I suppose you can tell from my recent posts that we haven't been doing a ton of interesting dining out or cooking in recent days. Why? You might be asking - well, for anyone who doesn't work in restaurants or retail, this time of year in the restaurant business can be a little hectic. And it's cold outside. It's really, really cold outside. All I want to do is put on some jammies, preferably of the fleece variety, wrap up in my favorite fleece blanket (thanks, sis!), and curl up on the couch with a few cats and my current book (which is the Golden Compass trilogy, thanks for asking). I might want to whip up some real hot chocolate (the good stuff, made with chocolate shavings, milk, and a stick blender) or some canned soup, but that's about all. I am a total hibernator. If I could hole up until March, I would. Unfortunately, those freaks at Citibank seem really determined to get their mortgage payment every month, so that isn't an option. YET.
At any rate, we are still eating. And I thought I would be remiss if I didn't discuss a few things about which I didn't write full reviews. Some of these things might get full reviews in the future, just for the record.
- Husband and I have been taking a fair number of meals at Betty's lately. We've had a bit of off-and-on with Betty's. First of all, I love the interior. It's probably one of my favorite bar interiors of all time. But I had a few lackluster experiences awhile ago, and we've been "off" Betty's for awhile. In the meantime, I really liked Surly Girl a lot - definitely my favorite bar interior of all time. This comes from a girl who, when she was single, had a decorating theme similar to "neo brothel," in which I purchased loads of velvet furniture at auction - at one point, I had a fabulous purple mohair 30s sofa, a pink chair, an orange chair, a green ottoman with dingleberries, and a pink ottoman with gold legs (all velvet). It was fabulous. Unfortunately, Husband (then Boyfriend) informed me that he would no longer move the purple mohair sofa. EVER. (it was very heavy). And then my cat clawed all of the chairs and the ottomans were wobbly. And, when we were married, I tearfully watched my brothel melt away. Now I have very boring taupe colored microsuede from Macy's. Which was much more expensive than my auction furniture. The cats don't like to skritch at it, but it's far less stylish. Listen closely, and you can hear Husband laughing. And talking about how much he HATED that purple sofa. Hm. This isn't what we're hear to talk about, is it? OH! So, Betty's. Okay. So a few weeks ago, we went with friends after work. Here's my first Betty's tip: read all of the signs. Under no circumstances should you EVER seat yourself if the sign is turned to "please wait to be seated." We didn't even notice the sign, and strolled in and seated ourselves, and then we had to be scolded by our server. You've been notified.
So. That first night, I tried the spring rolls, which were very tasty, and Husband had the Southwestern salad, which he ate in 4 minutes flat. And then, the next night, he admitted he wanted the Southwestern salad again. So that was probably a month ago, and I think we've been eating at Betty's after work about 3 times a week. I'm quite fond of the Betty's Best salad, which loads on bleu cheese, cheddar, bacon, sunflower seeds, sprouts, and who knows what-all, along with a grilled chicken breast. I also like the blackened catfish, which is appropriately spicy.
The other nice thing about Betty's is their beer selection - they always have great beers on tap, as well as creative cocktails. They might not pour the best Sapphire martini in town, but they do have $1.75 pints of PBR. And I don't say that because I'm the hipster sort. I just get tired of paying $5 for pints of the "good" stuff. Sometimes you just want a pint of something refreshingly simple and a generously poured $5 shot of Basil Hayden on the side. Your postwork boilermaker never tasted so good.
Info: Betty's Food & Spirits 680 N. High St in the Short North 614.228.6191 - We had Oodles for lunch the other day, and it was pretty terrible. I went once when they first opened and then sort of forgot about it, even though I do my banking next door. I just thought I would share that with you. We had a tasteless, dry as dust Mongolian beef made with the worst quality of stringy, gristly meat I think I've ever had, and a greasy, vegetable-lacking lo mein. Lackluster spring rolls and a strange, very eggy "hot" and "sour" soup were along for the ride. I was really bitter at having spent $20 on that lunch, and wished fervently I had braved the North Market at lunchtime and gone to Lac Viet. I was really excited about Oodles before they opened, but it disappoints. The tagline is also a misnomer - "Noodle and Dumpling Bar," because they don't have a large selection of noodles or especially dumplings. Save your money.
The thing I found strange about this is that so many people have commented to tell me they don't like Coco's, which is kind of around the corner from the Victorian Village Oodles. After our lackluster Oodles lunch, Husband today suggested we give Coco's a shot - gristle-free Mongolian beef, zesty pork with jalapenos, and sticky sweet spicy General Tso's chicken (I know, it's American, it's not Chinese, blah blah BLAH. I still like it). Better yet, it was $18 for three entrees. I only ever claimed it was good, cheap Chinese. And it still is.
