the crest gastropub

another hidden gem!. so i had driven past this place a number of times and one day when my sweetheart and i were looking for a good place to eat we looked it up, made reservations and went. we were not disappointed! my sweetheart happens to be gluten-free and she found a menu full of goodies, all of their ingredients are local, fresh and seasonal. from a good bison or lamb burger, to their mac andcheese(baked in small cast-iron dishes, ;-) to their chips and the house made hot-sauce on the table all of it was good in the two visits we have made!

take a psss for awhile. we wanted to like the place. looks great from the street and the inside is fun.
thats where it stops. service was bad. food even worse. coffee and breafast potatoes arrived cold. we told our server and she never returned. except to drop the check. grillcheesewas buttery and not grilled. more like heat lamped. we will try again but only after a some time goes by and my tastebuds forget.

the only truly good thing about this meal was the drink i had--the spring collins was a delight and was exactly what i wanted. my companions' wine selections were also good. that was pretty much where the good ended.

we got the wings and fried goatcheeseas apps, and while the wings were good and the goatcheesewas fine, these were fairly mediocre in terms of what we expected from this place. i got a custom duck burger off the menu and both of my dining companions got the house burger. they both enjoyed their burgers and fries. 

my duck burger arrived with soggy sweet potato fries and was anything but what i expected. it was two half-hard, brick like patties that looked like you could get them from gfs. i don't know if the duck was really local, but this is not what i expected nor what i wanted to pay for. the patties were stuffed so much with spices--which was not advertised on the menu--that i couldn't even tell it was duck. honestly, it tasted more like a boca burger than anything. a really spicy boca burger. it was dry and flavorless except from the spices, and was anything but a rich, moist duck burger like i expected.

i sent the duck burger back and ordered the fried chicken sandwich instead, totally plain except for the amish honey butter that came on it, which had been on the fried goatcheeseapp and was really good. after way too long, the chicken sandwich was sent out of the kitchen, completely wrong, covered in everything i had asked for it without. my companion took it up to the line and told them, and within two minutes they had another one out the way i had asked for it...sort of. some stray lettuce and i'm still not convinced it was the honey butter on the sandwich. it did not taste good, and i ate two bites of it and stopped. 

but that wasn't the worst part. 

my dining companions, who both got the house burger, both got food poisoning and were up all night throwing up. this is the only thing both they and only they consumed at our table and definitely caused the illness. it is not that difficult to correctly handle ground beef.

while we have had some positive experiences here, it seems that the negatives have not outweighed the positives, and we won't be returning.

disappointed. this was my second attempt at the crest, and i don't believe there'll be a third, at least not for a meal. the menu has been completely revamped and is a bit pricier than i remember, but on the other hand, it was happy hour so we were able to save a little on half-priced draft beers. on my first trip, i thought it was odd that i had to request a beer menu. this trip, there was a nicely detailed menu on the table. in addition to the new menu, the lighting/layout seems a bit different now, in a (mostly) good way. the only downside about the layout is the noise. holy cow, is it loud in there. being close enough to my neighbor to practically bump elbows didn't help.

the food - man, the crest really drops the ball here. wife had a pasta with veggies. menu promised broccoli, leeks, and i don't recall what else. instead, there was the equivalent of about a single spear of asparagus chopped up into a few pieces. not at all what she was looking forward to, and seriously overpriced at $16. i opted for the special - braised short rib w/ risotto, carrots, and peas. the waitress asked how i wanted my meat cooked which surprised me a little as i didn't realize you could braise meat to order. since she asked, i requested it medium rare. it came out as i would've expected - very well done. it was also very delicious, though, so put one in the win column. the risotto, on the other hand... wife says, "it just looks like rice." that's right, it does... because it's severely undercooked. guys, risotto takes time and energy to prepare, and should never, ever be crunchy.

we'd had enough fun for the evening so we opted to take dessert to go. white chocolate carrot cake for me, ricotta cheesecake for wife. $7 each. both had decent flavor, but also the tiniest portions of dessert i've ever seen. our waistlines were ok with less, but for $7....? next time i want carrot cake, i'll just swing by wildflower cafe a couple miles north and pay $4 for the slab of carrot cake that i can't finish in one sitting.

i really want to love the crest. but... no.


-----28 oct, 2013-----

unsure.... ...what exactly the crest is or wants to be. based on the very mixed crowd, i'd say that it wants to be something for everybody, and that's great. i've just never been to a place with such a high concentration and equal mix of yuppies and hipsters. interesting.

we'd been waiting for the hub-bub to die down some so that we could get (a) parking and (b) food without an hour wait. no doubt this place is popular right now.

service - good. attentive, friendly. i was surprised that, given the reputation for beer selection, there wasn't a draft list on the table. had to request one. other than that, dude knew his stuff.

one observation about the service - some of them don't seem to like each other, and it shows. i witnessed some uncomfortably overt passive aggressiveness complete with eyerolls and snark. c'mon guys, at least put on a happy face while you're on the floor, hm?

food - wasn't bad. i do have to say that the best part of the meal, for me, was the warm bretzel pretzels. the rest...ok, but nothing super amazing. wife had fish tacos, they were cold. i had pastrami which was tasty, but being not especially tolerant to salt, i knew better than to order it. did it anyway. if you like pastrami, this was a good one, well balanced withcheeseand rye. one note - the bread seemed a bit stale. *shrug*

overall, it was ok. i don't know if it's something i'll seek out for more than an occasional beer, but i can definitely see why people like it.

menu has changed and unfortunately so has the service. initially enjoyed this restaurant. went yesterday for lunch and was terribly disappointed. the menu has changed to focus on "shareables" - overpriced, small portions. our server did not offer us anything to drink (soda/alcohol) and took our order. both my silverware and my husband's silverware were very dirty (with food pieces on them)! someone rolled the silverware without even looking at it. the shareable we ordered was not flavorful (mac andcheesein dough) and had unmelted pieces of what looked like lunch delicheeseslices. the entrees came out wrong (i.e. asked for no tomato and no sauce on burger and got both). waitress took a very long time to check on us and we waited a long time to get our bill despite the low headcount at lunch. will not be returning.

what a gem!. oh my. i am so glad we discovered this place! food is delicious, creative, and locally-sourced. we split the silver platter appetizer, with pimientocheesedip, pickled veg, caper berries wrapped in duck prosciutto, and stuffed grape leaves...all excellent. i had the kimchi hot dog, which featured thinly-sliced granny smith apples and red pepper relish. very good! the highlight of my meal, however....the sweet potato fries! where have these been all my life? thin, crispy on the outside, and perfectly soft and tender on the inside, served with a delicious housemade aioli. great beer list. we'll be back!

lo and behold, the first moment came with the first course: smoked bluecheese& panchetta crisps. enrobed in a deliciously fried exterior, finely diced panchetta meshed incredibly well with the creaminess and added texture from crumbled blue cheese.

friday at the crest. we have wanted to try out the crest for a while - heard it was always crowded so we finally went early on a friday evening. managed to get the last parking spot but also noticed that they seem to have valet parking now.
i saw a lot of negative reviews on this site - couple of ideas - the crest has a very large and varied menu and is trying to source locally - i would think that would be a balancing act, hence why they may have been out of items in the past. it is very popular and crowded - i think they are trying with valet parking to overcome that problem.
anyhow, we were pleasantly surprised. we had the hummus and baba ganoush - perfectly acceptable - and for a surprise they featured fried smelt. these were great! only suggestion is that they bump up the aioli with more garlic and acid - nicely presented with what seemed to be pea tips.
the crest burger was okay - cooked rare with mushrooms andcheese- but needed some salt or something as it tasted rather flat. fries were crispy and not greasy.
our server was attentive and helpful...the place is noisy but that is probably to be expected and part of the "liveliness" they are trying for.
i looked at their website and see that, in season, they try to grow their greens and herbs, have events to support local charities and generally are working on being a neighbourhood presence. in clintonville, we don't have many places to go for dinner or drinks and are always looking to support places like this.
i think another six months will help them even out some of the rougher spots but all in all, i was pleased and would go back - more than i can say for most of the columbus downtown area restaurants i have frequented.

awesome brunch!. i visited the crest (twice) for brunch when it was still warm enough to eat outside. i really enjoyed their brunch menu as it has a good combination of lunch and breakfast foods. i ordered the pastrami on rye with truffle fries on one visit and it was fabulous. your sandwich is served on a cutting board which is a fun way to eat a meal. my companion and i ordered the pesto-feta watermelon and goatcheeseballs and both were alright, personally i think their strength lies in their entrees. great mimosas as well. i really enjoyed their patio and the inside was cute as well. staff was a bit slow, though they were quite friendly it was clear they were streched thin. no failing on their part but the crest itself should have more people on a brunch shift for better service.

great meal at the crest!. first visit to the crest last week.

the decor was very nice. seemed a trendy, minimalist type setting, but good. nice, big bar. the tables were a bit close together, but just fine. there is an outside seating and drinking area for the better weather days.

started with thecheeseballs, which were good, but quite expensive.

for the main course, i went with the burger, while the wife had the bbq burger.. both got fries.

the food was quite good! the fries were excellent - hot and well prepared. the burger was juicy and tasty. the wife really liked the bbq, which is bbq on a beef patty.

priced about at the upper end of what i would have been willing to pay, so that was fine.

all in all a pretty good experience.

one of my new favorites. finally made it to the crest with a group of friends. it was a weeknight and the place was still packed. the only downside was that we had 6:30 reservations, but were made to wait until 7:00 to be seated. it was a bit annoying, but we used that time to sit at the bar and check out their incredible beer selection. it has to be one of the best in the city. the bartenders were all friendly and knowledgeable, and were willing to give samples of whatever you were interested in.

once seated, our server quickly came over. he was very friendly and helpful too. he suggested that we order another drink as happy hour was ending in the next few minutes, which we appreciated. drafts are half off during happy hour. our server gave suggestions based on our preferences, and he hit every one of them out of the park. the standouts at the table were the mac &cheese(add prosciutto) and the pulled pork burger. the mac &cheesewas one of the best things i have ever tasted. and both the beef and the pork on the burger melted in my mouth. both of these dishes were around $10 and worth every penny.

other dishes that were recommended to us were the lamb burger, the bison burger and the prawns. i will have a hard time ordering anything other than mac &cheeseor the pulled pork burger, but i hope to go back to the crest again and again until i try everything. this place was wonderful.

2 visits...and done.. pros: beer list, goatcheeseballs were awesome
cons: burger tasted like frozen meat, serving a salad on a cutting board is ridiculous.

the best and most consistent bets will be the burger selections. the honey-glazedcheeseballs (that would be with flash fried goat cheese) are my consistent starter of choice. the only main menu item i have been disappointed in so far was the grilled cheese. the grilledness (my own invented word) of the bread and how the varied ingredients comingle do not quite mix together.

vegan friendly?. i have been two times now, once for drinks and once for dinner. first visit was to the bar, which was great . there are lots of beer selections and the staff at the bar was knowledgeable. the second time i went was just a few days later, this time to eat. our sever was slow and uninterested. i also don't see how they can be advertised as a vegan friendly place. vegan friendly, to me, means that there are multiple items on the menu that can be made vegan easily, which i didn't not find there to be. taking the meat andcheeseand dressing off a salad doesn't make you a vegan friendly restaurant. i ordered the port. mush burger and it was cold and not on bread. perhaps our server was not knowledgeable on the vegan friendly items, but i was unimpressed with the food.

i will go back to drink at the bar and on the patio, but there are better vegan friendly places to eat.

lamb burger return. we found the hype to be well deserved. goatcheeseis great on anything. they do you the favor of frying it up and adding honey! the lamb burger (med-well) was worth several return visits. the crest burger (med-rare) will be ordered again but w/o the tomato as this made the bottom bun a bit too soggy. several great local brews on tap for sampling and a friendly and helpful staff made for a great evening out. see you again soon crest!