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    Restaurant Review: Old Skool

    It seems like Old Skool entered the marketplace without much fuss. It took over the Clintonville spot once occupied by Giorgio. Low-key, affordable, with an appealing mix of sports televisions and free popcorn and video games — it’s the sort of place that should be in every neighborhood.

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    The theme is sporty with an artsy twist. Giant glowing screens of sports are distributed generously and evenly above the seating. There’s also an installation of retro TVs (non operational) on one wall that qualifies as art. And an Elvis pinball machine, as well as a couple of table-top video consoles that feature Pac-Man and Donkey Kong (no quarters needed).

    The servers are pretty quick and engaging, but there’s still time to visit the self-serve popcorn machine. It’s equipped with a scooper, little paper trays, and jars of sprinkles in flavors like bacon and cheese. The warm, movie-theater-style popcorn doesn’t really need sprinkles, but the cheese one is fun.

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    The laminated menus mix bar food such as loaded hot dogs and burgers, with barbecue; a downscale mix. As a general rule, it seems like a good policy to order loaded fries, any and every time the opportunity presents itself. Here, that means Poutine ($8). It’s a starter: thick fries, soft under a double-crunchy crispy shell, are loaded with brown gravy, clots/curds of melted cheese and soft pulled pork.

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    In the hot dog department, you can get them grilled or fried. They come in a variety of flavors with old-school names. You can start with the customizable Journey Dog, taglined with “Any way you want it, that’s the way you need it”; or go with a MacGyver equipped with Thai peanut sauce and bacon. The Def Leppard (“pour some chili on me”, $4) is pretty good: built on a very plump dog loaded with meaty chill plus melty cheddar and onion.

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    The $5 burger* seems like a good deal in the $10 burger Columbus market. The server warned that a double might be a better bet, but the single seemed right-sized from a classic burger perspective. When served with all its accoutrements, cheese, tomato, pickles and a perky slab of lettuce, it achieves an impressive height. As an old-fashioned burger, it’s good.

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    The barbecue section features all sorts of animal options; wings, pulled pork, brisket, chicken. You can do a Pick Three ($14) and try a trio of your choice. In choosing the pork, brisket and chicken, they’re all pretty good. Not terribly smoky, but points for dewy smooth softness. Of the three, the brisket was the favorite: with lean, fork-tender slices. The pork had a good flavor, but was fattier. In a dark joint, a mouthful of fat can be… surprising.

    Non-eaters can still take in the ambiance. It’s a sports bar that happens to have cool food; plenty of cocktails and craft beers in house. It’s got kiddie menu option too, in case you’re wondering about the target audiences: the Macaroni & Cheese option is worthy at $5 with perky pasta in a natural-tasting cheese sauce.

    Popcorn, sports, video games and beer; seems like an optimal combo for a multi-tasking chill-out. You can find it at 2941 N. High.

    *It was $5 on the menu, but retrospectively noticed $7 on the bill. Worth watching.

    For more information, visit www.oldskool614.com.

    Want to taste a barbecue sampler from Old Skool plus over a dozen other bbq restaurants? Then you’ll want to join us for Best Bites: BBQ on Thursday, June 23rd! CLICK HERE to get your tickets before they sell out!

    All photos by Walker Evans.

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    Miriam Bowers Abbott
    Miriam Bowers Abbotthttps://columbusunderground.com
    Miriam Bowers Abbott is a freelancer contributor to Columbus Underground who reviews restaurants, writes food-centric featurettes and occasionally pens other community journalism pieces.
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