I will be writing a review on the Swine.  I just wanted to get something posted, as Whenny and The Biff are a couple of lazy bastards and hadn’t posted anything in quite some time.  Don’t for a minute be thinking we have stopped eating out !

Peace! The Biff

the one true noodle...

Today I went to Noodles and Co. Without Whenny.  He stayed back at the office and ate his PB&J.  Unfortunate.  For Whenny!

I’m a sucker for Asian food.  I like to think of myself as an “egg”.  White on the outside, yellow on the inside.  Noodles has a few categories in their menu.  Asian was one.  I didn’t even look at the others!  Really.  I had to go to their website to see what else was on the menu in order to write this review!

Noodles was pushing some new appetizers that were not yet on the menu and we tried a couple.  I gotta say, I really dig this place.  I had some Sriracha Shrimp Crustini type appetizer that was DY NO MITE!

The shrimp was cold, cocktail style, smothered in this sriracha based sauce and served with little crustini(ish) bread.  I would go back just for this dish.  I may have to attempt to reproduce at home. We also had some stuffed shells that were quite good as well.

For my entree I had their Japanese Pan Noodles with beef.  These dudes were TASTY!  I am typically not a pasta fan.  I like pasta, I just usually choose more meaty options.

The Japanese Pan Noodles consist of caramelized udon noodles in a sweet soy sauce, broccoli, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, Asian sprouts, black sesame and cilantro.  Being a lover of bovine flesh, I added the sauteed beef.  BINGO! This stuff is the shiitake!

Japanese Pan Noodles with Sauteed Beef

There are several more dishes I am looking forward to trying: Bangkok
Curry, Indonesian Peanut Sautee, Bacon Mac and Cheeseburger, and the Tai Curry Soup.  There are also some Mediterranean dishes, but most just look like spaghetti to me!

We ate at the campus location at the corner of High and Lane.  The weather was still warm and we enjoyed our victuals on the second floor patio overlooking hight street.  Great food, friends, and campus ”scenery”.  Not a bad lunch.

Stick a Fork in Me.... I'm DONE!

Akai Hana, on Old Henderson, used to be called Restaurant Japan.  I had a beef hot pot something or another there years ago.  My mind was not yet ready for Japan.  I was but a padawan.

Akai Hana looks like your cliche Asian joint but with a little class.  It’s decorated in bamboo, weird art, and had an “Asian” dude sitting waiting for a take-out order to make it look “authentic”.  Speaking of authentic… while we were eating, there was a big noise from the kitchen and it went on for several seconds.  I was like “what that a tsunami?  wow, they go to great lengths to make this an authentic experience!”  Too soon? Shut up.

It really is a step above most places we frequent.  They actually give you warm towels to wipe your face and hands before you eat.  Sure, they are just individually wrapped and heated baby wipes, but being from BFE, I had never experienced such a thing.  Not bad at all!  It took my lunch to a whole new level.

I had the daily special lunch box.  It seemed a little steep at 1.25 Jones’ (766.25 Yen or 10 green backs) but it actually turned out to be a good value, I think.  It started with a salad and a bowl of miso soup.

The salad was a spring mix with some Caesar/ginger  like dressing on it.  Have you ever tried to eat some spring mix, from a plate, with sticks? That last little leaf is a beeotch! Much like Whenny, I’m no chop stick ninja, but I “got’er done”.  The miso soup was very tasty with the occassional bite of seaweed and tofu.

The lunchbox itself was like a tour of Japan:

Lunch Box

a side of cooked squid and hijiki (black seaweed) that was quite delectible, two giant prawn coated in panko and fried, a square of some sort of tofu/scrambled egg like stuff covered in a pork(ish) gravy, two pieces of sushi roll, and a salmon filet.  All that and a bowl of rice! That, my friend, is a decent amount of food for a ten spot.

Luckily I had a Chinese (by way of Taiwan) friend with me to help identify what I was chewing on and school me in Asian culture.

I am really looking forward to going back.  Whenny couldn’t make this trip so we have an excuse to go back soon to get his take on the place.

http://www.akaihana.com/

1173 Old Henderson Street

Columbus, OH 43220-3607

(614) 451-5411

First let me say: I LOVE dive joints.  DK is a dive joint.  The tables are old.  The boothes are old.  It’s all crapped up with cheesey art, old posters, and class photos from the local high school.  I dig it. You seat yourself, you get your own drinks, it’s almost like home.  If you live in a poorly decorated diner.  I am totally expecting to one day see Guy Fieri in there taking Big Bites of turkey reuben while pontificating on the proper way to hold a samich in order to avoid grease rolling down your arms.

The place was originally just a doughnut shop and the name was Doughnut Kitchen, hence “DK” Diner.  They still do doughnuts.

DK is the trifecta:  Quality, Quantity, Price.  Breakfast all day, excellent lunch specials, and depending on who is working, a free doughnut on the way out the door!  I’m telling ya, being “big boned”, nothing keeps me coming back like a free dog nut for the road!

The menu is typical diner fair done well:

The breakfast menu consists of eggs, meat, biscuits, and gravy in various combinations.  The only breakfast selection I have had is The Mess.  The Mess is two eggs and a heapin’ helpin’ of their own cornbeef hash.  The hash is flippin’ perfect!  Nice sized
spuds and bell pepper, just the right amount of corned beef.  The only thing it lacks is a third egg!

For lunch I often get the two coney combo.

Legal ? 5 dolla make you holla!

Two cheese coneys with fries for a little over five bucks.  COME ON!  Is that legal? It’s
illegal to sell sex but you are allowed to sell two cheese coneys and fries for five bucks?  That’s a bit hypocrytical, dontcha think?

Turkey Reuben and Waffle Fries

Mmmmm.....

Give this place a try.  You won’t be disappointed.

1715 West 3rd Avenue
Columbus, OH 43212
(614) 488-5160

Nacho Dog

It is with a heavy heart and a belly void of encased meat that I must report the demise of the Burgers Dogs and Fries in Kingsdale shopping center.  We have not confirmed the survival of the other location, down town, I believe. Whenny and I had been there several times and were both big fans of the dogs.  The burgers were just a’ight.  I particularly liked the Reuben Dog and the Nacho Dog.

Whenny and I had decided to go to BDF yesterday and to make them our next review on W&TB.com.  We jumped out of the car and skipped up to the door like a couple of school girls.  Saliva dripping from our mouths and visions of saurkraut and coney sauce dancing in our heads….. BAM! (does that violate any Emeril Lagasse registered trademarks?)  smacked right in the face with dark windows and locked doors.  I couldn’t even get my mind around it at first.  I felt the earth tilt on it’s axis for a moment and everything started whirling around like I had just been flushed down the commode.  I’m pretty sure there was a least one “WTF?” uttered before we re-grouped and made our way down to the Giant Eagle Market District.

Now to find a new hot dog joint…  stay tuned.  Recommendations appreciated.

My new “go to” BBQ joint is a concession trailer sitting in the parking lot of a convenience store on High Street in Clintonville.  Ray Ray’s Hog Pit is the shizzle.  After eating there a few times I went back to City BBQ and found the brisket and pork to totally lack flavor. Maybe it was a bad day.  I’ll go back.  Surely it requires further testing.  However, I am fully looking forward to my next visit to Ray Ray’s.

I’ve had the ribs and the pulled pork.  The ribs were SUPER meaty, SUPER tender, and FULL of flavor.  The pulled pork sandwich with the Habanero BBQ sauce is unfreakenbalievable.  The sandwiches are on a good sized sesame seed bun and while I don’t care for someone else applying my BBQ sauce, they do a fine job and the sauce is WAY good.  The greens, cole slaw, and mac-n-cheese are also spot on.  If you are in the Clintonville / OSU campus area give it a shot.  But get there early.  Ray Ray’s is only open Friday/Saturday/Sunday from 12-8pm.   http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ray-Rays-Hog-Pit/110463212345454?sk=info