All good things must come to an end, right? Much like the circle of life, our Midwest tour ended right where it started... in Ohio.
We spent the remainder of the week unpacking, repacking, and tying up loose ends before our trip to South Korea. Not to mention a little last-minute cramming for our Korean placement test.
이름이 어떻게 돼세요? (What is your name?)
While in Ohio, we also got the chance to see Idina Menzel perform at Picnic with the Pops, part of an outdoor concert series that Columbus puts on every summer.
Seeing as how I'm a huge fan of Rent, Wicked, and Glee (yes, I'm kind of a loser like that) I was pretty excited.
This year Picnic with the Pops was moved to a new location downtown. We were accompanied by Patrick's parents, Bill and Sue, and his brother Dan.
The best part was that we could bring our own food and drinks at no charge. So of course we stocked up on just about everything, including wine, beer, fruit salad, cheese and crackers, hummus and pita chips, and fried chicken. Sue and I also enjoyed some lovely California rolls.
Another perk of Picnic with the Pops is that you can just lie back and watch the clouds roll by (or take pictures of yourself) while waiting for the show to start. In our case, the weather was conveniently gorgeous that day.
By the time Idina Menzel took to the stage, the sun was just starting to set. If memory serves me correctly, she started out with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and then transitioned right into "The Wizard and I" from Wicked.
Anyone who's ever heard Idina Menzel sing before knows that she has quite a powerful voice, and this concert was no exception. Of course standout performances for me were "Take Me or Leave Me" and "No Day But Today" from Rent...
(Not from the show we saw)
...and "For Good" and "Defying Gravity" from Wicked, which she closed the show with.
(Also not from the show we saw)
I must say it was quite a memorable night all around, filled with great entertainment, great food, and great company.
After the show, we stopped for some Graeter's ice cream, my first time trying this regional specialty.
Their ice cream is made using the traditional French pot process, which utilizes a gentle folding technique that prevents air from being whipped into the batter, resulting in an ice cream so thick and creamy that it has to be packed into pints by hand. According to Wikipedia, many connoisseurs have deemed it the "finest ice cream in the world."
Sue and I, who also happen to be ice cream connoisseurs, found it to be within our highest standards.
I ordered the butter pecan and am already wanting to go back!
On our last night, Patrick's parents treated us to dinner at Bel Lago to celebrate my upcoming birthday.
While we waited for a table, we hung out on the deck located on the upper level of the restaurant, overlooking a beautiful lake.
Awkward family photo time...
For appetizers, we ordered the bruschetta...
...and the calamari.
We also dined on this free bread basket featuring a number of different spreads. My favorite was the olive tapenade.
For my main course, I ordered the grilled salmon, which was beautifully presented with a horseradish beet puree and a dill-yogurt cucumber relish.
Patrick and Dan both ordered the Lobster Mac and Cheese.
Sue and Bill split the Bistecca Diavola, which was a penne pasta dish with steak and roasted red pepper cream.
Patrick instead opted for this Smiley cookie from Schneider's Bakery (I blogged about this place in my Columbus Christmas post).
Thanks for a wonderful birthday dinner!
Tomorrow we are headed to Uruguay so it looks like I will have to wait another week or so before updating you on our trip to LA and South Korea (and eventually Uruguay...) Until then... adios!
oo,
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