TooDooPolaris.com Polaris Mall

Max & Erma’s was founded in German Village, a unique section of Columbus, Ohio, by a German couple named Max and Erma.  It quickly became a German Village favorite. Their reputation for their special hamburger quickly spread. In 1972, Todd Barnum and Barry Zacks walked into the restaurant. Thinking it had potential to very successful, with an opportunity to introduce the gourmet hamburger to everyone, they offered to purchase the business and sealed it with a handshake. They continued to serve their gourmet hamburger and began opening additional locations.

Every one, from the political Capital City  types, Ohio State University alums, the fast growing suburbs and dating twenty-somethings made Max & Erma’s a favored watering hole. Max & Erma’s now have fifteen locations, including Polaris  Mall on Polaris Parkway, in Columbus and have expanded into several states including Florida.
Faithful consumers continue to return to Max & Erma’s knowing what to order because of their cravings for particular signature items, such as  the Chicken Sandwich, Tomato Mozzarella, Cajun Shrimp, Shrimp Stack Salad, Pasta, Laredo Steak, Ribs, Seafood, Santa Fe Salad, hand-battered Onion rings and always the mouth watering gourmet hamburgers, such as the “Garbage Burger”. Add a desert favorite of an  “all you can eat” ice cream Sunday and, with a full service bar, Max & Erma’s continues to be a favorite.

Max & Erma’s Gourmet burgers are always fresh, never frozen. Their determination to always serve the best gourmet burger keep the quality and flavor the best available. The Garbage Burger, with hickory-smoked bacon, cheddar, swiss, american, mozzarella, grilled onions, sauteed mushrooms, guacamole and marinara, are always bursting at the bun with fantastic flavor!
The desert menu deserves special mention. Their Fresh-Baked Cookies can be ordered with the meal.

A  half-dozen fresh-baked cookies are delivered to your table for desert. Cookie choices are Chocolate Chip and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut.  Additional deserts include Carrot Cake, a sweet spice cake served with warm cream cheese icing, all you can eat Sunday Bar, an antique bathtub filled with toppings you build yourself, made-from-scratch Banana Cream Pie, with Vanilla pudding in a fresh-baked vanilla wafer crust and Triple Chocolate Cake, an decadent eight layer cake drizzled with chocolate sauce.

With a passion for the customer dining experience, Max & Erma’s has managed to expand and still maintain the quality, taste and enjoyment of the original Max and Erma’s.

Panera Bread is a unique chain of bakeries that has few competitors.  Originally located inside larger malls, their success required newer locations to be larger   and free standing. Just the aroma is worth the visit. Panera Bread bakery-cafes display the art and craft of making bread, making customers appreciate and love a great loaf of bread.

Their only goal is to make great bread for everybody across America. They bake more each fresh bread each day day than any other bakery in the US. Using the best ingredients, and always aware of nutritional options, they continue to serve  the highest quality breads, bagels, pastries, and sandwiches. Try a frozen lemonade, low-fat strawberry smoothie or a frozen mocha with your menu selection.

As reported by The Wall Street Journal, Panera Bread scored the highest level of customer loyalty among quick-casual restaurants. With free Wi-Fi and a patio, the Polaris Mall location is a choice for morning coffee, lunch and evenings. Their Bakery Menu offers breads, bagels, granola parfait’s and pastries. All displayed with tempting color and aromas. Their Cafe Menu lists sandwiches, soups, hand-tossed salads and a special kids menu.

The 2007 Sandleman & Associates Quick-Track “Awards of Excellence”, voted by  consumers, elected Panera Bread the number one favorite. Zagat rates Panera Bread Number One in the following categories in its 2007 fast-food chains survey: Overall, Food, Facilities and Popularity Rankings.

Their newest offering is “Meet At Panera”. An online invitation wherein you may invite others for a specific time and purpose. Business, family, and/or friends receive the invitation via e-mail. Go to www.panerabread.com and plan a great breakfast meeting or invite family and friends for any occasion.

What is the secret to success with bread? Panera Bread knows what to look for in every loaf:

Crust: Crust refers to the thickness and color of the bread’s exterior. The crust of handcrafted bread is crisp, richly colored and deeply hued. It gives a distinctive crackle when broken open for serving.

Crumb: Crumb is a term that bakers use to define the inside of the bread. Essentially, it describes the texture of the bread. Just one slice of bread tells a trained baker what types of flour and yeast were used and how much water was added.

Craft: Handcrafted breads require time and expertise. Panera Bread bakers understand how the basic ingredients of water, flour, salt and yeast can be measured, mixed and carefully timed to create a variety of tastes and textures.

BRIO brings the old world pleasures of the Tuscan country villa to the Polaris Mall Area. The Italians built their spacious country villas to escape the daily pressures of urban life and enjoy “La Dolce Vita” – the good life.

They would mingle with friends and family and eat freshly prepared food from their farms while surrounded by the natural beauty. of the country side.  In just that manner, Brio offers its guests “La Dolce Vita.”

Brio’s main focus is the Guest Experience, consistently providing high quality food, outstanding customer service, a classy atmosphere, and great value. Brio prepares food classically with truly the freshest ingredients with an emphasis on house made pasta, high quality steaks and flatbreads prepared in an Italian wood burning oven.

Brio serves their generous meat portions, roasted fish, and pasta on Italian style hand-painted oval plates. For large groups, Brio offers something special, their Tuscan Feast Menu with generous portions of house specialties including pans of pasta and bread, it is perfect for any celebrations.

BRIO brings the pleasures of a Tuscan country villa to the Polaris Area.

Can you remember when Route 161 was about as far north as you could go to find a great restaurant? Remember the Wine Cellar, Victoria Station, Columbus Steak House, Bombay Bicycle Club, Michael’s, Forest Park Inn, Tamarack Inn, Otani Japanese, Max & Erma’s, Suite 61, Coventry Inn, Howard Johnson’s, Chi-Chi’s, and the Elephant Bar. I know there are others I don’t recall. At one time, in the 1970’s, Route 161 (Dublin Granville Road) had more restaurants in a three and one half mile zone than anywhere in the US. We thought the choices were unreal.

Then construction started on a little area just north of Columbus called Polaris or Polaris Fashion Mall. The Polaris Mall Stores opened in 2001 with the Polaris Mall itself becoming one of the largest malls in the US. The food court inside the Polaris Mall contains over twelve restaurants which surround a food court. Along with the mall came Polaris Mall Restaurants. As the area grew, one exit from I-71 was not enough so they had to add a second exit off I-71, the Gemini exit. And new, unique to the Columbus area restaurants keep opening. In the Polaris area today, look for around eighty five restaurants.

Now the selection available in and around Polaris moves Columbus and even Ohio to a new level. From a tasty breakfast, brunch, quick lunch, noon meal, happy hour, appetizers, dinner, supper, banquet, private party room, employee meetings, family celebrations, take out, delivery, special events, dates or formal menus, just search in the Polaris area. Many of the Polaris Mall Stores and Polaris Mall Restaurants receive some of the highest ratings available.

Recently I met my son for a little business discussions. We met at 2:00 PM at for a bagel and some iced tea at Panera Bread. We sat outside on the patio and took advantage of the WiFi connection. After checking out some electronics at Best Buy we decided some wings would be a good ending to our meeting. Quaker Steak and Lube provided the perfect solution. I had the Cajun while he the Garlic wings. Hard to beat Quaker Steak for chicken wings. Always something going on inside or outside, like Bike Night, when you’ll see hundreds of motorcycles filling the entire parking area.

I really like to feel like a customer, a valued customer, not just a number. I recently tried Pub Polaris after I was told the calamari was very good. I first ordered an appetizer of calamari. The server stated they were out. There is never any problem when restaurants run out of something. It’s what they do about it. I ordered another choice. Before it was served, an assistant manager came to the table. He apologized and said there was no charge for both appetizers. As we ate, another manager came to again apologize. He gave us a card for a free appetizer anytime we returned. Which we did. And the calamari was excellent. So was everything we have tried to date.

In addition to many nation chains, the are numerous local restaurants offering a wide variety of choices.

The great thing about Polaris Restaurants is you can find whatever you feel like ordering. It’s always said you can order anything anytime in New York. I believe you can also find anything your taste buds suddenly decide to try at Polaris. In fact, check out a new web site (June 2009) at www.toodoopolaris.com. It has a local search engine. Enter polaris and the item you are looking for. Every location offering the item will be listed. All in the Polaris area. By the way, you may also rate any business, praise any business or even write a review at toodoopolaris. Check it out. You’ll find some great new eating experiences in the dining out category.

From Italian to Chinese, Greek, Mexican, Indian, Irish, English, Japanese, French or Cajun, around eighty five restaurants are there at your service.

Out of a top score of one to five for selection, Polaris is a five with a plus sign.

TooDooPolaris.com

One of the newer eateries in the Polaris Mall of Columbus, Ohio area is the Mellow Mushroom, located at 2170 Polaris Parkway. They’ve been referred to as “an amusement park of pizza”. My first visit to a Mellow Mushroom was in Franklin, TN where they converted an older bank. I was hooked after the first pizza.

After that, I usually did a “local search” when I traveled. I was next successful in Montgomery, AL. When I recently saw the “Shroom” Volkswagen Bus parked at the new store on Polaris Parkway, I knew where my next pizza would be ordered. The Polaris location is fun. With a long wood bar offering a huge choice of beers, lots of big screen TV’s, dining tables and a patio, you’ll find the best location to enjoy the menu. Munchies like stuffed portabello, build your own salads, hoagies, calzones and, of course, pizza fill the menu.

Their pizza is hearth baked in a huge oven that’s visible from anywhere inside. Order up a ten inch, a fourteen inch or a sixteen inch. With many choices such as a Kosmic Karma (sun dried tomato, spinach, feta, fresh tomato and pesta) or a Philosopher’s Pie (steak, portobello mushroom cap, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, provolone, feta and mozzarella cheese on an oil and garlic base) the pizza choices are numerous.

From the time you see a baker toss the crust into the air and twirl it into a perfect round thickness until it lands on your table, the pizza aroma stirs the appetite. Out of the four different pizzas we’ve chosen so far, in three different locations, all have been well worth the local search. With many more menu items to sample, I’m glad to have a Mellow in my area.