NIKI'Z PUB

For many years, my husband Jack and I were big fans of Nicolino's Restaurant in Niles (the best linguine with clam sauce anywhere, IMHO). Later, it became Niki'z, a makeover primarily spearheaded by Nick Logan, one of the sons of owners Anthony and Mary Ann Donatelli Logan (or so we were told at the time). Then one sad day, it was gone - to be replaced by a couple of different eateries, most recently the High Pointe Restaurant & Tavern. The only constant is that things change, we sighed, wishing we could turn back the hands of time.

Imagine our delight, then, when friends told us that Niki'z is back in town! Sure enough, it's now on Mason Street, in a corner building that once housed the Naus Club. It's quite small, and the menu primarily consists of pub food (except once a month, but more on that later). Alas, no linguine or pizza, but Nick told us plans are in the works for an expansion that could include a pizza oven. And, they still have that lunch rewards card - buy nine items, get the card punched and get a sandwich free next time you go.


The first wonderful surprise is a popcorn machine just inside the door. I absolutely love popcorn - there are relatively large containers and a scoop right by the machine for DIY scoops. The surprise, though, is that there's a noticeable kick of heat. I've asked our server a couple of times how they do it, but she's just smiled and said it's a secret. One day, however, I discovered the "secret" - but no, I won't reveal it here.

Although the menu is limited compared with what the restaurant used to have, everything we've tried here has been excellent - including one important carryover: Niki's homemade Italian hot sausage patty sandwich, topped with sauteed peppers and onions and provolone cheese on a toasted Italian roll ($6.99). Yum!

There's a good selection of appetizers here, including Italian fried greens sauteed in olive oil and garlic ($4.50), Jalapeno bottle caps ($4.99) and even fried pickle slices ($4.99). That last one, however, we'll leave to someone else to try. One thing that's still on my to-eat list as of this writing is Niki'z Stuffed Hot Peppers - yellow Hungarian peppers stuffed with special cheese mix served over marinara sauce ($6.50). I used to love them at the old place, and I have no doubt they're delicious here as well.

Daily specials are listed on a board - at this writing, Tuesday is 50-cent wing day, for instance. But generally, we stick with our favorite things, and if I don't get that hot sausage sandwich it's likely to be the traditional gyro ($6.50). A grilled chicken gyro is available, too, but  nothing will do for me except the traditional. It's a pita filled with thin slices of gyro meat plus tomato, black olives, onion, lettuce and homemade cucumber sauce.

Still another fave is the chicken fingers basket with fries ($6.50) - the breading isn't too heavy and tastes great, as does the dipping sauce. Prefer clams? There's a basket of them as well, also $6.50. You'll find several dinner-size salads, and build-your-own burgers, with half a pound of ground sirloin, start at $5.50.

The wings are good here as well - both traditional and boneless (six for $4.50 and six for $5, respectively). Our sauce preference is butter garlic or garlic parmesan, but there are plenty of other choices. Niki'z does catering, too, and a tray of 36 wings is $22.50, for instance. 

On our most recent visit, though, we tried a couple of different items (for us, at least). Jack had the chicken melt pita ($6.50, and he asked for it on a regular bun). It was delicious - grilled chicken breast topped with sauteed mushrooms and onions and topped with melted American cheese. I tried - and loved - the pulled pork BBQ ($6.99), a large sandwich of shredded hickory pit roasted pork shoulder on an Italian roll. It comes with a side of Niki'z special BBQ sauce, which is delicious as well. All sandwiches, I should add, come with either pasta salad or cole slaw; for a buck more you can substitute fries, and an extra 50 cents will let you turn just about any sandwich into a wrap.

For a really big treat, come here on the first Saturday of each month, when Nick cranks up that hickory pit to crank out roasted lamb, pork (including ribs), chicken and ham - all available for takeout (meats are sold by the pound and chickens are sold by halves and wholes). I've been told there's quite a crowd, so it might be a good idea to call ahead and order what you want. We haven't yet tried most of these, although ham and chicken are on our must-eat list. We can, however, attest to the deliciousness of those ribs, which are available other times. On a recent Saturday evening, in fact, we and friends Jerry and Barb from Niles licked our fingers as each of us got a half rack ($10, including two sides). Yum!

If you go:

Niki'z
508 Mason St.
Niles, Ohio 44446
(330) 544-6100

Open daily at 11 a.m.

https://www.facebook.com/Nikizpub

MARY YODER'S AMISH KITCHEN

Flashback: It was a beautiful spring day - one of the first of the season when the sun was shining brightly, the temperatures were heading a bit north of 60 degrees and a few flowers were in bloom. Looking for somewhere to go for a drive, I happened to look first in our refrigerator and notice that our supply of cheese was dangerously low.


Ah yes, I said - what better day to head for Middlefield, Ohio, and replenish that drawer with some of that wonderful stuff from Middlefield Cheese? It's in the heart of Geauga County Amish country, so I knew the scenery would be great for viewing and photographing as well.

As my husband Jack and I neared downtown Middlefield, we passed Mary Yoder's Amish Kitchen. As if on cue, we said to each other, almost simultaneously, that it's a place we really need to visit. That's when Jack's "Aha!" moment hit; we'd be leaving the cheese shop right about the time we usually have lunch and we'd be hungry, so why don't we give it a try? Never one to turn down a meal, I quickly agreed and the deal was sealed.

This is quite a popular restaurant, I should add - reminiscent of Hartville Kitchen in Hartville, Ohio, and Das Dutch Haus in Columbiana, the food is hearty, down home stick-to-your ribs stuff. And that means it's best not to get there at peak meal hours. In our case, we didn't arrive till close to 1:30, but even then, we had plenty of company. 

Like those other restaurants I mentioned, Mary Yoder's has a nice gift shop and bakery for take-home treats. There seemed to be an abundance of doggie-related goodies - found a hanging sign I almost bought for our friends in Powell, Ohio, who are "parents" to two beautiful Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. The picture on it looked just like their sweet Lucy. 

Hungry as we were, though, we pressed on to the waiting line, which wasn't long at all. I imagine it would move fairly quickly, though, because there's plenty of room inside with at least four rather large dining rooms. The white woodwork and large windows make for a very light, airy look and feel, and the Amish quilts hanging on the walls (for sale, we assume) are absolutely gorgeous.

As luck would have it, we arrived on a day when the lunch buffet was a happening thing ($12.69 per person on Friday, Saturday and Monday). The price includes the salad bar but not beverages or dessert - unless you want fruit from the salad bar as your dessert as we usually do. Since this was our first visit here, we both decided on the buffet just so we could sample more different things. That turned out to be a smart decision, and if you're making a first visit, I encourage you to do the same. 


The servers here are noticeably friendly and attentive and are, in keeping with the decor, dressed mostly in white. Learning that we were first-timers, in fact, ours suggested the buffet. She then took our drink orders and brought dinner rolls (there's a choice between white and wheat and we chose the latter).

Then it was off to that buffet. First up was the salad bar, where I was delighted to find a container of my favorite pickled hard-boiled eggs as well as the basic greens and plenty of add-ins like chopped eggs, bacon bits and fresh radish slices. Another section had macaroni and potato salads, cottage cheese, Greek-style pasta salad and more. I especially enjoyed the pasta salad (besides those wonderful pickled eggs), and the bleu cheese dressing was excellent. Jack said the thousand island dressing was extra-good.


The entree section is very much a mother lode of down-home comfort foods, from green beans and corn (neither of which had that "canned" taste that's common on other buffets we've tried), and the mashed potatoes are the real thing. To top them, I passed over brown gravy and what appeared to be sausage gravy and opted instead for a sauce filled with healthy-size chunks of chicken I figured was to be put over biscuits (confirmed later by our server, who told me lots of folks do exactly what I did and use it to top mashed potatoes instead). It was so good, in fact, that it was the only thing I put on my plate when I went back for seconds.

Let's see, what else did we love? In short, everything we sampled, from fork-tender roast beef pot-roast style in juice, beef and noodles and stuffing (Jack's favorites) and to-die-for breaded roasted chicken that literally fell off the bone. The breading was quite flavorful but didn't overwhelm the meat - very much like my mama used to make.

We didn't have room for any dessert save some of that fruit from the salad bar for me, but I know the homemade pies are a real treat here ($3.69 per slice) as are the apple dumplings with sauce ($4.69, with a sugar-free version available as well).

Of course, just about any item on the buffet can be ordered as a standalone dinner, which includes those homemade rolls and two side dishes that range from home fries to mac-and-cheese to a tossed salad and more. The restaurant also serves family-style dinners, which are nice for larger groups. With one meat, the cost is $16.19 per person, and the other items included with it are too numerous to mention here. There's also a list of sandwiches and hot sandwiches, to which you can add the salad bar for $4.69 more.

If you go:

Mary Yoder's Amish Kitchen
14743 N. State St.
Middlefield, Ohio 44062
(440) 632-1939

http://www.maryyodersamishkitchen.com

Open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

EL CARLOS MEXICAN RESTAURANT

Growing up on a farm in southwestern Ohio was for the most part a wonderful experience (except maybe when my Dad refused to buy me the horse I always wanted). But from a culinary standpoint, diversity wasn't a strong point. I didn't taste pizza (or for that matter, even know it existed) until junior high; heck, we were thrilled when an A&W drive-in and Dairy Queen came to town. I was even more thrilled when I got my first real summer job at DQ, too - and I'll bet I still could do a pretty good job of putting those curls on ice cream cones.

"Real" food, whether it was breakfast, lunch or dinner (back home we called the meals breakfast, dinner and supper) was mostly eggs, meat, potatoes and veggies - and often, it came right from our own land or maybe one of our neighbors. Finding anything that had origins in any country other than the US of A was next to impossible.

I suppose that's why I went a little wild and crazy when I arrived in this neck of the woods courtesy of marrying my husband Jack. There seemed to be an Italian restaurant on every corner, interspersed here and there with Greek, Lebanese and a few other ethnic groups. Hot peppers in oil? Check. Wedding soup? Check. Stuffed grape leaves? Double-check. This must be food heaven, I thought.

But one type of food wasn't easy to find on local menus back in the 1960s - Mexican. That is, not unless we made the drive to Lake Milton to El Carlos. Before we got tied down with two munchkins and full-time jobs, we'd enjoy a meal out there every once in a while. After that, for the most part we settled for pizza delivery and Mickey D's.

But in fact, Mexican food has always been a favorite of mine, although like oriental cuisine, every couple of months is often enough to satisfy my cravings. And clearly, it's become a favorite of many folks especially in recent years; Mexican restaurants seem to have taken the place of Italian joints on those street corners.

One afternoon not long ago, though, we were driving around Lake Milton to get some photographs in the state park and decided we needed sustenance. As fate would have it, we spotted El Carlos - and in we went. Since then, I'm happy to report, we've been back several times. 

The first time we came we noticed is that the place has been spruced up. Located in what's basically an old house, it's never been fancy; but now, the exterior has been spiffed up, and the interior has colorful walls, larger windows and some pretty spectacular sombreros hanging on the walls. There's a dining room and separate room with a bar and more tables and chairs; neither is huge, but both are comfortable and inviting. 


Come here Tuesday through Friday (it's closed on Mondays), and you'll find $2 lunch specials from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. For that amount, you can choose a beef and been burrito, beef enchilada, crispy beef taco, beef and bean chalupa, fries or a taco salad - so one of the Mexican treats plus fries or a salad will set you back a modest four bucks. We didn't notice any on-tap beer, but domestic bottles are a reasonable $2.50 and they also have Mexican and other specialty beers as well as mixed drinks including the requisite margaritas (except on Sundays, when you'll have to settle for beer).

You won't find sandwiches here either, except on the "American" food list, which is short and includes things like a hamburger, grilled cheese, grilled ham and BLT sandwiches (all quite reasonably priced from $1.75 for the grilled cheese to $4.25 for a Texas cheeseburger). But that's fine with me; I can't imagine coming here for anything except the Mexican stuff anyway.

Food here can be purchased ala carte, such as a variety of burritos, tacos, fajitas, enchiladas, chalupas and quesadillas; most range from a couple of bucks to $4.75 for the combo fajitas with steak, chicken and veggies. There's even a Mexican pizza for $5.25 - two crispy flour tortillas topped with beef and beans, cheese, peppers and onions and black olives.


Whatever you end up with, though, you'll get a basket of wonderfully delicious corn chips and a bowl of homemade salsa (the salsa is very mild, so I always add hot sauce). One order (one bowl of each) is complimentary, but you can buy more if you want. Usually, we opt for the chili con queso appetizer; the bowl of creamy warm cheese-and-salsa for dipping is absolutely irresistible (and a pretty substantial quantity for $4.50).

A few dinner salads are on the menu as well - served in tortilla bowls with greens and various toppings - and our daughter tried one at one of our visits and was quite happy. But generally, we'll go for one of the whole dinners, which are served with rice and refried beans. I'm partial to the seafood enchilada, while Jack is especially fond of the Mexican stuffed pepper with melted cheese on top ($8 for the full dinner). But the menu lists somewhere around 17 different possibilities, so there's something for just about everyone.


The dinners are quite substantial, too, so you won't go home hungry and, if you're like us, more than likely will end up going home with something in a box. The tacos are fairly large with plenty of meat, although  will say the beef was on the salty side. The refried beans are as tasty as I've had anywhere, but the rice lacked much flavor even after I doused it with the hot salsa I had left from the complimentary bowl.

Another tip: Unless you're sharing it with several someones, it's likely you won't be able to eat all of the chili con queso sauce. If you're having tacos, adding some of the cheesy sauce will make them even more delicious. If all else fails, ask for a container to take it home; our server told us it heats up quite well in the microwave, and she's right.

If you go:

El Carlos Mexican Restaurant
17679 Mahoning Ave.
Lake Milton, Ohio 44429
(330) 654-3257

Open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon to 9 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday.

FIVE GUYS BURGERS AND FRIES

Quite honestly, I could probably live the rest of my life without having another hamburger. Some of that is because I just don't eat much red meat any more, but I suspect another reason is that I so miss the wonderful Maid-Rite sandwiches from Greenville, Ohio, near the farm where I grew up. Not sloppy joes but "loose meat," the recipe has remained a secret ever since the place started in 1926 (no, I was not a customer back then). Every single time my husband Jack and I go back "down home," though, I insist on grabbing a big bag of the treats from the brick building that's known as a hangout for the used chewing gum teenagers stick on the walls.

That said, every once in a while I do get a hankering for a good ol' burger, whether it be plain with mustard, lettuce and tomato or a fancy schmancy job topped with bacon and/or bleu cheese. Generally, I satisfy the urge at Gasoline Alley in Niles or Fudruckers in the Eastwood Mall. But when we spotted a Five Guys Burgers and Fries near the Walmart store on Elm Road in Cortland a while back, I started to salivate and said, "Let's give it a try."


Other shops are in Boardman and Austintown (we've been to the latter), and the closest Pennsylvania location I could find is in Meadville. For the record, the whole thing started in Arlington, Va., in 1986; today, there are more than 1,000 locations nationwide and another 1,500 or so under development, or so the website says. You can hook up with them on Facebook and Twitter, place orders online and enjoy a totally trans-fat free menu. They do, however, use peanut oil, so anyone with a peanut allergy should stay away.

The restaurants are relatively small, but quite colorful and fun. Food is packed in brown paper bags, you can grab a container of peanuts in the shells from a huge bin -- they're free) -- and huge bags of potatoes are stacked to form the entrance to the order-your-own counter. In addition to burgers, Five Guys is known for fries, which come in a big plastic cup reminiscent of Idora Park. The cups are so full that they spill out, making big grease spots on the brown paper bag.

Although this is a neat place for kids, it's not the least expensive burger joint on the block; our total bill at our first visit was $17.74 including tax, and that was for two "regular" hamburgers, one order of fries, one large soft drink and one bottle of water. But those regular burgers ($4.89 at the time of our first visit and $5.29 at our second) are double patties, and all the fixin's are free, including jalapenos, tomatoes, grilled mushrooms, pickles, relish and a variety of sauces. As it turns out, the "little" burger, which is a single patty, would have been less expensive and quite sufficient for me - and I'm sure would be enough to satisfy young children.

Comparatively, a regular bacon cheeseburger (now $6.69), a kosher style hot dog is $3.59 and a grilled cheese $3.59. The beef is always cooked well done and is fresh - there are no freezers in any of the restaurants, the website says. There's a veggie burger as well ($2.99) into which you can put any or all of the vegetables that are on the menu into a bun. I haven't tried that yet, but it sure sounds yummy.


The hamburgers are unusually flavorful, and in Austintown, I tried the kosher hot dog topped with onions, jalapenos and mustard. The dog is split in half lengthwise and grilled, exactly the way I do them at home. The jalapenos, I hasten to add, pack enough heat that they're not for the faint of heart.

Jack got a hamburger with his favorite grilled onions and mushrooms as he did at Cortland, noting - as he did then - that's is really nice to get all those toppings at no extra cost. In addition to finding a bit of a price hike, we ran into a newfangled push-button drink dispenser here; it's just different enough that it took a little extra time (and more than a couple of sloppy mistakes) to figure out how it works. Pretty cool, actually!

If you go:

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

Cortland: (330) 372-0232
Austintown: (330) 953-2880
Boardman: (330) 629-8038

http://www.fiveguys.com

Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. 

CAFE 422

One of the many pluses of living in the Mahoning Valley, as I've said time after time, is accessibility to some of the best restaurant food anywhere in the country. Conversely, one of the minuses is that restaurants come and go. Sometimes, the demise falls under the Who Cares? category; other times, not so much.

As longtime Valley residents (my husband Jack from birth and me after we got married), we well remember the bustling U.S. Route 422 "Strip" that was lined with wonderful places to eat. At the heart were Alberini's, El Rio, Cafe 422, Jimmy Chieffo, Cherry's Top of the Mall, The Living Room and the Town and Country where we got to see big-name Kenley Players after the shows at Packard Music Hall. The parking lots overflowed every evening, and at least once a week, our car was among them.

Today, these treasures are gone, the most recent of which to close its doors is Alberini's. That is, with one notable exception: Cafe 422. The folks who started the place back in 1939 - the late Guerino "Greenie" Abruzzi and Orazio Rossi - are long gone, but the restaurant was sold to Serdar Dede a few years back. Since then, he's kept the name, the hot peppers in oil and good food, and in 2012 he opened a second location in the former Rusty's Southside Grille in Boardman.


Our first visit for review purposes was at the original location with our usual friends Jerry and Barb from Niles - on Valentine's Day, no less - and the first time we've been there since it changed hands. The interior configuration hasn't changed much from what we remember, but it's been updated. The main dining room now has windows that reflect the Route 422 scene, for instance - much more airy and light. In another area, a large bar dominates (we sat in this section).

Needless to say, I had to try the hot peppers in oil as an appetizer ($3.50) - diners no longer get a free dish as was the custom long ago. Water was poured automatically - which I always take as a sign that customers are well cared for. Right after we ordered drinks and entrees, our server returned with a basket of fresh bread and butter.


Immediately, we dug into those hot peppers in oil. While I'll say they're different from the ones I remember, they were quite delicious (and hot enough to be not too popular with the others at our table, much to my delight).

It took us a while to decide on entrees, but decide we did. Barb chose the broiled salmon with lemon butter sauce, one of several three-course dinners priced at $17.99. They come with soup or salad, one side and a dessert (chocolate cake, raspberry cheesecake - her choice - coconut cream pie, tiramisu, creme brulee, a brownie sundae, Italian spumoni or ice cream. How's that for choices?

Jack finally picked the Italian-style whitefish, sauteed with hot peppers, olives and onions in a light marinara sauce ($16.99), but not before he asked if he could substitute less hot peppers - certainly, our server said.

Jerry and I are huge walleye fans, so we couldn't resist the walleye over sauteed greens, one of the specials of the day ($17.95). He chose a Caesar salad, while I went with wedding soup. Since the entrees also come with a side, I asked what my choices were, but the server said the sauteed greens counted as the side and I didn't get a second. Not a big greens lover, I almost switched entrees, but when our server said the fish was ample in size (and did I say that I love walleye), I stuck with my original decision.

The results? For openers, the wedding soup definitely ranks among my top three favorites; the flavorful broth is filled with a couple of tiny meatballs and veggies but not to the point of having very little broth. If there's a downside, it's that it comes in a very tiny cup - I'd love to have enjoyed a few more spoonsful.

Barb's salmon was excellent, and Jack's whitefish was a goodly size with an abundance of veggies in the topping (he did say he could have done without a few of those olives, though). Jerry and I loved the walleye as expected, but as it turned out, it's a good thing I also loved the sauteed greens. Had I not, the filet wouldn't have come close to filling me up; I hadn't eaten much the whole day to "save up" for our special Valentine's Day splurge. On the whole, we all agreed the meals and ambience here are wonderful and a refreshing change from our usual casual dining - but we also agreed prices are a bit on the high side so it's not a place we can afford to visit very often.


We didn't waste a lot of time heading to the Boardman location - also with Jerry and Barb in tow - but this time it was for lunch (Jack took this photo of the three of us). The building is quite impressive, and the decor is absolutely elegant. Soft muted grays and browns blend comfortably with blonde wood tables with comfy chairs.

There's a separate lunch menu as well as a daily specials list; our server said the menu is virtually the same as Warren, although Boardman doesn't have the three-course specials. Here, too, we had a tough time making up our minds. I was the first to decide, although I fluctuated between Cajun tilapia over orzo for $7.99 or clam linguine with white sauce at $9.99 (the latter won out). Opting for soup over salad, I ordered pasta fagioli instead of clam chowder.

Jack was in a fishy mood as well, choosing parmesan crusted haddock with sauteed greens and tomato vinaigrette salsa plus a salad with sweet-and-sour dressing for $9.99. For Barb, it was eggplant parmesan with a salad (the blue cheese dressing added a $1.25 upcharge). She also asked if she could have the standard red sauce on the eggplant and just olive oil on the accompanying pasta and was told that would be no problem.

Jerry broke ranks by going with a sandwich, prime rib with sauteed onions, peppers and mozzarella on ciabatta bread ($9.99). He picked a salad with sweet-and-sour dressing.

We also got a loaf of delicious warm bread before our entrees arrived. The lunch portions weren't huge - we all polished off every single bite - but each was well worth the price in terms of size. Barb raved about the eggplant, mostly because it was an exceptionally thick chunk and the coating was crispy, just as she likes it. The pasta seemed to have an overabundance of butter rather than "straight" olive oil, and our server confirmed Barb's assessment, adding that there was a bit of garlic in there as well. The extra cost of the bleu cheese dressing, Barb said, was money well spent.

Pasta fagioli's never been a favorite (I ordered it simply because I didn't want a salad or clam chowder). But this was quite different; light pink, relatively thin broth filled with tiny pasta rings and other goodies. I doubt I'd want an entire bowl, but I wouldn't hesitate to order it again - although those salads, with a variety of greens - looked great as well.

My linguine was especially tasty, with no shortage of shredded clams. After I added a few sprinkles of hot pepper seeds, I was in pasta heaven. Meanwhile, Jack deemed his fish excellent, and he said the greens were unexpectedly flavorful and the tartar-like dipping sauce was unique and delicious.

Jerry - who's usually the most loquacious of our foursome, for the most part chowed down quietly until every bit of his sandwich disappeared. Did he like it? "Kick-ass! he pronounced.

If you go:

Cafe 422
4422 Youngstown Road S.E.
Warren, Ohio 44484
(330) 369-2422

http://www.cafe422.com

Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. The Boardman location is open on Sunday only for private parties and one hour later than Warren on all evenings.

BOMBAY SITAR

Even if you're not an aficionado of classic Indian cuisine - and I admit it's not at the top of my preference list - it's hard to imagine you won't find something (or several somethings) to love at Bombay Sitar. My husband Jack and I not long ago discovered the treasures inside courtesy of our son Scott and daughter-in-law Lilla - a friend from India had recommended it to them. Ever since, my mouth has been watering for a return visit. The only reason for the delay is that its location in the Belden Village Mall in Canton means close to two hours of driving time for us coming and going.


It is, however, well worth that driving time, especially if you like authentic Indian cuisine. All food here is prepared fresh daily with no additives or preservatives, or so says the website, which also notes that the curry used isn't the supermarket variety. If you're among the some who like it hot, you'll find it here (or you can request that any dish be spiced up to your liking). And if you think all curry is spicy, think again; in fact, most of the dishes we tried were full of flavor but totally without "heat."

If you're unsure of what you'll like - or if, like us, it's your first time here - I strongly advise visiting during lunch hours (on weekends, it's around noon to 3 p.m.). The cost is a very reasonable $8.49 Friday through Sunday ($7.99 on weekdays), and you'll be able to sample a little bit of everything. As we quickly learned, it does get a bit crowded on weekends, and it's not a large restaurant, so plan to arrive as close to opening time as you can to avoid what could be a rather lengthy wait.


We did just that and were seated almost immediately (and almost immediately afterward a line of hopefuls were lined up all the way outside the door). Our server brought glasses of water right away and took our drink order - you can get bottled beer and several wines by the glass if you want. 

There were five in our party, including Lilla's wonderful mum Sheila, and every single one of us signed on for the buffet. My first round included a cup of sambar, a spicy soup that was delicious with a mild (to me) kick - turns out that was a favorite of Scott's as well. I also liked the Tandori-style chicken with grilled onions and peppers - a wonderful flavor that wasn't at all hot. This dish, I decided, would be fine as a stand-alone meal, which I'll consider the next time we're there - but only if I can pass up that wonderful buffet, which is doubtful.

"We all thought the vegetable pakora were excellent (fritters of onion and other vegetables), but everything was very good and there's nothing else I'd single out," Scott told me later. I concur; there were a few standouts for me as well, but on the whole there wasn't much I tried that I didn't like.

The mixed grill has an assortment of bone-in and boneless chicken, shrimp, seekh kebob and chicken tandoori and is quite delicious, and I loved the Chicken Tikka Masala, or boneless pieces of chicken tikka in a creamy butter sauce with fresh tomatoes. Most of the buffet items were in a sauce best eaten over rice, and there were at least two kinds of rice for that purpose.

The buffet items when we were there included onion chutney and achar, or Indian hot and spicy mixed pickles, as well as "hot sauce." I tried them all, and the achar was quite hot, but I wasn't fond of the in-your-face flavor. The hot sauce, however, was another story entirely; filled with hot pepper seeds and extremely spicy hot, it went very well with a couple of the bread-type items like the veggie-stuffed appetizer pitas cut on the diagonal that were next to the  soup. It is not for the faint of heart, however - just a tiny bite took my breath away.

Other buffet items I enjoyed are the vegetable samosa, dal makhni (lentils) and chana saat (chickpeas and tomato sauce with a potato here and there) and a similar-sounding chana saag, with chickpeas, spinach and ginger. The latter was good but not a favorite - ginger isn't my favorite flavor unless it's almost unnoticeable.

There wasn't much room for dessert, but I did try the kheer (rice pudding) that's made with almonds and pistachios. I'm not even close to a fan of rice pudding, mind you, but I love both of those nuts and figured maybe the flavor would come through. It did, but not enough for me; the pudding was a bit on the bland side, which might be on purpose to counter the spice in the regular dishes. However, it tasted way too much like milk with tiny lumps - and there's no way to express my distaste for milk. But then inspiration struck, and I added a bunch of sugar; it may not have qualified as Indian cuisine after that, but it sure made it taste great to me.

If you go:

Bombay Sitar
4633 Belden Village St. N.W.
Canton, Ohio 44718
(330) 493-0671

http://www.bombaysitar.com

Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday; 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday. Closed from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

GUY'S AWARD-WINNING BBQ

Updated 12/21/13: Just got word from Art Byrd that this place has closed. Too bad - best sauce I've had in a long time!

When someone offers a tip on a great place to eat, I pay attention. When it comes from Art Byrd - producer of the Byrd's Eye View entertainment enewsletter who named Guy's Award-Winning BBQ as his favorite place for barbecue - I get there as fast as I can. So in short order after learning that, that my husband Jack and I, accompanied by a couple of hungry friends, got in the car and headed to the place.


At the outset, I'll point out that Guy's primarily is a take-out place. There are a couple of tables - it's located in a shopping plaza - but hardly anyone actually eats there. We didn't, either; like most folks, we placed our orders and hung around one of the tables while we waited (which wasn't for very long). Then, armed with boxes, we hurried back to our house to chow down. Luckily, we don't live very far away - the wonderful smells emanating from those boxes were extremely difficult to resist.

Even though we'd checked out the menu online, it took us a while to decide on what we wanted - mostly because we wanted to try everything. Having four of us made that a bit easier, since we could get different things and share. The ribs and chicken meals are done in the sweet BBQ sauce, and wings can be purchased (12 for $7.80) in any of the sauce flavors, like Hot BBQ and sugarless Smokey Garlic - the two we picked.

Although the emphasis here is on ribs, chicken dinners are available as well (and fish dinners like catfish and talapia are sold on Fridays). We thought about chicken dinners, but only for a second; we were here for those ribs (and anyway, we'd decided to try the chicken in the form of appendages).

Three of us ordered the five-rib dinners ($12.99 each), which come with two sides and Texas toast, while Jack opted for a boneless rib sandwich with one side ($6.99). Since our ribs are all alike (ribs and chicken meals are done in a very tasty sweet BBQ sauce), we made sure to try various sides: Mac and cheese (Jack), greens and potato salad (our friends Jerry and Barb) and potato salad and baked beans (me). Everything is neatly packaged in take-out containers with lids, so there's no fuss, no muss.

That is, until you start to eat. I dare anyone, in fact, to dig into either ribs or wings here without ending up with reddish spots all over your face and fingers. Somehow, to everyone else's delight, I even managed to get one on the end of my nose (and a couple on my sweatshirt - a word to the wise to use plenty of napkins).

Once we'd spread out all our goodies on the table, rounded up those requisite napkins and poured the equally requisite beers, we took a deep breath and got started. After a single bite, all three of us ribsters said - almost in unison - that these are the best we've ever had, bar none. They're not only among the biggest and most tender (the meat almost falls off the bones), but the thick, sweet sauce is absolutely delectable. We groaned - in a good way - and licked our fingers all the way to done.

Jack, meanwhile, loved the sauce, but his sandwich bun was so overflowing with meat that it was impossible to pick up. As for the sides, the mac and cheese was singularly unimpressive, but we all liked the potato salad and baked beans. Barb really liked the greens - Southern-style turnip greens, the cook back at the restaurant told us - with a touch of sauce that added a bit of a zing. The Texas toast made a perfect accompaniment.

We had so much else to eat that we couldn't come close to finishing the wings, but they, too, are large and meaty. The Hot BBQ sauce isn't - not a single complaint from any of the other three folks who don't like it hot. I expected (and would have preferred) something with more of a kick, but I agree this is delicious. So, too, is the sugarless smokey garlic; the smokey flavor comes through loud and clear, and you'd never, ever suspect it's sugarless.

If You Go:

Guy's Award-Winning BBQ
2545 Belmont Ave.
Youngstown, Ohio 44505
(330) 743-4897

http://www.guysbbq.com

Open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday; noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.