Finerepast, et al., visited the Taboo Lounge at 7520 High Cross Blvd in Columbus (right next to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse). The Taboo Lounge looks to combine the best of all worlds as it offers fine dining, dancing, and lounging in the Crossroads area. And they certainly came dressed to impress. Check out the dining area and bar, the lounge and the dance floor in the following photos:

Dining area and bar at Taboo Lounge
Dining area and bar at Taboo Lounge

The Lounge at Taboo Fine Dining and Lounge
The Lounge at Taboo Fine Dining and Lounge

Dining area and dance floor at Taboo
Dining area and dance floor at Taboo

As you can see Taboo kind of makes the Bar of Modern Art (BOMA) look rather pedestrian. Taboo has just been open for a couple weeks now but drew a pretty good crowd. Once people find out about the fine dining here, Taboo may have trouble seating them all.

Mahi Mahi at Taboo Lounge
Mahi Mahi at Taboo Lounge

I had the Mahi Mahi as our server recommended it along with the Tower of Filet. I enjoyed the Mahi Mahi and it presented me with some powerful flavors. Later, Chef Doug (who came out to visit our table) explained that the dish was seasoned with clove and that he personally hoped to revise the dish into something after his own style.

Chicken Dish at Taboo Lounge - this was most excellent!
Chicken Dish at Taboo Lounge – this was most excellent!

You normally don’t expect much from a chicken dish at a restaurant – at least, I don’t. In fact, chicken is so ubiquitous that restaurants may be taking a risk by adding it to the menu. I guess chicken may just be the safety valve for the less adventurous eater. There’s always a few who don’t like anything on the menu or are unwilling to try something new. In such cases, I figure restaurants just stick a chicken dish on the menu to satisfy the Aunt Jenny’s of the world.

Taboo’s chicken was mighty fine. Served over a mixture of Yukon gold and other mashed potatoes, the chicken was delectable. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it again! For the moment, it stole the spotlight at Taboo.

Tower of Filet at Taboo Lounge - also very well prepared
Tower of Filet at Taboo Lounge – also very well prepared

I kind of got the green side of the Tower of Filet. Three of my party ordered this. My wife found this dish very thoughtfully prepared and felt that it pushed Taboo into the fine dining realm. I’ll see if I can’t get her to comment further on the Tower of Filet later.

luv2dine says:

What a find! Taboo lounge is akin to a rare and special gemstone amongst its big brother restaurants on Crossroads. It has all the capability of competing with the finest dining in the area (thanks to Chef Doug), but also offers dancing, lounging, and socializing in a hip and lively environment. We were greeted by ushers and followed a winding corridor, passing a coat check . One of the owners came and greeted us and circulated throughout the evening, unobtrusively, but making the guests feel important – the latter of which I am finding goes a long way in retaining clients. Truthfully, I was a little ambivalent about the whole thing with the combination of a really fine meal, a great dance area with lights, just like the old days, and really comfortable lounging seats and sofas.

Then I thought about how even I get restless in an establishment that is given strictly to fine dining . Only the next day, I realized how clever the idea was to have all the possibilities – allowing me to have a good meal and not having to leave the building to go dancing. If my companions had been a little less inhibited, I am sure that I would have had my dance before I left – but I wasn’t about to go out there by myself. And another thing, my skirt was at least seven inches longer than the hemlines on the servers and I was feeling a little outdated. So, next time, I will be prepared to go and experience all that Taboo has to offer, which is a lot! By that time, I hope that the Kona filet will be a part of the menu, and even if it is not, I will ask the the chef to make one special and suggest to the reader to do the same!

Kona Filet at Taboo Lounge - Chef Doug did this up fantastic!
Kona Filet at Taboo Lounge – Chef Doug did this up fantastic!

We had the fortuitous occasion to meet Chef Doug at Taboo. He was extremely enthusiastic. If I can type 100 words a minute then Chef Doug can probably talk 300-400 words a minute, especially if he is talking about his culinary creations. After answering several of our questions about dishes we had ordered, he started talking about the Kona filet above (which was not on the menu). I thought it sounded so good that I had to have him bring one out.

The Kona filet lived up to the hype and was absolutely a taste bud bonanza. Ruth’s Chris may want to find a new location for their drowned-in-butter steaks as the Kona Filet put to shame any of their offerings. That’s Kona coffee from Hawaii if you’re following along at home.

Well, I wanted to provide you with a little taste of Taboo. There was definitely a lot going on in each of the dishes and I plan on heading back to Taboo to try some new dishes as well as some of these again.

Every Wednesday night is the mid-week Jazz Escape featuring live smooth to traditional jazz artists. Thursday nights feature rotating live variety bands.

Taboo Lounge
7520 High Cross Blvd.
Columbus, OH 43235

614-885-6666

You Should Also Check Out This Post:

More Active Posts: