I’ve been to Gallerie now a handful of times, once in the bar for a client meeting, once for the Swiner Social, and then again for brunch with two other bloggers who’ve also become good friends.

I’m tellin’ ya, the chicken and waffles that Chef Bill Glover and his right hand, Chef du Cuisine Josh Keyser put out are some of the best that I’ve ever had, and are easily the best in Columbus.

Gallerie Brunch | Chicken & Waffles

Megan, Lindsay, and I went for brunch, they both perused the menu, opting to go with other dishes, I on the other hand, having ordered chicken and waffles on the bar side while meeting with clients on the k.H.a. Lifestyle photography side of my life earlier this summer, knew EXACTLY what I would be ordering.

Shoot, I knew what I was going to be ordering the minute that we set this brunch up.

That morning, we all arrived around the same time, enjoying the fall sunshine and the open air of mezzanine that Galleree sits upon inside the Hilton, the sweep of the staircase up from the street level lobby, the art work featured in the space, and the newly renovated bar side of the restaurant. (Which looks FANTASTIC)

Once we sat, and downed the first greedy gulps of caffeine out of our own mugs, rather than the stolen swigs Lindsay and I had both pulled from Megan’s Iced Coffee as we arrived in the lobby, and were then rest to start making ordering decisions.

Ordering takes on almost a horse trading feel, debating the pros and cons of various dishes, as well as bargaining with each other as to what who is ordering.

The strategizing that goes into ordering when bloggers go out to eat together is fun to watch, and most likely slightly overwhelming to someone not used to it.

To start, we were served an amuse bouche of mini fruit/yogurt/granola parfait, which were not only beautifully displayed, they were perfectly balanced in flavor.

I knew without looking that I would be ordering the chicken and waffles. It was a foregone conclusion. When I’d written the plans in my planner, it was written as “Chicken & Waffles @ Galleree with Megan and Lindsay”.

That’s how much I was looking forward to this meal.

Once everyone’s orders arrived, and all plates had been sufficiently photographed (again, if you’ve not seen bloggers go out to eat, it can be a bit entertaining) all traded bites of each other’s meals, ensuring that we all had a well-rounded understanding of the flavor profiles of each of the dishes, we dug in, a satisfied silence falling over the table.

Here’s where Gallerie differs from other Hilton dining rooms.

Bill Glover is the executive chef, the captain at the helm of this particular ship, and he has taken what could have easily been another anonymous hotel restaurant there to cater to the business travelers that frequent the hotel that sits across High street from the Greater Columbus Convention Center, and instead turned it into the farm to table celebration of local farmers, cheese makers, bakers who are all artisans in their own right.

If you’ve not yet been, thinking perhaps that it is nothing more than your average convention center hotel dining room, you’ve been not only very wrong, but hugely missing out.

Glover sat down with me, to talk food, life, and walk me along the winding path that brought him here, make sure to sign up for our emails, so that you don’t miss out.

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