B Spot Long-Term Test Drive Volume Two

Since B Spot offers a Smasher's Special for the month and the cycle has yet to repeat, that gives me a good reason to go back at least once a month...  To see what extra goodness they are offering in the current month.  I haven't always embraced the Smasher, but I tell the wait staff on every visit how much I am waiting for them to bring back the Patty Melt from last fall.  I have eaten a lot of patty melts from a lot of different places in my short span of years and I would say the one at the B Spot is far and away the best.  It was so good, I am saving it for a third volume of the long-term test drive.

This volume is from my second or third visit (my soon-to-be 44 year-old brain can't recall). It was definitely my wife's first visit.  Beth isn't lucky enough to work within driving distance for lunch and the dinner crowds were unbelievable in the beginning, so it took us awhile to make a visit together.  After listening to me describe the outstanding offerings on all my previous outings, she decided it didn't matter how bad the crowd would be...  We were going to wade into it like two teenagers into a mosh pit...  Although not being teenagers any more, we availed ourselves of the Call Ahead Seating.

It was a pleasant evening, so we didn't mind waiting a little while for a table.  Hoped for a spot on the outdoor covered patio, but ended up inside instead.  As you may have already gleaned from earlier postings, Beth is not quite as adventurous as me with her food selections.  She knows what she likes and sticks pretty close even under intense pressure to break outside the norm.  This evening was no exception, as she opted for the bacon cheeseburger with a good dose of ketchup.  It used to hurt my feelings when she put ketchup on her steak.  Now I know not to take it personally.  She puts it on just about everything.  -smile-  

I ordered the Fat Doug.  In spite of the name, I didn't feel as though my girth expanded even slightly during the meal.  This is good, since I have been working to become a shadow of my former self.  Given that I was watching my carbs, I asked them to hold the bun and the waiter didn't even flinch. Absent the bun, the stadium mustard was on the side, but I promptly poured it over the top.  I wanted to experience the Fat Doug full force.  Even though I have never met him, I like him.  His taste in burger toppings is eclectic, but it works.  Cole slaw, pastrami, and stadium mustard.  Not sure I ever would have come up with that, but having tried it... It's a winner.  As you can tell by the speed with which I devoured it... Camera shutter speed was too slow.  Just got the empty platter.  I promise I am getting better at that.  We shared an order of their colossal onion rings.  Covered with a light batter, fried to a perfect golden brown and dusted with coarse salt.  mmmmm...  

Beth also sampled a beer from their extensive list of quality brews and I enjoyed a chocolate shake.  The B Spot offers a number of interesting flavors and suggests different adult-beverage enhancements for each, but I passed on that since I was driving.  As a side note....  My dislike of machine made milk shakes is nearly as strong as it is for pansy Parmesan cheese shakers.  I have held it quite a bit longer too.  Imagine my surprise when the waiter informed me that I would have to wait a few minutes for my shake as they had a flurry of orders and the machine needed time to recover.  I ask him to confirm... "You make your shakes with a machine?"  He responded proudly that they did and assured me I would not be disappointed.  He was right.  It was thick and rich like no other.  They even brought out a straw that was a larger diameter than any I had previously encountered.  I swear it was the size of a vacuum cleaner hose.  I took a picture of the shake suspended in the straw after more than a minute on a warm summer evening.  Definitely had some staying power.

In my several visits since, I have worked my way around the menu somewhat methodically...  And the only B in the name I have yet to sample is the BOURBON.  One of these days I will grow up.  I have enjoyed it all - fried bologna (insanely thick cut), brats (tasty and generous stadium style link), and even the crispy chicken.  I was never considered anything even remotely resembling a chick magnet, but I can still order one at the B Spot.  Probably not any healthier than a burger, but variety is a good thing.  One of these days I will get around to sharing a post about my Patty Melt Dreamin'... In the meantime, I look forward to my next trip... Patty Melt or not...

Some other places on my hot list for future visits... Super Chef in Gahanna...  Wedgewood Pizza in Grove City...  And the Hofbrauhaus Grandview location...  Please stay tuned for further updates.