Last Monday I finally got around to using a Groupon to Goodies Southern Style BBQ that was expiring later in the week. Since we were coming from opposite sides of town, my wife and I agreed to meet at the restaurant around 6:30 PM. The restaurant is not easily identifiable, especially when coming from the north on Hamilton Avenue, and parking is not really well-defined either. I followed a couple of other cars and parked in what I would assume is the neighboring strip mall parking lot.

Once I exited the car I could smell the pleasant scent of the wood fired smokers that were in use at the rear of the restaurant. I grabbed my two-year-old son out of his  car-seat  and entered the restaurant with my wife. Unfortunately a much less pleasing smoke smell greeted us immediately upon opening the door and later stuck to our clothes after we had left. It seems as though the kitchen may be lacking a proper ventilation system.

Inside

A line had already formed at the counter where orders are placed, and there wasn’t an employee in sight. Eventually an employee appeared from the back kitchen area to take the first couples order. After each order was placed she would then run back into the kitchen to help assemble the order. So this process took a little while before I was actually able to get my order in.

The Groupon was a BBQ sampler for two and it was supposed to offer each diner one sandwich, a side of coleslaw, fries, and a can of soda. Sandwich choices were to include smoked turkey, smoked ham, smoked sausage, pulled pork, and beef brisket. When it was finally my turn to order I was told that they were out of pulled pork and that my choices were smoked turkey, smoked ham, and brisket. I was counting on the pulled pork, so it was very disappointing that it was gone with over two hours left before closing time.

BBQ Sampler

Since neither my wife or I would eat the brisket, I ordered one each of the turkey and ham. I was also told that the fryer was down so we would have to pick a different side. I went with macaroni and cheese. The smoked ham sandwich (normally $4.19) was topped with their mild BBQ sauce. I didn’t get any smoke flavors from the meat and found the sandwich to be a bit on the small side. The sauce was tangy and appeared to be a vinegar based sauce. The coleslaw ($1.80) was very runny and didn’t appear to be fresh. The macaroni and cheese may have been the best part of the meal, and it wasn’t that great.

Smoked Turkey Sandwich

The turkey sandwich ($4.19) was better than the ham, but still lacked any smoke flavor. It came topped with their other available sauce that was spicier than the mild but still vinegar based. We also ordered a couple of pieces of cornbread ($.60 each) that were easily the best deal of the meal. The dense and dry bread wasn’t great, but compared to the rest of the food it seemed most on par with what I would expect from a southern style BBQ restaurant.

All of our food was served on  Styrofoam  containers and our only utensils were plastic. There are only a few tables for dining in and it was almost expected that everyone was taking their orders to go. I’m afraid I can’t say many good things about Goodies Southern Style BBQ. There is no way I will be back with so many other great BBQ options in town.

Welcome!

The majority of this past weekend I spent down at the Duke Energy Convention Center for both nights of the sixth annual Cincy Winter Beerfest as well as the second annual  5B: Believers in Better Beer, Bites and Blogging Conference. This may sound like a similar post from the same events last year, and in some ways it was. Once again the crowds on Friday night were much lighter than the nearly packed house on Saturday night. The added hour of VIP early entry is well worth the extra $10, even on Friday. And despite your best efforts, you will likely still have somewhat of a hangover the following day.

Fifty West

There were also a couple of differences that I noticed throughout the weekend. It actually seemed like crowds were down slightly. Either that or some changes were made to the floor to better spread the crowd. I didn’t see too many excessive lines even during the peak of Saturday’s session, when last year everything was a 10 minute wait or more. Regardless of how it was accomplished it was much appreciated as that was my biggest complaint from last  year.

Listermann

Plus there were even more local breweries available this year. Their booths seemed to get the majority of my attention, at least early on. It is nice to have an ever-growing list of local options when choosing what to drink. Hopefully they all will start appearing in local stores soon, making it even easier to sample their products without having to go into a bar or restaurant.

The Turkeys

On the opposite end I know some people who skipped this year due to an unimpressive lineup of beers. I did notice a few area where it seemed that there were more harder to find beers last year, but that’s what the  connoisseur  area is for anyway. This year’s connoisseur area was easily twice the size of last year and it offered private restrooms, plenty of harder to find beer, and tables full of finger foods. If that’s your thing it is easily worth the $75 price tag.

Beer Truck

The best part for me is that while doing all the above I was able to enjoy a wide offering of beer with both new and old friends alike. As long as this event is held I will likely be a participant in one way or another.

Credentials

Tonight is the last night for the second annual Cincinnati Beer Week. Just like last year I didn’t make it to nearly as many events as I had originally hoped due to a very busy schedule. Fortunately I can try to make up for it this weekend with tickets to both nights of the Cincy Beerfest.

The one event I did make it to was a draft tapping of Goose Island’s famed Bourbon County Brand Stout, which took place this past Tuesday at The Party Source. This beer is ranked 100 on both BeerAdvocate and RateBeer, truly a world-class beer. This was my first time tasting this delicious beer and man was it good! The 15% stout is aged on bourbon barrels giving it a ton of oak and bourbon flavors, but the base stout is so creamy and full flavored that it is almost too easy to drink. I could have had another serving but there was a one glass limit per person, and the glass was free for me to take home.

Last week I decided to skip my usual reheated leftovers for lunch, left my office near King’s Island, and headed to Blue Ash Chili’s second location in Mason. The original Blue Ash Chili opened in Blue Ash in 1969 and has been serving Cincinnati style chili, double-decker sandwiches, and breakfast ever since.

Outside

The Mason location opened in 2009 and sits in a strip mall at the intersection of Tylersville and Western Row. Though I’ve never been to the original location, I’m sure it is missing some of the charm of the divey original.

Inside

Once inside it was clear that this location does very well during the lunch hour, as it was packed and nearly every table was full. I found a spot at the small bar counter and was immediately greeted by one of the employees with Zesta oyster crackers and a menu. I ordered the 6-Way, which was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives in 2010, along with a chili cheese sandwich.

Lunch

Service was not as quick as other chili parlors I’ve been to, but I did have my food in less than 10 minutes. However the portion size was larger than any other parlor I’ve been to. The 6-Way ($6.09) adds fried jalapeño caps to the standard 5-Way (spaghetti, chili, beans, onions, and Cheddar). I loved the addition of the jalapeño caps, as it added just the right amount of spice along with a little extra crunch. The chili was good and there was plenty of it. The chili cheese sandwich ($1.69) on the other hand did not have nearly enough chili on it, but I expect this was just a one time mistake. Overall my first Blue Ash Chili experience was a positive one and I would definitely go back.

We stopped into Gilpin’s Steamed Sandwiches a couple of Sunday’s ago for lunch. We arrived just before noon and were immediately greeted by the solo employee behind the counter. He asked if it was our first time and then gave us a quick guide through the lengthy menu. In addition they have a list of customer creations on the wall as well as a  humorous  “drunk menu” with giant lettering, which must come in handy since they don’t close until 3 A.M. most nights.

Drunk Menu

After placing our sandwich order and grabbing some drinks, we headed upstairs to the dining area. There are a couple of small tables downstairs, but upstairs is where the majority of the seating is. Plus upstairs they have an old school Nintendo hooked up to a TV and I think I saw a Playstation hooked up to another. We didn’t play any video games, but our two-year-old son was entertained by a toy slot machine that was on our table.

Inside

Once our sandwich orders were placed into the  steamers  we could really smell the ingredients from the upstairs loft like space. A few minutes later the sandwiches were delivered to our table steaming hot, literally. The come wrapped in foil and we had to wait a few minutes for them to cool before digging in.

#5 Doritos

I ordered one of the five items on the drunk menu, the #5 (aka Doritos). This sandwich combined turkey, cheddar, lettuce, peppercorn ranch, honey mustard, and Doritos on a pretzel bun ($6). Upon my first bite I was immediately reminded of the sandwiches I devoured years ago at Bagel & Deli in Oxford, who also steams sandwiches for large late night crowds. Steaming the sandwich leaves a very distinct mark on the sandwich with the way all the flavors combine together along with a slightly moist and soft bread. It was a little messy to eat but delicious.

#1 Winner

My wife went with the #1 Winner with turkey, veggie cream cheese, pepper jack cheese, banana peppers, spinach leaves, and tomato on a pretzel bun ($6). I had a couple bites from her sandwich and again loved the flavor combinations. I didn’t think it was a great as the #5 that I ordered, but still worthy of ordering again.

Gilpin’s is perfect any time of day but they seem to specialize in satisfying the late night crowd. With that said they are open early every day and even serve a few breakfast sandwiches on croissants. I doubt I’ll ever see the late night crowds but I will definitely be back for lunch in the future.

I’ve been to the Hofbräuhaus  Newport many times in the past but have only eaten there a couple of times. Most of my past visits have been after dinner to enjoy the beer garden. Who doesn’t love slinging back liters of beer while listening to live polka and dancing on top of the table’s benches? Well those days don’t happen as much as they used to, which leads me to this past weekends lunch time visit to the Hofbräuhaus.

The Hofbräuhaus  Newport was the  first authentic Hofbräuhaus  in America, modeled after the legendary 400+ year-old Hofbräuhaus in Munich, Germany. There is an onsite brewery with  a Brew Master from Germany that produces four varieties of beer for the restaurant, plus seasonal specials.  Even though I didn’t order a liter of beer I still had a couple 1/2 liters over lunch, which is still a pretty good amount of beer once we had finished our meals.

1/2 Liter Of Beer

On this visit my wife, son, and I were joined by various members of her family along with a few of their friends. It was a large group and I was happy to see that we were seated in the side room and not in the often smoke-filled bier hall. Plus there wasn’t any live music at the time of our visit, so it’s not like we were missing anything. Though the music did start about halfway through our meal, and we enjoyed it over another round of beers.

House Salad

My wife started with a house salad ($4.99 or $2.49 when added to an entrée). This salad was enough for the two of us to share and was filled with a variety of fresh vegetables. They didn’t have many dressings to offer, at least not that the waitress was aware of, but nonetheless it was a good start to our meal.

Bauern Sandwich

I ordered the Bauern sandwich with fries ($7.99). This sandwich features  a mound of ham and  Swiss  cheese served on a sesame seed pretzel bun, and topped with their signature homemade bier cheese. It was really great sandwich and quite filling. The bier cheese is the standout item, though the pretzel bun was really good too.

Wurst On A Bun

My wife had the grilled mettwurst on a bun with  sauerkraut and fries ($6.99). She was expecting a larger sausage  and it also lacked the heat of a hot smoked mettwurst that we all love so much. With that said she didn’t seem to hate it, but I don’t think she would order it again.

The Hofbräuhaus  Newport isn’t just for beer filled evening  entertainment. They also serve a mix of authentic German dishes and American staples that is suitable for lunch or dinner.

Friday night I was tasked with finding some carry-out food for dinner for my family. I first headed towards Green Papaya, but couldn’t find a parking spot, so I turned up Drakewood and wound up in Oakley. There I found Yat Ka Mein, the relatively new Chinese restaurant that opened in the  abandoned  Arby’s on the southern tip of Oakley Square. There was plenty of parking in their lot behind the restaurant.

Inside

The inside of the restaurant is brand new and quite colorful. It was probably half full at the time of my visit just past 7 P.M. I walked to the carry-out window, found a menu, and took a seat at a nearby bench. The menu is really lengthy for a Chinese restaurant, at least compared to ones I’ve visited in the past. While looking it over I couldn’t help but notice the number of phone calls coming into the restaurant for carry-out and delivery orders. If you call ahead you can pickup your order through the restaurants old drive-through window.

Inside Again

I decided to go with two traditional dishes, sweet and sour chicken ($8.75) and kung pao chicken ($9.25). I ordered both dishes with brown rice, which is $1.50 up charge per dish. I also ordered two chicken egg rolls ($2 each). My order was ready for me within ten minutes of placing it, a nice surprise.

My Plate

The sweet and sour chicken had the sauce on the side, which was appreciated. The chicken itself was all white meat and fried perfectly. The vegetable mix of peppers, onions, and carrots was basically raw though. I didn’t mind the raw pineapple, but would have preferred the veggies to be cooked a little more. Plus the brown rice was way overcooked and was more like oatmeal than rice.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

The kung pao chicken was better, however it was not spicy at all. I ordered it from the hot and spicy menu but I didn’t get any heat in what was served. The vegetables were cooked well this time and featured a mix of peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini. The chicken was good too, but without any spice the dish really fell flat.

Kung Pao Chicken

It’s a sad meal when the best part is the chicken egg roll appetizer. And even that seemed to be of the frozen box variety that was  heated  upon ordering. My wife didn’t think it was as bad as I did, but still said it was average at best. Yat Ka Mein advertises themselves as a noodle house, so perhaps we just ordered the wrong dishes. Maybe we will give them another shot and focus on that side of the menu.

Wednesday evening I was invited to a preview “media dinner” for Seasons 52, which will officially open on Monday in the Rookwood  Exchange. This is their first restaurant in Ohio, with nearly 30 other locations spread across 13 states and at least 8 more in the works. Seasons 52 debuted in 2003 and specializes in a fresh dining experience with  all dishes under 475 calories. Their menu changes  seasonally  four times a year and has weekly specials inspired by  the fresh appeal of the farmers’ market.

Outside

This will be the first business opening it’s doors in the Rookwood  Exchange, so the surrounding area is very much a work in progress. However there is  ample parking and the option for valet. I arrived just before the 6:30 start time and upon entering the doors was greeted by some of the staff and given a complimentary glass of champagne. From there I was lead on a tour through the restaurant, starting with a small chefs table, then through the kitchen, a few private dining rooms, and finally to the bar area.

Private Dining

We waited in the bar area for all the  guests to arrive and were treated  to additional  champagne and music from a live piano bar, which will continue to be  featured nightly.  Seasons 52’s Master Sommelier  George Miliotes  was also available in the bar to tell us more about the restaurant’s history. Once all the  guests had arrived we were offered  a sampling from their flatbread menu. I tried  the artichoke and goat cheese with leaf spinach, balsamic onions, and roasted peppers. This was a wonderful combination of flavors which I really enjoyed.

Artichoke & Goat Cheese Flatbread

From there we moved into the main dining room to start our six course  meal, each course paired with at least one wine. Each course was introduced by Executive Chef Clifford Pleau. I’m not going to cover all the courses, just my personal highlights.

Main Dining Room

For the third course we were given a salad of organic field greens, grilled mushrooms, toasted pistachios, and truffle dressing. I was happy to hear that all salad greens are organic and that they try to use local ingredients when possible. This salad was simple but very fresh and smelled wonderful. The mushrooms and pistachios added a nice flavor as well as a little crunch. I did think it was a little under dressed, but perhaps that is one way to keep the calorie count low.

Organic Field Greens Salad

The next course was my personal favorite of the night. It was a Sonoma goat cheese ravioli with roasted garlic, basil, and organic tomato broth. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted goat cheese as good as what was inside these ravioli. Plus the sauce was  delicious  and the addition of  fresh basil really brought it all together. I see that this is normally served as an appetizer, however I wish it were served  as an entrée, perhaps with an added  protein.

Goat Cheese Ravioli

For the next course I had Springer Mountain Farm all-natural grilled chicken served over a sweet potato mash with roasted Brussels sprouts. The chicken was cooked  on their hickory burning grill giving it a very nice flavor. Again you could smell these dishes coming out from the kitchen. The sweet potato mash and Brussels sprouts were both nice accompaniment for the meat.

Grilled Chicken

Finally we were given a choice from their mini indulgences desert selections. These mini deserts are meant  to be  between six and eight bites each and come served in what appears to be  a tall shot glass. I went with the highly recommended pecan pie with vanilla mousse. It is a little awkward getting the spoon down into the depths of the glass, but this desert really was outstanding!

Mini Indulgences Stock Photo

I was very impressed the food and service from Seasons 52. However I do  realize that this dining experience wasn’t a typical one. With that said all the food I tasted definitely has me convinced to return again in the near future to try even more.

Before leaving Columbus and returning home to Cincinnati this past weekend, we made one last stop for breakfast at a little place called Tommy’s Diner. From the outside I wasn’t expecting much from Tommy’s. After parking the car beneath the large sign out front, we weren’t sure which direction the restaurant actually was. Fortunately a line of people were leaving the restaurant as we had arrived, so we just followed the crowd into this rather plain-looking building.

Outside

Once inside, however, it was clear that this truly was a diner. It isn’t a dingy diner though, as the booths and tables all seemed to have been updated at least sometime in the last ten years. There are neon lights everywhere and a checkered floor as you would expect from a diner. Autographed photos cover the walls from famous visitors of the past. There was a pretty large crowd in the rather small space, but enough open tables for us to find a seat immediately.

Inside

After being sat at a booth by who I would assume was Tommy, our server was at our side within minutes to take our drink order.

Coffee Mug

Breakfast is served all day, and most of our group went that route. Though when my twelve-year-old brother-in-law heard that lunch was also available he went straight for the old fashioned burger with American cheese ($4.75). He also ordered a side of fries ($1.95). At this point in our trip he was really into providing ratings to me for my reviews. He rated the burger an 8 out of 10, and the fries just a 5. It seemed that the fries weren’t salty enough for his tastes, so once we added a little more salt, he was good to go.

Old Fashioned Burger

My wife ordered a breakfast combo with an omelet and home fries. I didn’t have any of the omelet, but I had a big share of the home fries and these were a nice mix of crunchy and soft  potatoes. I couldn’t find a price online, but the omelets are in the $6 – $7 range and a side of home fries are $1.75.

Omelet & Home Fries

We ordered a short stack of hotcakes for our two-year-old son ($3.50). These were pretty typical pancakes, but with a huge mound of butter.

Short Stack Hotcakes

And now for the star of our meal, I ordered the stuffed French toast with fruit topping. This was a large stack of sourdough French toast with a cream cheese filling, topped with a mound of strawberries and a healthy amount of whipped cream. I was in heaven!

Stuffed French Toast

Our food varied from average to amazing. Our service couldn’t have been any nicer and the food was out to us in adequate time. Forget what the outside of Tommy’s Diner looks like, there is plenty of good stuff inside.

While in Columbus over the weekend I had one request and that was to have dinner at Barley’s Brewing Company. It never hurts to mix in a little beer with dinner on a family trip. Plus the restaurant appeared family friendly.

Outside

Fortunately one of my roommates from college, who now lives in the Columbus area, was able to join us for dinner. I asked him to meet us at 5pm for an early dinner and I’m glad I did. We actually didn’t arrive until after 5:15, but he was able to secure a table in the crowded restaurant for our group of 5. It seems there was a Columbus Blue Jackets game that night at the nearby Nationwide Arena and a good chunk of the crowd was obviously headed that way.

Inside

The inside of Barley’s is not very large, but they have managed to pack in a bunch of tables along the front and right sides, along with the back corridor.  There is also a large bar with plenty of beers on tap. I started with their Centennial IPA, which I thought was a pretty darn good beer. I also later sampled one of their Russian Imperial Stouts, which was also good. I didn’t enjoy the RIS as much as the IPA, but both are worthy of ordering again.

Jamaican Me Chicken

For dinner I went with the Jamaican Me Chicken sandwich which combines jerk seasoned grilled chicken breast with  Jamaican  relish and  pepper-jack  cheese ($9.99). The chicken was a double breast and was well cooked. I was hoping for a little more spice from the jerk seasoning, but overall the sandwich was good. For my side dish I chose their cheddar and potato  pierogies. I think this was my first experience with pierogies. Unfortunately it might be my last experience with them though, as these didn’t really do much for me. Overall they were fairly bland and uninteresting.

The Wedge

My old friend had The Wedge salad – crisp iceberg lettuce wedge with diced tomatoes, smokey bacon bits, balsamic marinated cherry tomatoes, red onion and crumbled gorgonzola bleu, then drenched with our bleu cheese dressing and a drizzle of balsamic reduction ($6.29). This salad looked really good and from what I’m told it tasted great too. I’m  intrigued  by the balsamic reduction that is added to the other somewhat typical wedge salad toppings.

Turkey Nut

My wife had the Turkey Nut burger –  ground turkey seasoned with parmesan and herbs, topped with pecans, and served with spicy mayo –  Barley’s classic for nearly two decades ($9.79). She chose to have a side salad for $1.29 extra, but it was a pretty large and fresh salad. I didn’t try any of the burger, but again I’m told that it was a good sandwich. We also had orders of kid’s cheeseburger and grilled cheese (both $4.99).

Our service was actually much quicker than I was expecting from the crowded restaurant and bar. Overall the food was good and I enjoyed the two beers that I sampled. I would easily go back for more when in the area.