I was recently up in Cleveland and went to Melt. It was fantastic. We had to wait, but it was well worth the wait. Our waiter was very good and the food (definitely a heart attack on a plate) was inventive yet familiar and totally delicious.

You might try:

Hunan Lion http://www.hunancolumbus.com/
Panda Inn http://www.thepandainn.com/
Sunflower http://www.columbussunflower.com/
China Dynasty http://www.chinadynasty-cmh.com/index...

Panda Inn and Hunan Lion are on Bethel.

I have had really good meals at all 4, but also have issues with all of them.

Anybody got any decent finds that might not be chowish enough to earn their own thread, but are pretty decent?

I've been to Buckeye Pho http://buckeyepho.com/ a few times. While not the best Vietnamese food I have ever had, it is pretty good. Warning -- this place is not very big and always crowded, so you may want to go at off-peak times.

I went to Sun Tong Luck http://www.suntongluck.com/ one night when I made the unfortunate discovery that taste of Bali had closed. I have been back several times. Sun Tong Luck tries to make healthier Chinese food with better quality ingredients. It is more of a take out place, but there are tables for dining in.

We stumbled upon the Marcy Diner http://marcydiner.com/ after hiking out at Slate Run Metro Park and really liked it. Lots of fried things on the menu.

I had a good lunch at deNovo Bistro http://www.denovobistro.com/ downtown. Haven't been there for dinner yet.

I finally got to try this place and was very impressed. Fantastic value. Will definitely go again when I am in the area.

I'd rather receive something from La Chatelaine than a cupcake.

627 North High St.
Worthington
(614) 848-6711
http://lachatelainebakery.com/

I had the torta ahogada again recently. Wasn't nearly as spicy as it used to be. Very disappointing.

We tried to go and it was closed and had a sign saying it was being remodeled. I asked someone who would know and was told it had been sold. :-(

Ray Ray's Hog Pit is smoking turkeys to be picked up on Thursday. I think you need to pre-order.

I don't disagree, but I took it straight from the article. I would have linked the article, but it was a puff piece about Zoup with a mention of Dragonfly at the end. I did change "artisanal doughnut" to "artisanal donut" so give me some credit.

According to the Dispatch, they are closing it Jan 1 and replacing it with a vegetarian bar/restaurant and an artisanal donut bakery.

At Easton you might want to check out Cafe Istanbul. www.cafeistanbul.com/home.html

Go to La Casita on Bethel Road. Order the torta ahogada.

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La Casita
1355 Bethel Rd, Columbus, OH 43220

I finally got to Toscani's the other day. It is owned by the same guy that owns Palermo's. Palermo's is one of my favorite places in Dayton. Toscani's is really good, too, but it doesn't have the great pizzas of Palermo's.

www.palermosdayton.com
www.toscanisrestaurant.com

What part of town will you be in?

Either Barley's location http://www.barleysbrewing.com/ Try the sauerkraut balls

Dirty Franks http://dirtyfrankscolumbus.com/

The Winds Cafe in Yellow Springs has an Easter brunch. http://www.windscafe.com/events/easte...

You might try Thurns.

530 Greenlawn Avenue (it is just west of I-71 at Greenlawn)
(614) 443-1449 ‎

There are a couple of Giant Eagles near downtown -- one at 777 Neil Avenue and one at 280 E. Whittier Street. http://www.gianteagle.com

Another option if you just want deli stuff is the North Market. http://www.northmarket.com/

Dragonfly Neo V is a very good vegetarian restaurant. www.dragonflyneov.com

Taste of Bali is a good choice for dinner. www.tasteofbaliohio.com It is an Indonesian restaurant. Vegetarians could get a jackfruit dish.

It is hard to beat Starliner Diner for breakfast. www.starlinerdiner.com

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Starliner Diner
5240 Cemetery Rd, Hilliard, OH 43026

Taste of Bali
2548 Bethel Rd, Columbus, OH 43220

Two good breakfast places in Columbus you could take your son:

Starliner Diner http://www.starlinerdiner.com/ 5240 Cemetery Road (614) 529-1198
Jack and Benny's 2563 N High St (614) 263-0242 ‎

You could also take an 18 month old to Starliner for dinner.

Not exactly what they are seeking, but I'll throw it out anyway. Young's Dairy in Yellow Springs does a Thanksgiving buffet.

http://youngsdairy.com/?p=129

$20 per person. I don't think they serve alcohol.

The only bad part is trying to stay awake driving back to Columbus after you have gorged yourself on turkey and other stuff.

There are 2 Hyatts downtown. One is by the convention center. One is south of the statehouse. Everybody confuses them, including people who have responded here. Dirty Franks is close and has good dogs. It can be very crowded. Be sure to see what special dogs they are serving -- they once had a pear and brie dog that was outstanding and it is not on their menu. If you need a quick meal, Lee's which is right off the lobby of your hotel is decent.

http://www.leeschinakitchen.com/

You could also walk to a place like Katzinger's -- some evenings they have special events.

http://www.katzingers.com/

You could always hop on a #2 bus going north and have a lot of options in the Short North.

I went a couple of days ago. As said above, not a lot of choice, but the kebobs were good. I'll go back.

Geneva-on-the-Lake is in the northeast corner of Ohio.

I went to the Graffiti Burger in Grandview the other day. http://www.graffitiburger.com/

Graffiti Burger is like a local version of 5 Guys. I thought it was better than 5 Guys. It is certainly no Thurman Cafe. Basically it is high end fast food. I'll definitely go back.

It is a chain, but the original in German Village is very different from the rest of the chain. But it wouldn't be my first, second, or third choice for a burger in Columbus.

You might check out one of the Barley's locations. http://www.barleysbrewing.com/ They were a brewpub before these things were ubiquitous. Try the sauerkraut balls, too.

The wait at Thurman Cafe can be insane. But the burgers are great.

I finally went. The food was pretty good -- I'd definitely go back if I were around that part of town for something. We went for breakfast so I didn't do the challenge.

Schmidt's has lots of tables and the line moves. Dirty Franks has very few tables. Also, Dirty Franks is the kind of place that doesn't try to hurry you out the door, which is nice when you are eating. You can call ahead and carry out from Dirty Franks.

Puff the Magic Popper is my favorite dog at Dirty Franks.

BTW, the bar next to Dirty Franks has cleaned up to take advantage of the huge lines at Dirty Franks. The food is pretty good there.

FYI, Alana will do some of her dishes vegetarian or vegan if you ask.

It can be seriously crowded and it is not worth an hour wait. It is good. I prefer Schmidt's.