Students enjoy Bexley's versatility, convenience

After going to all the malls, movie theaters and clubs in Columbus, students can experience a change of venue by visiting the city of Bexley. The small city is located 20 minutes from campus and offers a sometimes-needed reprieve from the heavily frequented Downtown, Easton and Polaris areas.

Just east of Alum Creek, Bexley is a city-within-a-city, occuping only 2.5 square miles. This quaint region is home to Capital University, more than 13,000 residents, and has the feel of a little town.

"It's nice to have the closeness of the city but the sheltering of a small community," said Kara Mek, a senior in biology at Capital.

Students at Capital enjoy the many attractions Bexley has to offer.

"It's really small and convenient. Everything is in walking distance," said Nita Ampato, a senior in English literature at Capital.

Students agree that the atmosphere is beautiful and the people are nice, but most importantly, they agree Bexley has a great selection of food.

"There's a lot of places to eat. You're never really hungry," Ampato said.

Fine Dining

Despite the area's petite size, Bexley is lined with restaurants, ranging from fine dining establishments to ice cream shops. Numerous upscale locales, with mid-to-upper price ranges, are perfect for a date or just an enjoyable evening.

Fisherman's Wharf, 2143 E. Main St., is the first restaurant to greet people as they enter the city limits, and Bexley has been its home for six years.

"A lot of people don't know what they're getting into," said Manager Rolf Westermann about first time customers.

The restaurant specializes in seafood, quality meats and what Westermann says are the best clams in town. The extensive menu hosts more than 12 fish dishes, as well as crab, scallops, pasta, lamb and steak. The guests are free to make special requests.

"We cater to people who really like to eat well," Westermann said.

Fisherman's Wharf is not only acclaimed for its food, but also for its wine. It is the only place in America with a substantial inventory of French Riesling, and connoisseurs buy it by the crate. The restaurant also has a bar and a banquet hall. Reservations are usually needed, especially on weekends.

Bexley's Monk, originally named the "Blind Monk," 2232 E. Main St., has resided in the Bexley Square for more than 30 years and is known for having one of the first wood-fired ovens in Columbus. The restaurant can be described as half fine dining and half bistro, with a bar. Chief Operating Officer Christian Hattemer said the Monk is an American restaurant focused on diversity.

"There is no rule - we serve French food, Spanish food; we will serve anything," Hattemer said.

The restaurant's management is committed to diversity, and they take cues from trends across the country to format their seasonal menus. The new spring menu will debut soon.

The Bexley's Monk is undergoing many changes to enhance the restaurant's overall ambiance, including the addition of a new baby grand piano, which will be played Tuesday through Saturday, and a jazz trio, which will perform on Thursdays. A casual bar menu is also in the works.

"We're able to build and get nothing but better," Hattemer said. "It's going to be, probably, one of the best places in Columbus to come and eat."

The restaurant's patrons agree the Bexley's Monk deserves praise.

"It's very inviting, comfortable, friendly, (and) the food's outstanding. On the East Side, this is the best place," said Bexley resident Chris Elmore.

Another fine dining locale is Giuseppe's Ritrovo, 2268 E. Main St., which is located down the street from the Drexel Theater. The restaurant specializes in Italian cuisine and is a lunch favorite for the locals. But be warned - it closes after lunch until the dinner rush at 5 p.m.

Low-cost Dining

If a a diner's preference is quick and inexpensive food, there are many chain restaurants in the area, such as Cosi, Chipotle, Cup O Joe, Starbucks Coffee, W.G. Grinders and Boston Market.

But Bexley's main eatery competition is between pizza places and ice cream shops. There are three homegrown pizzerias: Anthony's Pizza (602 Pleasant Ridge), Bexley Pizza Plus (2540 E. Main St.) and Rubino's Pizza (2643 E. Main St.). Each brings its own distinctive taste to the art of pizza making, and the debate over which is best is ongoing.

Graeter's Ice Cream, 2282 E. Main St., and Johnson's Real Ice Cream, 2728 E. Main St., may be within four blocks of each other but they are still worlds apart. Customers flock to Graeter's for its famous chocolate chip ice cream, which is created by pouring melted chocolate directly into the cold ice cream. The result is chocolate chunks the size of golf balls.

On the other hand, Johnson's ice cream is renowned for being homemade. Customers can watch through the window as the owner makes the daily batch. Johnson's also offers more flavors than Graeter's. Both shops are hangouts for the locals - especially the teenage crowd - and each has a friendly, family feeling.

Attractions

One of the major attractions in Bexley is the Drexel Theater located at 2256 E. Main St. It is known for showing primarily independent and foreign films and has been called a cultural mecca for the thoughtful crowd. Assistant Manager Monica Seitz said the theater caters to people who enjoy branching out from the popular media.

"I think people rely on us to bring certain types of movies to town, and if they can't see them here, there's a good chance they can't see them anywhere," Seitz said. "We've always tried to bring in off-kilter, non-traditional movies."

The Drexel was built in the 1930's as a one-screen theater. It now has three screens and sponsors annual movie events, such as the Kids Movie Festival and Casablanca Night. Prices are $5.50 for students and matinee shows, $7.50 for adults, and $4.25 for all tickets on Mondays.