This Ain't Your domino's Philly Cheesesteak Pizza!

A few weeks back Jen and I attempted to eat lunch at Jimmy’s Restaurant and Lounge in North Canton, but instead ended up in Akron at Lindsay’s Amber Restaurant. It’s a somewhat comical story that I already told in my Amber’s review so I won’t get into it here. This Sunday we gave Jimmy’s another shot and I have to admit to being very surprised. I’m happy to say that my first impressions of Jimmy’s was way off-base.

From the outside Jimmy’s Restaurant and Lounge doesn’t look like much. It almost gives the impression of a biker bar or perhaps some country bar out on Podunk Highway in the middle of nowhere.

Jimmy’s Restaurant and Lounge isn’t in the middle of nowhere, it’s right off portage a couple of blocks from the strip. Nor is Jimmy’s a biker or country bar that serves up sub-par food to a bunch of hicks. If that’s your impression as it was mine, just get that out of your head right now.

A view of the bar and TVs from my booth.

We got to Jimmy’s around one in the afternoon on a Sunday. There were half a dozen over-40 folks at the bar drinking and eating with another half dozen people spread out over a few booths. The bar centers the room and is the main focal point with booths and tables lining the walls. There is a sunroom section of the restaurant with another dozen tables enclosed in three glass walls and glass ceiling.

We took a seat and started looking over the menu. We were approached by none other than Jimmy himself, working his restaurant on a Sunday afternoon. He asked if we’d like him to make some recommendations and he ran down the list of some of his favorites. Throughout our meal Jimmy worked is way around the restaurant talking to patrons, having a few laughs and drinking beer.

There were at least five TV’s placed in the main room with at three visible at any one time. Three different football games played with another couple of screens showing Keno. Our waitress wore a Steelers shirt but assured us Browns fans are welcome too, often mixing at the bar.

I asked Jimmy about their Philly Cheesesteak Pizza. I’ve only seen those at Domino’s so I was curious. Jimmy said it wasn’t his favorite but he’d take on the challenge of beating Domino’s Philly Pizza in taste test. If I thought Domino’s version was better then I wouldn’t have to pay for my lunch at Jimmy’s. I couldn’t pass that up.

I can’t say for certain who’s is better. They are both good, but very different from each other. The best way to describe it is this: you can often find a great hamburger at a restaurant but sometimes you just want a Whopper from Burger King. Does that make the Whopper superior? No, it’s just fast food candy. Domino’s philly cheesesteak pizza is fast food candy. The philly cheesesteak pizza from Jimmy’s offered a more refined, mature taste that required a little salt to bring out it’s full flavor.

This is what happens when I forget my camera and have to take pictures with my iphone. The lasagna looked much tastier than this picture presents.

Needless to say I never ask for my lunch to be comped, and gleefully took half of my large pizza home for later.

Jen ordered the lasagna with garlic bread. All of Jimmy’s pasta is home made and you can tell the difference. The noodles were thicker and much more tender than you get from the store-bought stuff and that made the lasagna that much tastier.

We were also served a couple pieces of bread that tasted like home made. It wasn’t fresh-from-the-oven warm and the bread itself was average but the sesame seed crust was extremely flavorful. The only negatives at Jimmy’s was the spotty silverware which I hate, the house red Italian dressing which Jen felt was flavorless.

If I had to describe Jimmy’s Restaurant and Lounge I’d say it’s Cheers in the latter years. It’s not a bar for the young, hipster crowd, but more for the mature sports loving adults that like to get some great food with their friends or family while they watch the game. The wait staff is very friendly and they do a lot of chatting up the guests at the bar and tables.

During the day time hours Jimmy’s gets a lot of regulars, but a varied crowd in the evenings when they have their events: karaoke on Wednesdays, Frick and Frack on Thursdays and other live music on Fridays and Saturdays.

More Jimmy’s Info

My Cost: 2 Adults – $35
Hats off: 4/5
Jimmy’s website
Jimmy’s menu
Yelp reviews
Google Reviews and info
Location:
4262 Portage Street Northwest
North Canton, OH
(330) 494-9096‎

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Somewhere under all those mushrooms a pasta awaits to be eaten.

I normally do all my eating out with Jen but on a few occasions I find other/new friends to eat with. I got to know @martijen on Twitter. She’s a freelance copywriter and I’m frequently in the need of copywriting services for my clients. I invited Jen out to lunch as a get-to-know-each-other session and see if we wanted to work together.

We set a lunch date which got bumped a couple of times due to my own illness, then finally were able to meet a few weeks later.

I made a few wrong turns on my way there but eventually found the place. I had actually driven right by the parking lot, but its in the back and I didn’t see any signs. Once I found the front of the restaurant I drove to the back and parked.

Jen and I arrived pretty much at the same time so we introduced ourselves and headed in through the back door.

Lunch was great. So is Jen.

The inside of Main Street Grille was a bit dark. We walked past the bar area and were seated near the front door where some natural light filtered in. At first glance, Main Street Grille looks small, but the multi-room layout makes it much larger than it appears.

Initially, I thought Main Street Grille was a small two room establishment with a small bar. I’ve since returned to have dinner with Jen (the usual one) and Rachel and we discovered there’s a lower level as well.

The downstairs features another room with a dozen or so tables, a small bar, a sitting area, a piano and a projector. When I asked what the projector was for, the waitress told me they play classic movies during dinner on Tuesday nights. (By classics, they mean Cary Grant movies, not Die Hard. Oh well.)

Both times the silverware was splotchy which is not the kind of thing I like to see at a restaurant. The waitress brought me my salad and some bread. There is not much to say about the salad, nothing spectacular, but the rolls were warm and extremely good.

I’ve been trying to broaden my culinary horizons when I eat out these days, so I ordered some type of Portobello Mushroom pasta. (BLAST! I forgot to grab a menu on my way out!) As you can see from the picture above, the pasta was absolutely covered with Portobello Mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes. Absolutely fantastic.

That's one big chunk of meat!

Jen (from Twitter) got a Mozzarella Salad which looked good, though they went a bit light on the vinaigrette. Jen asked for some more on the side and the waitress was happy to get it for her.

On my next visit I ordered the prime rib. What I got was almost half a cow! This was the thickest, juiciest, and tastiest prime rib I have ever had the pleasure of being placed in front of me. It melted in my mouth and the taste was like nothing I’ve ever had before. It was every bit worth $27!

Jen ordered a tasty Chicken Bruchetta pasta and Rachel got the Seafood Alfredo. I didn’t taste the seafood pasta but I did have some of the Chicken Bruchetta. Rachel loved her seafood pasta, but Jen thought the Chicken Bruchetta would have done better with some balsamic glaze. I added a bit of salt when I tried it and enjoyed it very much.

I enjoyed both my lunch and dinner experiences equally. The downstairs offers a classier atmosphere, one that you might expect from a much more expensive restaurant. Lunch was just as good, and in all cases the service was wonderful.

More Main Street Grille Info

My Cost: 2 adults – $22
Hats off: 5/5
Yelp reviews
Google Reviews and info
Location:
123 South Main Street
North Canton, OH 44720
(330) 497-1117

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Warm, tasty and melts in your mouth.

This may come as a surprise to you but I really don’t get to eat out that often. Many people I know eat out several times each week. Usually a quick lunch at a sandwich shop or maybe something more extravagant. Between breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week, I’m lucky if I get to eat out two or three times.

Now that I’m writing about all my experiences I’m trying to go out more frequently and to make it something worth writing about. When on a budget, eating out has to be strategic. I frequently use coupons from Restaurant.com. I’ve got a stack of them sitting next to my computer.

Sunday morning Jen and I decided we’d go out for lunch. We grabbed a stack of coupons, put the bark collar on the dog and headed out.

After church, about a quarter til 11:00, Jen rummaged through the stack of coupons and found one for Jimmy’s in Canton. Pulling into the parking lot the place looked suspect. Lots of plastic hanging off the patio areas and very few cars in the lot. As we got out and made our way to the entrance someone met us at the door. “We don’t open til noon,” he said brusquely.

Ah, that explains the lack of vehicles. He could have been friendlier, though.

The rest of the coupons we had were for places in Akron. We either had to take the 30 minute trek or go to someplace local. Ichiban Japanese Buffet was on my mind but we figured, what the heck, we don’t get out of Canton much, lets try the Ohio Brewing Company in Akron.

We got off the freeway and followed the GPS to the restaurant. I drove past looking for a place to park, and found meter parking just down the street. Jen thought it was a good idea for me to walk up to see if they were actually open before we pumped the meter full of coins. Good thing she’s brilliant. Not only was Ohio Brewing Company closed, the front door was heavily chained and padlocked shut. Uh-oh. Someone was bad.

What’s next on our list? How about Cilantro Thai and Sushi? We have a coupon for that. So we drove another ten minutes only to find that Cilantro is closed on Sunday until dinner. Sigh.

By now we’ve just about given up on lunch. Three restaurants. Two cities. One hour. Zero food. Does that seem right to you?

We have one more coupon for Lindsay’s Amber Restaurant in Akron. My belly needed food so I was praying they were open.

We pulled into the parking lot in front of Lindsay’s and sure enough the place was hopping. But what’s this, is it seniors only day? As we drove by and peered through the windows, that’s about all we saw inside. Then we saw carload after carload pull up and unload more seniors.

Trepidly we walked in, looked around, and spotted a few people under 60 that didn’t appear to be eating with someone who has their Buckeye Card. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t have any problems with older folks. I plan to be one myself some day. But I still fancy myself as young (though I’m rapidly approaching 40) so I want to eat where all the “cool kids” eat.

We took a seat near the front and watched as older folks continued to pour in. Lindsay’s Amber Restaurant is a very popular place on Sundays. The joint filled up quickly, but the staff handled it all smoothly. At no point did we feel the waitress took too long to take our order, deliver our food or check back up on us to make sure we were doing okay.

Loaded Potato Skins

We were delivered some very warm, and very tasty bread. A whole loaf was brought out to us with butter. It was soft and melted right in your mouth. Wow. I’m not a bread guy, but this was good stuff. Unfortunately we had no bread plates so we made quite a crumb mess all over the table.

Chicken Strip Salad

I ordered the potato skins and a Swiss Mushroom burger. Jen ordered the chicken strip salad.

The potato skins weren’t so much skins as slightly hallowed out potato halves. Plenty of potato left in these skins and that’s all right with me. The skins were about as good as I’ve had anywhere, if not better. Loaded with cheese and bacon they are served with my favorite condiment; sour cream.

Mushroom Swiss Burger

Jen enjoyed her chicken salad plenty, too. I ordered one to go (to hit the $35 minimum for the coupon) and even then I was plenty pleased with it.

The Swiss Mushroom burger didn’t do anything for me. I think I have to stop ordering hamburgers at restaurants. I get such good burgers from Jen and I love a Whopper above all others, that everything else pales in comparison.

The service was great, the atmosphere was typical and the food was good. If I lived in the area I could see Lindsay’s being a place to go when I needed an easy meal with friends on a Sunday afternoon.

More Lindsay’s Amber Restaurant Info

Cost: Three meals plus appetizer – $39
Hats off: 3/5
Yelp reviews
Google Reviews and info
Location:
1395 Canton Rd
Akron, Ohio
(330) 733-9611

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The Gyro. The tasty sauce and tomatoes are hidden under all that meat.

It was a dark and rainy evening, I was fighting off the last remaining bits of being sick and food was on my mind as it definitely wasn’t in my belly. Not looking to spend a great deal of money, Jen pulled out some coupons for Papa Gyros, we put the bark collar on the dog and headed out.

We traveled the 10 minute drive to Papa Gyros and exited the vehicle as the rain was subsiding. Papa Gyros is a small little place with probably less than a dozen tables in total. The entry way was spacious leaving plenty of room to wait in line (if necessary) to order at the walk-up counter.

Jen chit-chatted with cashier while I snapped a few photos of the establishment. We paid and no sooner found a booth when a waitress approached us asking me to please not to take any more pictures.

I was perplexed and it obviously showed. She volunteered that orders came from management and asked if I would like to talk to the manager. “Yes, please.”

A few minutes later management came to our table, I explained to him why I was taking pictures and showed him my hot-off-the-press The Hero Of Canton business cards. This seemed to convince him I’m not a competitor out to steal company secrets. Both the manager and the waitress were very nice, respectful, and I appreciate them allowing me to take and post these pictures of their restaurant.

Jen was excited about the tiny ketchup bottle. Yeah, I didn't get it either.

The dining area was spotlessly clean. That’s seems to be the exception these days and it was worth taking note of. The staff obviously took great care to provide quick clean-up as patrons left and ensure the restaurant consistently looks fresh.

When we received our food the waitress offered to refill our drinks for us. They have one of the serve-yourself fountains so I thought this was a very customer-focused gesture. I’ve heard about Papa Gyros excellent service and was now seeing it first hand.

The Gyros we ordered were massive. This wasn’t a simple pita sandwich, this was mammoth portion of meat stuffed into a bursting roll of pita bread. And it was good. It’s been years since I’ve had a gyro and I always liked them. This one was exceptional.

It took me a while to figure out how to eat the darn thing. It was simply too big and juicy to pick up with your hands without falling apart all over the place. I opted for the knife and fork, but that created issues with the paper layered on the bottom of the plate. I had to be careful with my cuts so I didn’t end up with strips of paper in my bites. Neither Jen or I could finish the entire sandwich and took half of each home, which made an excellent lunch the next day.

Initially I wasn’t much enamored with the fries, but then I rarely like restaurant fries. I was spoiled growing up on McDonald’s french fries. I added some salt which did a little, threw some ketchup on there and that improved them a bit more (I rarely eat fries with ketchup.) Jen suggested I try vinegar. I’ve never (knowingly) had vinegar on my fries and I liked what I tasted. It gave the fries a whole new twist.

If you’re looking for a good Gyro, Papa Gyros is the place. It’s rare that I leave a restaurant thinking I can’t wait to eat here again, but this was definitely one of those times. Oh, and in case you didn’t know, it’s pronounced Year-roh, not Jy-roh.

More Papa Gyros Info

Cost: 2 adults – $19
Hats off: 4/5
Papa Gyros menu (pdf)
Yelp reviews
Google Reviews and info
Location:
2045 Cleveland Ave NW
Canton, Ohio
(330) 456-9000‎

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A sandwich just ain't a sandwich unless it's got a slab of cow in it.

I wanted to title this post “Just Another Cock-a-Doody Sports Bar” but I was afraid that too many readers wouldn’t get the reference to Misery. I wasn’t being disgusting, I promise.

Sigh.

I don’t go to chain restaurants too often anymore. It’s not that I have anything against them–there are plenty of chains that I enjoy quite a bit–it’s just that over the past several years I hadn’t really had an opportunity to explore. You don’t find those hidden gems or experience the local flavor when all you do is chain restaurants.

But every now and then I make an exception. Especially if it’s one I’ve never been to before, and someone else is paying.

Monday was one of those days. Jen was looking for a place to take the kids before we headed off to Nickajack Farms. She dug up some coupons from my entertainment book, put the bark collar on the dog and we headed out.

Roosters is one of those clever restaurants. You know the ones I’m talking about. The kind that make their employees wear 15 pieces of flare or have chotchkies hanging all over the walls. That doesn’t make it a bad place to eat, its just that kind of place.

I enjoyed reading many of the signs on the wall that said things like “My wife and I were happy for 20 years, and then we met,” or “Super lotto: One winner, millions of losers.” Basically, Roosters is a fun, casual joint.

See? They're fun and causual, it says so right there!

Most restaurants have several dining sections, but Roosters on Dressler is just one giant open room. The tables were large enough to sleep three comfortably. It was clean and spacious making it a perfect place to go when you have large groups. Kick back with some friends, drink a few brewskies, and watch one of the many large-screen TVs hung on the walls. I counted 32 of them. (Could that be right? Someone please verify.)

Roosters is essentially a kid-friendly sports bar. They boast a pretty decent kids menu, including a pretty decent grilled cheese sandwich and fried macaroni and cheese. Jen ordered both for her kids, finding the fried mac and cheese greasy enough to make a pizza jealous. I tried one; T.G.I. Friday’s does it better.

After studying their sizable menu, I ordered a steak sandwich with onion and mushrooms. As far as steak sandwiches go, I enjoyed it as much I’ve enjoyed any other. The steak was cooked as ordered and it came with plenty of toppings. The mushrooms and onions are my favorite steak topping, rarely ordering without, and these did not disappoint.

Jen ordered chicken strips, a favorite of my own kids. I never quite understood the whole eating chicken strips at a restaurant. That’s kind of a pull-it-out-of-the-freezer-and throw-it-in-the-oven meal. Surely there’s something better on the menu! But as far as chicken strips go, Jen rated these a 4 out of 5 which says something.

Our appetizers were served with our meals. We got a hold of some bacon cheddar wedges and onion petals. The only other place I’ve had cheddar wedges was from Jack-in-the-box. I can’t say I noticed a distinguishable difference other than the wedges at Roosters are slightly smaller but come in larger quantities. More wedges, more bacon and more cheese.

The onion petals were quite good, better than I’ve had at most places. The sauce they come with was also very tasty.

The meals at Roosters don’t come with the obligatory fries but most items are cheap enough that they don’t need to. It gives you the opportunity to select an appetizer of your choice to go with your meal.

Our waitress was great, and very good with the kids, paying far more attention to their nonsensical ramblings than was warranted. Though she certainly wasn’t keeping up on her 80′s music trivia. For shame!

Roosters is a pressure-free restaurant. It’s perfect for a casual meal with friends and family. You don’t go having have high-expectations of the food, nor do you leave disappointed. But you might have some fun while you’re there.

More Roosters Info

My Cost: 2 adults, 2 kids – $28
Hats off: 3/5
Roosters website
Roosers Restaurant menu (pdf)
Yelp reviews
Google Reviews and info
Location:
4335 Dressler Rd NW
Canton, Ohio
(330) 546-7001

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Smothered in cheese, this philly cheese steak omelet left something to be desired.

Ever have one of those mornings when you planned everythign just right only to find out you had your timing off? Sunday was one of those days.

Jen and I were going to try out the adult Sunday School class before church service so we had to make sure each of us was up earlier than normal for a Sunday morning. I knew we had to leave before 8:45 to make sure we could get to class by 9am. I was ready to go on time but found Jen to be running a bit late. curling her hair and, you know… women stuff. She finished up about 8:50, we put the bark collar on the dog and headed out.

There are two routes we could have gone and, absentmindedly, I took the longer route. Come five minutes after 9 and we were still five minutes out. We figured better never than late, so we opted to make another detour to breakfast instead. We’d still have enough time to eat and get to the 11 O’clock service on time.

Not far off our route was Bill and Mary’s Diner. Just the night before @MAPSAirMuseum had tweeted me the suggestion, “Could be THE BEST steak and eggs b’fast in the area.” What better time than now to check it out?

Bill and Mary’s Diner in North Canton is a small diner on Main Street, just across the street from Mama Guzzardi’s Italian Restaurant. We were told to seat ourselves so we found a table in the front of the restaurant up against the far corner. The dining area stretched back parallel to the kitchen on the entrance side.

We got our menus and drinks in short order and spent some time looking over our dining options. Bill and Mary’s has some traditional favorites on the menu as well as some items that are off the familiar path. The menu contains a number of items that could have used some explanation (What’s on a Bubba Burger?) but no details were provided.

If you like soda, Bill and Mary’s have their own brand of Cream Soda and Root Beer. had it not been breakfast, I would have tried one. Maybe next time.

I love a good Philly Cheese Steak. Whether its a sandwich, a Pizza (my favorite pizza of all time,) or… what’s this? A Philly Cheese Steak omelet? Oh, I gotta have that. I decided to forgo the recommendation made by @MAPSAirMuseum and ordered the Philly omelet instead, which comes with home fries and English muffin.

I was a tad disappointed with the Philly Cheese Steak omelet. Maybe I’m just a cheese steak snob, but it didn’t do it for me. The omelet tasted just fine, just not as good as I expected. The home fries were another matter all together. With enough salt they were good enough to eat, but didn’t have enough natural flavor of their own to make them worth the effort.

Jen ordered a couple of eggs, some sausage links, a handful of potato cakes, and a pancake with wheat toast. She didn’t think her meal was anything worth writing home about either, with one glaring exception. What was that exceptional exception that exploded all expectations? What was that delectable delight that was so dang delicious?

Potato cakes.

I’ve never had potato cakes before. The closest I’ve ever come is the hash browns you get with your Egg McMuffin at the Micky D’s. But those aren’t potato cakes are they? No, those are the red-headed step-child of potato cakes.

I’m a big fan of potato. I loved baked potato, I like french fries from all sorts of places, I like potato chips, I even like Mr. Potato head. But the king of all things potato? Potato cakes. Is this what all potato cakes taste like? Are these the standard bearer of potato cakes?

Is Bill and Mary’s Diner the flagship diner in the world of potato cakes? Because if I ever have potato cakes even half this good again I’d still be a very happy man. And top that off, they are served with with the world’s all-time best condiment: Sour Cream! Just when you thought potato cakes couldn’t get any better!

While I was drooling over the potato cakes on Jen’s plate I realized something completely non-potato cake related. Sunday School wasn’t at 9am, it started at 10am! Jen and I had time to finish our meal and make it class with time to spare!

Bill and Mary’s is a traditional breakfast and lunch diner. The service wasn’t particularly fast and the food wasn’t exceptionally good. Service was a bit slow with a lot of chatter going on behind the counter. It was simply a place to come and get something to eat. Nothing more.

There are a lot of places I would avoid and this certainly isn’t one of them. If I ever find myself late for church again I might make another stop there for breakfast, but it’s not a place I’d go out of my way for. Except for those potato cakes. I’d go out of my way for those.

More Bill and Mary’s Diner Info

My Cost: 2 adults – $18
Hats off: 2/5
Bill and Mary’s Diner Menu
Yelp reviews
Google Reviews and info
Location:
1022 N Main St
North Canton, OH
(330) 494-9036‎

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My mouth waters just looking at it!

After about an hour navigating our way through a hall of haunted mirrors, sneaking around an industrial strength slaughter house, surviving the flames of hell (in 3D!) and fighting our way through zombies intent on making us their last meal at the Factory of Terror, Craig and I figured we were ready to get some post-living flesh between our own teeth. Not quite hungry enough to eat a member of the living dead, we figured some Chinese cooked chicken and cow would do us nicely.

As we bantered about places to go, I shared my two requirements. 1) the food needed to be good and 2) the restaurant should have some “atmosphere”. Craig knew of a place that would do the trick so we hopped in our vehicles and headed out.

As I pulled into the parking lot Craig made a shocking discovery. The restaurant had been made to disappear. I knew of another place so Craig followed me down the street only to find my choice had closed for the night. It was getting late, but wasn’t quite 10pm. Surely we could find something open?

Strike two.

It was Craig’s turn to choose again and he lead us not to a Chinese restaurant but to a Japanese restaurant instead. We landed at Ichiban Japanese Buffet on Fulton Avenue. I had been wanting to try Ichiban for some time so I was delighted that this is where we ended up.

From the moment you walk in the front doors, Ichiban Japanese Buffet immerses you into a rich, subtle Japanese atmosphere. The decor is unassuming with dark wood chairs and fresh-oak tables scatted throughout the dining area. The Japanese buffet ran down the left side of the room between the main eating area and the kitchen.

There were only a few other patrons at the restaurant which isn’t unexpected for this time of the evening. I was impressed with the overall cleanliness of the restaurant. Ichiban Japanese Buffet has only been around eight months, but it has obviously been well maintained and kept immaculately clean.

Varieties of chicken and beef surrounding a pile of delicious noodles.

Craig and I grabbed a couple of plates and were encouraged by the waitress to try the hibachi grill. I opted go pile my plate with a selection of chicken, beef and noodles from the buffet table. It was apparent that the food had been out a while and was no longer fresh. The serving trays were near empty and I had to scrape the bottom of several of them to get the last few remaining morsels.

On the tables the silverware was wrapped in paper napkins, but not a chopstick could be found. What’s up with that? I don’t do Asian without the chops! I walked to the front where they had them stashed away, came back with a set and settled down to eat.

Craig came back with a sparsely populated plate of Sushi and some noodles. He didn’t have a high opinion of the sushi but said it wasn’t bad either. Over all, Craig gave his Ichiban Buffet dining experience a four out of five hats off.

This isn't the meal... it's bait for the meal to come.

Even though the buffet food was hitting the stale side, everything I tasted was extremely flavorful. Enjoying it as I did, I knew that had I gotten there earlier in the evening, when the food was fresher, I would have enjoyed it that much more.

After clearing my plate I had eaten enough but still wanted more. The waitress, wanting me to try something fresh, came back and really talked up the hibachi. I decided to give it a shot, and much to my surprise, this turned out to be the highlight of my dining experience.

At Ichiban the hibachi works like most Japanese or Chinese buffets. You pile your plate with veggies, tell them what meat you want and then you can go back to your table or hang out as you watch it being cooked. We didn’t get any type of show with spatulas and food flying through the air, but that’s okay. The real show is when the food slides past your taste buds, over your tongue, down your throat and into your belly.

Had I left Ichiban without trying the hibachi I would have only given it four hats off. That would have been an injustice. As much as I like the buffet food, the hibachi beef I ordered was absolutely terrific.

For “buffet food” Ichiban Japanese Buffet is pricey, but its quality and flavor surpasses any Asian buffet I’ve ever had, and that of most Asian restaurants. Even with hours-old and getting-stale food, it was still delicious. I’m certainly looking forward to going back when all the food is fresh. I suggest not waiting until 30 minutes before closing time as I did.

More Ichiban Japanese Buffet Info

Cost: 2 adults – $33.71
Hats off: 5/5
Ichiban Japanese Buffet menu (pdf)
Yelp reviews
Google Reviews and info
Location:
5111 Fulton Dr NW
Canton, Ohio
(330) 305-0101 ‎

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The mushroom swiss, loaded with cheese!

On Friday I was invited out to lunch with Jen, her mother and her two kids. Never one to turn down a free meal (yes, you can have lunch with The Hero of Canton, too. Just offer!) I readily agreed. Jen had Samantha’s in mind and asked me to check online for coupons. I looked at the usual spots but came up short. So much for the sign at Samantha’s front entrance telling patrons to check online for coupons. I had, dang it!

So with no coupons in hand, Jen and her mother swung by my apartment. I put the bark collar on the dog and we headed out.

While Jen signed her kids out from school I flipped through my entertainment book looking for some alternative food choices. You know… some place that does provide coupons. There were a lot of options, but nothing really said “come eat here.” Vickie and I decided to give up the search and stick with Samantha’s Sunny Corner Restaurant.

I always wanted to be able to sit down in a restaurant and tell the waitress, “I’ll have the usual, please.” Samantha’s Sunny Corner Restaurant, just might be that place.

There's a family just through those doors.

There are four Samantha’s Restaurants in Canton, all owned and operated by members of one local family. Each of the four restaurants operate independently of the others. Don’t go looking for uniformity of design, menu, service or taste because you may not find it between one Samantha’s and the next. From my research online it appears that only one of the four Samantha’s Restaurants is the “Sunny Corner,” which is the one on Hills and Dales.

When you walk in to Samantha’s Sunny Corner you get that small-diner feel. It’s a cozy little place with a dozen or so tables spread around the dining room. We were seated at a rickety wooden table by the front door with silverware wrapped in paper napkins, stuck inside the brown coffee mugs waiting for us on the table. The table gave me cause for concern, easily rocked back and forth and very squeaky. I made a point not to lean on it too heavily.

Samantha’s isn’t just a kid-friendly restaurant, it’s kid-welcoming. Nora and Emmitt were brought actual coloring books (not just a coloring menu) and a mug full of crayons, instead of the normal pack of two or three. Samantha’s is also very Grandma-friendly. Vickie ordered hot tea and was brought four different flavors of tea to sample.

Our waitress, Heidi, (who we later found out was the owner, and very adept at sucking up), was extremely friendly. She took my sarcastic barbs with great humor and was helpful throughout our meal. At one point Vickie cut Emmitt’s pancake into pieces that were “too small”, sending him into an uncontrollable fit of crying rage. While Jen whisked him out the front doors until he settled, Heidi saw what had happened, grabbed his plate and quickly returned with a fresh, uncut pancake. Who needs grandmas when you have a waitress to spoil your kids?

Looking at the menu I couldn’t decide between breakfast or lunch. There’s a lot of options to choose from. I asked Heidi what the worst thing on the menu was. When she answered, “nothing,” I knew we had a problem. How could I trust her to be honest after that obvious lie. C’mon, Heidi, you serve liver and onions for crying out loud!

Yeah, I set her up, and she took it in good humor. She’s the owner, each meal is like one of her children. She has to love them all the same, even the liver and onions.

I decided to go with the Swiss Mushroom Burger and got a look from Heidi when I asked if it came with cheese. Duh… Swiss!

When it comes to food I have three ratings:

I never want to see that on my plate again
I’m happy to eat it
I want more.

Most food falls in that middle category, which is where the Mushroom Swiss burger cleanly landed. It was plenty juicy with gooey melted cheese encompassing some tasty mushrooms and grilled onions (Heidi offered to grill them instead of giving them to me raw!) The burger fell apart in my hands and I had to finish eating it with a fork. (Emmitt’s pancake broke and Heidi brings him a new one. My burger broke and I get a big fat, “too bad!”)

I wasn’t a big fan of the french fries or the hash browns that Vickie let me taste. Vickie liked the hash browns but neither really did anything for me.

Jen ordered a Ham and Cheese Omelet with a buttermilk pancake plus a pumpkin pancake. I had a taste of the omelet and it made me wish I had ordered breakfast instead of lunch. The pumpkin pancake was, well, it was a pancake and I’m just not a huge fan of those. Jen, on the other hand, dubbed the pumpkin pancake “totally yummy” (her words, not mine. I would have said something profound like “flavalicous”) and she’d come back for them each year for a seasonal treat. The Pumpkin pancake was slathered with cinnamon butter which was “beyond amazing.”

Vickie ordered two eggs over medium, ham and hash brows. She was perfectly pleased with her meal and talked about returning to Samantha’s the next time she’s in town. The kids both scarfed down their pancakes and quickly turned on Jen for more.

Samantha’s Sunny Corner Restaurant is the type of place that customers make their regular dining hole. Whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner, patrons come here because they know the staff and they enjoy the food. It’s a nice place to eat a good meal, with great company. It’s a place where the staff know you by name.

While my meal wasn’t notably outstanding or exceptional, I want to visit Samantha’s again to try something different. I’d be more likely to go for breakfast, it just feels like one of those breakfast-y places.

Heidi was a great host, very pleasant and entertaining… and if she sees you with a camera, she might suck up to you too! I should note here that all of my jabs here at Heidi are done in good humor; an extension of our interaction in the restaurant. Rarely do I meet someone who can hold their own against my sarcastic barbs.

If it wasn’t for the Heidi and the atmosphere she creates at Samantha’s Sunny Corner Restaurant I wouldn’t have thought twice about returning again, but I had such an enjoyable time, I can’t wait to go back.

More Samantha’s Sunny Corner Restaurant Info

Cost: 3 adults, 2 kids – $34
Hats off: 4/5
Samantha’s Sunny Corner Restaurant menu (pdf)
Yelp reviews
Google Reviews and info
Location:
4025 Hills and Dales Rd NW
Canton, Ohio
(330) 493-0523‎

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The Outlaw. But I swear... I only shot the sheriff.

Let me start by getting my biases out of the way. I have no particular love for BBQ. I don’t like “smoked” flavored anything, and when pig battles cow for my stomach’s heart, cow wins every time. The question then is, why the heck did I visit Old Carolina Barbecue? I’m glad you asked.

The answer is simple, really. I was invited. (And someone else paid.)

Jen’s parents were in town and instead of ordering out for pizza they decided have dinner at their favorite BBQ joint; Old Carolina. So we put the bark collar on the dog and headed out.

We had to stop at my place to grab my camera. Typical me, I got distract… oooh, shiny!

I’m sorry, where was I? Ah, yes… I got distracted and came out without the camera. Smartly, Jen asked if I had the camera with me before we got out of the apartment complex. BLAST!

After a quick trip back to get the camera, we arrived at Old Carolina Barbecue which resides in a nondescript strip mall on Everhard near Belden Village. Out front you can see the BBQ pits and stacks of firewood they use for the smokers.

Inside is a fairly plain joint with no atmosphere that clearly thrives on the basis of their service and the food. Old Carolina doesn’t have a large menu so the few things they do offer they do well. You can choose between pulled pork, pork spare ribs, smoked turkey, chicken, beef brisket, or any combination thereof. Essentially you’re just looking for a way to get your favorite meat piled in front of you with your favorite barbeque sauce.

While we were all standing around staring at the big menu on the wall one of the employees approached and asked if we had any questions. Of course I did; “when did Neal Armstrong land on the moon?”

“Before my time,” was his response. Answer denied!

We each approached the counter and placed our orders: The Kansas City (ribs and chicken) for me, The Outlaw (with brisket and turkey) for both of Jen’s parents, and The Carolina (ribs and pulled pork) for Jen. The kids shared a chicken fingers kids meal with an extra side of Mac and cheese. Each adult meal comes with your choice of two sides.

I can’t claim my meal was exceptional in any way. The ribs were a bit stiff and dry for my taste, not fall-off-the-bone juicy… you know, the way beef ribs are cooked! The chicken was good but didn’t strike me as anything spectacular. I will say that the selection of barbecue sauces are fantastic. I especially like the Original Gold flavor.

My first side of Mac and Cheese wasn’t the same as what I had my first visit to Old Carolina. Different noodles, different sauce. It most definitely wasn’t rich and creamy they way I like it. My second side dish was their “famous” fresh cut french fries. The fries may not be the end-all-be-all savior of all things potato, but they were most definitely tasty and better than average.

Tasty fries, just wating to be dipped in ketchup.

As I said, BBQ isn’t my thing. So put my nit picking, beef-loving, BBQ hating taste buds aside and consider what the others in my party thought. Jen on the other hand is a BBQ fanatic and makes it a point to try any new BBQ place she runs across. On a scale of one to five, both Jen and her mom gave Old Carolina Barbecue a solid five. Jen’s dad gave Old Carolina a six. (It’s true, four out of three Americans have trouble with fractions!) For some of us no BBQ sauce was needed–it was perfect as-is. For others, the sauce only made an already a great flavor better.

The service at Old Carolina barbecue was beyond exceptional. Most restaurants serve your food and then return a few minutes later to see how you’re doing. You usually don’t see them again except for the occasional refilling of your drink. While we dined, several employees at Old Carolina visited our table asking about our meal and making sure we had everything we needed.

At one point, Nora dropped her macaroni and cheese on the floor which was the end of her four-year-old world. We politely asked the waitress if they could replace it and instead of bringing back one macaroni, she brought two! (Emmitt needed another as his mac and cheese mysteriously disappeared into this stomach.)

Messy table but clean plates. You tell ME if we liked it!

There are a few TVs up along the wall, most showing the typical sports game. When Jen asked if they wouldn’t mind changing the channel to some cartoons for the kids they promptly did so (no one else was in our portion of the restaurant so we weren’t inconveniencing anyone else.)

Cost-wise, you’re looking at paying about $15 per person for a good meal. The portions are sizeable so you can easily bring half home for a second meal, or at least a mid-afternoon snack. On the other hand, some of us cleaned their plate!

The general consensus from our group is if you like BBQ, you’ll love Old Carolina!

More Old Carolina Barbecue Info

Cost: 4 adults, 2 kids – $74
Hats off: 5/5
Old Carolina Barbecue website
Old Carolina Barbecue menu (pdf)
Yelp reviews
Google Reviews and info
Location:
4710 Everhard Rd NW
Canton, Ohio
(330) 499-3080 ‎

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Real Mexican environment with real Mexican food.

Since I started writing The Hero of Canton blog in September, I’ve been wanting to go back to restaurants I’ve previously visited so I could review them here. Considering I’ve only been living here since June that’s a pretty short list. But somebody’s got to do it!

I’m developing a real love for Mexican food and found a Mexican restaurant that I particularly enjoy: El Campesino. I’ve been to two separate El Campesino restaurants in Canton and both have been equally as good.

My first visit was on a business trip long before I moved here. There were three of us and we were told that this was the place to go for Mexican. It’s always packed and always good. The always packed part wasn’t true, but the other certainly was.

My next two visits were equally as solid. I think each time I ordered the exact same thing, The Cancun Cheese Steak. I couldn’t really tell you what it is, but it was the best Mexican food I’ve ever had in my mouth.

Months later, Jen and I decided to make another trip to El Campesino so I could do my review and get some pictures. So we put the bark collar on the dog and headed out.

The previous three times I visited the El Campesino on Tuscarawas. This time we tried the one located on Cleveland Ave. Once again, El Campesino did not disappoint.

When we walked in I wasn’t sure if we seated ourselves or waited. There was nobody there to ask us “how many” or to put our name on a list. Then again, there’s never been a wait so there is no need for a list. Someone snuck up behind us, grabbed a couple of menus and led us to our table.

The El Campesino Restaurant on Cleveland Avenue is clean, bright and cheery. The decor is subtle Mexican without the overbearing, in-your-face “hey look, we’re a Mexican restaurant” that you see in other places. It feels comfortable and homey without looking like it’s trying too hard.

We sat down and immediately someone was there taking our drink order. Within minutes a soda and tea were in our hands, along with a batch of warm tortilla chips and medium salsa. I’m not a huge fan of El Campesino’s salsa, which is about the only negative thing I have to say about them. It’s not bad, I’ve just had better. But I’ve also had much worse from other Mexican restaurants. We ordered some queso to go along with our chips and salsa (mmmm, cheese), then placed our order while we enjoyed our chip appetizer.

The Menu at El Campesino is extensive. I’ve never seen so many options. Just about every combination of tacos, burritos, fajitas, and enchiladas is on the menu and numbered. I find it humorous that they don’t allow substitutions. I can’t imagine needing any, since they seem to have every angle covered.

I ordered something new this time, the Burrito Special. I don’t like guacamole and forgot to ask them to keep it off, but I did remember to tell them “no beans”. I took a moment to scrape the green goo off my food in order to make it edible.

This Special Burrito was even more special in my belly!

The beef tip burrito tasted excellent. The texture was just right, smothered with the appropriate amount of cheese, topped with lettuce and tomato! I couldn’t ask for a better Mexican meal. I try not to eat all the food on my plate when I go out, hoping to have something left over the next day, but I just couldn’t help myself. The next thing I knew only my rice remained.

Poor rice. It can’t compete with a good burrito!

Chicken Burrito!

Jen ordered the #12, Chicken Burrito and Chicken Enchilada and enjoyed it just as thoroughly as I enjoyed mine.

As with every experience I’ve had at El Campesino, the service is fast. Our food was on the table within five minutes of us ordering–no more than ten minutes after we had taken our seat. I guess Mexican food only has about six basic ingredients, it’s just a matter of throwing it together in one of several dozen combinations. I don’t think we’ve ever waited more than ten minutes for our food here. The time it took enter the restaurant, get seated, eat, pay and walk back outside, my motorcycle hadn’t even cooled down yet!

I can’t say anything bad about El Campesino. Good food and great service. it’s fast, inexpensive and best of all, totally satisfying to both the belly and the buds.

More El Campesino Info

My Cost: 2 adults – $22 plus tip.
Hats off: 5/5
El Campesino website
El Campesino menu (pdf)
Yelp reviews
Google Reviews and info

Location:
3520 Cleveland Ave NW
Canton, OH
(330) 493-9801 ‎

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