Newport Pizza Company

I wanted pizza the other night at work. If I have to order LaRosa's 1 more time for my employees I am going to scream. I hate their pizza. Since I was paying I had everyone's cooperation to go where I wanted. We have a resident vegetarian so the Garden of Eden was right up her alley. This pizza arrived to me from Newport to Covington and it was still blazing hot!

Pepperoni - classic


Pineapple Express - Delicious pineapple, ham, pepperoni pizza


Cheese - good ol' cheese


Garden of Eden - nice veggie pizza with BROCCOLI!!!


Monmouth - meaty pizza with veggies


I was really impressed with the crust, light and fluffy but not too thick. Definitely handmade. I am so happy when I see FRESH ingredients on a pizza. Anybody else tired of nasty frozen spinach on their veggie pizza (hello LaRosa's, I'm talking to you!)?

I'm going to subtly work NPC into all pizza buying occasions for work from now on.

The Palace

Holiday Fancy Dinner 2010!!!

I got to cash in my long awaited Groupon for dinner here on the 20th. Ann and I have our annual fancy holiday dinner somewhere different each year. This year was The Palace. And for the life of me I never ever, EVER noticed that it was on Vine St.

Sorry - no pictures it was way too dim in there.

We ordered the prix fixe menu and we received a delightful scallop amuse bouche. Ann and I started with the Duck Leg Confit. That was the best part of the meal. Bone in duck leg with the most amazing crisp on the outside. If you like Duck Confit - then you know what I'm talking about and why it's so delicious.

I ordered the filet of beef and Ann ordered the trout.

Ok. It's time to talk about the Trout.

Do you like trout? Really? Okay. Think of trout that you've had in the past. Bright, white, flaky, almost buttery flavor. Ok, we're on the same page right? Well apparently there is a type of trout Tasmanian Sea Trout that is not white or buttery. This trout was pink, flaky and tasted and looked 100% like its freshwater friend The Salmon. But we were assured by 2 different people 2 different times, in 2 distinctly different pushy and condescending tones that what we were eating, mysteriously was trout.

Now I do not doubt that they are correct. Some web research has confirmed what they said. HOWEVER, if you are going to have some sort of dopple-fish on your menu - shouldn't you have the decency to mention at some point that what you ordered is not what you're expecting? Ann certainly would have ordered something else having known she would be eating sal.... I mean "trout".

Other than that the "trout" was good. Tasted just like Salmon!

My filet of beef was nothing to brag about. It was a filet of beef, it was cooked the way I asked. Truth in advertising there.

I might go back here, certainly if someone else was paying. I think I'd rather be at Jean-Robert's Table instead. 

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Wienerschnitzel

I love you Wienerschnitzel! I saw it out of the corner of my eye, giant asymmetrical building pained in red and yellow like so much mustard and ketchup. After a particularly bad sushi dinner I went right across the street to you and spend $5.00 of my per diem and ate like a queen. I had the 2 corn dog and root beer float special and a chili dog.



Where I come from Chili dogs are gross. We have a colloquial chili that is runny and spicy and nasty. You won't find that at the Wienershcnitzel, oh no. You will get a delicious chili dog served with cheese and a smoky hot dog chili. Perfectly steamed buns and special hot dog recipes make this an unexpected treat. Don't believe me?

Please come to Ohio!

Smashburger

Hamburgers are in. There's no denying it. I guess they were never out but much like the hot dog has come back into fashion, so must the hamburger. We went to Smashburger and I must say I had been anticipating it's opening for a while.

I ordered the fried pickles and I was really glad they were chips and not spears. Spears are a recipe for a 2nd degree burn on your face when the breading separates from the pickle. Not these - nice buttermilk breading with a horseradish ranch for dipping.



Here's the Barbecue Bacon burger with Sweet Potato Fries. Their egg bun is really delicious. I must say that on most occasions there isn't a lot to say about a regular old burger but in this case Smashburger is different. The beef that they use tastes fresh. Can you remember the last time you ate a hamburger and had the thought that the beef  "tasted fresh"? Me either. Some people's idea of a great burger is in the restaurant's "treatment" or special toppings on the burger or some tasty sauce. Sometimes you don't need special sauces or treatments. Just a good bun and some tasty fresh beef.



I had the buckeye burger which was tasty as well. Fried onion straws and pepper rings on the regular cheeseburger.



MMmmmmmmmm smashburger. It's not normal that I've been thinking about a hamburger this much since I ate it. I kinda want to go back. . ..

J Gumbo's

I was aimlessly driving around Florence looking for lunch. I saw this giant red beacon coming of this restaurant with those enchanting words. Gumbo. Creole. Cajun. It's true there are more than a few spots in good ol' Cincinnati to get Cajun/Creole foods but this was in Florence which isn't exactly historically known for being diverse when it comes to the cuisine.

The assistant manager greeted me and offered me a lot of free samples based on the level of heat that I lean toward. I went the safe route and went with medium.

I ordered the Drunken Chicken and here she is below. It was a sweet, smoky, hearty concoction of tomato, chicken and all the secret delicious spices that make cajun/creole food great.



I probably ate it in about 15 minutes flat. If you stop in they have a pretty big selection of beer to choose from to quench the heat from a spicier dish if you are brave. I'll definitely be back!

Noon-O Kebab

I chose this place for the fact that it's vegan friendly and close to where we would be that day.

We had hummus with bread which was really good. I love warm hummus.

I had the lamb kebabs with the dill rice (Long grained basmati cooked with fresh dill, parsley, lima beans and garlic) which was like crack. Seriously the best rice I've ever had anywhere. My kebabs were juicy and flavorful.

Pat had a chicken kebab with the plain rice. Delicious!

Here's the restaurant from the vegan's point of view:

For starters I think they has the BEST pita bread and hummus that I have ever had. I loved that the bread was warmed up (it makes a HUGE difference) and any hummus I eat now seems mediocre. It was fantastic. The dish I had was the Loobia Polo (Chopped fresh green beans, cooked in light saffron and tomato sauce, with a touch of cinnamon, served with white Persian rice and charbroiled vegetables). It was very yummy. I love Mediterranean food, but I had never had anything compared to that. It was different and tasted amazing. The portions were big (or maybe I just ate to much hummus lol) and I had a good midnight snack out of it. Also, the service was good, I loved the decor and the general feeling of the restaurant.

Capi's Italian Kitchen

This is about as good as you're going to do on Navy Pier. Well - if you don't want to eat at Bubba Gump's that is.

I started out with the Wild Mushroom & Goat Cheese Crostini
Wild mushrooms and goat cheese. This was pretty darn good. It was not exactly piping hot when I got it though.

Pat had the breadsticks. I thought they were doughy but Pat really liked them.

I also had the Cavatappi with Mushrooms - Portabella, porcini and domestic mushrooms, caramelized onions with gorgonzola cream sauce. This was also pretty tasty.

Pat had a pizza that he created. He really liked it - but then again, he eats pizza at buffets.

Here's what the vegans thought:
I had the roasted veggie pizza, which was delicious. I liked the variety of vegetables and it was delicious. Ryan and I split a side of asparagus which was also very good,but a bit over-priced. Overall, the food was excellent, but the service.. not so much. The guy we had a terrible time finding us a seat, and was rather rude (poked Ryan to get his attention at one point), and I wasn't impressed that at first he brought you the completely wrong dish. Excellent food, poooor service.

Side note: when the realized it was the wrong dish they then interrogated me to find out who gave me the wrong dish. How about, I don't care who gave me the wrong plate. Don't hold my food hostage!

Joy's Noodles and Rice

We went here because they had vegan options. I wasn't disappointed. I got pad thai with shrimp which were HUGE and the spiciness was really nice. It's in a nice upscale hip area of town which didn't hurt either. After this hearty meal you could walk it off poking in and out of the shops that line the street.

Here's what the vegan's thought:
I had the Pad Prik (Onion, bamboo shoot, bell pepper and straw mushrooms in spicy sauce) with tofu. Loved it. I don't think you can ever do wrong by me when it comes to Thai food. But I thought it was excellent. Very spicy which was a plus. I liked how the tofu was prepared, probably the best tofu of any Thai place I have been to. The atmosphere was relaxing and fun I thought (even though Pat seemed to hate it lol). Also, the prices were good for the area of town that it was in.

Sprinkles Cupcakes

The one thing I promised myself that I would do this time that I was in California was go to Sprinkles. It seems impossible that there is this much hype for cupcakes. Well, I was wrong. The hype is true. These are the best cupcakes ever. I have never been one that has been particularly wowed by cake. I'd rather eat something else delicious. But these cupcakes are different. They're impossibly fresh and enormous. I wasn't expecting them to be so huge!

Once you've picked out your treats you can opt for some milk or water, soda, coffee - you name it!

I ate one of the milk chocolate ones in my rental car - without shame!

Pinkberry

I have been thinking about Pinkberry for a while. Ever since I heard it mentioned on 30 Rock and had no idea what it was. What is the fascination with places simply because there isn't one located where you are? The Mystique of Pinkberry ended this month.

I was walking around Fashion Island and wasn't even aware there was a PB there. I gleefully walked in and ordered a small. A nice young man explained to me how the process works, you can choose your flavors or choose a pre-thought combo. I opted for fresh strawberries.

The yogurt in PB is different than others. It's a bit tangier, more like actual yogurt. It's pretty darn good too. Don't let your eyes be bigger than your stomach here. The small was more than enough for me!

Areti's Gyros

This was my first trip to Findlay Market - on Christmas Eve. I haven't boycotted it or anything. I have these notions that I would go to somewhere like Jungle Jim's or Findlay Market and just bankrupt myself in a day buying food. That didn't happen this time, thankfully. I went originally to buy vegan waffles but through an error there were none. I decided before leaving that I was indeed hungry so I went here based on my nose leading me to the wonderful smell.

I am drawn to Greek food. It started long before I dated a Greek boy in high school and got to taste all the wonderful homemade dishes his mother made. It happened somewhere as a child. I don't remember eating any Greek food as a child, but who knows where food inclinations originate. ..

Areti's is a nice little Gyro stand/deli in Findlay Market. The owner and his family were very friendly.

If you want a delicious treat have a spanikopita! It's a phyllo dough crust with delicious spinach and feta cheese on the inside.



Here's what I came for! A delicious and large gyro. For $5 you really can't beat the price. They had 3 spits for their delicious lamb mixture to roast on. They piled my gyro high with lamb and their tzatziki sauce was impossibly fresh. This was one of the best Gyro's that I've had in the Cincinnati area.



Save some room in your tummy when shopping at Findlay for some tasty Greek food!