Friday Food Bites: Columbus Arts Festival this weekend, Mandrake Rooftop opens

There’s always a lot happening in the Columbus restaurant world! Here’s the latest:

• This weekend is the Columbus Arts Festival! I’ll be working the Festival all weekend (make sure you follow along on Instagram @columbusartsfest). In addition to all the art, live performances, kid’s activities, there will be more than 30 food vendors serving everything from burgers and fried chicken to tacos, Filipino fare, even Nigerian eats. There’s also a beer garden dedicated to Rhinegeist beers, boozy slushies, lemon shake-ups, Graeter’s ice cream. And who can deny the fun of watching the guys at Island Noodles fry up giant woks of veggies and noodles?
• The owner of Veritas and Speck Italian Eatery (which is in the process of relocating from Delaware to downtown Columbus), announced a new concept in the space at 15 E. Winter St., where Veritas and Speck both started. Titled Cove, the forthcoming project is said to be seafood-centric.
• Chef Catie Randazzo will do a trio a pop-ups resurrecting some of her beloved dishes from her Challah food truck, starting on June 28 at The Jury Room.
• The new Mandrake Rooftop bar finally opened this week atop the Moxy Hotel in the Short North, at 808 N. High St. Mandrake is owned by the same owner behind TownHall on the lower floor.
• In case you missed it, Toro Meat Market opened at 1405 E. Dublin Granville Rd., in the old Carfagna’s space.
• 614 reported this week that the owners of Woodhouse Vegan will open a new plant-based concept in the Boxwood Biscuit Co. space at 19 W. Russell St. Boxwood closed in January.

This week I’m also writing:

• Old Favorites at New India Restaurant

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