Mike Salsbury’s Blog

I had my first gyro back in college at Syracuse University in New
York.  I’ve enjoyed Greek food ever since.  Unfortunately, it
seems like few really good Greek restaurants have survived in
Columbus.  There used to be a great one on Bethel Road near the
Morone’s Pizza place, run by a fellow named Hanny who always treated me
like a friend when I ate there.  I found another in one of the
shopping centers in Upper Arlington that served probably the best gyros
I’d ever had, but they went out of business as well.  Naturally,
when I saw the sign go up for The Big Fat Greek Cuisina
on Fishinger Road (and passed it nightly on my way home from work), I
was thrilled at the prospect of a Greek restaurant close to home. 
And when I heard that this restaurant was run by Niki
Chalkias, who co-owned the previous restaurant in that location
(Fisherman’s Wharf Pier II), I knew I was in for a treat…

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admin Food big, big fat, big fat greek, big fat greek cuisina, cuisina, evaluation, fat, greek, greek restaurant, gyro, hummus, restaurant, review

Not long after I moved to Columbus, I began seeking out the various
Indian restaurants to try to find one whose menu, quality, and
atmosphere were to my liking.  It didn’t take long to find and
settle on the Taj Palace at Mill Run in
Hilliard.

Taj Palace offers a variety of both
vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.  The decor is tasteful and
the restaurant is very clean, well-lit, and open.  The service is
generally excellent, though at times is only adequate (usually when
they’re really busy).

On Monday night they offer a non-vegetarian
buffet.  Unlike many Indian restaurants, the buffet at Taj
Palace is a good sampling of the dishes from their normal menu
with no shortcuts taken (e.g., at many restaurants the chicken dishes on
the main menu are boneless, while they’re bone-in on the buffet). 
There are certain staples on the buffet like samosas, chicken tikka
masala, tandoori chicken, and so forth that are usually present, but
they do mix it up a bit.  If you go every week, you’ll usually find
a dish there that you didn’t see before.  That, too, is a pleasant
difference from other Indian restaurants I’ve visited.

On Tuesdays
they offer a vegetarian buffet.  I’ve not been to one of these so I
can’t really comment on it.

On Thursdays they do another
non-vegetarian buffet, which is identical to the Monday menu and
excellent.

Over the past few years, I’ve eaten probably 2/3 or 3/4
of their menu items.  I’ve yet to have anything there that I didn’t
at least consider “good” and there are some items I especially
love, such as the Madras Curry dishes, the Vindaloo, Mulligatawny soup,
and the flan dessert.

If you like Indian food, you can’t go wrong
with Taj Palace. 

Taj Palace
3794
Fishinger Blvd.
Hilliard, OH
http://www.tajpalacecolumbus.com/

(614) 771-3870

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admin Food Food, hilliard, indian, indian food, indian restaurant, palace, restaurant, restaurant review, review, taj, taj palace

During our recent vacation to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, my wife and I
had the good fortune to have dinner (twice) at the Rustic Inn Crabhouse.  This
seafood restaurant is located on the water near the airport.  It
features a pretty diverse menu, focusing on crabs as you might
imagine.

The Rustic Inn sign (taken by my
camera phone at night, so the quality is lacking)

On
our first visit, we both had shrimp cocktails as our appetizers. 
We agreed that these were probably the best shrimp cocktails we’d ever
had.  The shrimp were very large, much larger than you might get at
Red Lobster.  They were cooked to perfection and lightly
seasoned.  The sauce was tangy with just the right kick of
horseradish to it.  The price was about $11.99 for the half-dozen
or so shrimp in the cocktail, but it was amazingly worth it.

As my main course on the first visit, I had a crab sampler platter
that showcased their most popular crab types and flavors (their claim to
fame is inventing the garlic flavored crab cluster).  I really
enjoyed the Alaskan Queen Crab cluster, which had an excellent
flavor.  I didn’t care much for the garlic crabs or the blue crab
varieties, as they are a nuisance to hammer open and provide relatively
little meat. 

On our first visit, my wife had a shrimp
dinner that was quite good.  It was more than she could eat, so I
helped her finish the dish after eating all my crab clusters on the crab
platter.

Our second visit a few days later had us revisiting
the shrimp cocktails.  We enjoyed them just as much the second time
around, so I don’t hesitate to recommend this item on their menu.

My
wife enjoying her shrimp cocktail.

I ordered just
the Alaskan Queen Crab clusters on my second visit, as did my
wife.  They were properly cooked, arrived hot, and were
delicious.  My wife enjoyed them, but not  $26.99 (menu price)
worth.  I thought they were the best crab clusters I’d ever
eaten.  They were seasoned expertly, cooked properly (i.e., not so
overcooked that the meat sticks to the shell), and delicious. 
Again, I’d recommend this dish.

For dessert on the second
visit, I had their chocolate cake.  While I can’t say it was the
best chocolate cake I’ve ever eaten, it was certainly quite good. 
My wife had the Key Lime Pie and loved it.

The Rustic Inn
isn’t a cheap place to eat.  Our bill was over $100 (including tip)
both visits.  But if you’re looking for great seafood and great
service, in a very casual and fun atmosphere, look no further.

admin Food crab, crab house review, crabhouse, evaluation, house, inn, restaurant, restaurant review, review, rustic, Rustic Inn Crab House, rustic inn crab house review, rustic inn review, seafood