Downtown: Flatiron Bar & Diner

One neat thing about living in Columbus is the ability to see beautiful architecture. Apart from The Statehouse, there are a lot of homes and buildings from the 1800s that have been beautifully restored. The Flatiron Bar & Diner ("Flatiron") is fortunate to be in such a building. The Flatiron's website states that its namesake comes from the Flatiron Building in New York City.

My friend Sarah first introduced me to the Flatiron back in 2006. Since she knew I had a love of spicy food and good calamari, she thought it would be be a good place to take me. When we were working together, we'd often go to the Flatiron for lunch. I haven't really frequented since, maybe once last year.

So, in the theme of Fat Tuesday, I asked my other friend Sarah (I guess Sarah is a popular name among my friends!) to go to Flatiron with me for a good meal. She lassoed her boyfriend Todd to assist us in this culinary challenge (he is a foodie as well, so it wasn't very difficult haha).

We went to the Flatiron on Friday night for a late dinner. Since we were all famished, we ordered a sampler of appetizers.

I for sure had to get the calamari. The calamari are lightly dusted in cornmeal, fried, with a delicious remoulade sauce. We also ordered a Crab and Corn Cake with a Spicy Ancho Chile Mayonnaise; a Roulade of House Smoked Salmon Creme Fraiche, Capers and Red Onion with Cucumber and Baguette, and Cornmeal Fried Oysters with Tangy Remoulade Sauce.

The cornmeal on the calamari and the oysters is not thick at all. It provides a nice coating with a good crunch that doesn't leave a greasy feeling. And the remoulade is seriously drinkable-- not too heavy on a mayo taste with a nice heat.

I had higher hopes for the salmon combo, however. I guess I really enjoy Bodega's a lot, which is covered in red onions and capers. I was hoping that Flatiron's would have the same great flavor combinations. Maybe some more capers, or some red onion instead of the heavy creme fraiche.

The main course: Sarah ordered the half slab of ribs:

and Todd and I both went for the Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich. The BBQ is North Carolina style. I've never been to North Carolina, nor have I really had North Carolina style BBQ outside of the Flatiron. Nevertheless, the pork is in a spicy mustard sauce. However, with our fries, Todd and I both went for the Sweet and Hot style, with Balsamic Vinegar, Red Pepper Flakes and Vermont Cheddar.

I HAVE NEVER HAD FRIES LIKE THAT AND I WILL CONSTANTLY GET THEM AGAIN. OMG! I mean, balsamic vinegar is already the nectar of the gods. The tang from the vinegar, the spice from the flakes, and then the cheddar adds a nice sweetness.

I do love my spicy food (being Indian and all) but all of the combinations ended up being a lot for my poor little esophagus to handle. I'm still experiencing some heart burn.

On to dessert: Sarah ordered the apple pie special:

I had the chocolate special for the night, chocolate cheesecake:

And Todd had the Bread Pudding:

I gotta tell ya, I should have gotten the bread pudding. Custard Bread Pudding with Bourbon Anglaise and Shaved Chocolate. OMG. This comes out warm. All delicious like. The anglaise gets in every single crevice of the bread. It was so good, that after I polished off my cheesecake, I finished Todd's bread pudding.

Sarah's apple pie was pretty good, too :)

CONCLUSION: I will get my fries Sweet and Hot every time, and will get the bread pudding. Perhaps two orders.