Manhattans

Unfortunately, I was lazy and didn't take my camera to dinner at Manhattans last night. You are just going to have to deal with my descriptions and memories, plus the picture I took of my to-go box.

Manhattans is owned by the same person who was in charge of the last establishment. The old place, Tirado's, was named for owner Rudy Tirado, and it featured soups, sandwiches, salads and ice cream in a fairly disorganized interior.

Manhattan's is a huge upgrade stylistically over its predecessor. The interior is stylish, clean and classy. It definitely shows a keener eye to detail than the slapdash Tirado's did.

The menu is classic American bistro fare, with soups, salads, pasta and a cornucopia of appetizers. There are a few vegetarian items that are clearly marked, including the vegetarian pasta, which consists of a linguini base topped by mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, squash, onions, broccoli and red pepper in a reduced sauce with notes of red wine and garlic. I didn't inquire, but this seemed to be a vegan dish...check with the staff to be sure.

The entree also came with a choice of soup or salad. The house dressing was a smoked ranch that was interesting if slightly less than traditional. I probably would have preferred something else as a dressing, but the salad was at least well made.

I started with a pepper jack queso dip which was served with a mountain of tortilla chips. This dish came highly recommended by the jovial man at the bar who extolled the dish's beguiling character.

Manhattans shows far more promise than the last venture did. It isn't a place with tons of vegetarian options, but there are options for vegetarian diners that are well made and presented. The wine list is also small but features a few nice choices.

The staff was attentive if not exceptional. The place filled up quickly after 6 pm Friday night (as you'd expect it to do), and there was also a fairly sizeable bar crowd. My original intention was not to dine here, but it was a pleasant surprise.

There is also another location in historic Delaware, Ohio if you prefer your dining a little bit country rather than a little bit rock and roll like it is in uptown Westerville (the virtual Bacchanalia capital of Franklin county).