Recently, John suggested meeting for supper at 17 Arrows Craft Kitchen and Bar.  We all love to try new restaurants, so Tom and I agreed to meet John and Jackie there.  John made reservations, as suggested on the webpage.  Tom and I looked at the menu online and there seemed to be some interesting and delicious sounding choices.

Tom and I were the first to arrive at 17 Arrows, at which point we discovered that it was located inside the Hilton Hotel at Polaris.  I don’t know about you, but I generally avoid eating at restaurants inside hotels.  I was surprised John had picked a restaurant inside a hotel, so I texted him about it.  He and Jackie also had no idea it was inside the hotel.  There is nothing on the webpage to suggest that it is inside the hotel.  In fact, where it talks about location, it just gives the address.  It doesn’t mention the Hilton Hotel.

Despite the location in the lobby of the hotel, we decided to stay and try it.  After all, the menu had looked good.  And they were obviously working hard to establish themselves as a fine-dining facility separate from the hotel.

17 Arrows is named after the 17 arrows on the state shield, symbolizing Ohio as the 17th state.  The menu had an interesting variety of food with prices in line with other craft kitchens in Columbus.  There weren’t too many items on the menu, which suggests that they were more interested in quality than quantity.  Jackie ordered brisket egg rolls as an appetizer and got a salad as her main dish.  John got the fried chicken club sandwich with french fries.  I ordered the Birria brisket tacos. Tom got the brisket egg rolls with broccolini.

I like to try new things but not too new.  I was unfamiliar with Birria and John said it was like an au jus dip for the tacos.  That sounded good.  When the food came it looked beautifully prepared.  I picked up a taco and scooped up a generous portion of the Birria.  Then I took a large bite of the taco.

WOW!  My eyes started watering and my mouth felt like it was on fire.  I am not very good at eating spicy food and this was spicy!  Everyone else at the table was laughing at me.  John and Jackie said my eyes got huge.  I felt like my face must be beet red with the heat.  I swallowed the bite of taco and drank half my water before my mouth felt more normal.  I was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to eat it.  John tried some of the Birria sauce and agreed that the heat was in the sauce, not the taco.  I passed the sauce on to Tom and proceeded to enjoy the tacos very much.

It turns out that Birria, or birria de res, is a flavorful traditional Mexican soup.  Birria is known for its rich, spicy, and savory flavor, which comes from a blend of chilies and spices. Tom and John agreed that it had a kick to it but wasn’t very spicy on their scale.  It was sure spicy on mine!  I enjoyed my tacos more when my mouth wasn’t on fire.  Tom felt the Birria added just the kick his eggrolls needed.

The food was very good and we had an excellent waitress.  But the restaurant was in the hotel lobby.  We could see the front desk and people checking in as we ate our dinner.  Not really the atmosphere I’m looking for when there are lots of other restaurants close by.  On the other hand, it wasn’t noisy or particularly busy.

I doubt that we will eat at 17 Arrows again, unless we are meeting someone who is staying at the Hilton.  I’m glad we tried it and I am glad I tried the Birria.  It is good to try a variety of foods and experiences to see what might add enjoyment to your life.