Visiting Main Street Ohio

BB:  The first tiime I ate at the Pine Club, I did not know they did not take credit cards.   I had a group with me and we ran up a considerable tab.  I explained to the owner/manager and they trusted me to send them a check which I did promptly.
 
I also ate doughnuts at Schulers in Springfield.  It was only a block away from where I was doing a project.  It was vey good.  It appears that it has been there for ages.
 
Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN
 
 

The first tiime I ate at the Pine Club, I did not know they did not take credit cards. I had a group with me and we ran up a considerable tab. I explained to the owner/manager and they trusted me to send them a check which I did promptly.

That's amazingly trustworthy/nice of them (...and you of course). I wonder how often this occurs? Seems a bit strange in a more expensive establishment to still not be accepting credit cards/ Although with all the merchant fees I don't blame them. Do you they mention if prominently? Seems like it would be a good idea to say something at the beginning of the meal. I sure there is a ATM close...was your tab over $500?

Paul-
It is always great to hear from you, my friend!  I should have known if anyone had been to Schuler's before, it would be you.  Glad to read it was good and I'm looking forward to my visit the next time through.

As for Pine Club, I do think it is written somewhere on the menu about not accepting credit cards, but it wasn't in a prominent place and the waitress never mentioned it.  Truthfully, this is a non-issue for me, since I prefer to carry cash.  In fact, I am such a dinosaur, I don't even own an ATM card.  I give credit to the restaurant for trusting you to send them a check and not make you and your group wash dishes! 

  What an excellent quick trip!  Tell the truth, you actually SNEAK out in the mornings so that YOU get to choose all the donuts!!  

AHI MPLS-
They are at my mercy when they sleep in like that, but then, I never even got a bite of the glazed twist or the coconut, so.....

  4 outta 6 Ain't Bad!!!

  Oops, forgot to ask if you could pretty please put your new pics. in the review for the Pine Club? right now there is only salad and the bread...so sad    

Oh, you betcha I'll be sending those in!

Wow, missed this report. Fun to read. My family visited Dayton in 2004 on a baseball roadtrip before I posted much on roadfood and were fortunate to visit the Air Force museum and the Wright brothers National park. I wish we had eaten at the Pines but that will have to be on another trip to southern Ohio and Northern Kentucky.

Sundancer7


BB:  The first tiime I ate at the Pine Club, I did not know they did not take credit cards.   I had a group with me and we ran up a considerable tab.  I explained to the owner/manager and they trusted me to send them a check which I did promptly.
 
I also ate doughnuts at Schulers in Springfield.  It was only a block away from where I was doing a project.  It was vey good.  It appears that it has been there for ages.
 
Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN
 
 

The couple times I have been to Schuler's I had been terribly disappointed. Lacking considerably in the flavor department in my book and some of them seemed really dry. They pale in comparison to Bill's in Kettering in my opinion.

Soccer862923

Sundancer7


BB:  The first tiime I ate at the Pine Club, I did not know they did not take credit cards.   I had a group with me and we ran up a considerable tab.  I explained to the owner/manager and they trusted me to send them a check which I did promptly.

I also ate doughnuts at Schulers in Springfield.  It was only a block away from where I was doing a project.  It was vey good.  It appears that it has been there for ages.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

The couple times I have been to Schuler's I had been terribly disappointed. Lacking considerably in the flavor department in my book and some of them seemed really dry. They pale in comparison to Bill's in Kettering in my opinion.

 
Sorry you did not enjoy the doughnuts.  It was handy for me as they were only one block from my project and I did not have the time to drive to Ketteriing. 
 
I was always there early in the morning right after they were made.  Perhaps that was the difference.
 
Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

About a month ago The Travelin Man flew into Pittsburgh.  After picking him up, we had a big breakfast near the airport, stopped in Wheeling, WV for a fish sandwich at Coleman's Fish Market and then headed on towards Columbus.
 
Actually, we drove right past Columbus and made our first stop in Ohio at Henry's
 
in West Jefferson.  I have written about Henry's many times before (and even previously in this thread), but it is a humble restaurant, located on a lonely stretch of Rte. 40, just a short drive from I-70.  The building used to be a gas station and they now serve world class pies! 
 
Because we had eaten so much already and had plans for another lunch immediately after, we ignored the lunch menu and focused on dessert.  Unfortunately, even though it wasn't that late in the day, they only had four types of pie left: coconut cream (strawberry rhubarb), custard, sugar cream and chocolate.  TTM decided right away on the chococlate, which freed me up to try something new.   As much as I love the pies here, this slice of sugar cream

was a disappointment.  Besides being shockingly thin, it was just too sweet.  Yeah, I know, what did I expect with something called sugar cream.  I should have gone for the custard pie.  Anyway, TTM's chocolate cream

was excellent.  The filling was dense and fudgy and the meringue light and airy.  As TTM succinctly put it, "I win"! 
 
Henry's
6275 Route 40
West Jefferson, OH
614-879-9321 
 
http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurant/Review/544-544/henrys
 
We kept on west and then north until we reached the small city of Urbana, the home of one of Roadfood's smallest and best hamburger joints, Crabill's. 

Knowing just how small the interior is (there are only eight seats at the counter), when we saw how many cars were in the parking lot, we thought there had to be a considerable wait.  After improvising a parking spot in the back, we walked in and there were several open seats.  Strange!
 
After studying the menu board

for a minute, we both ordered four doubles.  The patties on these sliders are so small, you really need to have two of them to get the premium balance between meat and bun.  To drink, I got a Stewart's Cream Ale, which comes in a glass bottle.
 
The young ladies went to work.  As you can see,

the one on the left is putting the small balls of meat on the grill and then flattening

them with the spatula.  Meanwhile, the girl on the right is putting on the cheese and toppings and bagging the to go orders.  Here is a shot of the burgers on the grill. 

Note how the burgers on the left are further along, since they always start on the right and move them left.
 
It wasn't long until we had our little cheeseburgers in front of us.

Standard burgers here come with a good brown mustard, relish and onions and that is a combination that works for me. 

The burgers themselves deliver a big taste for being so small.  And eating four of them is really not much more than a snack.
 
While we were eating, business really picked up.  Soon, all the seats were taken and they were getting orders for 30 at a time.  The one young lady picked up the phone and said, "Dad, we need you down here".  Just about a minute later, a man showed up and took over the grill.  Now, TTM and I were impressed by how well the ladies managed the chaos going on around them.  But dad was nothing short of a blur,

getting those burgers grilled.  One of us remarked, "I don't think it is his first day."
 
Has anyone tried the pie here at Crabill's?  We saw a sign that said they have homemade pie,

but I have never tried it.
 
Crabill's
727 Miami Street
Urbana, OH
937-653-5133
 
http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurant/Review/519-519/crabills

Buffetbuster,
  Great job! I kinda like the larger pictures. I haven't been to "The Barn" in years but I think they have a really nice gift shop attached to the restaurant.......
  My foolish husband doesn't like german potato salad, he sees no point in a "hot" salad. I tell him someday his tastebuds will grow up 

buffetbuster


Unfortunately, even though it wasn't that late in the day, they only had four types of pie left: coconut cream, custard, sugar cream and chocolate. 

For some reason, I remembered their being a fruit pie choice - maybe strawberry-rhubarb?  Or was that somewhere else?  I hope that I am not skipping ahead in the story, but the following day we were out and about in Columbus.  During one of our stops, we called ChiTownDiner to tell him about some of adventures, including our stop at Henry's.  He had asked which pies we tried, and I told him that there were only four remaining options when we arrived.  He was genuinely disappointed when we told him that we did not just order one of each.  I kinda felt like we let him down!

I've been depressed ever since...it really showed its adverse effects on our recent Charlotte trip where I was reduced to a snacker!

Are the counter stools the only seating?

Did you ever figure out why the lot was proportionally fuller than the restaurant?

ChiTownDiner


Are the counter stools the only seating?

Yep.  That's it.  The couple of times I have been there it hasn't been a problem though as I got there right when they opened at 10:00.  I wasn't the only one there but it wasn't packed.  Luckily they also have a drive through if it is crowded.  Funny thing is that they don't wrap them.  I imagine that they need to be eaten before long or the grease will soak through the bag.

BB - Anxious to see where else you went in the area.

Buffetbuster

You noted that you probably should have chosen the custard pie at Henry's.  Well, you would have been just as disappointed.  The one time that I had pie at Henry's, I chose the custard and it was just as thin as the pie you ordered.  I had never seen a pie with so little filling!

buffetbuster


About a month ago The Travelin Man flew into Pittsburgh.

And boy, were his arms tired!!

I should probably apologize for that.  But I won't.

Brad

Greymo-
I have tried approximately ten different pies from Henry's and most of them have been excellent, but there has been a couple clunkers.  Thanks for the warning about the custard pie!
 
TTM is 100% correct.  Strawberry rhubarb was the fourth flavor, not coconut.  Regardless, I feel shame that we let down ChiTownDiner by not getting one of each!

The plan after leaving Crabill's was to drive back to Columbus and check into our hotel.  But as soon as we reached the rotary in downtown Urbana and I noticed a sign for Rte. 68, I said to Travelin Man, "Hey, you know what is only 18 miles that way?  Young's Jersey Dairy!"  TTM replied, "Let's go!"  I answered, "Are you serious?"  Oh, he was serious alright and we were on our way to another stop.  ChiTownDiner would have been pleased!
 
Earlier in the week, Bruce Bilmes had posted an article in the Roadfood Digest, about Young's 

celebrating their 141st anniversary.
 
http://www.roadfooddigest...rsary-Celebration.aspx
 
I expected them to be busy, but the place was the busiest I have ever seen. 

Of course, most of my visits to Young's to eat ice cream have been before 7:00AM!  Because of their birthday gala, you could get three scoops of ice cream, with three toppings, in a glass you get to take home.  How can you possibly pass that deal up?  My sundae
 
featured scoops of peanut butter cup, black raspberry and cinnamon ice cream.  The three toppings were hot fudge and two others I have forgotten.  Sorry!  Anyway, this is really good ice cream (never too soft or too sweet) and a worthwhile detour.  Oh, and as part of the celebration, they had a deal where if you gave them a good moo, you could get a free scoop upgrade. 

I sure do wish I could have come back for that one!
 
Young's Jersey Dairy
6880 Springfield-Xenia Road
Yellow Springs, OH
937-325-0629
 
http://www.roadfood.com/Restaurant/Review/525-525/youngs-jersey-dairy
 
Trivia question:  Who is the most famous resident of Yellow Springs, Ohio and is a frequent diner at Young's Jersey Dairy?
 
We checked into our hotel and relaxed for about an hour before heading back out for the Ohio State-Wisconsin basketball game.  It was an entertaining Ohio State win, but our seats, approximately two counties away,

left a little to be desired.
 
Looking for someplace to get a late night meal after the game, we ended up at the Thurman Cafe in German Village.  This cozy bar

has been here since 1942 and is best known for their burgers.  This place typically gets pretty busy, but it was late enough that we didn't have to wait for a table.
 
On my one previous visit, I ordered completely wrong and got some kind of open faced burger that was just a mess.  Unfortunately, I think I ordered wrong again and got a pizza burger.  The burger


itself was big and juicy and was topped with pepperoni, cheese and tomato sauce.  This combination just didn't work for me.  Next time, I am just going to order a regular burger, with nothing fancy.  TTM seemed happy with his bacon burger.
 
For an appetizer, I did better with the cordon bleu balls. 

These had a very crunchy exterior and hot ham and cheese on the inside and were delicious dipped in the mustard, which came on the side.
 
Thurman Cafe
183 Thurman Avenue
Columbus, OH
614-443-1570
 
http://www.thethurmancafe.com/
 
We had thoughts of stopping at either Graeter's or Jeni's for ice cream, but by now, we were spent and called it a night.

After that sundae, it might be months before I ate ice cream again.  Cordon bleu balls?  They can ball anything man.

I wonder if the sugar cream pie is so thin because it is so sweet.

"Are you serious?" BB, you don't really think that TTM would joke about something like that, do you?   I've been to Young's and, believe me, I'd make that eighteen mile detour in a heartbeat.

Love Thurman's. And I would agree, the best bet would have been just the Thurman burger, although that pizza burger looks wonderful (but I haven't eaten all day so everything looks good right now). I would love to meet up with you next time you travel through Columbus. I know some local hideaways that would impress I believe. Great report!!

Trivia question:  Who is the most famous resident of Yellow Springs, Ohio and is a frequent diner at Young's Jersey Dairy? 

I guess these days it would be Dave chappell,  i went to college in YSO   and took a class from his pop back in the late 70's   Youngs  was the place to go  for their hot whole wheat donuts  and a cup of coffee with real cream in it ...couldnt tellya if it was good coffee or not cause that cream would make even the worst cup o joe  taste like ambrosia!!
    The hangover cure  was either a nice greasy  cheeseburger (aka a slider)  or their  keilbasa sandwich with horseradish sauce( aka a shaft sandwich )       I remember those days ( well sorta kinda)  very fondly

Tailor


Trivia question:  Who is the most famous resident of Yellow Springs, Ohio and is a frequent diner at Young's Jersey Dairy? 

I guess these days it would be Dave chappell,  i went to college in YSO   and took a class from his pop back in the late 70's   Youngs  was the place to go  for their hot whole wheat donuts  and a cup of coffee with real cream in it ...couldnt tellya if it was good coffee or not cause that cream would make even the worst cup o joe  taste like ambrosia!!
    The hangover cure  was either a nice greasy  cheeseburger (aka a slider)  or their  keilbasa sandwich with horseradish sauce( aka a shaft sandwich )       I remember those days ( well sorta kinda)  very fondly

Who the Hell is Dave chappell???

You've never seen 'Chappelle's Show'?   It's awesome.

Nancypalooza


You've never seen 'Chappelle's Show'?   It's awesome.

Oh, THAT Dave Chappelle!!

Nancypalooza


You've never seen 'Chappelle's Show'?   It's awesome.

I haven't. I've never heard the name before.

After all the food we ate the previous day, we were in no hurry to get going on Sunday morning.  As if we didn't eat enough burgers the day before, our first stop of the day was for lunch at Gahanna Grill.
 
The place had just opened for the day and was empty, except for a couple guys sitting at the bar.  The menu included homemade soup, which sounded perfect for a cold January day.  This hearty chicken noodle soup,

with big chunks of fresh tasting chicken, proved to be excellent.  Burger-wise, I went with the Academy Burger,

which comes with swiss cheese, bacon and grilled onions.  There was a lot to like about this burger.  The kaiser roll was soft and tasted like it had been toasted.  All the toppings seemed very fresh.  The burger itself had a real nice char

to the outside.  Unfortunately, the inside of the burgers were on the dry side and were well done, when I typically prefer mine to be medium to medium rare.  We weren't asked how we wanted them cooked and truthfully, I forgot to specify.  
 
Question for Michael Hoffman:  Do they usually ask you how you want your burger cooked?
 
Gahanna Grill
82 Granville Street
Gahanna, OH
614-476-9017  
  
http://www.gahannagrill.com/

We couldn't possibly come to Columbus and not eat at least some ice cream.  I have visited the Grandview location of Jeni's Fresh Ice Cream on several occasions and this time wanted to see the original shop in the downtown North Market.  It had started to rain rather hard by then and there were lots of cars circling around looking for a parking spot.  But the parking gods smiled down upon us and we found a spot right next to the building. 
 
The North Market is like a smaller, more upscale version of Philly's Reading Terminal Market or Baltimore's Lexington Market.  After a quick scan of the day's available flavors,

I went with a trio

of dark chocolate peppermint, salty caramel and brown butter almond brittle (say that 3 times real fast!).  The ice cream here is on the soft side, definitely expensive and comes in fairly small portions.  But, the intensity of the flavors, when it works, can be heavenly.  The salty caramel and BBAB were both quite good.  However the dark chocolate peppermint absolutely blew me away.  Being a fan of both dark chocolate and mint, I knew this would be to my liking, but it had such a deep, bold taste, I really do think it was the best ice cream I have ever had.  My only regret wasn't getting a pint to take home.
 
Jeni's Fresh Ice Cream
59 Spruce Street
Columbus, OH
614-463-9664
 
http://www.roadfood.com/R.../jenis-fresh-ice-cream
 
We did walk around the North Market some more, doing some reconnoissance work for future visits.  There was a Polish place there that especially caught my eye for next time I am in Columbus.  From there, we hit the road and headed back towards Pittsburgh.
 
http://www.northmarket.com/