‘Elevated’ dishes flourish at Easton brewpub
Forbidden Root entered the competitive Phase II of Easton Town Center just shy of a year ago with an aggressive gastropub menu and brewing program.
Veteran local chef Paul Yow was tapped to be the executive chef at the restaurant, which has another location in Chicago.
“We call it elevated pub food because it is a tap room,” Yow said. “Even though it is a busy restaurant, it is a tap room.”
Yow and his team were given latitude to create much of the Columbus menu.
Case in point: Nashville hot chicken sandwich ($13) — breast meat marinated in buttermilk ranch, dredged through seasoned flour and fried to crispy. It gets a dunk in buttery hot sauce and a dusting of spices. The brioche bun is garnished with ranch dressing and housemade bread-and-butter pickles. The sandwich is served with fries.
“It has been the No. 1 seller for a long time,” Yow said. “It’s just fun food.”
The mac and cheese ($14) has an Asian twist by using ramen spices with cavatappi pasta and cheddar cheese sauce tossed with corn, grilled bell peppers and broccolini.
“It’s comfort food, man,” Yow said. “We always wanted to have some comfort food.”
Mussels ($16) have returned to the menu, also with an Asian twist: curry coconut broth with chopped up bok choy and butternut squash.
“It’s a little but spicy but not over the top,” he said. “There’s a little grilled sourdough to sop up the broth.”
The vaunted burger ($16), which originated in Chicago, is pretty straightforward. It uses giardiniera mayo, breadand-butter pickles, aged cheddar and onions on a brioche bun, with fries on the side.
“It’s just a really good combination that works,” Yow said. “All the elements are good.
“Let’s face it: There are a lot of good burgers out there. I think our burger is a good as anybody’s. Some people think it’s the best.”
Forbidden Root serves a contemporary version of chili ($9), with ground lamb, harissa seasonings, carrots, onions, cumin and house-brewed beer (the style of brew used in the recipe changes frequently). The chili gets a drizzle of cinnamon yogurt for a cooling effect, and a topping of cilantro and orange zest.
“It’s just rich,” Yow said. “It’s spicy. It’s not too spicy. It’s just good stuff.”
For a modern take on chicken and dumplings, Forbidden Root offers browned gnocchi and duck confit ($19), served in a poultry stock finished with butter, dill and parsley.
“I think it it’s one of the best dishes in both places,” said Yow, noting that the dish also originated in Chicago.
Yow said he and his staff have been constantly reinventing dishes, coming up with new plates and using beer, when the recipe calls for it, since the restaurant opened a year ago.
“We’ve worked hard, been creating,” he said.