Restaurant trend-watchers predicted biscuits would be big in 2016, but that never seemed to really happen. In fact, if you look at Google Trends, the high point for biscuit searches was in May of 2020… probably because we were all desperate, stuck at home, and biscuits are classic comfort food.
But now, here in 2023, perhaps biscuits have truly arrived. We’ve got Basic Biscuits in Grandview, and they’re also a popular appetizer at tony restaurants teamed with creative, buttery toppings. Into this mix, Maple Street Biscuit Company entered the Columbus market at Polaris with plans for expansion. It’s the first foray into Ohio for the Tennessee project. And, to no surprise, the eatery offers much more than regular biscuits.
Of course, the offerings are still based in regular biscuits. And you have to salute anyone in the biscuit business. As far as baked goods go, they’re brutally time-sensitive. Unlike cookies, cakes and breads, day-old biscuits bring no joy. So there’s no wiggle room when biscuits are on the menu, timing and appropriate planning are key. But for Maple Street, the magic lies outside the biscuits themselves; it’s how they’re stacked.
Let’s kick things off with the Five & Dime ($11.75). As ordered, it yields a biscuit sandwich with (get ready for a list) a fried chicken strip, bacon, cheddar cheese, a pepper-specked fried egg and sausage gravy. If all that sounds substantial, it is: We’re up to three meats, an egg and cheese. The combo is sturdy, dense, and thanks especially to the crisp bacon, full of salty goodness. It is also a sandwich that is fork food: too loaded for any sort of handheld activity.
That’s a heck of a start. There are simpler item on the menu, such as the Eggs-Tordinary Risky Biscuit ($11); it teams the house biscuit more modestly with two eggs and gravy. At Maple Street, diners have a perpetual choice of sausage or shiitake gravy. Shiitake, and eastern Asian mushroom, doesn’t intuitively seem like a gravy-compatible treat, but it works better than you might expect. The fungus is naturally savory, with a texture that adds appealing substance to the spiked gravy.
Take a minute, though, to consider the Country Fried Steak in the High Steaks option ($13.50). Teamed with gravy and biscuits, the meat is breaded and fried. In some regions, that would be called “Chicken Fried Steak,” and people tend to have strong feelings about comfort food names. Extensive, obsessive research indicates that the name for breaded steak varies by region. So, the Maple Street wording isn’t wrong, but…it might inspire misdirected expectations. Regardless, the crunch coated meat is tender enough for easy eating, which is the number-one concern for breaded steak.
There is a land outside the biscuits. The Garden Fritaffle ($10.50), for example, is a hybrid between omelette and waffle. Perfectly shaped, it’s got the crisped, classic square dents, and it’s populated with peppers, onions and cheese. Served with the house fried potatoes cut in matching cubes, the Fritaffle is a little more restrained than the gravy-enhanced options.
There are grits and sweet waffles on the menu too. All in, Maple Street scratches the breakfast cafe itch in a hip way…with extra gravy. The operation is open daily from 7a.m. – 2 p.m., and can get super-slammed on weekends, so plan accordingly. Find it at 1310 Polaris Pkwy.
For more information, visit maplestreetbiscuits.com.
All photos by Susan Post
