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I think it is perfectly acceptable for those small, cheap, dive-y, family-owned, etc., places, where a bill is going to run you like $10/person, especially if it is clearly indicated with signage outside and inside somewhere. And particularly if there is an ATM on site.

As others have said, many of us use our debit cards for convenience or credit cards for point amassing purposes and don't make a habit of carrying much in case. Expecting someone to have $400 in cash seems ridiculous. When meals are that much, whatever the cc company's fees are can't put that much of a dent in profits.

Because all our guests were either taking the shuttle back to the hotel in a tiny town where everything closed early, or staying at cabins on site and would be too drunk to drive, we arranged to have 20 pizzas delivered from a local place right before the end of the reception. They were a HUGE hit!

That is definitely one way to get pizza into your wedding, but then again, our wedding was more laidback and rustic, so if you want to go for sophisticated and fancy, mini grilled or flatbread pizzas as an app sounds great!

i like a sweet potato/black bean mixture topped with overeasy eggs. also, lots of spicy indian dishes with lentils and veggies.

spice cake with cream cheese frosting!

I'm thinking exactly what winternutt is thinking. Triple XXX is a great greasy spoon diner - nothing like a plate of their biscuits and gravy at 4 am, or the Boilermaker Pete (cheeseburger with grilled onions).

I've never even HEARD of that soup place! The address I think it is in one of the newer developments that was built around my junior year, so it may not have been there yet, but still. Triple XXX! Or pizza at Boiler Market!

More of a tea drinker, which I keep in my desk at work. But when I "treat" myself to Starbucks, it is a tall soy *insert seasonal flavor* latte - pumpkin spice, gingerbread, peppermint mocha

for christmas the last couple years, i've made spicy sausage, egg, and cream cheese turnovers using puff pastry- and it is so good! the first time, i also didn't think about how much puff pastry i was using and we each ended up with double servings - so unhealthy, but so tasty!

+1 on the curry powder! I have a couple riffs on lentil soup - one kind of french, one indian, one middle eastern; i just change up the seasonings and the veg/aromatics/garnishes. i need more veg with a meal, so we add a simple mixed green salad tossed with oil/vinegar

Great Lakes Christmas Ale is definitely one of my favorites, along with Goose Island's Mild Winter Ale (which I now is a seasonal, not necessarily just Christmas). I grew up in Chicago and now live in Ohio, so I guess I like to keep it local.

@mhghatti - I keep seeying the Mad Elf on display and waffling on whether or not to try it. It sounds like it tastes like barleywine, which I don't like, but the fact that it costs twice as much per six pack of other microbrews has me intrigued. Along with that goofy looking elf. : )

If it's a more expensive place, we have too many other places we rarely get to try, so even meh food or service means we don't go back. More casual/midprice places will get a second chance if the service is mediocre or some of the food isn't good. But if both are way off, we won't go back for a second try.

Not sure what part of the Columbus area your mom is in, but the Dublin farmers market, which takes place on Wednesdays from 4:30-7 in a church parking lot in Old Dublin (161 just west of High St/Dublin Rd), has a stand called Gluten Free You and Me that sells gluten-free baked goods.

I am pretty much a water-only girl ... my body has a low tolerance for caffeine, and I'm hypoglycemic so can't do much sugary pop or juice. Well, plus alcohol a couple nights a week ; ).

BUT every now and then I get tired of it and want something different. In the summers, I've especially been enjoying iced tea made with Tazo's pomegranate green (decaf; although the regular has very minimal caffeine) tea. Refreshing and just fruity enough!

for a quick dessert in the fall, i'll throw together individual pear or apple crumbles - toss with lemon juice, cinnamon, and flour; top with a mix of oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter; stick in the overn til golden on top. yum!