Meat & Potatoes - Pittsburgh

Those of you who read my reviews know that I love Pittsburgh.  It is the greatest city in the country.  It is one of the few cities that actually flourished during the Great Recession.  It has also been the center of an exploding American food movement.  The trend is to trendy in both space and cuisine, and Pittsburgh is leading the charge.  Terms like sustainable and fusion and gastropub are popping up everywhere.  Creative cooking is "de rigueur." 

Meat & Potatoes is probably the hottest restaurant in Pittsburgh.  Located right smack dab in the middle of the theater district, it is literally only steps away from Heinz Hall and the Benedum Center as well as most of the smaller theater venues and art galleries.  It has developed a celebrity following.  Pittsburgh has an active film industry and its celebrities land here.

With a name like Meat & Potatoes, one would expect…well…meat and potatoes.  When you go to the web site, it features a huge cow with its parts outlined and page connections located on the parts.  It gives the impression that this is a steak joint.  But then you go to the menu and it gives one pause.  The menu is anything but what the name implies.  For that reason, I have put off going there because I am not sure I wanted to try “innovative.”  To be honest, there wasn’t much on the menu I would eat.  I want dinner.   But several weeks ago it was featured in a steak travelogue on the Food  as iNetwork with focus on its rib eye steak for two, so my wife and I decided to give it a go.

First and foremost…have a reservation, especially on the weekend, which you can do by phone or Open Table.  Pre-theater seating is difficult…becoming somewhat easier as the evening goes on.  

Second: this is a great space.  The motif is supposedly a ginned up speak easy.  I don’t know about that, but they did a good job.   It is geared for fun.  The tables are actually ice cream tables jammed together.  You are intimate with those dining next to you.  I thought it would be a turn-off, but it was actually a lot of fun.  We had several interesting conversations with those on either side of us.  Folks were really friendly.   Big band era music is in the background with a high noise level generally.  Not a place for quiet conversation.

Third: The drink menu is outstanding. In addition to a wide range of inventive cocktails, it offers an Absinthe menu which is a real throw back.  Read up on the history of the Green Fairy and throw caution to the wind on this recently re-legalized beverage.  It offers two varieties on the menu, but there are actually six from which to choose.  Here’s a hint: it’s an acquired taste, but fun to sip some history.

Fourth: the service is terrific.  Several arm chair reviewers on Trip Advisor mentioned service was oftentimes an issue.  Not when we were there.  Our server was friendly, efficient, and very knowledgeable about both the food and beverage menus.   This gal was great as appeared to be the entire staff.

Now for the not so good stuff!!  Maybe I am too pedestrian and unsophisticated to appreciate an innovative menu, but Geez Louise, where was the meat and potatoes?  Outside of the huge rib eye steak for two and a pork chop that could feed an army….where was the meat and potatoes?  Not much!!!  And if your wife doesn't want to delve into the steak for two…you are out of luck.

The other two steak offerings on the menu were a hanger steak and flat iron steak.  Both of these are not at the top of the steak chain, but are actually my favorite cuts of meat because they have lots of flavor.   I ordered the hanger steak.  It came with “pulled potatoes” and some other stuff.  The plate contained 4 slices of meat and 4, I counted them, tater tot sized pieces of a potato concoction covered in a mound of watercress with some exotic sauce stylized underneath it all.   My wife ordered a ravioli dish.  It looked interesting…certainly more food than the hanger steak.   She said it was good.  I tasted it.  The ravioli was stuffed with some green substance.  I don’t know.  Dude...where's the beef?

In addition to the 4 tiny potato concoctions, one has to order bread separately for a couple of bucks if you want some carbs.  It comes with goat butter.   Meat & Potatoes is apparently carb challenged. 

Here’s the deal.  These folks must be doing something right because it is always packed and gets rave reviews. It bills itself as a “gastro-pub.”  I don’t know what that means, but food as art doesn't do it for me.   This approach to food and restaurants has permeated the Pittsburgh area and is spreading to Cleveland.  At the end of the day I go to a restaurant to eat.  I am hungry and really need some meat and potatoes and some bread.   If I wanted art, I would go to an art museum.

That being said, this is a nice place. It is a fun place. It is also relatively inexpensive as Pittsburgh restaurants go.  But check the menu online before you venture forth.  Outside of the big steak for two and the pork chop, I would stick with the sandwich and appetizer offerings either before or after the very expensive show you are going to see in the theater district.  This is a see and be seen type of venue…and actually worth the trip to experience it.

For as popular as it is, it could use some valet parking for those going there specifically for dinner.  But there is plenty parking around and it is relatively inexpensive in Pittsburgh at night.

Meat & Potatoes

649 Penn Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA  15222

412-325-7007  

WhiteFire Grille and Spirits - Canfield

Okay.  I know I have been remiss in keeping up with my restaurant reviews.  From time to time, however, one does have to work.  And although this is my avocation, my vocation still requires a great deal of time on my part which in turn translates to lots of fast food meals, and pizza at home!!!  But this weekend, I am attempting to get back up on the horse again…so here it goes!!!

Restaurants come and go.  We recently lost one of my favorites with the passing of Alberini’s in Niles.  This was a class place all the way with great food, a beautiful facility, and lots of memories.  It had been there as long as I can remember.  We had lots of celebrations there.  You could get dressed up to go there.  It was the next to the last of the 422 Strip restaurants, leaving only the Café 422 as the sole survivor on that hot spot piece of real estate in Niles.   As an event restaurant, it will be missed.

On the flip side, Harry and Jeans attempted to provide a dressy venue for dinner.  It was a beautiful facility with a great bar that offered piano music on the weekend.  Unfortunately, its food wasn't so good and a place like that cannot survive on booze alone.  It closed…quelle domage.  (It’s French…look it up!!)

But like the Phoenix ascending, it has been resurrected by new owners who go by name WhiteFire Grille and Spirits.  My understanding is the owner/manager is originally from Ohio but got his training and experience in Pittsburgh, but that is just what I heard.  It has been open now for about 8 weeks on a soft opening, which means no advertising as it tries to find its stride.  It bills itself as being chef driven, with a concentration on innovation and fresh ingredients. 

The inside is basically the same as before with some added touches and sprucing up.  That’s a plus because it is a beautiful facility with curved booths done in shades of beige and ecru.  Lots of windows.  Candles on the tables. The music level consisting of classic baby boomer soft rock is comfortable allowing for conversation.   The bar, as before, is great.    

To be honest, you almost don’t know what to do with a place like this.   They don’t do restaurants like this anymore.  Although it’s rare to wear a shirt and tie to dinner around here, the facility demands at least casual business or nice slacks with a nice shirt.  And it is anything but edgy.  Anyone who has been to some of the new restaurants in Cleveland and especially Pittsburgh know what I mean.  There is no gimmick…no edge to the restaurant.  It doesn't have a name like “Cure” or “Nine” or “Legume”.    There is no community seating in a sparse setting.  It’s like going out to eat up through 2000 when things started to go south, an anachronism in its own time.

“Chef driven cuisine” seems to the hook of most new restaurants.  I know several chefs who participate in what are known as “pop up” dinners, where they take over a kitchen and prepare a soup to nuts dinner of edgy food.  Some of what they cook I would be afraid to eat, although I am sure it is fabulous cause I know these guys.

That’s not what White Fire is.  The food is comfortable with a good dose of steak and prime rib.  My wife had the sirloin and it was outstanding, better than a fillet.  The menu fish dishes seem almost 100% shell fish of some kind…and if you are allergic to shell fish like my wife that can be a problem.  The menu specials, on the other hand, increased the variety of fish dishes with everything from salmon to Monk fish.  There is an assortment of pasta entries.  I ordered the lobster pasta dish which was loaded with huge chunks of lobster.  At $21.00, it was a bargain and very good…maybe a tad too much garlic, but worth tasting at least once.  The desserts are made on premises.  The carrot cake was to die for…really good!!!  And the salads were okay. Could use some oomph!!!  The house dressing is a roasted onion based balsamic vinaigrette and was very good.  

The folks here are wise to do a soft opening.  The service was a bit off.  The servers are all very friendly and helpful, but seemed to be coming and going without any rhyme or reason and a tad confused.  Nothing bad, just off!  This can be fixed.  That’s why they have soft openings.

I heard WhiteFire was pricey.  I don’t think so.  Everything is relative.  A comparable restaurant in Cleveland and Pittsburgh would be minimally 10% more if not more than that!!  My wife and I with a glass of wine and a cocktail, a shared appetizer and shared dessert and two entrees with salad came to about $65.00 including tax and tip.  If you want something cheaper…you can do wings and pizza at Inner Circle across the street or pancakes at Bob Evans next door!!!

I like this place.  I like the space.  I like the food.  I really want it to succeed because we need a place like this in the area.  I am not sure this area is ready for it.  It certainly does not lend itself to the ratty sweatshirt with shredded blue jeans crowd, but we saw some there nonetheless…which is also quelle domage (Like I said…it’s French…look it up!!)  It also needs a website, which I am sure will happen shortly.  It takes reservations…always a plus.  And the folks are real friendly.

Give it a go.  I hope you like it.  I did. 

WhiteFire Grille & Spirits

6580 Ironwood Blvd
Canfield , OH 44406
330-702-9866

Joe's Crab Shack - Station Square - Pittsburgh

So spring has sprung.  The trees are in bloom.  The temps are moderate.  The sky is blue.  Time for a road trip.  I have seen numerous Joe's Crab Shack commercials on television these past few weeks and it looked good.  There are none in this area making a trip to Pittsburgh necessary (the closest in Ohio is Columbus) and welcome.  Just as an aside, Pittsburgh may be only 60 miles away from Youngstown, but is actually just 40 miles south of Youngstown, but the weather is markedly better, at least in the spring.  The trees and flowers are out a full two weeks ahead of the nation's garden spot...Mahoning County!!!  The early roses are a hoot. 

I am not a big fish place person, but I L-O-V-E crab and lobster.  My favorite crab shack is a place called the Rustic Inn behind the airport in Fort Lauderdale along a very unattractive river.  Notwithstanding, it is terrific.  Next is Pickle Bills in Grand River, Ohio, east of Cleveland...and damn if it doesn't look just like the Rustic Inn.  Locally, Youngstown Crab Company does a credible if expensive job for being on the banks of the Mahoning...with the famous Mahoning River Giant Black Shrimp!!  (kidding); and then there is Red Lobster (see review from a few weeks ago), always a safe choice.

So my wife and me loaded ourselves up in the car taking the "industrial route" over Neville Island and through McKees Rocks to Station Square, home of any number of trendy chain restaurants including the Hard Rock Cafe. 

I really wanted to like it.  It was definitely okay, but I wanted to like it more.  This is an agreeable enough place with friendly service and appropriately "fishy" decor.  It is a rather large restaurant with both indoor and outdoor service, and a medium sized bar.  The outside area has a spectacular   view of the city across the river.  We were there around 4:00 in the afternoon and it was busy for that early.  I'm glad we aren't the only weird people who eat early on Saturday!!!

The menu is varied with some non-fish entrees, but mostly it centers around platters and pots with assorted shell fish at varying prices depending on the platter or pot!!!  Included in the pot are potatoes and an ear of corn, both of which are very good.  Both the platters and pots come in varying flavors from Cajun to Classic Steamed to Maryland with Old Bay Seasoning.   Some come with pieces of sausage reflecting the theme of the pot!!!  And some come with lobster...like the Bean Town Bake. 

Let's start with the bad.  No bread, and for a carb freak like me that is bad news.  I need some bread with my dinner.  Restaurants that try to save money by not pouring water unless you ask for it make me crabby....get it?  Here is a secret.  IT'S FREE!!!  Yes, I know, it adds cost because water requires glasses and glasses require washing and stocking...but Geez Louise!!! 

And here is the good.  I had a S'more cake dessert that was absolutely outstanding.  For gooey chocolate aficionados it's the mother load.  A++++

Now for the main courses.  Well....they were okay.  As crab shacks go, this one is moderately priced with only a few menu items crossing the $30.00 threshold and most between $20.00 and $25.00.  But you know what?  I have had better.   I suppose crab is crab, but it wasn't as sweet as I am used to, and the plastic picking tool, which was strong enough to survive a nuclear war, worked but with difficulty.  A small fork would have been useful.  They really  could have done some prep in cracking the prickly legs and joints making a tad easier for the customer. The butter was served in a cup and not much of it.  I suppose this all goes in keeping the price down.  Who knows?  But then again, I have a a lot worse!!!!

Conclusion?  Joe's Crab Shack will do in a pinch.  Okay food that you wished was stepped up a notch.  Good service.  Good desserts.  Bring your own carbs!!!!  Of course, at least at Station Square in Pittsburgh, the location across the river from the city is primo...and looking at the lit up cityscape sitting on the outside patio while eating crab on a summer's eve...the total package may be worth the effort.

Joe's Crab Shack
226 West Station Square Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
(412) 690-2404
Sun-Thurs: 11 am - 12 am
Fri-Sat: 11 am - 1 am

Also Robinson Center Drive in Pittsburgh

Kennsington Grill - Canfield

One of the reasons people choose to stay in the Mahoning Valley is our great food at reasonable prices.  Food has never been Canfield’s strong suit, but that is changing as it joins the rest of the Mahoning Valley as the number of dining establishments increases.  Latest on the block has been somewhat of a sleeper at least to me. 

Those of you who know me know that I am one of the “elite” who like to hang around country clubs. (Ya ya…tell it to my bank account which is anything but “elite”)  And those of you who know local country clubs also know that a new kind of club has taken root in the area.  Most local folks think of Tippecanoe Country Club (my club) and Youngstown Country Club when talking country clubs.  These are traditional member owned clubs with member Boards of Directors. 

The new clubs in the area are privately owned for profit businesses which sell memberships to the general public.  There are member advisory boards, but the clubs are owned either by a corporation or private individual.  These can be outstanding facilities.  Included in this category is the Avalon Lakes Country Club Group (the former Avalon Golf Course, Squaw Creek Country Club and Buhl Country Club in Sharon PA   and with the best spaghetti out you will get anywhere) and The Lake Club in Poland.  These kinds of clubs are also found at the national level such as Club Corporation of America which owns private golf and city clubs all over the country.

One tiny step below that kind of country club is Kennsington Golf Club located in Canfield in the huge Westford residential and commercial development off of Route 224.  Kennsington sells golf packages as opposed to memberships.  The total development has been a mammoth undertaking happening right in the midst of the financial crisis of the past several years.  It is a multi-use development with offices and retail sections, condominiums and villas, and single family houses.  Wrapping its way through the center of the development with houses bordering the fairways is an 18 hole golf course which I have been told is one of the better ones.  At the top of the golf course is a clubhouse facility…and in the clubhouse is the Kennsington Grill.

Most folks in the area know that it is there, but aren’t quite sure whether it is private or public or what it is it actually serves.   There has been some, but not much promotion.  What finally got me there was a make shift sign on 224 advertising a fish fry in the grill during Lent.  It must be open for business and to the public, so my wife and I tried it.

We were pleasantly surprised.  It doesn’t look like much from the road.  The actual clubhouse facility is on the small side.  Park in the parking lot and walk around to the part of the clubhouse facing the golf course.  There is a sign that says “Grill”…walk in the door and there you are!!!!

This is a true grill.  It is a relatively small space which looks almost exactly like Stonebridge down the street, only scaled down.  It is very attractive with booths lining both walls, a bar in the center with televisions surrounding it, and high tops along the windows at one end.  I like it!!!  What is really special, and I can’t wait until it gets warm, is the spectacular under-roof porch lined with tables which goes the length of the building overlooking the golf course and its lake/retention pond.  I am impressed.  There is an outdoor alcove with a television.  This has to be a great space in the summer, and I am looking forward to visiting there on hot nights.

And the bonus to all of this is the food is very good.  Now…like I said…it is a true grill, which translates to a limited menu.   If you want a more dinner type of orientation with a larger selection…go someplace else…I recommend Stonebridge or The Blue Wolf, two of my favorite places.  Kennsington offers a small but well selected and well prepared array of appetizers and sandwiches, plus a few well selected dinner choices.  I have been here several times, and the food is good, and lots of it.

Any place that offers Turkey Devonshire has to be great.  This is a turkey sandwich smothered in a cheese sauce with bacon and tomatoes.   It is an old style dish (along with Welsh Rarebit) that has all but disappeared from American menus and I am glad to see it here.  The club sandwiches are huge, and last night I had the prime rib (Saturday only) and it makes my top five.  The onion rings (they also offer an onion blossom type thingamajig) are homemade and to die for with a dipping sauce with a little zing of cayenne pepper.

The service is good with friendly and attentive servers.  I was particularly impressed last night when there was a small issue with my order and the chef came out and asked how he should handle it rather than to just try to make do.   And the prices are reasonable, even for this area. 

I don’t know who is running the show over there right now.  And I have heard all sorts of rumors about the future of Kennsington as local clubs try to sort out what’s what in an oversaturated market in times of economic austerity.  I hope it continues its current modus operandi for many reasons.  A lot of people from Pittsburgh come here to play…greens fees in Pittsburgh can be let’s say…pricey!!!  Good for our economy!!!!

In the meantime, I will be looking for you on the patio this summer. 

The Kennsington Grill

4171 Westford Place

Canfield, OH  44406

330-533-8733 

Cafe Toscano - Aurora, Ohio

One of the advantages of writing a column like Youngstown Eats is I get folks who recommend various places to me to try I otherwise would have overlooked. Café Toscano is one of those places and I want to thank my friend who enthusiastically told me to go there. He was right.

Located in Aurora, Ohio, Café Toscano is the quintessential boite. It is small and trendy and run by foodies. My wife and I counted 15 tables which were full by 6:00. Translate: it helps to have a reservation. It has an attractive and informative web site, but has eschewed the Open Table reservation model usually associated with this type of establishment. You actually have to call on the telephone and talk to a really nice real live person for a reservation, and call early in the week!!!

Home to Café Toscano is a small, modern commercial building shared with a bank on Ohio Route 82 just east of Route of 43 or Route 306 depending on how you drive there…just about 55 minutes from Canfield. Our reservation was for 6:00 and we were surprised to see the number of cars parked outside when we got there early. Go inside, there is a small, and I mean small, bar off to the right with the dining area to the left. It is an attractive, inviting space with an open kitchen concept, and given that it is small, you can watch the chefs in action. They like to show off so there was lots of flaming!!! Décor is warm and modern with white table clothed tables covered again with white paper.

We are not used to this type of restaurant in the Youngstown area, although in Cleveland and Pittsburgh and I assume other big cities they are de rigueur because I keep running into them. We are used to traditional “restaurants” in our area: big spaces with a traditional restaurant feel. If we go small, we usually end up in a tavern or sports bar kind of place with wings and pizza. But in larger cities, the chef owned restaurant has shrunk in size with décor…and prices…going upscale. Pittsburgh is peppered with these little gems for the most part located in gentrified areas. Here is where you can experience the most creative and well prepared food. Be it the 17th Street Café or Dish Osteria on Pittsburgh’s southside, or Café Toscano in Aurora, the tab can easily expand if you split an appetizer and order a drink or two or three or four. This ain’t the Elmton or Scarsella’s. Get used to it. It is the new normal in our non-inflation society (ask Obama). It’s not in Youngstown yet, but “coming soon”.

The flip side for us on the paying end is we can expect, and should expect, a good experience and great food. Café Toscano does not disappoint and has gotten deservedly rave reviews from established Cleveland food critics. For what it is worth, I agree.

There is lots to like about Café Toscano….and some missteps too. The menu is great and well thought out with Italian dishes we are all used to but with some twists to make them interesting. This is grandma’s cooking on steroids. They offer several different sauces and parmesans…either chicken or veal.

We started with the Three Cheese appetizer which was basically eggplant with goat cheese. Eggplant is an acquired taste..and you can acquire it real fast here. Dear God in heaven, this was good, and they even skinned the eggplant (my mother’s pet peeve about restaurant eggplant dishes. Don’t ask!!!!). Stacked with this luscious cheese melted between the layers of eggplant on a bed of pomodoro sauce…who knew? BTW, they actually have eggplant parmesan on the menu….this isn’t that. Speaking of which…the pomodoro sauce is the bomb. It is featured in several of their entrees, you will not be disappointed.

So…my wife ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo with salmon. If you are going to do heart attack on a plate...do it here. This is one of the better Alfredo sauces I have had. I ordered the Veal Milanese, which is simple fried veal like a schnitzel. Very good. It was served with a pomodoro pasta. Next time I am going to order pasta with this wonderful sauce as the main course. I was impressed.

On the upside, the dinner price includes a salad or soup. On the downside, they weren’t very good. The salad was pedestrian greens on a plate….not even a tomato or olive in sight. The wedding soup was bad. It was cold with a carrot and tiny meatball in it. There may have been a green floating around and it was greasy. The other down side was the desserts, which looked to be fairly standard.  Do they make them there?  Who knows.  Given the quality of everything else here, this is all fixable.

Service was professional if not particularly friendly, and that’s okay. If I wanted a friend I would go to a bar. Keep my coffee cup filled and the bread basket replenished and the food coming in a timely manner I am as happy as a clam!!! Entrée prices are in the $17.00 - $24.00 range. Wine is in the $9.00/glass range…same with their martini selection.

I spend a lot of time in this area and Café Toscano moves to the top of the list of Italian restaurants when I am there. Its appetizers and main courses are primo….the accompaniments not so much and they should work on bringing those items up to speed to equal their other outstanding offerings. In the meantime, try that Three Cheese appetizer with eggplant. Oh Mama!!!!

Cafe Toscano
215 West Garfield Road
Aurora, Ohio 44202
330-995-2333

Red Lobster Redux

Youngstown Eats has been around for a couple of years. During that time I have never received a gratuity or free meal to review a restaurant. On the other hand….my mother didn’t raise a stupid son. So when I received an email from a marketing firm asking if I would be willing to review Red Lobster AND they would provide me with a gift card, I thought why not, especially since I like Red Lobster and go there for lunch on a regular basis. I don’t mind writing about what I like in the first place. I have given Red Lobster high marks before and am more than willing to do it again. The gift cards are a bonus!!!!

I am not a chain restaurant fan per se, although over the past few years the quality of chain restaurants has gone up a lot. Darden Restaurants have done a particularly good job. The Darden Restaurant family with local outlets includes Olive Garden, Longhorn Steak House, and Red Lobster. The “local” high end entry is the Capital Grille with a restaurant in downtown Pittsburgh. I go to all of these places and I like all of these places to varying degrees. If you are looking for “cuisine”, forget it. That’s not what they are. On the other hand, they all serve consistently well prepared food and you always get your money’s worth or I wouldn’t keep going.

The exception may be the Capital Grille which is pricey and I am not a fan of their aged steaks but I am a fan of just about everything else because it is a really cool place with outstanding just about everything else and worth the splurge and if I run any more sentences together my late English teacher will rise from the grave and come after me.

Red Lobster has always been a reliable standby. It must be doing something right because it is ALWAYS busy. The Boardman Red Lobster has been around awhile and recently underwent a facelift. It is an attractive space. The folks get snaps for a great remodeling job. They have an updated menu with numerous attractive choices….heavy on the shrimp and lobster but with a major expansion of chicken, tilapia and other entrees with quality and price in mind. That’s important because Red Lobster type restaurants always seem to be a tad on the more expensive side. Jumping on the bandwagon of healthy eating, there are plenty of low fat, low calorie choices…none of which sacrifice presentation and flavor.  This attention to what the public likes and what the public needs is why the Darden folks do well.

With my gift card…I ordered surf and turf (lobster and steak) and my wife ordered grilled salmon. This is pretty straight forward stuff and both were pretty straight forward good. My opinion of Red Lobster has stayed the same for years. They make good fish and a great steak. In fact, for many years when I wanted a good steak I would go to Red Lobster. My wife’s salmon was terrific. We ate. We left. We will go back!!! That’s a great endorsement.

I want to comment on a good thing and bad thing. Our server, a waiter named Tyler, was outstanding. What a friendly and great guy. A good server can make a difference. All of the servers at Red Lobster are well trained. I have never had a bad one. Good for Darden. Training wait staff is tough.

On the other hand….my restaurant pet peeve is the ta-da girls who man the hostess station. The last couple of times I have been there it has been a bit of challenge. Seating folks should not be difficult. Here’s a rule of thumb. Don’t tell the patrons there are no booths available when there are four empty ones right behind where you seat them. Here’s another rule of thumb…don’t argue about what is available with other staff members. That scenario didn’t happen this trip to Red Lobster, but my last time there it was almost funny…and it went on and on. Those at the hostess station are not impresarios. They are the first contact with the customer coming through the door. I understand that part of the job includes spreading the customers out over wait stations…BUT it should not be the priority to the point where the hostess is unfriendly or makes the customer feel uncomfortable. At least at the Boardman location, these folks could use some additional training.

I have always liked Red Lobster. I will continue to like Red Lobster, and Longhorn, and the Olive Garden, and the Capital Grille. And hey…to the marketing group in Florida…thanks for dinner and feel free to call on me again.  I would love a trip to the Capital Grille in Pittsburgh!!!!

RED LOBSTER
1410 Boardman-Poland Rd
Youngstown, OH 44514
(330) 758-0979

P.F. Chang's / Maple Syrup and Lo Mein - Beachwood

This past Saturday was beautiful day. The sun was out. It was unseasonably warm for March. I needed a new place to review. My wife had recently traveled through Middlefield up in Geauga County and thought it might be a nice place to take a drive to do some sightseeing and antiquing. Plus this is Ohio Amish country. There was a tavern in the center of town she said looked interesting. So we got into the car to burn some $3.90/gallon gas (my car required premium) and off we went!!

I had done some research on where to eat in them “thar” parts. The tavern turned out to be just that. I found two “country” type restaurants that serve up “genuine Amish cooking” with all the “fixin's’.” You either are, or aren’t, a “fixin's” person. I am not because no matter where I go the “fixin's” I eat there are never as good as the “fixin's” I eat at home. I generally eschew places like Das Dutch Village in Columbiana, and these places were cookie cutter duplicates. But when I need a place to review in a specific area, one has to go with the flow…or not!!!!

First a word about Geauga County! Over the years I have come to believe that Geauga County is as pretty a county as you will find anywhere in the United States. Mesopotamia (along the Geauga/Trumbull Counties border) and Middlefield, Burton, and Chardon are wonderful little towns that ooze Americana. As you drive further west along Ohio Route 87 you leave the Ohio flatlands and move into rolling hills filled with lakes and streams. You pass Punderson State Park with its really interesting lodge and cabins and eventually end up in Hunting Valley along the Chagrin River. It is so beautiful you will not believe you are in Ohio. Lots of outdoor stuff to do!

We did the maple sugar bit in Burton watching them make maple syrup in the sugar cabin on the square. All of the maple trees in March have either tins or blue bags on them collecting sap. It takes fifty gallons of sap to make one gallon of pure maple syrup. I am not a pure maple syrup fan…it is almost too sweet for me, but going to where they make it is a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Chardon’s Maple Sugar Festival is April 25 – 28. You may want to check it out. Also check out what Geauga County has to offer. It is a great place.

At any rate, as we progressed along our sightseeing, we ended up in Hunting Valley and Moreland Hills. It was too far to drive back to the fixin’s places, so we decided to pay a visit to the next best thing: P.F. Chang’s in Beachwood!!! I don’t know how we made the move from turkey and stuffing to orange beef with fried rice. It takes a whole different mindset. But I digress!!

I have had a love/hate with P.F. Chang’s over the years. These guys weren’t first national Chinese chain restaurant on the block. China Dynasty tried it and failed. It mostly used pre-packaged food and it showed. What P.F. Chang’s did was to move to fresh ingredients and preparation. It was a hit. Their restaurant in Beachwood was the place to go for more than a number of years.

Let’s start with the good. Their food is good!! It is about as good Chinese food as I have had anywhere. The spicy entrees are not real hot in a move to cater to the pedestrians among us, but they have sauces to compensate and add heat if you so desire. Food is well prepared, well presented, and in ample portions.

I enjoy their fried dumplings with an appetizer portion enough to serve 4. I love the crab wontons. Their appetizer menu, in fact their entire menu, has taken a Southeast Asian bend with some wonderful Vietnamese light offerings and some spicy Thai choices.

For a main course (and I have done just appetizers there on more than one occasion) I had my favorite standby Orange Beef. This is not deep fried like some places. It is lightly pan tossed flank steak served in a chili sauce with orange peel. It is very good. My wife had the pork lo mein, one of her favorites.

Here is the bad. This is a pretty restaurant but is now getting a tad long in the tooth. Getting in and out of this place…through the ta-da girls at the hostess station…is a challenge. First they didn’t take reservations…then they did…then they didn’t…then they did call ahead seating. Now they have “online reservations” on their website which is helpful.

This is a big restaurant, and there are tables stuck everywhere, and if you get stuck at one that is stuck where you don’t really want to be, it is problematic. Restaurants that are more concerned about station assignments than customer satisfaction drive me nuts. Graciousness is not a trait here. Getting seated can be a chore. And the service, while okay, is not particularly friendly. It got so bad we stopped going there for a long time. I can report that it has improved somewhat but still has a way to go. So…when we go P.F.Chang’s now, we go mid Saturday afternoon when it is tolerably busy and we are frank with the twenty something ta-da girls. Notwithstanding, the food can be worth the effort.

I have always liked P.F. Chang’s food. It would take just a little bit of effort to make a tolerable experience a pleasurable one.

P.F. Chang’s
26001 Chagrin Blvd.
Beachwood, OH 44122
(216) 292-1411