BBQ Cajun Shrimp

You all know how I feel about chain restaurants– in general, if I want a decent meal out, I avoid them and instead prefer to give my money to local restaurants. I understand the appeal of chains– consistency, familiarity, often family-friendliness. You know what you’re going to get, your kids may have a favorite, the price is reasonable. But what if I were to tell you, my chain-fond friend, that there is a restaurant in Milford that has the cozy, familiar feel of a chain with better food– and it’s locally owned?

Copper Blue fits this bill. Located in Milford, it has an expansive menu of American favorites that appeal to diners with slightly more adventurous palates (black bean dip, fish tacos) and those with not-so-adventurous palates (chicken thumbs, french fries).  They have a fairly extensive craft beer list (and macros too) and even the occasional cocktail.  The menu is almost too expansive– making it difficult to choose– but we managed to decide.

To start, we tried the BBQ Cajun shrimp, which reminded me  a bit of the Flippin’ Good Shrimp from York Street Cafe– a spicy, buttery shrimp appetizer served on toasted French bread.  This dish was a bit on the greasy side, but very flavorful– and the shrimp were tender and not overcooked.  I could easily make this an entree, paired with a side salad.

We each picked an entree– a salad for me, and a burger for The Better Half.  I chose steak salad, intrigued by the pairing of hand-cut fries and steak.  I liked the salad, but could have done without the fries– while handcut, they got a bit soggy with the combination of juices from the perfectly cooked, well-seasoned steak (a pleasant surprise) and the salad dressing.  I’d order the salad again, but ask for the fries on the side (or not at all).  Their salad dressings are all homemade, and I liked their tangy white balsamic vinagrette, which worked quite well with the steak, shallots, blue cheese and sunflower seeds on the salad.  It was a nice twist on a classic steak salad.

The Ultimate Bacon Cheeseburger had plenty of thick-cut maple bacon and smoked cheddar, as well as standard burger fixings.  It is a step up from a typical, run-of-the-mill cheeseburger, and the ingredients as a whole were very good.  The bun was a bit on the soft side, so for the last quarter or so of the burger, it had to be eaten with knife and fork instead of hands– which, in my mind, is a major burger failing.  Still, it was a delicious burger, served with slightly-too-thick hand-cut fries: I give them credit for hand-cutting the fries, but I personally prefer them a bit thinner.

A friend dining with us got the buffalo macaroni and cheese, which was nice and spicy, and the cheese wasn’t from a box.  I think that’s what Copper Blue boils down to:  solid, if not-quite innovative food that is prepared with care.  Instead of relying on pre-made mixes, dips, and frozen fries, they make their own.  It’s a trend I support, and a great place to take your kids that isn’t TGI O’Chilibee’s (to quote a reader of mine)* but is still comfortable enough that you know that the entire family will enjoy it.

(I am aware that your average wmdm reader probably isn’t taking their kids to those chain, American restaurants anyway, as many of you regale me with stories of your kids eating beets and sushi and all sorts of things. Just to be clear.)

The space recently vacated by Mayberry at 915Vine Street will be quickly replaced by Burnell’s, run by Chef Nathan Jolley.  He will serve lunch (including soups and fresh-baked cookies) Mondays-Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m and dinner (which will remain BYOB) Thursdays-Saturdays from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.  Jolley is formerly of Teller’s in Hyde Park, and anticipates Burrell’s opening on Monday, February 6.

When going to pizza places that proclaim to be any sort of East Coast style, I try to bring along one of my many friends who are natives of New York or New Jersey as a judge of authenticity. One of my coworkers, who is always up for lunch, happens to be a native New Yorker, so I suggested cashing in a Groupon and grabbing lunch at Aponte’s.

Aponte’s is in Mason, in an area of Mason I had no idea existed (and I’ve worked here for five years). It’s “downtown” Mason, which I haven’t ventured into except for Wildflower, so it was fun to discover a whole new area of restaurants to try out.  It’s easy to find (right across from Domino’s, coincidentally) and you enter in the back.  The place is essentially an homage to New York sports: memorabilia from the Yankees, Mets, Giants and other local teams cover the walls and ESPN is on the TV, so it has a bit of a sports bar feel.  Don’t be confused, however: the menu is all east coast.

Though there were lunch specials to be had (a personal pizza and a soda for $7, for example), we stuck with splitting a pizza and some garlic knots.  All of their dough is homemade, as is their sauce, and they are proud to use 100% whole milk cheese (instead of part-skim mozzarella), as they don’t want to sacrifice flavor.  Good for them– so many places use frozen dough or subpar cheese, and it’s nice to be able to get a good, traditional pizza at a good price (I wonder how Domino’s does across the street).

Garlic knots were good– very garlicky, and a generous portion (several were taken home).  It was a good way to sample the dough, as traditionally these are made with leftover pizza dough.  I’m not sure I’d order them again, as it seems silly for me to fill up on bread before I eat… bread with sauce on it, but they were quite good.

We ordered a pepperoni and onion pizza, and both of us thought it was particularly good– the crust was a little crisp, but still chewy; the sauce was spicy and the toppings flavorful.  It’s hard to find true East Coast style pizza in Ohio, the land of people who cut their pizza into squares (like our Detroit brethren) but this is good. It’s not New York fold-it-in-half pizza, but that’s not the style it’s going for.  I’d be happy to grab a pie on the way home from work, or maybe even make the trek up on the weekend.  It’s good stuff.  Even the New Yorker approved (though he said we had to go to Flying Pizza for the real, New York stuff– and that’ll happen soon).

Enzo’s, a mainstay of Race Street for almost five years, has a new manager and a new menu. Terry Lee, the former owner of OUTSIDE and a fixture of Over-the-Rhine for nearly as long as Enzo’s, has taken over management duties and added his own flair to the menu. New items include the GrilledChee, a Mexican-inspired sandwich, the Milagro, and daily specials that have a touch of Lee’s native Alabama. They are also partnering with Pho Lang Thang to feature Saigon Phin Vietnamese-style coffee. Sounds like fun– though they’ll be closed for Martin Luther King Day, you can find them open weekdays only from 7 AM to 6 PM.

I used to go to Trio all the time.  It was a favorite of my former in-laws’, and we celebrated many birthdays there in the early years of the Aughts.  I swear, during that time their menu rarely changed, and once I no longer had to go there, I didn’t.  In fact, I’ve been ignoring them for about five years now, but recently, my mind was changed.

Thank you, Trio, for not staying comfortable with your menu that your clientele obviously liked, and expanding a bit.  You’ve won me back.

The first time I revisited Trio, we joined friends for dessert one night.  I had remembered them having good Key Lime pie, and didn’t object.  I’m glad I didn’t.  The five of us had their chocolate flourless torte, banana cream pie and Key Lime pie and all three were fantastic:  the banana cream pie was not-too-sweet (so many are so sweet that your teeth hurt) and a generous portion.  The Key Lime pie had three inches of meringue and a tart, balanced filling.  The flourless torte was dense with good chocolate and complemented by raspberry sauce.  All were simple but excellent, so when my coworker invited me to a holiday lunch there, I didn’t balk as I may have a few weeks before.

I just adored the dish I got– diver scallops with brussels sprout and hot bacon slaw and  Maker’s Mark butter.  The butter was faintly scented with bourbon, and the brussels sprout slaw was addictive.  The scallops were perfectly cooked– a great presentation.  My coworkers enjoyed their dishes too– one raved about his Grouper “California Style” (which looked really good) and the other loved her Cobb salad.

I’ve learned my lesson: Trio’s a great option when in Kenwood and they’re certainly trying to attract new customers with their menu.  I’ll go back (even if only for the scallops and banana cream pie).

West Siders, please let me know if I’m incorrect in this (and I know you will), but I stand by this statement:

The West Side doesn’t have many good, independent restaurants.

There. I said it.

And in talking with a bunch of West Siders last night, they agree.  We struggled to come up with really good restaurants (and they’ve all lived there for years).  Sure, you have standbys like Sebastian’s, Price Hill Chili and Maury’s Tiny Cove. You have some pretty good places, like Vitor’s and Primavista. But there’s very little “ethnic” food, and the trend is more greasy spoon than innovative (or even exotic) cuisine.  ”The only restaurant anyone thinks of over here is Price Hill Chili.  For a nice meal, everyone just drives to the East Side,” one said.  ”Even our Applebee’s stinks.”  Ouch.  When I lived there, I remember being so frustrated by the fact that I had to drive out of the West Side to get anything that wasn’t a double decker or chili– that is, until Thai Taste came in.

Thai Taste specializes in Thai food, of course, but also has a sushi bar and a limited Chinese and Vietnamese menu. Their sushi is good– that I can recall– but their standouts are their Thai dishes. They have the standards (pad thai, pad see ew, thai spicy noodles, etc.) as well as Thai desserts. The atmosphere isn’t anything special– it’s a hole-in-the-wall with pan-Asian decor– but it really doesn’t matter since the food is very good.

I happened to be over on the West Side last night, and realized that I really ought to revisit Thai Taste. On my way over, I called and ordered two dishes: pad see ew and pad thai, and was told it would be ready in 15 minutes. It took me about five minutes to get there, and was ready about five minutes after I arrived. Ten minutes isn’t bad for carryout.

For $25, I got two dishes– pad see ew with shrimp and pad thai with chicken, both at a level 4 spiciness (their scale goes from 1-10). The pad see ew was good, but not the best I’ve ever had. The noodles were a little sticky (probably not from the 15 minute drive home) and the vegetables were mostly broccoli; I prefer the Chinese-style broccoli to the big, thick chunks of broccoli in the dish, but overall, the flavor was good. I think I could probably go up to a 5 on their spiciness scale.

The pad thai, however, is fantastic. It’s a little on the sweet side, which is counteracted by the spice (again, I could have gone up to a 5), and the noodles are the perfect texture and consistency. The chicken is all white meat and sliced thinly. It’s quite a bit more moist than most pad thai I’ve had (I’ll have to add a little bit more sauce when I make my own– I like that consistency). It’s one of my favorite pad thais in town.

Portion sizes are huge– two dishes easily fed two people with plenty of leftovers. They also offer tofu, pork and beef as the protein in their noodle dishes for an extra charge. Thai Taste has been around for about five years and seems to do a steady business– I hope other restaurant owners can see the success Thai Taste has had and choose to open in the same area.  Maybe Indian?  Residents, what would you like to see?

My friend Brian always has the best restaurant recommendations.  They’re not always something I’d pick myself, are usually right under my nose (but I’ve never noticed them) and are usually pretty good.  Chef’s Cafe was his most recent pick, found on Fields Ertel Road– not the super-busy, scary part but the other side of Mason-Montgomery Road that is more quiet, sedate and residential. And, apparently, they have World-Famous Chicken Salad.

Chef’s Cafe is completely unassuming in a small strip mall on the edge of Sharonville and  Mason.  I am sure I’ve driven by it a hundred times and never noticed it.   It’s been there for 18 years– since before Mason was the booming suburb it is now– and its success can be attributed to more than 83 tons of that famous chicken salad.  They have a contract to sell it at Bigg’s/Remke and Jungle Jim’s as well (in case you can’t get there for lunch).

Of course, if it was that lauded, I had to try it.  You can get their sandwiches on a choice of bread– white, wheat, rye, croissant or pretzel bread (though they were out of croissants on the day I was there).  I chose pretzel bread, and the sandwich was topped with lettuce and tomato.  You get a side as well, and I chose a creamy, but still-tangy coleslaw.  The chicken salad is good– the texture is interesting, as it’s almost pureed: it’s very smooth, and not chunky like many chicken salads.  It’s got a good kick of onion, and not too much mayonnaise.  It’s a pretty solid chicken salad (though I think I prefer mine a bit less smooth).

Their egg salad, which Brian picked (on white bread) was actually better than the chicken salad– a mayonnaise and mustard-based salad, with big chunks of egg, pickle and carrot.  He picked a chunky applesauce to go with it.  I admit– I’m a sucker for applesauce (I think it has something to do with my German grandma. Then again, I’m pretty sure a good part of my preferences have to do with her influence!) and theirs was fresh and good, with small chunks of apple for texture.

They also have pastrami, corned beef and other deli meats as options, and can cater with some notice. A sandwich and a can of Dr. Brown’s (the sign of a good deli, in my opinion) runs about $8, which is reasonable for a good quality lunch.  Service is quick and friendly, but they get busy right around noon– so get there a bit earlier.

Several readers have asked about MoCA in East Walnut Hills, as it closed rather abruptly. Here’s what I found out. MoCA, a mainstay of East Walnut Hills for four years, closed December 30 due to “irresolvable differences” with the landlord. According to a post by owner Joe Balbo on their Facebook page, “We hope that the landlord has great things planned for the space as I believe the loss of MoCA will leave a hole in the neighborhood as it has my heart.”

It’s not often that I’m charmed by a restaurant while I’m in the parking lot, but you have to see Mai Thai to believe it.

This little place, close to Florence Mall, used to be a Long John Silver’s.  Now, it looks like it’s always had some pan-Asian architecture and it’s really quite cute.  It’s a great reuse of an old chain restaurant, and I wish more independents would do the same once chains move out (as they inevitably do).

Mai Thai specializes in Thai food (obviously), and had come highly recommended by Carla and Tom from Hoperatives.  Carla and I have regular lunch dates, and since I wasn’t working the day we chose, she finally dragged me down 75 to try it out.

We each ordered very standard Thai dishes.  I went for Pad See Ew and she went for Pad Thai.  I think they’re both good ways to assess a Thai restaurant: start with the basics, and if they’re good, move to curries.  I’ll definitely come back for some curries here.  The pad thai was not too sweet and not too spicy, so a good balance of tamarind, chills and fish sauce.  The pad see ew was great– I am still perfecting the texture in my own version, and really need to figure out which noodles to buy that are a little thicker and wider than the ones I currently use to get this really nice, almost fluffy texture that Mai Thai managed and that I really like.  The sauce was also well balanced, just spicy enough (I ordered a 3) and the dish was full of broccoli and tender chicken.

If you’re not into Thai, they also serve sushi and some Americanized Chinese specialties, but I’d say stick to the Thai.  It can be hard to find non-chain restaurants in Florence (though the ones that I’ve tried are hidden gems!), so add Mai Thai to your potential lunch or dinner choices if you’re in Florence or just in the neighborhood.  It’s a solid choice.

the winning schneck

Schnecken, in German, means “snails” and this swirled confection is a holiday treat for many Cincinnatians.  Virginia Bakery’s schnecken has been the gold standard (now owned by Busken), but others have entered the ring.  Which Schnecken is the Best…en?  I took several schnecken from around the city to my office, where a panel of my hungry coworkers sampled the goods.  Here’s what they thought.

Virgil’s  Matt Buschle has a passion for baking, and it shows in the schnecken.  This one seemed like homemade to me, but could have used a few more raisins and cinnamon.  The panelists said:

• “Sex in my mouth”  (uh, wow.)
• “Could be a bit more moist.”
• “I expected it to be dry, but it wasn’t.  Flavors were more subtle than I expected.”
• “I would like a little more cinnamon.”
• “Heavy-ish”