A Successful Night Out
This is going to be less of a blog or more of a retelling of events, but nonetheless . . .
As a season ticket holder for the Columbus Blue Jackets with a day off work, we decided that we would make a day out of it and grab a bite to eat before the game. On our way to Columbus, my car decided to act crazy but after pulling over a few times to reset the fault code we made it to town.
We considered going to one of our favorite staples, PF Changs or Dirty Frank’s, but a brewery sounded good for me. Having been to Gordon Biersch and ruling out Elevator due to our current budget, we decided on Barley’s over the Columbus Brewing Company. I chose it, because I was intrigued by their “real ale.” Unfortunately, it was not a Friday and we could not experience the Firkin fun. Also, the location of this place is great . . . its at the end of the Short North, just behind the market and short walking distance to the Arena District.
I ordered a strong ale called Auld Curiousity, which was delicious. I will go back to this restaurant with my cousin just to enjoy their libations . . . . The old lady and I split a pierogi and sausage plate. We also got some homemade chips with “brew dip.” I though the food was all generally pretty good. The pierogies were good but rather plain. I really enjoyed the sausage, it was charred pretty good but the strong ale and anticipation of bone-crushing hockey brought out the alpha male in the mood for meat and fire. For a dessert we ordered a panna cotta trio. The vanilla and chocolate ones were delicious, the lavender and honey was too flowery and honey-y for me. At this point I decided to go all in and asked for a sampler that was seen going by our table. Asked if I wanted to pick a couple beers or just get a full flight, I obviously decided on the latter . . . thinking I would get six or so beers at a modest price. I was mistaken, eleven 4oz pours were delivered to my table at 75 cents a pop. This would have been a phenomenal idea, had I started with this. After shooting over two pints of beer in order to get done in time we stumbled on toward Nationwide. The food is as expected for a joint of this type, the price is reasonable (our bill was under $50), and the beer was delicious . . . I will be back. Have I mentioned that our 4 year old hasn’t thrown a fit yet, let alone fussed.
I love hockey, I’m not going to speak about the team too much here, but get out to a game. Tickets are cheap, you can always get a good deal out front from a scalper too. Anyway, ten minutes into the game and we are already losing to a very bad team . . . this was not looking good. My phone is dying so I can’t keep up on twitter but I get a text message from a friend. Miesha Tate, a women’s MMA champion, posted on twitter that she was at Nationwide. Walking around at intermission, Taysia spotted her and we asked her for a picture. Not only was she happy to oblige, she was nice as hell. Have I mentioned that our 4 year old hasn’t thrown a fit yet . . .
As we’re talking to her, the cannon (which you can see behind my right shoulder) goes off and we are now only down 2-1. We walk back to our seats and the team promptly ties the game at 2-2. During the second intermission, we decide to meander down and commandeer some unused seats in the lower bowl. As Taysia is explaining to the lady next to her that we are actually supposed to be sitting up in the rafters our team scored the go ahead goal. Then to completely round out the day, an old man across the aisle almost dies as we score an empty net goal to put the game away! Some fans were calling for a doctor, as me and Branwen were too concerned about waving at Stinger and getting a stick from a player. Apparently, having a major corporate sponsorship with Ohio Health pays off and the man appeared to “walk it off.” Funny side note, the three stars of the game were all named Derrick (just spelled differently).
After the game, we went to the pro-shop and reward Branwen with a mini hockey stick. She then promptly freaked out because she wanted to play with it when she got home. She said that she could NOT play with it on the walk to the car because she didn’t have a puck. Can’t argue with that logic . . . I told her if she was awake when she got home she could do whatever she wanted . . . she wasn’t. She did come into our bedroom, early in the morning, demanding that we find her puck so that she could play with it. In the end we lost, but the night was successful. Earlier today, I tweeted out the picture and a thanks to Miesha and she responded with a heartfelt thanks and a compliment on my “wife’s” hair. Aaaaaaaaaand, my dealership quick fixed my car for free in a couple hours!
I try to support local when possible, and personal when available. After having a good experience at dinner, supporting the local team, and meeting a bad ass athlete with a great attitude; I recommend that everyone who gets a chance to go out and do the same. Check out Barley’s on a Friday, and hit up a Blue Jacket game. Most importantly, come out to Strikeforce on March 3 at Nationwide to see Miesha Tate defend her belt against Ronda Rousey. There will be plenty of other fights on the card and club seats start at under $35!!!
Over the Influence 