Restaurant Week: The Worthington Inn

The Worthington Inn menuHi gang!  Last Friday night Scott and I decided to head out to dinner and try one of the restaurants listed in Columbus’ Dine Originals Restaurant Week.  After pouring over the restaurants and menus, we chose to checkout The Worthington Inn.

For me personally, one of the criteria I looked for, aside from the Restaurant Week menu, was if the regular menu appealed to me.  Did it offer things I would want and like to eat?  The Worthington Inn offered a lot of things on their menu that sounded fantastic to me.  Also what drew me in was the location and the building.  The Worthington Inn restaurant is located inside an old historic building.  Scott and I adore repurposed buildings!  We much prefer something with history to it than something newly built.  It’s just our preference.  So to dine in what was first a home built in 1831 was right up our alley.  It didn’t take us long to realize The Worthington Inn was the perfect choice for a nice evening out.

Worthington Inn Local Vendors PromiseI will also tell you that one of the other main reasons for choosing this restaurant is what they have stated on their menu.  They proudly explain their choice for using local and quality vendors to supply the ingredients for their menu.  As most of you know, eating and buying local is starting to become a huge deal for us.  And while we are just getting started with this journey, finding restaurants who choose to use local ingredients and have no problem telling you where they get their supplies from is key for us.  I want to know where the food I’m eating came from.  As a consumer, knowledge is power.  Ask questions and find out exactly what it is that you are paying for.

We made reservations for 6pm and unfortunately we arrived a little bit late.  This meant that I wasn’t able to take any pictures of the outside which bummed me out because the building is gorgeous! The website only gives you a glimpse of how large and beautiful this house actually is.  With mulitple levels and tons of character, The Worthington Inn will keep you coming back just so you can see the house again.  Even though we were late, we were seated right away.

The inside of the Inn is exactly how you think the inside of an old 19th Century upper class home would look.  There were multiple smaller rooms that had seating available.  I loved this layout because it made the dining experience seem more intimate and cozy.  We were seated against a wall in one of the smaller rooms not far from the lounge/bar area.  The tables had white table cloths and what seemed to me, to be sort of antique looking chairs and tables.

Worthington Inn Dining roomWorthington Inn Dining Room I loved that the room we were in had a fireplace!  I have no idea if it’s a working fireplace or not but it would be amazing if it is.  I would come back in the winter just to have dinner next to the fire.  It would be a very relaxing meal with a crackling fire, a glass of wine, and a great plate of food.

Scott

My date decided he was going to order the Restaurant Week meal and I decided I was going to go rogue and order off of the regular menu.  First order of business was getting some wine!

Me I went with a lovely glass of Merlot (so nice, I had it twice).  I don’t remember the vintner but know it was from Sonoma.

Wine glasses Scott went with a Pinot Grigo (pictured behind my red) and he stuck with one glass.  Lightweight.

Cheeseplate Menu description One thing I wanted to sample was their cheese plate.  I love when restaurants have cheese plates offered as an appetizer.  A cheese plate with a glass of wine feels so classy and elegant to me.  Like you are doing something special and not just having dinner.  I asked our server, Eric (who was very nice!), what cheese was being offered and they all sounded delicious so I ordered it for Scott and I to share.

Endive spears with apples, walnuts, and blue cheeseEndive spear with apples, walnuts, and blue cheese Before the cheese plate came out, our server brought us a little snack that was courtesy of the chef.  It was an endive spear with apples, caramelized walnuts, and blue cheese.  It wasn’t bad but there was a combo of flavors that didn’t seem to be pairing well together.  I think the apple might have been a bit too tart and a sweet apple would have complimented the tangy cheese a little better.  But it was a nice little starter to the cheese plate.

Cheese plateDoesn’t that look gorgeous?  Going  clockwise starting at 6 o’clock we have:

  • Figgy jam
  • Walnut bread
  • Farmhouse Irish Cheddar
  • Smoked Gouda
  • A double cream sort of brie type cheese
  • Unknown concoction, possible butter?
  • Olives in the middle

It was glorious!  The walnut bread was dense and flavorful.  Full of walnuts and spices like nutmeg and cinnamon.  It was perfect on its own or paired with any of the cheeses.  The farmhouse cheddar was my favorite followed by the smoked gouda.  I was actually surprised by the gouda because I didn’t think I would like it as goudas, I find, to be just okay tasting.  This gouda was great though.  The double cream cheese was very creamy and with almost a silk-like texture.  The figgy jam was just okay.  Seemed like it needed a little something in the background to give it some extra kick.

We have no idea what that other dollop of stuff was!  We think butter but it seemed almost too tart for butter.  It was so good though and Scott started eating it straight up!  He also loved the olives and had no problems polishing them off.  They were not pitted which leaves me wondering, what is the proper dining etiquette when dealing with olive pits?  How does one politely handle pit removal?

The downside to the cheese plate was that there were only two slices of walnut bread and they were small.  Not enough for all the cheese and jam.  Extra crackers or something would have been lovely.  I do think it was a bit over priced for the amount of food on the plate but everything was delicious and made for a lovely first course.

As we were discussing the need for more bread or crackers, we looked around and started noticing that other tables had bread baskets.  Oh!  We didn’t get a bread basket.  Hrmmm

Just as we were about to flag our server down and ask, a gentleman filling water glasses brought us over some bread.

Bread and butterI have to tell you that this was some of the most perfect bread slices I’ve had in some time.  Now, in full disclosure, I was in total carb craving mode as well so perhaps that had something to do with it.  But this bread was warm, light, and airy with a garlicky and peppery top.  It was so good that I had two slices, which for me is a big deal.  I told you I was carb crazy!

We weren’t quite sure what that sauce looking thing with the bread was.  It seemed to have the color and consistency of a honey mustard.  I put some on a small piece of bread only to find out it was butter.  I think there was some flavor added to it, like garlic but I’m not positive.  I did find the texture, consistency, and flavor of the butter a little odd so I stuck with plain bread after that.

Corn chowder As part of his restaurant week meal, Scott’s first course was soup.  He choose the corn chowder which came with an asiago cheese crisp.  I had a few small bites of this soup and it was heaven.  I would order this soup as part of a meal, it was so good.  It was hardier than standard chowders with big pieces of veggies along with corn.  It was flavorful without being over powering.  Scott loved this soup and said he would easily get it again.  The asiago crisp neither of us cared for too much.  It seemed to have a bit of a burnt taste to it.

Then it was time for dinner!

Salmon, rice, and bok choy Salmon, rice, and bok choy I ordered the salmon that came with Himalayan red rice flavored with coconut and baby bok choy on the side.  The salmon was topped with a tomatillo and avocado salsa.

This dish was fantastic.  The bok choy was sauteed till it just started to caramelize, providing such a nice contrast to the slight cabbage flavor that bok choy has.  The sauteeing of the bok choy brought out some of its natural sweetness and it made for a great side dish.

Most of you will know, I will eat rice but in small portions as I would rather fill my belly up with veggies.  I’m always a bit apprehensive when it comes to ordering rice out because one never knows what will arrive on their dinner plate.  That said, this rice was darn tasty.  It was cooked perfectly and the coconut gave it enough of a background contrast that you didn’t get bored eating rice (maybe I’m the only one who gets bored eating rice sometimes?).  It was so good and I kept saying that over and over again to Scott. :p

The salmon was cooked to perfection and was light and buttery to tasty.  And by buttery, I mean the texture; it was not drenched in butter.  Nor was the bok choy.  Everything was light and flavorful.  The salsa was cool and crisp and complimented the salmon really well.  I was very pleased with this dish and would definitely order it again.

Scott’s main course was called Steak and Cake.  He got a filet and a crabcake along with some veggies.

Steak He had his steak cooked to medium and was very happy with the results.  I taste-tested a bit, and it was tender, juicy, and cooked perfectly!  The outside had a nice crispy crust to it giving the steak a bit of a texture contrast as you ate it.  We asked our server where the steak was from and he said Blue Ribbon Meats.

Crabcake The crabcake was full of crab and not much else which makes it spot on in my book.  I don’t like crabcakes that are loaded down with mayo and breadcrumbs.  That covers up the crab!  This crabcake was light with a crispy crunchy outside.  The inside had onions and red peppers.  Scott adored this crabcake and said that it was easily the best he’s had out before.  In fact he liked it so much that he would consider ordering the crabcake meal when we visit again.  That is a huge compliment coming from him because crabcakes just aren’t his thing.  He kept talking about it and how good it was, so that’s proof right there!

Asparagus and potatoes The veggies to Scott’s meal were whipped potatoes and asparagus.  I think the asparagus was grilled but I’m not positive so don’t quote me on that.  The potatoes, in all honesty, were very plain and actually a little cold.  For me personally, I didn’t care for them much.  I like potatoes to have some flavor going on and these were lacking.

The asparagus though was excellent!  Perfect flavor and cooked just right.  The ends were a bit crispy which I love.

Lastly there was dessert as part of the Restaurant Week menu!

Chocolate Texas sheet cakeIt was a chocolate Texas sheet cake with a chocolate fudgy topping and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.  Now I don’t like cake or sweets really.  Most of you know this but I just want to toss it out there again.  Since this was chocolate after all, I was required to have a taste.  The dense brownie look it had to it was calling my name.

I took a bite and yeah, it was cake.  Looks were deceiving! It tasted just like cake and so therefore I did not dig it.  The ice cream and chocolate and caramel sauces on the plate though were another story.  Those things were great!  I had a few small bites of ice cream with sauce and called it a night.

However, Scott likes cake, and he really enjoyed this dessert.  He said it had the right amount of chocolate to it and was very moist.  The chocolate topping was what sealed the deal, taking this dessert from okay to wow.

Scott and I loved our time at the Inn.  One of the things I really loved was the service.  There was no rushing you out the door.  Everything was slowed down and relaxed.  Our dinner would be considered on the long side, from about 6:30 to just after 8pm.  The food came out in a timely manner and not on top of each other.  And by that I mean, while we were snacking on the cheese plate, Scott’s soup didn’t come out until a few minutes after we were done and the table was cleared.  This gave us plenty of time for conversation and interaction with each other.  Neither of us care for food that is rushed to the table causing the dishes to overlap one another.

The food was amazing and so was the atmosphere.  We adored the layout of the restaurant and all its unique charms and quirkiness that it showed off.  The prices of the Inn, I consider on the high side.  A meal here can and will be pricey.  I do think it would make a great place for a date or the celebration of something special.  When the weather is nice, there is also tons of outdoor seating available.  Scott and I would definitely go here again for a cozy dinner out.  If you are up that way, or if you are looking for a place to celebrate something special, consider The Worthington Inn as a place to relax and enjoy good food!

The Worthington Inn

649 high street, Worthington, OH 43085

phone: 614.885.2600

4 thoughts on “Restaurant Week: The Worthington Inn

  1. Susan M. says:

    A lovely review! We’ve been there only for brunch, but now I will consider giving dinner a try.

    Re: the olive question, Miss Manners says you should take the pits out of your mouth the way they went in. If you used your fingers to put the olive in your mouth, you can take the pit out with your fingers unobtrusively. If you used a fork, then you gently spit the pit onto the fork. In either case, it gets deposited on the side of your plate.

    • Thanks Susan! And thank you for the olive tip! That is exactly what Scott did so good to know we were being proper. :D

      Oh, Kim a Christmas party there would have been terrific I bet!

  2. This place looks great! I love cheese plates too. They are one of my favorite appetizers. So simple, but with so much flavor. It’s great when they come with extras like that bread or fruit and nuts.

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