Northstar

I went to the Beechwold Northstar last night with an old friend (she's not old, our acquaintance is) : ) from massage school and as always had an enjoyable experience. It took five minutes to decide what to order because it all sounded good, but I settled on the Beechwold salad:

Roasted chicken, dates, avocado, legumes, onions,
goat cheese, and almonds with champagne
vinaigrette $12.50

It was very tasty and filling, though I'm not sure I've ever spent that for a salad before. And yet, because it's Northstar I don't mind so much. Their dedication to local, organic, fresh food is one of the reasons I like to support them. And they use biodegradable take-home containers and treat their staff well, which is another bonus. And I can always tell, because Northstar staff are without exception personable, knowledgeable and seemingly pretty happy. And the music is always interesting and cool, the atmosphere nice.
The chairs weren't terribly comfortable for a long sit, but that's a small issue.
I also got the Hot Chocolate:

Organic milk, dark chocolate, cinnamon and spice $4

This is by far the best hot chocolate anywhere, even compared with freshly-made Ghirardelli hot chocolate in San Francisco when Candy and I were there in September. Theirs was good, but there's something about Northstar's that is incomparable: super rich and chocolatey, extra thick and creamy whipped cream, and a hint of red pepper and something else...yummy!

Northstar is always a great place for an outing. The menus are slightly different between Beechwold and the Short North, and both are worth visiting often.

Black Creek Bistro

My mom, stepfather and I came here with my sister to celebrate her 40th birthday last week. They were really great to us and she got a free drink and dessert out of it. Since she knows some of the staff there, that might have helped, but they were very friendly and personable anyway. It's a neat old building that has been renovated, so hardwood floors and character abound. Black Creek is great because of their dedication to fresh local food, and they also compost all food scraps and reuse cooking oil for fuel.
I got the soup of the day ($3), which was vegetarian broccoli-cheese. This is the first time in years I've found a broccoli cheese soup that is vegetarian, so I was psyched. It was really delicious...I could have eaten twice as much easily.
This came with the sandwich, which was "Hummus and Cucumber Sandwich ($7): Housemade hummus, sliced English cucumber, lettuce, tomato and shaved red onion, toasted wheatberry bread"
It was very fresh, tasty and satisfying. The bread was great.
They also let us order from the dinner menu:
"spicy warm olives ($7): with chilies, oregano, garlic and extra virgin olive oil"
They were intensely tangy and tasty, almost too much, but a few was a nice treat.
And for dessert we got their 3 offerings: a flourless chocolate torte; a butterscotch pudding; and a round slice of pineapple coated in phyllo dough and deep fried. They were all really tasty, and good for sharing.
It was a great place for a celebration, and the food, the staff and the atmosphere were really enjoyable. Keep this place in mind...it's only a 5 minute walk from Main Library!