Rigsby's, Columbus Ohio

Having completed a hectic month on the hospital wards, my intern, medical students, and myself decided a celebration was in order. Hailing from different states, countries, and cultures (two of them arriving in the states only months ago) with the additional caveat of a vegetarian in the group, Italian seemed a safe bet and while Lindey's is certainly more "Columbus," we settled on Rigsby's based on its long history of positive reviews and focus on local/seasonal ingredients.

To sum up the experience in a word? Fantastic. Finally I've found an Italian place worth getting excited about in Columbus. As a matter of fact, without overselling, I can honestly say there were moments of this meal that rivaled the mighty Babbo in quality, taste, and texture and while the service wasn't the best ever, it was certainly on par with anything I've found in Columbus outside of M at Miranova.

Arriving at 7:00pm on a Friday without reservations a table was quickly preparred and we were seated immediately. Arriving at the table there was already 3 delicious breads present as well as ice cold water. Per usual, three breads is the perfect number and all three were superb: a soft yet crusty italian, a sweet yet salty basil poppyseed, and a hearty and lucious whole grain with raisins and walnuts. The butter was unremarkable, but smooth and warm enough that spreading did not tear the bread.

Our waitress arrived shortly and after declining wine service we were told of the nightly specials, 5 in total, all sourced from products bought that day locally, and all sounding delicious. For an appetizer I selected the Squash Blossoms stuffed with Ricotta and topped with Arugala with Tuscan Tomato Sauce. While the dish was pricey at $8 for a mere two blossoms, the flavor was intense and the dish was wonderful in flavor. In retrospect I wish I would have opted for the freshly cracked black pepper, however, as the dish could have used just a little more oomph.

For our mains a number of dishes were selected including the Vegetarian Stuffed Cabbage (great per my student,) the Basil Ravioli with Tomato and Parmigiano-Reggiano (mmmmm, wow per another student,) Spaghetti D'Angelo with Sundried Tomatoes, Garlic, and EVOO (kinda plain per another student) and the Free Range Chicken alla Mattone, Panzanella, Buttered Scallions (Awesome according to my intern, notably not a fan of 'fancy' food.)

As the biggest (IE only) foodie of the group, I opted for the half order of Tagliatelle with Pesto Genovese, Fingerling Potatoes, and Green Beans and half order of Potato Gnocchi with Prosciutto di Parma, Basil, Tomato, and Balsamico. While the Tagliatelle was flavorful, perfectly al dente, and a great contrast with the crispy potatoes and clean/snappy greenbeans, the show was entirely stolen by the BEST Gnocchi I've ever had in my life. Toothsome, hearty, thick yet completely cooked, and covered with a perfect tomato and balsamic sauce while complimented by a thin piece of perfectly textured prosciutto......my only complaint is that I didn't get the full order. Better gnocchi than the mighty Batalli......wow.

After a meal like that dessert was a no brainer and like many other Cbus standards, Rigsby's does it right by pairing their complex desserts with Ms. Jeni's stellar icecreams. As two of my colleagues had never experienced Jenni's, this was a treat in and of itself. While others opted for Lemon pannacotta, Molten Chocolate Cake w/ Jeni's Vanilla (noted by one to be the best chocolate cake ever,) and a Cookie plate with espresso semifredo and Jeni's Salty Caramel, I chose the seasonally inspired Blueberry, Plum, and Peach Crostatta with almond clusters and Jenni's Honey Vanilla Icecream......once again, better than Batalli with a crispy yet airy purse of dough lightly cupping a generous serving of fresh berries and berry puree served along with crispy almond clusters and that glorious icecream.....amazing.

Admittedly the TVs in the bar were slightly offputting and the kitchen was a little slow with the meal taking well over 2 hours for only three courses, but bread and water were refilled rapidly and repeatedly throughout the evening and the conversation was good so I've certainly no complaints there. Noise level was pleasant for conversation and certainly not the roar or Tucci's or Trattoria, which was a welcome suprise for Cbus Italian, as well. Regardless of these minor flaws, the food MORE than made up for any atmospheric shortcomings and the meal was stellar. I'll certainly be back as the winter squashes come in and will hope that the oft-raved pumpkin ravioli makes a return.

For now, 4.5 star food and 4.0 star atmosphere......and the best Italian in Cbus, by far.

Deepwood, Columbus Ohio

Good is good and great is great. What Deepwood restaurant is right now is good with flecks of great. What Deepwood could become is great. Clearly there is talent in the kitchen and the staff, but that talent has yet to be realized in many respects. As someone with no relation to the restaurant or care for its staff's roots, I went into Deepwood with the same expectation I would for any ~$50pp restaurant and what I got was a three star experience with a notable brush of five star flavor that pushes my review ALMOST to a four overall.

Beginning the the decor, all I can say is boring. While it is certainly a restuant with a lot of dark and deep wood, the lack of art on the walls combined with mirrors and stars that look direct from Z-Gallerie create for a relatively drab appearance. Admittedly the routunda style ceiling in the early day was pretty with lots of natural light, but as the night drew on the restaurant got somewhat drab despite the growing crowd. Seating was comfy and drinks were refilled quickly, as expected. With regard to our waiter? He was alright, but I seriously doubt "everything is delicious" was truthful, in fact I know it wasn't. While I'm glad to see he loves his job, when I ask for what is best, I want a real opinion. Additionally, if you want to be a fancy place, unfold the lady's napkin for her and when people get up to use the restroom please refold the napkin. Leaving breadcrumbs on the table and finally scraping pre-dessert is also a faux-pas.

Onto the food. For an amuse we were served a microsalad of grapefruit, olive oil, and fennel. Flavorful but not overpowering, yet a tad too oily for my palate. Next up we received the bread and butter. Three breads is just right, in my opinion, and the butter with granulated red sea salt was very flavorful. The sourdough was a tad dry, but the cranberry walnut was excellent and hearty while the flatbread was buttery and crisp.....yet a tad too crumbly given the lack of scraping.

For appetizers we selected the Scallop Wellington described as a scallop wrapped in spinach & pastry on a bed of wild mushrooms, foie gras buerre blanc as well as the Boston Baked Beans with spiced pork belly, maple crème fraiche, and dough dads.

First off, the beans: While the maple flavor was hearty and the pork belly appropriately fatty and supple, I certainly detected little smoothness from the creme fraiche and the beans were simply undercooked and hard. The dough dads? A fried mini-donut without much flavor. Skip the baked beans.

Next, the Scallop.....wow. While no visible foie was seen on the plate, this incredible dish was a knockout with a perfectly cooked tender scallop wrapped in dainty spinach and phyllo crust with mushrooms intermingled and an amazing sauce that tasted like grade A foie dissolved in butter. Simple in presentation but explosively complex in flavor....possibly the best appetizer in Columbus.

For mains we selected the Roasted Chatham cod with potato risotto, Napa saute of cabbage, grapes & spring onion, the Gnocchiette with petite hand rolled gnocchi, spinach, citrus prawns and vanilla-saffron cream, and the Roasted Chicken with honey glaze, crisped mashed potatoes, glazed baby carrots, and natural jus.

While the cod was relatively basic, as cod usually is, it was certainly driven up a notch by the incredibly rich potato risotto and cabbage/grape slaw. While the slaw wasn't hit with everyone, I found it to be a fresh take on an old dish and definitely think it would serve as a good salad served solo.

Regarding the gnocchi, it is my opinion that this is a dish by which one can truly gauge a chef's talent since it is so hard to do well and so easy to make poorly. Cheers to the chef, the Gnocchi themselves were wonderfully toothsome yet delicate and perfectly cooked through. The prawns too were fresh, tender, and hearty. With regard to the sauce, I personally believe it was somewhat too thick and would be better served either thinner or on a less dense pasta, but the flavor was excellent. More vanilla and less saffron may have helped to tone down the citrus of the prawns, though.

As I did not try the chicken, my second dinner companion merely noted that it was "okay" while the carrots and potatos were very well done.

Plates were gathered quickly and dessert menus were served, yet once again our waiter failed to commit and continued with the "everything is made in house and everything is good" theme. For dessert we selected the Chocolate Souffle with creme anglaise, the Blueberry Brioche Bread pudding with rosemary-thyme anglaise and blueberry icecream, and the Chimay spice Cake with plum ice cream and candied kumquats.

Souffle, like gnocchi, is a risk for the chef and this one not as well calculated as the other. While the cake was indeed warm, dense, and large, the flavor was rather generic even with the addition of the creme anglaise. Having had other souffle's in the past, this one was below average and one of my dining partners remarked "it tastes like that cocoa cream of wheat, but a little better." I'd say that was pretty accurate.

For myself, I tried the bread pudding (as usual) and much like Lindey's was quite disappointed. The blueberries at Meijer are fresher at this time of year and the anglaise here tasted precisely like the Anglaise for the Souffle, but was served in a much smaller portion and as such left the bread pudding relatively dry and without a lot of flavor. I must note, however, that the icecream was tasty and helped when I mashed it into the bread pudding. If the pudding had been served warmer to melt the icecream or with more creme it could have helped.

I did not taste the spice cake, but was told it was very good.

All told, Deepwood is alright and has potential to be great....there is clearly talent here, the location is great, and the menu is off to a good start. More professional servers, better desserts, and more artful execution of both the interior and plating should be made a priority and I'm certain will get better as the restaurant ages. As I said in my intro, this is ALMOST a 4-star review, but as it is not yet on par with Lindey's, BoMA, Rosendales, or Spagio (and lagging far behind M, Worthington Inn, and Dragonfly) it will have to settle for three to three and a half.

Bouchon Bakery, New York New York

How do you drop $100 for two at a Bakery-cafe? Have a deep love and appreciation for food, service, and quality. Some people consider Thomas Keller to be God, others consider him to be overrated...I'd say both have merit but the sooner is closer to the truth. The overrated part? How else could one describe a man who successfully set up a $275/person restaurant with a 2-month waiting list in a shopping mall or a Bakery that is packed from open to close every single day?

Arriving at TWC around 7:00 we waited only 15 minutes for seats and our fantastic server Oliver quickly introduced himself, handed us menus, and filled our water. Dehydrated from the walk from 2nd Ave I quickly finished my water and within 30 seconds it was refilled again by another server. Team waiting at a bakery-cafe in a mall...bestill my heart! While browsing the menu we were presented with Keller's famous Epi Baguettes and the best butter I have tasted in my entire life. Crusty yet chewy bread, sweet and salty butter...magical...and refilled for free.

For appetizers my sister and I decided to split the Grilled Gruyere and Fontina cheese on Brioche with Heirloom Tomato Soup and Heirloom Tomato Salad with hericot vert, cranberry beans, arugula, and basil vinaigrette. Both dishes were brought out within 10 minutes by a third server and presented with descriptions like a tasting menu at a 5-star restaurant. While the Tomato Salad was indeed excellent and the Cranberry beans especially tantalizing, there was no comparing to the soup and sandwich. Sweet tomato soup that tasted like a milky pureed tomato contrasted beautifully agaisint the thick and crusty bread topped with a sharp salty combination of perfect cheeses. At $9.95 for the soup/sandwich this dish absolutely blew be away.

For our mains my sister selected the Quiche du Jour consisting of goat cheese and spinach while I opted for the CB&J on Brioche with Banana chips. Like the Grilled cheese, the CB&J was flawlessly grilled and perfectly presented. The beautiful blend of crunchy cashew butter and smooth apricot puree tantalized the senses and made me rethink every PB&J I've thown together in the last 20+ years of my life. This is how "comfort food" is supposed to taste. My sister's quiche? Lets just say that I don't know how to make eggs so airy and beautiful, nor how to make feta and spinach come across so equally yet seperately. The dish was a work of art and gastronomic magic.

While totally satisfied, there was still far too much to sample, so sample we did. Wanting to sit and enjoy coffee for a while we chose to split the Deconstructed Apple Tarte with vanilla bean icecream as a dessert and while it was interesting and tasty, it did not live up to my hopes (nor the taste of Wolfgang Puck's Apple Strudel.) At this point we happily paid our bill and made our way over to the bakery portion of Bouchon for more.

Shopping for ourselves and others we selected one madeline, one vanilla macaroon, one nutter butter, 3 TKOs, 3 Chocolate Bouchons, a Peanut Butter Cup, and a box of 6 mini-Macaroons to go.Beginning with the madeline we started a gastronomic romp of amazing taste, texture, and quality.

Madeline - small, airy, lemony, wonderful.

Macaroon - Not dense but not light, flawless cream filling, smooth and sublime - the best Macaroon I've ever tasted.

TKO - Unbelievable. Crispy cookies around a wonderfully light yet thick frosting. This is not an oreo, this is decadence in the shape of a chocolate sandwich cookie.

Bouchon - Like a mini Pot au Creme infused into a chewy brownie. Lets just say that I don't much like pure chocolate desserts and I'm not a big brownie fan...yet I have since bought the Bouchon cookbook and will be making these soon.

Peanut Butter Cup - Huge, but not worth the $5. While the flavor was good and the quality of the ingredients notable, I've had equally excellent peanut butter cups at high end sweet shoppes before. Great, but nothing new. Then again, how much can one do with peanut butter and a chocolate shell?

Nutter Butter - Saving the best for last. This cookie is ALMOST life altering. Honestly, I don't even know how to describe the flavor, but if you could infuse butter and creme fraiche into a peanut I'd imagine you would have something like this filling...and that isn't even to mention the flawless cookies on each side. If there was a recipe for these available I'd probaby be in my kitchen right now baking.

All told, Bouchon is wonderful and can be done cheaply or extravagantly. A means to tasting Keller without dropping $550 for two and a great stop in a nice shopping area - how can you go wrong? While not every item was mindblowing, every single one of them was delicious and as good or better than any version I'd tried in the past, plus the service was on par with many a Michelin Star rated restaurant. TK may not be God, but I bet the Gods would accept his cooking as an offering.

Patsy's Pizzeria, New York New York

In an argument of "best thin crust NY Pizza" you will get 50 different answers from 100 different people. Many of those people say Patsy's and as such I decided to give it a try during my visit in New York. While the pizza was okay, the experience was sub-par compared to the myriad of other memorable meals I had while visiting Manhattan.

Seating was rapid and no reservations were required. Plus. Dress was casual and laid back. Plus.

Water was filled quickly and orders taken after allowing time to browse the menu. Plus.We had to ask for table bread. Minus. The water was warm and without ice. Minus. The radio was playing Britney Spears, Ryan Adams, and Maroon 5. Huge Minus. Our server was (I'm guessing) Russian and A) didn't speak the language well, B) didn't seem to care about our table as there was a larger group ordering more than us at the table behind us, and C) seemed to feel that one visit for water, one to deliver pizza, and one to clear dishes and leave a check was enough.

The bread was a hearty and crusty italian and the table was supplied with a mild EVOO. It wasn't anything stellar, but it was free......even if we did only get 2 pieces and refills were not offered.....and we had to ask for it in the first place when others were brought bread on arrival. For pizza we ordered a single small with mushrooms and while the toppings were fresh, for $2.50 a topping on a $15 cracker-crust pizza I expect more than a couple thin-cut baby bellas. Flavor was decent but certainly not on par with Otto the night before or many options back home in Ohio.

For dessert, the tiramisu was a must. While decent, the size was small for $8 (again, Otto was better and cheaper) and the quality was similar to a store bought pre-made dessert. Not too 'rummy' but also nothing to write home about.

Poor service, okay pizza, subpar Tiramisu......if this truly is one of the 'better' NY Pizzas I do believe I'll stick with Cali and Chicago-style.

Norma's, New York New York

I wanted to like this restaurant......I don't go to restaurants I don't want to like. The food was excellent and the coffee was undoubtedly some of the best I have ever had in refillable form at a restaurant. Why 2 stars? A horrible atmosphere, excessive prices, the pretense to demand a credit card for reservations, temperature and humidity that was appauling, and the absolute worst service I've ever received at a restaurant that is considered highly regarded. Honestly, I've gotten far better service at Denny's, Waffle House, and Roadside diners on the interstate.

We arrived on time and were seated promptly. Menus were given, water was filled by the water boy and a complimentary amuse of a banana/pineapple/berry smoothie was served. The smoothie was alright, but after this we did not receive any attention for 15 minutes. Yes, the place was busy, but not every table was filled.

Eventually our waiter showed up (to be honest, I'm still unsure if this individual was male or female....kinda looked like Pat from SNL) and took our orders. An order of Banana Nut Bread, a PB&C Waffle'wich with Toffee, a Waz-za, and two coffees please.

Approximately 10 minutes passed and a delectable warm banana nut bread was served along with a steamy french press pot of coffee. These were set on the table and our waiter scurried off without pouring a cup. As previously noted, the coffee was stellar with a very rich body and moderate acidity plus thick mouth feel.....alas I had to ask another server for sweetener since our waiter left none. Thank goodness we received a press pot because I imagine refills would have required an act of God. Similar to the coffee, the banana bread was some of the best I've had and arrived with sweet cream cheese, smooth butter, and two compotes; one apricot and one blueberry, that were divine both alone and on the bread. At $5 the bread was the best deal at Normas for sure.

After ~20 minutes and multiple other people who arrived after us being served, our breakfast/desserts were served. While I'd heard rumors of excessive portions, this wasn't close to Griddle Cafe or Doughboys in LA. Not small, but not "large" and at the fantastic LA breakfast spots four people can eat for the price of 2 at Norma's.

Admittedly the Waz-za was excellent. A crisp yet fluffy waffle loaded with a very ripe banana, brulee Strawberry cream yogurt, and a pile of blueberries the dish dazzled to the eye and mouth. Feeling gluttonous I added a sizeable amount of 100% maple syrup and the flavors were brought to a tantalizing head.

My sister's Wafflewich.....sweet Jesus......outside of the previously mentioned LA options I've never had something so tasty pretending to be breakfast. Two crunchy chocolate waffles sandwiching a composition of smooth peanut butter and crunchy toffee, topped with whipped cream and white cream sauce.....the dish was ALMOST too rich to consume. While my sister is a small lady, she did manage the dish, but not without significant time and sighs/smiles as she endulged.....and my assistance. The addition of syrup to this one was definitely too much - we tried.

After the meal our plates were collected and we braved asking for more coffee......10 minutes later a fresh pot was brought......again no sweetener......my sister actually got up and walked to the kitchen to request some. When our waiter eventually sauntered back to ask if we needed anything else and I requested the check it took (no exaggeration) 18 minutes for it to be delivered and another 15 for him to collect the credit card. On leaving we realized the meal had taken nearly 90 minutes....obsurd. No tip was left, but instead a napkin with tips on how to be a better server.

Admittedly the food was excellent, but at $56 for two at breakfast it could have been better. Having been to other highly rated breakfast joints I can definitely say there is no "east coast bias" in me.....out west they do it better, bigger, sweeter, and more friendly.

As a final slap to Norma's, on returning home and browsing my online credit card statement 3 days later I noted a charge of $70+ for the breakfast......exactly 18% more than the bill (which I'd thankfully kept.) They actually had the audacity to ADD a tip! Disgusted I called Bank of America who remedied the situation.

Norma, as good as your food is, you are overpriced and full of yourself. I will not be back.