TNDC: Eating Columbus, One Thursday at a Time

It started out simply enough: a group of friends with a standing Thursday night date at Buffalo Wild Wings for boneless chicken wings, a few beers, maybe some trivia. Over the course of the year, significant others came and went, but the core group--the Killa B, Big Country, and the H.S. remained. As the summer progressed, the group expanded to a few more regulars (V.Z., Doc Vince, Eddie-O, E.N.), and at the same time the group decided (ok, fine, yours truly, the restaurant geek, decided) that while the discounted boneless wings at BW3s were great and all, it was time to branch out.

And with that, the Thursday Night Drinking/Dinner Club (TNDC) was born.

Initial forays into other ports-of-call were simple, and stayed close to the sports bar/pub food genre: Brazenhead, King Avenue 5, Grandview Cafe. As the only female of the group for some period of time, and taking into consideration the Killa B's profound affection for BW3s Terriaki sauce, I had to work slowly. It became clear, however, that the group had a collective obsession with food and that we needed to do some additional exploration. O'Reilly's up in Clintonville was added to the list, and quickly became a group favorite (if you've ever had the privilege of enjoying their amazing burgers or sipping a beer at their sunken bar, you'd understand why...it's the greatest bar in a double-wide ever.).

As the year progressed, we started spending a little more time figuring out where we'd eat. Suggestions for places are welcome from any members, and decisions are made based on general group consensus, usually through a flurry of email and text messages. We might end up someplace because someone has a coupon (Groupon for Basil), or a craving for a particular ethnicity (Cuco's). Birthdays get treated with a little more fanfare: V.Z.'s birthday was celebrated at The Top, old school style--steak and cocktail filled.

Recently, it was determined that we should start a list of places, so that when the topic of where we should go next comes up, we can avoid the "I can't think of anything, let's just go back to BW3s" trap. We hit up the new Little Palace this past Thursday, where they had Great Lakes Christmas Ale on tap and a sweet new interior. I tried the Brussels sprout pizza, and really enjoyed the toppings--charred, shredded sprouts and panchetta--but was sad that the crust was a little soggy. (That won't stop me from going back, though.)

My favorite thing about TNDC (aside from the food) is the fact that it has given me a chance to develop some really wonderful friendships. Several members are folks that I knew only peripherally in law school, and others are friends that have joined the group through one person or another. Sharing a weekly meal has definitely given us a chance to get to know each other better, and our get-togethers frequently go outside of just Thursday nights. With that, here's to another year of great conversations, tasty beverages, and delicious food adventures. Thanks, guys!