Sunday, January 10, 2010

Who Needs Fazoli's?

Polaris Area
December 12, 2009
1:30ish

As per a usual Saturday in December, my husband and I were out and about trying to wrap up some Christmas shopping (pun so intended, so just stop your groaning) :).  We had a Christmas party to get to later in the evening and thought we should try and grab a larger lunch to tide us over since small bites and dessert would only be served later.  We wanted to get away from the craziness of the Polaris mall and decided to go down the street a little to a much quieter strip mall.  We happened to remember we had a coupon for Carfagna's and decided it was the perfect time to use it. 

Now, I drive past Carfagna's Kitchen just about daily, and had wanted to try it; but had seen nothing that was making me rush to get there.  I knew Carfagna's was famous for meat and had loved their store on 161.  However, I was afraid that this place was just going to be another fast food Italian place that would be good, but I could also live without.  The strip mall locale and neon sign outside reminded me just a little too much of a chain.  When I want Italian I want coziness and hidden, hole in the wall mom and pop places.
 

But boy, am I so thankful that we finally did decide to try it!  Granted this is fast food, but only in the sense that it is ready to go fast and you eat off plastic.  The taste is all homemade, cooked with care and all the loveliness that you would expect from a mom and pop Italian kitchen.



The menu was extensive and it took me a few to decide between pizzas, pastas, traditional chicken and veal dishes, soups, or sandwiches (including subs and paninis).  They really have it all.  Also, many of the menu options were by no means your typical Italian fast food fare.  They had pasta al vodka, gorgonzola fettuccine, shrimp fra diavola, and chicken creamy pesto...just to name a few stand out options.   I finally decided that I was feeling pretty traditional and ordered handmade spaghetti with red sauce and 2 meatballs.  Erik was also feeling traditional and went with the baked meat and cheese lasagna.  Each entree also came with a house salad and breadstick.

The salad was pretty typical with mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, croutons, and cucumber.  The Italian dressing was homemade with an olive oil base.  It was a little bit sweeter than many Italian dressings, but I found the sweetness nice.  There were lots of herbs in the dressing to give it flavor, but I really found a fennel flavor to stand out unexpectedly.  Overall, pretty good! 



The breadsticks were also your typical fare.  They had a light garlic flavor and were cooked through.  However, I would have preferred a more browned outside crust. 

The lasagna, however, was out of this world!  It was a huge serving of around 5 layers that held together expertly.  The texture was dense, and because of this all the flavors just seemed to meld seamlessly together.  But even though the lasagna was dense, it wasn't overly heavy (as far as lasagna goes, that is).  The Carfagna high qualify meat flavor definitely shined through.  Well done! 


My spaghetti and meatballs were also great and hit the spot.  You could tell the noodles were homemade with their irregular shape and texture.  They were just a little overdone, for my taste, but not a major complaint.  The sauce had a warm, basilly sweetness, and the meatballs were just what you'd want.  The meat was ground a little more finely than what is typical, but this seemed to help everything bind together. 





For lunch, the serving sizes were pretty big so I ended up only eating half and bringing the rest home for lunch the next day.  I also couldn't pass up trying a chocolate chip cannoli, but had absolutely no room for it.  I had it boxed up for enjoyment later. 


And oh was it good later!  Creamy filling, cinnamon sugar crispy shell, and plenty of chocolate chips to satisfy your need for a bit of bite. 

The only thing I wondered after enjoying all this bounty was that if this quality of Italian food can be ready to go so fast, what in the world are Fazoli's and Sbarro doing?  And why are we eating there?  Next time you need a quick Italian fix please support homemade and local, and go with Carfagna's.  I'm pretty sure you won't regret it. 

Bill total:  2 soft drinks, 1 lasagne, 1 handmade spaghetti and meatballs, 1 cannoli (with a buy one get one free Entertainment book coupon): $16.08

Overall Rating:  4 buckeyes

Carfagna's Kitchen on Urbanspoon

Friday, January 8, 2010

An Oxford Night Out

Stella 12 Beech
Oxford, Ohio
November 28, 2009

I have to give a quick shout out to this fun and hip restaurant in Oxford, Ohio.  It is owned by the family of my dear friend Stella (it was named after her great-grandmother) and so my view may be slightly tainted....so consider yourself forewarned. 

However, I have been there now 2 times (once last year for appetizers) and now once this year for a quick nightcap, and have enjoyed my experience every time.  I remember the appetizers from last year were fun, inventive, and beautifully plated.  And for extra bonus points the restaurant uses organic and locally sourced products when possible.  They also have quite a few vegetarian options. 

The atmosphere has a cosmopolitan and smooth vibe; but you're given a warm, familiar welcome by the hostess that helps you feel like you belong there. 

This night, they were trying something new and had a DJ for late night, so the vibe was a bit more clubby; but still comfortable. 

The cocktail menu from this year was fun with options such a champagne martini with mango puree or a ginger spiced rum martini. 



Our drinks included (from left to right) a Great Lakes Nosferatu, a classic dirty martini with Ketel One vodka, a cherry martini (we think....we couldn't specifically remember), and a Guinness. 

Fun times :)

Unfortunately, I have no idea what the price was.  We each paid individually in cash and I didn't write anything down! 

Cocktail Rating:  For the creativity of choices and execution- 4 buckeyes

I can't wait until I can try dinner here!  The flank steak with a chipotle demi glace looked especially tempting. 

Stella 12 Beech on Urbanspoon

Friday, January 1, 2010

A Bit of Respite from Black Friday

The BonBonerie
Cincinnati, Ohio
November 27, 2009
2ish pm

Ever since Erik and I started dating seriously enough that he would come home with me for Thanksgiving we have made Black Friday an event that includes a little shopping and a large dose of Cincinnati culture.  Each Friday we scour the ads and come up with a list of places we want to attempt to score deals from, and then we also come up with a list of fun Cincinnati landmarks to try and weave into our day.  Of course we also have to plan which wonderful restaurants we'll try to give us a small break from all the hustle and bustle of the start of beginning the holiday season.  Past years have included seeing the poinsettia display at the Krohn Conservatory, sampling one of the original 3-way creations at Camp Washington Chili, visiting the CG&E (err...I mean Cinergy....er I mean Duke Energy) train display, walking around Fountain Square, etc. etc.  I think I look forward to this day just about as much as I look forward to Thanksgiving itself.  It's fun to relive some of my childhood Christmas memories with Erik, but it's also nice to explore what new things Cincinnati has to offer. 

This year we focused a little more on the shopping and a little less on the Cincinnati landmarks (my list of children to buy for seems to be growing and I must say by the time we made it to Toys R Us it looked like a DMZ zone)!  My mom had been raving about the BonBonerie for years and we decided today was the perfect opportunity to give it a try.  I had already sampled some of their expertly iced Christmas cookies that mom had brought home to share (and they were delish), but I was anxious to see what this quaint little tea room she talked of was truly all about. 



As we walked up to this hidden gem, the outside of the building looked like nothing special; but as soon as I entered I knew it was going to be good.  First off, it was around 2 in the afternoon; which is usually more of a downtime for an eating establishment; but the counter was packed.  Additionally, standing in line was a mix of ladies dressed in the season's finest to a group of firemen.  When a place has such wide range appeal, it's got to be good. 


Okay, maybe in this picture you don't see ladies in their finest or any fireman, for that matter; but I promise you they were there!  What was also there was a wonderful display case of cookies, tarts, tortes, cakes, pastries, etc. etc.  I had a very difficult time determining which sweet I wanted to try most. 



I opted to go with a chocolate mousse, with the idea I would share it with my husband (and when I say share I really mean he gets a max of 2 bites).  My mother went with more sugar cookies (she loves those things)!  We took our goodies to the tea room and were lucky that they had one small table available by the window.  I thought perhaps I'd save my mousse until after lunch; like a good little girl; but gosh darn it, it just looked too good (and it was too late in the afternoon for me to have enough will power to wait).  I dug right in. 
                                     
The mousse had a rich, deep chocolate flavor; but managed to keep its lightness in spite of the deep flavor.  The topping was a homemade sweetened cream.  Overall, this was a perfect mousse and I couldn't have asked for more for $3.75. 

As I enjoyed the mousse I started to go over the drink menu.  The tea list was quite extensive (which makes sense given this is a tea room), and I really wanted to give a less common one a try; but ultimately iced tea sounded best with the tuna sandwich I had decided on.  But, Erik decided to go with the orange spice tea, so I was glad I was going to be able to sample at least one of the hot tea choices.  Cherry vanilla, China rose petal, and mango tea were other interesting options. 

As we waited for our drinks and lunches to come out I had an opportunity to really take in the space.  Given the sophistication of the BonBonerie logo I had seen on my mom's cookie boxes and the typical connotations "afternoon tea" has, I was actually expecting something more formal.  I was pleasantly surprised by the casual coziness of this tearoom.  With the mismatched china, whimsical collection of tea pots (including one of Whinnie the Poo), and black and white checkered flooring I felt I was enjoying lunch at an eccentric and favorite aunt's house.  If I lived closer I imagined myself coming here on a rainy day to sit with a good book and enjoy a sweet treat with a hot pot of tea.  Maybe it's better on my waistline that I don't live so close :) 

                                      
Everything came out pretty quickly and we loved the extra touches of doilies under our plates, gherkins to nibble on, cookies paired with sandwiches.  All this extra attention to detail, along with the fresh and homemade foods; extended the cozy feeling of the place and made you feel like you were truly being taken care of here.  This is a feeling that, unfortunately, most restaurants in our fast paced "move 'em on through" society don't have. 
                                         
Erik really enjoyed his orange spice tea.  The aroma of citrus hits you and the spice warms you before you even take a sip.  The ice tea was also fresh brewed and excellent. 

For lunch Erik went with the ham and swiss sandwich paired with tomato soup.  The sandwich was good with fresh wheat bread, high quality ham, good cheese, piled high with tomato and greens, and then topped with a dill mayo so good even Erik ate it (he is known to prefer his sandwiches dry).  However, the highlight of the meal was the tomato soup.  It appeared to be homemade with chunks of tomato floating in it, which gave it a fresher taste.  It also had a nice mix of herbs and spices that complemented the fresh tomato flavor.  This was definitely not Campbell's (not that there's anything wrong with Campbell's, of course). 

                                         
My mother chose the tuna salad plate.  This came with a nice scoop of albacore tuna salad, with a mixed green salad topped with apple slices and raisins, and served with a balsamic vinaigrette.  No complaints here! 
                                             
I chose to go with the tuna salad sandwich (at least my mother and I didn't order exactly the same thing this time), which was fresh tuna salad on wheat bread with lettuce, tomato, and a smathering of dill mayo.  This was the best tuna salad sandwich I had had in a long time.  The sweet tea cookies ended the meal perfectly (and let's just forget I had already had my dessert of mousse)!

Ahhh....what a great break from holiday craziness!  I'm already working on planning when I can come back for an afternoon tea with friends. 

Bill Total:  Ham and swiss with a cup of soup, albacore tuna salad plate, tuna salad sandwich, pot of tea, Coke, hot tea, and tip:  $36

Extra chocolate mousse:  $3.75, my mom's cutout cookies ??? (she paid)

Overall Rating:  5 buckeyes 

The Bonbonerie & Tearoom on Urbanspoon