Alt Smoke

Another business shout out: Alt-Smoke on campus.
Lane, the dude who helped me out, said, "When you leave here today, you won't have any questions." And he was right. He answered every question I had about e-cigs, vapor, whatever you want to call it.
Cool thing about the place is you can try before you buy; there are 140 flavors to choose from, and complete starter sets for less than $40. A weeks worth of vapor is 6 bucks. 10% off on your first visit, and every $100 you spend (builds up over time, not all at once) you get 10 bucks off. 
All of the workers there are knowledgeable and friendly. I never felt any pressure to buy anything, and had all the time in the world to test out different flavors. I stayed away from the ones that tasted like tobacco; my favorites were Clearwater and Smarty Pants, both of which were sort of melon-y, but not too strong. 
One of the first questions they ask you is how many cigarettes you smoke in a day. They base their recommendation of nicotine levels off that, and guide you on how to decrease the dosage to zero. 
There are tables and chairs and people just seem to hang out there and chill. 
If you're interested in e-cigs or vaping, I recommend Alt-Smoke at 2460 N High Street. They are open from 10am-10pm seven days a week.

Ray Ray's Hog Pit

Ray Ray's Hog Pit is located on the corner on Pacemont and High street, in the parking lot of the Super Food Mart on Friday's Saturday's and Sunday's. The rest of the week, the trailer is hidden in a secret location known only to a chosen few.

I've been eating regularly at Ray Ray's for about 8 months now. It is my lunch on most weekends. I am currently the Mayor of Ray Ray's on Foursquare, and have been for some time. I love it. Everyone I know that has been there loves it. You should love it too.

The menu is simple, self explanatory, and with out pretension. There are three regular sandwiches; Beef brisket, pulled pork, and Carolina pulled pork. All three are amazing, but the Carolina is definitely my favorite of the three. The vinegar-based sauce is delicious, and the cole slaw slopped on the meat adds a creamy texture and counterweight to acidity.

Ray Ray's also occasionally offers specialty sandwiches like smoked turkey and most recently, burnt-end beef brisket. If you ever get the chance to eat the burnt-end brisket, you will slap your thigh and exclaim, "GAWD DAMN!" This is absolutely true. One of the best sandwiches I've ever had.

On Sundays, Ray Ray's sells a grain-fed beef brisket sandwich with a Dogfishhead Ale sauce (mustard based?) that will make your knees weak.

The ribs come in a sample size (3 ribs, split into 6) as well as half and full racks. There is literature posted on the side of the trailer about why the ribs are pink in the middle and how ribs are supposed to be cooked. It's all genius, and the ribs are some of the best I've ever had.

There are several different sauces available to choose from. Sweet BBQ, Jalepeno, and Habenero. All are wonderful, although everyone seems to have a favorite.

The sides are definitely worth mentioning too. The Mac and Cheese is absolutely killer - someone told me they throw it in the smoker (I don't know if that is a fact) and you can taste it. Possibly the best mac and cheese I've ever had that I didn't make myself. They also serve collard greens, cole slaw, and baked beans. The collard greens are good, a bit salty, but you'll have that.

Ray Ray's also has deserts in the form of banana pudding that is excellent. Drinks are glass bottles of ginger ale, birch soda, and mellow tea. Music is almost always reggae - and strangely doesn't seem out of place at all.

Prices are cheap for the serving size and taste-value of what you get. For example, the pulled pork sandwich is only $4 and you won't find a better one in Columbus.

Here is their Facebook page, which is updated with whatever they're cooking up for the weekend.

Scarlet and Grey Cafe Comedy Night

Scarlet and Grey Cafe is a campus institution that's been around for a while. 8 years, according to their website. Just a block North of Lane Avenue, the bar has cheap drinks, nightly specials, live bands, and on Tuesday nights, open-mic comedy.

Open-mic comedy is hosted by Cory Baxter; who looks like a cross between Lemmy from Motorhead and a redneck speed dealer. I'm sure this is intentional. He's pretty funny, especially his bit about doing meth his buddy found in an alley.

Comedy-wise, it's open mic, so it's generally piss-poor. Fat lady making fat jokes, Nerd making nerd jokes, random d-bags trying to tell jokes with no punch-line, etc. Now, while that is a very critical note, it takes a lot of courage to get up on stage and try to make strangers laugh at your jokes. I have a great deal of respect for ANYONE who has the balls to do open mic night.

Highlights were a girl whose name I can not for the life of me remember who told a rather funny suicide joke, and Bob Cook, who for all intents and purposes is the best comic in Columbus. He's a pro, and does these open mics as basically practice and to try out new material. Then there is The Devil. This old-timer has been around FOREVER. Before the comedy begins, he plays a one-man cover set under the pseudonym of Flatt Rascal. His covers are all about 30 seconds to a minute long, and he sings them ala Will Farrell pretending to be Robert Goulet. The Devil is a fixture at Scarlet and Grey Cafe.

Of special note was the bartender, Amber. Noteworthy not so much because she's pretty (okay, she's gorgeous) but because she is actually a good, if not great, bartender - on Campus, no less. The place was pretty crowded but she remembered my name immediately, she didn't let anyone wait for drinks, and she is friendly and talkative. You don't get that too often on campus, or anywhere for that matter, especially from female bartenders. Usually that kind of attention is reserved for regulars, but we had never met before and I haven't been to Scarlet and Grey in a year or so. Needless to say, I was pleased as punch with her service.

Tuesday nights also has $1 PBR and Miller Lite drafts as well as $2 well drinks. No cover charge, but they check IDs at the door. They also serve food, so you can have some munchies with your booze.

2203 N. High St.
Columbus, OH 43201
614.291.2347
Mon-Tue: 4p-2a
Wed-Sat: 4p-2:30a
Sunday: 5p-2a

St. James Tavern

St. James Tavern is an inconspicuous little bar on 4th Street and Detroit Avenue in Italian Village. I first came here when I was 21 or 22, but didn't really return until I was 24 or 25 (my polish brother, the legendary Brett (from foid, Hotel War, and Vietnam II: oOo! Shameless name-drop!), lived on  Detroit so we would walk to the bar frequently). There are two pool tables, chairs and tables all around, and a long bar with stools. They don't serve food, they don't have shitty cover bands, and (most importantly) they don't have a TV.

What they do have is great beer, great prices, atmosphere (something that is seriously lacking in most every other establishment in Columbus), and the best jukebox in the city.

However, all of that has been said by other people already. What is new? What hasn't been said about St. James Tavern yet?

• They specialize in imports and microbrews; especially the rarer high alcohol content ales. The Bourbon Barrel Stout is ridiculous.
• My friends and I got a nice special price on Beck's Dark because they were trying to get rid of them. Fine by me; I give those Hessian bastards a new home in my tummy!
• Three kegs of Affligem Noel are available in the city; St. James has two of them.
• The clientele is predominantly college hipsters; although a faithful older crowd of former college hipsters fills in the gaps on off-days.
• The place is dark. The lighting is kept to a minimum, but not to the point where you get squinty trying to strain your eyes. The music is loud, but not overbearingly loud. It creates a very intimate atmosphere even when the place is jammed with people.
• Wood covers EVERYTHING.
• There is graffiti in the men's room that says something along the lines of, "This isn't a ladies room; keep the seat up." 
• Speaking of the Men's room; it was stocked with soap and paper towels! 
• I know nothing of the Women's restroom except from the few, instinctive and unintentional peeks I got while playing pool at various visits. Dude's can't help that reaction. It's not that we're being pervy, it's just that the Women's room is like the last frontier for men; an unexplored mystery where women (who we are most interested in but can't seem to understand) seem to congregate (and, we think, to talk about us).
• Simpson's Pinball. That should be self-explanatory.

It seems as if it has been Winter, late Fall, or early Spring every time I've been there. I associate the place with visible breath, scarves, and floppy knit hats.

You can find St. James Tavern online on Facebook, Twitter, and their own website. Facebook and Twitter are updated frequently, so those are your best bet to find out what's on tap on any given day.