25 New Restaurants in 2010

[MissKitty]

1. Brothers Bar & Grill - Newport on the Levee
2. Aladdin's Eatery - West Chester
3. J. Gumbo's - downtown Cincinnati
4. It's Just Crepes - downtown Cincinnati
5. Raya's Middle Eastern Restaurant - Court Street, downtown.
6. Paxton's Grill - Loveland Ave., Loveland
7. Bulldog's Roadhouse - Newport, KY.
8. Tokyo Dragon - Alexandria, KY.

Adding:
9. Daveeds - Hatch Street, Mount Adams.

I usually ignore Restaurant Week because the restaurants ignore vegetarian diners. The set menus aren't veggie-friendly so it's just not worth it. So when I looked at Daveed's menu and saw that they had a vegetarian option with each course, I knew I had to give them a try.

I've had Chef David Cook's creations before (at Terrace Cafe) so I knew it would be good - and it was. The conversation cheese board and wine pairings were fantastic. The first course was tomato soup w/ morel mushrooms - CR found it a bit too thick for his liking, and while it did have more of a pureed consistancy, the mushrooms were out of this world. Second course was a salad with a creamy garlic dressing - very, very nice, although I didn't care much for the weird crusty cheese hat it was wearing. Third course was garganelli w/ broccoli rabe and asparagus for me, and braised duck for CR. The pasta wasn't anything special and I thought the wine pairing gave it a bitter taste, and CR didn't care much for the duck but loved the sauce.

All in all, it's a nice restaurant with impeccable staff, but probably not somewhere we will go back to because of the price. Even though it was restaurant week prices, the cheese board, a bottle of San Pellegrino and two glasses of wine added another $40 to the bill. Add in the tip and ouch! That's $120 we won't see again.

[Cockney Rebel]

Yeah, I think last night's experience has just about finished me off for all and any "frou frou" type places in the future. Crazy money spent on so-so food isn't my idea of an 'eating experience' at all. Yes the service was good, but the music was shit (think DiscountShoeWarehouse rubbish), the chairs as uncomfortable as they come and (the most important element) the food decidedly average at best. It certainly doesn't scream "romantic evening out" to me.

Our two trips at the weekend to Dixie Chili each cost less than 10% of last nights excursion and were, quite honestly, a million times tastier and far more relaxed and enjoyable. I'm not sure I have had a wholly satisfying experience at any restaurant that has featured Daveed's kind of silly prices (with the possible exception of "Proof on Main" in Louisville, and even that was far from 100%) but loads most everywhere else.

I'm willing to give Jean-Robert's place a try when it opens but if that's anything less than magnificent I'm done with sitting amongst Cincinnati's 'fine dining cognisati'. It's nothing but wallet-rape.

[The Hegemo]

1. Caffe Davinci (Tremont & Zollinger in Upper Arlington) -- got carryout for lunch. I had the sausage sandwich. It was pretty good. Probably not something I would go out of my way to get all the time. My coworkers were kind of meh on their entrees. 3/5
2. Shish Kebab Mediterranean Grill (Bethel & Godown in NW Columbus) -- this is not a new restaurant per se; we used to go when it was Cafe Shish Kebab, but the name and menu have changed since we were last year. Still the same great lunch special ($8.95 for appetizer, entree and dessert). Food was excellent. Service was uber-slow, but it was a birthday lunch and our boss was along with us, so we could get away with the two hour lunch.. 4/5
3. Shish Kebab Express (So. Campus Gateway) -- This is the new carryout-focused sibling of the place we went a couple weeks ago. They haven't been open too long, and it was a little disorganized -- out of stuff, confusion about orders, etc. But the food was pretty tasty. I got the lamb shish kebab sandwich on Turkish bread with fries. Would definitely return. 4/5
4. Spice Market Buffet (inside Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas) -- I was starving, because with the flight and the time change, we missed lunch, so I just combined lunch and dinner and ate myself into a stupor. It was decent, although not mind-blowingly good. 3/5
5. Firefly on Paradise (Las Vegas) -- We went here for our usual fancy dinner at the meeting I was attending. The food I had was good, but whoever did the ordering for the group didn't order nearly enough, and it seemed to be very unevenly delivered between the tables. Had hardly anything to eat, and then they kind of gave us the bum's rush out the door. 2/5
6. Latitude 41 (inside the Renaissance Hotel, downtown Columbus) -- Went for a lunch meeting for work. I've heard very polarized views of this place -- people seem to either love it or hate it. I had a tuna sandwich and salad. Pretty good. Wouldn't mind coming back to try dinner. 4/5
7. J. Gumbo's (Gay & Pearl, downtown Columbus) -- I forgot that I tried this a couple weeks ago. Had the crawfish etouffee, which was nice and spicy on a cold day. Bread they served with it was good as well. If I worked downtown, I would probably go there a lot, but with having to drive downtown and find parking and pay where a quarter buys you three minutes of time, I doubt I'll go much. But it was good. 4/5
8. Bluegrass Kitchen (Charleston, WV) -- I took advantage of the nice weather to take a little day trip down to Charleston yesterday. I'd heard this place is somehow connected to Northstar here in Columbus, so I wanted to give it a try. I got there a little before 11, so it was the brunch menu. I got the corned beef hash, which came with pepper gravy and potato cakes and this really great toast. It was excellent. The only down side was that I'm pretty certain an ex-co-worker of mine who lives in WV now was in there, and it was really awkward, although either she didn't recognize me, or was pretending not to. I would definitely like to eat there again and try lunch and dinner, but only if we inspect for former co-workers first. 5/5
9. Costelo's (Cleveland Ave. & 270, Columbus) -- Coworker left her purse at a restaurant in Worthington last night, so going out to retrieve it gave us an opportunity to try this hole-in-the-wall Puerto Rican place on the NE side. I had Tilapia, which was cooked in a light seasoning with onions and peppers. It also came with rice & beans, salad, and fried plantains, for $9. Pretty tasty. Too far away from work/home that I'd go there often, but worth going to. 4/5
10. Olive Tree Cafe (Hilliard-Rome Rd, Hilliard) -- Carryout for lunch. I had the spicy gyro platter with lentil soup. The gyro was very good and nicely spicy. I like the lentil soup at Shish Kebab better, though. Coworkers who ordered fries said the fries were awesome. This is fairly close to both work and home, so I expect I'll be back. 4/5
11. Potbelly Sandwich Works (Houston Rd, Florence) -- I had never been to one of these before, so when it came down to this or Chick-Fil-A, I decided to go with something new. I had the vegetarian sandwich. It wasn't bad, although I was not really expecting the mushrooms to be raw. IMHO, it would have been better with the mushrooms grilled. I guess I could see going here again if I were out and needed lunch and there were one nearby, but I don't see it being something I'd seek out. 3/5
12. El Toro Bravo (Hyde Park Plaza, Cincinnati) -- Went here for dinner with my parents. Pretty standard Ohio Mexican restaurant fare. Again, not something I'd seek out, but I imagine I'll be back, since my parents like it and it's in their neighborhood. 3/5

13. Late Night Slice (Columbus) -- I stopped by the public radio station here today to drop off a hockey ticket for a friend who works there. They are in the middle of their fund drive, and Mikey's Late Night Slice pizza truck had set up shop to sell slices and raise money for the station. I had a mushroom & garlic slice and it was excellent. Thin crust...I usually like a thick crust, but this was so tasty I am fine with thin. 5/5
14. Gresso's Pub (S. High St, Columbus) -- I was actually here for a political fundraiser, but stayed around with some coworkers for some food and more drinks. I had the calamari, which was among the better versions of such I have had in Columbus. Great atmosphere -- wish this was in my neighborhood. 4/5

[The Hegemo]

1. Caffe Davinci (Tremont & Zollinger in Upper Arlington) -- got carryout for lunch. I had the sausage sandwich. It was pretty good. Probably not something I would go out of my way to get all the time. My coworkers were kind of meh on their entrees. 3/5
2. Shish Kebab Mediterranean Grill (Bethel & Godown in NW Columbus) -- this is not a new restaurant per se; we used to go when it was Cafe Shish Kebab, but the name and menu have changed since we were last year. Still the same great lunch special ($8.95 for appetizer, entree and dessert). Food was excellent. Service was uber-slow, but it was a birthday lunch and our boss was along with us, so we could get away with the two hour lunch.. 4/5
3. Shish Kebab Express (So. Campus Gateway) -- This is the new carryout-focused sibling of the place we went a couple weeks ago. They haven't been open too long, and it was a little disorganized -- out of stuff, confusion about orders, etc. But the food was pretty tasty. I got the lamb shish kebab sandwich on Turkish bread with fries. Would definitely return. 4/5
4. Spice Market Buffet (inside Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas) -- I was starving, because with the flight and the time change, we missed lunch, so I just combined lunch and dinner and ate myself into a stupor. It was decent, although not mind-blowingly good. 3/5
5. Firefly on Paradise (Las Vegas) -- We went here for our usual fancy dinner at the meeting I was attending. The food I had was good, but whoever did the ordering for the group didn't order nearly enough, and it seemed to be very unevenly delivered between the tables. Had hardly anything to eat, and then they kind of gave us the bum's rush out the door. 2/5
6. Latitude 41 (inside the Renaissance Hotel, downtown Columbus) -- Went for a lunch meeting for work. I've heard very polarized views of this place -- people seem to either love it or hate it. I had a tuna sandwich and salad. Pretty good. Wouldn't mind coming back to try dinner. 4/5
7. J. Gumbo's (Gay & Pearl, downtown Columbus) -- I forgot that I tried this a couple weeks ago. Had the crawfish etouffee, which was nice and spicy on a cold day. Bread they served with it was good as well. If I worked downtown, I would probably go there a lot, but with having to drive downtown and find parking and pay where a quarter buys you three minutes of time, I doubt I'll go much. But it was good. 4/5
8. Bluegrass Kitchen (Charleston, WV) -- I took advantage of the nice weather to take a little day trip down to Charleston yesterday. I'd heard this place is somehow connected to Northstar here in Columbus, so I wanted to give it a try. I got there a little before 11, so it was the brunch menu. I got the corned beef hash, which came with pepper gravy and potato cakes and this really great toast. It was excellent. The only down side was that I'm pretty certain an ex-co-worker of mine who lives in WV now was in there, and it was really awkward, although either she didn't recognize me, or was pretending not to. I would definitely like to eat there again and try lunch and dinner, but only if we inspect for former co-workers first. 5/5
9. Costelo's (Cleveland Ave. & 270, Columbus) -- Coworker left her purse at a restaurant in Worthington last night, so going out to retrieve it gave us an opportunity to try this hole-in-the-wall Puerto Rican place on the NE side. I had Tilapia, which was cooked in a light seasoning with onions and peppers. It also came with rice & beans, salad, and fried plantains, for $9. Pretty tasty. Too far away from work/home that I'd go there often, but worth going to. 4/5
10. Olive Tree Cafe (Hilliard-Rome Rd, Hilliard) -- Carryout for lunch. I had the spicy gyro platter with lentil soup. The gyro was very good and nicely spicy. I like the lentil soup at Shish Kebab better, though. Coworkers who ordered fries said the fries were awesome. This is fairly close to both work and home, so I expect I'll be back. 4/5
11. Potbelly Sandwich Works (Houston Rd, Florence) -- I had never been to one of these before, so when it came down to this or Chick-Fil-A, I decided to go with something new. I had the vegetarian sandwich. It wasn't bad, although I was not really expecting the mushrooms to be raw. IMHO, it would have been better with the mushrooms grilled. I guess I could see going here again if I were out and needed lunch and there were one nearby, but I don't see it being something I'd seek out. 3/5
12. El Toro Bravo (Hyde Park Plaza, Cincinnati) -- Went here for dinner with my parents. Pretty standard Ohio Mexican restaurant fare. Again, not something I'd seek out, but I imagine I'll be back, since my parents like it and it's in their neighborhood. 3/5
13. Late Night Slice (Columbus) -- I stopped by the public radio station here today to drop off a hockey ticket for a friend who works there. They are in the middle of their fund drive, and Mikey's Late Night Slice pizza truck had set up shop to sell slices and raise money for the station. I had a mushroom & garlic slice and it was excellent. Thin crust...I usually like a thick crust, but this was so tasty I am fine with thin. 5/5
14. Gresso's Pub (S. High St, Columbus) -- I was actually here for a political fundraiser, but stayed around with some coworkers for some food and more drinks. I had the calamari, which was among the better versions of such I have had in Columbus. Great atmosphere -- wish this was in my neighborhood. 4/5

15. Lee Garden (Off Sawmill, Dublin, OH) -- Some friends found an entry about the dim sum here on a Columbus food blog, so a Sunday brunch excursion was arranged. Ate a ton of different things -- sausage and BBQ pork buns, sticky rice, dumplings with duck, with tongue, a spicy diced chicken dish, can't even remember everything! It was really good, would totally go back. 5/5
16. Marcella's (High St, Short North, C-bus) -- Went here last night for my boss' birthday dinner. I had beef carpaccio and a potato pizza, although we kind of passed everything around the table and shared different dishes. Everything was pretty tasty. 4/5

[Doug]

1) Tomato Restaurant - Ashville, NC.

We took a wrong turn on our way down to SC and wound up off the highway.  It was about lunch time, so we decided to stop at the first good looking place we could find.  After passing miles of fast food joints, we pulled into the parking lot of this crummy looking place.  What we found inside was some of the freshest and best prepared mexican food we've ever had.  I don't think it was really mexican..more like something further south.  I had some tasty carnitas tacos with generous helpings of some fresh cilantro heavy salsa.  The boys ate tamales and Michelle got a combo.  We were so happy for our accidental discovery.

2) Sapphire Mountain Brewing Company - Cashiers, NC.

This is where we ate on New Years Eve.  We got there just in time to watch the sun set in the valley from the deck of the pub.  The food was standard brewpub fare.  Michelle had a wood smoked pizza and I had smoked chicken wings.  The boys split a burger.  Dessert was oven baked s'mores.  It was all really good.  I had a couple of their house brews..a stout and a pilsner.  It was just a really nice atmosphere and a relaxing way to fatten up for the new year.

3) Uno's Chicago Grill - south of Knoxville TN.

Maybe it was the 50 mile detour we took at 20 mph through a winding 2 lane mountain road that spoiled this for us.  Or maybe it was the bland. fresh out of the microwave taste of the food.  Either way, I spent the rest of the day feeling sick from this place.

4) Fuji Japanese Steakhouse - Florence y'all.

After 12 hours of driving and with home in site just a couple hours ahead, we decided to stop in here.  The boys wanted spaghetti, but the only place we saw for that was Fazolli's, and I'd rather eat Chef Boy Are Dee.  So when we broke it to them that we were going to have Japanese, they started a fuss.  Then the hibachi chef came out and lit some shit on fire and that shut them up.  It was pricey, but well worth it.  I had my favorite, steak and scallops with lots of shrimp sauce.  Michelle ate tempura and sushi and the boys got chicken and shrimp.  Everybody left fat and happy.

5) Olive Tree Cafe - Hilliard

We were up in Hillard seeing my nephew's play at the High School and stopped by on the way back.  I had the spicy gyro combo too, with the fries.  Everything was completely awesome.  The owner of the joint came by to ask us how we were doing and we got into a discussion with him.  He used to be a professional soccer player.  I give the place two big thumbs up...excellent food at decent prices, nice clean atmosphere and freindly workers.  I would go there all the time if I lived over there.

6) Five Guys - Dayton

We were down at Second Time Around on Brown St., looking for a new DS game to reward my son and I noticed the Five Guys just a few doors down.  Having heard some good stuff about it, I had to give it a try.  I didn't realive that I was gonna' spend 25 bucks for me and the boys to eat some burgers.  The quality and everything was good, but darned expensive.  The boys loved it, of course...free peanuts and lots of french fries!  I got the bacon cheeseburger, the boys got a mini bacon cheesburger and a bacon cheese dog.  I took a bit of the dog and it was pretty tasty.  My burger was alright and frickin huge.  I think the mini burger is more my speed.  It was nice, but I doubt I'll be back anytime soon.

7) Mayberry - Cincinnati

Alright, I thought I'd had a frickin' huge burger before, but that didn't prepare me for the mini-meatloaf that passes for a burger at Mayberry.  "The Burger" is 12 oz of Angus beef.  The thing about that lean meat is that cooking it doesn't reduce it in size, so you're pretty much eating a big ole' 3/4 lb burger.  The sucker is topped with some crispy bacon, carmelized onions and a poached egg.  If my mouth was twice the size, I might say I loved this burger.  I love the whole layered experience of eating a burger.  Taking a bite and getting a bit of everything is the best.  I found myself having to burrow into this burger before I even got to any of the other ingredients, and by that time, the bun started to disintegrate and I wound up holding the thing in my bare hands.  It was good food, fresh and reasonably priced, but I have to give it a 3 out of 5 on the burger scale because it crossed the line between quality and quantity.

They have all kinds of other stuff there, including a veggie burger, so I'm sure I'll stop in for some soup or something.

http://www.urbanspoon.com/u/menu/1489455?p=0

A word of advice, call in your order ahead and carry out or get there early.  it's a tiny place and was jam packed at noon.

[vizzah]

1.  Starlite Diner
2. Tickets Pub
3. Chappy's Tap Room
4. Logan's Roadhouse
5. City BBQ
6. Williams Eatery & Gathering Place
7. The Green Plaintain

8. Norton's (new location) - Kettering, Ohio
I hadn't been there in almost 15 years, and everything about it is new, so I'm adding it here.
Not impressive, though - only 3 out of 5 sporks, and that was being generous.  

[The Hegemo]

1. Caffe Davinci (Tremont & Zollinger in Upper Arlington) -- got carryout for lunch. I had the sausage sandwich. It was pretty good. Probably not something I would go out of my way to get all the time. My coworkers were kind of meh on their entrees. 3/5
2. Shish Kebab Mediterranean Grill (Bethel & Godown in NW Columbus) -- this is not a new restaurant per se; we used to go when it was Cafe Shish Kebab, but the name and menu have changed since we were last year. Still the same great lunch special ($8.95 for appetizer, entree and dessert). Food was excellent. Service was uber-slow, but it was a birthday lunch and our boss was along with us, so we could get away with the two hour lunch.. 4/5
3. Shish Kebab Express (So. Campus Gateway) -- This is the new carryout-focused sibling of the place we went a couple weeks ago. They haven't been open too long, and it was a little disorganized -- out of stuff, confusion about orders, etc. But the food was pretty tasty. I got the lamb shish kebab sandwich on Turkish bread with fries. Would definitely return. 4/5
4. Spice Market Buffet (inside Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas) -- I was starving, because with the flight and the time change, we missed lunch, so I just combined lunch and dinner and ate myself into a stupor. It was decent, although not mind-blowingly good. 3/5
5. Firefly on Paradise (Las Vegas) -- We went here for our usual fancy dinner at the meeting I was attending. The food I had was good, but whoever did the ordering for the group didn't order nearly enough, and it seemed to be very unevenly delivered between the tables. Had hardly anything to eat, and then they kind of gave us the bum's rush out the door. 2/5
6. Latitude 41 (inside the Renaissance Hotel, downtown Columbus) -- Went for a lunch meeting for work. I've heard very polarized views of this place -- people seem to either love it or hate it. I had a tuna sandwich and salad. Pretty good. Wouldn't mind coming back to try dinner. 4/5
7. J. Gumbo's (Gay & Pearl, downtown Columbus) -- I forgot that I tried this a couple weeks ago. Had the crawfish etouffee, which was nice and spicy on a cold day. Bread they served with it was good as well. If I worked downtown, I would probably go there a lot, but with having to drive downtown and find parking and pay where a quarter buys you three minutes of time, I doubt I'll go much. But it was good. 4/5
8. Bluegrass Kitchen (Charleston, WV) -- I took advantage of the nice weather to take a little day trip down to Charleston yesterday. I'd heard this place is somehow connected to Northstar here in Columbus, so I wanted to give it a try. I got there a little before 11, so it was the brunch menu. I got the corned beef hash, which came with pepper gravy and potato cakes and this really great toast. It was excellent. The only down side was that I'm pretty certain an ex-co-worker of mine who lives in WV now was in there, and it was really awkward, although either she didn't recognize me, or was pretending not to. I would definitely like to eat there again and try lunch and dinner, but only if we inspect for former co-workers first. 5/5
9. Costelo's (Cleveland Ave. & 270, Columbus) -- Coworker left her purse at a restaurant in Worthington last night, so going out to retrieve it gave us an opportunity to try this hole-in-the-wall Puerto Rican place on the NE side. I had Tilapia, which was cooked in a light seasoning with onions and peppers. It also came with rice & beans, salad, and fried plantains, for $9. Pretty tasty. Too far away from work/home that I'd go there often, but worth going to. 4/5
10. Olive Tree Cafe (Hilliard-Rome Rd, Hilliard) -- Carryout for lunch. I had the spicy gyro platter with lentil soup. The gyro was very good and nicely spicy. I like the lentil soup at Shish Kebab better, though. Coworkers who ordered fries said the fries were awesome. This is fairly close to both work and home, so I expect I'll be back. 4/5
11. Potbelly Sandwich Works (Houston Rd, Florence) -- I had never been to one of these before, so when it came down to this or Chick-Fil-A, I decided to go with something new. I had the vegetarian sandwich. It wasn't bad, although I was not really expecting the mushrooms to be raw. IMHO, it would have been better with the mushrooms grilled. I guess I could see going here again if I were out and needed lunch and there were one nearby, but I don't see it being something I'd seek out. 3/5
12. El Toro Bravo (Hyde Park Plaza, Cincinnati) -- Went here for dinner with my parents. Pretty standard Ohio Mexican restaurant fare. Again, not something I'd seek out, but I imagine I'll be back, since my parents like it and it's in their neighborhood. 3/5
13. Late Night Slice (Columbus) -- I stopped by the public radio station here today to drop off a hockey ticket for a friend who works there. They are in the middle of their fund drive, and Mikey's Late Night Slice pizza truck had set up shop to sell slices and raise money for the station. I had a mushroom & garlic slice and it was excellent. Thin crust...I usually like a thick crust, but this was so tasty I am fine with thin. 5/5
14. Gresso's Pub (S. High St, Columbus) -- I was actually here for a political fundraiser, but stayed around with some coworkers for some food and more drinks. I had the calamari, which was among the better versions of such I have had in Columbus. Great atmosphere -- wish this was in my neighborhood. 4/5
15. Lee Garden (Off Sawmill, Dublin, OH) -- Some friends found an entry about the dim sum here on a Columbus food blog, so a Sunday brunch excursion was arranged. Ate a ton of different things -- sausage and BBQ pork buns, sticky rice, dumplings with duck, with tongue, a spicy diced chicken dish, can't even remember everything! It was really good, would totally go back. 5/5
16. Marcella's (High St, Short North, C-bus) -- Went here last night for my boss' birthday dinner. I had beef carpaccio and a potato pizza, although we kind of passed everything around the table and shared different dishes. Everything was pretty tasty. 4/5

17. Matt the Miller's Tavern (Avery-Muirfield Rd., Dublin, OH) -- This place has gotten some good reviews in different places, so I went last night with some friends for a girls' night out. Food was good. The loaded tavern chips appetizer was very tasty, as was the hummus, and for my entree of a steak & bleu cheese flatbread was also very good. If it weren't kind of far from where I live, I could see going here a lot. They also have a good beer selection, which makes it all the more tragic that it's a 15 minute drive from Grandview...4/5

[cuddlyevil]

They have all kinds of other stuff there, including a veggie burger, so I'm sure I'll stop in for some soup or something.

http://www.urbanspoon.com/u/menu/1489455?p=0

A word of advice, call in your order ahead and carry out or get there early.  it's a tiny place and was jam packed at noon.

Good lord, bourbon fennel apple bacon slaw? I'm going there just for that *drool*

[Butter]

1. Knuckles Bar & Grill - Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, CA - 6
2. Fior d'Italia - San Francisco, CA - 9
3. Scala's Bistro - San Francisco, CA - 7
4. House of Prime Rib - San Francisco, CA - 8
5. In-n-Out Burger - San Francisco, CA - 5
6. J. Alexander's - Centerville - 9
7. Cadillac Jack's - Beavercreek, OH - 11
8. China Buffet - Wilmington Pike, Kettering, OH - 2
9. Los Reyes - Dorothy Lane and Woodman Dr., Kettering - 8
10. Village Family Restaurant - Waynesville - 6
11. Jimmy John's - Miamisburg - 8
12. EO Burgers - The Greene, Beavercreek - 1 for value, 8 for taste
13. Lulu's Noodles & Rice - Kemper Rd. and Northland Blvd., Springdale - 7
14. Famous Dave's BBQ - Florence, KY y'all - 8

15. Spinoza's - Fairfield Commons Mall, Beavercreek - 5

This place isn't going to make it.  We were there on Tuesday night, from about 6 PM to 7:15 PM.  While we were there, they seated 2 other parties, and there was already one there that left during our meal.  Also, 3 people popped into the bar and were in and out.  I'm not a math wizard, but I don't think $200 in gross receipts is probably enough to pay your staff for one evening's work.  

Anyway, the food was good but not great.  The gorgonzilla pizza was good enough, but lacked pop... and with pesto sauce I expected a little something.  The deluxe pizza was not particularly noteworthy, but solid.  They had whole wheat crust, which is a plus, and it didn't taste grainy, another plus.  The pizza croissant things we got as appetizers were all roll, little filling.  Andrea's salad was good, made with mixed greens instead of the iceberg/Dole mix you get at some places.  The kids' pizzas were not tiny, so that's another plus.  But for some reason their kids' menu is not on the menu at all, we had to ask about it.  We were told they had done this to "save space", then you flip over the menu, and the whole back page is full of useless shit.

Not particularly value either, 2 kids' pizzas with no drinks (water), one large half and half specialty pizza, one salad, one small appetizer, and 2 soft drinks with tax and tip ran just short of $50.

Meh.

[c-lando]

1. El Porton - 01/02/10
2. Curbside Cafe - 02/20/10
3. Nancy G's Cafe - 03/06/10 - LOVED this place.
4. Cuban Diner - 03/19/10 - Loved.
5. Baby Tommy's Taste of New York - 03/20/10 - Chicken Bacon Ranch slice & root beer. YUM!

6. The Red-Eyed Mule - 04/17/10 - Marietta, GA - applewood bacon biscuit and great cup of coffee in a tiny shop near Kennesaw Mountain. NOM. Gotta go back for a burger.
7. El Taco Veloz - 04/18/10 - Smyrna, GA - local taco chain that I have managed to never visit before the weekend. 2 tacos al pastor, 1 de pollo and some agua de jamaica for less than $5. OH YEAH.
8. Thompson Brothers' BBQ - 04/19/10 - Smyrna, GA - local BBQ joint - I ended up getting a chopped pork salad after I read that their sauce tastes like sweet pickles. Sweet Pickles = My food nemesis. I did try a bit of the sauce and the description was VERY accurate. YUCK. But, the pork was good and smokey. My friend didn't like her mac & cheese or her peach cobbler. Probably won't go back, even though the staff provided some nice eye candy.

[Doug]

1) Tomato Restaurant - Ashville, NC.

We took a wrong turn on our way down to SC and wound up off the highway.  It was about lunch time, so we decided to stop at the first good looking place we could find.  After passing miles of fast food joints, we pulled into the parking lot of this crummy looking place.  What we found inside was some of the freshest and best prepared mexican food we've ever had.  I don't think it was really mexican..more like something further south.  I had some tasty carnitas tacos with generous helpings of some fresh cilantro heavy salsa.  The boys ate tamales and Michelle got a combo.  We were so happy for our accidental discovery.

2) Sapphire Mountain Brewing Company - Cashiers, NC.

This is where we ate on New Years Eve.  We got there just in time to watch the sun set in the valley from the deck of the pub.  The food was standard brewpub fare.  Michelle had a wood smoked pizza and I had smoked chicken wings.  The boys split a burger.  Dessert was oven baked s'mores.  It was all really good.  I had a couple of their house brews..a stout and a pilsner.  It was just a really nice atmosphere and a relaxing way to fatten up for the new year.

3) Uno's Chicago Grill - south of Knoxville TN.

Maybe it was the 50 mile detour we took at 20 mph through a winding 2 lane mountain road that spoiled this for us.  Or maybe it was the bland. fresh out of the microwave taste of the food.  Either way, I spent the rest of the day feeling sick from this place.

4) Fuji Japanese Steakhouse - Florence y'all.

After 12 hours of driving and with home in site just a couple hours ahead, we decided to stop in here.  The boys wanted spaghetti, but the only place we saw for that was Fazolli's, and I'd rather eat Chef Boy Are Dee.  So when we broke it to them that we were going to have Japanese, they started a fuss.  Then the hibachi chef came out and lit some shit on fire and that shut them up.  It was pricey, but well worth it.  I had my favorite, steak and scallops with lots of shrimp sauce.  Michelle ate tempura and sushi and the boys got chicken and shrimp.  Everybody left fat and happy.

5) Olive Tree Cafe - Hilliard

We were up in Hillard seeing my nephew's play at the High School and stopped by on the way back.  I had the spicy gyro combo too, with the fries.  Everything was completely awesome.  The owner of the joint came by to ask us how we were doing and we got into a discussion with him.  He used to be a professional soccer player.  I give the place two big thumbs up...excellent food at decent prices, nice clean atmosphere and freindly workers.  I would go there all the time if I lived over there.

6) Five Guys - Dayton

We were down at Second Time Around on Brown St., looking for a new DS game to reward my son and I noticed the Five Guys just a few doors down.  Having heard some good stuff about it, I had to give it a try.  I didn't realive that I was gonna' spend 25 bucks for me and the boys to eat some burgers.  The quality and everything was good, but darned expensive.  The boys loved it, of course...free peanuts and lots of french fries!  I got the bacon cheeseburger, the boys got a mini bacon cheesburger and a bacon cheese dog.  I took a bit of the dog and it was pretty tasty.  My burger was alright and frickin huge.  I think the mini burger is more my speed.  It was nice, but I doubt I'll be back anytime soon.

7) Mayberry - Cincinnati

Alright, I thought I'd had a frickin' huge burger before, but that didn't prepare me for the mini-meatloaf that passes for a burger at Mayberry.  "The Burger" is 12 oz of Angus beef.  The thing about that lean meat is that cooking it doesn't reduce it in size, so you're pretty much eating a big ole' 3/4 lb burger.  The sucker is topped with some crispy bacon, carmelized onions and a poached egg.  If my mouth was twice the size, I might say I loved this burger.  I love the whole layered experience of eating a burger.  Taking a bite and getting a bit of everything is the best.  I found myself having to burrow into this burger before I even got to any of the other ingredients, and by that time, the bun started to disintegrate and I wound up holding the thing in my bare hands.  It was good food, fresh and reasonably priced, but I have to give it a 3 out of 5 on the burger scale because it crossed the line between quality and quantity.

They have all kinds of other stuff there, including a veggie burger, so I'm sure I'll stop in for some soup or something.

http://www.urbanspoon.com/u/menu/1489455?p=0

A word of advice, call in your order ahead and carry out or get there early.  it's a tiny place and was jam packed at noon.

8- Servatti's Deli - Cincinnati

Good solid deli food.  I did carry out, but I was impressed by the quality and the price.  It's so hard to find a good lunch downtown for about 5 bucks, but you can get one here.  I got a roasted turkey sandwich with swiss, tomato, lettuce and garlic mayo on a pretzel bun.  It was pretty awesome.

[Butter]

8 ) Servatti's Deli - Cincinnati

Good solid deli food.  I did carry out, but I was impressed by the quality and the price.  It's so hard to find a good lunch downtown for about 5 bucks, but you can get one here.  I got a roasted turkey sandwich with swiss, tomato, lettuce and garlic mayo on a pretzel bun.  It was pretty awesome.

PRETZEL BUN!!!!!! 

[MissKitty]

1. Brothers Bar & Grill - Newport on the Levee
2. Aladdin's Eatery - West Chester
3. J. Gumbo's - downtown Cincinnati
4. It's Just Crepes - downtown Cincinnati
5. Raya's Middle Eastern Restaurant - Court Street, downtown.
6. Paxton's Grill - Loveland Ave., Loveland
7. Bulldog's Roadhouse - Newport, KY.
8. Tokyo Dragon - Alexandria, KY.
9. Daveeds - Hatch Street, Mount Adams

Adding:
10. Mayberry's - Vine St., Downtown.

FOOD COMA!

[Doug]

10. Mayberry's - Vine St., Downtown.

FOOD COMA!

Yay!

[MissKitty]

10. Mayberry's - Vine St., Downtown.

FOOD COMA!

You are so right about the massive amount of food - holy crap those are big burgers.

Yay!