"ThisWeek" 2004 Readers Poll Ranks Restaurants

By: Walker

20 Comments

• 

  shroud September 13, 2005 10:04 pm

  Walker wrote And their results are:

  Agree? Disagree?

  Broke down my comments below. It’s all personal opinion, so as to be expected, YMMV…

  Best sushi:Otani

  –Bah, not at all. Kooma, Restaraunt Japan are both much better.

  If they’re still open (which sad to say, I’m not sure since I haven’t been in so long), Sapporo Wind and Shoku are/were both better as well.

  Best barbecue: City Barbeque*

  –Personally, I’ve never been a huge fan of City BBQ – I just don’t see the hype. However, enough people I know believe this that I’ll concede the point here. I’ll still take Damons any day.

  Best Fine Dining: The Refectory

  –Definitely can’t argue with this one – it remains the marquee “fancy restaurant” in town, the pick for the most special of special occasions.

  Best Casual Dining: Cap City Diner*

  –This seems like a hugely broad category, since almost anything non-”fine” would classify. Cap City’s not a bad choice I suppose.

  Best Breakfast: First Watch*

  –I’d vote Nancy’s personally… but I can see where the greasy-spoon thing doesn’t appeal to everyone. FW is definitely tasty.

  Best Lunch: w.g. Grinders*

  –If it counts, I vote “North Market”. If it needs to be narrowed down to one PARTICULAR place, I’d vote Wolfgang Pucks Express. Love that place.

  Best Steak House: Mitchell’s Steak House

  –A strong choice – can’t argue with it TOO much, though I’d rank both Ruths Chris and Morton’s above it. Maybe I hyped myself up for it too much, but I was just a LITTLE disappointed by Mitchell’s in comparison to the others.

  Best New Restaurant: Bonefish Grill

  –Never been there. Tried to go once, but they’re not open during lunch hours. Heard good things about the place and still hope to try it… Having not tried it, I’d put my “Best New” (of ’04) vote to Wolfgang Pucks Express… though Im sure there’s somewhere better Im forgetting.

  Best Seafood: Columbus Fish Market*

  Best Vegetarian Offerings: Dragonfly

  Best Tavern Food: Old Bag of Nails*

  –No complaints with any of these three – they seem the pretty solid runaway choices in each category… Rusty Bucket isn’t bad for an Old Bag O Nails clone, but a clone is never quite as good as the original.

  Best Pizza:Donatos*

  –We’ve got a whole thread on this…

  Best Italian: Bravo!*

  –I’d have to go with Buca di Beppo personally. Bravo is very good, as are a good number of the scores of Italian joints in Grandview…

  Best Chinese: P. F. Chang’s*

  –Too “commercialized” for me. I don’t hate on the fusion thing, but if I’m voting for best Chinese, a fusion place isn’t going to rank this high. I’d go with Mingflower. Since it didn’t rate it’s own category, Thai Orchid should be in here too, maybe even ahead of Mingflower.

  Best Indian: Indian Oven

  –Indian Oven frequently gets rated #1 Indian in town, and I just don’t get it – IMO they’re only “OK” – there are SEVERAL better places in town. My personal favorite is New India in Bethel Center, especially for the buffet. Taj II on High Street was very good as well.

  Best Mexican: El Vaquero*

  –I’ll second this one. Nice to see a more authentic place take the category.

  Best Greek: Anna’s

  –Annas is very good, maybe #1, though recently I’ve really gotten into Tria Greek Kuzina in Powell.

  Best Diner: Cap City Diner*

  –Sure

  Best Bagels: Panera*

  –I assume this is for the bagels themselves and not bagel sandwiches… for the baked aspect, I suppose this is fine, but how did they manage to beat out Blocks? I miss Bruggers and Beekmans, the former campus bagelly goodness.

  Best Subs (Sandwiches): w.g Grinders*

  –For me I’d place Quiznos, Potbelly Sandwich Works, Jersey Mikes and even Subway all ahead of Grinders.

  Best Desserts: The Cheesecake Factory*

  –Nothing beats the warm chocolate cake at Lindeys. Buca’s Tiramisu is phenomenal as well. If you’re talking about overall selection, then I suppose all the options combined at the Cheesecake Factory may be greater, but on an individual level, there are many others better.

  Best Burritos: Chipotle*

  –Sure, but La Bamba and Moes are both very close behind.

  Best Salads: Max & Erma’s*

  Best Soups:Panera*

  –Don’t really have much input on either of these… especially the salads. Panera soups are usually pretty tasty.

  Best Burgers: Max & Erma’s*

  –Not at ALL. Better: Ted’s Montana Grill, Fuddruckers, Cheeburger Cheeburger, Thurman’s Cafe… and probably others Im not thinking of.

  Best Ice Cream Parlor: Graeter’s*

  Best Coffee House: Starbucks*

  –Sure. Not really much competition for either of these, at least not on the same scale. I really like Cold Stone Creamery and Jeni’s in the North Market, but it’s not the same…

  Best Patio: Barcelona

  –Huh? Guess I don’t pay much attention to restaraunt patios.

  Best Overall: Columbus Fish Market*

  –This one is wide open… My own personal vote would go to “M” I think…
• 

  columbus_local September 13, 2005 10:08 pm

  Sher E Punjab is a great and cheap indian place. It’s in the Kenny Center right by the Thai Taste. They do several buffet’s during the week, including i think 1 vegan buffet as well.
• 

  gramarye September 14, 2005 3:17 am

  For most of them, I either agree or haven’t been so can’t say. My personal pick would have been M over the Refectory for fine dining but the advantage in the opinion polls is probably a little tilted in Refectory’s favor for now. (I like the lighting and music at M better, and the food is a dead heat.)
• 

  Walker September 14, 2005 8:05 am

  I’m going to follow Shroud’s lead and break them all down… I’ve omitted the ones that I can’t really offer an opinion on due to not trying enough types of a restaurant around town to make a good judgement…

  Best Casual Dining: Cap City Diner*

  – Cap City is a great place, but there are so many great casual places around town that I don’t think I could pick just one. Some of my current favorites include: Betty’s, Olde Mohawk, Schmidt’s, LuLu’s, The Short North Tavern, and a handful of others that also fall into other categories here as well.

  Best Breakfast: First Watch*

  – First Watch is decent, but my pick for #1 would be Jack & Benny’s with Waffle House in a close second (just because of all the good 3AM memories at the WH).

  Best Lunch: w.g. Grinders*

  – I’ve had Grinders once (catered at work) and thought it was a little gross. On a typical work day I take lunch with me and eat light, so I don’t go out much for lunch. If we’re just talking sandwiches, I’d say the Brown Bag Deli in German Village is a great spot for lunch, and Schiller Park is walking distance from it, which makes for a great picnic spot.

  Best New Restaurant: Bonefish Grill

  –Never had Bonefish Grill. It’s a chain, isn’t it? I’m not sure if this counts for 2004 or 2005, but I’d say my favorite new restaurant right now is Tyfoon. Strada was great before it, and it’s doing a decent job of filling it’s shoes. Their menu is a little small if you’re going for non-sushi, but what they do offer is pretty tasty and fairly cheap. A great place to check out if you like Kooma. The Rossi is also a great new spot, but that was definitely opened in 2005.

  Best Seafood: Columbus Fish Market*

  – R.J. Snappers is my pick for best Seafood. The CFM would be a close second though.

  Best Vegetarian Offerings: Dragonfly

  –I don’t eat much vegetarian, other than an occasional black bean burger or a plate of hummus. The stuff I’ve had at High Five and at the Olde Mohawk have both been good.

  Best Tavern Food: Old Bag of Nails*

  – I’d say the Short North Tavern would be my favorite Tavern. The food at Old Bag of Nails is ok, but I don’t think I’ve ever been impressed with their service.

  Best Pizza:Donatos*

  – Minuteman. ;)

  Best Italian: Bravo!*

  – Spaghetti Warehouse is still my favorite, mainly for the atmosphere and the kid-friendlyness.

  Best Chinese: P. F. Chang’s*

  – Happy Dragon is German Village is my favorite Chinese. Best stir-fry in town!

  Best Mexican: El Vaquero*

  – Definitely El Vaquero. Chili Verde in Dublin isn’t bad either. Estrada is also decent and cheap, but it’s not really authentic mexican food…

  Best Subs (Sandwiches): w.g Grinders*

  – Do Pitas count? I’d pick Pita Pit for a sanwich-type meal. Otherwise, Brown Bag Deli or Subway gets my vote. I haven’t tried out Potbelly yet.

  Best Desserts: The Cheesecake Factory*

  – I rarely eat desserts. That may shock some people, but I’d rather fill up on a great meal than save room for sweets at the end. ;)

  Best Burritos: Chipotle*

  – I’d say Chipotle is number one, but the Mexican place (can’t remember the name? El Sabor?) at the North Market is a close second!

  Best Salads: Max & Erma’s*

  – I don’t eat salad. Ever.

  Best Soups:Panera*

  – My soup preference depends on the type of soup, really. The Italian Wedding at Spaghetti Warehouse is good. The Beer Cheese at the Elevator is good. The French Onion at Red Robin is good. The Lobster Bisque at R. J. Snapper’s is good. And so on and so forth…

  Best Burgers: Max & Erma’s*

  – I tried the garbage burger at Max & Erma’s not too long ago and have to say that it was pretty good. But for all around better burgers you could go to Thurman’s, Red Robin, or several other places around town that don’t necessarily specialize in burgers but still make them pretty well.

  Best Ice Cream Parlor: Graeter’s*

  – Ritter’s has been my favorite for a long time (ok, it’s frozen custard instead of ice cream, but close enough) but Handel’s is starting to edge it out. ColdStone is good too, but good LORD do they have to give you so much? It’s like they’re trying to make their customers too fat to be able to walk back to the store!!!

  Best Patio: Barcelona

  – Barcelona’s patio is great! I don’t hang out on too many, but that one is nice.

  Best Overall: Columbus Fish Market*

  – Overall? I’d say maybe Olde Mohawk because of it’s proximity to where I live and their wide variety of things to choose from.
• 

  Ndcent September 14, 2005 8:45 am

  LoL @ P.F. Chang’s being best Chinese.

  Hyde Park didn’t make the list??

  I can only eat Grinders if it’s at the place, when I’ve gotten it to go the sauce makes the bread soggy…thus unedible.

  Indian Oven is the shit, but $$$$.

  I HATE First Watch…that place makes me feel like I’m in an retirement home with younger people and tossing some avacado’s around the breakfast menu does not a good breakfast restaurant make.

  I have never gotten why people like El Vaq so much, but I’m going to give it my normal 2nd try/last chance opportunity before I blacklist it.

  Jeni’s Ice Cream shits on Graeters any day…just wait til her business grows even more.

  Well it’s almost 9am and this thread is making me want to polish off this bag of Funyuns on my desk, with hot tea…MMM, lol.
• 

  Walker September 14, 2005 8:54 am

  Ndcent wrote I have never gotten why people like El Vaq so much, but I’m going to give it my normal 2nd try/last chance opportunity before I blacklist it.

  Authentic. Cheap. Fast. What’s NOT to like?
• 

  Ndcent September 14, 2005 9:15 am

  Walker wrote Cheap.

  CHEAP indeed, those chile rellanos were pathetic!!
• 

  Walker September 14, 2005 10:35 am

  Authentic mexican food does not need to include the finest cuts of meat or the freshest home grown produce to be good and authentic. Don’t dress it up like it needs to be “fine cusine” (It’s annoying enough when people do that with pizza), because the standard taco-cart food in Mexico is probably worse that what you even find anywhere here.
• 

  Brewmaster September 14, 2005 12:10 pm

  My list…changes are in BOLD

  ——-

  Best sushi:Haiku for creativity or Restaurant Japan for authenticity

  Best barbecue: City Barbeque* solid beef brisket sandwiches.

  Best Fine Dining: Handke Cuisine

  Best Casual Dining: Cap City Diner*

  Best Breakfast: First Watch*

  Best Lunch: Chipotle

  Best Steak House: Morton’s

  Best New Restaurant: Due Amici

  Best Seafood: Columbus Fish Market* RJ Snapper’s is damn close

  Best Vegetarian Offerings: I have no idea

  Best Tavern Food: Old Bag of Nails*

  Best Pizza:Figlio’s

  Best Italian: Tony’s Italian Ristorante

  Best Chinese: Peking Dynasty (on 5th in grandview)

  Best Indian: I’ve only had it from the place in the North Market

  Best Mexican: El Vaquero*

  Best Greek: Taverna Opa

  Best Diner: Cap City Diner*

  Best Bagels: Panera*

  Best Subs (Sandwiches): Jimmy John’s

  Best Desserts: The Cheesecake Factory*

  Best Burritos: Chipotle*

  Best Salads: Champps

  Best Soups: ?

  Best Burgers: Ted’s Montana Grill hands down!

  Best Ice Cream Parlor: Graeter’s*

  Best Coffee House: Stauff’s

  Best Patio: Claddagh Irish Pub

  Best Overall: Columbus Fish Market*

  * Denotes multiple locations

  —–

  Agree? Disagree?
• 

  Brewmaster September 14, 2005 12:14 pm

  Ndcent wrote
  

  Walker wrote Cheap.

  CHEAP indeed, those chile rellanos were pathetic!!

  Chile Rellanos are always pathetic. They’re little shrivled peppers stuffed with gooey cheese and baked. That makes it a little difficult to earn presentation points.

  Try the quesadillas or fajitas next time. Mmmmmm. A filling sit down meal (with all you can eat chips) for something like $8.95!
• 

  Ndcent September 14, 2005 12:18 pm

  You sir, are high.

  Chile Rellanos are a mexican staple, and they’re hardly small where I go…try El Mariachi in Whitehall (across the street from Mi Mexico!) or La Fogata in Pickerington.

  Fajitas are the same about wherever you go…
• 

  shroud September 14, 2005 3:17 pm

  Brewmaster wrote

  Best Fine Dining: Handke Cuisine

  What’s Handke Cuisine? Never heard of them, but always interested in learning more about “fine dining” options…
• 

  Anne September 14, 2005 3:35 pm

  Located in the Brewery District on Front St. I think in the Sterling Lofts building?

  Never been there, but I have heard from numerous people that it is wonderful.
• 

  Brewmaster September 14, 2005 4:09 pm

  shroud wrote
  

  Brewmaster wrote

  Best Fine Dining: Handke Cuisine

  What’s Handke Cuisine? Never heard of them, but always interested in learning more about “fine dining” options…

  Anne was close. It’s located in the next building north of the Sterling Lofts building (I think it’s called the Schlee Bavarian Brewery), right across from CD101.

  I’m by no means a “fine dining” expert, usually due to a lack of funds, but I do know that this was one of the best meals of my life (also one of the most expensive).

  Here’s the head chef/owner’s bio from the website. It’s pretty damn impressive.

  http://www.chefhandke.com/index.html

  Chef Hartmut Handke, CMC, is one of America’s most accomplished chefs with over 40 years of culinary experience and many national and international culinary awards and professional honors to his credit. He has worked in world-class kitchens in Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Jamaica, Barbados, Antigua, Canada and the United States. His award-winning global cuisine reflects his diverse influences and his mastery of the highest culinary standards.

  Chef Handke has competed in over 50 national and international culinary competitions and salons. He has won 38 gold medals, more than any other chef in America. He was a member of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) Culinary Team USA 1984 and 1988, both of which won gold medals in the cold food and pastry competitions. In 1995, he won the Auguste Escoffier USA Grand Prix and went on to represent the United States in the Grand Prix Culinaire International Auguste Escoffier in Nice, France, winning the dessert competition and placing second overall. Chef Handke served as team manager in 1998 for the ACF Culinary Team USA, which won gold medals in both cold and hot food at the Culinary World Cup at Expogast in Luxembourg. In May 2000, Chef Handke won the final competition at the Bocuse d’Or USA Concours and the honor of representing the United States in Lyon, France, in 2003. In the competition, Chef Handke won the very first Gold Medal ever for the United States!

  Chef Handke’s peers have also recognized his contributions and achievements. He is the only chef to receive all three of ACF’s most prestigious professional awards. In 1992 he received “ACF Culinarian of the Year Award” and “ACF Chef Professionalism Award”. A year later he was awarded ACF’s “National Chef of the Year Award.” In 1989, Chef Handke was recognized as “Ambassador” by the Culinary Institute of America.

  In addition to his experiences outside America, Chef Handke has worked in fine-dining establishments in the United States for over 25 years. He served as executive chef of the Athletic Club of Columbus, Columbus, Ohio, for nearly nine years and as executive chef of The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, W. Va., from 1986 to 1991. Since then, he has been chef-proprietor of Handke’s Cuisine in Columbus, Ohio. In 2001, 2002, 2003 and now 2004 the Zagat Survey ranked Handke’s Cuisine the top restaurant in both Columbus and the state of Ohio, and his crиme brulee dessert the best in the country.

  Chef Handke is one of only 75 chefs in the country who has achieved certified master chef (CMC), the certification given by ACF to recognize the highest achievement in the culinary profession. He was the thirteenth chef to receive the CMC designation after passing the grueling 10-day, 130-hour examination.

  Chef Handke devotes his personal time to the professional development of talented, young culinarians through teaching, coaching and training.

  An ACF-sanctioned culinary judge, Chef Handke has judged numerous culinary competitions during his career, most recently at the 2000 “International Culinary Olympics” in Erfurt, Germany, and the culinary competition held during the World Association of Cooks’ Societies Congress in Melbourne, Australia.

  While maintaining active memberships in professional trade associations, Chef Handke is also involved in local charities and community organizations.

  In addition to owning and operating Handke’s Cuisine, he is a professional culinary consultant. He served for five years on the menu design team for United Airlines Worldwide and has consulted for Kellogg’s, Caribbean Hotel Association, Donatos Pizza, Huntington Bankshares and OSO Sweet Onions.
• 

  Ndcent October 4, 2005 5:48 pm

  Anyone have any favorites for cheap eats?
• 

  Brewmaster October 4, 2005 6:18 pm

  Ndcent wrote Anyone have any favorites for cheap eats?

  I think Nancy’s has to take the cake on that one. Do yourself a favor and go for chicken and noodles day. So good.

  AOL CityGuide Review of Nancy’s

  I always thought Thurman’s Cafe was pretty reasonable for what you get (especially the blue plate specials).[/url]
• 

  shroud October 4, 2005 9:33 pm

  Depends on what kind of food you’re looking for specifically… there are a lot of different types of cheap options around, including some good ones.

  Nancy’s is good stuff… though people who arent familiar with how things work at lunchtime may be put-off by the lack of choices. It’s a great little diner though, and you can’t beat those Chicken n Noodles.
• 

  Ndcent October 5, 2005 8:57 am

  shroud wrote Depends on what kind of food you’re looking for specifically… there are a lot of different types of cheap options around, including some good ones.

  Oh anything really…I like it all…for some reason I thought that Turkish Cuisine place next to Ravari was inexpensive…I need to stop spending $45 on dinner on a Tuesday night.

  I’ll make sure to check out Nancys…any other suggestions regardless of type of food?
• 

  shy_999 October 5, 2005 2:18 pm

  Best sushi: No clue… hate sushi

  Best barbecue: Hoggies (or Damons)

  Best Breakfast: lol I agree with Walker about WH

  Best Steak House: Mitchell’s Steak House agree 100%

  Best Tavern Food: Old Bag of Nails Horrible service with ok food

  Best Pizza:(Again with Walker) Minuteman… with Hound Dogs at 2am

  Best Greek: Mad Greek on E. Broad

  Best Bagels: Sammy’s New York Bagels on James

  Best Subs (Sandwiches): Minuteman

  Best Salads: Applebee’s

  Best Soups:Panera (again with Walker depends on the soup)

  Best Ice Cream Parlor: Clown Cone in Nothern Lights Shopping center

  Best Patio: Brio in Easton (just because of the kids playing in the water)

  Any omitted means I haven’t tried or don’t have an opinion.
• 

  Anne October 5, 2005 2:56 pm

  Yay! another Minuteman lover. :)