Cuisine visits the tropics
The Columbus Dispatch, Thursday, July 1, 2010
Anyone who misses the specialties of the 55 Group should know: The place to go is the Polaris Grill.
With a spot on the menu, the 55 House Salad ($4.95) seems to have a better assortment of lettuces – and the 55 dressing is the same sweet-tart vinaigrette, enlivened with blue cheese and real bacon crisps.
But there’s more to the Polaris Grill than old favorites.
For the blackened grouper sliders ($14.95), based on beef sliders, chef Jeff Burris blackens small pieces of grouper and puts them on small Hawaiian-style buns.
The zip from the blackened Cajun seasonings is mellowed by a topping of pineapple and guava slices, along with a guava glaze.
Tropical influences are also found in the halibut ($14.95): The fillet is brushed with a mango-and-barbecue sauce before grilling. The glaze gets a tropical coconut-salsa topping.
The sides include a lean risotto, which incorporates zucchini sticks and miniature corn, and steamed broccoli flowers and carrots.
The apple crisp ($5.95) is made in-house these days. Served warm, it is topped with good-quality, not-too-sweet vanilla ice cream.
Jon Christensen