Behind the Menu: North High Brewing puts strong emphasis on beer as well as food
While North High Brewing Co. has established itself as a quality brewery, the Historic Dublin location has sweetened the pot by offering a modern pub menu.
The original North High Brewing opened in 2012 in the Short North, followed by locations in Cincinnati, which features a pizzeria concept, and Dublin. A fourth store is planned for Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood.
House brews are used in many dishes.
“We’re trying to branch out,” executive chef Ryan Oldham said. “What I try to do is evaluate the demographic, what the need is for the market and go after that. In Dublin, we kind of went for a more casual dining atmosphere.”
Bar bites appear to be a good way to start a meal.
Fried pickle chips ($8) use house-cured cukes that are hand-dredged in a light batter and fried to order. They’re served with a cool avocado ranch for dipping.
“It’s a light coating that gets pretty crisp once you fry it,” Oldham said.
With the deviled eggs ($8), a recent addition to the menu, the hardened yolk inside the deviled eggs is mixed with pickles, mayo, beer mustard and candied bacon. The eggs are then flecked with chives and sprinkled with smoked bacon dust.
“It pairs very well with any of our beers, really,” he said.
Capitalizing on the taco craze, North High Brewing features five different styles, each order offering three tacos.
The Nashville hot chicken ($12) uses grilled, not deep-fried, poultry, spicy seasonings and is paired with shredded lettuce, chopped pickles, mixed cheddar, pickled relish and avocado ranch.
“The hot chicken is not too hot,” Oldham said. “It packs a nice spice, but we bring it back down with the house ranch.”
Another option is the yellowfin tuna ($13), which is simply rubbed with salt and pepper or more robust blackened seasonings. Cooked to a chef-recommended medium-rare temperature, the tuna is paired with tomato jam, mango jalapeno salsa, greens, pickled onions and toasted pepitas.
Among the sandwich choices, the kitchen makes use of a trendy ingredient — jackfruit ($12). Shredded and slow-cooked in a tangy house barbecue sauce, it's layered with vegan cheddar, pickled jalapeno relish, pickles, local greens and avocado on a potato bun.
“it’s a good vegan option,” Oldham said, “and I like jackfruit. There are many different variations and flavor profiles you can put on it. It’s very similar (in texture) to pulled pork.”
Another recent addition to the menu, the blackened grouper ($19) is a lighter entree that includes house pico de gallo, roasted fingerling potatoes and Southern-style green beans.
“We try to incorprate beer into our ingredients as much as possible."
For those with room for dessert, the buckeye pie ($6) starts with a graham-cracker crust followed by a house-made peanut-butter filling, whipped cream topping, chopped peanut-butter cups and a drizzle of porter chocolate reduction.
“It’s more a whipped cake,” Oldham said. “It’s not a dense bread cake. It’s a lighter dessert but still very rich.”
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At a glance
Where: North High Brewing Co.
Address: 56 N. High St., Dublin
Hours: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Fridays, 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays
Contact: 614-639-8800, www.northhighbrewing.com/locations/dublin.