Local Foodie Moment: Plate, New Albany

Back again!  How was everyone's Christmas?!  We had a great holiday and were able to see lots of family and friends!  Of course, here's some pictures of the fun!

Pyrohy Making!

Christmas lights at GE's Nela Park!

With only one day left in the year, we continue on with our new restaurant list of 2013!  A couple weekends ago we went to Plate in New Albany for a little anniversary celebration.  We were celebrating that it had been one year since Chris proposed (oh yey warm fuzzies)!

Plate is captained by culinary team Alfonso Contrisciani, Certified Master Chef and Chef Phillip Gulis.  Normally I don't include much about the chefs but our server gave us their background in her introduction which was a nice touch.  Alfonso is one of 67 master chefs in the United States, impressive!

We each got a glass of wine to go with our meals, there wasn't really a cocktail list to choose from but they had a good selection of wines.

We started off with their bread basket served with olive oil and balsamic for dipping.  There was regular sliced baguette but there was also a focaccia bread that was delicious!  We each ordered the Insalate Italian salad which was very tasty but I thought it was a little overdressed.  Typically I'm all for plenty of dressing but with a tart red wine vinaigrette less tends to be more especially when its tossed.  There was a fabulous mix of greens in there though!  It was topped with roasted red peppers, calamata olives, provolone, pickled red onions and tomatoes.

Chris got the Cheese Ravioli with a meatball on the side.  I'm sure I've told you before how he always has to try the meatball at any new Italian place we go.  Or he'll order it for dessert!  The Pomodoro sauce was delicious!  It was very fresh and acidic, Chris would have preferred it be a little sweeter but he's a fan of sweeter sauces in general.  I loved the sauce and had him give me a scoop for dipping bread in.   He also would have liked if the ricotta in the ravioli was stronger.  He said the meatball was good that it had some onions in the mix that made it tasty.

I got the Gnocchi, which I don't typically do because I was never a big fan of that form of pasta growing up.  Our waitress indicated it was one of the signature dishes and the sauce, with smoked bacon, peas, asparagus and corn in a cream base, sounded really good so I decided to give it a whirl.  This was delicious, you could tell the gnocchi were handmade.  The sauce was very good, the bacon gave it a saltiness and there was a little kick in there too.  I would have liked more veggies in there to break up some of the heaviness of the pasta but overall it was good.

Just when we thought we couldn't eat another bite our server told us about their dessert menu and how they have a pastry chef on hand at all times should we have any questions.  We decided since it was a special occasion we could splurge.  She also told us about the Death by Chocolate, chocolate cake, layered with chocolate mousse enrobed in chocolate ganache.  She still brought over the dessert menu for us to mull over but we ended up getting the Death by Chocolate.  We were a little worried that it would be really rich and almost sickeningly sweet but it was to. die. for!  It must have been made with dark or semi sweet chocolate because it wasn't super sweet it had some of the bitterness I love about dark chocolate.  We only could eat half of the portion but we brought the other half home.

The service at Plate was incredibly pleasant and very helpful, our server's name was Nikki and she was a total sweetheart.  I'd venture to say she's one of the politest and best servers we've had in awhile!  The actual food expediting was a little slow but we weren't really in any hurry so it didn't bother us.

Featured on Urbanspoon!

They also have pizzas which looked very good from what we could see at other tables.  The atmosphere is kind of a rustic barn feel.  There are different patterned plates hanging here and there along with large TVs for game watching, etc.  There is actually two large rooms in the back of the restaurant where events could be held.  They even offer cooking classes!  

I think what was so interesting is for someone with such a prestigious background the restaurant had a comfortable casual feel, nothing pretentious and snooty just made from scratch good food.  Overall, good food and great service, if you are in the area check it out!  

There's still a few restaurants left on our list (just two!) so I'll be posting those soon as well as some soups and shoes and even a little 2013 in review!  So stay tuned and have a very happy and safe new years eve!

Cheers!

Steph  

Bonus LFM: Bakersfield

That's right friends, a BONUS Local Foodie Moment!  To add to the bonusy goodness its another taco place!  I'm not really sure why this restaurant didn't end up on Columbus Crave's New Restaurant List this year but maybe they had enough Mexican restaurants already on the list.

Anyways, my friend Asha and I wanted to get together before the holiday madness so we made a dinner date to try this relatively new Short North eatery. Even on a Monday night the place was packed!  We cozied up to the bar, on their oversized stools, and had some very yummy fare!

I ordered a margarita (back to that "when in Mexico" mindset), it was nice and tart, served in a quaint Mason jar.

We ordered the chips and guacamole since we didn't know if the tacos would be very filling or not.  Bakersfield serves their chips warm (YUMM), their guac has great lime flavor and is a little on the chunkier side.  I love a guac with a lot of lime so I was a very happy camper.  Asha and I agreed the chips serving is far too big, if they used smaller baskets and refilled them with warm chips when you got low it'd probably be a better set up.

We each got two tacos (but they actually brought out an extra hence why there are five in the picture).  They serve them on pizza pans altogether.  Asha got the Short Rib, braised short rib, queso fresco, crema, pickled onion, cilantro and radish and the Cochinita Pibil, achiote braised pork, pickled red onion, habanero salsa and cilantro.  I got the Rajas (veggie), poblano, fresno, bell peppers, ejotes chihauhua, queso fresco and cilantro and the Short Rib.

Cochinita Pibil on the left, Short Rib in the middle, Rajas on the right

I LOVED the Rajas taco, it was a little acidic but the peppers were really fresh and all the flavors together were delicious.  We both agreed the Short Rib was good, nice a tender, good flavor and good toppings.  Asha said she wasn't totally in love with the pork but as you can see from the picture they stuff their tacos pretty well so they ended up being plenty filling.

Like I said before it was packed on a Monday night so its definitely a popular spot!  The service was good, there was a couple miscommunications but I attribute that to it being noisy and hard to hear (the bartender asked if I wanted salt on my marg or not, I said no, he still put salt on the rim, he also put in an order for an extra taco for Asha that she didn't ask for).  But the atmosphere is cool, old western movies play on large TVs, stools made out of saddles were placed around some of the high top tables.  Service was pretty speedy, but like I've mentioned in previous Mexican LFMs the cuisine is pretty easy to churn out at a fast pace.  Overall we had a good meal and I definitely wouldn't mind going back!

Well Christmas is drawing closer and closer!  Who's ready?!  This little blogger is a bit behind this year, still struggling to get everything done!  Like last year we are all over the place visiting family and friends this holiday season so my blogging may fall a little behind.  If I don't get another post up before Christmas I hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday!

Cheers!
Steph

Local Foodie Moment: Local Cantina, Grandview

Well we keep on moving through our new restaurants checklist, this time around we gave Local Cantina in Grandview a try!  We went in a little tentative as some of the reviews on urbanspoon weren't exactly positive. But we left very pleased!

Local Cantina is off of Grandview Avenue tucked in the back corner of the plaza next to Aladdin's.  It's not really what you'd expect out of a Mexican restaurant in a plaza.  It's got a great vintage vibe with eclectic wall art, dim lighting and a selectively diverse menu.  The bar is a series of wood slats with shelving for bottles with pictures hung here and there.  There is a vintage washer which holds fresh tortilla chips and salsa for a serve yourself snack.  

The salsa and chips were just what us hungry diners needed to curb our appetite while navigating the menu.  The salsa was very good, it had just the right kick!

We started off with cocktails, I ordered a Dark 'n Stormy (very similar to a Moscow Mule but with dark rum so it turns out a tad sweeter) and Chris got Columbus Brewing Company's Andyman Ale.  My drink was delicious and a welcome change of pace instead of tequila (I know I know when in Mexico, drink tequila but it just hurts my body too much hah!).  They did have other cocktail options, obviously with margarita choices for all.  They also had a pretty good beer list.

Dark 'n Stormy

Then came tacos!  We decided since we did mostly tacos at El Camino, in order to compare we'd have to do the tacos at Local Cantina.  Plus our server highly recommended the tacos over the other options.  Chris ordered the fish taco, brisket taco and roasted carnitas taco with a side of street corn.  The carnitas disappeared before I could snag a bite but Chris said it was good especially with the fruit salsa.  He really liked the fish taco, I decided to take his word for it (I'm not a fish fan).  The brisket was very good, I managed to grab a bite, good BBQ sauce, tender beef and a sweet jalapeno slaw that really added to the taco.  The street corn, slathered in a butter and queso mixture was pretty phenom.

Fish, Roasted Carnitas and Brisket Tacos

Street Corn

I ordered the veggie and avocado B.L.T. tacos with a side of Mexican rice.  The veggie was delicious, it had a black bean and corn salsa, cabbage, pico de gallo, guac and a chipotle vinagrette type of sauce.  The avocado B.L.T. was creative but kind of standard tasting, nothing overly special about it.  The mexican rice was good, fluffy and well seasoned.

Veggie and BLT Tacos

Mexican Rice

We both agreed we preferred the tacos at Local Cantina over the rest we've tried in our new restaurant journey.  We went on a Thursday evening and there were plenty of tables available.  We had a mix of servers due to a shift change but our first one and the one from the bar were both very friendly and very nice.  Our first sever was a little quirky and gave really good suggestions.  She even stopped over after she clocked out to check in on us.

This review is featured on urbanspoon!

Given the nature of the cuisine it's pretty easy for the food to be prepared quickly, as we've found at most Mexican restaurants.  The atmosphere and staff at Local Cantina make for a great dining experience whether you want to grab a quick bite or if you want to stay awhile.  They have specials and events like trivia that you can find on their Facebook page from week to week.  Good food, good service, good atmosphere, a definite win on the new restaurants list!  

It's crazy busy before the holidays but I would like to get some more posts up that aren't just LFM's!  Stay tuned!  

Cheers!

Steph

Local Foodie Moment: El Camino Inn

Alright and we're back!  How was everyone's Thanksgiving?!  Ours was hectic and fabulous!  We went to Chris' aunt and uncle's house for his family's Thanksgiving celebrations.  First everyone watched the Lions game, then we got gussied up and ready for family pictures, then a delicious dinner then grandkid Christmas gift exchange (phew a lot to pack in in one day)!  Over the weekend we celebrated my Momma's birthday too, 50 years young that amazing lady turned!  Here are a few pics of all the fun!

Chris and his godson, Noah, cheering on their Lions!

All the handsome Mutchler men in their new ties!

Lunch at Melt in Cleveland Heights, one of the many yummy meals we had to celebrate Mom's 5-0!

Delicious dinner made by Daddy with special guests Granny, cousins Jenn & Todd and their little one Logan!

Alright now that we're all caught up!  In our quest to try this year's new restaurants we checked another one off the list, El Camino Inn.  This restaurant is owned by the same restaurant group as The Little Palace, Club 185, Philco Diner and Rossi Bar and Kitchen.  El Camino is located downtown on South 4th Street (next to Little Palace and down the street from 16-bit).  I like this strip of restaurants and bars downtown, there's never a parking issue, there's always good eats and good drinks!  Going here actually rounded out my restaurant/bar visits for that block (Dirty Franks, Little Palace and 16 Bit).

We went for dinner on a Thursday and there was quite a few people but we still found a table right away.  The atmosphere is kind of cozy yet eclectic.  Music plays from a record player and a giant marlin (or maybe it was a swordfish?  I'm not really fish savvy) hangs over the mirrored bar.

As to be expected of a Mexican restaurant, El Camino's cocktail list specializes in tequila.  Neither Chris or I are tequila fans but I figured "When in Mexico" and ordered the Paloma which was on special for happy hour.  This was light and refreshing and went really well with my dinner.

Paloma

Chris ordered a bourbon cocktail that for the life of me I can't remember its name, something like Sweet Romance, not sure?  It was a little on the sweet side.  They have a good selection of beers, all of which are served either in cans or bottles which enhances that casual, cozy feel.

For dinner we each ordered tacos and I ordered the Chicken and Rice soup.  The soup was very good, had nice hints of cilantro giving it a really fresh taste.

Chicken and Rice Soup (little blurry, sorry!)

The tacos we're very yummy and were reasonably priced.  We tried each of the kinds of meat on the menu between us: chicken, chorizo, barbacoa, carnitas and carne asada.  These were all pretty good.  Chris' favorite was the chorizo and mine was probably the carne asada.  I liked that everything seemed very fresh and not greasy.

Carne Asada and Chicken tacos

Tacos Especial

What's nice about El Camino is that it's not pretentious, its casual but good food.  The service was great and the staff was very friendly.  The prices ($2 a taco, add 25 cents for especial style) were reasonable and the food came out relatively fast.  It's places like this that offer a fun atmosphere, sit down restaurant style but cut the waiting for food time practically in half.  They make it easy and accessible for you to get to your next event but they also make you comfortable enough that you don't really want to leave!

This review is featured on urbanspoon!

I definitely recommend El Camino if you are up for some simple and delicious Mexican food and drink.  The restaurant, although small, accommodates groups large and small (probably max. table size is for 6 to 8ish) so grab some amigos for a pitcher of margaritas and some tasty tacos!

Cheers!
Steph

Local Foodie Moment: Philco Bar + Diner

And the new restaurants of 2013 checklist continues!  Like I said in my last post, my parents were in town this weekend for the football game so on Sunday we went to brunch at Philco Bar + Diner in the Short North.  This was quite a hit amongst the crowd but I wouldn't really say its ideal for a large group (we had seven) since its a small place and their largest table more comfortably fits six but we squeezed in and we were glad we did!

Philco used to be Phillip's Coney Island so they pay tribute to its previous tenants with coney and corn dogs on their varied menu.  Their menu consists of classic diner eats with a modern twist.  This restaurant is also owned by the group that owns Little Palace, El Camino Inn (LFM post on that coming soon!), The Rossi Bar + Kitchen and Club 185.

With seven diners we had quite the selection of plates!  Chris got the Biscuits and Redeye Gravy, buttermilk biscuits with andouille sausage and smoked paprika gravy.  Chris is a biscuit and gravy lover so I asked how it compared to others he's had.  He said it was good, great flavors but different in that the gravy didn't have sausage in it.  The sausage was sliced and layered on top of the biscuits then scrambled eggs on top.

I got the Breakfast Risotto, rice with fresh cream, roasted pecans and honey.  This was very good, not too sweet, it definitely hit the spot after a challenging 90 minute yoga class!  I would have liked some fresh fruit or jam with it but given the season I understand not having fresh fruit available.

My fellow yogi and gal pal Kourtney joined us and she got the Roasted Turkey Sandwich, roasted turkey on wheat with sprouts and pesto and a side of their fresh cut fries.  Kourtney said the sandwich was delicious and just what she wanted after our yoga class.  And the fries were fantastic!  I snagged a couple so I can attest.  Truly what fries should be, thick cut, properly seasoned and cooked just right!

Mitch and his friend Amanda got the Traditional breakfasts, pancakes, eggs and bacon.  Mitch cleared his plate at lighting speed so I'll venture to say it was good.

My mom got the Steak and Eggs, steak served up with a bloddy mary aoili, home fries and two sunnyside up eggs on top.  She said this was very good, she liked the bloddy mary aoili because it added a hint of tartness to the steak.  I gave the steak and aoili a try and Momma was right, great balancing of flavors!  She also liked that the eggs were placed on top of the home fries because she likes weird things like her food touching.

Daddy got the Baked Grits with scrambled eggs on top.  Again, good reviews!  The dishes everything was served in were cute and unique, it added a little classic flare.

We got an order of hushpuppies as well as a coney dog for anyone who wanted to try.  Daddy and I wanted to test the coney sauce since my Gramps was a coney sauce king!  So we wanted to see how Philco's stacked up.  It was a good coney dog, it seemed like they ground their meat a little finer but it had decent flavor and they didn't skimp (as you can see from the picture).

Those that tried the hushpuppies seemed to like them especially with the sauce they are served with.

Overall the service was good, the atmosphere was pleasant and the food was great.  We all left ready for a post brunch nap!  Next time you're in the Short North for breakfast, for brunch or even lunch or dinner, give Philco a try!

This review is featured on urbanspoon!

With the holiday this week Chris and I will be traveling so this is probably it for me this week!  Hope everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving!  And as I always say, gobble till ya wobble!  :)

Cheers!
Steph

Lightened Mini Cheesecakes for Two

Happy Sunday everyone!  How was the weekend?  My parents came to town for the Ohio State game so we did an indoor tailgate and enjoyed some local eats (more on that in another post).  With the big turkey day feast upon us this week, I thought I'd share a lightened dessert that doesn't make you feel as guilty while indulging.

Momma and I posing with Brutus at Ohio Union!

Chris is a big fan of cheesecake, I'm not so much (I have major food issues with calling something cake that isn't actually cake).  But for his birthday last month I wanted to do a nice dessert for him without falling too far off our dieting wagon.  I found this cheesecakes for two recipe on Pinterest and decided this would be just right! I even thought since it was lightened up that maybe I'd turn over a new leaf with my cheesecake feelings.  That wasn't really the case but Chris really liked these so here goes.

Lightened Cheesecakes for Two
(This makes two four inch round cheesecakes)

 Ingredients:
- 4 oz. (half of an 8 oz block) reduced fat cream cheese, softened
- 1 container plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 c. plus 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
- 2 Tbsp. butter, melted

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Spray the insides of your springform pans or ramekins with cooking spray, then wrap the bottom of your springform pans with foil so there's no spills.
- Mix together graham cracker crumbs, 1 Tbsp sugar and melted butter.
- Divide the graham cracker mixture among the pans, press it into the bottom and slightly up the sides of the pans.

- Put pans on a baking sheet, bake for 8 minutes.
- While crusts are baking, mix together cream cheese, Greek yogurt and sugar until creamy.  Beat in the egg and vanilla.

- When crusts are done, allow to cool for 10ish minutes.
- Pour cheesecake filling into each pan and bake on baking sheet for 40 to 45 minutes until centers are set.

- Let the cheesecakes cool about 20 minutes then pop off the sides of the pan, remove the bottom of the pan and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator overnight (or at least 2 hours).  I actually froze these because I was making them a few days ahead.

- When you are ready to serve, take cheesecakes from the fridge and garnish however you like.  You could use shave chocolate, cut up fresh fruit, a couple spoonfuls of preserves, etc.  Chris likes his plain so we left the garnishes off, I thought some shaved dark chocolate would be nice.
- Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Chris!

Like I said before Chris liked these, I decided to stick with my previously mentioned cheesecake distrust issues.

Next up, some Local Foodie Moments!  Have a great (short) work week!

Cheers!
Steph

Sunday Soup: Gnocchi and Sausage Soup

Ok, another Sunday Soup for the year, this time its actually on Sunday!  How was everyone's weekend?  Unfortunately I've come down with a little sick bug so I'm doing my best to recoup.  I found this soup on Pinterest and decided to give it a try because I thought Chris would like it for lunches.

Gnocchi and Sausage Soup
(makes about 5 servings, about 1.5 cups each serving)

Ingredients:
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 roasted red pepper (I use the kind packed in olive oil in a jar), diced
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 lb. ground Italian sausage, whatever level of spicy you prefer (we buy Carfagna's festival sausage and take it out of the casings)
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 32 oz (1 container) low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 lb. frozen potato gnocchi (we buy this at Carfagna's as well)
- 2 c. fresh baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped
- 3/4 c. light half & half
- 1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Instructions:
- In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion and red pepper, saute until tender, season with salt and pepper.

- In a separate skillet, brown the sausage and drain when done.

- Add garlic to onion mixture and saute about a minute or two.
- Add sausage, dried basil and chicken stock to the soup pot mixture.  Season with salt and pepper then simmer for 20 minutes.

- Add gnocchi and spinach, bring to a simmer and cook until gnocchi are done (according to package cooking time) should be about 8 minutes or so.  The gnocchis will start to puff up and float when they are done.

- Add half & half and fresh basil then simmer another 3 to 4 minutes.

- Serve with Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Chris and I thought this turned out good.  A nice hearty soup for the chilly weather that has joined us in Ohio.  Although today was warmer but dreary, rainy and now tornado warnings!

Next up a Local Foodie Moment and a lightened cheesecakes for two recipe!

Cheers!
Steph