Russo's Kitchen

Place:  Russo’s Kitchen

Web-site: www.russoskitchen.com

Location:  4895 State Road 
Peninsula, OH 44264 Google Maps 

Quick Blurb:

Russo’s is quickly becoming one of our favourite places to visit. Specializing in Italian-Creole “soul food”, Russo’s prides itself on its fresh seafood dishes and authentic flavours. Come with at least another person and share the appetizers!

Review:

Appearance:

There isn’t much to the place. It’s located next to one of the multiple motels on State Road and inside it looks like an ordinary diner. Seating is made up of mainly booths, only a few tables (I’m a table fan), and a bar where you can sit and enjoy the cooking action - I really enjoy sitting here.

Staff:

I’ve read some negative reviews on-line about the staff and I’m not really sure what they are based upon. Each time we’ve visited Russo’s we have not had a reservation – and each time the staff was happy to find us a table or allow us to sit at the bar. Our waiters have been overly friendly, prompt service while also allowing you the time to enjoy your meals (they don’t bring out your main dish when you’re still enjoying your appetizer – this is one thing that really annoys me at most places).

Meal:

Appetizer:

On our recent visit, we chose from their daily specials menu:

Tempura fried local squash blossoms filled with chevre, ricotta, lemon zest, fresh herbs & pine nuts, served with lemon garlic butter sauce.

Dave’s famous Lafaytte skillet fondue with sweet corn, roasted red bell peppers & jumbo lump crabmeat served with French bread crostini.

Ok, so both of these dishes were amazing. The stuffed blossoms combined goat cheese tartness, citrus and creamy ricotta to provide a taste the reminded me of cheese croquettes back in Belgium. The lemon garlic sauce was runny, not creamy and paired nicely, albeit a little too salty for my liking.

The skillet fondue is something that I’ll be dreaming about for a few days: Rich and creamy sauce, big chunks of crabmeat, a great level of sweetness from both the peppers and corn. The combination was simply amazing. The crostini were drizzled in some olive oil, had a great crunch and were sliced nice and thin. We ran out of crostini – not a problem – our waitress gladly provided us with some more. I highly recommend this if you see it on the menu.

Entrée:

My wife went for the chicken fried steak again. I have to admit, it is really, really good. If you’re a fan of chicken fried steak, get it here. I nicked a piece from her the first time we came and was impressed; it almost made me want to get it myself. The home-style (not perfectly whipped, had some chunks) mashed potatoes and gravy topped it off.

Who thought chicken fried steak could be so colourful?

I am glad that I ordered the soft-shell crab though. Oh my. Partnered with some fried green tomatoes and more jumbo lump crabmeat on the side made me more than happy with my choice. I was a little hesitant on the soft-shell crab – I thought it was a little too late in the season. But, our waitress assured me they were still good to eat and I can attest that she tells the truth! The tartness of the green tomatoes balanced the saltiness of the breading. Add in the sweet crabmeat and you have a nice triangle of flavours.

Presentation was very cool - the vegetable "hair" and sitting a top of a pedestal of fried green tomatoes

Desserts:

We’re always too full to even entertain the idea – but I’m not a sweet tooth, so this is ok with me!

Drinks:

They make some mean martinis – similar to Moe’s. They have a small draft beer selection, but you have some great beers to choose from.

Prices:

Both times, it cost us over $100 for the two of us. This included two martinis and two beers, two appetizers and two entrees. Some may think that it is a bit much, and I appreciate that, but in my opinion, you are definitely getting your money’s worth.

Overall Experience:

Two wonderful visits here and I’m positive there are more to come. The only complaint so far is that one dish’s sauce was a little too salty, but then again, I’m not a salt fan. Everything else has exceeded our expectations that were falsely made by reading negative reviews online; which are precisely why I started reviewing restaurants myself. I highly recommend trying Russo’s – and when you do, get a dish that has the Louisiana Crawfish sauce – as the expression says, “It’s to die for”.

Michael Symon's B-Spot

Place: Michael Symon’s B-Spot
Web-site: http://www.bspotburgers.com/
Location: 28699 Chagrin Boulevard - Woodmere, OH 44122 Google Maps

Quick Blurb:
Having now experienced my second Michael Symon restaurant, I can say that I’m becoming a big fan of his cooking. Indoor and outdoor seating, simple menu, great draft beer selection and phenomenal burgers is what the B-Spot is all about. Seriously, the hamburgers are the best I’ve had in the area – cooked to perfection, full of distinct flavours, and oh, so juicy!

Review:

Appearance:
I didn’t know where this place was, so I was a little shocked that it was relatively close to where I live - I was expecting another downtown Cleveland drive. Immediately I noticed the outdoor seating. I love being able to enjoy the weather (see my review on The Galaxy). I only spent a few moments inside asking for a table, so I don’t know a lot about how it is in there. But, outside was great – colourful flowers everywhere, umbrellas to keep the sun off of you and attentive servers that don’t leave you hanging. Plus, you can “people watch” the shoppers that walk by.

Staff:
Everyone we talked to was very friendly - what more could you ask for? Our waitress was helpful in letting us know how “the system” operated (no appetizers , pickle bar, etc), and laughed along with us as my friend ordered the double-decker (yeah, exactly).

Meal:

Appetizer:
None here – they're considered sides. I’ll review them with the full meal below.

Entrée:
I had the Red Hot burger – piled high with pulled pork, pickled tomato, hot peppers, pepperjack cheese and finished with a sriracha mayo. Yum! I asked for it medium rare and it was perfectly cooked – this is definitely a place that I trust the quality of the meat. I liked having the pepperjack cheese in place of traditional cheddar, and I was a fan of the pickled tomatoes. I may be living on another level of hot than most, because the hot peppers weren’t hot enough for me – I like a good bite. Anyway, it didn't bother me; it just didn’t meet my expectations of the hotness. The sriracha mayo was something new to me and I enjoyed it a lot. I am a Sriracha fan to begin with; I’m not sure why I never thought about mixing it with mayo to use as a spread, but this is one idea I took back home.

Would you just look at that? You can see the pork, hot peppers, pickled tomatoes and of course, the burger!

Overall, my experience with the Red Hot burger was one that raised and set the bar in terms of burger quality in the area. I am a big fan of the Mo-Betta burger at Moe’s , but the Red Hot has too many unique things to it that really makes it stand alone.

My wife got the Thin Lizzy, my friend the Doubler and his wife the Lola burger. Everyone fell in love with their specific burger. My persistence paid off as my wife allowed me to steal a bite of her Thin Lizzy – nothing too fancy, but the carmelized onions were de-li-cious! As for The Doubler, I think that after just looking at it, I became instantly full – that’s how big it is. Kudoo’s to my friend who finished it, but I would rather go for a single patty with multiple toppings! (I’m all about variety of flavours!) Finally, the Lola burger – this just looked amazing. And if it wasn’t for my natural tendency of ordering anything that says “Hot”, I would have chosen the Lola immediately (fried egg, bacon, pickled red onions, cheddar and mayo). I am a big fan of breakfast and this is breakfast on a burger – what a solid idea. It also brought back some memories of living in Australia where I first had a fried egg on a burger. I thought it was an awesome idea back then and still do now! More than likely, the Lola burger will be my choice when I go back – oh, and I am definitely going back!

Sorry for the blurriness - but you can see how nicely the cheddar cheese is melted and the caramelized onions hanging off to the left

We did order some Lola fries (which are amazing and reminded us of our dinner at Lola’s). They’re thin cut and seasoned with rosemary and sea salt. Yum! And, after reading a review that showed the Parmesan Fondue, I just had to order it. This was something I hadn’t had before and I really enjoyed the variation. The chips were not as crispy as I would have liked, but I think that’s a personal preference…as when I said that, my wife said “oh really? I like the not so crispy ones”. Oh well, there were plenty of chips to share with four people and the fondue was very good – nicely melted and so different from the ranch / nacho cheese dip that we are all used to seeing. A fun twist!

Also to note - there is a pickle bar inside where you can load up on more pickled vegetables. I didn't go inside to try it out, but my friend's wife did and she liked it. Finally, they serve you 6 different types of "sauces" to add onto your burger if you so wish. I very much enjoyed the Lola Ketchup - give it a go!


Desserts:None – but the shakes kind of count!

Drinks:
A wonderful draft beer selection – I ordered the Rogue Somer Orange Honey Ale (Wheat Ale). I never had it before and my friend and I had just finished brewing our own Orange Blossom Honey Ale. Well, it didn’t taste anything like our concoction (not a bad thing!) but it was very refreshing with a hint of citrus and very light to drink. It paired very well with the Red Hot.



Price:
Burgers are about $10, sides range from $3 - $7 beers and shakes $5 – Not bad at all considering the quality of food your are getting.

Overall:
I now finally appreciate all the hype surrounding The B-Spot. This is yet another place that I regret not having visited earlier. That said, I’ll be back this summer – to enjoy the amazing Lola Burger and the outdoors…also to try out the other sides. I highly recommend paying a visit – it wasn’t crowded at all on a Sunday afternoon, but I do hear it gets quite busy at night time and they have a First Come – First Served policy. Have fun!

Old Carolina BBQ Company

Place:  Old Carolina BBQ Company
Web-site: http://www.oldcarolina.com

Location:  620 Ridgewood Crossing Drive, 
Fairlawn, OH 44333 Google Maps

Quick Blurb:

Not too many places in Ohio serve BBQ reminiscent of the south. In fact, I don’t think there is another place quite like Old Carolina in Northeast Ohio. Come for their deliciously smoked meat and true vinegar BBQ sauces.

This location is latest of three in the area – you can find the others in Massillon and Canton.

Review:

Appearance:

Located in a strip mall immediately off of the highway, the restaurant is just another building with a sign out front. Upon walking in, you notice it is very clean and has a simple layout, with a semi-diner style. There’s a counter where you order your food and then they’ll come deliver it to you. There is an area where you can get your fountain drinks and the array of BBQ sauces. It’s very much like Fuddruckers.

Staff:

I can’t talk up the staff enough – they were overly friendly, patient with us first-timers and always had a smile. They delivered our food and cleaned up after us. We even ended up staying and chit chatting with our friends past the time they closed and they never said anything that would lead us to believe that we had to get going. I finally noticed that no one else was coming in and then realized it was past closing time. They just smiled at us and said, “Hope to see you guys again!” I wish a few more restaurants could have workers this friendly.

Meal:

Appetizer:

None

Entrée:

I went for The Outlaw – with the choice of three meats from: pulled pork, beef brisket, smoked turkey, 4 ribs, 1⁄4 chicken or 3 tenders. I chose the pork, ribs and tenders. It included two sides and I chose: Mac N Cheese and Fries

What a meal. The ribs were smoked beautifully – prior to eating with a sauce, I tried some of the meat ‘au natural’. The meat fell right off the bone – literally, and had a great crispy crust on the top with a smoky flavour that didn’t overwhelm. Then came the pulled pork – lovely strings of juicy pork and, again with a great smoky flavour. Finally, the tenders – they look so simple and like every other tender you get in restaurants, but once I took a bite, I noticed the quality difference in the chicken. The breading had some good seasoning and was nice and crispy, locking in all the juiciness of the chicken. I could have each of these plain – but I had to dig into the sauces:

Original Classic (sweet)

Piedmont #5 (tangy)

Original Gold (golden bbq)

Screamin’ Beaver (tastefully hot)

All vinegar based, my favourites are the Screamin’ Beaver and the Original Classic. Others at the table were totally sold on the Original Gold. This doesn’t mean that the Piedmont #5 was bad – it too had its uniqueness. I think these are four very different sauces and you will find the one that suits you – have fun figuring it out!

My dish came with two sides – I opted for the fries and the Four Cheese Mac N Cheese. I wasn’t really impressed with the sides:  the fries were OK, but you could tell they were frozen; the Mac N Cheese, even though gloating four cheeses in its name, didn’t even taste like there was any cheese in it. Luckily, the meat was so much that I didn’t need to eat the sides to feel satisfied.

Desserts:

None

Drinks:

The sweet tea was delicious!

Prices:

$31 for two people. Very affordable.

Overall Experience:

I would find myself coming back here for a BBQ fix, but I wouldn’t get the meals that come with the sides, not worth it. The BBQ smoked meat is really, really good; moist and flavourful even without sauces. The people are extremely polite and the prices are reasonable. I don’t know why there were a lot of negative reviews online about this place, unless the restaurant has changed its cooking methods since then. Some people complained about the meat being too dry – not the case. Others complained that the sauce was an extra charge – again, not the case. I say go there and see for yourself and let me know you thoughts!

The Stew Pot

Place:  The Stew Pot

Web-site: http://www.thestewpotkitchen.com/ (not yet working at the time of this review)

Location:  30 North High Street, Akron, OH 44316 Google Maps

Quick Blurb:

The Stew Pot is, at the time of this review, a new restaurant that just had its Grand Opening. Choose from homemade soups, burgers or beer cooked hot dogs. The friendly, family atmosphere paired with really good, honest and affordable food, will make this a popular stop.

Review:

Appearance:

Located in an old office building, there isn’t much to the outside. When you walk in, the paint color creates a welcoming, warm feeling. There are some tables to your left and the counter directly in front of you, with the old-style soup pots to the side – very cool, although hidden behind some see through shelves. I’d like to see the pots as if on display – it’s a soup place, show off the soup! Everything screams family restaurant, which is something I haven’t found around the area yet – I like it!

I think that as time goes by, they may redesign the layout inside to be more accommodating when ordering and sitting. It just seemed a little cramped when ordering, and there were only three tables to sit at, albeit they were tables for four people. I think multiple, smaller, two person tables would be better. It didn’t bother me as it wasn’t crowded, but having only three tables to sit at will become a problem once the word gets around about how good the soups are!

Staff:

The lady that served us at the cashier was welcoming, and the gentleman (who I believe is the owner and chef) was very friendly. He takes great pride in his food – in fact the Beer Cheese soup that I ordered had some chunks of cheese in it that hadn’t melted completely. I wasn’t bothered by it and actually liked it a little, but it wasn’t how he wanted it to be served, so they gave me a complimentary to-go cup. Very nice touch – thank you!

Meal:

Appetizer:

None

Entrée:

I ordered a 16oz cup of the Beer Cheese soup (yes, soup on a hot summer’s day – and it was great!) and two of their Smoked Chicken Cheddar crescent rolls. Add on a can of soda and my total came to less than $5!

The Beer Cheese soup was so full of flavour. The sharp cheddar cheese (and perhaps another?) paired with the yeast/fermented taste of the beer reminded me of a cheese fondue. So good! I had a piece of a baguette on the side, but as I ordered two crescent rolls, I didn’t eat it.

The crescent rolls were really good! A good piece of smoked chicken with what tasted like Cajun spices and cheddar cheese wrapped up in pastry. The only thing I’d recommend changing was the presentation – they were served in a Tupper ware container that you opened and served yourself. It slightly turned me off and cramped up the ordering area as well. But ultimately, they were delicious!

Now onto my friend’s chili dog – holy cow! Now this is one massive hot dog that we cut in half and shared. All beef and cooked in beer. Served with a bunch of sausage chili on top made it quite the site to be seen. I’m personally not a hot dog man, so although it looked great and had some good flavours, I wouldn’t order one. But that’s simply based on my general feeling for hot dogs – which is why I didn’t get one myself. For hot dog lovers out there, give it a go and let me know what you think!

Desserts:

None

Drinks:

Soda was $0.75 for a can and water $0.50 for a bottle – cheap.

Prices:

Very affordable. My total meal was under $5 – a bargain for fresh, homemade food. You can’t even get a Subway foot-long and a drink for that price.

Overall Experience:

Situated on a one-way street made it a little difficult to figure out where to park and how to get there. Maybe it’s my lack of knowledge of downtown Akron and I hope that it doesn’t discourage people from coming because I really enjoyed my first time here. I’ll admit that I went in slightly biased towards wanting to like the place. But, my review is ultimately how I see it. The soup I had was very good and I will be going back to try their other styles. I overheard how he uses roast beef from the deli to make his Kansas City Steak soup – it almost made me order a cup right then and there, if I hadn’t been so full from the food already.

It’s a very satisfying place to go to and I can’t wait to warm up in the winter here. I’m sure as people start flocking, they’ll find a way to have more seating and an easier ordering area. But then again, maybe most of their customers are the To-Go type.

Good luck to The Stew Pot and check them out on Facebook!

The Galaxy

Place:  The Galaxy

Web-site: http://www.galaxyrestaurant.com/

Location:  201 Park Center Drive, Wadsworth, Ohio  Google Maps

Quick Blurb:

For the handful of ‘relaxing on a patio’ months that we have here in Northeast Ohio, you should make your way down to the Galaxy. Drink, eat, and be merry in the sun or shade – just the fact that there is large outdoor eating area should keep you coming back here. The honest sandwiches, decent draft beers and occasional live music are bonuses.

Review:

Appearance:

From the outside, it doesn’t look like much. Situated off the highway next to the Radison hotel, gives me the impression of a cheapish restaurant with its sole purpose of feeding the guests at the hotel that doesn’t have its own restaurant. The outside entrance, while kept up, looks a little dated. Inside, I got even a little more confused with the entrance looking a little hotel-esque. Once inside the main bar/dining area, my eyes took a while to adjust as it was so dark! But, given the right time of day, I think I would really enjoy an atmosphere like this – it was relaxing. But we kept pressing through to the patio area. We were a little early and it was a Monday, so the bar pavilions weren’t up and running (totally understandable) – but they looked like a lot of fun. The rock wall with a waterfall was very pleasant (see photo 1) and the various canopies (see photo 2) really made you feel like you were not in NEO. Although it is near the highway, and we were the only ones outside, the noise of the cars was minimal and not annoying at all.

I’ve noticed on their website that there are a few sections to this place – a Dining Room, a Wine Room and the Sports Bar. I would assume we walked through the sports bar towards the patio.

Here are a few photos of the patio:

Staff:

The staff was very nice. We were greeted with a smile and seated promptly. Our waitress, also friendly, did an excellent job in timing of when to come see us and when to leave us alone. What more could you really ask? If only high-end places were like this all the time...

Meal:

Appetizer:

We started off with an order of the potato skins and the spinach and artichoke dip. YUM! Now, don’t expect the potato skins to look like a perfect potato – that’s because they make these from scratch, as in they were not previously frozen. They were baked to a delicious crunch, not deep fried like you would get at some restaurants serving frozen skins.

The spinach and artichoke dip was different than what I’ve had before – a good different. It seemed to have some Boursin cheese included – most likely was some herbs they added, but it was great, unexpected and somewhat set a new level of spinach-artichoke dip! Haha! It came served in a bread bowl, which was a fun touch and included four ‘slices’ of thin, crunchy flat bread – another differentiating trait. But, this time I wasn’t as excited. It wasn’t bad, but it would break apart in the dip and just frustrate me as I try to get out the piece left behind! There came the point where we had to break apart the bowl to finish off the dip – I liked that part! The bread was very nice – a solid sourdough (one of my favourites).

Overall the appetizers were a hit.

Entrée:

I ordered the Italian Sub – I’m very much a cold-cut guy and here is the description:

Hot Italian Sub

Layers of salami, capicola and ham

topped with provolone cheese, lettuce,

tomato, shaved onions, pepperoncinis with

our Italian dressing on a

toasted hoagie.

Notice the first word? “Layers” – that just got my attention and I couldn’t get away from it. I did mistaken the combination of the words “Hot” and “Pepperoncinis” to imply it would have a good bite to it, but the pepperoncinis were actually mild and the sandwich was hot as in temperature. Not burning, but warm. I still very much enjoyed it – the meat was good quality, the cheese nicely melted and the Italian dressing wasn’t over powering the flavours of the ingredients.

My wife had the Caprese Panini – just as you could imagine, it was Mozzarella (and it was the kind that comes in a ball that they slice by hand), tomatoes, basil, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. She enjoyed it and I had a chance to have the last bite since she was full. I very much liked the ingredients, but wasn’t overly impressed with the bread – it crumbled too easily and didn’t have much flavor.

Our friend ordered the buffalo chicken wrap – and it looked just as you would think, but with a nice touch (at least I thought so). The wrap was a tomato wrap – red in colour. I think this was a nice, fun touch, and one that I have never seen before. Although offered, I didn’t take a bite so I’m going with his word that he “like it a lot”.

Desserts:

No Dessert…

Drinks:

An above average draft selection, but with above average prices. Stick to the monthly specials and you’ll be fine ($2 Coors  Draft). But when I’m sitting out on a patio in the heat of summer, any cold beer is delicious, so I’m not really bothered by this.

Prices:

Besides the beer being slightly above average, everything else was fairly normal, and when you think about the actual quality of the ham, salami and capicola that was in the sandwich I had, then I would say I came out on top.

Overall Experience:

Overall, I want to go back to the Galaxy and enjoy the outdoors. Sure, I have a patio at home, but it’s always more fun with people around and someone serving you a drink instead of having to get up and get one. Plus, I don’t have a waterfall at home. I’m also very keen on trying out their Wine Room – their website mentions that they do flights...that’s always a good time.

I recommend going to the Galaxy and just having fun outside this summer. There aren’t too many places with an outdoor area quite like this.



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