Eating Out

Who knew you could find a great sushi place among the many Columbia restaurants? Dining at Tsunami Japanese Restaurant at 700 Gervais Street in downtown. The decor is nice and the ingredients are always fresh. When you go, you have to try the tsunami roll. It is a mixture of fried white tuna with shrimp, crab, cucumber, red lettuce with barbecue and white sauce. Other good choices are the crunchy wasabi, dynamite, spicy calamari, phoenix, and the deluxe crunch. If sushi is not your thing, other options are shrimp and vegetable tempura, rib eye steak fried rice, and blackened salmon.

Vegans will make Blue Cactus Cafe their favorite place to eat. This Columbia restaurant's motto is "good food takes time....and we're real good." Using the "slow cook" method, customers can enjoy such spicy Korean and southwestern entrees as veggie beans, tofu burritos, vegetable fried rice, Korean tofu stew, and fried tofu sticks. If you eat meat, then you have several choices as well. Examples are spicy pork fried rice, stir fried seafood, ropa vieja, spanish chicken, and krab puffs. Be sure to try one of their over 200 bottles of hot sauces from around the world on your food.

If you are in the mood for fine Italian cuisine, stop by Al's Upstairs Italian Restaurant at 304 Meeting Street. This romantic Columbia restaurant is the perfect spot to take your special someone. Relax with a glass of wine while listening to music from their baby grand piano. Start your dining experience with proscuitto with goat cheese, stuffed mushrooms, crabcakes, or calamari. Entrees include shrimp fettuccine, spicy lobster medallions and shrimp, veal scallopini marsala, tilapia with capers and mushrooms, rack of lamb, and stuffed beef tenderloin. Reservations are recommended and can be made online at their website, alsupstairsitalian.com.

For a unique Thai dining experience, visit the Baan Sawan Thai Bistro. This Columbia restaurant offers dine-in or take-out, but take-out is only available until 8 p.m. They also offer beer and wine by the glass. Customers can enjoy such delights as tofu soup, calamari, seafood curry, three flavored duck, garlic and pepper sirloin, pad ginger chicken, green or red curry fish, curry tofu, shrimp spicy noodles, grilled shrimp, creamy hot and sour soup, and crispy chicken spring roll. To check out Baan Sawan's blog, go to baansawan.blogspot.com. There is a myspace and facebook page as well.

If you are looking to unwind with some a glass of wine, some good southern food, and some relaxing jazz music, then the Columbia restaurant for you is Blue Martini. Located at 808 Lady Street in the Congaree Vista District, customers can enjoy lunch favorites like shrimp & grits, tilapia & collards, seafood gumbo, shrimp creole, portabella mushroom ravioli, salt & pepper catfish, grilled chicken BLT, and fried green tomatoes. Dinner service offers pan seared scallops, tuna tartare, pecan crusted calamari, and grilled teriyaki salmon. Leave room for desserts like peach praline cobbler, key lime pie, and crème brulee cheesecake.

A BBQ buffet is a great deal, and Doc's Barbeque & Southern Buffet at 1601 Shop Road is just that. This is the Columbia restaurant where you can eat all the catfish, barbeque ribs, wings, and fried chicken you want. You can pile up on side dishes as well like black-eyed peas, collard greens, macaroni & cheese, and potato salad. If you have room for dessert, enjoy the homemade banana pudding. A fun fact is that Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has dine at Doc's and there is a picture of her there at their website, docsbarbeque.com.

Columbia has grown over the years. It's far more metropolitan than you'd first think. With that, a wide variety of restaurants have popped up, serving cuisine from all over.

The Free Times, Columbia's Alternative Weekly, has a huge section devoted to local eateries.