm glad you like Mozarts. They also have branches in the North Market and near my office on Town Street.