B Spot is Grade A All the Way

As I arrived to the B Spot, 18066 Royalton Road, my fellow luncher was already snuggled in a roomy booth sipping on a large beverage.

“What are you drinking ?” I asked.

“A mikshake,” she answered.

Oh man. A thick, creamy milkshake sounded so good.

“I walked a few miles on the treadmill earlier today,” I said aloud, as if I really needed to justify ordering a shake. I’m an adult, after all, and can order what I want without any qualms. (And I really did do time on the treadmill that morning. Really. R-e-a-l-l-y.)

So, I ordered one.

And . . . it was so-o-o-o-o good. I mean, seriously good, as in the best-shake-I-ever-had good. I can’t tell you the number of times I have been dying for a frosty thick shake only to receive a thin, sugary concoction that was barely thicker than a glass of milk.

This delicious shake was plenty thick. In fact, it was so thick, I didn’t even attempt to pour it in the glass that comes with it. I sipped it straight out of its metal blender container. Thank goodness the plastic straw was as super thick as the shake and was able to withstand my serious slurping.

And with exotic flavors to choose from, such as “chocolate expresso” and “vanilla bean apple pie bacon,” what did I finally pick? Good old vanilla bean. . .and I loved it!

After a few more loving sips, I finally focused on the menu.

The clever gimmick here is that all the categories start with the letter “B.” First on the list is “Bar Snacks & Sides” that includes such items as Porky Fries, Tomato Blue Cheese Soup and good old wings.

I sampled three other items in this group: Homemade Beanless Chili; B-Spot Onion Rings and Lola Fries. First, I love all kinds of chili, meat, meatless or even beanless. (In fact, I take great pride in my own vegi-chili which I call “No Cows Allowed Chili.”) I never say “no” to a hot, spicy bowl when I see it on a menu. So I said “yes,” and I wasn’t disappointed.

This was a great, tasty mix of meat and sauce that danced on my tongue with a tease of spice. To add even more zippy heat, grab the ShaSha sauce (made from hot banana peppers) that’s sitting in a six-pack of tasty sauces found on every table. It certainly made me a very happy man.

The onion rings comes on a plate and were thick,, crisp and chewy, which is how I like them. They’re even more delectable when dipped in the distinctive and lovely Lola Ketchup. I was sent to pure nirvana from the first crispy, doughy bite.

The Lola fries are the skinny, crisp shoestring kind and will leave your tongue tied in a delectable knot of joy. They’re perfectly seasoned with sea salt and rosemary. I wish you got more of them! After chomping on a few, you’ll simply not stop until they’re all gone, so don’t expect to split these with others at your table. Sharing is overrated anyway.

Under Big Salad they offered what I always wanted to see on a menu: a hamburger salad. Yes, a dream come true at last! The “Stripper” contains a burger with romaine, blue cheese, bacon and avocado. I’ll probably get that one on my next visit.

I got to see the “Romaine” up close and it looked fantastic. The plate was filled to the max with crispy chicken, tomato, onion, croutons, avocado, garlic dressing.

The next section was very dear to my heart: Burgers. Is there anything better than a juicy, well-built burger? I had a horrible time picking one as they all sounded supreme. Contenders included the “Yo!” burger which features fried salami, coppa, hot peppers, provolone, shasha hot sauce. (Oh, I want one now!). The “Fat Doug” was also a candidate, filled with coleslaw, pastrami, Swiss and mustard on top of the burger.

The winner and champion proved to be the “Shroomage,” a burger with a big slice of portabella, blue cheese, Lola steak sauce, griddled onions. Oh, yeah. This is what a burger is all about. The clean, sharply round patty is very, very juicy. The bun was nicely chewy and hearty enough to hold both the burger and the thick slice of mushroom that topped it. Before my first bite I poured on that lucious Lola Ketchup (much to the dismay of my fellow diner who quizzed, “Aren’t you going to taste it first?”) and my tastebuds fell completely in love. I could have just as easily added more Lola Steak Sauce and been just as happy.

Another party at our table had ordered their lunch from the “Bologna & Other” section. Even though I’m not a bologa fan (heresy, I know), I have to admit the “New School” looked like a smart pick. This fried bologna sandwich comes with Russian dressing, pickled onions, sweet hot pickles and fried egg. The bologna looked like it was an inch thick. Now that’s a lot of bologna!

I definitely want to come back and try one of the bratwursts (The next best thing to a burger!). It’ll probably be the “Hotty,” which has pickled tomato, hot peppers, pickled jalapeno and ShaSha hot sauce.

Maybe then I’ll try that “vanilla bean apple pie bacon” milkshake.

One bite and there’s no doubting that Michael Symon is a true iron chef. The B Spot is the spot to go for great food in Strongsville. B there and B-come a B-liever of the B Spot.