Columbus Thread VII (Convo and Questions About Columbus for Visitors and Locals)

[puckfan64]

To me, Hyde Park and The Top are Columbus steak restaurants. Jeff Ruby’s is a Cincinnati steakhouse in Columbus. I guess the question is whether you want the best steak in town or do you want the best Columbus steak which are different questions to me. I haven’t been to Jeff Ruby’s Columbus location.

I believe that Hyde Park is actually a Cleveland steakhouse with locations in Columbus. For a specifically Columbus steakhouse experience, I'd second The Top (especially if you can make it on a Monday night when Dave Powers is on the piano). That said, however, if you are looking for a really unique steakhouse experience that won't break the bank, check out the last remaining York Steakhouse in the US, located on W. Broad St. near I-270. You won't get a prime steak (I recommend the sirloin tips or the honey-glazed chicken), but you will get the 70s-80s atmosphere from the chain's heyday. It was recently purchased by the owner of the Starliner Diner, and I believe they were going to add the chicken & noodles from Nancy's Home Cooking to the menu

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Re: Steakhouses.

The Top is always a good suggestion. But I will say their approach sometimes chars the outside a little too much, verging on burnt. Inside is often perfect. But buyer beware if too much char is something that bothers you.

Hyde Park is good too. It is based in Cleveland but it's been in Columbus for so long that I don't know that its origin matters that much. I prefer the super old school Upper Arlington location to the snazzier Arena District one (thought the food is good at all and the Arena District is obviously the most convenient to pair with a CBJ game).

The best, most consistent steak I've had in town is honestly from The Avenue. Some folks are reluctant to credit it because it is a Cameron Mitchell place and people in Columbus either really seem to like his places or hate them. But when it comes to steaks, the Avenue has never missed for me.

 

[Doggy]

Deleted

 

[koteka]

Hyde Park is good too. It is based in Cleveland but it's been in Columbus for so long that I don't know that its origin matters that much. I prefer the super old school Upper Arlington location to the snazzier Arena District one (thought the food is good at all and the Arena District is obviously the most convenient to pair with a CBJ game).

Isn’t Hyde Park Cleveland based? I feel like I remember going there on Chagrin Boulevard in the early 90s.

I think they wanted to open in Columbus, didn’t find a good location, opened in Cleveland, and then opened in Columbus within a year of opening in Cleveland. Anyway, they name their steaks after Woody Hayes and Urban Meyer (or they did the last time I was there which has been a few years) so it definitely feels like Columbus.

Looking on their website they have 2 Cleveland locations and 3 Columbus locations plus places in Florida, Michigan, Indy, and Pittsburgh so it is more of a chain than I thought.

PS: I am in the anti Cameron Mitchell camp. He goes to creative restaurants, copies what they do, and then runs
focus groups to figure out how to take something interesting and appeal to the masses.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

PS: I am in the anti Cameron Mitchell camp. He goes to creative restaurants, copies what they do, and then runs
focus groups to figure out how to take something interesting and appeal to the masses.

That's definitely true, but I also think originality in restaurants is a little overrated ... or maybe overstated would be the better word.

Most of the places we eat and what we eat is "inspired by," "riffing on" or, if you want to be less generous, "ripping off" something someone else has already done. Some folks are just better about hiding that or framing that than others. None of Hyde Park, Jeff Ruby or The Top invented classy old-school steakhouses.

My bigger complaint about Mitchell's restaurants is that there's kinda a sameness to a lot of them (even if it doesn't seem like it at first), which is as you say, that appeal to the masses. Good for business I suspect, though not always what I am looking for.

But The Avenue does make a damn fine steak and I'm always happy to go there.