OK, let me get this straight, I get delicious sandwiches delivered to my door for extremely reasonable prices AND I’m contributing to a good cause? Where the hell do I sign up?!

Freshbox Catering dropped me a message the other day asking if I was interested in tasting a Freshbox sandwich for some feedback and to help spread the word. (This is my “they gave me free food” disclosure, but it’s totally unnecessary, because I will be PAYING them for food soon, I promise.) I never turn down sammiches, so of course I gave them the green light. Customer manager Kelly dropped off four boxed lunches a few hours ago. My belly is so happy.

Each box comes with a sandwich (I had shaved roast beef with roasted red peppers, provolone, red onions and horseradish aioli), an apple, a bag of chips, a pickle and a chocolate covered Oreo. OMFG these oreos. ::drool:: Anyway. It was an awesome lunch. The other 3 people I shared boxes with (you didn’t think I ate all 4, did you?) were pleased, too.

All that schtuff is only $9 a box? And they BRING IT TO YOU? Win. Win win win.

Here’s the greatest thing about Freshbox, though – aside from good food, they’re doing good deeds. Their employees come from Faith Mission Shelters, so they’re providing income and job experience to folks who would otherwise be stuck on the street. Cool, eh?

Their tag line says it all “Feed your appetite. Nourish your community.”

BONUS: Online ordering coming soon

Let’s get together for a night of wine, appetizers, prizes and fun – all while supporting the Mid Ohio Foodbank. Have some wine to help others dine.

On Tuesday, August 10, I will be guest bartending at Camelot Cellars Boutique Winery in the Short North from 6-9pm. Camelot will be discounting $1 off all bar sales… vino on the cheap FTW. But Camelot will also be donating 10% of all bar sales and $1 from every bottle sold to the Mid Ohio Foodbank… good cause FTW. The food bank is able to distribute $8 worth of groceries for every $1 donation they receive.

There will be ample snacks – cheeses, meats and perhaps some of manager Rick Mitchell’s own delicious mini meatballs. Nom nom nom.

Not enough reason to stop out? Everyone who attends will get a $25 gift certificate for future use! (And a corkscrew – you can never have too many of those.)

Camelot Cellars is located at 958 North High Street. I hope you can make it out, let me pour you a drink, and help feed families in Central Ohio in the process. Twitter users can RSVP here (though you don’t have to be on Twitter to attend!)

Camelot is a full service Boutique Winery passionate about producing small-lot hand-crafted wines. Camelot works with wine grape & juice brokers that source only the highest quality grapes from the best wine regions of the world. Unlike large wineries, Camelot pays great attention to detail of their wines from the juice to the barrique to the bottle to the glass, making every effort to fashion vineyard and wine region-designated wines that are a natural expression of the place they are grown. Their goal is to craft bigger, bolder, fruitier, food friendly styled wines. Camelot Cellars offers an extensive selection of red, white, and specialty wines. After you have selected and crafted your own wine, Camelot closely monitors the fermentation process as your wine matures. Within six to eight weeks, your very own personal vintage is ready to be bottled, labeled and enjoyed.

Did I mention I’ve never poured a glass of anything for anyone but myself before?

Since 1991 Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea has roasted and packaged quality, great-tasting coffee in Columbus, Ohio and taught independent business owners how to be successful in specialty coffee.  In May Crimson Cup turns 19; to celebrate on May 11th they are throwing a HUGE bash at their coffeehouse on High Street in Clintonville.  As a “thank you” to Columbus for being such a supportive community, they will sell $1 lattes and mochas all day!  In addition to $1 drinks there will be giveaways, music, and much more.  Make sure you mark this special event on your calendar!

When: Tuesday, May 11, 2010 from 6AM-8PM

What: $1 lattes and mochas to celebrate Crimson Cup’s 19th Anniversary!

Where: Crimson Cup Coffeehouse 4541 N. High Street Columbus, Ohio 43214

To help keep you informed on the events surrounding the 2010 McDonald’s All American High School Basketball Games, we’re featuring a series of posts from guest blogger Sabrina Terry. Sabrina, an OSU student and McDonald’s crew member, has been granted behind the scenes access to each of the major events of McDonald’s All American Week.

POWERADE Jam Fest – March 29, 2010

Tonight was the POWERADE Jam Fest and I had the most amazing seats in the house! I sat right on the court at a media table, the absolute closest I could be to the action. Everyone is excited to see the players and they all put on a great show. We watched as they battled it out over the three-point shoot out. Maggie Lucas for the girl’s team dominated the entire competition with 22 points!

Next the players went through a timed obstacle course of weaving and shooting where the fastest player won. The best boy’s player completed the entire course perfectly in 25 seconds. They even had a crowd member win a chance to try and complete the course in under a minute to win a plasma TV and he did it!

To give the players a little break Cupid came out to do his famous song, “The Cupid Shuffle,” and it was a lot of fun to watch the players get out with him and dance to the music.

Finally the main event came: the dunk contest. It was pretty outrageous to see how talented and creative these players were, just like the pros! I saw everything from coming from behind the hoop around to drunk, to catching the ball from the side of the backboard and dunking. I could tell these players had definitely put some thought into this and had a really good time with each other. Ray McCallum really stood out with his performance and had one of the top scores of the night. The entire night was a ton of fun and really was a great intro to the main event on Wednesday at the All-American games.

Up next, I’ll have an opportunity to interview some of the players, so stay tuned.

I’ve lived in Grandview Heights for about eight months, and I’ve completely fallen in love. There are great places to eat and toss back a cocktail or two within walking distance from my apartment. Not to mention that the locals are absolutely terrific. Grandview is a small community in the heart of a big city.

Here are a few of MY favorite places that I’ve discovered in Grandview:

Krema Nut Company

The first time I drove passed, I saw the sign “Krema Nuts: Great for kids” and I stopped to take a picture because ::giggle:: it just sounds dirty. Ok, now that I’ve got THAT out of my system…

I was instantly in love with this place! A fantastic retail selection of nuts, as well as other sweets and treats, peanut butter, and preserves. They also have a mini cafe that serves, what else, peanut butter sandwiches! Peanut butter with bananas, peanut butter with jelly, peanut butter with chocolate, peanut butter with marshmallows, and the sandwich I tried – peanut butter with apples. Unexpectedly delicious. They have milkshakes in 6 different flavors – I tried chocolate, it was pretty good. The others were buckeye, vanilla, strawberry, peanut butter and… I THINK peanut butter & jelly. Which sounds kinda gross in a milkshake, though I’m sure it’s delicious. Sammich and milkshake = under $7. Caution: you might develop 8-year-old like behaviors after enjoying a meal of PB&J and a milkshake. Nostalgic comfort food win.

The Krema Nut Company has been a Columbus staple since 1898! Over 100 years of nuttin’

Columbus Cheesecake Company

The first day the boy and I moved to Grandview, we were in pursuit of some decadent dessert to toast the occasion. After grabbing some wine at nearby Grandview Carryout, we noticed the sign for the Columbus Cheesecake Company in the tiny plaza that holds a few other businesses. With a name like Cheesecake Company, it has to be good. Or is that Smucker’s? We were NOT disappointed. Their simple, plain cheesecake is better than the how-much-more-fluff-can-we-stu ff-into-this-slice frills of Cheesecake Factory. Somehow, though, I failed to come back here after that first visit until very recently. OMFGLMAOANDOTHERSUCHLETTERS. Chocolate strawberry cheesecake. This, surely, is heaven. Decadent strawberry cheesecake. Rich, chocolate icing. Perfectly soft crust.

Columbus Cheesecake Company bakes all of their cheesecake fresh daily, never freezing them. Seasonal fruit toppings are available, too. Pricing: Single slice – $4 (daily selections vary), 5″ cake – $11.50 (serves 4. or, you know, one, every meal of the day.), 7″ cake – $19 and 10″ cake – $33. They also have glutten-free or low carb cakes in 7″ ($22) and 10″ ($37)

Flaherty’s Thirsty Ear Tavern

FOUR TO NINE, TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, $2 DRAFTS! A great selection, including my favorite, Bell’s Two Hearted! Best happy hour around. And the bartenders, I’ve recently learned, will let you order an extra one at the happy hour price and then they’ll pour it later, when you need it. So that means (and I’m not saying I’ve ever done this… cough) if you get here at 5, and drink til after 10, and consume 5 delicious Bell’s two-hearted ales, your tab will only be $10.

The two young lady bartenders are chatty and sweet. Thirsty Ear is best known for its small stage that frequently hosts various live entertainment, from open mic to acoustic sets to improv comedy.

DK Diner

Were it not for word of mouth, I never would have known this place existed. It’s in a purely residential area of Grandview off the beaten path. It’s a tiny little greasy spoon with a great atmosphere, packed with families and cute old couples and hipsters. To the left is a self-serve beverage station steaming with fresh pots of coffee, a soda fountain and a cooler with milk cartons. Next to that is the donut station, which, by the time we got there (noon) was almost empty -a testament, no doubt, to these homemade donuts that everyone raves about. I’ve twice ordered the vegetarian omelette, and both times enjoyed fluffy eggs stuffed with peppers, mushrooms and cheese. And the donuts… oh the donuts… sweet, but not overly so. A hint of lemon zest, maybe? Leaves the most incredible and indescribable aftertaste. Thick, soft, heavenly.

It’s very cheap – omelette + bread = $4.25, fountain soda = $1.25, carton of chocolate milk (obligatory brunch fair) = $.95. DK Diner is only open til 2p, and I believe exclusively serves breakfast until 1p on Saturdays and Sundays.

Grandview Cafe

This is my favorite place to grab a beer in warm weather – Grandview Cafe boasts a fantastic two-story patio situated at the corner of 3rd and Grandview – perfect for relaxing, chatting and observing the neighborhood. GC has some pretty good food, a passable beer selection and a very friendly group of bartenders and waiters.

Mickey’s

This tiny little cash-only bar is home to one of the friendliest crowds I’ve ever encountered. It’s impossible to be here for more than 10 minutes and NOT have a stranger strike up a conversation with you.

And, much to my enjoyment, they host karaoke Thursday, Friday, Saturday AND Sunday! That’s a whole lot of “Don’t Stop Believin’.” Take note that this is a cash only bar though, with no ATM inside (but there’s a UDF just up the street.)

Hella’s Grill Express

When I first moved to Grandview I was bummed to be leaving what I affectionately referred to as “hood gyro spot” – the kind of place where there is no actual name listed on the establishment, just a neon sign that says “gyros”, where the person who makes your food is breast feeding her child at the same time, and where things are very cheap and priced at weird numbers like $2.46 – but amazingly, delicious.

So from the outside Hella’s looked to me like it could be the new hood gyro spot. It’s attached to a sketchy looking liquor store and across the street from another drive-through liquor store, and it’s quite small and shabby. Inside, though, it’s much less hood. But just as good as the hood! Now I understand the phrase “It’s all good in the hood!” Groovy!

The food here is very yummy. I get takeout from here quite often – there are only 3 tables in an awkwardly shaped space so it’s not really conducive for dining in. Food is very affordable – $5 for a sub packed with goodies, $8 for a pizza, $2.50 for a giant, flaky, amazing Spanakopita. Mmmm.

Graffiti Burger

I am not easy to please when it comes to burgers. I’m even more picky about french fries. But both were quite delicious. I hate when I order a burger and feel like I could have made better from the freezer to my Foreman – definitely NOT the case at Graffiti Burger. And their black bean burger for the vegetarian crowd is just as delicious. They make their milkshakes the good ol’ fashioned way – vanilla ice cream, milk, optional chocolate syrup and blend.

With so many toppings it’s a little hard to choose without some prior planning – I stared at the menu for a solid 10 minutes before settling on simple swiss and bacon.

Toppings you can get for free:
Ketchup, mustard, mayo, pickle slices, lettuce, sweet pickle relish, tomato, cole slaw, graffiti sauce, a-1, onion, bbq sauce, banana peppers, spicy brown mustard, jalapenos, chipotle sauce, swiss cheese, american cheese, provolone cheese, pepperjack cheese

Toppings that will cost you an extra buck:
Applewood smoked bacon, blue cheese crumbles, roasted red pepper, sauteed mushrooms, graffiti guacomole

Stauf’s Coffee Roasters

I love Stauf’s. First of all, it’s great coffee, which is pretty much all you can ask for when choosing a coffee shop. Second, the atmosphere is great. Third, it’s right in the heart of the adorable little shopping district on Grandview Ave, so the tables out front make for great people watching. Fourth, it’s great coffee. Oh, did I say that already?

Luck Bros Coffee

The perfect place for all espresso drinks, especially gorgeous lattes, great coffee and a quiet, soothing atmosphere. Comfortable seating. Quality food. Friendly staff. Ample WiFi. A+

Grandview Carry Out

Such a gem in Grandview Heights. An amazing selection of craft beers and a decent wine selection to boot. And the cute kitty that hangs out on the register (named, appropriately, Guiness) gives you a good vibe for the hometown atmosphere. The owner – and his employees – are eager to strike up a conversation and help you find the perfect brew.

What am I missing? Do you know of a hidden Grandview gem that I don’t? Share it in the comments!

Note: I originally posted some version of these reviews on Yelp.com.