Friday afternoon my wife and I ventured out of the house for a walk with our son. On our way to the grocery store we both realized that we should also get something for lunch while we were out. I was thinking of just picking up something quick and taking it back home, but she convinced me to give the Hitching Post a try. It was an interesting suggested from her, as she grew up serving fried chicken at the Proud Rooster and has no desire for it anymore. I other the other hand love the  occasional  fried chicken so I easily gave in.

Inside The Hitching Post

The inside of the Hitching Post was actually a little more modern than I was expecting. I expected the decor to match the aging clientele. On our visit the seating area was more than half full and a number of the visitors appeared to be regulars. Most people seemed to be ordering the “World’s Best Fried Chicken” so I decided to join them and ordered a two piece basket with mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade cole slaw and a roll ($7.25).

Two Piece Fried Chicken Basket

The breast of chicken was so large that the sides do not fit in the basket and are served on a separate plate. Each piece of chicken is fried to order and is served hot. The chicken in my order was perfectly cooked and tasted great. The mashed potatoes and gravy were fairly standard, but the coleslaw was excellent. It is a very creamy and traditional, but the flavor was perfect. Next time I might sub out the mashed potatoes for fries or even the potato cakes.

Seasonal Turkey Sandwich

My wife ordered a grilled turkey sandwich from their seasonal menu, but I can’t find the name of it online. I wish I would have taken note of the unique ingredient combination as it was a really good sandwich. The menu also features burgers, double-decker sandwiches, and a few other sandwich choices. I think that we will likely return again in the future. I’ve heard that they also have a great breakfast. If we can successfully walk past The Echo  without stopping some morning, I’d like to give it a try.

While in Boston a couple of weekends ago, my family and I had dinner at Gennaro’s 5 North Square the night before the Boston Marathon. Having heard that restaurant wait times during the marathon weekend were often very lengthy, I made reservations weeks in advance on OpenTable. We arrived to find our table for seven set and ready for us.

Oil And Cheese

While looking through the dinner menu, and deciding on a bottle of wine, some fresh bread was dropped on the table along with some oil and cheese for dipping. There were two different types of bread in the basket, one of which was almost cake like and quickly became the favorite of our table.

Masciarelli Montepulciano D'Abruzzo

My wife quickly recognized a bottle of wine on the list that she has grown to love, Masciarelli Montepulciano D’Abruzzo,  so we ordered a bottle of it for the table. Everyone liked it well enough to order another bottle of it before dinner was even served.

North Square

Our table overlooked the very nice North Square. After placing our order, members of my family took turns playing with my one year old son out in the square. The room that our table was in downstairs wasn’t large at all, only holding a few tables, but I’m told the upstairs can seat up to 65 for dinner. There is only one restroom on the main floor, which is next to the very tiny bar area.

Chicken Parmigiana

For dinner I ordered the Chicken Parmigiana ($22), which featured a huge double breast of breaded chicken on top of house made  fettuccine  noodles and plenty of Marisa’s marinara. This dish was very well prepared and I enjoyed eating every last bite of it.

Manicotti Italo - Americani

I also had some of my wife’s Manicotti Italo – Americani  ($20) with ricotta, spinach, and nutmeg. Rather than the bolognese ragu that comes with it, she opted for the diavolo sauce. Unfortunately the diavolo sauce didn’t really add as much spice as I was hoping.  Furthermore the ends of the manicotti were overcooked. With that said, the ricotta filling was delicious.

Others in our group had the linguine & scampi, the rigatoni with Sunday gravy, the lasagna, and a seafood special. Everyone else seemed to enjoy their dishes, though my mother who ordered the lasagna was disappointed that there was no meat in it. I had a few bites of the lasagna and I thought it was some of the best I’ve ever had.

Marion's Piazza

Before flying out of Dayton to Boston a couple of Sunday’s ago, my wife and I spent the night near the airport to make the early wakeup call easy for us and for our one year old son. For dinner that night I had only one thing in mind, Marion’s Piazza. Since trying Cassano’s earlier this year, it has been on my radar for any trip up north.

Inside Marion's Dayton Mall Location

Marion’s does not deliver, but fortunately there was a location within a few minutes drive our hotel for the night. The inside of the restaurant was much larger than I expected, especially compared to the Cassano’s location I visited. There is a large counter at the back of the room where orders are placed and where phone ahead orders can be picked up, as I did on this visit. Beware that the restaurant is cash only.

Marion's Dining Area

My wife and I decided to just order one large Marion’s Super Cheese – pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, onions and green peppers topped with a mound of cheese ($17.50 for 13″). The order was ready in ten of fifteen minutes, and it was still hot when I brought it back into our hotel room.

Dayton Patented

Once I opened the pizza box I knew that we were in for a treat. The amount of toppings covering the pizza was more than anything I had ever seen before. The thin crust pizza was sliced just as I expected into many tiny pieces. Each piece was perfectly crispy and there was a fair amount of cornstarch on the bottom. The sauce didn’t stand out very much, allowing the fresh ingredients and 100% real cheese to really shine through. I really enjoyed this pizza.

Marion's Super Cheese

Baba India Sign

This past Friday night my wife and I decided to try Baba India, which we have driven past many times. The restaurant sits in a former fast food space as you can easily tell by the covered up drive thru window on one side of the building. It is actually a pretty large space inside with plenty of seating around a central buffet area. Unfortunately the buffet is only offered during lunch, as is typical with Indian restaurants. There is also a small patio outside, which I have never actually seen in use. Maybe that will change with the warming weather.

Outside Baba India

Inside Baba India

My wife, fifteen month old son, and I were given our choice of tables upon entry. Immediately we were served glasses of water while we looked over the menu. After about five minutes time our server stopped by to take our order. Dining with a young child can be  adventurous  so we quickly placed our drink and dinner orders. As I was trying to observe the no meat on Friday during lent rule, I went with the Aloo Choley – chick peas and potatoes prepared North Indian style.

Aloo Choley

This was my first experience with Aloo Choley, as I typically order a chicken based dish when eating Indian food, but I must say that it was pretty tasty. I ordered a 5 on the 1-6 spice scale, which turned out to be really hot. I was still able to eat the entire dish, but I wondered if I would have preferred the level 4. Along with the large bowl of shared rice, it was definitely a full meal. I’m not sure I would order it again, as I’ve had other Indian dishes that I like better, but it was a good substitute for my meatless day.

Chicken Tikka Saag

My wife went with the Chicken Tikka Saag – boneless marinated chicken cooked with spinach, cream and tomato sauce. I only had small bites of the spinach and sauce, but from what I could tell this dish was excellent! My wife definitely enjoyed it as well, though the level 3 on the spice scale came out spicier than she had anticipated. It was too spicy for our young son, who actually enjoys some spice in his food.

Garlic Nan

We also split a side of garlic nan, which was so large half of it was hanging off of the plate. It was easily more than enough for two to split and the flavor was very good. Our only other Indian experience in Cincinnati has been at Shaan, and I think these two restaurants are very close. I do recall being a little more excited about the food at Shaan, but that could have easily been true had I ordered something different at Baba India. It is definitely worth another visit for me to find out.

While out in Steamboat a couple of weeks ago, our group headed out for dinner to celebrate a birthday and to see more of the town. One of the first places we passed while walking around was the Tugboat Grill & Pub. Once I entered the inside of the ‘boat I immediately remembered stopping here on a previous visit to Steamboat years ago. After telling those in our group that I had been here before, it seemed that everyone in the room overheard me and told me that they get that a lot.

It seems that during non-peak ski season, the Tugboat is likely filled with a good number of local regulars that help to keep it in business, which it has been doing since 1972. The inside of the wooden structure is full of animal trophies as well as lots of other  memorabilia. That was what I remembered most from our past visit. What I should have remembered was there incredible drink prices during happy hour, even offered on a couple of craft selections. They also had a couple of half price appetizers. We had the Chili Verde –  green chili, pork, and some other secret things – which was really good!

Chicken Burrito

For dinner I selected the chicken burrito ($11.99) –  shredded seasoned chicken, melted Colby and cheddar cheese rolled in a chipotle flour tortilla, topped with pork chili verde.  Served with a side of Spanish rice, black beans, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and guacamole. First off this was a huge plate of food! Even with my wife helping me out, we still had plenty of leftovers. In addition to the large size, the dish was big on flavor too.

Soup

Others in the group had burgers, soups, and other various sandwiches. Everyone seemed to be happy with their dinner selections and I think nearly every plate was completely finished. Our service was excellent and I would definitely not hesitate to return for a third visit.

Downtown on Dwellable

On our way into Steamboat Springs for vacation last week, we decided to stop for some Mexican food at Tequila’s, which is in the historic downtown area. Nearly everyone in the group opted for one of their house margaritas that come served in a pint glass. With that much tequila to start our trip, we knew we were in for a good one. I’m told that their margaritas are made with just tequila, lime juice, and agave natural  sweetener. I do recall them being pretty tasty and not overly sweet.

Inside Tequila’s

We were given a few complimentary baskets of chips for our rather large table, along with a traditional red salsa as well as a non-traditional cabbage based salsa. I will admit that I wasn’t quite sure what to do with the cabbage salsa at first, but after trying it on top of a warm chip I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a little like coleslaw but not very creamy and much more bold in flavor.

Cabbage Salsa

For lunch I ordered chicken  enchiladas with salsa verde. This plate was served with refried beans and rice. I’ll start with the beans, which didn’t appear to be from a can, but I really didn’t enjoy them that much. It seems that they weren’t very fresh and when the plate was warmed in the oven they got crunchy around the edges. The rice was alright too, but not worth the extra money. If I were to order again I would have went à la carte, as the enchiladas were surprisingly good! I also had a bit of my wife’s chile relleno, which was great too, even though they prepared it with beef when she requested  vegetarian. Nearly everyone in the group licked their plates clean, so Tequila’s is definitely worthy of a visit.

Chicken Enchiladas

Steamboat on Dwellable

My birthday was this past Saturday. When asked by my family where I wanted to have lunch that day, the obvious choice for me was the Moerlein Lager House. Since opening late last month I knew it was only a matter of time before I would stop in for a visit. Though I’m not a fan of most of the Christian Moerlein brand of beers, I do appreciate the efforts that Greg Hardman has put in to bring Moerlein and other Cincinnati heritage beers back home. This brewery is another step toward that goal.

Moerlein Lager House

Prior to our visit on Saturday I had seen many pictures of the newly built restaurant, and I must say that no amount of pictures can convey how neat the building truly is. I love the amount of glass that was used in the construction. It allows a ton of natural light in, while providing diners with wonderful views outside. The large wood beams and contrasting black metal work really well together, and there is also a large amount of granite inside too.

Upstairs Inside

John Hauck Brewing Co. Room

In addition to eight or so Christian Moerlein draft selections, there is a great selection of guest beers also on tap, not to mention the lengthy bottle list from around the world. It may not have the best selection in the city, but I’m glad that they didn’t limit it to only Moerlein  products. The food menu is also fairly lengthy as well, even during lunch. Eventually I settled on the smoked stack  BBQ  sandwich ($11) – pulled  pork, smoked sausage, chipotle BBQ sauce and fried onions on brioche roll.

Smoked Stack BBQ

The pulled pork itself was good, though not excellent. The real treat of the sandwich is the spicy smoked sausage that is mixed in with the pork. The fried onions didn’t add much to the sandwich other than an occasional crunch. I opted for coleslaw on the side and not the sweet potato chips. The slaw was okay, but fairly bland for my tastes. I did steal some sweet potato chips from my mom and liked those better. Though I think I would like them even more if they were thicker cut.

Beer Can Chicken Melt

I also stole a couple of bites of my mom’s beer can chicken melt sandwich ($11) – pulled rotisserie chicken, applewood bacon, caramelized onion, roasted tomato and cheddar with honey mustard on French roll. This sandwich was awesome! I would definitely order it again. My wife had the applewood chicken salad ($14), which I also sampled. This combines  grilled chicken over spring greens tossed in cranberry poppyseed dressing with bacon, egg, cranberries, spiced pecans and bleu cheese. The portion was huge and again pretty tasty.

Applewood Chicken Salad

I’m excited to see how the menu progresses over time, and hope that the beer list continues to grow. I know that I will be back to sample more of the fine food and drinks. Below are some additional photos from my mom, with a few more on her flickr page.

Reflections In The Glass

Christian Moerlein Brewing Co.

Taps

Three Meat Flatbread

Black Cherry Forest Cake

I  have finally found a recipe for roasted asparagus that is on par with the recipes I have for grilled asparagus. This recipe combines the fairly standard garlic and olive oil with the less common Parmesan cheese and lemon. The recipe actually denotes the latter as both optional ingredients, but I would not skip them. I used the juice of half of a lemon and just guessed on the amount of fresh grated Parmesan to use. The results were excellent!

Oven-Roasted Asparagus

Having spent nearly  half of my life living in Cincinnati, LaRosa’s pizza was always one of the places that I missed while living elsewhere. Now that we are living back in town, I’ve discovered some other local pizza places that I like even more. However I still love the thin crust, square cut, LaRosa’s pizza.

One weekend night a couple of weeks ago, my wife and I were out in search of pizza. We first stopped at ZZ’s  and quickly found a 30 minute wait for a table. Without much room for our son to run around, we decided to try their pizza another night. We drove over to Dewey’s in Oakley, and found an even longer wait. We were starving at this point and I suggested we just head over to the nearby LaRosa’s for dinner.

Multigrain Wheat Crust Pizza

Upon entering the restaurant and finding no wait for a table I was reminded again another reason to love LaRosa’s, I have never had to wait for a table. My wife immediately noticed a new item on their menu, multigrain wheat crust pizza. I agreed to try it out with her. The 12″ square pizza serves 3-4 and starts at $9.99 with 3 toppings, we choose ham, pineapple, and banana peppers.

I must say that I wasn’t sure that I would like LaRosa’s on a crust other than the traditional that I was used to, but I honestly could hardly tell a difference. It seems that this multigrain crust isn’t as crisp as the regular, but that was the only thing I noticed. I didn’t even really taste a difference. The pizza was just as good as always.

My wife had some shopping she needed to do up in Kenwood on Saturday afternoon. I used this an excuse to try out a sub shop that has been on my radar for a while, Firehouse Subs. Of their 485 locations in 29 states, five are in the Cincinnati metro area, and this is one of the closest to our home.

I’m a sucker for a well prepared hot sub, and this looked like just the place to fill that craving. They have ten hot specialty subs on their menu, along with some more basic hot and cold subs. I didn’t think twice about ordering anything other than a hot specialty sub and went with the Club on a Sub ($5.79) – smoked turkey breast, Virginia honey ham, crispy bacon, and melted Monterey Jack cheese on wheat. I also agreed to have it “Fully Involved” meaning  mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion, and a dill spear on the side.

Club on a Sub

The sandwich was great! The wheat bread was fresh and just a touch crunchy from the oven. The meat and veggies all appeared and tasted fresh. This was a great sandwich that I would not  hesitate  to eat again. My wife had the Engineer Sub ($5.59) – smoked turkey breast, sautéed mushrooms, and melted Swiss. She also was very happy with her sandwich.

We each made had a combo with a bag of chips of our choice and a medium drink for $2.29 extra. The medium cup was huge, easily the size of most places large. And with their Coca-Cola freestyle machine there are over 120 different combinations of soda available. I tried some flavored drinks, but they all were a little too sweet for my tastes. It was still fun (and slightly confusing the first time) to play with this unique machine.

We had a great first experience at Firehouse Subs, and I will definitely add it to my list of quick eats. I just wish there was a location closer to home.