Recipe: Chicken-Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese

I just tried a great new recipe that I had to share with you all! It's very simple, healthy and delicious! I found it in Cooking Light magazine. The recipe can be found online here, but I typed it all out for you below. 

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup uncooked orzo
3 cup chopped, cooked chicken breast
1 1/2 cup trimmed arugula
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped red onion (which I omit because I hate them)
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp fresh oregano
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper
6 tbsp crumbled goat cheese

Start off by cooking your orzo pasta. If your chicken isn't already cooked, you'll want to do that while the pasta is cooking. Next, make sure all your veggies and herbs are washed and chopped as called for in the recipe. Once everything is prepped and ready to go, combine the pasta, chicken, and the next 6 ingredients (through oregano) in a large bowl and toss.
Combine your vinegar, salt and pepper in a bowl and whisk it together. Drizzle it over the top of your pasta mixture, toss and sprinkle with the goat cheese.

This is so delicious, simple and versatile. You could really add a lot of different veggies and herbs to this depending on what you have on hand. You may notice in the photos that I added spinach to mine instead of arugula. I know they taste completely different, but I didn't have arugula so I thought it was better than no leafy greens at all. One tip: next time, I would saute the peppers and tomatoes a little before adding them. That way they're not raw and not as crunchy. Other than that, it was great and perfect for leftovers throughout the week! Enjoy!

~ Kris

Review: O'Bryon's Irish Pub

After picking my brother and sister-in-law up from the airport, my family and I were looking for a quick but good place to get a bite to eat on a Saturday evening. We didn't want something that would be too crowded where there was a wait, considering they were pretty antsy to get home after a full day of traveling. We decided to go to O'Bryon's Irish Pub in O'Bryonville. They have a great outdoor patio upstairs and it was a beautiful evening, so the choice on where to sit was obvious.

After reviewing their menu of salads, sandwiches, and wraps, my SIL and I decided on the chicken wrap - prepared buffalo style. You can get it plain if you like, but I'm always up for a little spice! All their wraps come with a side salad, which was perfect for me because I was trying to watch my calorie intake (that day at least). The wrap itself was good. Nice chunks of chicken dredged in buffalo sauce (tasted like Frank's Red Hot) with lettuce and tomato in a whole wheat wrap. Nothing spectacular but it was exactly as I expected it to be....the salad on the other hand was not. It was made with the most awful lettuce. It was soggy, brown iceberg lettuce. From the picture, it looks a lot prettier than it really was. It was pretty bad.

My mom ordered their chicken salad wrap with the salad. She was also disappointed with the salad, but she really enjoyed their chicken salad. She's particular about her chicken salad, and she said theirs was really good - with not too much mayo, which is usually her problem with other people's chicken salad. And the chicken was shredded, which we both like better than chunky.

My dad ordered their fish and chips basket, which actually came with chips (I thought "fish and chips" was with fries). The saratoga chips were good - I did try those. I didn't have the any of the fish, but my dad devoured it and really liked it and the rye bun it came on. It sure looked good!

My brother decided to go with the rib dinner with fries and coleslaw. He seemd to enjoy the ribs. He thought the barbecue sauce might be Sweet Baby Ray's, which is his favorite. I tried both the fries and the coleslaw. The coleslaw was awful. It had waaaay too much pepper. Even my dad, who eats everything, didn't like it. The fries were great - hot and crispy with just the right amount of salt.

Overall, I enjoyed my dining experience at O'Bryon's. The food was as good or better than expected for "bar food" and the outdoor patio was really nice. It overlooked all the people walking, jogging etc. on Madison Road. The service was just okay. Our waitress wasn't too attentive - although I know she had a lot of tables inside, so she kept running in and out. If you're in the area, I'd give O'Bryon's a try!

~Kris

Food: 3.5
Service: 3
Overall: 3.5

Recipe: Thai Chicken Peanut Pizzas

One of my co-workers always brings in left-overs for lunch which always looks so much better than what I pack.  Awhile back, he had left-over peanut pizzas that looked and smelled delicious!  I immediatley asked if he could bring me the recipe.  Not long after, getting the recipe from his wife, he brought it in, typed and all :)  These pizzas are light and could be a great dish for dinner or lunch. 

Ingredients: (Serving 4)
4 Flatout Flatbreads (or your choice of tortillas)
10 oz. bottled Thai Peanut Sauce
10 oz. cold, cooked chicken breast, shredded
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 scallions slivered diagonally
1/2 cup white bean sprouts
1/4 cup shredded carrots
3 Tbsp. roasted, chopped peanuts
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

To make:
1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Lightly oil the flatbreads or tortillias and cook for 7 minutes. Remove from oven.

3. Coat flatbreads with peanut sauce
4. Top with chicken, scallions, bean sprouts, carrots, peanuts and cheese
5. Cook for 7 more minutes, remove and top with fresh cilantro
6. Slice, and enjoy!

These were sooo easy to make and ended up being DELICIOUS!  My husband was very apprehensive when he saw the ingredients but he really loved them too.  I will be definitely be making these again, and they are fairly healthy as well!

Some things to take into consideration:  Don't forget to toast the peanuts!! I almost forgot to toast them, so I had to do that toward the end.  I made the chicken about an hour beforehand, you could probably even buy some pre-cooked chicken in those packages at a grocery store if you are stuck on time.  I used tortillias and thought these were great!  I put too many peanuts on for my liking, but you could really add or take away any of these ingredients that you would like.

So a big thanks again to my co-worker, Mick for such a great recipe! 
~Kate

Review: Ferrari's Little Italy & Bakery

My aunt Deb and I decided to go out to dinner on a recent Tuesday night, and we were racking our brains for a restaurant with a nice outdoor patio to try. I did a search on Urbanspoon to help give us ideas, and Ferrari's Little Italy and Bakery was one of the places the website suggested for outdoor seating. I'd been to Ferrari's in downtown Madeira before but had never sat outside, so we decided this would be the perfect spot.

We were definitely not disappointed with our decision. They have a wonderful, quaint little patio to the side of the restaurant. It's quite a hidden gem! We arrived at about 6:15 p.m., and the patio was already filling up.

Our server didn't hesitate to tell us about the half price wine deal they have on Tuesday and Wednesday evening...which I quickly took her up on. We ordered a nice bottle of red wine (it was a really good blend) for only $14! What a bargain!

Next, we decided to share a small Ferrari's salad. Check out the pic below...that is half of the salad! We were definitely glad we split it. The Ferrari's salad is one of my favorites. It comes with dried cranberries, Gorgonzola cheese, mixed greens, pine nuts and balsamic vinaigrette. Everything tasted fresh and delicious!

For my entree, I decided to splurge and get the eggplant parmesan. This was the best decision I made all day! This was the best eggplant parmesan I've ever had. It was fantastic! There marinara sauce is full of fresh basil (which they grow in a front garden at the restaurant) and has a sweet taste to it. The eggplant was layered - I believe there were 3 layers - and it was cooked perfectly. Soft (but not mushy) on the inside, with the perfect crispy, crunchy exterior. If you're going to Ferrari's anytime soon, I'd highly suggest this dish! My only complaint: the pasta was a little too soft for me. I prefer mine to be cooked al dente (means cooked firm but not hard in Italian), and this was not firm enough for me. I wasn't really upset though...it just meant I had more room for the eggplant, which I still couldn't finish. 

Deb decided to get the chicken piccata. This came with a chicken breast, topped with a lemon-butter caper sauce (typical for a piccata dish) and tuscan vegetables.This was pretty standard; however the vegetables were a little too crunchy for me. I think they could have cooked another couple minutes - but there flavors were really good. The dish itself was good, but not nearly as good as the eggplant parmesan. Deb seemed to be enjoying it until she tried my eggplant....then the disappointment set in when she realized what she could be having. Don't worry - I shared. J

Before the summer's over, I would definitely recommend trying the outdoor patio at Ferrari's. It's very relaxing and intimate out there, and the service doesn't lack even though you're outdoors, which I have found at other restaurants to be the case. If you're going to go sit outside, why not go on a Tuesday or Wednesday and take advantage of the half price wine deal?  No matter what day of the week you go, I'd suggest the eggplant parmesan anytime.  J

~Kris 

Food: 4

Service: 4  

Overall: 4  

Guest Blog: German Recipes on a Budget: Jäger-Schnitzel

We would like to give a big thanks to this week's guest blog from Austin.  He recently emailed us and offered this great post to share with our readers. He has been a writer on http://www.eatbreatheblog.com/ so check it out for some more food info. I think it's such a great recipe and can't wait to try it out, it is something I have never made before and think would be a lot of fun to try!  So other readers, please feel free to email us if you would ever like to guest blog!  Thanks again Austin!
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When compared to its fanciful cousins France and Italy, Germany has yet to round the cultural cuisine curve, particularly in America. German food is known for its meat and potatoes feel; while it may be seen as no more than comfort food, its ingredients are quite inexpensive. In addition to saving you money, experimenting in German cuisine is an ideal way for you to branch out in your cooking endeavors during these tough economic times.


Nothing says German cooking more than the Wiener Schnitzel. Perfected by the Austrians, the Schnitzel has many variations, including the Jäger-Schnitzel variation introduced here. Because of the simplistic style of German cuisine, saving money becomes an easy task. With German food relying on inexpensive, hearty meats and the basics of any kitchen, you may already be prepared to cook with a German flair!

Jäger-Schnitzel

Before grocery shopping, search for any food coupons that would apply. Check for ingredients you may already have, make a list and ensure you've pocketed your food coupons. Be sure to search grocery store ads for sales on needed ingredients.

If your cooking time is limited, try your best to multitask, but make sure that your attention doesn’t stray. Timers are a good way to stay on track.

Sauce
1 small onion, 1/2 c. chopped
1 Tablespoon butter
8 oz. mushrooms (any kind), sliced
1/2 cup Vegetable broth
1/2 cup white wine (if you don’t want alcohol, add another ½ cup of broth)
1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons half and half or cream, divided
2 Tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Cutlets
1 lb. (400 grams) pork cutlets
3 Tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 Tablespoons butter

Warm the sauce’s butter in a saucepan while you cut up your onion. Once the butter is melted, sauté the onion until translucent, then add the sliced mushrooms and brown for five minutes.

While your onions and mushrooms are browning, set another burner’s temperature on LOW and slowly melt two tablespoons of butter in a separate large pan. Combine flour, pepper, salt and cayenne pepper in a bowl. These will be used for the cutlets.

Add broth and wine to the onion/mushroom pan and cook for three minutes. Add a ½ cup of half and half or cream and bring to a boil. Simmer for several minutes.

While the butter in the cutlet pan melts, position the cutlets on a cutting board, covering them with plastic wrap. Pound them until thin (at least ¼ inch thick) and dip them in the flour mixture. When the butter has melted, sauté for three minutes on each side.

In a small bowl, mix the remaining two tablespoons of cream from the sauce ingredients with two tablespoons of flour. Add this flour mixture to the onion/mushroom pan and bring to a boil, constantly stirring to avoid clumps. Add parsley, salt and pepper and keep warm while you finish cooking the cutlets.

Serve cutlets with sauce on top.

Austin is an avid blogger who loves to travel. His three passions in life are music, food and people. He gets great joy in seeing how these three things come together in unity.

Review: The Polo Grille

Before going to see The Hangover Part 2 at the Deerfield Regal Cinemas (which I thought was hilarious, by the way) my friend and I decided to grab a bite to eat at The Polo Grille, which is located very close to the theater. We've been there a couple times before and have never been disappointed, so we were excited to go back.

As an appetizer, I always go with my old faithful choice, which is the oven baked goat cheese with roasted tomato sauce. It's served with crispy flatbread and it is absolutely DELICIOUS! This is one of my favorite appetizers of all time. If you like goat cheese, you've got to try this!!

My friend decided to go with the Polo Citrus Salad. It was topped with golden raisins, oranges, apples, dried cranberries, gorgonzola cheese, peanut brittle (yes, you read that right!) and citrus vinaigrette. I'm not a huge fan of fresh fruit on salads, so this would not be something I'd order, but she really enjoyed it. I did try a bite with the citrus vinaigrette, and it was very light and refreshing. And the peanut brittle was awesome! The only problem was that the lettuce was wilted and a few pieces were soggy. That was disappointing.

I also ordered a salad but without all the fresh fruit. Mine came with spiced pecans, gorgonzola cheese, tomatoes, grilled chicken and balsamic vinaigrette. Luckily my salad was made with a spring mix, which was much better lettuce than the Citrus Salad. It was crisp and fresh.

Polo Grille is an excellent choice, especially if you're in the Deerfield/Mason area. They have a lot of different options including seafood entrees, pasta dishes, sandwiches, pizzas (which I've tried before and really enjoyed), salads, etc.

~Kris

Food: 3.5
Service: 4
Overall: 4

A Weekend in Zanesville

My husband is from Zanesville, Ohio, and for those of you who are not familiar, it is about one hour east of Columbus.  There are many things I love about visiting Zanesville.  I especially like the slower pace of the city, the great views of the countryside, and of course, the food!  I haven't tried a lot of places here because we go back to some of our favorites often.  We usually go to an Italian place called Adornetto's, one of my favorites, but did not this trip.  We did, however, go to another local favorite called Olde Falls Inn. 

Olde Falls Inn is the kind of place where everyone seems to know everyone.  The food is always good and you don't have to wait for a long time for a table, if you wait at all.  We went on a Friday night and didn't have to wait at all.  When you walk in, there is a list of specials written on a board; this night, the special was prime rib.  Olde Falls Inn's menu is very diverse.  There are burgers, salads, seafood, steaks, and sandwiches.  Ross ALWAYS gets the burger, so that was not a surprise.  Many things sounded good to me, but I opted for the reuben sandwich with a side salad.  The salad came out first.  One thing I have noticed in many restaurants in Zanesville, is they ask you if want to add cheese to your salad.  There aren't really other toppings on the salad, but I always add cheese because everyone else does.  I chose Itialian dressing with the salad.  This was a good a salad.  Even though there wasn't many toppings, it was good.  I really liked the dressing. 

My sandwich on the other hand, was just okay.  I thought it had too much sauerkraut and not enough corned beef and thousand island dressing.  The bread was toasted, but a little soggy.  I probably wouldn't order this sandwich again. I do love the pickles that come with the sandwiches though.

Ross was pleased with his burger as usual.  It was served with fries and he had a salad as well.  I think the burger was a bit overcooked, but he didn't complain.

My father-in-law ordered the prime rib special with a baked potato and salad.  I tried the prime rib and it was good.  I don't really eat prime rib often, but I thought this was good.  He really liked it as well. 

My mother-in-law just went with a baked potato and salad, which were both to her liking.  Service here was good as well.  Many people that eat here come here often, so they know what to expect. 

As we were sitting at dinner, my father-in-law mentioned a frozen custard place that I had never been to before.  This sounded fantastic!  I had to go.  So, we went on over to Whit's Frozen Custard on Maple Ave. 

Whit's offers frozen custard that is made fresh daily.  I didn't realize until I went to the website that there are locations ALL over Ohio, including Lebanon which is closest to us.  I would definitely go back here because this was delicious!  Whit's offers vanilla and chocolate custard every day and then they have a special flavor weekly.  This week's flavor was butter pecan, which is not typically a favorite of mine, so I went with the traditional vanilla with cheese cake bites as a topping.  These were also very yummy!  They were soft and chewy with a little crust on the outside. 

My father-in-law got the butter pecan which he liked very much as well.

It's probably going to seem like all we did on this weekend trip was eat.  We did do this a lot.  The next day, we traveled north (I think) to visit Amish Country, eat cheese, and visit a winery.  This was such a pretty drive.  It is very interesting to see how the Amish live and to try some of their homemade food items. 

I don't know a lot about the Amish lifestyle, but apparently they don't use electricity; however, the weed wacker helps out. 

After trying a couple cheese places, we decided to have lunch at a restaurant called Mrs. Yoder's Kitchen.

Everything here was homemade.  They have a lunch buffet daily and a salad bar available as well. I can be pretty particular about salad bars, but when I walked by this one it looked sooo fresh. All the ingredients just looked delicious.  We sat down and looked at the menu which was on the placemat.  (I also noticed at many restaurants in Zanesville they give you paper placemats that many companies advertise on, this placemat had the menu). 

Mrs. Yoder's had many options like meatloaf, soups, BBQ ribs, pork chops, and fresh bread. Since we had just tried lots of cheeses, I decided to get soup and the salad bar.  I chose the cheesy vegetable soup which was fantastic!  I was a bit unsure what to expect when she said the vegetable soup had cheese in it, but this was great.  It had fresh veggies and not a lot of cheese, more of a cream.  A delicious soup.

The homemade bread was probably one of the best breads I have had in a really long time.  It was warm, soft, and a bit sweet.  Mrs. Yoder's also makes homemade "jam" and a peanut butter spread for the bread; I tried both and preferred the jam.

Here is a picture of the fresh salad bar.

 

My father-in-law went with the lunch buffet which included a vareity of fried chicken, meatloaf, and other items.  He said this was some of the best fried chicken (apart from some place in Kentucky) that he has had. He loved it.

Ross decided to get the grilled cheese with the salad bar.  The waitress, who was so sweet and did a fantastic job, asked if he wanted American or Swiss cheese.  He went with swiss and ended up not loving it.  He wished he would have gotten the American.

Mrs. Yoder's Kitchen was very good and service was fantastic as well.  It was reasonably priced with fresh ingredients.  If I lived closer, I would go back just for that soup, salad, and bread!  Looks like many of the locals enjoy it too as they parked across the way here:

We drove back to Zanesville after a stop at Breitenbach Winery in Dover, OH.  I thought the wines here were okay...many fruity and sweet wines, I liked the blackberry and my father-in-law really likes the peach. I just typically like more dry red wines.  This winery also had a great outdoor area with great live music!

That night, after our ride home and a couple hours resting at home, we decided to head out again for dinner.  My mother-in-law suggested a restaurant that is near Weasel Boy Brewery that Ross wanted to go to after dinner, called Jack Havana's Wing Revolution ( couldn't find a website). When we drove up,  I noticed that you could not miss this place. It is a bright pink building, has a nice little patio out front, and a light up martini glass on the side of the building. 

We decided to eat indoors, which was a great atmosphere. This restaurant definitely wants to give off a Caribbean feel. There are bright colors, writing on the walls, lots of pictures and paintings along the walls.  It wasn't too crowded, so we were told we could sit anywhere we wanted.  We chose some comfy chairs with armrests, they were very comfy!  As our waitress arrived, she told us some of the beers they have on draft and, per my request, told us some of her favorite items.  They are known for their wings, so Ross opted for their boneless wings with one of their signature sauces.  I can't remember what sauce he got, but I tried these and thought they were great!  Spicy but not too spicy to where you can't eat them, meaty, and had a great flavor.  I really liked these. 

I had a really hard time deciding what to get.  Everything on the menu sounded good to me.  They had fish, po' boys, wraps, burgers, wings, a variety of salads and sandwiches.  I decided to go with a sandwich that the waitress said was her favorite.  I was soo torn, but I decided to get this because it wasn't like anything I had ever heard before: it was roasted turkey with cream cheese and a homemade "fruit" spread.  The homemade sauce tasted like a berry jam type sauce and was really good.  The turkey was good as well.  I thought there was a bit too much cream cheese on this sandwich, but I am glad I got it.  It truly was unique and I probably won't be able to get this anywhere else!  The fries were great as well! 

One thing that was nice here that they offer is a "smaller" burger.  I forget exactly, but it was a bit bigger than a traditional slider.  My mother-in-law decided to get this with a cup of soup.  She thought this was pretty good and seemed to really enjoy her soup. 

I forget what kind of soup she got, but she liked it.

My father-in-law ordered the black bean soup with a panini type sandwich. He really loved this soup and thought it was fantastic! I tried it, and I thought it was good as well, but I'm a sucker for Skyline's black beans and rice :)  He thought his sandwich was just okay.

OK....so I know this was a really long post, but I hope you beared with me to see all these great places!  I truly enjoy all the local favorites Zanesville has to offer.  If you have any other suggestions for the future of places to try in Zanesville, please let me know! 

Olde Falls Inn:                                 Whit's                         Mrs. Yoder's                Jack Havana's
Food: 2                                            Food: 4                       Food: 4                          Food: 3
Service: 3                           (no service since walk-up)         Service: 4                    Service: 3.5
Overall Experience: 3                                        Overall Experience: 4       Overall Experience: 4

~Kate

Review: A Tavola

One of my best friends and co-workers, Beth, is moving to Denver in a few short days. You may remember she guest blogged here and here. Beth and I see each other all day, every day so this will be a huge adjustment for both of us. We decided to do a "last supper" before she leaves, since our love for food is one of the things we bond over. We've both been hearing a lot of talk about the new pizza place in OTR called A Tavola and knew this would be the perfect spot. They've only been open for two weeks, so we were hoping that was enough time to work out some of the kinks.

We headed there at about 6 p.m. on a Wednesday evening, and the place wasn't too crowded yet - although by the time we left at about 7:30 PM it was packed and there was a wait to be seated. When you first walk in, you notice the high, open ceilings, clean, modern lines and industrial feel to the place. At the risk of sounding cliche, I would describe the place as very "hip".  

After perusing the menu of pizza, bruschetta, antipasti and dessert, we knew we were going to have some tough decisions ahead. We wanted to try everything! We decided to try almost everything after some thorough debating and consulting with our amazing server, Kris. He had a lot of good suggestions, and you could tell he was passionate about the menu. Fully intending to take home leftovers, we ordered (prepare yourself for this long list) eggplant caponata and goat cheese bruschetta, sweet corn and ricotta bruschetta, dates, arancini (fried risotto balls), fig and prosciutto pizza, brussel sprout and bacon pizza, and grilled peaches for dessert. A lot of food for two girls, but we were up for the challenge!!

The food started pouring out of the kitchen rather quickly. First up was the eggplant and goat cheese bruschetta. One word - AMAZING! This was absolutely delicious! The bread was perfectly crispy, despite the mound of toppings on it. Could have easily been soggy, but it wasn't. The flavors of the eggplant caponata were wonderful. The eggplant was stewed in some sort of sweet/sour sauce and topped with fresh cheese and herbs.

Next, the dates were brought out. They were stuffed with house made sausage, wrapped in bacon and served with tomato sauce. These, too, were delicious! They were sweet and savory with the combination of all the flavors. They were a little bit chewy. We loved them!

The next dish was the sweet corn and ricotta bruschetta. I was a little hesitant about ordering this one, but I just went with it because it was unlike anything I would normally try. It ended up being just okay. I looooved everything we tried previously, so this one was a let down for me. Beth really liked it, but I wasn't crazy about the flavors or the texture. The bread was still perfectly crispy, but the topping was a little mushy.

The final antipasti dish we got was the arancini, which are fried risotto balls. I was sooo excited for these. Risotto is one of my favorite dishes - and who doesn't love anything fried? These were a no-brainer. They turned out to be good, but not great. Beth actually didn't like them very much, but I did. They were very crispy on the outside with cheesy, gooey risotto on the inside. Great potential, but the one downfall was that the risotto wasn't very flavorful. It was very plain. I found myself trying to get more of the salsa verde that was drizzled on the plate so there would be more flavor to the dish.

Finally, after all our grazing prior to the main event, we got our pizzas. After all, these were what we came for and what they're notorious for. Our server explained to us just how awesome their pizza oven is. It was imported straight from Italy and is one of only a few in the United States (Mario Batali apparently owns the same one). It heats up to 900 degrees and cooks a pizza in 9 minutes. Phenomenal! 

Beth and I were both getting pretty full by this point, but we at least had to have one slice of each pizza. I tried the bacon and brussel sprout pizza first (photo below on left), which was topped with fontina cheese. This had some sort of white sauce on it - definitely wasn't traditional red. This pizza was awesome! The crust was thin and crispy, the toppings complemented each other perfectly. Delish!

Next I tried the fig jam and prosciutto pizza, which was topped with fontina cheese and arugula. This one was even better than the other, although not by much. They were both excellent. The sweetness of the figs was perfect with the salty prosciutto and peppery arugula. I'd highly recommend either of these options....although I'm sure you won't be disappointed by any of their pizza options.

If you're thinking that after eating all this food, we couldn't possibly have room for dessert....you're wrong! We read a description on the menu for grilled peaches and had to try them! But it wasn't the "grilled peaches" that rivoted us.....it was the accompanying lavender vanilla whipped cream that got us!! And yet again, we were not disappointed. This was sooo good. They gave us a very generous amount of the thick, fresh, homemade whipped cream (see photo below), grilled peaches and cherries, and chopped pistacchios. I normally am not a big fruit-for-dessert kind of girl. Give me chocolate any day. However, I will say, this was too die for. There was the slightest hint of lavender and vanilla in the whipped cream. I kept sneaking spoonfuls of just the whipped cream, although it was great with the grilled, carmelized fruit.     

A Tavola is definitely a must-try! It's a great addition to the Gateway Quarter of Over-the-Rhine. The food and wine were outstanding! The service was even better than the food! And the atmosphere is fun and exciting!

~Kris

Food: 4.5

Service: 5

Overall: 4.5