columbia's best restaurants

I love Columbia. I love it because it is not pretentious, it is just awesome in its own right. Inspired by last night's date night at Pasta Fresca (and going to see Fantastic Mr. Fox! an incredible movie), I want to post my favorite Columbia restaurants divided by categories. Well, really I need just one more thing to distract me before settling down to an online exam:

best places to go out with friends

1. Hunter Gatherer: they have their reliable staples like the HG burger with your pick of cheese (we love feta or gorgonzola) and hash browns; or you can splurge on their specials which change weekly. They love Caw-Caw Creek and they brew their own beer: an IPA, a Pale Ale, their ESB and their Wheat Ale.
2. The Whig: Sure, some people think it's just a dirty hipster bar, and that may not be too far from the truth. But I don't care, because their kitchen does more than slice night or Taco Tuesdays. They serve fresh sweet potato fries, a great hummus plate, Jeremy Lethco's favorite burger, and incredible pizza. Plus its the best cheap bar for drinks, and who doesn't want to stare a cow skull in the face when getting tipsy, or inhabit a room known as "the Vault" with your best friends? everyone does, everyone.
   
3. Cafe Strudel: a European cafe on State Street, they also have great weekly specials and always the Hangover Hashbrowns (with banana peppers, tomatoes, onions, cheese, an egg on top) and their Portobello Sandwich with alfalfa sprouts and sweet mustard is amazing. Lastly, they have Andrew's favorite beer on tap, Lion Stout.

best places for lunch

1. Immaculate Consumption: Not only do they roast their coffee in the basement, but they also serve a great lunch menu. Each day they have a special soup- like West African Peanut Soup, or Chickpea Garlic, and a special sandwich- hands down the Bahn Mi is the best, a french baguette stuffed with pulled pork and a homemade vinegar-cabbage slaw. They pile fresh veggies on all their sandwiches and have the best hot pasta salad of anywhere.
2. El Burrito: I can eat for $2.75 at El Burrito any meal of the day. One soft shell, mild, chicken taco, deluxe. Fresh meat (their beef is amazing), local lettuce and tomatoes and mozzarella cheese with rice and black beans. Right now they are running a special $1 bean taco after 5 on Saturdays.
   

best places when you have an extra $5 to spend on dinner

1. Pasta Fresca: they make their own pasta daily and hide themselves in the least likely brick building on Forest Dr. amidst the commercial mess. My favorite dish is the Paglio Fieno: Creamy Marinara sauce filled with Prosciutto, English peas, Tomatoes and Mushrooms over spinach pasta
2. Al-Amir: an amazing Lebanese restaurant, known for their brick oven which makes their famous Damascus Bread (with poppy seeds!) and their pizzas. Chicken Shawarma is my favorite dish, with tahini and pickled purple cabbage on the side of it. Close second dish is the Vegetable Hummus: a plate of their creamy hummus topped with sauteed seasonal vegetables and pita bread.
3. Mediterranean Tea Room: the absolute best Mediterranean in Columbia, in a cute little stucco hut on Devine. Their prices are incredible for the amount and freshness of food- they have mostly standard American/Mediterranean food but done so well. My favorite is the chicken sandwich: grilled chicken in a pita with hummus, lettuce, tomatoes, feta, olives, and served with the freshest huge Greek salad on the side

best places to let my parents take me (or a fancy date)

1. Blue Marlin: probably my favorite restaurant in Columbia, the Blue Marlin loves good Southern food. They specialise in seafood and like to surprise you with a plate of collards on the table nearly every time. My favorite is a dish with salmon and scallops in a creamy Mornay sauce over garlic green beans and grit cakes. Everything I have ever tasted there is so good.
2. Garibaldi's: more fresh seafood. Famous for their crispy flounder, they also serve fresh salmon and even their pasta dishes are so good. The best dessert I have ever had, from there or anywhere- homemade vanilla ice cream with fresh berries, raspberry sauce inside an almond brittle basket (and if it's your birthday, they bring out a lit candelabra)
3. Motor Supply Company: this place sold me on Duck. They operate out of a tiny kitchen in the back, serving brunch, lunch and dinner(?).
4. Gervais & Vine- okay, so I don't wait for my parents to take me to G & V, but it is an incredible place to share with family, friends, significant others or by yourself (if in the form of Saturday morning breakfast that they serve at the All-Local Farmers Market on Whaley St.). They serve tapas and have an incredible wine list. My favorite tapas are the Moroccan spiced pork in a Gorgonzola Fondue, Duck breast with Mango Chutney, and even my steak-hating roommate will order the little filet every time she goes. My mom introduced me after she met the owner (an hilarious guy who adores food and wine) and added me to their email list. They even throw a party every year when the new Beaujolais Nouveau is released.
   

best places to share a meal

1. Blue Cactus: slow, Korean/Southwestern food, they have awesome clear noodle dishes, burritos, hearty stews, etc. Get a Turkish coffee (french pressed with chicory) and enjoy each other- then share a Bul Go Gee or Clear Noodle stir fry (and you will probably still have leftovers)
2. DiPrato's Delicatessen: a great deli down the road on Pickens, they serve huge sandwiches and have a full case of gourmet deli items to choose from. Their deep-fried pita bread is incredible as well as flash-fried artichoke hearts. MMm.
3. Mai Thai: an awesome Thai restaurant in West Columbia. I would have never guessed to try this place but by word of mouth. Anything you get will be good, and portions are huge, and servers are friendly.
   

restaurants on my list to try:
Baan Sawaan-
MoMo's Bistro
Rosso Trattoria (see Gervais & Vine)

Now, onto putting on my new R.L. Burnside record and ace a Business Law exam.