Hamburger Mary's

We were biding our time before the Muse concert and popped into Mary's for a burger. I've spent more money and time here than I care to recall back in the day when Mary's was around prior to Universal Grille.

We ordered the cheese fries. Straight forward. Bacon, Cheese, Fries. Their fries are really good, crisp and crunchy.




I ordered the mushroom burger. Very tasty. The bun was really fresh. I ordered the sweet potato fries with it. These were some of the best sweet potato fries I've had in a while. And they don't give you icing to dip them in or weird cinnamon sauce. Use ketchup or in my case, nothing at all.



They proudly boast using local ingredients from Findlay Market and other local purveyors. Swing by if you want a good burger.

Topper's Pizza

So there's a new pizza chain in town. Toppers is conveniently located in Clifton near Papa Dino's and is open similar late night hours. My husband is a pizza fanatic so this is where we ended up.

We ordered the cheesy bacon sticks. Pretty tasty. Not so sure I need the bacon on it.



We ordered a large ultimate pepperoni which was on pan pizza crust. This was really tasty. The pepperoni was nice and spicy, the crust was really fluffy and soft. Delicious.



We also ordered their small size pizza which is a square cut into 4 pieces called MyZA. We got the barbecue chicken pizza and pizza. This was the tastier of the 2. The barbecue sauce is really smoky and sticky and the chicken is giant!



And the Gyro pizza. This one was a disappointment. The gyro meat is too dry and the sauce is undetectable.



All told this place does it's job. It's another option besides Papa Dino's that serves cheap hot pizza to drunk college students, and adventurous adults.

Stuff It!

Well la dee dah! My stuffing recipe has been chosen as a finalist for the Thanksgiving Stuffing recipe sponsored by Cincinnati.com. Jean-Robert de Cavel is set to judge plus an unnamed Bengal.

Root for me! And if I win I will post the recipe for you guys so you can bask in the glow of my tasty stuffing goodness.


Thanksgiving Stuffing Contest

Ft Wright Family Restaurant

You will find this unassuming sandwich shop diner in an old strip mall in Ft. Wright.
The sandwiches here are legendary. Well, they should be anyways. It's the type of restaurant that serves double decker sandwiches that have to be eaten in a zig zag fashion because the whole sandwich isn't going to fit in your mouth. No way!

The last time we went I had the chicken fried steak and home fries. By home fries they mean fried potatoes, you can add onion for a little extra. You end up with about 3 servings of deliciously cooked goodness.

The clientele is a little geriatric but the service is spot on, food is delicious and the prices are super reasonable. Check them out!

La Poste

After the world's worst wine festival we snuck into La Poste for dinner. We had to wait until 10 to get reservations but it was worth it. Street parking can be a little bit hairy but we just parked in the public lot behind IGA.

The decor is very simple (mail themed, very cute). The bar was very small so we had to stand and loiter with our drinks. I was a bit surprised that they didn't have a signature drink menu. That's one of my favorite parts about going to a restaurant - trying the new drinks.


Wild Mushroom Flatbread

This was so delicious. That little eggy delight there made this dish. There were 2 pieces of flatbread there, not that you can tell by my photo. The pieces were also really large - totally a sharable dish. The mushrooms were so tasty, salty and nutty. I could eat this again anytime.




Pomme Frites
Also delicious. It's hard to screw up a french fry in my book. The black garlic aioli  was very tasty but rich. This is also a heaping helping of fries.




Hot Bacon Scallops

Oh my god these were so good. Have you ever heard someone describe a seafood that "tastes like the sea"? Have you looked puzzled when they say that like I do? This dish for me tasted like the sea. These scallops were huge and so fresh you could just smell the sea. The little salad and crisp were a nice addition.




Foie Gras

Ann is a sucker for foie gras. She loved this dish the same as any other foie gras dish. I guess its easy to prepare something that tastes so delicious.
You have a marscapone pound cake there with some sauteed apples. That doesn't hurt either.



Mushroom Ravioli
These were really delicious. Must get them next time. I am a sucker for mushrooms but I went with salmon. The flavor in this was buttery, nutty and velvety. The sauteed mushroom on top made this just heaven. 



Salmon with ratatouille

If I am in a new restaurant and I am not certain what to get I always fall back to salmon. It's hard to screw up and always has great potential to be amazingly delicious. I was really impressed with the salmon, incredibly fresh and delicious with a beautiful char. But, what was most surprising was the ratatouille. Ratatouille is the layered dish underneath the salmon. Under those layers of zucchini and squash is a chopped medley of more of the same. Perfectly seasoned, perfectly complimented with the salmon.



We talked to the manager for a bit about the restaurant and what their plans were for it. Our server was really great - say hi to Charles if you stop in. To your right of the entrance there are 2 bar banquettes. We ate there instead of having a full table. I really really enjoyed those tables. We got do do a lot of people watching, and drinking, in a really cozy, comfortable spot. 

We also found a wonderful bottle of torrentes to share for under $40 a bottle. If in the Clifton neighborhood check out La Poste and then go see a movie at the Esquire.