Thursday, December 22, 2011

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

Mt. Adams Bar & Grill on Urbanspoon

Friday, December 16, 2011

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

The Summit on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

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

Silverglade's on Urbanspoon

Friday, December 9, 2011

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

Outback Steakhouse on Urbanspoon

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

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

Sunday, December 4, 2011

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

Italianette Pizza on Urbanspoon