by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
The thing that will hook you about the Columbia Restaurant, before that first piece of bread hits the table, is the atmosphere. The arches, the skylight that streams natural light from their second floor down to the indoor patio, the small touches, like old photos of Spanish dancers, all set you up for a dining experience. The bar area isn’t as impressive, though it is very nice. The restaurant is huge, and my waitress said it would seat more than 600 guests. Upstairs has a great view of historic St. Augustine, if you can get a seat by a window. I always get the feeling that Zorro is going to leap out at any moment, swinging down from the second floor amidst the white stucco arches and the tile detailing. As far as I know, he never has.
While I don’t normally talk about a restaurant’s parking area, I should note that Columbia has a spacious lot adjacent to the restaurant, just off of St. George Street. This is important because parking in the historic (read: tourist) part of St. Augustine is not always easy to find, and in the sweltering heat, it’s worth it. The attendant will give you a parking slip, which you can have validated on the way out. You get two hours max if it’s validated in the restaurant, after that you pay per hour ($3). Though I love the food at Columbia, it can sometimes be hit or miss as far as service is concerned. I’ve been there when the service was outstanding, and I’ve been there when it’s been, well, not so stellar.
It seems to alternate between tourist trap and a local St. Augustine hangout, but once you find the item on the menu that you love, you’ll come back again and again, just for that.
As is so often the case, my item of choice is one of their desserts, a chocolate bread pudding, but I’m also partial to their Cuban Sandwich. The chief reason for that is their awesome Cuban bread. For that alone I would come back again and again. It is perfection. They bring it to your table wrapped in paper, hot and lovely, ready for butter to spread on its crusty goodness. Real Cuban bread is a rarity, and because I remember it from my childhood in Miami, I must have the real thing. I’m disappointed by most imitation Cuban breads. Real Cuban bread is made with lard, so it has a particular flavor you won’t find in French bread and it tends to go stale within about twenty-four hours. I have never had a stale piece at Columbia (at this location or at the Ybor city one in Tampa) and the incredibly thin, papery yet hard crust, has always lived up to my expectations. So I must admit; the item I really go back for is the bread. I’m a slave to Columbia’s Cuban bread.
Locals dig the black bean soup, so if you’re a fan of soup you might want to give it a taste. Gazpacho Andaluz also has its devotees. This famed cold soup of pureed ripe tomatoes, green peppers, onions, cucumbers and garlic is topped tableside with finely diced vegetables and toasted Cuban croutons. The 1905 salad is also a big winner, in part because every salad comes with a little theater. They toss it right at your table. It’s chock full of baked ham, along with Swiss, tomato, olives, grated cheese and their delish garlic dressing. The salad base is a classic iceberg lettuce, which has disappeared in most restaurants, in favor of “mixed spring greens.” Once in a while I run into an iceberg wedge salad, but you don’t see it much in nicer restaurants anymore. While I prefer Romaine, I lament this, since iceberg lettuce can be a grand, crisp base for a flavorful salad.
Lunch is a busy time for the place, as it should be. Dinner is a tad steep in price, but it can be worth the splurge if you’ve got a hankering for high-end Hispania food. A tapeo is a great way to start your meal, or just snack on as you sip your mojitos. I had the Tapeo de Mixta, a three tiered tapas tower with small portions of three appetizers. The best of the three was the Costillitas de Cordero, tender baby lamb back ribs, glazed with guava barbecue sauce. I enjoyed the Shrimp and Crabmeat Alcachofas, a baked casserole of shrimp, crabmeat and artichoke hearts topped with grated Romano cheese. That came with the rightly bland and powdery Cuban crackers, offsetting the intense taste of the dip. Their Calamari tapas was passable, but it wasn’t my pick out of the three.
As is customary with good paella, theirs takes about 30 minutes to make, and it’s worth the wait. They’ve got three different versions on the menu to choose from. I ate the Paella “Marinera” which is a combo of Valencia rice with clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops and calamari.
Sauces for seafood, especially their mahi-mahi are excellent, but they sometimes overcook the fish. Make sure you ask your waiter about how much you want your fish steak cooked. They follow a traditional method so they cook the fish more than the near-raw fish steaks you can get at trendy eateries. If you’d rather have it cooked to a different temperature, make sure you ask. For dessert, flan is, of course, a favorite, but I’d go for their Bacardi Rum soaked White Chocolate Bread Pudding. It’s decadent and doused in a creamy, dreamy rum sauce, which would cause most alcoholics to fall directly off the wagon.
All in all, it’s a great dining choice for a trip to the Old Town.
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