A Donut With The Cutest Baby Ever! - Amy's Donuts , Colorado Springs Colorado

Wherever we go, I am always on the lookout for great donuts.  On our recent trip to see our new great grandson, who by the way is the cutest baby on earth, we were told about Amy's donuts. My step-daughter and fellow snacker was the one doing the telling, so I knew I had to listen! It took another day,but we loaded up the vehicles and off we went.
 Amy's donuts has locations in Columbus.O. Tucson,Az, and a new one coming soon in Spokane Valley,Washington and of course the one we visited in Colorado Springs.The Colorado Springs locationis open 7 days a week.

  As we entered the store, we were greeted by a showcase filled with almost every donut you could imagine.  The hardest part was trying to limit myself to one donut. They had Andes Mint donuts, Cinnamon Toast Crunch donuts,maple bacon fudge, traditional donuts,frosted donuts of all flavors, filled and seasonal donuts, and many more.
  I finally settled on an Orange Creamsickle donut that tasted like it was just made.  This was at evening time too. Everybody with us had a different donut and for the most part, were very happy. Definately would go back, to try a different donut and visit the cutest baby ever!  You can find locations and hours for Amy's donuts on their website.  I can see this donut shop going nation wide.
 http://www.amysdonuts.com/menu.html

Sunday Brunch Hunch - Firepit Grille, Holland Ohio

On our weekly trip to Sam's Club, I am always looking for somewhere new to

eat.  I noticed that the Firepit Grille always seemed to have a bunch of cars early on Sundays. I had a good hunch that they were serving brunch!  I looked them up on Trip Advisor and found that they do indeed have a Sunday Brunch,  We had to visit.
  The Brunch was very nicely set up. They have a table with carved hamans Sirloin Beef that was cooked perfectly and omelettes cooked in front of you to your order, On another table they served barbecue chicken quarters, tender peppersteak with rice, green beans almondine, salads, fruits and other selections including french toast and of course bacon. On a third table there was a selection of desserts.Thre were pies of the peanut butter and lemon variety and other sugary concoctions.
 The service was pretty good from start to finish.  Plates were removed right away. Some ofthe food looked like it might have came from Sam's Club or GFS, but all of what I tasted was very good, and I would definitely go back again. Firepit Grille also has a dining option of inside or under a covered,heated patio by a large fire pit.  They also have a full menu featuring ribs, pizza and other items during the week. They are located at 7723 Airport Hwy, in Holland Ohio. You can find them on the web at.http://www.firepitgrille.com/

Move Your Buns!!! - Rudy's Hot Dog- Holland, Ohio

   Rebbel signed up to work and sent me on one of my least favorite chores. Grocery shopping! Always too many people getting in your way,  and I always end up going somewhere else because the super duper store, with miles and miles of shelves, don't carry that one item that your wife requested. On this quest it took three stops and the bread lady was in my way, but not with the bread I needed.  In my head I just thought " I wish she would move her buns!!",and chuckled to myself.  Anyway, I try to make an unpleasant task better by lining up some good food. I thought about my options and decided on Rudy's Hot Dog in Holland,  Ohio.  Rudy's is a Toledo area landmark.  The President even stopped there on his way to the Jeep plant. I stop and get dogs when I am in Toledo,  and the craving hits me.                          
   The chili dog looks a lot like a coney dog to me, but they call it a chilli dog. The sauce is kind of spicy but not extreme.  the sauce is mainly what you taste in this dog.  The dog itself is not real impressive.  it is a boiled hot dog that in my opinion, washes away a lot of the flavor. There is no snap to them either. I found out you can ask them to be grilled so next time I will do that. They also tend to wrap them together if you order two, and that makes it hard to eat and drive.  Ask for them to be wrapped separately. Rudy's  might not be the best dog I ever had,  but with six locations and drive thrus,  they are handy.   They are one of the best you can get in the Toledo area.   The location I visited is 7170 Orchard Centre Dr in Holland, Ohio.  It's located in the area of the new big, beautiful Krogers. Note to shoppers trying out the new beautiful Kroger's... Sign up for the customer card if you expect to get the sale price or you might just end up at another grocery store you don't want to be in with the bread lady in your way!  You can find Rudy's Hot Dog's other locations and full menu on the web at www.rudyshotdog.com                  

A Toledo Area Secret - Mr Freeze - Toledo and Perrysburg, Ohio

I have been traveling to the Toledo area since I was a young boy. I have never heard of Mr Freeze until about a month ago. Somebody from work let me in on this secret. Mr Freeze is an ice cream place located at 2031 N McCord Rd in Toledo and 627 W South Boundary in Perrysburg, Ohio. They are known for their Turtle Sundae and Buckeye Sundae. They come in a styrofoam cup. The Turtle was loaded with ice cream caramel sauce, pecans, chocolate and whipped cream. The Buckye Sundae had ice cream, peanut butter filled buckye candy, peanut butter sauce, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. I ordered a small and it was all I could do to finish it. They have a lot of choices not mentioned here. The prices are very reasonable. There is one thing, be prepared to stand in line for a while. Evidently some people are already in on the secret!

Good Chowduh! - Shucker's Seafood and Pasta, Swanton,Ohio

I have heard of Shucker's Restaurant for quite some time. A reviewer in a Toledo newspaper had said that they had great clam chowder. I had somebody at work tell me that their all you can eat Alaskan Whitefish on Tuesday nights was very good. We went there on a Saturday hoping to check them out. We got there about 2:30 in the afternoon and found that there wasn't anybody there. They didn't open until 4:30 on Saturdays. We ended up eating at Friday's, and had to wait on the clam chowder.
We had other places to go for the next few weeks, so we tried to put it out of our minds (This is probably easier for Rebbel than it is for me). This Saturday we finally put our hunger pangs off until later and we finally made it through their door. We were glad we went.
We each had a cup of the chowder. I ranked it as number one on my list. It is chock full of clam, potato goodness and had a great taste Rebbel ranked it number three. She thought that it was very good, but she ranked the Outback's (which no longer has clam chowder and shouldn't count), and Red Lobster's as her #1 and #2.
There may be better on the east coast, but around these parts, thats how we rank them.
Besides the good chowder, they had a great grouper sandwich platter. A huge generous
slab of Florida Grouper, on a grilled bun with tomato,onion,and tarter sauce on the side. The fries were even good! Rebbel ordered the fried cod which was good, but when we tasted them side by side, the grouper was much better.
We really liked almost everything about the meal, and would definitely go back. If you go, leave plenty of room, they give you a lot of food. Most of the sandwich platters are around $10.00 and the fish dishes around $15.00. They have great specials during the week for $9.99. They are located at 142600 Airport Rd in Swanton,Ohio. Look for the boat on the roof.

Taking Our Friend The Pie Dish To Bar Louie - Bar Louie , Livonia,Mi

My wife has a new friend. The last few times we have gone out, she has taken the friend with her. This friend is a pie baking dish that we first met in Lansing Michigan. We started out going to find the pie dish in Howell,Mi. but the cooking stores there didn't have the "right" one. She decided that we needed to get the "right" one in Lansing. We were looking for a Williams-Sonoma Store. We went to the mall that is actually in Okemos near Lansing. There wasn't a "right" pie dish to be found there,they didn't have a Williams Sonoma Store. I called my sister. She fills in for a store locater when we are on the road. She sent us to a new shopping center in Lansing that had a Williams-Sonoma where my wife purchased our new friend. After looking in the catalog, she discovered that our new friend wasn't the right dish after all.
There wasn't enough flutes in it. The dish had to be right because this was a pie baking dish for her treasured friend Hattie's birthday. Hattie is an octogenarian who lives on Rebbel's motor route. Hattie is a wealth of knowledge and my wife has spent much time talking to her on many subjects. She is deserving of the "right" many fluted pie dish from Williams Sonoma. We decide we would go to Williams-Sonoma in Toledo, Ohio and exchange it for the right many fluted pie baking dish. After carrying our friend the pie baking dish in the mall, we found out that the store did not have the right many fluted pie baking dish. I called my sister. "Store Directory Assistance, may I help you?" (Maybe I have called one too many times on this subject) "Are there any more Williams Sonoma Stores in the Toledo area???" I asked. " Just the one on Monroe." "Oh. You mean the one we just left?", I said.
"Well I guess we will have to exchange it on another day." I told my wife.
The next Sunday found us driving the Grand Children home in a snowstorm. It seemed that traffic was crawling because of the snow and the antsy Grand kids in the back seat. Right next to them of course was our friend the pie dish. We were going to take it back to Laurel Park Place in Livonia Michigan. We dropped off the Grand Kids, drove to the mall and grabbed our friend the pie dish. We found out that the Williams-Sonoma had closed. Not wanting to spend a lot of time looking, we decided to eat at Bar Louie. We had been at a Bar Louie two other times. The first time we ate there with my sister, the Store Directory Assistance Expert, and her husband. That was also the best. This time with our friend the pie dish wasn't so great.
Bar Louie has many locations throughout the United States. I have been to the Levis Commons Bar Louie in Perrysburg, Ohio also.
They look like they are a little upscale,which they describe as casually cool on their website. There is a lot of wood and green furniture. They have football games on their televions throughout the bar and the staff wears t shirts.
The menu is always interesting. They have things such as fish tacos,tater tots, pizza and yankee pot roast. In fact, I give their menu very high marks. On this day, my wife chose a Blackened Fish Po' Boy, and I chose the Fried Louie. The Fried Louie is a burger with bacon,cheddar and fried egg. The Blackened Fish Po'Boy came topped with chipotle may and an olive mix. Both came with seasoned fries. Our food arrived in an average time. The burger was ordered medium, but I thought it was slightly over- cooked which made it seem dry. The egg, which I thought was a fun idea, was pretty much tasteless. The Po'Boy had too much chipotle seasoning on it, which is odd because my wife loves chipotle. It really left us with a bad taste in our mouth. Our friend the pie dish just sat there. Would I go back? No. I don't know if the cook was having a bad day, but there are so many places with good food, why risk it??
We decided to take our friend ,the pie dish, to the Briarwood Mall in Ann Arbor. That Williams-Sonoma store didn't have the many fluted pie dish either, so my wife decided to get a not so many fluted pie dish which she will surprise her friend Hattie with tomorrow.
After traveling to all these towns, I hope she is happy with it and uses it for many years. Happy Birthday Hattie!

THE PLACE For Prime Rib, Or Is It? - Eddie Lee's, Toledo, Ohio

"We're parked next to the green sign, " my sister Di told my wife. We were on the way to Cabela's parking lot to pick up her and my brother in law up to go try Eddie Lee's in Toledo.

She had a hot tip that Eddie Lee's was THE PLACE for prime rib in Toledo.

She had also told my wife that they would be where they parked the last time we went to Toledo. After my wife had ended the phone conversation with her, she looked at me and asked, "Do you remember where they parked last time? " I replied, " Uhhh no, that was only probably 6 months ago." "Well, we'll just look for the green sign", Rebbel said.

As we pulled in Cabela's, we realized that there were green signs all over the place. Thousands of them. We tried to figure out just where they were parked last time. Finally we called them back to find that they had gone in the store and weren't even in the vehicle parked by the green sign where they had parked last time we went to Toledo. So we snatched them from the doorway and off we went to what we hope was THE PLACE for prime rib in Toledo.

Eddie Lee's is located at 4700 Nantucket Dr. Once you see the Target store on Monroe, turn on the next street and you are there. The restaurant was very clean, and the service was extremely good. We were one of the first customers that day. In fact we waited in the car with hungry appetites just waiting for THE PLACE for prime rib to open.

My wife, sister, and brother in law all ordered the prime rib. I thought that I would order the perch just to try something different. I have to say I wasn't that impressed by the perch. I think it had to do with the type of breading that was used. The prime rib did bring tears to my wife's eyes though. That was only after she tried the horse radish and discovered it was just a little stronger than she thought. We decided that the prime rib wasn't the worst we had ever tasted,

it just wasn't the best. The seasoning wasn't there. Maybe we just had high expectations.

We did try their dessert, and I thought the fudge cake was delicious! My wife thought it was too fudgey!!!!???? My sister and her hubby shared a slice of cheesecake and that was also delicious.

What can I say about the restaurant over all??? In my humble opinion, it would be an o.k. place to take the family. The price is good, the service is good, the place is clean, and the food is so, so. For those who like fudge in their fudge cake, and real horse radish, it rocks! Just don't expect it to be THE PLACE for prime rib in Toledo, and whatever you do, don't tell the people you go with to find you parked next to a green sign at Cabela's. They may never find you.

Dog Gone Huge! - Tony Packo's, Toledo, Ohio

The Mother of All Dogs, MOAD for short. That is what Tony Packo's calls their huge hot dog I had to have. We arrived at Packo's after going to Jackson, Michigan in search of the original coney dog. Sadly that place was closed, maybe forever, and our second choice was also closed.
We really wanted a special hot dog by that point, so it was off to Tony Packo's in Toledo. Most people probably wouldn't drive from Jackson, Michigan to Toledo, Ohio just for a hot dog.....but we aren't most people and this was THE MOTHER OF ALL HOT DOGS!!
We went to the Tony Packo's Cafe on Monroe St. There are five other locations you can choose. One location is at 1902 Front Street, probably the most famous, and the others are located in stores throughout the Toledo area.
Tony Packos has been a Toledo institution since 1932. They were mentioned by Toledo native Jamie Farr several times in the television show M*A*S*H* and have been visited by many celebrities and politicians as the signed buns that are on the wall attest. The hot dog bun signing started with Burt Reynold's when he was in town for a play he was acting.
The M.O.A.D. is a sausage type dog covered with spicy chili sauce, onions and mustard, and natural casing for a crunch. Tony Packo's is a Hungarian Restaurant, and that is probably why things are a little spicy.
It is served with spicy chunks of Tony Packo's pickles surrounding it. We also tried the pickles deep fried and they were delicous. It is definitely the biggest hot dogs I have ever eaten and worth trying out. Just be warned the chili is not your mild mannered variety, and neither are the pickles. If your head sweats like mine when you eat something spicy, you might want to grab a couple of extra napkins. You can find more at this website: http://www.tonypackos.com/index.php

The Best Fish I Ever Put In My Mouth - Elephant Bar Restaurant

"This is the best fish I ever put in my mouth!" That is how my wife described the Macadamia nut crusted Mahi Mahi we were eating. I had to agree with her. We had first tried the Elephant Bar Restaurant located at the Westfield Shopping Center on Monroe Street in Toledo about one year ago. We were sent there by my friend Sheri. Whenever she would go to an interesting restaurant, she was nice enough to bring a take-out menu back. I was kind of reluctant to try this one, because we don't get into Chinese food. This menu had something called Pacific Rim Specialties that looked somewhat Chinese to me. I showed it to Rebbel though, and she wanted to try it.
The first thing you notice is the surroundings. Very colorful and anything but dull.
I tried the Shrimp Adventure Platter, and she went for this Mahi Mahi dish. I have to laugh now whenever we have Mahi- Mahi, because when we were visiting Key West with Rebbel's Mother, she mistakenly ordered it as Mahottie Mahottie, and another memory was made.
Anyway, Rebbel ordered it, gave me a taste of it and I was sorry for not ordering it, not that the shrimp was bad, but this was way better.
We went back in the summer and were horribly disappointed to find out that they only have this dish at certain times. So if you want it, you better get it now. What makes this dish so fantastic?
First the fish is deep fried and encrusted in the Macadamia Nut coating. Crunchy on the outside, juicy and moist, mild fish on the inside. They put mango salsa on the ends of the fish. It was served on a bed of rice. They also put a French Macadamia Nut Beurre Blanc Sauce in the mix and a green spicy dipping sauce on four corners. The dish was colorful in presentation, and the sweet, spicy, crunchy, soft combination was out of this world! You probably wouldn't want to order one of their mouth watering deserts even if you had room, because you would want this taste in your mouth as long as possible. There are probably many great things on their menu, but when you find something as good as this, its hard to let go. You can see this chain's page at http://www.elephantbar.com/