Columbus: A Midwestern Standout

I recently attended a conference in Columbus, Ohio at the Hyatt Regency Columbus and ended up staying at the two-year old Hilton Columbus Downtown across the street (http://www.hiltoncolumbusdowntown.com/). What a treat that turned out to be! This hotel is gorgeous and one of the most beautiful new constructions I’ve seen in a while. This property conveyed a sophisticated elegance and attention to detail that shows in design elements throughout the hotel.  For instance, the rooms are designed in a stylish neutral palate accented in modern wood tones to give the room warm contemporary feel. The well thought out lighting in the room adds to that feeling – Lights are positioned behind the headboard and shoot up the wall to the celling creating a bounce back effect that spreads the light across the room. The same up-light treatment was given to the opposite wall behind the combo desk/entertainment center unit, in concert with the other lights, creates dramatic warmth unlike any I have seen in previous hotels I’ve stayed. All the room lights are on a dimmer, so the guest can get just the right amount of mood lighting. The rooms beautiful wash of light made my stay in the property even more enjoyable.

Unfortunately, I was not able to eat in the hotel restaurant on this stay, but it looked absolutely wonderful. The bar and very large restaurant are on the second level and can be seen looking down from the interior atrium that extends to skylights on the roof of the hotel. The atrium design aspect gave the interior space a light and airy feel.

If you decide to venture out of this beautiful property, you’re in luck, the hotel is located in the Arena District (http://www.hiltoncolumbusdowntown.com/) and also sits at the base of the Short North Arts District (http://www.shortnorth.org/) that starts at the hotel and runs a couple miles north. This strip along High Street contains trendy boutiques, coffee shops, bars and restaurants. While most of my meals took place at the conference I was attending, I was able to get out and explore some of the establishments along the Short North with some of my fellow conference attendees and there are a plethora of options to choose from.

A must see is the North Market (http://www.northmarket.com/) located about three blocks from the hotel. North Market is a working public market that dates back to 1876 and is similar to the Redding Terminal Market in downtown Philadelphia. With thirty-five local vendors, selling products, food, cookware, wine, coffee and gourmet goods – there are plenty of dining options to choose from. One great option is to sample various restaurant vendors and take your meal up to the second level dining area that overlooks the market below. On my visit I tried authentic Polish food at Herbert’s Polish Kitchen and finished with a coffee from Taste of Belgium and desert from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. Some of the most innovative ice cream flavors I’ve eaten are showcased at Jeni’s – With flavors like sweet potato with torched marshmallows, Middle West Whiskey Eggnog, Lime Cardamom Buttermilk, and my personal favorite, Sweet Cream Biscuits and Peach Jam (think southern buttermilk biscuits and peach jam as an ice cream flavor!). I agree with The Washington Post when they described Jeni’s ice creams as (“sublime”) and Saveur magazine called them (“revolutionary”). Find out more about Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at https://jenis.com/

Two other off-site dining opportunities included Bakersfield (http://www.bakersfieldtacos.com/) for late night tacos and Mexican beer and Sunday brunch at The Pearl (http://www.thepearlcolumbus.com/) . As a native of a part of the country that knows authentic Mexican food and does it well, I am always skeptical of Mexican restaurants outside of the southwest region. Bakersfield didn’t disappoint my discerning Mexican cuisine palette. One of their specialties is small tacos on corn tortillas that come in a multitude of meats and flavor combinations.

The true stand-out meal was brunch at The Pearl – I chose the short rib poutine paired with one of the most delicious bloody mary’s I’ve ever tasted. The perfectly portioned short rib poutine consisted of a pool of short rib gravy under a stack of tavern fries, cheese curds, short ribs and topped with sunny side up eggs. The flavors were rich and very satisfying on that crisp fall morning. And the homemade bloody mary elevated the flavor experience to an even higher level. The chef’s make the bloody mary from scratch by blending tomatoes with other vegetables and spices and the end result is arguably one of the best bloody mary’s I’ve had anywhere in the country. I would have never imagined that Columbus, Ohio would produce such an excellent version of a drink that is a New Orleans and Texas specialty. The meal was so tasty that several of my conference companions wanted to go back to revel in the exact same meal. To our disappointment, The Pearl is only open for dinner on weekdays, so we weren’t able to recreate that divine brunch experience, but I definitely will on my next trip to Columbus!

All-in-all, Columbus is a surprising city! It’s clean, pretty, has some great attractions and presents a vibrant culinary and bar scene. I’d call it a sleeping giant or hidden jewel of a city. Like other great cities that get overshadowed by their larger and flashier counterparts, Columbus provides a wealth of entertainment options and probably doesn’t quite get the credit it deserves as a worthy destination city. It’s definitely on my radar now!