03 June 2009

Leo & Victor's Review: Ringside Cafe - Post 5

Leo:

This was Victor’s pick for the night, and if I hadn’t arrived with him I would have walked right past one of Columbus’ most historic cafés. I will leave the history and intimate details to Victor (he does his homework), but still give you my general review.

First, I must tell you that this is one of the smallest establishments I have ever been in. Humorously enough, as Victor and I were discussing the lighting being a bit bright – the bartender on the complete opposite side of the room dimmed the lights and asked if that was better. On the bartender: this gentleman served the bar, waited all tables, and even cooked our food along with one other staff member. I would think this would make for a “hurried” staff, but our guy carried on a good conversation and paid attention to our table.

The scenery is great if you dig the classic pub look, because that’s exactly what it is. I was impressed by the hand-carved woodwork throughout the upstairs, and the stained glass certainly added to the effect. Be warned that Ringside can get extremely warm in temperature due to its small size and default proximity to the kitchen.

The drink specials: 4pm to 7pm on weekdays
$2 domestics
$3 imports
$2 wells

We didn’t make it in time for “happy hour”, so I quenched my thirst with a Shock Top draught for 4 bucks. I don’t see this on tap all too often, and if you haven’t tried it – it’s a wonderful summer time draught.

The food is where Victor and I let you down a little… neither of us could resist the “Smokin Joe” BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger. I would say that the burger was average, but was still quite tasty. The homemade kettle chips on the other hand are something to speak of – they were fresh out of the kitchen and although a little on the greasy side, were absolutely delicious.

Overall, if you happen to be near the statehouse or Rhodes building, Ringside is a must for a quick bite and a brew. Otherwise, if you and a buddy want to experience one of the most unique cafés in downtown Columbus, I definitely recommend.

Victor:

This was actually my 2nd time at Ringside Café – both were within the past week. If you didn’t know where it is or have some to tell you about it, the odds of you stumbling across it are pretty remote. If you go to the Pearl Street Market with any frequency, you’ve probably seen it.

Located at 19 N Pearl Street, Ringside Café rests in the middle of the block East of High Street and between Gay and Broad Streets. The Ringside was founded in 1897 and is the oldest bar in the City. The name “Ringside” alludes to the proximity of prize fights held at the Palace Theatre a few block south on Broad Street. In the old days – the lower level had a dirt floor and bare-knuckle fights were held there (according to our bar-tender). Their website states that new management took over operations in late 2008.

I like the offset entrance from the South East corner of the building – not coming in through one of the sides. The South facing wall has 3 stained glass windows, from when the building was originally built, imported from Eastern Europe. The stained glass window facing East is a replacement as a brick was thrown through the original years ago. The motif on that window is political in honor of the Statehouse, which sits roughly 200 yards away, and contains an image of a Donkey & Elephant.

The wood, as Leo mentioned is beautiful and hand carved – all original. The booths are comfortable for 2, but you would be hard pressed to fit any more on the benches, and the tables are small – all results of the limited space inside. The bar itself has roughly 7 stools and can be very crowded when busy. Outside, there is a roped off portion of N Pearl that serves as a patio – which seems as though it would be shaded through most of the day, owing to the taller buildings surrounding it.

I was disappointed because their liquor stock was fairly limited because of a large party over the weekend and they had not yet restocked. The burger was excellent on a large Kaiser roll, served with crisp lettuce, well-cooked bacon, a tomato slice and a pleasantly spiced BBQ sauce. As Leo mentioned – the kettle chips were still a little greasy, but that let them hold the salt they needed to season them, and more importantly – they were still hot out of the fryer.

Splitting a mozzarella stick appetizer, we each had 1 drink, and the burgers yielded a total of roughly $17 each.

Basic info:
Website - http://www.ringsidecolumbus.com/
Location – downtown, near the Statehouse
Phone – 614.228.7464
Leo’s Rating = 3.75 (0-5 scale)
Victor's Rating = 3.75 (0-5 scale)

02 June 2009

Leo’s review: “Press Grill” – Post 4

My former roommate “Miller” used to enjoy going on dates here, and after passing it during a jog through the short north I cleaned myself up and headed over.

Spatially, Press Grill is much like other Short North establishments in respect to being narrow but with plenty of depth to fit its patrons. It looks as though you’ll be cramped, but on a Monday evening there was a good crowd yet enough elbow room for a guy like myself. The décor is very simple with deep dark red walls (which aren’t crowded with decorations), a jukebox near the door, low lighting, and a few small flat screens behind the bar. The kitchen is visible as it is situated at the far end of the bar, and looked lively and clean. By mentioning flat screens, I don’t want to portray to you that this is the spot to watch your favorite sports team. I had the vibe that this is your place for good conversation with someone (at least on a weeknight).

I’ll likely be your beer guy throughout these posts, and the special at Press Grill was $2 Labatt Blue or Canadian Molson. I personally enjoy any place that does little themes like Canadian and whatnot. So while kicking back a Labatt, I also enjoyed the Monday night special of “Nathan’s 2 Famous Hotdogs” for 3 bucks. This was the highlight of my day. I’ve only had Nathan’s one time before, but from what I can remember, it was as authentic as it gets. I had them Coney-Dog style which came with a toasted bun, excellent chili dog sauce, cheese, and onions. I highly recommend this meal and at 3 dollars you can’t go wrong.

Press Grill had a good American style menu and added their own touch to some things like having “fried egg” on more than one of their sandwiches (I can assure you this will be my next selection). On Thursdays, they have a “thanksgiving dinner” for $9.99 which sounds hearty and I trust it to be good as well.

Overall Press Grill was a cool little place for a weekday dinner conversation. I appreciated how many patrons there were, without it being impossible to have a chat with the person sitting across from you. I recommend the Nathan’s Famous hot dogs on experience, and the rest of the menu I have high hopes for.

Until next time…

Basic Info:

Website: http://pressgrill.net/
Menu: http://pressgrill.net/menu.html
Location: 741 N. High St. Columbus, Ohio 43215 (South of Hubbard & High, on the west side of High St.)
Phone: 614-298-1014
Leo’s Rating: 3.5 (0-5 scale)