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Eleventh Street Diner
South Beach, Florida
April 4, 2010
8ish pm

For spring break this year my husband and I debated a number of places, but ended up picking the one with great food, a great beach, and the cheapest airfare from Columbus!  Miami, South Beach, in particular was the winner.  I had been reading for years about the wonderful food scene in South Beach, but really Miami's Cuban vibe (in addition to a great beach, of course) was what really sold me on the spot. 

We landed late in the afternoon and after checking into our hotel we immediately ran out to the beach to allow our pasty white, Ohio winter ridden and chapped skin to feel the early evening sun.  After we were sure we had exposed ourselves to the last ray of the day we headed back to our hotel to enjoy a happy hour drink and debate where we should head for dinner.  I ordered a mojito from the Mariott South Beach's outside bar, Deco Blue, and while it was expensive at $11 a drink, it was the best mojito I have ever had!  The mint was freshly muddled and there was lots of it.  It had just the right mix of rum to simple syrup.  But the best part was the raw sugar cane swizzle stick garnish (like this).  After I had finished my drink I loved chewing on this and getting an extra bite of sweetness. 

I wish I would have thought to take a good picture of this drink, but my description will just have to do.  If it's any indication of how much I enjoyed this drink, despite it's price, I made this drink a daily addition to my vacation menu.

After a brief happy hour we decided to head to the Eleventh Street Diner for dinner.  At first I was going to try and make this trip exclusively Cuban since we don't have many opportunities in Columbus to have authentic Cuban food and our stay in Miami was relatively short.  But then I read so much about how good this place was, it was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and Erik and I had always wanted to eat in an authentic old-school dining car.  So how could we pass it up?

We arrived in South Beach on Easter and were missing our home style family Easter dinner.  Because of this we opted for diner fair for our dinner this evening instead of running straight to a Cuban joint. 

Now this diner is definitely hip and happening with some history.  As was mentioned on the restaurant's web site, the dining car was originally built in 1948 in New Jersey in the typical art deco style of its time.  After the construction in New Jersey it then served diners for 44 years in Pennsylvania before being dismantled and brought to South Beach in the early 1990's.  Its this art deco style allows it to now blend seamlessly into the current South Beach architecture.   It then opened for business in South Beach in 1992 and has been serving South beach late night partiers and early risers alike since.  Their menu is extensive, features your typical American fare, and has a full bar to boot (my guess is that the bar set up was not a part of the original design)! 

Inside, the car has retained its classic look with chrome and red vinyl seats.  You can sit at the counter, but the place also opens up to the sides with booths. 

Since I was missing my family's traditional Honeybaked Ham I opted for the ham with a sweet cherry-pineapple glaze served with a vegetable medley of yellow squash and green beans and mashed potatoes.  This was a very good and filling dish (and definitely did not help me fit into my bathing suit the next day).  The ham was sweet and flavorful, the veggies were well cooked, and the mashed potatoes had homemade lumps and flavor.  I ate every single bite!

Erik went with the French Dip Sub and French fries.  The roast beef was shaved thin, just like Erik likes it.  There was also lots of gooey Swiss cheese and the au jus was flavorful.  Erik was also happy he could enjoy his sub with a Yuengling, his favorite beer that is unable to be had in Ohio. 

The serving of fries was generous and they were cooked perfectly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. 

Overall, we were pleased with the diner and its food! 

Bill Total:  Not sure.  We paid cash and I can't find the receipt.  However, most sandwiches are in the $8-9 range and home style dinners are in the $13-15 range. 

Overall Rating:  3 buckeyes

Stella 12 Beech Revisited for Dinner

Stella 12 Beech
Oxford, Ohio
February 20, 2010

This year for my mother's birthday I asked her if she knew where she wanted to go for dinner.  After pausing to think for a few seconds she replied, "How about we try out that restaurant that Stella's family owns?"  Knowing that I had wanted to try more than their alcoholic beverages for awhile now, I thought that was a fabulous idea. 

So in the spirit of full disclosure, I am acquainted with the family of the owners of this restaurant.  However, I'm also sure they didn't recognize me as we dined and therefore we received no partial service or treatment. 

As I've mentioned before (see An Oxford Night Out) the restaurant has a cosmopolitan feel, especially for the quaint Oxford, Ohio.  However, the welcome is always warm when you arrive.  The restaurant is on the small side and therefore reservations are recommended.  As we were seated I was impressed by the fresh and bright magenta flower on the table.  Such fresh color is a rarity in late February and had me thinking of the upcoming spring. 

We immediately started with drinks and my mother ordered a white wine (not sure exactly which one), Erik opted to try a Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, and I went with a vodka martini.  The majority of our drinks were what you would expect, but the Kentucky Bourbon Ale does deserve some special attention. 

I am not a big fan of darker beers and I was sure I would not like this one.  However, once it was brought out in its own special snifter glass it just looked impressive and gave off this warm spicy bourbon aroma.  I knew I had to at least give it a try.  I was pleasantly surprised, and Erik absolutely loved it.  It was the perfect drink to accompany a cold winter's dinner.  The bourbon aroma gave it a good start and then the beer had a very smooth finish.  Erik liked this beer so much he looked up the website when we got home and was disappointed to discover it was not distributed to any store around us (However, we later were pleasantly surprised to find it in May at the Grandview Carryout.  But I warn you, the drink is really not a warm weather drink and tastes much better out of the tap.  At first Erik was ecstatic to find it so close to home, but a few bottles still sit in our fridge.  From the bottle the sweet bourbon aroma was lost, but I'm hoping that maybe in October it will taste good again and we'll have to try it in a snifter glass and hope to replicate the restaurant effect). 

Bread service came out next and was composed of a few pieces of white and wheat that came out warmed.  The bread had a nice softness and just a slight chew to the crust.  This was served with a wonderful fresh herbed butter.  I know there were chives added into the butter, but I couldn't pull out the exact other herbs and our server wasn't sure either.  However, whatever herbs they chose the result was a wonderful herbaceous and buttery blend. 

For our entrees both my mother and Erik ordered the spinach and artichoke stuffed ravioli topped with a marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese.  The ravioli pasta was well cooked and the fillings had a nice texture.  However, I would have preferred more artichoke flavor.  The marinara sauce was very good with traditional Italian spices and nice chunks of tomato. 

I went with the Stella mixed salad and a seared crab cake.  The salad was very fresh and crisp with spring mixed greens and generous toppings of red onion, green and yellow pepper, and spiced pecans.  I chose a balsamic vinaigrette dressing which was lightly mixed in and allowed the fresh green flavors to shine through. 

The crab cake was huge and contained plenty of crab flavor.  It was nicely seared and served over a cold mix of a cucumber and carrot salad which added a nice crunch to the dish.  I especially enjoyed the spiciness of the chipotle remoulade that was presented on the plate for dipping.  This was definitely a solid dish. 

I had brought my mother a cake from the Suisse Shop for dessert, so we didn't get to sample Stella 12's delicacies.  Perhaps another time.  The cake from the Suisse Shop, however, was delicious! 

Bill Total:  1 Kentucky Bourbon Ale, 1 glass of white wine, 1 vodka martini, 2 spinach and artichoke ravioli, 1 Stella mixed salad, 1 crab cake, and tip= $86

Overall Rating:  3 1/2 buckeyes

Christmas Diner

Mike's Penn Ave Grille
599 East State Street
Salem, Ohio 44460
December 26, 2009
7ish pm

Since Erik and I have been together we always have a whirlwind Christmas week of traveling from Columbus, to Cincinnati, back to Columbus for a quick pit stop of picking up gifts, and then on to the small town of Salem, Ohio.  While this results in a fairly boring trek across the great state of Ohio, it's so wonderful to get to see each family and have some different experiences in small town America.

Once the whole crew made it to Salem we decided we needed a place to relax and catch up.  Mike's Penn Ave Grille is a long time favorite of my parents-in law, so that's where it was decided to go! 

This place definitely has a home town feel.  You feel like everyone should know one another and greet each other as they walk in the door.  You definitely get the feeling you are walking back in time a bit; but I loved the character and familiar feel of the place.  You also get the impression that this place has a few stories to tell.  I can just imagine families and various sports teams spilling into the place to celebrate a big Salem win.  We all fit into one very large booth and the family was pleased with the personal TV that allowed them to keep at least one eye on the Pittsburgh Panthers. 

Our server was very friendly and shared that she loved the food here so much she just decided to work here!  High praise indeed. 

We were hungry from our drive and immediately put in and order for drinks and appetizers.  We opted for the sauerkraut balls.  A number of family members had never heard of such things, and being a favorite of ours at Barley's, we just had to show everyone what they were missing.  These balls came with a generous 8 to an order, were perfectly fried, and had a very nice spicy kick to them and to the dipping sauce they were served with.  Always enjoying a good spiciness to my food, I was pleased. 

I paired this with a Sam Adams Cherry Wheat for myself.  I enjoyed the strong cherry smell, but then there was just a hint of the cherry flavor in the background of the beer.  I must say I really enjoyed this beer!   The majority of the crew shared pitchers of Great Lakes Christmas Ale, which was a bit too dark and strong for my liking.  However, the family didn't seem to mind (but this could have been partly due to the high 7.5% alcohol content)! 

As for the entrees, most came with a side salad.  For the salad I chose to go with their homemade dressing of a Gorgonzola vinaigrette, which was outstanding. This was a very good salad with big croutons that seemed to be homemade, real bacon bits, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and chopped eggs. Definitely my kind of salad.  I liked the dressing so much that I may have to attempt a version myself at home.

As for my entree choice I opted for chicken and fettuccine in a Gorgonzola cream sauce with asparagus and mushrooms.  The dish sounded quite divine, and overall it was okay, but not great.  The chicken was cooked nicely, but the asparagus was overcooked and bordered on mushy.  The sauce was good in small a doses and the Gorgonzola gave the sauce a nice bit of flavor, but it was just too heavy for my preference overall.  

My mother-in-law has always talked about the good quality of the restaurant's red meats and I'm thinking I should have listened to her!  She chose the 8 oz strip steak with shrimp.  I sampled a bit and I would agree that this was very good (and made me a bit sad about my entree choice).  The seasoning was flavorful, but not overdone and the meat was cooked to medium rare perfection.  She told me they use Chef Paul Prudhohomme's Magic Seasoning Blends which I had never heard of, but now recognize after going to the website!  I just might have to buy some to try out myself. 

My husband chose the sole with caramelized onions and garlic.  It had a nice mild flavor, and was not overly fishy. 

My nephew chose 12 hot wings and in his opinion they were definitely not hot enough.  However, he did inform us that he has had the second hottest sauce at a various wing joint where he had to sign a waiver before trying them!  He thought that may interfere with his preferences :)  However, I would have to agree that the wings were not very hot and were definitely overcooked and I have yet to try anything that required me to sign a waiver!  These were definitely not a favorite for my nephew, the wing connoisseur, or me!  

My father-in-law and brother-in-law both opted for a small steak salad.  They both felt the steak was very good and tender.   They loved the addition of steak fries on top and egg throughout.  It was topped with a great vinaigrette that was also made from scratch. 

And last, but definitely not least, my sister-in-law ordered Mike's mixed greens salad.  This looked like a spring mix of various greens topped with black olives, Swiss cheese, and Gorgonzola.  The dressing seemed to be similar to a mix between a traditional balsamic vinaigrette with touches of Caesar salad flavors .  Overall, my sister-in-law said she wasn't sure that all the flavors were going to work together, but they did end up blending together in a fun and interesting way.

Bill total:  $144.86 (2 pitchers of Great Lakes, 1 Cherry Wheat, 2 appetizers, and 6 entrees)

Overall Rating:  3 buckeyes (I'd say a lot of the food is good, but some of it is definitely hit or miss.  Definitely go with the steaks and salads, but other options seem to be more of a gamble).