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What’s the best barbecue in Central Ohio?  I read a post from one of the local food bloggers that Smackie’s on Cleveland Avenue is great.  Someone else I talked to said it was horrible.

Talking to someone from the part of the world where W. Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio intersect… or there abouts she was raving about the new Shanes Rib Joint at Polaris.  She said it was “more Southern.”

Shanes Rib Joint - More Barbecue in the Polaris Area 

Hoggy’s Polaris Area

Add your favorite Central Ohio place for barbecue under “other”  if it’s not on the list.  Say where it is located if you can, please.



Nationwide Realty Investors  will develop Grandview Yard at the old Big Bear
site in the City of Grandview Heights  according to the Columbus Dispatch, in ‘Grandview Yard’ development to replace former Big Bear site’  Wednesday.  In today’s Columbus Dispatch ‘Plan would transform old Big Bear property’  (both articles are written by Martin Rozenman) gives more details of work which should start in mid-2009.  

A mixed use development of commercial, retail and residential properties, Grandview Yard will have 600 to 800 residential properties according to the Columbus Dipatch article.  Brian Ellis of Nationwide Realty Investors described Grandview Yard as similar to the Arena Disctrict (another Nationwide Realty Investors project) without a sports theme in a presentation to the Columbus Metropolitan Club.  The development was presented in a public meeting Wednesday December 19, 2007 according to the Columbus Dispatch articles.

Reading the Dispatch articles proximity of the 100 acre development  to Ohio State University, Battelle and the OSU Medical Center and the developing “tech corridor” along 315 enticed Nationwide Realty Investors:

“100-acre site bordered by Goodale Boulevard on the south, 3rd Avenue on the north, railroad tracks on the east and an alley near Northwest Boulevard on the west.”

Grandview Heights 

Nationwide Realty Investors  

City of Columbus in the Columbus school district to try to narrow this down a bit.  It’s a mish mash of urban and more suburban areas, Clintonville, Downtown, ItalianVillage, German Village, Victorian Village,  Westgate, Forest Park and more… 

Want to do a poll about the best Columbus suburb?  Visit Discover Columbus.


Central Ohio’s cornstalks are put to use to save money according to this article in Columbus Business First.  Franklin County Farmers are paid to leave the cornstalks in the field. 

I wonder if  surrounding Central Ohio counties use a similar plan.  There have got to be a lot more cornstalks in other Central Ohio counties.

If you notice corn stalks in the fields the farmers are being industrious by not clearing the fields.  The county is being “green” by not using as much salt and chemicals on the roads.  Hopefully the white will stay in the cornfields and not drift onto county roads.

The US News & World Reports article about the best high schools was a story on Sunny 95 this morning when the alarm went off… so heck I’m going write about it too.  It’s nice to wake up to good news…  The newscaster reeled off a list of Central Ohio Schools that made the lists of best US schools.. 

U.S. News & World Report says of the top schools in the US

 Bronze Medal

Beechcroft High School
Briggs High School
Centennial High School
Eastmoor Academy High School
Northland High School
Whetstone High School

Silver Medal

Bexley High School
Columbus Alternative High School
Dublin Coffman High School
Dublin Jerome High School
Fort Hayes Metro Education Center High School
Grandview Heights High School
Thomas Worthington High School
Westerville-South High School

Granville High School in Licking County is also a Silver Medal winner according to the magazine article.

There are four Ohio high schools on the list of Gold Medal winners, the top 100.  One is in the Cleveland area and three are in the Cincinnati area.

The US News & World Report’s  article (first link above)  has the methodology they used for ranking the schools,  an opportunity to comment there, their FAQ. 

Greater Columbus was featured in a recent article on Forbes.com:  Top 20 US Places to Educate your Child 

More information about Central Ohio Schools including School Matters, the Standard and Poors service that US News & World Reports worked with to identify the schools on their list is on my website:

Central Ohio Public Schools

Central Ohio Private Schools