Diners
By Amy Fisher |
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Drive In, Dine In
Far enough away from the high rent part of High Street, this diner will do you right on the cheap. The fried bologna sandwich is a noteworthy example of a fine 1950s favorite that still reminds all of us of an American childhood.
Photo: Eric Pacella
This bologna is different than your standard Oscar Meyer's: it's a half-pound slice, over half an inch thick. After a touch of the griddle, it's between a bun with sauteed onions, yellow American cheese, and mustard. The grits are also of a noteworthy character, arriving at the table padded with a thick stroke of butter and soft enough to be easily mistaken for mashed potatoes. The owners of Dan's Drive In are the very same as the now-closed Taverna Opa.
This will explain why, alongside the traditional burgers, tuna melts, and all-day breakfast items, you will find dishes like the gyro plate. It is essentially a deconstructed gyro with a few mostly crispy French fries thrown in for good diner measure. The menu is expansive, surely including something for everyone - even vegetarians. As is the case with any good diner, there is a display case for the desserts. It contained something called a fantasy fudge cake that looked tasty but sinful.
Dan's Drive In
1881 S High St.
(614) 444-7590
Famous, and I Said Amen
A diner can often be one of the best places for reflection. Get out of town, find yourself in a place like Famous Jack's Diner on Rt. 23, and let the introspection wash over you. Jack's is a diner that was relocated from the brewery district. Just past Delaware, its red booths and black tables offer redemption: sanctification in a cup of coffee and a piece of pie. Sitting next to big-rig road warriors and sipping mild coffee, there is a sense of familiarity and kinship to the other lone patrons, all of us eating our meals in silence amongst fluorescent lights, James Dean drawings, and quarter horse pictures. Start with a cup of chili adorned with yellow cheese and sour cream ($2.49). Crumble the crackers with your hands over top. Don't forget to swing your feet while you do it.
Photo: Eric Pacella
What is there to say about a fish sandwich? The silence of the moment seems to say so much more... Two pieces of cod blanketed in a crispy golden batter, which gives way to the soft fleshy cod. Thick tartar sauce is smeared onto a buttered and grilled bun. On the side, order the creamy coleslaw, light on the sugar and carrots, and home fries lightly fried for good measure ($1.99 each).
Finish with a milk shake ($3.59) or a homemade slice of sweet rhubarb pie a la mode ($3.99) - no strawberries necessary. Tip more than twenty percent to the overworked server. Smile a knowing smile and slip back onto the road. I'm not sure what made Jack so famous, but erecting a roadhouse of individual salvation makes him all right in my book.
Famous Jack's Diner
Route 23 North
Delaware
(740) 369-6677
For a Finer Diner
'Tis the season for red wine, whisky, and dark beer. This is also the time when unctuous replaces clean as the food adjective du jour, and the perfect time for a diner-inspired meal from Cap City. The meatloaf ($15.95) is one of my favorites and possibly the perfect fall dish. This definitely ain't your mom's meatloaf. The velvety meat is topped with cream-filled mashed potatoes and a slight crisp of thin fried onion strips. The complex barbecue sauce allows this dish to transcend nostalgia and plateau somewhere around elegant.
Photo: Eric Pacella
Another dish worthy of note is the chicken potpie ($14.95), the restaurant's Blue Plate Feature on Tuesdays. On the bottom dwell buttermilk and chive mashed potatoes. Then comes a flood of chicken and gravy in which pearl onions, carrots, and peas swim happily alongside porcini and button mushrooms. The dish is finished with a flaky puff-pastry cap: definitely a worthy winter meal. Try any of the dishes with a watermelon mint julep - a farewell kiss to summer fruit and a welcome back to whiskey winter.
If that isn't seasonally appropriate enough, skip straight to the Big Cup O' Chocolate ($5.95), a large mug filled with a fresh-from-the-oven hot chocolate lava cake and topped with ice cream. Seasonal depression never tasted so sweet.
Cap City Fine Diner and Bar
1299 Olentangy River Rd.
(614) 291-3663
www.capcityfinediner.com
Originally Published: October 1, 2009
