Unlike the Summer of 2014 when I went to the German Village location of Harvest Pizza, the Summer of 2015 when I spent the night in Columbus (as a resting point on a trip to Indiana), I let a price I couldn’t refuse on a hotel room dictate where I stayed, and went to dinner nearby.
This year, I ended up in the Northwest quadrant of Columbus – a suburb called Dublin – and went to a tavern called The Pint Room, not really worried about the food, but wanting to unwind with a couple of brews. I love the beers available in the Midwest (Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, etc.), and the selection at The Pint Room was no exception.
People should know by now that I’m an “amber ale guy,” a “Scotch ale guy,” favoring malt over hops, and so I unwound with a draft of Jackie O’s Firefly Amber ($6), brewed by Jackie O’s Pub & Brewery in Athens, Ohio, then moved on to a tulip of the sour Cerasus Dog, a Flanders red ale brewed by Thirsty Dog Brewing Company in Akron, Ohio – I counted fully twelve taps of Thirsty Dog beers in The Pint Room, making me wonder if it has the largest selection of drafts from this brewery in the world (outside of the brewery itself). A small honor, to be sure, but an honor all the same.
About this time, I was getting hungry, but The Pint Room – known for its burgers – didn’t inspire full confidence, so having already been to London Curry House (sort of) and Sweetbites Cafe and Bakery, I opted for something healthy to finish my day, and rolled the dice on The Portabella Stack ($10.50) – a “sandwich” using two slices of portabella as the “bread,” and containing shiitake, zucchini, squash, red pepper, red onion (all of these grilled, most likely on a skewer), as well as some blots of very fresh mozzarella, a little arugula, and some balsamic glaze which I asked for (and got) on the side. Well, let me tell you: I just may have gotten the best thing in the house, because this was a fantastic vegetarian meal, and it was a really good call getting that balsamic glaze on the side (in a little ceramic tub), as I could control how much I wanted to add to each bite by simply using a knife and fork, and dipping my vegetables into it – just as you dip your sushi into soy sauce. Every single item in this “sandwich” was as good as it could be, the key being the mozzarella which was surprisingly fresh and delicious. I was full, but by no means stuffed, and it was the perfect order in this situation.
Knowing I’d be back at my very pleasant hotel in just a few minutes (Sonesta ES Suites, built as extended-stay lodging for business travelers, and recently remodeled at great expense), I capped off my meal with a Knob Creek 100 Rye ($6), neat, one ice cube on the side, and again came up with something of a winner – for the price, this was an excellent rye; not upscale, but solid and reliable (I had done some fancy-fingered web searching just before ordering, so I knew it would be at least “acceptable,” and sure enough it was).
Well, The Pint Room isn’t something that I can necessarily recommend as a dining destination, but every single thing I had here was very good, most likely because I ordered well – on the off chance you find yourself here, I encourage you to try the Portabella Stack, and go exploring with their extensive selection of Midwestern beers.