DINING

An over-the-top Bloody Mary is coming to East Market for National Eat What You Want Day

Bob Vitale
Columbus Dispatch
A whole bouquet of garnishes, from a hot wing to sugar-coated strawberries, accompanies 22 ounces of cocktail in the Market Mary, It's a collaboration of the market's Railhouse bar and 10 vendors.

Olives on a toothpick? Get real.

How about fried pork instead as a garnish for your Bloody Mary? Or a Belgian waffle. Or a chicken wing. Or a mini-taco.

Shall we go on?

How about all of the above? And more?

Ten garnishes − roasted, toasted, battered, deep-fried and sugar-coated − will grace a Bloody Mary that's coming next month to East Market. Perhaps grace is too delicate a word to use in this case, though. The smorgasbord on skewers is enough to dwarf even a 22-ounce mug of mixed drink.

It's just what a person celebrating National Eat What You Want Day on May 11 would want and expect.

The Market Mary is the brainchild of East Market operations and leasing director Aubrey Stevens, who said the May 11 special is also a celebration of the second anniversary for the venue, which is located inside a former trolley barn at 212 Kelton Ave. on the near east side. The cocktail-turned-buffet costs $42, and they're only making 50.

You need to order them in advance through Eventbrite. You'll get to raise your glass, if it's not too heavy, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the day they're made.

"A few years ago, before East Market opened, I kept seeing these over-the-top Bloody Marys on social media from out-of-town restaurants," Stevens said. "I couldn't find anything like it here in Columbus, and I thought this would be a great way to showcase all of our vendors."

Here's the entire menu-in-a-glass:

And wait, there's more. Drinkers/diners get to take home a mini-succulent from The Plant Gays, another East-Market vendor.

rvitale@dispatch.com

Instagram: @dispatchdining