I had a list of places that I wanted to visit during my trip to Denver last week. C.B. & Potts was not originally on the list, but I ended up there after a very late night in the office. I tried to visit Parry’s Pizza  but their kitchen had already closed. Since I still needed dinner I quickly remembered that C.B. & Potts was nearby and headed there instead.

Colorado’s Tallest Bar

This was not my first time at C.B. & Potts Denver Tech Center location. It was actually a regular spot for my wife and her coworkers for happy hour during our years living in Denver. The building is a little hard to find off of Arapahoe Road, but as you drive up  Greenwood Plaza Boulevard the large barn like structure is hard to miss. The inside is very tall and wide open and they claim to have Colorado’s tallest bar, for whatever that’s worth.

C.B. & Potts is a Colorado chain of brew pubs and is part of the  Big Horn Brewing Company,  one of the largest brew pub companies in the country. They also operate the Ram Restaurant & Brewery  with locations in Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Oregon, and Washington. Their beer is very approachable and fits well within each  style  definition. It’s good beer but definitely not my favorite in town.

Chicken Amber Ale

On this visit I ordered the chicken amber ale sandwich ($10.99) The chicken breast is marinated in their brewers’ top secret Amber Ale marinade and then topped with porter  BBQ  sauce, slaw, tomato, onion crisps, and roasted tomato-chipotle mayonnaise all served on a pretzel bun. I really enjoyed this sandwich with a very unique combination of flavors. The pretzel bun was not actually pretzel shaped, but that was nice as it seemed to hold up better to the various sauces. I added sweet potato fries for $1.29 extra and was given a massive, perfectly cooked pile on the side.

C.B. Potts wasn’t my first choice for dinner, but I could have certainly done a lot worse. Good, approachable beer is on tap with a side of great tasting food.

I joined a few old friends from my men’s league hockey team at the Firehouse Grill for dinner and drinks after a recent game. You may remember the building as the former home of the Watson Bros. Brewery. The building itself is a massive structure just off Glendale Milford Road. It is pretty hard to miss, especially with the full size fire engine parked out front.

Outside

We originally planned to eat on the spacious outdoor patio, but after finding that the restaurant was pretty quiet (7:30 P.M. on a Sunday) we decided to grab some seats at the bar. Here I was pleasantly surprised by the draft beer selection. Stone Enjoy By IPA and the newly opened MadTree Brewing’s Gnarly Brown were just a couple of the more than two dozen offerings.

Bar

For dinner I ordered the Fire House Wrap with jalapeño cheddar tortilla,  Cajun  chicken, caramelized onion,  chipotle mayonnaise, Monterey Jack, shredded iceberg  lettuce, and diced tomato ($8.99). I added sweet potato $1 more. The wrap was packed full of deliciousness and the sweet potato fries were equally as tasty.

Blackfire Wrap

The Firehouse Grill easily exceeded my  expectations. I wouldn’t go too far out of my way for the food itself, but combined with their great selection of beers, this is a very solid option for the northeast suburbs.

In honor of Frisch’s Founder’s Day (May 3rd) I was treated to a private tour of their commissary late last week. The tour was led by  Karen Maier, Frisch’s vice president of marketing and granddaughter of Frisch’s founder David Frisch.  Greg Grisanti, Frisch’s Director of Research & Development was also on hand to prepare new breakfast items and answer any questions our small group had.

My First Beard Net

Before being granted entry into the four main areas of the commissary, we were required to wear hair nets, and in my case my first ever beard net! We first went into the bakery area where pie crusts were being prepared as well as trays of brownies. During Thanksgiving time I’m told that nearly all the bakery time is spent making their famous pumpkin pies.

Pies Ready For Filling

Frisch’s also make their own bread (except for a few special items that come from Klosterman) as well as nearly everything else that you will find on the menu from scratch daily. During our brief tour I witnessed chili being made, onions being sliced for onion rings (this room literally had me in tears within a minute of entering), spices being measured for salad dressings, and never frozen beef being ground and packaged for delivery. All Frisch’s restaurants are located within the tri-state area so that the food can be delivered fresh from one central commissary.

Onion Room Had Me In Tears

Additional pictures of my private commissary tour can be viewed below. Public tours are not offered so you will have to take my word for it when I say that it was quite a sight to see.

May 3 is Founder’s Day at  Frisch’s Big Boy and they want to celebrate Dave  Frisch’s birthday with you!  Visit any Frisch’s Big Boy restaurant on May 3 dressed as Big Boy and you’ll receive a free Big Boy sandwich! Channel your inner Big Boy and create your own costume or “check” out a free printable costume. I also have a $25 gift card to Frisch’s to give away. See the contest below for entry.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A couple of weeks ago I tried a burrito from Currito for the first time. We arrived at the location near the University of Cincinnati campus for a late lunch. The restaurant was mostly empty so service was lightning quick.

Inside

If you’ve been in a Chipotle (or other burrito shop) before, the concept will be very familiar. You can order either a burrito or a bowl starting at one end of the counter and then move along while it is being assembled to customize your meal just the way you like. Where Currito is different is that they specialize in ingredients and flavors other than that traditional Mexican ones, while still offering a “classic” burrito as well.

Combo Meal

For my lunch I decided to try one of the signatures burritos, the Mediterranean. This fills a whole wheat tortilla with house made hummus,  tomato salsa, cucumber,  feta cheese, brown rice, and  balsamic vinaigrette. You then have your option of protein: grilled chicken, grilled steak, organic tofu, carnitas pork, or barbacoa. I went with the chicken and also added on the meal option to include chips and salsa as well as a drink for $2.49 more.

Mediterranean Burrito

The burrito was of normal size compare to other burrito shops. The taste was like something I have never had before though, and I really enjoyed it. The hummus and feta combination worked especially well with the tang from the balsamic vinaigrette. I would definitely order this burrito again, but with so many other signature burritos to choose from I would have a hard time repeating the same order.

Bangkok Burrito

My wife ordered the Bangkok burrito with Thai-style peanut sauce, Asian slaw, cucumbers, and  cilantro lime rice in a flour  tortilla. Another nice thing about Currito is that you can order a smaller sized burrito, which was right up her alley. I stole a quick bite from this burrito and it was equally as good as the Mediterranean.

When you grow tired of eating the same old burrito, Currito has four Cincinnati area locations to mix up something different to eat. With over 40 ingredients that can be added to your burrito, the options are nearly endless.

A couple of weeks ago I was treated to dinner at Firehouse Subs by Robin Sorensen, one of the co-founders of the national chain. Robin founded the chain with his brother Chris, both former firefighters, in Jacksonville, Florida back in 1994. Now there are over 600 restaurants in 35 states and Puerto Rico. When I first visited Firehouse Subs in March of 2012, I reported that there were 485 locations in 29 states, so the chain is rapidly growing. At the time there were 5 restaurants in the Cincinnati area, now there are 6 and at least 2 more are set to open soon.

Outside

While enjoying dinner Robin told us (there were a few other bloggers in attendance) all about Firehouse Subs tying all of his stories back to their mission statement “to carry on our commitment and passion for hearty and flavorful food, heartfelt service and public safety.”  This included how he and his brother founded the chain, information about their highest quality ingredients, and even more about their  Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation.  It is always refreshing to see a business that cares about and gives back to the local community.

Inside

After hearing about all the wonderful things that their foundation has done, it was a treat to enjoy such delicious food. My favorite of the night was easily the Hook & Ladder, which also happens to be their best seller. It combines  smoked turkey breast, Virginia honey ham, melted Monterey Jack, and is served “Fully Involved,” meaning  mayo, deli mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion, and a kosher dill pickle on the side.

Hook & Ladder

New York Steamer

Italian

Smokehouse Beef & Cheddar Brisket

I also really enjoyed the Club on a Sub on my previous visit last year. Back then I said that I would love to visit Firehouse Subs more frequently, but wished for a location closer to home. Unfortunately I don’t make it to any of their currently locations frequently enough, but that will change once they open near the University of Cincinnati in the soon to be complete U Square at the Loop.

Robin Sorensen

Thanks to Robin Sorensen you now also have a chance to have dinner on him. Enter the contest below for your chance to win $20 in Firehouse Subs gift cards.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Today I had a great day in beer acquisition. This week Founder’s released their KBS, which is basically Breakfast Stout cave-aged in oak bourbon barrels for an entire year. After a couple of near misses earlier in the week, I finally was able to buy a bottle at the Dilly Café. I would have liked to get more than one, but rules are rules and they are trying to spread the very limited supply to others. So if you are quick, there still might be some there this evening, though it was going fast.

What A Shelf

While there I also noticed that they had a pretty nice selection of Three Floyds beer available. Since their beers are still hard to find in Ohio, even though we are directly next to their home state of Indiana, these were also limited to one bottle per person. I was able to snag one each of Zombie Dust pale ale, Jinx Proof pilsener, and finally their Behemoth barley wine. I’ve had Zombie Dust a handful of times and it is a must buy when available.

My Purchases

Word on the street is that Dutch’s will be getting a case of KBS tomorrow. So I’m hoping I can score another bottle. For even more availability and a nice review check out Queen City Drinks.

Last week I met an old college friend for lunch at a somewhat new restaurant out near my office in Mason, The Old Bag of Nails Pub. This is the first Cincinnati area location for the Columbus based chain of just over a dozen restaurants. It sits in the space formerly occupied by Blockbuster in the Kroger plaza on Kings Mills Road just west of I-71.

Outside

The Old Bag of Nails is one of only a few open storefronts in the rather depressing shopping plaza and parking was a breeze in the massive lot out front. The outside of the building is very plain and simple, and it is actually rather tough to see that a restaurant is operating on the inside.

The inside of the restaurant is actually much larger than it would appear from the outside. There is a large bar on one side and numerous booths and tables on the far side of the room. There were a few others tables occupied during our visit, but the restaurant appears well capable of handling additional crowds. Our server only had a couple of tables so she was constantly at our side asking if we needed anything else, which was nice.

Turkey Reuben

I ordered the Turkey  Reuben  on marble rye with thousand island dressing, melted Swiss cheese  and coleslaw ($8.99). I should have paid better attention when ordering the sandwich as I would have much rather had the more standard sauerkraut than their runny slaw. Since the slaw was on the bottom of the sandwich, it immediately caused the lower piece of bread to become overly soggy and it quickly fell apart. I actually had to eat most of the sandwich with a fork and knife. My complaints aside, it was a fairly good sandwich and it was served with perfectly cooked thick steak fries.

My friend has visited the restaurant before and was complimentary towards their fish offerings. On this visit he had  Gaylord’s Fish Dinner –  freshwater farm-raised white fish filet, broiled or blackened, topped with garlic butter and served with wild rice and a vegetable garnish ($11.99).

Overall during my lunch visit to the Old Bag of Nails Pub our service was wonderful, the food was average, and we were in and out in well under an hour. There is definitely room for improvement as far as the food is concerned, at least with my very sloppy sandwich.

Pizzelii is a fast and casual brick oven pizza restaurant on Route 50 that just opened at the beginning of February. This past Friday, after visiting the Fifty West Brewing Company, which sits directly across the street, my family and I decided to give it a try.

Kitchen

An open air kitchen greets guests as they walk in the door. On our visit Gary Gottenbusch, one of the owners and also an owner of Servatii, greeted us as we walked inside. He was happy to give us a quick introduction to the menu that is hanging above the ordering counter as well as fill us in on some of the facts of Pizzelii. It turns out that everything is made fresh in the restaurant and there are no freezers on site.

Ordering Counter

Orders are placed at a counter adjacent to the kitchen. Only one size of pizza is offered and it is a thin ten inch. You can create your own pizza starting at $6 with either the classico (crushed San Marzano tomatoes) or the bianca (garlic infused extra virgin olive oil). Both are topped with a mozzarella and provolone blend and toppings can be added for a dollar each. Also available are specialty “piis” for $8 and a few salad offerings. Four beers are available on tap, including one from Fifty West. Bottled beer, wine, and soda are also available. They are the only independent restaurant in Ohio that has a  Coca-Cola Freestyle machine.

Dining Area

After orders are placed you receive a number from the cashier, and you can then seat yourself in the  extremely  large dining area that is packed full with tables. A secondary bar is available at the rear of the dining area for additional  alcoholic  beverages. The brick oven cooks the pizza between 800 and 1200 degrees, so it doesn’t take more than a few minutes for orders to arrive at your chosen table.

Daily Special

I ordered the daily special, which was a bianca pizza topped with goat cheese, mushrooms, tomatoes, and  drizzled  with balsamic vinaigrette ($8). It arrived hot from the oven and after a minute or two to cool I immediately grabbed a slice. On my first bite I was impressed. The crust was dense, chewy, and crisp on the outside. The goat cheese added a great flavor to compliment the other more subtle ingredients. In my opinion, this pizza should be on the daily menu.

Margherita

My wife ordered the margherita with  red sauce, fresh buffalo mozzarella, basil, and garlic infused extra virgin olive oil ($8). This pizza definitely needed more toppings and sauce. The sauce was spread so thin on top of the crust that it became very dry and mostly baked into the crust. The mozzarella and basil tasted great, but I wanted a little more of each, the cheese especially. I did find that extra sauce is available in plastic cups, which helped somewhat, but I still would prefer a little more on the pizza itself.

Dessert

Though the restaurant is counter service, we still experienced wonderful service. When the owner found out that our group was out celebrating my birthday, he kindly dropped off a delicious cinnamon apple dessert pizza for us all to share. Earlier in the meal when a miscommunication in our group left us one pizza short, the young employee that dropped off our order was happy to take an additional order from us while we stayed in our seats. I think with time the small issues I had with some of the food should be worked out to match the excellent service.

Before skipping town for the majority of the weekend, I made a quick afternoon stop at the first ever Cincinnati Craft Brewer’s StarkBier Fest that took place this past Saturday at Listermann Brewing Company. This festival featured beers from local Cincinnati breweries only and most were  7.5% or higher. Fortunately small samples were available so I could try a few beers and still be able to drive out-of-town.

Beer Trucks

Among my favorites that I sampled were  Mt. Carmel Brewing Company’s latest Snapshot Series, Ardennes Belgian Quad, and Blank Slate Brewing Company’s Shroominous, which is a brown ale brewed with  shiitake mushrooms. There were also some barrel aged beers on hand such as Quaff Bros.’ Corn on the Knob and a very boozy Bourbon Barrel Aged Brown Ale from Rock Bottom.

Live Entertainment

The festival had a nice little crowd during my early afternoon visit, but from pictures that I’ve seen online it got much more crowded. Though I missed the Cincinnati Craft Beer Oktoberfest completely, I’ve also read very favorable reviews. It too was held at Listermann’s and I hope that they continue with these mini beer festivals. They not only are pouring some great beer, there is also live entertainment, food trucks on site, and it is all family friendly. It makes for a great way to spend your Saturday.

Fifty West Logo

To kick off my birthday weekend I finally made it to Fifty West Brewing Company, which has been operating out of the old Heritage Restaurant space on Route 50 since late last year. The historic building that now houses the brewery was built in 1827 and while it still has some of its original charm a lot of work has been put into modernizing the structure. It is really beautiful both inside and out.

Outside

My parents, my brother, and his girlfriend would all be joining my wife, son, and I for the evening. We asked about a table for the seven of us and were shown to a side room where two large tables take up the majority of the space. It is a little disconnected from the rest of the bar and restaurant, but it would work perfect for our rather large group. I grabbed a snifter of their bourbon barrel aged Horse and Buggy scotch ale from the bar while the staff worked to prepare our table. My first beer at the brewery was excellent and the evening was off to a great start!

Tap Wall

Once our table was set we all moved back to the side room for some additional beer sampling. Thanks to a sampling tray I was able to quickly get a taste of a handful of their 14 different beers available. Other favorites of mine included Gaddy’s Irish Red, Alternate Route German style brown ale, the Loneliest Road stout, and finally the Punch You in the EyePA.

Sampler Tray

While enjoying the beers we were treated to complimentary dough pretzels while we looked over the newly added food menu, which features mostly tapas style small plates that are meant for sharing. My favorite of what we ordered was easily the roasted poblano pepper ($8)  that is stuffed with house chicken chorizo queso fresco and topped with citrus crema. The red sauce that blanketed the pepper had a nice kick to it that really spiced up the dish.

Roasted Poblano

We also shared smoked salmon guacamole ($7) and an order of their “potato skins” ($6), which features twice baked Yukon Gold potatoes filled with house boursin cheese, parsnips, house bacon, and roasted garlic before being finished with a balsamic fig reduction. The skins were tasty, but the serving size was very small and hard to share with our larger group.

“Potato Skins”

Other items of note that I observed during our stay. The music being played throughout the bar and restaurant spaces is all on vinyl and comes from a record player near the bar. There is a shuffle board table hidden between the bar and the bathrooms. A window into the brewery can also be viewed on the same walk toward the bathrooms. The beer list is constantly changing and appears on large chalk boards with descriptions of each.

Brewery

Beer List

It is still hard for me to believe that it took me this long to check out Fifty West. It easily met my expectations and I honestly hope it doesn’t take me as long to make a repeat appearance.