Max T.'s Profile

On The Fly is vegan "street food" / carry-out attached to Dragonfly, and makes a great lunch stop for vegans and vegetarians, surely, but the food is high quality and should please all but the most hardcore meat eaters as well.

The menu is extremely small (around 6 choices, plus a few desserts?), but they DO vary the composition of some of the offerings from day-to-day - such as the KIND of empanada offered, or the fixins in the chili.

The falafel and emanadas are excellent, and the chili is good, but depending on the make-up, can be great (the chick-pea chili was just OK, the black bean & corn chili was excellent), and the sesame roll is very tasty as well.

Nice beer & wine selections (as well as other bottled drinks - root beer, tea, etc.) and some fun dessert options, such as the AWESOME dessert empanada finish the meal.

The menu size does make frequent returns somewhat less exciting (even with the variation), and the indoor space is TINY, so when the weather isn't suitable for sitting on the patio, dining-in may be a challenge.  The other knock is that since it's usually only one person behind the counter prepping most of the food, orders can get a little backed-up when they get busy, but for the most part, they do a good job of turning things around in a timely manner.

Having been to the Baja Sol Grill in New Albany a few times prior to this location opening, I expected something OK but not great, with a huge salsa bar and some tasty sopapillas being the highlights.  I knew the Cantina menu was different, but figured they'd be similar...

Well, unfortunately, the only real constant between the more fast-foody Grill and the Cantina is the salsa bar.  And while some of the salsa are good - the seasonals like pineapple and cranberry tend to be the best - there's a lot that aren't (the fire roasted, which by all rights should be full of Chipotle goodness, tastes like wet cardboard with some ashes mixed in).  And the horrible-for-you yet delcious heaping platter of sopapillas was nowhere to be found.

The decor is indeed eye-jarringly rough.  Don Pablo's faux-Mexican Fresca scene ripped out for bright oranges and greens.  

The Sweet Corn Cakes appetizer was the highlight of the menu for me - a little pricey for the amount you get, but the sweet corn cake, the smooth avocado, and the salsa mixed together for a very tasty appetizer. The avocado empenada wasn't bad either - but the tacos were terrible!  There was so much juice floating out of them I thought someone had made me soup tacos.  The "marinated chicken" was tough and just smothered in chili powder... and the baja rice that comes with everything, dry and unpleasant.

Maybe swing by for an appetizer and some chips & salsa before a movie, but definitely not worth a full meal.  I'd rather have Don Pablos back - at least their warm house-made tortillas were worthing going for.

My experience with Benihana @ Polaris was pretty similar to Dan D's.  I've been to Benihana in other cities before and generally had good experiences, so I'm likely going to give them awhile to work the kinks out and give it another try -- and I *am* intrigued by the "endless sushi" for $27 (M-R 5pm-9pm)...

But on this trip - we stuck to the steakhouse-side.  The place does look very sharp inside, and the staff was friendly and helpful.   Service was fast enough, but not so fast that it felt rushed.  

Our cook, like Dan's, was also seemingly pretty new to the whole teppanyaki routine.  Pretty stiff overall, not particularly creative, with just the common shtick - "egg roll", onion volcano, shrimp tails into the hat no open flames either, just steam in the volcano.  (As a side note - when did teppanyaki chefs, at any restaurant, all start using the same basic "script" anyway?  I remember when the chefs used to be more independently entertaining and creative...)  This is the area where I'm hoping for the most improvement, as hopefully things will get looser and more entertaining with practice.

The dinner portions were fine, but the food was pretty bland.  I had the steak & shrimp combination - the shrimp was good, not great.  The steak was cooked properly, but not really seasoned at all, and unfortunately I wasn't crazy about either of the dipping sauces provided.  The fried rice (chicken fried rice, by default apparently?) was also pretty bland, and the chicken in the fried rice was pretty lousy.  My wife had the chicken entree, and it was much better, so perhaps they use different cuts?  

The price for it all wasn't bad, but wasn't great either ($3 for the fried rice add-on?).  Given the "meh" quality of the food, it's not something I'd rush back for anytime soon.

But still... I am wondering about that endless sushi... so we'll see.  Until then, stick with Fujiyama, House of Japan, or one of the dozen other Japanese steakhouses that have popped up around town lately...

There's nothing inherently *wrong* with Zaxby's... but as mentioned in the other reviews, a chicken finger specialty joint just a few blocks north from Raisin Cane's, with an almost identical feature menu item just strikes a sour note going in.

I was surprised at how large the place was on going in.  From the outside I couldn't even tell if they had a seating area - but it's actually a very large one, running back the length of the building!  

The larger menu *will* be good for a lot of folks, especially when trying to entice someone who's NOT into just chicken fingers (or, you know, chicken fingers on a bun), and it's nice that you have the option of getting wings, or even getting tenders tossed in wing sauce (though IMO, it works better if you ask for the sauce on the side & use it as a dip instead).  The house dipping sauce (I think it was Zax's Sauce?) is very similar to Cane's sauce, but definitely not as tasty.  

The food was fine.  I'd go back, but probably only if I wanted something other than chicken fingers, or was with someone who did - because seriously, Cane's is right up the street and SO much better.

When we're looking for somewhere to just get away from it all for a few days, Glenlaurel is definitely my first choice.

A Scottish-themed bed and breakfast well located in the Hocking Hills, Glenlaurel is just a wonderful place to escape, and the experience is geared toward a romantic retreat for couples.  As a part of this atmosphere though, children under 16 and pets are not allowed.  If you're looking for a place for the whole family to stay in the Hills, look elsewhere.  But if you're looking for a place to get AWAY from the kids (your own or just kids in general), this is definitely the place.

The lodgings are great - from the smaller, less expensive rooms and suites, to the cozy crofts, to the larger cottages, each has it's own slightly different theme (all named after a Scottish family line).  When first entering your room, you'll find things have been prepared for your check-in, including leaving a CD player on loop with some great relaxing celtic music to set the mood right away.

Dinners at Glenlaurel are expensive, but lavish.  5 course meals most nights, with 7 course meals on Saturdays.  Given the small staff, the menu is mostly set, but vegetarian options are available, and a chicken dish alternative is usually offered as well.   The breakfasts aren't quite as lavish, but are still well prepared and very good.

If you want to get out, but don't want to drive off the grounds, Glenlaurel  has it's own trail through the hills, the Camusfearna Gorge.  A short but scenic trail which includes a couple well-placed benches to stop and rest out in the woods.  And if you DO want to drive, Glenlaurel is close by all the more popular trails in the area, including Old Mans Cave, Cedar Falls, Ash Cave, etc.

Nazareth is a great place - best gyros in town, and their fries are excellent  - more the hand-cut style... not your standard generic bag of frozen fries here.  One thing to note that folks might not be expecting though - by default, Nazareth gyros include banana peppers.  If you don't want them though, just say so & they'll be happy to hold them.

But while the gyros (and the Chicken Shawarmas) may be the most common/most popular items, Nazareth has a full menu of Middle Eastern cuisine, featuring lentils, kabobs, stuffed grape leaves, hummus, and more.  Oh, and very tasty desserts as well.   Though they're on the pricey side, try the pistachio baklava - it's EXCELLENT.

If you're lucky enough to go at a time when the owner (Hany) is there, then you're in for a real treat.  He's exceedingly friendly and very fun.

They've also recently expanded the dining room yet AGAIN -- I think that puts them now occupying what used to be THREE separate storefronts there in Columbus Square!

Rita's Italian ices (or water ices depending on what part of the country you're from) -- definitely a great treat during the hot and humid Columbus Summers.  

Flavors change daily, with a few core options like Cherry, Mango and Lemonade being around most all the time, while others are rotated in and out.  There's Italian ices, cream ices (essentially the same as italian ices, but with a creamy base), blendini (think Blizzard), misto (like a smoothie), frozen custard, and my personal favorite -- the Gelati, a layered-mix of frozen custard & italian or cream ice.  Nothing beats a cherry gelati!  

Rita's is only open during the warmer months - typically from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but the exact opening and closing vary... but when they are open, hit the walk-up window and try some!

Buckeye Donuts has been a campus staple for a long time... but for me one of the best things about it has only been there a few years:  George Psyhogios.   Former owner-operator of Souvlaki Palace II, his old restaurant was torn-down to make way for the Steak & Shake in 1999.  After bouncing around for a little while, he came back to campus & setup in Buckeye Donuts, adding his fabulous gyros & fries, as well as chicken gyros, falafel, greek sausage, salads, and desserts!

The gyros are great!  They're not huge, but they're not too small, perfectly fresh.  Fries (crinkle-cut, presumably from frozen) are always nice & crispy.  And not only are they good, but CHEAP too - the "Gyro Basket" (gyro, fries & soda) is only $5.50!  

Don't get me wrong, Buckeye Donuts still has donuts - a good selection, they're very good donuts, and also relatively inexpensive.  Add in serviceable coffee, friendly staff and a very small/intimate counter setting, and it's a great little corner hangout, stop for breakfast, or inexpensive & tasty lunch spot.

When I first heard Canes was opening and would be a "chicken fingers" place, my first thought was that they'd jazz things up by offering a huge variety of sauces to accompany the chicken fingers.   And perhaps a nice variety of sides.

Instead, there is ONE sauce, and the whole of the Canes food menu is as follows:
-Chicken fingers (available in combos of 3, 4 or 6)
-Chicken fingers on a bun
-fries (crinkle-cut, presumably from frozen)
-cole slaw
-texas toast
--in addition to the combos, everything on the menu, INCLUDING chicken fingers, is also available a la carte.

The chicken fingers are, as one would hope, spectacular.  Breading is thin and flaky, not overpowering, never underdone.  Sometimes (rarely) overdone and dry, but usually they're perfectly crisp and juicy.   The one sauce ("Cane's Sauce") is... really hard to describe.  It's not a BBQ, it's not a honey mustard...   I don't know what it is, but it IS tasty.

The sandwich is very sloppy - the chicken fingers on a bun format doesn't work particularly well in quantities more than, well, one.  It's tasty.

Fries are just OK - very underwhelming.  They don't brown much at all, but do crisp up well enough.  They go well with the Cane's sauce.

The texas toast is perhaps the highlight of the menu - even moreso than the chicken.  I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone told me that their original plan was to sell ONLY texas toast, and the chicken fingers were added just to keep the carnivores appeased.  It's good stuff, thick, just the perfect crispness on the outside, soft on the inside, buttery goodness.

Cole slaw is... cole slaw.  Move along.

If you like chicken fingers (or fried chicken in general), you NEED to get to Canes.    If you DON'T like chicken fingers, then it's pretty safe to say that Canes is not the place for you. (Just have your chicken finger-liking friends bring you home some texas toast!)

I WANT to give a 4.5, dinging for the "meh" fries... but without that option, I'll err on the side of the chicken fingers + sauce + texas toast awesomeness.

Carfagna's Kitchen is a very casual Italian restaurant by the same family as the excellent Carfagna's grocery on 161.  Some of the same things that shine at the grocery come through here, such as the excellent meatballs and homemade sausage, but Carfagna's Kitchen goes past that with a staggeringly huge menu of Italian food offerings, from standard sandwich, sub and paninis, to pizzas, soups, lots of pasta options, and some other Italian specialty entrees.

The dining area is exceedingly casual - food is ordered at the counter, names are called when it's ready, and everything is served in plastic containers - whether you're getting it to go or not.  Seating is all at long tables in rows, so you're likely going to need to share with someone.  The place can get very busy at dinner time, especially on the weekends, but while it was packed, it wasn't obnoxiously overcrowded - just very popular & alive.

The food is good - some highlights being the Godfather sub (italian meats, slightly grilled, served on a bun with roasted red peppers, cheese and olive oil.   The Italian wedding soup is excellent, with hand-rolled meatballs, the chicken pappardelle soup is great as well.  Gnocchi was good, but could've used a bit more sauce.  The cheese manicotti was superb, with thin, almost crepe-like shells.  

There's also a great selection of dessert options, from cannolis to creme puffs, tiramisu, and rum cassata cake.  The tiramisu was good, but a little small for the price.  The rum cassata cake was excellent, very light and enjoyable.

There's also a nice selection of beer & wines available... though again, since everything is served in plastic containers, the idea of having beer or wine with makes it even more of a mismatch...

Still, a great place to get a relatively inexpensive Italian meal (dine-in or to go) as put together by a family my own Italian family has been looking to for quality Italian foods for many many years.  Definitely recommended.