2022 and the year ahead
Well, for a lack of better words, I guess I’ve kind of shit the bed on writing out blog posts since last July. It’s not for a lack of trying, as I have about half a dozen drafts that were meant to be published one way or another, they simply ended up sitting mostly finished with planned edits to eventually happen, only to fly off my radar. So the only thing I can do is do better this year, and get some quality writing in.
2022 was the first full year of having the food blog, which has been a tremendous amount of fun. I ate at more restaurants, drank at more breweries, and got out of my comfort zone more than ever before with a clear mission goal in mind: EAT! Looking back, I did a lot:
Dining at Rooh expanded my palate to craving Indian food, as I’d never really eaten it much before trying out their menu for last January’s 614 Restaurant Week. It turns out my love of roux and complex flavors carries over into curries and heavily spiced cuisine. I ended up going back later in the year for the full menu experience and it’s on my list of “Top places I wish I could eat at every week”.
Columbus seems to be attracting fellow Oyster lovers, I don’t think there’s been more options to eat them in town than before this year. North Market’s Coastal Local Seafood has been my primary go-to, with Cameron Mitchell’s The Pearl being the close second due to their amazing Happy Hour. Because of the upswing in their availability, I’ve been able to get my fill on expanding my knowledge on their merroirs as well as in my stomach. Now I can’t seem to go anywhere without asking myself, “Will there be oysters?”
The city as a whole seems to have taken a very large step forward in how it’s treating its food scene. We’re getting more dining and cocktail experiences instead of restaurants slapping together a bar with a few standard bites, more places seem to be putting more thoughts into their concepts and feel more fleshed out. There are also quite a few Designated Outdoor Drinking Areas (DORAs) around town now, with being able to walk out of a bar, cocktail in hand, New Orleans style, to sip and stroll through the area. With the Intel plant coming in and more developments to the city, the only way from here is up!
Speaking of New Orleans, I was able to spend a few days in the city in May, as I’d never been. It was quite the experience, an assault on the senses in many ways between the climate, Bourbon Street, and being downwind from the Mule carriages around Jackson Square. I sucked down a few plates of Gulf Oysters, wolfed down beignets at Cafe Du Monde, got on over to Commander’s Palace for an upscale dining experience, saw what the chefs rave about coming out of Cochon, took a seemingly endless ghost tour, and reveled in walking around with a frosty Abita Purple Haze in hand. In the same week, I bounced over to Florida and visited St. Augustine, getting in some authentic Cuban food, Australian hand pies, and taking in a tour of the Castillo de San Marcos. An amazing adventure to two of the oldest and most historical cities in the country, I find myself occasionally wanting to return even though my soft, crappy Californian body can’t handle the heat or humidity of either places.
Later in the summer, I won a raffle from Cincinnatti’s Findlay Market for their newly opened outside bar, winning a reserved table for myself and some friends to get a couple hours of half off beers and dining from the market’s selection. Getting on down to Cincinnatti is always a treat and their dining scene has always been highly attractive for a foodie like me whenever I visit. A few beers at Rhinegeist, getting in a few plates of oysters, and taking a trip into the nearby Yellow Springs on the return trip was a pleasant weekend microvacation.
I started studying to become a Cicerone; the beer equivalent of a Wine sommelier. Since then, I’ve branched out from my comfort zone of sours and lagers to encompass the larger variety of styles. Before last summer, Hefeweizens were avoided, Stouts & Porters shunned, and IPAs politely declined, but in learning more about the different beers, I’ve found a few that I’ve really enjoyed. I would still love to fit in some time working in a brewery or bartending at one to have a better feel of the serving side than the drinking side, as I plan on getting back into brewing this year now that I’m settled into a home we bought last Spring. Until then, anything that I normally wouldn’t drink, I’ve been reaching for to at least have the experience.
What I initially thought was an offer to visit a brand new restaurant in town specifically for my food blog, the entire venture was a severe disappointment. I’m not going to list the name of the joint, but after reserving for a certain time and arriving to be told I have to wait 45 minutes after my reservation time to sit down, when the food later turned out to not be anything special, it felt like a complete waste of time.
I may not have the largest social media presence and my general anxieties sometimes prevent me from putting myself out there, nonethless I’ve been very pleased with what I’ve done so far. I already have some plans for 2023, it being another year where I may be able to dip my feet and take in deep breaths of air from both oceans. I’ve taken up shucking my own oysters to be able to familarize myself more with their intricacies and learn to cook them, as I nearly always consume them raw (with a bit of lemon). After scoping out and researching more ways to brew beers, I’ll be picking back up the hobby this Spring when it’s a bit warmer out to start crafting some ales and others that can be brewed at or above room temperature without needing any heavily specialized equipment to do so.
Pouring through my posts for the past year, I won’t be able to give an accurate “Best of 2022” list, so I’ll try my best on the next post within a week or so.