Southwest Ohio - April 29 - May 1, 2011
Posted 7/11/2011
I have the best guest bloggers in the world ...
and one of them has written a deliciously-worded blog post for your personal consumption touring the must-stop eateries in Southwestern Ohio. Meet Kristin from Lists on Life. You will no doubt love her as much as I do as soon as you read her food-rific adventure but don't love her too much ... girl is currently having the time of her life in Switzerland and Spain. So love her ... but reservedly.
Ok, this may seem like the most random area to blog about for travel tips and foodie finds, but just wait, you will see what I am talking about.
This past weekend I spent 2 days doing what I normally do when I fly out to Ohio, visit my Aunt, see some friends, and eat….a lot. Every time I go visit, I always come home on the plane feeling a little bit heavier and with the slight feeling like I never want to eat again. You know its bad when your Aunt points out your little “pouch” that has developed over the weekend.
Some places we visited were stand-by favorites, others were new finds, but all were worth sharing with you!!
The first stop on this culinary tour of Southwest Ohio is The Original Pancake House. If you have never been to one of these babies, go now. Drop whatever you are doing and go. It blows any other breakfast place out of the water… IHOP? Don’t make me laugh.
Everything is great on their menu, but what they are famous for are two things, the Dutch Baby:
This past weekend I spent 2 days doing what I normally do when I fly out to Ohio, visit my Aunt, see some friends, and eat….a lot. Every time I go visit, I always come home on the plane feeling a little bit heavier and with the slight feeling like I never want to eat again. You know its bad when your Aunt points out your little “pouch” that has developed over the weekend.
Some places we visited were stand-by favorites, others were new finds, but all were worth sharing with you!!
The first stop on this culinary tour of Southwest Ohio is The Original Pancake House. If you have never been to one of these babies, go now. Drop whatever you are doing and go. It blows any other breakfast place out of the water… IHOP? Don’t make me laugh.
Everything is great on their menu, but what they are famous for are two things, the Dutch Baby:
and the Apple Pancake:
Liana actually experienced the Dutch Baby in Chicago and almost conquered the thing!
I have been to The Original Pancake House over 10 times, and I never had eaten one of these babies…. until last weekend. I decided to man up and ordered the Apple Pancake. I swear this thing was made of angel’s wings and baby’s laughter. Music suddenly rang in my ears in a high crescendo after my first bite.
The pancake on the bottom was soft and sweet, almost like a French Toast that melted in my mouth. The topping was made of delicious, crisp, sliced apples covered in about a pound of cinnamon, powdered sugar and syrup. I die. I am ashamed to report I could only eat half (hey, if you are looking for Adam Richmond you won’t find him here), but the good news is it is awesome reheated as a dessert topped with ice cream.
Stop number two was a new find that had recently opened within the past few weeks. Let me introduce you to the Trinity Pub.
We had been on our way to another old stand-by when we passed by the Trinity Pub and decided to take a chance. Oh boy, and did that chance pay off!
First off, they had about 15 beers on draft. Not just any beer, good beer. I decided to go with a Harp. The menu has some great traditional items like Shepherd’s Pie, Fish and Chips and Corned Beef and Cabbage, but there was something calling to me, from deep within my bones. The Reuben. A little background for you all, my mother judges a restaurant on two things: 1) bathroom cleanliness 2) how good their Reubens are.
Fact: I have never had a Reuben. Until this weekend:
I have been to The Original Pancake House over 10 times, and I never had eaten one of these babies…. until last weekend. I decided to man up and ordered the Apple Pancake. I swear this thing was made of angel’s wings and baby’s laughter. Music suddenly rang in my ears in a high crescendo after my first bite.
The pancake on the bottom was soft and sweet, almost like a French Toast that melted in my mouth. The topping was made of delicious, crisp, sliced apples covered in about a pound of cinnamon, powdered sugar and syrup. I die. I am ashamed to report I could only eat half (hey, if you are looking for Adam Richmond you won’t find him here), but the good news is it is awesome reheated as a dessert topped with ice cream.
Stop number two was a new find that had recently opened within the past few weeks. Let me introduce you to the Trinity Pub.
We had been on our way to another old stand-by when we passed by the Trinity Pub and decided to take a chance. Oh boy, and did that chance pay off!
First off, they had about 15 beers on draft. Not just any beer, good beer. I decided to go with a Harp. The menu has some great traditional items like Shepherd’s Pie, Fish and Chips and Corned Beef and Cabbage, but there was something calling to me, from deep within my bones. The Reuben. A little background for you all, my mother judges a restaurant on two things: 1) bathroom cleanliness 2) how good their Reubens are.
Fact: I have never had a Reuben. Until this weekend:
Let me tell you, the best thing about this sandwich… the meat. The Corned Beef was so soft and tender, it had clearly been made in house and was a great quality. The dish came with sweet potato fries which were also clearly made fresh.
My uncle ordered a side of these delicious onion rings .
My uncle ordered a side of these delicious onion rings .
They were probably about half an onions worth, and clearly covered in deep fried dough. I wish they had been a bit more crunchy, but they were definitely tasty.
My last foodie adventure is from a place that I know all too well, my Alma Mater, Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. It is a place that I spent many a night, waiting patiently for my turn to place my order among the throngs of hungry college students who had just emptied out of the local bars. This place, this Mecca for Miami students, is called…. Bagel and Deli.
My last foodie adventure is from a place that I know all too well, my Alma Mater, Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. It is a place that I spent many a night, waiting patiently for my turn to place my order among the throngs of hungry college students who had just emptied out of the local bars. This place, this Mecca for Miami students, is called…. Bagel and Deli.
The place may not look like much, but the best places rarely do. Bagel and Deli is not just a restaurant but an institution for Miami students. Ask any of them what their favorite bagel is and you will hear “Sara’s Secret”, “Crunch N Munch” “After Burner” “Cookie Monster” “Mr. Turkey”… and so on. In fact, there are over 50 different kinds of bagels at Bagel and Deli. Have an idea for one that you want to see on the menu, design a bagel on a piece of paper, submit to B & D, it will hang for a week and if there are enough orders of it, it will stay permanently.
Another thing to note about Bagel and Deli is that all of their sandwiches are made on bagels (duh) and they are not toasted, not baked, they are steamed. You will never have a great bagel until you have one steamed. But I digress. Yes this place holds amazing memories for me, but that’s not the real reason I came back.. Here is the real reason:
The Messy Katie. My bagel. The one I have returned to Oxford to devour in about 3.5 seconds. This bagel has all my favorites: Turkey, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, avocado, sprouts, honey mustard, lettuce and tomato on a bilay bagel. Game. Over.
When the bagel is steamed the meat and bagel become warm and soft, while the cheese melts into an ooey gooey topping that makes me salivate just thinking about it! There are some other locations where former Miami students have opened a Bagel and Deli, like Chicago, but nothing is as good as the original.
So there it is, the best foodie finds in Southwest Ohio. If you ever find yourself in this god forsaken place, at least you will know where to eat!
When the bagel is steamed the meat and bagel become warm and soft, while the cheese melts into an ooey gooey topping that makes me salivate just thinking about it! There are some other locations where former Miami students have opened a Bagel and Deli, like Chicago, but nothing is as good as the original.
So there it is, the best foodie finds in Southwest Ohio. If you ever find yourself in this god forsaken place, at least you will know where to eat!
On 7/13/11, Kelly wrote:
"What a great guest post! This all looks amazing!! :)"
On 7/11/11, Lolly wrote:
"Wow- I am from central Ohio and I never knew these gems existed down south. Thanks for the tips!"
"What a great guest post! This all looks amazing!! :)"
On 7/11/11, Lolly wrote:
"Wow- I am from central Ohio and I never knew these gems existed down south. Thanks for the tips!"
