Report Card: Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse

Inside Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse

http://www.hydeparkrestaurants.com/

Overall GrubGrade A-

The Breakdown:

Atmosphere: Grade A-: We stopped by Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse in Worthington right as they were opening on a Friday evening. Inside and out, Hyde Park wears the colors of an upscale steakhouse with pride. Hyde Park also shows their Columbus pride with both their wall decorations and their Columbus-themed menu. It was quiet and not crowded when we arrived (that’s why we visited right when they opened), but there was definitely the start of a rush by the time we left. We really liked the way the tables were set up, which offered a modicum of privacy but still allowed us to see a large portion of the restaurant. Everything was clean and tidy, and the soft music playing in the background created a nice, romantic vibe. Our only issue with Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse, and it is a small one, is that there was nothing really unique about the décor, with the exception of the wall hangings. The inside just needed a little something to grab your attention.

High marks: Quiet, clean, traditional steakhouse décor, near-private seating

Low marks: Interior lacked something really eye-catching

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Service: Grade A: Our server, Michael, did a fantastic job. He gave us time to look over the menu and briefly described the highlights of the menu and features of the steaks, along with some suggestions which we promptly ignored (no offense intended – we just knew what we wanted). Michael was attentive and knowledgeable without being intrusive and coming across like he lived and breathed all things steak. We appreciated the nice balance, as well as the fact that Michael had both a personality and a sense of humor. Drinks came out with minimal delay, and once the food started to make an appearance, the pacing of the different courses was nearly perfect. Overall, this was a great service with no glaring issues, but there wasn’t that signature “above the call of duty” moment that we usually need to kick this score up to an A+.

High marks: Accurate, friendly, and nicely paced service

Low marks: Nothing – just no over-the-top “WOW” moment

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Food/Spirits: Grade B+: Let’s start, as we usually do, with the drinks. Katina ordered a drink called a Prairie Lemonade. The drink was quite sour and tart, and really needed to be a bit sweeter to be really enjoyable. This drink caught Katina’s attention because it contained pomegranate, but the overall tartness of the drink washed any hint of pomegranate away. I ordered a Blackberry Cider. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you should be familiar with both the nature of a cider and how it tastes. This was my first experience with a blackberry cider, and I have to admit I was greatly impressed. If only the rest of my meal tasted as good as my drink, Hyde Park’s overall score might have been stratospheric. The blackberry cider still had a nice apple flavor, but it also had a hint of blackberry on the back end that was very smooth. Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse had pretty standard appetizers on the menu, so we went with our standard selection: calamari. Hyde Park’s version of calamari contained both carrots and cashews, which was a first for us. Our normal instinct would have been to pick out those ingredients, especially the nuts, but we resisted the urge and ate the dish as-is. That worked out well, as the both the carrots and the nuts did not add much flavor but did give the calamari a nice, crunchy texture. The calamari was tossed in a well balanced sweet chili glaze that gave the dish just the right amount of heat. Katina ordered the crab cakes for her entree, and I opted for a steak called the Thad Matta Porterhouse. I should pause here and make the reader aware up front that this is the point in the meal when Katina’s experience and my experience diverged. Katina’s crab cakes were packed with large chunks of crab meat. They were moist, and the sauces that came with the crab cakes were delicious. Katina attacked the spicy mustard sauce and the red pepper aioli with equal abandon, pausing occasionally to inform me that the spicy mustard had a pretty substantial kick before she dipped her next piece of crab cake in the mustard and continued to chow down. The Thad Matta Porterhouse, however, was a complete disaster. First, it wasn’t the best cut of meat. It somehow managed to be fatty yet tough at the same time. I’ve had worse cuts of meat, but there was no way this porterhouse was worthy of the $44 price tag. Despite the poor cut, the steak was cooked to the temperature I had requested. I might have been able to get over the texture of the beef and enjoy the steak if not for the sauce. The sauce that was drizzled over the steak was wretched. I would have much preferred my steak naked. To me, the sauce tasted what I imagine under arm sweat and unwashed feet would taste like. I was quite disappointed. We opted for the lobster mac and cheese for our side. Again, this is the tale of two perspectives. Hyde Park’s version of this popular side dish had a generous amount of sliced onions. Katina loves onions – she’d eat them on almost anything. Maybe it’s her way of getting out of having to kiss me, but she will often take my onions and add them to her own to make whatever dish she’s eating extra oniony. I like the flavor of onions, but hate the texture. I need my onions finely diced so I can taste them but not feel them. Nothing grosses me out more than biting into something and getting a mouthful of slimy, booger-like onions. So the mac and cheese was out for me, and Katina got to eat the whole batch. Thank God this was the only version of lobster mac and cheese that had onions in it – and hopefully it stays that way. So to sum up, Katina’s crab cakes were the 2^nd best she’s had (Columbus Fish Market has the best, in her opinion) and the 2^nd best lobster mac and cheese behind Eddie Merlot’s. I had one of the worst steaks I’ve eaten, and in my opinion the lobster mac and cheese was nightmarish. I have to believe that the steak was an anomaly and my aversion to onions is unique to me and makes me the charming dude that I seem to be. So Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse gets a B+ based primarily on Katina’s experience, ’cause I’d have D’ed them up otherwise.

High marks: Blackberry cider, lobster mac and cheese (I guess), crab cakes

Low marks: Almost everything I put in my mouth

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Value: Grade B: While not the most expensive steakhouse we’ve visited, Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse wasn’t the best either. As is the case with most premium steakhouses, the price tag for dinner was high, but you’re paying to be pampered a little on top of your meal. I won’t be back, but maybe somewhere in the distant future Katina can take hubby number 2 there there to eat.

High marks: Price was what you’d expect from this type of establishment

Low marks: For the price, both of us should have been satisfied

Report Card: Amerigo Italian Restaurant

Amerigo Italian restaurant

Home

 

Overall GrubGrade A-

The Breakdown:

Atmosphere: Grade A-: After our knockout first evening in Nashville at Burger Republic, we were pretty excited to try some Italian food. Katina chose Amerigo Italian Restaurant, and she hit it out of the park. When we arrived, Amerigo’s wasn’t too busy, and we were sat in a table near the back of the restaurant. That allowed us to get a nice look at the décor of the restaurant on our way through. With the muted lighting and the dark wood paneling, Amerigo’s had a nice romantic vibe going. Add to that our server with her European accent, and we starting to border on exotic. There were no other diner’s in the area where we were sitting, so we felt as if we had the restaurant to ourselves. We found Amerigo Italian Restaurant to be very nice and bordering on the upscale, but it was just missing that something that made you feel like you were going to have an awesome dining experience.

High marks: Almost everything

Low marks: Pretty much nothing

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Service: Grade B+: We dined at Amerigo’s a little over 2 months ago. Unfortunately, we don’t remember anything specific about the dinner service except that our server had a lovely accent. The fact that we do not remember the service means two things: there was nothing wrong with the service and there was nothing special about it, either.

High marks: Nothing wrong with service

Low marks: Nothing overly special or memorable about service

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Food/Spirits: Grade A-: Katina behaved herself on this occasion and just ordered iced tea to drink. I, on the other hand, selected the Turtle Anarchy Portly Stout for my beverage. It was dark and creamy with a slight bitter finish. I found the beer to be very sessionable and found it to be one of the better new beers I’ve samples recently. For an appetizer, Katina and I shared an order of calamari. The calamari was lightly breaded and served with an excellent pesto dipping sauce. Amerigo’s was the first restaurant we’ve been to in months to nail the calamari. I also ordered the soup of the day, which happened to be homemade chicken noodle soup. Katina tasted the soup as well, and then proceeded to help me finish it. The soup was an excellent and unexpected surprise. The soup had an almost rustic flavor with an excellent broth and a ton of shredded chicken. It wasn’t thick, but it tasted thick (if that makes sense). The soup would have been perfect if there were a few more homemade noodles in it. But this was one of the best soups either of us have had, and definitely the BEST chicken noodle soup we’ve ever tasted. For entrees, Katina ordered the veal marsala and I ordered the 5-layer lasagna. Katina felt like the veal marsala had really good flavor. The veal marsala was nice and saucy (just like she prefers it) and she really enjoyed the homemade noodles. The noodles had a thicker texture and were almost dumpling-like. The marsala sauce had a great flavor with a real heartiness to it. Katina did feel like she could have used more noodles in the dish, but otherwise it was an excellent dish. The 5-layer lasagna wasn’t the best lasagna I’ve ever had. It was good, though. I found it to be a little too soupy for lasagna, but my real issue with the dish was how hot (temperature-wise) it was served. I could have gotten a similar experience eating a spoonful of lava. I do not understand how any normal human being could have been expected to eat that dish without lighting their mouth on fire. It would have been a little more tolerable if the lasagna would have been cooked 10 minutes before the rest of the food.

High marks: Noodles were excellent, excellent beer, spot on calamari, best chicken noodle soup ever

Low marks: Lasagna was more like lava than pasta

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Value: Grade B+: We didn’t have to take out a third mortgage to pay for our dinner, and the quality for most of the meal was above our expectations. If you live in Nashville, or you plan on visiting, Amerigo Italian Restaurant should be at the top of your list, especially if you have a craving for some pasta.

High marks: Superior quality

Low marks: Not the cheapest meal around (but worth it)

 

Report Card: Columbus Brewing Company

Columbus Brewing Company in downtown Columbus

http://www.columbusbrewingco.com/

 

Overall GrubGrade A-

 

The Breakdown:

 

Atmosphere: Grade B-: Before we officially get into talking about Columbus Brewing Company (CBC), we would like to point out that in addition to myself and Katina giving our opinions on the experience, our daughter, Morgan decided to not only grace us with her presence, but she also piped in with some really good observations. Columbus Brewing Company can be a little hard to find, so if you’re en route and feel like you might have missed it, keep going. I always feel like it’s just past where it should be, if that makes any sense. Morgan thought it looked better on the inside than outside, and we have to agree. But, the outside isn’t bad, even though Morgan thought it looked like a car service station. The inside was clean and decked out with fairly contemporary décor. Our previous experience with Columbus Brewing Company is that it can get pretty crowded since 1/3 of the interior seems to be devoted to the massive bar, which only allows for limited seating. You can see the fermenting vats through the glass along the back wall, which is pretty neat. And, much to Morgan’s delight, the restrooms were clean and elegant – she was amazed they had lotion in them. We visited Columbus Brewing Company on a Saturday for brunch. This was our first brunch at CBC, although we’ve eaten there for dinner service on a number of occasions. It was pretty busy, so the place was just a touch noisy. CBC should have gotten at least an A in this category, but they made a crucial error. When we arrived, the hostess was folding some T-shirts and rummaging around (I am assuming she was looking for a particular size for someone). She did not acknowledge us at all, so we stood there for 5 minutes waiting for someone to notice us. Finally, a passing server seated us. The hostess should have delegated that responsibility quickly to someone else once she figured out she wasn’t going to be able to take care of us while she folded the laundry. Contact with the hostess is the first contact diners have with the restaurant staff, usually, and therefore sets the tone for the entire experience. That little faux pas cost CBC at least a letter grade, and is probably the only reason their overall grade wasn’t in the A range. Don’t worry, we will definitely be back to grade a dinner service, as our previous experience with CBC had been exceptional.

High marks: Contemporary décor, elegant restrooms, clean and spacious

Low marks: Service station-like exterior, ignored by hostess

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Service: Grade A: We included the issue with the hostess in the atmosphere category because it set the tone for the experience and we didn’t want to penalize our server if they turned out to be really good. We are glad we made that decision, because Emily, our server, was able to quickly get our experience on track. Emily was personable and attentive without hovering, which is a nice skill to have. She even brought me a sample of a stout beer they had just tapped, and I didn’t even have to ask her for it. Food came out at a nice pace, and there were no errors with the service. We would wager that Emily would probably knock out an A+ service if we would have been there for dinner. Her opportunities to wow us were a little limited since we were there for brunch.

High marks: Personable, accurate, and quick service

Low marks:   Wish it would have been dinner service so she could really impress us

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Food/Spirits: Grade A-: From previous experience, we know that Columbus Brewing Company is home to the best appetizer that we’ve had so far. Of course we had to order it, but since Morgan was with us and has an unhealthy infatuation with pretzels, we had to get two appetizers. We opted for the Wood Fired Pretzel Bread and the Hot and Sour Fried Calamari. The pretzel bread was awesome. It came with both a creamy cheese sauce and a yellow mustard sauce that had a nice little kick to it. The pretzels themselves were warm and soft. The Hot and Sour Fried Calamari, which has always been our consensus pick as the best appetizer we’ve tasted to date, was disappointing. The sauce, which is nice and thick and sour with a spicy kick, was served on the side. Previously, the calamari was tossed in the sauce. Our advice for CBC is to go back to tossing the calamari. Plus, the chunks of calamari were a little tough, so they probably weren’t quite cooked to perfection. The dish also came dressed with chunks of what looked like oranges, which really did nothing but make some of the breading on the calamari soggy. Katina and Morgan both drank iced tea, but I wasn’t going to a brewery without getting a beer or two. I started with CBC’s Razz Wheat, which was a wheat beer with a hint of raspberry flavor. It has a sweet flavor but was well balanced. After finishing that beer, I selected the Plaid Ferret Scottish Ale by Weasel Boy Brewery in Zanesville, Ohio. It arrived in what looked like a glass beer can, which was neat. The beer itself was very dark brown. It was smooth and slightly bitter with a touch of sweetness. Overall, it was much milder than the color would suggest. It was a really excellent beer. Katina ordered the Orange Glaze Salmon for her entrée. She felt like the salmon portion was a little small. The glaze was tasty but not too sweet. She thought the sticky rice had good flavor and a bit of sweetness, but needed a little more sauce. I ordered the Cajun Jambalaya. It came with a robust sauce that had just a bit of kick to it. The entire dish was perfectly cooked and surprisingly meaty. I usually find jambalaya thin on the meat and heavy on everything else, but this version had more than enough meat. There was plenty of chicken, shrimp, salmon, and Andouille sausage to make the dish almost perfectly balanced (though I could have used more sausage since it’s my favorite). Here’s where we hit the pleasant surprise during the meal. Morgan selected the Chicken and Waffles, and by the end of the meal Katina and I wished we would have ordered the same thing as Morgan. The chicken came with a cornflake breading, and Morgan ate the chicken breast so fast we’re not sure how much she tasted it. She did comment that it was a little salty but she thought it was delicious. This was her first chicken and waffles, so she didn’t realize the chicken and waffles were supposed to be eaten together. The waffle itself was perfect, with just a hint of vanilla in the mix. Then the kitchen staff at CBC decided to top the waffle with honey butter and maple syrup. Morgan couldn’t tell where the butter ended and the syrup began. The waffle tasted sweet, and the butter and syrup just enhanced it. You could sauté a boot in honey butter and slather it with maple syrup like that found at CBC and I’ll eat it and ask for seconds as I choke down the shoelaces. Absolutely amazing — this now gives us more reasons to hit CBC when we’re downtown.

High marks: Chicken & waffles = heaven, good beer, good jambalaya   

Low marks: Calamari not as good as on previous visits, salmon portion a little small

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Value: Grade C+: Again, this category holds the least amount of weight in determining the overall grade. Columbus Brewing Company had high quality food, and you get what you pay for. We found brunch to be a little more expensive than we expected, but we highly recommend you go to the Columbus Brewing Company for brunch. And get the Chicken and Waffles for Pete’s sake.

High marks: Great quality

Low marks: A little pricey

Report Card: Molly Woo’s

Welcome

 

Overall GrubGrade A-

 

The Breakdown:

 

Atmosphere: Grade A: Molly Woo’s might have received an A+ in this category if it wasn’t located in a mall. On the inside, Molly’s is clean and spacious (despite the mall location) and the décor is suitably Asian. You’d be really hard-pressed to find any Cameron Mitchell restaurant that isn’t clean and really well-maintained. We visited on a Friday at around 5pm, and even though there were plenty of diners, the place was pretty quiet.

High marks: Clean, spacious, appropriate décor

Low marks: Mall location

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Service: Grade A-: We’re not going to mention our server by name, mainly because we were served by the “bar team.” We usually avoid this scenario if possible because usually the service suffers due to a lack of focus from the bar staff. We were quite pleased, however, by the service we received by the bar staff at Molly Woo’s. We didn’t always have the same server come to wait on us, but the staff must speak to each other, because other than physical appearance you would have thought we had one server since the service was smooth and flowing. Our drinks and food all came out after normal wait times and there were no errors.

High marks: Accurate, friendly, good service

Low marks:   Multiple servers prevented any real engaging

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Food/Spirits: Grade A-: Katina started with a drink called Godzilla, which she followed with a drink called a Kiwi Cooler. Both drinks had a tropical feel to them – the kind of drinks you’d enjoy at the beach. The Godzilla was not very strong tasting, and it went down faster than a bunch of Tokyo natives fleeing from the monster that shares a name with the drink. The flavors of citrus and midori were easily detectable. The Kiwi Cooler was a bit stronger, but still really good. It had a (and I am quoting Katina here) “yummy strawberry-kiwi taste.” I settled on a couple of Tsingtao’s. I’m not a huge fan of Asian beer, mainly because it all tastes the same. I mean I like those beers…they’re a nice change, but I couldn’t live off of them. We selected the Kung Pao calamari for our appetizer. We’ll be honest, we only selected it because it was on the happy hour special list. At this point in the game, you have to have some pretty special calamari to impress us. We were really interested in the sauces that came with the calamari: a ginger ponzu sauce and sriracha mayonnaise. The calamari was well done and the sauces were nice, but nothing about the dish really stood out. For her entrée, Katina ordered the Honey chicken, and I selected the Garlic chicken. The chicken in the Honey Chicken was crisp, and the sauce was sweet thanks to the honey but it still had a bit of a kick to it. Katina has ordered extra sauce (see previous rant/post about tipping) which she felt made the difference. I found the Garlic chicken to be pretty tasty, but I did not find it spicy like it was advertised to be, not could I detect much garlic flavor in the dish. I could detect a soy sauce type of flavor and the sauce was definitely salty like it was made primarily from soy sauce. The dish did not taste anything like I expected, but it was still really tasty.

High marks: Tasty, tropical cocktails, tasty Honey Chicken           

Low marks: Calamari was good but not great, Garlic chicken did not taste like advertised

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Value: Grade B+: We spent right about what we expected to at Molly Woo’s. No doubt the fact we got our drinks and appetizer as happy hour specials helped with the price. Portion size was pretty good, and both Katina and I took some food home for the next day (on a side note, the leftovers didn’t seem to take reheating very well). Quality was also really good. Just so you all understand how we approach the value category, a B or B+ means we think the price is right where it should be for quality and portion size, and we usually recommend restaurants that score in this range. To get an A, we have to be surprised by how low the total is on the check. For an A+, we pretty much have to think the server made a mistake and forgot to ring in half of our meal. So, it’s pretty hard to score above a B+ in this category, and as such, we are really comfortable recommending Molly Woo’s.

High marks: Good portion size and good quality

Low marks: Leftovers did not reheat well

Report Card: Buca di Beppo

Buca di Beppo

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Report Card: Buca di Beppo

 

Overall GrubGrade B-

 

The Breakdown:

 

Atmosphere: Grade B-: We like Buca di Beppo. It’s close to home and it’s a really great place to meet a bunch of friends for dinner. But if we’re looking at the place objectively, it’s a bit of a mess on the inside. On the outside, Buca di Beppo looks a bit like a cross between a restaurant and a big, red barn. On the inside, expect some cheesy Italian music over the speakers and wall décor that looks like it might have come from the mind of someone in a full-blown manic state. There are tons of pictures and other wall decorations, as well as some rather dorky Italian-looking props. Sometimes, the hostess will take you back through the kitchen on your way to your seat, which is kind of neat. We would also suggest tying a string to the front door and unspooling it as you’re shown to your seat – the interior is like a maze. We’d have for anyone to become MIA trying to find their way back from the bathroom.

High marks: Big, clean, potential brief tour of the kitchen

Low marks: Confusing layout, seizure inducing wall decor

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Service: Grade B: We’ve been to Buca di Beppo a few times, and historically the service is always good. Because food is served family style, the restaurant lends itself better to large parties instead of just a couple of people eating together. This is probably why we wouldn’t call the service amazing, since servers are usually trying to juggle the needs of large parties. That being said, there was nothing wrong with the service. Our server, Dani, did a nice job taking care of us, but the service was fairly formal and stiff. She did spend an extra couple of minutes showing Katina some of the advanced features on her novelty glass that came with her peach bellini. When we visited, there were hardly any other diners there, so there should have been a real opportunity to engage us, but other than the glass tutorial, the service was pretty forgetful. It is important to mention that the silverware might possibly have been the dirtiest eating utensils we’ve ever received at a restaurant, and it took a little too long for our first drinks to arrive, which prevented Buca from scoring higher in this category.

High marks: Solid service

Low marks:   A little stiff and formal considering the environment, filthy silverware

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Food/Spirits: Grade B: We started off with calamari, which was good. The size of the rings were perfect and cooked nice and crispy. The calamari came with a fairly spicy dipping sauce compared to other calamari we’ve sampled. Katina ordered a peach bellini which came in a ridiculous novelty glass (or cup, since it was plastic), but the drink itself was okay. I opted for a Sam Adams because like most Italian restaurants I’ve visited, the beer selection at Buca di Beppo is a little sparse. For our entrée, we ordered a dish called Quattro al Forno. The food at Buca di Beppo is served family style, and for those of you not familiar with that term, it means that the dishes are designed to be shared by multiple people. So if you visit, make sure you’re going with someone who you can agree with on your entrée. We ordered the Quattro al Forno because it was composed of samples of four other dishes: cheese manicotti, cheese ravioli, stuffed shells, and chicken cannelloni. The cheese ravioli was pretty bland, but the cheese manicotti and stuffed shells more than made up for it. The cheese manicotti was simply delicious, and the stuffed shells had just a bit of a spicy kick to them. The chicken cannelloni was also quite tasty, and the dish was perfect for the indecisive diner. We thought the portion size was a little small for a dish meant to be shared. We took a pepperoni pizza home for our daughter. The pizza was covered with salami sized pepperoni, and it was good, but nothing special.

High marks: Good calamari, tasty chicken cannelloni, stuffed shells, and cheese manicotti          

Low marks: Anemic beer selection, bland cheese ravioli, ordinary pizza

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Value: Grade C-: Buca di Beppo has changed their menu to allow you to order portion sizes for just a couple of people, or for a group of people. However, I am not sure the pricing has been adjusted for just a couple of people. A fairly simple pepperoni pizza for $17.99 (that’s for a small) seemed a little steep considering the pizza wasn’t a blockbuster. For an appetizer, a couple of drinks, and an entrée you’re going to drop north of $50 to $60, and that seems a little steep considering the portion size of the dish we selected. Quality was really good, but just south of excellent. Buca di Beppo is definitely a place everyone should try, but we think it would be more enjoyable for a large group of people or family members (somewhere in the range of 4 to 8 people).

High marks: Novelty aspect to dining experience great for a group

Low marks: Portion size a little small for price and overpriced pizza

 

Report Card: Ashland and Highland

Ashland & Highland in Dublin, Ohio

http://ashlandandhighland.com/

Overall GrubGrade B

 

The Breakdown:

 

Atmosphere:  Grade B+:  Ashland & Highland, in Dublin, is a fairly new restaurant.  It’s new enough that my car’s nav didn’t even think the road it is located on was finished.  I thought that my car wasn’t the only one that didn’t know where it was located when we arrived, as the place was pretty much empty.  We were a little early for the dinner crowd, and that was illustrated by the growing number of diners that were arriving when we left.  Decorated like a slightly upscale sports bar, Ashland & Highland even smelled new.  The smell was hard to describe, but it was reminiscent of a new car smell, but a little different.  Table spacing seemed adequate, but it would be hard to tell for sure with the sparse population of diners present.

High marks:   New, clean, quiet

Low marks:   So new it might be a little hard to locate

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Service:  Grade B:  Our server, Rob, seemed a little distracted when we first arrived.  However, he seemed to snap out of it once we had a couple of interactions.  We did drinks, appetizers, and a main course and it all came out within a reasonable amount of time.  It also seemed as though every time I started to look around the place to get his attention, he magically appeared.  Our service was friendly and accurate, and once Rob focused on the task at hand, he had a pleasant personality that put us at ease.

High marks:  Accurate, friendly service

Low marks:   Took server a little while to warm up to us

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Food/Spirits:  Grade B:   I usually take notes on my phone about the food and service, but I recently swapped phones and lost my notes, so the discussion of food in this case will be from memory.  That pretty much sucks for all involved since my memory is shot, but we’re going to do it anyway.   Katina ordered some sangria and a drink called Rooftop Punch.  I selected the Rogue Dead Guy ale, which I have had a few times recently and already described, so we’ll skip that part.  As for the sangria, it was good, but Katina is somewhat of a sangria savant and while she enjoyed it, she has had better.  The Rooftop Punch was very fruity and refreshing, and definitely the better of the two drinks.  For our appetizer, we ordered the calamari.  Other than the fact there were more tentacles than rings (Katina hates the tentacles, so I have to eat them), there was nothing about the calamari that was memorable.  For her entrée, Katina ordered the lobster mac and cheese.  Again, this was a dish she enjoyed, but after dining on the lobster mac and cheese at Eddie Merlot’s, we’ve found it almost pointless to eat it anywhere else – Eddie’s has set the bar too high.  I ordered the ribeye, which was cooked really well but was lacking seasoning.  If I find the need to ask for steak sauce with my steak, then usually that means the dish is lacking.  A really great steak should require nothing else but a fork and knife to eat.  But what the steak lacked in flavor it had in texture and tenderness.  I ordered my steak medium well, but I think the steak that got delivered to me was more on the well done side.  There should just be a smidgen of blood mixed in with the other steak juices if the meat is truly cooked to medium-well, but there was no blood to be found.  That did not detract from the steak’s texture, though.

High marks:   Very tender steak, decent drinks 

Low marks:   Lackluster calamari, steak was under-seasoned

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Value:  Grade B-:   We spent slightly less than I thought we were going to spend, considering I ordered a decent sized steak and Katina and I had plenty of drinks (we were kind of celebrating).  The quality of food was good but not exceptional, and portion size was adequate but not generous (we left full, but no doggy bags required).  While we probably won’t make a special trip back to Dublin to revisit, my would probably stop by again if we were in the area.  If you happen to be in Dublin, you should give Ashland & Highland a try – they were pretty good, and will probably only get better with time.

High marks:   Reasonable price considering drinks and steak

Low marks:  Portion size just adequate

Report Card: Easy Street Cafe

Easy Street Café in downtown Powell

http://theeasystreetcafe.com/

Overall GrubGrade  A-

 

The Breakdown:

 

Atmosphere:  Grade B:  We really didn’t know what to think when we arrived at the Easy Street Café in Powell.  This was our first dining experience in downtown Powell, and at first I thought we made a wrong turn somewhere.  Easy Street Café looks more like someone’s house from the outside – it even has a front porch.  On the inside however, we found the throwback décor charming.  The restaurant was very clean and there were movie and musical posters on the walls.  Easy Street Café is definitely a restaurant that has a second job as a bar, with the bar along one wall seeming almost like an afterthought.  The tables were nicely spaced, and the place seemed much bigger on the inside than it did on the outside.  The main drawback was the parking lot, or lack of one.  But that’s not a real surprise for any restaurant that located in any downtown. 

High marks:  Clean, nice décor, big interior

Low marks:   Might drive right by it since it looks like a house, parking was horrendous

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Service:  Grade B:  Our server, Jennie, was very pleasant.  Overall, the service was okay.  All of our needs were met without any heavy-handed hovering.  There was a slight mistake in Katina’s order, but Jennie had it corrected right away.  Our food came out quickly (even the re-fire of Katina’s dish) and Jennie put out a laid back vibe that put us at ease.

High marks:  Good service, minimal wait

Low marks:   Small mistake made with one entree

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Food/Spirits:  Grade A:  Katina ordered a Dragon Berry mojito to wet her whistle.  It was good, but certainly not the best she’s had.  Katina felt it was a little light on the “berry” flavor.  I selected a Rogue Dead Guy ale, which I’ve described in a previous report card.  It was, of course, tasty – which is to be expected since I try to avoid ordering beers that I do not like.  We decided on the calamari for an appetizer.  The calamari at Easy Street Café is a prime example of something tasting much better that it looked.  Usually, when you order calamari, it comes with one or two sauces for dipping.  The calamari at Easy Street Café came with something called Louisiana sauce, which wasn’t really a sauce but more of a paste.  It didn’t look very appetizing, but it tasted great.  It had the perfect amount of heat – just enough to make your nose run a little.  For her entrée, Katina ordered the Cajun Chicken Gyro and I selected the Cheech and Chong Burger.  The Cajun Chicken Gyro was not spicy as the name would suggest, but it did have a nice flavor and was well-seasoned.  Katina thought the gyro was suitably messy, but it was a little heavy on the lettuce, which made it a little off-balanced.  The Cheech and Chong Burger is Easy Street Café’s take on the chili cheese burger.  It was just about perfect.  The jalapenos added just the right amount of heat, and it was undoubtedly the least messy chili cheese burger I’ve ever eaten.  The melted cheese held the chili in place on the mammoth patty.  The Greek fries were nicely seasoned and very interesting.  It is really hard to make a fry that is memorable, but Easy Street Café pulled it off.

High marks:  Louisiana sauce, Greek fries, perfect chili cheese burger (Cheech and Chong burger)           

Low marks:   Cajun Chicken Gyro not spicy, too much lettuce in gyro

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Value:  Grade A+:   We feasted.  And even though we didn’t have any left overs, portion size was good.  Throw in the fact the food was of really good quality and we had some adult beverages, the $40 total on our bill seemed more than reasonable.  We highly recommend you stop by for a visit.

High marks:   Good portions, good food, low price

Low marks:   None

Report Card: J. Alexander’s

One of the fine steaks and fries at J Alexander’s

Home

Overall GrubGrade A

 

The Breakdown:

Atmosphere:  Grade A:  Many people would look at J. Alexander’s and not pay too much attention.  With a nearby Hyde Park and Ruth Cris, it is easy to look past J’s when considering an upscale dining experience.  If you’re one of those people, then you’re making a huge mistake.  The décor is upscale but not pretentious – you know that you’re eating someplace really nice but aren’t embarrassed that you wore jeans.  This is our type of place.  The interior was very clean, and the booths had really nice, high-backed seats that allowed for some privacy even though other diners were seated nearby.  J. Alexander’s gives off a real comfy vibe.

High marks:  Upscale, comfy vibe, clean

Low marks:  Easy to miss or overlook because of bigger, more pretentious neighbors

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Service:  Grade A+:  On this visit to J. Alexander’s, our server’s name was Erin.  If we were on the fence about whether we liked the place or not (and we were most certainly NOT on the fence), then Erin pushed us over.  She was very personable and self-deprecating.  We felt like we had gone to college with her and we were being served by an old friend.  Erin was very engaging and had us laughing at some of her stories.  Plus, the service was quick, accurate, and flawless.  This is what we mean when we say we’re looking for some “umph” when it comes to this category.  If anyone in the management at J. Alexander’s happens to read this, Erin is a rare find and provided phenomenal service.

High marks:  Pretty much perfect service on all levels

Low marks:   None

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Food/Spirits:  Grade A-:  For the spirits portion of the meal, Katina started with a citrus mojito and finished with a drink called Centennial Kir Royale.  Katina, who is not a big mojito drinker, was overly impressed with the citrus mojito, but she really enjoyed the Kir Royale.  According to Katina, it tasted like “raspberry champagne.”  That actually does sound pretty good.  I ordered (with Erin’s stamp of approval) the New Holland Dragon’s Milk Stout, which was phenomenal.  Lightly hopped with a heavy malt and chocolaty finish, this dark brown beer is one that even those who aren’t fans of dark beer can enjoy.  It was very smooth and sessionable.   We decided to try the calamari for an appetizer.

the calamari at J. Alexander’s

The breading was light and near perfect, and the sauce had a nice spicy kick.  The portion size for the appetizer was pretty generous, and it arrived a mere few minutes after we placed the order.  For entrees, Katina chose the Haddock with crab and I selected the Cajun Ribeye.

Haddock with crab topping

the Cajun Ribeye

While Katina found the fish not to be bad, she thought there was little flavor to it and it was under seasoned.  She opted for the rice pilaf/orzo, which had a nice flavor but was served chilled, which took her off guard.  The Cajun Ribeye was supposed to be dusted with Cajun spices.  While I couldn’t detect any Cajun spices, I really couldn’t care less.  The steak was flavorful, and the butter it was basted with was heavenly.  Add perfectly cooked shoestring French fries and you get a dish that had one of the best prepared pieces of meat that I’ve ever had.

Now, if you’ve never been to J. Alexander’s, there is one vital piece of information that you need to know.  J. Alexander’s had a side named Not Your Ordinary Mac and Cheese.  If you visit and do not try this dish, then head to confession as soon as possible because it ought to be a mortal sin.  NYO Mac and Cheese has to be the BEST mac and cheese we’ve ever sampled.  We could visit and just eat bowl after bowl of the stuff and be completely content.  The cheese is creamy and rich, and the bread crumb topping is crispy and perfectly cooked.  And somehow there is a hearty, almost meaty taste to it.  Seriously…skip dessert and get extra mac and cheese.

High marks:  NYO mac and cheese not for those with addictive personalities, ribeye perfectly cooked, excellent beer    

Low marks:  Haddock a little bland, mojito good but not very memorable

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Value:  Grade B-:  We don’t weigh this category very much when it comes to the final grade, as good food usually had a cost to it.  The food at J. Alexander’s was excellent and worth the over $100 tab we racked up, but you shouldn’t if you’re trying to eat on a budget.  Otherwise, we highly recommend J. Alexander’s – we consider it to be one of the best in Columbus.

High marks:   Superior quality of food

Low marks:   Pricey – not for the budget constrained

Report Card: 89 Fish & Grill

http://89fish.com/

Overall GrubGrade A-

 

The Breakdown:

 

Atmosphere:  Grade B+:  We visited 89 Fish & Grill on a Saturday evening.  The restaurant is nice looking on both the outside and the inside.  The décor is quite contemporary, with dark wood and big windows dominating the front of the building.  The tables were nicely spaced, and 89 Fish & Grill was so clean we could have dined on the floor.  The place was very busy, so it was a little noisy inside, which made it a little hard to hear our server.  Other than that small ding, the atmosphere at 89 Fish & Grill was awesome.

High marks:  Contemporary décor, clean

Low marks:   Noisy

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Service:  Grade A:   Our server, Adrian, was phenomenal.  This is why we are usually very harsh when we grade this category…we want to truly reward those servers who go above and beyond.  Adrian did just that.  Not only did he give us prompt, accurate service, but he also made some really nice recommendations on how to tweak our dishes.  Plus, he gave me a definition and his honest opinion of the crustacean foam that was part of my dish.  The courses were paced perfectly, giving us some time to enjoy some conversation (despite the background roar).  The only negative with the service was that due to the noise, we had a lot of difficulty hearing Adrian when he asked us questions or explained something.  We’re not sure if he’s a “low-talker” or if it was just too noisy.

High marks:   Great recommendations and honest opinion, accurate service

Low marks:   Hard to hear server

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Food/Spirits:  Grade A:   We started off with the calamari.  It was lightly breaded, which was nice, but we found it a little too salty.  In addition, due to the dim lighting it was difficult to discern the calamari from the banana peppers.  Overall, it was good, but just nowhere near the best we’ve had.  For drinks, Katina started with the Alpine Lemonade and finished with the Warehouse Old Fashioned.  Katina really enjoyed the Alpine Lemonade…it was very smooth and went down nice and easy.  That was not the case with the Warehouse Old Fashioned, which was all alcohol.  Katina found it a little hard to choke down.  I settled on beer for the evening.  On the menu was the Left Hand Milk Stout, which was dark and thick like a Guinness, but went down a little smoother.  It was a very nice beer and complimented my entrée selection perfectly.  Speaking of entrees, Katina ordered the Crab Crusted Tilapia and I settled on the Bacon Wrapped Monk Fish.  Both selections were cooked to perfection.  Katina paired hers with the truffle risotto and I paired mine with the pea and parmesan risotto.  Both risottos were so tasty that we could have just dined on mounds of both.  My dish came with a whipped concoction called “crustacean foam”  that I could have done without, but otherwise all of the food presented for our entrees was magnificent.

High marks:  Amazing, perfectly cooked fish, unbelievable risotto           

Low marks:  Salty calamari, weird “crustacean foam”

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Value:  Grade A-:  We drained 4 drinks and had some primo seafood.  Our total was just slightly north of $100, but the quality of food was well worth it.  We were actually expecting $20-$30 more on the bill, so we were pleasantly surprised.  We highly recommend you stop by 89 Fish & Grill.  You’ll be impressed.

High marks:   High quality food and drinks at a reasonable price

Low marks:   Not for those on a real tight budget

Report Card: Marcella’s Italian Kitchen

A sneak peak at the dining room at Marcella’s

http://polaris.marcellasitaliankitchen.com/

Overall GrubGrade B

 

The Breakdown:

Atmosphere:  Grade B+:  From the photo of the dining room, you can tell that Marcella’s is an upscale, Italian restaurant.  Marcella’s was clean, and the tables had excellent spacing.  The only glaring flaw was the noise.  Whether caused by the acoustics of the interior or the number of diners present, we found the dining area of Marcella’s to be really loud.  With such an upscale décor, Marcella’s should be on the short list as possible date night restaurants.  But you’d be better going there for an anniversary, and then you wouldn’t have to listen to your significant other’s tired old stories.  As a date spot, Marcella’s might not be the best choice unless you really have no interest in carrying on a conversation with your date.

High marks:  Clean, well-spaced tables

Low marks:   Really loud

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Service:  Grade B:  This is a tough one to grade.  Our server, Rachel, did a really nice job taking care of us.  She really provided great service when they were out of the dish I wanted to order.  But, there was nothing spectacular about the service.  All of our needs were taken care of in a timely fashion, and the place was pretty packed, but our server didn’t really engage us.  We were starving and fairly cranky, so a “B” in this category is actually really good.

High marks:  Solid service with no errors

Low marks:   Not engaging, nothing spectacular

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Food/Spirits:  Grade B:  As previously mentioned, we were both starving, so an appetizer was a must.  There was nothing on the menu that really spoke to us, so we went with the standard calamari.  The calamari itself was good but the dish was entirely too much breaded zucchini in it.  We left the zucchini alone, and once we’d wolfed down all the squid, it looked like we hadn’t even touched the dish there was so much breaded zucchini left on the plate.  For drinks, Katina had the white sangria and I enjoyed a couple of Stella Artois.  Most beer drinkers have tried a Stella at least once, so there’s no real need to go into further detail.  As for the white sangria, Katina found in refreshing with a nice flavor.  It wasn’t the best white sangria she’s had, but it was pretty good.  For entrées, Katina ordered the lasagna and I opted for a Sicilian pizza.  Katina’s chunk of lasagna was large enough that it came out on a pallet instead of a plate.  She immediately cut the portion in half and it was still huge.  The lasagna had a really nice sauce, with a bit of a spicy hint to it.  But the lasagna was lacking in the amount of cheese.  Lasagna is a dish where balance is extremely important.  You need the right amount of cheese, meat, noodles, and sauce.  The lasagna was just slightly out of balance.  My first choice for entrée was the Gnocchi con Bolognese (which had braised lamb in it).  I was really excited to try it out, but was informed that the kitchen was out of gnocchi.  I was offered the option of substituting pasta for the gnocchi, which I jumped at.  But, I was then informed that the kitchen was out of lamb as well.  So, I just ordered a Sicilian pizza, which ended up being pretty good but non-orgasmic.

High marks:  Large portion of lasagna and decent tasting pizza

Low marks:  Lackluster calamari, kitchen breaks my heart by running out of lamb

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Value:  Grade C:  We dropped nearly $100 for just the two of us, and neither of us got dessert.  The food was good, but not breathtaking.  While we recommend you give Marcella’s a try, we thought the food was a little over priced for the quality.  You usually don’t have any issues with a Cameron Mitchell restaurant, so the quality issue may be an anomaly.

High marks:   Large portion size of lasagna for price

Low marks:   Quality could be slightly better

Report Card: Mr. Fish

http://mrfish.com/

Overall GrubGrade C+

 

The Breakdown:

Atmosphere:  Grade B:  Well, if you look up the word debacle in the dictionary, there just might be a picture of the restaurant known as Mr. Fish.  We visited as a second option (there was an hour long wait to give your name for the wait list, which was probably at least an hour long at our first option).  From the outside, Mr. Fish kind of resembled a warehouse, but we don’t prejudge, right?  Inside, we’re not sure if you could call the decor nautical.  Usually seafood shops like this one will have some oil paintings of oceans scenes or boats, and maybe a spyglass mounted on the wall next to a couple of large fish.  Again, not real sure what theme you’d call the décor at Mr. Fish, but nautical might be stretching it.  Otherwise, the interior was huge and clean, and tables were spaced widely apart, which was good since every one of them was full when we arrived.

High marks:  Large, clean, well-spaced tables

Low marks:   Confusing décor

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Service:  Grade C+:   You all know that we’re pretty picky with respect to service.  Lots of restaurants drop a letter grade because of a perceived fault in this category.  The service at Mr. Fish started bad, and then proceeded to get worse.  If you’re going to be successful in a tourist town like Myrtle Beach, your hostess or host should at least know how to run a semi-accurate wait.  We were told a half hour wair upon arrival, and after 1 hour and 15 minutes we were shown to a table.  No apologies offered for the delay.  With two hungry kids in tow, an inaccurate wait time is inexcusable.  Our server’s name was Lindsay, and it was a dude.  I’m sure the fact that he was a dude named Lindsay just added to a frustrating evening of being super busy with an inaccurate kitchen, but Lindsay had a bit of an attitude (but I really don’t think it was directed at us).  The wait for our first drinks was two days short of forever.  Once drinks did arrive, we should have paced ourselves, because it was quite a while before our server arrived again to take our order.  The food took an eternity, and my beard had a hell of a lot more gray in it when I left than when I arrived.  All in all, this was very close to an utter disaster.  We did give credit because our server did make an effort to correct the mistakes made with our order, and we do appreciate that.

High marks:  Mistakes corrected in a somewhat timely fashion

Low marks:  Ummm—everything else!

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Food/Spirits:  Grade C+:  Because of the delay with our seating, we had to get something in our kids quickly before the rioting started, so we asked for a basket of hush puppies to start out.  Our daughter usually digs hush puppies, but these did not impress her–nor Katina or me, for that matter.  The hush puppies weren’t terrible, they just weren’t anything special, either.  By this time, Katina and I both needed a drink.  She ordered a cocktail called “Tasty Tentacle” and I ordered a beer called New South White Ale.  Unfortunately, the drinks were the highlight of the meal.  Our daughter ordered the Asian stir fry (at a seafood restaurant?) and our son sat and stared at some chicken tenders.  Neither entrée is really worthy of comment.  Katina and I both ordered seafood combos for our entrees.  Hers included flounder, tilapia, and crab balls (think miniature crab cakes) and mine consisted of shrimp, haddock, and calamari.  I think Katina got the better deal.  While her food did not knock her socks off, it was average, and she found the crab balls tasty.  My combo, on the other hand, initially came out cold (probably because it sat for an hour while the other food cooked.  The calamari was too thick and rubbery, the shrimp were bland, but the haddock was a decent piece of fish.  On the second attempt at it, my food came out nice and warm with huge pieces of haddock, but the other selections were still flawed.  I actually wished we’d have waited the two hours at the other place.

High marks:   Drinks, crab balls, and haddock all pretty good

Low marks:   Rest of offering below what we’d expect from a restaurant located near the OCEAN!

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Value:  Grade C-:  Honestly, if you are a seafood restaurant on the coast and cannot impress some average food critics from Ohio (go Bucks!), then you have a lot of work to do.  Maybe it was a bad night because they were so busy and a return visit would yield different results.  We’ll never know, since we have absolutely no plans on revisiting.  After tip, we spent a little over $100 for mediocre (that might be generous) seafood.  We got much better food and service at Margaritas and spent half of that.  We advise you to sail past this one.

High marks:   They didn’t lock us in, so at least we were able to escape

Low marks:  Way too expensive for level of service and quality of food.  Long John Silver’s is a better option.

Report Card: Royal Ginger

http://royalginger.com

Overall Grade C+

The Breakdown:

Atmosphere:  Grade B-:  So, usually when you go into an Asian themed restaurant, the décor of the place is indicative of the type of food they serve.  Not so with Royal Ginger, which was unremarkable from the outside and looked like an empty sports bar on the inside.  Other than the words on the menu and our English-challenged server, there was no evidence that we were in an establishment that served up Asian cuisine.  However, the restaurant was very clean and pretty much empty, which made the noise level very tolerable.

High marks:  Very clean

Low marks:  Nothing Asian about the place

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Service:  Grade C:  The “C” earned by Royal Ginger might be the lowest service grade we’ve given to a restaurant.  Why, you ask?  A couple of reasons: First, there was a definite language barrier between us and our server.  Second, and this one is a doozie (take note of this if you are reading this and own or operate a restaurant that the Grubgraders may visit),  our server brought me the wrong beer.  I know that’s hard to believe, so I’ll say it again:  she brought me the wrong beer!  That, in a word, is unforgivable.  The rest of the meal went off without a hitch, but it took me 20 minutes to find someone to rectify the beer situation.  Had the rest of the service not been good, this grade would have been lower.  We understand that mistakes can be made, but management needs to correct them in a timely fashion if they are to be forgiven.  In this case, that didn’t happen.

High marks:  Most of meal proceeded without a hitch

Low marks:  Server brought wrong beer, management slow to correct

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Food/Spirits:  Grade B-:  Service aside, the food at Royal Ginger was good.  Royal Ginger is the second Asian themed restaurant that we’ve given a report card to (the first being Hunan Lion).  While we do not believe that Royal Ginger is on par with Hunan Lion, the food was better than many Asian restaurants we’ve visited.   Katina had a Singapore Sling and a Crouching Tiger for her drinks (I know…what a lush) and thought both drinks were good, but she would never go to Royal Ginger just for the drinks.  I had a Magic Hat #9 (admittedly against my will) followed by my original selection of a Blue Moon.  The beers tasted as they should and were served at an appropriate temperature (and thanks for not forgetting my orange slice – hate it when that happens).  For appetizers, we tried both the Calamari Salad and the Crab Rangoon.  We are not sure where the “salad” part of Calamari Salad comes from, since the dish was just calamari, although it was pretty tasty.  The Crab Rangoon was good, but we’ve had better.  When you bite into Crab Rangoon, you don’t want a huge air pocket with a little smeedy lump of filling, which describes the Crab Rangoon at Royal Ginger pretty accurately.  For entrees, Katina had Wok Glazed Ginger Chicken and I had the General Tso’s Chicken.  We both upgraded the rice to fried rice (which cost an extra $2.00 each).  Both entrees were well prepared and delicious, but neither blew us away.  All in all, the food was good but nothing to curl your toes.

High marks:  Good calamari, decent entrees

Low marks:  Lackluster Crab Rangoon, annoying $2.00 upcharge for fried rice.

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Value:  Grade C-:  One you add the completely absurd upcharge for fried rice to the already overpriced dishes, you get a value grade of C-.  Portion size was below what we would expect for the price.  For what we spent, I would expect some of our food to make the trip home with us via the “doggie bag.”  Didn’t quite work out that way, but we think Royal Ginger is worth a visit.  You can definitely do worse.

High marks:  Not a whole lot

Low marks:  Small portion size, slightly overpriced entrees, annoying upcharge for fried rice

Report Card: Mitchell’s Ocean Club

www.mitchellsoceanclub.com

Overall Grade B+

The Breakdown:

Atmosphere:  Grade A-:  As you walk toward the open, double doors guarding the entrance to Mitchell’s Ocean Club, you can’t help but be impressed by modern décor.  Don’t turn you head to the left!  Oops, too late.  Well, you just forget the giant plywood square announcing the coming renovations.  Just pretend you didn’t see it.  In all fairness, Mitchell’s Ocean Club is an upscale seafood restaurant, and the décors back that up — usually.  Tables are nicely appointed, and the menus are finished in finer leather than my car’s upholstery.  The Ocean Club would get and A for atmosphere instead of an A- if it weren’t for those pesky renovations.  Maybe on our next visit, we can bump up their grade.  Noise is at a minimum, and the hostess has enough common sense not to sit you on top of the other customers if the dining room isn’t crowded.

High marks:  Pretty much everything

Low marks:  Ongoing renovations are a blemish on an otherwise perfect setting

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Service:  Grade A-:  Our server was knowledgeable, and not pushy.  I love it when a server lets the customer control the conversation.  We weren’t bludgeoned with detailed descriptions of specials in which we obviously had no interest.  Drinks, appetizers, soup/salad, and main course were all appropriately spaced, and there was little wait between each.  It is hard to get an A or A+ in this category, because our expectations of a great server are extremely high.  An A- in this category is extremely solid.

High marks:  Knowledgeable server, good spacing between courses

Low marks:  No “wow” factor, but good service nonetheless.

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Food/Spirits:  Grade A-:  We’ll go in order of occurrence.  Katina ordered the “Berries and Bubbles” which looked as interesting as it tasted, thanks to a strategically placed piece of dry ice. It bubbled and smoked like something out of a 1950’s horror film.   I ordered the “Pineapple Saffron” which tasted fine but didn’t knock my socks off.  The best part of that drink was the pineapple wedge that came with it.  I switched to Guiness for my second drink (no “lush” comments, please).  Katina fell madly in love with the complementary pretzel bread.  It was quite delicious.  We ordered the calamari for our appetizer, which was well prepared but a little devoid of sauce, which kind of defeated the purpose of ordering it in the first place.  Katina ordered the French onion soup and I the lobster bisque.  Both soups were delicious, but neither were the best we’ve had (Katina kind of has a thing for French onion soup, by the way).  Katina had crab cakes for her entrée, and I had blackened snapper.  Both entrees were very well prepared.  The jalapeno corn tartar that accompanied the snapper lent a very nice kick to the dish.  Portion size was adequate for both dishes and probably could have been slightly larger considering the price.

High marks:  Well prepared entrees, good mixed drinks

Low marks:  Soups lacked “wow” factor

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Value: Grade C+:  As previously mentioned, we found the portion size on the entrees to be adequate.  When you account for the price of each dish,  that drives our value grade down to a C+.  That should not be an indicator of the quality or flavor of any of the dishes.  In most cases, you get exactly what you pay for…and in the case of Mitchell’s Ocean Club, you’re paying for premium seafood and steaks.  It shouldn’t be cheap.  You will thoroughly enjoy your trip to Mitchell’s Ocean Club, especially if you’re a seafood fan.

High marks:  High quality food for a premium price

Low marks:  Portion size should lean more to the generous side for the price

Report Card: Claudiana Italian

www.ClaudianaRestaurant.com

Overall GrubGrade B+

The Breakdown:

Atmosphere: Grade B:  Outside, the décor is easily overlooked.  But once we opened the door, we were pleasantly surprised.  The dining room is small, but it feels quaint and cozy instead of cramped.  The dining area was not plagued by a bunch of wall hangings or knick knacks that are distracting.  Tables were adequately spaced apart to provide some privacy for dinner conversation, and the background noise was quiet enough to remind you of your high school study hall.  The dining area appeared very clean and well maintained.

High marks: Understated but pleasant décor, fairly quiet, clean and well maintained

Low marks: Small dining room is just one rectangular room, minimal décor could be boring
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Service: Grade B-:  The service we received what pretty much what you would expect from a restaurant in this price range.  While our server did not blow us away with enthusiasm like a high school cheerleader, she was attentive to our needs.  Waiting for food and drink was minimal, and overall the meal flowed very well.  Our meal seemed relaxed and not rushed even though the food arrived promptly.  Our server may have been the new kid at school as she seemed to struggle with drink descriptions as well as ingredient pronunciations.

High marks: Attentive server, minimal wait for both food and drinks

Low marks: Server not very familiar with menu, had trouble pronouncing dish ingredients

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Food/Spirits:  Grade A-:  There was quite a variety of dishes on the menu.  Both of us were pleasantly surprised.  Beer selection was a tad stingy, but not many Italian restaurants have a robust beer selection in my opinion.  The cocktail menu had more selections than we anticipated, and both Katina and myself chose the Moscato spritzer.  We found it flavorful and quite refreshing.  If you are a fan of Moscato, you’re going to want to check this drink out.  The wine list was modest but not exhaustive, and lets face it, with Italian restaurants, wine is the class president.  We ordered the fried calamari for our appetizer.  This is a tradition with us, because it the calamari is bad, it doesn’t bode well for the rest of the meal.  This calamari was very well prepared.  It had a nice, light breading and was cooked to a nice crispness without being overdone.  The marinara and aioli sauces were good, but were pretty standard fare for calamari.  Katina chose the chicken marsala for her entrée.  She describes the chicken breast as perfectly cooked, juicy and of the perfect thickness.  She found the marsala sauce rich and flavorful.  The chicken marsala at Claudiana Italian comes with pasta alfredo, which Katina found to be a nice twist on the dish.  The alfredo sauce lent a nice, creamy texture to the dish.  Portion size was on the generous side.  I had the Lamb Chops Mediterranean for my entrée.  The lamb was cooked perfectly, and it was really nice to order a medium well piece of meat and receive a medium well piece of meat.  The lamb was tender and juicy.  The accompanying Mediterranean risotto was also a delight.  If you’re as much of a fan of lamb as me (sorry Mary and Little Bo Peep), you will want to try these chops.  Portion size was adequate.

High marks: Good variety on menu, food cooked as ordered and well prepared

Low marks: Beer selection limited (but not unexpected), sauces for calamari ordinary and lacked pizzazz

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Value: Grade B+:  We found the quality of the food to be on par or slightly above what is expected for dishes in the price range.  Portion size was adequate to generous.  Overall, a very pleasant experience.  We will be going back to explore more of the menu — we suggest you do the same.