Mahoning Valley Eats & Treats: CHEDDAR'S

Thursday, December 20, 2012

CHEDDAR'S

The cost of gasoline alone has kept my husband Jack and I from the on-a-whim traveling we've always enjoyed, so like the old 1940s song, we "don't get around much anymore." But when we learned that a Cheddar's restaurant had opened in Boardman, we made it a crusade to get there as soon as we could.

For the record, this location is the third in Ohio (others are in Mansfield and Findlay), and there's another in Erie, Pa., where we're relatively frequent visitors when the weather is nicer.

Cheddar's is located on Southern Park Mall property next to Chili's - very easy to get to unless you try it, as we did, during the Christmas holiday shopping season. Even though it was early in December, the traffic was horrid, and since we were arriving during the lunch hour, we expected a long wait. Fortunately, we lucked out; although plenty of folks were there, we had no trouble being seated immediately.

In fact, the interior is quite large. Right away, we were impressed by the huge paddle "fan" that hangs from the ceiling at the entrance as well as the in-wall aquarium off to the side. Some of the high walls dividing the sections have open portals filled with tub planters of greenery - a bit reminiscent of Olive Garden, perhaps.

We took some time to check out the menu -- the prices are quite reasonable, by the way -- but we knew we wanted to start with an appetizer (fighting traffic always makes us extra-hungry). The onion rings with homemade ranch and Cajun dipping sauce were tempting ($3.99), as was the Sante Fe spinach dip with sour cream, spices and four cheeses topped with mozzarella ($4.99). In the end, we settled on the chicken tender basket ($5.99), served over fries with dipping sauce.

We were so hungry that salads and soups just wouldn't suffice, although a number of the salads in particular sounded delicious. There's also a great-sounding lunch combo of soup, house or Caesar salad, loaded baked potato and half a double-decker club sandwich; choose any two for $5.99 or three for $6.99. Another day, perhaps!

All the entrees sounded great - we've told our son Scott, who loves fish tacos, that they're on the menu here (white fish, fried or grilled, with roasted corn slaw on two flour tortillas with one side for $6.69). I was quite interested in the grilled salmon ($7.99 for lunch portion and $9.99 for dinner size), which can be ordered grilled, blackened or bourbon glazed with rice and two homemade sides. Still another possibility is the grilled tilapia with mango salsa, also with rice and two sides for $8.99 (have I mentioned that I love seafood)?

The sandwich list, which includes half-pound burgers, we left for another visit as well. That's because we both found what we wanted on the "Favorites" section. For Jack it was the Braised Fall-a-part Beef Roast; my choice was the New Orleans Pasta (both $9.99). Entrees here don't come with a side, but you can add a house or Caesar salad to any meal for $2.29. A honey butter croissant is available on request, but that's mentioned in the very fine print so we totally overlooked that option while we were there (which I suspect happens to other diners as well and I'm not all that happy about).

We were absolutely amazed, though, at how fast our appetizer arrived. Within scant minutes after we'd placed our order, our server returned with a plate of the largest chicken tenders we've ever seen accompanied by a pile of fries. The breading is quite tasty and not overly crunchy, just as we like. The mustard dip was outstanding as well, with just the right amount of zing. Easily, these could make a whole meal - and that said, a platter with two sides is available as a main course for $7.99.

Although we typically manage to satisfy our appetites with the appetizer, this time we didn't get the chance; the entrees arrived before either of us could finish a single tender (of course, we brought the rest home). Both entrees were beautifully presented and were quite substantial.

Jack's beef roast consisted of hormone-free beef from Provimi's Copper Ridge Ranch with roasted carrots, celery, onion and au jus over a pile of mashed potatoes. The flavor is outstanding, and the beef really is tender enough to easily but with a fork. Jack loved the large chunks of onion (as opposed to finely chopped or sliced), but the carrots, not so much. He's not a big carrot fan to begin with, so it didn't matter a whit to him; I love them, but these weren't cooked tender enough to my liking so I passed as well.

Happily, my New Orleans pasta was to die for, consisting of shrimp, chicken, smoked sausage and penne pasta in Cajun Alfredo sauce with garlic bread. The latter was absolutely delicious - lots of butter and garlic flavor just as I love. The pasta was outstanding as well - a large bowl with delicious sauce, several shrimp and even more fairly large smoked sausage slices. The sauce is only a tad spicy, so Jack was able to try it and liked it as well.

Honestly, I didn't find any chicken in it as the menu said, but I was quite happy with what was in there (and besides, our chicken tenders appetizer had satisfied my appetite for chicken so I didn't miss it at all). Try as I might, I managed to finish less than half of the pasta, so that, too, we carted back home with the leftover tenders.

The only downside here? It was a fairly early lunch for us so I ordered only water with lemon to drink - forgetting I was in Boardman. Sorry, folks, but even a large chunk of lemon can't camouflage the taste of the water here. Yuck!

If you go:

Cheddar's
7327 Market St.
Boardman, Ohio 44512
(330) 758-5006

http://www.cheddars.com

Open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Friday and Saturday; 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday.

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Why This Blog?

The Mahoning Valley region of Ohio is perhaps most often thought of as part of the so-called "Rust Belt" -- if it's thought of at all. Tucked up in the northeastern corner of the state about 15 miles from the Pennsylvania border, it's arguably best known for a former U.S. Representative who spent time in jail, the "Mob" and shuttered steel mills. I know that how? Because every single time we travel to another state -- any other state -- and tell folks we meet where we're from, it's guaranteed that we'll get a question about one or all of the above.

Add in a reputation for somewhat lousy weather, and it's enough to make a body wonder why anyone would want to visit, much less live here. But I don't see it that way. I've been in this part of Ohio for close to 50 years now, and while I'd love to see more sunny days, I firmly believe this is a great place to be. The cost of living is remarkably low compared with other parts of the country. It brings together the best of the city and country; cornfields and other amber waves of grain dot the landscape right along with interesting museums, shopping centers and parks.

Oh sure, the weather can be iffy -- if you don't like what you see, just wait 5 minutes, we're fond of saying. But on the other hand, it never gets boring, and not much compares to walking along a tree-lined path amid brilliantly colored foliage on a crisp fall day. Besides that, within an easy hour-or-so's drive we can be walking barefoot on a sandy beach, climbing an historic lighthouse or trolling for wildflowers in one of at least 15 state and national parks.

Then there's the food. My husband Jack and I travel as much as we can, and when we do, we love to eat. We've had dinner at some pretty well-known restaurants in quite a few states, and you know what? Every single time, we say to each other, "This is great, but there's nothing here that's better than what we can get back home every single day."

Of course, I can't discount the familiarity factor and learning to love what you're used to; there's a reason they call it Home Sweet Home. Still, we've always insisted that the Mahoning Valley's cuisine is pretty hard to beat. And just for the record, we include the Shenango Valley in that sweeping declaration; just over the Pennsylvania border are plenty of other fantastic restaurants and attractions just waiting to be discovered by me and you.

I do admit to one exception to my "home" rule, though: As seafood moves inland, it tends to lose ground. Not surprisingly, absolutely nothing compares to fresh-from-the-ocean "lobstah" at The Lobster Dock in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, the huge, almost no-filler-added crabcakes from The Crab Claw in St. Michaels, Maryland, or the steamed spiced shrimp at Awful Arthur's Oyster Bar on the North Carolina Outer Banks. That said, there seems to be a direct correlation between distance from water and how long fish is cooked; by the time you reach mid-Ohio, all too often it's barely recognizable. Sorry, Charlie, but the fish is dead. No need to kill it again (and again!) by leaving it on the grill or in the oven till it's tough and tasteless.

The reason for this blog is to showcase some of the eateries and other treasures our little part of the world has to offer. There's no set schedule for updates, but the plan is to add something new every couple of weeks. For the most part, what you'll see is what we get in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties in Ohio and Mercer and Lawrence counties in Pennsylvania. But once in a while -- especially since I'm an official "Ohio Ambassador" charged with promoting what the Buckeye State has to offer -- I'll stray into other parts of Ohio (and maybe even another state or two) to bring you a look at a special restaurant or attraction we've found.

If reading about these places entices you to come visit, that's wonderful -- y'all come on down (or up, or over as the case may be). And if you have questions about anything you see here or want to suggest a favorite restaurant of your own, zap me an e-mail. I'm always up for a new adventure!

Just for the record, I've had a bit of experience at not only eating and traveling, but writing about it as well. I wrote about local restaurants and travel for The Business Journal in Youngstown for several years (and Jack penned 100 "Dining Out" restaurant reviews for that newspaper over a period of four years). Besides that, I've posted similar "stuff" on a number of travel Web sites since then.

In the interests of full disclosure -- and the letter of the blog law -- I'll emphasize here that no one associated with any restaurant pays me, or gives me free meals, or in any way influences what I write here. As I mentioned before, I'm open to suggestions for places to visit -- but whether or not I go there or write about it is completely my choice. I'll also say, though, that while I don't mind pointing out a flaw or two here and there, my purpose is to showcase what's good about the region's restaurants and attractions. As such, I'll stick to what my mama always taught me: If you can't say something good about somebody, don't say anything at all.

I'll try to add something new here every couple of weeks, give or take, so check back often. If you want to be notified when a new entry is made, there's a place here to sign up for that as well. And finally, if you'd like to see some of my photos, you're invited to visit my galleries at Zenfolio. Enjoy!

Monnie Ryan

Mahoning Valley Eats & Treats

Thursday, December 20, 2012

CHEDDAR'S

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