Doug's Dinner Bucket

 Bryan and I discovered our new favorite weekend breakfast spot - Doug's Dinner Bucket.  We have driven past this place on old Route 8 in Peninsula, too many times to count.  We've both have been curious about this tiny, simple building, and the type of food they serve.  I will admit, I was afraid to try it.  I assumed this was one of those local places, where any non-local wasn't really welcome, and they would make it known.  Sad to say, years ago I had been to one of those type of places, and was extremely uncomfortable the entire time.  How wrong was I, as before we left, we felt like part of the family.

 

Doug's is small, has about 4 booths, 2 tables, and additional counter seating.  There are two staff members, our server (and owner), and her son the chef.  Everything is cooked to order, as the proof lies in seeing the kitchen through the window visible from the small dining area.  A variety of food is served (breakfast & lunch), at a great value.   Breakfast is served until closing, which is a bonus for us, as we like brunch. 

 

Coffee is brewed fresh, at one pot at a time.  I don't mind waiting a few minutes for fresh coffee.  Everything is served on disposable products, utensils, plates, and even coffee. 

 

 

 I can't remember the last time I saw disposable coffee cups like this.  This place seems to be stuck in time, in a good way.

 

There is something to be said about having fresh, cooked to order food.  You might wait a little longer, but you know it's fresh.  I orders eggs, bacon & toast.  Bryan ordered the breakfast burrito.  We both split an order of homefries.  Our food was . . . perfect.

 

The service was amazing.  Our server was not only warm and friendly, she engaged in conversation with us and the regulars.  We learned about the history of the restaurant, and some local news. You didn't feel like a stranger here.  This casual, friendly, "mom and pop" place, is a nice break from the chains.  It makes me happy to know places like this still exist, you just have to look a little hardier, and not be afraid to get out of your comfort zone.

Ray's Place

 While in the Kent area today, we stopped at Ray's Place for lunch. We ordered burgers, of course, as that is was Ray's is known for, and what was featured on the Food Network.  My burger came with pepper jack cheese and jalapeno peppers, and Bryan's Mexican burger included guacamole and salsa.  I ordered "the works" with mine, which included all the fixins, and made one huge burger.  We both ordered single patties, and shared an order of fries.  We left stuffed.  The juicy burgers must be cooked on an open flame, as they taste as if you are at someone's backyard BBQ cookout.  Yum!  Decent price and great service.

 

 

Writing on the brick walls (and benches) add character to this place, and reminds one this is a college town territory.  Family place by day, college bar by night.  I can remember coming here back in my college days, and it wasn't for the food.

Happy Fat Tuesday

Happy Fat Tuesday! I love this time of year when New Orleans's cuisine can be found at various places through out the area. Takes me back to our NOLA trip a few years back.  This past Saturday, we purchased a king cake from Westside Bakery in Akron. Decorated in the traditional colors of purple, yellow and green, along with beads, and the baby on the side. The baby goes inside the cake, and whoever receives the piece with the baby, provides the cake for next year. 

 

Nothing like a cafe a lait and beignet. Reminds me of  the time sitting at Cafe du Monde in New Orleans, having a fresh, steaming hot beignet. I must admit, they are best when fresh.  This is from yesterday, when I stopped at Westside Bakery before work.

 

 

Here is the real deal - Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans from our trip a few years back. . . all that powdered sugar! 

 

Ah . . .reminiscing about my favorite NOLA treat - the  muffuletta sandwich.  Below is the muffuletta sandwich Bryan and I shared tonight at Ido's in Akron. 

 

 Again, here is the real deal from Central Grocery Store in New Orleans.  Funny to think the best muffuletta comes from a grocery store. Central Grocery store sells out of these sandwiches daily - Bryan and I were lucky to grab one of the last sammies of the day

 

Note, although the above muffuletta served warm is a great variation, the original is served cold.

 

 

Slymans Corned Beef

Been wanting to try their famous overstuffed corned need sandwich forever. However, they were only open during the week. Now they carry Saturday hours, I was able see what all the hype was about. The portions are large. My husband and I split one sandwich, and were quite full. The corned beef is lean, and if you order a rueban, you receive a bottle of their sauce on the side. Service was fast and pleasant. I watched the owner personally greet each customer as they walked in. Love this place!

Happy Dog makes me happy

I love Happy Dog.  Simple concept.  Order a dog for $5, pick your desired condiments from a crazy, long list.   When I go, I get pretty wacky and order what appeals to me at the time - I don't care if it doesn't go with the dog,.  That technique works, as I never had a bad dog yet!  The dog with the egg shown below is mine..  Yes, an egg!  That day I also requested house made ketchup, sriracha hot sauce, "alien" pickle relish, sport peppers, pimento mac-n-cheese, dill pickle spear, Andy Cap hot fries, cheddar cheese, greek feta cheese, chorizo chili, applewood smoked bacon. 

 

Tators tots - same thing, you can order a variety of sauces . . for only $3!  All that food on our table, only $13 bucks!  This place never gets old, as one can order a new variation each time.

Happy Dog has my heart.

 

 

 

Condiment list, if you can't find something you like, then you have some issues.

 

 

Tator tot sauce choices 

Steve's Gyro

Yeah, it's been a while since the last post. Have we stopped eating awesome food, nah. Just too lazy to blog. We've been going to Cleveland's Westside Market (dates back from 1840), for years and never ate at Steve's Gyro. I feel embarrassed to say that now. After watching Adam Richman (Travel Channel) on TV, and hearing my cousin from NYC rave about it - Bryan and I knew we had to go.

We ventured to Cleveland mid- Saturday morning a few weeks ago, walked around the market, and then walked towards Steve's Gyro. OMG - the line was so long! It took us 30-45 minutes to get through the line and it was well worth it. Those standing in line with us, reassured it was well worth the wait.

We heard the portions are huge - so we split the jumbo (their largest sandwich). Honestly, I have never had a better gyro. The meat was perfectly spiced and each edge was browned - it tastes great alone. The sauce, full of garlic - was fantastic. Bryan and I were so stuffed we skipped dinner that night. Once again, Adam Richman does not disappoint with his recommendations.

Melt Bar and Grilled, Cleveland

OMG . . . if you like grilled cheese, you must, must go to Melt Bar and Grilled. This place has the best grilled cheese in the world! Sorry, Lockview (in Akron), your grilled cheese sandwiches are awesome, but not as fabulous as Melt's, but hey, you guys have the bestest macaroni & cheese.

So, Bryan and I went to the Lakewood restaurant a few years back and loved it. After we saw Adam Richman, host of Man V. Food on The Travel Channel conquer the Melt Challenge . . . we had to go back. This time we checked out the new Cleveland Height's location. Everyone knows you will wait forever for a table. I think it was about an hour or so wait, but I luckily was able to snag two seats at the bar and therefore were able to order from the bar. I am not going to wait for a table when I can sit at the bar, right? You just gotta know when you are coming here, you need to not be on any schedule.

We ordered and split the the Melt Challenge. It was $22 but we figured if we both would have ordered separate meals, it would have cost us about the same.

So, if you don't know what Melt Challenge is, here it is: over 5 lbs of food including the fries and slaw. The sandwich has 13 different cheese, and 3 slices of grilled bread. This sandwich has almost 3-1/2 lbs of cheese, are they crazy????And if you finish it all you are not only a God, but you get a shirt, glass and gift certificate.

Obviously we weren't going to take "The Challenge" as you can't split it, but we just wanted the cheese :). The Challenge sandwich does take a bit longer to make as all the cheese has to melt and is done in different stages. I believe it took an hour for it to arrive, but the place was packed, and heck we were sitting at the bar.

When the plate arrived, cheese was oozing everywhere. I have never seen so much cheese in one place. There was a mound of fries and slaw. The sandwich tasted amazing! Seriously. Some people are amazed by that when I tell them that. There is only one requirement when ordering this . . . you must love cheese an all types of it. In some bites, you can actually taste th different types of cheese.

Bryan and I ate as much as we could, and we were stuffed. It looked as if we barely touched our plate and had maybe a 1/4 of it gone. When we got home, we snacked on it later that night. I then divided the rest of it up into smaller portions, and it was lunch for the both of us for the next few day- no joke. I have no idea how one person can ever eat all of this. We loved the sandwich so much, I think we will never order anything else.