mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm Doughnuts...

I have a soft spot for deep fried dough. I come by it honestly - my parents loved them too and there were always some type of cake doughnuts hanging around the house waiting to be dunked into coffee or a cold glass of milk. Occasionally, the local scout troop or some other fund raiser would bring around Crispy Cremes - and 20 secs in the nuke later we would have sinful glazed goodness.

Roll forward to my college years and its 3 a.m. on Campus and the only thing open was Buckeye Donuts. Staggering home from "the library", all it would take was a hazardous waste container of their strong "varnish remover" and a couple sinkers - man I was ready to tackle that sociology paper due in the morning...

Now in my dotage, it takes a truly magnificent doughnut to turn my head. While Crispy Cremes are good (especially when they just come rolling out of the glaze). Light and sweet - they have their place, but after one or two, they show their shallow nature. And the variety doughnuts they carry - so lacking in character they are not really worth the time it takes to mention them.

So the point of all this you ask?

Meet Rosa Auddino. She is the matriarch of the family owned bakery Audinos. Locals in the food service industry will recognize the name - Auddino's delivers fresh baked buns and breads to customers all over the city. What most people don't know is they have a retail outlet. And inside that retail outlet - they have doughnuts. Good doughnuts. Did I say good? I meant - Fantastic Doughnuts. Well those and other really great baked goods as well.

Let me regale you with the story of how my hubby found Auddino's.

One of Tony's best friends is Charlie. Charlie owns a towing company. One thing you can depend on is that Charlie knows where to find good food - north, south, east or west he can point you to something that is truly delicious. So one day I asked Tony to hunt down some rolls for the Italian Beef I was making and he was having no luck. So he stopped in at Charlie's shop to get his butt whipped at gin and shoot the shit.

"So watcha up to, Tony?" Charlie says as he rolls his big stogie around in his fingers. (Charlie is a big guy - he makes my hubby look like an anorexic dwarf- and his voice rolls over you like a jet engine ready to take off. You know Hagrid the giant from the Harry Potter books and movies? Well Charlie would bitch slap Hagrid and take his lunch.)

"Rose has me running all over the city trying to find these rolls for dinner tonight and I just can't find what she wants. I tell you if she wasn't such a good cook, her ass would be out on the curb!" says Tony as he shuffles the deck and deals.

"Well why don't you go over to Auddino's?" Charlie starts sorting out his cards while chewing the hell out of his half lit cigar.

"Auddino?"

"Yeah, Auddino's. Over by the fairgrounds. We'll go over after I finish takin' all your money. They'll have what you want."

So after finishing the game in which Tony was forced to cough up his stripper tipping cash, they headed over to Auddino's. (He denys it, but why else would a man carry around $30 in ones? All men are dogs...)

And I'll be damned if they didn't have the prefect rolls. Plus a ton of pastries. We ate really good that night. I even forgave Tony for his stripper tipping habits - for the moment.

A week later, I made Tony take me over to the bakery so I could check out their wares for myself.

Underneath an ancient sign reading Auddino's Breads Cakes Donuts and Pastries lay one of the best bakeries in Columbus

Behold their bounty...

Fried Croissant -This is my favorite. Take a plain croissant, throw it in some hot fat, then drench in a glaze. It is sweet, flaky buttery and totally sinful. This is what Krispy Kreme wishes it could be.

Apple Fritter - Soft, with tiny apple pieces and lightly spiced with cinnamon, these are some of the best examples of this fried goodie I have ever found.

Cake Donuts - Paired with coffee or milk, cake donuts are that old fashioned midday treat.

And let's not forget the classic Italian treats!!

Amaretti - These are dense moist very sweet cookies made with almond paste. I had tried for years to make these at home but to no avail. Now - I just stop down and pick up a dozen of these to serve with coffee after dinner. And you have to serve these with coffee. The extreme sweetness make this the perfect accompaniment to a strong espresso or dark roast americano.

Cannoli - The real deal. Crunchy, creamy and sweet - these are a dream.

This is not all they offer, so I recommend you stop in and check it out for yourself ASAP.

In parting, here is some advice concerning your upcoming trip to Auddino's.

1) If you see a really big white pickup sporting a set of truck nuts parked out front, be prepared for gale force winds in the building - this means Charlie is there picking up goodies for his crew.

2) Go early. Their more popular choices sell out quickly and you may miss out.

3) Needing lots and lots of bread and goodies? Call ahead and place an order. They are professionals ya know...

Auddino's Bakery
1490 Clara St
Columbus, OH 43211
(614) 294-2577

Breakfast At Nancy's

Well tomorrow may be the last day for Nancy's Home Cooking. Fans everywhere have been furiously raising money in an attempt to help Cindy King and her family save this beloved Clintonville Landmark. I've thrown my share into the pot - and I am betting if you know about the place you have too.

For my readers who don't know about Nancy's Home Cooking, here is what you need to know - Cindy King runs the best "greasy spoon" in the city. I love little places like this. I love the fact the food is honest - fried eggs, potatoes, meatloaf, chicken and noodles over potatoes (!!) and an endless cup of coffee. I love sitting at the counters and talking to the other patrons (even if they wish I wouldn't), and I love that Cindy and her family have made it a welcoming home away from home for so many people over the years.

I started going to Nancy's when Tony and I were dating. Twenty years of garbage omelets under my belt and twenty five for him. We have taken all kinds of people there - I once dragged a severely jet lagged friend from France there for a pot of coffee and a heaping plate of fried eggs and home fries as soon as he stepped off the plane. I've taken my mom. We've taken starving college students, business people and comic artists and they all love it. It is something that is complete in itself - more than the food, more than the location, more than the people.

So a couple weeks ago, Tony, Eric, Tate and I got up at the buttcrack of dawn and went down for breakfast. Garbage omelet, home fries, fried eggs, toast and sausage gravy all around. A word about the sausage gravy - YUM. Makes everyone else's - including mine - taste like wallpaper paste.

I also annoyed people with my camera just so I could take some good-bye photos for my collection. I would have stolen a menu if there were any...

Garbage Omelet, home fries and sausage gravy
- all topped off with OJ so Tate felt he was eating something "healthy".

I have a theory about how the space where Nancy's currently resides used to be a walkway or
alley between the buildings on either side. Someone just put a roof on it
and said "Rent it out!" I present my main exhibit for the court's consideration.

Ed at the grill. Bonus points (and a breakfast) to the first person
who can tell me what he has tatooed on his right calf.

From left to right: Eric and Tate. I think Eric had like 3 hours sleep and
Tate hadn't been to bed yet. Perfect time for food overload, then going back to bed.

The obligatory menu shot

Tony on his 3rd cup o' joe. Yes we were hogging the only table,
but we got there damn early to do it!

15 minutes after opening

An hour after opening. I didn't stay to see the line snake outside.

I have doubts about whether this last ditch effort will truly save Nancy's - it may save the business, but folks, it will change. Its the nature of the beast. Cindy is ready to retire - she's been at it a long time and deserves to rest a little bit. I've heard the city is requiring the building be brought up to code - and that takes money and the business would most likely have to close for a while to accomplish that. So let's say the King family decides to sell the place - I sure as hell would not buy it. I would not want to be known as the person who "killed Nancy's". As soon as you raised the prices, or made changes to the menu or do what you thought would be best for the business as a business and not as an Columbus institution, you would have detractors, people whispering behind your back "She's killing this place - its not like it used to be." or "The fry cook working doesn't make xxx like Ed." or a million other numerous thing that each and every patron has come to love about the restaurant. Nope - it is a thankless task that I would not want.

I hope the place makes it for a while longer - long enough for my daughter to learn the joys of eating there on Saturday morning with a hangover on her last fiver. Not that I would know anything about that...

Breakfast: Kickin' it old school at Paul's Fifth Avenue

I love eating out for breakfast, especially when I get there nice and early on a week day.

My usual haunt is Nancy's. The price is right and the food is plentiful. The best thing is the atmosphere. Where else can you get up and serve coffee to the rest of the patrons and not get yelled at?

This morning I just happened to be in Grandview. It made me tingly all over because it meant I got to eat at Paul's Fifth Avenue. Paul's has been around for a long time and like a lot of little places here in Columbus, I think it's been forgotten in the rush to find the "shiniest" new place to chow down.

What do I mean by "shiny"? My hubby and I came up with this theory long ago. People are attracted to the newest, most trendy of anything: movies, books, houses, and, of course, restaurants. Just like all primates, we like things that sparkle. Given the choice between a dull pebble and a sparkly one, most creatures will pick the sparkly one. It doesn't matter that the dull one might actually be more useful, or of better quality, or be worth more money - the sparkle is the selling point and the new one will win out. Of course, that is a generalization, but analyze some of the choices you make and you might find that you are fascinated by "shiny" as well.

Paul's has a fairly simple breakfast menu, with some items of note - for which I love them dearly.

The first is the Callahan. What is a Callahan you ask? They define it as a omelet made with home fries instead of eggs. I say its hash. HASH!!! Hash with cheese on it. When was the last time you saw real hash on a menu? I love hash. It's my favorite part of leftover roasts...but I digress...

Cheesey, starchy goodness

The second is the Joe Fries. Extra crispy home fries. Not burnt - like when you order them well done at TeeJay's (blech!). These treats have a permanent place on the menu - as well they should.

The food is simple, but prepared properly. Tony ordered 3 eggs over easy, toast, sausage and joe fries. Eggs are a telling point in a busy restaurant. These were perfect - the whites set and the yolks runny. The sausage wasn't dried out and the joe fries were crispy but not burnt.

yummmmmy - eggs!

I ordered the Louisiana Callahan. It had an emphasis on the potatoes, with a nice mixture of add-ins. My only regret is that I didn't ask for joe fries instead of the regular potatoes. My fault - not theirs! Topped with cheese and sprinkled with hot sauce - it was just the thing to get me going.

At 8:30 am,the place was filed with a mixture of older folks, young couples with babies in tow and a bunch of third shifters from OSU hospital. The decor is plain, but clean. The wait staff was friendly and kept the coffee coming. The food came out fast and hot. What more can you ask for?

Paul's also has a reputation for having a killer lunch and dinner service. I've caught lunch only twice in the last few years and it was stellar both times. I have never made it to dinner, but I have been told I need to make the effort, since they run daily specials based on what is fresh, plus they are supposed to have incredible Italian fare. (Can anyone confirm?)