Secret Diner: Retail Retreat
|
Photo by Chris Casella I am constantly amazed at the number of people who shop regularly at Nordstrom, yet never knew they had a restaurant. Tucked away in a corner on the second floor at Easton, Cafe Nordstrom has consistently put out wonderful fare for years. When attempting to describe this hidden bistro to others, their thoughts invariably imagine bland sandwiches and soups, paired with unimaginative salads. This is hardly the case here.
Atmosphere - Away from the hustle and bustle of busy shoppers, Cafe Nordstrom is situated in the easternmost corner on the second floor of their store. The decor is slightly modern, very clean, and surprisingly comfortable. The open-air kitchen provides diners with a welcome distraction of busy line cooks and chefs as they prepare salads and pull pizzas from the oven. Because most customers are typically carrying a few shopping bags, the layout provides its customers with enough room to sit down and enjoy a great meal without feeling cramped.
Service - Cafe Nordstrom is not a full service restaurant. Diners place their order at the front counter, pay and take a seat. A friendly server then brings your drink orders, followed by your food order, and several table visits to ensure your experience was satisfactory. One challenge the bistro faces is guessing when it will be busy; a lot of their traffic depends on how busy the retail department is that day. As a Secret Diner should, I visited Cafe Nordstrom on three distinct days: weekday lunch, weekend lunch and the dreaded Black Friday. While their business is consistently brisk every day, the lines protruding from the bistro on that fateful Friday were downright daunting. Amazingly, the lines moved quickly, the staff never appeared frazzled, turn times remained fast and the food quality was up to par.
Food - With so many lunch options for shoppers at Easton, Cafe Nordstrom has to do things differently to stand out, and they do precisely that. The blackened salmon Caesar salad is a fantastic light, healthy lunch. The salmon was cooked to perfection, and coupled with the expected Parmesan cheese, Caesar dressing, and a surprising chili pepper aioli, the dish was tied together nicely. The cranberry turkey sandwich is a perfect marriage of deli bliss (turkey, havarti cheese) and sweet fruit (cranberry chutney). The horseradish roast beef sandwich, with caramelized onions, arugula, and horseradish aioli on an onion roll, was a home run. Among all of the great lunch items, the unsuspecting star of two meals were the shoestring French fries with a side of olive aioli dipping sauce. The unique olive flavor, coupled with the salty starch of the French fries, makes for a highly addictive side dish that will leave you asking yourself, "How did I eat all of those?"
Congratulations to Cafe Nordstrom and its staff for their execution of great lunch dishes and friendly, consistent service every day of the week. It is truly a hidden gem that does not deserve to be overlooked.
Cafe Nordstrom
@ Easton Town Center
4000 Worth Ave.
(614) 416-7111
Score: 39
Atmosphere - 12
Service - 13
Food - 14
Columbus is full of amazing eateries. From neighborhood delicatessens to high-end steakhouses, our city has hundreds of choices. 614 Magazine is proud to introduce its Secret Diner Award.
This award is not given out as a "Best Of"; rather, it seeks to recognize restaurants that are consistently hitting the mark. Restaurants are not selected based on a price point, and to ensure that a recipient has demonstrated excellence in all areas, the Secret Diner will visit each establishment a minimum of three times.
Restaurants will be graded in three categories: Food, Service, & Atmosphere, each scored from 1-5 points over three visits, with a possible total of 45. Restaurants achieving 38 points or above qualify for the award.
The award will not be given out every month, but only when a restaurant has exceeded the grade.
Bon Appetit,
The Secret Diner
Originally Published: July 1, 2010
