Red Star Tavern

http://www.restaurants-america.com/ra/restaurants/red-star-tavern

Last night a group of coworkers descended upon the Red Star Tavern for an evening of drinks, fun, and cheap food. This is precisely what we found. 5 dollar wines, 3 dollar beers, 5 dollar mixed drinks, and half price appetizers. We ordered several of the house cabernets, some Samuel Adams Oktoberfests, and white Russians and commenced the evening. The service was prompt and nice – they accomidated us and served us these happy hour specials at a table inside, even though they reported that they usually just reserve them for those who sit at the bar or outside (to make it look busy, perhaps?).

We ordered a lot of food! Some of the ahi tuna bites, which were simply scrumptious and char-grilled on the outside and raw on the other. Those were just fabulous in terms of taste. Calamari could have been skipped – it tasted like “friend nothing,” as my friend said. The sweet potato fries were delectable. We also got a less-than-great order of spinach dip. I liked it sufficiently, but my coworkers were not impressed by it (it tasted canned, I’ll admit). The whole reason I chose to come to the Red Star Tavern was to grab some of its fabulous corn bread. My best friend first introduced me to the cornbread back in 2005 and I’ve been heading back to only this restaurant every time I’ve been on fourth street (i.e., next to never) ever since. The bread comes out with a honking knife, a grand dollop of butter on top, and is served in a black metal circular skillet of the good stuff. Little chili peppers fill in the inside to make the bread just that much more southern, rich, and wonderful. The taste is neither too sweet nor salty, but I could always use a little more butter.

I embarked on a new food adventure and ordered the nachos, which were good but a little too filled with saucy bean stuff. The accompanying salsa tasted like cool refrigerator-inside (yum yum!) and I opted not to use it as a condiment.

Our waitress got our checks wrong and gave us incorrect change, warranting me to leave no tip since she already took out 50% (my bill was 2.50, mind you). Overall the experience was downright fabulous and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back there with coworkers for an evening of inexpensive, post-work fun. The icing on our cake was stepping out into the street to see some sort of mixed martial arts fight in session (and to people watch the awesome spectators all evening long). If I had to recommend another venue for a post-work get together that wasn’t downtown (getting people out to holiday manor would never happen after work, though) I would suggest stopping at Mojito’s tapas restaurant and bar!

Matso's Greek Restaurant

Matso’s is a Wooster staple. It is a Greek restaurant situated next to Ciao Bella and across from the Wooster Library. (Interestingly, the salad dressing they use on their Greek salads has a website but the restaurant itself does not). The store is well known for the joie-de-vivre of its owner Mr. Spyro Matso, a short, happy, and older gentleman who willingly engages any child or new face that graces the wooden frames of his restaurant with his or her presence.

So if you haven’t yet and you’re a Wooster Freshman (and don’t dare say you haven’t dined here and you’re an upper-classman… shame on you for having no culture or Wooster-love. Go to Matsos. Eat anything. Especially Gyro’s, one of those egg sandwiches on the bottom of the menu with everything on them (the Leroy?), and the SPAGHETTI PIZZA. Holy crap that shit’s good.

Here’s the formula for a week evening of Matso’s magical delights: take a buddy there and show up around 7. They close at 8. Dine on free breadsticks for a while, while Mr. Matso bakes your order in the microwave in the back (actually happens), eat your order until you are stuffed. Sit there afterwards and chat while he offers you multiple rounds of free ice cream. When you check out he’ll magically knock your bill down to 6 dollars a person, regardless of what you ordered. Good deal? You bet.

The Spanikopita and generally speaking all the items listed on the front page are gi-normous. Most items are served with some shredded mozzarella, which I find divine, diced tomatoes and a  little lettace, which is right up my alley. Salads are a little generic-looking, but apparently the dressing is good. Everyone gets free garlic bread sticks, which are very good. They are served in hilarious Tupperware bowls, though, and on stacks of papertowels.

With a big crowd on a weekend night he’ll come around and chat and do tricks at your table involving forks and matches and little shot glasses. Pretty cool dude. Loves his sons, but that’s okay (insert funny, inappropriate chorus comment here).

The waitresses are also the spice of life at the restaurant. They’re all older and kinda catty and probably hate working for Mr. Matso. Seeing them troll around and having him yell at them is pretty hilarious.

If one seeks a more nutrional, Wooster-only experience, visit Broken Rocks. It's one of two in an Ohio chain and serves up yummy continental cuisine. It's the go-to spot that opened up my junior year and quickly became the culinary hotspot!

Addis Red Sea

http://www.addisredseacambridge.com/

Yes, I have eaten up and down the banks of the Red Sea and can say that it is very good. Perhaps armed with a coupon or who knows with what inspiration (oh yes! I remember now. It was a faux-coupon. I had to convince my friend to come, so I sent her a “coupon” from me for a free appetizer there! So silly.), I put on my adventure cap and visited an Ethiopian restaurant with my weekly culinary-adventure buddy last summer in Boston and went to Porter Square to try Addis Red Sea Ethiopian cuisine. I had not had Ethiopian food in about seven years since trying poor Ethiopian cuisine in the basement of a Louisville hotel at a former version of the Queen of Sheeba. I was prepared for a renewed experience.

It was about 5 o’clock on a sweaty Tuesday afternoon when we entered the sunlit-filled establishment. There were a few people already seated in the well-decorated establishment. You could either sit on the floor or at normal tables. My friend and I opted for a table by the window, the table made from a vine-strung basket the lid of which was turned upside-down half-way through the meal and used as our plate. We got some appetizer (dabo perhaps) and then two entrees of lamb and chicken. As always I liked my friend’s item more than my own. We both had enough to feed about three people. Their bread there is sooo scrumptious, which is great because the bread was the downfall with my last Ethiopian dining experience. The meal was sensational, as we mopped up pieces of yellow and orange saucy meats with our bread and chatted about our future in the glowing sunlight. Were I to head back to Cambridge today, I might hit up addis or the ice cream spot there on the corner of Porter Square for its maddening coconut goodness of a scoop of ice cream or JP Licks for its oreo delight (and I don't even like oreo). Why am I talking about ice cream now?

La Dolce Via

http://www.ladolceviabakery.com/

We pulled up to “the sweet way” in its quiet locale to find the baker/owner woman looking out on our car, validating our parking. We entered the retro one-room establishment and were greeted by two sets of faces anxious to take our order. The items on the menu were overwhelming: breakfast, a la cart items, fresh scones, and a huge coffee menu. We ordered the hash browns (good and spicy), bacon (I’ll stick to my non-gamey Kroger bacon that I never eat, thank-you), and pancakes (wow!).  The pancakes are buttermilk and literally expand in your mouth. I, who eat buttermilk pancakes on a regular basis, can qualitatively say that these are some damn good hotcakes being thrown down the pie hole. Apparently they won’t give away their secret ingredient, but there is something that makes their taste, texture, and state of doneness absolutely perfect.

The restaurant serves dinner on the weekends as well using all local and fresh foods. The shop has won several best of St. Louis awards, as it’s known as a fine bakery and sconery. (There is a photo of a scone (which the baker gave to us for free upon our exit) on their webpage that is taken too close up.)

If I were in the nearby forest park again for lunch, I would definitely consider hitting up La Dolce Via.

Zia’s “On the Hill”

http://www.zias.com/

This weekend I ventured on a 3 mile bike ride from Forest Park, St. Louis to “The Hill” in St. Louis to a restaurant called “Zia’s,” which was rumored to have exquisite fried ravioli (I’m not a real fan of fried anything or ravioli, but if it comes as a recommendation, I won’t shy away from taste-tested goodness!).

After walking past the other tables filled with large salads topped with provel cheese and a lovely sweet vinaigrette dressing. We split an order of the special, which also included bread, for only 9 dollars. It was a homemade beef tortellini with asparagus and peppers in a lemon, garlic, oil sauce that was simply delectable. I would not hesitate to go back there and go for their pasta dish that features a sage cream sauce (one of my favorite dishes).

Our service was incredibly quick and the wait staff was very cordial, even though the place was hopping with people. It was a cool oasis on a hot summer day… however the thought of biking back to forest park on a stomach full of Italian food didn’t sound so great.

Ermin’s Bakery and Café

http://erminsbakery.com/about.php

Ermin’s French Café, with four area locations, has always been a favorite of my family’s, even back when it was located in its glass enshrinement on the second story of the old Galleria on Fourth Street.  Today I still run to it for its spicy black bean burrito. Soup, salad, dessert, drink, and even ice cream options abound there; however, the black bean burrito was a favorite from during my pre-middle school basketball practice winter days. The warmth was predictable and fulfilled a need for a healthier fill of  gooey-goodness than one like me might find at a joint like, say ohhhhhh Taco Bell!

The atmosphere is always nice – usually I visit the location on fourth street by the library nestled in the Heyburn Building now and there are always literate attorneys sitting around munching and quiet medical assistants enjoying their finds! For the price of eight dollars, you will get one roll, one gigantic side enough to feed me and then some, and a giant entrée. The entrée options are as follows: spinach quiche, pot pie, Montgomery Inn BBQ (how do they pull that off? It sounds scrumptious!), twice baked potato, and chicken tetrazzini (yuck!).

The café was open in 1993 by two Bosnian brothers escaping the war in the country, both by the name of Ermin. They sold the restaurant in 1997 and now there are either four or five locations (inside the store it says four, on their webpage they say they have five).

This café comes highly recommended; however in terms of taste and selection I might recommend the City Café over it, with their zesty daily specials and fun creations!

732 Social

http://www.732social.com/

For what seemed like centuries I drove by an establishment that, evening or afternoon, had happy, warm faces aglow with libations and laughter at a nameless locale in the NULU district of East Market. Today, I refer to this chic restaurant as Social 732, even though it’s really 732 Social, and frequent it about once a week on Wednesday evenings. This hopping wine bar-looking establishment sits in the green building adjacent to the Beer Store, Toast on Market, and the Mayan Café. Wooden interiors, tables, and chairs all made from the local recycled wood fill out the interior with a cement floor and indirect lighting. There is a full menu of local organic food (pricey!), cocktails (pricey at 9 dollars a pop), and wines and beers (still pricey, starting at 6 dollars). The bartenders are world-renowned, according to chef Jayson Lewellyn, who purchased drinks for me and my underage friend (hehe!) after witnessing my indecisiveness. He disclosed this wealth of information about the place – and then, typical for me, we proceeded to have  a miniature argument about whether and how much one should advertise the fact that all the materials in the building and that go towards producing the food is local and organic. His point was that customers should just come to expect that as the new standard, I said that he is missing out on a large portion of his target market, which is most definitely literate, by not making this explicit more places, such as the menu.

The bartenders, who are very nice and urban-scruffy looking are either gay or very flirty (I think Kyle is the flirty one), make their own bitters and drinks that I generally conclude are too strong to be sensational (I wouldn’t know, though… I should just order an amaretto sour or gin and tonic). The drink that Jayson bought me is known as being the hardest of them all called the dirk funk featuring Johnny Drum 101, Carpono Antica Formula, Grand Marnier, Herbsaint, Angostura Bitters. I don’t know what all that means, but the upshot is that you’ll be toasted after a few sips (It’s basically 10 drinks in one and too strong to even sniff). I decided a third of the way through my drink, which none of my friends could handle, to chug it down – which led to one gooooood evening!

I have been back many times to sample the wine and beer selection and would recommend the three philosophers beer, the cheap Riesling (I got my friends hooked on that!), the cheese tray with the local honey, tomme cheese, American-something cheese, and bleu goat (killer!!!). I have sampled their cake dessert and rock shrimp mac-n-cheese, but disliked them both. The cake lacks in flavor and tastes old and the rock shrimp tastes like the grizzly pieces of a chicken tossed into a mac sauce that is too creamy.

The waitstaff at Social 732 are interesting. So there is Urith, a friend who always waits on us on Wednesday nights and makes change for fifties even when I forget that I ever gave her a fifty in the first place. Then there is an individual who always wears dresses, never smiles, and whose face muscles move like federer’s rocket arms in a tennis match as she eats a salad at work. The only time I saw her smile was when she opened the door for me to the bathroom and brushed my leg awkwardly on the way in. Weirdo! Then there are several friendly hostesses who seem to smile for relatively no reason when I enter the establishment. (I secretly wonder if they talk about me behind my back.) Always gossip-worthy!

Sitting outside at Social 732, embraced by a warm Louisville night breeze is how I spent many an evening this summer. Like La Roux’s Bulletproof, this was the go-to restaurant of the summer. However pricey it is, the atmosphere makes it worth it - there are always giddy side tables to talk with. However, if you want to pay half for your brews, split a bottle at the beer store!

Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen

http://www.piekitchen.com/

Referred to as the Homemade Pie Kitchen or Homemade Pie and Ice Cream Kitchen, this local chain of dessert shops features an array of pies, cakes, desserts, and ice cream flavors, as well as sandwiches, soups, and salads. Featured on NPR's The Splendid Table in March of 2000, the restaurant has really prospered and now features nine locations with the original one located at Taylorsville Road and Bardstown Road.

In middle school, I would wait with my parents in a line extending far out the door on a Saturday night just to get my beloved cinnamon ice cream (since I've found better at Mollie's cupcakes in Chicago). In high school I ventured in to get the frozen Reese's ice cream cake, which is enough for two and usually frozen solid. However, these days I just order whatever strikes my interest.

In high school I heard from a friend working at the kitchen that in fact the pies and ice cream are not homemade... what? The business' very name-sake is thrown out the window and dislodged from the constellations that hold all other good restaurant names together. This is disturbing!

After waiting with much excitement to eat the birthday cake and strawberry shortcake flavored ice creams, I decided that the pie and ice cream kitchen could do a little better and use fresher ingredients. Both were laking in flavor and were just kind of a sugary mess that honestly didn't even taste that good.

Now last night I went there with a couple - to the one on Shelbyville Road - and split a Reese's Cupcake the size of the sun with someone. It only cost $1.60, but was a taste sensation. The icing was sweet and gooey, the cupcake itself was a yellow cake batter. On top there were reeses cups melted and sprinkled - and even some inside! My other friend ordered a chocolate chip ice cream that looked delectable. Be sure to try their Kentucky pies - shaker sugar, bourbon, and chess - as well as their popular apple pie with caramel icing on top. Yum!

If you're looking for a new place to dine for dessert that frankly tops them all and tastes homemade and wonnnnnderful, check out comfy cow in Westport Village!

Tumbleweed

http://tumbleweedrestaurants.com/

Known for cheap margs, good ole’ tex mex, and the slowest service under the Southern sun, this southwest saloon hails from weed roots down on Mellwood immediately adjacent to the Mellwood Arts center (did it start in the early ‘90s?). Today there are many locations in Louisville, as well as other states (Wooster, Ohio being one). Growing up, I consistently begged my family to take me to Tumbleweed so that I could get wasted on margs – no, just kidding. So that I could perfect my pacman skills while waiting for a table, get a large sprite, free chips and salsa, and order a soft taco and waffle fries off the kids menu each and everytime (location being the present Wild Eggs restaurant on Dutchman’s Lane). In Middle School I would drag willing friends there for hours of giggles in a booth all of our own (I believe the funniest thing we giggled about was how my one friend was taking medication, back in the day when we thought that old people things were hilarious and said things just to see what looks they would elicit. Later that night we went home and called two teachers while on a giddy chip-induced high).

Today you will enter a warehouse of a restaurant to discover “ehh” margs priced at either 99 cents or 1.99 depending on the day and the locale (Wooster Mondays – 99 cents, all day; Friday and Saturday any locale, 1.99). Don’t get the white bean soup – it’s kinda generic and salty, if you order the taco salad, you’ll be eating it for the next five days (although it is pretty good, slide into a baked taco salad bowl), do get the enchilada sampler that sits towards the end of the menu for about 13 dollars and split it with a friend. It’s tops. Multiple types of enchiladas and other items, food enough for three I’d say.

Queso there is also always a sensation. You can also just order a taco a la carte for a few dollars, which is what I selected on my last venture there. If only good Mexican eats were still cheap, cheap, cheap, cheap. For the cheapest of cheap – and an authentic experience – head down to La Lolitas.

Istanbul Palace

http://www.istanbulpalace.net/

After seeing an add in the sidebar of LEO suggesting the likes of a purely Turkish restaurant existing in Louisville, KY, I creeped onto google.com to read reviews and see what Istanbul Palace was all about. Apparently it’s all about 5/5 stars and incredibly good Mediterranean cuisine!

So on a whim, after a 6-mile jog, and no shower, I pulled my family into the car, drove around Goose Creek Road for about 5 minutes at the corner of Goose Creek and Westport Road looking for this restaurant to realize that it’s on the southwest corner of the intersection. We enter at about 6:15pm and there is not a car in the parking lot or a person in sight. I give my family the right to veto… this is not a good sign on a Friday night. But instead, we take a seat, order the meze plate, and are blown away by what we’ve discovered. I looooove the baba ganouj, my mother the Haydari, and all of us the humus. The bread I could take or leave (it was homemade, though). The falafel was sensation – definitely the best in town because it was fresh, not too oily or dry, and full of rich flavors.

For our entrees, which came out quickly, my father and I endeavored the Doner. This took me back to my roots in France from two summers ago when I would – on extremely rare occasions – indulge in a fabulous gyro made with the saltiest, lamb/beef mixture right from the turning spit as it glistens in the sun. Takes me back to my mammalian roots! The meat was good, salty, but the favor slowly grew on me. My dad was hooked from the start.

What resulted in silence and a foodgasm on my part, though, was  the shish tawook. Having ordered this at safier before and experienced a firm love for the dish, I was blown away this time by the perfect tender, juicy, flavor that this chicken elicited. Wow! Highlight of the year, taste wise. This definitely resulted in my thinking that Istanbul Palace is the go-to Mediterranean place of Louisville, which a teacher at St. Francis High School who frequents Yafa and Safier downtown confirmed with me.

Go there noooooow!

But if you want something a little closer into town and with more than two locations, why don’t you give  Shiraz a try?

The Zen Garden

http://www.zengardenrestaurant.org/ 

Celebrating the birthday of a loved one who enjoys peace and calm has never been easier. Tonight I meditated my way to Zen Garden, my mother noting the smell of marijuana echoing from a behind a bar next door. We entered the one room house and were greeted by the mellow faces of the two couples in the restaurant. It has been years since I've been to the restaurant - last time I was there I took a busload of high school seniors from rural Kentucky in to experience their very first tofu. What fun!

My go-to dish, which I have selected over the years at both Lemongrass Cafe and Cafe Mimosa, is the spring roll bean sprout salad on vermicelli noodles. Well, let's just say that I thought I ordered that tonight only to be disappointed by some random frothy tofu meat soup with sauce on the side (called Northern Noodle Soup - don't get it!). My mother, though, ate a wonderful black bean sauced stir fry with white rice that was perfectly seasoned. It inspired her to search for the sauce at Kroger's even! My father got my go-to dish of egg-roll and noodles. Sub-par, but the soothing experience and gallon of jasmine tea I imbibed have us sure to come crawling back for more food to support this local non-profit, one-of-a-kind restaurant in the 'ville!

Should your stomach still be aching for some Asian, give Cafe Mimosa a try at its new location on Bardstown Road.

Sue Min's Chinese Gourmet

http://sueminschinesegourmet.com/

Gourmet indeed! Sue Min and her husband tout a feast of homemade, non-MSG Chinese cuisine that is simply sensational! One must climb the hill that heads south past route 30 to find this former soda fountain situated on the right across from the OARDC. Small and unadorned, the same waitress always offers that you may sit wherever you like and may have a free baklava at the end of the meal.

Hunan chicken has been my favorite find there – I’ve only had it once, but it was out of this world. Lo mein I would not recommend, won ton soup yes. Service can be dicey – don’t play to go there on Friday evening at 6:30 with a crowd of eight and have everyone served their meal at the same time or expect to leave at a decent hour.

On the hole, I love sue min’s. It’s out of the way, across from the beautiful OARDC (agricultural campus for Ohio University). The prices are fair: 4 to 7 dollars for an entree and you may get a lunch combo at a reduced rate for dinner, which includes fried rice and choice of egg roll or soup. Their buffet, which is incredible and highly recommended on a hungry first visit, prices out at about 9 dollars (used to be cheaper when I ate it, but hey, it saves me the pounds and dough to not indulge).

The one caveat that comes with choosing to dine at Sue Min's is that you never quite know when they're open. Rumor has it that the couple frequently treks to their second home in Italy and come the fall and late spring they are usually out for the season.

So how does one solve the ravishing hunger pains that may trip up the innards of your brain with hope for delicious egg rolls and won ton soup that can only smile down at you from the heavens? Better hit up Wild Ginger!