Hubbard Grille, Columbus, OH--OSU Update!

Good and bad news… the good news is that we really liked Ohio State University (OSU) and the city of Columbus. The bad news is that we really liked OSU and the city of Columbus. Meh.

We were all secretly hoping that we wouldn't be impressed with the engineering info session, the campus, and the surrounding city. It would make Julia's decision so much easier. There are so many positives, though. They are pursuing Julia with a passion--not just with the scholarships, but with phone calls, emails, postcards, letters, etc. The honors/scholars program and their engineering career services departments are two major advantages, as well. Big school = big resources.

Chris has also applied to OSU and awaiting a decision. He liked the school too.

Any negatives? Well, it is in Ohio. :) There isn't much diversity to speak of…and Julia has to consider if she can picture herself there for four years.

The Hubbard Grille was delicious. It is located in the adorable neighborhood of Short North, 793 N. High Street, 614-291-5000.

Julia & Chris at Sloopy's Diner (OSU)

Steak salad

Caesar salad with chicken small plate

Cajun spiced mahi mahi with cheddar grits and green beans

Steak salad

Seared tuna with shaved fennel & green bean salad

Peacock Cafe

Tonight we ventured to Peacock Cafe in Georgetown. It was lightly snowing and cold as ever. Steven and I had the ahi tuna salad, Julia enjoyed the salmon. Steven tried (and shared) the South African beef bobotie (spiced meat with egg topping). It was delicious. Julia devoured the gluten free lava cake--with a couple sneaks of the ice cream. She's been doing well trying to stay on the allergy elimination diet. (No fun, but it will pay off.)

We talked about Ohio State University and our upcoming trip. My dear friend Vera sent me a link on the top global universities--OSU is listed.

Mostly, Steven traveled down memory lane and shared some really crazy stories from when he was Julia's age. Yikes. There was also a lot of ping pong talk…which we'll hopefully play with Chris next weekend.

Restaurant info: 3251 Prospect St NW, (between N Potomac St & N Wisconsin Ave), (202) 625-2740

Recommendation: Salmon, bobotie, and ahi tuna (rare).

Scottish salmon with potatoes and asparagus

Ahi tuna salad

South Africa Beef Bobotie with mango chutney and yellow rice

Ahi tuna salad

Gluten free chocolate lava cake

Casbah Cafe

Tonight we enjoyed Casbah Cafe. Classic Mediterranean flavors…Steven enjoyed the lamb and beef gyro; Julia and I both ordered the chicken shawarma. Yummy hummus, tabbouleh, and tons of fresh pita bread.

Julia is still considering U. of Wisconsin--although there are no direct flights to Madison. The deadline is next Saturday. We've decided to visit OSU in Columbus, OH, over president's weekend. The amount of mail from OSU, NCSU, NU, Villanova, and Penn State is overwhelming.

Recommendation: Gyro or shawarma

Restaurant info: 1721 Wisconsin Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20007, 202 342 3854

Lighthouse Diner, Wantagh, New York

We came to the Lighthouse Diner with Julia, Meme, Steven, Chris, and his mom, Melodie. It was the perfect first get-together. The food was delicious. The owners are Greek and three of us enjoyed the chicken souvlaki. Steven had a mammoth breakfast; Chris and Melodie ordered breakfast items too. Our server was quick and attentive. I could not get over how huge the portions were--wow!

The best part was getting to know Melodie. We think so highly of Chris, so it was no surprise that we enjoyed our time with his mother as well.

College update: Awarded two academic scholarships to Ohio State University (leaving only room/board to cover)--congratulations to our smarty pants, Julia! AND, she got accepted into Penn State University!! Decisions, decisions… we're definitely making a trip to Columbus, Ohio.

Recommendations: Chicken souvlaki!

Restaurant info: 3240 Sunrise Hwy, Wantagh, NY 11793, (516) 826-8111, no Web site.

Julia and Chris at Caps/Ranger Game, NYC.

Dinners with My Mom in NYC

What a wonderful way to spend Martin Luther King weekend--flitting here and there around New York City with Steven and my mom! Loved it! Two more memorable meals were at Ellen's Stardust Diner (1650 Broadway/51st Street) and Babylon Soho (15 Watts Street).

We enjoyed "Kinky Boots" on Broadway and we saw "Lone Survivor." (Steven and mom enjoyed it; I  avoided looking at the screen more than I actually watched it--too gory for me.) We took the subway and probably clocked at least 10 miles walking each day. Steven led the way; mom and I had no worries, just kept following. :-)

Recommendations: Go to Ellen's Stardust Diner for the experience! The staff is talented and friendly.

Loved the Broadway show, Kinky Boots!

We were very fortunate with traffic.

Freedom Tower behind us.

Stardust Diner, this is our waitress singing (awesome voice!)

Chelsea Market

Pho Viet & Grille: Taste of Vietnam

Open since August 2013, Pho Viet & Grille is a welcome addition to Georgetown. Everything we had was delicious. The atmosphere is cozy and trendy; the service is friendly and quick! We would definitely go back and happily grabbed the take-out menu on our way out the door.  Tonight we recapped the plan for applications… just one more, University of Wisconsin. We are on pins and needles waiting for Penn State. And speaking of Penn State, CONGRATULATIONS, Chris on your acceptance!

Happy early birthday to Steven… turning 45 on Monday.  :)

Recommendations: See plates below!

Restaurant info: 1639 Wisconsin Avenue, Washington, DC 20007, 202-333-0009, www.PhoVietGrilleDC.com

Egg rolls with fish sauce (two rolls missing from pic)

Fried tofu with Sriracha and hoisin sauce

Salad with grilled pork

Grilled salmon with  with mixed vegetables

Lump crab meat, fried rice with eggs and onions, topped with shredded chicken

Shrimp and beef fried noodles with mixed vegetables

Mai Thai of Georgetown

Although wet, cold, and miserable, it was definitely worth venturing out to Mai Thai. The food was scrumptious and it was nice to sit in a quiet restaurant to reconnect with Julia. With her gone, we were stuck in a wonderful rut of repeated Moby Dick's meals (yummy Super Combo!). 

Back to the Thai… Steven ordered Chicken Pad Thai; huge portion! He enjoyed it and brought half of it home for tomorrow. Julia ordered the Beef Teriyaki. The meat was tender and she enjoyed the healthy portion of veggies. I ordered the Thai BBQ Chicken, which was perfectly grilled. The chef was kind enough to let me swap out the papaya salad and sticky rice for salad and broccoli. It was so good. 

We are still waiting on Penn State. Unfortunately, since the college counselor didn't submit Julia's info in a timely manner, we could be waiting until January 30. Ugh. We are tentatively planning to visit Ohio State over President's weekend. Big congratulations to Chris, who was offered a sizable scholarship to UMass at Amherst! Whoo-hoo! 

Recommendations: Beef Teriyaki, Chicken Pad Thai, Thai BBQ Chicken

Restaurant info: 3251 Prospect Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007; 202-337-2424, www.maithai.com

Chicken Pad Thai

Beef Teriyaki

Thai BBQ Chicken