The Leptologists Eat at Milestone 229

Candice: What a fabulous location.
Paul: Milestone 229 is located on the Scioto Mile, adjacent to Bicentennial Park.
Candice: With a great view of the fountains and downtown Columbus.
Paul: The architecture is unique, the restaurant semi circular and with glass walls in most directions.
Candice: I love the indoor decor. Love the curved bar. The view and decor are enjoyable. Lets see if the food matches it.
Paul: We agree to order the Crispy Pork Belly for the appetizer.
Candice: I'm going to try the Roasted Gerber Chicken Breast.
Paul: I attempt to order the Mahi, but I'm told it's not available. The Salmon however is. No thanks. I hastily make my second-choice, the Shrimp and Grits. That was disappointing. If you don't have a dish, don't put it on your menu.
Candice: Agreed. If availability is variable, make it a special.
Paul: Yeah. Look at these Pork Bellies!

Crispy Pork Bellies

Candice: This is a nice presentation.
Paul: Thick blocks of pork sit on yam puree next to coleslaw.
Candice: The slaw is very good. It has the right size of shreds and the perfect balance of acidity.
Paul: The yam puree is sweet and complements the tender pork. It tastes a bit like KFC.
Candice: That's a southern mama's authentic crispiness.
Paul: It's pretty darn good.
Candice: The sweetness of the puree and the tangy sour slaw cleanse the palate after the fatty crispiness of the pork belly. It's an explosion of flavor in a bite. The root beer reduction on the pork clarifies the yams. It ends with a clean finish. Well done, chef.

Grits and Shrimp

Paul: Another nice presentation, with the sausage and shrimp surrounding an island of grits.
Candice: The plates are too big for the entrees.
Paul: You can't tell from these up-close pictures. The grits have a nice contrast to the spicy sausage. I get a shrimp shell in my first bite alas. The sausage is only lukewarm, but the texture is good, and the heat lingers on the tongue.
Candice: Where's my fork? How am I supposed to eat my chicken without a fork?

Gerber Chicken Breast

Paul: Your entree does look wonderful: nice, contrasting colors.
Candice: The chicken appears dry. I can at least eat the mac and cheese and beans without a fork.
Paul: How are the side dishes?
Candice: This is excellent macaroni and cheese and the beans are fresh and crisp.
Paul: And here's your fork.

What the Fork?!?

Candice: I was right. The chicken is dry, especially around the edges. I can taste the organic-ness of the chicken, but it's not very good. There needs to be more gravy to make this palatable.
Paul: Too bad. What's our overall impression?
Candice: The appetizer was awesome and parts of the entrees were as well. I wish I had just ordered the mac and cheese. The chicken was dry and ulimately inedible.
Paul: Yes, the appetizer was the best part of the meal. My shrimp and grits were decent, but I wish they had had mahi like it says on the menu.
Candice: Worth the prices?
Paul: Yes. For your entree?
Candice: If it wasn't for the mac and cheese and green beans, I'd say no.
Paul: Worth the Wait?
Candice: Yes. We were seated at once.
Paul: I thought parking would be a problem, but there was ample street parking on the other side of Bicentennial Park.
Candice: And they do have valet parking.
Paul: Worth coming back?
Candice: Yes. Parts of the lunch were absolutely delicious.
Paul: And there are other things on the menu I'd like to try.
Candice: Yes, a mixed review, but nothing that says we wouldn't come back.
Paul: Just not tomorrow.

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

The Leptologists Eat at Lindey's

Candice: This entire menu looks good. I want everything.
Paul: That's just not feasible, though I have seen you eat more than a woman of your petite size should be able.
Candice: I love everything about Lindey's.
Paul: This is not our first time at this wonderful restaurant in German Village.
Candice: You're right and we have yet to review it. May I pick both appetizers?
Paul: No.
Candice: Then I'll order the mussels for my appetizer choice. And the lobster bisque for myself.
Paul: And I the shrimp for myself and the calamari as my appetizer choice.
Candice: For my entree...
Paul: I know, the entire menu looks good.
Candice: I could eat everything here!
Paul: But you will limit yourself to what entree?
Candice: Um...Eggs Lindey's.
Paul: Sounds good. I'll get the Crab Cake.
Candice: Love the Crab Cake. Good choice.  Hey, later in the year, we should come and eat on the patio. It's lovely.
Paul: It looks like it would be.  I'll put in on our calendar.  I must note that the inside is also well-appointed.
Candice: It is.  It's a... comfortable restaurant. I've always been at ease here.  Great food, great drink, great service...
Paul: Lindey's has a good reputation and you and I have eaten here before. It is one of our favorite restaurants. Do you think that will affect our review?
Candice: Good question, Paul.  I say Word of Mouth matters. It can help or hinder a restaurant.  For instance, I've dined at restaurants with awesome reputations I will never return to because of poor quality food. And on the flip side, we've had bad food at restaurants we love and that hasn't impacted my revisiting them.
Paul: You trust your own opinion over that of the Internet?
Candice: It's okay, you can call me an independent thinker.  It does make one wonder why anyone would trust us on matters of food, though.
Paul: Trust us, dear reader. We have no idea what we're doing!
Candice: Yes, we do!  It just may differ from experts and well....everyone else?
Look, the waiter has brought us a mountain of mussels! Woohoo!

Mussels

Paul: That is a huge pile of mussels, covered in bacon, sage, onions, and cream.
Candice: Accompanied by crunchy, oily bread.
Paul: How's it taste?
Candice: Nearly perfect. The mussels are a bit fishy, but the sage contrasts it well with an earthiness. Try one.
Paul: Well...
Candice: I said - Try one!
Paul: Fine. It's a big dollop of food inside these shells. It tastes of fish and there's a bit of grit in here.
Candice: They're mussels, that happens sometimes. Well?
Paul: Mussels are not to my liking, but I can understand your appreciation.
Candice: Cool, you stick to your shrimp and the calamari.

Calamari and Shrimp

Paul: Wow! Awesome shrimp and calamari. The shrimp is cool, not warm and the warmth doesn't draw away from any of the flavor. I prefer the shrimp to the calamari.
Candice: That may just be your penchant for shrimp. I like the calamari more.
Paul: We all know your least favorite seafood is shrimp.
Candice: True. My bisque is good, but not as good as the bisque you received at Chez du Bon. This is a little saltier.
Paul: The appetizers are whisked away and the waiter scrapes the crumbs off with a silver implement.
Candice: I love when they do that. It's thoughtful service.  No one I know likes to lean into crumbs. No. one.
Paul: Even though they brought the soup to me instead of you.
Candice: Perfection is not a reachable state, at least in the forms we currently occupy, let alone which restaurant we choose.

Crab Cake

Paul: Uh, existentialism? You got that from soup?  I'm afraid to ask about the Eggs Lindey's now. We may end up here past the dinner hour. (Note to self: weirdo for friend.) Anyway, this is a lovely crab cake presentation. The cake itself and the corn relish atop is wonderful. The spinach, however is greasy and the potato shoestrings are stale.  Bummer.
Candice: Try a bite of all three together.
Paul: Nope, the potatoes are still stale and the spinach is like a lump in my mouth. The relish is fresh and tasty, the crab cake amazing, but the rest of this dish is off.
Candice: That's a shame.  My Eggs Lindey's look and smell great. (no life/egg/yin/yang comments, Candice, keep them to yourself. This is a food review, not Philosophy corner)

Eggs Lindey

Paul: Are those blackberries?
Candice: Yep. Every piece of this fruit is fresh and delicious.
Paul: And the eggs?
Candice: It's a balanced combination of proteins - eggs and steak. The muffin is pretty soggy, but otherwise this is a classic combination of flavors.
Paul: Well?   A couple missteps from one of our favorite restaurants today. The appetizers were very good, as was the crab cake, though my side dishes were a miss.
Candice: The mussels were great. The bisque was decent. The steak was good and the eggs a nice complement. Very good food, but no, not perfect.  See my comment above.
Paul:  Saw it. Noted it. You're a guru, a lady swami. I get it. I could go on, but we actually have work to get back to.  I will repeat myself too, however - Lindey's atmosphere is enjoyable. Their location in German Village quaint.  Even though, I may have had a few small disappointments, I really enjoy dining here.
Candice: It is a special restaurant.
Paul: Worth the price and worth the wait. A perfect location and close to downtown.
Candice: And it is worth coming back. We will definitely return, if even just to hang out on the patio and talk about nothing.
Paul:  You do have a knack for that.

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