there are restaurants that are great because their food tastes so so so good.
and there are restaurants that are great because they care so deeply about their community.
and then there are restaurants that are SUPER great because their food tastes so so good BECAUSE they care so deeply about their local community.
northstar restaurant, in columbus ohio, is one of those super special restaurants.
kurt thought his mug would be a precious addition to this shot - you be the judge...
old-roommate-kurt and i grabbed a wee lunch at this lovely-little-luncheonette (and dinner-ette, i guess!) on my way out of town earlier this week – and on such a GORGEOUS afternoon i was expecting the outdoor patio to be swarming with lunch-time-gatherers, but it was actually quite subdued and relaxing – a wonderful way to end a wonderful ‘pre-grand-adventure’ quick vacay 
and here is kurt's AMAZING lunch sans his grin - does that salad in the background not look amazing?!?! so so fresh - and SO SO chocked-full of diggable-yummies (like locally sourced hard-boiled eggs and fresh picked radishes and local-bacon cooked so crispy you could hear it crackle from across the patio!)
i, on the other hand, could not resist this delectable bbq chicken flatbread (they are so kind not to call it pizza to make you feel slightly better about your culinary decision making) -- i kinda wish the red peppers had been roasted to deepen their flavor and soften them up a wee little bit...but overall a scrumptious choice!
yet while the food is amazingly lovely here – perhaps the loveliest aspect of this corner-restaurant concept is their commitment to leaving as small a footprint on the earth as possible – keenly realizing that (even from the most business-minded-focus) a dead world will not grow any profit… they choose cotton for their tees and hats from sustainable-cotton-growers. they source as many locally grown veggies and meats and fruits as possible. all their take-out containers are completely recyclable. if there is a way to be kind and loving to our earth, and to the columbus community, they find a way.
i am so impressed.
and perhaps the best part is that it is these choices that make their restaurant so successful – people are spilling out the doors to eat here. people are LINED UP to work here. and people cannot wait to return for their next scrumptious scone or memorable meal. in such a beautiful way, everybody wins – the growers, the eaters, and the entrepreneurs. what a model…
and as you can see - we nearly cleaned our plates
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