Lunch Out @ Pomodori's

I used to pick up pizza by the slice every now and then from Pomodori's several years back, and Sarah remembered it being good many years ago, but neither of us had visited in a long, long time.  Restaurant.com provided the ridiculously cheap coupon (I think it was $3 for a $25 coupon), and we decided to give it a go.  We've visited enough pizza places in the past several months to have a pretty good idea of what spots may stay in our rotation, and it doesn't look like Pomodori's will be on that list.

The Food:  We started with the Bruschetta Caprese - a crusty ciabatta with halved grape tomatoes, bits of fresh mozzarella, and herbs.  It was fine, but there was something about the flavors that just didn't quite mesh.  It could have used more salt.  Then, about half way through eating this and deciding on pizza, we realized that the coupon makes it so you have to order $35 of food, so we ordered enough for 2 lunches for 2.

A caesar salad was our next choice, and it was straightforward and good.

For pizzas, we picked from the wood-fired choices - a "Spinach" (which is not nearly so simple - it has mushrooms, red onion, garlic, and bacon) and a traditional "Margherita."  We had a problem with the Margherita - there was a very bitter aftertaste that we are pretty sure came from the tomato sauce.  It made it hard to enjoy any of that pizza.  For a pizza place to have sauce that has gone bad, that is pretty disappointing.  Plus, the "fresh mozzarella" did not have have the consistency of what we know as fresh mozzarella.  It seemed more like the typical mozzarella you'd find often find shredded and ready for pizza topping.  But, the Spinach pizza was actually quite good.  Every bite was buttery and the crust was nicely bubbly and soft.  This was the only redeeming part of the meal.

The Ingredients:  No mention of local or organic ingredients here.  Unfortunately, as I mentioned above, while they talk about fresh ingredients on their menu in several places, we were served some not-so-fresh options.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  Pomodori's is located across the street from the humongous chunk of vacant land between McMillan and Calhoun streets in Clifton (what the heck is going on up there - weren't they supposed to build a park or something?).  It's sort of an odd shaped building (inside and out), but it has plenty of parking.  The service was fine, nothing of note.

The Last Bite:  There are so many better pizzas within minutes of Pomodori's (ZZ's, Dewey's, and Adriaticos to name a few), let alone further away, that I don't think we'll return.  But, I can see how students around UC might make the choice.  If you do go, we'd recommend the "Spinach" pizza.

Lunch In @ Island Frydays

If you're looking for a change up - a new food option with big flavors has been open on Short Vine in Clifton for about a year now - it's a Jamaican spot called Island Frydays and it does not disappoint.  I had spotted it a while back, but just got to lunch there earlier this week.  Here's a quick post about the food, which I definitely recommend.

The Food:  Lately, I rarely choose what I'm going to order.  Instead, I ask the server/proprietor to give me the best thing on the menu.  Sometimes I'll add that I want the thing with the most flavor.  Sometimes I get a rambling answer, but usually I know I'm on to something when there is a quick, unequivocal response like, in this case, "the jerk chicken."  I often push a little after that - "you're sure?"  When they stick to their guns, you can usually tell you're about to eat something good.  They do ask if you want dark or white meat, to which I replied - whatever has the most flavor.  I started out as a white meat eater, but slowly but surely I've learned that there is no comparison - dark meat is clearly the winner, and they did not lead me astray.

There is a large for $10, but for $8 the small plate is plenty for one person.  Rice and beans, steamed veggies, plantains, and chicken all come stuffed in a styrofoam container for take out.  Let me start by simply saying this is some of the best chicken I've had period, in quite a while.  And it was the best jerk chicken I've eaten in years.  I've had jerk chicken that's been too dry, but this was moist and very flavorful - spicy from the pepper, sweet, salty, and blackened, adding up to well rounded bites every single time.  I usually don't eat the skin, but this was too flavorful to pass up.  The only thing I'd do differently is ask them not to chop it (or to chop it as little as possible) because there were a number of little bites of bone I had to be careful of.  But this chicken was so good, I was intent on eating every possible morsel.

A UC News Record review on Island Fryday's website suggested to ask for gravy on the rice and pinto beans, and it was definitely the right move since they were pretty bland standing alone.  With the sauce, they were quite tasty.  The vegetables included cabbage, green beans, peas, corn, and carrots.  With enough salt and butter to have some flavor, these did not match the chicken's star power, and settle for being unobtrusive.  The plantains were standard - if you want a lot order a side with a small, because it only comes with a couple bites.  I like them more crispy, so I personally wouldn't bother.

I'm excited to go back to try the oxtail and a number of other dishes at Island Fryday's - if they are anywhere near as good as the jerk chicken, I'll be very happy.

The Ingredients:  Nothing about local or organic on the menu.  I was quickly in and out on this trip, but plan to ask more about where they get everything on my next trip.  And the next trip won't be far away.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  This was a quick trip in and out for a to go order, so not much to say on this front.  The staff was friendly and quick, the space was bright with sun, and the yellow exterior seems to glow all the way to the inside.  There are a few seats if you want to sit down and enjoy your meal while you listen to some reggae on the radio.

Just up the hill from OTR, this is a quick hop, skip, and a jump for me at lunch time.  There's no need to call ahead, the food is ready so fast.  I look forward to my next trip to Island Frydays - you should try it too.

Dinner Out @ Dewey's

In general, if we're going to get pizza, we've fallen into a pattern of going to either Adriatico's or Dewey's.  Dewey's is usually the choice if we want to sit down, if we want fancier ingredients, and if we're feeling a bit more conscious about how healthy our meal will be.

The Food: Our typical order is to split a regular size salad and then a medium pizza.  Believe it or not, it may be the salad that has more to do with our arrival at Dewey's in the first place - it's good, and it makes us feel like we aren't just gorging ourselves with fat.

They actually have several solid salad options, but we've gravitated toward the simple yet scrumptious caesar.  Chopped romaine, shaved parm, and big fat "croutons."  We liked the dressing so much - it's creamy and really holds to the lettuce well - we asked how it was made, and then were a bit surprised to hear the answer: it is the one dressing they don't make themselves, and it is easily available at your local grocery store.  It's just Ken's caesar.  On the one hand, empowering since we could just go buy some, on the other, a bit of a letdown that they don't have a secret recipe.  Well, I guess why mess with a good thing?

For pizzas, Dewey's is the place to go if you want variety.  We usually take advantage of the fact you can do 1/2 and 1/2, and I'd say this trip was fairly typical: our general pizza favorite on one side (pepperoni and green olives) and one of Dewey's options on the other (Socrates' Revenge - though we swapped the tomatoes for roasted garlic (still eschewing the tomatoes out of season)).  As you can see from the picture, they don't skimp on ingredients.  Their crust is light and relatively doughy, but holds the pizza together just fine.  It's probably closest to New York style, but has nowhere near the crisp.  You can get red or white sauce, and both are solid, but neither stand out.  It's the ingredients that bring the flavor, so choose wisely.

Overall, Dewey's pizza is consistently good.  Honestly though, it is never write-home-about great.  I think its mostly that there isn't anything particularly distinctive about the pizza other than the numerous ingredients to pick from.

The Ingredients:  As I mentioned above, they've got a wide variety of options, but no sign of local, seasonal, organic or other notable ingredients.  With all the options they already have, why not add some more for the conscious heads in the house?

The Story, Setting, & Service:  Dewey's is a chain, with 7 locations in Cincinnati, and then a few more scattered around the Midwest.  Our experience has been similar at all of the ones we've visited.  They have a somewhat signature serving style - everyone waits on everyone.  It could very well be someone different who brings you your salad, pizza, and drinks.  Only one person takes your order and brings your check though.  We've found that it works, but I have no idea how that plays out if you're a server.

Dewey's locations are clean, clutter-free spaces.  The atmosphere is sort of like the pizza - good, but not notably so.

As I said to begin, Dewey's is in our regular rotation.  If you've got a suggestion for a place to take that spot, please let us know.  For the time being, we haven't been disappointed, so we'll be heading back sooner rather than later.

Dinner In @ Thai Express

Thai Express is a veteran starter in our take out rotation.  It's been in my fave 5 for past 10 years.  And the metaphors could go on.  Needless to say, we're fans.

The Food:  They have a full menu, but for our purposes it's quite simple - pad thai and veggie spring rolls.  Do we eat the pad thai because we are unadventurous eaters and pad thai is the prototypical, stereotypical order for an American?  Nope - I happen to think they have the best pad thai in the city, so why stray?  It has the wonderful balance of sweet and savory and just that bit of tangy that comes from tamarind and can't be replicated (when I spent way to many times trying to make pad thai before looking at a recipe, I could never figure out what I was missing - enter tamarind: game changer).  Their noodles are one part sticky, one part slick.  Crunchy peanuts, your choice of meat/tofu, fresh bean sprouts, and little pieces of cucumber on the side to cleanse your palate when you're done.  At the restaurant, they like to make fun of me because I always ask for lots of soy sauce too.  Their spicy scale is 1-10 - I am usually a 4 or 5, Sarah a 3 or 4 - and they will bring the heat if you dare go in the 7-10 range.  Before I was a pad thai purist, I often asked them to add $1 of veggies - broccoli, carrot, cauliflower, etc.  And I repeat, I believe this is the best pad thai in the city.

The veggie spring rolls are flaky crunchy, then chewy, then veggie crunchy, with a yummy flavorful dipping sauce.  A new addition to the specials board was something they had a different name for, but appeared to be crab rangoon.  You can taste something from the sea, which is a nice touch when it seems like "crab" rangoon typically means fried cream cheese (which is still good, by the way).  Eat your apps as soon as you can so they don't soften up.

As I mentioned, Thai Express also makes other dishes - they've got some great curries and more.  But, I don't think you will ever be disappointed by going back to the basics.

The Ingredients:  I'm not aware of any local, seasonal, organic, etc. ingredients here.  I'll have to ask next time I go.  At this price point, I doubt it ($6.50 for pad thai).

The Story:  As I mentioned above, I've been coming here since my early days in Cincinnati.  They've had the same awesome staff for as long as I remember.  There are a couple folks who have come and gone, but it must not be a bad place to work because there are several people who have been there going on a decade.  They are always fun to talk with while waiting for pickups.  Next time I go in, I'll pick up some tidbits of info and add an update (as well as some interior pics if they don't mind).

Dinner Out @ Amol India

I have found that in Cincinnati there are 2 kinds of people: Amol people and Ambar people.  If you eat Indian food and live in Cincinnati (and probably frequent Amol) you know exactly what I mean.  If not, read on...

The Food: Sarah gets malai kofta (orange dish on the left).  Every.  Single.  Time.  And we go quite frequently.  It is a tomato base with spices, then chickpea flour fried falafel-esque balls, almonds, raisins, and cilantro in it.  And cream, lots of cream.  It is delicious.  I have a much more diverse and refined pallet at Amol - I get saag paneer (green dish in background on left) 90% of the time, and tandoori chicken 20% of the time.  The saag is a spinach base with spices (garam masala, tumeric, etc.), then cubes of paneer (Indian cheese) in it.  And yes, lots of cream too.  Recently we were thinking of going for take out at Amol, Five Guys, or Chicago Gyros and we decided that with all the cream and white rice (it has about 7 green peas in it too), Amol is probably the least healthy of the bunch.  But, the food is packed with flavor!  I get a 4 or 5 out of 10 spicy level, which gives it a kick too.

On top of the main dishes, we typically get garlic naan - an Indian flatbread that is a bit crispy on the outside and then soft and chewy on the inside.  This is actually one of the very few substantive reasons I recall appreciating Amol's food better than Ambar's - Ambar is all about the crispy naan (or at least they were 9 years ago).  And finally, veggie pakora.  Pakora are battered and fried fritters of vegetable (mostly spinach I think), and they bring you 3 chutneys to put on them.  I usually load on the spicy onion, tangy/sweet tamarind, and refreshing coriander.  They're all too good to pass on.

Amol has a great lunch buffet every day of the week, and plenty of other great dishes - but these are our regulars.

The Ingredients: Nothing notable on the ingredients in the restaurant.  Jagdeep's, the grocery behind the restaurant has just about anything you might want so you can make what's on the menu.  We've price checked many items on Jungle Jim's trips and they're comparable or better at Jagdeep's, without the drive to the burbs.

The Story, Setting, &Service:  As I mentioned at the start of this post, there are Amol people and Ambar people.  I have even been warned not to write this by friends because of the concern of starting a fight.  You see, there is lore in town about the two warring Indian restaurant factions separated by only short fence posts.  I have no idea if these rumors are true.  I do know that the owner at Ambar was shot this past fall, and some immediately jumped to conclusions.  For the purposes of this blog, let's just acknowledge there are at least widespread rumors.

In simple terms, the general Amol/Ambar split is this:  Amol people tend to think of themselves as more down to earth (mostly, in my understanding, because they are going to restaurant that has nearly the same food for $1 less per entree and without a clean bathroom).  I don't really know what Ambar people think, as I've never been one.  As I mentioned above, I think it is mostly Amol people who believe a divide exists.  Got a different opinion?  Let me know.

Before I forget, you must know about the coupons.  Near the back of Citybeat they have coupons for many of the Indian restaurants in town.  I believe the current offer is a whopping $7 off your second entree at Amol.  You must not miss this opportunity!

In other news, back when Jagdeep's grocery was still a laundromat that owned a much used Double Dragon arcade game, Amol India was an eclectic restaraunt called GJ's Gaslight. According to long time Clifton resident Dorothy Lauch, 90, GJ's "had a little of everything", as long as everything was hamburgers or Italian. When the restaurant became Amol, the booths remained, but the red brick wall was painted white and the signature faux gaslights were removed.  A little history for all you foodies out there.

I believe I will be an Amol guy until the day I die.  I've been to plenty of other places around town, and most of them are just fine.  This is simply what I'm used to now, and I like being a regular.  I know Sarah agrees, because when they picked up on who she was and started calling her by name, she told me with a very big smile.

Head to Head: Gyros (Chicago Gyros vs. Areti's Gyros)

I had just gone to Chicago Gyros in Clifton when the next day wine me, dine reviewed Areti's Gyros in OTR at Findlay Market.  So, rather than put up a single review, why not introduce a new concept on the blog: Head to Head.  A lot of what we all do as eater's is try to figure out who has the best of something, so when I think there's reason for a match-up, let's get ready to rumble!

The Battle: Chicago Gyros (CG) has long been my favorite gyros (yes, that's singular) place in town (see photo on the left).  Areti's Gyros (AG) got a "freakin' great gyro" review from Julie at wine me, dine me (see photo below on left).  Could we compare 10 more gyros?  Sure.  But, the heavyweight division needs a champ to wear the belt to start.

The Food:  This is all about the gyros itself.  Sure, both places offer other options, but more on that below.  Chicago and Areti's both make a solid gyros, but in my opinion, Chicago Gyros takes the trophy hands down.  And the defining characteristic that sets CG apart - a better tzatziki.  At AG, the tzatziki consistency is a bit off, almost like mayonnaise.  The tzatziki is so important in balancing the savoriness of the seasoned lamb, and CG's got the best balance.  And on top of balance, CG's got a full-on taste explosion happening - great meat, the onion's acidity, and a cucumbery garlicly tzatiki that pulls it all together.  AG's pita is a bit thinner than CG's - I prefer Chicago Gyros here as well.  On both sandwiches I'd agree with wine me, dine me - leave off the tomatoes until they're in season, they're forgettable at best.  The only "problem" at CG is not a problem at all - too much meat!  Neither place skimps though. At Areti's, it wasn't that the gyros was bad, it was just pretty boring.

In other news, Chicago Gyros also has great fries - crispy on the outside, soft on the inside (unless you get them for take out, at which point they're all soft).  They're using some sort of seasoning salt for added flavor, I think it's Lowry's.  I've also been known to snag a baklava on the way out the door - honey goodness.  Areti's looks to have plenty of other options too (see the slideshow below for more pics), but I can't speak to the quality.

The Ingredients:  I'm not aware of either place using anything notable (seasonal, organic, local, etc.).  Summer is surely welcome though to improve the tomatoes - I'm very, very close to a seasonal ban.

The Setting, Story, and Service:  I grew up on gyros.  The place is closed now (and it was going downhill for many years), but when I was a baby my mom would stop there on the way from our place to Lake Michigan or the Lincoln Park Zoo.  Then, when we'd do return visits, Sparta Gyros was always a big treat.

In terms of setting and service, Areti's has a leg up on Chicago Gyros.  The woman behind the counter was very nice, and it was a quick stop.  Findlay Market was surprisingly busy on a weekday at lunch, so the atmosphere was nice for a mid-day pick-me-up.  At CG, service is brusque, they don't answer the phone around lunch for pickup orders, and parking can be a bit of a pain.  But, they remodeled this past year, have a few TVs with ESPN/games playing, and once you're on McMillan you have plenty of options.  They should rename it Sandwich Street now that they have Penn Station, Jersey Mikes, Quizno's, Chipotle, Jimmy John's and more within 1 block.

The Winner:  Chicago Gyros - your new champion!

Chicago Gyros Slideshow


Areti's Gyros Slideshow

Dinner In @ Adriatico's

When Sarah and I want to make ourselves feel better we want comfort food. Pizza is comfort food. And in Cincinnati, if you want top notch, comforting pizza, you get Adriatico's.

The Food:  Let's keep this simple - Adriatico's is the best not-gourmet, fancy ingredient pizza in town.  When I call in an order they ask me if I want "thick or thin" crust, but with the thick being so delectable, I've never been able to bring myself to mess with a good thing.  If you've had Sicilian slices in New York, that's the closest equivalent I can think of to thick crust Adriatico's.  The sauce is a bit spicy and definitely not bland, and they are not shy with the cheese.  We always get green olives and pepperoni - they pile on the olives (as you can see from the picture) and the pepperoni adds a nice extra kick to the meal.

Note: The Bearcat, the largest pizza they offer is listed after personal (8"), medium (12"), and large (16"), as simply "Huge."  See below for a picture.  It is indeed huge.  $5 off on Monday and Tuesday nights, so mark those down as good days for pizza parties.

The Ingredients:  Nothing special here.  It tastes good.  Pretty sure they've got a Sysco truck pulling up on the regular.


The Story:  Unfortunately, they don't deliver to our home area of Northside.  When we lived in OTR, they wouldn't deliver there either, although they would go to Milton's bar in Mt. Auburn - a stone's throw from our old place.

Now, a story I must tell:  About 6 or 7 years ago now, my friend Megan drove me to pick up my order from Adriatico's.  She stayed in the car, I went in, grabbed the pie, and got back in the car.  The pizza was on my lap, and she set her purse on top of the pizza.  It was a hot summer day, the windows were down.  We were about to drive away when a young kid - probably 15 or 16 - came up and asked for a slice of pizza.  I said no, it was my dinner.  He then asked for a dollar, to which I also replied no.  Then, he put a gun to my chest and asked for the pizza.  I kindly set the purse on the floor and handed him the pizza as he ran off.

There are, of course, 2 ways to read this story:  1) That Adriatico's is in a bad neighborhood and shouldn't be trusted as a place to pick up a pizza (I do not believe this to be the case whatsoever).  Or 2) that Adriatico's pizza is so good it is worth risking jail time over if you can't scrounge for the dough.  I like to believe it is the latter.

We went back in, told the staff, they made us another pizza.  While we waited we walked down to the Cactus Pear, got a couple shots, and shook the whole thing off.

Dinner Out @ Cilantro Vietnamese Bistro

We've got a take out rotation.  I suppose it's strongly influenced by proximity to Northside - but even when we lived in OTR, Clifton was the main location for said rotation.  And in particular, Cilantro Vietnamese Bistro has been a regular stop for quite some time.

The Food: My regular order is the vermicelli noodle bowl, or Bun.  It's a bed of lettuce, followed by vermicelli rice noodles, then stir-fried onions and lemongrass and your choice of meat (I get chicken).  It's topped with bean sprouts, cilantro, carrots, and crushed peanuts.  I dare say, it is a taste explosion waiting to happen!  Adding to the goodness, the house dressing (nuoc man) - what seems to be a light vinegary concoction that approaches the pungence of fish sauce with a sweetness - and red chili paste make for an excellent personalized kick.  Awesome textures and flavors make this a well-balanced delight.  It's particularly comforting when I'm feeling a bit under the weather and want to zap my senses a bit.

Sarah's usual is beef pho (pronounced fuh).  A traditional Vietnamese soup that we most often eaten at home - if you order it on the go, here's what to expect: 1) a large bowl of rice noodles layered with very thinly-sliced raw beef, topped with scallions, 2) a Big Gulp-sized styrofoam cup full of beef stock, and 3) a small box of always fresh bean sprouts, lime wedge, basil and cilantro leaves, and a small to go ramekin of 1/2 sriracha and 1/2 hoisin (creating a brown and red yin yang of taste).  Pour the broth in the bowl, and it cooks the beef on the spot!  If you're Sarah you eat it right away while it's darn near raw.  I stir it furiously for a minute or two until I feel more comfortable with the whole thing.  Sarah uses a fork and a spoon to consume this soul warming dish.  A note to the home cook, pho bouillon cubes are available at about any Asian store in town for cheap cheap and you can have a respectable home version of pho in no time.  We haven't taken the time to figure out how to recreate the beef yet because why, oh why, should we mess with such a good and affordable thing?

The starter that I'll finish with is what we usually call the veggie cold wrap, they call the veggie soft roll, and I'm sure everyone calls a treat.  Every once and a while the vermicelli noodles that fill the dry, yet sticky, clear wrap - along with lettuce, tofu, and bean sprouts - get a bit stale.  But, it doesn't even matter because when you dip the roll into the brown mystery sauce (sweeter and thinner than hoisin we think, and filled with chopped peanuts and maybe carrots - now we have a side bet), all is happily forgotten.

Overall, Cilantro is consistently a winner.  At $6 a meal, this has got to be near the top of the list of best bang for your buck options in the city.  The only thing we'd like is if they'd stop pouring piping hot beef stock into styrofoam and covering it with a plastic top that inevitably melts around the edges by the time we get it home.  New good idea in the meantime - we'll bring a thermos!

The Ingredients: Nothing notable here unfortunately that we're aware of.  For regular Amateur Foodies readers (can that exist in week two?), you'll note we look for local, seasonal, organic or other honorable mention ingredients that might make this a standout.

The Setting & Story:  Cilantro has been open for almost 6 years in this somewhat odd spot across from Hughes High School.  I've certainly done my fair share of U turns to illegally park outside Cilantro.  And I should say, almost every single time I've arrived in the inevitable 10-15 minutes that my order should be ready - it is.  That's notable unfortunately - there are more than a few places around that aren't ready when you arrive.

When I said I was taking pictures for a blog (see more below), the owner suggested I come back in a couple days because they were putting on a fresh coat of paint.  So, these photos are hot off the press!  The inside of Cilantro is cozy.  Several bar seats for a quick lunch, and a few 2 tops if you're coupled up.  The food comes fast and hot from no-nonsense servers (sometimes /cooks), and there's hoisin and sriracha to add a bit of sweet or a bit of spicy to anything on the menu.

In the most recent Cincinnati Magazine that has their 2010 top 10 restaurants list, my favorite meal (pictured above) was noted by Chef Joanne Drilling (just leaving Slim's for Murphin Ridge Inn) as her favorite dish in the city!  I was happy to be able to share that news with the owner just after the magazine hit our mailbox.