Short North: Marcella's

Marcella's is an Italian restaurant in the Cameron Mitchell's family of restaurants.  If you've never been to a Cameron Mitchell's restaurant, you're really missing out, because it is truly a great dining experience every time.

There are two locations: one in the Short North, and another at the Polaris mall.  I particularly like the Short North location because:

1. it is within walking distance

2. it is prime for people watching as it is in the middle of the Short North

I've never had a bad meal at Marcella's.  The specialty is small plates: pizzas, pastas, cheese plates, and desserts.  Marcella's goal is for diners to share their meals, to not limit themselves to their entree.

Entrees are generally available; I would recommend one of the special pasta dishes, usually the risotto special is pretty good.  There is also an extensive selection of wine which can be ordered by glass, half liter, and full bottle.

Last week, Columbus had its first taste of spring, and it was a good night to go out to eat and for a stroll in the Short North.  I walked up to Marcella's and met some friends for dinner.

My favorite appetizer at Marcella's is the melted pecorino cheese.  Served piping hot in a cast iron dish, this cheesy bowl of deliciousness is served with nicely toasted pieces of bread, apples, and honey.  You also get a nice loaf of cold bread at the table with your meal,and I would recommend having this handy when you order the pecorino cheese appetizer, for the toast points really don't last for too long:

The apples and honey are a delicious complement and are definitely a palate cooler from the intense, bubbly, gooey goodness.

We then ordered the bruschetta.  This is the first time I've ordered the bruschetta at Marcella's.  Normally, when I go with friends, we get the cheese heaven, and many pizzas and perhaps a pasta. The bruschetta are made from the same bread as the table bread; a crusty ciabata that almost has like a sourdough taste.  On top of the bruschetta are tomato sauce, a nice scoop of ricotta/mozzarella cheese combo,a slice of salty and cold prosciutto, and a nice basil leaf on top to add a pretty color:

I wish that the cheese combo would have been warm or really cold, instead of lukewarm.  I guess I just prefer the typical tomato bruschetta.  The colors are great, but it needs to get a proper temperature, be cut into smaller pieces, or get new flavor combo.  Perhaps not tomato and prosciutto.  Or, just basil,tomato, and cheese (or is that too boring?).

I forgot to take pictures of the entrees.  I had the special risotto for the night, which was a Parmesan risotto topped with the house sweet sausage.   It was alright. I  think that the two together was a little much, and I probably should have just gone for the two separately, or just the risotto plain.

CONCLUSION:  If you're planning on a night at Marcella's in between 6-8pm, you definitely have to make a reservation.  And if you want to go on a Friday or Saturday, you best make the reservation way in advance. Oh, and the Red Sangria is amazing. and the shrimp and pesto pizza.

Downtown: Due Amici (aka, the un-happy hour)

I really do love Due Amici.

Due Amici is in the perfect spot downtown. The deep woods, dim lights, white table cloth, and long, bar make Due Amici a cool vibe, along with the upbeat music played in the background. I love the owners, as they always gave me great deals when I used to host Blue Cocktail Progressive Mixers there in 2007.

Located on Gay Street, it is so conveniently located from Cap Square, and is a great place to go for a business lunch, a fundraising dinner, or a quick drink with a friend after work.

Which is exactly what I did yesterday. I met my friend Eric (aka, the White Ninja to some of you) for a quick drink after work. Eric works downtown, and I do too, so we like to meet there for a good glass of red wine and maybe some snacks.

Which leads me to the point of this post. I saw on twitter and facebook how Due Amici has a new happy hour special. Here are the links:

Twitter

Facebook

So, it clearly says, 2 for 1 bar apps/bar menu items from 4-7 Mondays-Fridays. So needless to say, I was pretty excited.

I meet Eric at the bar. Now, I noticed that when Barrio, Due Amici's sister restaurant opened, that a lot of the good wait staff went along with the new, exciting restaurant (I'm sure I'll get to Barrio at some point). Now, at the bar on weeknights, is a bartender whose personality resembles Styrofoam, and who is not very friendly.

Eric had been waiting for me for about 10 minutes, and had just gotten his glass of wine when I sat down. It took me about 5 minutes to get a wine menu, and then another 5 minutes to place my order for my measly glass of red wine.

We order an appetizer; calamari. Due Amici's calamari is fried, with various vegetables, and a marinara sauce at the bottom. Seriously, it's nothing like Lindey's, or Hyde Park's. Anyway, it hit the spot and was pretty good-- I forgot to take a picture.

NOW....time to my reason for referencing the power of social media. I ask the bartender, aka Lurch, to order another appetizer because I saw on Twitter, that appetizers are two for one.

He told me that was only for the day of Snowmageddon.

REALLY? Because when you look at the Twitter and Facebook page, it says NOTHING about being valid for Snowmageddon day only.

So, I pull out my Blackberry (well, I pick it up off of t he bar) and while probably embarrassing the White Ninja, I reference Lurch to facebook and twitter, where he proceeds to tell me I'm wrong again.

Fine. But it clearly says different!

Five minutes go passed, and Lurch comes back. He says that he'll give us another appetizer because of my "Twitter mistake." White Ninja asked Lurch if he was responsible for the Twitter, and Lurch informed him it was "some girl" that was "wrong" because the special was for the "snow day only."

Lurch hooked us up with a spinach artichoke dip:

It was pretty garlicky. The toast points were crisp, and there was definitely more cheese/cream than spinach/artichoke.

CONCLUSION: IT was a pretty unhappy hour. Maybe I love the actual Due Amici over Due Amici's food. But Lurch really has got to step up his attitude.