Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream

2012 James Beard Awardwinning Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

Gooey Buttercake, Goat Cheese & Figs
Riesling Poached Pears

I’m sometimes prone to exaggeration, but I’m willing to put it in writing, the 2012 James Beard award winner for baking and dessert JENI BRITTON BAUER is not a flash in the pan. Jeni’s is the Best Ice Cream in America hands down.

While not an obvious choice for alunchboxblog.com this review of Jeni’s transcendent flavors at reasonable prices feels like a total natural for those who are sitting at their desks looking for a good reason to leave their desks and get something to distract them from the work that needs to get done.

Owned by Jeni Britton-Bauer and Charly Bauer, these smart entrepreneurs have a way with milk and cream. Their video sort of says it all:  JENI AND CHARLY AND THEIR SPLENDID ICE CREAMS

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

900 Mohawk Street

Columbus, Ohio 43206

(614) 445-6513

Jeni's in the North Market

I think the job description for prospective employees on their site says a ton about the experience you get when a Jeni’s Ice Cream Ambassador “serves” you:

“Ice Cream Ambassadors (also known as, scoop shop employees) will be familiar with what distinguishes Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams from other ice creams; available to work weekends, late nights (past 11 p.m.), and at on-site events; able to provide consistent, world-class service to every single customer; exhibit passion for the community, an eye for detail, a willingness to clean (a lot), stamina (to serve people in long lines), and the ability to work in an exciting, fast-paced environment.”

These working men and women go beyond the extra mile, at the two locations I’ve been to in the Short North and in German Village. I cannot recall a time when a fast-serve product company expected and so enthusiastically received such incredible effort from their what I assume is low-paid employees. This place has an esprit-de-corps that the marines would envy.And like I mentioned, the flavors are out of this world. Before settling on my gooey buttercake, pear riesling sorbet, and my cognac’ed figs in goat cheese, 

Jeni's Flavors

I had the opportunity to taste a host of other incredible concoctions:

• Magnolia Mochi—a strongly floral ice cream with essential oils in a mocha base ice cream
• Icelandic Happy Marriage Cake—with a rhubarb compote in sugar syrup and crushed oatcakes
• Lavender Ice Cream—which the dad of the 3 year old who was licking her cone to death said tasted exactly like Fruity Pebbles with all the candy coating his daughter demanded.
• Hummingbird Cake—spongecake laced with pineapple in a banana, cinnamon and toasted pecan ice cream base

The list actually goes on and on, but I only remembered to write down these flavors and their profiles. By the time I started digging into my bowl, I began to get lost in the oral experience. The pears poached in Riesling made a sorbet with a granular texture that precisely replicated the experience of eating a ripe, soft Bartlett.

The gooey buttercake was a ST. LOUIS-STYLE gooey buttercake in a cake batter flavored ice cream, and then the pièce de résistance was the Goat Cheese and Cognac’ed figs. Come late spring, they switch out the figs for ripe cherries. Ooooooosh! It’s a glorious explosion of ice cream badness and flavor goodness that makes for an exceptional, one-of-a-kind experience only to be had in Columbus, Ohio.

Yeah, that’s right, Columbus.  Who woulda thunk it?

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PIada! Piada! Piada!

This is the Italian Street Food, but for me,
it was all just Rolled up Pizzas

In a land of fast food and FAST/CASUAL restaurants, those that can marry the familiar with the novel and chic win. As Chipotle is to Mexican and CAVA is to Middle Eastern, so Piada is to Italian. But Columbus, Ohio’s Piada isn’t just any chain lunch joint.

Brushing the Piadas with Olive Oil

Piada

Upper Arlington

1315 W. Lane Ave.,

Columbus, OH 43221

(614) 754-1702 

It’s a place that draws lines out the door, particularly in Upper Arlington, a pretty fine area near the Ohio State University campus. I was really impressed with the set up and the artwork, the details and the “line” of food service folks that make your quick bite experience feel special.

“Piada” means Italian street food at this place and for this place, it makes a rolled thin calzone-like instant cheesey bread with or without pepperoni that everybody seems to order. For my money, it wasn’t all that.

But the larger concept behind the food makes this a must-eat-at for me, whenever I’m in Columbus. I may have already mentioned this in previous blogposts, but Columbus is a place where restauranteurs come to try out their dining concepts.

Italian Soda Machine, Objet d’art, or
Fountain of Tivoli?

If this one doesn’t take off and well, take America by storm, I’ll eat my hat. And well, I’m bald, so my hat is important to me!

The choices are a salad or a pasta bowl with all the toppings you could possibly want for about $7.50 – $10.00. Because this is fastfood, when you order the wine, they just give you an 8 ounce plastic cup and fill it up. There is no propriety there. They do have delicious looking Italian sodas, though, and they are probably better for you.

But the angel hair pasta bowl I had was perfectly al dente, the toppings were seamingly endless and made eating vegetarian here a breeze. And having the option of getting a small bowl and a small salad, rather than just the big bowl of pasta was a godsend on my list of perfect lunch options.

On Saturday nights, it’s jammed with every good looking college student in the area. Said the hot college boy next to me, “Yeah, it’s trendy, so everyone brings their dates here. And the girls are really pretty here.”

I Walk the Line

I would guess all the ugly ones are told to return either during the day or during the work week. One particularly stunning couple became fast friends. The pregnant wife told me “I eat here at least once a week, and the entire time I’ve been pregnant I’ve been eating here.” Her particularly hot husband was so great, seeing me sitting alone and coming up to me after they had finished and asking me my review of the food.

Piada Bowls

Tips for eating at Piada:

• Get the small bowl and the small salad instead of just the big bowl
• Consider NOT getting signature dish–the piada. It’s a greasy, unnecessary extravagance. And it is too filling. But it’s so much fun to watch them make the piadas as you wait in the food line to compose your dinner.
• Look around at the artwork and decor generally–this place creates atmosphere with everything from the napkins to the toilets.
• Get there on Saturday evenings to people watch the hotties.

Seems Like a Bazillion Choices of Fresh Vegetables

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Short North Market

North Market From Above

Columbus’ Short North used to be a fairly ho-hum area. It was more or less on the northern edge of the Convention Center and provided conventioneers a place to get away from the hubbub for a lunch or a smoke break.

JENI’S ICE CREAM, a Columbus artisanal institution, is housed here and has been stationed on the Northwest corner of the building a good long while. I’ll do a completely separate review of Jeni’s soon, so look for that. The ice cream here is off the chain, with flavors like ICELANDIC WEDDING CAKE, Magnolia Mochi, and Gooey ButterCake. The photos can’t do the flavors justice. This woman is an artist.

Jeni’s established a name for itself and created a stronghold many years ago, driving culinary competition into this covered market, market that rivals and then surpasses Philly’s PHILADELPHIA’S READING TERMINAL, and most other covered markets in America. Welcome to NORTH MARKET:

North Market

59 Spruce Street

Columbus, OH 43215

Monday: 9am – 5pm

Tuesday–Friday: 9am – 7pm

Saturday: 8am – 5pm

Sunday: Noon – 5pm

Salsa Dipping Extravaganza

I’m a little wowwed by the quality of the products here. HUBERT’S POLISH KITCHEN is a real stand-out, if for no other reason they can make three different types of coleslaw taste remarkably different and bring nuance to a “dish” that is basically a calorified version of a healthy vegetable. They also hand-make all their entrees including a chicken meatball thing that is so big and filling that you really only need one of those and the two of you, or possibly three, will be sated.

I was less impressed by the food at Brēzel, which is a monster pretzel factory. It looked just gluttonous. And CaJohn’s Flavor and Fire FAMED CHILI STAND there didn’t impress me either, in spite of the fact that it really does allow you to taste all 4 billion flavors of hot sauce they have and/or make. The open jars and tasting spoons looks like an asian flu outbreak waiting to happen. Yeesh.

The upstairs dining area, is great with history of the building and great overhead views of the market that shouldn’t be missed. Go to the middle eastern food stall, Hubert’s incredible polish food stall, or what I’m assured is the best Pho in town at Lan Viet Market, and then go eat upstairs. The energy of the place will complement your meal perfectly.

Hubert’s Polish Kitchen

Then toddle over to Jeni’s for a 3-scoop bonanza for $5.50. Those three scoops are worth much, much more than that.


Tips on making the most of your trip to North Market:

• Eat lunch at Hubert’s Polish Kitchen
• Eat upstairs in the gallery above the market so you can look down onto the market
• If you can still fit anything in, grab a seat at the Lan Viet Market for a bowl of phở
• At the end of your day, head over to Jeni’s. Ask for tastes of the exotic ice cream flavors at Jeni’s before committing to an order. Do NOT order what you normally would order at an ice cream shop. Branch out and try something wild.
• Drop in on the North Market Spices store; the way they stage their spices is just beautiful
• Check out the great game meats at NORTH MARKET POULTRY & GAME.
• Buy a loaf of bread at OMEGA ARTISAN BAKING, the best bread in Columbus, possibly the state.
• There are surprises here where you least expect them, and it’s not a particularly huge market. But make an afternoon of it, don’t rush.

OMG Yum

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Skillet!

A Breakfast Juggernaut 

Crab and Asparagus Omelette

Brunch on a Sunday before work can be difficult to find at a reasonable price. I find more and more the price is what turns me off. Just this past weekend, my friend DanDan said that MASA 14 (a joint near my house) was a steal at $40 per person. I mentioned that “bottomless drinks” at 11 a.m. didn’t get me going on a Sunday morning…it sent me straight back to bed.

But then I found myself in downtown Columbus desperate to walk somewhere after being trapped in my hotel all night in a rainstorm. 

Yeeeesh! The sun finally had come up and a walk was in order, and just south of downtown is a great little gentrified area called German Village. Move over omelet professionals of America, Columbus appears to be the home of the best breakfast omelettes in America:

SKILLET

410 E Whittier Street

Columbus, Ohio 43206

(614) 443-2266

Conveniently located off Downtown Columbus, Skillet is a two mile walk from the Westin past cute boutiques, old standby delis like KATZINGER’S, and THE BOOK LOFT, a great little book fetishist superstore. I was so grateful, because you know, you arrive in the Midwest and begin to worry that the food is going to  just be heavy and painful. But Skillet’s gigantic omelettes weren’t disgustingly eggy or overly “heavy.”

A Close Up on Their Exquisite Omelette Flesh

This farm to table breakfast/brunch/lunch joint (although they are doing dinners on Fri and Sat nights now) creates silky draperies of eggs shaped perfectly into mountains of omelettes.

Mine was a fortress of biscuits and wild boar sausage (!) all locally sources and absolutely terrific. My colleague Anne's was a crab and asparagus number, which should really only be any good in Maryland, the home of blue crab. But she swears that her’s was absolutely outstanding. As I’m not a crabber, I really cannot say.

Interior of Skillet

A Look Into the Kitchen

But as an amateur "omeletteer," I can vouch for the biscuit in wild board sausage gravy omelette. I think it seems like overkill as omelettes going just reading this. However, if you come on an empty stomach, you can’t go wrong. But their menu changes often, so see what’s for breakfast and what your server recommends, you won’t be steered wrong.

Fact of the matter is…I never touched lunch and dinner didn’t come until like 8 p.m., and I was more than fine. Never really had an appetite until dinnertime…

But arrive any later than 11:30 a.m., and you’ll be eating late in the day!

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