The Leptologists Eat at Aab

Candice: I pick Aab India Restaurant today.
Paul: Another Indian lunch buffet. Sounds good! Let's go.
Candice: I've been here for dinner, but not for lunch. It was excellent and I'm looking forward to trying their buffet.
Paul: We arrive at 11:20 and even though the website says they open at 11:30, they seat us right away.
Candice: Told you we should leave early.
Paul: You did. You were right.  It's freaky how right you are sometimes. See where I said sometimes?
Candice: Huh? Hearing aid volume must be low...We go ahead and choose the buffet, of course. It's $9.97 with tax.  An excellent price.

Buffet

Paul: There is one buffet table, with about 6 entrees, plus rice, naan, veggies, and desserts.
Candice: The buffet is pushed into the corner. You can only go down one side. Shame if they get a packed house.
Paul: Luckily there's no one between us and the buffet right now.
Candice: Not luck, my sound timing decisions.  Hello? and - Let's go!

Paul's Plate #1

Paul: I start with rice, naan (bread), saag paneer (cheese and spinach), vegetable pakora (spicy veggies), aloo choley (chickpeas and potatoes), and mater paneer (cheesy peas).
Candice: I get similar items, but instead of naan, I get the bhatura (a different type of bread). I also get tandoori chicken, and chicken jalfrezi (chicken, peppers, tomatoes, and onions).
Paul: This rice is delicious. Perfectly cooked.
Candice: Yes, it's good. The tandoori chicken is juicy, but I think I'm just not a fan of tandoori spices. It's good, but not for me.
Paul: This mater paneer is yummy: cheesy peas. My naan, however, is cold.

Candice's Plate #2

Candice: Well, try the bhatura.  It is warm and very tasty.
Paul: I'm a big fan of chickpeas, so I like the aloo choley. It has a nice flavor and the chickpeas are cooked but firm.
Candice: The taste of cinnamon is a little too much for me. The saag paneer however is great.  I could eat it every day.
Paul: Agreed. How's the chicken jalfrezi?
Candice: Delicious. You should try it.
Paul: Time for plate number 2.

Paul's Plate #2

Candice: More saag paneer and chicken jalfrezi. I also add to it chicken tikka masala and mix all of it with the chili chutney. Yum and hot and yum and hot and, more, please.
Paul: I try the chicken jalfrezi as you suggested, the bhatura, and the chicken tikka masala.
Candice: This is really solid food. I've enjoyed nearly all of it.
Paul: I agree. I won't take a picture of my third plate of food. But I finish it too.
Candice: Won't?  You devoured half of it before I was able to mention the opportunity.  I like the set up of the place too. The decor is nicely appointed. And they have a bar.

Decor

Paul: You like bars, don't you?  I agree, the place has a nice modern, crisp feel to its decor.  Look, by noon, the place is filled. There are a number of large parties that they accommodated easily.
Candice: There are seats for everyone, but as I predicted, the line is wrapping on itself.
Paul: Yeah, 20 people in line. You were right to get us here early. So what do you think?
Candice: Great food at a great price, and easy to get to from downtown.
Paul: I agree. Worth the price, worth coming back, and worth the wait if you get here early enough to beat the long line.

Bar

Candice: Yep. Except for the fact the buffet could not contain two lines due to limited space, it's an awesome lunch meal.  Let's come back soon.

	Candice	Paul
Worth the Price?
Worth the Wait?
Worth Coming Back?

The Leptologists Eat at De-NOVO

Candice: Where are we going today?
Paul: It's a short walk down High Street: De-NOVO.
Candice: Even on this hottest day of the year, it's not a bad walk from the Arena District, but we should have brought water.
Paul: There it is. They've left an old sign that reads "Restaurant" above their new logo.
Candice: There's a cute patio out front. But it's too hot for that today.
Paul: Inside, it smells... odd. Old and musty.
Candice: It is an old building. Oh, I love the decor.
Paul: Branches everywhere.
Candice: I think the art deco/baroque/lodge look is appropriate for the building. This is a well-designed space.
Paul: There's a bar, a raised area at the front window, and more tables across from the bar.
Candice: And a beautiful dining room in the back. It's lovely.
Paul: Look. They serve breakfast too.
Candice: Interesting. They name the chefs on the menu. I like that they do that. It shows pride in ownership.
Paul: You said you were in the mood for a porkchop. They have one.
Candice: But it takes 40 minutes to cook. Not today.
Paul: For appetizers, we select the Cheese Plate and the Crap Cakes.
Candice: I order the Medi-Italiano Sandwich.
Paul: I order the Chicken Vesuvio.
Candice: The appetizers are slow to arrive, but this gives you a chance to check out the dining room.
Paul: You're right. It's very elegant. It would be great for a private event.
Candice: Here are the appetizers.

Crabcakes and Cheese Plate

Paul: I like this crab cake, though there's an odd sweet taste to it.
Candice: For me, it's too salty. Less salt would have complemented the sauce better. The cheese is nicely presented.
Paul: Five cheeses and dried apricots to cleanse the palate.
Candice: I can't identify them all, but I believe we have a brie and a muenster and some sort of marbled blueberry cheese.
Paul: I know nothing about cheese either, but this creamy one is delicious as is the blueberry cheese. I don't care for this sharp cheese.
Candice: The dried apricot is very mild.

Chicken Vesuvio

Paul: Here are the entrees. Mine looks pretty. But, yuck, overripe snow peas. They're bitter. Um...
Candice: What's the problem?
Paul: This doesn't taste good. Oh, this cheese atop the pasta is hideous.
Candice: Let me try. No, this is not to your liking. The noodles are fresh, at least.
Paul: Yes, and the chicken is moist. But I can't eat this. I have chosen poorly.
Candice: Let's see if I fare better.

Medi-Italiano Sandwich

Paul: That's a big sandwich.
Candice: Yes, a good mix of meats. Here, have half of mine if you aren't going to eat your pasta.
Paul: Thanks. I like this sandwich. I can barely fit it in my mouth.
Candice: The fries could use a bit more salt and I don't like this house-made ketchup.
Paul: I like these fries too, and I happen to like the ketchup. It's got a bit of a kick.
Candice: Anyone could pile these meats on a bun and make this sandwich.
Paul: True. So other than the cheese plate, nothing stood out?
Candice: Foodwise, you are correct. But the decor makes me want to come back and sit at the bar.
Paul: Or try the breakfast.
Candice: Possibly. So what do you think?
Paul: My entree was a disaster. I liked the crab cakes and the cheese plate. Your sandwich and fries were pretty good.
Candice: Yes, but would we come back just for a decent sandwich and a cheese plate? The appetizers alone were $27.
Paul: It's hard to justify coming back for that price.
Candice: It was crowded by noon, but we had no problem getting a table. So worth the wait, at least.
Paul: But for what we paid, it's just not worth the price.
Candice: Is it worth coming back to? Maybe to try breakfast or sit at the bar?
Paul: I'm not a bar person, so I'm split with you on that one and say it's not worth coming back.
Candice: Well, that's too bad. It looked like a very well-thought-out space.
Paul: Back into the heat we go.

	Candice	Paul
Worth the Price?
Worth the Wait?
Worth Coming Back?

The Leptologists Eat at Akai Hana

Candice: It's my choice today, and I pick Akai Hana.
Paul: Why is that?
Candice: I'm making Salmon Teriaki tonight and I need to pick up a few things at Tensuke Market which is located next door.
Paul: Let's eat before we shop. I'm starving.
Candice: I agree.
Paul: Akai Hana is located on Old Henderson Road, up 315 from downtown Columbus. The drive is not bad at all.
Candice: No, not at all. The muted decor is beautiful. I love the honey oak.
Paul: We arrive at noon, and the place is well occupied.
Candice: The sushi bar is full.
Paul: We are seated quickly, even though the place is relatively busy. The waitress is with us right away.
Candice: They have a lucky cat on the sushi bar.
Paul: You approve.
Candice: I do.
Paul: The menu has Japanese and Korean items. The last couple pages are in Japanese characters.

Miso Soup and Onigiri

Candice: There is a lunchbox of the week and of the day. I like that.
Paul: I order Yaki Maki and, of course, dumplings.
Candice: I order the Seafood Champon and ask for Salmon Onigiri which isn't a menu item, but they're gracious. And of course, I'll eat your salad.
Paul: We'll not have it going to waste.
Candice: I love this Onigiri.  I could eat it every day. It's a seaweed-wrapped ball of rice and salmon. The tart seaweed contrasts with the sweeter rice and the smokiness of the salmon. Try it.
Paul: You know I can't stand the taste of seaweed.
Candice: Try it anyway.
Paul: I do like the rice and salmon. My miso soup is good as well, I think.
Candice: You think?

Salad

Paul: It is just miso soup. Perhaps perfection in miso soup is measured in how well it conforms to all other miso soup. In that case, it's very good miso soup.
Candice: The salad dressing is not too tart. The greens are fresh. Very tasty.
Paul: These dumplings are chunkier than we've seen before.
Candice: The dough is light and luminescent. I love the texture of these gyoza.
Paul: I taste vinegar in these. It seems a bit strong. These are pretty good dumplings...
Candice: ... but they aren't the best ever. That honor still goes to Nida's.
Paul: Yep. Here are the entrees. My beef dish looks wonderful. The onions are flavorful. The beef is tasty. The sauce is pleasant.

Yaki Niku

Candice: My soup is fantastic. The scallops are cooked perfectly, and that's hard to do in a soup. These noodles taste like homemade egg noodles.
Paul: It certainly looks full of seafood.

Seafood Champon

Candice: It is. I am very happy with this. Candice wins.
Paul: Mine is pretty good too.
Candice: Candice wins, I said.
Paul: Well, it seems we were both happy with the food. Was there anything we didn't enjoy?
Candice: Other than your abnormal aversion to seaweed, no. It was great from start to finish.
Paul: Good atmosphere, wide-ranging menu, decent prices. This restaurant is a win all around.
Candice: Agreed. Worth the price, worth the wait, and worth coming back.
Paul: So let it be written.
Candice: Now let's get my shopping done.

	Candice	Paul
Worth the Price?
Worth the Wait?
Worth Coming Back?