The Leptologists Eat at Chez du Bon

Candice: This is a first for us.
Paul: Yes, our first French restaurant, Chez du Bon. It's on South High Street just past the Statehouse.
Candice: It's dark coming inside from the street. Loud music is playing.
Paul: It has a grotto-like feel to it.
Candice: We're seated at a small table between a wall and a pole.
Paul: I'll take the pole. You take the wall.
Candice: Shouldn't that be the other way around? I'm the agile one, after all.
I order the Fig Ricotta & Honey Tartine for appetizer and the Sea Scallops Provencale.
Paul: Pfft, I am a crossfit master now.  I stand on my head, for Pete's sake.  I take pole position.
I order the Lobster Bisque and the Duck Cassoulet.
Candice: You're right.  I was mistaken.  My flexibility is of the mind anyway - Look, squirrel!  I can see it now because it's a little brighter because our eyes have adjusted.
Paul: I feel constricted. It's like this pole is looking over my shoulder.
Candice: Make up your mind.  Are you going to twirl on it or let it intimidate you? I see the water is served in a carafe. I like that. Elegance. I especially like the freestyle painting on the walls.
Paul: The colors are a little too dark for my taste, but I can appreciate the artistic sense of it.
The bisque and appetizer arrive.

Lobster Bisque

Candice: Very pretty bisque.
Paul: It's wonderful. There's a long, gentle heat to it.
Candice: Let me try.... That may be the best lobster bisque I have ever had. The cream and lobster are perfectly meshed.  It's like the lobster had cream for blood before they killed the poor sucker. Niiiiice.
Paul: Your tartine is plated beautifully.
Candice: It is well done, isn't it? But the figs and arugula have a burnt taste. It's interesting, but weird.

Fig, Ricotta and Honey Tartine

Paul: The figs are sticky and sweet. You're right. It's not a usual taste for a typical American palate.
Candice: The food is brought before our appetizer and soup are done. I don't like that.
Paul: There is not a lot of room on this small table. They should have waited for us to finish.
Candice: You always have my back.  Always.  Even when I'm wrong.  Of course, I do have to put up with you whispering into my ear how wrong I actually am when that happens, but I can live with that.
And, yum yum - these scallops are fresh and juicy and  the risotto is perfectly cooked.  Not squishy and undone, but soft and firm.  Well done, Chez Du Bon.
Paul: That is a nice plump scallop. The risotto is very tasty. Your dish is nicely seasoned.
Candice: Yup, it's good. How's the cassoulet?

Sea Scallops Provencale

Paul: It is magnificent.
Candice: Really? That word.  Alright, hand over a forkful.
Paul: Oui! The flavor is amazing. The duck is rich, but not greasy. The sausage is simple and the mashed sweet potatoes on which it all rests is a wonderful contrast.
Candice: Wow. That... is... amazing. The beans are perfectly cooked. The porridge is a perfect thickness. That is the best cassoulet I have ever tasted.  Two bests.  This is getting to be worth it, eh?
Paul: Agreed. It is fantastic. I'd come back to have this again and again.
Candice: Well, damn!

Duck Cassoulet

Paul: What?!
Candice: You win, asshole. I ended up with the weird food this time. You ended up with the best bisque and the best cassoulet we've ever tasted.
Paul: You can't win them all.
Candice: Well, I was kinda on a roll there...
And, the atmosphere is growing on me. It's not as oppressive as it was when we entered.
Paul: I still feel like someone is looming over my shoulder.
Candice: Embrace it already.  I'm going to walk around to the back.
Paul: I'll wait patiently here....
Candice: Sorry, that was a bit abrupt, wasn't it? You won't believe this. There's a whole other half of the restaurant back there, and it's lit well.
Paul: Let me see. You're right. And no one is seated in this open and brightly lit second dining room.
Candice: I would rather that they had sat us there or at least given us a choice.
Paul: Indeed. What do you think?
Candice: This was a fantastic meal, yours moreso than mine. But mine was still interesting and tasty. There's lots on this menu to sample--
Paul: --I'd get the cassoulet again.
Candice: The dining was elegant and the service was excellent.
Paul: So worth the price?
Candice: For this level of service and taste? Definitely.
Paul: Worth the wait?
Candice: We were seated immediately, and the food came quickly, maybe too quickly.
Paul: And worth coming back?
Candice: Yep.
Paul: Agreed. Three green checks, all around.
Candice: We'll have to find other French places to review.
Paul: How many more are there in Columbus to find?
Candice: You got me, dude.  Google, hello?  Let's go before the pole asks for your phone number.

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

The Leptologists Eat at Ethyl & Tank

Candice: We're on our way to Ethyl & Tank, a new joint near campus.
Paul: Seems like it should be Tank & Ethyl.
Candice: I wonder why they didn't consult you.
Paul: The oversight is glaring. In any case, here we are at this new campus hangout.
Candice: It is just off High Street, across from two tobacco shops. It's a good location.
Paul: We seat ourselves. The place is half full downstairs, empty upstairs. I bump my knees when I sit.
Candice: Because of your immensely long appendages.  I suppose I could just say you're tall.  You are tall, Paul.  The place has a coffee shop, a bar, food, and video games.
Paul: And a goat on the menu.
Candice: That all?  Maybe a sauna and some cots for naptime?  .

Goat

Paul: They have their demographic picked out, don't they.
Candice: This close to campus, they must. Caffeine, alcohol, comfort food, TV, WIFI, and video games.
Paul: What happens in summer when campus shuts down? I don't see many people from the suburbs coming down to campus to eat here.
Candice: Good question.  Maybe, their fans from The Crest Gastropub will find themselves over here. Or maybe, food reviewers will stop in.  Who knows? Anyhoo - I order the Chicken and Waffles. You get the Chicken-fried Steak.
Paul: For appetizers, we get the Potato Skins and Pork Rinds, something I've not seen on a menu before.
Candice: The patio will be nice in summer. I take a stroll upstairs: another bar and a couple walls of video games.  Sweet.
Paul: The appetizers take a while, but finally arrive.

Potato Skins

Candice: Very pretty.
Paul: You are not a fan of skins, are you.
Candice: Nope. Never.  What those I have tried have always been greasy or mealy or just plain icky, but these aren't bad: smooth, spicy skins, with soft potato and nicely seasoned shredded pork.
Paul: Very good skins, fresh, not crunchy, but nice and meaty. So, Potato skins are American sushi.
Candice: Uh, sushi is American sushi. But, if you're trying to make some correlation between finger foods and a particular culture's love for them, then, uh, okay. Now, these pork rinds...are just wonderful.  I have never experienced a fresh pork rind before.  I now understand the desire for mass distribution of the same.  Light, crispy with a deep flavor and barely any grease on your hands. Not oily and overly salted like the packaged brands I grew up on.

Pork Rinds

Paul: Phenomenal. Fresh and lightly seasoned. What a great appetizer. I don't think I can eat pork rinds from a bag ever again.
Candice: That is a vow you should take seriously.
Paul: Two great appetizers. Lets hope the entrees compare.
Candice: Here they are, a lovely presentation for both.
Paul: Mine comes without a knife. It's hard to eat a steak without a knife.
Candice: And the owner brings your crown out late as well.  Your crown being the lovely grill crusted jalapeno topped cornbread. Yum.

Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy

Paul: This plate is ridiculous! It spins.
Candice: It's like the food is running away from you!
Paul: This is a big cut of steak. The gravy is very good.
Candice: Yes, it makes the steak.
Paul: The potatoes are tasty as well. This is a good chicken-fried steak. And it's far more food than I can eat.

Chicken and Waffles

Candice: This waffle is good, but it gets too sugary after a while.
Paul: Nice presentation.
Candice: I have my crown.
Paul: Yes, we know.  It may be invisible to the rest of the world, but I recognize the sparkle of a Queen's head ring when I see one. Your chicken is tasty, but I am not a fan of the cornbread.
Candice: I like it. But there's more here than I can eat.  They put a lot of food on these spinny plates.
Paul: So, what do you think of this place?
Candice: It's cool.  Still feels fresh. If it holds out, I think a little tarnish to its varnish would do it some good.  And, maybe put some felt on the bottom of these discuses otherwise known as those spinny things, also known as 'wow, am I shiny, please smother my brightness with the yumminess of massive food'.
Paul: Food, alcohol, coffee, video games, and free WIFI. What else does a college student need?
Candice: Tuition? Friends? At least one black-out? A bicycle? A lesson in jaywalking? Some solid academic advice?
Paul: Uh, uh..okay, okay.  Fix the tilt on that head ring of yours, and let me know how you really feel.
Candice:  Fine, Tall Paul, back to business. Uhhmm, okay - The design is great, the portions are huge. If it wasn't for these silly spinning plates, the place would be just about perfect.
Paul: Yeah, but I wonder if it's going to catch on. Does it have the coolness young, hip people are attracted to?
Candice: Really?  Young, hip people?  You might as well be wearing a sandwich board saying "Old Geezer" on it.  One doesn't have to be young and hip to appreciate this place.  It could be an erstwhile delusional 40-something woman with a Giant Crossfit Junkie Gollum as a friend.  But, time will tell. So, green check marks all around.
Paul: Worth the price, worth the wait, and worth coming back.
Candice: And, worth the time spent.  It really was a nice meal, food and otherwise.

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