Genji Go

Location: 6535 East Main Street, Reynoldsburg, OH

Design:

Callie: The parking is minimal, ten parking spaces at the most. The seating is also limited. As the name implies, Gengi Go is set up for take out. There are two tables inside, two tables outside, and a counter with a few stools. 5/10

Brad: Very tiny parking lot. Be quick and hope it's not rush hour. Main St. gets really busy and it can be tough to get back on the road if you're taking a left. Inside is pretty much a line that serves you. There's maybe 6 tables total in the place. Honestly, the design is pretty bad but it's functional and this place is about function. It gets you in and out with your food quickly and easily. 4/10

Service:

Callie: The restaurant itself has a Chipotle set up. You pick your ingredients as you walk down the line. the staff are always friendly and I’ve never had any issues with my order being messed up. The cashier has never forgotten the yum yum sauce. The highlight of the service is how you pay. They swipe your card on a tablet like set up and then flip it around so you can sign. 9/10

Brad: You're served by an assembly line to get your order out. You walk up, place your order and it wanders down a line of people that fill it. They write your order on the lid and you can see them adding, so you have a chance to correct when needed. This is where the place shines. I've at most maybe stood in line about 7 minutes. They have this down to an exact science and they get people in and out as quickly as possible. As mentioned above, they use a tablet for you to sign with your credit card and it's pretty nifty. 10/10

Food:

Callie: The food is Japanese Steak house. It’s all pre made so you don’t get to choose how your steak is cooked. That’s really my lone complaint. The food is always good even when it’s over cooked. You can choose between yum yum sauce and ginger. I always get double yum yum. You can’t beat the price however. For Japanese steak house food it’s about $12 a meal. 7/10

Brad: Let's just get it right out the way, this is a cheaper alternative to Genji. It's not Genji quality of food, if you want that, go to Genji and pay Genji prices. This is about providing you with a cheap and quick product that stands on it's own quality wise. But this is assembly line food. You have a list to pick from and that's what you get. Steak is only cooked one way and you're not going to get food cooked to order. Now, with that said, the food holds it's own and the price is right. You can escape Genji Go for about $25 if you don't go crazy on the options and that's a welcome change from a $50 Genji bill. The portions are also pretty generous and you get plenty of rice. 6/10

Other Patrons:

Callie and Brad: You don’t really have time to examine them. You are in and out in in five minutes or less.

Final Thoughts:

Callie: Gengi Go is an inexpensive alternative to its namesake Gengi. You can get your yum yum sauce craving out of your system for less. It’s quick, delicious and completely worth it. 7/10

Brad: This place kind of defies a score. It's more about a quick and fast option to the Genji flavor at an affordable price. Sure, the food isn't amazing, sure the place is a bit of a minimalist dump but sometimes you just want some yum yum sauce on rice, shrimp and chicken and don't want to break the bank. Hence, you go to this place and you leave happy. 7/10

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Northstar Cafe Easton

Location: 4015 Townsfair Way, Columbus, Ohio 43219

Website: Northstar Cafe

Design:

Callie: Northstar is very small. I enjoy the set up, the clean lines, the loft area and the outdoor fireplaces. I would enjoy them a lot more if I were not stressed about getting a table. 6/10

Brad: Seating is very limited here. Off hours are a must if you want to be able to comfortably find a table. We've gone more than once and had to stalk around for a table for a solid 10-15 minutes. The inside is nice but it's just a very limited seating setup. It's also very crammed together so getting around in general can be an exercise in frustration. The loft area looks cool but we've never been able to snag a seat up there. Honestly, the design is the biggest drawback to eating there. 4/10

Service:

Callie: You order at a cashier station upon your arrival. You are given an electronic marker that you use to check in at whichever table you choose. Your food is brought to you and cleared for you. While you do have to get your own refills, the entire process works well. We have always received our food quickly and I’ve never had to flag someone down for napkins. 9/10

Brad: You wait in line and order your food. They then give you a marker which you swipe on this stand on the table. The waitress then brings your food. The line moves at a pretty quick pace. We've been 8-10 people back before and made it through in a matter of minutes. The food always seems to arrive pretty quickly. The drinks are self serve so you don't have to rely on the waitress for anything. 10/10

Food:

Callie: Their beverage selections are unique featuring more of the old time soda. I always get the cream soda but there is also black cherry, root beer, and sarsaparilla. Which makes it like an adventure. I’ve never had a meal I did not like here. Brunch is my favorite time to go to Nothstar. Their biscuits are fresh and warm, the yogurt and granola bowl perfectly balanced, and the sweet potato hash to die for. It sounds strange, sweet potatoes, onions, red pepper and sunny side up eggs. But take my word for it, if even one of those ingredients appeal to you it is worth trying. 10/10

Brad: I don't recall the name brand of the soda selection they use. The cream soda, root beer and black cherry soda are all really good. The cola and birchwood one are okay but nothing special. We tend to go for breakfast so I get the Cowboy Breakfast. This is just a simple bacon, egg and biscuit breakfast. The bacon is amazing, the best you could probably find in a restaurant. The eggs are really good as well. The biscuits are really a strength of the meal though. You get a seasonal preserve which was black cherry. Callie usually ends up stealing part of my biscuits because she loves them so much. It's about $10 which is a great price for the quality of the food. When we've gone for dinner I've gotten the hamburger which is really good too. The beef is really juicy and good. If I had to choose though, I would pick going for breakfast. 9/10.

Other Patrons:

Familes and hipsters, Northstar brings out everyone. Be forewarned, people tend to be inconsiderate here. There can be a lack of room and people will gladly ignore you while you have to awkwardly climb over tables to get where you need to go.

Notes: Northstar uses locally grown products as much as possible and everything is organic. So support Ohio and eat here.

Final Thoughts:

Callie: Northstar is my favorite brunch spot. It’s a novel exerperience and fantastic food. I highly recomend it. 8/10

Brad: Northstar is worth fighting the limited seating and bad design. The price isn't too bad either. I think two people could get out for about $30 with the right selections. I would suggest getting there right at 9 am on a Saturday or a Sunday. Beat the rush and this place is a really great experience. 8/10

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Inferno Burger

Location: 10503 Blacklick Eastern Rd., Pickerington

Website: Inferno Burger

Design:

Callie: 80’s. There are tvs throughout the restaurant with the videos streaming. It is very fun and very open. It is always a little too warm however . 7/10

Brad: It's very ummm... yellow... It's Inferno Burger you know so the walls are yellow and red... like an Inferno. There's a couple of televisions up that play 80s music videos. I agree with Callie, it's a little too warm for my tastes. The place is very small so my biggest advice is to try and go at off times. 6/10

Service:

Callie: The service is not great. There tends to be 4-5 waitstaff/bar tenders/ managers standing around at a time. Which would be fine, if you weren’t waiting for a refill or your food. 3/10

Brad: We've been there 3 times. From what I've seen, the service is fast and pretty good when things are slow. If it's busy, be ready to wait. The waitresses seem nice enough but they don't do a good job on refills or keeping up with you. 4/10

Food:

Callie: The burgers are delicious, and all they serve. They offer chicken, bean and angus and a variety of buns. Their unique spin is a toppings bar. The premium toppings come at a charge and on your burger when you receive it. The toppings bar is free and self service. I ordered a build your own burger. Angus, pretzel bun, blue cheese crumbles, onion straws and steak sauce. It did not disappoint. My only topping from the bar was the steak sauce and I appreciated being able to choose my own amount. Another high point was the fries. Beer battered and addictive. You only need to order one for every two people because there are a lot. 8/10

Brad: Callie mentioned the gritty details of how the place works above. I have gravitated towards the New York Burger which is awesome. It's essentially a pizza burger. There's pizza sauce, pepperoni and cheese on a pretzel roll. I haven't even attempted to try another burger because it's so good. The fries are good and plentiful and you can probably get away with a single order for two people. I also appreciate that none of the toppings come on the burger. I hate when they still put all the veggies on your burger and you can still taste the onion or pickles. Yuck. The range of what you can get on your burger varies greatly. I think everyone in a group could find something to latch onto here. Overall, the food is worth the questionable service. 9/10

Other Patrons:

Callie: Runs the gamete.

Brad: The crowd seems to skew either old people or the college crowd. I've seen a few families but they seem to be the vast minority. I don't recall being overly annoyed by anyone else. You do kind of feel crammed in like sardines.

Note:

4-6 pm is Happy Hour M-F. $2 fries, beer and sliders.

Final Thoughts:

Callie: There are a lot of other burgers that I am looking forward to trying here. My only problem is the questionable service.

Brad: Inferno Burger manages to stand out in a crowded burger joint market. The burgers are great and the fries are excellent. I could see other restaurants dropping out of our routine in favor of coming here.

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Tip Top Columbus

Design:

Callie: Dark and interesting. Old architecture to look at, lots of wood and candles. 8/10

Brad: Walking into Tip Top is like walking into a building from the 30s. It revels in it's oldness as there's paintings and pictures of Columbus in previous years. The place is pretty dark and has a lot of mood lighting. 9/10


Service:

Callie: Always consistent and pleasant. The wait staff are always friendly and helpful. 8/10

Brad: Busy or slow, it feels like you're getting the proper amount of attention from your server. They always seem happy to help out with menu questions and go out of their way to let you know where your order is at. 9/10

Food:

Callie: Giant glasses for your fountain drink. You may not need a refill here and that is always a plus for me. Appetizer was Slap Your Bottom Red Bean Hummus. It was not exactly what I was expecting but it was good. A tad to spicy for me. Just a little to spicy for me. I ordered the mac ‘n cheese with sausage crumbles. It was delicious. Rotini noodles, cream sauce corn, onions and peppers. I highly recommend it. I also stole some of the shoe string fries from Brad’s plate, and they are also worth ordering. 10/10

Brad: I always get the pot roast sandwich here. It comes on a pretzel roll with a slice of cheese. This sandwich is really good. The pot roast is moist and tender. The pretzel roll is worth the extra dollar or so. It's RC Cola here and it comes in giant glasses. I drink a lot so only needing a single refill is nice. I hate having to worry about having something to drink while I eat. The french fries are also really good. This has become one of my favorite places to go to in a very short period of time. 10/10

Other Patrons:

Callie: I’ve never seen a kid there, which is a bonus if you want a meal without squawking. The crowd is diverse and we’ve never had to wait more than 10 minutes for a table.

Brad: This is the best part of eating here. The atmosphere is pretty relaxed. No one was really annoying and no kids is a plus. Really, you don't even notice the other people around you.

Final Thoughts:

Callie: Whether seeking a meal or a drink Tip Top is a friendly bar and satisfying restaurant experience. This would be a good place to try for lunch or before you see BalletMet.

Brad: Really, the biggest downside to Tip Top Columbus is the parking situation. You're going to have to pay at a meter or find one of the pay lots nearby. Parking in general is a little limited in this area. Other than that obstacle, this place is a really good experience. The place has personality, good food and a relaxed atmosphere. I can't recommend this place highly enough to you.

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