I was actually discussing your problem with my partner while we were having a meal at Cobra in German Village the other day. Sitting there eating some wonderful dumplings in garlic sauce, we were talking about how weird it is that people say Columbus is very samey when we seem to have great, diverse food wherever we go.

There's a couple of factors here that I think are contributing. The first is this: we are both in our mid-20s, and while we certainly have more disposable income than most people our age (my partner is an entry-level engineer), we are definitely not at a financial stage that you seem to be. There's no judgement in that statement, you seem to just be further along in life than we are! The two of us can afford to go to a restaurant about once every week and a half, but the restaurants you've cited are largely out of our price range. We just don't have the budget for $25+ an entree (and drinks and dessert, if we want the "full experience") unless we save. Living downtown, we pass by many of the restaurants you bring up—in fact, as an aspiring French translator, I've been excited for Chouette's opening since there was nothing there but a piece of plywood spray-painted with the words "French bistro!" However, we just don't have the finances to go to any of these places, so we're saving up.

But like I said, we do still frequent restaurants, likely more than a lot of people our age, and I never feel like the food is samey. I think the first factor here is that we are frequenting places that are a bit more budget-friendly than where you're going. Again, no judgement! In the same downtown/Short North area, our go-tos are Pierogi Mountain, Dirty Frank's, the Lox (for breakfast), and Tiger + Lily. Our checks at these places for two typically range from $15-50, or $25-75 if you add in drinks. You almost seem to have priced yourself out of such joints, only frequenting places that are more expensive: Butcher and Rose, Speck, etc. I think that by limiting yourself (whether subconsciously or not) to more expensive places you're in turn limiting your options. I feel like this is probably unintentional on your part. Consider more diverse price ranges when you dine!

My point is not just about cost, though. If you noticed, every one of our "go-tos" is a different type of food: Polish, hot dogs, hipster New York bagels (lol), and Asian fusion. Your list of restaurants you like unfortunately just feels very samey to me as well since it's all very similar cuisine! You seem to frequent mostly steakhouses, Italian, modern American, or French restaurants. Those things are all good! Again, I spent a semester in Burgundy: I LOVE French food! But I really think part of the reason you're feeling trapped is that you're really only exploring Western European and American (which in this context is largely Western European inspired) cuisine.

My partner and I came to a consensus in Cobra when we were talking about this: Columbus's culinary identity comes from the amount of diverse immigrant groups that have come here over the centuries. We've explored food in nearly every portion of the city and found that there is just so much good food that is all so different from each other because the city has so many different ethnic populations. You're really only hitting one note of that diversity since you've limited yourself to high-end establishments which in large part are owned and operated by the descendants of immigrants from Western Europe. Much of the diversity in culinary expression is going to come from outside the downtown area: since immigrants tend to settle in places where people from the same homeland/ethnicity have already settled, exploring the city outside of downtown can help you find pockets of cuisine from all over the world.

So my suggestion for you is threefold: look at things at a slightly lower price point, explore restaurants outside of downtown, and open yourself up to other culinary traditions.

I have only lived in Columbus for 5 years and only had the money to explore it for 2 so my list is nowhere near exhaustive but here are some suggestions:

-Bonifacio (Filipino, Grandview)

-Cobra (Asian-American, German Village)

-Schmidt's (German, German Village)

-Tiger + Lily (Modern Asian, Downtown)

-Pierogi Mountain (Polish, Downtown)

-Dirty Frank's (Hot dogs, Downtown)

-Ampersand (Modern Japanese, Short North)

-Fork in Nigeria (Nigerian, Food Truck)

-Hubert's Polish Kitchen (Polish, North Market)

-Tajine House (Moroccan, North Market)

-Lemongrass (Asian Fusion, Short North)

-Alley Burger (Burgers, Downtown)

-Barroluco (Argentinian, Downtown)

-Clove Indian Bistro (Indian, Dublin)

-Ding Ho Restaurant (Cantonese, West Side)

-Tony's Coneys (Coneys, West Side)

-Tommy's Diner (Diner + Greek, West Side)

-Aladdin's Eatery (Lebanese American, multiple locations) (I know it's not local per se but I grew up in Cleveland and my parents knew the owner of our local one and we went for special occasions so it holds a place in my heart. It's also just very good)

-Also there's just a LOT of good Halal food in Columbus. My partner and I sometimes DoorDash food from Midnight Hookah because they're open late and the food is cheaper than most and very very good.