Southwest Ohio and Environs (Open Chat)

Pearl Bay is near the 5 Points intersection at 133 E Dayton Yellow Springs Road.  I can't recall what it was in it's former life.   The menu also offers some Malaysian specialties as well as Thai.  While I was disappointed not to see any green curry/coconut milk options (just red and yellow curry), I was floored by the one dish I've eaten there, Mee Curry, a Malaysian dish with chicken, shrimp, tofu, tomato, potato and onion in a curry broth.  The fresh spring rolls were also excellent, soft rice paper wrapped around shrimp, rice noodles, basil & cilantro.   Can't wait to go back

NYPIzzaNut

 Has anyone tried the cafeteria at IKEA in West Chester?

 
I realize this is a late reply, but I have eaten there on several occasions, and it is hit or miss. The Swedish meatballs have been great, and they have been terrible. I have found that the best meals there are the buffets/smorgasbords they do a few times a year. There was a chilled crawfish one in September (a traditional festival dating back hundreds of years, apparently) with a ridiculous amount of appetizers, side dishes, and desserts, a cheese plate with all sorts of breads and crackers, and most of the usual cafeteria dishes like the Swedish meatballs. The dill cucumber salad is the best I have ever had. It was all-you-can-eat for $10. I highly recommend subscribing to their e-mail newsletter in order to get a heads up on when the next one will be.

dlawson

NYPIzzaNut

Has anyone tried the cafeteria at IKEA in West Chester?

I realize this is a late reply, but I have eaten there on several occasions, and it is hit or miss. The Swedish meatballs have been great, and they have been terrible. I have found that the best meals there are the buffets/smorgasbords they do a few times a year. There was a chilled crawfish one in September (a traditional festival dating back hundreds of years, apparently) with a ridiculous amount of appetizers, side dishes, and desserts, a cheese plate with all sorts of breads and crackers, and most of the usual cafeteria dishes like the Swedish meatballs. The dill cucumber salad is the best I have ever had. It was all-you-can-eat for $10. I highly recommend subscribing to their e-mail newsletter in order to get a heads up on when the next one will be.

We enjoyed the  Swedish meatballs a great deal - will subscribe - thanks for the tip!  I do not recall anyone mentioning this before.

Opening of Jungle Jim's Eastgate is now projected to be early in 2012.

11:15 AM Friday, January 14, 2011
LEBANON — A recently opened downtown restaurant has temporarily shut down, according to a note on the eatery’s door.
 
Visitors to the Silver Street BBQ on Silver Street found the doors to the sit-down barbecue restaurant locked this week.
No lights were on inside the restaurant, but seating inside the building remained intact, including condiment carts on every table.
 
A hand-written sign hung in the restaurant’s door reads “Closed for remodeling and building maintenance to reopen 3/15/11. Thanks, Management.”

http://www.western-star.c...wners-say-1054445.html
 
(Bold added by me - to be closed two months for remodeling, and the joint is less than a year old??? Judging from my one experience eating there, I'd say they are in deep doo-doo...)

Two small reports:
 
Porky Capone's BBQ in Lebanon (on West Main Street in the Ameristop gas station plaza): I've been there twice now. The food is a real bargain: a serving of pulled pork, either loose or on a bun is enormous, and is only $4. The macaroni and the "meaty beans" are very good. They just need more penetrating smoke flavor - for now, ask for lots of bark. Eat-in is possible but it's pretty spartan. This place has lots of potential and is a great value.
 
Sammy's Gourmet Burgers & Beer in Springboro is in front of Dorothy Lane Market on Rt 741, in the old Encore restaurant building. This place is an odd hybrid: it's a combined TGI O'Charleybee's style burger and American food place combined with a Mexican restaurant. The menu has both types of food. Like a Mexican restaurant they serve you chips and salsa. I got the smallest Mexican entree I could find, the taquitos. Service was friendly, good and fast and the food was quite good. Nothing sucked on this visit. This place is a notch more expensive than most local restaurants and is comparable to Max and Erma's across the street.

I went to SmoQ (pronounced "smoke") for lunch today, primarily because they are doing half off sandwiches and salads at lunch (11:00A-2:00P Monday through Friday) for the entire month of February. They opened in the old Karlo's Bistro Italia spot next to Pappadeaux and the movie theater in Springdale about six weeks ago. The interior wasn't updated much, if at all. You can find the menu and all other relevant restaurant information at www.smoqbbq.com
 
Let me first say that I am not sure that the "upscale BBQ" approach is going to work, especially when the BBQ was not the standout of the meal. The brisket was fatty, cut too thick, and mostly flavorless. The three sauces (Carolina hot, Kansas City sweet, and Memphis mild, the last of which actually tastes like something out of Memphis for once) on every table helped as far as flavoring goes, but really shouldn't be necessary considering the restaurant's namesake. Fortunately, everything else about lunch was very good to great. The house salad (spring mix, candied pecans, apples, red onions, cheese, bacon) was delicious, as was the sweet and doughy cornbread muffin, which was a nice change of pace from the crumbly stuff found at most places. The mustard slaw that topped the sandwich was also very good, as were the saratoga (or "hickory") chips. The half price, of course, was my favorite part of the meal. The sandwich and chips were $4, and the salad added another $2. At $4.50, my beer (Dogfish Head 90 Minute on draught) was the most expensive item on the bill.
 
The flavorless brisket has me a bit concerned about how their pulled pork might taste, but there are enough other non-BBQ sandwich options (bison meatloaf, breaded or blackened catfish, half pound burgers) to keep me occupied, and at $4 or less, I suspect I will be back several times this month.

dlawson


I went to SmoQ (pronounced "smoke") for lunch today, primarily because they are doing half off sandwiches and salads at lunch (11:00A-2:00P Monday through Friday) for the entire month of February. They opened in the old Karlo's Bistro Italia spot next to Pappadeaux and the movie theater in Springdale about six weeks ago. The interior wasn't updated much, if at all. You can find the menu and all other relevant restaurant information at www.smoqbbq.com

Let me first say that I am not sure that the "upscale BBQ" approach is going to work, especially when the BBQ was not the standout of the meal. The brisket was fatty, cut too thick, and mostly flavorless. The three sauces (Carolina hot, Kansas City sweet, and Memphis mild, the last of which actually tastes like something out of Memphis for once) on every table helped as far as flavoring goes, but really shouldn't be necessary considering the restaurant's namesake. Fortunately, everything else about lunch was very good to great. The house salad (spring mix, candied pecans, apples, red onions, cheese, bacon) was delicious, as was the sweet and doughy cornbread muffin, which was a nice change of pace from the crumbly stuff found at most places. The mustard slaw that topped the sandwich was also very good, as were the saratoga (or "hickory") chips. The half price, of course, was my favorite part of the meal. The sandwich and chips were $4, and the salad added another $2. At $4.50, my beer (Dogfish Head 90 Minute on draught) was the most expensive item on the bill.

The flavorless brisket has me a bit concerned about how their pulled pork might taste, but there are enough other non-BBQ sandwich options (bison meatloaf, breaded or blackened catfish, half pound burgers) to keep me occupied, and at $4 or less, I suspect I will be back several times this month.

Our lunch group went there shortly after they opened, with some trepidation on my part but I found the food and service to be exceptional.  I particularly enjoyed the fried green tomatoes and fried okra and the brisket and rib tips.  They were more than accomodating to our many special requests.  I will be back with the spouse for sure before long.

Service was excellent there; I forgot to note that in my post. My wife and I will be going back for catfish sandwiches at lunch today, as a matter of fact. They do all-you-can-eat catfish (platters) on Friday nights, and I am very curious to see if that is a worthwhile deal. (Polly Campbell seems to think it is.) I may have to pony up for a side dish or two at full price, too.

http://frankieleeee.files...der-chicken-gumbo1.jpg
 
I found smoQ's corn chowder and gumbo to be exceptional too.

Regarding Silver Street BBQ in Lebanon:
 
http://www.roadfood.com/Forums/fb.ashx?m=632345
 
A "For Sale" sign has been sighted in the front window. The place is apparently kaput.

RantoulDavis


Pearl Bay is near the 5 Points intersection at 133 E Dayton Yellow Springs Road.  I can't recall what it was in it's former life.

 
I have driven past this place a number of times, and to me it looks like an old Lee's Famous Recipe Chicken restaurant.

http://www.patriotsteakhouse.com
 
We ate here during the third week of February, 2011.
 
My steak was cooked medium, and was cooked perfectly. It had a light butter flavor, and was quite nice. We got clam chowder that was very good. Everything service wise was fairly competent and service was good. With an important exception that I will note.
 
The ribs were another story. My partner had a real problem just sawing through them to separate a rib from the rest of the rack. They were extremely tough. To me the meat had the texture of a pork chop, not ribs. I wondered if they left the silver skin on the ribs!
 
Now, here's the FUBAR and kicker to the tough ribs. The owner came around to our table near the end of our dinner and asked how our dinner was. I gave it to him straight. He then explains how their staff was calling into question that evening that the ribs were satisfactory when they were making them. Apparently they did not roast them "low and slow" to soften the meat, IE, the oven was basically cold or barely warm. And then they slapped them on a grill. 
 
He did *not* offer to comp us for that dinner, even partially, and did not ask if there was anything he could do. He just sympathized with us as to how tough they were like it was an act of God. And this is the owner.
 
The guy really really should have asked if it "really was" OK that we got the food in this state and could he make it up to us?  I have a big problem with a place serving dreck and then just selling it to the customer even after they acknowledge that it was sub-par. Wtf? Absolutely clueless and not service oriented. As far as I'm concerned they ruined a batch of ribs and they should have said that they were out of them. But they served them anyway.
 
Ok, maybe the guy just forgot and was tired. Whatever. 15 bucks for crap, have a nice day.
 
Sadly, this place is still at the 95th percentile of independent places that attempt to make a go of it in Lebanon - it's better than most here. The ribs, and particularly the owner's non response to the problem, for me, killed the experience.
 
In Lebanon it just might become a local staple due to isolation. Which is OK. Just avoid the ribs. I definitely don't recommend making a drive here unless you are in the immediate area. No reason to.
 
On the positive side, the menu says that they will serve any returning service member a free dinner, and the decor is really sleek.

I liked how the menu on their website (online well before the doors ever opened and a single steak served) they had captioned one of their steaks as "their most popular".   That right there kinda kills the place for me.

I found a recent article in the Western Star about the place opening and it named the owner. I Googled a little and I found that he was the owner of the former Steakhouse of Springboro, which closed about five years ago. It seems like the current menu is from his old place. I remember that that place made a big deal about its clam chowder, too. He's been in that business and he should know better.
 
I don't personally have a problem with blowing smoke, if you can deliver. This place delivered crap and then didn't make it right.

That helps - thanks - I don't recall there being anything on the website to explain how a steak they had never served was their most popular :-)
 

Has anyone checked out Aunt Flora's Soul Food in Silverton?

Has anyone tried Oinkadoodlemoo in Englewood or Kettering?

I have another barbecue question: does anyone here have anything to say about KD's Barbecue on Marshall Road in Kettering?

NYPIzzaNut


Has anyone tried Oinkadoodlemoo in Englewood or Kettering?

 
I have!  I've been there about ten times.  All but one time to the Kettering location since I live in Beavercreek which is next door.
 
I tried JD's Frozen Custard when I was at the Englewood location, but it wasn't very good IMHO.  Culver's is much better.  (Heck, so is McDonald's with the McFlurry!)

45013

NYPIzzaNut


Has anyone tried Oinkadoodlemoo in Englewood or Kettering?

I have!  I've been there about ten times.  All but one time to the Kettering location since I live in Beavercreek which is next door.

I tried JD's Frozen Custard when I was at the Englewood location, but it wasn't very good IMHO.  Culver's is much better.  (Heck, so is McDonald's with the McFlurry!)

What dishes do you like most at the bbq place?

NYPIzzaNut


What dishes do you like most at [OinkADoodleMoo]?

 
I like the smoked beef brisket ("moo") on a bun with the spicy BBQ sauce ("Sizzlin'") the most.

That is usually my choice if they do it right.  Followed by rib tips.

donw9876


I have another barbecue question: does anyone here have anything to say about KD's Barbecue on Marshall Road in Kettering?

BBQ, it ain't.  Tastes like oven-roasted meat with sauce poured on. They do have some decent non-Q junch specials, but not worth going out of the way to get. I used to have lunch there on occasions when I worked right up the road.

THANK YOU! You saved me a wasted lunch trip. KD's gets glowing online reviews but you just described 99% of the stuff that is presented as so-called Q around here.
 
The Bar-B-Q Hut on Wilmington in Kettering (I know from experience, we tried it once) is another place that sells you an enormous wad of flavorless roasted pork on a platter sized bun and proclaims it "BBQ".

donw9876


I have another barbecue question: does anyone here have anything to say about KD's Barbecue on Marshall Road in Kettering?

 
I have!  KD's Kettering Barbecue IMHO is rather tasteless compared to OinkADoodleMoo and City BBQ. 
 
However, I think it would be worth it to mention the wallpaper in the men's restroom has the design of an old map of the state of Wyoming!

Following up on the IKEA all-you-can-eat buffets mentioned earlier in this thread, the Easter one is scheduled for the evening of Friday, April 15. I haven't seen an e-mail about it yet, but there were flyers at the cafeteria registers today. Tickets must be purchased in advance, $9.99 for adults and $2.49 for kids 12 and under, and there are two dining times, 5:00-7:00 p.m. and 7:00-8:30 p.m. The menu is as follows:
 
Swedish ham, assorted herring, gravad lax with mustard sauce, smoked salmon with horseradish sauce, whole poached salmon, hard boiled eggs with shrimp, shrimp with cocktail sauce, Swedish cucumber salad, red beet salad, tossed green salad, assorted cheeses, meatballs and lingonberries, Prinskorv sausage, boiled potatoes with dill, Jansson's Temptation, crisprolls, crispbread, dinner rolls, assorted desserts and cookies, coffee, tea, and fountain beverages.
 
Your guess is as good as mine on what "Jansson's Temptation" is, but I'm sure a Google search would provide the answers. I had every intention of going...until my wife reminded me that it is on her birthday. We'll see if I can talk her into postponing birthday dinner until Saturday. 

Local business family plans to buy and reopen Der Dutchman
 
http://www.western-star.c...-dutchman-1101630.html
   

WAYNESVILLE — A local prominent business family has announced plans to buy and reopen the Der Dutchman restaurant.
 
Kyle Fields, a spokesman for Fields Family Enterprises, said his company is in serious negotiations to buy the land where Der Dutchman once stood on U.S. 42 and hopes to reopen a similar family-style restaurant in its place.
“We’re cautiously optimistic we can get this done,” Fields said. “We have big aspirations for the property.”
 
Fields Family Enterprises is a family owned and run company that operates a variety of businesses, mostly medically based, in Waynesville. The company’s businesses include Fields and Waynesville Pharmacies and it plans further development of its central location along 415 S. Main St., near U.S. 73.

 

This should be interesting.

Is anyone familiar with:
 
Antojitos Criollos
3937 Linden Avenue
Dayton OH
 
It has  Puerto Rican / Latin American cuisine.