When I recognized roe atop an appetizer that Service Bar’s executive chef James Tuckey brought to our table, I had a feeling we were in good hands.
I was correct.
The dish, pastrami smoked trout ($17), was one of the many refined and comforting dishes that Tuckey shared with our table at a recent visit to the restaurant at the Middle West Spirits Distillery on Cortland Avenue. For this appetizer, Tuckey brines lake rainbow trout and then seasons it with a pastrami rub and turns it into a smoked spread. The trout roe sprinkled on top adds a salty pop. But its the layered potato underneath that’s the underrated hero of the dish.
“The potatoes are sliced super, super thin,” Tuckey says. “And then we layer them and layer them and layer them.” Up to 30 layers are brushed with butter, salt, pepper and thyme, then baked in the oven, compressed and fried. The dish is an example of Tuckey’s style: What may look simple is anything but—and the care and attention to detail come through in each and every bite. Thankfully, this dish is one he plans to keep on the spring menu. “It’s a favorite, and it goes with like any season,” he says.
Satisfy your hunger for food news. Subscribe to Columbus Monthly’s weekly dining newsletter, Copy & Taste.
The winter menu, which will run through late March, is worth tasting. Tuckey’s New American cuisine combines his Italian and Polish heritage with his Cleveland area roots into dishes that are warm and inviting on cold winter nights. Before joining Service Bar, Tuckey cooked at country clubs and at Abercrombie & Fitch’s New Albany headquarters. I would guess these roles honed his skills in preparing elevated-yet-accessible food.
Potatoes featured heavily in the dishes Tuckey prepared for us. The Duck Fat French Fries ($8)—made with chipper back potatoes, the same type used in Lay’s chips—are hand cut and cooked three times before being served with Maldon salt and house-made ketchup. The Chicken Pot Pie Croquettes ($13) contain both white and dark meat, and bring mashed potatoes into the fold.
My favorite preparation of potatoes, and the standout dish of the night, was the beet pierogies ($25). Tuckey incorporates beets in the pierogi dough that is filled with creamy potatoes and served with house-made sauerkraut and a pork jam over creamed leeks. The dish is a tribute to Tuckey’s late father, and it’s a combination of flavors—old world and new—that are truly spectacular. I was glad to hear he intends to keep these on the menu this spring.
Tuckey’s other picks for us were the Shaved Rapini and Turnip Salad ($14) served over a white bean puree with chili breadcrumbs providing a kick; Chicken Fra Diavolo ($37), with lobster enhancing the flavor; and oxtail ragout ($26), a warm and soothing braised oxtail served over house-made cavatelli. We finished our meal with a decadent Sticky Toffee Pudding ($13) that was topped with ice cream and a bourbon toffee sauce, using Middle West’s Michelone Reserve Bourbon. It was so delicious, I found room for it.
I’d be remiss not to mention the cocktails at a distillery’s restaurant. Bar manager Cassidy Durain-Lee has put together a seasonal menu that enhances the kitchen’s offerings without overpowering them. Whiskey fans in particular have much to choose from on the cocktail menu, though I was quite happy with my vodka-based Glass Petal ($12), which included hibiscus-infused OYO vodka, fig syrup and vermouth into beverage that was fruity and warm but not overly sweet. The vodka-based espresso martini ($13) was topped with a maple pecan foam and was a perfect complement to our pudding, although it would work as a dessert on its own.
For a deal, visit on a Wednesday night for the Pizza, Pour & Pint special, where diners can get pizza, a pour of bourbon, whiskey or rye and a pint of beer for just $20.
This article originally appeared on Columbus Monthly: Service Bar at Middle West Spirits Serves a Hearty Winter Menu
Reporting by Linda Lee Baird, Columbus Monthly / Columbus Monthly
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
