The Lunch Hour Gourmet

I know I tend to cover a lot of the eateries at the North Market, but in large part that’s because nearly all the eateries at the North Market are damn awesome. Firdous has a mix of traditional greek and mediterranean offerings served up buffet / a-la-carte style. Gyros, Hummus, Tabouli, Falafel, salads, baklava, you get the idea.

On this trip, I sampled the Gyro Shawirma with a nice feta salad, a side of hummus, and some pita. Liberally doused with olive oil, it was very refreshing and light and made for an energizing lunch. The gyro meat was nicely done and the hummus had a great flavor. During the work week the line can stretch quite a distance, so get there early or catch them on a weekend. 

Firdous Express (in the North Market)
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Hubert’s Polish Kitchen lives in the North Market (which I’ve covered before) and offers up some wonderful Polish/European food. Here you have polish sausage and kraut on a bun, some potato and cheese pierogi (be sure and get some of their blueberry pierogi if they offer them up warm - they are available frozen) and a chicken and cheese croquette. Well, not technically a croquette. Forgive me as I can’t recall the name at the moment. But it is tasty. :D

Hubert’s Polish Kitchen (in the North Market) 
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One of my perennial lunch time favorites. Easy Street is easy to get lost in for an hour or two, and the food is always great. Here we have a cup of chili and their Greek Chicken sandwich. Wonderful.

Easy Street Cafe
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Another Thursday, another lunch at Kooma. Here you see an assortment of rolls. The Lobster Roll (tempura lobster with spicy mayo in rice and seaweed roll), the Guaca Roll (tuna, cream cheese, and crab stick with guacamole, sour cream, jalapenos and sriracha on top), eel nigiri, salmon roe nigiri, and my usual side of white tuna and smoked salmon sashimi. When you go, plan on bringing a friend. :)

Kooma
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A friend of mine on Twitter (@jendingle) clued me in to MotorBurger. Mrs Gourmet and I were able to check it out late last year just as the snow was starting to fly. A perfect day for a craft beer, a Lamb-orghini lamb burger, and a big bowl of Poutine. Well, any day is the perfect day for that particular culinary lineup, but this day was especially good for it.

Thick brown house-made gravy smothers house-made cheese on hand cut fries. That’s how you start a meal. You flesh it out with a freshly ground lamb burger topped with a sundried tomato tapenade, goat cheese, and fresh lettuce. You wash it all down with a rich and dark porter brewed on-site (or at least close by.) Extremely satisfying. I only wish I had ordered a double burger. 

MotorBurger has been lauded (and for good reason) throughout Canada and featured on the Food Network. Well deserved I say. Well deserved. 

MotorBurger
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While passing through Chillicothe last fall, on Western Avenue I ran into a food cart vendor hawking her pulled pork sandwiches next to a bank. It was in the same lot where people park their cars to try and sell them for five bucks a day. With that kind of pedigree, I had to stop in and give it a shot. All in all, I wasn’t disappointed but I wasn’t knocked out either. For a few bucks I snagged a halfway decent pulled pork sandwich and some potato salad. Bring your own beverage though as she didn’t have any. I will next time I drive out that way.

Sloopyque’s BBQ
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Over the next few weeks, we here at The Lunch Hour Gourmet (ah, who am I kidding… there’s no real “we” here) will bring you more delicious food from great places in the central Ohio area. Or wherever else I manage to end up this year :)

Happy lunching!

 

Here we have an array of Sushi and Sashimi from Kooma Sushi on Vine Street in Columbus. In the upper left corner can be found white tuna and smoked salmon. Next to that is the tempura roll known as the Sunday Morning #2 (tuna and cream cheese w/ a spicy peanut sauce). One of my favorite rolls is also included here - the spicy caterpillar roll. Spicy tuna and cucumber, topped with avocado slices and tobiko. Finally, in the lower right is the Sunshine Roll. A california roll topped with salmon, baked crab, scallops, spicy mayo, scallions, and tempura flakes.

In addition to a full sushi and sashimi menu they have a wide selection of cooked items and dishes. I highly recommend their stonepot bibimbap. The perfect treat on a cold winter day.

Kooma Sushi
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Another Cuban Taco from The Explorer’s Club. A friend of mine ordered this the other day. Looked very fresh and inviting.

The Explorer’s Club
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The Old Canal Smokehouse has had a rough year. Earlier this year, an old house that butted up against the south side of the building was burned down by an arsonist, and a lot of collateral damage was done to the Smokehouse itself. After several months of repairs and renovations they are back in business and I’m glad to say they didn’t go off their stride at all. 

Some of the best BBQ in southern Ohio can be found where you see the Big Pig. It goes toe-to-toe with some of the better Columbus BBQ shacks and comes away a solid contender. I especially love their potato salad. SO GOOD.

Here you see a plate of pulled pork, brisket, and green bean almondine.

The Old Canal Smokehouse
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Beef and Chorizo sliders. A nice light lunch, just the right portion size, and very juicy/tasty.

The Explorer’s Club
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The wife and I stopped in not too long ago and sampled the options. While certainly not the best BBQ I’ve had, it’s certainly solid enough an offering for Circleville. 

The meats we sampled weren’t as smoky as I’d like, but they were tender, moist, and well-portioned. The sauce was great - distinct notes of Jalapeno (which was prominently featured on many menu items.) I also enjoyed their Mac & Cheese. Very cheesy. :)

I’d go back, but would prefer a little more smoke in the meat for a smokehouse.

7 Miles Smokehouse & Grill
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Even though I have good friends that run a Yogurt Shop in Circleville, when I go back to Canada to visit the in-laws, Slinky’s is where I get my Froyo.

Into a machine go two big blocks of vanilla frozen yogurt and the fresh fruits of your choosing. In this case, red raspberries. Out comes the creamiest tartest soft-serve froyo I’ve yet to find anywhere else. It’s worth the wait. (I get to go there maybe three or four times a year.)

Slinky’s Dairy Hut
100 Lesperance Rd
Tecumseh, Ontario Canada 

As a sub lover, when I saw this new chain open up their Olentangy River Road location, I had to stop in and give them a try. I’ve been there three or four times so far, and I’ve yet to dial in on that killer sandwich. Their offerings are solid though, and I’m willing to keep trying. The shop has a lot of bread options. I’m especially fond of their “Everything” bun which is basically a sub bun with toppings like you would find on an Everything Bagel (Poppyseeds, salt, dried onion, etc.) 

Bread alone does not a successful sub make, but at least it’s a good start. I’ve tried out their “Godfather”, the “Buckeye”, and the “Old Fashioned” all of which can be served hot or cold (typically I prefer cold subs) with a wide variety of toppings. As you’re giving your order it’s easy to get overwhelmed as you are presented with so many choices.

If you’ve got one near you, stop in and give it a try. You won’t be disappointed but prepare yourself for a hit-or-miss experience as far as sandwich construction goes until you get your taste options dialed in.

DiBella’s Old Fashioned Submarines
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Earlier this year, I reviewed Smoke & Spice and since then, they’ve gone on to get Food Network Canada accolades and has hit the big time. This time around, I tried a rack of ribs as well as a couple of their local brews.

Smoke & Spice Southern Barbeque
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