Windows Down, Music Up

If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably see the title of this blog post a lot recently.  We’ve had some pretty decent weather lately.  What’s my favorite thing to do when the weather gets warmer?  Roll those windows down, crank the music up, and drive.  I seriously could drive around listening to music for my job and not get bored.

Recently a very good friend of mine introduced me to an app that has changed my life.  Not even kidding.  Has anyone heard of Spotify?  No?  OK, well buckle up.

Spotify is kinda like Pandora, iTunes, and your entire music library rolled into one.  They have three different plans to choose from:  free, unlimited, and premium.

Free:  works pretty much just like Pandora.  You can create radio stations based on songs or artists you like, but you have to listen to ads in between some songs.

Unlimited ($4.99):  They do you one better by removing the ads, but you still just have access to the radio.

Premium ($9.99):  They pull out all the stops.  You have all the benefits of the other plans BUT you can also search for and play any song in their entire library whenever you want.  You can listen to whole albums, make playlists, and turn on “offline” listening, meaning you have access to those playlists even when you don’t want to use wifi or data.  It’s kind of like having the entire iTunes catalog at your fingertips for $10/month.

I know what you’re thinking…why would I pay for music when I could listen to it for free?  I thought the same thing.  But once I tried it, I never looked back.  Being able to pick and choose what music you want to listen to whenever you want, download those songs to your phone or computer, and be able to play them back wherever you are is priceless to me.

I figure I spend at least $10/month in the iTunes store.  So now, instead of spending that money in iTunes, I just spend it on my Spotify account.  If you’re a music lover like me, you definitely have to check it out.

One of my favorite things about Spotify is finding new artists.  I create radio stations based on artists I like and then when a song comes on I enjoy, I switch over to that artist’s album.  By doing this I have come to realize one of my favorite bands on the planet is Seether.  I especially like their “Holding on to Strings Better Left to Fray” album.

I also remembered how much I like Fall Out Boy!  I don’t know why I always forget this…

Sharing music is fun too.  You can find friends on Facebook and follow them.  One of my friends created a 90s r&b/rap playlist, which I started listening to and all these memories from high school came flooding back!  It was awesome!  (Don’t you just love how music evokes memories?  LOVE!!)

One thing I wish Spotify would change is the ability to search for other users.  Maybe I’m just missing it, but there are people I’m not friends with on Facebook that I’d like to be able to follow.  Maybe in the future…

This is seriously the best money I’ve spent in a loooooooong time.  If you’re a big fan of music like me, you should definitely check it out.  You won’t regret it.  Bonus?  They have a free 30 day trial.  Love that.

What’s your favorite genre of music?  Have you ever been surprised to find you like something you otherwise didn’t think you would?

*Disclaimer:  all thoughts and opinions are my own.  Spotify DID NOT pay me to write this.  I just really love music.

Smashing the Burger!

One of the perks of being a blogger is the fabulous events you get invited to.  Recently, Heather (from What Does She Do All Day), her husband John, and I were able to attend an event I was uber excited about.  Anyone who knows me knows my favorite meal in the entire world is a cheeseburger.  (Yes, I know people think I’m crazy but I’m OK with that.)  Well, when I had the opportunity to attend an event at Smashburger, I squealed.  Literally.

SmashBurger, “a fast-casual restaurant designed to be every city’s favorite place for burgers”, was started by Tom Ryan in Denver Colorado.

Tom had the vision to provide a delicious burger experience that the general public could afford.  They pride themselves on using fresh, never frozen beef as well as a myriad of toppings.  They also try to add a little local flare to some of their burgers when possible.  For example, the BBQ sauce on the BBQ Bacon and Cheddar burger (my personal favorite) varies region to region.  In Tennessee, they use a Memphis style BBQ sauce.  In Texas and Oklahoma, they pull from the local resources there.  In North Carolina?  You guessed it.  Local, local, local.  Jake did lots of research into their claims.

For this event, it was the same deal.  Instead of BBQ sauce, though, they were discussing something a little more…adult.  Beer, people.  It was a burger and BEER event!  Sweet!  OK, so I’m not a huge beer drinker, but who would pass up the opportunity to sample free burgers and free booze?  Not this girl!

Smashburger has always served alcohol at their restaurants, but they’ve decided to up their game a little.  They are pairing up with local microbreweries and really delving into the flavors that compliment each other.  For Ohio, the team chose…who else…Great Lakes Brewing Company (GLBC)!  As a Cleveland-born lady, I was all about this.  I love supporting local companies in any way I can.

To start the event, we were brought nearly every side dish Smashburger has to offer.  My favorite (aside from the Smash Sweet Potato Fries) were the Fried Banana Peppers!  Who knew?

Tom spent a little time talking about starting the company.  Then he introduced Brew Master Luke Purcell from GLBC.  They talked about how they spent a great deal of time really trying to pick the flavors that worked the best together.  It was interesting to me to hear how they did it, especially since most beer tastes the same to me. 

We began the evening with the classic Smash paired with the most versatile beer, Dortmunder Gold.  Next up, the Mushroom Swiss burger along with Eliot Ness.

Then, my favorite burger, the BBQ Bacon and Cheddar with Edmund Fitzgerald.

After that, we had the Buckeye Burger and Burning River (named for when the Cuyahoga River caught on fire in the 1960s…a bit of trivia for ya).  They kind of threw us a curve ball after that with the Spicy (for real, yo) Black Bean Burger and Commodore Perry.  Adding to the non-beef options, we had the Classic Chicken sammie with the Dortmunder again.  Rounding things out, we sampled the Avocado Club chicken sammie with the Eliot Ness.

I was an equal opportunity sampler, but my heart sang when I tried the BBQ Bacon burger.  I knew it would though.  I’ve eaten at Smashburger several times, and I almost always go with this burger.  It is made up of several of my favorite items:  BBQ sauce, bacon, beef, cheddar, bacon, onion straws, and…oh…did I mention bacon?  Next time I go, I’m adding avocado to it.  PERFECTION on a bun!  Geez, my mouth is watering at 8:30am…

Perhaps the most fun of the evening, however, was when we got to go back into the kitchen and smash burgers with Tom.  Here’s a little back story about Bethany.  When I was in college, I worked at a restaurant at UK called K-Lair Grill.  We had all kinds of “diner” type food, but we sold burgers far more than anything else.  I was one of the grill cooks that worked there.  And let me tell you…I could cook and assemble burgers better than anyone.  In fact, I didn’t even have to ask where my managers wanted me when I got to work.  I was immediately put on the grill.  Yep, I was that good.  (So I’m being a little cocky.  And I’m OK with that!  lol)

Well, when Tom said we could go smash burgers, visions of college flashed through my head.  I was all over it.  My friend Katie did me the favor of filming me “in my college element”.  So much fun!

After smashing burgers, we were able to sample a couple milkshakes for dessert.  We tasted the Cookies and Cream as well as the Strawberry.  I am a huge fan of the Cookies and Cream now and it will be hard for me to resist ordering one when I’m in there!

This event was really fun and I simply can’t wait for the next one.  Thanks to Katie at Domestic Debacle for setting it up for all of us!

Disclaimer:  Though I was provided the food and beverages for free, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Lobstah Anyone?

**Sorry for the lack of posts for a while.  I am trying to move my blog to a self-hosted site and am having severe difficulty.  I have had this blog post drafted for a while waiting for my other blog site to be up and running.  As it seems I’m never going to figure the other site out, I wanted to post this here before it was just irrelevant.  Enjoy!**

I have always been a fan of seafood.  My personal favorite is crab, but I’m really not picky.  When Red Lobster contacted me and asked if I would be interested in joining them for a blogger event, I jumped at the chance!  A date night with the husband sans le bebe?  Yes, please!

On April 2, Jeff and I ventured north of town to one of the Red Lobster restaurants in our area.  We didn’t know what to expect, but we were not disappointed!  When we walked in, we were greeted by the hosts of the event, who immediately offered us cocktails.  Not a bad way to start the evening.

Now, most of you wouldn’t believe me if I told you, but I’m relatively shy and have some social anxiety.  It’s gotten much better since college, but I still get nervous if I have to do something out of my comfort zone.  Well, I’m not sure who exactly went to this event, but it wasn’t Bethany!  I walked right up to a group of girls sitting at the table and said, “Hi!  I’m Bethany from One Girl’s Taste on Life.  Nice to meet you!”  So not like me.  Usually I stand there and wait for someone to come up to me.  Ha.  Guess I’m comfortable around other bloggers?

Two of the three girls sitting there were bloggers: Katie from Domestic Debacle and Bridgett, who writes for Savings Lifestyle.  We quickly got to talking about all kinds of fun things.  Turns out these two started a Facebook group for local bloggers and Katie was trying to find me to add!  Fun!

The other two bloggers at the event were Lisa from Dayton MostMetro and Steve from Food Adventures with Superfry and the Big Ragu.  I was sitting at opposite ends of the table from them, so I wasn’t able to chat with them as much as I would have liked, though I did spend a little time with Steve at the end of the dinner.  Great guy!

Anyhow, back to the event.  First off, Heidi started talking to us about the different changes Red Lobster has been making lately.  To start, they’ve realized Red Lobster needs to be less niche-y and offer more “land” options, so that’s what they did.  Instead of having a couple choices for those land lubbers, they’ve upped their game and offer more than twelve options that aren’t seafood based!

They’ve also introduced their Maine Stays, which are 15 entrees under $15 so you can afford to take the whole family out for a night on the town.  And if Mom is like me and trying to shed some pounds, she doesn’t have to skip out on dinner.  She can peruse the Lighthouse menu, which lists the calorie content of each individual item and helps you put together a yummy but still healthy meal!

After Heidi finished talking, the great wait staff brought around some apps for us to try.  I sampled the southwest chicken pizza, the spicy buffalo chicken bites, the sweet chili shrimp, the coconut shrimp, and a lobster and crab stuffed mushroom.  Everything was delicious, but I think my favorite was the sweet chili shrimp.  Scrumptious!

We were told to order whatever we wanted, so I started with a cup of clam chowder (theirs is probably my favorite of any restaurant I’ve ever tried).

For dinner I had the Bay Harbor Bake (I think that’s what it was called).  It was a mix of lobster, shrimp, scallops, and mussles over a lightly sauced linguine.  I wasn’t sure if I liked scallops or mussles, so I thought this was a great way to try them out…you know…on someone else’s dime.  Turns out I like both!

Jeff opted for the parmesan crusted chicken alfredo, which was delicious!

After we were finished eating, the sneaky staff started bringing out desserts.  Like…a lot of them.  I was stuffed, but there was no way I wasn’t going to try the warm chocolate chip lava cookie.  (Apparently I was too excited about this one to keep the camera steady.)

Or the chocolate wave.

Or the warm apple crostada.

Oh, yeah.  Or the caramel cheesecake.  #fatty

They were so generous.  Heidi told us to order desserts to take home!  We got some cheesecake for Jeff’s mom, who was watching the baby, and some chocolate cake for her husband.  We were very popular that night!

I had a really fun time at this event and look forward to having more meetups with local bloggers.  I can’t wait to make more “blends”!  (For those of you not familiar with that term, it means blog friends.)

I want to say a special thank you to Red Lobster for putting on the event that night.  It was very generous and I really appreciate it!

*Disclaimer:  I was provided with a free meal as well as some gift cards by Red Lobster, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Restaurant Review: BD’s Mongolian Grill

BD’s Mongolian Grill, located across from the Rave Movie Theater at The Greene, is quite unique.  The first time someone mentioned it to me, I had no idea what they were talking about.  “You pile up a bowl with meat and veggies and they grill them all while you wait.”  What?  I didn’t get it.  So I decided to check it out myself.  That was a few years ago.  I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve returned since.

Upon entering and being seated, the waiters bring bowls around to your table.  You are instructed to fill your bowl with meat and veggies, choose a sauce, and wait for the grillers to tell you where to stand.

They have a plethora of food choices.  Tons of meat, seafood, and veggie options are laid out before you.  You can see the full list on their website.  When you get to the sauces, you can be overwhelmed.  My advice is to mix a few.  Today I chose Mongolian Ginger, Pad Thai, Shitake Mushroom, and Chili Garlic.  Sample spoons are provided.

Once you’re finished, they take your bowl of food and throw it on a huge circular grill to start their magic.  While rock music blasts overhead, the grillers sing, dance, and have a party while they make the food.  The meat gets cooks, the veggies chopped, and everything is seasoned with the sauce you’ve chosen.

Your food is returned to you and you are free to enjoy your meal.

The waiters bring around rice and (if desired) tortillas and lettuce for wraps.  I know it sounds strange, but try the tortillas.  They add a soft, slightly sweet flavor to the food that just…works.

Also available are the soup and salad bar, appetizers, and desserts.  Normally I stick to the entree only, but my mom and I splurged on the crab rangoon.  Delish!

One thing I love about BD’s is that you can easily eat healthy here.  Go light on the meat, heavy on the veggies, and choose your sauce wisely.  Then opt for the lettuce wraps.

BD’s is a great place for families as well as a date night, especially followed up by a movie.  If you’re in the area, I highly recommend it!

 

Jungle Boogie

Have you ever heard of Jungle Jim’s?  No?  Well…it’s a grocery store.  But not just any grocery store.  A HUGE, find anything you are looking for grocery store.  It’s located in Cincinnati just off 275 and it’s fabulous.

Carolyn and I have gone once a few years ago, but I wasn’t feeling well, so we were only able to browse a little of the store.  Last weekend, she was up for a visit and to see Barenaked Ladies.  Since the show was on Sunday, she stayed over until Monday.  When I asked her what she wanted to do, she didn’t know so I suggested visiting Jungle Jim’s again.  Maybe this time we could get through the whole thing.

First stop was at a restaurant I had been wanting to try for a while.  Pappadeaux is a Cajun seafood restaurant with obvious French influences.  They have a wide variety of options from which to choose, but possibly the thing they are most known for is their fried alligator appetizer.  C and I didn’t order it, even though the flamboyant waiter tried to get us to.

We started with their fresh baked bread and butter.  If you know anything of the French, you know they have possibly the best bread on the planet.  This bread was no exception.  It was crusty on the outside, warm and fluffy on the inside.  We couldn’t get enough!  Good thing our “diet” started the next day…

On to salads.  We opted to split the Greek salad and it was so yummy!  It was made table side and the only complaint I have was that the waiter put a little too much dressing on it.  Other than that, I loved it!

For our main dishes, Carolyn got the Blackened Costa Rican Mahi and I got the Pasta Mardi Gras.  Both were delicious, but I think Carolyn chose better.  The fish was seasoned and cooked perfectly and those grits!  They came with cheesy grits which we both agreed tasted more like polenta.

After our huge meal, we were both stuffed.  We loaded ourselves back in the car and went to Jungle Jim’s.  After stopping at Starbucks (located within the store itself), we proceeded to shop.  We had both decided to only buy things we couldn’t get elsewhere, though I fudged a little.

I must have gotten too caught up in shopping because I really don’t have many pictures!  When you first walk in, you see the “American Groceries” section.  Here you will find items you can get in a typical grocery store.  I ended up picking up several things from this section, believe it or not.

One of my favorite lunch sides is the Mott’s Healthy Harvest applesauces.  They had a blueberry variety I had never had before, so I put that in my cart.  I tried it last night with dinner and it’s pretty tasty!  Carolyn said it was her favorite but she couldn’t find it anymore.

I’m a huge coffee drinker.  I drink at least 2 cups every day.  My favorite coffee is Dunkin Donuts French Vanilla (of which I just bought a case on Saturday from work since it was on sale).  When Jeff and I went to the Taste of Cincinnati a few years ago, they were introducing the Dunkin Donuts Turbo roast.  I have it at my Kroger, but I never seem to catch it on sale.  Since Dunkin Donuts was on sale in the jungle, I picked some up.

Speaking of coffee, apparently there is a coffee shop in West Chester called La Crema Coffee Company.  I like supporting local companies so we looked at their coffee.  We ended up each getting a bag and splitting them.  I purchased Creme Brulee and C got Highlander Grog.  The creme brulee is pretty good, but I haven’t tried the grog yet.

Making our way through the American section, we came upon the nut butters.  Now, anyone who works with me will tell you I eat oatmeal with nut butter probably 3-4 times a week.  I love getting flavored nut butters to add to my oats.  My favorite brand is Peanut Butter and Co.  They have 10 different flavors of peanut butter and I have tried almost all of them!

My Kroger carries a lot of the flavors, but I had never seen the Mighty Maple version before.  I had to have it!  I’m kind of sad I didn’t buy a couple!  It is SOO good.  I actually ODed on peanut butter this weekend.  I had a bit more than I should have in my oatmeal and felt gross for a couple hours after. 

Making our way to the next section, we passed the biggest sushi display I’ve ever seen!  Too bad we were full…sushi would have been yummy!  They also have a deli, a cheese shop, a bakery, and a coffee bar where you can get food or drink and enjoy them in the store.  We obviously didn’t do that.

Next we made our way past the candy and the registers (see map for explanation) and found ourselves in the natural section. The red line is the route we traveled.

I picked up some white chia seeds to add to my oatmeal.  Never tried chia seeds?  They are a nutritional dense super food!  Here’s what Dr. Weil from http://www.drweil.com has to say about them:

Chia is very rich in omega-3 fatty acids, even more so than flax seeds. And it has another advantage over flax: chia is so rich in antioxidants that the seeds don’t deteriorate and can be stored for long periods without becoming rancid. And, unlike flax, they do not have to be ground to make their nutrients available to the body. Chia seeds also provide fiber (25 grams give you 6.9 grams of fiber) as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, molybdenum, niacin, and zinc.

I first learned about them from Kath.  Speaking of Kath, I was just on her blog and realized she has about a million “recipes” for oatmeal!  If you’re getting bored with yours, like I am, maybe you should try a new “recipe”!

While in the natural section, I saw a huge display of honey!  I’m not a big honey person, but if you are, you’d love it.  They had all different varieties and tons of local products.  I love how many local items we saw at Jungle Jim’s!  Supporting local farmers and retailers is very important to me.

If you notice on the map, we were only about halfway through, but had been there at least an hour at this point.  We didn’t want to miss anything!  I found out later, we missed a pretty decent portion.  Whoops!

We kept walking through some of the different countries.  Switzerland, Belgium, Holland, and France (among others) all had little cubbies in the “Eurpoean Village” section. We did manage to find a little treat we couldn’t resist buying…

It was like 75% off!  I realized later the reason for this was because it was set to expire within 30 days.  Oh well.

We walked along the back wall into England where I found a big display of Harney and Sons tea.  I had had these teas a few years ago when Starbucks carried them.  I couldn’t remember if my favorite tea had been the Pomegranate Oolong I spied, but I thought it was so I nabbed one.  Turns out, it IS the right tea!  My favorite thing to do with these leaves was to make sun tea.  (Showing my southern roots again, eh?)

To make sun tea, I fill up a big glass pitcher with water and put two regular Lipton tea bags and one flavored tea bag in the pitcher.  Then I cover the whole thing with plastic wrap.  This keeps little buggies out of my beverage.  I then sit it outside for a few hours or until the tea is the color I like it.  You can actually even make sun tea in the winter as the pitcher and plastic wrap create a greenhouse like effect.  The pitcher really needs to be clear though for the process to work.

After Robin Hood said hi to us, we kept walking until we got to the cookware section.  Carolyn and I love cookware even though we each have way too much and don’t really need anything else!

I ended up buying a pepper grinder because mine was broken and I could never find one I liked.  This OXO one works great!

We were getting tired at this point (it had been at least 2 hours), so we found ourselves skipping through a lot.  We did manage to find Russia (Carolyn had been there last year) and Hawaii (does this really need an explanation, people??).  If you notice, we skipped quite a bit!  Although, to be fair, this was a week ago, so I could be remembering wrong.

Finally, it was time to head home.  We checked out, split up our coffee, and went on our way.  The next day when Carolyn and I texted each other, we both realized we had done the same exact thing:  gone home and made beignets.  And they were delicious…

If you’re ever in the Cincinnati area and you’re even remotely a foodie, you should visit the Jungle!  It’s really a great place to kill a few hours.  You can find it at 5440 Dixie Highway Fairfield, Ohio 45014.

 

Glazed Over

I don’t shop at Walmart.  Like…ever.  I grew up in the boonies where we only had a handful of entertainment options:  the movies, football games, driving up and down “the strip”, and  going to Walmart.

“On any given Friday night,
We’d drive a hundred miles,
Between the Sonic and the Grocery Store,
Laughing all the while,”
-Carrie Underwood, I Ain’t in Checotah Anymore

Yep.  It was that kind of town. Because of this fact, I think I have a mental aversion to the store.  I won’t say what kind of people I think shop at Walmart.  (Sorry, Martin folk…)

Well, the other day I found myself at Walmart.  I don’t remember what I was looking for, but I know I needed some stuff for dinner.  Since my Walmart is part grocery store, I wandered over to that side.  I think I was looking for some meat marinade, which is how I ended up in the marinade section.  While browsing for Lawry’s Caribbean Jerk marinade, I spotted one of my favorite southern ladies, Mrs. Paula Deen herself.

Now, I don’t try not to get swayed by the pretty packaging and big Food Network chef names, but this Sweet Bourbon Glaze looked delicious.  I bought it, brought it home, and promptly forgot about it for a few weeks.

The other night, I was trying to figure out what to have for dinner without having to go to the grocery store when I spotted this bottle in my pantry.  I thought back to the various cuts of meat in my freezer and remembered I had some thick cut, bone in pork chops.  Perfect!

I thawed them out and heated up my grill.  After rubbing the grill with a paper towel coated with a little vegetable oil (my new secret for getting the meat not to stick to the grates), I sprinkled the meat with my trusty DLM steak seasoning and plopped it down.  I brushed the meat with the glaze every time I flipped it, cooked it to 155º, and let it sit to redistribute the juices.

I also prepared some asparagus by drizzling it with olive oil and, again, my DLM steak seasoning.  Then I threw the whole pan on the grill to cook.

While cooking, I did something I hardly every do anymore…I had a glass of wine!  I almost never drink wine these days partly because I don’t think of it and partly because I’m looking after a little baby.  I don’t buy whole bottles because I’m afraid they’ll get yucky before I can drink the whole thing.  You don’t often find Riesling in to go bottles (maybe that’s just me), so when I saw these at Kroger the other day, I grabbed a pack!  They’ve been in my fridge for just the right occasion and a perfect 72º night by the grill was the ticket!

The pork was wonderful with just the right balance of heat and sweet.  Jeff said it tasted a lot like he was eating ribs!  I can’t wait to try this glaze on chicken and fish.  The fish might have to wait until Carolyn comes to visit in a few weeks though!

As for the asparagus…I think I’ll stick to the oven for that.  Thank goodness for frozen corn!

My Interest in Pinterest

If you are online even a little bit, chances are you’ve heard of this little website called “Pinterest“.  It’s a virtual pinboard for all the things you come across online that you like, are interested in, or want to remember.  For me, it’s a great place to store all the neat ideas I read about from my bloggers I follow.

I typically read my blogs through Google Reader and when I come across something I want to try, I star the blog post.  It then moves into a folder called “Starred Items”.  Once every few months or so, I’ll go through the folder and look at the starred items.  More often than not, I can’t remember why I starred the post in the first place!  Pinterest takes the guesswork out of this method.  Instead of starring the post, I can “pin” the picture I want to remember to one of my virtual pinboards.  Then when I’m on the website I have snapshots of things I have found interesting in the past.

For example, if I’m looking for a yummy treat to make, I would navigate to my “Sweetness” board and see this:

When you click on one of the pictures, it takes you to the page on pinterest.  One additional click will take you to the webpage you can find the item in question.  Genius!  You can also keep track of items you see while online shopping that you are interested in buying!  So many options at your fingertips!

Here are some of my favorite pins since joining Pinterest:

Obviously, seeing as I follow primarily food blogs, most of my boards will be full of food images, but as you can see there are no limits to the kinds of things you can pin!  One of my friends has kids and is constantly pinning things to do with her children.  My sister has very eclectic tastes and has boards covering everything from inspiration to travel to stylish things.   Carolyn and I have very similar tastes so I feel like I copy her quite often by repinning things she has found an interest in.

That’s the other great thing about Pinterest…you can share your interests with friends and family!  They can follow you and see what you like.  In my opinion, this tells you a lot about a person.  Plus it may just make buying that one of a kind Christmas present that much easier!

The one downside?  You have to be invited to use it.  Luckily, I’m here to help!  If you’re wanting to join, let me know!  I’ll gladly send you an invite.  If you’re already a member and would like to follow my boards, click on the red “Follow Me on Pinterest” button on the left side of my blog.  I love sharing and would love to see what you’re “Pinterested” in too!

Restaurant Review: ‘Boro Bistro

I know what you’re thinking…two restaurant reviews in a week?  What are you smoking, Bethany?  What can I say?  The public has spoken.  You guys like restaurant reviews!

Today, I met Jeff again for lunch.  I love that he works so close now.  His work is a short five minute drive from the house, so when I have days off we often meet up for his lunch hour.

This time, I thought we’d try ‘Boro Bistro.  I had been there before, but Jeff hadn’t.  After Terri mentioned they also use natural ingredients, I was excited to try them out!  She also suggested I try the pesto pizza so, naturally, that’s what I ordered.

After perusing the relatively extensive menu, Jeff decided to try the Thai Chicken burrito.  We placed our order then sat down to wait for our food.

While we waited, I snapped some quick pictures of the place.  I love all the interesting artwork on the walls and the cozy seats.

We also took a few candids of ourselves.  You guys never get to see my cute husband!

After a couple minutes, our food arrived.  The Thai Chicken burrito was interesting but pretty tasty.  There was a smidge too much peanut sauce in it, but I thought it was yummy in spite of that.

The Pesto Pizza, however, was delicious!  Not to mention the fabulous white sauce on those tortilla chips.  I have no idea what it is, but I LOVE it!

It’s so great when you have a husband that’s willing to split his lunch with you!  That way you can try two dishes at the same time!

Now, a little about the restaurant.  As I mentioned above, the produce is local when possible and, according to the website, the entrees are baked, not fried.  The portions are also very proportional, unlike most restaurants out there who give you WAY too much food.  This provided a slight problem for Jeff (since he’s a growing boy, you know), but I gave him a little bit extra from my plate and he was OK.

The restaurant is located at 722 N. Main Street in Springboro.  In layman’s terms, it’s in the same shopping plaza as the Springboro Dorothy Lane Market (which you can read about here).  It’s a great place to go for a quick lunch with a girlfriend!  They are open Monday through Saturday from 11a – 8p.  One other little tidbit…they serve alcohol!  A glass of wine or a beer on their patio (coming April 25th) would be a great way to unwind after work!

Do you have a blog and live in Dayton?  I wanna hear about it!  Just based on my last post I have two new blogger friends (hi, Terri and Karlee!) I’m excited to read about!  I’d also love to hear where my Daytonian readers like to eat.  Comment below!

Finally, here’s a little treat from today’s luncheon:

Restaurant Review: Boosalis Baking and Cafe

I am always on the lookout for new, local restaurants I can haunt.  The other day, my husband and I decided to meet for lunch so I immediately began looking for a new place to try.  He, like myself, is always up for some place new.

Being as he works right on 741 in Miamisburg, I wanted to pick a place that was very accessible.  After doing a bit of research and looking at several menus, I decided on Boosalis Baking and Cafe.  Incidentally, this place was right across the street from his work!  Score!

Upon entering, we immediately felt like we had stepped into someone’s home.  The cafe had charm, with wooden shelves on the wall, racks of bread behind the counter, and rows of delicious treats showcased below.  They have a small but diverse lunch menu with things like Cranberry Turkey, Tuna Salad, and Mom’s Beef sandwiches.  They also offer different soups each day.

The Beef and Bleu sandwich looked scrumptious to me.  Roast beef, bleu cheese, horseradish mayo, and veggies all piled on a crusty baguette.  Yes, please!

The lady taking my order asked if I’d like the lunch special.  What’s included in that? Turns out, for only a few bucks more, you get a side dish (chips or fruit), a drink, and a cookie.  Sweet!

Jeff opted for the Ham and Havarti which was served with veggies and sweet mustard all on a croissant.  I should mention they bake everything fresh and in house.  My wonderful husband ate his entire sandwich before I could ask for a bite!  Next time, I guess…

OK, can I just say my sandwich was so yummy?  Apparently Jeff’s was too!  The only thing I had a slight hard time with was just how crusty the bread was.  I love crusty bread, but when it’s on a sandwich it’s a bit harder to eat.  I managed though.  Don’t you fret about that!

After downing our sandwiches and fruit, we split the cookies we got:  oatmeal raisin for me and peanut butter for Jeff.

Oh. My. Goodness.  The cookies were slightly underdone, making them almost melt in my mouth.  They were thick, rich, and just right.  I loved every second of my cookies!  I could have most definitely eaten another dozen of them without batting an eyelash.  But I didn’t.

As an afterthought, Jeff bought a carrot cake muffin to take back to work with him as a mid-afternoon snack.  Of course, not ten minutes went by before I got this text:  “I was bad.  I ate my muffin.”  I’m sure it was just calling out to him…  He did say it was one of the best muffins he’s ever had.  I should have gotten one!

So, basically, if you live in the South Dayton area and are looking for a nice little bakery to go to, stop by Boosalis.  They are some of the friendliest restaurant owners I have ever encountered and they really go out of their way to make sure your dining experience is great.

They are open for breakfast, but I have yet to try that meal.  When I do I’ll let you know!

Be aware, however, they are closed on Sunday and Monday.  You can find their hours of operation as well as their menu here.

Wanna know one of the other great things about this place?  They use 100% natural ingredients!  I love that!  My friend, Carolyn, and I have this philosophy that if you use natural ingredients (think butter and cream) instead of artificial, manufactured substitutes, it’s not only better for your body, but you need less of it to feel satisfied.

Some of you may be wondering where this wonderful little slice of heaven is…it’s on the corner of 741 and Spring Valley, across from Starbucks and facing Lexis Nexis.  For you GPSers, the address is 9486 Springboro Pike
Miamisburg, OH 45342.

So, pop in, say hello, and tell ‘em Bethany sent you!

The Empty Plate Phenomenon (Doubledays Restaurant Review)

I have lived in Dayton for six years.  For three of those years, I drove past Doubleday’s Grill and Tavern very often (as much as ten times a week going to and from work).  I always wondered if the food was good, but I would often forget to ask the “locals” what they thought.  One day, my husband’s friend told me he had eaten there for lunch.  When asked how the food was, he responded “fantastic!”  I had to go.

I kept forgetting and kept forgetting and then one day, out of the blue, I remembered!  My husband and I walked in and got a table right away.  The first thing we noticed was the enormity of the restaurant.  It didn’t look like much from the outside, but the inside seemed to go on and on and on.  The second thing we noticed was the enormity of the menu!  It also went on and on!  I remember taking Carolyn here one time only to remember she panics when she has so many choices in front of her.  Not too smart on my part!  (View full menu here.)

They have so much to offer I can’t remember all the things I’ve tried, though I have a couple favorites I have ordered more than once.  If you don’t know this about me, I am a creature of repeat ordering.  I really try not to be, especially in a place like this where you can’t seem to get a bad meal, but if I find something I like, I end up ordering it over and over again.

Tonight was no exception.  I had a craving for a burger with bacon (surprise, surprise) so that’s what I went with.

Jeff, deciding to try something new, ordered the BLT pizza. Doubleday’s has their very own pizza parlor type add on to the restaurant called Monster Pizza.  They have many different types of pizza including “Bride of BLT”, “Italian Werewolf”, and “It Came From Outer Greece”.  Great names, great flavors, what more can you ask for?

There is one stipulation in my book for going to Doubleday’s.  The potato soup, complete with cheese and bacon, must be ordered.

There are two types of potato soup in the world, my friends: the cheese laden version and the creamy, wonderful, melt in your mouth version.  You can guess which one this is.  While there is nothing wrong with the cheesy version, I prefer my potato soup “plain”.  Too much cheese overpowers the wonderful flavors of the potato.

Take this into consideration: I do not eat at restaurants by myself very often.  I will go to Panera and sometimes City BBQ by myself, but never to a restaurant that has servers.  A few days after I sampled this wonderful concoction of potatoes, cream, butter, and other ingredients, I ended up back at the restaurant at 11:30a on a Tuesday, Harry Potter book in hand, to eat alone.  It was the best day ever.  Just me, Harry, and a vat bowl of potato soup.

It’s always a sad feeling when the potato soup bowl runs dry.

The Empty Plate Phenomenon occurs on a very rare basis.  It’s about as common as Hailey’s Comet.  It’s been documented and studied with no scientific conclusions made.  Basically, every time Jeff and I go out to eat, I end up taking home a to go box.  I never, ever finish my entire meal.  I have been like this since I was a little girl.  Every so often, however, I *gasp* finish an entire meal out!

Tonight, I brought my big girl panties to the table.  I ate my entire cup of soup (very filling, mind you) and my entire (8 oz…yes I know it’s not huge) Bacon Cheddar burger.  In record time.  I think from the time the plate hit the table to the time I finished, Jeff had eaten 1.5 pieces of pizza.

The burger wasn’t phenomenal (I would definitely go to Five Guys or Sammy’s if given the choice), but it was still good!  The burger patty itself was just that…a patty.  I believe it was a traditional frozen patty they thawed and threw on a hot grill.  I could be wrong, but that’s how it tasted.  As I said, though, the burger was still quite tasty.  I’m not sure I would order it again, but I had no trouble finishing it tonight.  If you want to get something really tasty, go with the French Dip grinder.  YUM!

As I said, Jeff and I have never had a bad meal here.  Their salads are even good!  Put it this way…I have always wanted to try their dessert, but I never have room for it. If you’re in the Centerville area, stop in for a bite!

Doubleday’s Grill and Tavern
199 E Alex Bell Road
Dayton, Ohio