My first time trying White Castle was in Louisville, pre-blog. So when we were driving back from Columbus, I gave in and figured it would be nice to have one White Castle mention on the blog.



I'll spare you an official review, but I do love showing off regional foods - and this one definitely has a cult following.



I got one tiny, singular cheeseburger. I'm sure the workers probably thought I was crazy or didn't know how small they'd be. But it was a perfect size. Small, steamed and onions a plenty. I don't hate it.

What's your favorite regional burger? Please don't ALL say In-N-Out!

The Thurman Cafe is known for its "Thurmanator" - Bottom bun, mayo, lettuce, tomato, pickle, banana peppers, 12 ounce burger, bacon, cheddar, another 12 ounce burger, sautéed mushrooms & onions, ham, mozzarella & American cheese, top bun served with fries and a pickle spear



Don't worry, I went for a more "regular" size burger, but it was still quite large.

It's quite packed, so we had made reservations but couldn't make them. Then, we got lucky and strolled right on in the next day! It seems going earlier is definitely the better route.

I went with The Thurman Burger - Our head honcho overloaded with ham, sautéed mushrooms & onions, mozzarella & American cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, banana peppers, and mayo with chips and a pickle spear




Honestly, I could only finish a small portion of this beast. But, look at that melty cheese and mmm. Tasty.

I feel like Fox in the Snow Cafe is this secret, hipster underground spot for amazing coffee and brunch.



I say that because there is no sign, yet everyone seems to know what this place is.



The interior is hip and fun, and I would love to spend some time working here.



The coffees and breakfast items all sounded fabulous.



But what caught my eye was this blueberry lemon pastry that I will now hold all other pastries in my life to.



It was literally a slice of heaven, and I must have it again at some point. Soon.

Schmidt's Sausage Haus & Restaurant is known for two things: sausage and cream puffs.



That may be an odd combo, but at this German restaurant, it's totally the norm.



Man Vs. Food has visited the restaurant - for their very first episode!



So here's the gigantic cream puff. Which really was very good.



And I had to also try the Bahama Mama - which is their famous beef and pork, hickory-smoked sausage spiced with secret seasoning and stuffed in an old world, natural casing. It was awarded Columbus Monthly "10 Best Entrees."



Here's Dawn in awe that I wanted to try both!



The sausage was good, but it was odd to me there wasn't much in the way of sauces to go with it. The mustard at the table was not my preference, so I would've loved another. But it was tasty!

16-Bit Bar + Arcade is such a fun spot for us adults who like to think we're still kids. Drinks & games? Sign me up.



The place has a bunch of classic arcade games, as well as some fun drinks.



This is the Hulk Hogan. It's blueberry vodka, lemonade and bomb pop popsicle. Yess.



I tried to learn Centipede and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But then we ended up playing some Mortal Kombat. I mean, any 90s kid would gravitate to that, right?

Oddly enough, if there's one restaurant I'm STILL thinking about since leaving Columbus, it's Bibibop.



This counter-service restaurant focuses on Asian flavors, and there are about 30 locations throughout the country.



Despite being full from a day -- or weekend -- of eating, I couldn't resist the lineup of all those amazing toppings.



I got a bowl with white rice, black beans, cheese, corn, with spicy chicken and yum yum and teriyaki sauce. OMG I want it right now. So amazingly delicious.

Condado Tacos is a stop that came up time and time again when I was asking for restaurant suggestions in the area.



This build-your-own taco shop allows for tons of customization, but they also have some pre-built tacos.



I was excited to try my hand at my own creation, but I soon learned that maybe I should leave it up to the professionals



Look at Dawn's cute margarita flight!



And while my mash-up of queso fresco, lettuce, tomato, pickled onion was tasty- it was a tad tooo sweet. But not bad!

Sometimes your brain just tells you you need ice cream. Immediately.



Dawn and I were driving when we decided to see what ice cream was nearby. Luckily, the Cookie Dough Creamery was nearby - ice cream AND cookie dough. 



I have never been to a cookie dough shop, so this was kind of a win-win. I got a small cup full of ice cream and tried a few different cookie doughs: peanut butter, praline, etc. Safe to eat cookie dough is heaven.



And I'll say it: graham cracker is the most underrated ice cream topping. So good with a little texture and reminds me of smores. MMmmm. So yummy!

Hot Chicken Takeover is a restaurant located at the North Market and brings Nashville hot chicken to Columbus.



I've had actual hot chicken in Nashville, so I wasn't sure about this whole place. But I'm really glad I gave it a go!



It's cool how they make it so fresh, they run out. So get there at a good hour!



I actually went for a kid's meal (since I ate at 5000 different places per day), and it was a great deal! I got a boneless mild chicken piece with a side of macaroni & cheese. And their housemade ranch was delish.

When I went to Frank's Pastry Shop previously, I asked what their most popular donut was. They told me it was their pumpkin donut, but it's seasonal. So I marked it on my calendar for a return visit. And, it was worth it! This pumpkin donut is thick, cake-like but with a delicious sugary icing on top. Mmm Mmm.