Nothing beats having the parentals come into town on business. This rare event provides the amateur restaurant reviewer/recipe guru the chance to have a night out on the town. My stepmom Molly was in town recently and we decided to point our gaze East for our cuisine. Our choice? Lemongrass Fusion Bistro.
Located in the uber trendy Short North, Lemongrass boasts a blend of Thai favorites with traditional Western influences. Curries, sushi, filet medallions; all are on the menu at Lemongrass. This is not my first visit to this dining spot. I first dabbled back in late 2004 as a freshman at Ohio State. Lemongrass holds the distinction of being my first Thai experience and was good enough to give me a little jungle foodie fever.
On this visit Molly and I had a competent served named TC. He was prompt to bring out waters and offered cocktails, which we ordered promptly. Their bar menu features a respectable wine list. Like many Short North venues, I found the cocktail menu to be a bit too female-centric (flirtinis) for my tastes and stuck to a glass of wine.
A wide variety of appetizers were available. Thai spring rolls, chicken satey, steamed dumplings, and tuna tartar were standouts. We opted for the dumplings and also went with the waiter’s suggestion of the lemongrass soup. Anyone ever see the Family Guy episode where Peter is pointing out when the name of a movie is said in the movie (i.e. Clear and Present Danger)? Well, Peter’s excitement reflects my own at restaurants. Often times if the name of the restaurant is reflected in the dish, the outcome is sublime, as was the case with the lemongrass soup. This hearty vegetable soup packed a delightful punch thanks to some Thai chili oil, as well as some al dente vegetables. The dumplings were tasty; the best part about them was the soy ginger jus for dipping. Pricing of the dumplings I found a little silly. I believe it was $5 for two silver dollar sized dumplings…
Now let’s talk entrees. Remember, this is a fusion restaurant and the entrees reflect that. Seafood is by far the protein star on this menu. Two tuna entrees, halibut, salmon, and shrimp are victum to Chef Louis (a la the Little Mermaid. Anyone….. anyone?). Turf-side filet medallions and chicken are available for landlovers. I opted for a green curry with coconut milk with chicken and grilled zucchini served over angel hair pasta. Tastily prepared with a perfect touch of heat, this dish embodied what a nice fusion dish should be. My step mom got a tuna steak, beautifully seared rare, served with shiitake mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, spinach and other veggies, served with penne pasta. I thought my dish was good, but after trying Molly’s food, WOW was I impressed by the tuna. I found very little of the dish Thai tasting to me. One bite and all I felt was Mediterranean! (Not that that’s a bad thing, clearly it isn’t, just unexpected).
Not to cut our little chat short, but I am… how you say… “le tired”. If you’re in the mood for a great ‘East meets West’ food stop and are in Columbus’s Short North district, hit up Lemongrass, you’ll be glad you did.
PS. I’ve had their Pad Thai, and it’s divine here too!
Lemongrass Fusion Bistro
641 N. High St.
Columbus, OH 43215
No comments:
Post a Comment