Third & Hollywood in Columbus, Ohio

Third & Hollywood
thirdandhollywood.com
Grandview Heights
1433 W 3rd Ave
Columbus, OH 43212

Starving Auctioneers Rating: 6 Gavels out of 5

(Note: This review was submitted by one of the newer members of the Starving Auctioneer team, Rich Kruse)

Gunshot Wound Prompts Dinner Out

At first glance, this might looks like it doesn’t fit into a Starving Auctioneer Blog but looks, as we all know, are deceiving.

The day started as they all do, with a list of people to call and list of things to review. By 10am the phone was ringing and not in a good way. CBS Channel 10 was reporting on a naked man crawling out of an abandoned apartment building with a gunshot wound. As luck would have it, the complex is one this writer is currently managing and double luck, the guy was only shot in the butt. The day began to look up, I guess, as I discovered he was robbed and bleeding but probably going to live to sue me for something.

How, you ask, does any of this have anything to do with being a Starving Auctioneer? It doesn’t. Not at all……Yet.

As the day progresses Melissa, my wife and business partner, decides that we need to go out for a good meal and relax after a very stressful day. Lo and behold she has a gift certificate for 2 free dinners (no booze included) from Third & Hollywood in Grandview Heights (Columbus) Ohio. And where did we get these gift certificates? From participating in a wine tasting and charity auction at the Columbus Zoo, of course!! Forgetting for a minute that the free dinners were part of the 6 pack of wine I accidentally bought for too many hundreds of dollars while paying more attention to my wine glass than the lot number I was bidding on, I agree that dinner out is the way to go.

Pulling up to the restaurant I see something that I absolutely love about going out, but rarely see in Columbus Ohio---the valet guy---and he is standing behind a sign that says “complimentary”. So far, so good. Upon entry at 6:30 on a Wednesday, I see that the place is surprisingly bumpin however getting a table took only a few short minutes even though we didn’t have a reservation. Still goin’ well. Very quickly we were approached by Jennifer who both looked like one of my high school friends little sisters and explained the menu and took our drink order. Still-sill goin’ well!!

For an appetizer we order 3 biscuits that ended up being the best darned biscuits I have ever tasted. Flakey, mixed with shredded cheese and chopped green onion, topped with garlic butter and served right out of the oven.

We quickly moved on to an artichoke that appeared to be steamed, then halved and grilled to give both grill marks and a smoke flavor; served after being lightly seasoned with sea salt and presented with a creamy Creole seasoned dip.

For the main course Melissa had a “hanger steak”, which we know as a skirt steak, cooked to a perfect medium and sided with red and yellow roasted peppers accented by warm goat cheese and black beans. For my main course, the establishment presented the meat special of the day which was absolutely one of the best southwestern (or otherwise flavored) rib eye steak I have ever encountered. The only drawback to the meal so far was the mashed potatoes. These were probably off the hook as well, but I tasted the steak first which made everything else a distant second in flavor.

The cocktail and wine list, while small, was also exceptional. Melissa and I chose a 2006 Powers Meritage from Columbia Valley, Washington. At $45 a bottle, this was an exceptional choice for the meal and was not your every day Meritage. It was more like a cab/shiraz blend from the region and, above all else was excellent. We took the bottle home so we could find a retailer and buy a case or two.

Desert for me was a cold Sambucca while Melissa enjoyed a chocolate and vanilla ice cream surprise with what appeared to be candied walnuts on top.

Without the dinner gift certificates, the bill would have been about $165.00 before tip however the meal and experience would have definitely have been worth paying full freight. From dropping off the car to the smiling wave goodbye as we exited the building, everything was excellent. I would definitely rather go to this local joint than most steakhouses I have experienced in my day, and I have been to quite a few.

I walked in a starving auctioneer in need of a relaxing dinner and walked out an absolutely content auctioneer who was ready for bed.

Gavels? 6 out of 5. No question.

Sakai Japanese Bistro in Troy, OH

Sakai Japanese Bistro
2303 W. Main Street
Troy, OH 45373
(937) 440-1302

Starving Auctioneers Rating (food): 3 1/2 Gavels out of 5
Starving Auctioneers Rating (service): 1/16 of a Gavel out of 5

A Tale of Two Boats

Miami County, Ohio is not a place for boats. Don’t let the name fool you. Miami County is as far from the ocean and ‘boat culture’ as one can get. But that didn’t stop Rich Kruse and Peter from having some boating adventures of a different kind. Both men were in the area to visit a perspective client about listing a property for sale. On the way back to the interstate Rich asked a simple question, “Did you see that?”

“See what?” Peter replied.

“Obviously you didn’t see that.” Rich stated and put the car into an immediate u-turn.

‘It’ was a handyman, do-it-yourself, nautical adventure (see picture). It was sitting partially in a barn in the middle of a typical Ohio corn field. We can all be thankful for that because if it had been in the water it would have been a Coast Guard rescue waiting to happen. Not being marine surveyors it is possible the boat was ok but it looked slightly out of proportion (top heavy) and as if one wave or wind would roll it over. It also looked plain funny sitting where it was and completely bizarre.

After enjoying the local attractions the dinner bell was calling we found an equally amazing place to eat: Sakai Japanese Bistro on the outskirts of the culinary capital that is Tory, Ohio. Some of you might have seen Troy, Ohio if you happened to look to your left or right at exactly the right moment as you sped down I-75. It is easy to miss in the unchanging landscape that stretches from south of Toledo to northern Cincinnati.

Helen of Troy was said to have a face that launched a thousand ships. On this day there was only one ship that Rich and Peter had in mind and it was a sushi boat. The food was surprisingly good for being a stone’s throw from a freshly harvested wheat field and the chief was very personable and friendly.

What was NOT good was the absolutely clueless server. Josh (names not changed) must have come from the family of boat builders up the road…at least we hope that explains it. He had as much clue about the menu as Rich and Peter had about landing on the moon. The notion of even having a server was ridiculous as both men sat at the sushi bar and watched the boat fill with piece after delectable piece. All Josh had to do was keep the ice tea coming and even at that he failed miserably. It was not even that Josh was bad just that he was completely clueless as the nature of the food being served at the restaurant, food service in general and his role in this transaction. Arriving well after the lunch rush Josh had all of 1 table to wait on. In his defense he is likely earning money for I-Tunes and living off tips in between trips to get more Silly-Bandz.

The service resulted in a Starving Auctioneer first: Split rating. It is shocker but shocking times call for shocking measures.

Casa de Kruse in Lewis Center, OH

Casa de Kruse
Somewhere in Suburbia
Lewis Center, OH

Starving Auctioneers Rating: 5 Gavels out of 5

There are a number of reasons to attend your state auctioneer’s association gatherings. Networking, education, speakers, competitions, the list goes on. However under pain of torture most auctioneers will admit their attendance is really to have dinner with their fellow auctioneers and see whom they can impress the most with the amount of business they are doing or claim to be doing and to show off their shiny new Auctioneer Championship jewelry.

Robert Mayo graced the Ohio Auctioneers Association's Summer Seminar with his wit and wisdom last week and it would have been improper to not treat him to some Columbus hospitality (which means I-270 traffic jams, road construction and suburban sprawl). Peter magnanimously volunteered Rich Kruse to do all the cooking and hosting. Michael Hoffman offered his services as a valet and social secretary which left Peter with little to do but talk and eat which happens to be right in his wheel house.

Rich Kruse has never appeared in this review before and it is unlikely he will do so regularly. He does not appear to eat or at least consume calories in a fashion that is of this Earth. Rather he relies on a concoction of confrontation and coffee to fuel his Martian power cells. Peter has been working with Rich since the first of the year and in all their travels and auctions Rich has yet to offer to stop long enough to eat or even get a bottle of water. In many ways Rich is either the best Starving Auctioneer or worst…everyone around him is always starving.

Dinner at the Kruse’s suburban paradise consisted of a plate stacked with grilled steaks sufficient to feed most of the 4th Infantry Division, portabella mushrooms with crab cakes and some potato concoction prepared by Rich’s smarter, more attractive and all around better half, Melissa Kruse. Melissa knows well that potatoes are ALWAYS enhanced by generous amounts of cheese, heat and Campbell’s soup.

The conversation was tougher to follow then a chicken on LSD and thus attempting to recount it here would be a challenge. Every attempt was made to avoid talking about politics or religion or the third rail of auctioneer talk: ONLINE AUCTIONS. In that regard the dinner was a total failure. The only respite was Robert’s tales of a young capitalist in Las Vegas or Peter’s quasi lecture on the Amish as a truly modern society. Suffice to say everyone agreed that Robert Mayo needs to visit the Buckeye state more often.