Hold the Mustard Cincinnati

New Orleans to Go

2011-06-16T12:09:00.000-07:00

New Orleans to Go is my new favorite restaurant. It has it all, great food, amazing atmosphere and the best customer service. I have been there back to back weeks now, they usually come downtown Wednesday-Friday every week. You can follow them on twitter or facebook to know exactly where they are or where they will be on any given day. I saw one tweet saying that they will soon be going to Eden Park on Sunday's for brunch, I can't wait to try that out with my family.

The first time I went I got a fry and gravy with debris (shredded pot roast) with a bbq glaze and lettuce, tomato and mayo poboy. Even though I am a picky eater, I still ate it as is and it was very good. Some of the flavors threw me off since I simply don't usually get them or like them all that much, like the mayo. The BBQ glaze also had some mustard taste to it or something that threw my taste buds off. All in all it was a good sandwich and the flavors were different with each bite.

I got stuck under the truck that day because it started to pour down rain as soon as I put my order in. But it ended up being a good thing because I got to talk to some of the nicest people while I ate the food they cooked for me. I also kept getting fed more and more food that they wanted me to try, including the fried shrimp with a honey glaze (which they bottle and sell) that was so good. I asked to buy some today to take on my upcoming vacation, but they didn't have any in the truck, but they promised me some when I returned. By far the fried shrimp with that honey glaze is my favorite thing that I have had from the truck so far. They also fed me some more of the debris with just the gravy which was very good on its own without all the other flavors getting in the way.

I also lucked out that day because it was Fireside Pizza's last day there and with a purchase of $5 or more from any food truck you got to take home a freshly made pizza out of their fire brick oven. I had to try a piece while I waited for my poboy to be made and it was very good. I actually served the rest of it and my other half of the poboy to my family for dinner that night and they all loved it and ate it all up. I hope to go back for some other styles of pizza they sell at local farmers markets around town. You can also follow them on facebook and twitter to catch them out and about.

Since my first experience was so good, I had to take my co-workers back for our Thursday lunch. This time I knew to get it without all the fixins and just get it with what I wanted.

This time I chose to get a half buffalo chicken half honey glazed fried shrimp with bacon poboy and cheese fries. It is now my new favorite thing. It was so good and right on the money. They also gave me some fried shrimp on the side to share with my co-workers. The buffalo sauce had a good kick to it, definitely the spiciest of the sauces (had me sweating), then the honey glaze (my favorite) has the best flavor and still a little bite to it and then the BBQ sauce which is my least favorite because of the mustard flavor I thought I tasted the first time I went (yet I was told it had no mustard in it).

They also sell things like jambalaya and catfish etouffee and basically anything you would find down in New Orleans. Did I mention that they get everything shipping in straight from New Orleans?

I have never been to New Orleans but every time I go to this food truck, I desperately want to go for a trip. From everything I have seen on TV or heard about, it reminds me of an adult Disney World. It just seems so happy and upbeat. I would be shocked to see people not having a good time or people not being friendly down there. The music alone puts me in a good mood. I asked them what the music was that plays outside their truck and they told me it was a Pandora station called Rockin' Sidney. Take a listen to what you might hear when you go there for some food (and you MUST go).

I have never seen or tasted anything like what they are doing at New Orleans to Go and it is hard to put into words (I hope I painted a pretty good picture). So you just have to go and check it out for yourself and let me know what you think!

New Orleans to Go Ratings

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Free Appetizer:	(they offered me some shrimp)
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Taco Azul

2011-06-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been hitting up a lot of the Food Trucks here in Cincinnati. I don't know what it is about them, maybe the personal feel to them and the tweeting back and fourth with the people that will be serving you the food that day. Whatever it is, it has me hooked right now.

Today I went to Taco Azul a taco truck (obviously). When I got to the truck there were already about 10 people hovered around it. Most of them had already ordered so I didn't have to wait in much of a line to put my order in. I decided to go with three different tacos since I had never been there before and knew I would be writing about it later. I got the chicken, carnitas and the al pastor. I got cheese and guac on all three of them and some pico de gallo on the side. The guac was $.50 extra per taco (yet it seems like they only charge this sometimes, per my friend who got his for free).

We waited to get our food for a good amount of time, but not to the point where I was getting mad about it. To ease the pain, they offered up some free chips and salsa in small dishes to people waiting in line. I'm glad they did because I got to try some and it was really good. It had just the right amount of kick to it without being overbearing. One thing I did want to note to them was that the truck is so loud that they really need to speak up, I had a very hard time even hearing my own name. I had to keep leaning into them to hear what they were asking or telling me. This also caused a problem with the music, I couldn't hear it unless I was right next to it and even then it was hard to hear. It didn't bother me too much, it was just more of an FYI for them.

We got our food and went to a near by bench to eat it. I reached in and grabbed my first taco, which happened to be the al pastor. First thing I noticed when I opened it up was that they most likely were all going to be served on corn tortillas rather than flour (which I expected). The tacos were good, but the main taste I had in my mouth was the tortillas. Next time, I might ask if they can just use one instead of two to maybe cut down on the taste of them. The guac wasn't the best and didn't add much flavor. I did add some pico de gallo to it to try and add some more flavor and juice, which seemed to help a little. I still enjoyed Taqueria Mercado more, but it is tough to beat the price.

The next taco I pulled out happened to be the carnitas, which happened to be my favorite of the three. It had the most flavor and was the juiciest. I didn't even need to add any of the pico de gallo since it was good on its own. I would probably just get two of these next time, yet they don't always sell this taco (bummer).

My third taco was the chicken. Most chicken tacos I get from Mexican restaurants (except Nada) seem to always be the driest tacos, this was no exception. I added the rest of my pico de gallo to help, but it didn't do much. The guac didn't help much and when I opened the taco up to see where everything was, I pulled out basically 1/4 of an avocado. The guac was so hard (due to this avocado) that I couldn't even put my finger through it. I enjoy more of a paste like guacamole. The good thing about this was the fact that I could tell that they were making the guac right there on the truck and that it was as fresh as it could be. But I still think that the guac is the area they need to work on the most.

All in all I did enjoy the meal and for $8.50 for 3 tacos, guac and a drink, I didn't think it was that bad. Next time I go (and there will be a next time) I will most likely just get two tacos for $2/each and then a drink for $1 and leave there only spending $5 and have plenty of food to fill me for lunch. I have heard great things about the steak (within the few hours AFTER I ate here) and supposedly they are always running out of it, so that should tell you something. I usually don't get the steak tacos anywhere because they seem to always be very chewy. So I need to try them the next time I go.

Taco Azul Ratings

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Free Appetizer:	(Salsa)
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Nada

2011-06-12T11:49:00.000-07:00

I have been to Nada twice now. At first I thought I would never go there since I heard how fancy and expensive it was. Once I went, I was pleasantly surprised on the pricing and the atmosphere. It was still more upscale than I am use to, but for a date night with the wife, it is perfect! I figure it is cheaper than the boat house and about the same as going to an outback or olive garden, but so much better.

The first trip there was with a co-worker for lunch where I got the chicken tacos, chips, guac and salsa. Everything was very good. The chicken tacos were probably the best chicken tacos I have ever eaten. Most chicken tacos I get have dry chicken, but theirs were very juicy and tender. The cheese they paired it with was also amazing. I had never heard of the cheese, but it is called chihuahua cheese. The guac and homemade chips were also very good and fresh. I love that put their guac on almost every one of their tacos. The only negative thing I can take away from that trip was the dessert we got. I believe we got some sort of chocolate cream type dessert (I can't think of the name for it, but I could have done without it). They also let us try something fried (I believe it was a fried churro) which didn't do anything for me either. It was decent, but almost like eating nothing.

The second time I went was with my wife. I was told to get the fish tacos, which I had never had anywhere before. So my wife got the fish tacos while I got the carnitas tacos and we would just share. I have to admit, I am addicted to the fish tacos now and I want to try them everywhere to see if it is just Nada's or fish tacos in general that I love. The carnitas I could have done without. Out of the 3 different kinds of tacos I have had there, the carnitas are by far the worst, but not bad. When I go back I will probably do some sort of mix between the fish and chicken tacos.

WHEN I go back I will have to take some more pictures since I only have the one of my carnitas from the last time I went.

Nada Ratings

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BagPipes

2011-06-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

BagPipes just recently closed down on 7th street, which seems to be pretty common with new restaurants downtown, especially on the corner of 7th and Race. I wanted to still write a review because I truly felt like I was their #1 customer.

The reason I went so much was for one reason only, their fish sandwich special on Friday. On Friday they would have a fish sandwich, fries and ANY draft beer you wanted for only $8. For downtown, that is a GREAT price! Most good drafts would cost you around $4 or $5 and a fish sandwich meal would be easily over $6. So getting them both for only $8, it was a no-brainer for me.

Luckily for me, my friends enjoyed meeting me down there every Friday for this deal. And it wasn't just because it was cheap, the fish wasn't that bad. We never left wanting more food, that's for sure. The sandwich was very large and the fries were good too. The only thing I would say bad about the fish is that it didn't seem too fresh and a lot of the time I would take a bite and would come up with just breading and no fish. I was also happy that they would let me swap my tartar sauce for some BBQ sauce for the fish, but mainly for my fries.

The biggest downfall for this place, I think, would have to be the service. I was probably there around 7 or 8 times during the 2 month stand and it never seemed like the waiters knew what they were doing. When we finally did get one that had a clue, she was apologizing for everyone else. Getting our food quickly was never a problem because I don't think they ever stopped making the fish on Fridays since it seemed like everyone who went there that day was going for the special. The one thing that drove me crazy about the place was that they APPEARED to have so many beers on tap, but it would take me 10 minutes to choose my beer because I would settle on one to find out that it was not being served at that time or "just ran out." If you have 20 draft beers on your menu and 20 taps on the bar, you should really try and keep them in stock or at least have half for sale. It was pretty amazing going through 5 or 6 different beers to find them all out at that moment.

In the end, I will still miss the $8 fish special, but I am sure I will find something to replace it. I actually went to Washington Platform last Friday and the fish was much better and if you go with a friend you can always do the buy one fish get the second for only $1! I think you will be seeing a new blog post soon with my new Friday fish place.

It is pretty amazing that I went there so many times and never took a picture of the fish, I only took a picture of my first visit which was a not so good burger. It was way over cooked and literally burnt on the outside. This might have been the only burger I have not finished due to taste in my life.

BagPipes Ratings

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Catching up with some Burgers!

2011-06-09T19:57:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since my last post, about 5 months to be exact. My life got real busy, and even though it is still busy, I want to start trying to blog again and more often. I have never stopped going out to different places and I still take pictures of almost everything I eat (some find it weird). So I figured in order for me to get caught back up, I will just combine some reviews and maybe even do a little comparing at the same time. What better way to start back up but with what I do best, review burgers!

Kelly's Public House

I never would have even known this place existed if my co-worker didn't want to go for lunch one day. I also think we might have had a Restaurants.com coupon or something. Either way, it is located at the Radisson Hotel and they are known for their burgers. In fact, they claim to be "The Best Burger in the World" or at least in Northern Kentucky. It is a clever little slogan, and to be honest, I actually remember really enjoying their burger. I had a bacon and cheddar burger and got my onions grilled on top. Everything about it was very good tasting including the homemade bacon. I love when a burger comes with real and fresh bacon. The only downside was that it was a little on the dry side.

The employees there were also friendly, which always makes the food taste better.

Nothing else really stands out in my mind, and I don't want to go into too much detail or this review is going to get wordy. But all-in-all, it is worth checking out, at least for the burger. I couldn't complain, but more than likely I won't be back.

Mt. Adams Bar and Grill

I went here for lunch with my dad awhile back. We had another $25 off if you spend $35 deal again. I was really surprised (in a good way) with this place. It looked like a cool place to come back to at night and have some good beer on tap. I did enjoy myself a Boston Lager during my meal (it helped us get to the $35 mark).

We both got the burger and it was easily in my top ten. It was weird because I didn't even go for the burger because no one ever said anything about it. I have been meaning to go back because I wanted to try it again to make sure it was as good as I remember it being.

To make sure we were over the $35, we both got some dessert. I got a triple layer mousse pie, which was awesome. I actually attempted to make it at home one night and failed miserably. I will just have to go back some night to get the burger again and top me off with a piece of pie.

Oakley Pub and Grill

I ended up here while a friend and I waited for a free concert to begin at the 20th Century Theater. We sat at the bar and started to check out the beer selection, which was a good one. I ended up going with the special of the night, a Shock Top draft (because I'm cheap). We both ordered burgers, mine had the norm on it, bacon, cheese, onion and pickles. Too be honest, I wasn't impressed with the burger at all and the steak fries were some of my least favorite fries ever. Granted, I am not a fan of steak fries in the first place, but these just didn't do anything for me. Too potato-ee as I say.

But what made this place memorable and so fun was the company. We met a local couple at the bar who were very friendly and they had us laughing all night. I make friends everywhere I go :D ... I know this has nothing to do with the restaurant, but it did make me want to go back, which is something. If you do go there, go there for the fun atmosphere, the good beer and the not so great food. I'm sure when I do go back, I'll find something I like.

Zola Pub and Grill

I remember going to Zola's because we were told they had one of the best burgers and I believe were ranked on one of those top burger joints in Cincinnati lists. The waiter was awesome and talked to us for awhile (they weren't too crowded during lunch). I was true to myself and got another bacon and cheddar burger (man I am boring). This burger missed the mark and probably was my least favorite burger out of the six burgers in this review. It was just too dry and didn't do anything for me. I really was trying to like it, but it just came up short.

I would love to go back some night when people are out at the bars and I would really like to give the burger another shot. I am hoping I just had it on an off day and they overcooked it too much. But if I don't ever get back there, I won't be too disappointed.

Arthur's Cafe

I finally made my way to Arthur's Cafe for their burger I had heard so much about. I went for lunch on a Thursday (like most of my posts) and when we got there, it was quite empty. We were seated right by the door/window in the front and right next to the famous wall filled with cartoon caricatures of local people. My eyes couldn't stop looking at it and trying to see if I recognized anyone. Every time I looked back up I would see something new and interesting. I never did find anyone I knew, but it didn't stop me from being distracted the whole meal.

I got my typical bacon cheeseburger. It was good, but it wasn't great. I don't know if I had my expectations set too high, but I had plenty of other burgers that I would rather go back to before revisiting here. Don't get me wrong, it was a good burger and I enjoyed every moment of it, but it didn't really set itself apart enough. It was flavorful, juicy, cooked well, but was just a good burger. The fries weren't anything special either.

Would I go back? Sure, if someone wanted to go there. But I wouldn't seek out to get there again or feel like I needed to go back. It was a good experience overall, just nothing to keep me coming back.

Stuffed on Vine

Stuffed on Vine was actually the last new restaurant I went to. It hasn't been open too long and my co-worker heard about it, so off we went. We drove right by it the first go around, but after circling the block we saw the sign on the door and pulled up to a meter. We walked in to an empty house. The only other people there were the workers and one other table. We went up to the counter and put in our order.

I decided to go with the Southwestern burger which came with peppers, pepper jack and queso cheese and onions. Oh did I mention that everything is stuffed, cooked and served INSIDE the burgers? That alone sold me on the idea and got me in the door. The only downfall I see with this place is that it took 30+ minutes from the time we put our order in till the time we saw our food. Most people can't drive from downtown (or where ever), wait 30 minutes then eat then get back to work without taking a long lunch.

But boy was that burger good. I must have missed the HOT peppers part on the menu because my burger was very hot. I needed extra napkins just to wipe the sweat from my face. For $7.50 I got the burger and some delicious homemade french fries. They must have some sort of special batter or fry the fries twice, because they were extra thick with breading and extra crispy, which was very good.

Another great thing about this place is that everything is made fresh. If you want to add in only certain ingredients, you can since they have to add them all in once you place your order. This obviously slows down the process and it is understandable why it takes 30 minutes to get your food.

I think it is worth the wait and can't go back to try some of their other items on their menu. Maybe the chicken wings that smelt so good. Just thinking about them now is making my mouth water.

If I had to rank these 5 burgers I would have to say:
1. Stuffed on Vine
2. Mt. Adams Bar and Grill
3. Arthur's Cafe
4. Kelly's Public House
5. Oakley Pub and Grill
6. Zola Pub and Grill

Terry's Turf Club

2011-01-03T11:36:00.000-08:00

If you live in Cincinnati and like burgers you have heard of Terry's Turf Club, there is no way around it. But it seems like people either love it or hate it and I believe it is because it has so much hype that goes along with it. I FINALLY got to go with just my wife a couple months back and we were very excited. We were expecting a long wait since that is what I always hear, but we walked right in and got seated right away around 6 PM on a week night.

Right away I noticed how small the place was, it had maybe 10 total tables, about 6 tables and 4 booths. I do know they are trying to expand but I haven't heard yet if they got the "OK" or not. When we were there they were knocking down the house next door. I did notice also that the entire place was lit up by neon signs only. I couldn't find a regular light in the entire place which I thought was very unique.

As an appetizer they give you peanuts which you can make a mess with and throw the shells on the floor or you can eat the shells like I do (I hear it is the healthiest part). We were waited on right away and ordered a couple of beers. They had a pretty good beer selection which I wasn't really anticipating. I had a seasonal beer while my wife had her regular Corona Light or Extra if they didn't have the light. We already knew we were getting burgers but we didn't know which ones or what the options were going to be. The menu basically had the main burger and then a bunch of cheese and sauce combinations to choose from to put on it. I wanted a normal american or cheddar so I got the peanut sauce (that is the shortened version of the sauce, they were all pretty wordy) which was paired up with one of the two cheeses (I can't remember) and Joanna chose the mushroom sauce with swiss cheese.

The hype definitely was high and the anticipation was unbearable. Finally they brought out our burgers with what I can best describe as a machete knife (the knife was HUGE). But the knife had to be big because the burgers were very large to say the least. I saw it and thought there was no way I would be able to eat both halves. We also split a fresh cut fry which they just divided in half for us on each of our plates.

We took our first bites of the burgers and .. drum roll ... we loved them. It is hard to put into words but it is a perfect burger. The burger itself is amazing and the combinations of Terry's "magical" sauces and cheese just puts it over the top. I didn't have any trouble finishing the whole thing (even though I probably shouldn't have). I might have left a few fries on my plate even though they were very good as well, but I wanted to make sure I had enough room for the burger.

I have been wanting to go back, but I am not sure if I will stick with my burger that I had last time or order a different one just to see if it is the sauce that I love or the burger or both. It isn't that it is too far away, but it is also that I am afraid that I will be waiting an hour or two to get seated. But believe me, I will be back and I hope it is soon because looking at these pictures makes me want to go back tonight. It would be hard to say that this isn't my favorite burger I have ever had. It is no doubt in my top 5, I would say no doubt in my top 2 or 3. I will have to have it a couple more times to make sure. : D

Toot's

2011-01-03T11:20:00.000-08:00

We took a trip to Toot's one lunch not realizing how long the drive form downtown would actually be. For some reason that day I was thinking of being healthier than usual or I may have just had a burger, so I went with a chicken caesar wrap, or so I thought that is what I ordered. The menu made it look like it would be a caesar salad in a wrap, with lettuce, grilled chicken and cheese. But that is not what I got. I got what looked like a normal chicken wrap with tomatoes, shredded lettuce, not romaine and some different sauce. I didn't complain because I wasn't up to it and every one else got what they ordered. It wasn't very good to say the least so I will leave it at that.

However, the fried pickles were very good. Some of the best I have ever had. That was the main reason why we made the trip up in the first place. I think if I ever made the trip back up there, it would be to just have some drinks and some appetizers. I don't think anyone really enjoyed their main dishes, but everyone loved the appetizers we ordered.

It has a real fun atmosphere and looks like it would be a fun place to watch some sports. I did like the decoration of random signs and funny jokes. So go for the pickles, but leave for the entrees.

Raymond's Pizza

2011-01-03T11:01:00.000-08:00

We were up in West Chester awhile back because we were out petting puppies with the kids (since we don't actually want a dog and this is the next best option) and we heard of a place up there that had a lot of pets that you could take out and play with. I can't remember the dog place, but the reason it is relevant is because it was right next door to Raymond's Pizza. So after we played with some puppies we walked next door to get some pizza.

I guess we were there before the lunch rush because there was only one other table when we arrived. This worked out to our benefit because we were able to have them change one of the TV's to a kids channel for our tow young kids while we waited for our pizza to arrive. They also had a pizza game where you could build your own pizza with Velcro. At first I thought it was going to be a modern version of the old "Pizza Party" game I used to play as a child, but turns out it was nothing like it.

Anyway, we got some wings and some pizza. Both were actually very good. It made the idea of moving to West Chester ever, not such a bad one. I don't think there are any Raymond's around on the West Side, but I haven't actually checked. The wings tasted like I was actually at a wings place and the pizza was a nice change from the normal Larosa's or Domino's. But now that we have Romeo's I just go there when I need to change it up.

But if you are ever in the area, or if you want to pet some puppies, stop by Raymond's for some pizza and Velcro pizza toys.

Paula's Cafe

2011-01-03T10:34:00.000-08:00

Paula's Cafe is located in downtown Cincinnati. It has a sign outside that says Best Burger Downtown. I am sure they aren't the only place that has the same sign, but I now agree with their sign. Now I am JUST counting places actually downtown. I do not think is the best burger I have ever eaten, but I do believe that it is the best burger that I can get during my lunch downtown without having to get in my car and drive anywhere.

They call it the "7 minute burger". They call it this because that is how long it is on the grill for to make it how the cook wants to, which I believe is Medium. It is $6.95 for the burger and chips, to upgrade to fries it is $1.75 more. For cheese, caramelized onions or mushroom sauce it is $.50. And finally for $.95 more you can get an egg or bacon on top of it. I have had the burger now 4 or 5 times. I have it different each time. My last time I had it with just cheese and an egg, the first time I had it with cheese, onions and pickles. No matter the combination the burger has been delicious each time. I would recommend springing for the fries unless you like the traditional plain ruffle potato chip. Expect to pay close to $10 for everything and go all out for the best built burger you can think of. I don't go here much, but when I do I want to like it a special experience.

Usually when I leave (and sometimes even when I don't eat here) I grab a piece of their homemade carrot cake for my wife. She LOVES carrot cake and after she had theirs the first time (and every time since) she has said it is the best she has had (in Cincinnati). I have had their homemade brownies and they weren't the best, but usually I am too stuffed for dessert anyway.

If you haven't been here before, it is worth checking out. It is on 4th street in between Vine and Walnut.

Chuck E. Cheese's in Colerain

2011-01-03T10:13:00.001-08:00

So I just got back from Chuck E. Cheese's. As an adult with children I have been here about 3 or 4 times now. Every time I go, I wonder how they keep people coming back. I don't know if it is just the "magical" aspect and that this is the closest thing to Disney World around here, especially in the winter. But the game selection for young children is awful. Almost 80% of all the games there are just driving games where you have to be like 4 feet to even reach the pedals or games that require a push of ONE button to try and time it right to get a "prize" or the SUPER BONUS! We all know those games are rigged and almost impossible to win these awesome prizes and in turn just get 3 tickets for every token you waste. There is little to no fun involved in those games. Then 10% of the games are for newborns where you just strap your baby in to a machine and let it rock back and fourth for 15 seconds.

So after trying out EVERY game, my kids finally know which games they can play and have to go back and fourth from the 2 or 3 games they can actually play and have some sort of fun with. Maybe Chuck is marketing to teenagers now, but I always thought it was for the young kids and arcades (such as Doc Holidays, RIP) were for the real arcade gamers and for the older kids.

None the less something is working for them. The game selection is poor, the robot singer and dancers usually just scare the kids and it costs 4000 tickets to get a Barbie, but one thing I can't complain about is their pizza. I have always been a fan of their plain as can be pizza. And now that I have found online coupons, we can get a large pizza, 3 drinks and 45 tokens for $20. So that is what Grace and I did today. We ate, we played, she thinks I am the greatest dad, we got our prize of cotton candy (200 tickets) and we only spent $20, not a bad day I'd say.

So I will give Chuck some credit. Somehow they stick around when the Doc Holidays, the Choo Choo's, the funky dunks and whoever else I am forgetting fail and close. We will be back and I will continue to complain until my kids are older and they can play the driving games and like wasting a token at a time with one push of a button. But of course by then, they will have changed everything.

Gordo's Pub & Grill

2011-01-03T05:44:00.001-08:00

Before I get too far into this post I do want to say that I have only been to Gordo's Pub & Grill ONE time. I went there with a group of about 4 friends and my two kids. I had heard so many good things about their burgers that I had to try them out for myself.

First of all, we probably shouldn't have brought the kids, don't get me wrong I don't remember anything going wrong or it not being kid friendly, but it was more of an adult place and more of a bar than say a bdubs or willies or something of that nature. It was pretty dark and my kids don't do well at many restaurants period.

We ordered a couple appetizers, I got my favorite saratoga chips and bbq sauce and I believe my friend ordered their Nanay Egg Rolls. I couldn't complain about my appetizer (it is hard to screw up chips and bbq sauce) and from what I heard, everyone liked the egg rolls as well.

For my meal I can't remember the exact burger that I had, I believe it was the Gordo's Burger since I wanted to try their main burger. My wife got the Surf & Turf and she really enjoyed hers. Me on the other hand had the opposite reaction. I actually couldn't even finish the burger. I am really hoping it was just a badly cooked burger for just me and not usually like this. But my burger was not just undercooked so that there was a ton of pink (that would have been ok and manageable) but it was so undercooked that the burger itself wasn't cooked and you could still see the shininess and the goo of the fresh burger. It reminded me of when I started trying to make my perfect burger at home and didn't want to keep it on the grill that long as to over cook it, then later find out with my first bite that the burger is not cooked through and even though it is pink like the pros, it is grossly gooey and almost not editable. (I tried to take a picture of it below, it looks like this guy I had the same experience)

The fries weren't much better. It is much harder to describe why I wasn't a big fan of the fries like I can for the burger, but it was probably just the fact that they were large steak fries and I am more of a thinner fry fan. That is just a personal opinion and the fries would have been great if I liked that style.

All in all it was not a good experience for me, but I did find one bright light in the trip. They have a very large and good beer selection. I would probably go back for that reason alone. I am sure I will give it another chance sometime down the road since everyone else seems to like the burgers, but it is going to take awhile to get that image of the burger out of my mind.

Herb & Thelma's Tavern

2011-01-03T05:15:00.001-08:00

The hardest part about not blogging for 5 months is it is hard to remember which restaurants I have already reviewed. I have still been eating (don't worry about that), and I still have been taking all my normal photos, I just haven't been sitting down to write everything out.

When I looked back at some of my pictures of when I stopped blogging, I was shocked that I never reviewed Herb and Thelma's Tavern. We visited here on July 22nd (or right around there) even though we actually tried visiting there a week earlier but found out they were on vacation that week.

Herb and Thelma's is a hole in the wall bar in Covington. It has MAYBE 5 or 6 tables and one main bar area with a very small and dark second room (I think it is only there for emergencies). When we arrived there was only one other table that was occupied so we sat in the main area right by the bar. I sat with my back to the bar and to my right was a huge bobble head and sports collection all behind glass. You could tell this bar has been around for a long time.

The bartender is also the cook (which is how it normally is at these types of places, just like City View Tavern) and he was very nice and helpful. We came for one reason only, the burgers. Even though they did have $1 cheese coney's we stuck with our choice to get their double cheese burgers.

The burgers were hand made right behind the bar and I actually got to see how they were cooked. They use a cup/bowl (I am sure there is a name for it) to cover each individual burger while it is on the grill to help cook the whole burger and not just the one side at a time. The burgers were very thick so I can see why this was needed, almost turned it into an individual oven.

The burgers are thick but not very wide and stacking two of them on top of each other makes it a VERY tall burger. It was served with a bag of chips and a can of pop. I do believe we got all 3 items for right around $5 (which was another reason we wanted to check this place out).

The burger was good, very juicy and different than most burgers. I wouldn't put it in my top 5, but it might fall into my top 10. For the money, it is hard to find a better burger. It is just a simple burger, no crazy flavors or additives. Sometimes that is all you need is a good plain bar burger and Herb and Thelma's truly delivered.

I am sure we will be back, maybe even to try out their $1 coney's. It is hard not to return to a place that serves great food for a great price all while making you feel welcome.

Too Long

2011-01-03T05:05:00.000-08:00

It has been too long, over 5 months to be exact. I have been very busy with family, work and life in general. But I want to continue what I started and get back to blogging. Over the holidays I made something special. A one of a kind HTM mug. My cousin Tim won it in a gift exchange on Christmas eve, but you can get your very own mug here!

Anyway, it is good to be back and I am going to get writing now so all 3 of you can stop bothering me about it.

City Barbeque

2010-07-28T07:21:00.000-07:00

I finally had the chance to go to City Barbeque a couple weeks ago. A new location opened up on Glenway by the new Chipotle and Chick-fil-a and I couldn't wait to go try it. When we pulled up to the building, I noticed the HUGE smokers that they had lined up along the back of the building and my mouth started to water.

I went with my wife and she had already been there once and knew how big the sandwiches were so we decided to just split one pulled chicken sandwich (which is a half pound) and then get a bunch of sides. We decided on the hush puppies (which are my favorite), the bacon cheese fries and fried pickles. The total came to around $14 something which I think is a good deal.

We sat outside since it wasn't too hot out and since no one else was sitting out there yet. I grabbed the 6 pack of BBQ sauces and sat at our table. We both used one of the buns and dumped 1/4 of a pound of chicken on top and then started adding our BBQ sauce. I tried about five of them and had three favorites. The three were the Sweet City Sauce, Brush Fire Sauce and the Original Sauce. My favorite out of the three would have to be the Sweet City Sauce. No matter what sauce I put on the chicken, it was all delicious and didn't take me long to finish.

The hush puppies were so good and by far my favorite item of the meal. They were larger than any other puppy I had eaten before. There was just so much flavor in them that I could have eaten a dozen of them.

The bacon cheese fries were of course good. I don't know many things that include cheese and bacon that aren't good. The fries themselves reminded me of the fresh cut fries that Penn Station have and I know that they would have been good on their own.

The fried pickles were a good addition to the meal as well. They didn't taste as good the next morning however (since we had almost half our meal to take home with us), but not many fried things can hold up the next day. But I must say, I did end up finishing them none-the-less.

We were very pleased with our meal and our choices. I can't wait to go back to try more of their meat and different sides. I have a feeling we will be deciding between Chipotle and City Barbeque a lot in the future. If you haven't had it yet, what are you waiting for?!

Senate vs. Joe's Diner on Sycamore

2010-07-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

I already know what you're thinking, these two restaurants are completely different. Yes I know, that is why I think it will be fun to compare them, especially because I went to them on back to back days. And if nothing else, I think it will really show you what type of eater I am.

(Joe's Diner on Sycamore)

I went to Joe's Diner on Sycamore two days ago for lunch and then I went to Senate today for lunch. Joe's Diner just opened up after being closed down since 2007 (even though their grand opening isn't till August 10th, so the menu might change by then). I think it use to just be called The Diner or something like that. When I walked into the Joe's I was greeted with a friendly smile and was told to sit wherever I wanted. When I walked into Senate I felt out of place right away and was greeted with a straight faced, pretend to be fancy waiter (who even tried saying the word Poutine fancy by mispronouncing it). I was sat right next to another table (seriously within a foot from them even though there were 4 more tables down the row we could have easily sat).

(Senate)

At Joe's I went with their normal burger which ended up being a double and served with a side of onion rings (or fries) all for $5.50. At Senate I ordered the Trailer Park which was a hot dog, a piece of bacon, American cheese and crushed Grippo chips (it sounds like something I would make at home) with no sides and was $9. The burger was a very good diner style burger. It wasn't too thick but was very juicy and filling. The onion rings were some of the best I had ever had and I even topped the burger with two of them.

The hot dog on the other hand was nothing more than a hot dog. I was hoping for $9 that the hot dog would taste better than any other hot dog I had eaten before, but that wasn't the case. It just tasted like a normal hot dog with thick skin. The bacon was very chewy and the American cheese was, well, American cheese. I wish I could have the rest of the Grippos chips that they had left over from my bag that they crumbled since that was the best part of the meal (I love me some BBQ Grippos).

At Joe's I was asked by multiple people how my meal was and was encouraged to not be a stranger when I was checking out. They did a great job at making me feel comfortable and welcome even though it was my first time there. At Senate I did not feel welcome and I don't think I saw anyone who worked there smile the entire time I was there. I even had to ask for ice because the water jug they bring out to the table was room temperature. Maybe that was part of the upscale restaurant vibe they were going for, but I like my water cold.

I just don't get why anyone would ever return to Senate, I would honestly like to hear from a frequent customer of Senate to tell me what I am missing. I just couldn't refer someone to go pay over $10 for a hot dog and a glass of water. This restaurant probably won't be going anywhere anytime soon though because they make a 1000% profit for every meal they make. Obviously it isn't my type of of a place and I get that, but what am I missing? I mean the Poutine was good, but for $10? It is fries, cheese, gravy and a little meat.

Obviously I am more of a diner type than a fancy restaurant, but Senate sells hot dogs, you can't be that nice when you sell hot dogs. So if you want my opinion since that is all this is, I would recommend checking out Joe's Diner on Sycamore and avoiding Senate all together. Let my expensive lunch be your warning.

Willie's Sports Cafe

2010-07-21T08:52:00.000-07:00

Willie's has become a second home for my parent's and brother. The fries and pizza are up to par for my little brother and having the small game area right by their special table helps them keep an eye on the kids while they play and run around. Another reason they like it so much, is because it never seems to be crowded. I have never been there when there was a wait and most of the time there are only about 5 other tables filled, so I always wondered how they stay in business.

The food isn't the best, but I usually get their wings, which are a bit on the dry side, but are one of the best things on their menu. Their fries are hit or miss depending on the day you go and who is making them in the back. The pizza is also hit or miss and I have seen all different types of their "plain cheese pizza" which is odd. I have seen it with a ton of cheese, I have seen it with no cheese (which was very strange) and I have seen it burnt and I have seen it cold.

They do have a very long happy hour which if I can remember runs from about 1pm to 7pm. During that you can get some good beer prices and half priced appetizers on certain items, which include the order of 12 wings.

I only go when I meet my family there, which is plenty enough for me. I would never choose to go on my own since there are a ton of places that I rather go to get wings, like right up the street at Buffalo Wild Wings or Hot wings or Wild Mike's. If you have never been there, you aren't missing out on much. But if you want to grab some beers and a burger or wings and you don't want to have to wait for a table or be in a loud place, then Willie's would be perfect for you.

Romeo's Pizza

2010-07-21T08:14:00.000-07:00

Romeo's Pizza is a chain that recently has opened two locations in Cincinnati. They are mainly from Cleveland and Columbus, but I am glad they made their way down to Cincinnati. For some reason, they opened up their second location right next to my house on Delhi Pike. Don't get me wrong, I am very glad they did, but Delhi Pike has been struggling ever since I can remember. But that is neither here nor there, let's get to the food.

They opened up the restaurant on June 30th, we heard of them through an ad we got in the mail. We have already ordered from there twice in 3 weeks of them being open, which is a lot for us. The first time we just got a large traditional pepperoni pizza since we had a coupon for $9.99. The pizza was very good and FINALLY my wife and I agree on a pizza place. Before this, I always wanted Papa Johns and she always wanted Larosa's. Of course our picks were each others least favorite pizza places around. So now we have a go-to pizza place that we both can enjoy.

The pizza itself was good for all the pizza reasons. The crust was awesome, the sauce was delicious (a bit sweet, which you can really notice the next morning when you eat it cold) and the cheese was very good. If I had to compare it to any other chain around, I would have to compare it to the Pizza Hut, but it definitely is better than Pizza Hut and a lot less greasy. I don't know what it was that reminded me of Pizza Hut's pizza other than the overall taste, but deciding between Pizza Hut, Papa John's, Larosa's, Donato's, Domino's, etc ... it most resembles Pizza Hut. The final test was that Grace, my 3 year old, also enjoyed it and ate at least 2 pieces.

The second time we got Romeo's was just last night and we had a coupon for a Large 1 Topping pizza, Extreme Cheese Bread and a 2 Liter of Pepsi for $14.99. This time we went with the "thincredible" pizza crust and we got half pepperoni and half pineapple. Honestly, I liked the traditional crust more. The thin crust wasn't that much thinner, but it felt like there was less pizza and it was cut into small squares which I like the regular pizza slice better.

The Extreme Cheese Bread was very good and didn't even need to be dipped in anything, even though they serve it with marinara sauce. The bread was even good the next morning for breakfast, still soft and flavorful. Couldn't complain about anything either time we ordered there.

We will definitely become regulars at this pizza place (if we aren't already) and can't wait to try some of their award winning pizzas or subs. I also want to try out their wings, so obviously we have a lot of work ahead of us and I am sure I will be doing another blog about this place down the road. If you haven't checked it out yet and you are in the Delhi or West Chester area, I would highly recommend it.

Aretha Frankensteins

2010-07-15T12:25:00.000-07:00

I have been holding on to this restaurant review for awhile even though it is one that I talk about a lot. It was on our last day of our vacation on our last stop in Chattanooga. The place is called Aretha Frankensteins and the reason we went is because Urbanspoon had it ranked as the best place breakfast place to go to in Chattanooga. And after eating there, I can see why it is ranked number one.

While driving to try and find it, I was worried that our Garmin was lost again. We ended up in a little neighborhood with houses that reminded me of being in a college town, with older houses with great character. We had "reached our destination" and we were still on the same small street. But low and behold, we looked over and there it was, just another one of the small houses with character, but with a sign saying Aretha's and people relaxing on the front porch and down below on a concrete patio.

We parked on the street and walked over to the "house" with our two young kids and tried to figure out if we should seat ourselves or wait to be seated. Since no one was coming to our rescue, I asked a local and they told us we can sit where ever, the only problem was that there wasn't a 4 person table anywhere. There were bar stools around the bar inside and all along the wrap around front porch, but our baby would have had a hard time balancing himself on the stool, so we decided to wait. We got there at the worst time, there was no line, but there was just enough people there that we were the odd men out. Finally when people left, about 3 tables became available at the same time, so we chose our best option and sat down.

We had been looking over the menu already and knew what we wanted to get. I got the sausage, egg and cheese biscuit and home fries while Joanna and the kids got some french toast and bacon to share. I actually think Joanna got something else too, but I cannot remember what it was.

My biscuit sandwich was very good and very big. The biscuit itself was amazing and having them cover the entire thing with melted cheese just took it over the top. The home fries didn't really stand out in my mind, but they were still good.

But what makes me want to go back and visit Chattanooga was the French Toast. It was soooo good. I have never even been a fan of french toast because it is usually just really soggy and not that good, but that was not the case here. At Aretha's you could really taste the cinnamon and it was almost cake like. It was not mushy and stayed together even after dousing it with syrup even though you didn't need any. It is hard to explain it, you'll just have to make a trip down there to try it, you won't regret the 5 hour trip. While you're down there, head to The Terminal Brewhouse the night before and wake up for Aretha's the next morning, and request the bed at the Sheraton :D

I had already cut up the french toast for Grace, so I don't have a picture of it in full form.

The only downfalls of this place is the service, it was hard to find much since there seemed to only be about 2 or 3 people working. The wait they couldn't do much about, but it did take awhile to get our food, but it might have seemed even longer because we had two young, whiny kids that just wanted to get home. I would have not minded relaxing and waiting for my food if it was just Joanna and me. And that is exactly what a lot of the over night nurses were doing, some with beer in hand.

I would love to take a trip back down to Chattanooga with a small group of friends, I think it would be a blast. Let me know if you ever go down there and try this place out.

Mac's Pizza Pub

2010-07-08T11:43:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I had never heard or even seen Mac's Pizza Pub for how many times I have been to Clifton and especially in that area. It is right across the street from Penn Station on W McMillan Street (which could be the reason I have never seen it since I am always starring at Penn Station). After not being able to find any parking on the street, we found some parking in a metered parking lot for 12 minutes for every quarter we put into it up to 8 hours. The group I went with and myself didn't realize till after we were done eating that they actually have a parking lot designated for their restaurant and the King Wok right behind the building. So next time, because there will be a next time, we will know to just park in the back for free without trying to find anything on the street.

We headed inside to a pretty empty restaurant, I think I only saw one or two tables filled and then a few at the bar. We missed the big sign on the floor telling us to seat ourselves, but we eventually figured it out. I did notice before even coming in and then again all over the walls the amount of beer specials they had. Since we were at a work lunch, I decided not to take advantage of these specials, but it did make me want to come back and try some of the beers they had. They also had some food specials as well, including their 7 for $7 menu. This menu was a list of 7 choices that were all, you guessed it, $7. I don't remember them all, but I do remember one was a Sam Adams beer and 8 wings, another was a specialty burger, fries and a soda and another one was a meatball hoagie, any toppings and a soda. We didn't get any of these deals today.

Instead, we decided to split two medium pizzas and we also ordered some onion rings and loaded fries for some appetizers. It was way too much food for us to put down. We still have close to an entire medium pizza left. We got the Mac-Attack Pizza (with jalapenos and spicy beef) and their Meat Lovers Pizza (with pep, ham, sausage and bacon). I liked the Meat Lovers more, but the Mac-Attack was very good, just more spicy than I cared for.

The onion rings were some of the best I have ever had. The breading was perfect and the onion didn't all come out when you took your first bite into it. And the loaded fries were awesome. They have their "famous" waffle fries and they load them up with cheese and REAL bacon. The appetizers were my favorite part of the meal, but I love bar food like that. If I could have had a couple of beers with the appetizers, I think I would have been set and left a very happy man.

The reason we ended up going to Mac's today was because of a Groupon I got for $20 worth for food for $10 and I am glad we went. With or without a coupon, we will be back. The service was extraordinary (maybe because we were the only people in there) and our waiter treated us like regulars. They seemed very interested in what we thought of the food and wanted to make sure we had the best experience possible. I have definitely found my new favorite pizza and beer restaurant (and I actually can't wait to try out the burgers and sandwiches they also serve).

Ludlow-Bromley Yacht Club

2010-07-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I took my wife to see a movie on the levee and then we headed to Ludlow-Bromley Yacht Club which is ON the River. When I think of a place on the river, I think of a place like the cabana bar or hooters, but neither of those places are LITERALLY on the river. It took some time getting use to sitting at our table while waves would take us up and down and up and down. I didn't know if I could handle the movement, but I soon got use to it. It was strange because I never get motion sick and I love being on a boat. I think it was because I didn't expect it and possibly because I was very hungry.

We ordered up an appetizer and a bucket of beers. We got Potato "Chips" instead of skins, loaded with cheese and bacon. They were so good and hit the spot. They were thinner cut than potato skins which I thought was better because it was less potato and more cheese and bacon. Next time I could probably just get some of those and their onions straws and drink some beers and call it a night.

I got a beer battered cod while my wife got the grilled grouper (which I should have gotten, I was even told by our waiter to order the grouper). Mine was good, pretty basic, but I couldn't complain. I got the chips that come with the sandwich and my wife got the onion straws knowing that we would share both. The chips were just your basic lays potato chips, nothing fancy, but the onion straws were delicious. I am yet to have bad onions straws though. These weren't as stringy as the boathouse's onion straws and they weren't as thick as white castle's onions pedals. They were more like french fries and they were very good.

We got there around 7PM and we sat ourselves pretty close to the river. Live music starts at 9PM and they are open till 2AM every night. I would love to go back with a group of friends to just sit out by the river and drink some beers and order up some appetizers. I don't know if I would ever really go there just for their food, but the whole experience is awesome. Can't get much better of a view and it is very calming (once you get use to the movement of course). We didn't stay for the music, so I am not sure what kind it would have been. I do know that you need to bring cash or you will be stuck with a $3 ATM fee to get some cash out. But even with the $3 fee and tip, we left with only spending $43 for the two of us.

I am excited to have a new place to go to that is outside with a view and I am glad the prices are a lot cheaper than the cabana bar. We will be sure to be back and next time it will be later in the evening so I'll let you know how the music is.

Le's Cafe

2010-06-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

Today I had lunch with a co-worker who introduced me to Le's Cafe. Don't try looking for them on the street or even finding them on the web because they aren't there. The only way you will find them is if you are hungry for knowledge and want to read some books in the library downtown. I have been in the Downtown library maybe ... three time (yes it's sad) and I have never seen this place. They are tucked away as soon as you walk in the main entrance to the left up the little ramp. It is just a little L-shaped counter and then some tables. It is nothing special, but it has some pretty good food for a great price!

I got their fish sandwich special with chips, a can of Dr. Pepper and a cookie, all for $4! They also had some Asian dishes including egg rolls for $1 and everything else was just as affordable.

The fish sandwich wasn't very big and the breading on the edges was a little tough, but is was a pretty typical "fast food" style fish sandwich. Next time I will see if they have some cheese to put on the sandwich. The BBQ Grippos and Dr. Pepper were obviously delicious and the chocolate chip cookie was very soft and very good with big chunks of chips in it.

I will be going back there quite often since the prices are amazing and they have a pretty good selection and always offering up different specials. Maybe next time I'll stop by the actual library and pick up a book... who am I kidding, if anything it would be a DVD.

Arby's

2010-06-25T11:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm doing a review on Arby's. But the only reason is because of their new sub that they came out with for a limited time. It is called the Steakhouse Sub and it comes with roast beef, swiss cheese, onion straw and a delicious peppercorn sauce (I love anything that you can put onions straws on top of). You can get that sub, curly fries and a drink for $4 right now at Arby's and I would recommend making the trip! I had mine last week and I was very close to getting another one today.

Let me know if you have had it, plan to get it, or when you get one!

Buckhead Mountain Grill

2010-06-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

Today we ventured down to Bellevue, Kentucky for lunch at Buckhead Mountain Grill. I have been here many-a-times mainly because it is my wife's favorite place to eat (shhh don't tell her I went here without her). We headed there for lunch today because the weather was awesome and they have a very nice deck that overlooks the city and crystal clear Ohio River.

When I go there I usually get a burger (the bbq, bacon, onion straw delicious burger to be exact) but not today. Today I got the "special". Usually when the waitress starts talking about the specials, I ignore them because it is something I would never get. But today was a different story, they had pulled pork sliders and chips for $6.29, I was sold!

One thing I can always guarantee when I go to Buckhead is that when I leave, I will be STUFFED. Today was no exception. After the fresh out of the oven rolls and then the generous portion of the pulled pork, I had no more room and could barely breath.

So of course we headed down the street to get some ice cream at Schneider's Sweet Shop. Did I mention how stuffed I was? Yeah, not a good idea, but one of the co-workers knew of this ice cream place because they have ice balls with ice cream in the middle.

It is cool how they make them, pretty much how it sounds. They make an ice ball, add on your flavor (I got cotton candy), cut it in half, put the bottom half in the cup, scoop in your flavor ice cream (I got vanilla) and put the other half on top. The small size was HUGE, I can't imagine how big the large would be. I hope to go back on a day that I can truly appreciate it instead of regret the decision of even ordering one. None-the-less it was very good and we WILL be back for more.

Currito

2010-06-10T12:04:00.000-07:00

I just got back from eating lunch at Currito, a burrito place in Clifton. I must say that I love what Clifton and UC have done with that new area with all the restaurants on Calhoun Street. Anyway, we decided to go to Currito after a long debate on whether to go there over Five Guys or even B-dubs (Buffalo Wild Wings). Since none of us had been to Currito and we hadn't had burritos in awhile, we went with it, and I'm glad that we did.

It reminded me a lot of the "Chipotle experience", but I figured it would be pretty similar. It is hard to do a burrito place like this and not be compared to Chipotle at this point. I did the same thing when I went to Qdoba and most "Americanized" Mexican places. The thing I liked about Currito over Chipotle was the selection. They had three different kinds of rice and I was able to get some caramelized onions and buffalo sauce on my normal chicken burrito. It was very flavorful and it had a sweet taste from the onions that I enjoyed, but I think I would do without them and try more of the buffalo sauce next time to try and get more of the spice.

The portions were huge and they could barely fold my burrito, which broke half way through. I did go with the regular size burrito, but they offer a small size for $1 less. I also got the wheat tortilla instead of the flour since I know it is better for me and Chipotle doesn't offer it. With the burrito having so much flavor on its own, I didn't notice the wheat tortilla at all and would stick with the healthy choice. I also split some chips and salsa with the group which were good, but not as good as Chipotle's. I did like that they offered a sort of "combo" type deal if you get chips, salsa and a drink with your burrito for only an additional $2.49 more. So with the combo, you could get a small burrito, chips, salsa and a drink for around $8, which isn't too bad for the amount of food you get.

After going into a food coma, we sat and talked for awhile, letting the food digest itself. Me and one of my co-workers had noticed when we ordered that they had giant chocolate chip cookies for only $.99! So we both were waiting for our stomachs to make some room for dessert and we both knew we wouldn't be able to tackle the whole cookie by ourselves. So at the last possible second while we were walking out the door, we decided to go in on one together and ate it on the car ride home.

I would definitely recommend it to people if they are tired of the same old Chipotle burrito, and I hope to go back myself to try something else and maybe just get a small burrito so I have room for the cookie at the end. :D

Bard's Burgers (take two)

2010-06-03T11:30:00.001-07:00

I am not sure of the rules about food blogging, but this will be my second review about Bard's Burgers. If you haven't read my first one, then check it out here.

The only reason I am doing another post is because, one it is good and two I ate something new and it was very good.

Today I ate a burger again, I got the BBQ Cheddar burger. It was better than last time because there was no trace of mustard on the burger like it did last time. The bacon was awesome as usual and as you can see they definitely loaded on the cheddar cheese.

But the main reason I wanted to do another review is because I had the fried Oreos. They were great! I will definitely be recommending them to others to try and would love to try and fry them myself. They weren't anything like I had imagined. I thought it would be a normal Oreo with some breading on the outside, but what I liked the most about it was that the Oreo (since it had been fried) had melted and became soft. So it really was this cake like breading with powdered sugar on the outside and then just a chocolate flavoring in the middle with of course the white icing mixed in from the cookie.

Definitely worth going back for, but next time I think I will try the homemade shakes.

The Terminal Brewhouse

2010-06-03T08:51:00.000-07:00

Another place we ate at while on our trip was a place called The Terminal Brewhouse located in Chattanooga TN. I saw it on Urbanspoon while looking for places to eat on our way down to Florida and once I saw it and some of the reviews I just had to make a stop there.

The design of the building alone is cool enough to go. It looks like a warehouse and on the inside it is floor on top of floor with steel piping and wood covering most of the interior. I believe it had 3 or 4 floors in all. We decided to sit outside on their patio type area. It was very green with grass floors in one area and plants surrounding the fence of 3 steal pipes.

It reminded me a lot of Rock Bottom here in Cincinnati, so naturally, I got the beer sampler to see how the beer tasted down in Chattanooga. It was what I expected, and I just wish I was in the drinking mood that night. But after being on a vacation with 2 young ones for an entire week and heading home the next morning, I was pretty beat. My favorite of the beers was the Belgian White, probably because it was the most refreshing beer they had and being in the warm weather the whole week, it hit the spot.

I split a pizza with my son and skipped getting the burger. My daughter got the kids burger, so I was still able to try it, but I am sure it wasn't nearly as good as their real burgers would have been. I still liked the mini burgers she had, but they weren't the greatest thing. My pizza, was very good and had a lot of different types of cheese on it. Again, it wasn't the best pizza I ever had, but it would be something I would order again. If I wasn't splitting the pizza with my son, I probably would have gotten the BBQ Chicken pizza or at least pepperoni. My wife got some sweet potato fries with her meal which was recommended on Urbanspoon, and she LOVED them. She got some sort of chipotle bbq sauce with it and she said it was amazing.

I want to go back sometime without my kids though to really experience the beer and food and have time to relax and enjoy the atmosphere. With a drive of only 4 1/2 - 5 hours, I think I could make a nice weekend out of Chattanooga with a group of friends. Hopefully I will be back.

Ted's Montana Grill

2010-05-19T09:29:00.000-07:00

We stopped in Atlanta for a night on our way down to Florida. I booked a hotel in downtown Atlanta so we could be close to the Zoo and so we could experience the downtown experience and walk around and hopefully find a good restaurant to eat. That is how we landed at Ted's Montana Grill and thank goodness we did.

We were greeted with a smile when we walked in the door and seated right away. The hostesses and waitresses were very nice to us and fell in love with our kids right away.

They took our drink order and put some fresh cucumbers on our table for a free appetizer. The cucumbers were something different then I am use to for a free appetizer, but they were fresh and hit the spot. I ordered a local IPA that was on tap and enjoyed it very much. I wish I could remember the name of the beer.

My wife and I both ordered burgers and got mac and cheese and fries for the kids. Luckily the waitress told us how big the mac and cheese was because we were going to order them both their own. One was plenty for the both of them to share and they thoroughly enjoyed it. The burgers were fantastic! We both were amazed at the quality and couldn't get over how good they were. The meat was mouth watering and would fall apart in your mouth. They were so big that I couldn't even finish the whole thing.

Another thing that was awesome about the experience was that when we were waiting for our food after we had ordered, our waitress came over to us and asked us if we liked Strawberries. My daughter LOVES strawberries and was very thankful that she had brought them for us to eat while we waited, at no additional charge. The strawberries were so fresh and some of the best I had ever had (which is weird to say about strawberries, but it was true). It made my wife want to order there tower of strawberry shortcake, but since she couldn't eat another bite, we passed on getting the dessert.

The whole experience was great, the best experience we had at a restaurant the entire trip. I would recommend this place to anyone that was passing through Atlanta and I hope to go back there myself. They did mention to me that there are other Ted's around the country and to check to see if we have any in our area. It looks like there is one in both Columbus and Lexington, so I will have to make a road trip to one of these places. I hope the customer service is just as good as the one in Atlanta though.

Taqueria Mercado

2010-04-29T10:36:00.000-07:00

We just got back from lunch at Taqueria Mercado. It just opened downtown on 8th and Walnut in the past week and has replaced another good mexican restaurant Javiers. I had never heard of this restaurant, but I know some of my co-workers have eaten at this place before but at a different location. The biggest difference between this place and Javiers is that Taqueria Mercado is a sit down and order restaurant instead of ordering at the counter as soon as you walked in.

Unlike most mexican restaurants, you do not get any free chips and salsa as an appetizer. If you want some though, it is only $1.50 for a basket of chips and a dish of salsa. We did get a basket, more by accident than anything. My co-worker asked if we got any chips and salsa after we all ordered and he said OK and brought some out. In the end we found on my bill that it cost $1.50, which was no big deal, we will know for next time. I would probably still get them because they were very good, everyone at the table enjoyed them.

I got a small chicken burrito ($4.25) and asked for rice in it (menu said add rice for $.25). I also asked for no sour cream, not only is it bad for you, I just don't like it. Lastly I asked for some guac and I asked if it came with chips and he said yes ($2.25). I will never know if actually does come with chips because I never actually got my guac and/or chips, yet they did try and charge me for it. I also ended up getting sour cream in my burrito which I noticed half way through. It looked like they may have put some in and then realized it wasn't suppose to go in so they stopped adding it and then served it to me anyway. Instead of making a big deal about it, I just scraped some of it out and continued eating it. If it wasn't so good I probably would have made them take it back.

Did I mention how good it was, wow. If it wasn't the best mexican food I ever had, it sure was close to it. Even with the messed up order, it still didn't take away from how delicious it was. And I did get some rice, but it wasn't in the burrito like I thought it would be, it came with some beans on the side, which I think they might have messed up thinking I wanted their lunch platter which, again, I didn't ask for. I am hoping once they are in business for a little longer some of the kinks will get ironed out.

All in all I wish the communication between me and the waiter and the cooks was better, but in the end I did get my burrito with some rice and I paid close to what I was thinking it was going to be ($6). I will definitely be back to try out more items from the menu. If you have never had this at any of their locations, I would suggest going, you won't regret it.

Senor Roy's

2010-04-27T13:39:00.001-07:00

Last week I ate at Senor Roy's twice. Senor Roy's is a big truck, just like Cafe de Wheels, that comes downtown a lot during lunch hours. Senor Roy's serves tacos and burritos and more of the mexican items. Being that it was my first time there, I didn't know how the whole "system" worked. So I started down at one end of the truck looking at one menu. There I chose to get two chicken tacos (I had heard from a co-worker that two tacos was plenty to eat, he was right). Then I was told to move down the line to the other end of the truck where another, yet different, menu was located. I tried to figure out what they all had from this menu, but it wasn't too clear and I ended up just asking a lot of questions until I got something that sounds somewhat good. It didn't turn out the best. It was good, don't get me wrong, but I just didn't get as much stuff as I could because I didn't know what they all had since the menu was confusing.

None-the-less, I went back two days later with a co-worker and got one chick and one steak taco. This time I came prepared. I had looked at the website prior to going this time, so I knew all the additional things I could add on my tacos. This time I got shredded cheese, pico de gallo, corn, mild picante, rice, pickled red onions and I think that was it, but it was much better than the first time when I only got rice, corn and diced tomatos on my chicken tacos.

Both times the chicken had very little flavor and was almost dry tasting. I kept comparing it to something I would make at home, which would be just throwing some chicken on a grill or skillet and throwing a little salt and pepper on them without doing much else. We actually told one of the workers as he walked past us while we were eating that they might think of blackening the chicken to give it some more flavor. He said that he would mention it to the higher ups, not sure if he did or not. Either way, the second time was much better than the first since I actually had some flavor in my tacos. I also got some guac and chips the second time and that was pretty good and by adding the guac to my taco, it also helped with the flavor. The guac and the chips, however, were not as good as Chipotle's.

It is hard not to compare it to Chipotle since that is the only other place I go on a regular basis for tacos/burritos, but I have a hard time comparing the two. Chipotle is sort of a "fast food" type joint which I only hear bad things about the food quality and nutrition. Where Senor Roy's tasted very natural and like I said before, "homemade". On most days if I had to choose between the two places, I would sadly have to say Chipotle because I think I am addicted to it. I have a hard time spending over $6 anywhere for food because I know I could get a chicken burrito from Chipotle for that much. I think I may need help.

I still think you ought to try this place out. They do offer a lot more choices than what I get on my tacos and they do stack on the meat and sides (make sure to ask for a fork). When you do go and check it out, let me know what you got and how it was.

City View Tavern

2010-04-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

I almost hate to do a review on this place because I feel like not a lot of people know about it and it is never crowded for lunch even on a beautiful day like today. But I figured since only about 2 or 3 people read my blog, it won't matter too much.

City View Tavern is one of the nicest places to go eat when it is beautiful outside. It is in Mount Adams and it has a back deck which over looks the city. The view is awesome, but the burger is even better.

We found this place out from an old resident of Mt. Adams and he got us to go because he promised an amazing burger. Well, he was right. They have, I think, one of the top 5 best burgers in Cincinnati. It is very simple, but very juicy and flavorful, it even has a little kick to it. When it gets placed down right in front of you, the smell that comes off the burger is almost as good as the first bite you take. With the burger comes with a bag of chips, I usually go with the BBQ Grippos, and then whatever drink you want all for around $8. They have a pretty good beer selection since they are really a bar more than a restaurant, but I have yet to have a beer there. The bartender is also the cook, the waiter and the host, he does it all. He makes sure the burgers are done right and he always asks how they were that day when he rings us up before we leave.

If you haven't been there before, you need to take a drive there one beautiful day for lunch. You won't regret it.

Washington Platform

2010-04-07T09:03:00.001-07:00

Last week we went to Washington Platform for our Thursday lunch. We went there because they had an oyster festival going on. I am not a big fan of oysters, so I did not try any, but those who did said that they were very good.

I on the other hand had a buffalo chicken wrap. It was a very generous portion and was pretty good. The only thing I didn't like about it was of course, the mustardy bbq sauce. It didn't have as much of a mustard taste as Arnold's bbq sauce, but I could still definitely taste it. I am not sure what the deal is with people and their messed of bbq sauce, but this is the 2nd or 3rd time in the past 2 months that I have come across bbq sauce that tastes way too much like mustard. And yet, I live my entire life never having this problem. But like I said, besides the hint of mustard, it was very good and filling. It came with a side of fries which were also good. I would have liked to swap them out for their onion straws, but the waitress made a big deal about it when the person who ordered in front of me asked for this swap, so I decided to just let it go. The person next to me got a Roast Beef and swish cheese sandwich on a preztel. It looked very good and I might have to go back to try it out.

I did get to try the onion straws and they alone were a reason to check this place out. They were very good and could tell that they were made right there at the restaurant. I think that might have been the reason why they didn't like to swap out the bagged french fries for the home cooked onion straws. I even asked her if I could get the burger with onion straws on it and she didn't think they would allow it, unless they had a special burger that day that already had onion straws on it. They seem to be very picky about them, unless we just had a new waitress. But if you are from Washing Platform and you can make me a burger with onion straws, let me know! I will be there in a heartbeat!

All in all in what a pretty good experience, I think I would have enjoyed it more for dinner since they seemed to have a pretty nice bar and beer selection. The backroom that we did not get seated in looked a bit nicer with brick walls and booths. We were seated out front by the bar with just some tables and drywall and a couple of booths.

If you ever do go there, you'll have to head next door after eating to Minges to pick up a huge bag of candy. They have a huge selection and it is all tax free.

New Places

2010-03-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

Does anyone know of any hole in the wall places around the downtown area, not necessarily in downtown, but within 10 or so minutes from downtown? Or does anyone have any favorite places that aren't well known? I am trying to find some new places to go for our Thursday lunches that we do every week. If you know of any, just leave them in a comment below.

Thanks!

Sugar 'N Spice

2010-03-25T11:42:00.001-07:00

We headed out on another road trip to try a new place for lunch. One of my co-workers said that we had to try a new place that he stumbled upon called Sugar 'N Spice. It is only about 10 minutes from downtown on Reading Road. From the outside it looked like a nice hole in the wall diner, and when we walked in, sure enough it was a hole in the wall diner. The first thing that hit me was the amazing smell of fresh cooked breakfast. It reminded me a lot of the smell of Frisches or Price Hill Chili.

those mints were 3 for 5 cents, I thought that was awesome.

I loved all the artwork on the walls.

I knew going in, since my co-worker told me, that their Whispy Thin Pancakes were their signature item. So of course I had to get them. I got those and a side of hash browns, which I thought were going to be diced potatoes, but found out those were the home fries and the hash browns were the thin straws of potatoes. None the less, they were still good. The pancakes were very good, but nothing too special. I think I would have enjoyed a fluffier pancake, maybe the banana pancake which I have never had, or even their belgian waffle.

Obviously there is a lot to try and I bet it is all good. BUT when I go back, I will definitely be trying one of their insanely, huge omelettes. It looked like the size of a Chipotle burrito! I may not be able to eat breakfast that morning if I am going to attempt to finish it by myself. I saw the waitress bringing it out for someone else and I thought it might have been rude to go up to him and ask him if I could take a picture of the masterpiece. I guess you'll just have to go there to see it for yourself, or wait until I go back and take a picture of the one I order.

This type of a place is a place that I wish I lived within walking distance to. They just really make you feel like you aren't an outsider and that it isn't your first time being there. It would be a perfect hangover spot to go to after a long night of drinking and you just want some delicious home cooked breakfast food to heal the wound.

This was their register, it only goes up to $49 hahaha

All in all it was a great experience and if it was closer, I would go there all the time. We will hopefully go back somewhere down the road so I can try one of those omelettes.

Sports Page

2010-03-23T10:05:00.000-07:00

The best way to describe Sports Page is an old school diner or greasy spoon. I don't think a single guy works there (unless as a cook of course) and I doubt anyone is under the age of 30. I have been going there since I have been working downtown, so about 7 or so years. Waitresses have come and gone, but you will still see some of the life-timers still working there and still remembering your name. Getting one that is good is pretty hit or miss. Sometimes you will get one that wants to tell you everything about their life and their family and never leave your side and other times you will be dying of thirst trying to get a refill. I usually have good luck and try and sit in certain sections of those that I know will do a good job.

I usually go there now about once a month with my business partner. We have made it our go to place for when he comes downtown to talk some business. I think I introduced him to the place and now he won't let us go anywhere else when he comes and meets me. I think a big part of that is their buffalo chicken tenders and fries. He also gets a large tub of ranch on the side. I tried some of the fries that had the sauce on them, and I know I'd be sweating if I ever got that for my meal. It is very good, but my body thinks I am on fire whenever I eat somewhat spicy things. (Dang you body!)

I usually get their page boy, which is pretty much a big boy from frisches, minus the "special sauce". I think you can get the page boy, fries and a drink for around $5. But I have been looking at their specials lately, I think they had about 10 specials today. I was split between the Quarter Pounder, Fries and a Drink for $4.95 or the Chicken Quesadilla's and a drink for $6.95. Since this meal was on the company, I went with the Quesadillas. They were very good, there was chicken, cheese and onions inside and then salsa, tomatoes and lettuce on the side. I also got some BBQ sauce to dip it in (I love me some BBQ!). I was unable to eat it all since it was about 4 slices, and I had brownie sundae on my mind.

I saw when I was walking in that they had a Brownie Sundae for only $2, so I couldn't pass that up. So I got a box for my left over quesadilla and some of my friends fries and ordered me some dessert! It was HUGE! For $2, I was expecting some tiny little brownie with a little ice cream on the side. But I got a whole bowl full of ice cream, whipped cream and a large chocolate chip brownie on the bottom. I knew I wouldn't be able to eat it all by myself, so I swallowed my masculinity and offered to share with my GUY friend out of the same bowl. He looked at me funny, declined, and then couldn't resist the temptation that was glaring back at him. So he dug in and was very glad he did. We didn't put our utensils down until it was completely gone. I definitely found my new spot if I ever want a late afternoon treat.

All in all the meal was great and I was glad I swayed from my normal selections. They have had me hooked on their well priced, homemade food for quite sometime now and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. If you are ever downtown during lunch, let me know and I would be more than happy to go here with you.

Mayberry

2010-03-18T07:05:00.001-07:00

So I have been sitting on this review for quite sometime now. I went to Mayberry about 2 or 3 months ago with the normal group I do lunches with on Thursdays. We went because we heard great things about it and had high hopes for their burger. Well I am sad to report, that I did not like their burger at all. Granted, I did not get it with the pouched egg on top, which might have put me over the top to possibly liking it, BUT the reason I didn't like it is because I am not a huge fan of meatloaf. That is the best way I can describe the taste of their burger, way too meatloafy. But if you do enjoy yourself a nice meatloaf, then I bet you will absolutely love their burger.

Since then I have heard of other good items on their menu (like their sloppy joe or as they call it the sloppy josh) and have not had a chance to go back. To me, if you can't make a good burger, you probably can't make anything I would like. Don't get me wrong, half of the group seemed to enjoy the burger (since we all got one), but it just wasn't for me.

I felt like I had to do a review because so many people were singing their praises and I felt like people needed to hear the other side. So there, I said it and you can't make me take it back!

Cafe De Wheels

2010-03-17T10:04:00.000-07:00

Today at lunch me and two co-workers embarked on a journey to try a new place to eat downtown called Senor Roy's, but after not being able to find it because it was not where it said it would be, we settled for Cafe de Wheels. Both of these places are just trucks that move from place to place downtown and they post on their sites or on twitter or facebook, where they will be at any given time of day. We were very disappointed that Senor Roy decided to not show up today, we were all craving some tacos.

So we got to Cafe de Wheels and the first thing I notice is that it is slim pickings. They obviously can't have much to choose from since it is a pretty small truck. I just got the typical cheeseburger and fries. I was shocked that the side of fries cost $2 and the burger was $5. I think it would have been better priced for both for a total of $5. The burger was OK, it came on a bun that was a bit different and not so much in a good way. The fries came in a small cup, which is why I don't think they should have been so expensive even though they were good. It took them over 20 minutes to make our food, mine of course being the last one done, they blamed it on the fries.

All in all it was a decent meal and I am definitely full, but I won't be going back there because I could spend $7 on a much better meal downtown. I would not recommend it to anyone, especially for the burger. If I wanted to pay that much for a burger, I'd go to Paula's Cafe for there 7 minute burger and then grab slice of their homemade carrot cake to bring home to Joanna.

Keystone Bar and Grill

2010-03-11T13:15:00.000-08:00

Today I went to Keystone Bar and Grill for lunch. It is located in Covington right across the river in a nice little area with a bunch of bar/restaurants around. It has a nice bar feel to it and I could tell it would be a fun place to be at night. They had drink specials all over the place, so I could tell it was my kind of place : D ... We got seated in a back room with a small TV in the corner of one of the rooms with the Big East tournament on in HD even.

I ordered the Buffalo Chicken Wrap while my dad got the BBQ, Bacon Burger and the other two who were with us got their Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meals. My meal was VERY good, but VERY spicy. If you know me, I love spicy food, but my body think that I am on fire while eating, so it decides to drench me. I was definitely dripping and drinking a whole pitcher of water. The best part of my meal, I would have to say, was the Saratoga chips and BBQ sauce. I love that combination and will go anywhere who has them. The Boat House has some awesome ones as well as Rock Bottom. I need to learn how to make Saratoga chips and maybe even my own BBQ sauce, but the BBQ sauce sounds much more challenging.

Tonight they have a beer special of 5 domestic bottles for $5. Supposedly all the bars in the area have that same special on Thursday nights from 9PM - Close. I think Joanna would like this place too, so when the kids get better, I might have to bring her down.

Hamburger Mary's

2010-03-05T11:13:00.000-08:00

Some of my co-workers and myself went to Hamburger Mary's for lunch today. I had never been there but had seen it many times while walking downtown. I had heard that it "reopened" not too long ago with new ownership. I had never heard of it before a few months ago so I can't compare it to how it use to be.

They use a lot of bright colors and have a lot of girlie features around the restaurant. Such as the movies that were playing (Hairspray and something about a Ghost of girlfriends past or something), the pictures on the wall (mainly of women) and then of course the Mary statue up front and the high heeled shoe that you get your check in.

They are obviously known for there burgers, and that is just what my two co-workers got. They both enjoyed theirs and were ready for naps once we got back to the office because of how full they were. I, being the great Catholic that I am, got a cod sandwich. It was very large and quite good. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. It was also served with Mary's seasoned fries, which had a pretty good kick to them, but were very good fries. I am not sure if they were doing a Lenten special, but I got my fish sandwich and fries for only $7, when I could have sworn the menu said $10. If so, that is definitely a good reason to go there to try their fish.

I hope to be back soon to try their Bacon, BBQ Burger topped with onion rings. It just sounds like my type of burger. All in all it was a great experience, friendly service, good atmosphere and good food.

Urbanspoon rocks

Murray's Wings Pub and Grill / Louisiana Fish Bar

2010-03-04T11:30:00.000-08:00

It wasn't my first time at Murray's Wings Pub and Grill, but it has been quite awhile. Most people I know that are my age have been there at least once in their life. It isn't in the nicest neighborhood, but they do serve some great bar food. I thought it was funny reading a review on Urbanspoon about this place. The guy said the food was too greasy. It's a bar! Bar food is suppose to be greasy hahaha. The greasier the better, I say.

Today I had the burger and saratoga chips. It was very good. The burgers are very large and juicy. I added some of their wing sauce that they kept on the table to my chips and I couldn't have asked for more. If it wasn't a work lunch, I would have loved to include a nice tall beer with the meal. I would have enjoyed the wing sauce even more.

Not sure how long ago they combined, but the Louisiana Fish Bar is apart of Murray's now. They have one of the best fish sandwiches I have ever had and one of the few fish sandwiches I would recommend to someone.

They have a nice little bar and a good amount of TVs. I was disappointed to not see any in HD though, not a place I would really go to watch a sporting event. Although they do have a nice sand volleyball court out back which I have played on during some volleyball leagues.

All in all it is a nice little place with affordable food and drinks.

Arnold's Bar & Grill

2010-03-04T07:30:00.000-08:00

Arnold's Bar & Grill is one of my favorite places downtown. It is always links to OTR and Christian Moerlein (one of my favorite breweries). It has old time pub feel and theme and you can sit out back where the walls are very old brick that seem to go up for days and they can open up the roof so you are outside. They have a small stage in the back of that room for bands to play some good ol' folk music.

About a month ago we tried going down for an event they were having which entailed a full menu of Christian Moerlein inspired foods. They also were giving away pint glasses and serving beer specials all night. Sadly we got there "late" at around 7 or 8 and it was PACKED! So We had to settle for Nicholson's.

Yesterday I had lunch there. They just rolled out their $4.99 lunch menu, where everything on the menu is only $4.99! For Downtown, that is an amazing deal. With tax and tip it comes to about $6.31 which still isn't too bad for a full meal. I got a Cheddar, Bacon and BBQ Burger. Sounds delicious right? It was OK, nothing special. The burger was a little on the burnt side and the BBQ sauce had a STRONG hint of mustard. I HATE mustard! Mustard can ruin any burger for me. I can taste it from a mile away. The fries were too potatoey, they just weren't cooked enough for my liking.

It still was a great experience, I would love to go back and try more of their large $4.99 menu. The person I was with got the tilapia and really enjoyed it. He also got their Irish stew earlier in the week and really enjoyed that as well. I will hopefully be back down there this weekend for Bock Fest.

Noce's Pizzaria

2010-02-09T07:19:00.000-08:00

I first just wanted to comment on Noce's Pizza. We had it a few days ago and I think I really hyped it up too much in my mind. It was nothing special. Granted, we did just get a regular pepperoni pizza, nothing fancy, but it wasn't that great. I would probably rank it close to a Dominos type pizza, I would definitely rank it below Papa John's. I guess everyone has their own taste when it comes to pizza, but I have never really had a "bad" pizza. Pizza is pizza, but after having Giordano's, any pizza is going to have a hard time living up to "the best". If Noce's was closer by and was a little cheaper in price (I paid $15 for a large pepperoni), then I would think about getting it more. It definitely has a freshness about it and it has fresh hand tossed crust, but it just didn't wow me.

We did get some Garlic knots though, and you can't go wrong with garlic, butter and bread. It is tough to screw up.

I would say that you have to try it, but don't go into it like I did thinking it is going to be the best pizza in Cincinnati. But let me know what you think about it!

Bard's Burgers

2010-02-04T11:49:00.000-08:00

Ever since I went to Chicago, I have been wanting to try new things. Any time I go on vacation or on a trip, I want to try different off the wall places instead of just the normal chain restaurants. So I went on Urbanspoon, made an account and started to make a wishlist of all the places around Cincinnati that I have never been to, to try out.

That leads me today. Everything Thursday, my dad so generously takes me out to lunch (thanks dad!). But the past few months our whole development team have been going out on road trips to different places. We go anywhere from, Zips, to Quatmans, to Montoyays, to Paula's Cafe (who according to Joanna makes the best Carrot Cake) and so on. So I figured it would be a good idea to try and conquer some of these places I have never been to, with our Thursday crew. Mike Taylor (a co-worker of mine) heard of a place called Bard's Burgers in Covington. So we headed there for lunch.

It is deep in the heart of Covington and took about 15 minutes from downtown to get there. It was a regular old greasy spoon type restaurant an wasn't very big at all, in fact I think there was just one waitress.

Three of us got the special which was a double bacon burger, fries and a drink for $7.95. The burger reminded me of a larger versions of Steak and Shake burgers. It was 1/3 pound per burger. It was served with a basket of fries, and when I say a basket, I mean a BASKET. They were similar to Penn Stations fries, and I could not eat them all.

Mike, the bold one of the group, had a deep fried hotdog with sauerkraut and mustard (they call it the "Ripper"). He also got their basket of fries but with cheese and some sort of sauce.

They also had fried twinkies, zingers and oreo cookies you could get for dessert, but we didn't have any room for that. One thing I did want that I didn't get (I will probably have to go back for) was a handcrafted milk shake. Milk shakes from those types of places usually are delicious.

We will definitely be going back there and would recommend it to anyone.

Home Base

2010-02-02T08:30:00.000-08:00

First off, Joanna, you can't read this until you write you own version of the trip ... then we will see what we both remember or how we felt about the trip.

I had a blast. That pretty much sums it up, but I will do my best to describe why and some things that we did.

It was a completely different experience I have ever had. I have never been to a big city, no Chicago, no New York, no Boston, nothing, so that alone was pretty amazing to see. We headed out Friday afternoon and got there around 5pm their time (they are an hour behind if you didn't know that). We checked in and met up with Jared and his roommate. Their condo was AMAZING, I was not expecting it to be that nice or big. We hung out there to have a few drinks and plan the night ahead. His roommate decided not to come out with us (big mistake) but Andrew Ackerman met up with us and so the four of us headed out to Linkin Park via taxi. I had only been in one maybe two cabs in my life, so taking them every where we went was hard to get use to, especially getting use to how much it cost just to go a couple miles.

We started out at a bar/restaurant called State. It was really nice and had about 100 TVs all over the place and even personal TVs at each table that came up out of a little box. Joanna and I shared some nachos for our dinner, nothing special there, and had a few beers each. Brit, Jared's friend, met up with us there. Then we all piled into another cab and went to "home base" (a bar that Jared and his friend all call home base because they always end up there), hopefully Joanna can remember the bar's actual name. Apparently they go there because they have the cheapest beer prices, it was $2.50 for domestic bottles (boring). But no worries because I decided to make two new friends there who ended up buying me a couple rounds of Guinness for some reason even though I told them I didn't want them to. Joanna and Jared thought it was pretty funny that I talked to these guys for a couple hours about who knows what. Joanna found her new favorite shot, a pineapple upside down cake, and she took that shot every time someone would buy a round of random shots. I think I had about 5 or so shots, which if you know me, I don't do shots. We closed down that bar and were going to hop in a cab to close down a 4AM bar, but when we got outside and started to walk, one of us could barely walk anymore .... and no it wasn't joanna! It was Brit ... so Jared walked her home while Joanna and I took our own cab back to our hotel, which was the Sheraton, and went to bed.

The Sheraton was nice. The lobby and main area was very nice and big, but the rooms weren't anything fancy. The beds were VERY comfortable, I didn't really notice that until the next morning. But for $60/night, we really couldn't beat the quality.

The next day we could only sleep till 10AM. So we got up and got ready and met up with Joanna's cousin, Hannah. We went to Heaven on Seven which was a great choice. I found them before I even got to Chicago on Urban Spoon and heard they had a good breakfast and fun atmosphere. And they were definitely right. It had a mardi gras look and feel and had some delicious omelets. I had the sausage and cheese one which was served with cajun potatoes. But before we even ordered they brought us some amazing blueberry cornbread. It was a good start to the day. We then shopped around a little, but soon headed back for a nap.

After our nap we headed to Giordano's for some pizza. It was THE BEST pizza I ever had, no doubt. We split a small pizza and caesar salad which was plenty for the two of us. I did try the 312 Urban Wheat, which I was not a fan of, but I have never been a big fan of the Americanized Wheat beers ... if I am going to drink a wheat, I rather have a Belgian.

We then took a taxi over to Jared's place where he was having a hard time finding anyone to want to go out. We eventually just headed out with him and his roommate and headed up a to wriggly-ville (after finally getting to the first bar which was completely packed). The bar we ended up at tried very hard to be a club, so the music was VERY loud and lights flashing all over the place. It was pretty funny because there was no room to even move and definitely no room to dance, even though some people found a way to do it, train style hahaha. We stayed there till 2AM, but couldn't really get excited and in the mood to drink like we did the previous night. It was a combination of lack of people wanting to do anything and the fact that I hadn't drunk like that two nights in a row in a very long time. So we just headed back to our hotel and ordered some late night pizza and garlic bread from our hotel room. That definitely hit the spot and I got to watch a little bit of the Australian Open which was on at 2:30AM.

Then we just headed out the next morning to get home to see our kids.

It was such a weird feeling being out just the two of us. We had never been on a honeymoon or any trip just the two of us. So it was a lot of fun just being able to do what we wanted and being able to talk just the two of us. It was also very hard to be away from our kids, but we tried to put that past us so we could have a good time.

I don't see how anyone could live up there and spend money like that every weekend. It was definitely tough for me to spend that kind of money, but I tried to not think about it and just have a good time. It felt like we were gone for a week and we were only gone for 2 days. And when I got home, it felt very weird and I still felt like we were going to be hopping in a taxi and going somewhere that night. I am still in a little big of a fog about it and can't stop thinking about it. There is just so much to do and we barely did anything, it is tough to do much in a day up there. I do feel like I am closer to be able to spend money easier. Ever since I have been home I have been trying to think of things we could do around here or places we have not been to try out. I think I am half way to being able to spend money, but my head only lets me get so far and then I just say, probably not. It is hard to explain but I have been dealing with it ever since we got home and I am not sure what to do about it ... I am sure I will go back to being my frugal self shortly.

We definitely won't be going anywhere without our kids for awhile, but it was interesting to see what our lives would be like without kids. We both agreed that we much rather have the lives that we have and wouldn't trade them for anything. We aren't made for the bars and clubs, we are meant to be parents and just hangout with friends at home.

I did want to thank Jared for entertaining us while we were up there and showing us around, it was a lot of fun and it was cool to hang out with you since we barely ever get to. I also wanted to thank the Witte's for staying with the kids the whole weekend. Also, my mom and anyone else that went over to help out with the kids while we were gone.

And of course, thanks to Chung and Ivan! :D (that reminds me that I need to try some kung pao chicken)