Buckeye Hall of Fame
 Columbus, Ohio      Date of Visit  03/10/12      
http://www.buckeyegrill.com/home.aspx

We are in C-bus, catching up with long missed family and the Buckeyes are dealing another two course meal of embarrassment to the little wolfy things in the Big Ten basketball tourney and we are hungry. Where to go? To one of the many locations celebrating THE Ohio State University athletic machine, the Buckeye Hall of Fame Grill. There is no mistaking the theme of this place. From the sign out front, the “Block O” fire pit outside, and the Case of Glory when you walk in the door, this is Buckeye country.
 



 


 
 


Yes, They're Real
 

First a mea culpa. We showed up in the middle of a televised trouncing of Michigan by the Bucks roundball outfit. The place was filled, we were a big party, we expected to wait. What I also expected was the front of the house proving the adage busy people get more done. Knowing there was nowhere to seat anyone and outside of refilling drinks, there was little to do, the staff began to congregate for social time around the hostess station. They were scattered by a single rebuke of the manager but were soon reformed to moan. Not that big a deal until tables started to clear with the obvious blowout and having relaxed the staff had trouble getting back into the swing and failed to clear tables and pull them together to seat us for what I would consider an unacceptable period of time as they stood around looking bored. It wasn’t until someone finally went and asked if we could sit there, twice.

Our server proved better than the pack and we were off and running. Steph ordered tortilla chicken soup and a tuna salad and I just couldn’t get fixated on any single thing so the server recommended the southwestern wrap and I added a side of coleslaw which sounded interesting.
 

 
 
Slaw Was Fine But Needed Punch
 

Passable Wrap with Nice Kick
 
 

Tuna Salad, Good Fish...Greens Need Acid
 

Superior Soup
 
 

The soup was the absolute highlight of the table for me. Rich and thick with a noticeable kick that took a second to strike the palate, a nicely balanced bowl and a supremely delicious one at that. The slaw was interesting but a little underwhelming. Vinegar based rather than mayo, it just didn’t have that sharp bite I would want from the vinegar which was more disappointing since the addition of the peanuts would have helped level out the acid but there was so little to counter.

The tuna salad was nice. The tuna was mid rare and sweet, the greens were super crunchy fresh, the only thing I would have preferred would be more presence from the sweet and spicy miso dressing. The greens were so fresh I didn’t mind so much but they would have been better with a splash more sweet and spicy.

My wrap had some juicy rotisserie chicken and a similar spice profile to the tortilla soup with the addition of black beans and some more of the fresh greenery from the salad. Not a knock out but a solid bite.

I don’t know that I would wait as long for another stint at the Buckeye Grill but it is a great place to catch an athletic event featuring The Bucks. There’s nowhere you can look and not stay informed on the status of the game. And on the rare occasion the bucks don’t come out on top, especially against the delusionally uppity Michiganders, you can still warm your soul next to the Heisman Trophy of the current Alumni Director of the University, Mr. Archie Griffin.

Why did he lend one to a restaurant? Cause he has spares. Suck it, Tom Harmon (‘40), Desmond Howard (’91), and Charles Woodson (’97). Count them, 3. With Mr. Griffin’s 2, that makes Les Horvath (’44), Vic Janowicz (’50), Howard Cassidy (’55), Eddie George (’95), and Troy Smith (’06) who even I will admit looked like a clown in the champ game makes 7 top honors for the Bucks. Is that more than twice as many? Even with my questionable math skills I’m pretty sure. I will happily eat solid if not overly impressive chow next to that statue of excellence. The food is pretty good. The place is historic. Count me in.

Hi MB. Thinking of you.


 


Why Would He...? Oh, That's Right He Has 2!
 
 
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