From hookah bars, to fine dining, the past week has lent itself to epicurean wandering. Perhaps it was the extremely cold weather, but I have felt a nomadic pull to venture out into our fair city and discover where the people are hanging out, living life, being fabulous, and wasting time. This task is not really a new calling; however, I have rarely felt the need to put pen to page (or in our world of cyber-living, fingers to keyboard) to share my thoughts with others. Perhaps the time has come.
What follows is a review of three different establishments along the High Street Corridor. To some I will return...to others...well...maybe not so much.
Shi-Sha Lounge
Location: North High Street & Patterson (North Campus)
Faire: Flavored Tobacco, stoner yummies, coffee, tea, etc.
Thoughts: It wasn't the first time I had gone to the Shi-Sha lounge. It was the first time I spent any length of time there. I felt, at first, that I was reliving my glory days of undergrad years when friends and I would gather in a smoke filled cafe, play endless hours of cards, and fly through what should have been productive hours. We would write bad poetry, converse openly about the intertwining of sex, art, philosophy, politics, and somehow we still all graduated college. Any critique I have of the Shi-Sha is one that they cannot improve upon, for how can they make a 27 year old man into a 19 year old boy? The staff is attentive even in their post-adolescent, ennui engulfed, waifish, quasi-queer, "life is so pointless," malaise. Good for people watching, and perhaps picking up some Arabic or Somali. Will I return? Doubtless, for I have a sado-masochistic stream that makes me want to yearn for yester-year, and inflict bad poetry upon my friends.
Gypsy Cafe
Location: North High Street & Price (Short North)
Faire: Flavored Tobacco, Hot Dogs, Bad Coffee
Thoughts: The crowd at this hookah bar is a bit older...think grad school not under grad. Smaller and cramped. I was served a cup of cold coffee. Overall not a great experience. The decor is nice enough, but not really enough to save it. There was a hottie working there, but even that is not enough to necessitate another visit.
Black Olive
Location: North High Street and Buttles (Short North)
Faire: New American Fusion
Thoughts: Does anyone else remember The Coffee Table? That quirky little bohemian cafe that used to be the gathering point for summer people watching, before Pride coffee, and lazy Sunday afternoons? Well fear not, for even though that charming cafe is no more, remnants remain 'neath the glitz and glamor of Black Olive. The scene at Black Olive seems to be one of urban sophistication meets pomo chic. Whimsical touches abound (see bubble chandelier, and fake plants in windows), which add a lightening element to what could become an oppressive, dreary, all to stuffy atmosphere;
however, after you get past the chic finishes, and reflective surfaces, you will no doubt notice that some of what made the Coffee Table charming, now serves as a great detriment to an establishment trying so desperately to lure away neighborhood clientele from more established restaurants. Perhaps some of the decorating budget should have been spent installing new windows so that if one is seated by the window his red wine doesn't chill to an undrinkable, and flavor stifling, temperature. Also, and this one just slays me, the restaurant is in an old building, the foundation has settles, and the floor is uneven. This was quirky when I paid $2 bucks for my Hylander Grogg...It's not charming when my glass of wine shows me the unevenness of the floor. The floors are concrete...they should have been re-poured.
With all that being said, the food was SPECTACULAR! I had the Spit-fire Duck, and it was delicious. The meat tender, non-greasy, and just the right amount of kick to make the palate dance with joy. Portions of duck breast roasted in high heat served over a melange of sauteed peppers, onions, and mushrooms, served over a bed of crispy red potatoes. The sauce contained a smoky heat that complimented the sweetness of the peppers, and the robust quality of the duck. I paired the meal with a glass of shiraz. Quite a good pairing if I do say so. The portion was opulent for the price, and the staff were attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable. I shall be returning to Black Olive whenever the occasion arises.
What follows is a review of three different establishments along the High Street Corridor. To some I will return...to others...well...maybe not so much.
Shi-Sha Lounge
Location: North High Street & Patterson (North Campus)
Faire: Flavored Tobacco, stoner yummies, coffee, tea, etc.
Thoughts: It wasn't the first time I had gone to the Shi-Sha lounge. It was the first time I spent any length of time there. I felt, at first, that I was reliving my glory days of undergrad years when friends and I would gather in a smoke filled cafe, play endless hours of cards, and fly through what should have been productive hours. We would write bad poetry, converse openly about the intertwining of sex, art, philosophy, politics, and somehow we still all graduated college. Any critique I have of the Shi-Sha is one that they cannot improve upon, for how can they make a 27 year old man into a 19 year old boy? The staff is attentive even in their post-adolescent, ennui engulfed, waifish, quasi-queer, "life is so pointless," malaise. Good for people watching, and perhaps picking up some Arabic or Somali. Will I return? Doubtless, for I have a sado-masochistic stream that makes me want to yearn for yester-year, and inflict bad poetry upon my friends.
Gypsy Cafe
Location: North High Street & Price (Short North)
Faire: Flavored Tobacco, Hot Dogs, Bad Coffee
Thoughts: The crowd at this hookah bar is a bit older...think grad school not under grad. Smaller and cramped. I was served a cup of cold coffee. Overall not a great experience. The decor is nice enough, but not really enough to save it. There was a hottie working there, but even that is not enough to necessitate another visit.
Black Olive
Location: North High Street and Buttles (Short North)
Faire: New American Fusion
Thoughts: Does anyone else remember The Coffee Table? That quirky little bohemian cafe that used to be the gathering point for summer people watching, before Pride coffee, and lazy Sunday afternoons? Well fear not, for even though that charming cafe is no more, remnants remain 'neath the glitz and glamor of Black Olive. The scene at Black Olive seems to be one of urban sophistication meets pomo chic. Whimsical touches abound (see bubble chandelier, and fake plants in windows), which add a lightening element to what could become an oppressive, dreary, all to stuffy atmosphere;
however, after you get past the chic finishes, and reflective surfaces, you will no doubt notice that some of what made the Coffee Table charming, now serves as a great detriment to an establishment trying so desperately to lure away neighborhood clientele from more established restaurants. Perhaps some of the decorating budget should have been spent installing new windows so that if one is seated by the window his red wine doesn't chill to an undrinkable, and flavor stifling, temperature. Also, and this one just slays me, the restaurant is in an old building, the foundation has settles, and the floor is uneven. This was quirky when I paid $2 bucks for my Hylander Grogg...It's not charming when my glass of wine shows me the unevenness of the floor. The floors are concrete...they should have been re-poured.With all that being said, the food was SPECTACULAR! I had the Spit-fire Duck, and it was delicious. The meat tender, non-greasy, and just the right amount of kick to make the palate dance with joy. Portions of duck breast roasted in high heat served over a melange of sauteed peppers, onions, and mushrooms, served over a bed of crispy red potatoes. The sauce contained a smoky heat that complimented the sweetness of the peppers, and the robust quality of the duck. I paired the meal with a glass of shiraz. Quite a good pairing if I do say so. The portion was opulent for the price, and the staff were attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable. I shall be returning to Black Olive whenever the occasion arises.
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