Dining in Columbus

Too many highlights of this weekend to write about but here's a few natable ones:
Teammate Kate came out Saturday to spend a day on the farm. We took the horses out for a bit then went for a bike ride. It was a perfectly windy, sunny day for a ride and we worked up an appetite. Dinner was at some place in Columbus and that experience is worth a restaurant review. This is my first attempt at a review so bear with me.

James St. Dining Company
This place looks promising from the outside. Old storefront painted a tasteful green with cream trim, fine lettering and nicely landscaped. We walked in about 6pm and were invited to sit "wherever we liked." We picked a window seat with a few of James Street. Turned out that was the best spot in the house for watching the full trucks rumble by. Trucks carrying corn or hay or whatever. It was a reminder that this is working farm country.
Our server offered us appetizers so we picked bruchetta. This was my first clue that we were in for a fine dining experience woven of the greatest culinary ambition coupled with a healthy upbringing on Lutheran casseroles.
Normally bruchetta I've had or made is on small rounds of french bread, say, about 5 cm across. but this is Columbus. Our bruchetta was about the size of individual slices of bread, only round. The tomato pieces were piled high to falling off. Ditto for the lifeless mushrooms. I've also tpyically served bruchetta warm with a few bits of goat or other cheese, perhaps a bit of olive with a bite to contrast flavors and stimulate the appetite. In James Street, they don't want flavor getting in the way of filling you up. These were served cold too. Ah well, we were hungry so we scarfed them down.
Our salads brought back memories of church camp in central Wisco. A fine mix of spring greens, sprinkled here and there with tiny pretzels (perhaps they forgot to make the croutons?) and topped with shredded cheddar (not the good kind either...tasted like it was out of a bag). We were starving so we ate that. The dressing was fine...nothing inspirational, just ok.
Our meal was most interesting. I opted for chicken and that was decent, as was the new potatoes and the vegetables (which mysteriously seemed gluey with something but tasted ok, just bland). The piece de resistance though was the cachon of BAKED BEANS in the middle of my plate. Baked beans?? And these were of the canned variety. I've made my own beans for 15 years and there's no mistaking the flavor of canned pork n beans.
Kate's ravioli was ok, it had plenty of garlic so that passed muster. We decided to go for a dessert and were not disappointed; we got 4 slabs of chocolate looking cake thingy and a glass full of some gooey topping. Another close miss...
All in all we had a great time listening to the other server try and describe the food. He was tending to the table behind us and we heard him say "and it's served with a cream of broccoli soup but it's not like a can of cream of mushroom or anything like that.." I turned around and caught the eye of the diner and swear he was trying not to smile.

It was all I could do not to go into the kitchen and take over. Good thing I hav emy hands full or I'd start working at the restaurant just to get it in line so I'd have a nice place to eat out.
Anyway, out of 5 stars I'd give James Street a 1.8. I could have gone higher but the prices were that of a much finer restaurant thus, they get the score they got (below average).

Next time I want to eat out I'll head to the grocery and get myself a steak and cook it outside on the grill.
That's all for now..
b