Lunch In @ Pho Lang Thang

Count me as one of the many who waited patiently for Pho Lang Thang to open up at Findlay Market.  I had just eaten lunch prior to a trip to Findlay a few weeks back when they had a soft opening, but this weekend I knew the time had come.  I'd hoped to be wowed, or at least thoroughly pleased, by my visit, but it turns out I'm still in the boat of being patient and hopeful.  It's clear they've got some kinks to work out, and they're very new, so grace is clearly in order.

The Food:  I asked for the most flavorful thing on the menu, and the young woman at the register quickly suggested the banh mi thit nuong - a baguette sandwich with grilled lemongrass marinated meat, garlic butter mayo, do chua (pickled daikon and carrots), cucumber, and cilantro.  They asked if I wanted jalapenos and pate as well, and I went for it.  I also ordered goi cuon or "salad rolls" with sliced pork, whole shrimp, vermicelli noodles, cilantro, and lettuce wrapped in rice paper with a sauce on the side.

I hate to say it, because I wanted so much to love it, but the sandwich was disappointing.  I told them to choose whatever meat was the most flavorful, and I'm not sure if it was a mistake or on purpose, but I got mostly beef and some pork too.  Neither really stood out, so no recommendation there.  The bummer was that the sandwich just wasn't that flavorful.  Nothing popped.  Maybe it needs more of the mayo, maybe a higher ingredients to bread ratio, maybe more salt, maybe all of the above.  I put some sriracha on after I ate the first half and that helped a bit (I could barely taste the jalapenos - maybe that'll change when they're in season next year), but something was still left to be desired.

The best thing I got was the order of salad rolls.  The shrimp were perfectly cooked - not tough - and the slice of pork adds some additional weight to sink your teeth into.  The hoisin and peanut dipping sauce was pretty thick (too molasses like for my taste), and the peanuts were nearly nonexistent.  If I could have Pho Lang Thang's roll with Cilantro's sauce, I'd be especially happy.

The Ingredients:  Nothing noted about local or organic ingredients.  They do make note of some vegan and vegetarian options, which I'm sure many people will appreciate.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  Several of the initial reviews have noted this, so I guess I'm going to have to pile on.  I ordered my food at 1:20 and was told it'd be ready in 30 minutes.  That's a long time to wait for take out.  When I was told that, I thought "ok, they'll under-promise and over-deliver."  I actually waited 40 minutes.

The space they have at Findlay is quite large, with lots of tables to the right and left of the kitchen and counter.  I don't know if they have too many tables and not enough cooking space, or they haven't been well prepared (banh mi and salad rolls shouldn't require anything other than composition of pre-made ingredients), or they don't have enough staff, or all of the above.  But, they've got their work cut out for them.

The Last Bite: I think they'll get things figured out because they seemed like nice people and there plenty of good signs - a thorough menu with plenty of options, a well put together restaurant space, etc.  But, for the mean time, I'm still a Cilantro guy.  But with my office in OTR and no banh mi at Cilantro, I'm looking forward to Pho Lang Thang living up to its potential.

Dinner Out @ VanZandt Restaurant and Tavern

Cincinnati Magazine's 40 best burgers article a while back was fantastic because, even for someone like me who pays probably too much attention to dining options in our fair city, it unearthed several new places to try. One of the top choices popped out quickly for me, a Northsider now - North College Hill's ZanZandt Restaurant and Tavern, which was ranked 5th.  Sarah and I finally made it up this past week, and while I don't think it's the 5th best burger in the city, it was very good and it's worth a visit.

The Food:  We went for the burgers and we ordered the burgers.  They did have some other food on the menu, but I didn't really pay any attention.  They have an 8oz. and a 16oz. option, and then it's a build your own situation, with about 20 toppings to choose from.  Burgers start at $8 and then each ingredient adds 50 cents to a dollar.  Two burgers (fries come free) cost us $21.  But I digress...


I got my burger with bacon, gorgonzola, and sauteed onions and asked for it cooked medium.  When the meal arrives open-faced, the potato-chive bun stands out as unique and they aren't skimping on the toppings.  Cutting into my sandwich, it clearly was done past medium, and the juiciness did suffer (Sarah's was overcooked a bit too).  But, that is a relatively small quibble with an otherwise very tasty burger.  They don't do anything too special to their patties that I could tell, but this is a great tasting burger.  All of the ingredients could be identified and nothing overshadowed anything else.

I'd put this burger in the same category as a Gordo's burger, if you've been there.  Ours definitely weren't in the Terry's ballpark, but maybe the Cincinnati Magazine folks went on a particularly good night.

The fries are the kind that are battered a bit - we thought they were done in the same oil as the onion straws, and that was not a bad thing.

The Ingredients:  Nothing local or organic here that we heard about or saw.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  We arrived at about 5:30 for dinner, so there was no one in the bar area, and in the dining room in the back (which we didn't know existed at first - it's kind of hidden around a corner) there were only a couple people.  It has a bar and grill feel, with nice new decor and a a couple flat screen TVs at the bar.  The service was prompt and kind, nothing notable really.


They just celebrated their 1 year anniversary, but I hadn't heard of it until the Cincinnati Magazine article.  I haven't heard anyone talk about it, and as close as it is, that's too bad.  Hopefully the word will get out, because it'd be great to have this option near by for years to come.

The Last Bite:  I can't speak to anything else on the menu, but VanZandt is worth a trip for their burgers.  Load it up or keep it simple - either way you won't leave disappointed.

Existential Eating #34

If you have any suggestions or ideas for future Existential Eating strips, please email or comment below.  Sadly, our current collective imagination will run dry.  If its related to food, it can be the topic of an Existential Eating comic strip.  Just share your idea and Ramsey will do his best to draw it up (probably, someday).

Lunch Out @ Mekong Thai

I've been kicking around the idea of buying an e-reader, and a buddy of mine is as well, so we scooted up to Barnes & Noble in Kenwood to check out the Nook.  We wanted to grab a lunch afterward, so I did a quick Yelp search on places close by - Mekong Thai stood out with respectable reviews, great proximity, and low prices.  I don't know how often I'll return, but the dishes we had were good, and I'd recommend it if you want an alternative to the chains in the area - whether you're a local or a shopper.

The Food:  The menu is pretty straightforward, with mostly Thai and then some Vietnamese mixed in as well. I ordered the pad kee-mao and my friend ordered the yellow curry.  We had a starter of fried tofu too.

The pad kee-mao was very tasty, and quite spicy too.  A few reviews said that they weren't joking about their heat, and I found that to be the case.  It is a 1-3 scale, and if you don't really like it hot, don't get a 3.  Others also mentioned that it was pretty oily, but I didn't find it to be that bad at all.  The noodles were well prepared - cooked, but not overly slimy like is sometimes the case - and the big pieces of basil added a nice flavor.  I found that a bit of soy sauce brought out more flavors, as is the case when you add a bit of salt and sugar to just about anything.  I went the veggie route and chose tofu to go with the broccoli and cabbage.  I would definitely order this again.

I can't say as much about the yellow curry because I only had one bite, but apparently it was quite tasty - buttery and flavorful, which I can attest to.  The fried tofu we had was simple and good as well - it came with a nice peanut sauce that we both enjoyed.

The Ingredients:  Nothing notable here - no local or organic options listed.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  The restaurant is very simple with about 10-15 booths lined up in a narrow space.  There is a TV at one end that had ESPN on at lunch time.  There must have been another TV or a radio in the foyer though, because when I noticed the sounds it was Barack Obama talking while I was clearly watching SportsCenter.  Who knows, maybe Barack just gave up and decided to pursue his true passion.

The waitress was kind and knowledgeable, and our food came quickly (it was a late lunch, so there were only a few other people there).

The Last Bite:  I'm interested in trying more of their menu, and since Trader Joe's is just down the street and it is a regular stop for us, I am likely to be in the area again.  But, I'd definitely confidently order that pad kee-mao again and be plenty happy.

Existential Eating #33

If you have any suggestions or ideas for future Existential Eating strips, please email or comment below.  Sadly, our current collective imagination will run dry.  If its related to food, it can be the topic of an Existential Eating comic strip.  Just share your idea and Ramsey will do his best to draw it up (probably, someday).

Existential Eating #32

If you have any suggestions or ideas for future Existential Eating strips, please email or comment below.  Sadly, our current collective imagination will run dry.  If its related to food, it can be the topic of an Existential Eating comic strip.  Just share your idea and Ramsey will do his best to draw it up (probably, someday).