The Crest Gastropub (Old North, Columbus, Ohio)
Tucked away in the Old North is The Crest, a gastropub that I’ve been going to for quite some time now and hadn’t had the chance to visit since the pandemic started. Their menu always seems to highlight what the season has to offer and after spending Black Friday glued to my computer for work, I wanted something even more seasonal than the Thanksgiving I had the day before. I don’t think I was fully prepared heading into this dinner, to be honest.
We started off choosing between the appetizers offered: Cheese balls and Pumpkin Fries sounded ever appealing, though it was the Rabbit Pate that was keeping us from making a decision. Considering it had been years since I last had Rabbit and was opting for the meatier entree options, we decided on the Cheese and Fries, no regrets were had. The cheese balls were coated in an apple cinnamon and honey glaze, the fries reminded me of fried apple fritters that came with a bechemel-type sauce for dipping in. I started the meal off with the cocktail Apricot Cobbler, made with bonded bourbon, apricot, rosemary, sherry, and lemon. My companion went with the The Dating Game, consisting of aged rum, salted pawpaw, and amaro. Pawpaw was featured in many of the dishes of the evening - I’ve never had one, contact me so I can try it!
For the entree, I went with the Venison while my companion had the Walleye. The meat was a little tough to chew, though I think it was due to the pepper rub used on the meat in combination with how it was prepared. But man, was it delicious! It was not at all gamey like I was used to with eating deer, mixing it into the pumpkin puree with the sage leaves was a powerful flavor combination. I paired the venison with Dancing Gnome Beer’s American Beaver California Common Lager.
To cap off the night, we opted for the Fireside dessert, a serving of deconstructed S’mores for 2 with a tiny flame for roasting the house made marshmallows.
Featured Foods and Drinks:
Apricot Cobbler - Bonded Bourbon, Apricot, Rosemary, Sherry, Lemon
The Dating Game - Aged Rum, Salted Pawpaw, Amaro
Goat Cheese Balls - Apple Butter, Fresh Apple, Pickled Apple, Honey
Pumpkin Fries
Walleye - Parsnip + Green Apple Mousse, Fire-roasted Pumpkin Soffritto, Tarragon
Venison - Brûléed Apple, Pumpkin Pureé, Pickled Mustard Seed, Crispy Sage
Dancing Gnome Beer - American Beaver California Common Lager
Fireside - Chocolate Ganache, Homemade Graham Cracker, Vanilla Marshmallows, Chocolate “Dirt”, Freeze Dried Raspberries, Pawpaw Ice Cream
Visit The Crest’s website for an ever seasonal menu at: https://www.thecrestgastropub.com/