Packhouse Meats

I'm sure you've heard of a restaurant in Northern Kentucky where tipping isn't a part of the dining experience.  It's a novel concept, that I'm sure more restaurants will adopt in the future once they see how successful Packhouse Meats is because of it.  At first, the concept of a restaurant with a menu revolving around meatballs seemed strange, that is until I tried it.  Packhouse Meats is located on the 10th block of Monmouth street in Newport, KY and the interior has a industrial feel, we'll dub it "mechanic shop chic" complete with an operating garage door that they keep open during nice weather.

  The menu was quite unique, a laminated sheet and they provide wax pencils for you to circle what you're having.  It's also broken up in sections; the first section is the choice of meat (which they had a great selection), then you choose the kind of sauce and then how you'd like your "pack" either with a side, a salad or on a slider bun.

  Now to the food, which is what you're hear for right? We ordered the chicken packs, with parmesan cream sauce on the side of a caesar salad, and beef packs with Hunter sauce over mashed potatoes (as suggested by our waiter).  The meatballs were tender, flavorful and huge! The sauces had a great texture and awesome flavor, we definitely approve! Both sides that we had our packs with were delicious, the caesar dressing was definitely homemade and the potatoes had an incredibly smooth texture. 

The beer selection was also great, we enjoyed a Ciderboys peach cider which was incredibly refreshing.  We didn't have a chance to try dessert, but that's a must next time! You can create your own ice cream cookie sandwich, you pick what kind of cookies and ice cream, yum! We will definitely be back and suggest you check them out! The staff was also very friendly and helped us navigate through the menu.

1004 Monmouth street Newport KY 41071

www.packhousemeats.com

Taste of Belgium

After eating at Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles in Los Angeles, we consider ourselves experts in all things chicken and waffles. So, of course, a fitting choice for our second review is Taste of Belgium. Taste of Belgium, located in the revamped Over-the-Rhine district is a quaint, bistro type restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating.  That evening we were lucky enough to be seated outside (and the weather was perfect). After perusing the menu we all decided on chicken and waffles as our entree and we split an order of Belgian frites.  They had a great Belgian beer selection, it was just a little pricey for me.

But, let's get to the food; the frites were delicious! Thick cut, crisp outside, soft inside and lightly sprinkled with coarse salt, paired with what I'm assuming was an aoili for dipping.  The dipping sauce was delicious, I wish I would have asked exactly what it was. 

 The chicken for the chicken and waffles is boneless, and fried to the perfect crunch.  The batter has just the right amount of spice, and it offsets the sweet waffle perfectly.  The waffle however, was a little less than to be desired.  As a table, we all agreed that the waffles had possibly been cooked too long, they seemed almost overdone and very doughy on the inside.  It was definitely not the pillow-y inside of a waffle I was used to, nonetheless I enjoyed my meal. We guessed it was a little overcooked due to the large crowd and backed up orders.  We got our sauces on the side, they give you both hot sauce and maple syrup and yes use them together! Its an odd, but fantastic flavor combination and I find myself craving it constantly. The entree was paired with a light salad, drizzled with a balsamic style dressing.  It was a refreshing pairing.

For dessert (because a meal isn't complete without something sweet) we had the trio of macarons and we chose chocolate chip cookie dough, pistachio, and chocolate.  They were small, but mighty! The perfect size and richness for a dessert, they left us satisfied but not stuffed.

On my next visit I will definitely be trying the Nati crepe, a crepe with goetta in it? Count us in.  The brunch menu at Taste of Belgium also looks fantastic, so you might see us there on a Sunday in the near future! Be sure to check out all of Taste of Belguim's locations, and the next time you're cheering on our Redlegs stop by the Taste of Belgium booth at Great American Ballpark!                         

                        

Check out their website, it has information about all of their locations and the menu! 

http://authenticwaffle.com/

Our First Review: Buona Terra

Benvenuto! It took us a while to decide what our first review should be, but after trying this gelato the other night we knew we found a winner.  First off, we both love gelato, even more so after our trip to Europe in 2008.  After one bite of the gelato at Buona Terra, we were both transported to a side street in Rome to a small, unknowing gelato shop that we ducked in to escape the rain.  No passport required for this Mt Lookout gem! With so many flavor options to chose from, they have a flavor for every palate.  If you like tart, traditional gelato the Lemon is for you.  If you're looking for something sweet and creamy, the Cinnamon Roll is absolutely fantastic! After reviewing the eclectic menu, we've definitely found many reasons to come back to Buono Terra.  They've got both savory and sweet crepes, macaroons, coffee, tea and the Frizzante! The Frizzante is a float made with sorbetto and San Pelligrino, that tops my list for what I'll be having next time! The shop itself is small, but adorable with modern decor and friendly staff.  They'll also give you a taste of any of the gelatos, since it's so hard to chose we definitely had to take them up on this.

Cinnamon Roll

Lemon

Check out Buona Terra on Instagram @buonaterra_gelato.

Find them at 1028 Delta Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45208