the truth about jekyll and hyde park grill...

Betty and I have been eating out way too much but there always seems to be something to celebrate or some new restaurant to try. This was the case Tuesday when Betty and I celebrated our 2nd Bearniversary. We were debating Thoms on Grandview or Hyde Park Grille and ended up deciding to try Hyde Park up in the Short North. We got there early -- i guess the restaurant does not open until 5PM -- and had a happy hour martini. Good blue cheese olives but something was off with my gin martini. Betty's was very tasty. Their happy hour menu is quasi-interesting in that everything on the left hand side of their menu is half off. We decided to try their scallops. As we waited at the bar -- our seats became available and were were taken to our patio seats which line High Street. I had some usual dining anxiety at first about downtown patio dining and it's proximity to the street and car exhaust along with potential heavy drafts that blow your napkin or menu across the street -- as had happened at Barrio Tapas -- but we were on the inner row of patio seats so all was good. I wanted to try a number of menu items to take in everything Hyde Park had to offer since we had recently been hitting up a number of fine dining steak joints including Eddie Merlots and Fleming's. We also ordered their sashimi tuna and lobster bisque as appetizers. Betty and I both decided to get petite filets and split a side of Gruyere gratin.


bread and butter

Bread was good. You get 2 different kind of bread rolls and a number of "everything" covered crackers.



scallops

Betty and I were so hungry when these came out I forgot to take a picture of the plating. These were very tasty cooked perfectly like butter served with a blue cheese walnut sauce. The serving was small however and I was glad we got the happy hour price on them for $5 rather than $12.95.



lobster bisque

I had to try this lobster bisque after loving Spagios. This soup was pretty good but seemed to have a strong cheese base that overpowered the rest of the flavors. I think pre-Spagios lobster bisque -- I would've enjoyed this more but Spagios has set the bar perhaps too high.

sashimi tuna app with wasabi oil and sriracha

When this came out i wondered where the other half went. I was perhaps a little disappointed with the tuna though nothing was noticeably wrong with it. Again I couldn't help but notice the small portions. This in contrast to other places where servings seemed larger and packed more taste punch. The sauces were boring to me but I love tuna so let's say I quasi-enjoyed this.


petite filet medium

Steak was tasty but was a little over cooked for me. I still enjoyed it though. As Betty and I were discussing the meal I wondered if perhaps I should start ordering my steaks medium rare because I also thought Fleming's also overcooked my steak.


potatoes gruyère gratin

Betty and I split this side and it was very rich and tasty. Complemented our steak perfectly. Again...I have a tendency to compare dining experiences and restaurants with one another...and I was hoping that Hyde Park might have some bold side comparable to say Flemings Chipotle Mac and Cheese. Betty and I really enjoyed our meal and it was fun to hang out in our old stomping ground to celebrate our Anniversary but at the end of the day with a pretty sizable bill we weren't so sure if we'd come back to Hyde Park Grille unless it was for drinks and apps or unless you're buying. ;)