I never made it inside to the “Before” of The Crest, but I can tell you that they did one hell of a job with the “After.”
The Crest is a new gastropub that sits at the corner of Crestview and Indianola in an impressive stretch of Clintonville made for craft beer lovers. The location formerly grabbed my interest with a dingy looking exterior that featured a sign that said “The Crest” with the “The” scratched out with what I pretended to have been a Sharpie. Basically, it lured me in like any good dive bar should. The Crest is a 180 of its predecessor.
As you approach The Crest you’ll notice that raised garden beds surround the parking lot filled with tomatoes and other goodies that are clearly being used by the bar in their impressive food menu. More raised beds and some container gardens sit on the rooftop, and as you approach the entrance you’re greeted with fresh arugula and more vegetables. Huge windows offer plenty of natural light, and immediately you see this is no longer the dive bar to revel in a pitcher of Bud Light.
A host immediately greeted and seated us in one of the hightop tables inside not far from the bar. The space itself isn’t huge, but they’ve made great use of it. A large wraparound bar sits in the middle of The Crest, the walls are lined with large booths good for groups and the middle features hightops great for couples or smaller groups. Brick, wood and exposed ducts make up the minimalist, rustic interior of The Crest. A clothesline hangs on the farthest wall in front of the kitchen holding bundles of dried flowers, and occasional plants and antiques are scattered throughout.
We arrived at 5:00 on a Thursday to a rather packed bar. The Crest is a perfect happy hour spot, and we could definitely see why it was busy already. A little more than a dozen patio tables were more or less filled on this sunny Thursday, but the homeyness of the interior drew us inside.
Our server was incredibly friendly and came to our table with waters and a list of drink specials almost immediately. All drafts are half off until 7, liquor is 25% off and a $10 flight of Ohio beers featuring Seventh Son Black Sparrow, Portsmouth Pilsner, Fat Heads Headhunter, Rockmill Tripel and Jackie O’s Firefly Amber offered a nice selection of choices on special for happy hour. I went with the $7.50 special: vanilla vodka, Crispin cider and soda with a pistachio/sugar cube rim. My husband went with a Southern Tier on nitro, and we were both immediately obnoxiously Instagramming our drinks.
With 58 beers on draft, a full wine list as well as a full bottle and cocktail list, delicious drink choices abound. Both wine and Brothers Drake are on draft, and the beer list features a nice mix of Ohio, crafts from around the country and some fantastic Belgians, and a whole section of the beer menu is dedicated to bombers. Excellent.
Tiny oak barrels surround the bar filled with booze that rests in oak barrels for a minimum of three weeks to make up their barrel-aged cocktail menu. Globe lights hang throughout the bar to offer warmth in addition to the abundant natural light. Chalkboards trumpet specials with a font nerd’s attention to detail, the walls are a muted yellow and a light forest green, and the mix of rustic and industrial had me immediately obsessed with the atmosphere. Each table features a bottle of housemade ketchup* and the chalkboard lists the wi-fi password; these sort of details turn me from “in like” to “in love.”
We started with the honey-glazed balls of goat cheese flash fried then dipped in honey and served on tiny toasts. This was one of my favorite appetizers I’ve had in a long time. The food menu has a nice selection of salads in addition to sandwiches and appetizers, and both vegetarians and gluten-free folks should have plenty to choose from. While I had intentions of eating a healthy dinner, I felt like turning down balls of goat cheese would have been a regret to follow me the rest of my life.
The music during our stay added nice background noise, but mostly we could hear the chatter from throughout the very open bar; it was clear that people were very much enjoying their happy hour visit with The Crest. The customers ranged from couples, to college students, to families, to ladies’ night…all are welcome.
Our server was attentive with both water and drinks, and she was comfortable with us stretching our visit out a bit as I was indecisive when faced with a menu with so many tempting choices. When our first drink got dangerously low, she was right over to get the order for round two. She returned with Left Hand St. Vrain Tripel and the Drunk Monkey, which my husband described as a high-class white Russian. Another hit in my hands.
Our food was served on what I can best describe as butcher block plates with huge steak knives, which definitely hammered home the farm-to-table feel. I had the delicious portabella sandwich with sweet potato fries, and my husband had the grilled cheese with fries, which he said was by far the best he’s had ever in the entire world. (And he is definitely never hyperbolic whatsoever.)
As a gal who enjoys canning, the homemade “ketchup” had been tempting me since we sat down. I was surprised at how quickly it ran out all over my fries. One sweet potato fry in, I realized this is very much not “ketchup”, but rather some SUPER spicy housemade hot sauce. So, warning, don’t pour it all over your butcher block like I did. But, the mix between Frank’s and sriracha sauce was absolutely delicious, albeit way too hot to add to my meal in pools. The redness on my face having drenched everything in hot sauce was only half caused by my embarrassment.
If you value good food, good drinks, good service and attention to detail, you will likely enjoy The Crest as much as we did. Their happy hour featuring a list of great cocktails and a nice list of hard-to-find beers perfectly complements the cozy atmosphere. I would absolutely highly recommend The Crest to anyone who likes to be happy.
