B B ROONERS FOOD & SPIRITS

When it comes to dining out, life is very, very good in northeastern Ohio. Within a drive of 20 minutes or less in any direction, my husband Jack and I can be chowing down on wonderful food, from burgers to lobster tail depending on what mood we're in.
Personal taste and a budget, though, mean we're more likely to gravitate toward the burgers; casual food generally costs less, and we much prefer a laid-back atmosphere to worrying about whether we're using the wrong fork. If we're heading south, one of our favorite stops is in Salem at B B Rooners Food & Spirits, a place that's popular just about any time of day or evening (and has been so for more than 22 years, although we didn't "discover" it until perhaps a dozen years ago). The atmosphere screams sports bar - TV sets tuned to football, basketball or whatever happens to be in season plus team trophies and even motorcycles parked on display inside. When the weather's decent, there's an outside bar and deck as well.

There are two main dining areas, one of which includes a good-sized bar; the other now hosts lunch buffet that costs just $6.99 for a goodly array of that usually includes pastas, pizzas, soup, salads, sandwiches and such (kids under 10 pay $4.99). On the other side of that is a long hall-like "room" with several booths that offer a bit more privacy than other parts of the restaurant.

That hallway is where we sat on one recent Sunday visit around lunchtime; in fact, we snagged the last available booth. I was especially hungry, so I asked for more time to inspect the menu, hoping to find a taste appetizer to take the edge off. The BB Spuds sounded good - potatoes with melted cheddar, bacon bits and sour cream for $7.20 - as did the battered fried zucchini sticks with marinara sauce ($5.15). In the end, I ordered eight wings with butter garlic sauce to share with Jack (also $5.15).

Choosing an entree took even longer; several specialty pizzas, including white with garlic and oil, hot peppers and five cheeses ($9.25) sounded wonderful. The pasta dinner for $10.30 comes with a salad, bread and butter, and diners can choose from cavatelli, spaghetti, linguine, penne, rigatoni or wheat (decisions, decisions, decisions)! On top of the "normal" sauces is an option for chili on top.

There are several salads and soups, and if you choose a sandwich, you can substitute one of these for the fries that come standard. Speaking of sandwiches, many have intriguing sports-related names: Triple Play Burger, World Series, Golf Club (as expected, a club sandwich) and Hook Line & Sinker, a breaded jumbo piece of fish on toasted bun for $7.20 (add 80 cents if you prefer broiled).

Our two children are well beyond the age to qualify for the children's menu (for that matter, so are our four grandchildren), but I couldn't help noticing that the "Little All Stars" menu here has quite a few choices that would appeal to munchkins, like two mini-burgers with fries and spaghetti and a meatball with applesauce. All are priced at a reasonable $3.99. When it comes to dessert (which we almost never have room to try), the options are limited, but the apple dumpling that's served warm with ice cream always sounds appealing.

After much deliberation, I chose the Pit Stop ($7.20), a DiRusso Italian sausage topped with peppers, onions and homemade sauce billed as "Just Like The Fair" (that's the storied Canfield Fair for those who don't know). Jack stayed on the lighter side with Post Time, a tuna salad sandwich on toast. He picked a side salad and I chose wedding soup instead of fries.

The wings were outstanding; the breading was crispy but not tooth-breakingly crunchy, and they were softened a bit by swimming in minced garlic and butter. They're also on the plump side, so we couldn't polish them all off before our server delivered other goodies. I admit that the strong spices in my first taste of the wedding soup gave me pause, but once I found (and removed) the whole bay leaf that was lurking in the cup the flavor grew on me. By the time I got to the bottom I was wishing for more. Jack's salad was simple with basic greens and a few veggies - pretty standard fare -- but he did say the raspberry vinaigrette dressing was exceptional.

Both sandwiches were very good. Jack said the tuna salad wasn't anything special, but then we're not exactly sure what could make tuna salad out of the ordinary (and he probably wouldn't like it if it were). My sausage link filled a large Italian hoagie roll, and there was so much sauce, peppers and onions on top that I literally couldn't get it to my mouth without spilling it. In the end, I just pulled it apart and ate it with a knife and fork, enjoying both the sausage and the delicious sauce.

Our next visit also came at lunch, but this time, we sat on the "restaurant" side, where there are a number of booths and tables. Once again, we got the last available booth, which happened to be near the wall board that listed the day's specials. I walked over to check out the buffet as well. I found a variety of pastas, pizzas, soup, salad and even small sandwiches, and everything looked appealing. Still, I'm not much of a buffet aficionado, so I decided to pass on this option (as did Jack).

We deliberated for a while, and finally I ordered the Reuben lunch special with fries ($6.99, down 30 cents or so from the usual price). . Jack decided to go healthier with a turkey burger ($6.70), choosing a side salad with that great raspberry vinaigrette dressing instead of fries or soup.

After I'd ordered my sandwich, our friendly server (for the record, we've never met a server here anything close to unfriendly) told me they have great Reubens. That's a fact I knew to be true since I've had them here before, but not very recently. When it arrived, it contained the requisite corned beef, sauerkraut and thousand island dressing on delicious grilled, buttery marble rye bread. The fries didn't look like the overwhelming amount some restaurants pile on these days, but even after sharing a few with Jack I had plenty left.

Jack was happy with his ground turkey burger, which was topped with tomato and grilled onion and tomato as requested and rather sizable. In fact, he polished it off with time enough to spare that he could help me finish my Reuben.

If you go:

BB Rooners Food & Spirits
256 E. State St.
Salem, Ohio 44460
(330) 337-0001
www.bbroonersfoodandspirits.com

Open at 11 a.m. for lunch and dinner seven days a week.

RICKY'S ENGLISH PUB

Being a cheapskate has its benefits, and never is that more true than when my husband Jack and I are looking for a good place to eat. One day a year or so ago, we'd been on a late-morning photography expedition in Beaver Creek State Park near Lisbon, Ohio, and by the time we were making our way back home, it was way past the usual lunch hour and we were starving.

Nearing Salem, we considered stopping at one of our favorite places, BB Rooners, but on a whim I pulled out the envelope I keep in my purse that's filled with discount coupons for local eateries -- some from that year's Entertainment Book and others I snip from newspapers and advertising supplements. In it was a coupon good for $5 off a $25 purchase at a place we've seen often but never been in -- Ricky's English Pub.

With its latticework on the exterior, it really does remind me of what I'd think an English pub would look like. The reason we've not gone in, I suspect, is we figured it would be a fancy-schmancy (read: expensive), sit-down restaurant that's much more formal than we like, especially for lunch. Our coupon, though, gave us the confidence that even if the prices were a bit on the high side, we'd be able to fill up without emptying the piggy bank.

In fact, the interior is quite homey and comfortable -- and once again, the English pub influence is evident. The tables all have white linen cloths, and there's lots of dark wood and soft lighting. And surprise: The prices are quite reasonable, with several entrees in the $10.99 or less range.

Once we looked at the menu (and realized we wouldn't blow the budget here), Jack decided to sample a cup of lobster bisque ($3.50 at the time but now $4), and because this was our first time here and decision-making is tough, we ordered the appetizer sampler to share. At $7.50, it's loaded with onion rings, breaded mushrooms, mozzarella sticks and olives -- all of which, I hasten to add, are delicious. While we were waiting, we both enjoyed a glass of cold beer (that's Jack at the left).

There's an extensive, and very tempting, list of salads, ranging from simple mixed greens to grilled salmon Caesar to a grilled chicken and strawberry with candied walnuts and feta cheese (the latter is $9.99, but it's got my name written all over it for a later visit). Today, though, we settled on a couple of sandwiches.

The two we picked -- shaved-beef Philly steak with grilled onions, peppers and cheese ($6.95) and the batter-dipped cod "Prince of Whales" fish sandwich at $8.50 (which, trust me, lived up to the name in size) aren't on the latest menu. But I'm guessing the "regular" fish sandwich, also priced at $8.50, is much the same, though perhaps a bit smaller in a nod to the need of most restaurants to cut back a bit on portion side in light of the horrible economy.

Both sandwiches were accompanied by steak fries, which were wonderfully tender and tasty.

We didn't get back to the Salem area for several months, but when we did, the decision to visit Ricky's again was a no-brainer. At about 12:30 p.m. on a weekday it wasn't crowded, but there were several people in there since still lunchtime. The first thing we noticed on table this time is a two-page menu of martinis of all kinds and flavors. I've gone on record before by saying I don't consider anything except gin (or vodka), a touch of vermouth and a lime or onion garnish to be a martini, but all these fruity concoctions sure sounded wonderful whatever they're called.

There's a short list of daily specials, such as a shrimp basket and fries for $7. Once again, we had one of those spend $25, get $5 off coupons, so once again, we needed to get a couple of appetizers to make it past the $25. There are many from which to choose -- some on the more unusual side like breaded Asiago olives for $3.95 and breaded dill pickle spears for $4.25.

Our choices, though, were the jumbo crabmeat-stuffed mushrooms for Jack -- three for $6.95 -- and fried banana peppers with marinara sauce for $5.75 for me. For entrees, we wanted the English flavor, choosing from a list of five distinctly English pub-like specialties like Shepherd's pie ($8.99) and Guinness Fish & Chips ($10.99). Ultimately, I couldn't resist trying Bangers & Mash, or sausage and mashed potatoes, for $7.99. Jack wasn't too hungry (and figured his appetizer would fill him up anyway), so he ordered the Welsh Rarebit, or cheese sauce over toast ($6.95)

Both entrees came with salads, and we chose our favorite ranch and thousand island (me and him, respectively).

The appetizers arrived first, and the first thing we concluded was that Jack was right to stick with a smaller entree. The mushrooms can't be called anything but huge -- 4 to 5 inches in diameter -- and stuffed to overflowing with crabmeat and served with a side of melted butter. My banana peppers, though, were a bit of a surprise; the peppers are lightly breaded and fried, then topped with a huge mound of chunky, slightly sweet marinara sauce.

The peppers are quite delicious, and if I scraped off the sauce, I could taste the zing of heat from them. In a perfect world, I prefer the peppers with sauce on the side (or no sauce at all), but that didn't keep me from scarfing down every single one of these babies.

Our salad bowls were filled with crisp greens plus tomato, cucumber, onion and shredded carrots. Nothing out of the ordinary, mind you, but the dressings were quite tasty and we enjoyed them immensely.

Then came the entrees, which kept us both busy for a while. My bangers turned out to be two very large kielbasa-style sausages (very spicy, just as I like them), and the mashed redskins were served in a ramekin. Given the appetizer I'd consumed earlier, I had room for only one banger, bringing the other and some of the potatoes -- along with one of those huge stuffed mushrooms -- home to eat later.

Meantime, Jack really liked the Welsh Rarebit, making it a point to mention that it should be relatively easy to make back in our own kitchen (with a knowing wink at me, of course). He also made it a point to do his eating English-style, cutting with the fork in his left hand and not transferring it to the right to bring it to his mouth as we do here across the Pond.

If you go: Ricky's English Pub
151 E. State St.
Salem, Ohio 44460
(330) 332-2825

Open Monday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m.; closed Sundays.