tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75239397392947603102024-03-14T11:55:45.672-04:00Dining for Perfection.Dining for Perfectionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10304917089597314508noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523939739294760310.post-82852884254588386412011-04-02T13:06:00.005-04:002011-04-03T07:13:14.789-04:00P & S Restaurant<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavThszAZ4APr0LkBmTNlB-rG6oIgjKxquTAmDmQMe8ki90I8y-xLl24pkdvX3l-tEqdmmUgsYXLSTedGY5TOUtsGT8UYSz2c1cpt8_8Nrb-HjB88W0L4zcTcRpFS5ymL3iyWu2BwgO1w/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgavThszAZ4APr0LkBmTNlB-rG6oIgjKxquTAmDmQMe8ki90I8y-xLl24pkdvX3l-tEqdmmUgsYXLSTedGY5TOUtsGT8UYSz2c1cpt8_8Nrb-HjB88W0L4zcTcRpFS5ymL3iyWu2BwgO1w/s200/images.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Generic storefront facade.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>On the way to the farm this morning, I decided to stop by a restaurant I've been eyeing for literally 15 years now... P & S Restaurant. I've never gone due to the nondescript suburban strip mall it is in. It looked like nothing to speak of and the West Side is full of decidedly non-tasty American greasy spoons. And then there is the name. Just try and pronounce it without laughing!<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Upon entering, I was transformed into a different place and time. I expected an ugly strip mall greasy spoon. Instead, I felt like I was walking into the diner of a small Midwestern village. Along the right wall was a large mural painting of a 1800's small town scene. Along the left side of the long and narrow restaurant were a number of brown-padded booths with several families cozied up to breakfast. Near the cash register a waitress was hugging a family goodbye and at one of the tables another waitress was overheard saying, "More coffee Charles?". P & S clearly has a very loyal customer base.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo4925kQ1oD9AnmU9QyTehsSXYGI4QztgD9FKyzGmvfBbwHdr_B7zvPDt1D_894Fy16UE6zvu9d49ZRe9EjB2QTPTRxiBe6_chBFTGHP0uCpY6G2UwANhoYyq-YVCizCzTiVPp3CsTcp8/s1600/IMG_0804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo4925kQ1oD9AnmU9QyTehsSXYGI4QztgD9FKyzGmvfBbwHdr_B7zvPDt1D_894Fy16UE6zvu9d49ZRe9EjB2QTPTRxiBe6_chBFTGHP0uCpY6G2UwANhoYyq-YVCizCzTiVPp3CsTcp8/s320/IMG_0804.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The homey interior of P & S.</td></tr>
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I was invited to take a seat at any booth. A second waitress came by, cleaned off my table and asked if I needed a menu or knew my drink order. I ordered a coffee with cream. A moment later a third waitress stopped by with a menu, my drink and some silverware. This is clearly a group effort, with very impressive service all around.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pf_akkvXBox2xsluTgcsi248M8CA0PDgxXtRuZ4MLhsIGrt-CIIYrNw6XqLGPfvpJNuhK4IskjLA8eG4lr2Iyf69ZgVTuu-MhoQj_skjCp0lnWfaIe862CKuppMAIZM6RPcmkCwV4Ds/s1600/IMG_0809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pf_akkvXBox2xsluTgcsi248M8CA0PDgxXtRuZ4MLhsIGrt-CIIYrNw6XqLGPfvpJNuhK4IskjLA8eG4lr2Iyf69ZgVTuu-MhoQj_skjCp0lnWfaIe862CKuppMAIZM6RPcmkCwV4Ds/s200/IMG_0809.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coffee & Cream, $1.35</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
After scanning the menu, which includes several classic American items, I opted for "The Kitchen Sink", which the menu describes as <i>home fries piled on top of an open faced biscuit, smothered with sausage gravy, topped with 2 eggs, and covered with cheddar cheese.</i> The waitress taking my order commented that I had made a good choice with a smile. I added a side of bacon and an orange juice.<br />
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While I was waiting for the food to arrive, a gentleman at one of the tables next to mine walked over to another booth and struck up a conversation with another elderly gentleman. From the bits I overheard it turns out they knew each other from over a decade ago and had several things to catch up on. I was reminded of the slogan on the front of the menu, "Where good friends meet". This is certainly true.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigq5rQpPDnzRJbRp1yMSWt4w6I-l65ePD_Q5eSE2ANfyhbmn7tNVJs9w_HHp6KjcrUL1CfUm4yXmGe8vdaXMc9b8FW1xnRpjbBpqbVGWCveMpsdq6h1E7XqkmZXlGPVp0nSU2GH-CXM60/s1600/IMG_0810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigq5rQpPDnzRJbRp1yMSWt4w6I-l65ePD_Q5eSE2ANfyhbmn7tNVJs9w_HHp6KjcrUL1CfUm4yXmGe8vdaXMc9b8FW1xnRpjbBpqbVGWCveMpsdq6h1E7XqkmZXlGPVp0nSU2GH-CXM60/s200/IMG_0810.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Kitchen Sink, $5.25</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My food arrived about ten minutes later. The food wasn't much to look at, but I suppose that fits given the description of the meal. The taste, however, was quite a bit more to behold. While the food probably could've used a few shakes of salt and fresh pepper, and probably a bit of hot sauce, I was impressed by the light almost citrusy undertones in the sausage gravy. Overall the food formed a pleasant combination of flavors. The potatoes and eggs were cooked perfectly. I ate every bite and was quite full by the end.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtNoAe7ijNm2GHrrA-eNmh9fw6pZ0vfEv-9p2A8jLUYS0aoAdfgeMusRKrFelk3r0pRVhjJFJSPB5V63jmb6v3v9-R9boxct_QINICefpgWwNvNytT3CMbSXc0f7BgGqad5oesqxg0vk/s1600/IMG_0811.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtNoAe7ijNm2GHrrA-eNmh9fw6pZ0vfEv-9p2A8jLUYS0aoAdfgeMusRKrFelk3r0pRVhjJFJSPB5V63jmb6v3v9-R9boxct_QINICefpgWwNvNytT3CMbSXc0f7BgGqad5oesqxg0vk/s200/IMG_0811.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bacon, $2.45</td></tr>
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</div>The rest of the food was pretty standard American breakfast fare all around, but of pretty good quality. The coffee was some of the best I've had at a restaurant and I really appreciated the fresh cream in a separate pourable container. The most impressive thing I kept seeing over and over again was the service. It's clear the owner has instilled a real sense of ownership in the restaurant and has conveyed a sense of what good old-fashioned customer service is all about. Given that and its proximity to my domicile, I will certainly be back.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/32/362324/restaurant/Colerain-Township/P-S-Restaurant-Cincinnati"><img alt="P & S Restaurant on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/362324/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>Dining for Perfectionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10304917089597314508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523939739294760310.post-48872926971891852182011-03-28T11:00:00.002-04:002011-04-03T07:14:06.151-04:00Raw Chocolate Ice CreamI have been wanting to make a completely raw ice cream for some time now. However, a quick search of the internet results in a bunch of results for vegan "ice cream" and a few exorbitant flavors on "nourishing kitchen" websites here and there. Nowhere could I find good classic raw ice cream flavors, so I decided to make my own, and it turned out quite well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoU0xCs09rUTyozLr1tWIE8eRYPYPP3CMTVF4rzYZ8Umo_LZ7I44YaRzPVkWwzGwGBaJHQ0Knq1VWbBp-YWnrIT79y6Fjz9XTDVGL7d117BcderxDjw8M_nl9nIN3XDQ4IrbpIPY8CFIM/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoU0xCs09rUTyozLr1tWIE8eRYPYPP3CMTVF4rzYZ8Umo_LZ7I44YaRzPVkWwzGwGBaJHQ0Knq1VWbBp-YWnrIT79y6Fjz9XTDVGL7d117BcderxDjw8M_nl9nIN3XDQ4IrbpIPY8CFIM/s320/photo.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice cream, in a recycled Jeni's pint.</td></tr>
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<b>Raw Chocolate Ice Cream</b><br />
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</b><br />
<b></b><b>Ingredients:</b><br />
<div class="ingredients"><ul class="ingr-list"><li><span class="ingr-unit">5</span> <span class="ingr-meas"></span> <span class="ingr-descr">egg yolks, preferably free range</span></li>
<li><span class="ingr-unit">¾</span> <span class="ingr-meas">cup</span> <span class="ingr-descr">raw honey</span></li>
<li><span class="ingr-unit">4</span> <span class="ingr-meas">cups</span> <span class="ingr-descr">raw cream</span></li>
<li><span class="ingr-unit">½</span> <span class="ingr-meas">cup</span> <span class="ingr-descr">cocoa powder</span></li>
<li><span class="ingr-unit">2</span> <span class="ingr-meas">tsp.</span> <span class="ingr-descr">vanilla</span></li>
</ul></div><b>Directions:</b><br />
Whisk egg yolks for 2 minutes, until they lighten in color. Slowly beat in the honey. Mixture will thicken a bit.<br />
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In a separate bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder with 1 cup of cream. Pour into egg mixture and whisk until blended. Add the remaining cream and continue to whisk together. Whisk in vanilla.<br />
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Store in refrigerator until mixture is completely cooled. Pour into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.Dining for Perfectionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10304917089597314508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523939739294760310.post-18889192416307087002011-01-15T16:52:00.006-05:002011-04-03T07:10:27.414-04:00Fortune Express<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LjdW_MHxwFGv9CHu65V3rBS5LuzxZCwoh_gzbAApSmMz5STQolJJMiN-gVhDg9nKeS5x4yuYuA221csfmnYr4-hRPN239nwwuRbg-_NBdNoxLYjm3oEmr02Ty_5hZw4lWWACrW4VvUw/s1600/FE_painting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LjdW_MHxwFGv9CHu65V3rBS5LuzxZCwoh_gzbAApSmMz5STQolJJMiN-gVhDg9nKeS5x4yuYuA221csfmnYr4-hRPN239nwwuRbg-_NBdNoxLYjm3oEmr02Ty_5hZw4lWWACrW4VvUw/s320/FE_painting.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fortune Express, as depicted by the painting inside.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We were going to make salmon tonight, but with my lack of sleep and perpetual laziness, we decided to make the trip out for food. We decided on Fortune Express as we'd heard good things about it and hadn't yet found a good nearby Chinese place.<br />
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The interior of the place at first glance was like any other Chinese restaurant: clean, a bit tacky, with an arrangement of tables and assorted decorations. We chose a booth to the side of the room, and our waitress (who was also helping with carry out orders and acting as a hostess and busser) brought menus. She took our drink order and was back a moment later with waters and a pot of tea.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Wrst5pjOVzgSAjGmjO2DZxNToILt1GCvHY3m3xSUXwWHtdZM0mK_ZUIpIv5Zs_MzL76-TpOpZyiTJyST00Y-wecTUmL3CzwCEOrByQSDAzyROn77jqKMqpb69lvTl-U-ZzRG2tLXTz8/s1600/FE_inside.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Wrst5pjOVzgSAjGmjO2DZxNToILt1GCvHY3m3xSUXwWHtdZM0mK_ZUIpIv5Zs_MzL76-TpOpZyiTJyST00Y-wecTUmL3CzwCEOrByQSDAzyROn77jqKMqpb69lvTl-U-ZzRG2tLXTz8/s200/FE_inside.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inside is pretty typical.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSpNsQ8Y5csppabm-gblIr21k7zOEl0QG2ZXRXB23oavK04SZpjb6Ohd7CXaZNeABAvhd6trDjk-hNnKwD5uxLUJ61gXsMJ6YJEfZ0z_vvnbidgATV898_sFHumj2BQaTzZkIfjC17vk/s1600/FE_hottea.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcSpNsQ8Y5csppabm-gblIr21k7zOEl0QG2ZXRXB23oavK04SZpjb6Ohd7CXaZNeABAvhd6trDjk-hNnKwD5uxLUJ61gXsMJ6YJEfZ0z_vvnbidgATV898_sFHumj2BQaTzZkIfjC17vk/s200/FE_hottea.JPG" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot tea, 75¢</td></tr>
</tbody></table>For starters we ordered an egg roll, hot & sour soup and fried dumplings. For the main course I took the General Tso's Beef & Chicken, while Teresa went with Mongolian Beef (the waitress's recommendation).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMLEMIS0OSvNGEMGYxrrHczf-b_GK20lYjOLAWQTBh_lIqzbWu20Nmp9K0pewyxii6tej6deVksnFAWT5Sx9QdF074ZKU8XfH-vhovGboufLmeQ7x5VAoJVmGp0GAGfzFo20QklzPP68/s1600/FE_hotsour.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMLEMIS0OSvNGEMGYxrrHczf-b_GK20lYjOLAWQTBh_lIqzbWu20Nmp9K0pewyxii6tej6deVksnFAWT5Sx9QdF074ZKU8XfH-vhovGboufLmeQ7x5VAoJVmGp0GAGfzFo20QklzPP68/s200/FE_hotsour.JPG" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot & Sour Soup, $1.75</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The appetizers arrived a few minutes later, all looking to have been freshly prepared. I started with the Hot & Sour Soup. It was vegetarian, with bits of tofu, mushrooms, bamboo shoots and egg swirled in and a nice dicing of scallions on top. It came with a side of hard noodles. The flavor was fresh, with heavy notes of soy sauce and a bit of sugar to round things out. I should also mention this is the first Hot & Sour Soup that Teresa has ever been willing to have more than a single sip of, a good sign indeed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM0TMnCfnBgQ0jhdGFtR16QzhRzuh3E9SqqqX2DPzc3Tig7yOnlN8blNSRxz5sqEgtg3pjcP-iXxiZKEsO_UkLl0OMaTMN5lhK6yxLy3-x49bxH5R86QE7nSNWW31-xmRrBJAySrMVrog/s1600/FE_eggroll.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM0TMnCfnBgQ0jhdGFtR16QzhRzuh3E9SqqqX2DPzc3Tig7yOnlN8blNSRxz5sqEgtg3pjcP-iXxiZKEsO_UkLl0OMaTMN5lhK6yxLy3-x49bxH5R86QE7nSNWW31-xmRrBJAySrMVrog/s200/FE_eggroll.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Egg Roll, $1.35</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The egg roll was next. It was a bit more standard, crunchy, with a filling of cabbage, scallions and ground seasoned pork. The dumplings were unfortunately not my cup of tea. They were filled with a flavorless ground pork, fried only on one side (and a bit burnt), and it was a bit too gooey for our palates. Luckily, it seemed to be the only blemish on the meal. Our waitress looked worried by the little bit of dumplings that had been eaten, and assured us that the main courses would be worth the wait. They were.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2_Wdhtd_D-l5v1cb7dQXg1wjQcrnFRteJnwObA2Yo1nCyYQgL_qY9r5_fq2tz8o2suD0u-eGsHXJLVnYgyUkRbp2jrE2_j1ZEkIKwmCyBNQBu1XdDRI0sDbywGnWdcKa0Cf1c2gKNMo/s1600/FE_dumplings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2_Wdhtd_D-l5v1cb7dQXg1wjQcrnFRteJnwObA2Yo1nCyYQgL_qY9r5_fq2tz8o2suD0u-eGsHXJLVnYgyUkRbp2jrE2_j1ZEkIKwmCyBNQBu1XdDRI0sDbywGnWdcKa0Cf1c2gKNMo/s200/FE_dumplings.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pan Fried Dumpling, $4.35</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>My mouth began watering just from the sight of the dishes. Our entrees looked delicious, with large cuts of chicken and steak, thick and aromatic sauces, and large fresh-steamed (and/or sautéed) vegetables. A large shared bowl of steamed rice accompanied the dishes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcn-VbROx8AFVKHTaW-GcCA55dp1uX9sYvj2-nq-3WXUwLpBLaItlxVkTA3u7w0Vw2AsPyRh31jBhp5oL1Tzvxrkm71VbrD824Qzd4OT0aUzH24AZg8C1qyWAjIx-aRmA46FX_InqL1qc/s1600/FE_gentso.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcn-VbROx8AFVKHTaW-GcCA55dp1uX9sYvj2-nq-3WXUwLpBLaItlxVkTA3u7w0Vw2AsPyRh31jBhp5oL1Tzvxrkm71VbrD824Qzd4OT0aUzH24AZg8C1qyWAjIx-aRmA46FX_InqL1qc/s200/FE_gentso.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">General Tso's Beef & Chicken, $9.50</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I dug right in to the General Tso's Beef & Chicken. The beef pieces were made from thinly-sliced beef, dipped in batter and fried until the beef seems to disappear, leaving a light airy beefy crunch behind. Divine. The chicken was a mixture of large pieces of breast and thigh meat, with moisture locked into every bite. The sauce had hints of soy, tomato, garlic and chili pepper, each flavor complementing the meat perfectly. The broccoli itself was simply steamed and placed on the side. It made a nice contrast to the powerful taste of the sauce.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVG0qv1QbqEQBSZH6-kM_JN6QmV4Ikk5SX0Kb4JbGPJXN-IxHpmd604HS_WNTyUHj4C0m7bkwY7-XkghxARoYwulcw7mPPw1xUur2BDbayIPmluIAOgBhYQAnhmT1RSxP7zF3CDJRP0G8/s1600/FE_mongbf.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVG0qv1QbqEQBSZH6-kM_JN6QmV4Ikk5SX0Kb4JbGPJXN-IxHpmd604HS_WNTyUHj4C0m7bkwY7-XkghxARoYwulcw7mPPw1xUur2BDbayIPmluIAOgBhYQAnhmT1RSxP7zF3CDJRP0G8/s200/FE_mongbf.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mongolian Beef, $8.75</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Teresa's Mongolian Beef was every bit as good, though I only tried a few small bites. It employed the same thinly-sliced steak, sautéed in a pan with onions, scallions and broccoli (she substituted the bamboo shoots for broccoli). The brown sauce it came with had similar flavor notes as the Hot & Sour Soup: dark with hints of soy, sugar and scallions. It reminded me of some of the best Asian steak dishes I have had in this town, and was a long cry from the typical congealed brown sauces I'm used to.<br />
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The service was excellent, and the small staff very attentive. All in all, a good use of $30. I'm sure I will be back soon!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/32/361181/restaurant/College-Hill-Mt-Healthy/Fortune-Express-Cincinnati" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Fortune Express on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/361181/biglink.gif" style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div>Dining for Perfectionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10304917089597314508noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7523939739294760310.post-89219040022708873752011-01-09T16:01:00.010-05:002011-04-03T07:11:19.508-04:00Dena's Diner<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_nWRYlq2GiT5Q2sD-uNY8JfiXsW1UPbn7aWQ36letmHNdboBAdJAoUsxEN1qj-nVaWslhC0r2o2hlD24xybU39m_vw2H7f577POD2pjulTLaKn9WPgtulDgf-uxGTqiiD6Rrtm26i28/s1600/dena_outside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG_nWRYlq2GiT5Q2sD-uNY8JfiXsW1UPbn7aWQ36letmHNdboBAdJAoUsxEN1qj-nVaWslhC0r2o2hlD24xybU39m_vw2H7f577POD2pjulTLaKn9WPgtulDgf-uxGTqiiD6Rrtm26i28/s320/dena_outside.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nestled between a bar and a Cricket store.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Considering the long night and my lack of groceries in the fridge, today was looking perfect for brunch out. We recently moved to Colerain, and have been eyeing the little diner down the road for weeks now, so we decided to visit. We scrambled into the car, turned up the heat, and made the quick drive to Dena’s. It is at the almost-abandoned end of the Super Walmart plaza and very easy to miss. We found a nearby parking spot and made our way inside.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
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<div style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The six-page menu covered all meals, and seemed like pretty standard fare for such a place: breakfast, sandwiches, burgers and simple dinner entrees. We ordered drinks and asked for the waitresses recommendations for breakfast. I took her advice and tried a breakfast burrito and a pancake. My partner had her standard: french toast, eggs, bacon and homefries.I expected the typical greasy spoon look: quaint and <strong style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">greasy</strong>. I was surprised instead to find a small dining room that was simple and very clean. We took a seat by the window and waited a few seconds for the waitress to arrive with menus and a drink order.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnkDb55HX8UbAYhhxcBRrqk5-1tbPM9Ei2LOGIGxHIhME9nU4X7q4qwqFQa7gfUWRWNdO1m74Vd89aa7H3aKxwOsIBeOmLcITNEXUhgJAU59LYKUQHWFe043YAo_9MwTr0nZydINSDPaU/s1600/dena_inside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnkDb55HX8UbAYhhxcBRrqk5-1tbPM9Ei2LOGIGxHIhME9nU4X7q4qwqFQa7gfUWRWNdO1m74Vd89aa7H3aKxwOsIBeOmLcITNEXUhgJAU59LYKUQHWFe043YAo_9MwTr0nZydINSDPaU/s200/dena_inside.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the diner.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Our drinks quickly arrived, along with another surprise: fresh fruit cup, apparently standard with each breakfast there. Although the “fresh” fruit was actually canned (with the exception of the musk melon), I was still impressed that this was given to us at all.</span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTARyEp2gn4SZk68C7WxnRIP_PISd-Sr-M6suYdDvH2gdCrSC_ic6tERQyN7yw5YxVB2XSrdY7mJnU_2KxD7OEJdbiGZeV15XuZ-eR0lJJDMuCfY5e_kaDsYpMCaf3r-p13TGSZXKs3Sw/s1600/dena_fruitcup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTARyEp2gn4SZk68C7WxnRIP_PISd-Sr-M6suYdDvH2gdCrSC_ic6tERQyN7yw5YxVB2XSrdY7mJnU_2KxD7OEJdbiGZeV15XuZ-eR0lJJDMuCfY5e_kaDsYpMCaf3r-p13TGSZXKs3Sw/s200/dena_fruitcup.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh fruit cup, Free.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Our food came several minutes later. The first thing I noticed was the burrito: it was actually a quesadilla! The “burrito” itself was good, filled with fresh-cooked eggs, cheese, sausage, and a smattering of fresh and canned vegetables. The banana peppers gave it a nice bit. Condiments included salsa (Pace Picante) and sour cream. Nothing amazing, but solid, and well worth the $5.25.</span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOorgE9sl7iD8G8a6cNGUkyzPqId112TmGzm0BidkRj0mUMR1GqP1BRc6fWT-W2iLNzURQC0SyeDy3oP6DJw5y2el0BMe91tLB4r5a1vlAZNk9_keeuQyczS4CfO7LZP54i6_VhhdVl8/s1600/dena_burrito.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOorgE9sl7iD8G8a6cNGUkyzPqId112TmGzm0BidkRj0mUMR1GqP1BRc6fWT-W2iLNzURQC0SyeDy3oP6DJw5y2el0BMe91tLB4r5a1vlAZNk9_keeuQyczS4CfO7LZP54i6_VhhdVl8/s200/dena_burrito.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast "Burrito", $5.25.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">The pancake was moist and perfectly cooked, with a heart-shaped cutout. There was a very, very slight aftertaste, but I don’t think it came from a box. Overall decent, but nothing I would order again. The nicest touch was the butter. Most restaurants provide trans-fat-filled margarine, or rock-solid butter straight from the fridge. Dena’s came with butter already melted onto the pancake, and with extra (softened) on side. Nice!</span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMV4jlqkiWa0Vt6dSE073MvOCO6ZscXmcAoNNd0cOf2kxlRGBq18knpmh529PkG1gkOsGZf3GyaoYV1Y0-2V4QmoQNPov6Aochxb6BfGH4yzRuGLXG0CJD6htLNPkLINgQw-dSDcelnI/s1600/dena_pancakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMV4jlqkiWa0Vt6dSE073MvOCO6ZscXmcAoNNd0cOf2kxlRGBq18knpmh529PkG1gkOsGZf3GyaoYV1Y0-2V4QmoQNPov6Aochxb6BfGH4yzRuGLXG0CJD6htLNPkLINgQw-dSDcelnI/s200/dena_pancakes.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pancake, $1.35 each.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">My partner’s French toast was a bit better. It was dipped in melted vanilla bean ice cream, and fried perfectly, moist on the inside with a crunch on the sides. Like the pancake, it also had butter pre-melted on top, and a dusting of confectioner’s sugar. This I would eat again.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95Em8xkBaESKvJ9ARmSNfSEU_3rVyU7YZBmS3rVHnjcvVa8F__MQKGb7U9YbU0h8vjz5M9Nsq4KuEkUXmAgvrP8mecKzi1NAzEotRCj9MXXLDP4mVwRB_SSshHIWwG-kLMs2Aghyphenhyphen-5lU/s1600/dena_frenchtoast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95Em8xkBaESKvJ9ARmSNfSEU_3rVyU7YZBmS3rVHnjcvVa8F__MQKGb7U9YbU0h8vjz5M9Nsq4KuEkUXmAgvrP8mecKzi1NAzEotRCj9MXXLDP4mVwRB_SSshHIWwG-kLMs2Aghyphenhyphen-5lU/s200/dena_frenchtoast.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">French Toast, $1.50 each.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">The rest of her food was passable, standard, greasy American breakfast fare. All items came cooked on the griddle, most likely at the same time (as they seemed to share each other’s flavors a bit). As you can see from the picture below, it wasn’t exactly pretty, but it hit the spot for a quick Sunday brunch.</div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbL9HWN3jep69JwuNV69mnw5iQUDkJ8azKRfQ-t5f7Kpo3I9_3AsZgzE5Se18VrAiLr3rGLXBMB5j6wKALj5wAlWHbTXrRYhQyTFr9y150Z4i604j4dp6an7YbMDhQHaC2e0uLIcDw8U/s1600/dena_eggs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbL9HWN3jep69JwuNV69mnw5iQUDkJ8azKRfQ-t5f7Kpo3I9_3AsZgzE5Se18VrAiLr3rGLXBMB5j6wKALj5wAlWHbTXrRYhQyTFr9y150Z4i604j4dp6an7YbMDhQHaC2e0uLIcDw8U/s200/dena_eggs.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2 Eggs with Side of Bacon, $5.50.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">I should mention the waitstaff was very courteous and professional. The two waitresses took turns waiting on us, and it seemed the very second we ran out of drinks or needed something they would be there ready to help.</span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.5; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Dena’s is also known for its double deckers, burgers and desserts. The meal wasn’t perfect, but it was certainly better than the majority of greasy spoons I’ve visited. I’ll have to make another trip soon to sample the rest. In the meantime it can’t be beat for convenience when I am groggy, hungry and lazy in the morning.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/32/1502879/restaurant/Monfort-Heights-White-Oak/Denas-Diner-Cincinnati"><img alt="Dena's Diner on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/link/1502879/biglink.gif" style="border: none; height: 146px; width: 200px;" /></a></div><br />
</div></div>Dining for Perfectionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10304917089597314508noreply@blogger.com0