mrsgeedeck
Castle of Lions
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The husband and I went to BB back in the fall and had a great meal. Some friends went just last week and reported the exact opposite to the point that they wouldn't drive back out there for brunch again.
Today I was having a conversation about good breakfast places, and my coworker also noted that they'd gone to BB earlier this month and had a bad experience.
Does anyone know if they've got a new chef, or new manager?
aaminian
Short North
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I went with a small group on Mother's Day. They had a VERY limited menu, and 2 or 3 of the items that were offered were no longer available, leaving 3 or 4 options. There were maybe 12 other people in the place at the time, but it took well over an hour for us to get any food. When it did arrive, several of the dishes were missing components that were listed on the menu. For example, one dish was supposed to come with a croissant, but none was to be found on the plate. When we asked the waitress what the deal was she said that they were out of croissants. 15 minutes later, a table next to us received their dishes, complete WITH croissants. Additionally, from what I remember, sides of fruit and potatoes were also missing from several dishes.
Now for the quality of the food. EVERYTHING that our group ordered, from my steak and eggs to my wife's pancakes, was HORRIBLE. And I'm not talking horrible in the sense that it was bad according to my own, subjective taste. I mean it was factually, objectively, awful. My steak and eggs (being sold for $16) looked and tasted like they'd been left under the heat lamp for at least 30 minutes while other dishes were being finished. Sent it straight back without thinking twice. My wife's pancakes were undoubtedly straight out of the box.
We'd had very good meals at this location before (many months ago), but this was hands down the worst dining experience I've ever had in Columbus. My friends and I STILL talk about how bad it was.
tolemac5050
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Never been to BB...do not think I will ever try this restaurant...
bastardsuperstar
ゴジラ
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BB in GV was our absolute favorite place in town for brunch. went constantly, loved every meal. because of bartending so late, i usually start my day later, and often we'd be the last ones showing up for sunday brunch, and after a few visits, they knew us well enough to save the last of the sweetpotato creme brulee in case we showed up. always felt exactly the way a regular (who tips like a madman) should be treated.
BB on greenlawn has always had a stiff feel, little personality, and less awesome food. we had 2, maybe 3 brunches there, and kinda stopped going. then last year my pops and i had a birthday meal there, and every single thing that was brought to the table was "meh." i was kinda embarrassed that i brought my father here, as i'd been raving about it for so long only to be served some the dryest sandwiches either of us had ever encountered. stopped going altogether after that. until . . .
the girl & i decided to try the brunch again a few months back. it was a special occasion and we wanted to celebrate with a meal that had always been one of our faves. we showed up 35 minutes before the posted closing time. a kitchen worker who recognized us gave us a hearty "hey y'all" from the back, and the server rushed to cut us off as soon as she saw us walking further in. "dining room's closed" was all she said. not hello, not sorry, just closed. well, it's more than a half hour til closing time, i said. "we close before the posted time to get a start on cleaning" i was told. not in any restaurant i've ever worked in/ eaten at/ heard of, but whatever. i tell her we'll just get some to-go food then, and she says "i told you, we're closed" no, you told me the dining room's closed, despite the fact that there are 3 or 4 tables of people dining, and its nowhere near closing time. by this point there is no way we can make it to any other good sunday brunch in town, cuz we're looking at 25 minutes tops to make it from the south side to somewhere like starliner? not gonna happen. so i leave furious, and i haven't been back since. it went from being my favorite place to take outoftowners or just have an amazing brunch to a place i could never honestly recommend even to someone i don't like.
i hate that i lost my favorite place to eat . . .
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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mrsgeedeck wrote >>
Does anyone know if they've got a new chef, or new manager?
Kevin Caskey was the original chef at Banana Bean on Whittier.
He was still the chef when it first moved to Greenlawn.
Not sure exactly when he left, but it wasn't too long after the relocation.
Kevin went back to the original location on Whittier to open Skillet. His wife Angela and son Patrick have also played a large role in the success of Skillet.
I imagine that's enough to explain most of the concerns expressed in this thread.
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mrsgeedeck
Castle of Lions
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@walker Thanks. Sounds like more of a slow decline with the loss of their chef in that case. Wasn't trying to trash talk a business, just get a feel for why the dining experiences differed so greatly.
eg37
German Village/Schumacher Place
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I went there for dinner a few months ago and I can say it was officially the worst meal, service, everything I have had in recent memory. I had previously visited the new location last winter and everything was pretty tasty, service was great, drinks were good. This past time was simply awful. As the previous poster noted they had a VERY limited selection, and everything we asked for (including all beer) was not available. The sandwich I got was so dry and gross that I couldn't even swallow it without tons of water. My husband and I might be the least picky eaters ever, and we both hated it. I even wrote them an email (which I never do!) at the time just to let them know how bad it was. I wasn't complaining, but more informing them just in case the owners were unaware of what was going on. I never heard back. I live in the area and I want the restaurant to thrive and prosper, but I couldn't imagine every going there again after last time.
mbeaumont
Italian Village
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Banana Bean used to be one of my favorite restaurants for brunch and lunch. Certainly when they were on Whittier, and even after their move.
I haven't been there in quite some time, but I was always baffled when I heard negative reports from people dining there.
I'm sure I must have eaten there after Kevin left, but maybe I just got lucky?
saralinds
Clintonville
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I've had a similar history with Banana Bean. Loved it when it was on Whittier. I have had, at best, mixed experiences since they moved to Greenlawn. After several misses in a row, I gave up eating at one of my former favorites, and haven't been back in about a year.
BreakfastwithNick
Clintonville
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The restaurant is still under the leadership of Robin Emrick, who started it (and Coyote Jane's). I've had pretty consistently good experiences there, but have heard of a handful of so-so experiences, too.
I do miss the GV location. I love the feel of the cozy, tiny neighborhood spot that serves you some surprising food.
joev
Merion Village
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I've had a similar bad recent experience after a ton of great experiences a while ago. The place was pretty much empty, yet the service was slow and aloof. We sat on the patio, intending to have dinner. They only had one beer left on draft, the table was dirty, and there was a giant, disgusting bird nest on a ledge directly above our table. After the first round of drinks, we took our business elsewhere. It's like they don't even care anymore.
patient_zero
Falafel District
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This is sad to hear! I was introduced to a freshly made Summer Shady there (Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat + fresh lemonaid) and had some damn good softshell crab sandwiches there, too. Service and food was always exceptional, but I'm embarrassed to admit that it's been months since my last visit.
http://www.columbusunderground.com/forums/topic/softshell-crab-sandwich-spots/page/2
Jane is a restaurant veteran, so I have high hopes for her addressing these various issues effectively over the weeks and months.
bastardsuperstar
ゴジラ
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i truly hope so, cuz at this point it almost feels like an insult that i have to "risk" a meal (and the cost of it) at what was once my favorite eatery in this effin' 'burg.
god, how i miss looking forward to my weekly meal there . . .
DCist
UA
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Just got home from brunch there ironically, before reading this post. I had been to the old location and to the greenlawn location before.
Unfortunately, all the bad reviews on here lately were echoed today. We were there at 10am, service was terrible (she asked me if I wanted water 2x and 2x I said yes without getting it, etc) and the food was equally as bad. I ordered the lobster hash, the hash was cold and potatoes greasy. It came with a "salad" which was 5 pieces of wilted lettuce. I ordered 1 mimosa and my bf ordered OJ and coffee. The serving size of the OJ and mimosa were teeeeeeeeny and both were $4.
My bf ordered the bananas fosters french toast (the entire reason we went) he seemed to think it was fine but not fantastic. We both ordered sides, $3 each of sausage patties and bacon. The sausage looked like it was run over by a car and totally tasteless and his bacon dripped with grease. Overall we spent $50, definitely not worth it.
This makes me sad, we loved this place when it was in GV and right after it relocated.
tolemac5050
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FOR LEASE...BUILDING ON GREENLAWN/CAN BE USED AS A RESTAURANT
I can talk to buffalos
They're right by my earlobes.
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it is beyond me why anyone would ever be willing to spend 50 dollars on breakfast.
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