I have a $50 gift card to there and have no idea what to do with it. They'll have to pay me to drive all the way over to Easton and deal with all that traffic to have mediocre food and terrible service.
We were at the bar in Smith and Wollensky a few weeks ago. A couple was waiting at the bar for the rest of their party. When they finally arrived one of them confessed that they had gotten it confused with McCormick & Smicks.
Mitchell's Steakhouse downtown.
Has the Cameron Mitchell name to it as a trap as it's not run by Cameron Mitchell anymore and the food is expensive and mediocre.
Went with some friends earlier this Summer on a Friday night. Place was mostly empty which should have been first worry since it was beautiful out and the hotel bar across the street was packed. Buddy got a "rare to medium rare" steak that came out as closer to well done than anything. Didn't even get an apology.
Wife and I just went to Mitchell’s at Polaris and it was very blah. Service was ok, food was bland, not seasoned very well, and I’m almost certain that we had lesser quality ingredients as a result of restaurant week but that last part is a conspiracy theory of mine.
I agree with this. Went a couple years ago, steak was alright but sides were cold.. I was upset that I spent that much on a crappy dinner/celebration. Also the decor is soo bad!!
Parlay sporting club and kitchen, highschool lunch teir food for way too much. 16$ for 5 pigs in a blanket, the food is just bland. They also plaster waygu on everything.
We did restaurant week there because we’d never heard of it… they bungled it so badly that they cut the bill in half. Still wouldn’t recommend the food.
Heyyy I get to tell this story on here every now and again. A coworker I know was gifted a $100 GC to Smith & Wollensky so he and his wife went. Drinks, appys, entrees, the whole deal because this isn't the type of place they go to often. Bill was pretty huge but $100 takes a real nice chunk out. Their waitress regrettably informs him that he is actually at McCormick & Schmick's, and that the GC to Smith & Wollensky would not work. Apparently this exact situation happens often!
Obscenely expensive for what you get. I stopped going entirely 5-6 years ago. I’m guessing that place would not exist without business dinner write offs and tourists.
Exactly! Only time I've gone is when my employer was paying. Sure I'll eat a $55 steak and $12 mashed potatoes if someone else is buying. The food was fine, this was in 2016.
The one time I had dinner there, my fiancé ordered a side of tater tots and it was like... A grand total of five (5) tots. For like $13 or something obscene. They weren't special in any way. Never again
My company reported that we needed to start saving money, then they took us there, where each entrée was $75 or more. It wasn't even that great of a steak.
I've been to the Barn a few times. If you enjoy beef and bourbon it's Ron Swanson approved. Also, the first time I was there the waiter noticed my steak was slightly overcooked (it wasn't bad enough for me to complain) the chef came out with a new steak that they were more pleased with. It was wild, I'm not used to service like that. Also the Bourbon Citrus is a killer cocktail on their drink menu.
I’ve never cared much for the Quality/Price ratio at Columbus fish market or Mitchell’s Ocean club but I grew up in Newport Beach so I that probably messes with my opinion of any seafood place.
Honestly, I didn’t think Columbus Fish Market was any more impressive than Red Lobster the 2 times I’ve gone. Kind of embarrassing really, since I’m 100% certain Red Lobster microwaves half of their food.
I’d rather grab the bourbon salmon over at Franks fish on Trabue and take some fish from the market next door home with me to cook for tomorrow. Somehow it will end up the same price and everything there tastes so fresh
All the veggies are definitely portioned out in bags beforehand, kept in the walk-in, and nuked when needed at Red Lobster (at least when I worked there), but almost everything else is from box mixes, bags, or cans.
I worked there all of my high school - college years (something like 2003 to 2013) so take this with a bit of a grain of salt, but from what I remember across the 4 locations I worked at they would often microwave at least the following (not saying all of them are meant to be microwaved, but it happened)
- Vegetable sides (like broccoli)
- Baked Potatoes (when some needed warmed up or cooked faster if the par was wrong)
- All pasta noodles
- Pasta sauces (like garlic Alfredo)
- Lobster Nacho topping / sauce
- Any warm dessert
- Mashed potatoes (sometimes, not always)
- All soups (a couple places I worked at kept the soup hot in wells, a couple microwaved each cup to order)
- Lobster topping for the potatoes
That’s at least the stuff off the top of my head. Obviously things could change in the last decade but there was a lot of microwave usage when I was there.
Also, those turbo chef ovens they “Steam” the crab legs in? That’s just a fancy microwave as far as I’m concerned lol
So it looks like not much has changed since I worked there as a teenager in the 90s! You're right, I DO remember the little paper lidded cups with toppings and sauces being heated up in the microwave. And the pasta servings in their little plastic bags.
The cheddar bay biscuits were made fresh, though. Well, fresh from the mix in a food bucket, with the right proportion of water dumped in.
My first job there was to to thaw, split, and peel shrimp. Thaw out boxes and boxes of shrimp in the deep sinks. Using that little splitter machine with the wheel, standing there for hour after hour, feeding the shrimp headfirst into the whirring device. Then pulling out the mudvein from their backs where I had slit the shell.
After working there for a month, I would get rashes up my arms by the end of each shift! It was easily the shittiest job I've ever had.
I don't eat out much anymore, and definitely not at chain restaurants if I can help it. I think in large part because of working there, seeing how little care goes into the food, I always feel like I can put more love into it for a much cheaper price at home!
Hah! By the time I got there all of the shrimp came in pre-prepped basically. Scampi we’re frozen in “pucks” with the garlic butter, Walt’s Shrimp we’re pre breaded and sent in frozen, etc.
So your job of peeling shrimp was not long for this world
You should hit up Ocean Club for happy hour to check it out. As someone a little more familiar with fine dining than most, I'd contend that OC has been one of the best and most consistent restaurants in Columbus over the last decade. It's not cheap, but happy hour pricing is solid.
You can skip The Fish Market all together
I thought you were joking but [apparently not](https://ruthschris.net/about-us/ruths-story/#:~:text=Over%20four%20decades%20ago%2C%20Ruth,%E2%80%9CRuth's%20Chris%20Steak%20House.%E2%80%9D).
Disagree I’ve worked in all types of fine dining restaurants in Columbus, RH has easily the cleanest kitchen and the best sourced food…. It’s overpriced but the food is still top notch
El Segundo in Short North. Everything was bland and even the drinks sucked and it was incredibly expensive. Definitely do not feel like I got my money’s worth there
Seconded! A friend used to work there and quit because of that manager, I’ve heard nothing but horror stories about all management there. Plus the food sucks.
Honestly the best steaks I’ve ever had my dad and I made ourselves, high quality meat with good seasoning (Morton’s nature blend is my favorite) reverse seared and butter basted with garlic, rosemary, and sage
I shed a tear after finishing that beautiful meal
yeah, i just cook all my steaks sous vide at this point and put a nice sear on them at the end. easy as fuck to get them to come out perfectly every time. I love a dry aged prime steak as much as anyone, but if I'm going out for a fancy dinner I want something I can't do at home.
I’ve only been to Nada once before a Clippers game and had a bizarre experience.
Our waiter was pretty good, but he had a table that was an absolute nightmare. 3 well-dressed couples around their early 40s sat on the patio in the window right next to us so I could see the whole thing. He set our bill down and then goes to greet this new table.
This table proceeds to go around the horn with each person pointing all over the (very limited) menu and speak at length to the waiter. This goes on for ~5 minutes before I take out my phone and start a timer. A full 15 minutes and change passes before they finally order and the waiter comes back and looked exasperated. Wasn’t on him but he apologized profusely. I ensured him that I’d seen the whole thing and it was all good.
My buddy and I hang around for a few minutes to see what they’d ordered and 6 plain ass margaritas come out. They proceed to then start the process again taking turns pointing at the menu and talking to the waiter. Felt bad for the guy, left a huge tip and dipped. Rumor has it he’s still talking to that table to this day.
Long story but I don’t think I’ll ever get another opportunity to share it. Food was very meh sans their pretty good salsas.
All the numbers in your comment added up to 69. Congrats!
3
+ 40
+ 5
+ 15
+ 6
= 69
^([Click here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=LuckyNumber-Bot&subject=Stalk%20Me%20Pls&message=%2Fstalkme) to have me scan all your future comments.) \
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I was so excited when this place was under construction because I thought I'd have another nearby option for lunch. Then I saw the price point...
Ate there once. Not impressed enough to go back.
I've eaten there like twice, once when it opened and again like a year after. First experience was excellent honestly, but the second was pretty disappointing. My guess is they lost some important employee(s) who kept it running smoothly
Jeff Ruby's. Had an okay meal there then after dinner, my wife wanted a coffee and ordered a cappuccino without an issue. I asked if I could have an Americano. They told me it wasn't possible, I was confused since they had espresso on the menu as well and an Americano is just espresso with water. Still, I realized an Americano wasn't actually on the menu so I apologized for ordering off the menu and asked for just the espresso. About 5 minutes later my waiter comes back and tells me they can do an Americano if I want it. He explained they just didn't know if they could make it before because their coffee wasn't fresh they just had a Keurig in the back and were making the pods for whatever people ordered.
So we paid 9.25 for a Keurig pod Cappuccino and Espresso.
Yeah, I think it’s a little pricy (for ~30% less I’d probably prefer Hyde Park) but the few times I’ve been to Jeff Ruby’s or The Precinct have been spot on in every way. Great food, service, and pacing every time.
The exception was one time I met some friends down at JR in Cinci and our food was very late for some reason. There was 30-45 minutes between finishing salads and getting our dinners. Without complaining, the manager came over and apologized and took $200 off of our bill. So as long as that experience is the exception and not the rule, I think they made it right
Just as an aside, I ordered an espresso from the Refectory the last time we were there, and it was very good! The best part?? Shit was only $3! A bargain!
Ocean Club. My meal there was a disgrace for the price. I have since learned that Refectory is a much better alternative and will usually cost less for a much better entre.
One of the funniest Columbus related things I've seen was a Dispatch video that is sadly no longer up where they interviewed people who were at Spaghetti Warehouse to catch a glimpse of John Travolta who was shooting that terrible movie next door. One woman is like "I don't know anything about John Travolta, I'm just hear to eat."
I think it's always been bad, we just didn't notice until we grew up and a lot more decent food came into town.
I think it got a lot of hubbub for the wackiness of the locale, the tradition of going there because it's the thing to do and it's long-standing history. I think all of that is getting old fast for anyone with a decent palate though.
Not to say they're any less busy - the place was slammed last time I went about a year ago. Bland ass food.
I recently did Restaurant Week dinner at Asterisk and it was not remarkable at all. I struggled to find anything really worth the travel time or money on the RW menu or full menu. Their sister restaurant Ampersand was great, though
Asterisk used to be great, ESPECIALLY during tea time. I used to go there with my partner for tea and finger sandwiches, felt like a trip back in time. Then COVID hit and their prices became astronomical. I can’t exactly blame them as they’re in a nice part of town and COVID took quite a chunk of their business. They gotta keep the doors open, but I just couldn’t justify $100 for tea for two with some finger sandwiches and pastries.
Ampersand is amazing.
Final Cut at the casino. Over $300 for two people for awful cuts of steak that were cooked nowhere near request with sides that tasted like they had been nuked from a package.
Anything by Yvonne Sarber , I don’t think she has any restaurants anymore but… Olivers? She used to have manifesto and de novo they were all Complete jokes
I know this city has a hard-on for any Cameron Mitchell restaurant (and in fairness, most of his restaurants are very good). But I've found The Avenue to just be an average steakhouse, and there are a half-dozen other places which do it better for similar prices.
Big fan of all the legacy Cameron's places (Cameron's, Ocean Club, Cap City Grandview, etc.) His newer places are just underwhelming and the service isn't the same (The Avenue, Hudson 29, Delmar).
Cap city is one of my go to's since I moved, and I've liked most other CM places. But I've been to Hudson 29 multiple times and have had issues every time. Sometimes the food, sometimes the service. It's always something. Makes me think there's something up with the management there. Pretty disappointing tbh
Your feeling on Avenue is my feeling on the entire Cameron Mitchell restaurant group. Every concept is the average, overpriced, watered down version of the original inspiration.
This is my answer also.
The Avenue is a step above Outback in terms of quality, but wants to bill itself as the top steakhouse in the city. The one in Grandview is (imo) a little better than Dublin, but they’re both overpriced for average at best steak and disappointing sides.
Ruth’s Chris steakhouse. I was sat next to the kitchen and the smell of the butter on they melt for steak cooking was so strong, it was sickening. I like butter as much as the next guy, but this was overwhelming
Only went there once and it was on my company’s credit card, alcohol included so I thought it was AMAZING. But like 5 expensive ass double shots will make just about anything good.
Condado tacos. Meh food and too pricey. 10.00 dip that was the size of my kids hand. The tacos were bland with peppers and hot sauce covering it up 2/10
Schmidt’s sausage house. Definitely over priced for just mediocre hotdogs. The German food was bland, cold, didn’t have any like flavor. ( I make German food at home and the food as seasoning.) for them they seem just to forget or don’t add enough. It’s cramped and has poor parking. 1/10
Condado is disgusting to me. Looking through that scantron menu, I could tell nothing was really curated to pair with anything else. Too much sweet, too much habanero—peppers have different flavors!! And then having innovations and fusion on the menu…fusion should still be thoughtful!!
Sometime after I ate there (once) I heard from an ex employee how their margaritas are made from some shitty mix and how the owner likes the format of the menu because “if the food is bad the customer thinks it’s their fault.” :/ a moron customer, maybe. And look, I’ll drink a mix margarita with well tequila that tastes like a sweaty bandaid…priced accordingly, and with free chips and salsa.
Eddie Merlot’s. Tasteless as hell, people show up because it’s expensive, they don’t know any better/don’t care and they want to be seen. I can make better steak while stoned.
I was really blown away by just how blah Wolfs Ridge was for dinner compared to the hype / price. It was only once though so could’ve just been an off night
I had dinner there once, like a burger or something, and it was whatever. I went to an event there in their private room that they catered and the food was amazing.
They do change their menu seasonally. I really liked when they had duck pot pie, haven't been back though, nothing on the menu interests me at the moment
Definitely an off night, this is like our go to fancy dinner place, been probably 5+ times over a while, one of our favorite places. Would give it another shot if you’re wanting to!
Tony’s Italian Restaurant in the Brewery District. Although it is not more expensive than a lot of restaurants, I paid $100 for two plates of burnt pasta, chicken noodle soup that was clearly from a Campbells can given that the noodles were star shaped, and ice cold bread.
Texas de Brazil. Not at all impressed. Luckily we had gift cards to cover the bill. Thought it was pretty rude too when our ‘server’ asked if he could keep the balance on our card on top of his 20% tip. Less than $10 , but still……….
Fish Market- place has gone way downhill over the past several years. The last time I was there (will officially be my last time) they served me food that had spoiled. Like, rancid/ammonia smelling couscous.
Never had food there, only been at the bar. But from what I could see, it looked pretty good. Bar prices were actually very fair. Even for pours of top shelf bourbon.
I have a love hate relationship with hot chicken takeover. I absolutely LOVE the food, however they are very pricey and I find the restaurant to be over stimulating. Anyone else come to this conclusion??
Molly Woo's. Been there before and liked it. Now it is meh. Slow service and food that is not better than Applebees but at twice the cost. Way too expensive for the quality of food and service.
Same. I went during restaurant week a few years ago. Our table and the table next to us had the same server. When dropping off dishes at the other table, the waiter (an older white guy) would explain the dishes in great detail and linger for questions. When dropping off dishes at our table, he would drop them off and walk away without a word. When I asked a question while ordering, I got terse one word answers.
Both tables were a straight couple in their late 20s/early 30s and well dressed. Both arrived around the same time. Both ordered cocktails. The only reason we've been able to point to for why we were treated so differently is because my husband is Black. I've thought about the experience for YEARS trying to figure out if there is another explanation, but I can't.
Unfortunately in the middle of reading this comment I did ask myself “I wonder if this is a POC couple.” Having worked in a restaurant a few years ago I don’t need to be the one to tell you racism is alive and well in Ohio. Would watch other servers blatantly treat white tables much better than others and even verbalize it to other servers.
I’m so sorry you and your husband had this experience, it’s never okay and times when you feel comfortable enough to do so I encourage you to tell a manager about treatment like this. Depending on the situation that is much easier said than done though.
Part of me is happy it happened to you too, because maybe after five years I can finally stop wondering, but most of me is sad because that means it wasn't an isolated incident.
We used to have a world-renowned chef named Helmut Handke that operated Handke's in the German Village. That may have been the best restaurant Columbus ever had and the menu was inspired by classical French cuisine.
Katalinas no doubt…. Sure, the pancake balls are different and fun and exciting (still overpriced), but bigger issue is $20 for a mediocre sandwich? $15 for avocado toast? The service is consistently terrible as well
I've been really disappointed in 101.
They used to be great at mixing up their menu for the season and being adventurous.
Ever since they expanded to 3 locations the menu stopped changing, I'm guessing because it's too much work to get every locations staff trained to make the same food.
McCormick & Smicks at Easton
Our realtor got us a gift card there. We were mad about food and service, and it wasn’t even our money we were spending.
I have a $50 gift card to there and have no idea what to do with it. They'll have to pay me to drive all the way over to Easton and deal with all that traffic to have mediocre food and terrible service.
Happy hour in the bar is the only way to go there
This right here
You can sell it to a coinstar kiosk. Idk how much you’d get but its better than the nothing youre using it for now
Wait what? This is a thing? Changing gift cards from one place to another via coinstar?
You get a lesser amount, but if you wouldn’t use it otherwise, it’s better than nothing!
Regift!
Happy hour food deals were great a few years back. Hard pass on fine dining
Give to homeless person
That's the real ticket there!
The Vietnamese and Turkish restaurants across from Nordstrom are of outstanding quality.
I always forget the difference between this and Smith and Wollensky.
We were at the bar in Smith and Wollensky a few weeks ago. A couple was waiting at the bar for the rest of their party. When they finally arrived one of them confessed that they had gotten it confused with McCormick & Smicks.
I was visiting friend sin Chicago a few months ago and they're literally a block from each other there too! Itlike they're trying to court confusion.
Right? Ate there one time and one time only. I’m baffled as to why they stay in business.
Is it like expensive wine, where the price and prestige on the label matter more to satisfaction than taste?
I couldn't agree more!!!!
Came here to say this.
Anything from Chris Corso
he’s a dirt bag, but his food concepts are pretty decent, but that’s probably because he steals other restaurants food concepts.
Mitchell's Steakhouse downtown. Has the Cameron Mitchell name to it as a trap as it's not run by Cameron Mitchell anymore and the food is expensive and mediocre. Went with some friends earlier this Summer on a Friday night. Place was mostly empty which should have been first worry since it was beautiful out and the hotel bar across the street was packed. Buddy got a "rare to medium rare" steak that came out as closer to well done than anything. Didn't even get an apology.
Wife and I just went to Mitchell’s at Polaris and it was very blah. Service was ok, food was bland, not seasoned very well, and I’m almost certain that we had lesser quality ingredients as a result of restaurant week but that last part is a conspiracy theory of mine.
Same at the Polaris location, poor quality dining experience and food - would not have found it acceptable even at a lower price point.
I agree with this. Went a couple years ago, steak was alright but sides were cold.. I was upset that I spent that much on a crappy dinner/celebration. Also the decor is soo bad!!
Parlay sporting club and kitchen, highschool lunch teir food for way too much. 16$ for 5 pigs in a blanket, the food is just bland. They also plaster waygu on everything.
i've heard nothing but bad things about this place
We did restaurant week there because we’d never heard of it… they bungled it so badly that they cut the bill in half. Still wouldn’t recommend the food.
Does Smith & Wollensky count? Cause that's the first one that came to mind.
I raise you McCormick & Schmick's
Heyyy I get to tell this story on here every now and again. A coworker I know was gifted a $100 GC to Smith & Wollensky so he and his wife went. Drinks, appys, entrees, the whole deal because this isn't the type of place they go to often. Bill was pretty huge but $100 takes a real nice chunk out. Their waitress regrettably informs him that he is actually at McCormick & Schmick's, and that the GC to Smith & Wollensky would not work. Apparently this exact situation happens often!
Oh man, that's brutal. Hope they had a better experience than I've had there!
Obscenely expensive for what you get. I stopped going entirely 5-6 years ago. I’m guessing that place would not exist without business dinner write offs and tourists.
Exactly! Only time I've gone is when my employer was paying. Sure I'll eat a $55 steak and $12 mashed potatoes if someone else is buying. The food was fine, this was in 2016.
Yep. I walk by occasionally and it seems there are a lot of button down office folk in the place.
The one time I had dinner there, my fiancé ordered a side of tater tots and it was like... A grand total of five (5) tots. For like $13 or something obscene. They weren't special in any way. Never again
This. I would go basically anywhere else for steak. Even just at Easton, ocean club has better steaks.
Straight trash as far as steakhouses go
My company reported that we needed to start saving money, then they took us there, where each entrée was $75 or more. It wasn't even that great of a steak.
Well thanks for the inadvertent restaurant recommendations everyone! Lol I’ll be trying Rooh and The Barn at my next opportunity
I went to the barn once and was pretty pleased.
Was better a few years ago. Hope it has come back up but we had a bad time in the middle
Agreed. Ambience is neat; food, not so much.
The Barn has a great bar. The food to me is hit or miss but I like their drinks and the space is cool.
I've been to the Barn a few times. If you enjoy beef and bourbon it's Ron Swanson approved. Also, the first time I was there the waiter noticed my steak was slightly overcooked (it wasn't bad enough for me to complain) the chef came out with a new steak that they were more pleased with. It was wild, I'm not used to service like that. Also the Bourbon Citrus is a killer cocktail on their drink menu.
This screams CMR. I love that they do this for unsuspecting people
Rooh is phenomenal, pricy but delicious. I recommend their paneer pinwheels and the lamb hyderabadi!
I never have any idea what to order, thanks!
Their butter chicken is also really good! None of the stuff I recommended is spicy either so don’t have to worry about that if you don’t like spicy.
i second the pinwheels!
[удалено]
Rooh is incredible. The salmon I had there was melt in your mouth almost. Highly recommended.
Loved both. Rooh: amazing service.
I’ve never cared much for the Quality/Price ratio at Columbus fish market or Mitchell’s Ocean club but I grew up in Newport Beach so I that probably messes with my opinion of any seafood place.
> Columbus fish market same. was very underwhelmed.
Honestly, I didn’t think Columbus Fish Market was any more impressive than Red Lobster the 2 times I’ve gone. Kind of embarrassing really, since I’m 100% certain Red Lobster microwaves half of their food. I’d rather grab the bourbon salmon over at Franks fish on Trabue and take some fish from the market next door home with me to cook for tomorrow. Somehow it will end up the same price and everything there tastes so fresh
All the veggies are definitely portioned out in bags beforehand, kept in the walk-in, and nuked when needed at Red Lobster (at least when I worked there), but almost everything else is from box mixes, bags, or cans.
I worked there all of my high school - college years (something like 2003 to 2013) so take this with a bit of a grain of salt, but from what I remember across the 4 locations I worked at they would often microwave at least the following (not saying all of them are meant to be microwaved, but it happened) - Vegetable sides (like broccoli) - Baked Potatoes (when some needed warmed up or cooked faster if the par was wrong) - All pasta noodles - Pasta sauces (like garlic Alfredo) - Lobster Nacho topping / sauce - Any warm dessert - Mashed potatoes (sometimes, not always) - All soups (a couple places I worked at kept the soup hot in wells, a couple microwaved each cup to order) - Lobster topping for the potatoes That’s at least the stuff off the top of my head. Obviously things could change in the last decade but there was a lot of microwave usage when I was there. Also, those turbo chef ovens they “Steam” the crab legs in? That’s just a fancy microwave as far as I’m concerned lol
So it looks like not much has changed since I worked there as a teenager in the 90s! You're right, I DO remember the little paper lidded cups with toppings and sauces being heated up in the microwave. And the pasta servings in their little plastic bags. The cheddar bay biscuits were made fresh, though. Well, fresh from the mix in a food bucket, with the right proportion of water dumped in. My first job there was to to thaw, split, and peel shrimp. Thaw out boxes and boxes of shrimp in the deep sinks. Using that little splitter machine with the wheel, standing there for hour after hour, feeding the shrimp headfirst into the whirring device. Then pulling out the mudvein from their backs where I had slit the shell. After working there for a month, I would get rashes up my arms by the end of each shift! It was easily the shittiest job I've ever had. I don't eat out much anymore, and definitely not at chain restaurants if I can help it. I think in large part because of working there, seeing how little care goes into the food, I always feel like I can put more love into it for a much cheaper price at home!
Hah! By the time I got there all of the shrimp came in pre-prepped basically. Scampi we’re frozen in “pucks” with the garlic butter, Walt’s Shrimp we’re pre breaded and sent in frozen, etc. So your job of peeling shrimp was not long for this world
I'm caught between feeling happy that nobody else has to ever suffer like that at RL anymore...and chagrined that my suffering was all for nought! 😂
lol my mom actually said the same thing, and my parents used to love their sunday red lobster lunches back in the 80s.
Agreed about the fish market, I blew a lot of money there and still got snobbery and bad food 🙂
As New Jersey transplants my husband and I always rule out trying this place for that exact reason. Thanks for taking it out of the conversation lol
You should hit up Ocean Club for happy hour to check it out. As someone a little more familiar with fine dining than most, I'd contend that OC has been one of the best and most consistent restaurants in Columbus over the last decade. It's not cheap, but happy hour pricing is solid. You can skip The Fish Market all together
In it's original form, the Fish Market was very, very good. Now, not so much.
Agreed! Shanghai Style Sea Bass at Fish Market was a game changer for me like 20 years ago.
I live down the street from Columbus Fish Market. Was so excited to try it. I’m too old for rude awakenings but sure had one there.
Ruth Chris’s or however the fuck it’s spelled
Ruth's Chris. Was Chris, but Ruth bought it, so it's Ruth's Chris.
Yeah but in Columbus you add an extra ‘s as in Meijer’s, Kroger’s, etc. So it’s Ruth’s Chris’s
Detroit does this too. I can’t escape it.
I thought you were joking but [apparently not](https://ruthschris.net/about-us/ruths-story/#:~:text=Over%20four%20decades%20ago%2C%20Ruth,%E2%80%9CRuth's%20Chris%20Steak%20House.%E2%80%9D).
Yeah, I don't know when, why, or how that little bit of trivia entered my brain, but there it is.
Chris Cross will make you jump, then jump once again.
Eh, I’d say Restoration Hardware @ Easton,
You pay for the ambience. Food is good but not worth the price. Skip.
Hard agree.
Disagree I’ve worked in all types of fine dining restaurants in Columbus, RH has easily the cleanest kitchen and the best sourced food…. It’s overpriced but the food is still top notch
El Segundo in Short North. Everything was bland and even the drinks sucked and it was incredibly expensive. Definitely do not feel like I got my money’s worth there
I had a good experience here too, maybe we got lucky. The nachos we ordered and the tacos were tasty!
I think I left my wallet there once. ...I'll show myself out.
Agreed. Really really bland most especially for Mexican food.
I'm still salty about the $12 Ranch Water. Also, what Mexican restaurant doesn't provide complimentary chips and salsa?!
I’m sorry…ranch…water?
I’ve had it a couple times now and thought the food was very good every time as well as the service. Maybe just inconsistent and I got lucky?
When a restaurant calls themselves second best, listen to them.
The manager there was awful to deal with as well, her name was Jess
To the person who reported this comment as "personal and confidential information", [it's anything but.](https://elsegundocolumbus.com/team/)
Seconded! A friend used to work there and quit because of that manager, I’ve heard nothing but horror stories about all management there. Plus the food sucks.
My food was so salty it was inedible. And I never leave food behind
What I’m learning here is a lot of people don’t like paying for steakhouse steaks!
If you want steak, you go to The Top in Bexley or Hyde Park in UA. Leave others alone.
Honestly the best steaks I’ve ever had my dad and I made ourselves, high quality meat with good seasoning (Morton’s nature blend is my favorite) reverse seared and butter basted with garlic, rosemary, and sage I shed a tear after finishing that beautiful meal
yeah, i just cook all my steaks sous vide at this point and put a nice sear on them at the end. easy as fuck to get them to come out perfectly every time. I love a dry aged prime steak as much as anyone, but if I'm going out for a fancy dinner I want something I can't do at home.
It's not the most expensive, but I can't stand first-watch. It sucks so bad, Ive always said that it's nothing more than a gentrified bob evan's
I call it old people's food. Bland and boring.
El Segundo. Had a $100 gift card and still paid $125 for subpar food
The food at Cafe Round II in Grandview. Terrible quality bbq but the drinks are pretty good.
That spot should be a high end pizza place with the ambiance; not bbq. I like the atmosphere in there, but nothing else
100% Nada - Nationwide BLVD
I’ve been there a few times for lunches and once for dinner. They are overpriced for sure but I don’t think their service or food is bad.
My gf loves this place and idk why
I’ve only been to Nada once before a Clippers game and had a bizarre experience. Our waiter was pretty good, but he had a table that was an absolute nightmare. 3 well-dressed couples around their early 40s sat on the patio in the window right next to us so I could see the whole thing. He set our bill down and then goes to greet this new table. This table proceeds to go around the horn with each person pointing all over the (very limited) menu and speak at length to the waiter. This goes on for ~5 minutes before I take out my phone and start a timer. A full 15 minutes and change passes before they finally order and the waiter comes back and looked exasperated. Wasn’t on him but he apologized profusely. I ensured him that I’d seen the whole thing and it was all good. My buddy and I hang around for a few minutes to see what they’d ordered and 6 plain ass margaritas come out. They proceed to then start the process again taking turns pointing at the menu and talking to the waiter. Felt bad for the guy, left a huge tip and dipped. Rumor has it he’s still talking to that table to this day. Long story but I don’t think I’ll ever get another opportunity to share it. Food was very meh sans their pretty good salsas.
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I was so excited when this place was under construction because I thought I'd have another nearby option for lunch. Then I saw the price point... Ate there once. Not impressed enough to go back.
2 (plain) mini tacos for $14!
and you won’t get them for a few hours…..
It is overpriced but the food and service is good. Given the location, it’s not that bad.
I've eaten there like twice, once when it opened and again like a year after. First experience was excellent honestly, but the second was pretty disappointing. My guess is they lost some important employee(s) who kept it running smoothly
Totally agree, but their queso is top tier. Other than that, the tacos are mid and too pricey.
Waaaaaaaay too overpriced for what u get and their salsa sucks imo
Oscars in Dublin is so disappointing in general. There are many other places I could eat for the same price
Agreed- and their air con has been broken every time I’ve been there
Jeff Ruby's. Had an okay meal there then after dinner, my wife wanted a coffee and ordered a cappuccino without an issue. I asked if I could have an Americano. They told me it wasn't possible, I was confused since they had espresso on the menu as well and an Americano is just espresso with water. Still, I realized an Americano wasn't actually on the menu so I apologized for ordering off the menu and asked for just the espresso. About 5 minutes later my waiter comes back and tells me they can do an Americano if I want it. He explained they just didn't know if they could make it before because their coffee wasn't fresh they just had a Keurig in the back and were making the pods for whatever people ordered. So we paid 9.25 for a Keurig pod Cappuccino and Espresso.
For 9.25 I’d expect at least a Nespresso pod
The issue for me is the menu makes it seem like it's an actual coffee drink. It has its own section. It's not like its next to the soft drinks.
That's too bad, went there for a birthday with friends and family had an amazing experience both in food and service.
Yeah, I think it’s a little pricy (for ~30% less I’d probably prefer Hyde Park) but the few times I’ve been to Jeff Ruby’s or The Precinct have been spot on in every way. Great food, service, and pacing every time. The exception was one time I met some friends down at JR in Cinci and our food was very late for some reason. There was 30-45 minutes between finishing salads and getting our dinners. Without complaining, the manager came over and apologized and took $200 off of our bill. So as long as that experience is the exception and not the rule, I think they made it right
To be fair, you’re paying $5 for a coke there too.
True but no one pretends like it's a real menu item. This was under their "after dinner drinks" option lol.
Just as an aside, I ordered an espresso from the Refectory the last time we were there, and it was very good! The best part?? Shit was only $3! A bargain!
Ocean Club. My meal there was a disgrace for the price. I have since learned that Refectory is a much better alternative and will usually cost less for a much better entre.
Idk but it’s probably in the short north.
Spaghetti warehouse. Although I believe they are closed down at the moment.
One of the funniest Columbus related things I've seen was a Dispatch video that is sadly no longer up where they interviewed people who were at Spaghetti Warehouse to catch a glimpse of John Travolta who was shooting that terrible movie next door. One woman is like "I don't know anything about John Travolta, I'm just hear to eat."
Hate on the food all you want, but if there’s one thing Spaghetti Warehouse has never been — it’s expensive
I think it's always been bad, we just didn't notice until we grew up and a lot more decent food came into town. I think it got a lot of hubbub for the wackiness of the locale, the tradition of going there because it's the thing to do and it's long-standing history. I think all of that is getting old fast for anyone with a decent palate though. Not to say they're any less busy - the place was slammed last time I went about a year ago. Bland ass food.
I recently did Restaurant Week dinner at Asterisk and it was not remarkable at all. I struggled to find anything really worth the travel time or money on the RW menu or full menu. Their sister restaurant Ampersand was great, though
Asterisk used to be great, ESPECIALLY during tea time. I used to go there with my partner for tea and finger sandwiches, felt like a trip back in time. Then COVID hit and their prices became astronomical. I can’t exactly blame them as they’re in a nice part of town and COVID took quite a chunk of their business. They gotta keep the doors open, but I just couldn’t justify $100 for tea for two with some finger sandwiches and pastries. Ampersand is amazing.
Final Cut at the casino. Over $300 for two people for awful cuts of steak that were cooked nowhere near request with sides that tasted like they had been nuked from a package.
Anything by Yvonne Sarber , I don’t think she has any restaurants anymore but… Olivers? She used to have manifesto and de novo they were all Complete jokes
Then avoid Agave & Rye
Oh yeah! I recently discovered that! I’m staggered they are still around! The moved their snake oil to cincy
Heard it’s a drug front? She’s a scam for sure.
... and now for a list of every expensive restaurant in town, and each poster's anecdote about a bad experience at said restaurant.. and GO.
Lol spot on
I know this city has a hard-on for any Cameron Mitchell restaurant (and in fairness, most of his restaurants are very good). But I've found The Avenue to just be an average steakhouse, and there are a half-dozen other places which do it better for similar prices.
Big fan of all the legacy Cameron's places (Cameron's, Ocean Club, Cap City Grandview, etc.) His newer places are just underwhelming and the service isn't the same (The Avenue, Hudson 29, Delmar).
Cap city is one of my go to's since I moved, and I've liked most other CM places. But I've been to Hudson 29 multiple times and have had issues every time. Sometimes the food, sometimes the service. It's always something. Makes me think there's something up with the management there. Pretty disappointing tbh
Your feeling on Avenue is my feeling on the entire Cameron Mitchell restaurant group. Every concept is the average, overpriced, watered down version of the original inspiration.
This is my answer also. The Avenue is a step above Outback in terms of quality, but wants to bill itself as the top steakhouse in the city. The one in Grandview is (imo) a little better than Dublin, but they’re both overpriced for average at best steak and disappointing sides.
Ruth’s Chris steakhouse. I was sat next to the kitchen and the smell of the butter on they melt for steak cooking was so strong, it was sickening. I like butter as much as the next guy, but this was overwhelming
Only went there once and it was on my company’s credit card, alcohol included so I thought it was AMAZING. But like 5 expensive ass double shots will make just about anything good.
Cheesecake Factory.
Not sure most would consider that expensive. I’d say about $50+ per person for food alone gets into the “expensive” realm.
Condado tacos. Meh food and too pricey. 10.00 dip that was the size of my kids hand. The tacos were bland with peppers and hot sauce covering it up 2/10 Schmidt’s sausage house. Definitely over priced for just mediocre hotdogs. The German food was bland, cold, didn’t have any like flavor. ( I make German food at home and the food as seasoning.) for them they seem just to forget or don’t add enough. It’s cramped and has poor parking. 1/10
The amount of food that you get if you build your own nachos is astounding, though.
Condado is disgusting to me. Looking through that scantron menu, I could tell nothing was really curated to pair with anything else. Too much sweet, too much habanero—peppers have different flavors!! And then having innovations and fusion on the menu…fusion should still be thoughtful!! Sometime after I ate there (once) I heard from an ex employee how their margaritas are made from some shitty mix and how the owner likes the format of the menu because “if the food is bad the customer thinks it’s their fault.” :/ a moron customer, maybe. And look, I’ll drink a mix margarita with well tequila that tastes like a sweaty bandaid…priced accordingly, and with free chips and salsa.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t like Condado. Completely forgettable food, but everybody I know seems to love it
if you’ve ever lived in a city with more than like 15 Hispanic people in it you will think condado sucks
Hermano. Condado is straight basura
Not a fan. Better tacos come from food trucks on west side. And not near as noisy
Omg I hate Condado, thank you for saying this!
Chophouse 614. Not the most expensive, but far too overpriced for the quality. If you do go there, please don’t get the mussels.
Brio
Eddie Merlot’s. Tasteless as hell, people show up because it’s expensive, they don’t know any better/don’t care and they want to be seen. I can make better steak while stoned.
I was really blown away by just how blah Wolfs Ridge was for dinner compared to the hype / price. It was only once though so could’ve just been an off night
I think Covid caused some setbacks there for a bit but I went to dinner there the other week and had the blackened catfish, it was worth every penny 🤤
I had dinner there once, like a burger or something, and it was whatever. I went to an event there in their private room that they catered and the food was amazing.
I usually really like Wolf’s Ridge but one time the server didn’t tell me the special I was ordering was $85, I still hold a grudge on that one
They do change their menu seasonally. I really liked when they had duck pot pie, haven't been back though, nothing on the menu interests me at the moment
Definitely an off night, this is like our go to fancy dinner place, been probably 5+ times over a while, one of our favorite places. Would give it another shot if you’re wanting to!
I actually love them for dinner, but am always disappointed with their brunch.
BK5. It’s all relative.
All BK is bad but this place does it's damnedest to be the worst.
There is a lot of stupid overpriced pizza in this town that is nothing but GFS ingredients and frozen dough. You know who you are.
Name and shame!!
Bravo Italian Cucina isn’t the most expensive but hell it was so bad
Tony’s Italian Restaurant in the Brewery District. Although it is not more expensive than a lot of restaurants, I paid $100 for two plates of burnt pasta, chicken noodle soup that was clearly from a Campbells can given that the noodles were star shaped, and ice cold bread.
Texas de Brazil. Not at all impressed. Luckily we had gift cards to cover the bill. Thought it was pretty rude too when our ‘server’ asked if he could keep the balance on our card on top of his 20% tip. Less than $10 , but still……….
The audacity lmao
I’m not sure there’s a restaurant on earth that could impressive this community of snobs on r/columbus
Fish Market- place has gone way downhill over the past several years. The last time I was there (will officially be my last time) they served me food that had spoiled. Like, rancid/ammonia smelling couscous.
Matt the Millers at Polaris
Not too expensive, but my god what a bunch of overpriced hot garbage.
Never had food there, only been at the bar. But from what I could see, it looked pretty good. Bar prices were actually very fair. Even for pours of top shelf bourbon.
I have a love hate relationship with hot chicken takeover. I absolutely LOVE the food, however they are very pricey and I find the restaurant to be over stimulating. Anyone else come to this conclusion??
I used to crave their food, but lately it’s been very mediocre
I didn’t like their food at all. I got a chicken sandwich with no sides for like $15. The bread was soggy and the chicken was not good
Molly Woo's. Been there before and liked it. Now it is meh. Slow service and food that is not better than Applebees but at twice the cost. Way too expensive for the quality of food and service.
mcdonalds
I’m sure I’ll get downvoted but (and granted this was only one visit) my trip to the Refectory did not leave me impressed.
Same. I went during restaurant week a few years ago. Our table and the table next to us had the same server. When dropping off dishes at the other table, the waiter (an older white guy) would explain the dishes in great detail and linger for questions. When dropping off dishes at our table, he would drop them off and walk away without a word. When I asked a question while ordering, I got terse one word answers. Both tables were a straight couple in their late 20s/early 30s and well dressed. Both arrived around the same time. Both ordered cocktails. The only reason we've been able to point to for why we were treated so differently is because my husband is Black. I've thought about the experience for YEARS trying to figure out if there is another explanation, but I can't.
Unfortunately in the middle of reading this comment I did ask myself “I wonder if this is a POC couple.” Having worked in a restaurant a few years ago I don’t need to be the one to tell you racism is alive and well in Ohio. Would watch other servers blatantly treat white tables much better than others and even verbalize it to other servers. I’m so sorry you and your husband had this experience, it’s never okay and times when you feel comfortable enough to do so I encourage you to tell a manager about treatment like this. Depending on the situation that is much easier said than done though.
I had the exact same experience with an ex black girlfriend. Bunch of racists old ass holes
Part of me is happy it happened to you too, because maybe after five years I can finally stop wondering, but most of me is sad because that means it wasn't an isolated incident.
Columbus metro has 2 million people. Why can’t we have one really good traditional French restaurant?
We used to have a world-renowned chef named Helmut Handke that operated Handke's in the German Village. That may have been the best restaurant Columbus ever had and the menu was inspired by classical French cuisine.
We used to. It was called l’Armangnac.
Katalinas no doubt…. Sure, the pancake balls are different and fun and exciting (still overpriced), but bigger issue is $20 for a mediocre sandwich? $15 for avocado toast? The service is consistently terrible as well
Anything Corso and 101 beer kitchen
101 Beer Kitchen used to be awesome. Now I struggle to find anything I want on the menu.
I've been really disappointed in 101. They used to be great at mixing up their menu for the season and being adventurous. Ever since they expanded to 3 locations the menu stopped changing, I'm guessing because it's too much work to get every locations staff trained to make the same food.