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Skillet, Rustic. Urban. Food. (hereafter referred to as Skillet) opened up to much fanfare late last year in the Schumacher Place location formerly occupied by Banana Bean Cafe until they moved over to much larger digs on Greenlawn Ave. While the space was definitely too small for the volume of Banana Bean Cafe, it was reinvented brilliantly with Skillet, the new concept from father and son Kevin and Patrick Caskey, who were also key in Banana Bean Cafe’s success.
Skillet focuses on simple, seasonal and ingredient driven honest food. Patrick, in particular, has a passion for this type of cooking, and his passion shows in the menu. You’ll see a lot of things on Skillet’s menu that you don’t often see anywhere else. He’s not afraid to experiment with ingredients and flavors, and with the able assistance of his father, is able to usually knock the food out of the park.
Upon entering for the first time, it’s a little confusing on what you’re supposed to do – there’s no one there in the front of the house to greet you, so it takes a moment to realize that you pick up the menu and place your order at the front window, and then seat yourself. However, once you get past that minor hurdle, it’s easy to remember to do that on future visits.
Since there were three of us dining there for lunch, we decided to just order a bunch of dishes to share, so we could sample all of them. We’ve had their amazing porchetta as a take out item and were hoping it was on the menu that day, but no such luck – one of the other items I had hoped to sample, the Savory Sweet Potato Folded Egg Omelette, had sold out earlier in the day.
As a lover of all things pork, my favorite dish from among all I tried was the Spicy Pork Belly Quesadilla ($8), which is mostly your classic preparation of meat, cheese and flour tortillas, with a lot less cheese and a lot more porky goodness. Topped with a salsa verde sauce that added a little heat but didn’t overwhelm, this was just a perfectly balanced dish that worked surprisingly well. This is a dish that, like the porchetta, I could find myself craving regularly.
Their Truffled Griddled Cheese on Brioche ($8) has two different types of cheese on it – a cheddar cheese that’s paired with an herbed boursin cheese, then topped with a touch of truffle oil. Much different from previous incarnations of grilled cheese I’ve had, but in a good way. The truffle oil lent a bit of earthiness to it without overwhelming it or tasting artificial as truffle oil often does.
As part of the grilled cheese, one can choose a soup of their choice. Even though they were out of the pumpkin-black bean soup, the one they did have (Cream of Tomato) is the one that you most associate with grilled cheese. It, like most credible cream of tomato soups, made a terrific dipper for the grilled cheese. Even so, we had a little tomato soup left over, which you’ll see I found a perfect use for a little later.
Their Spiced Lamb Burger ($12) was a nicely sized patty cooked to order – in our case, we asked for it to be pink but not bloody, and it came out exactly that way. It was served on a soft Ciabatta roll with cumin mayo (whose flavor kind of faded into the background), a grilled slice of sheep’s milk feta, and a bit of fig-orange vinaigrette dressed arugula. While the burger as a whole was good, the individual ingredients got a bit lost in the mix. Still, a solid burger all around.
My husband, in particular, loves their Crispy Fingerling Potatoes and Burnt Ends ($3) – for those not in the know, the burnt ends are actually pieces of brisket, which complement the browned and roasted potatoes. The potatoes have a solid rosemary flavor to them, which is either a great or a bad thing, depending how you feel about rosemary. I thought the potatoes, as a side to the lamb burger, brought out the best in it. Rosemary and lamb is one of my favorite flavor combinations in the world.
The Braised Beef Short Rib Sandwich ($11) piled super-tender short ribs with a spicy pepper mixture between two slices of buttery brioche. While it was a bit too spicy for it to be my thing (the apple-horseradish crema helped a bit, but not quite enough for my spice-sensitive palate), the two other people with me who love spicy foods thought it was great. Agreed – I’d order it again, but ask them to go light on the peppers, because minus the heat, the flavor was fantastic.
On the side, we had Anson Mills Stone Ground Grits with Sharp Cheddar ($3) – these are some of my favorite heirloom grits (I order them myself here at home). While I liked what the smoked tomato pan gravy brought to the party, I thought they were absolutely amazing with the remainder of my cream of tomato soup poured over top like a gravy.
In short, everything we ordered here was extremely comforting, just all around good food that was reasonably priced. Drink service is either bottles of pop or water that you get yourself. I really like that they make quality food accessible, non-pretentious in a super-casual space. It’s a great fit for the neighborhood and we’re looking forward to visiting again.
If you’d like to go: Skillet, Rustic. Urban. Food., 410 E. Whittier Street, Columbus, OH 43206, 614-443-2266
I really love Skillet, and it’s a great addition to my neighborhood. You can see other threads for my adulations. Just two nitpicks, though – I’d love for them to start opening for dinner, even one night a week. I can rarely get there on a weekday for lunch!
Second, this is great food, but it’s VERY filling and fatty. Fat is flavor, which is great, but if they offered some more meatless/veggie centric dishes, I’d be there a lot more. It’s rare that I’m in the area when they’re open and feel like eating a huge, delicious, fat-laden sandwich. The carrot-ginger soup last fall was amazing – a few more options like that, and I’d be loyal for life!
Word on the street is they are soon going to have a street cart parked in the Short North and Clintonville!!!
Joev, I hear you, but do remember that their focus is seasonal/local and they haven’t had much local to work with since they opened but pigs. And now ramps.
I’m excited to see what they do over the course of this season. Really excited. I do hope that I can still find a hot sandwich with an egg on it a lot of the time though.
@Bear – I totally hear that – seasonal is tough in the winter, and they did an admirable job. Just trying to make some suggestions to help improve. When the weather gets warmer, I tend to steer clear of slow cooked, meaty, fatty dishes in favor of things that have fresh crispness. I can respect their serious seasonal credentials, but I don’t think many customers would begrudge some trucked in veggies from Florida, or even from a greenhouse, to balance out the menu.
@JoeV – I also hope to see more lighter things on the menu. I LOVE Skillet, but whenever I eat there I find myself saying to Mr Waitress “I wish I had a little bitter green salad with this.”
OOOOOh. That gives me an idea: if anyone can pull of a flawless frisee salad, surely it’s Skillet: frisee with a really light vinaigrette and crunchy sea salt, tossed with bacon lardons and topped with a fried or poached egg. ****drool*****
I can’t wait to see what they do with tomatoes, and I can’t wait to have the vanilla risotto with some fresh local fruit. yum.
Lastly, I think it would be nice if they were open for dinner, too, but it’s nearly impossible when you only have 2 people in the kitchen. We don’t want them to burn out.
I love that on a few occasions standing at the kitchen window at Skillet, I can look over to their Mis en Place and seeing a six pan full of at least 4 different colors and varieties of egg.
I agree, JoeV. I don’t expect to see too many of the “Who’s on a diet” thread participants chiming in with recent diet experiences at Skillet!
But seriously, I’m very careful about my diet and I eat very lean and mostly lean protein and veggie meals. I know those with whom I usually dine might enjoy it, but I won’t be able to enjoy Skillet as its menu is right now and that’s too bad.
More for everyone else, I guess! ;)
LOVE Skillet! Perfect review and pictures by Becke. I look forward to eating at the Skillet Mobile Kitchen a lot this summer – it could be the new Bono as far as High Street outdoor ambiance with the CU crowd.
A little known fact: Roland is a Frisee expert having consumed the largest quantity in one sitting at Newark area restaurant in 2008.
I’ve ate their twice now and the food is really good, but I disagree and believe it to not be filling at all. I have left hungry both times. Had the chorizo and beef burger on Sunday, A+
Speaking of diet food… Never trust a skinny cook.
Nice review and beautiful photos, Becke! I had the pleasure of dining on the Truffled Griddled Cheese on Brioche at Earth Day where they had their mobile kitchen. It was one of the tastiest cheese sandwiches I’ve ever encountered. The airiness of the brioche sandwiching the melted cheddar and creamy boursin was a delightful combination – one that I’d like to revisit again and again.
Angie was out there moving like a pro at Franklin Park, her back at least manageable last Thursday. She took a spill the previous Saturday and had to close up shop early the next day. Committed to Earth Day and back pain or not, she and her crew came out and offered us some very tasty eats, as did all the rest of the vendors. This may be the tastiest Earth Day food in the Nation!
I really liked my first meal at Skillet and am waiting to go back, but to echo the above, this week’s lunch menu features bread or potatoes for everything but the 1 or 2 sides and the soups, and I’m trying to avoid both – which is my issue, not theirs, but nonetheless, I’m sitting this week out.
Loooove Skillet!
Great photos, Becke. So good.
Skillet is one of my favorites – love the short rib sandwich! Great write up!
Parking an issue at Skillet?
We just went for lunch today and found a street spot on Whittier really close by. Parking usually isn’t too hard around there.
Thanks Becke for the GREAT PICS and review, glad you enjoyed your lunch! Dreadfully sorry to those that stopped by Sunday, week ago when we were closed…. stupid back!!! We appreciate your comments and keep the suggestions coming, we are listening. Next Tuesday’s menu will feature some lighter fare ( I am growing tired of potatoes myself ) check our website for menu postings. I can’t wait to see what Chef has planned for spring!