Hot Chicken Takeover

What: Lil Chick – Spicy Chicken
Where: Hot Chicken Takeover – Columbus, OH
Cuisine: American
Affordability: $10

After spending almost 6 months in Ohio, I finally got a chance to try this Columbus specialty – Hot Chicken Takeover! If you like KFC, or any fried chicken really, go try this place, don’t wait 6 months like I did.

The restaurant is located upstairs inside of North Market. Be sure to go early as there are line ups out the door and they always sell out. I decided to go with the Lil Chick option (essentially the kids meal) and picked the “Warm” Heat level. For a grand total of $5.50, I got two pieces of perfectly deep fried, spicy hot drumsticks, unlimited (and free) iced sweet tea, a piece of bread (no clue why anyone would eat this), a slice of pickle and a scoop of cheeeeezy mac n cheese. Also, a Hot Chicken Takeover sticker.

It was an amazing lunch, probably not the healthiest….but it was totally worth it. You won’t regret it, I promise!

Three Strikes You’re Out

What: Chicken Red Curry and Lardna
Where: Nida’s Thai on High in Columbus, Ohio
Cuisine: Thai food
Affordability: $15-20

During my 6 months in Columbus, Ohio, I’ve had to privilege of dining on an expense account on a weekly basis. Some people may immediately think “Wow I can order filet mignon everyday!”, but the truth is, nothing beats home cooked meals, even if its just boiling plain broccoli.

One of my first meals in Ohio was at Nida’s Thai on High. (It sounds like a funny name for a restaurant, but its actually quite clever because the restaurant was located on High Street). They offer thai food, sushi pho, and Thai inspired cocktails. We ordered the Lard Na – vegetable and tofu stir fry with a gooey sauce on top of wide clear noodles (top picture), and the classic thai red curry (bottom picture). We all agreed that the food was delicious and that we would definitely come back again.

So we went back a second time. Although the food wasn’t as good as it was that very first time, it was still good enough to make us want to go again. So we went back a third time. Unfortunately the service was really slow, and the food wasn’t good at all. I recently learned to cook thai curry at home, and I feel like I can cook a better curry than the one I ordered that day – it was super watery and bland. As a group, we decided that that would probably be the last time we visited this place.

Side note, every time we went to this restaurant, there would always be a table next to us where the people seemed to be on their first date. So perhaps its a good place to take your date? Just be prepared for the usual bit of awkwardness or great eavesdropping, depending on which table you’re at!