Location: 525 Kolb Dr, Fairfield, OH 45014
Date Visited: Friday, February 8, 2008
Today we ate dinner at Roadhouse Grill on Winton Road just in front of the Cincinnati Mills mall (formerly ForestFair Mall).
We barely beat the Friday evening rush. All the booths were taken so we had to sit at a table with chairs. We prefer the comfort and space of a booth. With a table you have to worry about wobbly chairs and traffic. It seems like whenever I sit at a table I always have waiters bumping into me and weaving around with trays of food that barely miss my head as they go by. It didn't bother me today though.
We just got there in time for Happy Hour, which is a wonderful thing. Roadhouse Grill has excellent beer prices during Happy Hour. Lori got a Bud Light draft for $1.51. If you sit in the bar area the beers are only 99¢ during Happy Hour! If you like to have a beer (beers?) with your meal then get there before 7:00 to save some bucks.
I got sweet tea (my favorite beverage) to drink, which came served in a large mason jar. The first jar was kind of bland -- like it was watered-down. But the next two were much better. The tea was Luzianne and was good, but not as good as Cracker Barrel or McAllister's.
The atmosphere at Roadhouse Grill is Texas-style. It reminded me a lot of Texas Roadhouse in many ways. They put a pail of peanuts on the table and you are supposed to just throw the shells on the floor as you eat them. It doesn't take long before the floor is covered with shells. It didn't seem to bother anybody though and in fact added to the fun.
The waitress was very friendly. She brought us some rolls with butter to eat while we waited. They were quite good, but not as delectable as the ones Texas Roadhouse serves. I couldn't decide between a ribeye steak or a Jim Beam marinated sirloin they call The Roadie steak. I asked the waitress and she recommended the Roadie. I ordered it medium rare and it actually came medium rare, which is rare. :) Usually a steak comes well past the medium rare stage when I order it. I wasn't in the mood for veggies so I got sides of mashed potatoes with gravy and a baked sweet potato.
The steak was delicious and packed a lot of flavor. It had a sweet, rich whiskey-based marinade that I enjoyed. The steak was served on a sizzling skillet with sauteed onions. Very nice. I ate the whole 12 ounce steak with no trouble and enjoyed every bite.
The mashed potatoes and gravy were good but nothing special. The baked sweet potato was more enticing. It was served with butter and some brown sugar with cinnamon.
Lori is a vegetarian so we were worried the Roadhouse Grill wouldn't have much she could eat. They did offer some pasta alfredo, but that was the only vegetarian entree available. Lori ordered a gorgonzola salad with balsamic vinaigrette dresssing. She said it was wonderful. She also ordered the stacked potatoes, which is Roadhouse Grill's version of potato skins (of course Lori got them without the bacon). They are round potato sections covered with cheese and sour cream. They were quite good but didn't have enough crispy skin to be a true winner.
The bill came to $30.84 which was a fair price. It was a bit more expensive than Texas Roadhouse, but much cheaper than Outback.
All things considered it was a very enjoyable meal. We will be happy to eat there again some time. If you are hungry for a big steak and a beer then you won't be disappointed with Roadhouse Grill.
-- Nick
Ratings:
Overall: 6 (scale of 0-10 with 5 as average)
Today: 6 (first visit)
Portion size: Large
Atmosphere: Casual
Family-friendly: Yes
Prices: Moderate
Cleanliness: Good
Good place for a 1st date?: No
Similar Places: Texas Roadhouse, Long Horn Steakhouse
Friday, February 8, 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Bravo Cucina Italiana
Location: 9436 Waterfront Dr, West Chester, OH 45069
Date Visited: Thursday, February 7, 2008
Bravo's has been a favorite of ours in the past years. We always felt we received great service and good quality food enjoyed in a clean, modern atmosphere. This visit, however, failed to measure up to our past experiences.
After an afternoon at the Streets of West Chester (primping at Aveda's spa/salon for me and an afternoon of reading & research at Barnes & Noble for my husband), we decided a late lunch at Bravo Cucina Italiana sounded perfect. We were starved, and it was late for lunch -- almost 3pm, which would likely explain why the restaurant was so sparsely filled.
Given the light crowd our server, Linda, was attentive and had the complementary bread basket & oil at our table quickly along with our drinks (water with lemon). The bread was our first disappointment -- stale & cold. It was obvious the cut bread from the lunch crowd had not been replaced with warm, fresh bread. The Focaccia, which is usually a fairly soft bread, was so hard I knocked the piece on the table, and it made a hard wood-on-wood knock. I mentioned this to our server, and she quickly replaced the wooden bread with warm, fresh bread.
As our lunch entrees we opted for the lunch specials of Mezza Lasagna and Mezza Ravioli with an Insalata Della Casa and the Insalata Mista salads. Our salads were good, but as usual for Bravo, they were far too cold. I strongly believe a salad should be served slightly chilled -- not frigid from the fridge. The flavor and freshness, however, were great, and the salads paired wonderfully with the fresh bread.
My husband's entree, the Mezza Lasagna, was quite good. He said it was a flavorful lasagna, more flavorful than most, and was not a heavy, starchy dish (like many lasagnas can be). My entree, the Mezza Ravioli, was a bit of a disappointment. The sauce was bland, with almost a "tin can" taste. The pasta was average in texture & flavor. I ended up eating only half the small portion, and took home the remainder only to have it sit in my fridge and end up in the garbage 3 days later. Clearly, I wasn't impressed with the dish.
We ended our meal with a shared portion of Tiramisu, a favorite of ours. Bravo's version was not what I remembered it to be; It was good, but not great. Like the salads, the dessert was served far too cold. It was creamy and had a great texture, but the flavor was not remarkable. Tiramisu, if made well, has a rich, full flavor; an intense dairy taste with a lingering coffee essence. This Tiramisu was a bit bland, almost watery. I was disappointed.
We will likely return to Bravo, because we are simply hoping our unfortunate experience was a one-time occurrence. After all, with the intricacies involved in the restaurant business, even the most seasoned, fabulous eatery can have a bad day.
Bravo has many things going for it: The atmosphere is modern bistro with an old world feel -- the chiseled columns and open kitchen with wood-burning ovens add to the special feel; The staff is always knowledgeable and helpful; The wine list is ample; The restaurant is always clean, which is always a big plus. The food, though, is the main reason anyone visits a restaurant, and today Bravo has a strike against them in our book. So, they will hopefully get it right next time.
~~ Lori
Ratings:
Overall: 7.5 (scale of 0-10 with 5 as average)
Today: 3
Portion size: Entree -- small (lunch portion), Salads -- average, Dessert -- large
Atmosphere: Upscale
Family-friendly: Yes
Prices: Moderate
Cleanliness: Good
Good place for a 1st date?: Definitely
Similar Places: Macaroni Grill, Olive Garden
Date Visited: Thursday, February 7, 2008
Bravo's has been a favorite of ours in the past years. We always felt we received great service and good quality food enjoyed in a clean, modern atmosphere. This visit, however, failed to measure up to our past experiences.
After an afternoon at the Streets of West Chester (primping at Aveda's spa/salon for me and an afternoon of reading & research at Barnes & Noble for my husband), we decided a late lunch at Bravo Cucina Italiana sounded perfect. We were starved, and it was late for lunch -- almost 3pm, which would likely explain why the restaurant was so sparsely filled.
Given the light crowd our server, Linda, was attentive and had the complementary bread basket & oil at our table quickly along with our drinks (water with lemon). The bread was our first disappointment -- stale & cold. It was obvious the cut bread from the lunch crowd had not been replaced with warm, fresh bread. The Focaccia, which is usually a fairly soft bread, was so hard I knocked the piece on the table, and it made a hard wood-on-wood knock. I mentioned this to our server, and she quickly replaced the wooden bread with warm, fresh bread.
As our lunch entrees we opted for the lunch specials of Mezza Lasagna and Mezza Ravioli with an Insalata Della Casa and the Insalata Mista salads. Our salads were good, but as usual for Bravo, they were far too cold. I strongly believe a salad should be served slightly chilled -- not frigid from the fridge. The flavor and freshness, however, were great, and the salads paired wonderfully with the fresh bread.
My husband's entree, the Mezza Lasagna, was quite good. He said it was a flavorful lasagna, more flavorful than most, and was not a heavy, starchy dish (like many lasagnas can be). My entree, the Mezza Ravioli, was a bit of a disappointment. The sauce was bland, with almost a "tin can" taste. The pasta was average in texture & flavor. I ended up eating only half the small portion, and took home the remainder only to have it sit in my fridge and end up in the garbage 3 days later. Clearly, I wasn't impressed with the dish.
We ended our meal with a shared portion of Tiramisu, a favorite of ours. Bravo's version was not what I remembered it to be; It was good, but not great. Like the salads, the dessert was served far too cold. It was creamy and had a great texture, but the flavor was not remarkable. Tiramisu, if made well, has a rich, full flavor; an intense dairy taste with a lingering coffee essence. This Tiramisu was a bit bland, almost watery. I was disappointed.
We will likely return to Bravo, because we are simply hoping our unfortunate experience was a one-time occurrence. After all, with the intricacies involved in the restaurant business, even the most seasoned, fabulous eatery can have a bad day.
Bravo has many things going for it: The atmosphere is modern bistro with an old world feel -- the chiseled columns and open kitchen with wood-burning ovens add to the special feel; The staff is always knowledgeable and helpful; The wine list is ample; The restaurant is always clean, which is always a big plus. The food, though, is the main reason anyone visits a restaurant, and today Bravo has a strike against them in our book. So, they will hopefully get it right next time.
~~ Lori
Ratings:
Overall: 7.5 (scale of 0-10 with 5 as average)
Today: 3
Portion size: Entree -- small (lunch portion), Salads -- average, Dessert -- large
Atmosphere: Upscale
Family-friendly: Yes
Prices: Moderate
Cleanliness: Good
Good place for a 1st date?: Definitely
Similar Places: Macaroni Grill, Olive Garden
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