Monday, March 30, 2009

Rick's Tavern



When Kerrie and I first moved to Cincinasty, we went to this dumpy shithole called Bargo's. Bargo's was a serious defeat for me, as I was looking for a dive bar to call "home" and this place was just awful.

The food was bad and the people in there just put off some bad vibes. I wasn't necessarily looking for a new Howard's H, but I had an idea of what I wanted and this place was a serious letdown.

Jumping ahead, 4 years later...

Kerrie and I found Rick's Tavern, only because we like going to Acapulco. Every time we would eat at Acapulco, we inevitably would discuss trying Rick's. We, of course, always managed to procrastinate and put it off or just plain forget it existed. But then it happened. We managed to get our act together enough to go in and have dinner, which, admittedly, I wasn't all that into. But Kerrie liked it so we went back. And just because I was looking for something simple, I ordered a burger.

And this is where I start to gush...

Rick's has one of the best burgers I have ever tasted. It may just be better than the Friendly Stop or Sonic. Their burgers, so they say, are fresh/not frozen. I believe it too. Maybe I've been in this business too long, but I recognize frozen vs fresh - especially after my stint at the Corner Grill. Another thing I find impressive is their french fries. Although they serve (ahem) Crinkle Cut Fries, they are really good. They're crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. It's a sad state of affairs when I'm impressed by the fact that some guy working a fryer can actually do his job properly.

Okay, I'm going all over the place here, so to summarize:
Rick's Tavern.
One of the 5 best burgers I have ever eaten.
Awesome fries, even though they are crinkle cut.
Very nice atmosphere, very good feeling place to eat.




I think what's most gratifying is that Kerrie and I finally found a place we can go to regularly. It's our place...



via videosift.com

Monday, March 16, 2009

Here's a little revenge... IRISH STYLE!



The past few weeks have seen some great food. Kerrie and I have made stops to La Pinata (Excellent fajitas) and the Friendly Stop (Excellent burgers). Plus we dropped by Rick's Tavern and even made a Sonic run last week.

Plus I've thrown together some excellent meals at home, including Pan Seared Tenderloin with a Balsamic Glaze over Linguine with Gorgonzola Alfredo sauce. (Made possible by a very generous gift from the Commodore.)

But really, the best over all has been the annual St. Patty's Day feast I've become very fond of preparing.

Being that St. Patrick's Day was on a Tuesday this year, I made Guinness Braised Corned Beef on Sunday, with Leftovers for sammiches today. I served the Corned Beef with braised carrots, Parmesan Roasted Potatoes, and quick sauted Brussels Sprouts.



Of course, no St. Patty's Day would be complete without Black & Tan's and one of my favorite desserts - The Chocolate Stout Cake.





And tonight was just as good as Sunday. With what was left of the Corned Beef I made sandwiches on Marble Rye with Swiss cheese, plus we had what was left of the Parmesan Roasted potatoes and I enjoyed an Edmund Fitzgerald porter. (Oh yes, I enjoyed it...) I actually never thought I would get to a point in my life where I would be drinking beer, but I really do enjoy a nice porter. Huh.







As the weather gets better and warmth returns to Ohio, I'm already looking forward to grilling and BBQ. Sitting on the porch with a Mojito while watching chicken or ribs slowly achieve perfection is very exciting to me. Mostly because I'm sick of the cold, but mostly because I loves me some Mojitos!

Thursday, March 05, 2009

You've never eaten blueberries and pepperoni together for very good reasons.



I've done some pretty stupid shit in my life. (Anyone remember the giant Take5?)

Somethings I've done are gross and some things I've done are so epic I'm saving them for my tell-all book.

These guys took one of the funniest SNL skits in the last 20 years and brought it to life. It's like a bus load of nuns getting slammed by a train going 80 miles per hour... You just can't stop looking.

(Make sure you watch the video first...)

TACO TOWN!!!

I don't know weather I'm envious or just plain disgusted. Either way, these guys just made my "Heros" list.