LA TAGLIATELLA -- GERMANTOWN, MD

 Although this restaurant is a chain, I have never heard of it.  Being curious I looked up the translation and found that its namesake is a certain type of egg pasta from the northern region of Italy in the shape of a long flat ribbon.
 

We visited the restaurant on a Friday night with a party of seven and while expecting a wait, they were pretty efficient in getting people seated.  It must be a trend with us lately as we noticed it seems like it takes forever to have the server finally come take our order after being seated but, as I mentioned it was the weekend and they were pretty busy, in addition to it recently opening, so I'll try not to be too critical.   The wait staff was equipped with electronic tablets when they took were order. 

Bread in form of small rolls was served along with an oil dipping concoction.  We added salt, pepper and parmesan to our blend and it was easy to fill up.  The menu showed that you ordered by choosing your style of pasta and sauce which gave you several varieties.   I started with a caesar salad which was unlike any caesar I had ordered before.  It was made with mixed greens instead of romaine and also included tomatoes.  Since I'm not a tomato lover, my husband helped himself and said they were delicious.  The dressing was not typical either, more on the vinegrette side.

I went with the beef ravioli and bolognese sauce.  I was surprised by the portion and size of the pies.  My pasta, in my opinion, was Al dente and while that's not a bad thing, it just not my preference.  I guess I was expecting the typical fare and the food here turned out to be served uniquely which is good to experience occasionally.  The sauce was good having a slight sweetness.

The servings were very plentiful and we tried a variety of dishes.  All in all it was a pleasant family dining experience and I'm sure we'll be returning. 

Visited 2/28/14
LA TAGIATELLA
20630 Seneca Meadows Pkwy 
Suite E-1 
Germantown, MD 20876

OLDE TIME TAVERN - FREDERICK, MD

We're in the Mid-Atlantic where the New World was founded hundreds of years ago.  Thinking of a tavern back then, my thoughts wander to it being a gathering place to get out of the weather, sometimes it included overnight accommodations.  Taverns then were also known as public houses or pubs.  Now you might hear of them as bars, saloons, watering holes, a roadhouse or taproom.

 

While visiting family in Maryland, we decided to take part of the day and visit Frederick. It's a quaint historic town with a lot of quaint shops. It was time for lunch as we passed Olde Town Tavern and we decided to give it a try. There was only one server in the place but it wasn't too busy and she was very attentive. She welcomed us and was helpful when I asked what they had on tap. She also read off the lunch special from her notes instead of relying on her memory.

I went with a cup of chili to warm up from the cutting wind we experienced. I was happy to see that it came with accompaniments of cheese, onion, and sour cream in little plastic cups instead of being dumped on top. It was really thick and meaty. My husband was pretty chilled too and went with their chicken with rice soup which he said was excellent.

I had a chef salad, the way it's suppose to be made with plenty of meat, egg and veggies and a couple of servings of the dressing I had ordered on the side so I could put the perfect amount of myself. Gary had a burger and I always cringe when he does that and bites into it, because he has had several bad experiences lately with it being raw in the middle, even when ordering it well done. This time, however, it was perfect.

We had a nice visit to Frederick and a wonderful lunch.

Visited 2/27/14
OLDE TIME TAVERN
325 North Market Street
Frederick, MD 21701

FRICKER'S -- RICHMOND, IN

FRICKEN' COLD

We were on our way to Maryland and stopped for dinner in Richmond, IN. We were looking for somewhere different as we usually stop at Cracker Barrel or Perkins on our trips East. We saw this big red building and couldn't quite make out the name but decided to give it a try. When we entered, we saw it was a sports bar atmosphere which was okay as long as the food was good.

It wasn't very busy, even though it was right around the dinner rush at 6:30 and we had to wait a few minutes before we were told to have a seat anywhere. I wished there would have been a sign to this effect. It took even longer to get waited on. Gary is usually the impatient one, but it was me on this visit.

We took a look at the menu and found the "BEST DEAL" in town. A 16oz. Porterhouse Steak for $14.95 which both of us ordered. It was pretty cold outside and we both decided to order soup, along with our meal. Gary got the Chicken Noodle Soup (he said the chicken was a little tough) and I got a cup of Chili. The chili was very good, real chunky and a little spicy. It helped to warm us up a little which we really needed because it was fricken' cold inside the place. The definition of cold being between an igloo and a meat cooler ... it was COLD. We even mentioned it to the waitress to no avail.

We would have like to had our steak accompanied by a baked potato, but this choice was not available on the menu, so we choose steak fries which were fine. The menu said the steak was a one pounder, but it looked even bigger on the plate. The flavor was good, no need for A1. Our drinks were running low and it was nice that the wait staff covers for each other and when another waitress saw our drinks were about gone, brought us refills.

The clientele was of mixed ages and there were even a few school aged kids. There were plenty of TV to watch your favorite game or sports show. The only complaint, other than being cold was the rolls were room temperature and the butter was cold, so it was hard to spread.

Overall ... thumbs up!

Visited 2/25/14

3237 Chester Blvd.
Richmond, IN 47374
765-965-6655

 

BALLYDOYLE IRISH PUB AND RESTAURANT - AURORA, IL

He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend, loses more; He who loses faith, loses all. -Irish Proverb

Read more at: http://irishsayings.net

He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend, loses more; He who loses faith, loses all. -Irish Proverb

Read more at: http://irishsayings.net

He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend, loses more; He who loses faith, loses all. -Irish Proverb

Read more at: http://irishsayings.net

He who loses money, loses much
He who loses friends, loses more
He who loses faith, loses all
~Irish Proverb

He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend, loses more; He who loses faith, loses all. -Irish Proverb

Read more at: http://irishsayings.net

We were in Chicago for the Weekend for the Maritime Festival at the Chicago History Museum. We got together with my cousin for dinner on Saturday evening. She choose to take us to BallyDoyle in Aurora.

I was surprised that she was able to make reservations at a pub on Saturday night, but we were down for 7:30 p.m. for the four of us. We got caught in Chicago traffic and were 20 minutes late getting there. I was taken aback (although flattered, as well) when we were asked to show I.D. as we entered. It was obvious we weren't underage. I also noticed that there were children at a few tables inside, so that made me wonder. Although there were several people waiting, since we had our name on the list, we were seated right away which was another shocker because even with reservations, it seems like you still have to wait for a minimum amount of time. Maybe our wait time was in traffic and they gave us a break being late. We were even given the choice of two tables.

While they didn't have my favorite light beer on tap, and my cousin requested a couple of different varieties that they also didn't have, I settled for a Miller's Lite and two of the others had a draft Smithwick's. There was plenty to choose from on the menu and our server was very helpful, answering questions about things like the Shepherd's Pie and a certain kind of sandwich on a potato pancake, but I decided to go with the Stroganoff which was absolutely wonderful. My husband had Fish and Chips and the serving was large enough, it could have been split, if I would have given up my choice but … no way.

About 8:30, things started to get lively and busy and loud. By 9:00 when the band started, it was hard to carry on a conversation. I hadn't seen my cousin in a year, so we had some catching up to do. She kept apologizing for her choice but I thought it was just a festive, fun place and enjoyed our evening.

VISITED 2/22/14
BALLYDOYLE'S IRISH PUB & RESTAURANT
28 West New York Street
Aurora, IL

MAGGIANO'S LITTLE ITALY - CHICAGO, IL

CHICAGO ON A FRIDAY NIGHT

After a 3 1/2 hour drive and the gridlock of downtown Chicago on a Friday night, we were looking forward to a good Italian dinner after we checked into the hotel.  We have a Maggiano's nearly in Indianapolis but with it on the opposite side of town from where we live, we had never tried it.

I loved the Old World feel as we walked in the door.  We got there about 8:00 and was told there would be a lengthy wait for the dining room, but if we wanted to eat in the bar it wouldn't be quite as long, which was fine with us.  We were seated within 15-20 minutes which I thought was great for a Saturday night.

It took awhile for our server to bring us menus and water and another lengthy wait for the drinks we ordered from when she first came to the table.  I decided on the Chicken Parm and my husband had Chicken Marsala.  We both started with a Caesar salad which was just the right size and very good but again another long wait and my husband was growing impatient.  They really needed more staff and our waitress seemed a little frazzled at times.  Finally, the entrées were presented but it wasn't the dish my husband ordered, so back it went.  I have to applaud the server, as he suggested mine go back, as well, to make sure we dined together and could be kept warm.

The chicken was breaded well but the sauce needed a bit of something to spice it up just a little and make it more memorable.  The serving size was large and I left quite a bit on my plate.  My husband said the Marsala was comparable to most places.  The cost was very reasonable.  Our two entrées along with the salads and drinks ran around $55.

MAGIANNO'S 
516 N Clark St,  
Chicago, IL 60654-7102
Visited 2/22/14

BOBBY'S BURGER PLACE - CINCINNATI, OH

I've seen a cow get hurt worse than that and get well
~Thomas Murdock (my dad)

We had cabin fever and while the roads were good, we decided we'd spend the day at the Horseshoe. I played the tables for a while and asked for a comp. The Pit Boss asked where and I looked up and saw Bobby's Burger Place and said there would be okay. 

I love Bobby Flay on TV but his restaurant at the casino ... not so much. I ordered a Philly Burger and my husband had another one ... maybe New York? Anyway, we got the burgers along with an order of onion rings. I was disappointed in the onion rings. Something about the breading, maybe too heavy so they weren't that crispy and the onion was sliced too thick making them tough. 

My burger was just average, not that much flavor and again the onion was cut too thick and not quite cooked enough. When we ordered, we both asked that the burger be well done. Mine still had some pink in it but my husband's was raw. He caught a server and told her and she took it back to the kitchen. 

After waiting about 15 minutes, we never saw the server again (by this time, I was done with my meal), so we left to head back home where hubby warmed up some chili. Not a very good impression on our first visit. So, Bobby ... I'll see you on TV, but never back at the Horseshoe. 

BOBBY'S BURGER PLACE
Horseshoe Casino, Cincinnati
Visited January 12, 2014