Columbus Monthly / November 2010 / Park Creek Kitchen

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Park Creek Kitchen

Big flavors on a small menu.

Tucked away along a little row of shops in the middle of Upper Arlington is Park Creek Kitchen, where the menu may be modest in scope, but bold flavors are the house specialty.

You might begin your bold meal with the good crab cakes, with such unusual but worthy accompaniments as buttery cornmeal grits and orange vinegar sauce. The fried calamari, with both green tomato relish and smoked chili sauce, was decent, if a little limp. But my favorite starter was the simple chips and salsa; the chips were fine, but the guajillo chili tomato salsa was really delicious—spicy but moderately so, with a deep rich flavor.

The rest of the menu was divided into soups and salads, “plates,” sandwiches and burgers. I enjoyed the Park Salad of greens, tomatoes, bacon, egg and potato croutons, with a tangy rosemary “truffle” dressing. Although I couldn’t tell if truffle oil was used, I found the dressing quite tasty. Less successful was the farmers’ salad. I can’t fault the ingredients of crisp greens and shavings of fried sweet potato (misnamed “croutons” on the menu). They were defeated, however, by excess vinegar in the dressing. One nice touch was that small versions of the salads were available—and those portions were plenty.

“Plates” included a more than decent buttermilk fried chicken. The slightly ripe flavor of buttermilk was apparent and helped cut the fat in the crispy chicken skin. The dish came with mac and cheese and braised greens. Even better was a fresh shaft of salmon, crispy on the outside and moist within; I liked the fact that I was asked how I wanted it cooked. It was accompanied by roasted root veggies and yummy artichoke risotto, as well as topped by a brightly flavored tomato and lemon fondue.

Sandwiches included “Three Pigs,” a large fried pork cutlet, bacon and pulled pork. That’s a lot of pork, which also was found in the big BLT and carnitas tacos (with that delicious guajillo salsa). Park Creek offered large burgers, from the classic cheeseburger to a terrific one with firm grilled mushrooms (two or three kinds) and caramelized onions. One good accompaniment to the burgers was the root vegetable fries—I detected potato, sweet potato and, I think, parsnip. They were fresh, salty and crisp.

More than passing thought has been given to the wine. The short and reasonably priced list featured bold and flavorful selections, like the food. One good choice was the MacMurray pinot noir, a lower priced vintage from Sonoma, but well made. There were several good beers available, too. No liquor or desserts were offered during my visits, but supposedly they are coming soon.

For one or two diners, if you don’t mind turning your head to talk, the bar seats are a great place to sit. Bar service was quite friendly (as was table service, if sometimes a touch slow). You can watch (muted) television on the flat screens, or look to your right to catch some of the action in the kitchen.

This is one of those places where the chef/owner, Jeff Headley in this case, wants to share food he likes to eat. That’s a good thing, even if most of the offerings are high calorie, high fat or both. Perhaps, though, some consideration might be given to healthful eating. (That’s my restaurant tip for today.)

I like this place, though, and so should you.

—John Marshall

Park Creek Kitchen

2124 Arlington Ave.

725-3970

parkcreekkitchen.com

Atmosphere: Pretty, with dark woods. Quite comfortable.

Recommended dishes: Crab cakes, chips and salsa, Park Salad, fried chicken, salmon, burgers.

Price range: Starters $4-$12; soups and salads $8-$10; “plates” $17-$20; sandwiches and burgers $8-$12.

Hours: Monday through Saturday 11 am to 10 pm; closed Sunday.

Service: Friendly and helpful, sometimes a touch slow in dining room if busy.

Reservations: Accepted.

Rating: ***1/2