I'm in Columbus OH for a week while opening a new J.Gumbo's in the area, so naturally, I am eating out every night in the search of Columbus best places to eat.
For those interested, I'll mini-review the places I am eating in the hopes that it will help other travelers in the area.
I am mostly dining in the Short North district (akin to Bardstown Rd.), very artsy, lots of boutiques, and many indie eateries.
Tuesday:
Betty's (
http://bettyscolumbus.com/)
Nice little bar/restaurant. Limited seating so get there early. Good, modern pub-grub with more attention to the kitchen than you might expect. We had the Plantain appetizer and Steve's Afternoon Delight. The plantains were exceptional (comparable to Havana Rumbas) and the salsa yogurt dipping sauce was the highlight. The Afternoon Delight was essentially a potato chip nacho platter (similar to, but better than, what Red Star offers).
My entree was the Tasso and Chicken Penne in a Parmesan cream sauce. The tasso dominated the dish, but overall it was rather good. My companions had the Hot Hot Chicken (chicken breast smothered in Franks Red Hot) and the Artichoke Gorgonzola Pasta. Both were well received.
The pricing is spot on. The decor is 100% classic pin-up art and very fun. Great atmosphere
Definitely worth a visit.
Wednesday:
The Rossi
http://www.rossibarandkitchen.com/Very nice, modern contemporary American restaurant with a strong bar presence. Atmosphere is exceptional. Smooth jazz piped in, warm lighting, soft seating.
I started with a signature cocktail: the Duck Blind. A dirty martini with pickled cucumber. A very unique cocktail and undoubtedly good for hanging at the bar, but is not friendly to the breath nor does it pair well with the menu. A very strong dill flavor dominates the drink. A disappointing note: there were still ice chips in my martini when it arrived...
My choice of appetizer was the Short Rib Enchiladas with avocado creme fraiche and black bean salsa. A very promising start, the enchiladas were cooked perfectly and the creme fraiche and salsa were exceptional accents.
For salad, I selected the Prosciutto-wrapped grilled Caesar. Very nicely presented heads of romaine wrapped in Prosciutto, grilled and drizzled with Caesar dressing. A nice interpretation of a traditional Caesar, but outside of the presentation nothing terribly new or remarkable here.
My entree was the Lobster Ravioli with asparagus and shallots in a tarragon cream sauce. The tarragon creme sauce was flavorful and worked well with the asparagus, however the lobster inside the raviolis was very dry and plain and I soon found out why: it's bought in, and most likely frozen at that. Overall, the sauce was not enough to carry the dish.
To my dismay the desserts are also bought in, so I passed. To be fair they are bought in from local bakeries that are of high quality, but also nearby, so if I wanted some I could just visit the respective shops themselves.
To top things off, for the quality of the ingredients and final product, the menu comes across as overpriced. I, a single diner, got out with a tab just under $50 (and thankfully only one martini on that bill). If you go to the Rossi, maybe have some drinks and an appetizer, but dinner plans may be elsewhere. A tip off may be that many of the patrons around me were ordering the House Cheeseburger...
Tomorrow night???