I ate at these three places on the lake at lunch on Friday. They all are on or near Main St. You take St Clair St off 441 to get there. They were on that Sentinel list that I have referenced before.
O'Keefe's Irish Pub - I had a potato baxty with smoked salmon for $15. It was a mound of mashed potatoes (like a knish) with a baked coating. It also came with shredded onion and sour cream. It was very tasty. It made laugh to think that the Nova Supreme (bagel and salmon with veg) may be a rip off of an Irish recipe. Especially when I think back on how often my Irish classmates would call me a Yid for ordering one. Then again, maybe O'Keefe's is the one who was inspired by the Supreme. The rest of the menu is normal pub food (sandwiches and burgers). They had three or four more Irish specialties. They have been there for 33 years. They have a patio that faces the lake. The main room is split by a wine storage "wall". The bar is in the rear. The place is lined with mugs with patrons names on them. Beer mirrors and posters make up the majority of the remaining decoration. It was clean. Not smoky.
Ruby Street Grille - I was going to rip them apart and then I wasn't and now I might. It's not as cute as it might sound. The place stunk of Febreeze covering something worse. I went in and then left for O'Keefe's. I came back only to get something to go that would knock this off the list. I settled on the daily special (pulled pork and beans and potato salad and bread) because everything else was overpriced and mundane and might have forced me to smell the air longer. It cost $9. The portion was huge. Three servings. Probably trying to ditch it before it spoiled. It was edible. Probably that shredded pork that comes in a plastic bag. WAY too much sauce. Hidden calories. I am ashamed of the caloric intake. The potato salad was also from a bag. I saw them scooping in from the mother ship. I didn't eat the beans. So, big portion, average food. It was a wash. But...I got a really sore throat the next day and feel a little flu-zy today. It could be the place I had lunch the next day or their razor edged chips plus my hangover or it was something here. I hate to cast aspersions, but, the throat thing happened to quick after lunch the next day for me to point my finger that way. Now, maybe I'll feel better tomorrow and decide this wasn't the flu. If I do, I'll amend the post. The place isn't very nice looking. The art inside is particularly bad. The deck may be what you come for. It seemed like one of the "bad house band" joints. It has been there for nine years.
Lake Dora Sushi and Sake - I grabbed a three roll special to go and was very pleased. If the quality of their "real" sushi is as good as these "entry" rolls. then they really have something. Especially since the pieces were priced at around $2-$3. My combo (with miso soup) cost $9. The rolls were medium size cut into eight pieces. Now I could get nit picky and say that the cuts were not uniform, but, I will concentrate on the good. The rice was properly prepared. It had very little to no vinegar. The tuna in the spicy tuna roll was discards, but, they weren't cat food and weren't pureed into a paste. You could taste and feel the tuna. The salmon in the Alaska roll was good enough. They (thankfully) added just a smear of cream cheese (not a caloric cube). The avocado in the avocado roll was fresh. The wasabi was fresh. I ate it all as soon as I got home. Now, I had been jones-ing for sushi for about a week, but, that has to count for something. And compared to what you get at the supermarket for $9, this is a steal. The owners are Japanese. There were two framed articles outlining their thoughts on the place (positive). I can't say you have to come this far for it, but, if you live here then you could have drawn worse lots. I also liked that they are wise enough to sense a marketing opportunity. They add a wrapper to their chopsticks sleeve that has there contact info. The also serve up hot items including soba. The place has a sushi abr and a main room. It is decorated in a funky way.
*There was also an ok looking bar (Bru) and a coffee place (something Bear) and an ice cream shop near these spots. And the sea planes.
No comments:
Post a Comment