Columbus, Ohio USA
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Dis 'n' Data
By Margaret Marten, Editor
email margaret@shortnorth.com
January/February 2019
The Lox Bagel Shop
Piece of Cake has a new neighbor at 772 N. High St. The Lox Bagel Shop opened its doors on December 17, serving handmade bagels as well as in-house-smoked meats and fish to embellish the bagels. L’Antibes, one of the Short North’s most cherished restaurants, operated in that spot for over 20 years before closing in 2015. Homefare followed with a couple food concepts before folding in the fall of 2017. The Lox Bagel Shop offers breakfast and lunch seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Owner Kevin Crowley brings experience, passion and culinary training to a fairly modest operation, so we can expect attention to detail and smooth management. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Crowley partnered at Northstar Cafe a half dozen years before setting his sights on his own shop.
Creative cream cheeses, jams, and a handful of traditional bagel varieties are an easy mix and match. Bagel-based sandwiches offer meat, egg, cheese, lox, or avocado. Coffee, bottled drinks, and a side salad round out the menu for a quick grab-and-go or a seat at one of the tables before heading out the door. Visit The Lox Bagel Shop on Facebook or call 614-824-4005 for more information.
Belgian Iron Wafel Co.
The long-awaited restaurant Belgian Iron Wafel Co., bringing Dutch Liège-style waffles to Columbus at 19 W. Russell St., opens Saturday, January 12. Owners Aimee and Brandon Harper had planned to launch the restaurant over a year ago, but zoning and construction issues prevented that. The Liège waffle is a centuries-old Belgian-style waffle with an unusual texture featuring chunks of pearl sugar which caramelize on the outside when baked. Prepared in plain, vanilla and cinnamon varieties with non-traditional toppings, the Short North waffles are above and beyond anything you could imagine – see the extraordinary displays on their Facebook and Instagram page. The refurbished space in the 1800’s-era building is another reason to visit. “We wanted to do it right the first time so it will be the best it can be on opening day,” said Aimee. A second-floor mezzanine and large picture window consistent with the buildings history enhance the waffle experience. Local roaster Mission Coffee is available at the expresso bar. The website at www.belgianiron.com provides a menu and information about the owners and their highly skilled chef, Thomas Brown. Their phone number is (614) 329-0790.
Penzone Salon + Spa
True to their word, the newly named Penzone Salon + Spa moved into The Castle at 967 N. High St. in December. Bigger and better is what it’s all about. The spot in The Castle has twice the square footage of its previous space at 640 N. High St where it was known as Max The Salon since opening in 2005. (What was once Max The Salon or The Grand Salon throughout Columbus is now Penzone Salon + Spa). Among enhanced services are The Social Room for community collaborations/events, with a bar offering healthy plant-based beverages and food items supplied by & Juice Co. A living wall featuring plants curated by Green St. Design, art by local muralist Clint Davidson, and massage therapy all emphasize the holistic focus and Penzone slogan “Beauty From the Outside In.” Hair services, skincare, makeup, nails and massage are tailored to the upscale Short North. Beauty is something the Penzones have dedicated themselves to for half a century, so this is a first-class, state-of-the-art “self love” endeavor.
The Penzone husband-wife team, Charles and Debbie, run two businesses in Italian Village: Royal Rhino Club Barbershop & Lounge and LIT Life + Yoga. Debbie is the president and CEO of Charles Penzone Inc. Her husband founded the company in 1969. Penzone Salon + Spa is located at 967 N. High St. and open 7 days a week. Visit penzonesalons.com/short-north or call 614-418-5350 for more information. Parking is available in the attached garage off W. Second Avenue that can be reserved online at LAZParking.comCorso Concepts
Michael’s Goody Boy Diner at 1144 N. High St. closed on January 2 for alterations to be orchestrated by Chris Corso of Corso Ventures. Jim Velio, aka Jimmy V, bought the restaurant in 2000. He will remain on board and continue as a partner with Corso who apparently is sentimental about the place and invested in this project to protect the building and help grow the business. They plan to reopen in March. (See the Gazette 2012 story “A Slice of American Dream” about Jimmy V and the diner at www.shortnorth.com/Velio.html)
Meanwhile, Corso’s Short North Food Hall further south at 1112 N. High in the former plasma donor center, will mark its first anniversary in March. Food halls – large halls with mutiple vendors – are growing in popularity. Unlike food courts, the cuisine in food halls is locally made. When the place launched, they had five vendors. Currently, there are three: El Hefe, Columbus Burger Bar, and Vinny’s Italian. Only Vinny’s, operated by Vince Martin, is an original vendor. Justin Kintz, director of marketing for Corso Ventures, explained the change: “We wanted to find out what worked, and we knew that it was going to take a little bit of time to get the right kind of menu for the crowd.” Short North Food Hall does not have a “rotation” concept, so they have no plans to add or remove vendors. “We found that less is more, if we can maintain the quality that we’re looking for, and we have that.”
Coming Attractions
The space at 511 N. High St. across from the Convention Center, where DeepWood restaurant operated for about seven years, will soon be up and running again after four years of vacancy. The Florida-based chain b, an upscale steakhouse that has been in business over 50 years with some 150 locations, is scheduled to open at that address in 2019.
A brewery taproom will open this summer at the corner of E. Fifth Avenue and Summit Street in The Beeker building, one of the many huge new mixed-use developments in the neighborhood. The Beeker is the work of Borror Properties who also built The Castle development on High Street where they recently relocated their office. The new tenant at The Beeker will be Zaftig Brewing Co. The owners, Jason Blevins and James Gokenbach, launched their brewery in 2013 in Worthington. Most of the beer for the new Italian Village facility will come from the original brewery. The new spot includes a kitchen, patio, five-barrel brewhouse, and taproom with seating for about 150. A pizzaria, DiCarlo’s, will operate in an adjacent space on the building’s ground floor.
Cameron Mitchell will be opening a rooftop bar and restaurant, Montauk, in the new Wood/Schiff nine-story building at 711 N. High as well as another eatery on the ground floor.
Departures
The men’s clothing store that launched next to Lindsay Gallery in May 2017, Kiln Mercantile, closed late October 2018. The owners, Marc Desrosiers and his wife Maren Roth of Rowe Boutique, stocked beautiful quality merchandise worthy of any Short North sophisticate, but the inhospitable construction in the area thwarted their ability to maintain the storefront at 988 N. High. The merchandise continues to appear in pop-ups periodically announced on the Rowe Boutique Facebook page.
If Basil Restaurant had not closed at the end of November, owner Rhome Ruanphae would be celebrating a decade of fine dining at the end of this year. The restaurant has two other locations, but the 1124 N. High spot will no longer be Basil Restaurant. Instead, Ruanphae, who owns the building, is collaborating with Brian Swanson, another restaurateur, who operates Bodega at 1044 N. High. According to a Columbus Underground article, Swanson initiated the idea to work on the Basil interior and launch a fresh concept with a new name, and they expect to reopen in the spring.
The Mendelson brothers, Darryl and Ro-z, well-known veteran ComFest organizers and former owners of Monkeys Retreat in the Short North, recently lost their mother, Sylvia Mendelson, who passed away January 4. She was born February 20, 1920, which means she would have been a centenarian next year. Our condolences to the Mendelson family and congratulations to Sylvia on a life long-lived.
Arts-related Retirements
Whether it’s an announcement of retirement or a more graceful “stepping down,” I have noticed a suprising number of arts administrators leaving their lengthy positions lately. Sherri Geldin “stepped down” at the end of 2018 after 25 years as director of the Wexner Center for the Arts. The new director, Johanna Burton, begins in March. The Peggy R. McConnell Arts Center of Worthington has a new executive director this year, Katie Kramer, replacing Jon Cook, who retired in December. Cook had been executive director since the center opened in 2009. Columbus Children’s Theatre Artististic Director William Goldsmith will retire in six months. His career at CCT spans 30 years. Executive Director Susan Pringle who joined the staff two years ago will assume leadership. Mary Gray is leaving the Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery after more than 26 years directing the gallery. The public is invited to a farewell reception on Thursday, January 24 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the gallery, 77 S. High. Her retirement takes effect after January 25. SEE article about this on page 27.
Two prominent Columbus magazine editors have either retired or stepped down recently. Eric Lyttle retired in October from Columbus Monthly after a 34-year career in journalism. He worked as editor of the magazine for three years. He had worked as senior editor of the magazine earlier in his career as well. He was a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch and editor of The Other Paper and started out at Suburban News Publications. He and his wife, Cindy, are travelling the country in an RV. Meanwhile, Travis Hoewischer stepped down as editor of 614 Magazine after almost nine years and repositioned himself as director of development for The Dick and Jane Project, an organization that pairs local musicians with middle school kids and empowers them through songwriting. In his October farewell column, Hoewischer stated it was time for a change.
SEE ALSO: NEIGHBORHOOD EVENTS/NEWS (SELECT WRITEUP)
Email margaret@shortnorth.com or call 614-251-0656 with neighborhood news items for the Short North Gazette.Email the Editor margaret@shortnorth.com
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