The Leptologists Eat at The Crest Gastropub

Candice: I've driven by here a dozen times, but never stopped in.
Paul: Today's the day for The Crest Gastropub.
Candice: They've remodeled this place. It used to be a dive bar.
Paul: Now it's a gastropub. I'm not sure if I like that word.
Candice: Maybe it just sounds better than "dive bar."
Paul: We choose the outside dining area on this beautiful July day. The weather is very unlike summer in Columbus.
Candice: We'll take advantage of it and sit under the huge umbrellas outside.
Paul: They've broken the outdoor patio into two areas. There's maybe ten tables out here.
Candice: And ample seating inside too.
Paul: Julia is our waitress and she has to duck down under the umbrella to get our order.
Candice: She says she hits her head on the umbrellas at least once a day. A conundrum she experiences each shift - if she stands back so as not to hit her head on the umbrella, she appears aloof to her customers; if she ducks under and steps in, she feels like she's smothering her customers.  She found a perfect middle with us engaging us in light-hearted conversation.
Paul: Light-hearted and light-stomached!  I'm famished...and thirsty so I order the fresh-squeezed lemonade.
Candice: And I the iced tea. For an appetizer, we go with the Lamb Lollipops. My entree is the Crest Burger.
Paul: For me, the Pastrami Melt.
Candice: Julia returns quickly to let us know there are no Lamb Lollipops.
Paul: Luckily, we had second and third choices ready for appetizers.
Candice: Who does that?
Paul: We do.  The weirdos do.And so we go with the Cheese Balls instead. This lemonade makes me pucker.
Candice: You don't like it?
Paul: I never said that!
Candice: Let me try. That's a good, refreshing drink.
Paul: Agreed! Julia arrives with our appetizer.

Cheese Balls

Candice: Wow. These are wonderful. They are rich and sweet. The texture of the toast and almonds is fabulous on the tongue.
Paul: The sweetness of the honey is a strong contrast with the tart cheese. Very good.
Candice: Julia says they are their most popular choice.
Paul: Here are the entrees. The sandwich is dagwoodesque in size.
Candice: I'm sure you can get your mouth around it.
Paul: The meat is fresh. The sweet onions are a great flavor opposite the rye bread. I'm not going to be able to eat it all. Have a bite.

The Pastrami Melt

Candice: Oh, that is a good sandwich. The pastrami is bubbly and fresh.
Paul: How's yours?
Candice: Hmmm. Salty. I'm having a hard time eating it.
Paul: Uh oh.
Candice: Yes, this is ultimately inedible for me. The amount of salt is overwhelming.
Paul: Here, have half of my sandwich. There's enough to go around.

The Crest Burger

Candice: This is a really tasty sandwich. As disappointing as my burger was, all in all, the Crest does seem to have good, fresh food.
Paul: I'm happy with mine.
Candice: The fries are great and I love the house hot sauce that's on every table.
Paul: We didn't get our Lamb Lollipops, but our second choice was excellent. I don't know if the lollipops would have been better than the Cheese Balls.
Candice: Trying the Lamb Lollipops is just one reason to come back.
Paul: So it's worth coming back. Worth the price?
Candice: Yes, the prices weren't bad. And there was no wait at all. Service from Julia was excellent. Though she did forget the malt vinegar I asked for.
Paul: She brought it fast enough when we reminded her. But I agree, a very good lunch experience. Thumbs up all around!
Candice: One last note as we walk out: The planter boxes around the outdoor patio are filled with herbs and spices. I love that they take sustainability that serious.

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