Fall is here! As the weather cools off, there is one thing that we start to crave – Comfort Food! From Soups and Stews to freshly baked biscuits, we want it all. But who has the best in our great city? That’s what we are here to find out. Columbus Underground has partnered with Shipt to bring you a brand new event to the Best Bites series, Comfort Food! Join us on Thursday, November 2 at COSI to chow down on a wide range of comforting bites from local vendors.
We thought we’d give you a little peek inside the event, so you can get ready to fill up on these mouthwatering dishes.
101 Beer Kitchen has been specializing in seasonal, handcrafted fare and a carefully curated draft and bottle menu since 2012. They seek to take comfort food to another level without pretense and are bringing their A game to Best Bites: Comfort Food. They will be sampling their Green Chili with all the fixings including pork, tomatillos, yellow rice, cilantro and queso fresco.
Piada Italian Street Food has been serving up fresh Italian far since opening their first store in 2010 right here in Columbus. Inspired by the comforting and delicious street food they experienced on a trip to Italy, each Piada meal is an invitation to always eat well and enjoy good food fast. At Best Bites: Comfort Food they will be dishing out a Quinoa & Beet and Harvest Grain.
Ambrose & Eve is a new concept brought to us by two familiar culinary faces Catie Randazzo, of Challah!, and Matt Heaggans, of Swoop! and The Rossi. They are set to open a brick and mortar restaurant in the Brewery District that focuses on Midwest comforts with a twist. They will give guests an experience that will introduce them to new favorites. Be one of the first to get a taste of what is to come at Best Bites: Comfort Food. They will be serving up Beef and Brocolli Tamari Glazed Pot Roast with broccoli salad, puffed rice and sesame.
With the intention of providing comfort in every bite they bake, Dough Mama will be right at home at Best Bites: Comfort Food. Continually inspiring excitement through unique and surprising flavors they take Americana comforts to a whole new level. Everything in each dish, pie, pastry, is entirely made from scratch using high-quality ingredients with a focus on local sourcing. At Best Bites: Comfort Food they will be featuring a cheddar scallion biscuit and sausage gravy. (Pictured up top!)
What’s a comforting meal without a little dessert? Luckily, Melt Bar and Grilled is bringing it to us in the form of their Graham Cracker Cream Pie sandwich Cookie! Originally hailing from Cleveland, Melt serves up “comfort food all dressed up” from their Short North restaurant. With a menu full of innovative grilled cheese sandwiches and accompaniments, they aim to bring classic American dishes to the table in an unpretentious, truly unique and fun way.
Tickets to the event are $30 and include food samples from all vendors, live entertainment, a specialty cash bar featuring Modelo, Jacob’s Creek Double Barrel Cabernet Sauvignon, Jacob’s Creek Classic Chardonnay, and Saint Brendan’s Irish Cream, and voting rights to name the Best Bite of the night. Plus, all ticket holders will get exclusive after-hours access to all of Cosi’s exhibits (a $20 value!) – we know you want to ride that highwire unicycle.
Featured vendors include: The Hills Market Downtown, Dough Mama, Ambrose & Eve, Blind Lady Tavern, Sabauce Handcrafted Marinade, Piada Italian Street Food, Sweet Carrot, 101 Beer Kitchen, Chicky Chicky Waffle, Due Amici Restaurant, Melt Bar and Grilled, Dirty Frank’s Hotdog Palace, Trillium Kitchen & Patio, Florentine Legacy, The Boathouse Restaurant, Palle by Moretti, Copious, Moretti’s of Arlington, and more to be announced!
All guests will have access to explore COSI from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. You can choose from two ticketed times to get your food samples, from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. or from 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. The only question is, do you want to have your fun before or after dinner?
A portion of all ticket sales will go to The Breathing Association. The Columbus Underground Best Bites event series has been raising money for local charities since launching in August 2014!
Best Bites: Comfort Food is brought to you with help from ECDI.