Every time I step into the Columbia restaurant I get the impression I have walked through a time portal. The only thing that interrupts the sense of time travel is the tourists dressed as, well, tourists. But look closely and one can find the ladies groups who make their once a week outing to keep up on current affairs while dining on delicious desserts, all coiffed with hats that match their dresses. And somewhere in the middle are the locals.
This restaurant has always been a favorite for several friends of mine and I brushed it off as nostalgia or whimsy. I knew I had deprived myself of an outstanding and sublime experience within seconds of walking past the fountain, across the terra cotta tiles, and into the restaurant. The ambience is helped by the fact this restaurant sits in Saint Augustine. The time portal continuum is completed when you happen to be here on a weekend the reenactors are also milling about, appropriate for the oldest continuously inhabited city in the U.S. It is then you feel a bit underdressed or out of place. But no one’s judging.
We got settled and I ordered the soup. They’ve got Gazpacho, and two bean soups. The black bean soup was my choice, and my companion delighted in the Gazpacho. Every bite was as satisfying as the first. The ingredients were fresh, and the onions were crisp, as though just cut.
I continued the trend of traditional with the Cuban sandwich. It was precisely assembled and pressed, served as hot as necessary, without being too much so. I am pleased to report the last bite was every bit as delicious as the first.
While dining I noticed one of the servers prepping a table, post-bussing. He carefully started with four napkin-wrapped place settings and slid them one at a time from the hand that held all four. It was a lesson in economy of action, appearing carefully rehearsed.
And with that I began to notice every server focused on a certain preciseness of action.
This was the third time to dine here, and to date each experience has been memorable.
For lunch one cannot do much better than to step back in time to a place where time seems unrushed, and the food perfectly prepared.
Enjoy.
Ron Fox - Worth The Trip 