101 Beer Kitchen
7509 Sawmill Rd.
Dublin, OH 43016
(614) 210-1010
www.101beerkitchen.com
Top Tastes:
1. Loaded Housemade Tater Tots
2. Housemade Soft Pretzels
3. Seasonal Mussels
4. Green Chili
5. Shrimp + Grits
Loaded Housemade Tater Tots
For my inaugural post, I had to pick a restaurant that would appeal to everyone. And I mean everyone. If you can’t find something on the menu at 101 Beer Kitchen that sounds fantastic, there is something wrong with you. Plus, they have teamed up with some of the best breweries to create some delicious beer-pairing dinners (next on my Columbus to-do list).
As a craft beer lover on a quest to not drink the same beers over and over, it can sometimes be difficult to find one that I haven’t previously sampled. At 101 they have about 20 rotating taps, in addition to awesome cocktails; some even have beer in them! The bar seems to have an especially intriguing selection of foreign beers (most of which I embarrass myself attempting to pronounce) from which I can generally find an untried variety. And oh, the food. I am still undecided whether I am more obsessed with 101’s dinner menu or the brunch selections.
A few of my favorite dinner items:
For starters, they have tater tots. Yes, tater tots. Except these are the best tots ever, made for adults and pairing with cold brews. They are crispy on the outside with a pillowy potato inside, sprinkled with cheese, green onions, pork croutons (some stellar form of crunchy bacon cubes), and a squirt of Sriracha mayo. The Housemade Soft Pretzels are another irresistible choice, topped with salt and caraway, and served with a beer cheese spread on the side.
Housemade Soft Pretzels
Many of the entrees change seasonally, but they always feature a steamed mussel dish of some kind. This winter’s mussels selection has a shallot beer broth accompanied by fries and a piece of sourdough bread to mop up the leftover sauce. The pork and tomatillo-laden Green Chili has a pleasant heat that will warm you up instantly. It is served with corn tortillas for dunking. The beet chips, a side item to many of the winter sandwiches, are also a delight, and allow you to pretend you are being healthy. There is also the can’t-miss shrimp and grits, which is a hard dish for us Northerners to nail. The combo of andouille sausage and cheddar grits will guarantee a return visit to 101 BK.
Green Chili
The brunch menu is a more recent addition to 101’s repertoire, and is equally mouth-watering. Another post about this to come! Also, look for the new Gahanna location coming in March 2015.
The bottom line is that 101 Beer Kitchen puts a unique twist on items that are familiar to all. They make food that is innovative enough for the adventurous diner, but approachable enough for a picky eater.
Culinary clue: If you plan on going during peak times, reservations are not available, but they do offer call-ahead seating. This way, you can get on the wait-list and the hostess will text you when your table is ready.
Keep Connected,
Caroline
