Eleven

September 12, 2013
It's funny I've lived here as long as I have and still have not hit some of the nearby restaurants that have been here for some time. Eleven on The Cap is one such place. I suppose I had avoided it because it looked a bit too swank or hip for my normal taste. And its proximity and affiliation with Hyde Park steak house biased me against it possibly because I assumed it would have few vegetarian options.

While that isn't so far from the truth, I found many tasty options on this comfortable evening. I arrived not long after 7 (Happy Hour until 6:30) and asked for a seat on the patio. The inside is definitely swanky in a loungy way, and I would definitely consider hanging out there in other circumstances. It has a warm wood glow to it.

I pulled up a high round table near the sidewalk, a position that opened me up to two homeless people within 5 minutes begging. They reminded me of the birds that hang out near restaurants because people keep feeding them. No matter, it was a nice venue to people watch on the sidewalk and under the portico.

And who should approach but Ben, the guy who lives upstairs whom I met once and told me he worked here! It was fortuitous, as I snagged a free dessert and he's a nice guy and a good server.

I started with the blueberry mojito, his suggestion and also a $5 Thursday night special. It was very tasty, sweet, blueberry and mint, and fresh. Alcohol was not overpowering, but was enough.

After a wait, my salad came up, fresh spinach and arugula $6 with the creamiest feta cheese, golden raisins, and balsamic vinaigrette. The raisins I could do without, but the dressing was very mellow with a hint of lemon and just right. It would have been better with nuts or almonds in place of the raisins. My only other complaint was that it was almost all spinach with almost no arugula, something I love. But that feta might have been goat cheese it was so smooth, but it had that distinctly salty flavor of feta. Still, 4.5/5

The pizza came next. I ordered the margherita, but the order got mixed up and I got the forest mushroom. As it turned out, this was not a bad thing, since it had all the fixings of the former, with added mushrooms and the spinach arugula salad on top. Well, I got my greens for the day and some, and Ben was apologetic. No harm no foul. (a sports reference?!) (I have no idea what sport it's from though, so don't worry). The mozzarella was house made and really chewy and tasty. The rest of it was plum tomatoes, fresh basil, olive oil, garlic, and a nice dry, chewy crust. Just the right size, though I saved three slices for later so I'd have room for dessert. 4/5

And I'm glad I did! Ben, to make up for the gaffe and just because he's an extra nice guy, brought me not just one piece of chocolate torte on the house, but two! I definitely needed to save the second piece for later. It was delicious! Dense, dark chocolate, smooth, sweet, with peanut butter sauce and raspberry reduction drizzle. Yes! I'm the biggest sweet tooth I know, and the only thing that might have enhanced this would be a scoop of Jeni's honey vanilla ice cream. I'm not complaining. 5/5 and amazing.

Dance music played from the speakers, people lounged on the outdoor couch chairs, and everyone was having a good time. I'll certainly be back.

Overall 4.5/5
(No website; leads you to Hyde Park, but I can't find a menu for Eleven there)

Marcella's

September 11, 2013
Wow, this was a great experience! I dropped into Marcella's, a restaurant I've always enjoyed, but never really hit that sweet spot until tonight. I arrived a bit after 7, was offered a window seat by the pleasant hostess, and began to peruse the menu. My server came up and was very personable, laid-back, had a sense of humor, and offered to double check on the vegetarianness of my options when I mentioned my status. http://shortnorth.marcellasristorante.com/

I started with the Sicilian Sting $9, a twist on a tequila that was very tasty and potent. Ironically, it's the last thing that arrived, so it might have been lost in transit, but soon after I mentioned it, it appeared. Jose Cuervo silver tequila, amaretto, homemade lemon sour, and chipotle honey syrup. It was the perfect drink for a hot evening. The lemon sour really made it. 4.5/5

While I had hoped the window/doors might be open, under the circumstances it's just as well. The atmosphere is great: peppy, noisy in a festive way, wood floors, brick walls with arches, circular marble tables with cast bases, tin ceiling (no doubt partly why it's so noisy), soft white globes of light, backlit bar/wall of alcohol, fans lazily turning overhead, and an oil light my server noticed was out and replaced.

I have to say, another thing the server did right was ask before refilling my water. There's nothing that bugs me more than servers who whisk away your glass and slosh water into it before you've even had a chance to see what's happening. I like to have the feeling I'm making some progress, and having a bottomless glass of water is just exasperating. I know, pet peeve.

Just as I was thinking, "Hm, some bread would be good" my server approached with a small basket of really fresh, chewy, flour-dusted white bread. I proceeded to pour some olive oil from the pitcherette and added some fresh ground pepper and salt for flavor. This was a great start and ended up filling me up nicely with the rest.

A kitchen staff member brought the wrong appetizer, but it looked good. Turned out it was for the next table, after we worked out our confusion. Soon after he brought the calabrese potato small plate and my sunchoke escarole salad. This was the perfect pairing for the night.

The potatoes $5 were really flavorful, lots of garlic, the cheese set it off, and the peppers added just the right edge. It is described: roasted red peppers, lemon, olives, parmesan reggiano. I would make this if I could figure out the right flavors. 5/5

The salad $6.50 is one of my favorites in town: sunchoke, escarole, golden balsamic vinaigrette, toasted almonds, pecorino romano cheese. Freshness! I could almost taste the sun still on the leaves. The dressing was bright and lemony, and the toasted almonds perfectly balanced the other flavors and textures. 5/5

Alternating all the palate pleasers made for a very enjoyable dining experience and I ended up the meal satiated and nicely full. And if you follow my lead, use your bread to sop up the leftover dressing from the salad and the sauce from the potatoes. Delicioso!

Then he asked if I'd like to see the dessert menu. Pretty sure I should stop while I was ahead, I figured it couldn't hurt to take a look. Then I saw the profiteroles and ventured that if it had been this good, a sweet ending might be just the ticket. $6

I was right! Man, those guys are something else: pistachio, chocolate and honey vanilla gelato sandwiched between three round eclairs/cream puffs. They were covered with a gooey rich, thick dark chocolate ganache and dusted with powdered sugar. So, just when I thought it couldn't get better, I was proved deliciously wrong. Run in and get these now! The server said they have their own pastry chef, and it shows. Yum!

Glowing inside, I meandered out the door and decided to take a leisurely walk around Goodale Park to walk off this meal while the hazy yellow crescent moon hung over Columbus this warm September evening.

Cameron Mitchell strikes again! 5/5

The Pearl

September 10, 2013
Working my way further south through the Short North, I found myself at The Pearl, Cameron Mitchell's latest incarnation. It has gotten rave reviews, but my first experience there a few weeks ago for brunch did not meet such enthusiasm. Tonight was much better. http://www.thepearlcolumbus.com/

Arriving soon after 7, I was afraid I was in for a wait, but the friendly hosts showed me to the oyster bar, where I could order anything from the regular menu. The place had a pleasant din and was quite busy.

My server was very pleasant and helpful. After looking over the menu and remembering that much of what appeared to be vegetarian wasn't, I told her I was a veggie and she was quick to offer options and talk to the chef. This proved to be most fortuitous, as what came was very tasty.

Before this I ordered a Palm Belgian Pale Ale, and agreed it was the right drink for this warm evening. At 5.4% and $6, its "light caramel malt with bakery quality" was just the right pairing for my savory bowl of yumminess. Beer 4/5.

She described it as a vegetable medley, and it was a combination of sides pirated from other meat dishes. The receipt describes: arugula salad (not in attendance from what I could tell), black bean stew (also hiding somehow), kimchee fried rice (tasty white rice, but couldn't put my finger on the kimchee), roasted cauliflower (delicious), and broccoli salad (not listed on the receipt). There were also roasted red peppers, capers, and a savory Thousand-Island-esque sauce, which was superior to the standard dressing.

The bowl was just the right size: filling but every bite kept the flavor moving forward instead of fading into the background. The sides put together cost $15, a reasonable price. I give it a 4.5/5.

I give them top marks for being willing to work with me and producing a great custom-made dish.

A word of warning to vegetarians: the brunch fried potatoes are fried in a mixture of seafood and meat oils, so not strictly veggie. Same for the cheese curds, darn it. The dumplings sound vegetarian but are made with vegetable stock. And I think she said the broccoli salad is usually made with something non-veggie, but they made it special for me.

The setting is compelling: tile floors, marble bar, medium lighting and candles, japanese rice-paper-like walls in the back. I had hoped for open windows/walls onto High St., but it was a warm evening, so the AC actually felt pretty good.

And you get a milk bottle of water and a mason jar to drink out of. A nice visit!

Overall a 4/5.

Lemongrass

September 5, 2013

I've been to Lemongrass many times before, but not recently. When I arrived I realized they had redone the inside. Gone is the more intimate feel and now there is a very spacious feeling. It's okay, but I was seated in the middle of the mostly-empty room and so felt a bit agoraphobic. The server was very personable and was training a new worker, so I felt a bit pampered. After looking over the menu I mentioned I was a vegetarian, and he brought me a whole veggie menu! Kudos for that, and it's enough to make me want to frequent them more often. There really were very many veggie options. http://www.lemongrassfusion.com/

Though I was perplexed as to why the Lemongrass soup was not listed on the vegetarian menu, when he insisted there was no meat stock or anything else in it. Well, next time. I ordered the corn soup, a kind of cream soup of sweet potatoes, celery, onions, corn, and carrots. It was good, but not as tasty as I'd hoped. A good dose of garlic would help it and something else...not sure. It came with one of those great fried biscuits that I was craving. It was hot enough heatwise to make my nose run, but the flavor was lacking, so 3.5/5.

 

The vegetable dumplings came next, filled with chives, carrots and ginger soy dressing. They reminded me of a savory mochi, kind of gummy but not necessarily in a bad way. Just not excellent. The sauce was very tasty and it all held together, but I don't think I'd get it again. 3.5/5

The veggie spring rolls were about as I expected: fried, filled with veggies, standard mustard and sweet sauces, shredded carrots. Not overly much, but it is an appetizer. Average. 3.5/5

Overall I'd say 3.5/5, though I know Lemongrass has been more impressive. On retrospect a salad would have been a good substitution for the spring rolls. Well, there's more to explore here.

Fabian's

September 4, 2013
So, Fabian's has a short and humorous story. I went with Candy many years ago to check them out and we were seated, given menus and ordered beers. The server came back, and Candy ordered something from the menu. "Yeah, we're out of that". She ordered something else. "Um, we don't have that either." I ordered something they were also out of and finally settled on the hummus plate. In exasperation, Candy ordered the grilled cheese. The server wasn't sure they could swing that and got the cook. His answer? "Well, I could throw some bread and cheese in the oven, but I can't guarantee how it will turn out"...Wow, really? We would have walked out then if we weren't already quaffing our much-needed beers. The hummus was mediocre. I guess we should have heeded the sign written in black marker on a napkin and taped to the window "Cook wanted" You don't say?

Tonight was a better affair, but not by leagues. The bartender was my server as it was pretty slow. He was nice enough in a detached, "I don't want to cramp your space, man" kind of way. I ordered a Strongbow cider, looked over the menu, and settled on the veggie deep dish pizza, what this place advertises as their specialty. Unfortunately it was after 8 and Happy Hour was over. That would have save me a couple bucks on the beer and $5 on the small ($13) pizza. Twenty five minutes later it came out, hot and heavy. The cheese was cheesy and stretchy, the sauce fine, the veggies finely chopped. It was fine, but not great. Green peppers were fresh, onions almost invisible, mushrooms fresh, black olives canned. The crust was dry and substantial, not deep-fried. I'll give it a 3.5/5.

There was something called Javi's Tortilla which sounds interesting, so I may be back for that, but I don't anticipate coming back anytime soon.

The place is kind of like a Short North college hangout. Wood floors, wood booths and tables, some neon, a couple sports TVs, dimly lit, brick walls. http://www.fabianspizza.com/

Overall 3.5/5