OK Patron Fajita Bar  is in a building the used to be a Wendy’s.  I don’t know why, but that made me kind of not want to try it.  But I was craving Mexican food, and didn’t want any of the other places in Perrysburg so we tried it.

Atmosphere/Overall Appearance

From the outside, I think you can tell it used to be a Wendy’s.  But maybe that’s just because I know it used to be a Wendy’s, so take that for what it’s worth.  The inside is surprisingly nice, and well decorated in traditional Mexican restaurant fare.

OK Patron Fajita Bar.... it's not just a clever name.

The Food

Since it was called the OK Patron Fajita Bar, my decision was pretty easy.  I have deep and abiding love of fajitas.  I ordered the steak fajitas.  Josh got the burrito platter.  I think it had a fancier name, but neither of us can remember it.  You have a few options for burritos, and one of them is that you can get either refried beans or whole pinto beans in your burritos.  This is important for later.  Eden got a cheese quesadilla and we ordered it with fries and beans.  We ended up with rice and fries.

The chips and salsa were very yummy (my favorite part of most Mexican meals) but I don’t think they were homemade.

I liked my fajitas, but didn’t think they were anything super special like you might expect from a place that specializes in fajitas.  They were a pretty decent portion though and were still pretty tasty for lunch the next day.

Josh’s burrito was kind of disappointing.  The meat was kind of sweet, which I thought was super weird, but he didn’t mind.  The biggest thing though is that the beans were hard, like they hadn’t been cooked long enough.  I was the one who was all “hey, try the whole beans!” so I got hassled for it the rest of the night.  Such a punk.

Eden’s quesadilla was barely cooked and the cheese wasn’t melted all the way.  She didn’t seem to mind very much, and ate most of it and some of the fries.  I ate her rice.

Nothing says Mexican food like french fries.

Kid Friendliness

Family friendly, easy going place.  No concerns or anything and would be totally okay no matter what time you went.

Wait Staff/Service

Oh man, I don’t like to complain about our service, but here I go.  It was super, super slow.  She brought the wrong stuff with Eden’s meal (we asked for double beans, no rice and got rice and beans) and she wasn’t super friendly.  I would understand more if they were busy, but they weren’t busy at all.  It was kind of a bummer.

Overall Impressions

Hard bean burrito. Bummer.

Poor reviews are no fun to write, but over all this was not a great experience and I don’t think we’ll be back.  If the food was good, but the service was bad or vice versa, I would we’d try it again, but the double whammy of both being kind of crappy and it’s hard to give it a second try.

Have you guys been there and had a better experience?  Should we give it another try?

Web: www.eatatoasis.com

Several months ago, I bought a Groupon for a place called The Oasis without really knowing much about it.  I asked around and found out it was close to UT and that it was a college hang out.  Just the thought of all those UT students was enough to make me shudder (oh, I kid… sort of… ), but I managed to get over it long enough to check out what they were eating.  And also, I thought maybe I could talk some sense into some of them and get them to transfer to BG.

Atmosphere/Overall Appearance

I bet nobody's ever had their picture taken on these before...

Completely different than I expected.   The building itself is pretty non descript, but there are some awesome stone lions out front.  I imagine many an inebriated college student has had their picture taken with them, and clearly I had to get Eden’s picture with them too.  She was only too happy to oblige.  Inside, there is a really pretty fountain.  The ordering is cafeteria style, so there is a counter across the back.  They have lunch/dinner food, ice cream and coffee.  There is a variety of high top and low top tables.  Apparently, there is also some sort of club or lounge upstairs, but we didn’t go up there.  They allow for quite a bit of free space since college students tend to clump together and close together tables won’t allow for that.  Smart thinking, really.

The Food

The Oasis has a huge variety of food, including pizza, sandwiches, Mediterranean, Tex-Mex, Italian, pretty much you name it, they’ve got it.

Josh got a steak and cheese calzone, which was gigantic!  It was packed full of steak, cheese, mushrooms, peppers, and cheese.  He took about ½ of it home.  It was very good and had a lot of flavors running through it.

I got the Greek burger, and it had lettuce, onion, tomato, and lots and lots, and lots of feta.  It also had gyro sauce on the side.  The burger was, in my opinion, pretty good.  It has a lot of feta, so if you don’t really, really like feta, you’re probably not going to like this.  Josh was not a fan because of the overwhelming feta.

Feta... I mean.... Greek Burger

Eden had mac and cheese.  She liked it.  There’s a shocker, I know.

Kid Friendliness

We went during normal dinner hours, and it was super kid friendly.  There is a kids menu and they were super nice to Eden.  Considering that it is a college hang out and there is a club inside, I doubt you’d want to take your kids there late at night.

Wait Staff/Service

Since it’s cafeteria style, we didn’t have a waiter, per se, but the counter people were really nice.  I asked several questions and they were really nice about it.

Overall Impressions

Steak and cheese calzone

Other then the fact that it is filled with UT students, I liked Oasis.  The food was good and the staff are friendly.  We talked to a friend of ours who used to go to UT and he said that he would go there a lot after classes because they had such a huge variety and it was well priced and fast.  If we were in the area, we would totally stop by again, but I try to avoid UT at all costs.  But you don’t have the same aversions I do, you should go check it out.

Let me tell you a funny story.  So, we go to Amerasia and their placemats have the Chinese zodiac on it, and has little pictures of all the animals.  We ask Eden was she would like for dinner, and she decides on chicken fingers.  Then when the waitress comes to take our order, she looks at Eden and says “and what for you, sweetie?” and Eden replies “I think I’ll have… the sheep!” pointing to the placemat.  Josh and I about passed out from laughing.  That kid cracks me up.

Atmosphere/Overall Appearance

Won Ton Soup

Amerasia is brand spankin’ new and it shows in its appearance.  It is very clean and has all new fixtures.  There are probably 10 tables and across the back is a counter that serves as a wait station and also a place for people to pick up their take out orders.  The room itself feels light and modern.  It’s small, but very nicely done.

The Food

So, I’ve mentioned before that we’re kind of Chinese food snobs and it’s been hard to find a really good place in Toledo since we left our favorite place in BG.  Well, folks, I am happy to tell you that we’re searching no more, because this place was awesome.  I had the Hunan Chicken and Josh had Chicken Lo Mein.

The Hunan Chicken has pea pods, carrots, onions, peppers, broccoli, mini corns, and bamboo shoots.  It normally also comes with celery and water chestnuts but I loathe water chestnuts (weirdest most disgusting texture ever, ick, eww, gross) so I asked for it without.  The sauce it rich and full of flavor, but not greasy or oily, which I think sometimes sauces like that can be.  The only thing I would want is a little more spice, because this is a very flavorful, but not at all spicy sauce.

Hunan Chicken minus gross water chestnuts.

Josh’s Chicken Lo Mein was also very good.  I’m writing this post almost two weeks after we went here, so Josh’s ability to give me adjectives has waned, but he said that he ate a ton of it at dinner, and ate all of the leftovers, and remembers it being really good.  I ate a little bit and again, the sauce was light, and really full of flavor.  I had Lo Mein for the first time ever at Panda Express and I loved it, and this ranks right up there.  (This reminds me of the story my parents tell about how, the first time we went to an authentic Italian restaurant that had their own home made sauce, I “complimented” the staff by telling them it tasted just like Prego.  Comparing it to Panda Express is a compliment, is my point).

We both got eggrolls and the heavens parted and lo, there were delicious eggrolls and I was very, very happy.  We’ve been searching for good eggrolls for years, and we found them… yum!  I also got soup which was really good.

Unfortunately for Eden, they didn’t have sheep in the menu, so she got chicken fingers and fries.  She did really enjoy the fried noodles that they have in little bowls in the tables.

In case you’d rather not eat in, they do have a take out option, which I can see us using a lot.  They actually did quite a bit of take out business while we were there so it appears like the people of Rossford agree with our assessment of the food.

Kid Friendliness

Amerasia is very kid friendly, and they were really sweet to her.  They have a pretty good kids menu and would be willing to accommodate special requests if you had them.

Wait Staff/Service

Our waitress was very nice, and very fast with our food and drinks.  Everyone was very friendly.

Chicken Lo Mein

Overall Impressions

So, listen.  You know how I told you a few weeks ago that we don’t really live in Toledo, we actually live in Rossford?  Well, I often think of Rossford as the forgotten suburb of Toledo, and we don’t have a lot of options when it comes to restaurants which are actually in the city of Rossford.  So the fact that not only is there a good new restaurant in Rossford, but that it’s a Chinese place, which we’ve been looking for forever?  Well, it’s almost too good to be true.  So, I’m asking… no, begging…  you to come and check this place out and give them lots of money so they won’t go out of business and I won’t be left bereft and without access to good egg rolls.  Amerasia has great food with really good prices and a brand new building and great staff.  What’s not to like?  You’re going to come, right?  Pretty please?

10 people and no dinner time injuries!

But that’s not what this post is about.  This post is about how we brought 10 people into Zingo’s, 5 of them being under 4 years old and lived to tell about it.  Remarkably, only one person fell off a chair and no one was seriously injured.  Success!

Atmosphere/Overall Appearance

Zingo’s is very much a small town café type of place.  It has neat artwork on the walls, and over all a really calm, laid back vibe.  There are 7 or so table plus a counter that looks out at the street.  The last time just Eden and I went there we sat at the counter and that was really fun.  I keep wanting to describe it as hippie-ish, which I hope you understand is a good thing.  It’s just feels very mellow and easy going.

The Food

Grape Leaves

Zingo’s has a salad that is called the Junk Salad and it’s on my Top Ten Favorite Things To Eat list (along with frosting and Carolina Barbeque Lay’s – YUM!).  It has chicken, gyro meat, kalamata olives, tomato, red onions, red peppers, chick peas, cucumbers, crushed up pita chips and feta with a creamy Greek dressing.  It’s amazing how much flavor they pack into this salad and you get a different taste with every bite.  I can’t over emphasize enough how this is the best salad ever.  So, I got that.

Josh had a gyro, which is pretty much your traditional gyro, but I think that they have the best gyro sauce of all the places we’ve tried.  It’s nice and thick and has a good balance of all the flavors.  They offer it either regular or Zingo style, which is a thin pita wrap which is grilled.  Josh and I have had them both ways and we both like them regular style better, but the Zingo style is something different to try.

Gryo, Zingo style.

Our friend Justin got the Feta Chicken, which the website describes as “grilled chicken, zucchini, squash, tomato, and red onions on a bed of cous-cous smothered in a feta cream sauce.”  It looked really great and I want to try that the next time I go, assuming I can talk myself out of the Junk Salad.

For kids food, you have the options of chicken chunks, grilled cheese or PB&J and then you can get it with fries, hummus, apples or carrots on the side.  All of the kids had various mix and matches of that.

Junk Salad. Best salad ever!

Zingo’s also has great vegetarian options and also at least a few things that are vegan.  I think this is kind of a rare thing in Toledo, so heads up, non meat eaters.

We’ve gone to Zingo’s lots of times and have never had anything but a good experience there.  The food is fresh, fast and delicious.  Apparently, they also deliver, which I did not know.  I need to check and see if they will deliver to my house, in which case I will never cook again.

Kid Friendliness

Very kid friendly.  Very friendly in general.  They’re open until 9, so there’s not a night life crowd to speak of and it’s generally a homey, family kind of place.

Wait Staff/Service

Kids grilled cheese pita with hummus. Eden couldn't wait, so don't mind the finger marks.

I seriously adore the people who work at Zingo’s.  They are all super nice, and friendly and exactly what you expect in a place like Zingo’s.  I’ve never met a person there who wasn’t wonderful.

Overall Impressions

Our family found Zingo’s long before this project started and it’s been a favorite for several years now.  Their food is amazing, but even above and beyond that, the feeling of the restaurant keeps you coming back.  We’ll keep going there for years to come and I hope you’ll check it out and love it as much as we do.

The lovely decor

Atmosphere/Overall Appearance

Okay, talk about a place you would NEVER expect if you didn’t know it was there.  When Justin said it was in a super market, he was totally not kidding.  It took us a little while to find the place because it’s not really marked and even once you get there, if you didn’t know there was a restaurant, you wouldn’t expect to find one.  Justin’s instructions to me were “come in and walk down the aisle to your left, past the meat counter and you’ll see it.”  A more apt description would have been “walk past the meat counter and when you feel like you’ve entered another dimension, you’re there.”  Apparently, this place started as a little food stand in the back, but they were doing such good business that they expanded and remodeled and oh my gosh you guys, it’s fabulous.  There is a full bar off to one side and then several smaller tables in the front area as you walk in.  Then behind those are two rows of booths and a few larger tables.  The whole place is bright, and cheerful and colorful.  The booths have what look like either paintings or carvings on them, and are really pretty.  There is also a back room, which I think is a taco bar, that has a beautifully done mural on it.  The whole place just feels very relaxed and friendly and like they have all the time in the world to make you like your food.  It also kind of feels like a well kept secret and it’s nice to feel like you’re “in the club”.

The Food

Tacos with cilanto and onion

There isn’t much to the menu, but they know what they make well and they stick with it.  You can pick from Tacos, Soup, Quesadillas, Tostadas, Tamales, Burrtios, and Tortas and fill them with your choice of steak, beef tongue, pork, pork skin, beef intestine, chicken, or ground beef.  I got three carne asada (steak) tacos, Josh got a carne asada, a barbacoa (shredded beef), and a pork taco, Eden had a cheese quesadilla, Justin ordered a couple of carne asada tacos and was brave enough to try a beef tongue taco, Amanda had a chicken quesadilla, and their kids shared plain chicken taco meat.  They ask you if you want cilantro and onion with your tacos and your answer should be yes.  The chicken quesadilla was filled with avocado, cheese, sour cream, lettuce and tomato.  Everyone really enjoyed their food. Everything is obviously very fresh and made to order and the flavors are really bright.  The tacos come on corn tortillas, which I found just a smidge soggy, but that was literally my only, very minor, complaint.  The cilantro and onion adds another dimension of good flavor and if you didn’t get it, I think you would miss it.  I tried some of Josh’s barbacoa and it was really good.  I did not try Justin’s beef tongue, but he said he liked it and it was very tender.  We also got rice and beans and I’m not typically a fan of refried beans but these were fantastic.  I also think that next time I might try a quesadilla, because Amanda’s looked really good and full of delicious stuff.

Rice and beans I actually liked... a lot.

San Marco’s also has a fruit drink called aqua fresca, in papaya, pineapple and a few other flavors.  It’s basically a pineapple lemonade, but maybe a little sweeter.  It is very pineapple-y and good.  It’s a must try when you go, if only because it’s something really different and fun.

Kid Friendliness

Like I said above, it’s very casual and laid back, so kids are welcome.  There is also a lot to see, so it should keep your kids busy and interested.  They accommodated our special requests for the kids with no problems.

Wait Staff/Service

Our waiter’s name was Oliver and he is awesome.  He was so funny, and as we’re ordering our food and it’s taking a while because we had 6 adults, 3 kids and 3 bills, he pulled up a chair, plopped down and said “I think I’m just going to sit for this” – HA!  He was prompt and gave us a few little extras and just was all around wonderful.  He was pretty much the only one we had interaction with, but he left a great impression of the whole place.  He clearly likes his job and likes interacting with people.

On you way out, make sure to pick some of these up from the store.

Overall Impressions

We’ll be back and we’ll take people here.  It’s another example of the hidden gems in Toledo that get passed around by word of mouth and that you find by sheer dumb luck.  Please, go check this place out and give yourselves a taste of authentic Mexican food and an experience with good people and a great atmosphere.  And if anyone tries the beef intestine tacos, you better come back and tell me, okay?

This is one of the two plates full of sushi they brought out.

Atmosphere/Overall Appearance

Tea Tree is very pretty and looks very hip and trendy on the outside.  The inside is much plainer then I expected, which isn’t a bad thing, just different than I expected.  There are a few decorations around, but it is not over done at all.  There is a sushi bar towards the back, but most of the restaurant is taken up by seating.  There are several larger tables and we had actually come in right after a very large party so they are clearly able to accommodate larger groups.  It honestly doesn’t feel like a local, single restaurant kind of place, it feels much more like a chain.  Considering the kind of food they’re serving, their location and their intended clientele, I think that’s what they’re going for.

The Food

We ordered a LOT of sushi.  I’ve mentioned before on here, I think that, I’m allergic to shellfish, so that really limits my sushi options, so I got my old favorite, Spicy Tuna Rolls and tried something new, the Alaskan, which is salmon, avocado and cucumber.  Honestly, I don’t know what Ruth and Keli got, because we ordered super fast and also because I couldn’t eat most of it.  I know there were some California Rolls, and some other kind with eel.

And this is the second plate full of sushi they brought out.

I ordered 3 Spicy Tuna Rolls and the Alaska and I had enough left to take for lunch the next day, and I was stuffed to the gills when I left.  I seriously couldn’t stop eating it, oh my gosh.  It was fantastic, amazing and stellar, all together.  As I’m typing this, I am seriously wondering when I am going to get more.  If you like sushi, go there.  Happy mouth.

Kid Friendliness

I don’t think I saw any kids when we were there.  It is an environment much more geared towards adults.  They do have a kids menu with very kid friendly food, so that makes me think that your kids would be welcome there, but I don’t know if I would take Eden there.  If someone from Tea Tree happens to read this and would like to correct me, please do.  I’m going off my own impressions, but I also went without my kid so maybe I just missed it.

Wait Staff/Service

Our waiter was really nice.  They were just finishing up a big party and were a little behind and frazzled so we had to ask for some things several times.  In my opinion, not a big deal, but I know some people are really picky about that.  Everyone we had contact with was very nice.

This is all that was left. One measly little half full plate. The sign of a good dinner.

Overall Impressions

My overall impression can pretty much be summed up as “yuuuuuuum”.  Seriously, the sushi was awesome.  Highly, highly recommend.  Good atmosphere, good people, good food.  If you want to try sushi, ½ off sushi Tuesday is a great chance.  I ordered 5 rolls, a salad and a drink and got out the door for about $16.  No matter what anyone says, raw fish is delicious and this was a step above.

Atmosphere/Overall Appearance

The Big Apple.

Big Apple is a deli style restaurant where you order and wait for your food at the front counter and then seat yourself.  There are 15ish tables, but the store is mostly taken up with the deli counter and coolers.  It’s very laid back and relaxed.  I suspect that it is very similar to deli’s in New York, where you have your favorite deli in your neighborhood and they know you by name and it’s just…. your place.

The Food

Big Apple has a huge selection of hot and cold sandwiches, salads, soups, and desserts.  They have every combination of sandwich you can imagine and you can also build your own.  There are the traditional deli salads, and then they also have French Onion, Chili and Chicken Noodle soups daily.  Throughout the cases in the store they have their desserts and they all looked beyond fabulous.

Josh got the Jet’s which has ham, salami, turkey and provolone.  I had the Big Apple which is ham, salami and cheese with a side of redskin potato salad.  Eden had a plain hot dog (they usually come as coney dogs, but they gave it to us without the coney part).

The plainest hot dog ever. Don't judge it by it's cover though, it was delicious!

So, when I’ve been there before, I’ve usually gotten the Rueben, which is excellent, but this time I wanted to try something different and something that wasn’t hot.  The Rueben is big, but the cold subs are gigantic.  I got the large because I thought that the small sounded kind of small, but no.  Since I had also ordered the potato salad, I’ll be taking ½ of my sandwich for work tomorrow.

Most of the sandwiches come with lettuce, tomato, peppers, onions, mustard, mayo and Italian dressing so they are certainly not short of flavor.  There is a ton of meat piled on and they are good, filling sandwiches.

The potato salad was totally amazing.  I think they use some sort of Ranch seasoning because it was a little more involved than just plain potato salad.  I could have eaten that as my whole meal.  They also recommended the split pea salad as one of the best salads.

The hot dog was all beef and all delicious.  Josh and I both stole bites.  I would go back and get a hot dog for myself.

I also want to mention that they do a lot of catering, and it would be a fantastic catering option for your events.  Their motto is “Having an affair?  We won’t tell, we’ll cater it!”  That cracked me up.

Kid Friendliness

They don’t have a kid menu, per se, but they do have smaller sandwich options and obviously are willing to make changes to accommodate kids.  Big Apple is clearly a family friendly, neighborhood place, and kids are welcome there.  Eden also got a free cookie for noticing something in the store, but I’m not telling you what it was.  Guess you’ll just have to find out for yourself!

The Jet's sandwich

Wait Staff/Service

I think that Toledo area local restaurateurs are some of the nicest people on the planet.  I just adore them. The staff at Big Apple were so kind and helpful, and just in general wonderful.  Nothing but nice things to say.

Overall Impressions

If you’re looking for a laid back, quick, delicious place to eat, this is it.  I love going here and we will keep going back for a long time.  The nice thing about Big Apple is that there are so many different options you could go back over and over and keep having something new to order.  I want to go in the winter time and order their soup.  If you’ve never been here before, do me a favor and the next time you want a sandwich or a quick dinner, step off the beaten path, skip Panera or Quizno’s and go here instead.  Better food, better people and a new experience.

Atmosphere/Overall Appearance

Josh says "it looks like a pilsner, but tastes like an ale". We're pretty sure it's called a Farmer's Tan.

Swig is a mix of diner and bar, with the diner part in the front half of the room and bar in the back.  They also have an outdoor patio which seems very popular.  There are maybe 15 tables inside and it’s self seating, so you can move them around to manage the size of your party.  Swig feels like a cool, relaxed place where you would go with your friends to hang out.  They seem to really find the balance between restaurant and bar and come up with a very easy going place where you feel welcomed and like part of the crowd.  In fact, I actually struck up some random little conversations with other people there because it’s just that kind of place, where everyone is friendly and fun.

The Food

Swig’s website says “all of our sausages and hot dogs are hand crafted -that is, ground, seasoned, stuffed and smoked – daily” and it totally shows in the quality of the hot dog. I am a big hot dog fan, and these were excellent.  Josh had the chili dog, I had a “make your own” dog with sauerkraut and grilled onions, and we got Eden a plain dog.  We also got a basket of sweet potato fries to share.

The dog were all totally delish and even with the toppings, were the standout flavor by far.  Whatever they’re doing they should keep doing because their dogs are great!  The sweet potato fries were really good, and came with this dipping sauce that was like a maybe hollandaise sauce?  It was really good.  We asked the waitress and she didn’t know what was in it, but if anyone wants to tell me, I’m curious.

Chili dog.... a delightful classic.

They also have a great menu other then hot dogs of sandwiches, wings, soup, etc.  One of the most interesting things is the Chocolate Covered Bacon Sundae.  Has anyone ever tried it?  I wish I would have seen it, I would have been all over that!

Kid Friendliness

Did I mention they have hot dogs?  They are very kid friendly and accommodating and there were a lot of families there when we were there.  Since it’s also a bar, I would imagine that during normal bar-ish hours, it would be less kid friendly.  One thing is that initially we were going to sit on the patio where they had a live band, but it was pretty loud and Eden was having none of it.  You might want to stick to inside if they have a band and your kiddos have noise sensitive little ears.

Wait Staff/Service

Every single person we came in contact with at Swig was helpful, upbeat and funny.  We asked if they use peanut oil on their fries and the manager came back over and said “no peanuts… the only nuts here are the staff.”  It was really funny.  I can’t say enough nice things about them.

A plain dog for Eden. Kindly ignore my mutant hand.

Overall Impressions

I really like Swig.  The people, the food, the atmosphere, just the overall vibe.  I left feeling happy and like I had just had a great community experience.  I would like to go back for a band or just out with friends, but I want to go back during the day too.  Swig would be a great place to take out of town friends or family to give them a little piece of the Toledo area.   You can, and should, follow them on Facebook for all the latest news.  They do a great job of keeping things updated so you know about any specials, cool bands, and other Swig happenings.  Next time you’re in Perrysburg for the Farmer’s Market or First Friday, I hope you go check them out.

A while back, Groupon had a coupon for Smedlap’s Smithy and my friend Lori messaged me, all excited and said I needed to get one.  And then she said “there is a SLIDE in the restaurant!” and I said “no way!” and she said “YES way” and I said “SOLD”.  I mean, seriously, a slide in a restaurant?  Even if the food was awful, that alone made it worth trying out.  We went to check it out on a Thursday with our friend’s Wayne and Lori and Justin and Amanda.  Between all of us there were 6 adults and 4 kids so I’m was pretty sure we were going to get the full Smedlap’s experience with that many opinions.

Atmosphere/Overall Appearance

Prime Rib.

Smedlap’s is in Waterville, which always surprises me with the things they have tucked away.  It is located in an old blacksmith building, and the building also has some shops in it.  There is a entry way with a fountain.  Of all the places I’ve tried to describe, I feel like this is the one I am having the hardest time with.  It’s a really neat building.  If someone has been there before and can describe it better, please do in the comments (Lori?!?!)  The restaurant itself has two floors.   It’s a very cozy, older feeling place that makes me think of old barns and houses.  We mostly saw the upstairs because the manager was smart enough to stick the people with the kids upstairs, close to the slide and away from people trying to have a quiet meal!  We were the only ones up there.  The upstairs has an open loft feel.  You can actually look down at the first floor, which the kids did, a lot.  They have plexiglass up so no one plummets into someone’s soup bowl.  Smart people.

(I'm pretty sure it's called) Fiesta Chicken.

The Food

We went on a Thursday because they had $10 Prime Rib.  Amanda and Wayne got that.  Lori and I got a 6 oz filet, as well as Wayne ordering it as his second meal, and Josh and Justin got a chicken special with tomatoes and cheese.  The kids got various kid meals, hot dogs, grilled cheese, etc.  All their meals came with fries or applesauce.  They also serve you bread and salads before your meal.

Everyone liked their food.  I thought the filet was well seasoned and tasted really good.  It was also wrapped in bacon, so yeah.  I got the mashed potatoes, which I find to be hot or miss at most places, but these were a hit.

Possibly the best chicken fingers, ever.

Josh liked his chicken dish.  He did comment that he thought the portions were a little smaller than most people are used to, but that’s probably a good thing, especially considering the pre-dinner bread and salad.

We ordered Eden chicken fingers at her request which I knew she wouldn’t eat because she doesn’t like chicken (I don’t know what planet she’s from either), but she insisted that was what she wanted.  Since she didn’t eat them, Josh and I did and they were so, so, so good.  I would eat them for an entire meal.

Wayne said he wanted the Prime Rib to be thicker, but it tasted good.  Everyone else, when asked if they had anything else to say about the food, said “tell them it’s good”.  Punks.

Kid Friendliness

Okay, seriously, the place has a slide and was smart enough to put us in a place where the kids can run around and not be in the way.  Kid friendly to the max.  They were lovely to all of our munchkins.

Filet with mashed potatoes. The plate looks kind of lonely, but the food was good!

Wait Staff/Service

One of the problems with being seated in an off the beaten path area is that sometimes you get forgotten a little bit, but I didn’t feel that way at all.  Our server could not have been nicer or more attentive.  Two thumbs way up.

Overall Impressions

I think you should all go to Smedlap’s, even if it’s just to verify that there is, in fact, a slide in a restaurant.  The food is very good, they have a great selection and the staff and owners are kind and accommodating.

Thanks to Lori for another great suggestion!

Atmosphere/Overall Appearance

JB’s Sarnie Shop is located in Levis Commons, so it’s a store front deli shop.  There are maybe 8 or 10 tables.  When you walk in, it really does feel like you’re in a deli, with the deli case with all the wrapped meats and cheeses.  There are also baskets of chips scattered around in front of the cases.  They have all of their menu options written on chalk boards around the room.  Josh didn’t believe me that it wasn’t a chain because it looks very chain-ish.  That’s a compliment.  They’ve obviously taken note of what other places are doing well and it works for them.

The Food

Not kraut-y (but still delish!) Rueben.

When Jill went, she got the turkey avocado with pesto mayo, sprouts, and muenster cheese.  Since she called it the best freaking sandwich of her life, I thought I would try that.  I mean, it seems like a good bet, right?  Josh got the traditional Rueben and Eden had the kids grilled cheese.  Josh and I both got ours with chips and a pickle, which tacked on an additional $1.75 to the meals.

One thing I learned was that JB’s has 4 sizes of sandwich, but they are built up rather then out.  As in, you get the same amount of bread, but more meat based on the size you order.  I think that the regular sarnie has 1/5 of a lb of meat and the large has a 1/3 lb.

My sandwich was totally amazing.  They cook it on the panini press and it gets all melty and amazing.  The pesto is the star, but add in the creamy avocado and the cheese and it’s one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had.  I could eat 10 more.

Josh’s Rueben was good, but we both decided that we like really kraut-y (totally a word!) sauerkraut and this was more on the sweet side, so it wasn’t our personal favorite ever.  For people who like less potent kraut and more of the dressing flavor, you’ll really like this.

Eden had a grilled cheese and a banana.  It was also done of the panini press with sourdough and American cheese and she ate it all.

Like I said, we also got chips and a pickle.  The pickles are a meal in themselves.  They are the really big ones sliced in half.  Try feeding one of those to a three year old (we did – hilarious!).  If you get pop, it’s a 20 oz bottle.

They also serve soup, smoothies and salads or you can “build your own sarnie” out of anything they have in the store.  Within reason, of course.  You’re probably not allowed to use cleaning supplies and the like.

Wait Staff/Service

The set up of how to order, where to pay and how you get your food is a little confusing.  Basically, by the deli counter is a small cut out in the counter and you order there.  Then they hand you a sheet and you take it to the register at the other side of the place to pay.  And then you go and sit down and they call your name when your foods ready.  At least, I think that’s how it works.  My point is, no one really goes out of their way to explain what to do.  Maybe I’m just slow?  A little more signage might help.  It’s not that the staff weren’t friendly, it’s just hard to figure out what’s where and a little more help from them would be nice.  Overall, I have no complaints.

This is the best picture I got of Eden's grilled cheese. She found a hole in the bread and decided to use it like a Ring Pop. She's pretty funny.

Overall Impressions

I want to go back to JB’s Sarnie Shop.  The food was really good and the restaurant itself was nice.  I do think it’s a little overpriced for what you get (we spent $28 for 3 san dwiches, 2 bags of chips, 2 pickles, a banana and 2 pops) but that turkey avocado sandwich keeps calling to me like a siren song.  It would be a great place to go for lunch if you were out shopping at Levis or just looking for a lighter lunch while you were in Perrysburg.

JB’s Sarnie Shop is also a real deli so you can get meat and cheese by the pound there.  I would like do that the next time I’m there.  I think most of their meat is Boar’s Head, in case you care.

Another cool thing is that they do a “Man vs Food” style challenge where you have to eat a pound of meat, two types of cheese and some amount of veggies and condiments in an hour.  If you can do it, you get the sign the wall with the time it took you.  Some guy did it in 5 minutes.  That. is. insane.  I think I could totally rock that challenge!  I also think one of you should do it and report.  Who’s in?!

*  I know I usually have more pictures, but I forgot my good camera and I was taking pictures with my cell phone camera, trying to be sly, and apparently sly also means “moves too much to get a clear picture.”  Sorry.