donw9876


Anyway, I ate at Doubleday's in Centerville with my brother yesterday. This place is egalitarian, it's patronized by all social and ideological elements.

The main impressions:

It's a genteel, clean "bar" atmosphere. I really like the layout and decor.

The menu has a vast selection of items for a bar & grill.

Portions seem to be huge. This is kind of a disadvantage in that you are forced to pay for a lot more food than one person may wish to eat. One trivial example is that their smallest side salad looks more like a dinner salad in size but without the ham and chicken, and costs almost $5. There's no cheap side salad option.

My brother got the chicken pot pie dinner which IIRC was about $10.99 with a salad. It is baked with a crust only on top in a white tureen that is about 10" wide and looks like a huge banana split boat.  It was freakin' huge; he said it was quite tasty and somehow ate it all.

I got a personal sized meat lover's pizza, which I ordered "well done", for $9 or so. (no pizza option for a full lunch, it's a la carte.) I found it was probably unnecessary to order it well done. The ingredients were all excellent. They make an "ingredient focused", not a "crust focused" pizza; there was a waffle pattern on the bottom that looked like they probably bake it in a non stick skillet or something.  It reminded me of Johnny's/Roc-A-Fella's. I enjoyed it.

The main drawback was that the service was good but extremely impersonal. Our server was perfunctory to the max.  I sort of remember that from an earlier visit. No feeling of a personal touch.

I'd definitely go back, however. For what you get it's on the high side but it's very good food. If you want to go to an O'Charley's or Applebee's or Ruby Tuesday type place, this place is a great alternative.

Duly added to my To Be Tried list.  Thanks! 

Captain Howdy

donw9876


Anyway, I ate at Doubleday's in Centerville with my brother yesterday. This place is egalitarian, it's patronized by all social and ideological elements.

The main impressions:

It's a genteel, clean "bar" atmosphere. I really like the layout and decor.

The menu has a vast selection of items for a bar & grill.

Portions seem to be huge. This is kind of a disadvantage in that you are forced to pay for a lot more food than one person may wish to eat. One trivial example is that their smallest side salad looks more like a dinner salad in size but without the ham and chicken, and costs almost $5. There's no cheap side salad option.

My brother got the chicken pot pie dinner which IIRC was about $10.99 with a salad. It is baked with a crust only on top in a white tureen that is about 10" wide and looks like a huge banana split boat.  It was freakin' huge; he said it was quite tasty and somehow ate it all.

I got a personal sized meat lover's pizza, which I ordered "well done", for $9 or so. (no pizza option for a full lunch, it's a la carte.) I found it was probably unnecessary to order it well done. The ingredients were all excellent. They make an "ingredient focused", not a "crust focused" pizza; there was a waffle pattern on the bottom that looked like they probably bake it in a non stick skillet or something.  It reminded me of Johnny's/Roc-A-Fella's. I enjoyed it.

The main drawback was that the service was good but extremely impersonal. Our server was perfunctory to the max.  I sort of remember that from an earlier visit. No feeling of a personal touch.

I'd definitely go back, however. For what you get it's on the high side but it's very good food. If you want to go to an O'Charley's or Applebee's or Ruby Tuesday type place, this place is a great alternative.

Duly added to my To Be Tried list.  Thanks! 

I haven't eaten there in years it seems. I did try out the Mel-O-Dee after seeing it listed on the website the other day. Fantastic chicken, awesome biscuits and gravy and wonderful pie. Hash browns needs some serious work but everything else was just great.

Our lunchbunch was here today:

http://cincinnati.metromix.com/restaurants/chinese/china-buffet-union-township/606184/content

A report with photos follows.  We get here about once or twice a year and are never disappointed with the immense buffet offered.

http://dayton.kudzu.com/merchant/reviews/19989768.html

..some interesting comments..

NYPIzzaNut


http://dayton.kudzu.com/merchant/reviews/19989768.html

..some interesting comments..

Not to be a Richard, but I didn't find the comments all that interesting.  I like the place (despite the owner's thuggish tendencies), but none of those comments added anything new or different to RF's previous discussion(s) of Troni's.

So is Troni's a good place to eat?

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g60785-d825860-r41099207-Troni_s_Pizza_Restaraunt-Dayton_Ohio.html

I seldom give 5 star reviews, but Troni's earned this one. The pizza puts every other place in Dayton to shame.

Captain Howdy

NYPIzzaNut


http://dayton.kudzu.com/merchant/reviews/19989768.html

..some interesting comments..

Not to be a Richard, but I didn't find the comments all that interesting.  I like the place (despite the owner's thuggish tendencies), but none of those comments added anything new or different to RF's previous discussion(s) of Troni's.

A Richard?  A rabbi, no less,  loves Troni's!  Thuggish tendencies?  No one has been convicted of anything yet, and this was more of a domestic disagreement, from what it looks like. 

When I was there recently it was business as usual, as you can tell from the photos I posted of Sami and his son, and  the staff there.  And as I said I think it was the best pizza  I have gotten there yet!

Happy Holidays!!

Doubleday's - our experience there, two weeks ago, was not so rosy. "Perfunctory" is the perfect word for the "service" - take the order, bring the food, drop it and don't come back. That's ok, I forgot to drop the tip, too. As for the food, it was no better than the service. My wife ordered the 'Philly cheesesteak' sandwich, which consisted of a minute portion of shredded beef and some melted provolone on a stale French baguette, no onions or peppers, with a little canned Au Jus. Subway does a better cheesesteak than that. 
I tried their BPT. It is a frozen piece about the size of a football cut out of cardboard, which it strongly resembled in taste and appearance. The only plus was the Sam Adams Winter Ale, served as it should be, at about cellar temp instead of ice-cold as too many places do. The cold kills the taste IMHO. Anyway - no return visit for us and not recommended for anyone else. Also - management does not reply to customer critiques.
We salvaged the weekend on Saturday, though - went to Troni's for a magnificent pizza. :o)

NYPIzzaNut


Our lunchbunch was here today:

http://cincinnati.metromix.com/restaurants/chinese/china-buffet-union-township/606184/content

A report with photos follows.  We get here about once or twice a year and are never disappointed with the immense buffet offered.

Here is a slideshow of our visit to the China Buffet at Eastgate (in the strip shopping center in front of the new super Walmart):
http://s417.photobucket.com/albums/pp260/radians2009/China%20Buffet%20Eastgate/?albumview=slideshow

Here are the individual photos in a grid format:

http://s417.photobucket.c...a%20Buffet%20Eastgate/

Photo descriptions:

1 Storefront
2 Long-time Owners of China Buffet
3 Our waitress at work
4 View from our table toward the 100 item buffet tables
5 First buffet table with mussels and shrimp on ice in view closest to you
6 Buffet table with soups, fried wontons, pan-fried dumplings and boiled dumplings etc
7, 8, 9 Other buffet tables
10 View in front of the China Buffet parking lot looking towards St Rt 32 to orient you where this strip center is located - note McDonald's straight ahead in the distance
11 Heading out of the strip center and going toward McDonalds and St Rt 32 you go by the Fuji Steak House with a few cars in their parking lot (just before 130 PM).  I have not been there yet but my wife and a friend were there earlier this past week and enjoyed the food.  Around $12 -$13 an entree plus a drink.  She said there were about 15 people in the place at around noon during their visit.  Not too sure this place will be around for long.
12 Our lunchbunch, stuffed to the gills

I love the dumplings and soups and roast pork and mushrooms in oyster sauce most of all but all their food is very good and kept warm and fresh - of course the earlier you go (11 AM opening) the best selections and freshness you get as with any buffet. 

Their lunch buffet is $5.95 plus drink and they give 50 cents off for each senior.

You cannot beat this kind of deal any more anywhere that I know of.

Roadkill Bill
  Doubleday's - our experience there, two weeks ago, was not so rosy. "Perfunctory" is the perfect word for the "service" - take the order, bring the food, drop it and don't come back. That's ok, I forgot to drop the tip, too. As for the food, it was no better than the service. ... Anyway - no return visit for us and not recommended for anyone else. Also - management does not reply to customer critiques.

Thanks for the review.  I got a vibe when I ate there that the service could go that way. I have no loyalty to the place, I just documented our experience as accurately as possible.

So I will probably not suggest it to my wife for an evening out. It sounds pretty risky after reading your account.

The interesting thing is that Doubleday's gets either really good or really awful reviews on rating web sites. The people who diss it generally complain about inattentive and impersonal service. And it appears to be a function of whether you're drinking in the bar or not (drinkers get better service.)

$6 for all you can eat....that's either a really good deal or a recipe for disaster. Upon your reply I'll know you're still alive (and haven't passed from food poisoning) and that everything was up to par.

$.50 off for seniors...there's not an old fart in your bunch, from the looks of it you all have another 25+ years to receive that discount

EatingTheRoad


$6 for all you can eat....that's either a really good deal or a recipe for disaster. Upon your reply I'll know you're still alive (and haven't passed from food poisoning) and that everything was up to par.

$.50 off for seniors...there's not an old fart in your bunch, from the looks of it you all have another 25+ years to receive that discount

Acually I do not know how they survive with prices like that - because the buffet is one of two Chinese buffets in this area of the country that I consider very good deals - they do pack them in - I will say that - the place is big and fills up pretty fast for lunch - never have had dinner there.

Our group ranges from going on 60 to about 67 - thank you very much!

Heck they even gave us each a lovely 2010 panda calendar as we were leaving!

...and you're still here so that means the food was at least passable. How many people would you guesstimate dine there on a lunch...just from your observation?

No idea. but a lot - we were too busy chowing down but most of the tables were full about 1130 AM  - we got there at opening time (11 AM) to get the best table with room for our handicapped member and we left after 1 PM - never really paid a lot of attention - lots of families with little kids who packed away more food than some adults.

I was looking at an old menu from about 3 years ago I have on my frig and noted they have only hiked the lunch buffet a dollar in 3 years or so - amazing!


The food is much more than passable - their hot and sour soup is a taste bouquet as are their boiled dumplings (dim sum) and roast pork and mushrooms in oyster sauce - no other Chinese restaurant in the area we have tried offers this pork dish, and it is really really tasty!!

Lots of their dishes are very good, for buffet food. The plain fact is you cannot sample too many as there are so many there!!  But over many visits with my wife and my lunchgroup and other friends I think I have sampled most of the offerings and very few are disappointing.

NYPIzzaNut

We paid another visit to Oleg's this past Thursday which of course was New Year's Eve.  We had one person missing from the previous lunch and one new one joined us.  A full report with photos and / or slide show follows shortly.  I can tell you now though that this visit was every bit as good as the first one, and if you have never been to this place and enjoy German/Ukrainian food you should try it because it is simply wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!!

NYPIzzaNut

NYPIzzaNut

NYPIzzaNut


For those of you who may be interested I go out to lunch weekly with friends from greater Cinci and Dayton areas.  I now live in Sardinia in Brown County, at Lake Waynoka.

I have lived in greater Cinci since 1977 - first in Mt Washington and then in Westwood.

I am from Yonkers NY originally ( born in Manhattan and lived in the Bronx and Corona Queens as a babe and toddler - moved to Yonkers in 1949).  I have also lived in Alabama from 1970 - 1977.

So my  food ideas come from this background and the lunch companions I eat with weekly.

Our group has changed since 2000 when we first began it - it is known as the Lunchbunch.  The members are from Paris TN and  Enosburg Falls VT and Detroit MI ( and me from Yonkers mainly ) originally - to give you some idea about our food preferences etc.

I have posted on the the Cinci and Dayton threads about our visits to restaurants in this area of the country in the past but through some discussion etc it seems best to put our meandering lunches in a separate thread - I hesitated to do this simply because I thought it might confuse members but my idea at the moment is to put our lunch visits here and pretty well not on the other two threads for this area of the country but I will continue to post there on a more general basis for the most part - where appropriate.

Our lunch tomorrow will be at:

http://www.olegstavern.com/About_Us.html

                         
 Oleg's Tavern is a family owned and operated restaurant located at
11929 Montgomery Rd. Cincinnati OH 45249


Our Mission is to provide a unique environment to have a delicious homemade natural meal, prepared especially for you! We also have wonderful custom prepared dinners, made just for your tastes. We will make the breakfast, lunch and dinner experience for every customer as enjoyable as possible! 

At the Oleg's Tavern, we strive to serve our guests fresh, antibiotic-free ingredients.  We want the true flavor of Chef Oleg’s German cuisine to speak for itself.  Thank you for helping us achieve our very own American Dream.  We are grateful. 
                                                                                –Oleg and Olena Makhayev


*****************************************************************

Since 2000 we have been to hundreds of places around the area including N Ky and SE In.

Some places we repeat because they are so good - but not too often - as the consensus seems to be to find new experiences.  It can be a trying ordeal at times but sometimes we luck into a new wonder.

I would be more than willing to share our food experiences with anyone here who might be interested.

Being from diverse backgrounds our Lunchbunch often differ on their opinions of the food we eat (we generally share most all the dishes we order).

Oleg's Tavern was a wonderful experience for our lunch group today!  Details and photos follow - there is also a new Asian place right across the street featuring Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese and Korean food by the name of Mai Thai Asian Cuisine and Grill.  We got some takeout there and I will comment on their food too.

All 5 reports are in now on the take out food we got at Mai Thai, 11928 Montgomery Rd, Cincinnati  - 2 pho soup orders, 1 pad thai, soft shell crab and a sushi roll.

They range from awful to terrible to garbage.

A big mistake venturing across the street from Oleg's to check them out and actually ordering food there.

You live and learn.

Out of curiosity I stopped by the Mai Thai location before parking across the street at Oleg's Tavern for lunch.  I noted it was gone and this place is now in that section of this strip center:


Has anyone eaten there since the new place opened?  I did not go in and check it out or get a take out menu.  I was reeling from the shock of the prior restaurant being gone I guess and our prior collective awful experience  and was not thinking clearly. lol

Our visit on New Year's Eve was very enjoyable from every conceivable aspect of the experience.  Firstly we got to meet Olena, Oleg's lovely wife.  On our first visit she was in the Ukraine with her daughters, on  a family visit and Oleg was running the restaurant all by himself.  They have been in the USA for eight years and have operated this restaurant for two years.  Oleg has a better grasp of English than his wife but it is easy to have a conversation with either of them and to understand and be understood.

Since we were there for lunch on New Year's Eve lots of special food was being prepared for the evening meal and celebration and we truly were beneficiaries of this situation.  Firstly we got a special dish - the braised pork shoulder - which was scrumptious.  We also got a special Ukrainian dessert that Olena was working on when we got there.  It was not ready when we left, and we returned later, after a Scrabble session at a nearby local library, and picked up pieces for our respective households.  Olena called it a Honey Berry cake and it was thus - with several kinds of berries and a wonderful memorable taste.  (No photos available unfortunately of this gem!)

Frank and I shared the pork dish and Connie had the meatloaf - which was very tasty, and we each had a piece. The pan fried potatos and onions and sauerkraut were very good also.

The photo of the food on the table nearby represents is an interesting story -  the couple (retired I am fairly sure) who were eating the meal  are regulars at Oleg's - they ate there 80 times in 2009.  That is right!  They live in Lebanon and have either breakfast, lunch or dinner there fairly frequently, even making up excuses to drive there for other reasons, to justify the trip in their minds lol.  They told us about the wondrous breakfasts Oleg serves up with huge thick delicious pancakes that made me almost forget about the pancakes I relish at the House of Pancakes!  They told us much about the food there and how much they love going there and how fond they are of Oleg and Olena.  I won't dwell further on their comments but I decided right then and there to get back there with my spouse sometime soon, even though they are about 63 miles from our place!

When we got there at 11 am the place was empty and we had all of the hosts attention (as you can see from the photos - Oleg even went and got his chef's shirt on for the pix lol). 

When we had our entrees the place was packed (when we returned around 5 pm for our Honey Berry cake it was likewise packed.) 

I cannot say enough good things about this little known place but if you like this type food you are missing out if you do not get over there and check it out.

I included the hours sign in the following slide show and photo grid as there is one change happening - Oleg will be open on Monday and Tuesday for dinners of mixed sausages and cabbage rolls - I am not sure of the exact hours but if you might be interested you may give them a call for details at 513 774 0700.

http://s417.photobucket.com/albums/pp260/radians2009/Olegs%20Tavern%20Cincinnati%20OH/?albumview=slideshow

http://s417.photobucket.com/albums/pp260/radians2009/Olegs%20Tavern%20Cincinnati%20OH/

Ok, Oleg's is a definite "must try" when I am down that way. Good review, thanks.

I notice that their hours are 9-9 all days except Monday and Tuesday. That's interesting, most small places close on Sundays.

Thanks!

 My guess is that they are not on easy street yet and Sundays is a big day for eating out, and they cannot afford not to be open that day.

Though they have been open two years their first year was marred with the dissolution of a bad partnership, and they were closed for a bit during that time so financially I am sure it has not been easy making a go of the venture - I can tell you the customers there seem genuinely happy to be there, and really enjoy the place and the hosts. 

That Roy Rogers print on the wall in one of the photos of our group is an original and was donated to them by their accountant - who has an office above them - he is a relative of the actual Roy Rogers - who was  from Ohio..and a whole line of period prints on the back wall were donated to them...frames and all ... by one of the customers at one of the tables dining near us ... who have befriended the couple, and also dine their regularly..it is hard to convey the feeling you get eating there.. beside the great food, the camaraderie and enjoyment of just being there is palpable..it is almost like a big friendly family gathering!!

http://www.columbusfoodie.com/category/travel/

04 Jan

Queen City Edition: Oleg’s Tavern

Author: swampkitty05  //  Category: Ethnic, Restaurant Review, Travel
A few weeks ago, Paul and I made our semi-annual trip to Jungle Jim’s, that wonderful foodie destination that can beckon me to spend my whole month’s grocery budget in one fell swoop. We’ve taken to trying new restaurants in the Cincinnati area while down there, and this time was no exception.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

...if your click on Oleg's Tavern above you will find another review of this restaurant along with photos ..this review explains in much more detail some of the reasons why their food is so good....this is from Jan 04 last year I believe.. note our meatloaf did not come with the gravy!

On the way home from Oleg's Tavern last week I stopped in at Marina's International Deli:

http://www.marinasdeli.com/

and picked up some seaweed salad and Sopressata (an Italian dry-cured salami). Both excellent.

And then just down the street to Dewey's Pizzeria,

http://www.deweyspizza.com/cincinnati/harpers

where I watched them making pizzas




and eventually picked up a bacon and mushroom pizza for New Year's Eve at home:

Have you tried the Edgar Allen Poe Pizza from Dewey's? I am a Pizza Purist like yourself NYP. But my wife orders it when we go there along side of my pepperoni only and I always eat a piece when nobody is looking. Try it next time...Russ

Russ Jackson


Have you tried the Edgar Allen Poe Pizza from Dewey's? I am a Pizza Purist like yourself NYP. But my wife orders it when we go there along side of my pepperoni only and I always eat a piece when nobody is looking. Try it next time...Russ

It is very unusual for me to get anything but plain pizzas - I do not think I could ever work myself into a mindset to order that concoction!!!

I guess if I was sitting with someone who ordered their pie that way - or their half of a shared pie -  I could be cajoled into having a piece -  but to order it on my own?  I don't think so.  If I did my wife would think I was absolutely crazy,  as she knows how much I like my pies plain.  And I would think I had lost my mind!    But thanks for the idea!

If you don't like it send me the bill and I will pick it up....Russ

Russ Jackson


If you don't like it send me the bill and I will pick it up....Russ

Russ,

Have you tried this recipe for Dewey's Edgar Allen Poe pizza,  or do you think you might, or improve on it?

http://www.recipezaar.com/Edgar-Allen-Poe-Pizza-303995

Thanks for the tips on heating  left over pizza slices up!

NYPIzzaNut

Russ Jackson


If you don't like it send me the bill and I will pick it up....Russ

Russ,

Have you tried this recipe for Dewey's Edgar Allen Poe pizza,  or do you think you might, or improve on it?

http://www.recipezaar.com/Edgar-Allen-Poe-Pizza-303995

Thanks for the tips on heating  left over pizza slices up!

I would roast the whole garlic cloves at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes wrapped in foil out of the bunch. If you cooked them any longer they might get to mushy and not hold up to the second cooking in the oven. With olive oil and a little salt and sugar. The sugar would help carmelize the cloves and give the sweeter taste that you get when roasted longer. I would add fresh basil at the end and use fresh sliced mozzerella as opposed to shredded. Then drizzle good olive oil on the pie right after I pulled it out of the 500 degree oven and dust it lightly with quality parmesan cheese. You asked...Russ

Doesn't adding these strong olives and additional cheeses really overwhelm and change the flavor of your basic pizza pie ingredients?

I havent tried it yet...lol...Russ

I would never make it at home anyway. Until I own an actual Pizza oven or I cant find good Pizza again I will leave it to Dewey's and Troni's.

Russ Jackson


I havent tried it yet...lol...Russ

I would never make it at home anyway. Until I own an actual Pizza oven or I cant find good Pizza again I will leave it to Dewey's and Troni's.

What do you think of the flavor/taste  of the slice that you have from your wife's EAP pizza from Dewey's, when nobody is looking? lol

http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2007/01/deweys_cincinnati_ohio.html

Another ex New Yorker raving about Dewey's.  Note the last comment, from
Cartophilia at 2:09PM on 01/25/08

Did this other former NYer fellow write about any other pizzas in the Southwest Ohio Environs?

Like Troni's?

Dewey's has a big  handle on their pizza.

TJ Jackson


Did this other former NYer fellow write about any other pizzas in the Southwest Ohio Environs?

Like Troni's?

TJ do you like Dewey's?...Russ

CCinNJ


Dewey's has a big  handle on their pizza.

Eh?

Our lunchbunch will not be getting together this week,  due to a snowstorm we are experiencing  now - it looks like next week we will do a reprise visit to the Country Inn in Mt. Orab on St Rt 68, which has the best fried chicken I have had in Ohio to date, and I will take  some photos of it and  post them here.

Of course photos will not convey how tasty and succulent the chicken is - you just have to experience that in person.

A few people I know have reported back on the chicken at Country Inn in Mt Orab, and found it to be very average.

I am planning on checking the fried chicken out at Campbell's Barn* and will compare them.

*
http://www.campbellsbarn.com/

One of our posters (Baughman from Blanchester I believe) said it his go to place for fried chicken in southwest Ohio, just as Country Inn is the place my wife and I prefer for this dish.

Where do you hear is the best fried chicken in southwest Ohio?

My Paris TN friend is not nearly in love with the fried chicken at Country Inn as we are.

But we have different taste in many food areas.

I think the food we most agree about is BBQ - pork ribs, brisket, pulled pork and the traditional sides that generally go with them.  However I love sweet corn bread, and he prefers it sugarless.

NYPIzzaNut


http://www.columbusfoodie.com/category/travel/

04 Jan

Queen City Edition: Oleg’s Tavern

Author: swampkitty05  //  Category: Ethnic, Restaurant Review, Travel
A few weeks ago, Paul and I made our semi-annual trip to Jungle Jim’s, that wonderful foodie destination that can beckon me to spend my whole month’s grocery budget in one fell swoop. We’ve taken to trying new restaurants in the Cincinnati area while down there, and this time was no exception.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

...if your click on Oleg's Tavern above you will find another review of this restaurant along with photos ..this review explains in much more detail some of the reasons why their food is so good....this is from Jan 04 last year I believe.. note our meatloaf did not come with the gravy!

Here is another detailed review that sheds more light on Oleg's:

http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/article-16844-olegrss-tavern-(review).html

Oleg’s Tavern (Review)

Ukrainian native serves up authentic German Food in Mason

By Lora Arudser

NYPIzzaNut

NYPIzzaNut


It is looking like our next lunchbunch outing will be here:

http://www.troyscafeandcatering.com/

4877 Smith Rd West Chester OH 45069

Specializing in American Comfort Food, Fresh Seafood, 

Cafe Fare, and Award Winning Desserts
http://www.troyscafeandcatering.com/Cafe_Menu.html

Our lunchbunch visited Troy's on this past Thursday.  If you click on the below link you will see a slideshow of our visit there:
http://s417.photobucket.com/albums/pp260/radians2009/Troys%20Cafe%20West%20Chester%20Ohio/?albumview=slideshow

They have been open since March and seem to be doing well.

We had 2 soups on the menu and the special  of the day - corn soup.  I loved the chili and the tomato bisque but found the corn soup a wee bit sweet for my taste, but 2 other members of the group loved it.  We all liked the chili (served with feta cheese) and tomato bisque, so much so that we had to have a discussion on who was taking home which leftovers.

I had the Cuban panini, but while it was tasty I was disappointed it wasn't warmed and pressed.
The smoke mozz was very good.  I liked the Uovo sandwich also and the crab cakes.  (see website menu for details of what went into the dishes).

The desserts, with the exception of the creme broule (excellent) were from Servatii's.  We had a Napoleon and it was delicious.

I ordered a meatball as a side dish - when I saw another patron eating his meatballs and spaghetti - they are huge and very tasty.  They probably would make a wonderful hoagie - the crusty French bread they used on our sandwiches was very good.

The staff were very attentive and helpful and we had a very enjoyable lunch there.

I just ran across another review on Troy's Cafe which will give you a little better idea of why this place is so good:

http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/article-17841-troys-cafe-(review).html

Wednesday, May 13,2009

Troy's Cafe (Review)

Doing 'simple food' well

By Lora Arudser

Hey TJ,  shouldn't you be complaining about Cincinnati eateries (Oleg's and their Thai neighbors) being reviewed in the wrong thread?  ;)

I don't understand your question

First, the supposition is incorrect - "Oleg and their Thai neighbors" are well within the boundaries of "Southwest Ohio and Environs"

Second, why should I be complaining about it?  Emphasis on the word "should"

Finally, wouldn't your post be more suited to a PM direct to me, rather than a post in this thread, where it could potentially be interpreted as a public personal attack?

If you agree with number 3, PM me to let me know you agree, and then let's both delete our respective posts here and take this to PMs rather than disrupt this thread further

I guess folks are snowbound  and not getting out to restaurants much this week!

Looks like the Country Inn this week - will get some photos of their fabulous fried chicken!

I ran across a review for Gepetto's Pizza in Mt Orab:

http://www.thefoodhussy.com/2009/10/where-hell-is-mt-orab-and-whats-there.html

In my early days living in this area I stopped and ate there - their pizza certainly is better than Domino's and LaRosa's but not by a whole lot - it is not a place I would recommend or return to, all things being equal.

Due to changes in my friends' schedules we will be at Troni's this week!!!

Man sometimes things just work themselves out!

NYPIzzaNut

CCinNJ


Dewey's has a big  handle on their pizza.

Eh?

The picture on Slice. It could be stretched out a little more. It appears very bready.

I think their pizzas are the perfect balance of dough and crust, sauce and cheese.

NYPIzzaNut

I think their pizzas are the perfect balance of dough and crust, sauce and cheese.

Whose pizzas are you referring to?

TJ Jackson

NYPIzzaNut

I think their pizzas are the perfect balance of dough and crust, sauce and cheese.

Whose pizzas are you referring to?

Dewey's.

Our lunchbunch was at Troni's Pizza and Restaurant in Kettering yesterday and these were the stars of the show:

This was the special lunch menu for Tuesday:




Off that menu we had the:


Philly Cheese Steak (nothing to write home about) and:


Spaghetti with meatballs (we traded off the salad that comes with this special for another meatball) - we should not have though as the meatballs, while they looked good, were like rubber balls and did not taste like much of anything

Off of the regular menu we ordered:


Antipasto (mostly lettuce with little meat or cheese and no olives - for six bucks not worth it)
and:



fried calamari (pretty sparse portion and very greasy and rubbery - for $9.99 kind of ridiculous)

and for dessert:




tiramisu (tasty but frozen kind - not a deal for four bucks)


Here is a group photo, after our Scrabble session, with waiter Brian:


I try to tell my compadres to stick with pizza at Troni's but no one much listens to me!  


The pizza was exceptionally delicious as usual as was the one I took home (bacon on half and mushrooms on half) - My wife thought it was a little too well done and it probably was but it was still fantastic!

They made a chef's salad and called it antipasto.

I have friends who live in the Middletown area who keep recommending Stefano's.  I've never tried it myself, but I am curious.  Has anyone on these forums ever tried it?  How are their pizzas and calzones?  How does their other food taste?  Thanks.

http://www.stefanositaliancafe.net/index.htm

R Sauer


I have friends who live in the Middletown area who keep recommending Stefano's.  I've never tried it myself, but I am curious.  Has anyone on these forums ever tried it?  How are their pizzas and calzones?  How does their other food taste?  Thanks.

http://www.stefanositaliancafe.net/index.htm

I did not recall this restaurant at first glance, but after some checking with my lunch mates I realized we had paid this place a visit a little over two years ago:




I do recall now their pizza being pretty awful and the waitress had to check with someone on the other side of the restaurant each time we asked a question about the food offerings on the menu but nothing much else stands out in my memory bank.

I just heated up a piece of Troni's mushroom pizza that I bought as a take-out pie on Tuesday:



It tastes just like it came out of the oven at Troni's on Tuesday because I heated it up on a pizza stone at 500 degrees for four minutes.  Thanks again, Russ for the tip on heating pizza up!

If I were going to take a pie home I would only get it with cheese. I would then add my own frseh toppings. Leftovers on the other hand are a different story. I also squirt a couple squirts of water from a spray bottle into the oven. I would up grade the pepperoni and mushrooms and add jalapeno's which Tronis does not have...Russ

Does Troni's use canned mushrooms?

Those look like canned