Van Zandt

Burger #5: Van Zandt – VZ Pounder – $18???

Yet again my camera was broken,
so I had to borrow pics from Urbanspoon

I am at work on Thursday, December 22, 2011 and since Christmas is three days away no one is here and I have no work that I can get done so here goes another review you all won’t see for a while.  I figure if I stockpile reviews this next week or two, I’ll be caught up on reviews and can shoot them out whenever I get busy during the week.  Everyone else I talk to is fretting to get their work in before the end of the year, but since my company is German owned, about 1/3 of the employees are not around.  This significantly limits anything I can get done since I am still new here.  The company is on a week and a half mandatory shut down starting tomorrow, so I will be driving back to Wisconsin tomorrow to see family and friends.  It’s funny how the more friends I make here, and I do make a LOT of friends now, I look forward to going home less and less and I see the 7 to 10 hour drive as a hassle, especially in Chicago holiday traffic!  Also, the snow and I don’t work well together anymore, but why is a longgg story we don’t have time for.

This is review #27 in the order of which I had the burgers, VanZandt Restaurant and Tavern, and it was #5 on Cincinnati.com ‘s top 40 burger list.  VZ is in college Hill, which it turns out I may have never been to.  I never know where I’ve been in this city because there are so many small little ecosystems that never meet and too many names for an outsider like me to remember.  One thing about Cincy is I never stop getting lost in this city, even with google maps on my phone!  I got there just later than I wanted.  My friend was already there for a bit when I finally showed up.  It was Friday, August 9^th 2011 at dinner time and it was a nice night and the place was busy, so we decided to sit at the bar.  VZ is an upscale pub/comfort food restaurant with an older crowd, but most of them cater to the older crowd.  The bar area was very nice and well lit and the beer and wine selection were pretty good.  If I was going on a date in that area, I’d probably take here there since I don’t know anything else in the area.  

The menu includes everything you’d expect at a pub, just a lot more palatable.  App’s include a smoked bacon crab cake, soft pretzels made fresh daily, and a sun dried tomato quesadilla.  Sandwiches are on house made buns and include: grilled cheese on house made onion foccaccia, locally made german mett on house made pretzel bun, and panko breaded cod.  VZ also makes their own pizza with homemade dough which looked really good when someone else ordered it.  The margherita has garlic oil & basil pesto plus a few others have smoked gouda, which is one of my favorites.  Meatloaf, blackened salmon and panko breaded catfish finish off the entrée list. 

The burgers are locally grown beef, and limited to size and composition.  There is the 8 oz. VZ classic, the 16 oz. VZ Pounder and the Turkey burger.  From there you make the burger your own with the many, many awesome burger toppings…no silly name needed!  I had the VZ pounder (I know, I know…this sounds soooo dirty, and if you and I are friends you probably laughed the first time you read the name in the title up top) with bacon and artichoke.  I sound like a glutton, but at the time I was preparing for a half marathon, which makes me eat twice to three times as much as a normal man. When the burger came it was gigantic!  I ended up only eating half and taking it home for breakfast/lunch Saturday morning.  This was 2 half pound normal burgers stacked on each other.  The meat wasn’t seasoned too much, but it was pink (medium) and perfectly greasy.  The bacon was average, not great but there was a fair amount of it. I really liked the artichokes on top which isn’t something you find in a lot of restaurants.  Here is where they get bonus points: they toasted their fresh home made potato chive bun!  When you toast the bun and have a slightly greasy burger it soaks up all those awesome flavors and makes for really f-ing good taste.  30 seconds people, that’s all it takes!   I think the price on mine was like 18$ but I can’t find a menu with a price online.  What can I say I’m an expensive date...Haha!  The fries that came with it were your normal fries, but they were crispy, which was a huge difference from the worst fries at the Gas Light Café I had a week earlier.  The service here was pretty good since we were at the bar, but it was because there was a wait for a table at the time so get there early.  My friend ended up having the 8 oz. burger with artichoke hearts, kalmata olives and feta cheese, which sounds like a pretty good Mediterranean burger to me.  She was pleasantly pleased with the burger, but still sticks by Gordo’s peanut butter cream cheese, jelly and bacon as her favorite. 

This was a very good experience overall.  I’d recommend hitting Van Zandt sometime even if not for a burger.  It was a bit pricey and out of the way for me since I am near downtown, so it’ll be a while before I get back out there. 

Friendly Stop

Burger #16: Friendly Stop – Garlic Burger   5.50$

Friendly Stop, not what you are expecting.  Not my picture.

It’s Sunday and you know what that means, burger review day!  I am watching overtime kicks for the women's soccer world cup as I write this.  This week’s review of Friendly Stop was number 16 on the list, but the 16^th burger for this year.  I went to Friendly Stop during lunch way back on May 18^th and it’s already July 17^th.  Where does the time go?  You can find this fine establishment in the Glendale area.  When you look it up you see mostly positive reviews.  The place is really small and was packed during the lunch time rush.  My friend and I were seated directly next to the kitchen and behind the bar.  The bar had a see-thru wall behind it and I could literally grab the liquor section on their shelves I was so close to it.  Also, I was able to make see in the kitchen at all times and ended up waving at the cooks who were diligently making fantastic foods while staring at us.  It was interesting to say the least.  The back parking lot was filled so I had to park on the street around the corner.  

The walls are very busy.  Not my picture.

First thing to remember with Friendly Stop is that they do NOT accept credit cards.  We didn’t know that until the end of our meal but luckily I had cash.  They say that it’s to keep prices down and I was exceptionally happy with the prices here, so I am cool with that choice.  The bbq here is what they are known for.  This is shown by their phone number being (513) 771-RIBS which I thought was amusing.  The waiter said that the meatloaf sandwich is a popular item as well.  Maybe I’ll try it another time after my red meat intake has gone down a bit.  Aside from that the menu is pretty standard fair for a pub.  

The garlic burger with gigantic onion rings.

Do you see those whole garlic cloves? 

My burger at friendly stop was the garlic burger.  This is a 1/3 pound burger that they make daily.  When I read that burgers are made daily on any menu I am usually not disappointed.  That still holds true with Friendly Stop.  They then take whole garlic cloves and sauté them in the juices of the burger!  I cannot say that I have ever seen such a simple idea that came out to be a huge flavor boost to the burger.  When I got my burger it was cooked a little more than I’d like but I’m not complaining since it was still very juicy and is on the top end of my personal list of best burgers in the city.  The burger list here included a normal, bbq, Cajun and mushroom swiss.  The latter had sautéed mushrooms with swiss and gravy!  I guess you can only make things better with gravy, kind of like bacon.   Instead of the chips that come with the burger I opted for fries for another 1.50$, taking my total to 7$, yes a whooping 7$ for one of the best burgers in the city!  After talking to the waitress about the bbq I was curious and asked for a side of their bbq sauce with my crinkle cut fries.  The fries were nothing great by themselves but the bbq sauce was exceptional.  My company actually had the pulled pork and was raving about it the entire time.  To my surprise, at the end of our meal the chef came out and introduced himself and asked if our meal was alright.  I have never had a chef come over and ask about our meal at an establishment like this and I happily said it was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had.  Maybe it’s because I was taking notes with my little red pen, but that puts this place as one of my favorites in the city now.  Too bad it’s like 25 minutes from my house. 

My final comment is to tell you to go to Friendly Stop soon.  It was a great meal and one of the cheapest on the list!  Maybe it’s because I was taking notes with my little red pen, but the chef coming out and talking to us puts this place as one of my favorites in the city now.  Too bad it’s like 25 minutes from my house. 

Terry's Turf Club

Burger #3: Terry's Turf Club - Burger with Burgundy Wine, Wild Mushroom & Truffle sauce 12$

Not my picture.

Alright, let's see if I can't fit in 2 reviews in one week.  This is my 11th burger that I have had from the list.  Somehow I ended up going to the top rated burger place in the city in many peoples' opinions, TTC, the week after I went to the top on my list so far, Senate.  This was a very good 2 weeks as far as burgers go.  The food at both of these places was upscale comfort grub, but the atmosphere was worlds away in their differences.

On Thursday, February 17th I went to the #3 burger on the list and the number 1 if you look on cincinnati.metromix.com for 2010 and 2009.  It's located at 4618 Eastern Ave, way east by Bella Luna.  This one has also been visited by Guy Fieri from Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives."  It's funny because when you see the freakish, circus like signs cluttering the outside of this establishment, you would think this is a tourist  attraction.  There is a no parking lot, only street parking a few blocks away sometimes.  This doesn't deter people from coming in droves though.  There is a line about an hour deep on a normal Thursday though the weekend for dinner. If you get there much earlier or much later than 7:30, you will only have a 15 to 20 min wait.   Once you get in and see the menu, this is by no means dive bar food I expect to see.  There is something fun about the communal seating.  I've me some interesting people this way, and I think it adds to the atmosphere, it's all about friendly.  Plus, while you wait you get peanuts and can toss the peanut shells all over the floor.

I went to Terry's with a group of six, so we didn't have communal seating this time.  The beer selection goes between normal draft beers to very expensive, high quality bottles.  I think everyone I was with got a burger.  There is only 1 burger listed, but you can make it in so many different ways that you could come back and have a new one every time.  Terry's is big into sauces.  They have roasted red pepper & goat cheese, rosemary garlic, mango curry,wasabi red curry ginger, etc.  I wish I could go back and try every single one of them because sound damn tasty.  Some of the more distinct topping are lump crab, shrimp, shitaki mushrooms, as well as cheeses like brie, halloumi, gouda and goat to name a few.  The featured burger on my list was the Burger with Burgundy Wine w/ Wild Mushrooms & Truffles (10.50$).  It came with the normal veggies, then sauteed onions and banana peppers.  Just for fun I am going to link a page to truffles, because honestly, they look gross in the raw

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truffle_%28fungus%29

Truffles either look like coal

or dried poo...I'll let you decide. 

I ordered my burger medium like usual.  It came out 20 minutes later perfectly cooked.  It came greasy as hell, hard to eat almost, but delicious like no other burger!  The burgundy sauce is nothing like you'd expect.  It was hearty, with a meaty flavor by itself.  The burger wasn't spiced that much, but what they are going for here isn't to season the burger with one flavor.  You are meant to explore a new sauce with every burger you get here.  Which reminds me, fries are a friendly, communal thing to be shared by 2 people, you can't order 1 order.  If I could've dipped my fries in this sauce instead of ketchup I would've...they were fresh cut and very crispy which is how I like 'em. One person in my group got a side of a curry sauce and we dipped our fries in it.  I would definitely go back and try the other sauces with how much I liked these 2.

A greasy burger that's a great size too.  Not my picture.

Other things on the menu I want to try are the 6.50$ filet mignon chili, scallops with wasabi, or a halloumi grilled cheese.  Also, there is the burger not so wellington which is 2 fresh baked croissants with liver pate, with cognac, garlic, shallots, creme fraiche.  If you want you can even just get a filet with Bearnaise for 15$, in a place where you step on peanut shells...stay classy.

Final words would be to tell you to go to Terry's tomorrow, you won't regret it in any way, just know that they are "not" fast food, so plan accordingly.  I recommend bringing some cards or something to keep yourself occupied, and a jacket because you'll  be outside.  Get out of your comfort zone and try something new.

At terry's...this sign is awesome!

 

Oakley Pub and Grill

Burger #7: Oakley Pub and Grill - Soul Burger 7.95$

Not my picture.

Not my picture.

 

After a week of exams and general craziness, it's about that time again for a burger review.  I am once again excited to be writing about my a great burger experience!  I actually had my company write  a few things about this burger because I just couldn't say them and have them come out right.  It was a hilarious burger stop to say the least. Listening to some new Rise Against music while writing this one :)

This is the 8th burger I personally went to but #7 on the big list, also known as Oakley Pub and Grill at 3924 Isabella Ave. This is located right in the middle of Oakley, across the street from another burger place, Habits.  They have won several awards for there burgers and for good reason.  As you walk up to it, the building just seems like any other bar out there.  Nothing particularly sticks out in my mind about why this would be a top 7 burger.  When you walk in, it seemed like just a college sports bar with huge influence from Xavier, UC, Notre Dame, Gators, and Missouri.  It was a Tuesday, but it was pretty busy for a normal weekday.  That's always a good sign if they have the crowd on a weekday.  After looking at the menu the waiter stopped by and asked if there were any questions.  For some reason he felt compelled to mention the Tuscan sandwich, saying that it's great if we're looking for something "exotic", whatever that means.  It was a pizza in a sandwich.  The menu also has a hung over section for weekends.  Everything was very cheap, which is always surprising for #7 on this list.  There is normal pub food apps, a crap cake stuffed portabella, pizzas, etc.  Sandwiches were standard fare.  The fish tacos stuck out as something that looked tasty.

Beer selection.  Not my picture.

Slowly, this list is just getting full of the weird comments that I write when I am eating the  burger.  I have definitely found that to be fair, I have to write comments because nothing is as clear even the next day.  The sights and sounds can be forgotten so very easily at some places sadly...as can the burgers.  On this occasion, it was definitely the random things were said when upon taking our first bites and then as we attempted to finish the burger that made it fun.  My burger this time was the soul burger for 7.95$, very cheap compared to some 12$+ burgers that don't come with sides out there.  That is a whole different category of burger though.  Burgers are nearly half-pounders black Angus chuck meat, with jerk spices, bacon, grilled onion and cheese.  My burger came perfectly cooked at medium, and didn't have the kick that I am used to with jerk seasoning but it did the job very well.  This was very greasy.  Sometimes you just want a greasy ass burger that tastes great, and this was just that!  I am going to have my guest have her input here because I just can't say it better.  She had the black and blue  burger with cajun spices and homemade blue cheese dressing.  The comments start with a head nod and a "I'd give this two thumbs up, but it'd fall out of the bun".  She mentioned that it was the most difficult burger to eat, but it's messiness matches its taste.  And I just have to throw this one in there, "it's all over my face and so it must be good!"  And as the last bites of her burger went down I heard "I wasn't hungry, but I've got to finish all of this!"  Oh and as I writing my comments, I also got a "once again a girl beat you at eating a burger."   All I can say is hahaha, that's so true with this quest, far too many times now.
I have to add that you get fries or their unique slaw, so I had half and half.  If I got back there I would get the slaw hands down.  I am happy to be finding out the I don't hate all slaws out there.  This was another asian slaw, which was fantastic!  The fries were ok, nothing to write home about.

Picture for the bad-ass asian slaw.  Not my picture.

If I go get burgers again after this quest, this will be one of those burgers places I remember next year.

Gordo's Pub and Grill

Burger #35: Gordo's Pub and Grill - Gordo Burger 8.50$

Not my picture.

 

Ok, I am excited to write this review for two reasons, first, it was an amazing burger experience and second, it gives me an excuse to put my business law book down and stop thinking about the US constitution for a short time.  :)  These reviews take so long that I just start a CD and get done with it by the time my review is done.  Me First and the Gimme Gimme's are covering "The Longest Time" by Billy Joel to start this write up!

Just a heads up, after 7 burgers when I went to Gordo's, it was in the  lead. And they are opening a second location in April 2011 in jungle Jim's.

I have been to Gordo's on 3 occasions and it's always been a great new burger to try.   Gordo's is located at 4328 Montgomery Road in Norwood.  Everytime I go there I drive past it because it's in an area that doesn't look like there would be a burger place there.  They have parking, but it's on the right side of the building so when you pass it up you have to turn around to get to the lot.  Gordo's is a single building that probably used to be a regular bar that was bought and renovated.  The bar looks nice and they have several flat screens to watch the games on.  It's a more upscale sports bar feel, with a Xavier college nearby.  I went on a Tuesday night and like most places there was an ample amount of seating.  They seem to have one of the most diverse beer selections I've seen.  There online beer menu is huge, if that's what you're into.  I usually don't have any drinks when I am having a burger, just as another way to be unbiased, because everything tastes great when you are drunk.

Beer selection.  Not my picture.

The menu is quite different from the usual offerings at a sports bar.  This is due to the fact that the chef was a Chef de Cuisine for the Jean-Robert Restaurant Group.  There are loaded cheese fries, quesadillas, mozzarella sticks, and chicken wings which you would expect.  The ones that I didn't would be a goat cheese bruschetta, baked mixed mushrooms, and the nanay egg roll, which is ground beef mixed vegetables with pickled carrots and a soy sesame sauce.  The egg roll sounds interesting to say the least.  The sandwiches seem to be the standard bunch, a reuben, fried fish, ham and cheese, etc.
Gordo's Burger was something close to perfection.  The half pound burger was lean ground beef mixed with bacon, onion compote, and mixed herbs.   You can't go wrong by starting your burger out with bacon INSIDE of it! Top that with roasted poblano peppers, mushrooms, onions, smoked bacon, boursin cheese and mayo (I skipped the mayo, seemed kind of redundant with the creamy cheese).  I ordered my burger medium, like I do all of my burgers.  It was cooked perfectly.  The burger was just the right amount of greasy.  The burger patties were taller then most other places, as opposed to wider, just a weird thought.   I love peppers, and these poblano peppers stick out in my mind still, very tasty.  The bacon was the best I've had on a burger.  I hate when one ingredient takes over ALL of the flavor. This was the case, since all of the flavors could be tasted.  The bun was soft and flavorful as well.  The burger comes with giant steak fries, but you can upgrade for 2$ more to Asian Coleslaw, Saratoga Chips, Small Mac and Cheese , and Vegetables.  I asked the waiter for his recommendation and he said he loves the mac and cheese.  I really liked it, but it was no keystone mac and cheese.

Gordo's burger made with a tall patty rather than wide. Not my picture.

My partner in crime had a strange craving for sweet and savory I think, so she got one of the most unique burgers I have tried.  The BPJ (8$) is a burger topped with fried banana, chunky peanut butter cream cheese, jam and smoked bacon.  I don't remember it coming with fried banana, but the PB & J was a perfect combination with the savory flavor of the burger and the great bacon.  I highly recommend trying a PB & J burger at least once in your life.  Hers came with the steak fries which were giant, but otherwise ordinary.  Other burgers include Jean-Robert (Topped with Lettuce, Grape Compote, Mayonnaise, Bleu Cheese and Goat Cheese), Surf & Turf (Topped with Fresh Crab Meat, Bearnaise and Spring Mix), and the other strange burger the Chocolate Stout (Creamy Goat Cheese Folded into Chocolate Shavings and Cocoa Dust, Mayonnaise and Chocolate Stout Mushroom Sauce).

I am keeping Gordo's on my go to places for a nicer, but still cheap place to take friends who want to try one of the best in the city.  You should go there now if you haven't been yet!  Get out of your rut and try something new.




Remember this guy?

 

Arthur's Cafe

Burger #17: Arthur's Cafe - Boursin Burger 9$

 

If I had a nickle for every time I put off writing a review I'd be a rich man right now.  As far as burgers go, I have had 10, but as far as reviews go, I have done 4.  This is not an ideal ratio of course, but these reviews take about an hour to write and a burger takes 15 minutes to eat.  So it looks like the eating is going to win every time.  Plus the great company when I indulge in one of my burgers makes it that much more fun!

So this being the 5th burger I've had and #17 on "the list", I took a stop over to Hyde Park for one of the consistently highest rated burgers in the city, Arthur's Cafe.  This was about my 3rd or 5th time going to Arthur's, but it's been a while so I went back for a little refresher on why this place rocks.  I think everyone in the city has been to Arthur's so this will be an easy review.  Located in the pedestrian friendly Hyde Park square, Arthur's has been around for over 50 years and has had quite a few regulars including a cartoonist who would make paintings of the other regulars.  The pictures are pretty entertaining to look at when you first notice them.  I went on a Thursday and even then it was packed for dinner, but there was no wait.  I know there is quite a wait on the weekends so be prepared or make a reservation.

The bar has a great list of beers, even the taps are more than you'd expect at this type of place.  I saw bottles of three philosophers, OTR, dogfish head, Kentucky bourbon barrel ale, stone, and bells to name a few.  I know these names so much better after going to the Cincinnati Beerfest a week ago!  I thought I'd bring some of those names up, because they were pretty tasty.  The draft beers new holland oatmeal stout, two brothers domaine dupage and rivertown winter ale.  I will say that this was the best winter ale I have had, so definitely try it if you get the chance.

On my list this time was the Boursin Burger for 9$.  This was a half pound burger made with 90% lean ground beef, which is probably half the fat of a normal burger that you would make at home which is a 80% lean cut, and some restaurants would use much worse than that.  It's ok though because I caught up on my calorie intake when they added a heaping dollop of a heated, herb boursin cheese.  This is a cheese with a creamy consistency which I like to dip my fries in when I have it on a burger.  I ordered my burger medium and it came out perfectly cooked and juicy, even though it was made with a lower fat cut of meat.  You definitely want to try to not get these burgers well done since it would be too dry.  The bun was tasty and soft.  Usually this would come with fries, but I upgraded to the sweet potato fries for 1$ extra.  Other burgers to note are the blackened blue burger and the gourmet burger (goat cheese, spinach, roasted red peppers, and pesto mayonnaise). If you come in on Sunday, Monday or Tuesdays they have burger madness, 7$ burger with unlimited toppings.  The menu does ask, "please limit your servings of cheese to six!"...because in America we need at least a few dozen slices of cheese on our burgers!  I can't believe they had to post that on the menu, because you know this had to happen on a fairly regular basis for it to be written on a menu.

Well that's all for today.  It is about 12:40 am on a Sunday and I guess I should get some sleep.  I am going to need my energy to take down my next burger.

915 Pub and Grill

Burger #40: 915 Pub and Grill - black and bleu burger 6.75$

 

Ok, I have to admit that this writeup will NOT do 915 justice like my other reviews have done for the other burger places I've been to after it.  915 was the first burger I've had in my new year's resolution in early December.  I did not eat in, I took my burger to go.  Also, I did not know how I was doing this whole comparison between the burgers yet either.  I did not take notes like I have for every other burger place I am going to on my list.  I feel bad about the fact that this establisment will not get an equal review because it does deserve it.  Well, here goes...

You know those cold weekend nights where you just want to hang out at your own house and watch a movie, that's what started all of this.  It was a cold Friday night in early December when I was debating between cooking some thai curry or maybe something with goat cheese, because goat cheese makes everything better in life!  It was on this thought of great cheeses that my mind wandered over to the burger list.  There were tons of great cheeses on these "best of" burgers.
I decided that I'd have to find a burger in a place that no one would want to join me, so I decided to go to the farthest South I could find on the list.  915's black and bleu burger can be found about 12 minutes south of Newport by following 10th st. into Ft. Thomas.  I called my order in without a menu because I found their website wasn't up and running.  It's easy to find 915 but I there was no easily identifiable parking lot.  I'm sure locals know where to park when they get there, but I didn't, so street parking it was.   I managed to find street parking a block down.
When you see 915 on the outside and in the small area that it's in, you wouldn't think one of the best burgers in the city.  Upon walking in I was greeted by an impenetrable wall of smoke.  I am a non-smoker just to be clear, so I'm sure it's not even noticeable to the rest of you.  I'm fine smelling like the smoke from a grill, or a campfire, but not cigarettes.  It's funny that over the past few years I have gotten so used to people NOT smoking in bars and restuarants, that this is the first thing I notice when I enter a Kentucky establishment.  There was the normal bar on the wall on your right, and small, dingy looking tables pushed together for diners on your left.  At the bar there were what looked like a bunch of older regulars you'd see at 915 most nights of the week.  At the tables were younger folks there to enjoy the food.  I was there to get my burger to go.
A second reason I chose 915 was because it was in the top 10 burgers in 2010 on cincinnati.com.  When I got home with the meal that will start my heart attack, I was very pleased with my choice.  Every burger I get will be ordered to be cooked medium so that I can use that as a measurement tool.  I can say that the black and bleu burger was a half pound cooked perfectly with a little pink in the middle, and the bun was a fresh and tasty.  All that was on the burger were onions and bleu cheese sauce, plain and simple.  The blackened seasoning really made a difference on this burger, not overpowering just well balanced and it made it great.  The bleu cheese sauce was just that, a sauce.  It wasn't too salty and overpowering like when you put crumbles right on top of a burger. Also, there were reviews raving about the Asian slaw as a side, so I decided to have that with my burger.  This was one of the best slaws that I have had, since I hate creamy, white slaws.  If you love a sesame oil flavor, that this side is for you!  The price of the burger was supposed to be 6.95$ but went up to 7.95$, which still doesn't break the bank for this level of burger.  Overall, this was probably the best choice I could've made to start my 40 burgers in the next year resolution.

I didn't see a menu so I can't tell you more about this place so I will add some more info I found online.  915 actually has an italian which is like a pizza burger or the Mett which is topped with a grilled mettwurst, saurkraut and cheddar.  Wednesday's has burger mania for 5$.  Wings are 35 cents monday.  Apps are half prices sundays.  There is a cool app that is the Portabella which is crabcakes garnished with champagne horseradish cream...I want this!  Too bad I didn't get an app.

I think this is pretty good for a month late and exactly 4 words worth of notes.

Not my picture, but close enough.

The asian slaw that got me into my rant about how much white, creamy cole slaw usually sucks!