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...

Resources for wanna-be gardeners

Hey folks - It's time to start planting that "recession" garden! Every little bit will help you. A pot of herbs, a patio tomato - money invested in a growing plant will come back you tenfold. Take a gander at a recent Dispatch article talking about the backyard garden revival.

Afraid? Don't be! OSU has a Master Gardener's program with trained volunteers to give you a hand. Check out their website. Not only are there articles with general information, but the Master Gardeners can give you personal advice!

Even if you don't have room of your own, you can look into using community gardens. A community garden is a place where land is set aside for use by the general public for growing vegetable and flower gardens. Some sites require you to rent the plot, others ask for volunteer hours or donations to offset the cost. Check with the owners of the garden plots to see what the rules are...

A few of the sites I found here in Columbus:

Four Seasons City Farm

Leave A Mark Community Garden

University Area Enrichment Program

Sycamore Hills Community Gardens

Grandview Heights Community Gardens

Plus more...

I was surfing the net and came across this site for the American Community Gardening Association. They do list quite a few sites in and around the Columbus area, but the information is sketchy, so research will be necessary.

You have land but don't have the tools? Check out the Tool Library run by the City of Columbus. They have a sod removing tool and a rototiller. I wish I had known about the sod remover a couple years back!

If you are on Food Stamps, you can purchase food bearing seeds or plants with your allowance . As long as the store accepts your Ohio Directions Card, you can start growing a few things of your own!

Finally, if you do grow a garden this summer, remember those who are less fortunate than yourself and Plant a Row for the Hungry .

These are but a few of the resources available online. So what are you waiting for?

Meet and Greet

Anyone interested in hanging out at the Banana Bean Cafe tomorrow from 4pm til 7pm? There will be a gathering of foodies - I hope to be there with the hubby after 6pm. For more details, check out the Meetup site.

Garden Envy

Ahhhhhhhhhhh - it spring and an old woman's fancy turns to thoughts of home gardening... I've caught myself pouring over seed sites trying to locate things like Ghost Peppers for the garden this year. I still have to till the ground - and this year I am using Ben, one of Annie's friends (who owes me money) to help me get the ground ready for planting. (Get to work beotch!) I just hope it drys out soon before he graduates and heads out for college - damn Ohio weather!

In other gardening news...

Michele Obama wearing the latest in gardening gloves.
Damn girl - those make you look hot!
(Charles Dharapak/Associated Press)

I think it's really exciting that a Kitchen Garden is going in at the White House. Check out the diagram from the article. Pretty freakin' sweet. Of course, for the Secretary of Agriculture, it was still a press opportunity to pimp out the plan to put more fresh fruits and veggies on the lunch trays of school children ever where. I want to know if there is money in the plan to train the cafeteria staffs on how to cook food properly and not leach every single bit of nutrition out of the fresh produce - and food education courses for the kids so that they learn to appreciate all the new foods that are going to be coming across their plates. I can just see it now - tons of fresh veggies getting dumped in the trash because it"tastes yukky!" Sigh.

I think other government agencies should let people grow food on their vast expanses of green lawns. Every time I drive by a huge lawn in front of a building and think of how much herbicides and pesticides go into just maintain some grass..... *grrrr* it makes me mad. We talk about how expensive fresh fruits and veggies are, and yet we waste valuable growing area on grass.

And churches - they have tons of empty lawn space they could use to help raise fresh veggies, not only for their own congregation members, but for charitable donation as well. I know that there in one church up on Sawmill Road that has plots available. (Sorry I suck and can't remember the name.) Also, The Leave A Mark Church is offering garden plots for people who don't have land of their own. If you are interested, give them a shout.

Not sure how to start with your own garden? Check out the Master Gardeners website. The volunteers in this program offer advice and classes for people who want to learn how to grow their own veggies and fruits.

OH and I just wanted you to know that home gardening is non-partisan - I won't hold it against any of you Democrats or Republicans if you want to raise a few veggies...

I WANT CHICKENS!!!!

I came across this during my internet adventures this evening. I love the idea of having some chickens for fresh eggs - and chicken manure for the garden...

Am I crazy or what?

Gettin' my Geek on!!!

My family and friends already have tickets to see the midnight showing of The Watchmen at Studio 35. If you can't make it tomorrow night, please attend opening week! Support one of our last independent theaters. It will make you feel good inside. Plus they serve beer.

You know you are a Watchman Geek if:
1) You own more than two copies of the graphic novel
2) You are wondering if you could go as Dr. Manhattan for Halloween if you started working out now and invested in a lot of liquid latex
3) You have The Black Freighter pre-ordered on Amazon
4) You plan on wearing the exclusive Comic-con t-shirt to the premier opening
and
5) You hope they come out with the Silk Specter Tijuana Bible - real soon....