Side of Chipps

Jaipur Junction - Hudson

2012-09-21T23:38:00.000-04:00

Jaipur Junction is located in the Acme Plaza in Hudson. They advertise Northern Indian food. I am not sure of the difference. It is not a very large place, but colorfuly decorated. We both ordered things we typically get, but the menu had lots of other options. I got the lamb Rogan Josh. It was very good, probably the best I have had. The lamb was tender and there was plenty of sauce to soak my rice. I ordered the Medium heat, but either got mild, or it's a very mild medium. I might see if they can do Med-Hot next time. TBG got Lamb Vindaloo in Hot. It was much hotter than mine. It was also very good. We got 2 orders of Naan, which was just enough. We also got a Mango Lassi (mandatory for me to eat all those hot Indian spices). It was so good I almost finished it before my food came! The server was a little different, but the service was quick. It was not busy when we were there but a few people that had ordered ahead came in for pickup. We will definately be back.

Service____ 7 Chipps

Food____8 Chipps

Atmosphere____6 Chipps

Beer List____6 Chipps

Wine List____0 Chipps

Value____7 Chipps

Gamekeepers Taverne - Chagrin Falls

2012-08-21T11:28:00.000-04:00

Gamekeepers is located in the heart of beautiful Chagrin Falls. If you are not from the area I suggest going while the weather is nice and plan on staying awhile. There is a park, falls viewing area and cute shops. There is not a lot of parking and it's spread out, but I did not have a problem finding a spot on a Wednesday night. Gamekeepers is a old, cabin like building. There is a large patio in the back and I think there is a lot of seating, but it's broken up into smaller intimate rooms making it hard to tell. The menu is small but impactful. There are some non-gamey items if you prefer (or go with someone picky!). I met my parents there while TBG was at work. My mom got the special which was seafood over black rice and mixed veggies with a wasabi asparagus sauce. It was good. I had never had black rice before and it was surprisingly sweet. The sweetness was offset by the wasabi in the sauce. It definitely was a pretty plate. My dad got a burger with fresh chips and spicy coleslaw. He said it was good quality. He does not like much other than hamburgers, so quality is all that matters to him. I got the wild boar short ribs over mashed potatoes and asparagus. It was great. The boar was so tender and moist. The fried onions on top cut through the sweetness from the BBQ sauce and added much more to the plate than I thought they would. The portion sizes were perfect for all of us. The service was good, she was able to answer all the questions my picky father had. The wine list was good, but expensive. There were a lot of bottles I would have ordered if TBG was with me. I will definitely go back. There is also a more causal place next door owned by Gamekeeper's that I would like to try. Good for date night, or a special occasion!

Service____ 8 Chipps

Food____9 Chipps

Atmosphere____7 Chipps

Beer List____5 Chipps

Wine List____7 Chipps

Value____7 Chipps

Basil!

2012-08-15T21:09:00.000-04:00

If you grew basil in your garden this year, chances are you have A LOT right about now. I love basil and grow it every year. After adding it to every recipe I make in the summer I always still have a lot growing in the backyard. Here are some things to do with it so you have have "fresh" basil all winter.

1. Freeze it
I have an ice cube tray specifically for basil so my normal ice does not taste like basil. Pack as much washed and cut basil as you can into the cubes. Fill the rest of the way with water and freeze. As soon as the cubes are frozen, empty into a freezer safe bag. You can just throw these cubes into anything you want, or melt them in a bowl and take the basil out if you don't want the water.

2. Make Basil Butter
One of my favorite things to do with Basil. You can use this for sauce over pasta, on bread then broiled, served with rolls, in sauces with veggies, or on meats. I usually make a lot when I do this because it's just as easy to make a ton, and you only have to wash up once.

3c basil 4 cloves garlic
1lb butter Fresh ground pepper

Throw it all in the food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer to an airtight container or make balls with a small ice cream scoop. Put balls on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer. Once frozen transfer to a freezer bag and freeze to use all winter! Not only are they delicious, but they are pretty too!

3. Grow more

I have not tried this yet, but it worked for my mom! Put a sprig of basil in water on a windowsill and it will grow roots. This way you can have a small plant in the house all winter. I think I will try it, even though it will be hard not to use it all at once!

Let me know your favorite thing to do with basil!

Nosh Eatery - Hudson

2012-08-03T19:51:00.001-04:00

Nosh is located in a strip mall on Rt 91 South of downtown Hudson. There is a decent size parking lot in front. The atmosphere is urban coffee house. There are not a lot of seats, but everything is clean. There is a counter to get coffee or something out of one of the cases. We sat down and ordered coffee since we were there for breakfast. The coffee was good, TBG said he would come just for that. The specials sounded pretty good, but we both ordered off the menu. I got the pistachio french toast topped with fresh fruit and goat cheese whipped cream. It was amazing. The pistachio crust was nice and crunchy while leaving the inside fluffy. The toppings added a sweet touch. TBG got the Wake and Baked breakfast sandwich. It had eggs, ham, bacon, tomato, lettuce, Boursin cheese and white truffle on sour dough. He loved it. Everything tasted freshly made and carefully put together. We will definitely be back. The service was good, but there are not many tables in the whole restaurant. The prices are good for the quality of food. The portions are not huge, but were big enough for me, and TBG finished mine anyway. They serve breakfast, lunch and boxed dinners so get there early and get your Nosh!

Service____ 7 Chipps

Food____9 Chipps

Atmosphere____7 Chipps

Beer List____0 Chipps

Wine List____0 Chipps

Value____8 Chipps

Buffalo Chicken Enchilada Recipe

2012-07-19T19:35:00.000-04:00

I got this recipe from the Pillsbury Casserole book. I don't usually make things with so many pre-made ingredients, but this is delicious. Make a lot because it is even better left over! I shred my chicken, but if you don't have the time you can cube it like the original recipe says. This time I used wheat tortillas to make it a little heathier. I usually end up buying the larger tortillas, so I make less than 12 or make more of the fillings.

Serving size is 2 enchiladas, makes 6 servings
3 cups cooked chicken
3/4c Buffalo wing sauce
1 cup sour cream ranch dip
3 cups Cheddar cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
green onions
12 - 6" tortillas

Grease a 13x9" pan and preheat the oven to 350.

To make shredded chicken, boil a pot of water and add chicken. Cook for about 20 min or untill the chicken is not pink inside anymore. Take it out and shred with a fork holding the hot meat with tongs or another fork. Stir the chicken into the wing sauce.

In a seperate bowl mix the soup, dip, and onions together to make a sauce for the inside of the enchildas. Save a good amount of the sauce for the top so the tortillas do not dry out in the oven. I set up a station to make filling each tortilla quick and easy. Save some of the cheese for the top also. Once filled, roll each tortilla and place seam down into the pan. Spread the sauce on top when pan is filled then cover with aluminum foil. Cook for 35-40 min or until hot and bubbly. Take the foil off, add the cheese, green onions and cook for another 5 min. Serve warm with a side of hot sauce! Start to finish this dish takes a little while, but the chicken could be cooked the night before. The enchiladas could even be put together ahead of time and kept in the fridge. All in all, this is a fairly easy dish for how good it is!

Product review and Recipe - Peach Sorbet

2012-07-17T19:02:00.000-04:00

July is National Ice Cream month, it's also TBG's Birthday. He got the Cuisinart Ice Cream maker for his birthday so we will be reviewing it here and sharing the recipe. One if his favorite fruits is peach, so I decided to make the Raspberry Sorbet from the recipe book substituting peach for the raspberry. I chose sorbet because I already had the ingrediants in the house, and it seemed like the easiest. If it doesn't come out I can say for sure it wasn't the recipe!

Peach Sorbet

Serving size 1/2c, makes 10 servings

2 cups water
1.5 cups sugar
pinch of salt
4 cups frozen peaches, thawed

I started with making a simple syrup in a medium saucepan. Add the syrup to the fruit with the salt. I then used the immersion blender to make a smooth mixture. After transferring to a airtight container I refrigerated for 2 hours. Make sure the freezer bowl is completey frozen. Then turn the machine on and pour the fruit mixture in the top. The frozen treat starts to pull together and freeze almost immediately. Mix for 15-20 min and voila! Sorbet! If you want it thicker, throw it in the freezer for an hour or so. The first time I tried to make sorbet, I only froze the bowl for 7 hours. I shook it and it sounded frozen, but my sorbet never froze, or got any thicker. Fail! I put it in the freezer anyway, but it never really got a nice texture. This time I had the bowl in the freezer for a couple days. The book does recommend keeping it in the freezer at all times so you are always ready for a frozen treat. The machine itself is very easy to use. The bowl is not big, but big enough for a family. If I was making ice cream for a party, I would start a week early, or buy another bowl. An extra bowl is $30 on cusinart.com. I can't wait to try something more difficult like frozen yogurt or ice cream!

Marcelita's - Hudson/Twinsburg

2012-07-15T11:28:00.000-04:00

Marcelita's is located near the Hudson Twinsburg border on RT 91. There is a large parking lot and lots of seating. The front of the menu told the story of Marcelita's. It started on the same location in a shack many years ago and is still in the "family". The menu was pretty typical of a Mexican restaurant. The salsa was average, but did taste freshly made. I got the wet pork burrito with Texan sauce, chihuahua cheese and sour cream. It was very tasty and the perfect size. The Texan sauce was kind of like a BBQ, but with Mexican spices, it was very good. TBG got the special which was chicken enchiladas with refried beans and rice. He said it was good, but liked my burrito better. The beer list was decent, with the expected Mexican beers. The bar was a nice size, and separate from the rest of the family friendly restaurant. Our server was nice, and the food came fast, but they were not busy that night. The price was not bad for a family night out, and there are always coupons in the local books.

Service____ 7 Chipps

Food____7 Chipps

Atmosphere____7 Chipps

Beer List____6 Chipps

Wine List____4 Chipps

Value____7 Chipps

Yours Truly - Hudson

2012-07-14T16:15:00.001-04:00

Yours Truly is located on RT 91 in Hudson just South of First and Main. They have their own large parking lot. The decor is old fashioned, but everything is clean. The whole atmoshere comes off more like home, then hole-in-the-wall. We have been here a couple times but this paticular time was for breakfast. They have a nice selection of healthy, not so healthy, and cheap staples. TBG got the Kill it Skillet, a sausage skillet. He said it was good, but not the best he has ever had. The ingredients were quality and cooked well. I got the oatmeal. It was way too big and came with raisens, walnuts, brown sugar, and strawberries. I enjoyed it for a change from the usual greasy big breakfast. The oatmeal was cooked well and the toppings were perfect. I probably would have eaten more if I had more toppings, but I am glad I didn't. The service was good even though we were there on Father's Day and they were very busy. I would reccomend this place for a quick bite that doesn't break the bank.

Service____ 8 Chipps

Food____6 Chipps

Atmosphere____8 Chipps

Beer List____0 Chipps

Wine List____0 Chipps

Value____7 Chipps

D'Agnese's Tomato Grill - Hudson

2012-06-21T11:32:00.003-04:00

Located at First and Main in Hudson there is not direct parking for Tomato Grill, but plenty around. We went for lunch and it was not very crowded. TBG and I decided to split a pizza even though the menu had a lot of good options. We definitely plan on going back to try more of the menu. The service was a little slow, it took a long time for her to take our order and to bring our check. The pizza did not take a long time though. We ordered the sausage and peppers pizza. It was very good. There were cherry and banana peppers, onions and sausage. There was the right amount of sauce and the cust was nice and thin but not like a cracker. The atmosphere was almost like an upscale resturant, but a little more relaxed. The decor was colorful and the wait staff wore black. The bar was average sized and looked to have a nice selection of wine and martinis. We sat by a window and were able to watch people shopping. I would recommend the pizza and can't wait to try more of the menu.

Service____ 6 Chipps

Food____7 Chipps

Atmosphere____8 Chipps

Beer List____4 Chipps

Wine List____5 Chipps

Value____6 Chipps

Dave's Cosmic Subs - Hudson

2012-06-02T23:07:00.000-04:00

Located on Main St in downtown Hudson, Dave's is a small sub shop decorated like the 60's/70's. I didn't think a whole lot of it when TBG suggested we go there. A sub is a sub right? I was wrong. These subs are great. The bread is a very tasty crusty Italian. They say the Dave's Cosmic sauce is Italian, but it's zestier and creamier than most Italian dressings. We liked it, but you can get it on the side if you are unsure. Every sandwich comes with a homemade pickle. They even sell the pickles by the jar if you really like them. It took a little while to make the sandwiches even though they didn't seem to be busy. TBG got Dave's San Fran. It has turkey and capicola and is served hot. I got a Grateful Dave which is turkey with avocado and alfalfa sprouts. We both really liked our sandwiches. I thought it price was a little high but that is ok every once in a while. We have already been back.

Service____ 6 Chipps

Food____8 Chipps

Atmosphere____8 Chipps

Beer List____0 Chipps

Wine List____0 Chipps

Value____7 Chipps

Crave - Akron

2012-05-12T23:08:00.000-04:00

Crave is conveniently located in downtown Akron across from the Art museum parking garage. Parking is free after 6:00pm during the week and all day on weekends. The restaurant is fairly big with a large bar area in the middle. The atmosphere is almost like a club, kinda dark and trendy but comfortable. The beer and wine lists were about average. There were a decent amount of craft brews on tap, but I expected that from this upscale local resturant. The menu had so many great sounding things it was hard for me to choose. I met a friend there so I did not have TBG to finish my food. (I took it home and he finished it anyway!) We started with the short rib and potato stuffed samosas with a cilantro pesto. They were great. There wasn't as much short rib as I hoped, but the sauces were great and the somosa was cooked perfectly. For dinner I got the steak wrap with peppered bacon, chihuahua cheese and a smoked cumin and bay leaf aoili. It was simple but very good. The steak was cut thin and was tender. I didn't really taste the aoili, but the wrap was nice and moist. My wrap also came with a side salad. It was a good mix of lettuces. I got the house dressing which was a maple pomegrante. I was not impressed, it was too watery and I couldn't taste the pomegrante. My friend got the corn flake crusted chicken sandwith with manchego cheese, caramelized onions, mustard BBQ and smoked paprika sauce. She got sweet potato fries with her sandwich and they were great. They were thicker than most, but had a nice sweet crunch on the outside with fluffy potato on the inside. I would definately reccommend going to Crave if you are out in Akron. Right around the corner is Musica and Rubber City Clothing, so make a whole day of it!

Service____ 6 Chipps

Food____7 Chipps

Atmosphere____8 Chipps

Beer List____5 Chipps

Wine List____5 Chipps

Value____7 Chipps

Falls Deli - Cuyahoga Falls

2012-04-29T23:33:00.000-04:00

Falls Deli is a take out only stand. TBG picked it up and brought it home. The prices are pretty fair, but do not come with a side unless you make it a combo. Every sandwich does comes with a fresh pickle. I don't really like fresh pickles and thought these tasted more like just cucumbers, but TBG liked it. TBG got a reuben. He said it was good, not enough sauerkraut, but the corned beef was good. I ordered the Gyro. It was good, not real big but big enough for me. The pita was nice and moist, the meat well flavored. There wasn't too many onions like a lot of places, but the tomatoes were a little on the big side. I would go back if I was in the area or wanted something quick to grab and bring home. They are not open on Sundays so beware.

Service____ 6 Chipps

Food____6 Chipps

Atmosphere____5 Chipps

Beer List____0 Chipps

Wine List____0 Chipps

Value____6 Chipps

Rosewood Grill - Hudson

2012-04-24T16:34:00.002-04:00

The Rosewood Grill is located on 303 right off the square in downtown Hudson. It is inside a 160 year old mill and the decor is very cool. It is also pretty big. The parking lot was big, but some parts are a far walk. They do not accept reservations, but you can call ahead. Or so they told us. We called an hour before we got there, was quoted 1.5 hours, but still had to wait 1.5 hours when we got there. There is a fairly big bar area you can wait in. They have their own brew from Thirsty Dog. We didn't try it since we got a bottle of wine, but I would go back just to try it! The bar looks into the kitchen, so we got a little preview on what we wanted to order. The menu wasn't too big, but everything looked good. We started with the mussels. They were well cooked with a flavorful wine and roasted tomato sauce. The bread they brought before the meal was good on it's own, but even better dipped in the mussel broth. We ate our first course with a bottle of wine at the bar. The bartender was awesome. She was very busy but still treated us like she had all the time in the world to wait on us. Nothing took a long time and she remembered everything. When we finally got a table we ordered our meals. I got the short ribs with savory bread pudding. The short ribs were a little fatty, but good. The bread pudding was also good, but there was too much of it. TBG got the killer french dip sandwich. It was also pretty good. The fries were average, but he really liked the homemade ketchup. We were both pretty full after all this food, but I really wanted to try the chocolate espresso cheesecake. It was awesome. It was creamy and decadent. The prices were a little high, but people must not mind paying since it was soo busy. I think in this case you are paying for the atmosphere. All in all I liked the Rosewood Grill and will be back. This is somewhere I would take people who are visiting the area.

Service____ 7 Chipps

Food____8 Chipps

Atmosphere____9 Chipps

Beer List____7 Chipps

Wine List____8 Chipps

Value____7 Chipps

Fat Casual BBQ - Macedonia

2012-04-16T22:30:00.000-04:00

Fat Casual BBQ is located on E. Highland Rd just off Rt 8. It's not much to look at on the outside, but worth going in to check out. The inside is set up like a barn party, large tables where everyone sits together. The menu isn't large, but includes all the nessecary BBQ foods. I got the plain pulled pork sandwich which comes on a pretzel bun. I was not crazy about the bun, it fell apart and I really didn't want to taste anything other than the smokey, vinegar pork goodness. With that being said, I loved the pork. It wasn't actually pulled, it was chopped which resulted in a little more fat than I like, but it tasted great. I loved the vinegar mop they used, the pork wasn't dry and had a wonderful Carolina BBQ taste to it. My sandwich was big enough for me, but if TBG got it he would have needed a side to go with it. TBG got the Highlander. It was also on a pretzel bun, which he said he could have done without. The huge sandwich had smoked turkey, corned beef, cheese sauce and coleslaw. He liked it but said mine was better. The Highlander came with homemade cajun chips which were actually kinda hot. They weren't chewy, but cooked and seasoned well. The coleslaw I thought was a little mayonasie-y for a Carolina style place, but it wasn't bad. I would like to try some of their other sides. The service was fast and friendly. This would be a great place to get food to-go and bring it home. They also sell their meat by the pound if you want to have your own backyard BBQ. The prices seem pretty reasonable for what you get.

Service____ 8 Chipps

Food____7 Chipps

Atmosphere____5 Chipps

Beer List____5 Chipps

Wine List____0Chipps

Value____7 Chipps

Fried Rice

2012-04-05T21:05:00.000-04:00

There are a couple recipes I make when I don't know what else to make. One is fried rice, TBG's fave. I am not Asian, and have never taken a cooking class or anything else so this is just my version. I love to have leftovers for work so I make a lot when I make it. I also have a really big skillet which helps. I have never tried to make this in a wok or anything else. I have tried to make this healthier with brown rice but it's just not as good. I have also used low sodium soy sauce, but ended up just using more.

Serves 4-5

4c white rice (better if it's leftover or sits on the stove awhile)

2 tbls canola oil

1 tbs sesame oil (optional)

3 cloves garlic (I use more, but we really like garlic!)

1-2 tbls grated ginger depending on your taste

5 eggs

1 large chicken breast

1-2 c of whatever veggies I have around; peas, baby corn, carrots, zucchini, mung bean sprouts...

soy sauce (I use almost a whole bottle every time)

Heat the canola oil, add garlic and ginger. Tip: freeze the ginger to make grating easier. Saute for 1-2 min then add chicken. While the chicken is browning add the sesame oil if using, and about a tablespoon of soy sauce. If using a veggie that needs cooked longer like carrots or zucchini add now too. I usually add the peas or bean sprouts right before the rice. When everything is cooked add the rice and stir well. If the rice looks dry you can add more oil or a couple slabs of butter. There are two ways to do the eggs, you can scramble them then pour them into the rice, or break them into the pan then scramble. I do not like to dirty extra dishes so I move the rice to the side then break and scramble the eggs right there. Really up to you. Add enough soy sauce to make the whole thing wet, stir well. Let cook another 1-2 min then serve with more soy sauce. TBG also adds Sriacha if you like it spicy.

Hope you enjoy, leave me a comment if you have any questions. Thanks!

Beer Haus - Akron

2012-04-02T21:53:00.000-04:00

The Beer Haus is located in the Merriman Valley in the old Coopers building. There is plenty of parking, and the resturant is pretty big. There are pool tables, arcade games, and lots of TVs. The menu is nice and small with burgers and german style food. We started with the prezel sticks and sourkraut bites. The pretzels were good, but needed a cheese sauce. They came with butter and mustard. The mustard was pretty good, it was whole grain, not the yellow stadium mustard. The sourkraut bites also came with the mustard. They were fried and had bits of corned beef inside. The bites were pretty good but didn't taste freshly made. I ordered the Beer BBQ Burger. It has provolone cheese, beer BBQ sauce, and fried onions. It was ok, not great, just ok. I probably wouldn't order it again. Nothing stood out as especially flavorful. The onion rings gave it a good crunch, but made it hard to eat. The fries were too thick, which made them too soft, but I like mine crispy. TBG got the Atomic Bratwurst which is jalapeno stuffed, and bacon wrapped with a sriacha aioli. He said it was also just ok. He expected more. The beer list was pretty good. TBG loves the large mugs for the draft beers. The service was average. I would reccommed this place only if you want to play games and drink beer. The food wasn't really worth going for.

Service____ 6 Chipps

Food____4 Chipps

Atmosphere____6 Chipps

Beer List____7 Chipps

Wine List____4 Chipps

Value____6 Chipps

Luigi's - Akron

2012-03-17T21:30:00.000-04:00

Luigi's is located in the Northside area of Akron. There is almost always a wait to get inside. If you don't mind standing outside talking to people in line then this is the place for you. I hate waiting for food, but have on occasion. This time we went early and while it was cold out; no wait! We always start our meal with a salad with cheese, but I forgot to take a pic! Sorry. It is not a huge salad, but they put plenty of mozzerella cheese on top. The dressing is also really good; they almost put too much, so if you don't like a lot ask for it on the side. TBG loves the Bianco pizza so we got one of those. It has 3 different types of cheese and an alfredo sauce. It is good, but I still like the regular cheese pizza better. The crust is a little on the thicker side, but tastes good. The cheese is great and they put plenty on. The sauce is almost too much for me, but it is not bitter, and also not too sweet. It goes perfectly with the rest of the pizza. We got mushrooms on half, and pepperoni in the other half of our second pizza. The mushrooms were not canned, but fresh cut and good. The service is always good even when they are busy. The atmosphere is just like you would expect from an old Italian restaurant. It could probably use some updating, but that doesn't take away from the experience. There is a small wine and beer list. I would recommend Luigi's for just about anyone and anytime.

Service____ 8 Chipps

Food____8 Chipps

Atmosphere____6 Chipps

Beer List____3 Chipps

Wine List____4 Chipps

Value____7 Chipps

Bricco - Akron

2012-02-26T10:39:00.000-05:00

We have been going to Bricco for years. It is located in downtown Akron with not much parking. This time it was cold so I valet parked. The menu has not changed in the years we have been going but it must not need to. The food is always of good quality. Mon and Tues have retail wine night and the wine list is fairly long. This time we started with the meat and cheese tray. TBG was not impressed, he said it looked like they just grabbed whatever they had in the back and put it on a platter. We also got the calamari with peppers which I almost forgot to take a picture of. I promise it looked better when they brought it out. It was good like always. It's never rubbery and has chorizo in it too. We ordered 2 pizzas for the table. The first is the tenderloin pizza with boursin. It's wonderful. This is the pizza that started us eating boursin at home. You can see from the picture that the tenderloin is perfectly cooked. There isn't too much sauce and the crust is good as well. The second pizza was the chorizo pizza with sriracha on top. It was also good and you can see there are large hunks of sausage on the pizza. The pizzas are also a pretty good size. There was only 3 of us, but we left with about half a pizza. The server this time was kinda slow and not real friendly, but I do not remember this being the norm at Bricco. Usually there is local artwork on the walls in the bar, but this time there was still (old) Christmas decorations up. The atmosphere otherwise is nice. There is a back room for parties, and fun booths in the dinning area. We usually sit at one of the large tables in the bar area surrounded by brick walls and windows looking out into Main street. The beer list is as good as the wine list, offering craft beers, and the prices are reasonable for the ingredients offered here. Bricco is good for Happy Hour, or a nice dinner out.

Service____ 6 Chipps

Food____8 Chipps

Atmosphere____8 Chipps

Beer List____8 Chipps

Wine List____8 Chipps

Value____7 Chipps

Battiste & Dupree Cajun Grill - South Euclid

2012-02-20T11:47:00.000-05:00

Battiste & Dupree is located in a strip mall a quarter mile from Cedar Rd in South Euclid. There is a small parking lot in the front. It opens at 5:00 and seats about 20 people. The decor is all things New Orleans and a few plaques from local papers. The windows are lined with beads. The bathrooms are kept locked with the chef/owner/host/bartender/server holding the key. We were recommended this place by someone who goes often, and expected a slow authentic southern experience. We made reservations since there were 6 of us arriving at this small restaurant. We arrived a few min early and had to wait for a couple to leave so we could put 2 tables together. We waited 15 min for water and menus. We waited another 15 min to order our apps and beers. The place was not full at this point, only about 5 other people there. They did have a fun selection of beer, carrying Abita beer from New Orleans. We tried a few and were never offered more during the rest of our stay. I personally drink a lot when I am eating spicy cajun food and was disappointed I did not get a refills of water or beer. The first appetizer to come out was the Cajun Fried Dill Pickles. They were awesome, I loved the cajun spices on the perfectly fried pickles. There was plenty of them to share, but we did not get plates so all had to eat off the center one. About 20 min later our other app came out. We got the sampler platter with ribs, wings, jambalaya, coleslaw, and fried fish bites. The ribs were tough, wing sauce tasty, jambalaya pretty good, coleslaw different and fish bites good and fun. We really wanted to try the rest of the food. We caught the guys attention and asked if we could order our food. He told us to wait a minute. We waited 30, then got his attention again and asked for the check. We were in the restaurant 1.75 hours and had not even ordered our food. In the mean time though we got lectures on not putting our purses on the ground (no hooks were provided) because we would get bed bugs (are they in the restaurant??), locking the door after we go to the bathroom, removing my phone from the table (which I use to blog while eating), and being patient because he was only one man. I think almost 2 hours without even ordering entrees is patient enough. It's not like there was a live band or entertaining server to keep us there. He was not apologetic about us leaving without eating, just said sorry that "it didn't work out". The bill was $60 and we left hungry and thirsty. By the time we left all the tables were full and most did not have food or water. It's sad because the food was good and there aren't many Cajun places around. I know TBG won't be going back.

Service____ 2 Chipps

Food____7 Chipps

Atmosphere____5 Chipps

Beer List____6 Chipps

Wine List____5 Chipps

Value____2 Chipps

Cupcakes!

2012-01-31T11:04:00.000-05:00

Ever since I got my Kitchen Aid a year ago I have been making lots of cupcakes. I don't have the confidence yet to come up with my own, but I thought I would share a few of my favorite recipes.

Big Breakfast!

The most popular, and the beginning of it all is the French Toast. When I tried the Big Breakfast from Main Street Cupcakes I knew I had to figure out how to make it. I found this from Life is better with cake. These are pretty easy to make and everyone loves them. This recipe makes about 12 cupcakes. I use maple syrup for the frosting so I don't have to buy maple extract. NOTE: 1c Cake flour = 1c - 2tbsp all purpose flour + 2tbsp cornstarch.

Soo Pretty! (photo from Brown Eyed Baker)

Next is the Limoncello cupcakes from Brown Eyed Baker. They are filled with lemon curd. These are a little bit more work but soo worth it. They are better the next day after all the lemon has mellowed and really seeped into the cupcakes. Perfect for a refreshing summer snack. We make our own Limoncello so this is a great way to showcase this great drink.

Another, more recent find (thanks to Pintrest!) is the Cookie Dough Cupcake! Who doesn't love cookie dough?? These cupcakes are even better than I expected. They take a little while to make, but aren't hard. There is a ball of (safe to eat) cookie dough in the middle!

Any recommendations for cupcakes I should try??

Arnie's Standing Room Only - Akron

2012-01-30T17:17:00.000-05:00

TBG and I met at Arnie's for lunch during the week. Arnie's is located on busy Market St, but there is a large parking lot in the back. We were the only people in the restaurant this day. It was a decent size inside and has a nice patio in the front for the nicer weather. There is also a sitting area with a fireplace if you are just hanging out. The menu is small, mostly sandwiches. TBG got a Turkey Reuben which has coleslaw instead of kraut. He did not care for it, said everything tasted cheap. The side is a bag of chips and a pickle. He was still hungry when we were done. I got a roast beef sandwich with mushrooms and onions. It was ok, nothing stood out but I wasn't as disappointed as TBG. The chips came with a dill dip that was a little plain, but I used it anyway. The prices were a little high for the small amount of food and a bag of chips. The happy hour beverage prices seemed pretty good. The service was not great even though we were the only ones there. She never asked us how our food was and really only came around when she felt like it. I would recommend coming here for a few drinks, but not for the food or the service.

Service____ 5 Chipps

Food____5 Chipps

Atmosphere____6 Chipps

Beer List____5 Chipps

Wine List____5 Chipps

Value____5 Chipps

Flour - Moreland Hills

2012-01-17T22:18:00.000-05:00

Flour is located on the corner of 91 & Chagrin Blvd, a few miles from 271. The restaurant is open and airy but maintains the feeling of intimacy at each table. There is a lounge area if you are only there for drinks and apps. The kitchen is open and there is a counter where you can sit and watch your pizza being thrown and fired in the wood burning oven. The wine list is not long, but is adequate although a little expensive. The server was very friendly, attentive and helpful. We ordered the beef carpaccio and crispy calamari and scallops for starters. They were both good. The seafood was not over breaded or over cooked and the dip was very tasty. The beef was perfectly thin and perfectly seasoned when eaten with a little bit of everything on the plate. The menu is set up in courses. We sort of followed this and got pizza for the next course. There was no way we were going to watch the pizza being thrown and not order some! We ordered the Bianca which is garlic oil, ricotta, cauliflower and fennel pollen. The crust was thicker and softer than I expected but still had the wood fired taste. The pizza toppings sounded a little strange to me and I personally don't care for cauliflower, but the pizza was surprisingly good. The cauliflower mellowed in the oven and the fennel added some depth. TBG and I added an egg to our pieces, but that was not executed well. The white was undercooked while the yolk was overcooked and honestly it didn't add to the taste. I guess we should have just trusted the chef on that one. The pizza was 10" and was cut into 6 pieces.

For our entrees we wanted family style since most of us could not eat a whole entree at this point. The server acted like that happens all the time and brought us out plates and new silverware with no problem. I was actually impressed by how often he brought silverware. I did not have to worry about keeping my fork and what to do with a dirty fork while waiting for the next plate. The first entree was a veal ravioli in a tuna tomato sauce. This one I did not love, but others at the table did (even my picky father). I did not taste any tuna, and there was not hunks of it so I was a little confused. The inside of the ravioli was close to room temp, definitely not warm. However, the pasta tasted homemade and was not overcooked or too thick. The next entree was a braised beef short rib with a white bean ragout and honey orange roasted fennel. The beef was perfectly cooked, nice and tender. The ragout was interesting, almost spicy. I did not like it on its own, but with the beef wasn't bad. The fennel was a little tough. Everyone at the table also liked this dish. The last dish was the lamb osso bucco (TBG's pick!), it came over a cauliflower risotto and pickled fennel salad. The entrees were a little small if that is all you ordered. The pasta dishes have two sizes and we ordered the larger which had 6 average sized ravioli.

Next came dessert (along with a second bottle of wine). The first was a chocolate lava cake with nutella ice-cream. It was messy, but very tasty. The cake was perfectly cooked and the nutella complimented all that chocolate perfectly. The next was a limoncello tiramisu. It tasted exactly as I imagined and was a nice light ending to a heavy Italian meal. The seeds shown are pomegranate. The last dessert was a basket of zeppoles which are airy Italian donuts covered in sugar. These were perfect, nice and warm and served with two dipping sauces. The first, and my fave, was a blood orange honey, the second a peanut butter type sauce. All in all everyone enjoyed our trip to Flour. The prices were a little high, but the quality of food was good with obvious care to the menu. The menu changes often to use fresh ingredients and makes me want to go back to see what else they can come up with. The Chef/Owner was standing near the door on our way out and we thanked him for a good meal. I would recommend this restaurant for a variety of reasons, but what better reason than to eat!

Service____ 9 Chipps

Food____8 Chipps

Atmosphere____8 Chipps

Beer List____? Chipps

Wine List____8 Chipps

Value____8 Chipps

Lola - Cleveland

2012-01-09T12:02:00.000-05:00

Lola is another Michael Symon resturant located in the Gateway District on E. 4th Street in Downtown Cleveland. We had never been to this area of Cleveland and immediately loved it. There is valet parking although a little expensive at $15. The rest of the "street" which is more like an alley has restaurants and shops. We will definitely be back to try more of the restaurants. When you walk in Lola you are greeted by a open bar area to the left with a beautiful glass wine cellar as the backdrop. To the right is the hostess stand. We had reservations which I would recommend, the restaurant was pretty full. We were immediately sat at a small table too close to the other tables around. We ended up talking to the tables around us throughout the meal because you couldn't avoid hearing others' conversations. Other than that I liked the atmosphere. The high ceiling was pretty and the place was larger than I expected. The kitchen was open so you could watch what was going on if you wanted. The waitress greeted us after we were served water and when we asked for a wine list we received an ipad. It was really great to be able to look at the wines you want by country or grape and each wine had a picture of the label. It was hard to tell how many wines they actually had but it was a lot. Everything we would want they had. The prices are actually on the cheap side for a bottle of wine at a fine dining restaurant. In the meantime bread was brought to the table. It was perfectly warm and garlicky with whipped butter.

After we decided on a wine we ordered the beef check pierogies. We were each presented with one large pierogi with a horseradish creme fraiche, wild mushrooms, and a BBQ sauce. I could have eaten a whole plate of these. The horseradish made the dish and the beef check was so flavorful. The whole thing was actually creamy and smooth. Next we ordered our entrees. I ordered the wild boar cavatelli and TBG ordered the pork chop with cheesy polenta and BBQ onions. The wild boar was great. It was tender and flavorful. It was not gamey, if you like pork or beef you would like wild boar. The cavatelli was cooked perfectly and made the whole dish feel like comfort food and was very filling. I only ate about half even though I wanted much more.

The pork chops were moist and flavorful. The cheesy polenta was the best we have ever had and the BBQ onions were also good. I thought they were a little sweet, but TBG loved them. The presentation was nicer than mine but both dishes were great. After we were finished eating we still had some wine left so we ordered dessert. We got the 6 a.m. special which is brioche french toast with a maple-bacon ice cream and carmalized apple. Even as full as I was I wanted more of this dessert. It was great. The maple-bacon ice cream was unique and perfect with the warm fried french toast. The maple flavor was not too strong and there was small pieces of bacon throughout. The french toast was crunchy and soft on the inside. I would go back just for this dessert. After all this the waitress brought us 4 pine nut tyme lemon cookies. These sound weird but were really good. The texture was crispy at first, but chewy throughout. The service overall was great. The manager stopped by to make sure everything was going well and the bussers were always on top of clearing our plates and crumbs. The food came out relatively fast too. We didn't even look at a beer list. The prices were high, but the food was worth it. I would reccomend Lola to anyone willing to spend money for good food.

Service____ 10 Chipps

Food____8 Chipps

Atmosphere____8 Chipps

Beer List____? Chipps

Wine List____10 Chipps

Value____9 Chipps

Ray's Place - Kent

2011-12-27T08:26:00.000-05:00

I went to Ray's Place in Kent without TBG so I couldn't order as much food as normal. The happy hour prices were really good; half off already reasonably priced apps and $1 off draft beers. They have a pretty good selection of draft beers. We started with the feta tomatoe dip. It was very good. Fresh tasting and the pitas were soft and warm. Next we both got a bowl of chili with cheddar cheese and sour cream. It was suprisingly good. A little watery, but had a nice kick and plenty of cheese. With our chili we got a basket of sun stix, which are sweet potatoe fries. These were a little bland but they did come with some decent ranch dressing. We did not need the fries, but they were included in the half off apps. The basket was pretty big. TBG has been here before and also likes it. Ray's was mentioned on The Best Thing I Ever Ate on Food Network for their burgers. I would like to go back with TBG and order a burger. The resturant is pretty big with a bottom and top floor. The top floor includes a pool table and some video games, and both floors have a bar. Ray's is located on the back side of all the bars in Kent if you were interested in bar hopping.

Service____ 8 Chipps

Food____8 Chipps

Atmosphere____7 Chipps

Beer List____9 Chipps
Wine List____5 Chipps

Value____7 Chipps

Buckeye Beer Engine - Lakewood

2011-12-22T14:00:00.000-05:00

We met friends in Lakewood to try out the Buckeye Beer Engine. It was packed when we walked in and we were informed of a 1 hour wait. We moved over to the large bar and ordered drinks. This proved to be difficult because of the HUGE beer list. We all ended up ordering drafts and loving them. They had a large selection of beers, seasonal, bottles and drafts. We sat down in a little under an hour and ordered three appetizers. The first is Beer Caps which is breaded and fried jalapenos with chipotle ranch dressing. We all liked them even tho some people thought they were a little too hot (not TBG). The next app was Buckeye Chips which were fresh made chips with wucumber sauce. The wucumber sauce is wasabi-cucumber and was great. The last app was the fried pickles. I loved them, not sure what makes them better than others but they were great. The pickles also came with the wucumber sauce.

Next came the entrees. The Beer Engine is known for their burgers so almost everyone got that. If you did not get a pickle for an appetizer, never fear because every burger comes with one. The fries are extra but are very good, nice and crispy. The first burger is the Blackened which has Cajun seasoning, grilled mushrooms, caramelized onions, and blue cheese. The burgers were cooked exactly as ordered and were very good, and pretty big. I did not order one because I knew I couldn't eat the whole thing. I also wanted to try one of the seasonal dishes. I ordered the chicken paperkash. It was ok, there was a lot of food but it was a little bland. The next burger is the West Side which is carmalized onions, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and a pierogi! It was very good, the person who ordered it said the pierogi went so well with the burger. The last burger is the Southwestern which is roasted red peppers, pepper jack cheese, grilled jalapenos, and chili sauce. TBG really enjoyed it. The service was pretty good. The hostess took our names then gave us the beer list so we could look that over and order while we waited. She also offered to get drinks for us. Our server was prompt with food and new drinks after we sat down. The bartender was also good, they were out of the beer I ordered so she gave me a sample of another similar beer to see if I would like that before she poured me one. The staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. The atmosphere wasn't anything too special, but it didn't take away from the experience. Behind the bar was a full wall of taps and seasonal beer listings. The value wasn't too bad for what we got. We got great beer, lots of quality food, and good service. I would definately recommend The Beer Engine to anyone spending time in Lakewood.

Service____ 8 Chipps

Food____7 Chipps

Atmosphere____8 Chipps

Beer List____10 Chipps

Wine List____5 Chipps

Value____7 Chipps