Wednesday, March 14, 2007

An afternoon excursion.

Yesterday was absolutely beautiful.

It was 71 and sunny all day, after a weekend of gloomy skies and windy 40 degree weather. I'm not sure where exactly the warm weather came from, but i'm certainly not complaining. After work, I decided to take advantage of the momentary clement weather (come on, this is Ohio people, it'll be snowy by this time next week), and take a walk downtown.

Across the street from my work, in the Short North district of Columbus, is Goodale Park which, in the spring or summer time, is blooming with tons of flowers and plants. Yesterday, however, after recovering from a stark winter, the park was fairly baren. So, I walked through it without pulling out the camera. I did notice something unusual, though, which caught my attention. Carved into the pillars that hoist the park's gate, were some atypical if not creepy looking faces:





At least to me they seemed out of place. Anyway, a few blocks south of Goodale Park is a place that should be familiar to all Columbus natives, and is where I walk to almost every day for lunch:



North Market is like most open-aired community markets, save for a few minor differences. One, it isn't outside, despite four huge skylight windows that would convince you otherwise. Two, most of the vendors inside the market have other, main stores somewhere else in Columbus, and three, on the second floor of the market is a food-court-esque dining area where patrons can eat and congregate and whateverelse. There's a huge variety of ethnic foods to choose from, from Indian to Thai, Sushi to Tacos, and a splattering of other various ethnicities (not to mention some pretty great ice cream and chocolate). Like most food markets, there is the common Fruttivendolo:



The produce here is always fresh, and the sellers are equally nice and helpful. I should really buy from this place more often, but it can sometimes be pricey. Next, there is a the ever-so-prestigous Pure Imagination Chocolatier:



You can buy anything from the traditional box of goodies, to chocolate-dipped orange slices, to pistachio crusted caramel truffles (rumor has it, the latter of the three are amazing). Pure Imagination was in the news recently for a catering gig they landed all the way in L.A, as their chocolates were included in the complimentary gift baskets handed out to the Acadamy Award nominees. They've also been known to cater directly to the stars. Pretty cool, huh? Moving along. I can't say that I've ever eaten at the next shop, but the sign always seems to catch my attention:



I mean, everyone likes a good wurst, right? (Except, of course, for the vegemites like myself)

And now for my personal favorite vendor in North Market:



Although their name doesn't really translate into anything in Italian, that doesn't stop Pastaria from making some kick-ass, fatto in casa, pasta. They're known for creating random and uncommon variations of standard pasta dishes. For instance, last week, a co-worker brought back a box of prosciutto and ricotta filled ravioli, as he suggested, made right in front of him. My favorite is the striped mushroom:



There are a number of other shops besides food vendors, as well, like a custom wood framing shop, a wine cellar, and a Native American clothing store. It certainly warrants a visit, if you're in the area.

Tomorrow I'll have the second installment of my afternoon, spent climbing skyscrapers (no, really), so do come back and check it out.

A domani.

2 Comments:

Blogger Jeff Gromen said...

John,
The North Market reminds me of Findley Market in Cincinnati. Unfortuneately Findley Market is not in a place very convient location. We need more places like this in the US.

Jeff

7:20 AM  
Blogger Michelle | Bleeding Espresso said...

The striped mushroom pasta looks very interesting...kinda Willy Wonka-ish, but I'd definitely try it :)

11:43 AM  

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