Bincho-tan at Freshstreet Yakitori

Freshstreet Yakitori (previously Section 8 Yakitorium) has received a good bit of press lately. The reviews are universally great but no one has picked up on exactly what makes the Yakitorium so tasty and authentic.

It's the bincho.

Bincho-tan is a special hardwood charcoal produced and imported from Japan. So far as I can find, no one else in Columbus (and possibly the state) is using this cooking fuel.

Bincho-tan is produced from oak by steaming the wood at high temperatures. The resulting charcoal burns at a lower temperature but for longer periods of time than traditional coals. More importantly to cooks, bincho-tan does not smoke.

Yakitori stands prefer bincho-tan, therefore, because it allows the true taste of the meat to come through the flames. The charcoal also powers a grill for many hours, allowing the chef to cook through a meal shift.

Yakitori the Freshstreet Way

Kenny Kim and Misako Ohba first brought Japanese street food to Columbus with their Foodie Cart crepes. They later added takoyaki (pancake-batter like savory balls filled with octopus or corn) and moved into a shack in the Short North. Yakitori is their latest endeavor, served late nights at the Double Happiness bar in the Brewery District.

Kenny and Misako import their bincho-tan from Japan through a Chicago importer. Several other ingredients including ramen noodles are obtained in this way. They invest great cost in importing these authentic goods because they are not satisfied with lesser replacements.

The pair skillfully skewer small bits of meat, some of it local, on wooden spikes so the meat rests evenly across the yakitori grill bricks. Traditional Japanese chicken thigh and skin are offered, as are more adventerous cuts like beef cheek, pork belly, tongue, and tuna. At least one vegetable is always available. Skewers run between $2-4.

Yakitori are grilled over hot bincho-tan to order. Some are served simply with lemon and salt; others are dipped in a soy-based sauce. The resulting meat has the crisp texture of a grilled product without excessive smokiness.

Wise visitors order a variety; I was surprised at how much I loved the unctuous beef cheek and also that I enjoyed okra cooked yakitori-style, as I don't like it in any other preparation.

Other Japanese specialities compliment the yakitori, including an excellent take on okonomiyaki (savory cabbage pancakes) for $4. Diners can eat at the Double Happiness bar or in their comfy lounge. The bar makes notable soju (barley spirit) and sake cocktails, well matched to the Freshstreet food.

Despite, or perhaps because of, the Japanese street food authenticity, Freshstreet Yakitori is widely appealing to many palates. Kids will enjoy meat on a stick as much as adults. There is something for every diet and adventure-level.

If you go:

• Freshstreet Yakitori at Double Happiness is a bit hard to find. It is just over the 70/71 split from downtown at Front and Brewer streets. Look for the slender building on the east side of the street across from Wasserstrom and Via Vecchia.
• Current hours are Thursday - Saturday 6:30 - 11:59 pm.
• Find parking on the street or nearby garages.
• Prepare to wait 5-10 minutes for your food. Every dish is made to order.
• Freshstreet crafts their menu to have options for gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, and low-carb diets. Be sure to specify if you are gluten free, especially, so that there is no contamination on the grill.

Freshstreet Yakitori at Double Happiness 482 S Front St Columbus, OH 43215 (614) 220-5558

http://www.facebook.com/freshstreet www.doublehappinessohio.com

NB. I will be cooking yakitori with the Freshstreet folks in Cleveland at a Brick & Mortar pop-up Japanese Festival this Thursday, February 2, at 6:30 pm. Tickets are still available for the event. Columbus Food Adventures has a few spots left for their road-trip adventure that includes the festival dinner, ride from Columbus and back, and a meet and greet with Chef Jonathon Sawyer.

The Coop {Food Truck Review}

A food truck with a name dear to our chicken-loving hearts opened recently in close proximity to our house. Alex visited first, took pictures, and wrote this review:

Clintonville is seeing an influx of food trucks recently.  Despite the objections of various stick-in-the-mud types, the diversity is only growing.

The Coop is the latest truck to arrive on the Clintonville scene.  As the name suggests, it is a poultry-themed establishment and happens to have thrown out a shingle on the corner of Indianola and Cliffside.  As this is only a few blocks from our house we had their fare (one of each thing on the menu) for our Wednesday family dinner.

The dishes were:

French Omelet BLT sandwich -  Delicious folded omelet with thick-cut bacon and fresh veggies on white bread.  The whole thing melted in your mouth and was done exceptionally well.

Udon noodles with duck - This was probably the standout dish of the evening.  The noodles were well cooked, the duck was delicious and it was all complimented wonderfully with a hot and sour broth.  This was a fabulous dish that I could eat every day.  Of course, as with their other dishes, it was topped with an over-easy egg.

Chorizo Hash - Exactly what the name describes.  Very nicely done with chopped up bits of corn tortilla incorporated into the mix.  The over-easy egg made for a delicious sauce over the hash after the yolk was broken open.

Roasted Chicken Quarter (thigh/leg) over Corn with Parsley and Parmesan -  This was a very simple presentation that pleased the ever-picky Lillian.  The chicken was cooked very well and the corn mixture was creative and delicious.

Overall, we left full, satisfied and with a very favorable impression of Coop.  It's not the cheapest food truck out there, but come on, you can order duck on the side of the street.  Give it a try, you definitely won't be disappointed.

I couldn't resist Alex's raving and took our family on the short walk to the vintage cart on October 13. Here's my take:

Alex wrote 'delicious' four times in his review. While it is the most over-used adjective describing food, The Coop might be deserving of the quadruple praise.

The chef/owner of Coop, Angela Theado, is a restaurant veteran. She features local ingredients including Ohio eggs, meat, greens and fruit in from-scratch recipes.

The menu changes often to reflect what is seasonally appropriate and available. Beverage options are Clintonville-roasted Thunderkiss coffee, Coke, and San Pellegrino. The Coop uses Eartha Limited eco-friendly serving dishes and offers recycling bins for patrons. Two picnic tables are available for seating and there is parking for at least four cars in the lot.

We tried the duck leg ($10, a steal) for Lillian. Cooked in fat as confit first and finished in the oven, the meat was fall off the bone delectable. Lil gobbled it up while I savored the kale. Dressed lightly when raw, the tender leaves wilted slightly under the heat of the duck. Not wanting to upset the picky kid, I ate the pepper giardiniera on the side. This was the right choice for our family - Lil would have balked at the heat - though I can taste how well it would pair with the succulent duck meat.

I ordered the Omelet BLT ($7) after hearing about it from Alex and several friends. This high stacked sandwich layers bacon, arugula, tomato, and a gently cooked egg and cheese omelet between two slices of grilled Texas toast. It is saucy but manages to hold together for eating. Some don't enjoy the intrusion of soft egg in a BLT but I liked how The Coop transformed a summer tradition into a more filling meal.

My sister Megan has become a regular at The Coop. By happenstance, she pulled up just after our food was served. She ordered the Chorizo Hash ($8) and ran off to work before I could taste it. I snapped a few pictures to capture the sweet potatoes covered in Ohio bison chorizo sauce, egg, and cheese.

Angela told me that The Coop will continue operating until the water lines freeze. Water lines for a food truck? Yep. One difference between The Coop and many other food carts is that it has a full dish station to handle the skillets in which Angela prepares each dish to order. While having to hook up to water makes this truck less mobile than some, a fresh skillet for each patron means that The Coop can accommodate food allergies and play with a wider range of ala minute cooking styles than those carts with a grill top alone.

More than the local sourcing, delectable dishes, and sustainable practices, what diners will like enjoy most about The Coop is the care with which the menu is planned. Rich duck confit needs a zesty accompaniment like citrus dressed kale. Sweet potato hash begs for a balance like spicy chorizo sauce to come off as a pleasant savory dish. Dishes include vegetables as thoughtful components. And everything IS better with an egg on top.

The Coop Current location: Cliffside and Indianola, 43202, look for the sweet blue pickup or yellow lights after dark Cash or credit accepted Website Facebook

Represent Columbus in the James Beard Nominations

Central Ohio is home to many fantastic restaurants.  Those of us who live here know it is as difficult to choose a spot for a date night from the many great options as it is to name a favorite child.  Well, except for those of us who only have one child...I guess that isn't a great simile...

Outside of our happy heartland,  Columbus restaurants get little love.  It took six months of badgering after the airing of a No Reservations episode about the heartland for Cleveland based food writer Michael Ruhlman to visit our fair city.  When he did, he declared that "Columbus exceeds Cleveland as a worthy food destination.  And what that means is that Ohio itself has become an awesome food state."

Now is your chance, our chance, to shine the light on outstanding Columbus restaurants: the James Beard Awards are accepting open nominations through December 31.  Here is my voting slate -

Outstanding Restaurateur: Liz Lessner, Betty's, Columbus Ohio

Best Chef (Great Lakes): Alana Shock, Alana's, Columbus Ohio / David MacLennan, Latitude 41, Columbus Ohio

Outstanding Pastry Chef: Spencer Budros, Pistachia Vera, Columbus Ohio /Jeni Britton-Bauer, Jeni's Ice Creams, Columbus Ohio

Outstanding Wine Service: Kamal Boulos, The Refectory, Columbus Ohio

Outstanding Wine & Spirits Professional: Chris Dillman, Sage Bistro, Columbus Ohio / Brady Konya, Middle West Spirits, Columbus Ohio

Do you agree with my picks?  Will you please take a few minutes to vote for your favorites?

Columbus Food Adventures Short North Tour

There's a new food experience in town, one that is sure to wow locals and visitors alike.

It is Columbus Food Adventures, the food tour business of local restaurant expert Bethia Woolf.  Bethia sprung onto the food scene in 2008 with the blog Hungry Woolf (now merged with the Columbus Food Adventures Blog), quickly followed by the group blog Taco Trucks Columbus which profiles taco trucks around the city.  The Taco Trucks crew launched Alt Eats Columbus and Street Eats Columbus in 2010.

Columbus Food Adventures takes Bethia's experience eating her way through Columbus out of the computer and onto the streets, where guests join her on walking and van-transported tours.

Bethia was kind enough to invite me on a recent Short North tour. Other regular tours include Taco Trucks and Alt Eats.  Private tours are welcome and gaining popularity.

The Route

Beginning at the North Market, our group visited the Greener Grocer and Kitchen Little.  We walked to Short North newcomers Knead Urban Diner and Le Chocoholique next.  Continuing North, we stopped in Eleni-Christina to see their bread baking operation and then sampled dishes at Tasi Cafe and Rigsby's Kitchen.  A visit to Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams and walk back to the North Market wrapped up the tour.

The Food

Columbus Food Adventures website states "You should have enough food along the way for lunch."  On our tour, which may or may not be typical, I ate enough for a huge lunch and even took home leftovers for Alex's dinner.  Knead and Rigsby's offered a nearly full size plate each of meatloaf sandwich and fries and salmon over lentils, respectively.  We ate salmon frittata and salad at Tasi, a cayenne truffle and chocolate covered twinke at Le Chocolique, and two samples at the North Market. The Jeni's ice cream serving was a full trio plus additional samples.  I was pleased to see most restaurants highlighting local Ohio products on their menu and in tastes.

In addition to the surprising quantity, it was an exciting experience for me to eat dishes I would not normally order.  The Short North Tour provided me with my first visits to Tasi, Knead, and Le Chocoholique.  The restaurants all put their best fork forward by offering their specialties.  Chefs and proprietors chatted with us, a rare treat allowed by visiting during the slower lunchtime service.

The Experience

The Short North tour included the perfect mix of tour-guide speech and open conversation.  During discussion over our dishes, Bethia guided our out of town guest towards other places she might want to visit and answered a wealth of questions.  Bethia stopped the group a few times to point out historic landmarks.  I learned new things about my hometown!

An interesting side benefit of going on a group tour is the conversation and community among other tour guests.  It was lovely to meet Lisa Morton, proprietor of the Victorian Village Guest House, who was also on the tour.  Through talking about the food, the other guests and I learned about each other and farmer's markets around the country.

Recommendation

I wholeheartedly recommend this tour for Columbus locals and out of town visitors.  The price, $45 per person, is a great value for the impressive amount of food and good times included.  I never thought I would be a 'food tour' person, but I see myself exploring the other tours offered (Taco Trucks, Alt Eats, and Dessert) soon.

If You Go...

• Dress appropriately for the weather.  My tour was on one of the first very cold days of the fall and I was frigid because I forgot a coat.  Do as I say, not as I do...
• Wear comfortable footwear.  The walk between stops was not particularly strenuous but guests will be most comfortable with good shoes.
• Bring a little cash.  No payment is required beyond the ticket price, however you may want some money on hand to buy something at one of the shops.  A tip to the tour guide is always appreciated.
• Bring a bag.  A few stops have goods available for purchase and, as I said, I ended up with leftovers.  A reusable bag would have been nice to transport my little packages.
• Stay tuned to the Columbus Food Adventures blog, facebook page, and/or twitter for announcements about special tour offerings.  This Thanksgiving weekend, for instance, Bethia is offering an additional tour on Wednesday to accommodate out of town guests.  A special All Dessert Tour is starting this Saturday through the holiday season.