Valley Cafe - Akron

Also known as V-Caf the Valley Cafe is located in the Merriman Valley in front of all the bars.  As soon as you walk in you feel like you are in your mothers kitchen.  Flowery wall paper and table cloths overwhelm, but are clean.  There is a coffee bar on the side that offers different kinds of coffee.  The staff was very friendly and timely.  The menu was average breakfast offerings and the prices were about the same.  I definately did not mind paying the prices but I would not say it was cheap.  The breakfast sandwich was good, you pick your cheese, bread, and meat.  The country fried steak was tender but tasted frozen, and the gravy was definitely not homemade.  The hash browns were good, would order crispy next time.  The eggs benedict was a last minute decision for us.  It was good but not the best.  The hollandaise was thin and needed more flavor.  The eggs were poached nicely though.

Service____ 8 Chipps

Food____6 Chipps

Atmosphere____7 Chipps

Beer List____0 Chipps

Wine List____0 Chipps

Value____7 Chipps

Tremont Tap House - Tremont

There are so many good resturants in Tremont and the Tap House is one of them.  It looks like a normal house on the outside but has a huge bar in the inside.  There is also an outside patio but it was too hot the day we were there to even think about it.  They live up to their name by having more beer on tap then I have seen in awhile.  There are not many tables so be prepared to sit at the bar or stand if they are busy.  We were actually not that hungry when we came in this day so we thought we would start by splitting a pizza.  There was a few that sounded good but we decided on one that had quail eggs, prosciutto, and fresh mozz.  It was great.  Each slice had it's own tiny fried egg and the prosciutto was thick sliced but still crispy.  The pic did not come out the best but there was plenty of creamy fresh mozzarella.  The crust was perfect, not too thin for all the great toppings, but not so thick as to take away from the taste of the quality ingredients.  The pizza wasn't actually all that big.  It was a good size to split as a starter, but not a meal.  It would have been too big for me to eat alone, but I would have eaten most of it if I was hungry.  Since we weren't done with our beers we decided to order one more thing.  We got the German Pretzel.  It was average but came with a delicious beer cheese sauce.  The prices were not bad.  The pretzel was a little much, but I thought the pizza was cheap for the quality of ingredients.  The beers were average to high priced, but you are paying for the selection and that is definatly worth it.  The service was good.  We got there a little before the dinner crowd came in so at first our server was not busy, but she still kept coming back and getting us things even after she was busy.  

Service____ 7 Chipps

Food____7 Chipps

Atmosphere____8 Chipps

Beer List____10 Chipps

Wine List____5 Chipps

Value____7 Chipps

Market Garden Brewery & Distillery - Ohio City

I had low expectations and high standards for a new brewery in Ohio City since we love going to the Great Lakes Brewing Company.  On this trip we wanted to see what the buzz was about and see who had the gall to open a brewery a block away from this Cleveland icon.  Well, I was pleasantly surprised.  We started with the 6 beer sampler.  While the beers weren't bad I really only liked one and TBG wasn't impressed with the IPAs.  I think they just need time to figure out what works and what doesn't.  The stout was boring and over roasted.  The bourbon ale was good, not complex but good enough to drink on a hot day with lots of food.  We were both impressed they offered beers other than house made ones, good beers too.  The wine list was OK, but who goes to a brewery for wine anyway?  The menu is small but has a lot of impact.  TBG chose the Cuban and I chose pork tacos.  The Cuban looked small but had tons of meat and slices of fresh pickles.  TBG enjoyed.  The fresh fries were really good.  Just enough salt and thin enough to be crispy.  My tacos were also very good.  The tortillas were homemade and moist.  The pork was moist and tender on both dishes.  I thought the fresh salsa verde really made the dish, but TBG loved the house made queso.  I liked the atmosphere, it is a pretty big place with a nice, heated outside patio.  You can chose to drink your beer out of a mason jar.  The prices for beer were a little high, but you are getting a micobrew so that can be ignored.  The food prices were good.  The food was so fresh with quality ingredients (being next to the West Side Market there is no excuse not too) but still affordable.  The service was decent.  Our waiter was able to answer any questions we had and came over to us at appropriate times.

Service____ 7 Chipps

Food____7 Chipps

Atmosphere____8 Chipps

Beer List____8 Chipps

Wine List____5 Chipps

Value____8 Chipps

National Hamburger Fest - Akron

I know this post is a little late but better late then never right?  This year TBG and I decided to go to the National Hamburger Fest in Akron, even though it threatened to rain.  After a short drive to Akron we found a decent place to park for $2.  The entrance to the Fest was $10 for the 2 of us.  We had to buy food tickets as soon as we walked in the gate.  I hate trying to judge how many we need so we bought $20 worth.  That was a good amount for the two of us although we definately could have used more if we had stayed longer.  The first thing we came to was the Hodge Podge food truck from Cleveland that has been on Food Network.  Of course I wanted to try that.  The wait was actually pretty fast, but the line wasn't long to begin with.  We ordered a burger with pickled jalapenos, mixed greens, brisket, and BBQ sauce.  It was really good with quality ingredients.  I do wish it had a little bit better quality bun.  After that burger we took a walk around the whole place, which didn't take that long.  There were a lot less stands than I was expecting.  The only "National" things I could see were White Castle and Max & Erma's, neither of which I was interested in.  The nice thing about WC was the burgers were only 1 ticket, so if you had one left over that is all you could get.  We did that since I had never had one, but I can say I will never have another!  Next we went to Inferno and got 2 sample sized burgers.  Sample size was just a half a burger for more than half the tickets.  We ordered the Memphis which was pulled pork on a burger and the New Orleans which was grilled shrimp, cheese, and creole seasoning on a burger.  Both were good.  Not great, but good.  The New Orleans was unique and I liked that.  The buns were a little heavier so they did not get soggy.  After that there wasn't much else to do so we kinda stood around wondering if our night was now over after an hour, then we left.  In recap we got 2 burgers (1 whole + 2 halves) 1 beer and 1 WC slider for $32, didn't really seem like a good deal.  I would rather have sat down at a restaurant like Louies, got good burgers and spent less.  There wasn't a burger there made with a meat other than beef.  Nothing extreamly original except the fried buckeye which didn't even sound good. 

One Red Door - Hudson

One Red Door is located in Hudson in the beautiful First and Main area.  Flip Side (which we liked) is attached.  I made reservations for 4 people since we were meeting another couple up there.  We were meeting at 8 so I was expecting it to be really busy.  It actually was not too busy with TBG and I got there (20 min early).  They have a small patio on the side and the inside is not too small but not real big.  The bar is a good size and there is an open kitchen with bar also.  The atmosphere is the same as Flip Side which is wood and leather.  We both really liked the feel of the place.  We were seated right away even though we were early.  We were planning on having a cocktail before the rest of our party arrived.  We waited 15 min and no one even approached our table.  TBG went to the bar to get us some drinks himself and magically our waitress appeared.  I told her my date went to the bar to get drinks himself and she ran over there to see if he already ordered (he had).  Shortly after someone else brought us water.  When the rest of our party arrived she waited on us in a more timely fashion, but still was not friendly.  Halfway through the meal we all finished our water and didn't get refills until the end of the meal.  She did bring us one more round of cocktails though.  I thought with all the help they had working that the service would have been better.  My espresso martini when I did get it was very good.  The menu had a lot of interesting choices for starters.  We probably should have just gotten a bunch of those.  We picked the Clam Pizza to start with.  It was different but good.  I do not think our company liked it as much as we did.  The clams were a little chewy, but the crust was good and the sauce was light.  For our entrees TBG got the hanger steak with short rib ravioli.  I got the ribeye.  It was huge so I made TBG switch with me.  I was disappointed there was only one ravioli.  The pasta part was undercooked and tasteless, but the filling was great.  The hanger steak was good, nothing special, but cooked nicely.  The ribeye was fatty and not quite as good as the hanger steak.  It was covered (ruined as TBG said) by a super sweet glaze.  Someone else in our party ordered the chicken with veggies.  The portion was rather small and she said it was average tasting.  We felt the prices were high for the portion size.  The pizza and other apps seemed reasonably priced.  I would recommend coming here if you plan on sitting at the bar and only ordering apps with your drinks.

Service____ 3 Chipps

Food____6 Chipps

Atmosphere____8 Chipps

Beer List____8 Chipps

Wine List____8 Chipps

Value____5 Chipps

Franklin Square Deli - Kent

The Enzo

Located near Kent State University this is a popular spot for college kids.  TBG wanted to take me here because he remembered it from his time at KSU.  We walked in to a small resturant with a large counter and a few tables.  TBG ordered the special, "Enzo".  This deli has a racing theme as shown by the checked paper in the pictures.  There are racing pictures for sale at the end of the counter.  The Enzo was spicy capocolla, muenster cheese, and Genoa hard salami, with lettuce, tomato, and onion topped with olive pepper mayo on a sour dough toast.  It also came with a caper berry and pickle.  TBG loved it.  He said the caper berry was interesting and the olive pepper mayo was great.  I looked at the big menu and the lady behind the counter was rushing me so I got a Reuben.  It tasted pretty good.  The corned beef had a strange sheen on it, but it was tender.  There wasn't enough sauerkraut or Swiss on the sandwich.  The pickle was good.  As I was waiting for my sandwich I noticed they had deli bagels, I would have liked to try that.  They did not have pastrami which I thought was weird for a deli.  They had limited side dishes and nothing stood out.  We were there during the summer for lunch so it was not busy, but if the place was busy it would be a long wait.  The prices were average for a deli.

Service____ 6 Chipps

Food____6 Chipps

Atmosphere____7 Chipps

Beer List____0 Chipps

Wine List____0 Chipps

Value____6 Chipps

Ferrante's Winery - Madison

You may have seen Ferrante's wine in a grocery store near you, or even tried some at the Vintage Ohio wine fest every fall.  If you have never been to Ferrante's winery in Madison you need to go.  The atmosphere is on the fancier side indoors and more relaxed and summery outside.  There is also a wine bar and a cute gift shop area.  The night we were there a band was playing outside and the place was packed (3 hour wait inside).  We did not want to wait, but wanted to listen to music so we meandered to the small outdoor bar.  The bar menu consisted of appetizers and pizzas.  I ordered the prosciutto pizza and artichoke dip for our party.  Oh, I also ordered a bottle of wine of course.  I will admit TBG and I do not really like Ohio wine.  I enjoy hanging out at vineyards so I usually choke some down while enjoying the view (and cheese!)  This night it was hot, we were outside so I ordered the driest rose they had because it was chilled.  I was pleasantly surprised.  It was perfect for that hot summer night and the 4 of us finished the bottle in no time.  I thought the food was ready pretty fast considering how many people were at the restaurant that night.  The outside has many tables, and a great number are under a cover of some sort.  We found a table in the corner in the open air and started to eat.  The view is nice, there is a pond and grapevines to look at while we listened to music.  The pizza was actually average.  It looked so good, but there were way too many shallots and the prosciutto was not crispy.  The crust was good, but not great.  I would probably recommend just getting the margharita pizza since it was cheaper and probably just as good.  I liked the bread that came with the dip, but the dip was average.  There was cheddar cheese which was different but I did not love.  Both things tasted freshly made and with fresh ingredients.  I wish we got a chance to try some of their entrees but we still had a good time.  The only wine available is Ferrante's of course so I have to give the wine list a score based on the quality of those wines.  I think they are the average Ohio wine.  The only beer I saw was typical domestic drafts. 

Service____ 6 Chipps

Food____7 Chipps

Atmosphere____8 Chipps

Beer List____0 Chipps

Wine List____6 Chipps

Value____7 Chipps