Doodles Noodles

I've always driven by Doodles noodle restaurant in Hyde Park Square and wondered how the heck it could still be in business. Not that I haven't enjoyed the time or two I've eaten there, but just because it always seemed to have few if any patrons. We were running errands in the area yesterday evening, had a hankering for Asian food, and decided to give it a whirl.

We were surprised to see tables covered with white tablecloths. Seeing as we were both in "Saturday errand clothes" we thought that maybe we'd be underdressed. But a closer look showed us that the tops of the linens were actually covered with butcher's paper and crayons had been placed on each tabletop for ultimate doodle-ability (ah, I get it now).

Everything on the menu sounded good, and even better, it was almost all under $12. We ordered Spicy Shrimp Wontons to start, which arrived topped with chopped peanuts and a yummy soy sauce turned out to be tasty, but more sweet than spicy. We also ordered a cold Sesame Noodle salad to start, which was light and fresh-tasting with its shredded raw carrots, bean sprouts and carrots. For our entrees Peter chose the Kung Pao beef--I will give him consistency on this one--he hardly ever orders anything else when we're getting Asian food. I ordered Sesame Chicken with Shanghai Noodles. As so often happens when we're eating out, I try to order something that sounds healthy but tasty and Peter goes for the most fat-laden thing on the meal, and I end up eating half the food off his plate because it's so much tastier. His was great, mine was pretty bland. The cold noodle dish that was SO enormous we were sure that we'd have leftovers to take home quickly disappeared and Peter even tried to eat my bland chicken skewers when all this Kung Pao was gone.

All in all, it was a pretty good night out. We left stuffed to the gills and had to walk around the Square to get our bloated stomachs back to a normal size. I don't know if it's true, but I at least felt like it was healthier than the average Chinese take-out places.

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The damage: $44, including 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and 2 sodas.

Watch out for: Spice level - if you like spice, make sure you tell them to kick it up a notch, because Peter's 6 out of 10 spiciness wasn't so much.

Food: 3 forks

Romance: 2 kisses (good people-watching through the glass facing the square).

Doodles
3443 Edwards Road
Cincinnati, OH 45208
(513) 871-7388
www.doodlesnoodles.com