Have you Hurd... The Eighties are making a comeback???

I am sure you may have heard or read on many occasions that certain elements of the American culture prevalent in the 1980's were making a comeback in more recent times.  While that may be true in the world of music and fashion, it is ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE in one critical aspect.  Back then, you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting at least one restaurant with a killer salad bar.  Some fast food joints even dedicated a quarter of their dining room real estate to showcase their "garden-fresh" offerings.  There are still a few Central Ohio establishments that let their fresh produce shine -  Jason's Deli, Ruby Tuesday, and Frisch's Big Boy come to mind.

One location that has recently given it up is Luigi's City Pizza.  I was crushed like a grape when the waitress broke the news.  Their salad bar had bitten the dust.  The buffet equipment was still there, but it was looking lonely and pathetic in a now darkened corner of the dining room.  I was seriously hankering for an entree salad of my own making and my wife was jonesing for pizza.  Thought Luigi's was just what the doctor ordered.  I guess I completely missed this one.  The pizza was ok, but it was not really what brought me there.  (deep sigh)

Knowing what I know now, I am not sure when I will go back.  Thought my dedicated readers should be informed of this unfortunate development, as I may not be the only child of the Eighties when it comes to dining choices.  (big smile)

If you know of a great salad bar somewhere in your neighborhood, please let me know.  I will put a pin in my map and visit sometime soon.

Your Dining Scout and Shade Tree Chef,
Michael Hurd, aka "Big Mike"

Have you Hurd... When I come to town, cows start to quiver and pigs run and hide.

How could I have missed
this?  Hopefully, my dedicated
readership can find it in their
hearts to forgive me

Given most of my favorite foods involve at least one form of meat and a majority involve two or more, it is no surprise that I am always on the lookout for some good barbecue.  This is the barbecue that places large slabs of beef and pork in a smoky hardwood sauna to cook painstakingly slow over several hours until the meat has a nice dark crust and is fork-tender.  I suppose if I had a line of my own fragrances, one would definitely mimic the aroma of mesquite and apple wood smoke.  That tantalizing smoky aroma is the first thing that hit me as we walked through the door at Barrel & Boar in Gahanna.  Aside from feeling the smoky hardwood love, the decor is similar to Double Comfort in the Arena District.  Casual with a lot of copper and reclaimed wood.  The dining room is cozy, but we were lucky enough to beat the crowd on our first visit.  If you plan to go on a weeknight, I would suggest arriving by 6:00pm.  The crowd picks up quickly after that.



I was shocked I had never visited Barrel & Boar.  My radar must be off a little.  For the past several years, I worked just a few miles south on Hamilton Road.  Fortunately, a couple of good friends wanted to try the place out for the first edition of Restaurant Week.  For those unfamiliar with Restaurant Week, it is an fundraising event for the Mid Ohio Foodbank where local restaurants offer diners a prix fixe menu.  Generally, it is a three course menu (salad/soup, entree & side, dessert) with a few options in each course for a fixed price.  There may also be featured cocktails offered.  At the Barrel & Boar, the prix fixe menu was only $20.  A little more than some barbecue places, but (spoiler alert) it was definitely worth every penny.



In our foursome, three of us opted for the Restaurant Week menu.  The options for the first course were Brunswick Stew, Layered Cornbread Salad, and sausage & cheese biscuits with a spicy maple sauce.  I was intrigued by the layered cornbread salad and the others tried the sausage & cheese biscuits.  They both enjoyed the biscuits, although my wife thought it was just a tad spicy for her mild palate.  She shared a bite with me and it was delicious, but definitely a solid medium on the heat level.  I thoroughly enjoyed the layered cornbread salad.  It reminded my of my Dad's seven-layer salad.  Not sure this one had seven layers, but the base layer was sweet cornbread and they built a small but tasty salad on top of it.  MMMMMMM...  I give them bonus points for creativity.  Our lone Restaurant Week holdout ordered a garden side salad and I also had to try their sausage and cheese grits.  Money well spent on the grits.  I contemplated licking the bowl, but ultimately refrained.  I am pretty sure my wife appreciated that.  Maybe she will take me out again for the next edition of Restaurant Week?  One can only dream... --(Sly grin)

After polishing off the first course, the main course was not far behind.  Two of us ordered the Fourteen Hour Brisket and my wife picked the Smoked and Grilled Pork Loin.  I was on the horns of a dilemma being forced to choose between the pork and beef.  My wife graciously offered to order the pork and share some with me, so I could try both.  The brisket melted in my mouth like butter.  It was moist and tender with a perfect crust of seasoning on the edge.  The smoked and grilled pork loin had good flavor too, but was just a bit dry.  Not surprising as pork loin is so lean.  The brisket was served with baked beans and cole slaw.  These were also delicious, but the cole slaw was beyond exceptional.  I am not sure what they put in the the dressing, but it was fabulous.  Even my wife raved about it and she is not typically a fan of slaw.  I make a good creamy slaw dressing at home, but this was richer than my recipe.  Still talking about it several days later.  YUM!  I didn't get a taste of the green beans that accompanied the pork loin.  By the time I asked my wife for a sample, all that was left was a few pieces of bell pepper that she picked out of the beans.  Since I didn't want to hurt the chef's feelings, I ate every last smoky bite of the bell pepper.  

My lovely wife remembered to take
a picture of her meal first.

SHOCK!  I had already started
eating before she stopped me
to take a picture.

Since Restaurant Week is over, I won't bother detailing the third option for the main course.  I also got a good taste of the rib tips on their regular dinner menu, as the portion was generous and our good friend with the independent streak was unable to finish them.  Every bit as good as the brisket. (BIG smile)

Rib tips in the background.
OYO Maple Sour in the
middle.

The dessert course afforded three options: slow-cooker chocolate fudge cake, real banana pudding, and coconut cake.  I was having difficulty once again.  I thought the chocolate fudge cake would be heavenly, but I feel that banana pudding is a barbecue joint staple.  I waited until the last possible moment to commit.  Ultimately, I had to go with the banana pudding.  I didn't get even a snaky lick of the chocolate fudge cake from the other two.  Wars have been started by a man coming between a woman and a warm chocolate cake, so I didn't get pushy about it.  I enjoyed the banana pudding, but next time I will go for the chocolate fudge cake.

Overall, I would say the top spot on Big Mike's list of favorite barbecue joints in Central Ohio is now up for grabs.  Barrel and Boar made a rather strong first showing.  I will definitely be back soon.  In the meantime, I will close my eyes... Take a deep breath... and pretend I can smell the smoky hardwood love.    (Look of contentment)

So sue me, I took a few bites
before she once again
snapped a picture.

Slow cooker chocolate
fudge cake.  It tastes even
better than it looks.

Your Dining Scout and Shade Tree Chef,
Michael Hurd, aka "Big Mike"

http://614columbus.com/restaurant-week/
http://www.barrelboar.com/home.html