Eaters, are you like me - still occasionally daydreaming about the last new snack flavor you found and wondering when the next will come along?  Okay, I'm relieved I'm not alone in that bone-deep need for new flavors of everything all the time. Sometimes, the FvF family even finds ourselves at Big Lots, scouting for discontinued, limited-edition flavors we can't find anymore.

Mikesell's launched new flavors in spring of '13 and late summer of '14 - which means southern Ohians were ready for something new. Now that the public expects it and competition gets thicker every year - they know they have to stay leveled up. In all sincerity, this company has yet to make anything I don't like. While all of their flavors aren't my jam (I'm a sucky baby about heat), they're all well developed, balanced flavors. They haven't tried to be too trendy, either. Enter Salted Caramel Puffcorn.


I know a lot of you are thinking, "Yeah, but isn't salted caramel sorta trendy?" Depending on who you ask, sure. But, salting sweets is not simply a trend or a new thing. Chefs and home cooks have been doing this for years. I don't remember how, where or when, but about a decade ago - I was traveling and got a taste of something filled with salted caramel and I, the girl who has long salted her brownies, went bonkers for the stuff. I started seeking it out everywhere, but it hadn't really gained momentum.

Is it like their Caramel Puffcorn Delites? Surprisingly, not really. I never really got into the caramel ones, because they were too sweet for me. Again, I like a little balance - a salt tooth, if you will. The flavor on the salted caramel is akin to if you were to make salted caramel at home - very rich, buttery,  and decadent. If you can make something taste buttery, I am ALL in, friends. Even people who haven't been fans of salty sweets in the past just might dig this. The flavor is mellow, but rich. Plus, no hulls and kernels - so you can feed it to babies. What are you waiting for?! Go find a baby and feed it some Mikesell's Puffcorn!!

We got carry out from Lihn's several years ago when we lived close by, and I remembered it being good - just maybe not memorable. Since they've moved locations (still on Airway, but now in Page Manor), it seems I heard a little more buzz about them. More people on Facebook and Instagram singing their praises.

You know how you always see the little pepper next to Mongolian Beef on a menu and think, "Nahhhhh, everyone has that little pepper and the sauce is never spicy, just sweet." Well, I love that dish and thought the same thing when I ordered it here. Well, turns out not only do they use a lot of chilis, but they don't seed them. I noticed the spiciness can be tailored to your taste, so I would absolutely get this again. Even though it was far too much heat for my taste, I ate half the dish and powered through the other half the next day for lunch.

There was a mix-up with Mr. FvF's food, but somewhat understandable. He asked the server about two dishes, then ordered the second one. He was delivered the first one, which still looked delicious - just wasn't what he wanted.

Service was friendly & fast, and the prices were pretty reasonable. More than takeout, but probably on par with other sit-down Asian joints. Be forewarned that there are no fountain drinks, so if you order soda, you'll get a can & glass of ice, no refills.

Easy 4 out of 5 sporks. Would be a five had I known about the spice levels and they offered soft drink refills.

Mr. FvF and I were lucky enough to be invited to the pre-opening friends & family event at the new Dewey's Pizza at Austin Landing. For you suburbanites that tend not to venture too close to downtown Dayton - I can sum Dewey's up pretty easily by just telling you it's killer pizza. Perfectly chewy crust from a Hades-hot brick oven, high quality (and several locally sourced) toppings, a few calzones and a handful of good salads. They keep the focus where it should be - on the pies. With some quirky names (like the Dr. Dre) and nicely profiled flavor combination, even the pickiest eaters would be hard pressed not to find something they love. While Dewey's pies appeal to people like me who would order something way of the pizza map like their seasonal Porky Fig (fig jam sauce, prosciutto and gorgonzola) - you can also pacify the less adventurous 'za eaters with the X-Pepperoni or just build your own.

I can get pretty wonky when it comes to pizza toppings, but the mister likes to keep it basic. Their special was The Don - all of the good Italian meats and plenty of cheese. We did that one half, and on the other half, the Meatball (pretty self-explanatory).



One of the things I love is that they're not dicks about doing half & half pies, as long as the sauce base is the same. So, if you have wildly different taste than your dining partner, no sweat. Both sides tasted amazing, but I stopped just short of hating myself...or so I thought. Did you guys even know Dewey's had dessert? I'm betting a lot of people don't, because who can suffer dessert after eating their pizza?

• Can't recall the name of the maker, but Dewey's sausage is made by a Cincy-area purveyor and can only be found on their pies.
• While the dough is fresh, it's aged 2-3 days, which gives it the chewiness that their customers love.
• Their current stores are in the major Ohio markets, and St. Louis. Never would have guessed, but apparently Dewey has family there.
• Dewey is a real guy! 
• In all of their markets, beers are also locally sourced and some are exclusive to their restaurants.
• An eatery after my own heart - they love wine so much, they made their own. I didn't get to try this because I was busy sampling beers and turning into Violet Beauregarde, but it's on my to-do list. 
• There's a good chance they're working on a gluten-free pizza dough. According to the head honchos, they won't put anything on their menu that they don't love themselves, so I'm guessing it will be more than passable.
• Those dudes in the kitchen can spin some serious dough. 

Chances are, you're going to eat a sub between now and the end of November anyway, so why not get one from Penn Station and up your chances of winning some free stuff?  I don't mean an oversized t-shirt you'll only end up cleaning the house in (or with) or a free beverage with purchase - the lowest prize on the totem pole here is a sammich party for 20. Twenty! Or you could just invite ten people and really get Brando-fat. Every PS receipt between 10/1 and 11/30 will have a code on the bottom that you can enter via text message.

Like any good Daytonian, I usually go A-1 ape when Mikesell's comes out with a new flavor. In fact, they have yet to do something I don't like. Tuscan spice, new kettle chips flavors, cinnamon puffcorns - they can do no wrong. If you ask around Dayton, usually the only complaint is that they might make a wonderful flavor that's limited edition and haven't brought it back yet (ahem, Habanero Lime). 

People are always so surprised that up until a couple of months ago, I had never really tried any of the local food trucks. I tried to go to one of the food truck rallies downtown, but I made the mistake of going to the first one that was held and it was a hot mess. My job has me in a different city every day, and when I check the food truck schedule-no food trucks are in that city on that day. 

With Lil FvF and four jobs between my husband and I, we don't get out for many nice meals these days.  when Mr. FvF's Aunt and Uncle were in town recently, they passed through Dayton to have dinner with us and my folks.  They're well-traveled folks, and surely not easily impressed - so it seemed like a great excuse to check out Meadowlark's new (I know, they've been there for a while - but like I said, I don't get out much!) digs in Kettering, which was a halfway point for all of us.  The new joint is at least triple the size of the old location, and suits them so much more.  The decor is warm and unique, with plenty of tables and a great bar area.  The highlights were definitely the seasonal cocktails with spring fruits (the Bourbon and Berries was to die for) and the cheese plate that they brought out to finish the meal, even though it wasn't on the menu.

I know most people who give a damn about great food in Dayton are already hip to how great Meadowlark is, but if you're not - go there soon.  For a market like Dayton, we are really lucky to have a gem like this right in our own back yard - especially tucked away in the suburbs. If that wasn't a strong enough statement,  I'll just leave you with a few photos to make you salivate.

Dayton's own Mikesell's just added two new flavors to their Kettle Cooked line, Sour Cream & Onionand Bold Jamaican Jerk. Now, the sour cream and onion are delicious, but not earth shattering.  The Jerk, however, are indeed, BOLD.  Spicy as shit, really.  Mr. FvF would basically eat pure fire, and usually mocks me when I say a food item is hot or spicy, but even he could admit these had a decent kick.  Until February, the Kettle Cooked line was limited to original, reduced fat, Groovy and Barbecue.  If I remember correctly, they had discontinued their Sour Cream & Onion flavor a few years ago, so I'm sure its second coming as a Kettle chip will be welcomed with open arms. 

About this time last year, a the appropriately sweet Sarah, owner of Sweet Nothings, hooked me up with some of her finery so I could review it for the blog.  Not a week has gone by since that I haven't craved that toffee.  And the Grogg cake. And those heart shaped cookies.  Oh, and the brownies.  Even my favorite cupcakers at Cake, Hope and Love got into the groove and started featuring her toffees in some of their signature items!

This year, Sweet Nothings will be peddling their amazing sweets at Oakwood's Get Dressed!  Boutique on Far Hills February 13 and 14 from 12noon to 6pm.  For all of you filthy perverts, I know the name is prompting you to expect a tie-in with every housewife's favorite soft-core erotica best-seller, so here it is!  Remember those gorgeous sparkly cream cheese sugar cookies I went on about?  Well, they decided to slip into something more comfortable for this event, and they brought a game for later...

I'd found myself eyeballing Culp's menu on a number of occasions, when trying to find a lunch spot to meet a business partner about halfway between Dryden Road and Wilmington Pike.  Natural direction usually leads me to linger around oakwood, but there aren't a ton of great lunch options there.  The first time she talked me into trying Cooper's Deli, despite my argument that a nearly $20 rueben has no place in a market like Dayton.  It was decent, but not $20 sandwich good, that's for sure.  Apparently, the eaters agreed with me by refusing to pay those prices for meat and bread, and Cooper's closed after less than one year in business.

Anyhow, Culp's Cafe has a nifty and rich history behind it, which I'll let you read on Dayton History's website.  Their menu is pretty expansive for such a small place, which isn't always a good thing.  I'd had my eyes on their chicken salad (vanilla choice, I know - but I love a good chicken salad sandwich, and never eat it at home because only the Lil one and I enjoy it) - but ended up going a different route. We had a late lunch and they were down to their last few pieces of quiche, so I opted for the ham & cheese quiche with a side salad.  I certainly wasn't expecting such a mammoth slice, and never expect spring mix, oranges, pecans and housemade vinaigrette when I hear "side salad."  It was far and away the best piece of quiche I've ever had.  The custard was perfectly fluffy with a spot-on crust that still flaked apart, even on the bottom.  The fillings were strong enough in flavor, but didn't overwhelm the eggs.

You're probbaly figuring out by now that I have a ton of back-logged reviews.  congratulations! You're very intuitive.  Your mother says so. On another morning when Lil FvF was with the grandparents, we decided to finally get around to trying Lucky's for brunch. We get in a bad habit of always wanting to go to Golden Nugget, so our breakfast and brunch wishlist is long.  Blind Bob's menu always looks great, but for personal reasons, I don't eat there.  Lucky's brunch menu is on the smaller side, which isn't always a bad thing - plus they offered gluten-free banana bread French toast.  Score!

Well, not so fast.  It was just alright.  It was very mealy, which can be expected from g/f items, so I can't place that blame on the recipe or the cook.  I didn't taste the slightest hint of banana, either. The density inside and crunchy outside were tops, but the overall texture and taste was just off.  I got a little bit of both the maple breakfast sausage and smoked bacon, both of which were excellent.  The eggs were just eggs.  Nicely cooked, but by no means fluffy.

Mr. FvF really enjoyed his chorizo breakfast tacos, but the "home fries" went to waste because they'd been cooked with peppers and onions (not noted on the menu), both of which he can't stand.

Our server had an almost empty house, with only us and one other party of drunken ladies brunching, but she was pretty out to lunch the whole time.  We had to go to the bar and ask for refills and had no flatware on our table when our food came.

Reasonably priced, free lot parking, bloody mary bar and perfect meats give them a lot of aces, but they need to offer a few more better-executed options to keep us coming back.

Say it ain't so!  Or if you're Mr. FvF, it's not so - just move along. Nothing to see here.

But yes, really!  Bourdain is bringing his one-man Guts & Glory show to The Schuster Center on November 18, 2012.  Attendees will get to spend the evening soaking up the culinary rabble-rouser's stories about his work and travels, including an open Q&A with the audience.


Tickets go on sale Saturday, August 11, 8‐11 a.m. at the Ticket Center Stage Box Office and 10 a.m. online at http://www.ticketcenterstage.com.    Tickets will be available for purchase by phone on Monday, August 13 at 10 a.m. at (937) 228‐3630 or toll‐free at (888) 228‐3630.
I'm really only telling you that last part out of obligation, because who orders tickets on the telephone?  You're probably the same people who have to listen for the "If you're using a rotary phone, please hold for an operator" instructions.  You phone orderers probably have no way of reading this, but in case someone is dictating it to you, the internet is great. Just never Google image search stuff like medical conditions or Street Fighter characters without safe search.

You could wait until Saturday to buy tickets, like a chump.  But you know what? I like the cut of your jib, so you can just go to this presale link and use the password DAYTON to buy tickets right fucking now.


For more information, visit www.AnthonyBourdainonTour.com

During my time off work, I was lucky enough to have a couple of great local confectioners contact me about sampling their goodies.  I love goodies!  My post-partum body may not agree with me, but I'll get to the gym eventually to make up for it.  Too bad no one thought of giving me samples when I was burning an extra 300-400 calories a day!


I very rarely pat people on the back for being completely original, but this is one of those rare occasions.  All of her baked goods tasted like nothing I'd ever had before.  I was most excited about trying the Sea Salt Toffee.  The Dark Chocolate Cashew was definitely my favorite.

Huge, whole cashews enveloped in this wonderfully sweet & salty toffee, then topped with a thin coating of dark chocolate.  I know some of you are still skeptical about salt in your sweets, but here are two things to consider:
- unless you're baking at home, chances are, every baked good you've ever had has been made with a fair amount of salt.
- Why?  Because salt brings out and emphasizes sweetness, dummy.
When you amp the salt up just a tiny bit, it really punches up all of the other flavors.

She also uses sea salt as a feature ingredient in the amazing Platinum Brownies.  I'm a big brownie fan, but I'm pretty particular.  I don't like them too fudgy or too cakey, and I always prefer the corner pieces.  The Sweet Nothings website has a description of these treats that claims to end the eternal debate between fudgy and chewy - and it actually does.  Each brownie is a perfect balance of texture, with deep, rich chocolate flavor, a reasonable slathering of buttercream icing in top, and just a hint of pink Himalayan sea salt.  Sarah mentioned that she considers it a cardinal sin to make something that looks better than it tastes.  So, they're not all tarted-up like a DLM Killer Brownie or those frosting-drowned monstrosities from Ele.  They're simple, and they're delicious.

To me, those two were the stars of the show, but the cake and cookies were not to be outdone.  The Highlander Grogg bundt cake captures the deep caramel notes and slight booziness of the coffee bean without being overpowering.  I had a few bites with my morning coffee, but quickly learned it paired up a lot better with a glass of cold milk.

The Cream Cheese Sugar Cookies were almost too pretty to eat, which is something I've never uttered before.  Every time I've heard someone say "That just looks too pretty to eat," I always look at them like they just said "That free money is just too fun to spend!"  But, dude...

 But nothing was really appealing to me until I saw this 'beaut...
A salted caramel and dark chocolate cupcake.  Now, you guys know how I feel about salted caramel (ass yes!), but I'm not sure I've elaborated on how I feel about cupcakes.  Regular cupcakes that someone brings into work for a birthday:  fine.  I'll probably scrape half the icing off and only eat the top part.
The "gourmet" cupcakes that endless shops have been selling like gangbusters at $4+ a pop ever since Sarah Jessica Parker shoved a Magnolia cupcake into her big horse face on Sex and the City?  I'll show you what you can do with those, if you'll kindly bend over.  The icing-to-cake ratio is way out of whack, and usually the flavor is only in the icing, not the cake itself.  At best, you're looking at 40 cents worth of product and these assholes are selling it down your gullet for just under five bucks.

Well, it seems that now ele has a new line of these fancy treats - I'm guessing to compete with the Gigi's Cupcakes that opened recently in The Greene. This presented me with somewhat of a dilemma.  Want salted caramel - which was not only in the frosting, but the chocolate cupcake was filled with it.  Do not want expensive cupcake. Do not want to be a lemming to food trends.  DO WANT salted caramel!

Naturally, I bought the cupcake.  It was okay.  Not overwhelming.  Not gross.  The cupcake itself was surprisingly fresh, considering we waltzed in just before they closed their doors and it could have gone stale in the near 20 minutes they took to ring up the purchase.  The salted caramel filling was pretty great, but the icing wasn't doing anything for me.  I slid half of it off and back into the box, which Mr. FvF kindly took care of later.  It just wasn't that far off from regular buttercream, and I think even my own first attempt at salted caramel frosting might have faired better.

The Mister's brownie was just as tasty, and a much more reliable choice.  I've always felt that ele was a bit of a rip-off, and this doesn't really change my tune.  The poor gal in front of us coughed up over $60 for an 8" round birthday cake, decorated in buttercream.  Tasty?  Sure, but I find it hard to believe you couldn't make an equally fresh and tasty cake at home, probably double the size, for under $10.

I'm also of the mindset that people think ele is great because they haven't bothered to try out other local bakeries.  From here on out, I'll refer to this as the Thai 9 effect.  Sure, it's better than the Kroger Bakery, but it's not the end-all.  Nothing I've ever had from ele tops anything I've ever had from Granny C's or Rinaldo's.

Normally during RW, you get a 3+ course meal for around $20.  The price has always followed the year, so logically, this year it should be $20.11.  However, the powers that be decided to change it to $25.11, which a lot of people are pretty peeved about.  While I completely sympathize with the rising cost of food, a 25% hike is a bit much all at once.  So, for five extra bucks, per person, I'm looking for something pretty high end.  Hell, for some of the participants this was an all around price hike.  You could probably eat a two, maybe even a three course meal not even ordering from the Restaurant Week menu.  But, when you're splitting the five on dinner for two, it doesn't seem like such a gouge.  Dublin Pub had by far the most expansive menu options for their two-fer, so we met my sister and her fella there Wednesday night for dinner.

They got there at 5 and grabbed a table, and said there wasn't a soul in the place besides them.  But, by the time we arrived just a few minutes after 6, it was uncomfortable packed.  Dub Pub has really small, cramped booths anyway - so when they're all full and people have coats hanging everywhere, it's a pain in the ass.  To boot, we had a semi-shared booth with some of the most uppity people I've ever seen.  While we tried to politely pile into our booth, they huffed, scowled and scrunched together like we were carrying the great plague.

The onion rings had a great batter on them, but they used a really potent white onion, rendering them almost inedible.  The corned beef sliders were pretty good, but the addition of herbed cheese (something like Boursin, I assume) really helped them out.

Our entrees were taking ages to come out, so we decided to have a smoke.  There are a few magical things about leaving the table and/or lighting a cigarette that makes food appear magically.  Even though the RW menu notes that the sirloin is only 6 ounces, we all chuckled at the meat-to-potato ratio when my sister and I got our plates.
I had to remind our server that we were supposed to get side salads with our meal, and I was kind of tired of fooling with him. So, I asked the  much more attentive bus boy for steak knives when I realized our server hadn't brought us any.  The sirloin entrees both came with an herbed butter that was good on both the steak and potatoes.  Considering what it lacked in size, the steaks were well-seasoned and cooked nicely.

The gents both ordered the Pub Burger - a burger topped with the Pub Fries (steak fried with bacon and white wine cream sauce) that helped make the Pub a notable eatery.  And arteries be damned, more fries were served alongside the burger.  This was really great timing considering Mr. FvF was having his blood drawn for a health risk assessment at work the next day. High cholesterol, ahoy!  The boys both said there burgers were good, just not remarkable. The famous white wine cream sauce was almost absent from the "pub fries" part of the burger as well, which disappointed them.


Once we finished our meals, our server came back and asked us if we were thinking about having dessert.  Yet again, I had to remind him that dessert was part of the meal we had ordered.  It should have been brought to the table with little more than asking if we were ready for it.  Unfortunately, I don't have a photo of the "Must Be 21 Sundae" because my phone batteries were too run to take a flash pic. Just trust me when I say that booze, cinnamon ice cream, chocolate drizzle and whipped cream are all very good things.  We were pretty full, though, so no one finished theirs.

The food wasn't bad, but it certainly wasn't outstanding, and DubPub has some serious service issues.  The big thing that's saving them here is the bang we got for our buck during Restaurant Week.  I won't be too eager to head back, though.

You porkchops must be chompin' at the bit for another entry by now!  We're still experiencing technical difficulties at Chez FvF, so I'm rotating between my Droid and the Mister's lappy trying to get some reviews and recipes drafted.  

When our buddy Adam Warrock was in town for his show at SPT, we decided to take him to what we consider one of the most "Dayton-y" places of all, Tank's Bar, for lunch.  Due to my allergies and fat ass, we hadn't been to Tank's in ages.  Having taken the day off from work, I got up that morning and hit the gym, paying my penance in advance for the bacon cheeseburger that I planned on murdering. 
I always said I'd save my running for when the cops discovered my meth lab, but perspectives change when you hit 30 and start to resemble a something from a Flemish painting more than something on the side of a WWII bomber. 

Naturally, Mr. FvF and I both ordered bacon cheeseburgers, mid-well (this is one of the few areas where we agree on food).  He chose the fries, while I opted to sub my chips for their cole slaw, which I'd never tried. 


The burger, as always with Tanks, was stellar.  A huge, nearly one inch patty that was well-seasoned and cooked perfectly.  Toppings all on the side (including pickle chips *and* a spear), with plenty of melty cheese and enough bacon to cover your burger and still have a little nibble for yourself.  If I'm going to have bread, it's nice to have choices - so I'm always thrilled to be able to get my burger on an onion bun (they also have white, wheat, and kaiser).
The cole slaw, though, did not wow me.  See how dense and creamy it looks in the photo? that's a very accurate portrayal of how it tasted.  It was very thick with mayo, almost like a cream-based potato salad.  That left the veggies with little to no crunch, and there really wasn't a hint of sweetness to any of it.  Next time I'll just stick with the chips and pawn them off on my husband.  Our guest got the super-stuffed ham & cheese on rye with chips and was very happy with it.

One thing I wished I would have noticed before we ordered, is that Tank's now serves breakfast all day, every day.  Even when I lived across the street, I never managed to make it there for breakfast, so I sort of blew my first opportunity without even knowing it. But, apparently they've been doing this for ages, so it's no fault of the server for not mentioning it.  Speaking of which, our server was quick, friendly, and kept our drinks full - even bringing Mr. Warrock an entire carafe of coffee when he ordered a cup.  Some diners might see that as lazy service, but I think it's just working smarter, not harder. 

A pleasant experience at one of Dayton's finest institutions for lunch.  Only a scant half point off for that funky slaw.

Thanks to the recent goings-on around my office, I found myself in an offsite meeting all day at the Marriott near UD.  No one else there knew the area we were in, so it fell on me by default to decide where we'd lunch.  No problem!

We were initially going to hit Brown Street and see what we could find, but I wasn't paying attention to where the driver was going, so we quickly ended up downtown.  One of my dining companions mentioned she'd had a great dinner at Jay's seafood, but after parking, we realized they weren't open for lunch.  The other two aren't huge Thai food fans, so Thai 9 was out.  I hadn't been there yet, but figured SideBar was worth taking the gamble on.

It's set up the same way Pacchia was, with the coffee bar entrance to the restaurant. The only problem is, I couldn't seem to find a hostess stand - or a hostess.  Regular readers will know it takes me about 60 seconds of waiting to find out how I'm to be seated before just dipping out and finding another place.  In just under that 60 second mark, the hostess finished her cell phone conversation and we were seated.  Our incredibly friendly server took our drink order and gave us a few to peruse the menu, and explained that they'd revamped the lunch selections.

Once I saw the Pork Churrasco with chimichurri, I was sold.  My co-workers chose the white fish, eggplant, and shrimp salad, respectively.  The food came out relatively quickly, despite the awkward lingering silences involved with dining with people you don't know very well.  I tore into mine like a well-mannered wild animal, slowly noticing I'm always the only one at business meetings to clean their plate.

The pork was well-cooked and seasoned, as well as super tender, and the chimichurri was bonkers with flavor.  The veggies were all cooked well, too - just soft enough, but with a little bite left to them. The Spanish style rice & beans, I could have lived without, but I usually don't eat rice anyway.  But then, the dish completely won me over again with the fried plantain chips.  Nice touch. Plated really nicely, as well.

Unfortunately, my co-workers were not equally impressed with their selections.  Apparently the eggplant was mushy, and the house-made vinaigrette for the salad had zero flavor.  But, considering I don't know most of these people well enough to pass judgement solely based on their opinion, I can only rate Sidebar on my personal experience.  MY food was tops, and the service (aside from the hostess) was great.  Pricing was fair, considering the scale of restaurant.  So, half a point off for the hostess and half a point for unhappy lunch buddies.

My good buddy Hump was in town and we wanted to take his friend, a Gem City newb, to a "very Dayton" lunch.  I don't mean the very best of what Dayton has to offer as far as dining, I mean more like what would be featured on Dayton's episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.  An institution, if you will.  With me in Moraine and them in Centerville, a few places I thought of were a bit too far to drive for lunch, so we settled on The Golden Nugget.  I lovelovelove the Nug, and had only managed to make it there once since they've rebuilt.
I absolutely adore seeing the same faces waiting tables as the ones I saw 13 years ago, the first time I set foot in this place.  For a lot of restaurants, the lack of change - be it menu, employees, or ambiance - can be a death sentence...but not at the Golden Nugget.  There's always (let me repeat - ALWAYS) a line,  but it moves quickly, so don't be discouraged.

We were seated in less than 10 minutes and had our drink orders taken. Our waitress was, in typical Nug fashion, attentive, super friendly, and not shy to give us a hard time. It's not every day that you can find a menu with a grilled cheese with bacon and tomato, so I went balls out and ordered a sandwich (which I rarely to never do) with cole slaw.  My buddies opted for the fried fish sandwich and the grilled BBQ chicken club, respectively.

After just enough tie to chat and catch up, our food came out within about 15 minutes.  The fish sandwich was giant...

But my tricked out grilled cheese?  Well, just look at all this damn bacon.

Oh, and y'all know I'm picky about slaw - but no worries here. It was a solid, traditional dairy-based slaw, and near perfect.  I didn't pick up the check, but my guestimate is less than $20 for all three of us.  Service was aces and the food was great. Not surprisingly for a trusty old stand-by, 5 out of 5 sporks!

After a very long day of stimulating the economy on Friday, I wanted to grab a quick dinner with the mister before going Krogering.  Ever since hearing about the opening of a new Puerto Rican restaurant, Antojitos Criollos, right down the street, I'd been itching to try it.  That spot across from the Eastown Shopping Center has sat vacant for at least 5 years, formerly housing the Mexican restaurant El Rincon.  


This tiny strip mall sits so close to the road that parking is a little strange. Easy enough to get into, but difficult to back out of if there's traffic on Linden.  We scored the one empty spot in front of the cleaners, but I couldn't figure out why the lot was full when the cleaners, the smoke shop and the restaurant were practically empty.  That is, until we entered the restaurant to find what I can only assume are the employees' friends and/or family taking up two huge tables in the front. We walked past them and seated ourselves, since no one else was doing it.  A girl who barely spoke took out drink order and gave us menus.  The menu was only 2-3 pages, and very limited.  The longest list was appetizers, and even most of those were just smaller versions of entrées.  The only thing I noticed that looked appealing was the empanadillas, but I turned my nose up pretty quickly at the $12 price tag.  The entrées consist of mofongo (mashed plantains w/garlic) and a choice of meat, which I think there were five of.  And that's IT.  No pollo fricasse, no pasteles, nothing. Again, most of the price points over $10, which really surprised me.  I'm known to be a bit of a penny pincher, but I know where to expect higher price points.  I can see paying $12 for an appetizer at El Meson, or even The Green Plaintain, but not a dive like this.  I don't say dive in a bad sense, either - I love dives.  I was hoping for a little hole-in-the-wall with great food and reasonable prices.  


But, I do use the words "abomination" and "shit hole" in a bad sense.  Once the waitress begrudgingly took our order and brought out our canned drinks (which loyal readers know I think is total bullshit), we waited thirty minutes without  a word as to why our food was taking so long. To boot, during that entire thirty minutes, we couldn't hold a conversation because of the ruckus being brought by the two full tables of loiterers in the front, playing cards and yelling like they learned their inside voices in a sawmill.  


When another guy gave my husband the "Are you going to be the one to ditch this place first, or are we?" look, we knew it was time to GTFO.  We would have just left a few bucks on the table for our drinks and split, but we didn't have any cash.  When we finally caught our server again and waited for her to get off her cell phone, we told her we had an emergency and needed to leave, but could pay for our beverages on a card. She didn't look the least bit bothered by losing one of their TWO paying customers, and said "Don't worry about it," and walked away.  


I can't give them a rating since we didn't even eat there, but I can tell you we won't be giving them a second chance.