A new menu downtown
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Sandusky - a hotbed of (at least mildly) high-class restaurants.
Who'd have thunk it?
Just a few months after the opening of the Zinc Brasserie on Columbus Avenue, Yesteryears opened at 129 W. Market Street.
Unlike its French counterpart, Yesteryears features mostly American food - especially those beginning with an "s" - offering plenty of salads, sandwiches, steaks and seafood.
On my recent lunch visit, I opted for the New York Strip Steak with a side of mashed potatoes. It also came with the salad bar.
A friend told me to avoid the Caesar Salad because it wasn't good there - I did avoid it, so I can't confirm whether he was telling the truth. The salad I had was fine.
As for the main course, it was slightly better than "fine." The steak was a bit dry, but some A-1 sauce helps alleviate that problem. It was cooked well and tasted good enough to make my stomach stop growling.
The mashed potatoes don't come with gravy, which is normally a downfall in my world, but these tasted fine on their own.
My friend opted for the chicken tenders with a side of fries. When I asked how everything was, she said it was good. Not many more details were disclosed (to her defense, I didn't do a very thorough job of questioning).
One thing we both enjoyed quite a bit was the bread that came before our meal. I ate so many pieces so quickly, I actually couldn't finish my 12-ounce steak.
Some of the options on the menu that looked tempting were the Blackened Tuna ($12.99), Shrimp Scampi ($14.99) and Market Street Steak Sandwich ($9.99).
Our server was very nice and accomodating, but the service was a little slow. He apologized for that and said it was due to the lunch rush and an unusually low number of servers that day.
Both points seemed valid - the place was packed, and it didn't appear as if there were many employees roaming the floor. He said normally they have more servers, so perhaps the speed is often better than what we experienced.
He also said that while lunch is a big deal, there's really no break at dinner. So if you go at either prime eating hour, expect to be sitting in a crowded house.
The ambiance in the place is good. The owner appears to have spent a lot of time making sure the interior looks nice, and his work paid off.
Although it's not a huge dining room and the place was packed when we ate there, it still wasn't overly loud - which can be a problem at small restaurants like this.
There's also a table outside if you want your steak with a side of sun.
The restaurant is a nice addition to the downtown area, if for no other reason than to give Sanduskians another option that doesn't involve heading out to U.S. 250.
But, thankfully, that's not the only reason to check this place out. It has plenty of positives.
Hopefully, it helps downtown Sandusky gain some momentum toward becoming a hotbed of activity.
Yesteryears Restaurant
129 W. Market St., Sandusky - 419-621-1400
Highest-priced entree - Yesteryears Filet ($19.99)
Lowest-priced entree - Many sandwiches listed at $5.99
My order - New York Strip Steak ($17.99) with a side of mashed potatos and salad bar
Would you recommend? SURE
Would you return? YES
My ratings (out of five)
Food: 3.5, Service: 2.5, Value: 3, Atmosphere: 4, Total experience: 3.5
Downtown Sandusky also could benefit from a gigantic statue of Jessica Biel. E-mail me at editor@funcoast.com.
