Columbus

Alas, my softball team made it to the finals (which they generally do) to only lose in the deciding game. Much like last year, the opposition was far too strong (which makes one wonder what they heck they are doing in a rec division anyways...). They put in a good effort, but more importantly, they were hungry after 6 games over 2 days. We threw out several ideas as to where to eat and eventually settled on something really close to Gordon Park (where they were playing) - Columbus Restaurant. Tucked inside the Killarney Market shopping complex, the decor is stuck in a time warp a la 1979. And just like the day before at Tokyo John, they did not have A/C. Great. On one of the warmest days of the year too. Now I see why large groups of people frequent chain restaurants...

Serving a mix of Italian and Greek food, think Gigi's, Sunrise Pizza and Neighbours as comparable restaurants. As a group, we decided to share a bunch of items starting with the Calamari. These were fried up crispy and light with squid that was on the chewier side (which was not difficult to eat though). We liked the inclusion of the tentacles because they offered up a totally different texture. Although the tzatziki was thick and flavourful (especially big hits of lemon and cucumber), the calamari batter itself was not seasoned enough. We also ordered a pizza called "Everything but the Waitress". Um, I'm going to leave this one alone and refrain from commenting... LOL... Anyways, it was all the toppings on one pizza. Despite that, the crust remained crunchy throughout and amazingly, the whole thing was not greasy. Furthermore, this was achieved with a plethora of cheese on top. Naturally, with all the ingredients, the pizza was flavourful without being overly salty. Moreover, there was just enough zesty tomato sauce.

The first of our entrees to arrive was the Veal Parmigiana accompanied by nicely prepared asparagus and house-made wedges. The meat was moist and tender with a slightly crisp exterior. The tomato sauce was once again zesty and tart. The freshly fried wedges were not as crispy as they appeared, yet they were a welcomed change from generic Sysco fries. For me, I suggested we try the Roast Lamb and it turned out to be a poor decision. If you look at the picture, it is pretty obvious that the lamb was stringy and dry. It might've been moist at one point, however, due to the passage of time and the reheating process, it became chewy. Flavourwise, it was okay with plenty of seasoning (on the outside at least). The bed of rice was a little strange though. It resembled a poorly-made risotto. It was sticky, wet and chewy all at the same time. As for the Greek salad, they used balsamic, which only ensured that the whole thing looked dirty. Interestingly, the dish did not come with potato nor pita bread.

Lastly, we shared the BBQ Ribs which were beyond fall of the bone. It was so soft, it melted on contact. Not horrible, but it could've exhibited more texture (parboiled less). The thick, sweet BBQ sauce was laid on thick and had a bit of tang. As you can see, there were some hits and some misses. We were pretty hungry (wait, I didn't play any softball...) and it did the job. I'm not sure if we would clamor to do a repeat visit, but the pizza was pretty good though (for that kind of pizza).

The Good:
- Pizza is surprisingly solid
- We got decent service

The Bad:
- Entrees are a bit hit and miss
- No A/C