Archives for "Restaurant Reviews"

Columbus Underground’s restaurant reviews are written by Miriam Bowers Abbott, our official Restaurant & Food Critic. We hope to share with you the good, bad and the honest about our local dining scene in an unbiased fashion. Review recommendations can be emailed to food@columbusunderground.com.

Restaurant Review: The Crest Gastropub

Restaurant Review: The Crest Gastropub

8 Miriam Bowers Abbott / May 22, 2013 10:00 am

The Crest Gastropub is swarming with customers. They’re everywhere, sitting at the bar, perched on the patio, standing around… standing in the parking lot waiting to get inside the joint. You can’t blame them, really. It’s a beautiful island on… [Read More]

Restaurant Review: Portia’s Cafe

Restaurant Review: Portia’s Cafe

10 Miriam Bowers Abbott / May 15, 2013 10:00 am

Portia’s Café is the perfect place to take your most neurotic control-freak-friends. It’s organic, vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, plus it serves lots of stuff for raw-food-only-eaters. Portia’s accommodates every possible food fear –and it does so in a cute, fun way…. [Read More]

Restaurant Review: Manifesto Tuscan Grato & Scotch Bar

Restaurant Review: Manifesto Tuscan Grato & Scotch Bar

3 Miriam Bowers Abbott / May 8, 2013 10:00 am

A place with the moniker “Manifesto” sounds really serious. And when veteran customers mention that there are profound quotations written on the walls of the establishment, it reinforces expectations of seriousness. Someone needs to point out that the biggest quotation… [Read More]

Restaurant Review: The Coop at The Hey Hey Bar & Grill

Restaurant Review: The Coop at The Hey Hey Bar & Grill

1 Miriam Bowers Abbott / May 1, 2013 10:00 am

Hey Hey is nice little neighborhood hangout on Whittier. It’s almost kitch, but not in any deliberate fashion that would inspire eye-rolling nausea. And now that Hey Hey has teamed up with The Coop, a much beloved local food truck,… [Read More]

Review: Helen’s Asian Kitchen

Review: Helen’s Asian Kitchen

2 Miriam Bowers Abbott / April 24, 2013 10:00 am

Gosh, who wouldn’t want to visit a Chinese restaurant that sets up shop in the shell of a former strip joint? With a history like that, how could Helen’s Asian Kitchen not be interesting? Online reviews do forewarn of lots… [Read More]

Restaurant Review: The Wine Bistro in Clintonville

Restaurant Review: The Wine Bistro in Clintonville

1 Miriam Bowers Abbott / April 17, 2013 10:00 am

The Clintonville/Beechwold area is often described as a “dry” neighborhood. It’s a misleading catch-all to describe a community that has restrictive liquor laws. There are plenty of Clintonville/Beechwold spots that sell and serve alcohol, but the zoning that permits those… [Read More]

Restaurant Review: The Pint Room

Restaurant Review: The Pint Room

4 Miriam Bowers Abbott / April 10, 2013 10:00 am

The shopping center at the corner of Dublin Granville Road and Riverside Drive looks something like a mini-Easton. It’s a big enclave with lots of brick buildings and joints like Ann Taylor, Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Montgomery Inn and now… [Read More]

Review: Gordon’s Gourmet

Review: Gordon’s Gourmet

2 Miriam Bowers Abbott / April 3, 2013 10:00 am

Gordon’s Gourmet is one of those downtown eateries that’s built right into the first floor of an office building. Just east of the hot-spot stretch of Gay Street, the cafe is easy to overlook when lunchtime comes around. It’s easy… [Read More]

Restaurant Review: Fusian

Restaurant Review: Fusian

5 Miriam Bowers Abbott / March 27, 2013 10:30 am

It had to happen eventually. The Chipotle assembly-line BYOB (build your own burrito) style has invaded practically every eating genre: pizza, pasta, salads and stir-fry… And now the South Campus Gateway has added a restaurant called Fusian, it serves assembly-line… [Read More]

Review: Chile Verde Polaris

Review: Chile Verde Polaris

7 Miriam Bowers Abbott / March 20, 2013 10:00 am

It’s probably not the best idea to take a field trip to a newish Polaris restaurant during Cabela’s Grand Opening week. It adds about an hour to the drive time, and the road is clogged with angry people driving pickup… [Read More]

Restaurant Review: Pies & Pints

Restaurant Review: Pies & Pints

9 Miriam Bowers Abbott / March 13, 2013 10:00 am

The Worthington Mall still exists. Who knew? Re-christened as “The Shops at Worthington Place”, the mall’s experiencing something of a revival. The wintertime Worthington Farmers Market sets up shop there regularly, and two more new operations are slated to open… [Read More]

Restaurant Review: Da Levee

Restaurant Review: Da Levee

7 Miriam Bowers Abbott / March 6, 2013 10:30 am

When Da Levee first opened its doors three years ago, it took about thirty seconds for the eatery to find a die-hard fan club. The hungry masses flocked to the restaurant and raved about the engaging service and good comfort… [Read More]

Restaurant Review: Hae-Paul’s

Restaurant Review: Hae-Paul’s

7 Miriam Bowers Abbott / February 27, 2013 10:00 am

There are all sorts of reasons to like Hae-Paul’s downtown. First, it’s got bona fide royal lineage in the local dining scene: the restaurant is the start-up project from Chef Paul Yow, a chef fresh off a fifteen year tenure… [Read More]

Restaurant Review: Dempsey’s

Restaurant Review: Dempsey’s

9 Miriam Bowers Abbott / February 20, 2013 10:00 am

Dempsey’s entered the downtown scene just last year, but it’s got a real forever-there feel. The restaurant is comfortable in its own footprint: the big, raw brick wall is filled with old photos, and the wood floor is filled with… [Read More]

Lunch Review: Lexi’s on Third

Lunch Review: Lexi’s on Third

2 Miriam Bowers Abbott / February 13, 2013 10:00 am

If you’re going to go to Lexi’s On Third for lunch, you might as well order the ridiculously large Lexi’s Tower ($14). Life is short, and epic edibles that come in the form of mammoth sandwiches are few and far… [Read More]