The Return of the Jedi

Please forgive the Star Wars reference, I recently watched all 6 movies and I can't stop thinking about them.  How cool would it be to have a light sabre.  Lets get to the point shall we...

I am coming back.  After an extended departure from The Flag City, I plan to move back sometime this year.  I have found employment in the area, and as soon as my home sells, I will be coming back to the great local restaurants of Findlay.  Currently, I am living in a nearby small town during the week.  Paying a small rent to stay in an even smaller apartment, hoping and praying that my house will sell soon so that I can try some of the local eateries.  I am interested in Revolver, getting back to Rossilli's, and maybe (if I have some cash) Bistro on Main.  (Is it still open?  If there is anyone that reads this, please let me know.)

So be prepared Findlay, I will be back to give you reviews of where to eat and where to have a good time in Findlay.  

See you soon.  Support your local establishments.

Waldo Peppers

Waldo Pepper's
Main Street
Findlay, Ohio

Andrea and I went out to eat in Findlay this week and chose Waldo Pepper's as the place to go. I wanted to give it a shot after running into the owner at the Rally in the Alley. (Waldo Peppers often brings free food to the rally.)


Waldo Pepper's had a nice atmosphere and felt casual. The dining room is large and there is a long bar. There was a little bit of a wait to get seated as the hostess apparently isn't very attentive. Luckily, the waiter was great and we never had another service problem.

We started off with a 9 Layer Dip with chips. The dip was fantastic and we probably had enough in the dip to count for the whole meal.

For our entrees Andrea ordered the Honey Dijon Chicken Salad. And I selected the Turkey and Swiss Wrap and substituted Veggies for the French Fries (gotta watch my figure!).

The food arrived in short order and looked great. My wrap was giant and after enjoying half of it, I decided to save the second half for lunch the next day. The vegetables were a California blend and had a just a hint of seasoning which made the flavor really come out of them. They tasted just as good as a French fry would have. (I have sampled the French fries since and they are great, fresh cut.)

To wash down my dinner I enjoyed two bottles of Miller Lite. Served quickly and ice cold, just the way I like it. Although I was sticking to the American Macro-Brew it appeared that they had a long list of Micro and Imported beers.

Overall, Waldo Pepper's is a nice place to go and have a casual dinner, with friends or by yourself.

I give it a B. Which is pretty good in my book.

Rally in the Alley - Downtown Findlay

Tonight is the beginning of the summer for Findlay residents. The first day where it feels like winter is finally over and it is time to enjoy the summer heat and humidity. What better way to enjoy the weather than drinking a few ice cold brews while listening to a great local band? How about doing this in downtown Findlay and doing it outside? Now you have a dream come true for the social drinker, The Rally in the Alley (sponsored by the Findlay Hancock Chamber of Commerce)!

The Rally happens almost every Friday in downtown Findlay during the summer months and is a great way to finish each week. The music is laid back and the drinks are cheap. There are people of all ages and the crowd is always a fun loving bunch. There have been times when tables of patrons would compete by building the tallest beeramid. I am sure that we won, but it is up in the air.

But it is definitely the perfect way to spend a Friday evening in Findlay during those hot summer months.

I have a preliminary schedule that I will post here. This is by no means official and is probably wrong, but it is what I know and I hope that you will join us at The RITA!

The RITA runs from 5-8pm, next to the Chase (Bank One) building in downtown Findlay.

May 26- Reunion Band
June 2- 421 Band
June 9- No Rally (Boogie on Main)
June 16- Mystic Rhythms
June 23- Fossils
June 30- Jacob Freely
July 14- (Open date, no band yet)
July 21- Mid-Life Crisis
July 28- Fred Shaeffer
August 4- No Rally (Findlay Rib Off)
August 11- Fossils

See you there.

Rally in the Alley Schedule

The Rally in the Alley runs from 5-8pm, next to the Chase (Bank One) building in downtown Findlay.

May 26- Reunion Band
June 2- 421 Band
June 9- No Rally (Boogie on Main)
June 16- Mystic Rhythms
June 23- Fossils
June 30- Jacob Freely
July 14- (Open date, no band yet)
July 21- Mid-Life Crisis
July 28- Fred Shaeffer
August 4- No Rally (Findlay Rib Off)
August 11- Fossils

Nino's

Nino's Bar - Main Street, Findlay, Ohio

Nino's Bar on Main Street is the place to go for fun in Findlay, Ohio. With the best live bands, best bartenders and the best crowd for those late nights you shouldn't be anywhere else in town if you are younger than 40.
With happy hour from 5 to 8, $1 draft beers will get you lubricated and you might as well have a few Jagerbombs while you are waiting for the band to start. As the crowd starts to fill up both sides of the large bar, you might feel a little cramped. Don't worry, waiting outside is the beer garden, complete with multiple sets of Cornhole.

After playing a few games, you might have worked up an appetite throwing the bags, come inside and order from the menu with some of the best burgers in Findlay. The burgers are seasoned to perfection and are big and juicy. I recommend the Italian Burger, add jalepenos.

So the next time you are looking to have some fun in Findlay, Ohio, go to Nino's and be ready to party.

Still here..

I haven't had any new places to review lately. I have eaten at the new Red Pig Inn and will post about it some other time. I want to get back and try the ribs before I say anything.

I know a lot of people find this site looking for Steve's Dakota Grill and Ryan's Buffet.

Ryan's is not worth the money, go to a real restaurant.

Steve's is our normal place to go out to eat. You can almost always get in easy (they take call aheads) and the food is good at a decent price. The drinks are good as well, and not priced too bad. Overall it is a good place to go eat with some friends without having to wait in line or worry that the food won't be good.

the wife and I will be on vacation next week, eating at some great restaurants in New York. I might post a few restaurants from that way, but I do want to keep this a Findlay area blog.

See you later.

Bistro on Main - Best in Findlay

Bistro on Main
407 Main Street
Findlay, OH 45840

I was throwing together some plans for Andrea's birthday. I decided that I would take her out to a nice dinner. I attempted to book a table at Japan West, but I learned that their latest reservation was at 7:45 and Andrea would not make it home from school until 8.

I went to my favorite all things Findlay resource, Matt, and asked him what the best restaurant in town was. His response: Bistro on Main.

Bistro on main is open until 10:30 during the week, which is nice for us with Andrea at class until 7 and then the hour drive from Toledo. She isn't home until at least 8 on most school nights. I made a reservation for 8:30. I picked up some Roses and the birthday plans were complete.

We arrived at Bistro on Main at 8:30 and were immediately impressed. The atmosphere was very laid back, yet upper class. There was a live musician playing various guitar songs from the 60's, 70's, and 80's. Including hits of the Eagles and Elton John. The music was just the right volume and the whole setting was perfect for a nice relaxing evening.

We started with the Bruschetta. It was very good with several different little things to put on it. There were mushrooms with olives, tomatoes, fresh grated cheese, and a ranch dip that was very good. The appetizer disappeared quickly.

We each had a glass of wine. I had the Paraiso Pinot Noir, which was fantastic but not the best pinot I have ever had. That would be the pinot offered at Spoodles, on the Boardwalk in Disney. But this wine was no slouch. Andrea ordered the Cavas Bay Sauvignon Blanc. It was a very crisp and smooth wine. It seemed very easy to drink and would be a good choice for someone new to wines.

the salads looked fantastic. Mine was the normal salad, with a honey poppyseed dressing that was very sweet. Andrea substitute the hot bacon spinach salad in place. She said that though the bacon was good, it seemed that the grease from the bacon was all over the rest of the salad.

For our entree, I had the Strip steak while Andrea ordered the Tilapia.

The strip was done to a perfect medium rare, and waitress was dead on with her recommendation of Tuscan style. Tuscan style is prepared by covering the steak with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a mixture of Italian Herbs and Spices. It was fantastic. It gave the steak, that little extra kick to really put it over the top. The mashed potatoes were very very good, although probably not good for me. The vegetables we also extremely good.


Andrea's Tilapia was excellent. At least I think so, she ate it all before I had a chance to sample it. It came with rice and the same vegetables that mine did. The rice had a strange flavor that was something like fishy.


For desert we split the Lava Cake. An extremely rich chocolate cake served hot with a scoop of icecream. To accompany our dessert, Andrea had a glass of Ice Wine, Vidal and I had a 10 year Tawny Port. The ice wine was extremely sweet and stood up well against the rich chocolate cake.

This was the first time I have had Port. It took me by surprise a little. It was a nice strong wine, that was extremely sweet and syrupy. I could tell it had a high alcohol content due to the tingle it left behind. Fantastic.

The scary part was next...The Bill!!

When going to Bistro on Main be prepared to drop some cash. The average entree is around $20, with wines running from $6 to $9 a glass. Our bill, which included 4 glasses of wine, 2 dinners over $20 each, the Bruschetta, and dessert was a little over $100 after tip.

Overall this is the Best Restaurant in Findlay. The food is fantastic and the atmosphere cannot be beat. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a special night out, or if you can afford this on a regular basis, I suggest making it a frequent dining event.

A+.

Best in Town.

Soup, Salad, and Breadsticks - Olive Garden

What a great freaking deal.

I am a huge fan of the Zuppa Toscana soup.

A couple of little things that you might have missed:

There are three salad dressings to choose from. The default is the house Italian, and if you don't ask for the other two then this is what you get. The second is a low fat Italian, which tastes exactly like the normal Italian. The third, which I haven't tried is a peppercorn. I need to sample it the next time we are there

The lunch price for the Soup, Salad, and Breadsticks ($5.99 I think) is good on the weekends as well as during the week, so if you go there for a Saturday or Sunday lunch you can get out with a very small bill.

Diamond River - New Year's Eve

EDIT: Since the writing of this entry Diamond River has shut down and been replaced with Red Pig Inn, a BBQ joint with pretty good ribs.

To celebrate the coming of 2006 we had our friends Rob and Debbie back in town. We decided to make reservations at Diamond River only after hearing that Japan West was having a $60/plate flat rate dinner on the festive night.


I don't think it was a mistake at all. Diamond River gave me one of the best meals I have had in a while.

I ordered the Smoke House Platter. It was the perfect man's dinner. Meat, potatoes and corn bread. What more could you want??

The meal had a half rack of ribs, beef briscuit and a half cornish hen, all covered in a great Bar-B-Que sauce.

Three different animals to munch on between glasses of great red wines.


Overall I give Diamond River a A-.

The food was great and the menu seemed to have something for everyone. The waitress was a little slow to fill the drinks, but she seemed to be extremely busy. I think there was a poor management decision and they seemed understaffed for the busy night.

A great meal.

Steve's Dakota Grill

Steve's Dakota Grill
Findlay, OH

Despite wanting to try something new and looking to get away from our normal dining, Andrea and I couldn't pass up margaritas and good steak. So we were off to Steve's Dakota Grill.

I guess we are pretty much boring in that regard.

I don't really have the time required to make a good write up so I will just say that Steve's has good food, good service and big ass margaritas. I enjoyed everything.

B-

Drew's Place

Drew's Place
Findlay, Ohio 45840

Drew's Place is a private restaurant on the South side of Findlay. This exclusive club was kind enough to allow me to dine with them on Friday night before the local football game. The theme of the meal was of course Tailgating.

When we arrived I understood why the owners insist on maintaining the private status of their restaurant. They maintain a very personal and relaxing atmosphere. Everyone dining that evening knew each other well and there was a great feeling of camaraderie.

The one downfall with Drew's Place was the BYOB status that it has. After a horrible run-in with a 13 year old, a case of Beer, and Jeremy, they lost their liquor license and have since asked patrons to bring their own libations. I decided to bring some Amberbock and I was good for the night.

The meal consisted of cheeseburgers and hotdogs fresh from the grill, chicken wings, chips and dip, and Gourmet Cheesy Potatoes.

The burgers where cooked to about medium and were still juicy and tender. The highlight of the meal though was the potatoes. These potatoes kept me coming back for more. They truly were incredible. I have seen a similar recipe made in kitchens back home but never using the shredded potatoes which really added something to the dish.

After finishing up the burgers everyone headed out to the football game. The tailgating themed dinner at the luxurious Drew's Place complete.


The Grade: B
Would have been higher but I still think Rossilli's was better. Right in there though.

Ryan's (Breakfast)

Ryan's Grill Buffet Bakery
2551 East Tiffin Avenue
Findlay, Ohio 45840

On Saturday Morning I had the opportunity to go eat at Ryan's Grill Buffet Bakery. I have been to Ryan's before for dinner. I mean it is a buffet and I am Fat Dan.

The breakfast buffet ran me about $7 with a water. At first I was concerned that this was a little high for Ryan's. I mean you can have all you can eat steak for under $10 at dinner. I figured out later that the money went to support every butcher east of the Mississippi.

The food:
The buffet was huge with lots of different foods. They had two separate areas to cook eggs to order and omelets. This is always my favorite part of breakfast buffets and I think that more places should have these short order cook stations.

The theme of the buffet though was basically: Meat, Grease, Meat, Grease, Meat, Grease. Every single type of breakfast meat imaginable was covered in at least three varieties. There were even some meats that I wouldn't consider breakfast, such as the chicken tenders.

Everything tasted fine, but of course anything that causes clogged arteries normally tastes good going down.

The service:
The highlight of the buffet was the service. The buffet was well stocked at all times. Everything was hot or cold enough for consumption. The waitress was quick to clear dishes. She also let us know that there is a juice included in the price of the buffet; OJ, Apple, or V8. She also brought me a coffee that I didn't order, but I can't complain about that.

The Rating:
D+ (A+ if on Atkins Diet)
This place is a heart attack waiting to happen. They should have a defibulator sitting next to every table. I would only go here for 2 reasons: Atkins Diet or Extreme Hangover. However, this is just the breakfast. The dinner buffet is one of the best low-priced buffets I have seen. So don't confuse the two, it is a completely different place for breakfast and dinner.

I don't recommend it for breakfast.

Rossilli's - Findlay, Ohio

Rossilli's
217 South Main Street
Findlay, Ohio 45840

That little known holiday, Sweetest Day, was on Saturday and Andrea chose Rossilli's for our night out on the town. Some friends of ours were in town for Ohio Northern's homecoming weekend and they happily joined us for the night.

We made reservations with no problems for 7:45, not bad when you call at 5. The group headed over early to get a drink at Boo's Lounge, a relaxing martini bar upstairs from Rossilli's. Unfortunately it was closed for a private party so we headed inside.

We were seated immediately, 10 minutes early and had a table in the fast lane. Actually, unless you got a booth, you were directly in the middle of the highway between the kitchen and the bar. This always bothers me some at restaurants, but I never had a sever run into me and the atmosphere was pleasant.

the service was slow but good, a strange mixture of waiting and then being happy with the knowledge and efficiency of the servers.


The drinks:

Andrea (Mrs. Fat Dan) - Shark Bite - This is a martini with Hypnotic. It came with a glow stick in the drink which makes it a little showy. She has had this drink before at Boo's Lounge upstairs and she always enjoys it.

Debbie (College Friend, girlfriend of Sharpe) - Cosmopolitan - This classic drink was a bit too sweet for Debbie. She speculated that they used a premix, which of course is always too heavily sweetened.

Sharpe (College Friend) - Great Lakes Brewing Company Beer (can't remember which variety) - Always a favorite. The waitress rattled off a long list of bottled beers. I am sure they had something for every taste.

Fat Dan - Coke - Don't ask. Long night on Friday, it was best for me to just have a Coke.


The Menu:

The menu had several Italian dished that you won't find anywhere else. It took me at least 15 minutes to decide what I wanted to order because everything sounded fantastic. Of course, price helped in my decision, at this point in my life I cannot afford "Market Price". Unfortunately this cut about 30% of the menu. I would rather see a meal cost $45 than be "Market Price" I am not one for surprises.

The Food:

Andrea (Mrs. Fat Dan) - Chicken Caesar Salad - Bad idea. Tasted great but was the same size as the salads that came with every entree. I guess if you really wanted to starve yourself, or the girl you just met ordered like two dinners at "Market Price" then I guess you should get this.

Debbie (College Friend, girlfriend of Sharpe) - Bowl of Minestrone and a Mozzarella Salad - the minestrone tasted a little like Chef Boyardee. Not bad but not that great, kind'f bland. The salad looked fantastic. It had large chunks of Mozzarella, and I mean real cheese, not like the cheese squares served up daily at your local welfare office. When she had it down to one chunk of cheese and the bus boy asked if she was finished I thought she was going to stab him. She definitely wanted that last piece, so I guess it was tasty.

Sharpe (College Friend) - Blackened Tuna with Asparagus and Cheese Grits - the cheese grits were new to Sharpe and he enjoyed them. They looked good and their were a lot of them. The asparagus had a hollandaise sauce on it, which I assume was good, because if you have ever had a bad sauce you know what I am talking about. The tuna was reportedly fantastic. It looked to be cooked perfectly, seared black on the outside and bright pink to red on the inside. A very good looking dish.

Fat Dan - Meatloaf - I thought this looked a little strange on the menu, and I have found that things that look out of place are usually the best item on the menu because they are special. I don't think I was wrong in this case. The meatloaf was out of this world. It was blackened with some tasty seasonings and then drizzled with a sweet sauce that gave it a candy taste. It came with garlic potatoes which were good, although not as good as some others I have had. The portion was just right as I was completely full after eating all of my meal.


the entrees also all came with a cup of soup and a house salad with a sweet poppy seed dressing that was very good. All of us had the minestrone soup so no news there.

The Bill:

I didn't get to see Sharpe's bill but ours came out to around $33:50 which is not at all bad for the type of meal we had. I was expecting a much higher bill like I would have gotten at Diamond River or somewhere. With tip we walked out at an even $40.


The Grade:
B+ The servers seemed to be rushing everywhere but never getting anything done. There was a long wait for the waitress. The food was fantastic. The price was right.

I recommend it.

Say What You Know

and I know my food. After going out to a new restaurant this weekend, I decided that I need to start doing some reviews of the fine, and not so fine, eateries that I visit. I think that anyone that knows me will be able to tell you that I know how to eat. I am Fat Dan for God's sake. I started up a brand new blog just to showcase my eating talents and to give advice on what restaurants are worth the time and which ones should just microwave frozen meals to save their patrons from the crap that they actually cook in their kitchen.


I will be following up this intro post with my first review, Rossilli's restaurant in Findlay, Ohio.