Cowtown, U.S.A.

Ah, the hometown, C-Bus. Land of cows and flatness.

Seriously, I never noticed how flat it is here until I came back to visit from Italy, jeez! You guys need to get a mountain, or something.

However, Columbus does possess some great attributes aside from cattle and a proliferation of wild rabbits and possum.

The first couple days back I cooked a bit of Italian fare for the family...

Pasta verdura, farfalle pasta with fresh vegetables, pine nuts, pecorino cheese, and fried squash blossoms.

Pan-seared rabbit with sauteed Swiss chard and fava beans. (No, I didn't catch the bunny myself)

But no trip to the Motherland would be complete without a sampling of its finer eateries, and many such delicious places congregate in the increasingly gentrified Short North, with its fancy illuminated arches and funky murals.

Jeni's ice cream, the tasty stuff that haunts you when you're gone. Ben and Jerry's is nice, but Jeni's transcends the limits of flavor, hearkening a new era of liquor-and-fruit infused creamery goodness onto the world. Sigh.

A few doors from Jeni's, one of my old stand-by hangouts is Betty's, a pinup-themed kitschy tavern with RC cola on tap and funky re-interpretations of American comfort food. Above was their version of fried chicken, coated in cayenne honey, with smoked Gouda mashed potatoes and herb-buttered sweet corn.

Elevator brewery has pretty cool food as well, I had a nice salad there with blue cheese and spicy pecans, and this Ahi Tuna tartar, served layered between fried wonton skins, with wasabi mayo, shredded carrot, cucumbers, and micro greens. Spicy, but satisfying.

But there's great stuff beyond the Short North as well. A new place called Chi Thai had opened up on Hamilton road in New Albany, so I decided to check it out. Above is their Thai red curry with duck, an awesome combination of silky sauce, crisp vegetables, and melt-in-your mouth duck. This really brought back memories of long-past days spent in Germany, when my friend would take me to her favorite Asian restaurant in Uffenheim to get a break from fried pork.

Downtown has a new crop of eateries, including Barrio, where my mother and I had excellent tapas. This was a combo of three empanadas, from left: crab meat and goat cheese with corn relish and fresh guacamole, roasted red pepper and mushroom with aoli, and sausage with fresh tomatoes and a roasty, spicy sauce. Excellent food there, try their flan!

Gallery Hop is a fun event to check out, also in the Short North. The scallops with grilled asparagus, cream sauce, and toasted orzo above were found at Level, a chic two-story bar that is tragically hip. Gallery Hop is the first Saturday of every month, and it's always a good time. Mostly, it's a bar hop with a smattering of art, but most of the galleries have complimentary wine and chips set out, so you won't have to go without a drink for too long while you attempt to appear cultured.

Easton veers from typical mall fare with a few of its nicer restaurants, including Hama. My father and I had quite a spread: Bibimbap (Korean rice dish with egg, rice, veggies, and sometimes meat) served in the hot clay pot, kimchee (yum, fermented spicy cabbage!) a selection of sushi, and a really tasty "Scotty's Roll #3". We also had white miso soup with clams, salad, and an oyster shooter with raw quail egg and citrus. Happy time sushi!!

On 5th avenue, towards the airport, is this un-assuming little Colombian food truck, El Octavo Sabor, where they cook amazing, fresh tacos, empanadas, and burritos to order. It's also blindingly cheap!

Above is... a torta-type (I know it's actually something different, but I can't remember the name right now) dish, with the base made of a griddled thick dough, topped with chopped beef, sour cream, and a damn spicy sofrito-like concoction of peppers and herbs. Very delicious, but watch the spice, I dumped the whole tiny plastic cup of "salsa" on it and had to refill my water glass about 6 times. Worth the sweat!

No visit to Ohio would be complete without the all-time classic, Schmidt's, home of the Bahama Mama and famous cream puffs. Dad got the sausage buffet (those words... sound so great together...) and I had Schnitzel mit green beans and potato pancakes. Oh, and we split a cream puff, gotta have the cream puff! (and beer, please don't forget the beer!)

Some of the American students on the trip complained that they would miss all the great food in Italy and lamented that "there weren't restaurants like this" in their home cities, which I scoffed at and told them they weren't looking hard enough. Our food may be different, our landscape littered with the Mc Atrocity that is modern processed and fast foods, but we also have some damn fine eateries in abundance if you just take the time to look a little harder.

To anyone reading this, try for just 6 months to only eat at local places with less than 6 or so locations. Give the mom-and-pop stop a try. Saddle up to a taco truck and be adventurous. The worst that could happen is you find something you don't like, but you may also run into an absolute gem, and eating this way promotes small business and fosters a sense of community. Shop at a farmers' market, or pull over on the interstate next time you see a hand-written "sweet corn, lettuce, strawberries" sign, and get some great fresh produce from a local farmer.

I promise it will be worth it!

Until we meet again, ciao Cowtown! Tomorrow: Chi-Town!