Gordo’s Pub & Grill is an often overlooked spot in the heart of Norwood, at least it has been by yours truly. Located less than 10 minutes from our house, my family finally stopped in for dinner after living in the area for the last five years.

Inside

Don’t let the small street-front building deter you from stopping in, there is plenty of room in the long and shotgun style building. A large bar is the first thing you seen when entering the front door, but Gordo’s is truly family friendly and has a handful of items on a kids menu.

Pear and Blue Cheese Salad

I started with a generous and tasty pear and blue cheese salad with spring mix, walnuts, and a tangy raspberry vinaigrette ($2 upgrade substitution for fries with sandwich or $8 alone). This salad was well worth the up-charge to replace the standard fries and is a must when visiting Gordo’s.

Kid’s Mac & Cheese with Broccoli

One of our kids enjoyed the macaroni and cheese with broccoli ($5). Truthfully an older kid might like more than the four florets of broccoli provided, but this was plenty for our three-year-old. I stole a bite or two and this is above average macaroni and cheese.

Kid’s Cheeseburger

Our five-year-old went with the cheeseburger and fries ($5). The burger was plenty big enough and the side of fries was more than an adult could tackle. Word of warning, the burger comes topped with lettuce and tomato, so be sure to request without if you have a picky eater.

Black Bean Gordo Burger

Burgers are what has made Gordo’s somewhat famous. My wife was happy to see that any of their signature burgers can be made vegetarian by substituting a black bean patty. She chose the Gordo with roasted poblanos, mushrooms, onions, bacon, Boursin cheese, and mayonnaise. Wow, was this a great burger! It put my chicken salad sandwich to shame, though that was still a good sandwich. Take it from me (and every other table) you must get a burger when dining at Gordo’s. Prices are good and servings are plentiful. We will be back!

Recently a soup, salad, and sandwich shop called Ladles opened near the new Kroger  Marketplace at Oakley  Station. Ladles started out of Charleston, SC and they operate nearly a dozen restaurants in that area. The Oakley location is first franchise located out of the Carolina’s.

Outside

Ladles has over 400 soup recipes that rotate daily but there are roughly nine that are always available. The also offer a dozen daily sandwiches along with a few salads, seasonal options available for each.  The menu is pretty big and spans both a large chalkboard and TV monitors above the counter ordering space.

Inside

On this visit I was ordering carry out to feed my family back at home, so I ordered a variety of things to share. The seasonal pear and walnut salad was an easy choice, filled with pears, candied walnuts, red onions, blue cheese, and champagne vinaigrette ($9.95 full size). I also am a sucker for pretzel buns, so the Baron Von Ladles sandwich was an easy choice stuffed with ham, Swiss, lettuce, tomatoes, and whole grain mustard ($7.95 includes bag of chips). I also wanted to sample some soups so I ordered an 8oz cup of their turkey chili ($3.75) and the same size broccoli cheddar ($3.25). Both soups included a bread roll.

Our Choices

The salad and sandwich tasted just as good as expected, with the salad actually being my favorite of the two. As far as the soups go I though their turkey chili was really good and enjoyed the addition of corn and jalapeno to the mix. The broccoli cheddar was definitely a cream styled soup. I prefer to have larger chunks of broccoli, and therefore would likely skip this soup in the future. With that said the food was definitely above average in quality and the price was right. We will definitely be back.

Sidekix Saucy Asian Grill has been open for roughly a year now and I finally took the time to give them a try. The are located in the growing strip near the intersection of Columbia Parkway and Delta Avenue. I arrived late in the afternoon, just past 2 PM, to find a nearly empty restaurant, save one sole individual finishing his lunch.

Outside

Then menu layout is  similar to Chipotle  with first a choice between bowl and wrap. You then add a base (lettuce, Asian noodles, brown or white rice) followed by a protein (chicken, steak, or tofu). From there there are a variety of vegetable toppings that can be added  (mostly raw) and a ton of sauces to choose from.

Chicken Bowl

I went with a chicken and brown rice bowl ($7.45) topped with a handful of raw veggies and their signature general kix sauce. Over the taste was good and the serving size was plentiful. I really would have liked for the raw veggies to be cooked before serving. Perhaps allowing customers to build their bowl like I did  and then giving the option to quickly stir fry together would make it even better. As is I don’t think I will be a regular customer, but with a couple of changes this concept could be successful.

Just Q’in has progressed from a BBQ competition team, to a food truck and catering business, to now operating two restaurants. The first opened in December of 2011 in Newtown, and now as of a week ago their second location is open in Walnut Hills. I was fortunate enough to get a preview of the Walnut Hills space and to sample the food thanks to Yelp.

Northside Distilling

Northside Distilling was on hand to provide samples of their moonshine and corn whiskey. They also had a lemonade raspberry spritzer that was delicious. I had no idea that there was a distillery in town, but Northside was the first to open in years.

Courtyard

During our preview event, both the indoor and outdoor areas  were not yet quite complete, but there was enough done to get a sense of what the space will feel like. Clean lines and a modern feel dominated the inside, while the outside screamed history with older brick walls.

Kitchen

Our Buffet

We were treated to samples of pulled pork, ribs, brisket, and chicken wings. There was plenty of food to go around and I was even able to sneak in for seconds! I really enjoyed both the pulled pork and the chicken wings, which are something somewhat unique to Just Q’in, at least in this part  of town.

My Plate

I am excited to get back to Just Q’in soon to see the completed restaurant and to sample more of their deliciously smoked food.

One morning on our recent trip to Kansas City we stopped into the Corner Restaurant in Westport for breakfast. We arrived just before 9 AM and found a brief wait for a table of four. Coffee was provided to us while we waited and soon enough it was our turn to eat.

Giant Pancakes

My five-year-old loves pancakes and waffles. He was blown away by the side of his pancakes, bigger than his head and really thick too ($5 for 2). He was not disappointed. Our three-year-old daughter is really into parfaits and was happy to see one on their menu with fresh fruit and granola on top ($7). This was enough for her to share with her mom and both seemed to enjoy it.

Swoonin’ Biscuits

I went with the swoonin’ biscuits, a trio of two house made biscuits smothered in the peppercorn sausage gravy, two farm fresh eggs, and either hash-brown or house potatoes ($13). The biscuits and  gravy were some of the best I’ve ever had! Thick and creamy gravy with plenty of pepper flavor, and the biscuits were awesome.

Cran Apple French Toast

My wife had the french toast with Fiji apple and cranberry chutney along with maple mousse ($12). The portion size was gigantic and the flavors were excellent. The food at the Corner Restaurant is worth the wait!

No trip to Kansas City is complete without sampling some barbecue. On my latest visit my family and I stopped in to Fiorella’s Jack Stack in the Country Club Plaza for lunch. We had a late breakfast already so I was very happy to see a lunch plate section to the menu, available daily from 11-3. I had wanted to the sliced meat lunch ($11.29 for 2 meats and a side) but I actually think I ended up with the regular order with two sides ($14.79 for 2 meats/ $16.79 for 3 meats).

Barbecue Sliced Meat

For my meat selection I went with pork and turkey. As for sides I chose the hickory pit beans and cheesy corn bake. Both meats were expertly smoked and tender. Their original BBQ sauce was provided on top of the meats, while a sides of both spicy and hot sauces were provided. I think I liked the spicy the best. Of the sides I would definitely recommend the beans over the corn bake, which was  a little soupy in my opinion.

Mini Jumbo

We were also happy to find a pretty good selection of kid’s meals ($6.79 with side and drink). Our five-year-old son really enjoyed the mini jumbo sandwich is thin sliced smoked turkey on a seedless bun. I don’t think he has every tasted turkey so good!

During a recent trip to Kansas City my family and I spent a morning and afternoon  at Crown Center. We visited both  Kaleidoscope and LEGOLAND before heading toward Fritz’s Railroad Restaurant for lunch. We nearly headed somewhere else after finding a line snaking through turnstiles full of people already waiting for a table. Though after watching the line for a minute we realized that the line moved pretty quickly.

Fritz’s Sign

Fritz’s biggest draw is the overhead train cars that deliver you food to your table. Young children are fascinated by this as every passing train could potentially drop their cheeseburger or grilled cheese right in front of them.

Train Delivery

Orders are placed through a phone at your table. Drinks are delivered soon after by the wait staff. I wonder if at one time drinks used to come via train but after watching the food buckets dangling from the automated elevator system, I don’t think that would be a good idea at all.

Excited For Our Food

The menu is limited to burgers with a very wide variety of toppings, a handful of other sandwiches, hot dogs, and a couple of salads. Sandwiches do not come with sides. We sampled the BLT ($4.49), grilled ham and cheese ($4.99), and a couple of kids meals that included fries and a drink ($5.99). My wife and I also split an order of fring (fries with two onion rings, $3.19).

Our Delivery

Overall the sandwiches were good, though seemed to be overpriced for what they are and without a side included. I think the best part of the meal were the onion rings, so maybe skip the fries (especially if your kids will have some extra anyway with their kids meals). I wouldn’t come here without kids, but for a young family it is worth a stop.

On my recent trip to Indianapolis my wife and I grabbed a quick breakfast before heading back to Cincinnati. We walked past the Indianapolis City Market the day before and the next morning I searched there for a breakfast spot. I quickly found 3 Days in Paris and we immediately headed that way.

Indianapolis City Market

We arrived just after 9 AM on a Monday and found the market mostly empty. The market itself opens at 7, but the creperie doesn’t open until 9. 3 Days in Paris is right in the center of the market. After placing our orders my wife and I took turns exploring the other booths while waiting for our crepes to be made. Keep in mind that only two crepes can be made at a time, so if they are busy it could take some time for your crêpe to be prepared.

Market Booth

I’m not a fan of eggs, so I was really happy to see plenty of crepes offered without eggs in the them. I went with the Harvest crêpe filled with ham, Havarti, apples, dried cranberries, spinach, and a cherry chipotle sauce ($8.49). This was an awesome crêpe and it was really filling! My wife was equally as happy with her green eggs & ham crêpe with egg, ham, mozzarella, spinach, and pesto ($7.49).

Harvest Crepe

3 Days in Paris makes an excellent crêpe and I would absolutely go back at any time to sample more. The hot date with bacon, Havarti, goat cheese, dates, onion, and walnuts looks very intriguing.

Prior to the recent Mumford and Sons concert at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, my wife and I had dinner at the nearby Napolese Pizzeria location. I made a reservation for 6 PM a week before the sold out concert. We arrived to find our table waiting near the windows looking out toward  Meridian Street. The tables were packed in like sardines at this place, but we made the most of it and enjoyed some conversation with our neighboring table while waiting for food and drinks.

Whipped Goat Cheese Dip

We started with the whipped goat cheese dip appetizer with caramelized onions and served with focaccia ($9). The dip was outstanding and the serving was more than enough for two, but that didn’t stop us from eating every last bit. This is a very hearty spread, and not really a dip, so it is very filling.

Hamaker’s Corner

From there we split the Hamaker’s corner pizza with pepperoni, Italian sausage, provolone, and mushrooms ($15). Again this was more than enough for two, and though I wish I could have taken the rest home for a late night snack, we didn’t have anywhere to keep it during the show. Overall the pizza was really good. I could have used a little more cheese to really cover the pizza from edge to edge. Otherwise the toppings were plentiful and the taste was good. I would not hesitate to go back to  Napolese Pizzeria on a return visit to Indianapolis.

We hosted a Kentucky Derby party this past weekend complete with mint juleps and fried chicken with all of the sides. As an appetizer I made mini Kentucky Hot Browns that turned out really good, so I wanted to share a recipe.

Before Broiling

After Broiling

Serve with Mint Julep

Ingredients

• 4 thick slices of turkey breast (as thick as the butcher will  slice)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup  shredded sharp yellow cheddar
• 3/4 cup grated romano
• pinch  nutmeg
• 6 slider buns
• 2-3 roma tomatoes, sliced in 12
• paprika
• parsley
• 8 slices booked bacon

Directions

1. Cook the butter and flour over medium heat in a pot, stirring continuously for 5 minutes.
2. Raise the head to medium-high and add the milk, whisking until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the cheddar, 1/2 cup romano, and nutmeg. Set aside.
5. Separate the bun halves and toast each piece.
6. Place each toasted bun half face-up on a large pan.
7. Divide the turkey over the top (1 slice should cover about 3 bun halves).
8. Layer with a tomato slice, mornay sauce from above, and a sprinkling of romano.
9. Place the pan under the broiler until the sauce is golden brown, about 5 minutes.
10. Transfer to a place and sprinkle with paprika, parsley, and top with crumbled bacon.