This post is written by Tim Simeone, Visitor Services Specialist for Experience Columbus. You can follow Tim on Twitter @TimSimeone .

It’s coming! This post is not early, it’s right on time. The last thing you want to do when making your significant other feel special is run out the day before and grab something from CVS on the way home from work. Those types of Valentines are not very special and lack the personal touch your loved one deserves. Here are some ideas and links so you can take care of this now, and not be rushed.

If your lady or gentleman enjoys decadent pastries, Sugardaddy’s is the way to go. This Valentine’s Day they are offering their brownie bark, which is a layer of brownie and then a layer of chocolate over top with a candied heart garnish. They are also offering a cute sock monkey in their wrapping. This choice turns out to be cute and delicious.

If your Valentine has gluten allergy, Cherbourg Bakery in Bexley, will be offering gluten-free Valentine’s day cookies and cakes and they will deliver them downtown. The surprise at the office is the way to go. Make your Valentine blush and make others wish you were there’s.

If you are looking for the one two punch of baked goods and flowers call up, Columbus florist, Desantis . They have a number of beautiful Valentine’s Day arrangements and they deliver as well. These flowers would pair nicely with the above pastries. Pick arrangements online as well.

Looking for a one of a kind Valentine? Make one over at Igloo Letterpress ! They have several creative designs and ones that you won’t find at your local drug store.

These are great options for the day of but if you really want to wow your valentine, book a Columbus Food Adventures tour. The gift of quality time over food is romantic, delicious, and thanks to Bethia’s wealth of knowledge, informative. If your sweetheart loves sweets, CFA offers a dessert tour. Plan a dinner and then taste your way through Columbus’ desserts.

After you do all this, go to CVS and watch the panic of others while you remain rest assured that you made your Valentine feel special.

There’s no doubt about it - Columbus is a foodie destination. If you’ve got a foodie in your life, there are lots of ways to share the Columbus Food Scene this holiday season.

Columbus Food Adventures - These tours are the perfect introduction into all the flavors and behind-the-scenes info on the city’s food scene. Chose among several options, including a tour of Short North restaurants, more adventurous ethnic fare on the Alt Eats tour, and in warmer months, the Taco Truck tour. A gift certificate lets you pick the tour, and allows the recipient to pick a date that works best for them.

Juergen’s Bakery - Juergen’s, a Bavarian bakery located fittingly in German Village, offers the ultimate in sweet treats exclusively this time of year - the Stollen. Stollen is a traditional fruit-studded sweet bread that’s sure to become a tradition on your holiday table. You can also choose among other German pastries like strudel and linzertorte.

Books - This year, some great Columbus food books were published. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home shows home cooks how to create Jeni’s world renowned ice cream in their own kitchen, and how to play with imaginative flavors. Breakfast with Nick is a book written by Columbus’ premier breakfast blogger, Nick Dekker . It’s perfect for the person on your list who loves bacon, eggs, donuts and coffee.

Distillery Tours - Columbus’ spirits scene is taking off and gaining national attention. Treat the cocktail maven on your list to a tour and tasting at Watershed Distillery (outstanding vodka and gin) and Middle West Spirits (flavorful vodka and whiskey.) If you’re really nice, a bottle from each would be the perfect foundation to for a Columbus-based home-bar.

North Market School of Cooking - The North Market is arguably the hub of the Columbus Food Scene, with vendors selling locally grown ingredients and a whole range of prepared foods. The top floor of the market holds a treasure: the Dispatch Kitchen, where cooking classes with the city’s best chefs are offered. It’s dinner, wine and a show for the foodies on your list.

Dine Originals Gift Certificates - If you want to treat someone to a special night out, Dine Originals gift certificates are a perfect choice. Choose from almost 50 locally owned, independent restaurants, ranging from DeepWood between the Short North and Downtown, Alana’s Food and Wine in Clintonville, Black Creek Bistro in Old Town East, and Luce in Powell.

What else would you recommend for folks shopping for foodies? As always, you can keep up with the Columbus Food Scene on Facebook .

This post is written by Bethia Woolf, blogger at AltEatsColumbus , StreetEatsColumbus and TacoTrucksColumbus and owner of Columbus Food Adventures . You can reach Bethia on Twitter @CbusAdventures .

Coffee has long been a vibrant part of the Columbus culinary scene, with Stauf’s, Cup’o'Joe , and Cafe Brioso providing top quality local alternatives to national chains. And, with a recent explosion of new roasters and purveyors, it’s getting even better:

1. Thunderkiss Coffee - Jason Valentine, owner of Thunderkiss, is the McGyver of caffeine. His minimalist garage operation puts out meticulously roasted, top quality single-origin beans from Peru, Guatemala, Ethiopia and Rwanda. Look for his beans (including in giftable antique mason jars) at Fresh Street.

2. Upper Cup Coffee - For brothers Micael and Samson Habte, coffee is in their blood. Their mother, an Eritrean immigrant, roasted for home-use and prepared her home-brewed coffee for guests as a matter of custom. In their new Old Town East location, they roast and brew for the general public, and provide exceptional Ethiopian and South American single-origin beans for purchase or for consumption in their comfortable Parsons Ave. shop.

3. Impero - Impero’s Short North location has become a fast favorite in the neighborhood. Serving coffee from beans roasted in their Grove City operation, its easy to see how their espresso and coffee offerings keep ‘em coming back.

4. Luck Brothers - Nobody in town has his finger on the pulse of what’s what in coffee more than Andy Luck. Thought not a roaster himself, Andy works extensively with roasters to get the exact flavor profiles he wants to serve in his shop in Grandview. Visit him to taste the fruits of his drive for perfection.

5. Yeah Me Too - No phone, no website, no credit cards accepted - Yeah Me Too does things the old-fashioned way. This small Clintonville roaster has developed a devoted cult following on the north side, and its small selection of quality single-origin beans are often considered to be among the best in town.

6. Back Room Coffee Roasters - The back room’s coffee, and the front room is the Lane Ave. Trek store. Put them together and you have a roaster who turns out high-end arabica beans and delivers them to retailers all over the city via bike.

7.) There is a new artisan small-batch roasting company opening on Price Avenue in the Short North this weekend, look out for them at the Holiday Hop.

When it comes to coffee, it’s easy to feel a bit overwhelmed by all there is to know. Columbus Food Adventures aims to demystify the subject with its new Coffee Tour , which explores the world of Columbus coffee. It’s a tour in 3 acts: 1) visit a roaster (Stauf’s) to learn about what goes into turning raw coffee beans into something exquisite, 2) stop at a top espresso bar (Cafe Brioso) to discuss turning those beans into top quality espresso drinks, 3) finish at a premier coffee shop (Luck Bros.) to learn about how to get the best from your beans at home. At each stop there will be coffee and snacks, and – most importantly – plenty of information on how to get the best out of home coffee preparation! The first tour is this Saturday, December 3rd and tickets are available online.

Today, we’d like to share a terrific blog post from Bethia Woolf, owner of Columbus Food Adventures, on Columbus Happy Hours for Foodies.

Bethia is intimate with Columbus’ food scene and loves to talk about it. In her post, she uncovers great happy hours that also provide quality dining experiences.

Read all about Columbus Happy Hours for Foodies on Bethia’s blog. And, thanks, Bethia, for sharing your insights.

Today’s post is written by Bethia Woolf , owner of Columbus Food Adventures . A UK native, Bethia has long been a prolific chronicler of the Columbus food scene. She began Columbus Food Adventures with the belief that the quality and diversity of Columbus’s food scene is a story worth sharing.

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Last minute holiday gift ideas for food lovers
by Bethia Woolf, Columbus Food Adventures

If, like me, you are still looking for last minute gift ideas, here are some ideas for the food lovers in your life. These suggestions are Columbus based but might give inspiration to those of you living elsewhere.

Gift certificates

Gift certificates are available for many Columbus restaurants. If you don’t want to pick a restaurant for your giftee- then opt for a Dine Originals gift certificate and your recipient can choose from over 50 restaurants. You can use these at wonderful restaurants such as Tasi Cafe , Rigsby’s and Pistacia Vera .

North Market gift certificates offer similar flexibility as they can be used at any of the 30+ vendors. Jeni’s ice creams gift cards are a fun stocking stuffer, and best of all, of course is a Columbus Food Adventures gift certificate . You can choose a gift certificate for any of our scheduled tours and they are valid for a year. (more…)

Leslie’s Creperie
Photo: Kit Yoon, Cool Columbus

Recently we’ve talked quite a bit about the Columbus food truck scene, and especially about the tours available through Columbus Food Adventures . If you don’t go the tour route, two other options are available: 1) Track down the food carts yourself. Many post their hours and location on Facebook and/or Twitter each morning. 2) Find an event that does the work for you and brings together several trucks in one location. I opted for option number two.

This week I had my first food truck experience at Food-Truck-A-Palooza. The event brought ten diverse food vendors together, all for our eating pleasure. Offerings included sweet and savory crepes, gourmet cupcakes, quesadillas, tacos, pulled pork sliders and more. The only thing that held us back from sampling the specialties at all ten trucks was the size of our stomachs. Overall the event drew a great crowd, who also got to enjoy the Ohio Historical Center at no cost, and several vendors even ran out of food before the night’s end.

If you missed Food-Truck-A-Palooza don’t fret. Your next chance to be part of the fun is this Sunday, Oct. 17 . The Food Cart Food Court will be open from 4-7 p.m. in the Wonderland parking lot (697 N. 4th St.). Fifteen food carts and trucks will be on hand, including FOODie Cart, Leslie’s Crepe Cart, Skillet, Yankee Cajun and more. If you’re like me and want to browse the menus before you go, you can see reviews and sample menus for most of the food trucks here .

A few tips:
1) Go early.
2) Go hungry.
3) Bring plenty of cash. You never know what will catch your eye!

This post is part 3 of a 6 part series featuring Experience Columbus Days , which takes place Oct. 8-11. During that time, Columbus attractions offer 50% off (or in some cases, BOGO or free admission). Plus, the restaurants of Dine Originals Columbus offer 25% off your food bill for two people.

In this post, Kelly features some Experience Columbus days ideas that would be great for dates . Stay tuned for future posts in the series - we’ll be featuring Experience Columbus Days activities that are perfect for art fans, fun for kids and recommended for history buffs. You can also check out previous posts featuring outings that are great for groups and delicious dining options .

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Looking for a new date idea? There are some great options within the Experience Columbus Days discount offers. Several activities that are great for dates are highlighted below, so get planning. After all, nothing strengthens a relationship like sharing a new experience together. (more…)

This post is part 1 of a 6 part series featuring Experience Columbus Days , which takes place Oct. 8-11. During that time, Columbus attractions offer 50% off (or in some cases, BOGO or free admission). Plus, the restaurants of Dine Originals Columbus offer 25% off your food bill for two people.

In this post, Meg offers suggestions for how groups can make the most of Experience Columbus Days . Stay tuned for future posts in the series - we’ll be featuring Dine Originals restaurant suggestions , plus Experience Columbus Days activities that are great for dates,  perfect for art fans, fun for kids and recommended for history buffs.

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Do you ever have family coming to town and are wondering what to do and where to take them? Or do you ever think that you and your friends should venture away from doing “the usual” and go out and experience something different? Planning for a group outing can be fun, but it can also be a challenge. To make it easier for you, here are a few Experience Columbus Days suggestions that are great for groups: (more…)

One of our tour stops:
the Greener Grocer at the North Market

Columbus has a new way to experience some of our city’s great culinary offerings. Columbus Food Adventures launched in July and is owned and operated by Bethia Woolf, who runs three prominent Columbus food blogs.

Currently, Columbus Food Adventures offers three different tours that will expand your palate and leave your mouth watering: Short North Tour, Taco Trucks Tour and Alt Eats Tour (see the end of this post for details on how you can win one).

I was fortunate to be on one of the first Short North tours offered, along with my coworker, Scott. The tour began at the North Market at 11 a.m. and lasted a few hours. We walked a total of 1.5 miles and learned about the history of the area at specific stops on our route. (more…)