Richland County in north central Ohio gets its name from its superior soil. Not surprisingly, its towns have a lot to offer in the way of edible entertainment.
Downtown Mansfield's newest dining destination is the Twisted Fig Tea Room, a stylish locale that will do more to change the way you think about tea than the Sons of Liberty. "We actually get men in here," jokes owner Joyce Wells, who added the tea room to her existing bundt cake bakery, Eatmor Bundt Co., last fall. Twisted Fig serves loose-leaf teas imported from Germany, notable because of the country's stringent laws governing the processing of tea leaves. "Germany has the cleanest beer in the world, and it has the cleanest tea, too," says Wells. Twenty-one teas, a small selection of sandwiches and sweets, and a "buy it if you like it" policy for the teapot on your table are just a few reasons to stop in.
Down the road, you'll find the Squirrel's Den, a candy, nut and confection shop that sells more than 20 different types of popcorn and an unusual collection of squirrel paraphernalia.
Heading out of downtown to greener pastures, both Wayne's Farm Market and Malabar Farm Market strive to offer local and sustainable produce, dairy and meats from nearby farms. Both markets sell meat, but serious carnivores might be happier at Weidle's, a German butcher shop that's been in the neighborhood for more than 50 years. In addition to gorgeous ribeyes, pork roasts, sausages and deli meats, the shop sells a small selection of German and Austrian foodstuffs that you don't see every day.