Sausage Fest - No, Not Like That

Again, many apologies readers for the delay in posts! I have this, and one more entry to fill you in for my third outing in Ohio for the blog. One week from today, I'll be in Las Vegas, and you can bet I already have my itinerary full of things I want to see and share with all of you. It's gonna be a party!

Unless for some reason you hate museums- in which case the party will look like this.
Image from http://santarosacru.blogspot.com/2011/02/departing-twelve.html

Speaking of guys at boring parties, let's talk about another kind of sausage fest- my time at Schmidt's Restaurant und Sausage Haus, or just Schmidt's for short. Every website and travel blog I perused while planning my trip to Columbus mentioned- and praised- this German restaurant.

Now, growing up in Pittsburgh (and you know, being Black), I grew up with what I consider the best of both worlds when it comes to comfort foods. The very best of soul food, paired with highlights of European immigrant fare (we've already established I love pierogies). It's nothing for me to dream of a meal with fried chicken with baklava for dessert. Or to eat pierogies and want a slice of sweet potato pie on the side. As much as I love the European fare I grew up exposed to, there are a few countries with cuisine I've just never been a fan of- Germany would be one of those countries. I just am not keen on the idea of eating sausage filled with blood. But. I was determined to try it both for this blog, and on the faith of dozens of random Internet posters that insisted I try it out.

Sausages on display when you first enter

I ordered the Autobahn meal, which for $15 gets you all-you-can eat access to a buffet of German sausages, sides, and surprisingly, fried chicken. I didn't eat much, but I think part of that was I had a raging headache while I was there, and when you are in pain, eating just isn't on your mind. I would have done better getting a regular meal, but I wanted the "experience" you know?

The Autobahn Buffet. It was near Easter, so that explains the ears and basket.

I went to Schmidt's with a (vegetarian) sorority sister. I'm sure there's comedic gold there with how to find acceptable food as a vegetarian in a place based around meat. But we were both able to indulge in what is said to be Schmidt's best item: the Jumbo Cream Puff.

I got the traditional vanilla, she got the mocha almond special

Man, listen. I wish I had gotten an extra one of these for the road. HUGE (neither of us finished ours), and a perfect balance of flavor and sweetness. Light and creamy filling, delicate pastry. These were amazing. One is certainly enough for two people, but we didn't know that at the time. They had other desserts on display at the front, but, no. Don't even waste your time. Get a puff. Any puff. And thank me later.

Across the street (well, if that tiny cobble stone path can be classified as a street...) there is also a Schmidt's Fudge Haus. Inside there are tons of handmade German confections. While waiting for our hotel shuttle to pick us up, we went inside. There was a man making fudge right in the shop. You could watch him work his magic in person- we didn't just because he informed us it is a time intensive process, and we only had maybe 10 minutes until our expected pick up time.

He's the fudge-maker

I bought my grandmother four "turtles" candies, two with caramel and two without. I only bought four because they (like everything else in that area) were super huge and heavy- and they sell the handmade candies by weight. (And I'm starting to wonder why I didn't take a picture of them....) She loved them, saying they reminded her of the way they used to make candy when she was a kid (keep in mind my grandmother was born in 1922). 

Some tips and advice if you are going to come to Schmidt's. First and foremost- come early. My soror and I arrived RIGHT at 11 when they opened and there were maybe 4 or 5 tables already seated. By the time we left about an hour later, a line was just starting to form to get in. I've read travel account where folks say the wait can be more than an hour (or that it's impossible to get in). Second, don't get the Autobahn unless you REALLY like German food. While none of it was terrible, as someone who isn't a big fan anyway, it made my selection very difficult. Finally, add some time to your visit to take a picture in the head-in-the-hole outside where you and one other person can look like 19th Century German children, and stop in the Fudge Haus and pick up some candy. Trust me, factory made/tasting confections these are not!

Well, I'll try and get the last entry (my trip to the Ohio Statehouse) on the Internet before I leave for Vegas! While I'm gone, check out my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter.

Thank you all so much for reading my blog, it really means a lot! As always, see you on the next adventure!

Goat Cheese Ice Cream- Not As Bad As It Sounds!

So after a ridiculously long winter featuring everyone's favorite polar vortex, I'm finally getting back into the swing of things with travel.

My first trip out of Pittsburgh happened because I attended a regional conference in Columbus, Ohio with one of my sororities, Alpha Kappa Alpha.

Pretty in Pink and Gorgeous in Green!

Naturally I was not going to be in a city I'd never visited before and NOT add some entries to my blog- even if Ohio has been covered already. Enter my outing to Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams.

Sorry it's a rough shot, but that's the outside of the Jeni's I ate at

My friend that was so gracious to take me to Jeni's (after I told him ahead of time I REALLY wanted to go. It's a Columbus-based ice cream company, JUST the sort of thing I like to cover on here) told me that the "short line" of 5 or 6 people was a good thing- that this place is usually packed and lines easily continue out the door. While he talked on the phone, I was left to try and figure out what I was going to try. I'd heard that local flavor favorite "The Buckeye State" was a must, but there were flavors with wonky names like "Oregon Fir" and "Savannah Buttermint". What caught my eye though was the "Goat Cheese with Red Cherry". 

I know, that's how I looked too buddy
Image from www.drawception.com

After some coaxing by the super friendly staff, I tried it. To my surprise, I liked it! Very light taste, almost like cheesecake. And the cherry part actually tasted like cherry-- not overly sweet red syrup swirled in for good measure. It gave me the confidence to go ahead and place my three scoop order: The Buckeye State (that's the spotty looking scoop), Brown Butter Almond Brittle (the other non-chocolate scoop), and Dark Chocolate (pretty obvious which one that was).

Be jealous. It was THAT good.

Buckeye State was by far my fave of the three, but BBAB wasn't bad at all. I LOVED the Dark Chocolate, but by the time I got to it my taste buds were on overload. Jeni's ice cream is REALLY rich and flavorful, and after eating my first two scoops, my body just couldn't handle anything else sweet (though, I must say it was the best chocolate ice cream I've ever tasted-- you could SMELL the chocolate!).

Too bad I wasn't able to buy a pint to take home with me, being in a hotel and all kinda hinders
ice cream preservation for more than a few hours.

Fear not, friends who don't live in or near Columbus (In theory, I live about 3 hours away). The Jeni's website has a complete listing of flavors, location finders to see if your local grocer carries Jeni's products, and instructions on how to order your favorite flavors in case your local store doesn't ($13 flat rate shipping, which considering you would be getting artisan ice cream delivered to your door, is pretty reasonable). 

More blog posts about Columbus are coming, and I will be visiting a NEW state (Nevada!) in a few weeks as my elder sister and I both take our first trips to Las Vegas (I promise, everything I do there won't stay there- I can't wait to share it with you all!)

Until then, thank you for reading and sharing this adventure with me!

Three Months?!

OMG has it really been that long since I had anything to say on here?! Shame on me!

You'll be pleased to know that I actually am writing up three entries to go into the Ohio files- this time I traveled to a city I truly had never been to before: Columbus, the capital. Two food spots and as always, a historic building are my entries. So thank you for bearing with me and stay tuned!