Review: Mt. Adams Bar & Grill

I really love going up to Mt. Adams but don't go very often.  My friend Jessica, who lives in Kentucky, and I were making dinner plans a week or so back, and thought Mt. Adams would be a good middle spot to meet.  I do wish there were more options of restaurants in the Mt. Adams area.  We decided to meet at Mt. Adams Bar & Grill which I had been to multiple times before and have always been pleased.

Mt. Adams Bar & Grill is located on Hatch St. right next to the Blind Lemon and Daveed's.  It's a nice location because there are options for parking near by (there isn't a ton of parking in the Mt. Adams area, so that is a plus).  We met on a weekday night and it wasn't very crowded.  Walking in, you notice the wooded walls, a bar to the left, and some booths and tables in the front room.  This restaurant is very warm and welcoming.  We were taken to a back room that had some old Cincinnati memorabilia, various clocks, and other eclectic signs on the walls.  I love how this restaurant has rooms that seem to just keep going.  It's a very long and narrow building with windows along one side that face out onto the Mt. Adams streets.

The restaurant's menu consists of salads, sandwiches, appetizers, and some burgers.  I have had their Mediterranean Plate before and really love it, but tonight I didn't want an appetizer.  I have had some sandwiches here before as well that were all pretty good, so I decided to try a salad tonight.  I ordered the Greek Salad minus the olives (I just do not like them). This is romaine, tomatoes, feta and onion with a side of hummus.  I added grilled chicken for $3.75.  This salad turned out great!  I really liked it a lot.  There was plenty of toppings, the chicken was juicy and had a nice grill seasoning to it, and I loved having just a bit of hummus with toasted pitas on the side.  The dressing was good as well and not overpowering or overdressed at all.  I would definitely order this salad again!

My friend Jessica ordered the French Onion Chicken sandwich, which I had before and really liked.  This was marinated grilled chicken topped with grilled onion, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on a grilled onion roll.  She got this with a side of their sweet potato fries.  She really liked this sandwich a lot.  It is something a bit different and I like that it is served on a grilled onion roll.  The sweet potato fries are great as well--pretty average sweet potato fries, but great all the same!

This is overall a great place to go that is reasonably priced with some standard bar food and some unique specialties as well.  Service is very average.  There is also a good selection of beer and wine.  This is a very solid restaurant, every time I have gone I have enjoyed it.  It won't knock your socks off--but I like it!  If you're in the Mt. Adams area, check it out, it is sure to have something for everyone!
~Kate

Food: 3.5
Service: 3
Overall Experience: 3

Review: The Summit

Kate and I recently attended our first Cincinnati E.A.T.S. event. This great, inclusive organization hosts events at various independent restaurants around town and provides food-lovers an opportunity to try new food and meet new people. Kate and I enjoyed the overall experience and look forward to other events that they host in the coming months.

December's event was held at The Summit, located at the Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State. Since it's located on a college campus and run by students, they're only open to the public Thursday through Sunday. I've heard such great things and have always wanted to try it. Kate and I have tried getting Restaurant Week reservations there in the past but have never been able to make it work. This Cincinnati E.A.T.S. event seemed like the perfect opportunity.

They sent us great directions, and there was signage all the way up to the entrance, which made it simple and easy to get there. They also offered us complimentary valet parking, which was another great touch. There were friendly students to greet you, take your coats and show you to the event space. We were impressed with the service right off the bat.

We enjoyed a couple glasses of wine and nibbled on cheese and crackers while we waited for the dinner portion of the evening to begin. Once we were seated, there was a short presentation and then the dinner service began. There were a few options to choose from for the first course. I went with the grilled pear salad and Kate chose the crab cake. I have to admit, I made the better choice on this one! The salad was a great way to start the meal. It was dressed with stilton cheese, candied pecans and honey. It had a bit too much dressing for my liking, but overall I really enjoyed it.

Kate's crab cake was sub-par. They used real crab, which was good, but it lacked flavors and seasoning. It was bland and dry. Not impressed.

Next up was the entree. Again, disappointing. Kate and I both ordered the filet, and they both came out over-done. My filet had absolutely no pink in it - none. Kate's had just a little bit of pink. I'd say it was medium well to well. And on top of that, they were both poorly seasoned. Two other people at the table ordered the filets as well, and their's were similarly prepared. They compared it to dry pot roast, which I thought was a perfect comparison. The red wine demi-glace helped, but did not make up for it. Looking around at near-by tables, it appeared that the other attendees were not impressed with the filet either. The sides were roasted fingerling potatoes and fresh green beans. Both were pretty good, but very similar to what I prepare for myself at home.

On a positive note, the other two people at our table ordered the salmon course and were very pleased with it. It was served over a mushroom risotto which they also spoke highly of. I really think there were issues with the filet because almost everyone at the event ordered that. It was just too much for them to handle. Not many people ordered salmon, and they did that really well.

Next up was the dessert course. The presentation was very beautiful. There were three tiny desserts placed neatly on the plate. I started with the polenta red poached pear and did not like it at all. The polenta was very grainy and the red pear was bitter. The combination was not a good one. My next bite was the caramelized banana bread pudding. I'm not a big fan of fruit for dessert or even incorporated in dessert, but this was great! The texture was good - not too mushy which is always my fear with bread pudding. Lastly, I had the chocolate flourless torte. This was great. Very rich, but delicious. I'm glad I ended the night on such a good note. 

I realllly wanted to love The Summit and post a rave review on here, but I have to be honest that I was pretty disappointed. I would be willing to give it another chance though. I just don't think they were well equipped to serve such a large crowd all at once. I would guess that they'd be much better on a regular evening when you can order off the regular menu and get it cooked to order instead of mass produced. If we go back, we'll be sure to post another review and let you know if we were right.

Food: 2
Service: 5
Overall experience: 3

~Kris

Review: Silverglades Deli at Findlay Market

Findlay Market was sounded like the perfect place to go on a sunny Saturday afternoon about two weeks ago. Ross had never been before, and we thought this was a great day to check it out.  It was cold enough outside to wear a light jacket but warm enough that it wasn't unbearable to walk around the shops.  I'm not going to go into a huge description of Findlay Market, I recommend checking out their website for more details and information.  I will say that it's a nice place to go and grab lunch, visit a couple specialty items, or to just walk around.  Don't anybody lash out at me, but I think it is a BIT over-rated.  Maybe the people I have talked to before have just talked it up more and led me to have higher expectations, but having gone at least 5 times, I'd say that it's: fine.  There are a variety of great meats, cheeses, bakery items, seafood, and wine, but unless I go with something in mind to get, nothing has ever stood out to me.  I have also gotten mixed produce down there.  I do like supporting the farmer's markets, but I have had good and bad produce here also.

Now, since we went around lunch time, Ross and I decided to grab a bite to eat.  I wanted to try the restaurant Pho Lang Thang because I've heard great things about it, but we were in the mood for a sandwich. We stopped over at Silverglades Deli that is located near the outdoor vendors and Pho Lang Thang.  There is a downtown location of this restaurant at 8th and Sycamore and this location at Findlay Market.  I have been here once before and got a really great sandwich, so we decided to give it another try.

Walking into Silverglades, you are immediately faced with huge cases of meats and cheeses.  I had to stand on my tip toes to see over them actually!  On a board above lists some specialty sandwiches, but it is noted that you can really order any kind of sandwich you would like.  We grabbed a number while we decided what to order.  Everything sounded really great to me.  There is chicken salad sandwiches, roast beef, turkey, ham, Italian sandwiches, and more.  After debating and perusing, I finally talked Ross into each of us ordering a sandwich and sharing so we could each try two sandwiches.  I opted for the Cincy Gobbler: Home Roasted Turkey, Cranberry Relish, Smoked Applewood Cheddar, and lettuce on white bread.  Ross ordered the Derby Deli: Home Roasted Beef Top Round, Horseradish Cheddar, Lettuce, Onion, and Steak Sauce on marble rye.

The girl took our order and quickly got to work making our sandwich to order.  As she was busy working on our lunch, I went to the other side of the deli to look at some of their olives, salads, and such.  I have had their chicken salad before, which is great!  I ended up ordering some to go as well as a side of pasta salad for us to share.

After just a few minutes of waiting, we paid for our sandwiches and took them to go.  We ended up grabbing a table right inside the deli because all the tables outside were taken.  Upon opening our styrofoam boxes, one of my first impressions was the size of these sandwiches: very big!  The ingredients all looked fresh and colorful.  I jumped right into the Cincy Gobbler.  The cranberry relish was added a great sweetness to the turkey and the smoked cheddar really stood out to me as well.  I thought the sandwich as a whole was just a bit dry, it could have used more relish--but overall pretty good.

The Derby Deli was also a large sandwich.  The biggest thing that surprised me about this sandwich was the steak sauce.  The horseradish cheddar went nicely with the roast beef, but I think I would have liked a bit more horseradish.  I didn't love the steak sauce on this sandwich, it was a bit too tangy for me.  The ingredients were all fantastic quality though.  Both sandwiches were served with a crisp pickle, which I liked also!

The side pasta salad was nothing to write home about.  It was pretty standard olive oil, pasta, and just a few carrots and spinach.  I wouldn't get this again, but there were many other salads I would like to try.

I'd definitely go back to Silverglades, but I would probably order some other things.  One other blogger review used the word "solid" to describe Silverglades, and I would say that is a pretty good description.  I had the chicken salad that week for lunch and it was great.  I would maybe order my sandwich more to my liking and see if they are better.   There were many other options inside the Findlay Market area also that I want to try, so we will most likely be back soon!
~Kate

Food: 2.5
Service: 3.5
Overall Experience: 3

Review: Outback Steakhouse

I think once you have worked in a restaurant, you develop either a hatred for the place or a sort of fondness for the restaurant.  I used to work at Skyline in high school, and I still go there at least once a month around 1 or 2 in the morning for a late night snack---I could pretty much eat Skyline any time.  I think this feeling is how my sister feels about Outback Steakhouse.  She worked there in high school and will still crave their cheese fries and I feel like she could eat there almost any time.  Last week, my sister stopped by for an impromptu visit so we decided to go grab a bite to eat for dinner.  After she perused her new iPad using the restaurant App, or something like that, she remembered Outback near my house.  So, to Outback we went.  I had a bit of weariness in the back of my head because I have had some disappointing experiences here, but I have also really liked it too, so I was in.

We went on a Thursday night around 6 or so and it wasn't very busy.  The parking lot looked packed, but it wasn't inside at all.  Our waitress greeted us with a great smile and was very friendly.  Ross, Kelley, and I all ordered a drink while we decided what to get.

The menu consists of appetizers, including cheese fries, a bloomin onion, or seared ahi tuna to name a few.  We opted out of appetizers, especially because every table receives a loaf of warm bread and butter.  I always like this bread, it is warm and soft, and you can get as much as you want if one loaf isn't enough!

The rest of the menu has salads, chicken, seafood, and of course steaks.  After looking over the menu for a couple minutes, my sister decided on a half order of cheese fries and a side salad, Ross ordered the same thing he always gets: the Outback Special which is a sirloin served with your choice of side and a Signature Salad.  He got a side of cheese fries and the Caesar salad.  I decided to get the Filet Blue Cheese Pecan Chopped Salad--medium rare.  I stress this because almost every time I have come here, they don't cook my steak right....I was hoping to be wrong.  She also stated that the steak is served on the side which was what I wanted so it wouldn't get all over the salad.

Ross and Kelley's salads came out first and they both looked great. This is one of Ross' favorite side salads anywhere we go.  The Caesar dressing has a bit of a kick to it and is topped with croutons and parmesan cheese.  I really like this salad too, although, I think they tend to overdress it.

My sister got the same salad that I ordered minus the steak and she was very pleased with that.

We continued chatting and laughing over our drinks as we waited for our entrees to come out.  Not much later our meals came---and immediately, I knew it happened again. This was not medium rare.  There was barely any pink at all, let alone a warm red center.  With just one look I knew my steak was over cooked.  I don't know if it is just me, but I don't understand how a "steak" restaurant continues to not know how to cook a steak.  Also, the steak was served atop the salad already sliced.  The other thing---I do not think this piece of meat was a filet.  I have gotten filet here before and it was thicker, juicier, and did not have any fat on it.  I didn't think filets ever had chunks of fat on them.   I really hate doing this, but I had to say something to my server.  As my face reddened (again, I hate doing this)  I told her that this just was not what I had expected and the steak looked over-cooked to me.  The server looked at it, and agreed with me (maybe she didn't run the food, I really don't remember, but if you agree that it was over-cooked, why would you serve it??)

In the meantime, Ross' steak looked to be medium as he ordered and Kelley was pleased with her cheese fries (although, I think she asked for the cheese to be "layered"--remember she used to work there---and it wasn't).

The manager came over to our table and apologized for the steak.  She asked if she could get me a cup of clam chowder, and I politely declined.  I think she could have offered something different, my glass of wine was empty, or even comp part of the meal, but clam chowder was as good as it got.

I laughed off the mistake, because honestly, I kind of anticipated it.  This has happened to me multiple times here.  The server brought my new salad with the steak on the side shortly after.  This steak was cooked more to medium rare (I still would have classified this as medium) but it was much better.  It was also pre-sliced, but I guess that's just how they serve it with the salad.  I have to say, after all that, I really did like the salad! The pecans added some sweetness with the sharpness of the blue cheese.  IF I were to go back, I would maybe order the salad as a side with something else, it was really good.

So, all in all, it was okay.  Again, I have never been a huge Outback fan.  I didn't go in with high expectations of the best steak I have ever had, but I would like for them to be able to AT LEAST cook it correctly.  We didn't order dessert, but did enjoy ourselves with another drink.

~Kate

Food: 2
Service: 3
Overall Experience: 2

Recipe: Garlic Balsamic Chicken

I haven't tried many new recipes lately, but I really try to make at least one new thing a week--it's been a couple weeks since I have though.  It's so much easier to fall back on some of the same recipes that you know how to do every week.  Well, this week I looked in my fridge and saw I had some chicken breasts, so I decided to look for a recipe using that.  On allrecipes.com I came across a recipe that sounded easy and didn't take a whole lot of ingredients (pretty much my criteria for almost any new recipe I try).   This was a recipe for Garlic Balsamic Chicken:

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
3/4 pound mushrooms, sliced
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. olive oil
6 cloves garlic
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1 tbsp. butter

I sliced whole white mushrooms before hand.  You can buy them pre-sliced, but these were on sale.

Directions:

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Rinse the mushrooms and pat dry.  Season the flour with salt and pepper and dredge the chicken breasts in the flour mixture.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat and saute until it is nicely brown on one side (about 3 minutes).

2. Add the garlic.  Turn the chicken breasts and scatter the mushrooms over them.  Continue frying, shaking the skillet and stirring the mushrooms.  Cook for about 3 minutes then add the vinegar, broth, bay leaf, and thyme.  Cover tightly and simmer over medium low heat for about 10 minutes, turning occasionally.

3. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover with foil.  Set aside. Continue simmering the sauce, uncovered, over medium high heat for about 7 minutes.  Swirl in the butter or margarine and discard the bay leaf.  Pour mushroom mixture over the chicken and serve.

There were just a couple things that I did differently from this suggested directions.  I also had some green beans and snap peas on hand so I steamed them for about two minutes then threw them in with the mushrooms and chicken to simmer.  I also had some red onion, so I sliced that up and tossed it in when I threw in the mushrooms.  I didn't have a bay leaf, so I added a bit more thyme than was suggested.   I served this with rice, but you could also serve with noodles, baked potatoes, anything that sounds good to you!

Overall, I thought this turned out pretty good.  The chicken was tender and juicy with a tartness of the balsamic and a bit of sweetness from the garlic.  Ross thought this was pretty good as well; it wasn't our favorite meal ever, but not bad for a Monday night!
~Kate

Review: Krimmer's Italianette Pizza

Krimmer's Italianette is located on Plainfield Rd. in Silverton/Deer Park, which is very close to my house.  I have been here a couple times in the past, but it had been awhile on my most recent visit.  Italianette does deliver but they also have an eat-in dining room.  The room is a good size with booths and tables with two or three TVs showing football, basketball, etc.  It's a great room for a group of people, kids, or table for two.

Ross and I went on a Saturday night.  It wasn't terribly crowded, so we were able to grab a booth.  The menu consists of pizza, salads, and sandwiches with some side items available as well.  Ross and I were in the mood for a variety of things.  I ordered a tossed salad which is topped with tomatoes, cheese, and your choice of ham or bacon.  I chose bacon with Italian dressing.  Ross wanted some bread sticks, so we ordered those with garlic sauce and a medium pizza.  I wanted veggies and Ross wanted meat, so we did half and half.

The salad was fantastic!  The lettuce tasted very fresh, there was a good amount of shredded mozzarella, and the bacon was cooked to order for the salad.  It was very big also for a side salad. I really liked this salad and would get it again for sure.

The breadsticks were pretty standard breadsticks; warm, soft, and served with a side of garlic sauce. These were good!

On the pizza, I got onion, banana peppers, and mushrooms and Ross got pepperoni, sausage and banana peppers.  There was a good amount of toppings, cheese and sauce.  I would describe the crust as medium to thin in thickness which was perfect.  I don't like it too thick or thin, so I liked this crust.  It was crispy without being too crunchy.  Overall, this pizza was pretty great! I was full from the salad and breadsticks, so I didn't have room for very much.  The slices are pretty big also.  Ross really enjoyed his too.  We had plenty to take home for leftovers which was also nice.

I of course forgot to take a picture until after we served some to ourselves, so sorry about the picture only showing a part of the pizza.

The service was good.  Nothing to complain about.  The prices are pretty fair as well.  The salad was $3.75, a medium pizza is $8.99 then $1.25 for toppings, and the breadsticks were 5 for $3.50.  So, not too bad!  If you're in the area, I would definitely give Italianette a try, it's a great local pizza place that is fast, has good food, and good service.

~Kate

Food: 3
Service: 3
Overall Experience: 3

Review: Bella Luna

Not long ago, I purchased a coupon through YoDeal toward Bella Luna on Eastern Ave.  Sounds familiar since I just recently blogged about Terry's Turf Club which is right next door, but just a coincidence.  My husband and I decided to go on a random Thursday night that I didn't feel like cooking.  My husband never cooks, so it's always up to me, but this night I didn't feel like it at all.  Sooo, we decided to try Bella Luna.

We had been to Bella Luna once before, but it was about three years ago, and I didn't remember a whole lot about it.  I had heard many mixed reviews about the restaurant through friends and other reviews I've read online.  I did remember that they had won some awards at the Taste of Cincinnati this year, which after Googling it, I recalled they were The Best Damn Dish for their prime rib cannelloni and Best Seafood Entree for their Lobster Ravioli.  I remember having tried the ravioli at the Taste and thinking it was just okay...but I don't think it's fair to judge at a festival setting.  (We wanted to try the cannelloni at the Taste, but was sold out when we got there).

Well, Ross and I went in with no expectations.  We arrived around 6:00 or so.  The hostess initially asked us if we had a reservation, which we didn't, and she stated that we would either have a 30 minute wait or have to sit in the bar area.  We were a bit hesitant about sitting in the bar area and stated that we would maybe just grab a drink a wait, and then the hostess suddenly said there was a table open.  She led us into the dining room which had rows of booths along the walls with tables down the center.  I have to state that there were hardly any tables occupied.  I would have understood if maybe people had shown up throughout our dinner and taken the tables, but they didn't.  I just found it odd that the hostess would tell us there was going to be a 30 minute wait when there were PLENTY of tables open.  This is just a pet peeve of mine.

We were warmly greeted by our server who told us about the nightly specials and also informed us that bottles of wine were half off this night.  This got us excited, until I showed her my coupon and she said that we could either use the coupon OR take half off a bottle of wine.  Another pet peeve of mine.  I DID pay for the coupon, and I just feel like the restaurant should honor it as money/gift certificate.  BUT, that aside, we still ordered a bottle of wine with intentions of using our coupon ( I wasn't sure I would want to come back yet at this point).  I have to also just say, I thought the prices of wine were a bit high.  I am not a professional wine connoisseur, but I just felt like there could have been more selection in prices.  The wine we ended up getting was just okay.

We perused the menus for awhile asking the server what she suggested and giving some of her favorite items. She highly recommended the prime rib cannelloni as an appetizer, which contemplated getting for about 10 minutes, but we opted not to.  We thought we were getting plenty of food since entrees came with bread and a salad.

The entrees are served with a house salad which is a spring mix lettuce with tomatoes, mozzarella, and a house dressing.  I wasn't impressed with this salad at all.  It felt like the lettuce came from a bag without any other prep.  I recently just had a discussion with my mom about how the lettuce really makes a salad, and this just did not measure up.

The bread that was served with the meal was really good.  It was a bit different from other breads I have had before in the fact that it reminded me of cornbread on the inside with how it was a bit crumbly, and soft.  It was served with  balsamic vinegar and oil for dipping, which I liked.

It took me awhile to decide what to get (what else is new) but I finally decided to get the smoked chicken ravioli with mushrooms and a mushroom type sauce which was topped with shaved parmesan. (I'm sorry, I really don't remember everything that was in this).

I thought this was fantastic!  I really loved it.  It was unlike any other ravioli dish I had before.  The filling was warm and flavorful and I loved the sauce that came with it; it was just rich enough without being too decadent.   Ross tried mine and he also agreed that it was great.  He typically will never admit that he liked mine more than his, but this one he did.

Ross went with the baked manicotti which is stuffed with ricotta covered in marinara.  We both thought this was just okay.  It really didn't seem that special to me at all, it was something that I could have made at home--but I did think the sauce was a nice.  It was a bit sweet with small chunks of tomato and not something I could make at home :)

So my opinion of Bella Luna is pretty mixed.  I thought my dish was fantastic and I would definitely go back to order that again.  However everything else was pretty disappointing.  The salad was nothing to write home about, the bread was good but not necessarily memorable, and Ross' dish was pretty much just a standard manicotti dish.  I felt like the service was good--again nothing special.  I noticed that the owner went around to many of the tables and asked how their meals were going, which is nice.  Overall, I just felt like most of it was over-priced.  Both our dishes were around $20 and the bottle of wine was around $34.  I just feel like paying that much for Italian should really stand out.  So, will I go back?  Possibly!  But, probably not in a hurry any time soon.

~Kate

Food: 4 (mine)  2 (everything else)
Service: 3
Overall Experience: 3

Review: Terry's Turf Club

There are many blog posts and reviews I have read that debate what the best burger in Cincinnati is.  If you follow any of this at all, you would know that many people feel that Terry's Turf Club on Eastern Ave is number one in their books.  It was featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives on Food Network a couple months ago and almost always tops lists of bets burgers.  I don't know if I am going to be able to say whether or not I think it is the BEST burger in the city, but it would definitely be in my top 5.  (Don't ask what my favorite is becuase I change my mind a lot!)

Last Friday, my friends Kelly and Dan suggested we go to Terry's which sounded great to me.  I hadn't been there in about a year and was in the mood for a good burger.

If you haven't been to Terry's before, it is located on Eastern Ave. near Bella Luna.  You cannot miss this place driving down the road because of the huge amounts of neon lights that adorn the exterior of the building with other various signs, statues, and wooden people.  This place definitely stands out.  There isn't a parking lot, but there is parking along the street that is available. I was a bit hesitant about going to Terry's on a Friday night because it is normally very crowded; however, we actually got sat right away! We were really excited about that because we got the last available table.  One thing to note: Terry's won't seat you until your entire party is there, so don't try to send someone earlier, they won't seat you.  We noticed a lot of people that were waiting came in to get a beer and then waited outside.

The interior of Terry's is just like the outside.  It is a small diner full of florescent neon lights, a jukebox, black and white checkered floors, and a bar along the back wall.  The jukebox wasn't on consistently, but it gets pretty noisy inside.  This is a great place to go for a fun night with friends, not a romantic dinner for two.  There were families, groups of friends, all ages.  Another time I had gone, there was actually a band playing, which I found a bit annoying.  The place is too small and it took up some of the available tables, which there aren't many anyways, so I don't really get why they have bands sometimes.

Now, on to the food.  Terry's is known for their burgers, but they do offer other selections as well, such as chicken or fish sandwiches, pork loin, and chili (menu here).  Ross and I decided to share the chili, a burger and fries.  The burgers are HUGE and an order of fries is plenty for two people, possibly even three, so I think we made a good decision to share these items.

The chili is made with filet mignon and pork tenderloin--so delicious!  There were large pieces of each of the meat along with just enough spice.  I thought this was the perfect amount of heat, I like spicy food too, and thought this was just right. Overall, I really liked this chili.  Was it the best I've ever had? No. But I had never had it with filet mignon or pork tenderloin and thought it was great.

If you haven't been to Terry's, I should note that there is a base price for burgers, then you can add various toppings, other cheeses and specialty sauces for an additional price.  I had been here two other times before, and had gotten the red pepper, goat cheese sauce one time (it was just okay), and the burgundy wine with wild mushrooms and truffles (very good).  This night, Ross and I decided to try a different sauce.  We got the rosemary, garlic, curry sauce, caramalized onions on the side, swiss cheese, and ordered it medium.  Ross sliced into the burger to cut in half and it looked like it was cooked to a perfect medium.  This burger is huge though, like I said.  I was a bit intimidated by the size.  The tomato was a thick tomato also, that I ended up having to take off because it kept sliding off.  I took a bite and immediately could taste the sweetness of the curry and thought the sauce was great!  The burger was very juicy and I liked the bun as well, it was toasted but still soft.  My biggest complaint about this burger was how messy it is.  It was pretty difficult to eat actually.  I don't mind messy food, but I didn't want to even put it down because it was so hard to pick back up and eat.

I like the fries pretty well overall.  They are handcut and thick fries.  I wish there would have been a bit of a seasoning on them though, they didn't taste as if they had really been seasoned, which I personally like.  But overall, I really liked these fries.

So, my overall opinion: I think Terry's has unique burgers that are juicy and flavorful, but messy.  The chili was pretty good, I would probably order that again.  I don't love the atmosphere in here though . I don't mind a dive, in fact, I typically like them a lot.  But this place is just SO noisy and the brightness actually is a bit much for me.  The service was good.  Pretty standard overall, our waiter was very nice and polite.  He was prompt and didn't hound us like some servers can do. I've noticed that a lot of reviews that I have read complain about the price.  I agree that some things are over-priced, like the chili was $6.50 for a cup.  The burger ended up being $10.25 with the sauce, which I don't think is terrible considering it is big enough to feed two people and the ingredients were very good.  So, if you haven't been, give Terry's a try and let us know what you think!
~Kate

Food: 4
Service: 3
Overall Experience: 3.5

Review: Kyoto

It's really hard for me to try new sushi places because I love the 3 I typically go to: Dancing Wasabi, Green Papaya, and Asiana.  However, I really have been wanting to branch out more and try some new places.  I recently read on Metromix Dining Guide 2011 Reader's Picks of various favorite places in 11 different categories.  In the category of "sushi" Kyoto was ranked in the top 5, so I thought about trying something new this past Saturday evening.  Ross and I were in the mood for sushi but nothing especially fancy or expensive.  From the website, Kyoto seemed like a good choice.

Kyoto is located on Montgomery road in between Union Centre and Fields Ertel.  It is in a little shopping center, but there is a sign in front that was easy to spot.  Walking in, I immediately noticed that it was a little restaurant but very busy.  It was a Saturday night around 5:45 or 6:00, so we weren't sure if there was going to be a wait or not.  There wasn't a wait, but almost every table was seated. The decor is pretty simple Japanese influence with an aquarium, one TV showing Japanese shows, and the sushi bar.  We were seated near the window which was nice, but COLD.  We both wanted to leave our coats on, but I hate eating with my coat on :)

The menu was pretty much just sushi, sashimi, salad and soups.  So, if you have someone who is looking for a different type of Thai/Japanese dish, I don't think they will find it here. We decided to order some edamame and 4 rolls: the Spicy Red Snapper Crunchy Roll, Manhatten Roll, Fusion Roll, and Kyoto Roll.  Before our edamame came out, they brought us a small salad and cup of soup that we didn't realize they brought to every table.  The soup was a simple broth soup with tofu and I think basil?  Not quite sure, they didn't tell us what it was.  This was fine, not a whole lot of flavor, and really just tasted like vegetable broth.  The salad was pretty bland as well.  We could have done without both the soup and the salad.  It was just iceberg lettuce with a peanut/sesame dressing.  There was way too much dressing on the lettuce and neither of us finished this salad.

Next our edamame came.  This was pretty standard.  There were a few pods that I felt were a bit soggier than I traditionally like, so overall it was fine.  I like it from other places better.

Lastly, our sushi rolls came!  These all looked great.  It is served with the traditional wasabi and ginger on the side.  We are used to getting the pink-colored ginger, this was white, which is no difference.  All the rolls were very good!  I liked them all!  My favorite was the Manhatten roll (which really wasn't very different from the Fusion Roll), but it was tempura, tuna, salmon, crab, avocado and spicy mayo.  The fusion roll was basically the same (I guess we didn't read the descriptions that closely because it was the same except it had yellowtail instead of crab).  These were both great rolls!  I liked that they were a bit warm on the outside and crunchy from the tempura.  I liked the simplicity of the Spicy Red Snapper Crunchy Roll.  It had just enough kick to it but the red snapper was tender with a mild delicate flavor.  The Kyoto roll was both of our least favorites, but I still liked it.  It was more refreshing because of the various vegetables.  It had shrimp, tuna, salmon, yellowtail, avocado, cucumber, and masago.  The vegetables in this roll really stood out and were a nice change to the other two tempura rolls.

(The picture from left to right: Spicy Red Snapper Crunchy Roll, Manhatten Roll, Kyoto Roll, Fusion Roll)

One of the best things about Kyoto was the price.  All the rolls we got were between $6.25 and $8.95, very reasonable!  The whole menu was similar in price.  There were a few rolls that were in the $10 range, but there is a huge selection under $10.  As for the service, it was fine.  I actually was getting a bit annoyed because there were about 4 servers in the restaurant who would all come up to us about every 3 or 4 minutes asking if we were ready to order.  I think that might just be the pace of the restaurant.  This definitely is a place that people seem to come in and out pretty quickly, so I'm sure they were just being efficient, but that gets on my nerves.

Overall, I would go back!  I liked Kyoto, and might add it to my list of sushi places. It isn't in my top 3--I just love those other three that I mentioned, but with the prices, convenience, and quality of sushi, I would make it back again.
~Kate

Food: 3.5
Service: 2.5
Overall Experience: 3

Recipe: Brussel Sprouts, Apples and Bacon

Brussel sprouts have always been a bit intimidating to me. Sounds silly, but my mom doesn't like them and therefore never cooked them for us, so I had no one to show me how to make them. Recently, thanks to my brother's girlfriend, I've gotten over my fear of brussel sprouts. And thank goodness...because they are soooo good!! The following recipe is one of my favorites. I found it on Pinterest (if you aren't aware of this website already, you better catch up. It's amazing!). Hope you enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

3-4 slices of bacon, chopped

4 pints brussel sprouts

1 apple, cored and diced

S&P

3 tsp red wine vinegar

The original recipe says to start by cooking the bacon in the oven on 425 degrees. I used microwavable bacon, so I didn't do this step. I have to confess that I actually used Morningstar bacon for this recipe. I'm obviously not a vegetarian, but I like the Morningstar products and I eat the bacon for breakfast sometimes so it's what I had on hand. Real bacon would be better (of couse), but it was still excellent with the faux bacon.

To prep the brussel sprouts, you peel off the first couple of leaves and cut the bottoms off. For this particular dish, I halved them as well, but that's not always necessary.

Once they're prepped and ready to go, I like to cook them in boiling water for about 5 minutes. The recipe doesn't mention this step, but I like to do this so they soften a little before I roast them. Once you remove them from the boiling water, toss them in a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them in the oven at about 450 degrees. I put them on a foil-lined sheet pan to make clean up a little easier.

They'll roast for about 10-15 minutes until they just barely start to brown. Then add your diced apples and put them back in the oven to continue roasting for another 10 minutes or until they brussel sprouts are browned and the apples are softened. Once you remove them from the oven, toss them immediately in the red wine vinegar and salt (if it needs more) and serve!!!



Delicious!!!!

 ~Kris

Recipe: Chicken and Andouille Sausage Jambalaya

I recently tried a new recipe that is not too difficult (if you don't mind a little chopping), tastes delish and is not too bad for you!! It was originally published in Cooking Light magazine. The recipe makes quite a large batch, especially if you're cooking for one, so I had plenty of leftovers for lunches, dinners, etc.

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp canola oil

1 1/2 cups andouille sausage, sliced

3 cups finely chopped red bell peppers

3 cups finely chopped yellow onion (I omitted this due to my hatred for onions)

2 cups finely chopped celery

2 bay leaves

2 1/2 cups chopped boneless skinless chicken breast

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 1/2 tsp finely chopped jalapeno pepper

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/8 tsp ground red pepper (I used a whole tsp of crushed red pepper flakes because I love them) 

3 garlic cloves, minced 

1/2 cup tomato puree 

2 3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth  

Start by heating the oil over medium-high heat in a large dutch-oven and add the sausage. I used chicken andouille sausage that was pre-cooked, so I only left it in the oil for a few minutes to brown it a little. Next add the celery, red peppers, onions and bay leaves. It should look like this (except I used a big pot, not a dutch oven):

Once the vegetables have browned and start to squeak (about 14 minutes), add chicken and next 8 ingredients (through garlic). Cook another 4 minutes, stirring occassionally. Add the tomato puree and cook for about 2 minutes. Next, add the chicken broth and bring it to a boil. At this point, the recipe says to add 1 1/2 cups of basmati rice. I was trying to avoid a lot of carbs, so I skipped this step. I did serve it over brown rice the first night I made it. When I ate the leftovers, I ate it more like soup without the rice and it was just as good, if not better. 

After this step is complete, cover the dish, reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Then you can DIG IN!! Don't forget to discard the bay leaves before serving!

Yum yum!!! Enjoy!

~Kris

Recipe: Burrito Bowl Minus the Rice

Okay, I have to first apologize for the name of this recipe because I really didn't know what to call it.  I was inspired by Chipotle's burrito bowls, but didn't use rice, so thought the name was the best description I could come up with!  My husband is pretty obsessed with Chipotle--he always gets the burritos though, and I don't care for those as much, so I thought I'd throw together something like the burrito bowls.

These ingredients can be altered or added to according to your liking, but I'll share what I used.  I'm not going to put measurements because that is really up to you as well:

Ingredients:
Romaine lettuce
black beans, rinsed and drained
corn (frozen, canned, or fresh)
red pepper
red onion
red wine vinegar
hot salsa
mild salsa
sour cream
chicken (I bought some pre-cooked chicken that was cilantro-lime seasoned from Trader Joe's)
mozzarella cheese

1. First I made a little corn salsa real quick of my own.  I mixed some frozen corn that I had thawed and rinsed with about half a red pepper, and about 1/4th of a red onion with some cumin, salt, and red wine vinegar.  I let that set and chill while I got the rest of the ingredients together.

2.  I chopped the Romaine thin, rinsed the black beans, and heated up some chicken in the microwave.  This chicken was great to use.  It is pre-packaged from Trader Joe's and you choose as much as you need and heat up for about a minute then slice it up.  There are a variety of flavors as well.

3. Last, just mix everything together! I layered my black beans, then corn salsa, chicken lettuce and I added a bit of hot salsa and mild salsa.  (I also got the hot salsa from Trader Joe's which was great, and the mild salsa from Kroger).  I topped it off with some cheese and sour cream, mixed it up and enjoyed!

I thought this was great!  I had plenty of left-over ingredients to make the salad again for lunch later that week.  You could add cilantro, rice, turkey, a different cheese, or any other ingredients you might have in your pantry.  You could serve it with tortilla chips if you want some crunch or even crumble some up and throw it in the bowl.  This is a great meal that is fast and easy! Enjoy!
~Kate