First Bite

Already in Deep

By G.A. Benton

WILL SHILLING PHOTO

My evidence is paltry yet overwhelming. But if my raw restaurant numbers are lacking — open two nights and six dishes tried —?my cooked results were prodigiously delicious.

Therefore, I feel I must risk jumping the tuna tartare by shouting out loud that DeepWood is ready to take its rightful place among the very best restaurants in Columbus. In fact, its aesthetic, menu and execution reminded me of New York's great Gramercy Tavern — the restaurant that helped make Tom Colicchio (Top Chef's top judge) famous.

"Don't reinvent the wheel; make it spin faster," writes DeepWood owner and chef Brian Pawlak (formerly of Z Cucina) on DeepWood's blog-loaded website. Pawlak and partner Amber Herron have followed that advice by elevating the conventional into something flirting with brilliance.

So, gorgeously grilled scallops get partnered with Middle-Eastern-spiced slabs of grilled watermelon sauced with a rich, tart and faintly sweet pomegranate buerre blanc. Like all of the dishes I tried here, that appetizer was familiar yet daring, comforting yet elegant.

WILL SHILLING PHOTO

Aiming for an accommodating setting (the interior comes off as "upscale bucolic"), DeepWood has heavily overhauled the former Abbracci space. Now the place is bright and open, with lots of blond wood, windows overlooking the Greek Cathedral, a striking oak plank floor (made entirely from reclaimed antique wood) and a dramatic mid-room dome that integrates weight-bearing function with foresty form. The dome is painted like the canopy of a great woodland tree, and it separates the tavern area from the dining room.

The menu is likewise bifurcated. Its smart tavern-only menu lists tempters like gazpacho with a smoked prawn, house-made fettucini with mussels and spicy sausage, and ribs and chicken for rather modest prices (like that scallop app —?a steal at $7).

Considerably more expensive is the dining room's offerings. But from a beautiful raw tuna starter ($10, with jeweled beets, salty microgreens, a lavash "sail" and an intense, fruity tomato compote), to a lovely whole Maine lobster ($42 — perfectly poached, wholly deshelled and presented in a pale Impressionistic palette with an English sweet-pea puree, fresh corn and an al dente risotto), to one of the few filet mignons I'd call terrific ($32 — huge, wonderfully crusted, sided with a crispy, meticulously sliced potato galette and a rich red-wine, gorgonzola sauce), it was all well worth the dollars (despite the understandably still-learning service).

Because from my first excited sight of the artfully conceived menu to my last bite of dessert (a potent Chimay spice cake with candied kumquats and super-bright plum ice cream — like an English Christmas in summer), DeepWood made good on one of the most impressive Columbus restaurant openings I can remember.

June 26, 2008

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