For years, there had been deep concern among the people of Columbus, Ohio. If you wanted a selection of steaks and were in the area of downtown between Mitchell’s Steakhouse on Third Street and Hyde Park on the High Street cap, there was nowhere to go! Sure, you could get a good steak at Flatiron Bar and Diner as one of the items on its Cajun-influenced menu, but if you wanted the full steakhouse experience, you were totally out of luck.
Fortunately, Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse ventured north from its Cincinnati roots and appeared on Nationwide Boulevard to address the disturbing steakhouse desert that existed in the north downtown area. Now we have three high-end steakhouses in the space of a few walkable blocks.
Last night the Bahamians joined Kish and me as we checked out Columbus’ newest steakhouse. We found a lavishly decorated place — the chandeliers alone might require us to don sunglasses for the next visit — that featured live music in the bar and a busy dining room. The wait staff was extremely professional and helpful, and featured both our waiter and a sommelier who advised on the many choices on the wine list. After we indicated our interest in Italian wines and ordered a reasonably priced bottle of Amarone, he stopped by at the end of the meal and offered us a free pour of another Italian wine on the list. It’s the kind of treatment that helps to bring people back.
The food is on the pricey side for Columbus, Ohio, but it was good, too. I got the ribeye, which was prepared with a very nice char and was succulent. For sides we went with some tasty creamed spinach and a kind of loaded potato gratin (the others in the party also tried the green beans, which I studiously avoided), and the four of us split a creamy piece of cheesecake and a chocolate cream puff for dessert. It was a fine meal from stem to stern.
How many steakhouses does downtown Columbus need? As far as I’m concerned, there just can’t be too many. I’m glad Jeff Ruby’s has joined the club.
Webner House 