What’s Cookin’
Great Scott
1020 Ohio Pike
752-4700
The location Great Scott occupies has been one restaurant after another over
the past decade. Many different concepts have been presented here, none
well received.
Great Scott’s concept is the best offered so far, American cuisine
coupled with a quality bar backdrop. Great Scott’s menu focuses on
American favorites with a few twists thrown in.
Great Scott has quite an impressive beer list, varied wines and a full bar.
I shared my experience with three other first time diners. After a brief
bit of confusion (the hostess was reluctant to seat us in the unoccupied
rear dining room), we were seated at a table on the patio. The outdoor patio
area is perhaps the best seat in the house however, the chairs are far from
comfortable. Metal framed with cushionless backs, they provide you with a
constant metal rod in your back. Sitting for any amount of time is reminiscent
of a cheap hide away bed.
We skipped the appetizers and dug right in to the entree’s. I went
with the 1/2 rack of baby backs served with slaw and fries. My companions
chose crab cakes, meatloaf served with mashed potatoes and red onion straws
and a crab cake sandwich served with a baked potato.
I was pleased to see the plentiful portions. My six bone half rack was big,
meaty and perfectly cooked. However, I was not fond of the dry rub. The sauce
was sweet and lively but the dry rub overpowered the sauce with a pungent
dry mustard flavor. The rub nearly ruined it. As for my choice of potato
I may have been better off with a baker. The fries are the (Rally’s)
coated seasoned type and I have never enjoyed these “out of a box” battered
fries. My slaw was a bit of a saving grace, crisp and cold it was obviously
homemade, with a nice, bright sauce. The fried Walleye caught my eye in the
beginning, I wished I had ordered it after all. Sampling the meatloaf I was
un-impressed. The consistency was right on but the lack of any real seasoning
or flavorful ingredients left my taste buds tasting nothing more than the
sweet (soo sweet) sauce.
The potatoes and onion straws
were decent if not typical. Portion was the only perfect thing on this plate.
I had been eyeing the crab cakes all along. Served on a bed of corn and black
bean salad the nice presentation had me hoping they would turn out to be
better than the two previous dishes. My dining companion obviously enjoyed
them as they were disappearing fast. Seizing a sizeable chunk I snagged a
piece of my own. Crisp and flavorful these crab cakes were the highlight
of the meal. Chock full of crab meat and lightly breaded, the consistency
managed to be both light and rich. No one felt the strange sauce fit the
dish so it was abandoned on the crab cakes as well as the crab cake sandwich.
Luckily the crab cakes stood well all alone by their own merit.
Patio dining and plentiful portions are sure to please but the odd sauces
and dry rub were all wrong. Great Scott is going to need a better saucier
to get any closer to “Great” in my book.
