Not that easy for me. The stuff smells terrible and study after study has concluded it's unhealthy for non-smokers, so I'm glad it's illegal in Ohio. Seriously, is it that hard to not smoke during a 30-minute meal?
Yeah, I know, sit in the non-smoking section, but I still smell it and it's very unappetizing. Canada has a restaurant smoking ban and all of the major U.S. cities have gone to it, so we all might as well get used to it.
Anyway, back on the subject, tried Fox & Hound in Mason on Mason-Montgomery Road on Friday and Miguel's just west of Amelia on Saturday. We loved the food at both.
There's a Fox & Hound in Chicago near where I grew up, and I'd always gone for the beer but never the food. We split the Godfather Melt appetizer, which was an unusual but delightful combination of chicken, tons of mozzarella, Pomodoro sauce and pesto. I like pesto but I don't love it, but this pesto had a lot of garlic and was absolutely tremendous.
I had a Philly Cheesesteak, which I realize isn't very traditional, but it was very good. Lots of meat, peppers, mushrooms and cheese were good, and excellent horseradish sauce on the side.
My girlfriend had the Voodoo Jerk Firecrackers even though she doesn't like really spicy foods. They were a little spicy but not too much so. I liked them, and the sauce had sort of a Parmesan and garlic flavor.
The one major drawback was the service. We sat at the bar, and even though they had two bartenders, neither was very attentive. They were slow refilling drinks, and my ultimate pet peeve at restaurants is when servers don't write food orders down and then screw them up, which happened with my cheesesteak. I specifically emphasized the words "without onions" on my cheesesteak, and I got them anyway and had to send it back. She said she didn't remember me saying that (that's why you write orders down, genius).
Then we had to wait more than five minutes for our check even though I put my credit card in the little cup that had the tab. Then when they swiped my card, I didn't get a breakdown of the bill. I tipped 15% almost to the penny, and I never tip that low.
My suggestion is to get a table. There were plenty available when we went at 6:30 p.m. The place is pretty big, so I wouldn't imagine there'd be a wait too often.
I had two tall Hoegaardens with dinner, and the bill was $38. Not bad at all.
Here's the site link for the menu:
http://www.tentcorp.com/menulocal.html We had a taste for Mexican food on Saturday, so we went to Miguel's with two of our friends. They told me the former chef of El Coyote in Anderson Twp. opened the place.
Right away I knew I was going to like it when they brought out chips and salsa. The salsa had chunks of vegetables in it, including corn and black beans. It was extremely fresh.
I ordered a deep fried pepper jack pretzel for an appetizer, which we all shared. It was stuffed with cheese and came with queso. It was incredible -- all four of us agreed.
I got a huge pork burrito, and I actually finished it but only because I hadn't eaten since about 10 that morning. My girlfriend barely got through a quarter of her chimichanga, which came with the obligatory rice and refried beans. The portion was huge, and both sides were superb.
One of friends gave me a piece of his seafood burrito, and talk about delicious. All four of us were extremely satisfied with our meals.
The bill was $42, which I thought was more than fair considering the portions. Maybe a little more than some area restaurants serving the same food, but the portions and taste make up for it.
And the service was excellent.
The menu includes plenty of "safe" American food, too, so almost anyone can find something they like.
Here's the link:
http://www.miguelsmenu.com/