P.F. Chang's

I apologize in advance to all my readers who, like me, don’t usually like to eat in national chain restaurants. But they’re so hard to avoid these days, and as I said about Palomino, if it’s a higher end chain with decent food, then I’m okay with it.

When we have all these great neighborhood choices for Asian food, don’t ask me why Peter likes P.F. Chang’s so much, but he does. And occasionally, on nights when I’m feeling either really nice or really tired, I let him have his way. Tonight it was the latter, after a long day at the office that ended with the color printer not cooperating in a time of great need, as all printers are known to do. It's as if they can sense when the really big projects need to be printed and act up only then. The screen just continued to blink “Fix Image Sensor” or some such nonsense as my co-worked and I poked, prodded and tried to repair it.

So after the drama was resolved and the sun was setting, I went the lazy route and called in an order to Chang’s. We love the steamed Peking dumplings and the fact that we choose them steamed instead of pan fried makes me feel healthy even if it’s not. Then we each ordered a shrimp dish: Orange Peel Chicken for me, and Kung Pao Shrimp for Peter (see, I told you he always gets Kung Pao something). The dumplings were good, as usual, but we both frowned at the rather skimpy portion. I was delighted with the contrast between the bitter orange peel and rich shrimp in my entree and really enjoyed the nutty, chewy flavor of the accompanying brown rice, not something you find in every Asian restaurant. Even if you don't give a hoot about nutrition, give it a try because it's so much more interesting than the bland white stuff. Peter on the other hand, was most disappointed to find that his shrimp had been seriously overcooked. I asked for a bite to taste and immediately realized that he'd actually received Kung Pao Chicken instead of shrimp. Normally this wouldn't be a huge deal, but Peter is somewhat of a hypochondriac and has recently decided that the avian flu is a real threat in the US and we should therefore avoid all chicken. I think it’s just an excuse for him to eat more of his favorite animal: the pig. It was also an excuse to polish off half of my shrimp dish.

Sure, it was an easy dinner "out" that we didn’t even enjoy in a restaurant, but tonight's meal reminded me of the true benefit of takeout: you can sit in the comfort of our own home, on the couches and pillows, watching the premiere of “The Hills” on MTV with no shame.

So what did my fortune cookie say?
Your labors will bear sweet fruit.

Well, time will tell, but for now I'm taking that to mean that the battle with the copier will ultimately go our way.

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The damage: about $20

Watch out for: last minute switches in your order--always, always check the bag before you leave and it's too late

Food: 3 out of 5 forks

Romance: 2 out of 5 kisses (but this just might chalked up to fatigue)

P.F. Chang's
2633 Edmonson Road (Rookwood Commons)
Cincinnati, Ohio 45209
513.531.4567
www.pfchangs.com

Bella Luna

I really *want* to like Bella Luna. It’s got a charming atmosphere, convenient location, and great concept in serving regional Italian food. Since it’s located on Eastern Avenue in the Linwood area, it’s just a stone’s throw away from Mt. Lookout, Hyde Park and downtown, and would be incredibly convenient if it was one of our favorites.

My recent occasion for visiting the restaurant was a night out with a girlfriend (and now coworker) of mine. We get together from time to time to talk about life, work and most of all, the ups and downs of being newlyweds (she was married just a week before we were). Since Peter’s made it no secret that he’s not a fan of the place, I figured it would be a good choice to lessen his feelings of being left out.

Our service was quite friendly and accommodating, especially since we weren’t the easiest diners that evening. We ordered the Bella Luna Salad (we decided to pay extra to get the figs and feta) but didn’t like the overly acidic vinaigrette dressing that clashed with the sweet, dried fruit. Our server promptly brought us new salads with honey balsamic that proved to be better, but was overly sweet and thick such that it looked and tasted more like molasses than dressing.

I chose a spicy pasta dish, the bucatini, as my entrée. Bella Luna actually did well on this one, preparing al dente spaghetti-like noodles in a rich, smoky sauce chock full of thick bacon chunks. Not the best choice before swimsuit season, but the flavor was worth the splurge and I ate every last bite. Don’t tell him since I’m trying to make him healthier, but as president of the “I love the pig” fan club, I think Peter would’ve really liked this dish.

My friend ordered good old spaghetti and meatballs. The dish looked great, but she was disappointed to find that the meatballs really didn't look like they were cooked all the way through. Not wanting to bother our server with a replacement yet again, she just picked them off and placed them to the side.

Not quite ready to go home and busy watching a violent thunderstorm roll in, we took our server’s advice and ordered the restaurant’s famous bread pudding for dessert, which we were told was a hit at last year’s Taste of Cincinnati. I love bread pudding, and hey, I needed more carbs, right? But this version wasn’t like any bread pudding I’ve ever had, and that’s not a good thing in this case. The consistency was much too smooth, as though the bread had been pureed in a Cuisinart instead of just soaked in larger chunks. I was also disappointed that there were no hidden “goodies” like nuts or dried cherries in the pudding, but just ultra-smooth, bland pudding. The sauce here was thin and syrupy where I like a more traditional thickened whiskey sauce with my version. We left most of it on the plate.

All in all, the food part of the dinner was a pretty mediocre experience. It wasn't food I would classify as terrible, but also wasn’t good enough to be memorable or worth in the money. I will give credit to Bella Luna for its charming, romantic atmosphere. Inside the decor is funky and brightly colored without being garish, and offers diners comfy booths filled with cushions and pillows—just right for those looking to relax, kick up their heels and gab. It’s my philosophy that atmosphere and service are half of what contributes to a good or bad dining experience, so Bella Luna got that half of the equation right.

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The damage: about $30 each, which seemed really high considering we had no alcohol at all (my pregnant friend looked longingly at the wine list though—did we get charged for that?)

Watch out for: the vinaigrette salad dressing

Food: 2 forks (overall inconsistent)

Romance: 4 kisses, thanks to good lighting and 1/2 price bottles of wine served on Wednesday nights

Bella Luna
4632 Eastern Avenue
Cincinnati, Ohio 45226
513.871.5862
www.bellalunacincy.com

BLT Bites

It was finally hot enough this weekend to feel like summer. I had to bring an appetizer to our family gathering in Ryland, KY (that's right, the location of our wedding reception) and picked this recipe for its decided summer-ness. Peter and I had a busy day of yard work, with my focus on scrubbing the mossy scum off our back deck, so we bought all the ingredients with the plan to just quickly assemble everything once we arrived. Great idea in theory, but definitely not in practice. These bites took so long to prep that they had to be a side dish for our dinner (see, even trained culinary "experts" have their share of troubles in the kitchen). Never mind though, because they were still yummy and delicious and received rave reviews. What's even better is that they require just a few fresh, tasty ingredients. Just the right tempting amount of BLT, perfect for an appetizer OR a meal accompaniment!

Ingredients:
36 cherry tomatoes
2 cups chopped lettuce - we used Bibb
8 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
3-4 Tb. mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Slice the very top and bottom off the cherry tomatoes, using a serrated knife for ease of preparation. Using a knife or mini melon baller, remove the pulp from the tomato and rinse, making sure tomato is still whole. Set the tomato top side down on a paper-towel lined cookie sheet to drain. If you cut all the way through the tomato cup, it's okay.
2. Chop lettuce and place in a mixing bowl with the crumbled bacon. Add enough mayonnaise just to combine and season with salt and pepper.
3. Turn over tomatoes and stuff tops with lettuce mixture (we found the easiest way was with our hands).