Kabuki Korean Restaurant and Sushi Bar, Dublin Ohio

 

Kabuki Korean & Sushi Bar
6395 Perimeter Dr.
Dublin, Ohio 43016

T: 614-336-8855

Hours:
Sunday – Thursday 11AM – 9:30PM
Friday – Saturday 11AM – 10PM
*** Closed some Holidays ***

Cost:
$10- $30 per person
(Five course dinners available)

Reservations: Available
http://www.eatatkabuki.com

Located off of Avery Rd, Kabuki’s amazing dining is tucked away in the middle of a shopping center, making it easy to overlook. However, this restaurant is definitely not one to be overlooked if you are in search of some unusual and tasty dining choices. Inspired by Korean cuisine, the chefs at Kabuki make most of the menu from scratch. For those not interested in Korean cuisine choices, an amazing list of specialty sushi rolls is also available.

Honestly, I was quite skeptical about Kabuki at first. The outside of the restaurant was quite dull and I honestly wasn’t wowed until I walked in. The restaurant’s tables were situated in an intimate atmosphere with dark cherry tables, hardwood floors, and undertones and accents of red. You may not think that means a lot, but it provides a great atmosphere for a date or special night out.

Five Course Dinner:
I decided to try the five course dinner that is available. This includes edamame, soup, salad, 2 specialty sushi rolls, and a main course. The edamame was steamed and salted to perfection. After the edamame, we had a choice of miso soup or spicy vegetable. Miso is a very simple dish, but adding in seaweed was a great addition to the flavor. (For those who enjoy a strong seaweed taste).

The Playboy: Spicy Tuna, Cream Cheese, asparagus, shrimp tempura, topped with sauces made from scratch

After the salad (which has a chef created dressing), we chose two specialty sushi rolls. This was honestly the hardest choice of the entire dinner! There were two pages full of rolls, fried and traditional with all sorts of combinations to choose from. We ended up with Kabuki’s signature roll “The Playboy” and my favorite, “The Volcano” roll, both coming highly recommended by our server. 

The Playboy: (Seen to left)
Hot. And I mean literally! This Kabuki roll comes to you on fire! This adds an amazing smoked taste to the ahi tuni on the top layer of the roll. This roll is a flavor explosion in your mouth. Between the crispy shrimp tempura and the perfectly smoked spicy tuna, this is a roll that will leave you begging for one more!

After we received the Playboy,  I wasn’t quite sure how the Volcano roll would even measure up. However, The Volcano roll is a longtime favorite of mine. The Volcano roll includes cream cheese, avocado, baby scallops, crab masako with spicy mayo and baked and topped with eel sauce and scallions. The Volcano roll was prepped perfectly with a subtle eel sauce over it. The actual roll was phenomenal, with a burst of the creamy cream cheese at the very end, complimenting the very spicy wasabi

                                          Volcano Roll

                                             The Playboy

Dol Sot Biblimbob

After the rolls, came our main dish. We chose the Dol Sot Biblimbob. Sound strange? It’s strange AND delicious. The Dol Sot Biblimbob is the most popular main dish at Kabuki. The Dol Sot Biblimbob includes mixed vegetables, fried egg and beef served with hot and spicy sauce in a hot stone bowl. The sauce comes on the side for you to add in to your own preference. Upon adding the sauce, you stir the ingredients in the stone bowl, cooking the fried egg even more and mixing it to perfection.

The Dol Sot Biblimbob dish is spicy, unique, and full of flavor.  The egg adds an excellent accent and texture to the Korean dish. The beef was tender and flavorful as it soaked up the spicy house sauce into it.

Overall, Kabuki was a great surprise dinner! I was extremely happy with the large menu of interesting choices, that had familiar tones to them as well. The food was amazing, the service was great, and the atmosphere was extremely pleasant with early 90’s music in the background! It was enjoyable to every sense!

I give Kabuki:

4 out of 5 spoons

The Pearl

The Pearl
641 North High Street
Columbus, OH 43215

T: 614-227-0151

Hours:
Open daily at 4:00 p.m.
Brunch on Saturday and Sunday at 10:00 a.m.

Cost: $25-$45 per person
http://www.thepearlcolumbus.com

Reservations: Encouraged

I saw The Pearl being built a few months back and was instantly excited about another Cameron Mitchell restaurant here in Columbus. Driving by and seeing it open, packed inside, and people waiting outside- I felt as though it seemed promising.

So I had to try it.

Coined an “Oyster Room”, The Pearl specializes in clams and oysters and what almost seems to be a Cajun/Southern infusion in the dishes. I must say, we had a reservation and still had to wait about 15 minutes for a table to be cleared. Which was no problem with a glass of wine in hand and taking in the atmosphere.

For our appetizer, we tried the ultra popular Jalapeno Corn Spoon Bread. I will admit this was extremely savory with a rich butter taste and hints of jalapeno. Topped with a creamy butter and a local honey, it seemed like a promising preview to the rest of the dishes.

Seeing as how The Pearl is an Oyster Room, my next dish was the Parmesan Baked Clams. The clams are baked with Parmesan, bacon, and garlic (although the garlic was almost too subtle to notice). I’ve grown up with a father who eats clams and oysters, so I maybe was expecting some flavor explosion in my mouth, but honestly, was not “wowed” by these clams like I thought I would be.

The entrees I sampled were the Arctic Char, The Southern Fried Chicken, and the catch of the day, Ahi Tuna.

The Dishes:
Arctic Char: Salmon on top of a cauliflower puree, with roasted cauliflower florets and onions, and a splash of aged balsamic vinegar
The Arctic Char was savory and tender. The Salmon was perfectly seared and the cauliflower puree added such an interesting twist to the dish. It was nicely complimented by the roasted onions and cauliflower florets, but at times the cauliflower puree and florets were overpowering to the actual Salmon. 

The Southern Fried Chicken was nothing spectacular aside from being fried chicken. Although it was an excellent breading, there’s not too many ways you can really improve fried chicken, and The Pearl definitely did not.

The catch of the day was an Ahi Tuna.
Honestly, the presentation was spot on. It looked succulent and fresh. However, aside from presentation, nothing taste-wise stood out to me on the dish. It was just Ahi Tuna. Nothing spectacular.

Overall:

Overall, I get that the Pearl is a new restaurant and the hype of a new restaurant in the Short North is always going to get people excited. However, for this being a Cameron Mitchell restaurant, I expected so much more.  My favorite think all night was the Jalepeno Corn Spoon Bread, but even that isn’t really worth the hassle of a reservation, waiting, and the prices.
 
To me, the Pearl did not exceed my expectations, in fact, I was more disappointed than anything with the dishes.

Will I ever return? Probably not. I believe there are many more restaurants with spectacular, savory dishes, for the same price if not less in the area.

The Pearl gets
3/5 spoons

Tremont Goodie Shop

The Tremont Goodie Shop
AKA The Original Goodie Shop
2116 Tremont Center
Upper Arlington, OH 43221
T: 614-488-8777

Hours:
Mon-Thurs: 7am – 6pm
Fri: 7am – 7pm 
Sat: 7am – 5pm
Sun: Closed

Cost: Ranging from .40 and up

www.theoriginalgoodieshop.com

It is hard for me to not be biased about bakery items. Sweets and candy are my demise. However, I was completely blown away by the Tremont Goodie Shop.

I went there expecting to just have some pastries and probably get my week fill of sweet goodness. However, there is so much more to this bakery than just amazing pastries.
I have to tell you that this place has a history to match the caliber of its goodies.

I talked to the owner and she told me that they were the third generation of bakers. The bakery was purchased in 1967 by the family. Decades later,  a member of the family took over the bakery, it shortly went under soon after.

Now, here’s where the story gets sweet (pun intended). The community came together and helped the family reopen the bakery. While the owner told me the story, and I saw how much this meant, I couldn’t help but feel so happy to be in that place hearing that story and realizing just exactly why the community cared so much about this bakery.

See, places like this bakery show how much hard work goes into family owned businesses. Sometimes the hustle and bustle of big corporate owned places makes us forget about the families who go through generations and generations involved in these types of family trade. It makes us forget that these places are the heart and soul of America, the American Dream, and what it is to make something out of nothing.

I was so touched by this story and by the overwhelming amount of community support this bakery has.

Now, to the review.

I sampled a bit of everything there. How could I not? So let me tell you about the MUST HAVES.
The cinnamon sticks are about the most heavenly thing I’ve ever eaten. Imagine the best part of a cinnamon roll, you know the middle part that you can’t wait to get to? Well, imagine a stick that is entirely that perfect middle part. Yep, to die for. Somehow I need to get my hands on that secret recipe!

The next thing I would have to tell you to try, would be the buttercream cookie. They have them of all shapes and sizes, but the smiley face cookie is the signature item.

Other sweets that are just the epitome of bakery goodness would be the cream puff, the thumbprint cookies, the white- chocolate cherry cookie, and get a shot of the peanut butter icing (peanut butter lovers- you’ll thank me later)!

I can honestly say this place had some of THE best cookies and pastries I’ve had. And everything is made from scratch, making it so much better.




What you need to know:
This bakery does large orders of cookies or pastries
They offer Gluten Free Products, imported in to ensure no contamination of flour, etc.
They serve coffee from a local brewer, Crimson Cup Coffee
They make wedding cakes, birthday cakes, themed cakes, any cake you can imagine, really!
They also make Buckeyes that are themed! So little Leprechaun Buckeyes for St. Patty’s or Bride and Groom Buckeyes for weddings, you name it!

If you’re looking for something not so sweet, they do serve a homemade chicken pot pie and a variety of Quiche. The chicken pot pie is perfect. It has no veggies in it, just packed with chicken and gravy and is absolutely mouthwatering! Oh, did I mention the pot pie crust? Yeah, I could sit and eat it all day! It is made from scratch and let me tell you, you won’t find a better pot pie around.

Overall, I would definitely say this is one of the best if not THE best bakery I’ve ever been to. The history, the amazing family that owns it, and the sweets are a perfect combination for a great stop!

Rating:
5/5 Spoons

Tomorrow is going to be sweet!

Literally! I’m visiting the Tremont Goodie Shop, a family owned business of more than 60 years, tomorrow!

Make sure to stay tuned for some freebies from there, and who doesn’t love sweet, bakery goodness!

http://www.theoriginalgoodieshop.com/

The Jury Room

Location: 22 East Mound Street, Columbus Ohio 43215
Telephone: 614-220-0964
Website: juryroomcolumbus.com

Hours:
Sun – Thu 11am – 11pm
Fri – Sat 11am – 1am
Sat – Sun Brunch 11am – 4pm
Happy hour weekdays starting at 3pm.

Cost: $10-15/person excluding alcohol

The Jury Room, located in downtown Columbus,  is known for its creative food ensembles and haunted history. Featured on Travel Channel’s ” The Dead Files”, it was highlighted as the center for haunted downtown Columbus. Aside from seeing ghosts though, you also have a great menu full of unique dishes to choose from.

Some of the highlights of the appetizers include the Deep Fried Green Olives stuffed with blue cheese (if you love olives, definitely a must-try), the Spaghetti Alfredo Fritters, and the Butternut Squash Bruschetta, just to name a few of my personal favorites!

During happy hour, you can get any appetizer for half off, which is definitely a plus for dining!

Now, the regular dining menu offers some interesting twists on some normal favorites. The Jury Room came out with a new menu for 2013, which features new additions such as the Grilled Mac N Cheese Brisket sandwich (which is just mouthwatering good) and my absolutely favorite Fried Chicken Sandwich.

Aside from having great food, the restaurant has brunch starting at 11am on weekends. If you’re around the area and looking for a great brunch spot, the Jury Room’s B.E.L.T
(Bacon, eggs, arugula, & tomato with spicy aioli on whole wheat) will not let you down, I can assure you!

Now, one thing I have to definitely suggest if you’re eating at the Jury Room is to substitute chips and regular fries for the truffle fries. I am a truffle fanatic, so if you like that truffle filled taste and a little piece of European infusion, the truffle fries are a no-brainer.

Atmosphere: The eclectic interior, and dimmed lighting, provides a true feeling of nostalgia from the restaurant’s history over the years. It has an outdoor patio for nice days and for those who want to watch the hustle and bustle of the downtown courthouse area.

Overall:
The service is great, the food is great, and the location is great. A little pricey for a lunch, but still worth a go around!

The Jury Room gets
4/5 spoons

Introduction

My name is Erica Fouty and I currently reside in Columbus, Ohio. Although one of my passions is staying somewhat physically fit, eating food and enjoying the food that the world has to offer is one of my favorite things to indulge in. I have been to 13 countries as of this year and have enjoyed some local cuisine a well as some strange delicacies.

Growing up, my grandmother, mother, and aunt were such fantastic cooks. Every Christmas the women in the family would get together for a weekend of Christmas baking (which included anything from homemade snickers, to divinity, to turtles).  Three years ago, for Christmas, the female grandchildren received the family binder of all of our family recipes.

I love to eat. And that’s what this is about. You don’t have to have a PhD in food to know what tastes good and what would be better to feed to stray animals.

I came up with this idea after a terrible experience at a restaurant in Columbus. Why not share my experiences domestically and abroad, focusing on one city at a time- Columbus, my home town.

Columbus has some of the most specialized restaurants of any city I’ve been to. So this blog is more of a guide for locals and people traveling through the city