Thanksgiving 2009

The Golden Lamb
Lebanon, Ohio
November 26, 2009

I don't know where our family tradition of going out to lunch for Thanksgiving prior to gorging ourselves for dinner at our family farm began, but it's happened since before I can remember.  When I was very small we ate with my father's side of the family and they have always loved convenience, so possibly it was their family way, and then the family dinner on the farm was my mother's family tradition?  I'm just not sure.  However, we have long ceased to celebrate with my dad's side of the family and yet we continue lunch out with our immediate family followed up by a large dinner on the farm with our extended family a mere few hours later.  Can't say I'm complaining, gorging yourself all day is part of what Thanksgiving is all about!  I'm just merely trying to determine this dining out tradition's roots (mental post it now written to myself to discuss this with my mother next phone conversation).

Anyway, long ago we ate yearly at a restaurant called The Hickory Lane which was in Metamora, Indiana.  It was buffet style, which the child in me loved because of all the different options and not having to wait for your food to be brought out!  Also, at a buffet mom didn't care if I wanted mashed potatoes, French fries, and potato salad; but just see if she'd let me order those options together at a typical restaurant...  But, the true draw of this place, to my child sized mind, was eating in the screened in porch back dining room.  The restaurant backed up to a wooded area and the porch was all glass and windows.  I loved watching the bright cardinals, sparrows, and chickadees flit about on the brown background fly about while the squirrels scurried up and down the trees.  I thought this was great entertainment as I sampled my chosen dishes and morphed into a carbohydrate stupor that surely ended in a nap on the way home.  Actually, maybe this was why my mother didn't object too much to those French fries and mashed potatoes! However, sometime around the age of 10 or so the Hickory Lane I knew became no more due to a fire.  Apparently, the restaurant was rebuilt in another location, but the charm of the old restaurant was lost and my parents decided to try another restaurant for our yearly feast.  A current internet search doesn't turn up much on the Hickory Lane, so I tend to think it must no longer exist in any capacity.  An unfortunate loss. 

But this allowed for The Golden Lamb to enter our lives.  We have now been eating our Thanksgiving lunch here since I was at least in junior high (that's going on more than 15 years!) and the restaurant has seen my change in long term boyfriends, the addition of my husband, and unfortunate loss of my father due to cancer.  While I (and my family) have changed a lot in the last 15 years, the restaurant has stayed relatively stable (with some minor changes, peaks, and valleys).  But I guess that is to be expected given the fact that this restaurant has been around, in some capacity, since 1803; and is known as the oldest continually operating business in the state of Ohio.

Since we have been dining here some traditions have stayed the same.  Apparently apple butter has been served since at least 1805, and continues today.  And we can always trust we'll get a curt welcome when we check in with our reservation.  Now, we know getting through a never ending sea of large parties on a holiday known for its food is daunting for a restaurant host staff, but it seems an area of improvement could be not letting your guests see how much it actually stresses you.  But we have experienced it for so long we now just laugh as we are quickly and curtly moved to our seats like cattle.  For awhile we were slightly offended and considered it fairly rude, but now it's just become part of the experience...Kind of like spending a holiday with the crazy uncle.  Now once we have gotten to our table, we have never had a problem with the service.

However, one of the unfortunate changes is the complimentary relish tray that used to be included with every meal.  There was a festive cranberry relish; a sweet and savory corn relish, thick cut bread and butter pickles; and our absolute favorite...pickled watermelon rinds.  I know they sound scary, but if you can ever find them, try them!  They're syrupy sweet and have this luscious mouth feel.  This is the only restaurant that I know of that served them and I looked forward to sampling them every November.  My mouth is actually salivating just remembering it all now.  However, about 3 or so years ago the relish tray was moved to  one of the salad or appetizer options, but beginning last year (or possibly the year before, things start to run together after so many Thanksgivings spent there) it was completely removed from the Thanksgiving menu.  We mourned then and continue to mourn now.  This fact, coupled with what seemed a decline in the quality of food over multiple years, and a decline in the upkeep of the restaurant's interior, even had us looking for a new restaurant to try out for Thanksgiving.  However, at least this year, I'm glad we stayed.   

I'm hoping we've just moved through one of the restaurant's valleys and are headed towards an upswing in the restaurant's caliber, because this Thanksgiving meal pleasantly surprised.  If only the watermelon rinds would come back, I'd know we were on an upswing!

This year, The Golden Lamb, added a new spin to the dining experience and had a very personable "historian" coming around the tables to share delightful stories about the restaurant's history.  He was respectful of those that were not interested in hearing about the history, but he made our lunch more enjoyable by telling us the tale of how the restaurant was started for $4 as a "house of public entertainment" and showing us where the original building stood and what had been added on when.  I wish we would have heard more stories about the 12 presidents and other various personalities who have visited the Lamb over the years, but maybe another time! 

After chatting with the historian for awhile our drinks were brought, a nice white wine for my mother (can't remember which one), and Cokes for Erik and me.  We had enjoyed a long traditional night out with old friends on Thanksgiving Eve (a bit of High School Reunion) and therefore were not up for wine. 

Thanksgiving meals at The Golden Lamb come with a choice of salad, entree with 2 sides, and dessert for one price.  There are appetizers on the menu, but they are at extra cost.  We opted out on the appetizers, knowing we would be completely full (and then some) by the end of the meal.  So we started with the salad.  Erik and my mother both got the hot slaw and I went with the house salad because their house dressing is a favorite of mine.  Keep in mind, this restaurant is about history and tradition.  You're not going to find the latest fad on the menu such as a lychee martini or herb infused oil for dipping bread; but you will find some long lost favorites.  Hot slaw is one of those.  (Pickled watermelon rinds were another, but I guess I've already gone over that ad nauseum!) 

The cabbage was freshly shredded and then topped with a vinegar based hot bacon dressing.  The dressing and slaw were combined just before serving so the cabbage was only slightly wilted upon arrival to the table.  It gradually wilts more and more as you enjoy the dish.  I know some prefer it served completely wilted, but I enjoyed the gradual change in texture.  I had never tried this salad option from the Golden Lamb because of my love for their salad dressing.  However, next year I'm really going to have a real debate on my hands!

My salad was fairly typical with iceberg based greens, shredded red cabbage, red onions, tomatoes, cucumber, and cheese.  But the salad dressing is what made it.  The dressing is a garlic herb ranch which seems common enough.  However, there is a fresh herbaceous flavor that is not often found in other ranch dressings.  Additionally, the garlic flavor was very subtle and blended in well with the other herbs.  Had the waitress not told me it was garlic, I'm not sure I could have pulled it out from the other herbs.  Additionally, the consistency of the dressing was not heavy like your typical ranches and coated the greens just enough to flavor, but not overpower.  The fresh herbs paired with the lighter consistency reminded me a bit of spring, which is nice when you're dining during a cold and biting late November day.     

Soft, light and buttery rolls were also brought out with the salad.  However, our server forgot to offer us some apple butter, but we decided we had enough other things and didn't ask for it.  From past experience I can tell you the sweet, but not too sweet, apple butter is a nice accompaniment when you're in the mood for something different paired with your rolls. 

After our salads were finished our entrees came out quickly.  Erik went with the duck and mom and I both decided to go with traditional Butler County turkey.

Erik and I had not tried the duck before and we both were pleasantly surprised.  The duck meat had a finer texture than your typical chicken breast and was not as dense.  The chef had done a nice job with the preparation and there was not the fatty/greasy layer that duck sometimes contains when not rendered correctly. The sauce was Grand Marnier flavored and added a nice sweetness.  Duck and orange are a wonderful and traditional flavor pairing.  The duck was served over wild rice with nice seasonings that were stronger in flavor than your typical wild rice mix.  However, we couldn't exactly place what those seasonings were.  Erik chose green beans with bacon and mashed potatoes as his sides.  The green beans had a strong bacon flavor, which reminded me of how my grandmother used to make them (high praise, indeed).  The potatoes were whipped, light, and buttery.  A nice change of pace from the smashed potatoes that are currently more popular.  Again, this is how both my mother and grandmother made them.  However, I'm pretty sure these had more butter than my relatives typically used, making them all the more yummy.

Like mother, like daughter; we both chose yams and mashed potatoes to go with our turkey.  The turkey also came with stuffing and a small side of cranberries. 

The turkey included 2 large pieces of white meat and a few bits of dark (choosing all white meat is an option for a few dollars more).  The meat was flavorful and moist.  The yams were candied and sweet.  They were not overcooked to the point they would fall apart, but a fork went through them easily.  The sage stuffing was dense, moist, and on the heavy side.  A gravy boat was also brought to share, but I felt there was enough on my plate as it was. 

I cleaned my plate, no problem, but that left little room for the apple cobbler I had chosen for dessert.  I opted to have our server box it up and I'm sure I enjoyed it more then next day than if I woud have forced room for it.  Erik and my mom were troopers, though, and ate it there.  Mom went with peppermint ice cream which she enjoyed because of the cool and refreshing notes that are always nice after a heavy meal.  Erik and I can't remember what he had, but he enjoyed it!  At this point in the meal I was more interested in sharing conversation with my family than I was in taking notes.  And given that this is what Thanksgiving should be about, I have no problem with it! 

From my family to yours, keep enjoying those Thanksgiving traditions whatever and wherever they may be (and wherever they came from)!

Bill total:  3 Thanksgiving dinners (including salad, entree, 2 sides, and dessert), 2 Cokes, 1 glass of white wine, and tip= $108

Overall Rating:  4 buckeyes 

As a side note, I'd love to try out some of their specialty dinners someday.  From their website it looks like they host a "Frohe Weihnahchten", a traditional "Mt. Vernon" Christmas dinner, and a traditional afternoon tea in May.  I love that they seem to have found their niche with capitalizing on history.  Historic rooms are also available for $107-133 a night, which could make for a fun weekend away. 

Ribs and Football

Food for Thought, Food for the Soul
(tailgate on Lane Ave)

*they have a restaurant
location at 4400 N High St
Columbus 43214

November 14, 2009

As we were walking back to our cars after a very enjoyable tailgaiting experience we passed a BBQ rib stand.  Not recalling seeing this place in previous tailgait adventures we figured we had to give them a try (not to mention the smell was divine)! 

We knew we had dinner plans later, so we only wanted a quick bite.  Because of this we just shared a rib sampler which came with 3 large, meaty ribs dripping in a sweet (but not too sweet) and spicy sauce.  These were served on top of a piece of white bread toast that we used to help mop up that sauce.  The ribs were fall off the bone tender and they just hit the spot perfectly.

The ladies running the show were super friendly and we can't wait to visit them again at their restaurant on the corner of High and Henderson (lower level of the 5/3rd building)! 

We'll try to hit it on a Wednesday for an early dinner (they're only open to 5) when buttermilk fried chicken is the special!  Other options include soups and salads, typical deli sandwiches such as reubens and grilled cheese, and down home treats such as sweet potato pie and peach cobbler.  Breakfast also sounds good (opens at 9) with breakfast quesadillas and biscuits and gravy.

Price:  3 ribs for $4
Overall Rating for the Tailgate: 3 buckeyes

The Fun Way to Solve Your "Where to Eat" Questions

I just found a fun widget to play around with at Urbanspoon.com!

It's a slot machine that allows you to select the area of Columbus you'd like to eat, the type of food you'd like to eat, and your price point.  Once you put in your settings, you take a spin and the widget comes up with where to try. 

What a fun way to try places you never even new existed and the adventurous way to solve the "Where do you want to go?" question. 

Looks like we're going to try Carfagna's for lunch today...

Hot Dogs and Slushies, What Could Be Better?

Dirty Frank's Hot Dog Palace

Downtown C-bus
November 14, 2009
7ish

We had heard plenty of good things about this place, and have yet to see a bad restaurant idea come out of a Liz Lessner, so we were just about salivating at the prospect of trying her latest one out.

But, I have to admit I did have my doubts about the location. As we drove to the restaurant we passed many empty buildings and the palace borders downtown in a, let's just say less happening (or more happening, I guess, depending on what you're looking for) part of town. We parked and then passed 2 sets of cops and one ambulance just as we walked a short block to the place. I somewhat worried that I might see a drive by, but I just pushed those worries away as I dreamt of the different hot dog possibilities!

We saw a hipster type crowd hanging outside and figured that was a good sign.  As I looked inside I saw an equal number of 20 to 30 somethings enjoying time out and parents with young children enjoying a more adult friendly hot dog scene.  It was 7ish on a Saturday night so there was a short wait, mainly due to the cozy size of the space.  We put our names on the list and remarked that we were glad it was an unseasonably warm evening for mid-November as we settled into standing around outside.  There was not a spare inch to force ourselves into inside!  Keep this in mind if you're planning on stopping by on a busy, cold winter night.

We waited probably no more than 15 minutes before we were seated.  The decor, in true Lessner style, was kitschy retro fun.  We especially loved the Masters of the Universe specials menu.  There were retro kitchen tables that were made famous in the 50's and 60's paired with the common wood kitchen chair from the 80's.  A mix of baseball and rock n roll decor covered the walls. 

The drink menu was just way too much fun with classic sodas such as RC, Frostop Rootbeer, and Red Pop; liquor spiked cherry and lime slushes; floats made with Jeni's ice cream, and cult beers such as Pabst Blue Ribbon, Blatz, and Schlitz.  I couldn't dream of better accompaniments for gourmet hot dogs.

I opted for the Two Tickets to Paradise which was a cherry slush (should have also had lime slush in it, but they were out), Monin Chipotle Pineapple syrup, pineapple Malibu Rum, and citrus rum.  It quickly took me back to a Sandals resort and fun in the sun. 

Erik loved the reference on the menu to drinking in the 80s and had to go with the Alabama Slammer made with Amaretto, Southern Comfort, Slo Gin Sour, 7 Up, and a splash of OJ.  Neither of us were drinking in the 80s, so no walk down memory lane, but we can appreciate what made this drink so popular! 

Next up was wading through the extensive hot dog menu.  We had a really hard time deciding on which hot dogs to try and I enlisted the help of our friendly server.  With her help I decided on the T Dog.  Erik went with the Ohioana, and we got an order of tater tots to share. 

Overall, all the dogs we ordered were Vienna Beef, which made for a nice snap when you bit down.  However, there were other options of jumbo beef, Tofurkey veggie dog, Polish sausage, and brats.  Each dog was served on a poppy seed bun, which was a nice change of pace. 

The T-Dog was topped with Sriracha mustard, roasted red peppers, bacon bits, and cheddar.  This was really wonderful.  The roasted red pepers really made the dog, but all the flavors blended well together, and the Sriracha gave it just an extra kick of flavor that made the finish perfect.  Great recommendation from the server!

The Ohioana was topped with a spicy corn relish and celery salt.  It was also good, but a little bland tasting when compared to the awesomeness of the T-Dog.

As for the tater tots, these were close enough to the school lunchroom classic to make you nostalgic, but gourmet-afied enough that you could enjoy them with adult taste buds.  Forget the somewhat soggy, undercooked, possibly cold tater tots of the lunchroom.  These were served hot and had a perfect crunch on the outside.  They were topped with a large grain (possibly pretzel?) salt that upped the flavor factor.

 
After this bounty I was full, but Erik was up for one more dog.  He decided on the Nicola this time.

The Nicola was topped with typical gyro toppings such as a Tzatziki sauce, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, etc.  It mainly tasted like a gyro on a hot dog bun, which was okay, but not our favorite.  I know gyro toppings are generally cold and that's likely what the restaurant was going for, but I didn't like the cold toppings on the hot dog.  I would have preferred everything to be warmed. 

Erik ordered one more drink to go with his Greek dog, a Yars Revenge.  This was made of Jim Beam, So Co, blood orange juice, and ginger ale.  However, a small mistake was made and the Rick Astley was brought to us instead.  The server nicely let us keep it :)  The Rick Astley was composed of Jeremiah Weed Sweet Tea, vodka, and lemonade.  We were glad for the mistake because the Yars Revenge had too much Jim Beam flavor in it for my preference.  However, the Rick Astley was fabulous.  It was smooth and sweet, but not too sweet.  There was no taste of alcohol, which could lead to you quickly getting into trouble with these!

After this we were tempted by funnel fries, but ultimately decided we had had enough.  As we walked out we were glad that we arrived when we did because quite a line was forming outside.  While we were glad we didn't have to wait for long, we could certainly understand why others would. 

                                  

I, for one, can't wait to go back.  There are about 20 other hot dog styles that I'd love to try!

Bill Total:  3 hot dogs, tater tots, 3 cocktails, and tip=$29.74 (awesome experience for the price!)

Overall Rating:  5 buckeyes~ This is based on wonderful atmosphere, great value, great food, and a restaurant concept that is just too much fun!

Wine! (and some food)

The Wine Guy
Creekside at Gahanna

October 25, 2009

7:30ish pm

What a week it had been! Work for both of us had been crazy and overwhelming and to top it all off we found out we needed to replace our entire heating and cooling system! We were looking for a place to escape, relax into some good conversation, and enjoy some wine. We had heard The Wine Guy just might be able to help.

As we walked in we immediately felt warm and comfortable, especially coming in from the cool fall air. The place had a fun and relaxed vibe with the bustle of friends laughing and enjoying themselves. But the back of the restaurant was still quiet or intimate enough for a fun date. Immediately looking around I enjoyed the light flickering off the wine bottles on the side and the warm wood bar. The place was full, but not overly crowded and there were a mix of couples, women enjoying girl's night out, and older groups of friends. It seemed to be an any occasion type of place. The hostess was friendly and explained all the tables were full, but we were welcome to sit at the bar for the evening or put our name in for a table and start at the bar. We decided to start at the bar and move to a table later. As we waited, we were glad we had gotten there at 7:30, by 8 the place was packed with no room to wait at the bar and little room to stand inside!

We quickly found a seat and the bartender was jovial, knowledgeable, and helpful in a friendly rather than a "I know all there is to know about wine" way. He was just what you'd think the "wine guy" would be. We settled on sharing the Italian wine flight which was comprised of 4 reds.

Number 1 was the Michele Chiarlo Barbera D'Asti was not exceptionally dry, and definitely not quite sweet; but tasted of grape and cherry jam with a perfumey bouquet and acidic finish.

Number 2 was the Memo Montepulciano D'Abruzzo which had a deep dark fruit aroma, a muted thicker sweet flavor, almost syrupy, and contained a smooth beginning, but was more acidic in the finish. I would have preferred more brightness in the flavor, rather than thickness of texture. However, the flavor seemed to change with each sip. It would be interesting to see what this one would be like if decanted.

The third was a Renato Ratti Nebbiolo which had a deep fruity aroma and a taste of cherry with an earthiness.

The last was a Borgo Pretale Chianti Classico Riserva which was friendly and homey. It was exactly what you would expect out of a warm Chianti and if I closed my eyes I could almost feel the warmth of the Italian sun bottled up with grapes.

Overall, these were satisfying wines, but the Chianti is the only one I liked enough to try and buy on my own. Before we finished our first fight our table was ready and we quickly moved. Before we had even decided what to try next we were brought an amuse bouche of pita wedges with a spread of cream cheese, sun dried tomatoes, and basil. This was heavenly! I loved the silkiness of the spread, the gentle herb flavor, and freshness of the pita.
We then decided to try the Cabernet flight and put in our food order. We decided to order a few small plates to get a better sampling of the food. We ordered the hummus and olive tapenade, the Greek chicken, and the steak and asparagus with a mushroom risotto. We also mentioned to our waiter that we really enjoyed the pita and cheese spread and so he brought us more! Gotta love that.

The hummus and olive tapenade was also wonderful. The pita was charred, the olive tapenade has a strong salty flavor, which paired nicely when topped with the creamy hummus made of black beans, roasted garlic, and sun dried tomatoes. I tried the tapenade and the hummus both on a pita piece independently, but this was a case of the sum being better than the parts. The hummus independently was too bland and the olive tapenade too salty, but together they were just right. A piece of lettuce added in just the right amount of crunch.

I was not as impressed with the entree selections. The Greek chicken was pan fried and served with feta, sun dried tomatoes, and spinach in a thin sauce. It was okay, but reminded me of something I'd be served at a banquet or conference. The dish sure was pretty though!

The steak and asparagus with mushroom risotto was an "interesting" dish. The steak was done nicely, the asparagus was tender crisp, and the mushroom risotto was creamy. However, the steak was topped with a chipotle sauce that just didn't meld with the rest of the dish. If the dish was just chipotle steak, that would have worked. Or if the dish had been a mushroom risotto with asparagus, that would have worked. But the chipotle with the mushroom risotto did not taste well together. In this case each part was greater than the sum.

The Cabernet flight was composed of a Robert Hall Cabernet which was light with berry notes; a Napa Cuvee 12 Cabernet, which I honestly can't remember (as the dinner went on and the more relaxed I became the less time I took to take notes!); a J Lohr Hilltop Cabernet which had a deep dark fruit flavor, most notably of plum; and a Faust Napa Valley Cabernet, which I also don't remember! :) I can, however, say I enjoyed them all!

Overall, this place has a great relaxed, welcoming atmosphere, with great service. This is a great place to meet up with friends, kick back and relax with a glass and a loved one, or have a fun girl's night out. However, I'd save this place for happy hour or drinks and appetizers before a night out or late dinner. Save your main dishes for another place.

Bill Total: 1 Italian wine flight, 1 Cabernet wine flight, hummus and olive tapenade, Greek chicken (tapas portion), steak with mushroom risotto (tapas portion), and tip= $50.40 (we used the Entertainment Card to get one tapas dish free)

Overall Rating: This is a hard one. I enjoyed my time spent here, the wine, the pita and cheese spread, and the hummus so much I'd give it 4 buckeyes. However, I really was not impressed with the entrees, so I'd give them 3 buckeyes. I guess I'll split the difference and go with 3 1/2.

Las Margaritas

Las Margaritas

706 North State Street

Westerville, Ohio 43082

October 15, 2009

8ish pm

This was not my first time at Las Margaritas as it's fairly close to my neighborhood and is a fallback for us when we've had a busy night and just want to go somewhere close; or when we're craving Mexican and just have to have it NOW. This was both of those occasions. I got home from work fairly late and just didn't have it in me to make dinner. I try not to let this happen too frequently, but it happens. Also, Erik had been craving Mexican for awhile. I figured 2 birds, one stone.

The people at the Westerville Las Margaritas have always been super friendly and this occasion was just the same. We were warmly welcomed and given a booth right away. Chips and salsa were on our table in nanoseconds and we immediately ordered 2 classic margaritas on the rocks, with salt. Long days at work can sometimes only be soothed by classic margaritas in the evening! To me, their margaritas have a nice mix of sweet and sour and are of a good size. I couldn't ask for more.

We also hungrily dug into their chips and salsa. The chips are your typical Mexican restaurant chips, but I really do enjoy the salsa here. It has some kick, but not over the top hot. The tomatoes are crushed and there is always an abundance of fresh cilantro, which is one of my all time favorite herbs. Just the smell of it reminds me of Mexican goodness, street cart tacos, and warm al fresco dining in Mexico by the beach. I enjoy cilantro so much I bet I'd even like it with chocolate! That being said, in any salsa I approve fresh cilantro is a must.

As I looked over the menu and around the restaurant I noticed a few changes had been made since the last time I was there. It looked like the menu was revamped a bit, or at least reorganized, and with this came an increase in price. Entrees that had been around the $8 range were now in the $9 range. A sign of the times, I guess.

But the more peculiar change was in the decor. Around the seats in the middle of the restaurant there used to be a line up of Jarritos bottles (Mexican sodas in various flavors and colors). I didn't love the Mexican soda decor before, but at least it was fitting with the restaurant and it was fun to examine the unique flavors such as tamarind and guava. However, these bottles had been replaced with cans of orange and grape Crush. There were also some Crush posters on the wall. Puzzling? I think yes. This change is lost on me. Possibly Crush is the new sponsor of Las Margaritas? :) I don't know, but if I were them I'd bring those Mexican bottles back.

I didn't have too long to contemplate this before our food was brought out. I simply love how quick and efficient this Mexican restaurants is. I ordered 1 chicken enchilada and one chicken taco a la carte while Erik ordered 1 pork tamale and 1 chicken burrito a la carte. I really enjoyed my enchilada. The interior was a shredded chicken slow cooked with tomatoes and peppers. This was wrapped in a corn tortilla, topped with a red sauce which was flavorful with just a hint of cinnamon, and queso blanco melted on top. The taco was filled with the same chicken filling and then topped with fresh tomato and cheese. I would have preferred the taco to also have a sprinkling of fresh cilantro like is traditionally done in Mexico, but you also know me and cilantro! I would also probably enjoy a side of cilantro to top most everything I eat in a Mexican restaurant. However, the soft flour tortilla that the taco was served in was odd. The size seemed too big for a regular taco. It seemed they took a burrito sized tortilla and just put taco filling in it. Perhaps they were out of the smaller size...

Erik enjoyed his pork tamale, but he wished it was a little bigger. The outer masa mixture was good with a nice texture that was not too soggy nor too dry. The inner pork mixture was equally well cooked. Erik also enjoyed his chicken burrito and was happy they utilized shredded chicken. Overall, this is your typical Mexican restaurant in a strip mall. By far not the worst you could have, but it's worlds above Mexican Bar and Grill in Michigan! It's along the same lines of El Vaquero, but I've never seen a wait here like I have at El Vaq. When Mexican is what you're craving, this spot will work just fine.

Bill Total: 1 chicken enchilada, 1 chicken burrito, 1 chicken taco, 1 pork tamale, 2 classic margaritas on the rocks, and tip= $27.50

Overall Rating: 3 buckeyes

A Steeler Lunch

Bella Notte Italian Eatery

1914 Penn Ave

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222

October 11, 2009

2pm ish

To finish up our afternoon on The Strip we decided to share a pizza while we rested up for our drive home (well actually Erik needed to rest up, I actually planned on napping during the drive home).

The day before we had seen a group of friends sharing a pizza from here along the road and we decided it had just looked too good to pass up.

This place had the air of your traditional pizzeria and looked like it had served many pies to fans during home Steeler games. This Saturday the clientele seemed more subdued due to the away game. However, the restaurant was still fairly busy with families, a few fans watching the game, and shoppers like us stopping by during a day of sightseeing.

We could sit anywhere and we decided on a booth where we had an equal view of the TVs to keep an eye on the game and the cook getting orders ready and tossing pizza crust high into the air.
The service was good and our waitress quickly got our drinks (Coke for both of us) while we decided on pizza toppings. This time we went for a peperroni with tomato slices.

Since each pie is hand tossed and made to order, it did take awhile for our pizza to come out, but we didn't mind. It gave us a chance to put our feet up and talk about the wedding.

When the pizza came out is looked like yummy, cheesy goodness! However, we wondered where the peperoni was hidden. We soon found out that they use chopped peperoni pieces (think Totino's party pizza style) instead of slices! I must admit while the rest of the pizza was fabulous with good sauce, nice seasonings, and a great crust; I was really missing the more powerful taste of slices of peperroni.

Overall though, great atmosphere and service. Good crust, spices, and cheese. However, due to the pepperoni, I can't call this the best pizza in Pittsburgh.

Cost: 2 Cokes, 1 large pizza with peperonni and tomato, and tip: $17.63

Rating: 3 buckeyes

However, as we walked back to our car we found just one more place we just couldn't pass up. Fudgie Wudgie Fudge and Chocolate Factory.

Now this place was great! Unfortunately, since we'd just gorged ourselves on pizza and a host of other samples from the strip we felt fudge would be pushing it. But, we couldn't leave empty handed either. We decided to take chocolate dipped marshmallows as a small dessert to enjoy later in the car! While Mon Aimee impressed me, I (and my wallet) felt more at home in this candy store ;)

Ahhh.....after a food filled weekend we were finally ready to head home to the Buckeye state.

Day 2 of Steeler Country

Pittsburg's Strip District

October 11, 2009

12ish

We woke up Sunday to a simply beautiful, quintessential, Midwestern fall day. The air was crisp and cool, but you still felt comfortable in just a light jacket. This is my type of day! The trees had turned and the hills looked so warm with their oranges, yellows, and reds in contrast to the cool water of the Allegheny river.

We were definitely happy to be in Pittsburgh on such a day! We quickly got dressed for an after the wedding brunch at the Omni William-Penn and met our family. We leisurely ate pastries and yogurt, drank enough coffee to compensate for our late night, and then offered congratulations and good-byes to everyone before checking out and taking off the explore the Strip District for a few hours before heading back to Ohio.

We got to the strip district around 12 pm and parking was a little more difficult to find than the previous day, but still not a problem. The Steelers were playing away in Detroit, but there were still plenty of people selling Steeler gear and plenty of people wearing Steeler gear as they worked on finding the perfect place to watch the game. These are people just as serious about their NFL football team as we are about OSU!

As we walked around what I noticed most was how eclectic this district is. There are the sports fans trying to find a bar, there were teenagers hanging out in line for a concert to be held later that night, there were people doing some grocery shopping, and there were families out just exploring. The mix of people around also spoke to the mix of businesses that call The Strip home. The warehouse and train track background speak to the working class roots of the District and some of these merchants are still around. You can see the history in places like Stan's Market that still features fresh produce, the Italian American roots of the Pennsylvania Macaroni Company, and a classic breakfast diner in DeLuca's. However, interspersed with these classics are some signs of change. In between the history is a mingling with the future. There are Asian markets, gourmet spice stores, gourmet kitchen supplies, dried flower shops, homemade pottery stores, coffee shops, and upscale chocolatiers.

I really appreciated this diversity, especially given that I can be as happy attacking a burger from Thurman's as I can dining at The Refectory. It's a mingling of 2 very fine worlds.

The upcoming descriptions of places are by no means an extensive list of great places on the strip, but it is a sampling of the things that were open (it was Sunday so some places were closed) and that impressed me. First, Stan's Market had a ton of fresh produce ready to go and I noticed the prices were great (at least much less than I'm used to spending in Columbus)! We also noticed there were some people selling fresh flowers on the street that were beautiful and also priced less than I'm used to seeing at farmer's markets around here. If I didn't have to worry about fresh flowers getting squashed by all the luggage I HAD to bring with us, I definitely would have bought a few bunches to spruce up our house with some fall color.

The first place we ducked into was In The Kitchen, a gourmet kitchen supply store. We loved browsing through all the specialty cookware items and ended up buying some Steeler colored chocolate covered sunflower seeds and fall shaped cookie cutters for our friend who was house sitting and watching our dogs. We were definitely tempted to buy more by the samples of pumpkin whoopie pies and pumpkin butter. One friendly staff member even gave me a tip on how to get the whoopie pies to have extra flavor!

From there we explored Penzey's spices and ducked into Mancini's bread to get a closer look at the pepperoni rolls we saw so many people enjoying. Granted the roll looked very good and was tempting, but ultimately we decided we'd prefer somewhere we could sit down and relax for a bit before driving home.

We loved the expressions on the clay pumpkins at Penn Ave Pottery, but were unwilling to spend around $40 to take one home. Maybe we'll reconsider when economy turns back around. :)

DeLuca's Restaurant looked amazing and had a line out the door! We figured it had to be good diner fair, but considering we had already eaten breakfast we were looking more for a lunch spot.

We ducked in Roxanne's Dried Flowers and were immediately enchanted with the fun displays of flowers mingled with antique looking Halloween decor. We bought a whimsical butterfly ornament for our Christmas tree that reminded me of some antique ornaments my great grandmother had.

We were impressed and enticed by the rich chocolately smell of Mon Aimee Chocolat. However, looking was about all we could afford to do here. I was in awe of the decadent display cases, chocolate bars from around the word, and different mixes of cocoa powder. They even had the chocolate covered bacon I had heard so much about a few months ago! However, the prices were hard for me to swallow. The chocolate covered bacon, I think, was around $8 and we found a regular sized candy bar for $24! Suddenly the $40 pottery pumpkin was looking like a steal.

But eventually the heady chocolate smell of the store did get the better of us and we ended up buying 2 small truffles, one peanut butter flavored and one pumpkin flavored. The peanut butter one was divine and reminded me of a very soft and velvety cross between a buckeye and a Reese's cup. The chocolate in the pumpkin flavored one was had a equally soft, velvety mouth feel. However, the flavor of the pumpkin was just not as good as the peanut butter.

We then explored the Pennsylvania Macaroni Company. Now this is an Italian grocery! The cheeses, the pastas, the meats, the oils, the olives... I could go on and on about this place of beauty. If I lived in Pittsburgh this would be a favorite stop of mine and I'm sure my Italian dishes would never be the same! Since actually traveling in Italy this is the closest I've seen to a true grocery like in the "old country".

With seeing everyone eat the pepperoni rolls and then seeing all the Italian food staples, we decided we needed Italian food for lunch. The day before, as we sauntered around trying to find Primanti Brothers, we drooled over a table enjoying a pizza. We ended up trying our own for lunch at Bella Notte. Stay tuned for my next to hear how that went!

Bill Total (for food): $1.20 for the 2 chocolates, samples at In the Kitchen were free, and for the rest of the places we just looked!

Overall Strip Rating: 5 buckeyes~This place is a food paradise!

The Buckeye Goes to Steeler Country

Primanti Brothers
Strip District

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

October 10, 2009

This past weekend we attended a beautiful wedding at the Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh. It was truly an elegant affair and it was great catching up with family and friends. We had a great time, but while all of this was going on, we were also itching to explore some of the city. For me food is the heart of all travel, so we attempted to take a whirlwind bite out of Pittsburgh! Since we only had a few open hours we focused our attention on Pittsburgh's famous Strip District.

While doing some pre-travel internet searching I came across the famous Primanti Brothers sandwiches. I think I first had heard of this place on the Travel Channel show, Man V Food. Seeing the segment about them on TV made me laugh, because the sandwiches reminded me so much of the famous overstuffed sandwiches from Panini's that my friends and I would share after a fun night of dancing (and of course I only mean dancing :) ) during our college days. This, of course, was when Panini's was still located on South campus. It has since moved more north on High Street to the location of a past bank and past Counterfeit Heist restaurant. But I digress, I LOVED these sandwiches in college and nothing tasted better at 1 or 2 in the morning. Well actually, maybe TJ's, Cluck-U-Chicken, or Catfish Biffs were more often top choices; but Panini's was definitely in my top 5!

I also thought Panini sandwiches were so unique. However, this TV special showed me that they're not so unique after all. It turns out that Primanti Brothers have been over stuffing their sandwiches with fries and coleslaw since around the time of the Great Depression. The Primanti Brothers opened their restaurant to feed the workers in the produce and warehouse strip of Pittsburgh late at night or in the early morning. Because of their jobs they needed something filling, fast, and easy to eat. There's not as much warehouse and produce work going on in the strip as there once was, but Primanti Brothers has kept their late hours and now also have an after clubbing following. They also have a lunch following, after work following, food to eat during the games following, have to eat here if you're only going to be in Pittsburgh for a few hours before a wedding following etc. etc. This just makes me wonder if the founders of Panini's were from around the Pittsburgh area and trying to bring a bit of their memories to Ohio? Or did they just try the sandwich while on a trip and figured this was something Ohio just had to have? My research on this, thus far, has turned up nada. If anybody out there has the answer, please enlighten me!

Primanti Brothers is such a Pittsburgh institution that is has expanded to include 15 Pittsburgh area restaurants, including Heinz Field and the airport, and 2 locations in Florida! However, I feel like you generally get the best understanding about what a restaurant is all about from the origininal, so that's immediately where we went upon arrival in Pittsburgh. The wedding didn't start until 7:00 pm so when we arrived in Pittsburgh around 4, we figured we could fit in a "snack", especially since we'd be eating dinner much later.

I had heard mixed reviews about The Strip. Some complain that it's just a street filled with cheesy Steeler paraphernalia, while others rave about the classic Pittsburgh institutions. With such mixed reviews, I didn't know exactly what to expect. We quickly found parking behind an old warehouse and I admit that the area looked a bit sketchy from the get go. I also quickly understood where the complaints about the tons of Steeler gear came from since the Steeler vendors line the street with quality products such as yellow and black Mardi Gras beads and slippers. But then again, I also feel those nay-sayers didn't take the time to look past a little grit and appreciate the true spirit of the place. But more on that later. Sunday afternoon Erik and I spent the afternoon exploring The Strip and I'll write about that in my next post.

For now I'll get back to Primanti Brothers.

First off the restaurant is just off the main strip. You look down a side street and this sign welcomes you from the side of the building. You get a little closer and you see beautiful old wood doors just welcoming you to grab a bite to eat!

You immediately know it's going to be good when you see people pushing to get in and a police officer managing the door.

We lucked out with a great seat at the counter. However, the cook was super busy and it took about 20 minutes to get our order in. This is no complaint though! The servers and cook NEVER stopped moving. They just were that busy.

Since this was supposed to be just a "snack" before a wedding we opted to share the Pitts-burgher Cheese Steak, which they call their number 2 bestseller. (Their number 1 bestseller is the beer!) I ate my half with a refreshing Coke, but Erik couldn't pass up an opportunity to have a Yuengling, which is another Pennsylvania tradition. Unfortunately, Yuengling is not sold in Ohio. How happy we would be if it were! But instead, it gives us something to forward to when we travel.

Once our order was in drinks came fast and the sandwich was ready in just about 5 minutes. I will say this sandwich is a thing of beauty. The layers of flavor, the sides dishes placed on the sandwich; simply genius
The breakdown is a sirloin beef patty, provolone cheese, french fries similar to fair fries, a vinegary sweet and sour coleslaw, and tomato slices. This is all sandwiched between white Italian bread and served in classic wax paper. Yum! The acidic bite of the coleslaw and tomato nicely balances the fat and juiciness from the rest of the sandwich. And the thick Italian bread does a nice job of holding everything together and soaking up the excess.

And to top it all off our server liked the fact we ran in just to have a sandwich before the wedding so much, he gave us one more to take to another lucky guest! Apparently someone ordered a sandwich, but didn't have cash to pay for it (the restaurant is cash only). Lucky for us, but we did feel baldly about the person missing out on his/her sandwich.

Erik and I were extremely happy with our sandwich and would have loved to sample some more items. We left really wishing we had tried the corn beef or at least one of their other "shaved meat" sandwiches. We were interested in how that type of texture would work with the rest of the sandwich. I have to say the patty on the Cheese Steak was good, but it wasn't amazing. I'm thinking the corn beef or ham could be amazing. I guess there's always next time!

Bill total: $12 (1 Cheese Steak, 1 Yuengling, 1 Coke, tip)

Overall Rating: 4 buckeyes

I really wrestled with this one, but I think it comes down to personal taste and the fact that this is my blog! I know I gave Skyline 5 buckeyes and Primanti Brothers has an equal fan following. But it isn't my history, and I don't crave it. I'd drive out of my way many miles to get a Skyline fix, but I wouldn't make a trip to Pittsburgh just for this sandwich. I'll let the Pittsburg restaurant bloggers give this one a 5 and critique Skyline ;)

Pizza, Fire, and Art!

Enrico's Pizza and Restaurant

5788 Frantz Road

Dublin, Ohio 43016

September 19, 2009

6ish pm

My husband and I were looking for more of a low key dining out experience before going downtown to see Waterfire and explore the Riverfront Arts Festival. We thought a mom and pop pizza place would be just the ticket and had heard Enrico's just might fit the bill. A friend of ours had insisted we put it on our evergrowing list of restaurants to try and as I looked up reviews online I noticed, by far, the majority were favorable; with one even stating the pizza was the best they've ever had, even when comparing it to pizza from Sicily! If this is pizza better than how the Sicilian's do it, then I need to try it :)

As you walk in the restaurant the first thing I noticed was the wonderful smell of a true pizzeria. This is the smell of a blend of homemade crust baking, family dining, and Italian spices. While those big named chains can crank out a decent pizza, the places just don't have the same smell. It took me back to this pizza place my parents would take me to on Friday nights, named Chester's. I remember standing in line to order our pizza, my head just reaching the top of the counter, and smelling this same smell. Then we'd walk back to dark wooden tables to patiently (actually impatiently and complaining was probably more the case since I was 5-7 years old, but that's beside the point) wait for the pizza to be brought out. I also remember how awesome I thought it was that this restaurant actually had TVs in it. Can you imagine now being impressed by TVs in a restaurant? How things have changed, and how old does saying things like this make me feel! But I digress, back to Enrico's.

The server told us to sit wherever and then another server quickly came over to take our drink orders. She was possibly the mother of the family because she was definitely professional, friendly, and seemed invested in the place. She knew her job and did it well.

A weird quirk of mine is absolutely having to have some sort of soft drink with pizza and Coke is definitely my preference. I just can't drink anything else with it; so that's what I ordered. The husband is much more flexible and thought an Italian beer would be fitting, so he ordered a Peroni. We took a minute to look around the place and noticed that the place was busy, but not overly crowded. There were about 8 couples, mainly people in their 30's and up enjoying what seemed to be "date night". There was one family with kids. The restuarant definitely had a family friendly vibe, but this night it was mostly couples. It seemed like many people were regulars and knew the family. You could see the grandmother (at least I assume it was the grandmother) cooking in the back, while the mother chatted up a few of the guests and ensured they were having an enjoyable time. If you're looking for a mom and pop classic pizzeria, this is definitely your place!

We then went over the menu and the typical Italian entrees of spaghetti and lasagna definitely tempted us, but overall we decided we came here for the pizza and that's what we were going to try! We both got side salads, mine with ranch and Erik's with house made Italian. We couldn't agree on pizza toppings so I decided to go vegetarian on my half with onions, green peppers, and black olives; while Erik went with capicola on his half. I was happy to see such authentically Italian topping choices.

Our salads came out quickly and we immediately dug in. The salad was very basic with iceberg lettuce, shredded carrots, and a tomato. My ranch was a packet of Marzetti's. I'm never fond of restaurants presenting dressing this way. I realize most restaurants don't make all of their dressings homemade, but is it really too difficult to either put the dressing on the salad or serve it in a ramekin on the side? To me, this extra minute of prep work helps presentation and the overall vibe of the restaurant. Getting a packet of dressing in a restaurant just reminds me too much of a fast food chain. But while this is a negative to me I do realize I'm being pretty picky, and it's definitely not something that makes or breaks my experience either :)

Erik's homemade Italian dressing was served on his salad and we both sampled it. It had a surprisingly sweeter taste than most Italian dressings. However, the sweetness coupled with the oil were really the only flavors that came through for me. Overall, the taste was fairly bland. I would have preferred more Italian spices. Erik agreed.

My ranch was classic (Thanks Marzetti's!) and overall my salad was a typical side salad. Not bad, not great.

We finished our salads and our pizza was out momentarily. The pizza looked great and as you picked up your slice there were those great strings of melted cheese hanging on. I couldn't wait to try it. Of course I tried my veggie side first and I really hate to say it, but I was disappointed. The crust was great with a nice crunch, not too thick and not too thin. The cheese was perfectly ooey and gooey. The veggies were well cooked and not too heavily or skimpily topped. However, everything together just did not make me feel like this was the best pizza ever, or really anything close. It definitely wasn't bad, but I've had many better (including those in Italy)! I tried to think about what was missing, what was wrong, why I didn't love this pizza and I just couldn't place it right away. I decided to try a piece of my husband's side while I contemplated...

Now this is what pizza is all about. Erik's side obviously had the same nice crust and ooey gooey cheese. However, his was topped with the capicola which added a wonderful spiciness to the pizza. This was what was missing on my side! Not the meat (even though it was definitely high quality and I'd love to know who the supplier is), but the extra spice in the capicola added the flavor punch that my side didn't have. Enrico's seems to use basic, good quality crust, sauce, and cheese as a blank canvas for the spiced meat toppings (or maybe they were just out of Italian seasonings this day given the same problem with the dressing :) ). But this strategy works out wonderfully when you order a pizza with meat, but not as fabulously on a veggie pizza. If they asked me, and I'm not sure they would really care about my opinion since, based on the reviews, so many people love their pizza. But if they did, I would tell them to leave their meat topped pizza alone. It's done completely right. But if someone orders cheese only or veggie toppings, take a couple more seconds to shake on some Italian spices! We need flavor. This could help elevate their vegetarian pizzas to the same satisfaction level of their meat pizzas.

We downed the majority of our large pizza, paid, and took off in just enough time to make it downtown, park and run to the river to see the lighting of waterfire. Sorry about the picture quality, Waterfire did look more impressive than this in person.

I had heard about Waterfire sometime last summer, but missed it every time. I was happy we finally were able to make it to one this season. But I must say it wasn't what I had expected. Somehow I had anticipated a bigger fire display or maybe it organized more artfully. However, it still was very nice and something different to experience in Columbus. It kind of reminded me of a city version of the bonfires people have when they're camping or just hanging out in someone's backyard. Groups of friends, families, and couples all sat on the riverbank, talked, and watched the fire. Erik and I took a moment to first stand on the bridge and take the display in and then we moved down to the riverbank to sit for awhile and enjoy the warm glow close up. On a cool evening, sitting close to a fire is so comforting, homey, and relaxing! After we had our fill of the fire (and before the food coma from the pizza could sit in) we walked back up the riverbank to walk through the arts festival. I must say this is definitely one of Columbus's more classier festivals and for a minute I thought that surely I was in a different city. The opera was putting on a free performance which we enjoyed for a few minutes before progressing on. There was a wine booth and a mixed drinks vendor. We ordered 2 glasses of their white wine and it was so nice to sip as we strolled through the art booths and heard opera singing in the background. Now this reminded me of being in Italy. A perfect end to an evening out!

Bill total (for Enrico's only): 2 Peroni's, Coke, 2 side salads, large pizza, and tip: $37

Bill total (for Arts Festival): 2 glasses of white wine: $8

Overall Rating for Enrico's: 3 buckeyes

Overall Rating for and evening in Columbus: 4 buckeyes

Restaurant Week

The Refectory
September 11, 2009
8ish pm

Dine originals puts together one of the best events in Columbus. For one week many locally owned and operated Columbus restaurants (read between the lines and this means non-chain and excellent) have special 3 course prix fixe menus for $20.09 or $30.09 (depending on the restaurant). This gives people a chance to try out restaurants they may have considered, but were never willing to take the plunge on because of potential price or perhaps one bad comment they have heard that has kept them away. It also gives chefs an opportunity to showcase some of their specialties. Win win for everyone.

Love for me!

In the business of beginning the school year I almost missed this week until a friend happened to mention it around Wednesday of the week. Once alerted I ran (and yes I literally mean ran) to the computer to see what our options were. I was immediately struck and ecstatic that The Refectory was a part of this deal. I knew that this would be a strong contender, but I had no idea how so many of the menus would tempt me. Checking out and comparing each menu was definitely part of the fun of this week. If only I had known this was restaurant week earlier! I for sure would have broken my deal of going out to eat more than one time a week. However, groceries for the week were already bought and I didn't want things to go to waste. But some of the tempters included pan fried chicken breast with black truffles at Bexley's Monk, heirloom tomato salad and strip steak at the Burgundy Room, and prime rib and a funnel cake at The Top Steakhouse . However, all in all we decided we couldn't pass up an opportunity to experience 3 courses at The Refectory for $30 a person.

I had Erik call and make reservations immediately and Erik was struck by how polite and welcoming the man making the reservation was on the phone (my guess is that it was the owner). Erik actually remarked that it was the nicest anyone had ever been on the phone while making a reservation. We only hoped this was a good omen for our dining experience.

And I can definitely say that it was. As you walk into the restaurant you feel a little as if you are going back in time to a period of more refined elegance. The owner is at the reception welcoming you in and the restaurant has a feel of an old club, but in a comfortable way, not too stuffy. It's always welcoming its members back, but is just as gracious to meet someone new. Erik and I had a seat on a soft love seat to await our table. We waited less than 5 minutes, which I didn't mind at all since it gave me a chance to get a feel for the restaurant and take the experience in.

We were then seated in a portion of the dining room that I believe was the old church. Wood beams were exposed in the ceiling which gave a feeling of warmth and contrasted nicely with the overall more elegant feel of the restaurant service. Drink orders were taken and I opted for a dirty vodka martini made with Kettle One. I was pleasantly surprised when I was offered the option of bleu cheese stuffed olives (my favorite)! Erik went with a gimlet.

After drink orders were taken we had a few moments to look around the restaurant. Erik remarked that the restaurant seemed to have a quiet hum of a bee hive or an orchestra working together. As you look around you see couples enjoying an evening out and friends celebrating a special occasion. However, if you look at things on a deeper level, all around the diners is a quiet buzz of the servers doing there job and doing it superbly. Everyone looks like they know exactly what they are doing and always look busy, but there is no confusion or no one getting in anyone else's way. At the same time, no one is overbearing and you never feel like the servers are intruding on your experience. This is what serving as a profession, rather than an extra job is all about.

Soon after our drinks arrived we were given an amuse bouche that was similar to a bruschetta, only with much finer ingredients than your typical tomatoes and basil. However, unfortunately I don't recall what those ingredients were. I only remember it was yummy and all the flavors on the plate melded together seamlessly. You will have to forgive my explanations of the food as blogging is fairly new to me and I forgot to immediately write down the specific names of the different dishes (and for this one we didn't even take a picture). As you can see, I'm writing this a couple of weeks after my experience and the memories are starting to fade! I promise only to get better! However, this has made me learn that as the exact ingredients, textures, and thoughts about a dish fade quickly after the eating. The feelings of the moment stay with you and that is what truly makes a dining experience memorable.

On that note, our appetizers came next and Erik and I both got the same thing. Again, I cannot remember exactly what dish was named (but at least I remembered to take a picture this time)! It was a cold soup with a red pepper base, a pesto swirled into it, and a bit of shrimp in the middle. The soup was good, with strong flavor but nothing too memorable to me. No complaints, but no raves either.

Next up were our entrees. I ordered a strip steak done medium rare and Erik went with the salmon. My steak was perfection! The presentation was beautiful and showed the steak perfectly medium rare. The steak was very tender and obviously of high quality. It gave new meaning to the phrase "It melts in your mouth". The sauce had a velvety texture that reminded me of a very refined, yet comforting reduction of a pot roast gravy with possibly the addition of red wine and butter. Each vegetable was done tender crisp and offered a nice crunch in contrast to the softness and tenderness of the steak. The whipped potatoes were done well and added to the comforting feel of a very upscale pot roast.

I am not a salmon lover, but gosh I wish I was since it's so good for you and Erik's looked divine. But since I'm not I have nothing to add about this dish, but a picture and a few words from my husband. Erik noted that the fish had a nice flaky texture and the sauce was a tomato white whine sauce that was not overpowering. The asparagus was tender crisp and the pasta had a tomato flavor. The other piece was a stuffed tomato topped with anchovy. Overall, Erik enjoyed the dish very much, but felt it was not unlike other salmon dishes he had tried. He said that he was much more impressed with the service of the restaurant than the food. Nevertheless, he still enjoyed the food very much.

I must say that my personal dining experience just got better and better as we went (possibly because of the effects of 2 martinis, but I do think the quality of the dishes had something to do with it also) :) and my dessert might be the best I've ever had.

I ordered a chocolate charlotte bombe that made my heart skip a beat as I tasted it. The centerpiece of the dessert was chocolate mousse like, but lighter than any other mousse I had ever eaten before. However, at the same time as achieving lightness there was still a strong, rich chocolate flavor. Sometimes it seems that the extra air that is incorporated into a dessert to achieve lightness results in less flavor coming through. But luckily, this was not the case in this dessert. The mousse was on top of a crisp chocolate cookie/biscotti base and topped with a chocolate wafer. Covering the plate was a raspberry sauce. Raspberry and chocolate is a favorite flavor combination of mine, but the Refectory has elevated this to new levels. The velvety texture and sugary sweetness of the sauce, combined with the light airiness of the mousse, and then the crunch of the thicker cookie base created pure joy in my mouth. It was a perfect melding of flavors and textures, but with a strong pure chocolate flavor always shining through. I think a tear of joy may have rolled down my cheek after my first bite.

Erik ordered a dessert that is hard to name (when you don't write down what was written on the menu), but I'll do my best to describe it. It was plum based with a moist dense filling similar to a custard, but with a slightly more cake like/granular texture than a pure custard. This was topped with a vanilla bean ice cream and a creme anglaise on the plate. This dessert was equally high quality, but I kept getting the feeling that I made the better choice of dishes during this meal! But, when you're a chocolate lover it's very difficult to beat a chocolate mousse. With this dessert, instead of every flavor melding together, each flavor stood out. The vanilla ice cream had a strong flavor of vanilla, likely due to real vanilla bean. The creme anglaise also had a pure velvety vanilla flavor and then there was the sweet/sour flavor of the plum custardy dessert. (I know you are all astounded by my creative foodie vocabulary such as "plum custardy dessert".) But in this dessert, instead of a melding of flavors each flavor had its own distinct note.

Ahhh.....what a great ending to a satisfying evening out. There is just nothing that compares to a dining experience in a dining institution that so obviously has an old world style that never needs to be changed, but still can lead in food quality and creation. Overall, I think it's the contrasts in the restaurant that makes it so appealing. Elegant decor is contrasted with rustic exposed beams in the ceiling of the dining room and a mismatch of fine china. The building has a history and the food stays true to its roots, but with contemporary takes on classic dishes. There is an air of relaxation, comfort, and being truly taken care of as you dine; yet there is still a constant buzz of organized business from the waitstaff going on in the background. Even the dishes speak to the harmony that comes with contrast. Velvety steak contrasts with tender crisp vegetables. Tart plums contrast with sweet sauces.

On top of all this, someone even called us on Monday just to ensure we had a good experience. That was definitely a first for me and just showed how top notch the place and the service truly is. If you ever get the opportunity, this is a restaurant not to miss.

Another thing not to miss is restaurant week. I know I definitely don't want to make such a close call again! I've already highlighted March 7-13, 2010 (the next C-bus RW) in my calendar and think you should do the same.

Bill total: 2 3-course dinners through Restaurant Week ($30.09 each), 2 Ketle One martini's, 2 gimlets, and tip:$120 (yes, alcohol really ups the bill)

Overall Rating: 5 buckeyes