Under the Table

In 2012, We’re all gonna eat together!

Note: This blog post is titled after the eccentric, profane and pomposity-deflating chuckle-machine that is the calendar I was bestowed with on NYE at the Ace of Cups Envelope show (in addition to being a smart and funny rapper, Envelope’s a great DJ; BTW, his “official calendar” claims that in 2012 “we’re all going to die together”—it’s a must!)

You’ve probably noticed I haven’t been blogging lately, but of course my fearsome appetite has continued to unabatedly run on the high setting. Here’s a few recent conquests.

Last week, everything on the lunch menu at Barcelona was generously half priced. This made for some exciting deals. Above is the Tapas Platter, a collection of salty, rich and bright bites guaranteed to pop open any palate.

But what drew me into the beautiful eatery (I sat in the back, where the fanciful design scheme is obviously “Gustav Klimt painting”) was Barcelona’s new $10 lunch  ”menu del dia” super-deals (these were further discounted to a laughable $5 last week) where you choose an app (from 3 options), main (7 choices) and one of 3 side dishes. Above are the starters we gobbled—tomato soup (my fave), potato croquettes and a nice salad.

Later that night, I aimed my fiercely kinetic jaws at the new Barrel 44 in Bexley. Replacing the old Bexley Monk, it’s a nice looking joint that, though unabashedly suburban, is more accommodating than B44’s odd digs in the Short North—even if the raucous newbie was jammed-to-the-gills with 40 somethings and instead of, say, the Cramps and Iggy Pop, I heard stuff like the Black Crowes and Stevie Ray Vaughn (wince).