Monday, September 26, 2011
The Strongsville Gourmet is disappointed in the appetizer, but happy with the main course
Back during my quest for the best pizza in Strongsville, I had made a stop at Johnny Malloy’s Sports Pub to sample Geppetto's delicious pizza. I made a promise to return to Johnny Malloy’s to review their regular menu. I’ve returned! Hey, I’m a man of my word. Last time here I sampled the pepperoni pizza, which was great, and the Honey Bourbon sauce wings, which I loved. This time I wanted to try the ribs, which they’re also noted for, and a good old hamburger, a staple for all sports pubs. First, I had to order my favorite appetizer: NACHOS! Nachos and me go way back. I believe the first time I had them was at a restaurant called The Ground Round. (Remember that chain?) It was love at first sight. I’ve had good and I’ve had bad nachos. …
41.30415
-81.835219
Geppetto's Pizza & Ribs
15323 Pearl Rd, Strongsville, OH
/articles/johnny-malloys-offers-great-ribs-and-pizzas-but-not-nachos
1079464
/locations/5452792
Monday, September 12, 2011
The Strongsville Gourmet visits restaurant after TV makeover
If you asked my wife what channel I watch the most, she’d tell you, without blinking an eye, the Food Network. And she’d be right. It’s my go-to channel, especially when there’s nothing on, which for me is often. In the beginning, “Emeril Live” gathered a big fan base and brought a lot of viewers to the channel. Oddly enough, I didn’t really get into Emeril all that much, but there was this other “small” show they offerd, “Good Eats” with Alton Brown, that caught my attention and quickly made me a fan. My addiction grew from there, from watching the dubbed original Japanese version of the “Iron Chef” to watching the English version of kitchen stadium. I loved the creative lunacy found in “Ace of Cakes” (last year we drove by Charm City …
41.34281
-81.82686
The Mad Cactus
9175 Pearl Rd, Strongsville, OH
/articles/does-a-new-mad-cactus-offer-an-impossible-to-resist-menu
1079260
/locations/5324890
Monday, August 15, 2011
Another step in the Strongsville Gourmet's quest for the best pizza in Strongsville
Best Bites’ Gerry Shamray continues his search for the best pizza in Strongsville. He’s letting the readers of Strongsville Patch guide him on this important and historic journey by checking out their recommendations for a slice of heaven. Take-out pizza has become the American way in enjoying cheesy pies. Even the pizza boxes themselves are serious engineering marvels that have become such an institution. That precious corrugated box has to be strong to hold our gooey, chewy and oily double cheese, pepperoni pizza. And, remember the first time your box came with one of those plastic tripod little tables? What an important moment for mankind, maybe even bigger than landing on the moon. Man would no longer have to have half their cheese …
41.30415
-81.835219
Geppetto's Pizza & Ribs
15323 Pearl Rd, Strongsville, OH
/articles/both-a-slice-above-and-geppettos-know-how-to-make-pizzas-that-deliver
1079464
/locations/5096822
41.345
-81.82502
A Slice Above
8788 Pearl Rd, Strongsville, OH
/articles/both-a-slice-above-and-geppettos-know-how-to-make-pizzas-that-deliver
1078949
/locations/5096823
Monday, August 8, 2011
The Strongsville Gourmet's best pizza quest continues
Best Bites’ Gerry Shamray continues his search for the best pizza in Strongsville. He’s letting the readers of Strongsville Patch guide him on this important and historic journey by checking out their recommendations for the perfect slice of heaven. The one thing I’m quickly learning about the pizza shops in Strongsville is they’re pretty small. In fact, most are pick-up and delivery only. Growing up, most of the pizzerias I went to had tables, even the small ones, not to mention pinball machines, but who has those now? Even my usual current-day pizza haunts like Parma's Antonio's and Angelo's are full-blown restaurants. Strongsville seems to cater more to the delivery crowd. Maybe real estate is more expensive here? Strongsville Patch …
41.290172
-81.857187
Emilio's Pizza
20934 Drake Rd, Strongsville, OH
/articles/emilios-both-a-very-nice-guy-and-a-great-pizza-place
1079626
/locations/5038289
Monday, July 25, 2011
The Strongsville Gourmet goes for the pie, but will return for the appetizer
With the many restaurants I’ve reviewed in Strongsville, one category that I’ve been remissed in covering are the pizzerias. I must admit I don’t know the great pizza stops in town. If you do know of a fantastic place for pizza, nominate it on the main patch.com page and I’ll add it to my list of places to go. With that, I blindly picked the place I went to for this column. Being a brave and adventerous soul, I typed in “pizza” and “Strongsville” in Google and did a search. Up popped up Master Italian Pizzeria at 19616 W. 130th St. and off I went. The outside of Master italian Pizzeria was rather nondescript. The inside, however, had a nice homey feel and looked like a nice, local pizzeria to bring family and friends to. The one thing I …
41.27831
-81.78512
Master Pizzeria
19616 W 130th St, Strongsville, OH
/articles/this-pizzeria-is-the-master-of-ribs
1080202
/locations/4916832
Monday, June 20, 2011
The Strongsville Gourmet tries a steak and (of course) French onion soup
I was out car shopping this past weekend. I had turned in my leased car early on Saturday, making me officially carless. I’ve leased a long line of Toyotas and they would all be called the “Shamray Camry.” After over a decade of driving the same kind of auto, I thought I’d shake it up a bit and get a different model. Unfortunately, picking a new vehicle takes research and time and . . . like I said, now I’m currently carless so the pressure’s on to find something. It’s amazing what a car cost these days and after discussing big bucks with several dealerships, I was in the mood to spend some cash on dinner. (Plus, the Mrs. was kind enough to join me on my car search, so I owed her a nice meal.) With that, we headed to Trivs Restaurant and …
41.313
-81.81935
Trivs
17100 Royalton Rd, Strongsville, OH
/articles/looking-for-fine-dining-look-no-further-than-trivs
1080149
/locations/4651832
Monday, May 16, 2011
Even the Strongsville Gourmet can't quite finish the large portions
With all the restaurants in the Strongsville area, one would think it wouldn’t be that hard to find a place to review. Usually it isn’t, but this past weekend proved to be a small challenge. I offered to treat my wife to dinner and thought I’d kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, by hitting a place in Strongsville for this column. We checked out my “official” list of dining establishments and picked a place to eat. We were meeting friends afterwards for a movie but had plenty of time to dine. We hopped into the car and headed on over to Strongsville for our “first” pick. We walked in and discovered that the place had a large private party going on. They had a few tables open in the bar area but I thought it wouldn’t be fair to …
Monday, April 25, 2011
The Strongsville Gourmet is very happy the Iron Chef has brought his burgers, brats and bologna to town
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 …
Monday, April 11, 2011
The Strongsville Gourmet is happy to mix it up
Whenever I walk into a burger joint, I think of my youthful days as a “Whopper slopper.” It was a lot of hard work, but I had my share of fun. I was young and would do pranks, such as the time I spoke a bogus foreign language and accent while taking orders via the drive-through intercom. Unsuspecting customers would respond by repeating their order clearly, s-l-o-w-l-y and several decibels LOUDER. Then they'd pull up to the pick up window, see me and wonder what happened to the foreign kid that took their order. While on the sandwich board and being an artist, I would create faces via the pickles, onions and ketchup I placed on the burgers. If you ever lifted up your bun and saw a face smiling back at you, that was my work. I did have one …
Jay Bloesinger
11:13 am on Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Actually at $3 a basket without a meal that is quite fair considering the food costs involved. As for bottomless, that is not viable. Food cost is not free. right? more ›