Mr. FvF and I took a quick weekend trip to Cleveland recently, and left the boy behind at Nana's so we could pretend to be young again. As much as I was hoping to come back with a laundry list of dining experiences, a traveling weekend is really only one full day. On the way there, we had lunch at a BBQ place just outside the city that was less than memorable. I'd also love to tell you we dolled up for at least one fancy dinner out, but in late April, we were still wearing our winter coats in Cleveland. After walking our asses off to get back & forth from the Rock Hall, we felt like we deserved ALL the food (not to mention all the sangria). We made a reservation at Mallorca, a Spanish restaurant within walking distance of where we were staying. I'd heard they serve a lobster the size of a cat, so I figured their other portion sized would be similarly shameful. I was right!

We started with a pitcher of sangria and Chorizo a la Plancha. this was the dry-cured type of chorizo, sliced into coins and broiled, and it was delicious. Better still, there was a nice plump black olive for nearly every piece of sausage.
I chose one of their veal scallopini dishes (yes, they have more than one!)...

and Mister went for the shrimp as usual. I can't recall the name of his dish, as it's not listed on their website now, but it looked impressive and he was a very happy man.


Did I mention that's not all of the food? Because that's not all of the food. We also had salad, freshly steamed veggies, housemade chips and yellow rice with pigeon peas.


It's a million wonders that they didn't have to put wheels underneath me and roll my big ass out of there like Violet Beauregarde.

The next morning we trekked to the other side of town to check out the West Side Market on 25th Street. I was bound and determined to find all of the carbs possible at the public market, and it didn't disappoint. I ended up with a shit ton of fresh pasta and sauces from Ohio Pasta Company, as well as enough petite desserts to make Wilford Brimley shiver in his therapeutic loafers. The Market also happens to be just around the corner from Great Lakes Brewing Company.

We had a very boozy lunch there and tried some new brews that weren't yet being bottled and sold, and I was very happy to get to cross this off my list. The brewery and restaurant itself is a very nifty, historic building complete with much of the original woodwork and the telltale narrow stairs leading up to another dining area. Our server was very knowledgeable about the beers and the food, and was happy to let us taste anything we wanted to prior to ordering (without charging us, of course). The Mister had fish & chips, battered in their Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. I'll remind you that I'm not a fish eater - I always try a bite of what he orders and decide I'd eat it if I were starving, but not order it. This fish, I'd actually order. Aside from some seafood I've had on the coast, this is the best fish I've had. Note that I'm not a fish connoisseur. I'm one of those people that doesn't want their fish to taste much like fish. That said, my husband (who loves virtually all fish) really enjoyed it, too.

I had the Old World Burger, a big-ass patty swimming in a porter BBQ sauce, smoked cheddar, bacon and fried onion straws, all snuggled up in a pretzel roll. According to the menu, both the beef and rolls are sourced locally from Westside Market vendors. It was a hell of a burger, and our server had a little "I told you so" moment when I asked for a box for the remainder.
Also, I chose tots over fries and suggest you do the same. These aren't your every day tots. They have a "tot of the day" that's creatively seasoned, plus they're all handmade and huge. The flavors of the burger were all perfect together, but I will admit the grind of the meat was a bit too find and it got just dry enough to crumble with each bite. It was easily masked by all of the gooey toppings, but I doubt I'd have wanted to eat the burger without them. the rest of the experience was so pleasant, though, that I hesitate to dock them too many points for that. While I may not order a burger next time, I'd absolutely visit again if we find ourselves in Cleveland another time.

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.

Thanks to the generosity of a family friend, we were able to take our first (almost) full-on family getaway a few weeks ago.  I've been dreaming of a beach since we got back from our honeymoon, but a coastal trip just wasn't practical. So instead, we headed to the Gatlinburg area to a cozy, baller Lincoln log mansion that this generous friend let us borrow.  Mr. FvF and I had tooled around Gatlinburg proper for our babymoon vacation.  We had a good time, but this time we were in the market for something more secluded. Nana and Papa FvF came along and helped with the little guy so we could do some relaxing.  We had all agreed to share the cooking, but go out to dinner one night while we were there.  I'd heard quite a bit about Applewood Farms, so I made an executive decision that our one dinner would be there.  It seemed family friendly, and had a simple, down home style menu that I knew would please everyone's palate.

We were greeted & seated very quickly, and they had no problem accommodating the little guy.  They start everyone off with a basket of fried apple fritters and apple butter, as well as their housemade Apple Julep.  If you're thinking of donuts on the fritters, you're a bit off base.  They're more like a sweet hush puppy, and they're great.  The apple butter, which my southern mother approved of, was delicious.  The Apple Julep was sans booze - a mix of a few different juices, and not memorable.

The entrees, on the other hand - were very memorable.  Pictured below, from top to bottom are the Mister's Fried Catfish, Nana's Chicken Sampler (fried chicken, pot pie, and chicken & dumplings), and my Chicken Florentine.  I sampled everyone's food, and it was all rich without feeling shamefully heavy or greasy.  Pa FvF had the meatloaf, but he was into it faster than I could snap a photo. It was very tender and tasty with a nice baste, even though I don't care for meatloaf that's not my own.   The fish was wonderfully batter-fried and and super tender and flaky.  According to Mr. FvF, some of the best fried fish he's ever had.
My Chicken Florentine was a massive, pounded-thin chicken breast, stuffed with fresh spinach, Swiss cheese and sugar cured ham, topped with an alfredo cream sauce.  As rich as the dish was, it still tasted amazingly fresh.  Kudos to using grilled chicken and not breaded or fried - it would just be too much in this dish.
 We were all quite hungry from a day on the road, but the portions were so huge that we were all lucky to even make a dent in our plates.  Everyone left with half of their meal (plus extra fritters) to eat for lunch the next day.

 Tank's is one of my very favorite Dayton haunts.  Always my first pick for burger joints, and someplace I always insist on taking folks new to or visiting the Gem City.  A permanent spot in my top ten.  In my twenties, I even chose a rental house based in its close proximity to Tank's.  However, they've been serving breakfast for a couple of years - even started serving it during all hours - and I had yet to try it.  I kept hearing everyone rave about it, but it was simply off our breakfast radar for one reason or another.  The morning of Memorial day, when most everyone we knew was hungover, we were up bright and early...and hungry.  Golden Nugget and Christopher's were both closed.  We started to head for last resorts like Starlite or Hasty Tasty, then put'er in reverse and headed down Wayne Avenue. 

Here's the deal, lunchboxes - I should be welcoming a little tiny eater in about T minus two weeks.  I have a metric shitload of reviews that need written. At this point, making separate entries for each one is NOT going to happen.  So, you're going to get a lot of quick, abridged reviews, without photos.  I'd be happy to provide photos and additional commentary if you're curious about a specific place or dish - just leave something in the comments section.  Loosen up your Sans-a-Belts, here we go!

Smashburger - Dayton, Ohio (UD)
Hadn't gotten around to trying this place or Five Guys, and there was a groupon-type thing available for around $12 worth of food.  Two burgers, one order of fries and one soda was $16.  DAMN!  A bit steep for what I consider fast food.  I can't seem to recall specifics, but their menu was a little limited and confusing - and the staff had no idea what their signature sauce was.  I do specifically recall that the restaurant was filthy.  The floors were so dirty and sticky that I lost my shoe to it three times.  EW, Smashburger.  The food itself wasn't bad, but certainly wasn't impressive.  Fries were so greasy, they were transparent.  I'd choose Tank's any day, for my money.  Hell, with the experience we had, I'd probably pick Hardee's over Smashburger.  
1 out of 5 sporks! 


CJ Chan - Dayton, Ohio
Finally tried this place out for date night after hearing nothing but rave reviews.  Situated in a really odd spot, in a tiny shopping center just between the ass-end of Kettering and Walnut Hills, the place has very limited parking and seating (not to mention pulling into the lot at over 2mph can do some damage to your car).  We lucked out and gt their just before dinner rush and had a terrific meal.  Mr. FvF had sweet & sour pork and I had Mongolian beef - probably some of the best and most traditional I've ever had.  Fried pork dumplings were also excellent. Prices were right on point, service was tops and the menu is extensive and impressive.  Can't wait to go back.      
5 out of 5 sporks! 



Rootbeer Stande - Kettering, Ohio
Exactly what you'd expect from a drive-in restaurant.  The girls don't wear roller skates, but otherwise it's just as old-timey as you'd expect.  Burgers, dogs, and lots of fair-fare (corn dogs, Texas tenderloins, funnel cakes), and nothing over $5, if memory serves.  More importantly, the rootbeer is super tasty, and heavy on the sasparilla, which is just the way I like it.  My bacon cheeseburger was nice & messy, loaded with toppings, and the Mister's tenderloin was mammoth and delicious. We also split the fried pickle spears and mini corn dogs, which I highly recommend.  FYI, they only take cash.               
5 out of 5 sporks! 



Brunch Club - Dayton, Ohio
Another groupon-type deal. Hadn't been here in years, since it was The Breakfast Club.  We met another couple there for brunch and had an excellent meal.  Kind of made me wonder why I don't hear more about the place - but judging by the wait for a table, maybe it's the kind of place everyone tries to keep secret.  Mr. FvF and I were thrilled to see Chicken & Waffles on the specials board, and even more excited to see that it's on their everyday menu.  He couldn't resist ordering that, I had the meat lovers' omelette, and our brunch buds had the eggs benedict and breakfast burrito with sides of potato cakes.  Everything was spot-on.  I'm not usually a hash brown fan, but theirs were crispy, onion-y and not greasy at all - just perfect.  The omelette was fluffy and on par with my favorites from Golden Nugget.  Mr. FvF's dish was downright impressive.  The waffle was just a waffle like any other, but the super fresh, hot broasted chicken was out of this world.  The breakfast burrito was incredibly fresh-tasting for something that was covered in gravy, and I have to take someone else's word that the eggs benedict was very well done also. The service could have been better.  Our waitress was a bit slow (cutting her some slack b/c of the crowd), but incredibly clumsy and forgetful.  We had to ask for my husband's coffee three times, and she spilled water all over our table right out of the gate.   Also, when I ask for chocolate milk "with my meal," that's when I want it.  With my meal.  Few things irritate me more than letting milk sit for 5-10 minutes, getting warm while waiting for my food.  And when are eateries going to get hip to frosty glasses for milk?  Every place I order it, it's practically room temperature.  As far as price, serving sizes are commensurate with the cost.   Will definitely be heading here again.    
4 out of 5 sporks! 



McCormick & Schmick's - Beavercreek, Ohio
Sadly, this is from Restaurant week, back in July.  Pitiful, I know.  We double-dated with another couple - the boys both ordered the cashew-crusted tilapia (regular menu)and sweet potato cous cous, and the gals both ordered off the RW menu - filet florentine, cucumber salad and flourless chocolate torte.  The main dishes and cous cous were pitch-perfect, but some of the sides and salads needed a little touching up.  The vinaigrette on the cucumber salad was far too tart.  A little sweetness would have gone a long way.  The boys' cous cous was amazing and finished with Jamaican rum butter, but the risotto that came with the RW specials was, well - nothing special.  One of the dessert choices was supposed to be chocolate silk pie with bourbon creme anglaise, but had been changed to the torte with raspberry sauce. It was very good, but could have used a few fresh raspberries to balance the dense sweetness.  Service was good, despite our wait for a table when I had reservations and partied of the same size who arrived after us were seated before us.  Price points were very fair on their regular menu - most entrees between $15 and $25.  I can definitely see us dining here again, perhaps for a special occasion, outside of Restaurant Week.                
4 out of 5 sporks! 


El Toro - Huber Heights, Ohio
Ew.  I won't even go into too much detail here, because it's not worth it.  Standard Mexican-fare menu, price points are about the same no matter where you go.  I ordered something with shredded beef, which was incredibly fatty and bland.  Service was so-so.  Again, EW.  Would not go back.  Giving them one point because my co-workers swear their food was good.                                      
1 out of 5 sporks!



Blueberry Cafe - Bellbrook, Ohio
Best breakfast I've had that wasn't at my mama's house.  Excellent service, huge portions and the food was simply outstanding.  I went there because I had a hankering for French Toast, and I heard they do it right. Upon arrival, I realized that this place was truly sent to answer a pregnant girl's prayers.  On the specials?  Banana bread pudding french toast.  I almost wish I was making it up, because I want to eat it every day of my life.  I think there was unicorn blood in it.  Magical.  The leftovers - about half a slice, took more than one hand to hold, and Mr. FvF and I split the half piece for breakfast the next morning.  Two very small complaints - the goodness that oozed from my French toast got all under my potatoes and eggs, making them more sweet than savory.  Boo.  And again, with the milk.  I asked for it with my meal, and it came out 10 minutes ahead - not all that cold, and just getting warmer.  Blueberry Cafe seems to be renowned for their breakfasts, but their lunch menu also looks impressive, as do their Friday night dinner offerings.  The place is very tiny, so a wait is likely, but well worth it. They do take reservations for dinner, not sure about breakfast and lunch, though.  Price points might be considered on the higher end for breakfast and lunch, but the portions more than warrant it.
4.5 out of 5 sporks! 

You all know how assy I can be about BBQ, having found very little to write home about either here in Ohio, or in our travels.  On our recent trips to Kentucky and Tennessee, I wasn't even interested in trying out an of the local barbecue joints, because it seemed it was always a disappointment. Dry brisket, fake smoke flavor, and shitty sides.

About a year ago, a business acquaintance of mine left his post at a prominent local company to start up a BBQ joint with his wife and her family in Englewood.  It would be called Company 7 BBQ, after the majority of family starting this venture, who are all fire and EMS workers.  I kept in touch for a while and kept promising to make it up there to try it, and letting loose that I had a secret life as a food blogger.  Life has a way with making things slip your mind, so come this summer, I still hadn't made it to Englewood to try Company 7.  One night that cooking at home sounded too labor intensive, we headed north to check it out, based on the recent recommendation of a friend.

I was hoping to see my friend, but I figured since he was one of the head honchos, it'd be tough to catch him on the floor. Wrong!  We hadn't been seated for two minutes before he popped behind the bar and started filling drinks.  Come to find out later, the guy who brought our food out and chatted Mr. FvF about Texas BBQ was another owner, his father-in-law.  You can tell that the presence of owners and management keeps this place running pretty smoothly.  They had live bands on one side, a room full of full bellies on the other, apparently a buffet in the back, a full bar and still a little room to grow.  I'm not familiar with the area, so I'm not sure what this place used to be, but the size of it certainly surprised me (insert "that's what she said" joke).

Perusing the menu and the table-toppers presented some info I was happy to see.  Something along the lines of "When we run out of a meat - that's it. We won't have any more until the next day, because we smoke it for 18 hours."  After deciding that neither of us wanted to pick just one meat, we both got a two-meat combo, which comes with two sides and a cheese muffin. I chose pulled pork and brisket, and the Mister got pulled pork and smoked sausage.  We also threw in a last minute order of smoked chicken wings, for little other reason than the price was right.  I don't normally care for wings at all, but...
I obviously had no problems polishing half of this order off.  They were super crispy, likely smoked then maybe flash fried - and not too greasy. They come naked, because C7 already has six of their signature sauces on the table (no sugar added and painfully hot sauces also made in-house are available for the asking). I didn't use the sauce on my wings, but tried them all via finger-lickin' method (very scientific) before our entrees arrived.  Chief Smokey and Lieutenant Tangy were definitely the front runners for me, though they were all pretty good.  I was hoping I wouldn't even need the sauces, though. You know the rules.  Good BBQ doesn't need sauce. 


He's really the expert here, so I'll defer to him for comment.  From the desk of Mr. FvF:
It's really good - very sweet & spicy.  Close to Kruez's, but not the same as Black's.

The pulled pork was probably some of the best I've had in a restaurant.

Forever ago, Mr. FvF and I were in Louisville for Derby City Con.  To be diplomatic, let's just say comic conventions aren't really my thing.  Good people watching and all, but not exactly boner magic for me.  So, I always try to find something to do or a buddy that lives nearby when we're in another city and he's hawking his wares.  My old friend Dan had lived in L-ville for a while, so I had him come pick me up and cart me around to all of the record stores and cool shops on Bardstown.  After we'd done our fair share of window shopping, he suggested we lunch at Ramsi's Cafe on the World.  Having lost the list I made of places we should eat in Louisville, I was still pretty sure this was on there.

I was glad Dan was driving and is highly skilled at parallel parking, because the parking sitch alone would have cause me to shy away from this place.  But, we got a close spot, walked in and were seated right away.  The restaurant was crowded and bustling, but not in an uncomfortable way.  We ordered drinks and Samosas (Indian dumplings with tamarind sauce, super tasty) while we perused the huuuuuge menu.
Since all sandwiches are made on locally-made gluten-free bread, that's the section of the men that my eyes honed in on.  It's not just anywhere that ol' angry guts can order a sandwich.  I was totally prepared to order the Isabelle Panini, which is basically a Cuban, until our server informed me it was served with SWEET pickles.  The hell?  Cuban sammiches should only have dill pickles.  Never relish, and never sweet.  Ew.
So, I opted for my back-up choice, the Panini Caprese.

The sandwich was very good, but I got this overwhelming feeling that I should have made a different choice.  It was just a bit too sweet for my taste and didn't really satisfy my savory hankering.  The potatoes were decent, but needed a fancy dipping sauce in my opinion. They were well-cooked, but the any effort at seasoning had pretty much been phoned in.  My buddy ordered the Southwestern Caesar and was very happy with his choice - but he had a leg up, as a resident.  You may balk at the ballpark of $10 per sandwich and side, but the portions are massive. MY Caprese was about the size of a personal pizza, and just as filling.  I tried taking the remains back to Mr. FvF at the con, but the goat cheese hadn't kept well on the hot ride to the convention center.

I wish I'd had room for dessert, since that part of the menu is just as diverse and worldly as the rest.  I dont want to hold it against Ramsi's too much that I didn't like my sandwich, because I feel like my choice was a bit too vanilla.  I probably would have been wowed if I ordered something more adventurous.

Service was good, the place was quite clean and the prices were commensurate with what you're getting.  I'll give them a solid 3.5 out of 5 sporks and be sure to give them another try when we go back  for DCC next year.

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.

I never thought the day would come that my husband tired of Ticket's Pub and their delicious, carnivorous Greek Hot Plate. We've been known to make several excuses and maybe even get unnecessary hair cuts, just so we could say, "Might as well grab a bite at Ticket's. It'll be too late to cook once we get home." While I still have a Pavlovian response to the words "Greek Hot Plate," the magic seems to have faded for him. I suggested the usual post-haircut dinner there and he suggested trying something new instead.

With a massive hangover in tow, we decided to check out Angie's Firehouse Tavern last weekend. I'd been meaning to try it since it re-opened in Belmont a while back, but it just became one of those things we never got around to.

I love my friends SO much that I'll let them make me go to the same shitty place more than once. I like to think that placed in a similar situation, they would do the same for me. I've never decided to go to The Greene, Dayton's fancy outdoor walk-around mall, on my own. Aside from trekking out there to meet one of my favorite authors, my visits have always been at at least somewhat at another person's request or invite.

You see, the first time I went to the Greene, something weird, embarrassing, and life-alteringly shitty happened there. I'm not going to go into detail, but let's just say I think of it as my personal Vietnam. So naturally, I don't like the place too much. Besides, although I love commerce, places like this exemplify my hate part of our love/hate relationship. The food options are really not much more impressive than your regular indoor mall eating options, they're just far more overpriced. They all have $10+ appetizers and outdoor patios and verandas, and if you're a smoker, everyone looks at you like you're eating a live baby. It's all your standard fare of Brios and P.F. Chang's, occasionally a chain restaurant masquerading as an independent, but their decor and prices aren't fooling anyone. Then of course, there are your Fleming's and McCormick and Schmick's, where you don't even know if you're ordering up, because there aren't always prices on the menu. Oh, then there's this nest of turds called The Pub. Not to be confused with Dayton's original and independent Dublin Pub, which happens to have delicious food, stellar service and a staff who know a it's a dick move to review an Irish pub based on ordering the fucking filet. They have steak on the menu at Denny's, too - but that doesn't mean you should order it and base your opinion of their food as a whole on an item that's clearly not within their realm of expertise - but, I digress.

Back to my original point that one of my best gals craves the curry fries at The Pub. I'd never had them, or even seen them - but I assumed they must be worth the trip. This day was all about her, and I made sure to eat a decent lunch so that I wouldn't order much there. I ordered the Cheese Bollocks, large balls of mozzarella, beer battered and deep fried.

Of course I want to say they were terrible, but they really weren't. The batter was on the bland side, but it's still beer batter, filled with melty cheese. Gin got the fries and their soup of the day, corn chowder, which she just said "tasted weird."

A few weekends ago, before the great plague fell upon our house, Mr. FvF and I decided to take a trip out to Wasserstrom Restaurant Supply. I'd always wanted to go, and now had an excuse because I needed some pro gear for my Swedish Chef costume. Long story short, the trip was a bust - they didn't have what I needed and everything was ridiculously pricey. Clockwise from top to center:

I ordered the Taste of Woody's (heh heh), which includes spare ribs, BBQ pork loin, beef smoked turkey, broasted BBQ chicken, and of course, two sides. Oh, and Texas toast. I wanted cole slaw and onion rings as my sides, and they didn't even up-charge me for the rings. Score. I actually wanted to order a different sampler, but they were out of brisket. This was fairly late in the dinner hours for this sort of place, so I wasn't too miffed about it, since they had plenty of variety in their combo platters.

And as much as I wanted to try the Drunken Noodles, I went for the Tamarind Beef.

The portions are huuuuuuuge, considering the price. You could easily order one dish between two people, like most Asian-fare restaurants. I only tried a nibble of the stir fry, since I was trying to avoid the shrimp, but what I had was great. Crisp veggies, light sauce, and beautifully plated.

Last week I had a lunch meeting in the party room of ele Cake Company in West Carrollton, mostly because they were one of the only places in town letting us use a large private space for free on such short notice.

I ordered the BLT salad and chicken tortilla soup, and both were good. The soup was a bit on the spicy side for me, so I didn't finish it due to developing heartburn. The salad was great and had plenty of bacon on it (bonus points!), a nice mix of greens and a wonderful dressing. They also brought a small tray of cheesy triangle breads fresh out of the oven, and those were tops. Garlic-y and lots of flavor, but still small and light enough that we didn't feel guilty polishing off the whole tray.