Dinner Out @ Yat Ka Mein

I had been to Yat Ka Mein one time several years back, and since that was before I was really, truly paying attention to what I was eating, and certainly before I'd read Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper and been really interested in Chinese food, it was time for a return visit.  I've been on the lookout for some authentic options, and I was hoping this visit might take me in the right direction.  A recent trip to Cathay Kitchen in search of dim sum did not turn out as planned (post coming soon), but Yat Ka Mein did not disappoint - in fact, it was very good!

The Food:  Taking a quick scan of the dinner menu, Yat Ka Mein has a good mix of typical American Chinese options - sesame chicken, sweet and sour chicken, etc.  But, they've also got enough things you probably have not heard of that made me believe their might be a higher level of authenticity here.

We ordered the brisket soup, ho fun with chicken, and veggie fried rice (so we'd have something with a bit of vegetables).  The ho fun came out first, and it had tender chicken, thick tasty noodles, and was was covered in a light gravy-like brown sauce.  I added sriracha to give it a kick, while the crisp bean sprouts and carrots add texture.  Our brisket soup followed quickly, and had a lightly aromatic broth (I bit into a small piece of anise that gave away that secret).  This was very good - Sarah tasted first and said "oh, you're going to like this."  Meat was flaking apart, and went well with the Chinese broccoli and thin ramen-esque noodles.  Finally, the fried rice was simple and tasty and came with lots of veggies - we found zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli, onion, napa, bean sprouts, peas, scallion, and carrot.  It tasted super fresh, and was the best fried rice I've had in quite some time.

To top it all off, even the fortune cookies tasted good!

The Ingredients:  There was nothing on the menu about local or organic ingredients.  Par usual, we'll have to ask the next time we come.  It always feels like it would be an extra imposition/hassle to ask about ingredients on the first trip to a place, especially one where you're paying $8 for an entree.  But, ask we will - on the next trip, and then we'll update the post.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  Sitting in the same strip mall as the Aveda Institute and Penn Station, it would be easy to live around the corner from Yat Ka Mein and never give it a second thought.  It's also a stone's throw from Wild Ginger and Lemon Grass - two Thai places - and a handful of other restaurants.

They proudly advertise "noodles for your noodle," and their kids menu is "for the growing noodle," showing their sense of humor.  Our server was very nice, and had a jovial, helpful energy.  He said their Cantonese, but they have food from several Chinese provinces as well as other places across Asia.  If you're in the neighborhood, they deliver for $2 as well. 

The Last Bite:  Yat Ka Mein offers a simple, pleasant ambiance and kind service.  The food is fresh and tasty, and has some great flavors happening.  We'll definitely order the beef brisket noodle soup bowl again - the meat was tender, the broth had great depth, and the anise made it a bit aromatic as well.  Interesting flavors that are not easy to find in Cincinnati.

Dinner In @ Lemon Grass

Lemon Grass is solid, dependable, and makes Sarah's favorite pad thai in town to date.  Lately we've been using it as a take out option, but they also have space to dine in.  This post has been in draft form for a long minute, so I'm glad it is finally making its way to you!  It's a simple one.

The Food:  As I said above, Sarah loves the pad thai at Lemon Grass (it reminds her of the pad thai she loves best, at her old haunt in Sarasota called Thailand), while my favorite continues to be at Thai Express.  And Sarah was out of town when I made this order, so this is a Gavin only review, and I tend to enjoy Lemon Grass' curries the most.

I ordered a pad thai, spring rolls, and sesame noodles, although my typical order is curry (I am especially a fan of their massaman).  The starter, sesame noodles, was very sweet and covered in a thick peanut sauce.  There was a crunch from the scallions and iceburg lettuce at the bottom of the to go container, and small bites of chicken on top.  I usually think of sesame noodles as being a round lo mein-style, but theirs are made with a flat egg noodle, and sprinkled with black sesame seeds as garnish.  The noodles were a bit overcooked too unfortunately.

I had straightforward but good spring rolls and dipping sauce (which is thicker than the sauce at Thai Express), and then ate the pad thai.  Lemon Grass' version of this thai standby has quite a bit of egg, and has noodles that I felt were less sticky, but more slimy in texture.  Also, their pad thai is not nearly as sweet as at Thai Express.  They also use a bit of cilantro, and I've found that I need to go a bit higher on the spicy scale at Lemon Grass then at other spots locally to get something as hot as I like it.

The Ingredients:  There's nothing on the Lemon Grass menu about local or organic ingredients.  I'll have to ask on the next trip.

The Story, Setting, & Service: The interior is very simple - no frills, and smells great.  It's always calm and quiet inside, and yet there always seem to be people coming through.  I've gone many, many times and have never had a wait.  The service is straightforward.  Maybe most important of all, Lemon Grass is open Sundays and Mondays, making it one of the few options to choose from on both of those days.

The Last Bite:  Honestly, most of the time we end up at Lemon Grass because it's the only place open - it's become a Sunday dinner option a few times recently.  I've never had anything bad at Lemon Grass, and that consistency means something these days.  Plus, with reasonable prices and a favorite Thai dish as well in our household, we will certainly be back.  Do you have a favorite Thai place we should try?

Dinner Out @ Bangkok Bistro

I honestly can't remember how it started, but Bangkok Bistro has been a go to restaurant of mine for almost as long as I've lived in Cincinnati (10 years).  For at least a couple years, I was a more serious regular - going once a week or every two at most.  Over the past few years though, it's become part of a long list of places Sarah and I go sometimes, but not all that often.  But, as with any old standard, I'm always happy when I sit down and order the same thing I've ordered for a decade that is always, always good.

The Food:  There are two regular dishes we always order.  First, the "General Fare" Thai Basil Sauce, which is stir-fried with broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, baby corn, onions, and green peppers (although we remember to ask for no green peppers about every fourth time we go - nothing against Bangkok Bistro, we just don't like green peppers very much). You can get it with any meat, but we always get it with tofu.  Second is Laad Na Noodles, which is a flat, wide rice noodle that comes with chicken, shrimp, and vegetables (same as the Thai Basil, sans peppers).

At some point along the way, we also got into the habit of ordering sushi to start.  In general, Bangkok's spicy tuna roll has been a favorite of ours.  Unfortunately, I think it is suffering in the context of paying more attention to our sushi.  On this most recent trip the roll was not tightly wrapped and had an awful lot of rice.  It wasn't bad, but it's definitely been better.

Thankfully, the entrees arrived and made everything right.  The Thai Basil is the star.  They pack it wish basil and garlic, and no small amount of sugar, and it really packs a punch of flavor.  Tofu is cooked just right, and the vegetables all get a nice coating of the savory brown sauce.  Sarah probably had the quote that hits it most on the end - "there are flavors that hit you all over the place."  Next, Bangkok's laad na noodles are done differently than anywhere I've eaten them before or since.  Most places do some variation on the noodles with Chinese broccoli and a thick brown sauce.  I suppose BB's may be a more Americanized version, but I don't care what you call it, these are some tasty noodles.  Again, no shortage of sugar, and the crunchy carrots add a nice texture to the bites.  As is almost always the case (at just about any restaurant), the shrimp could be cooked less.  Overall, both the Thai Basil and the Laad Na Noodles are trustworthy standbys that I'm always pleased to put in my mouth.

The Ingredients:  There's nothing on Bangkok's menu about local or organic ingredients.  They did add brown rice a few years back, which is a nice, healthy addition.  But, beyond that, nothing I'm aware of.  Whichever is the first Thai place in town to jump on board the local train will probably win my heart for many years to come, so I'm hopeful Bangkok Bistro will be the one.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  As I said above, I've been coming here for quite a while.  My friend Ali, through whom I met Sarah many years back, and I would eat here almost obsessively.  It was about the only place I'd spend $15 an entree when I was 23 and I think it made me feel all grown up to be spending such a large amount.  Ah, the memories.

The service at Bangkok Bistro has been through a phase or two, but there aren't many places in town that I would say haven't.  On this visit, and the last several I can remember, the service has been pleasant and straightforward.  They've got a few folks on staff there who have been there for as long as I've been going, so they must be doing something right.

And as far as setting goes, this is one of the BB perks.  They have a small outdoor eating space in front of the restaurant, which gives you, the diner, a great vantage point to watch the comings and goings of what I call "little Hyde Park Square."  If you go during the day or early evening, you're only a short drive up the hill to beautiful Ault Park - which is a destination in and of itself if you haven't strolled through its gardens, enjoyed its vista views, or hiked its trails.  On a gorgeous night like the one we had, sitting outside as the sun is falling, it's a pretty sweet set up.  Inside, the restaurant is simple and calm, and there is plenty of space, so you never bump into anybody's chair.

If Bangkok Bistro keeps Thai Basil and Laad Na Noodles on the menu, we will always go back.  Every once in a while, we may even try something else.  As far as a consistently tasty Thai place that you can count on, I'd say this is a sure shot every time.

Where are the Best Wings in Cincinnati? (Dinner Out @ Mulligan's)

While this post does contain a review of Mulligan's, this is really an opportunity to ask the question: Where are the best wings in Cincinnati?  If you already know the answer, skip down and write a comment so I can end my quest.  In this case, the search led to a place that met some non-food related criteria (namely a TV with sound to watch the Lakers/Suns, which had the added bonus of being outside). If you'd like to read about a not-so-good restaurant/bar that typifies what we usually won't go to, then keep on reading.  I should also say, since I don't think Mulligan's is attempting whatsoever to be a good restaurant (it's a bar!) the following explanation of a train wreck is not meant to be too haterific.

The Food:  We asked the bartender if the wings were good and he asked if we liked Frickers' wings.  I do like Frickers' wings, which are breaded - so we chose to order half breaded and half "naked."  At Mulligan's, you order by the pound, and we went with 1 pound of each (side note: we decided while 1 pound is 6-7 wings at Mulligan's, with the skimpy wings at BW3s, which we've resolved not to eat any more unless they're free because they are so small those chickens simply had to have horrible lives, a pound would probably be like 20 wings at BW3s).

We were feeling frisky because it was the day before two, count 'em two, momentous occasions - Sarah's birthday and her last day of school.  So, we went nuts and also ordered beer cheese and loaded tater tots.  And then, beer. One redeeming fact about Mulligan's is that they do have about 20 beers on tap, many of them quite good.  We got Bell's Oberon, an excellent summer brew.

The wings all came "naked" and were literally swimming in sauce, but actually didn't taste too bad.  As it turns out, nothing like Frickers' though.  Oh, and the medium garlic is just the medium with a bit of minced garlic mixed in, barely changing the flavor (I know, stunning).  "Loaded" tater tots weren't too loaded with cheese or bacon, and were generally forgettable.  Believe it or not, the beer cheese was the redeeming part of the meal.  It was like a big cup of melted Boursin - only orange, and a bit spicier.

The Ingredients:  If they have any local or organic ingredients, I'm pretty sure it's by mistake.  In fact, I think I saw the Sysco truck pull up as we were leaving (no, not really).  They did give us "Naturally Fresh" blue cheese - and by "Naturally Fresh" they mean "the furthest possible thing from natural and/or fresh, which we can still call Naturally Fresh because what passes for honest labeling in this country is obscene."  I recently sent this to Mark Bittman, who has started a feature on his newly revamped blog called "This #$!% Has Got to Stop."

The Story, Setting, & Service:  As I mentioned above, the story here is that we were seeking out great wings to eat while watching a basketball game. We went to O'Bryon's (the AC was icy cold, and the outside was too smoky), then Balboa's (no atmosphere, there was almost no one there, and the music was bad), then we were on our way to the Oakley Pub or Ichiban (though, no sound their either) when we decided to check out Mulligan's.  It had a nice combo of the game, sound on the TV, and eating outside on a beautiful night.

We were both starving and not in the mood to wait for a server, so we just went straight to the bar, asked if their wings were any good, then went forward with ordering.  The bartender literally ran back to his spot inside after delivering our food to us, and he seemed like a really nice guy.

Their outdoor area is crazy big, and complete with dead trees in outdoor planters, cornhole, and pool tables, it's like a huge college bar smack dab in the middle of college-less Hyde Park.  The clientele is largely made up of young men that led Sarah to say things like "boat shoes plus dip - that's just attractive," and point out people that still had their badges on from work.  Otherwise, it was a healthy, diverse mix of preppies in button downs and khaki pants and preppies in t-shirts, hats, and khaki shorts.

I should say too, I agree with Hyde Park Foodie's review 100%.

As these were definitely not the best wings in Cincinnati, and I think I can still conjure up the unavoidable smell of vomit when I remember first walking into the outdoor space at Mulligan's, I think it is safe to say that I won't be going back.  Hopefully, those of you who go to Mulligan's will receive this post as a sort of badge of honor that yes, you do frequent a place that is clearly a dump, in the same way that I loved my first car dearly - a 1989 Chevy Nova that became charming precisely because it lacked anything approaching classiness.