Lunch Review! The Skinny Pig

If you're looking for a busy man in Cincinnati, I'm not sure if you can get much busier than Josh Campbell. Relatively fresh off the opening of his amazingly convenient, craft beer-carrying Mayberry Foodstuffs, he decided to open yet another eatery. Where he finds the time and energy for all of this is beyond me. It just opened on Monday and when folks were looking for recommendations for lunch, I suggested Skinny Pig.

The Skinny Pig is located in a "you wouldn't know it was there if you weren't looking for it" storefront on Woodburn Avenue by Desales Corner. It's always good to see new restaurants open in Walnut Hills; god knows it needs to redevelopment.

The Skinny Pig goes in a completely different direction than Mayberry , Campbell's downtown spot. Rather than delicious, yet food coma-inducing giant burgers, tater tot casserole, and grilled cheeses, the Skinny Pig serves two things: blue corn flatbreads and salads. Certainly a lighter (and theoretically healthier) fare than that at Mayberry. The restaurant space is filled with a handful of high top tables, with a restroom and the kitchen in the back . The interior was relatively sparse when it came to decoration. Not sure if that is a byproduct of the recent opening or just a minimalist touch. The stain glassed windows in the front are beautiful, though.

Unlike Mayberry, orders are taken at the table. The flatbread options include those topped with turkey, pork tenderloin, chicken, garlic beef, and two vegetarian variations. Each of these dishes are themed differently, with assorted vegetables, cheeses, and sauces involved. I settled on the garlic beef flatbread, which also came topped with  horseradish, asparagus, goat cheese, and a tomato chutney. The pork loin and the chicken flat breads were also ordered at my table.

Though you can't tell from my picture, these flatbreads are beautifully prepared. They don't skimp on the toppings, either. So: what is blue corn flatbread like? It almost reminds me of a whole grain cracker. It was crisp around the edges and pliable where the juices from the toppings had soaked in. The asparagus was crisp and tasted fresh, the beef was pretty tender, and the goat cheese was abundant. My only complaint is that I didn't taste any horseradish at all. More (or some) would have been nice to cut the sweetness of the tomato chutney a bit. Overall, a good showing.

The adobo pork tenderloin was a bit hit with one of my coworkers, so I would love to try that the next time I'm there. Either that or one of their salad offerings (which you can add as a side portion).

Will I be back? You bet. It's close to where I live and temporarily work, so that is definitely a plus. The food tastes fresh and seems healthy. I certainly wasn't faced with the after lunch drowsiness I get with a lot of places. It's open for dinner, too, which is definitely cool. At right about $10 for the meal and a drink, it is reasonable priced.

I have to say: if he keeps it up, Josh Campbell is going to be running this city before we all even notice. He continues to pump out new, creative ideas and they keep being successes. Can't argue with outcomes. Also, kudos to him for taking a risk and opening a place outside of downtown. DeSales Corner has a lot of promise; hopefully this is just the beginning of development there. In other words, get your butts over there and give him some business.

Lunch Review! Terry's Turf Club (finally...)

When we moved to Cincinnati last spring and started scouting out dining options on Urbanspoon, Yelp, and the numerous food blogs focusing on the city, one of the places we first set our sights on was Terry's Turf Club. Boasting #1 rated restaurant fame on Urbanspoon, 'best burger in Cincinnati' status from almost everyone under the sun, and even a visit from Guy Fieri, we knew that it had to happen.

Somehow, though, it just never did. We weren't hungry for burgers, we were concerned the wait would be too long, the weather was too cold (or too hot); our excuses were legion and, at the same time, the usual suspects. This is how it came to be that last Sunday, approximately ten months after we moved here, we still had not eaten at Terry's Turf Club. After a nice afternoon at the Barnum & Bailey Circus (yes, it was awesome and yes, I am eight years old more times than not) we put our collective foot down and decided that 'today is the day'.

The drive through the east side along the river is, lets's say, interesting. I felt like I was in in Appalachia. Call me insensitive or crude, but I was concerned that at any moment the Deliverance banjo tune would float through the air to my ears. Annnnyyywaaaaaays.... we got to Terry's and grabbed a street parking spot.

View from across the street

Terry's is decked out in neon lights. I would love to see this place at night, but we would suffice to the dim glow in the daylight. We walked in the door, put in our name with the doorman and sat outside. We thought it might be a long wait, but we were inside and seated at a four top with another couple within five or so minutes. Certainly not the epic wait stories that swirl around in Cincinnati lore.

 View from the front door

We settled in and went to town on the complimentary peanuts set out. For the second time that day, I got to feel like a child as it is perfectly acceptable to throw your shells on the floor. I wasn't really feeling a beer for lunch, as I had consumed my alotted volume (and then some) the night before. They do have a respectable list, though, with both microbrews and imports represented. After enjoying the signs and lights for a few minutes, our waitress came over and we put in our orders. We both kept it classic, despite the presence of crab, fancy cheeses, sauces, and various other toppings available. American cheese, lettuce, onions, banana peppers, tomatoes, ketchup, mustard, and mayo; cooked medium (with a side of fries to split).

More views...

The bar

Our burgers and the moment of truth arrived simultaneously. Would the burger from Terry's Turf Club live up to the hype? The answer is an overwhelming, unqualified yes. Coarse-ground, and perfectly cooked to temperature, it is everything you could ever want in a burger. I feel like I made the right choice in going simple on toppings, because this was one of the rare experiences where I could actually taste the beef. I don't know the specifics of its formation (fat percentage, ground in/out of house, etc) but it was definitely high quality. It was perfectly sized: not big enough to stop me from eating my fries, but big enough to fill me up almost to that point.

The fries should have been an afterthought in the shadow of this burger, but they were actually really good. Skin-on and very crispy and brown, which might not be everyone's preference, but I'm of the persuasion that most fries probably need a few more minutes in the fryer.

After we paid and headed out, I got a snap of the griddle top where the burgers are cooked.

Where the magic happens

Terry's Turf Club, in a city with a great selection of burger joints, is now the tops on my list for the best burger in the city. It's followed closely by Cafe de Wheels and Rookwood, but Terry's is by itself on the throne. When I can get a burger that is presented without all sorts of fancy pants toppings and it still stacks up to the best in terms of flavor and texture, I count this as a winner. One day I'll put together a list of my favorites, but as of right now those three are topping the charts.

Mission Accomplished!

Lunch review: Wicked-wich

Last Friday I was hungry and feeling cheap, so I decided to use a Groupon for Wicked-wich that I had purchased a while back. I've been putting it off for awhile because it's on the other side of Downtown from my office and the place always seems crazy packed.

Located on the 400 block of Sycamore, Wicked-wich is perfectly situated to take advantage of the mass of P&G lunchers and soon the mass of Great American Tower lunchers. It is, as the name would imply, a witch-themed sandwich place, which is one of the odder themes I can can think of for a restaurant. Clearly they are fans of puns.

Wicked-wich's claim to fame in the CBD lunch scene is that they make and slice all of their lunch meat in house. I don't know any other lunch place that does this downtown on the scale that WW does, so they clearly fit a niche. They also claim to make their soups and salad dressings in-house. WW offers breakfast, too, if you are so inclined. The menu lists omelettes, quiche, and other goodies.

WW is your typical sandwich place, ordering-wise. You walk in, get in the usually long line, place your order, pay, and they'll call your name when your food is done. There is a decent amount of space for dining in, but it was completely full when I went, plus about 80 degrees. I opted for take out.

I got up to the front of the line, placed an order the Southwestern Chicken with a side of curried egg salad (one side included with sandwiches). Just because I was feeling particularly gluttonous that day, I also got a bag of kettle chips. I paid and snapped a few pictures.

Hard at work

Odd witch-themed mural and dining space

Sandwich station

Five minutes later my name was called and I escaped the body heat-fest back to the office, sat down, unpacked my lunch and got to work on it.

As usual, my pictures don't do the food justice. The Southwestern Chicken, per the menu description, is "spice-rubbed chicken, roasted peppers and red onions, sharp cheddar, chipotle mayo ... (on a) butter toasted sourdough baguette". It was as good as it sounds. There was a lot, flavor and texture-wise, going on, but it never got ridiculous. The star of the show, as would be expected, was the meat. It was extremely flavorful and, since it was just sliced, juicy. This is real meat, not any of that reconstituted, sodium and whatnot pumped stuff you see on sale at the grocery store (and at Subway).

This sandwich was MESSY. Between the onions and peppers, mayo, and juice from the fresh-sliced meat, it was easily one of the messier sandwiches I've ever eaten. It certainly requires more than one napkin. At first I questioned the choice of a baguette as a bread choice, but in hindsight it's probably the only kind of bread that wouldn't completely disintegrate under the stress of the ingredients.

The curried egg salad was good, but didn't blow me away. It was pretty much your typical egg salad with a bit of curry powder mixed in. The curry flavor wasn't overwhelming, but it's a nice departure from plain 'ol egg salad. The chips and Diet Coke were chips and Diet Coke. Nothing to report there.

Verdict? Wicked-wich serves great sandwiches with some of the best meat in the city. The prices, at around $10.00, are about as high as I'd pay for a sandwich combo at a casual restaurant in Cincinnati. I will certainly be back due to the number of sandwiches on the menu that I had difficulty choosing between. If they can make boring chicken breast a star, I'd love to try their roast or corned beef. It won't be a regular place for me due to the location and crowdedness, but if I want a sandwich a step above most, I know where to go.

Lunch Review: Mayberry Foodstuffs

Usually I leave my verdict until the end, but for Mayberry Foodstuffs I will say this: it is a godsend. The tiny store packs a truckload of variety and convenience into a space smaller than most houses' master bedrooms.

(This is what the store's sign looks like through a dirty lens. Whoops.)

Mayberry Foodstuffs, the brainchild of Chef Josh of Mayberry and World Food Bar fame, opened late 2010 to provide downtowners an option for groceries and other goodies. This place is reeeeaaaalllly small, but what little square footage they have, they utilize masterfully. They somehow manage to pack fresh produce, bread goods basked by the staff, cheeses, spices, household items, meats, dry bulk goods, and my most purchased category of items: wine and really good craft beer. This list is not exhaustive by any means.

(Bulk olive oil and vinegar)

Mayberry Foodstuffs is convenient for my not because I live downtown, but because my bus stop from work to home happens to sit about 20 fee from their door. I can't even count the numbe rof times I've missed my bus because I went to grab a bottle of wine from a store that is the opposite direction from work as my bus stop. No longer!

(Produce)

(Dry bulk goods)

A number of the products they sell are locally produced, which is an added bonus. When I was there last, the had just started selling spices from Colonel De, which is housed in Findlay Market. It's always good to see local businesses playing nice with each other.

(More produce, dairy, meat, eggs, etc)

(Meats and cheeses)

(And my favorite part: an ample yet varied selection of good beer)

And that's not all. If you're looking for a meal without all the effort, they also have made to order sandwiches. They offer chicken, ham, and roast beef. I've had the ham before and wasn't in a turkey mood, so I tried one of the roast beef sandwiches today. The sandwich (plus obligatory pickle spear), a Diet Coke, and a decent sized bag of Grippo's set my back about eight bucks. Not shabby at all.



The sandwich was roastbeef on sourdough with a swipe of horseradish and was topped with lettuce, onions, and bleu cheese. Very good stuff. I'm sure I'll be back before long to grab one of the turkey sandwiches.

Mayberry Foodstuffs is undoubtedly one of the best additions to the CBD in a long, long time. Sure, you're probably never going to be able to do 100% of your grocery shopping there, but that's not why they exist. If you live downtown, though, and are short a cup of sugar, I know of a neighbor who would be much obliged to help you out.

Lunch Review! Raya's Lebanese Restaurant

Oh boy was I hungry this morning. I knew that it was going to be a big lunch day when 10:00 rolled around and my stomach was making noises alternating between those made by tectonic movements and those made by packs of various furry, carnivorous beasts.

To my (and my stomach's) horror, before I could go to lunch I had to do the dance I seem to do every time I go out for lunch. Literally. Every. Time.

"Sushi?" "Too light."
"Mexican?" "Too heavy."
"A burger?" "Ditto."
"Salad?" "Boooooooooring."
"A sandwich?" "Yeah. Let's get a sandwich. It's not like you eat one every day during the rest of the week from your lunchbox."

This is one of the curses of working downtown. Pretty much any kind of food you could want is within walking distance and you (or at least I) become paralyzed with choice. With pretty much every cuisine eliminated from the running, I first decided to go to Cafe de Paris and eat in Piatt Park, but it was a bit too windy to sit outside and read while eating my lunch, so, in a stroke of genius, I decided to head to Raya's Lebanese Restaurant and have a gyro.

I had been to Raya's once before and apparently liked it enough for it to pop into my head on the verge of starvation. It is located on Court St., next to the other restaurants that are propped up by HamCo./Krogers employees. There were two food trucks out front when I walked by: Cafe de Wheels and a hotdog one I didn't catch the name of. I can always go for a Wheels Burger, but I decided that I had probably been eating too many burgers lately.

Because Raya's is not much to look at inside, I didn't take any pictures. It's small and it has tables and chairs. It could easily be a venue for any other cuisine in the world. Not a knock; just saying.

I ordered a gyro and a side of hummus and, to be healthy, I decided to forego the fries. Hell-bent on destroying my chance to not be a glutton at lunch, the cashier countered that fries were free with any wrap that day. Ok, so I didn't forego the fries. In fact, I ate every one of them.

(Raya's: Healthy unless you like fries too much)



The food was about as good as I remember it. Gyros are pretty tough to mess up, but on the other hand, tough to make stand out. It was solid. It didn't blow my mind or anything, but I don't think I've ever eaten one that did. The hummus was a little underseasoned. It probably could have used some garlic.

Surprisingly, the fries were really, really good. They were well-seasoned and very crispy. I never understand why Mediterranean places serve fries as the default side with a lot of sandwiches, particularly since most of the time they just seem like such a poor effort. Perhaps it's because they're serving Americans who can't go a few hours without eating something fried. Who knows. Regardless, these were good. Would I rather be able to sub in something healthier and a little more authentic? Of course, but I'll take what I can get.

Is Raya's great? Nope. It certainly reaches the threshold for good, though. My fiancee has had their vegetarian combo before, which has hummus, baba ghanouj, falafel, and taboulli. So it's not that there aren't healthier options. It's just that I didn't want to eat them. I'm sure I'll be back. Good and cheap (<$10 for all of the above plus a Diet Coke) is an ok combo in my book.

Lunch Review! Tom + Chee

(Store front on Court Street)

Grilled cheese is one of those foods that I just never seem to eat nowadays. It's not that I don't like them; in fact, bread and cheese are two of my favorite foods. It's just, unlike other folks the idea of making it just never pops into my head. I'm not sure if it's the simplicity of it or what, but I might have two or three of them a year.



Struggling mightily with the lunch choices downtown as usual, it struck me that I could go for something hearty. What is better on a cold day than a grilled cheese and some soup? With that in mind, I walked over to the Tom + Chee Court Street location to grab myself some of both.

(Part of the main chalkboard menu)

Tom + Chee is an order at the counter, have your name hollered, and sit to eat (or take it out, like I did) type restaurant. There is a pretty good amount of seating in their space, but it looks like only a few tables for large groups. There were a few people in front of me in line so I perused the nemu and settled on the turkey pesto grilled cheese and a cup of chili.

(Hard at Work)

(Adorable 'Super Fancy Tip Jar')

I ordered, paid, and picked up my food in less than five minutes. Saw this poster on the way out. I'm not sure if I could take one down, but it sure does sound interesting:



I hustled back to the office so the food didn't get cold and so I could fill my starving belly. I unwrapped the perfectly toasted sandwich and took a bite of one of the best sandwiches I've had since I've moved here. Thick, buttery toasted sourdough is perhaps the best type of bread for a grilled cheese sandwhich, and they nailed it. To my delight, the turkey was actual pieces of turkey, not the sliced turkey lunchmeat which drives me crazy in sandwiches like this one. They used just the right amount of pesto: flavorful, but not overwhelming. Finally, there was enough mozzarella cheese to hold everything together and counteract the crunch of the bread, but not so much that it made a sloppy mess.



The chili was great, too. It was more liquid than I'm used to eating, but they really nailed the flavor. It contained less beans and more meat (which is ok in my book), onions, small chunks of tomato, and green peppers. It had a heat presence, but wasn't too spicy. Overall, very well done.

Tom + Chee is flat out awesome. It drives me crazy that I haven't been here since they opened the store front, but I guess better late than never, right? I will definitely be back. There were five or six other things on their menu that I decided I must try.

Library Lunch: Le's Cafe

It seems like banh mi is the new big thing. With the opening of Pho Lang Thang in the Findlay Market, many more Cincinnattians are being exposed to the deliciousness of Vietnamese food. If you work downtown and can't make it up to the Findlay Market, or if Pho Lang Than is just too busy for your likings, there is another option for you.

Little known to most folks, the main branch of the Cincinnati is home to Le's Cafe, a small shop and food joint where you can find a wide variety of food, including the mythical banh mi. I want to thank Cincinnati Bites for the post about Le's Cafe. If not for this post, I probably never would have given the tiny little eatery a chance, even though I'm at the library several times a week.

(Tiny, little Le's Cafe)

I had stopped by once before and, to my disappointment, they were not serving banh mi on that day. I left that day wearing a sad face and filed the idea in my head for another day. The wonderful photographer Thadd had a post a couple weeks ago about the banh mi there and it jumpstarted the memory (by the way, check out his post for much better pictures). I decided to give it a whirl again last week and this time I had much more luck.

I saw 'banh mi' on the little whiteboard they have their special on and gave a little squeal of delight (not really, but I could have). I ordered one of them and a small order of a noodle dish whose name I am forgetting because it is 6:30 and I don't have enough coffee yet. Maybe lo mein. They were out of cilantro and hot peppers for the sandwich, which are a huge part of its flavor profile, but I gave it a go anyways. 

Between the sandwich, the noodle dish and a bottle of Diet Coke, how much did my meal come to? $6.45. Yes, six dollars and forty five cents. You are not reading that incorrectly. The sandwich was $3.00, the noodles $2.00, and the Diet Coke $1.45. The value of this lunch is unbeatable. I happily had my lunch rung up and skipped back to the office to fill my belly.

(My phone takes horrible photos)

I tackled the lo mein first and while it was not the best I've ever had and perhaps was reheated, it was still pretty darn good. Definitely better than $2.00 worth of good. There was a good amount of chicken in it. The banh mi was the star of this show, however. 

Even missing those two ingredients, this sandwich was delicious. I'll definitely say it is one of the best I've had since moving to Cincinnati. The baguette was good, but was really a delivery mechanism for the amazing-ness inside of it. There are so many flavors going on here; from the smoky taste of the pork loin and cold cuts, to the creaminess of the pate- mayo mixture, to the sharpness of the shredded carrots and crunch of the cucumbers. Note that this sandwich was tremendous even without the addition of two key ingredients. With cilantro and hot peppers, it would be a veritable taste bomb.

I'm going to put it out there and just say it: at $3.00, the banh mi at Le's Cafe is without a doubt the best lunchtime deal in downtown Cincinnati. Perhaps even within the city limits. I will be back again and again. If you're at the library around lunch time, go give Le's Cafe a look. They're nice, they make a hell of a sandwich, and it won't lighten your wallet much.

Lunch Review: Mayberry

With Mayberry adopting their new lunch menu choices and with the opening of Mayberry Foodstuffs, I figured now was as good a time as any to make another visit. I think I'm the only one in the world who hasn't been blown away by the Mayberry restaurant since it's opened. I've been there twice before for lunch and though it was definitely not bad, I just wasn't wowed. I haven't visited for brunch or dinner, though, so I can't speak to that.

I have no idea why the dishes I've tried haven't been a big hit with me. Everything about their ginormous burger sounds delicious (and it sure as heck looked delicious), but it just didn't do it for me. Same with the grilled cheese. Sure: both of them were good; just not as good as the sum of fresh, amazing ingredients would indicate. I think this is a classic case of "it's not you -- it's me". Enough people looove Mayberry that it makes me skeptical of my own taste buds.

For this reason, and because Chef Josh is so awesome, I decided to keep at it until I found something I really liked. With the new menu change, I figured now is as good a chance as any.

I walked over on a snowy day, and because the office was pretty empty, I had to get my order to go to hold down the fort. I was really torn between the Jive Turkey, which is a pressed sandwich with thick slices of turkey; apricot mustard; havarti; greens and pickled onion, and the Humdinger, a potato stuffed with pot roast and root veggies (covered with cheddar and gravy, of course). After going back and forth, I decided on the Jive Turkey and waited on my order.

My order came up and I headed back to my office. I opened up my box to see what my prey would be for lunch, and here's what I was delighted to find:

I realize my phone's camera doesn't do this sandwich justice, but the perfect press marks on the crusty bread, the creaminess of the havarti, the tenderness of the thick cuts of turkey, and the slight tartness of the pickled onions all came together perfectly. This sandwich is a great concept and it was put together almost perfectly. It was actually this delicious:

If I could make a tiny suggestion or two, they would be (1) let the onions pickle just a little bit longer and (2) pleeeeeease let us sub in other sides for the greens. While the greens are fine, they don't bring anything to the table (especially when comparing them to the tremendous tater tot casserole).

I have to say, this meal has really changed how I view Mayberry. I will most definitely be back for the Humdinger, and I am greatly looking forward to it. 

(Also, as an aside, if you haven't been over to Mayberry Foodstuffs, get over there! They have pretty much everything you could think of, from wine and craft beers; to fresh-ground peanut butter; to bulk olive oil; to, well, you get the point. I got some beer and wine from them today and greatly look forward to their selection in the future. Thanks and welcome to the neighborhood!)