Lost Restaurants of Central Ohio and Columbus by Christine Hayes

Author:Christine Hayes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing Inc.
Published: 2017-03-18T04:00:00+00:00

THE AMES FAMILY

Frezno Eclectic Kitchen

1994–2003

782 NORTH HIGH STREET, COLUMBUS

2013–2014

460 SOUTH FRONT STREET, COLUMBUS

Dagwoodz

1995–2002

660 NORTH HIGH STREET, COLUMBUS

Press Grill

1998–2002

741 NORTH HIGH, COLUMBUS

Café Iliana

2004

150 EAST GAY STREET, COLUMBUS

Cinco

2008–

1 SOUTH HIGH STREET, COLUMBUS

Café Lola

2008

12 EAST BROAD STREET, COLUMBUS

Burgers, Dogs and Fries

2009–2012

12 NORTH HIGH STREET AND COLUMBUS COMMONS, COLUMBUS

Jack Whitney’s

2013

520 SOUTH FRONT STREET, COLUMBUS

After running their Ames-to-Please pushcart business in front of the Rhodes Tower on East Broad Street for several years, Lori and Kevin Ames decided to open up a brick-and-mortar space in the Short North called Frezno in 1994. The place became known for serving terrific pizzas (one of the most popular was a grilled lime chicken with provolone, cheddar, house salsa, guacamole and sour cream) from a wood-burning oven, as well as a solid variety of pasta. Another big draw was Lori Ames’s mother, Marlene Mattevi’s fried green tomatoes. The secret: frying them in good old-fashioned lard! But Marlene didn’t supply just the tomatoes; she supplied all the homemade desserts as well. Also, Chef Jeff Bentley became well known for his inventive menus and for sporting a panama boater while tending to the wood-fired oven.

With Frezno doing well, the couple set their sights on the space occupied by the former Bermuda Onion (often nicknamed the “Nelly Deli”) to serve all-day breakfast. This eatery came to be known as Dagwoodz and was one of author Doug Motz’s favorite places to eat when he owned the inclusive LGBT-themed bookstore An Open Book. His favorites included chocolate chip pancakes and duck sausage. There was a booth in the back of the place that was his favorite. It was small and had only a bench that faced the front door. It was the perfect place to dive into the Sunday New York Times and enjoy some good strong coffee with breakfast while reading the Times “Book Review.”

As at Frezno, Marlene Mattevi baked all of the delicious cakes that were served, making at least eighteen a week. However, even her terrific baked goods and Doug’s Sunday patronage couldn’t keep the place open, and they shuttered their doors in 2002. As of this writing, the space is home to the Happy Greek.

The couple had plans to start a Mexican eatery named Caravanz as well as an upscale chop shop that was to be called Carolinaz, but neither of these came to fruition. One venture that did come to fruition was their reopening of the Press Grill at 741 North High in 1998.

But perhaps their expansion was part of the reason for the demise of Frezno in the Short North in the summer of 2003. From 2004 to 2006, the location was home to the well-regarded Zola Café. As of this writing, the former Frezno is home to the wildly popular Union Café, which was initially based on the Los Angeles eatery Abbey Food & Bar.

After selling Frezno, Dagwoodz and Press Grill, Lori and Kevin opened up Café Iliana at 150 East Gay Street. The couple then opened Burgers, Dogs and Fries at Columbus Commons and Café Lola

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