Kickin' It Old School, Yo

I know, you all must be shocked you're about to read a post by GOTSOO about....STEAK!

Let me just start by telling you--it was a long weekend. The weather was the biggest culprit that lead to my feeling pent up like a hen in a coup full of rooster's (I just made that up, I think--catchy, no?).

I'm about tired of winter already--it's so depressing. Lucky for me, all my time is not spent in Cleveland working. I get to spend alot of time at home in the sub-tropics--also known as Columbus, Ohio. I think it was a sweltering 28 degrees today. Old man winter can officially suck it.

The capper was the Buckeyes topping off a shitty week with three straight losses to Wisconsin on Valentines Day, Northwestern on Wednesday and Illinois today. They'll be lucky to make the big show.

I digress.

I woke up hankering for a hunk a cheese--rather a Porterhouse. I know, probably only POTUS can relate. Who wakes up craving steak, right? I had my sights set on Columbus' finest steakhouse, The Top. It is, bar none, my favorite steakhouse in the city. The Top is second in the country, in my humble opinion, only to the Chicago Capital Grille. To digress once again, I look forward to trying out Capital Grille in Philadelphia in July.

Ok, I'm back. So, as I'm laying the groundwork for this excursion with C-C and Big Mama, my friendly neighbor stops by to deliver some thoughtful gifts in honor of the very pending birth of Cinderella Part II. We start talking and he tells me about his 18 year old son who is getting mouthy and his 16 year old daughter who thought she was at Daytona--and Oh, by the way, he says, if you want a good steak, go to The Clarmont.

This intrigues me. I've been to The Top--I know the Top. The Top is good. I've driven by the Clarmont 1,000 times. Think...old industrial building with a cheesy worn-out Vegas sign out front. That's the Clarmont. From the outside, it's entirely unimpressive. I think, though, so is The Top. If you drove by the Top, you probably would be hesitant to stop and eat a hamburger, much less a world-class steak. My mind is made up--The Clarmont it is.

I'm determined to beat the Blue Hairs for dinner, so we arrive at brunch, practically--5:15. The parking lot was three-quarters full--mostly with mid-nineties to early 2000's Caddy's--rag tops and all. I can smell the Aqua Velva and Bouffants from the parking lot.

Once inside, we were greeted by friendly wait staff and a nice, if not 1950's, environment. You know, the old-school booths, dim lighting, cheesy bar. Very plain, not flashy. It was very clean, however, and we were immediately led to a table in the half-filled restaurant.

CC ordered the Atlantic salmon with the bernaisse. Cinderella got, as usual, the Calamari. Big Mama ordered a well-done, 10oz, NY Strip. That's the way she received it, too. Yours truly started with the Lobster Bisque (good but could have used more lobster), a side salad and then turned it out with the 18oz Porterhouse--medium (with a side of mashed). The steak had good (but not GREAT) flavor, but it was cooked perfectly, however. The mashed were slightly lumpy (i know some like that, but I'm not one of them) and a little dry.

Overall, I'd recommend The Clarmont. The four of us got out of there for just over a hundy, so for a "higher end" steakhouse, the price was right. Although I'd recommend it to you, our loyal readers, it still takes a back seat to places like Lindey's, The Top or even Mitchell's.

I'd go back.

--G