Disclaimer

We realize that the dining experience is subjective and everyone has an off night. Any negative reviews were written after the second visit.






Sunday, January 29, 2012

B & K Cafe

3355 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH 44646
Restaurant

Everyone should have a go-to breakfast joint.  A place to rid you of all of life's soul crushing reality (if only for a morning moment) with delectable favorites to fill your belly with happy.  Why?  Because dear friends, breakfast is love. 


B & K Cafe is currently our favorite little breakfast nook.  

The breakfast specials are always changing and unique. From calzone's to pecan white chocolate chip waffles, there is always something special on the boards so do pay attention before you settle into your booth or table.  I like my breakfast old school style, typically ordering eggs over easy, hash browns (well done) and "snap as you bite into them" sausage links (as God intended them to be).  Every so often I get adventurous and order from the Specials Board.  The breakfast quesidilla is bursting with eggs, your meat preference and veggies stuffed into a crunch flour tortilla.  Looking for a remedy for playing too hard the night before? Try the Super BK Fries.  This plate is loaded down with peppers, onions, sausage and bacon all scrambled together with eggs and topped with melted swiss cheese.  Be sure to add the hot peppers when you order.

The House Special French Toast is nom nom gooey nom (translatation: stupid good).  

In fact, the french toast deserves a paragraph of it's own.  They make their french toast with an amish cinnamon bun instead of using bread.  Yes, that's right; an amish cinnamon bun.  <Insert angelic chanting here.>  It is big and gooey with the right amount of savory sweetness that fans of french toast have come to expect. 

The prices are low but more importantly, my coffee mug is never empty.  Even if every seat in the house is full, once they serve that first pour of brew I do not see the bottom of my mug until it's time to leave.




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Friday, January 27, 2012

Harmon's Pub

2329 Tuscarawas Street West, Canton, OH
Restaurant/Bar
View the menu by clicking here.

I've seen Harmon's Pub pop up on my friend's foursquare check-ins on and off for the past couple of weeks and became curious. Moses has been there before and partook of their beer selection and boneless wings, both of which he had given the thumbs up.
This week I was in dire need of a hangover burger (the only true remedy in my opinion) and Moses suggested Harmon's to which I jumped off the couch, squealed "Yeah!" and might have even briefly clapped cheer-style.

Upon entering, the environment is "comfy local bar", there is a patio out back and the wait staff is friendly.
We had walked in with the specific craving of a burger, but I find that it's always a good sign if my initial choice is attacked by the menu options. My eyes bounced from the Homemade Stuffed Peppers  (Battered deep fried hot pub peppers stuffed with salami and cheese) to the large selection of salads and melts.  But alas, I was on a mission so before ordering I mentally made my selection for our next visit and ordered The Furnace Burger and Fries (1/2 lb. Angus beef with hot pepper cheese, fried jalapeno caps topped with petal sauce) on the recommendation of a friend who works in the kitchen.  Moses waivered between the Furnace burger and the Pounder ( full pound of Angus beef, american, swiss, provolone and hot pepper cheeses, onion straws, fried jalapeno caps and topped with petal sauce) before choosing the Furnace as well with onion rings as side and a cup of Wedding Soup. When our orders arrived, I couldn't imagine how big the Pounder must be because the Furnace was huge! Even now, on reflection, my mind is doing Nom Nom back flips.

The burgers arrived hot and juicy, the fried jalapeno caps are a stroke of yummy genius and the cheese was melty and plentiful. We both prefer battered onion rings to breaded so the sides were sides, if you know what I mean. The homemade wedding soup served piping hot, was delicious and swimming with Parmesan cheese, kale and flanked by bountiful meatballs.

The nightly specials should be mentioned as well, because they are actually special unlike some restaurants who promote features rather than specials. Hmmm... I wonder how many times I can put special in a sentence? That makes me special.



Harmon's Pub
Harmons Pub
Harmons Canton
Harmon's Canton
Harmons Bar
Harmon's Bar

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Reviews in Queue...

These are places that we have been to and will be writing reviews on soon.

Please take notice the lack of chain restaurants and hot spots on this list.  There will be a select few as we are targeting locally owned and operated businesses.  We aren't just targeting your atypical sit down and dine joints either...

Bombay Sitar (Indian Cuisine)- Canton
Kozmos- Massillon
Dog Daze- Canton
Irish Pub and Grill - Canton
Ferraros - Canton
Variety's- Massillon
Scoreboard - Massillon
Crew Night Club - Canton
Primos - Canton
Gyro Delight - Massillon
Qdoba- Canton
Danny Boys - Canton
Benders - Canton
B&K Cafe - Massillon

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Vito Corleone

3242 Lincoln Way E, Massillon, OH
Restaurant w/bar

Every once in awhile, a restaurant comes along that you're rooting for like the black guy in a horror film.  You want to see it survive against all odds, even though history dictates that a new eatery in this county stands a slim chance of surviving.  We wanted Vito Coreleone's to be that restaurant.
Unfortunately, it failed (on multiple occasions) to meet our expectations.
Upon first entering, we tried to look past the slogan 'We're gonna make you a dish you can't refuse', the Scarface posters and kitchy uniforms (FEDORA'S, for Godfather's sake) towards the food, which sounded delightful!
Let's begin with the menu, shall we? Seven pages (7!!!) of dishes sprinkled with computer-generated photos from the Godfather movies splashed onto every spare square of space. While I would like to commend the culinary poet who wrote the descriptions of the dishes, I would like to simultaneously bitch slap the person who named them. Provy sticks, Wang'z, Short Bone'z and Frie'z... Seriously?   The choices are simply staggering.  I would like to think that there would be a handful of amazing dishes thrown in with the slop, but how are we as patrons to distinguish one from another in this bible of menus?

Moses ordered the Veal Marsala (pounded veal cutlets, pan made Marsala sauce, roasted potatoes and vegetable $21). The potatoes were inedible due to the abusive about of rosemary and giant dried parsley flakes.  Biting into the veal proved a challenge. Veal should be tender and juicy. It should not meet the certifiable qualifications of a NHL hockey puck. I ordered the Swordfish rustico (grilled swordfish filet, topped with chopped tomatoes, kalamata olives, capers in a lemon butter sauce $18) which I'm sure we can agree sounds delectable. The swordfish was gritty and watery in the middle and remained uneaten by the end of our dinner. I did manage to finish off the olives and capers mixed with my vegetables.
On the plus side, the marinara sauce is tasty and the crabbie pattie'z (crab cake sliders) are yummy and touch that special soft spot in my heart for mini foods.

If you're looking for a Rat Pack vibe, without it being shoved down your throat go to Danny Boy's in Belden Village. The food is phenominal and the atmosphere manages the combination of being both upbeat and low-key, like the music that you will feel when you walk in the door.

Vinoteca

4921 Hills And Dales Rd Nw, Canton, OH 44708
Wine Bar

While Vinoteca doesn't offer many food options, I would like to touch on this establishment as straight up dope. They do offer a cheese plate and chocolate truffle sampler to die for.  You can also bring in food or have it delivered to your party.
I am not as caught up on my wine douchenary as I would like to be, but the winery itself deserves a holla. Yes, it's coming from a white girl so technically I suppose it's a "holler y'all" but that's neither here nor there.
When you walk into Vinoteca, you are cuddled in a fuzzy warmth that only a small venue can provide. There's a fireplace in the corner and a low-lit ambiance that is MORE than flattering to ladies over 30.  The owners offer an incredible wine selection as well as advice and intelligence on the selection itself.  I, in fact, feel smarter when I leave this cozy little nook and hope people see me pulling away from the parking lot to up my "subtly mysterious yet coolness" factor.

Tim's Tavern

3323 Parkway Street Northwest, Canton, OH
Restaurant w/Bar

Since moving from Wayne County to the Stark County region 9 years ago, I have been inundated with unsolicited advice to eat at Tim's Tavern.
"Oh, you're craving fish? Have you been to Tim's Tavern? It's the best fried fish in Stark County!" People lie. It's not the best fried fish in Stark County, in fact I would venture to say that it's probably ranked 7th or 8th in my personal little fishy black book. The best fish is made once a year at a fish fry on the corner of ghetto and ghetto in downtown Canton where they have the courtesy to serve greens while playing Luther Vandross on the side. But since you probably won't have the honor of ever trying that Catfish, I will say that the next best for me is a little restaurant/bar called The Scoreboard.
As for Tim's, the fish is alright. The grease somehow interferes with the flakiness that is supposed to be synonymous with fish.  The grease itself could battle for hours in a ring with Long John Silver's and would probably win on a technicality. Yet, people seem to try to push this little restaurant like a pimp pushes it's ugliest ho to get some cash while the pretty girls are making money on their own.
Perhaps I would not be so angry if the service was....well, service.  We waited 20 minutes for the food to arrive, 30 minutes for the check and another 10 minutes for the card to come back.  All while the server was pissy because the other server wasn't up to snuff.  We've never discussed the "dine and dash" option before our last little interlude with Tim's Tavern. But alas, morality prevailed.

Falcones

5029 Tuscarawas Street West, Canton, OH 44708
Restaurant w/Bar

Today for lunch, we stopped at Falcones.  While we typically frequent this establishment more often for the spirits and libation, we also enjoy the menu.  The New Year caused us to make resolutions to try and tone down the fried yumminess that is so bountiful in Ohio and make healthier choices. Falcones offers a vast array of wraps and salads as well as a house soup and chili option.  I ordered the Chicken Caesar wrap and cottage cheese. The wrap itself is an herb wrap, at which point I'd like to sidebar.
--The flour tortilla can suck it. Unless you are engulfed with fatty steak and peppers or taco-flavored meat substitute and sour cream you are non-existent in my world.  I hate you.--
Aaaand, I'm back. The wrap was flavorful and stuffed plentifully with cubed grilled chicken, tomatoes and lettuce that managed to stay crispy and chilled while every other filling was hot.  As for the cottage cheese, it's always better in a restaurant than at home when you're in your pajamas and pissed off because you rather be eating real people food when no one's watching.  Needless to say,  I enjoyed my meal.
As for the other menu options, I have to touch on their Nachos.  They are amazeballs! I no longer order nachos from lesser competitors because I know that I will simply become pissed off and want to start flinging soggy chips like a chimp flings poo. The chips are corny and crispy and the toppings are bountiful. Nom Nom Nom.
Other noteworthy choices are The Falconie and the Philly Chicken Wrap.
As for the booze I mentioned earlier, I would first and foremost like to nominate The Warm Apple Pie shot as a must try and venture so far as to decry that it deserves the award (if I could afford mini fake gold awards) for The Best Shot in Stark County.
The restaurant itself offers an outdoor patio, an area where private parties can be organized (if you have that many friends... and I'm talking real friends, not the facebook kind) and a jukebox that connects with Touch Tunes on your smart phone so you can trump Mr. Mullet with your song selections without ever leaving your stool.
The staff is friendly and deserves good tippage. Real talk.

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Monday, January 16, 2012

About the Bloggers

I didn't discover food until the age of 23 when I met my husband and co-blogger, Moses. Up until that point my experience with cuisine revolved around fried bologna and corn dogs.  I have since managed to devour every yummy morsel placed in front of me and wish to share my opinion in a public forum.  When we dine out, I typically judge the plate in front of me by the standards of whether or not I think Moses could make it better. Most restaurants fail this little test, but to be fair that bar is set much too high to grasp onto and pull-up high school gym style.

Yes, Moses is the Palate in this duo and has the gift of not only cheffing up some orgasm-inducing treats, but distinguishing amazing eats from mediocre slop.  Moses was cooking dinner for his family by the age of 6 and has had the pleasure of partaking and/or creating every type of food from the belly-warmers to the exotic.

If you're looking for an opinion of a chain restaurant, you most likely will be disappointed. We don't often suffer through chain meals (even if you threaten that someone we care about will pass away or our luck will turn sour for the next 7 years).

This blog is our opinion in its most honest form. Enjoy. ((Or not, we don't really care either way.))