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

On the Way Home from Michigan

Dad's

Route 33 (near Indian Lake)

New Hampshire, Ohio

September 7, 2009

4:30ish pm

As mentioned before, we make the drive to Michigan and back quite often. Because of this the drive has become quite boring and tedious. This happened, say around the 350th time we've done it (not the 349th, that one was still okay :) ). Because of this we've tried many alternate routes in what we say is to try and find a quicker route, but in reality it helps break up the monotony.

Earlier this summer we attempted a route that takes us out Route 33 for a longer period of time and around the western part of Indian Lake rather that taking route 174 which took us around the eastern part of Indian Lake. While I truly doubt this little change saved us any time, it did allow us to stumble upon another piece of Americana called Dad's.

This is the classic roadside stop that Route 66 was invented for ;) Big classic sign outside, walk up window, family run, you sit outside on picnic tables, everyone knows your name (cue Cheers theme song) etc. etc. These are the kind of places I miss by living in a bigger city. These are the places you imagine your son's baseball team congregating at after a big win and stopping at to help prolong a successful first date. You can almost here John Mellencamp's Small Town or Jack and Diane playing as you walk up. This one is primarily an ice cream stand, but has ventured into some dinner fair such as hamburgers, funnel fries, french fries, fried cauliflower, fried jalapenos, fried broccoli etc. Just kidding with the fried broccoli, but I thought it'd help get the point across! Basically, you're not coming here for health food, but you are coming here for small town comfort, hospitality, and a brush with the past.

Earlier in the day we had filled up on an excellent Labor Day lunch, but we thought ice cream would hit the spot and sustain us for the rest of our drive home. We had a hard time deciding which flavor to try or to go with soft serve or hand dipped. There were lots of hand written suggestions from various high school workers (e.g. The Julie is chocolate ice cream with marshmallows on top. The Rocco is chocolate peanut butter with whipped cream and sprinkles). We both opted for hand dipped ice cream on a cone. The ice cream was Ruggle's and I had the Black Cherry while my husband had Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cheesecake. A cake cone was our only option. This slightly saddened us because we both prefer a sugar cone, but we've found more and more places only offer a cake cone or a choice between cake or waffle cone. To me the cake cone just doesn't have much flavor and a waffle cone is just to0 big for the one dip I usually strive for. But oh well, it's truly not that big of a deal.

My Black Cherry was great! Lovely flavor with tons of big chunks of cherry. However, I was not so fond of my husband's Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cheesecake. I think maybe there were too many flavors going on. The chocolate tasted of pretty poor quality and there was an artificial flavoring taste that I didn't care for. But that's just my opinion. My husband was happy enough with his selection, even though he did state next time he'd try something else. All in all it was ice cream at a place with more character than most. I was pretty happy with it.

Next time I'd love to try some of their regular food such as the fried cauliflower or really fried just about anything!

We may keep changing our route to Michigan in other ways, but I have a feeling we'll be headed into New Hampshire many more times.

Bill total: 2 ice cream cones, 1 dip each $4

Overall Rating: 3 buckeyes

The Buckeye Goes to Enemy Territory

Mexican Bar and Grill
9740 Cherry Valley Ave SE
Caledonia, Michigan 49316
September 6, 2009
8ish pm

Yep, I'm a part of a blended family. That is, part of us support and are alumni of OSU and the other (blech) support and are alumni of Michican. This also means that we have a family cottage on a very small lake in western Michigan to which we make frequent visits in the summer. So this venture into enemy territory is nothing new to me (and I hate to have to admit it, but I really rather enjoy it).

Since we make the trip so frequently I also attempt to find new places to try out there, but it is quite a bit harder there than it is in Columbus due to us being located very close to the middle of nowhere. However, on my last drive through Hastings I became interested in a cute little microbrewery named Walldorff Brew Pub and Bistro. I inquired about this place to our neighbors and everyone had good things to say. So Sunday evening during Labor Day weekend my husband and I decided we'd give it a try. Now those of you who are perceptive will have noticed that Walldorff's is not the restaurant tag line for this post and that is where the story comes from.

Sunday was a beautiful day and looked like it would be a perfect evening on the lake. For a little while we did debate about whether or not to just stay at the cottage and enjoy the weather, but the thought of a burger and trying a new beer lured us out. Around 5 I stopped throwing the stick for our dog Gracie, and started to get ready for dinner.

(I couldn't resist an opportunity to add a pic of my Gracie. She's jumping off the dock in a quest for her stick in this one!)

We got in the car and as the evening sun was beginning to set we drove through quintessential Midwestern farmland. We passed dairy cows, old barns, cornfields, and the occasional bonfire around rusted out cars by the trailer park (no joke, wish I had a picture of that one)! Ahhh....sweet Michigan. How similar you really are to OH-IO.

As we approached town I noted how peaceful the town seemed. So sleepy, so quiet. But then I realized this also meant my restaurant also seemed sleepy and quiet. No, no, no, no, no! Apparently we've lived with city conveniences for too long. It had completely slipped our minds that a part of small town life is still closing on Sundays. Personally, I really can't imagine this anymore, but I know it is how people lived for centuries. But seriously, what do these people do when they want a relaxing Sunday evening with no cooking? Obviously, they don't come into Hastings :) We sullenly pulled into the empty parking lot and discussed what to do about dinner.

It was getting too late for me to want to cook, but it seemed like the only option around was fast food. Then I happened to remember a funny Mexican place we had passed numerous times on our way to the grocery store. It had previously been a down home, log cabin inspired restaurant named Big-O-Fish. (Yes. Really, Big-O-Fish.) However, the fish fry didn't make it and a Mexican place had taken over...and from the looks of the outside they hadn't gotten around to changing the hunting/fishing decor yet. I was intrigued. Sometimes these places end up being great, almost as if they have such a need to get their awesome food out there they have no time to worry about silly things like decor. But we also knew it was just as likely to be a big fail. However, we (and our growling stomachs) decided we were up for the gamble. I'm not generally one to turn down the chance for Mexican and a margarita. However, I must admit it didn't have its usual draw due to me spending most of my day dreaming about a burger and beer, but I was willing to make the sacrifice.

We drove up to the previous Big-O-Fish (I just love typing that name) and were in luck; it was open! I was exactly right about them not changing the cabin decor. Big wood bar stools greeted us through the door and a back room still had murals of mountains, streams, and furry animals. However, the mural in the main dining room had been changed to a more typical Mexican scene. I'm sure changing the hunting scene is right up there on their to do list :)

We laugh about the decor as we take out seats. We see the drink special of the day is a Sangarita (a combination of sangria and a margarita) for $2 and figure we'll give it a shot. Unfortunately we figured dead wrong. The wine they used was obviously cheap and of very poor quality. I guess this is a case of you get what you pay for, but I wouldn't even bother putting this on the menu if this is the quality I had to use. Its metallic/minerally taste overshadowed everything and I couldn't appreciate the sour of the margarita in contrast to the sweetness of sangria that made trying a sangarita appealing. My husband decided to take one for the team and he finished both drinks while I ordered a regular margarita on the rocks. This was much better and exactly as expected. It was obviously from a mix rather than from a lime juice base, but at this type of restaurant that's what I would expect. It served its purpose and quenched my desire for a margarita, and rid the taste of the sangarita from my mouth!

Our server was very friendly and brought us chips and salsa immediately. The chips were good and the salsa was tolerable, but bland for my taste. The tomatoes were from a can, but they could have worked had they had some fresh ingredients added in such as cilantro to kick up the flavor. But without fresh herbs it ended up tasting similar to a prepared salsa you'd get at the store.

Our server promptly took our order and our food was served quickly. My husband ordered chiraquiries (sp??) Mexicano (pretty please ignore spelling, we forgot to write down entree names before the menus were taken) which were corn tortilla chips smothered in chicken, tomatillo salsa, and queso blanco. They were served with rice, lettuce, guacamole, and sour cream on the side. This was actually very good and definitely the highlight of our visit. The tomatillo salsa had a wonderful flavor and an additional kick of spice that was unexpected. The tortilla chips when mixed with the other ingredients had a stronger flavor than I had noted when eating them with salsa and actually reminded me a little of Fritos flavoring, but in a good way (as weird and unbelievable as that sounds). Here is a shot of this dish.

I ordered 2 chicken enchiladas and a beef tamale. The tamale was excellent. It had a very thick corn mix outside and a ground beef filling with lots of flavor. Everything was covered in a red sauce that I just wasn't a fan of. It was too bitter. Probably there was too much cinnamon added for my taste, but on a positive note the heat of the sauce was just right. The filling in the enchiladas was good with shredded chicken, green peppers, and black pepper flavors shining through. However, the tortillas were a little too soggy. Here is a pic of my dish (with that lovely Sangarita).

I ordered my food a la carte, so that's why there isn't rice, beans, guacamole, etc.

Overall, this restaurant had some spots of brightness with their service, tamales, and chiraquries (sp???). However, there is lots more that could be improved. The decor would definitely be forgivable and maybe even kitschy if the food was fantastic. But with off decor and more misses that hits with the food I wouldn't suggest stopping here if you're driving through western Michigan. Instead, just make sure you pass through Monday through Saturday and try out Walldorff's for me. I know that will be my next plan! Or you can continue into Grand Rapids and try Rose's on Reeds Lake, my personal western Michigan favorite.

Bill total: 2 sangaritas, 1 margarita, 1 tamale, 2 chicken enchiladas, and 1 chiraqueries Mexicano entree, plus tip= $35

Overall Rating: 2 buckeyes

Skyline Fix

Skyline
September 2, 2009
6ish pm

I was weak.

I try to be healthy and fit throughout the week. I really do. I try to splurge only on the weekends. But alas, this becomes exceedingly more difficult as the school year marches on.

However, it's probably not a good sign that this is only the second week of school and it's happening already.

All through the summer I worked out out at the gym, swam at the pool, and made fabulously healthy (and yummy) dinners. I was the epitome of health conscious. I had will power. I had stamina.

Eight days into the new school year and it's gone. Today the health deck was stacked against me. I left work later than usual and checking up on emails at home resulted in me missing my favorite Zumba class. I reasoned with myself that I would just take a later spin class and then run home and fix a quick salad for myself for dinner. I knew I was on my own for the evening due to the husband's fantasy football draft. I knew there were already 2 strikes against me (1 being missing my preferred class, 2 being I knew the husband would not be around to cook or eat dinner with), but that was okay. Health would prevail because I had a plan!

So, dutifully, on I went to the gym. I checked in and ran up to my class. I was on my way! But, "Nooo!" Stopped in my tracks by the teacher. Now I admit I am quite picky about my spin classes. I desperately need a peppy teacher with rockin' music to get me through, or after about 10 minutes into things I feel like the bike is moving in mud and I'm about to fall over the handlebars flat on my face. I want to stop hearing the sappy music and give up with every peddle I push and deep, haggard breath I take. Unfortunately, from past experience I knew this class, with this teacher, was not going to be worth it for me. Double drat! I turned on my heal and convinced myself that it was okay, I would just get some lifting in instead. However, when I lift, I record my weights and exercises in a book that I had left in the car. No problemo, I'd just run right out, get my book and my workout would begin.

But then I got to my car, and all of a sudden I felt so tired. I didn't really want to lift and I was HUNGRY. Gosh darn it, I had had a hard day! Before I knew it there was a flash of yellow and blue checks in my mind and the old commercial tag line, "Whenever you're feeling good and hungry.....", starts playing in my head. At this point I was powerless and my mind was turning. It thought all on its own, "That's right, Skyline is just a few minutes from my gym." Strike 3 and I was out of the workout game. Why oh why do so many restuarants have to be within a mile radius of my gym?

Before I knew it my car was in the takeout line and my order of a classic 3-way was placed. As I waited I did have a moment of doubt. I still had time to make a healthy decision..... But then that spicy smell that can only mean Skyline wafted into my car as the cashier opened the window to the car before me and, Mmmmm. I knew I was right where I was supposed to be.

I quickly drove home with eager anticipation of my dinner. I got out a refreshing Coke (Side note: It was a Mexican Coke, thus explaining the glass bottle). Regardless of the debate of whether or not high fructose corn syrup is any better or worse for you than cane sugar, Coke made with cane sugar just tastes better. Seriously. Try it. It's a revelation and the taste you've been missing for years. I especially enjoy it with dinners like this that remind me of home and my childhood. I grew up near Cincinnati where Skyline and Coke were family traditions, especially on busy activity filled nights after school. Similar, in many ways, to the night I just had. What a comforting thought....

Anyway back to the food. Part of enjoying Skyline is prepping it just how you like it. Of course, there's debate between the 3, 4, and 5-way (a debate about adding onions, beans, or both to the mix). Oyster crackers mixed in or on the side. Hot sauce in the mix, on the crackers as an oyster bomb, or left out completely. But that's just the beauty of the food. Everyone has their way. Ha Ha, get it? 3-way, 4-way, their way :) I'm sure you're amazed by my sophisticated humor.

I like mine with 3/4 of the cheese piled on the spaghetti/meat mixture and 1/4 of my cheese left over for snacking plain. There's just something special about the texture of the finely grated Skyline cheese that I love to taste all on its own, in a big handful. On top of the spaghetti, meat, and cheese mix I use 2-3 packets of hot sauce. Just enough to feel it in your sinuses, but not enough to burn. Then the oyster crackers are left, by themselves, for a last finishing crunch after everything else is done.

Ahhh....."Whenever you're feeling good and hungry, at last...it's Skyline time."

Bill total: Regular 3-way $4.99

Overall Rating: 5 buckeyes (based on value and how much I want to return someday)