Another year comes to a close, and my what a year it’s been. In 2018 my family and I moved into a new home, so our spring was marked by the ups and downs of selling and buying and packing and unpacking our worldly possessions. It included new schools for our boys, changes in our jobs, and new adventures around Columbus and across the country.
And it’s been a busy year in food writing and tours. I certainly don’t say this to brag, but sometimes I have to quantify – for myself – just how much writing and tours I get to do every year. Here’s my count:
- 104 blog posts on Breakfast With Nick
- 33 tours for Columbus Food Adventures
- 53 articles for Columbus Alive
- 21 articles for Columbus Monthly
- 12 articles for the Columbus Dispatch
- 48 blog posts for Experience Columbus
- 6 blog posts for TourismOhio
- 3 articles for Ohio Magazine
- 11 other pieces for travel and tourism publications
Phew.
As usual, I like to look back on some of our favorite discoveries and adventures in breakfast, beyond, coffee, beer, and travel. Take a look at our 2018 highlights!
BREAKFAST
Breakfast is still the name of the game here! We made some great discoveries and paid visits to old favorites.
- Delaney’s Diner: we loved the previous tenant of Delaney’s Westerville space, but Delaney’s has continued serving well-executed, hearty breakfasts
- IKEA: just because it only costs $3 doesn’t mean it’s not a great breakfast!
- Fox in the Snow: our much-loved coffee shop and bakery added a German Village location this year
- Stav’s Diner: a favorite discovery close to Bexley. It’s only a few years old, but it feels like a well-established neighborhood diner
- Blunch: I still can’t get over the name, but this Clintonville brunch spot turns out some seriously creative dishes
- Harvest Moon Craft Kitchen: an interesting spot in the heart of historic Canal Winchester with some unique breakfast offerings
- Over the Counter: a modern take on the diner situated at the southern end of Worthington
- The Guild House: finally writing up this favorite Cameron Mitchell spot, offering an elegant but approachable brunch in Short North
- Warehouse Cafe: I paid a much-needed revisit to this hidden gem downtown
- Bake Me Happy: finally visiting one of the city’s few gluten free bakeries, where you find GF versions of all your favorites
- Block’s Bagels: at 60 years and counting, Block’s was given an upgrade with a new location in Bexley
COFFEE
Columbus coffee continues to grow, both in the scope and variety of the offerings. Also, we’re in the habit of discovering great coffee anywhere we travel.
- Upper Cup Coffee: Upper Cup’s newer Gahanna location offers plenty of space to work while you enjoy their roasts
- Blank Slate Coffee: a mobile coffee business in a renovated Airstream? I’ll take it. I’ll also take another excellent cortado.
- Stauf’s Coffee Roasters: we enjoyed a full breakfast at Stauf’s flagship store in Grandview
- One Line Coffee’s roastery: I got to spend a morning with Mick Evans, director of ops for One Line, at their new roasting facility in Heath, Ohio
- Stauf’s Discovery District: Stauf’s is on a roll. In addition to their newer location in the Idea Foundry, they just opened one in the Discovery District downtown. (And one more’s on the way in 2019!)
- Roosevelt Coffee at Olentangy River Brewing: Roosevelt opened a new location inside Lewis Center’s first brewery
BEYOND
Every year we fall in love with more than just breakfast. Take a look at some of our adventures beyond the morning meal.
- Service Bar: we’re adding our voices to the praises – both local and national – for Middle West Spirits’ new restaurant, Service Bar. Chef Barua and his whole team create some of the most dynamic and engaging dishes we tried this year
- Preston’s Burgers: we’ve showered a lot of love on Preston’s this year. They’re hands-down our favorite burgers in Columbus. Also, the hot chicken sandwich is great. And the cheese curds. And the salt and vinegar fries. If you haven’t tried them yet, please seek them out.
- NE Chinese: NE Chinese easily tops our list of constant cravings. The hole-in-the-wall spot serves cumin potatoes, twice-fried fish, fern root noodles, and other northeast Chinese specialties.
- The Market Italian Village’s No Menu Mondays: every Monday, Chef Tyler from The Market IV writes a new menu. You can just show up and trust in his creations.
TRAVEL
This year we were fortunate to travel to places new and old. We discovered new things to love about old haunts and traveled to cities that were completely new for all four of us.
- Getting Into Indianapolis: the folks from Indy invited us to explore the city. We discovered great food, parks, historic sites, the zoo, museums, coffee, and dinner on a dairy farm. Bonus breakfasts at Maxine’s Chicken & Waffles and Love Handle.
- A Night at Le Meridien Columbus, The Joseph: Beth and I enjoyed a little staycation at The Joseph in Short North, complete with cocktails at the Soul bar in the lobby
- Back to Chicago: in May we introduced the boys to the full Chicago experience: Hamilton, the Art Institute, the Bean, plenty of rides on the El, museums, breakfast at Bongo Room, 80s throwback at Wormhole Coffee
- A Butler County Weekend: Butler County has become a regular destination for us, and we returned for more donuts, hiking, ice cream, drive-in movies
- Steam Trains & Star Gazing in the Hocking Hills: we took on two fun activities in the Hocking Hills: riding the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway and star gazing at the new John Glenn Astronomy Park
- An Ode to the Outer Banks in October: as many times as we’ve been to the OBX, we’ve never been in October, and we’re completely in love with it
- Seattle & Portland: I haven’t fully written up our west coast adventures, but we introduced the boys to Seattle and Portland when I had a conference out west. We took in museums, hiking, the Space Needle, plenty of donuts (Top Pot, Pip’s, and Blue Star) and plenty of coffee (La Marzocco Cafe, Starbucks Reserve Roastery)
I know that every year can be a mix of ups and downs, triumphs and challenges, successes and failures. I hope you’re able to look back on 2018 with good memories and look ahead to 2019 ready to take on the challenges and excitement of a fresh start!
Thanks to everyone who follows our adventures! We wish you all a Happy New Year!
The Breakfast Family (Nick, Beth, Will & Owen)
