Refectory Restaurant & Bistro

I received a discount coupon from the Refectory to commemorate my birthday, so we went here for dinner.

The Refectory is located inside an 1860's era church, in great shape, and serves classic French haute cuisine with some spirited country French thrown in. I don't know why this place always falls off my radar screen - it serves some of the best food and wine in Columbus.

My favorite dish here is the ostrich, which is hard to find in general, and they prepare it really well. Sadly, it was not on the menu. One of the Refectory's specialties is roasted game, although they were out of the pheasant last night,too. So I had the leek and bacon ragout crusted barramundi, baked and served with a roasted garlic chablisienne sauce. they were out of barramundi too, so the fish was a surgeon. It was flawlessly prepared, and presented with a small fan of beets and roasted tomatoes with fennel stuffing. AWESOME. I started with the roasted goat cheese, which was good and faithful to the description, but I probably wouldn't reorder it.

My wife had the lamb chops. After the first bite, she said she too didn't understand why we didn't come here more often. She started with cocotte of green lentil salad with wild boar cervelas (sausage) and a shallot vinaigrette. It was divine.

We split a bottle of the Chehalem pinot and it was excellent. We couldn't finish so they offered to re-cork. They have one of the finest wine menus I have ever seen, and it is a real treat to just read it. Unbelievable range.

With the check, they delivered a dessert to go, in honor of my birthday. Looking around at the other patrons, I had celebrated fewer birthdays than anyone else. It is not a very energetic place. No one can complain about the noise here on a Monday night. It is a very elegant, romantic and serene dining room - very classy, and priced accordingly.

You can save a little money and still eat great French cuisine by dining in the bar, and ordering off the Bistro menu. It is a little less formal, but the same wonderful wine list and chef.

When I got home, I realized that I had failed to use my birthday coupon. So we'll be back...