New to the Menu | Gallo’s Kitchen: Attention to careful use of seasonings

By For The Columbus Dispatch  • 
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chris russell | DISPATCH
Jambalaya, front, and calamari appetizer

At Gallo’s Kitchen in Upper Arlington, daily specials have become such a big deal that owner-chef Tommy Gallo prepares a new printed list every day.

It’s a supplement to the main menu, which is refreshed periodically.

Chicken Cordon Bleu ($12) is made of chopped Gerber Farm chicken. Just before it’s cooked, it’s seasoned with garlic, onion, sea salt and black pepper.

After being fried to order, it’s topped with slices of Canadian bacon, havarti cheese, a house-made Dijon mustard dressing and smoked portobello mushroom, and tucked into a substantial brioche bun.

The sandwich is filling and flavorful.

Farm-raised catfish, soaked in buttermilk seasoned with a Cajun mix of spices, is used for the catfish po’ boy ($14). According to Gallo, the treatment removes what he calls the “mud” flavor of the fish and makes its texture flakier.

Once battered and fried, the thick fillet of fish is fully dressed with tomato, pickles, house-made mayonnaise and mustard sauce and placed in a lightly baked French-style loaf. To Gallo, making his own mayonnaise for the sandwich is crucial.

So is the use of Crystal Hot Sauce, which is made in Metairie, La. Why? Because, Gallo says, the sauce has a lot of flavor but far less heat than similar sauces.

Like the other sandwiches, it can be ordered with a huge helping of Gallo’s well-made slaw, which hints at spice without actually creating heat.

The calamari appetizer ($11, on the main menu) features a huge plate of fresh-tasting pieces from more than one part of the squid. Gallo’s calamari arrives fresh and is sliced in-house. Before frying, it’s dredged in a mix of flour and spices.

Flash-fried crisp, it’s topped with an olive “salad” and has a marinara sauce underneath. The olive salad has two types of olives, red pepper, onion, garlic and olive oil. All told, the appetizer is a meal.

Gallo’s jambalaya ($16) seems better than ever because of the complex spicing that achieves depth and balance.

Gallo credits his mentor, chef David Russo, with teaching him how to make jambalaya. He estimates that he has made more than 6,000 batches. It shows.