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    Restaurant Roundup: Food Trucks, Drink Up, Burgers and More

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    Hal & Al’s

    The second Food Truck & Cart Hop of the year takes place on Sunday, May 26th, at Hal & Al’s located at 1289 Parsons Avenue. For this month’s hoopla, organizers are encouraging patrons to bike to the event where they will be able to park securely and for free thanks to the generous sponsoring by Pedal Instead, which provides free festival bike parking throughout Central Ohio.

    It only makes sense, as this month’s Hop benefits Yay Bikes!, a group dedicated to promoting bicycles as a viable alternative to cars for transportation. They create and execute several campaigns geared towards cyclist education, bicycle culture, mobility research and solutions, and economic development. Their current programs include How we Roll, Pedal Instead, Year of Yay!, and Bike the C-bus.

    The food truck lineup for May includes TatoHeads, Mikey’s Late Night Slice, Mai Chau Truck, Yellow Boys Polish Boys, Los Jalapenos, and the Sweet Mobile Cupcakery. In addition, Chef Michael’s Food Truck for Dogs, billed as “not just dog food [because] what your dog eats should be just as remarkable as who your dog is” will be in attendance. This gourmet food truck for dogs will be offering the first 100 customers a special gift, as well as a free dinner for their human owners valued at $10 good for that day.

    And, as always, Hal & Al’s’ sweet patio will be open where customers can enjoy a brew or two while they munch on their favorite mobile kitchen creations. The Food Truck & Cart Hop runs from noon-6pm, and for more information, visit www.facebook.com/FoodTruckAndCartHop.

    Drink Up Columbus!

    For the past 2 years, Drink Up Columbus has been one of the go-to sites for all things cocktail in and around Central Ohio. They celebrate this anniversary on May 30th with a rocking party to be held at Woodlands Backyard, located at 668 Grandview Avenue. Prizes given out very ten minutes, a photo booth, free food from Romeo’s Pizza, and live music are just some of the things you can expect at the blowout bash.

    “The drinking scene has changed a lot in two years, which is very exciting,” says Cheryl Harrison, editor at Drink Up Columbus. “When we started, there were only a couple of breweries, and a few bars really concerned with product. Now, there are over 14 microbreweries… It’s greatly changed what we’re able to talk about.”

    Sponsors of the events include local standouts Gateway Film Center, Granville Brewing Co., Grandview Digfest, Barley’s, Watershed, Four String Brewing Co. and Brothers Drake Meadery. The event runs from 7pm-11pm, and all are encouraged to come out and drink. For more details, check out www.facebook.com/drinkupcolumbus.

    Max & Erma’s

    In commemoration of National Hamburger Month, Columbus-based Max & Erma’s is offering a different burger special every week in the month of May, culminating in Free Slider Day on May 27th. Through the 24th, customers can enjoy the Tony’s Bodacious Bacon Cheeseburger, which features a hand-crushed burger topped with roasted garlic spread and bacon marmalade. During the final week of May, patrons can chow down on the Tortilla Burger, a favorite topped with cheddar and pepper jack cheese, jalapenos, and crunchy tortilla chips. And, of course, it’s served with a side of Max & Erma’s Tortilla Soup for dunking.

    On Memorial Day, as a send-off to National Burger Month, all guests of Max & Erma’s will receive a free slider with a beverage purchase. This brings to an end a month of specials including Free Cookies Wednesdays and Half Price Sangria Pitcher Thursdays. For more on Max & Erma’s, and for further details on promotions, visit www.maxandermas.com.

    Latitude 41

    Now that the weather is officially warm, Latitude 41 is celebrating with the new “5, 5, 5 Outside”, a Happy Hour that features $5 pizzas, $5 cocktails, and $5 glasses of wine to be enjoyed on their sidewalk patio. Every Thursday, guests will be entertained by live music, and can choose from Goat Cheese and Arugula or Mushroom Pizzas, Select Martinis, and wines from the Mezzacorona and Santa Rita Estates.

    During the month of May, local pianist Erik Augis will bring the merriment, so come early to reserve your spot. Happy Hour runs from 5pm-6:30pm. Latitude 41 is located at 50, North Third Street in the Renaissance Hotel. For more on this and other events, visit www.latitude41restaurant.com.

    Jeni’s Splendid Ice-Cream

    Have you gotten your gravel on at Jeni’s yet? What are you waiting for? Jeni’s is now offering customers the chance to create the best sundae they’ve ever had. Called a “gravel”, it’s really only four steps to the process, but four steps that’ll take you that much closer to heaven.

    Step one: Choose your ice-cream. Jeni’s recommends one of four specialty ice-creams created expressly for the purpose of gravelling. The Cloverton is “the ice-cream version of cheesecake”, made with Cloverton cheese from local Laurel Valley Creamery. The Chamomile derives from steeping chamomile flowers in rich, buttery cream. It has the “flavor of apple crisp and Chardonnay.” Bananas & Honey is exactly what it sounds like, only better-tasting, and the Double-Toasted Coconut combines caramelized coconut flecks with “just enough sea salt to enhance the nuttiness.” Any of these can be mixed with one of Jeni’s signature sauces, which leads to step 2.

    Choosing your sauce can be a difficult task. See, Jeni’s has created four that’s designed to enhance the flavors of her ice-creams. Among them, an Extra-Bitter Hot Fudge Sauce that’s the stuff of chocolate lovers’ dreams, a Honey Butterscotch Sauce made by slowly caramelizing Ohio honey, and a Roasted Strawberry Sauce that’s the perfect taste of summer. The star though is the Salty Caramel Sauce, based on one of Jeni’s most popular ice-cream flavors. It’s “nostalgic and warm,” and eat-out-the-jar-worthy.

    The only thing left is to add your gravel, one of six crunchy condiments that tops the ultimate sundae. Customers can choose from Donut Gravel, Salty Graham, Chocolate Blackout, Everything Bagel, Shagbark, and Hot Benneseed, which adds a spicy kick to any concoction. Once the gravel is added, step four requires you to fancify with whipped cram, cherries, sprinkles, and other traditional toppings. Then, dig in.

    To make your own gravel, visit one of Jeni’s eleven locations in Ohio. To find the store closest to you, go to www.jenis.com.

    Got a restaurant tip to share? Send it to [email protected]!

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    Ayana Wilson
    Ayana Wilsonhttps://columbusunderground.com
    Ayana Wilson is a former staff writer at Columbus Underground who covered local restaurant industry news.
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