The Depot (lunch)
 Rittman, Ohio        Date of Visit  10/12/12         No Known Website 

We recently took a bike run to The Depot for breakfast and found some pretty fair fare but quickly noticed something on the menu. Fish. We still are without a Friday fish destination of note. We don’t require seafood for nutritious or religious reasons but there is still something reassuring missing from the menu, so we met my mom and a long time friend of hers for lunch in Rittman.
 

The Club Looked Really Good

So. It appears the place might be busier than I had expected with a couple of servers (we had the same one as the breakfast run) flitting between the tables like hummingbirds on amphetamines. While they are certainly working hard to stay on top of things and be friendly our server managed to pour some hot coffee on Steph without realizing she had. Apparently Steph has been sneaking out for Special Forces training and none of us knew her ear and neck were on fire until after we had left the restaurant. Show No Pain.

We kept things simple. Club sandwich, fish sandwich and two fish dinners. The two sandwiches came with soup, a cup or a bowl, broccoli cheese. We ordered one of each. The bowl came in a bowl and the cup came in a bowl. They seemed to believe there was a difference between the two but I couldn’t really distinguish what it might be. The soup was actually really tasty. Sure, the pieces of broccoli were cut into the size of a fist but the soup had a rich and balanced blend of cheese, veg, noodles, dairy and broth. It was probably heavy enough to function as lunch in and of itself.
 

The turkey club looked as good as the soup turned out to be and by report was well put together. The fish was functional, better than the Lighthouse in Lodi but still failed to make The Depot a go-to place. It came with fries which were fine but cold. My Mom had upgraded to the onion rings which were certainly worth the difference. Where the batter on the fish was oily and overpowering it clung perfectly to the onion lending a sharp crunch and salty bite. The cole slaw which arrived with the fish was downright tasty with a blend of mayo and vinegar for the best of both worlds adorning the lightly crisp cabbage and carrot with an overtone of celery seed.

The Depot isn’t great. It might be busy more due to the lack of dining options in Rittman than stellar cuisine. That’s not entirely fair as it is good. Just be sure to keep your eye on the coffee pot as it whizzes by.  Oh, there is still pie to be sampled…have failed twice to pull the trigger. We’ll be back at least once.
 

Onion Rings Way Worth The Upgrade, Wish I Had