Hello Everyone!
This month we decided to hit up something that I've been trying to get to for years now: The German Village Sidewalk Sale in Columbus, Ohio. We've always been a week or two early or too late in the past. This time I made sure I checked the date and times on their community website. We also enjoy walking the cobblestone streets and admiring the beautiful homes. The residents are always so friendly and welcoming. It's a true community just a couple streets over from downtown. It was our first trip to German Village since the pandemic started, so we were anxious to get back to some of our favorite locations.
We first stopped for coffee and a pastry at Fox in the Snow. It's always so bright, clean, and open in this particular location. It's also just a short walk over from Thurman Cafe. We got the Fox in the Snow coffee blend with a Morning Bun and a Strawberry Galette. I love their coffee. It's not bitter and they have a station with sugar, syrup, and cream for you to doctor it up yourself. I appreciate the pureness and simplicity. There's no chemicals or 20 different coffee drink options. The Morning Bun had cream cheese frosting and a honey cinnamon glaze. The frosting was delicious, but it was very sweet. I started scraping some of it off about halfway through. The honey glaze was the best part; I couldn't get enough of it. The bun itself was cold. I wish it was served warm and everything would've been a little more melted. The Strawberry Galette was super flaky. The crunchy sugar top was a nice contrast to the smooth custard and strawberry jam filling. It was definitely the lighter of the two options. After our caffeine and sugar wake up, we started walking around the neighborhood sales.
This was a particularly hot and humid day in the 90s. We needed a break from walking around in the heat so we stopped at Pistacia Vera. They have the 2nd best macarons I've tasted, so I picked a few flavors of those to take home. They have the best Vanilla Bean shortbread cookies that melt in your mouth. We always buy at least 3 little bags of them every time we go. I decided to check out the Creme Brulee Eclair. It had a caramel sugar piece on top that was beautiful to look at. It tasted exactly like a Creme Brulee dessert and wasn't overly sweet. However, it was very sticky. Even eating it with a fork I somehow had sticky fingers. I also got a lemon tart which was okay. I most likely won't get it again. I am very picky with my lemon desserts because I want them super tart and it's very rare that anyone does it. They are still limiting the number of people allowed inside at a time (8). There is no availability to sit inside at this time, so they have an outdoor set up. This is another place that I love how clean and bright it is, but it's always been very small inside even when you can sit indoors. We've gone for brunch once, and I'd probably go more often if there were more seating available both inside and outside. It's basically a toss up on how busy they are and if you can find somewhere to sit.
After putting our treats in the cooler, we went over to The Book Loft. If you have never been, it is a book lover's dream. 32 rooms full of books, puzzles, gifts, etc... It's dangerous if like me, you've been born with a reading list that you'll never finish. I tend to spend the most time in the True Crime and cookbook rooms. They have a map inside the store along with directions that shows you where and what each room is themed to. They are open till 11pm every day, which is a good thing because you don't have to be in a huge rush if you get lost. (It definitely feels like a maze. GET A MAP.) The outside walkway to the entrance is beautiful and shaded with flowers and trees. It is not uncommon to see people buy their books and go sit out in the courtyard reading. They are also still limiting the number of people allowed inside at a time. I believe it was about 10 people so if it's a busy day, be prepared to wait in line.
We ventured next door (great business plan to be next to a bookstore) to Stauf's Coffee for caffeine fix part 2. I actually like when coffee places have you pick what type of coffee you want, and then you pick from a list of syrup flavors. I went with a latte and butterscotch syrup. It was very subtle on the butterscotch, but still very comforting. Someday I hope to find a coffee shop that makes a butterscotch latte that tastes like a Butterbeer at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I also got a soft lemon cookie. I was actually surprised. While I knew it would have a light lemon flavor, I loved the slight crunch on the outside of the cookie while the inside was very soft. It sounds strange, but it's almost like I could taste every ingredient. Lemon, sugar, cornstarch, flour, brown sugar, honey, etc...I really loved it and it's the best lemon cookie I've had. While we were here, the thunderstorms caught up with us so we hung out in the back sunroom. I love all the seating options. There's the main area up front of the shop, a back sunroom, and an outdoor patio. However, I had horrible service in the sunroom so it was difficult to keep track of when we would have a break from the storms to run back down the street to our car.
The storms were a bummer to our day. I would've loved to eat at Thurman Cafe or Schmidt's Sausage Haus, but there was another long stream of thunderstorms coming that I didn't want to get stuck in. We enjoyed walking around and looking at the beautiful architecture of the old brick homes. We walked by many residents sitting out on their front porches or doing yard work that didn't hesitate to call us over for a chat. We even had some locals who talked with us in the coffee shops. I'm actually a bit shy, but it always feels welcoming because everyone is so friendly. Do you have any places we should be sure to hit up next time we're in German Village? Let me know in the comments!
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