TownHall brings clean-eating menu to the Short North – The Columbus Dispatch

Gary Seman Jr.| For The Dispatch

TownHall hits every point on the list for the diner who has adopted or at least hopes to adopt any number of popular diet trends.

The new restaurant, the vision of restaurateur Bobby George, is all about healthy food, in some ways grandiose and other ways subtle.

Health is our thing, general manager Adam Heath said. We opened this place to bring health to the masses.

TownHall, whose flagship store opened eight years ago in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland, opened Jan. 26 at 792 N. High St. in the ground level of the Moxy Columbus Short North, a hotel.

Scratch-cooked meals use 100% GMO- and antibiotic-free ingredients that are mostly organic. All seafood is wild caught, chicken is pasture raised and beef is grass fed.

Anyone with gluten and dairy sensitivities, or hoping to cut down on carbs, can special order, Heath said.

Vegans and vegetarians also have a seat at the table.

We do a lot of familiar food with our healthy twist to it, Heathsaid.

For example, the sweet potato skins, filled with pork and mostly vegetables, are flash-fried in avocado oil.

One of the things for which TownHall is known is bone broth bowls, which feature a build-your-own component. The stocks are either chicken or beef, with a choice of several additions, such as chicken, pork belly, noodles, mushrooms and garlic.

Naturally, with all of the buzz about healthy food and clean ingredients, one might query about the flavor of the dishes.

Were not a bland health-food restaurant, is Heaths response.

The menu is virtually veto-proof, he said.

While there are plenty of plant-based options, the menu also offers a burger, strip steak, fried chicken, salmon and grilled cheese. And there are 30 beers on tap.

The persnickety sourcing extends to the beverages. For example, TownHall serves zero percent toxin coffee, meaning the beans are free of mold and pesticides. The beans are locally roasted, and coffee drinks are prepared at the restaurant. The house signature cup is the big bullet coffee, which has butter from grass-fed cows and high-grade coconut oil whipped in.

The restaurant serves organic cold-pressed juices, superfood smoothies and shakes. TownHall uses fresh-squeezed juices and sugar-free syrups for its cocktails.

There are 15 American craft beers on tap,mostly from Ohio.

The menu is reasonably priced, with most items costing between $10 and $15, with dinner entrees starting at $22.

Make no mistake, TownHall is far from a sterile environment.

Theres live greenery attached to the walls, a stylized fireplace and garage doors that open to a patio that fronts North High Street.

The spacious interior, which seats 200, offers wooden fixtures from ceiling to floor, from thick butcher-block tables to the bar counter.

Our favorite term is log cabin, Heath said.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, with brunchfrom 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. For more information, call 614-639-8600.

Tim Hortons has opened three new central Ohio locations.

The latest places to pick up nitro coffee, Timbits and breakfastsandwiches are located at 9007 Columbus Pike, Lewis Center; 3711 Fishinger Blvd.,Hilliard area; and 1135 Dublin Road, near Grandview Heights.

Once reviled by school-aged children everywhere, cauliflower is now the trendiest vegetable out there, possibly bumping kale from its pious throne.

Locally based Donatos claims to be the first national pizza chain to offer cauliflower wings.

In addition to conventional chicken and boneless wings, the veggie-based version uses cauliflower florets, which are oven roasted and served with a choice of four dry rubs or three sauces.

Meanwhile, Donatos already features a cauliflower pizza crust.

Josies Pizza, 952 W. Broad St., has closed after more than 60 years in business.

onrestaurants@dispatch.com

See the original post:
TownHall brings clean-eating menu to the Short North - The Columbus Dispatch