A Good Value At Hudson's Restaurant on the Green

I recently found myself in Hudson, Ohio in order to help out friend, teacher, and business owner Catherine St. John of the Western Reserve School of Cooking with some of her questions and concerns about Facebook and Twitter. Like many modern business owners, she realized the value of social networking, but wasn't sure how best to utilize it to the school's advantage. We chatted about strategies for promoting the business, offering discounts to upcoming classes that still had seats available, and logged into the newly created Twitter account for the school. After answering all of her questions, we agreed that it was time for lunch.

Our initial destination was Aladdin's on the First and Main section of downtown Hudson, but the minute we opened the door, we knew we were in trouble; there was an enormous queue of people waiting for tables. We quickly regrouped and walked back up to Route 91 / North Main Street to Hudson's Restaurant on the Green. Located at 80 North Main Street, they can also be reached at 330-650-1955. Parking was either streetside in front of the restaurant or in the large parking area to the rear of the complex.

Here was a shot of the front entrance of the restaurant:


Where Aladdin's had been brimming with waiting customers, Hudson's was busy, but not full. We were quickly escorted to a table and left with menus to peruse. Here was a front and back shot of the lunch menu:



While there were many items on the menu that looked good, Catherine recommended the burgers and the homemade potato chips. Looking over the list of burgers I spotted an old favorite, the Patty Melt. For a half-pound burger with a side for only $6.99, this seemed like an excellent value, too.

Catherine and I placed our orders with our server and continued gabbing away about various school and food-related topics until our lunches arrived. Here was a shot of my Patty Melt and homemade potato chips:


I had ordered my burger to be cooked medium and based on the side shot of the pre-cut burger,


I received exactly what I ordered. In fact, when I initially ordered my burger to be cooked medium, my server stated to me what "medium" meant at Hudson's, pink in the middle with a warm center. This was a nice touch as it set the expectation of the customer as to what he/she would be getting from the kitchen. The burger itself was warm and juicy and in what would became an embarrassment for the remainder of the day, I ended up having a grease-related injury when several drops of the juice accidentally fell right onto the middle of my shirt. Ah well, those who saw me afterwards chuckled when I explained why I had teardrop shaped smears on the middle of my chest. The fried onions were cooked through and soft and the rye bread was nicely toasted. The only minor complaint that I had was that I didn't think the burger was seasoned enough. There was salt from the cheese and the bread, to be sure, but the burger itself seemed to be missing just a little bit.

Of course, that could be because the homemade chips,


were quite highly seasoned. I don't think the potato chips were too salty, but in comparison to the burger, that may be why I perceived the burger to need additional salt. The chips were well executed: thin, crispy, and not in the least bit greasy. They had been dressed with a salt and spice blend after being fried and had a flavor that seemed to be a cross between "barbecue" and "seasoning salt" although it lacked the nasty metallic flavor I associate with most seasoning salts. I received a lot of chips with my lunch and was only able to finish about half of them before realizing that my appetite had been sated.

I was pleasantly surprised by my meal today. I had walked by Hudson's hundreds of times and had never bothered to check them out. I can't speak to their dinner menu, but their lunch menu offers some decent values and some well executed and tasty food. I recommend that you stop in and grab a bite to eat and see for yourself. They are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and should be able to satisfy whatever craving you currently possess.

A Decent Matzoh Ball At Eddy's Deli

I was recently in the Stow, Ohio area for some non-food-related business. As it was getting close to dinner time, I thought I would check out a restaurant that had been in the process of opening for the last several months. As I pulled into the half-full parking lot surrounding the restaurant, I had no idea that I was about to step into the newly opened second location of a Cuyahoga Falls' favorite of mine, Eddy's Deli and Restaurant. Eddy's has been on my list of places to return to so that I could write up a proper review, but I just hadn't gotten around to getting back to the original location.

This Eddy's was located at 4581 Kent Road, Stow, Ohio 44224 and can be reached at 330-346-0551. The website for both locations can be located here. Also note that the Urbanspoon link at the end of the article actually points to the original location in Cuyahoga Falls, not the Stow location (as there wasn't one available for that location).

Here was a shot of the outside of the Eddy's in Stow:


I think the primary reason why I didn't connect this new location with the original was that the building exteriors looked nothing like each other. The exterior and interior decor were nice enough, but they didn't have that unique feeling that the original location in Cuyahoga Falls has. The original location has that cool breakfast and lunch diner kind of vibe. This location felt more subdued and sanitized. Which was probably another reason why I didn't connect the two locations.

It wasn't until I sat down and looked through the menu that I realized that something might be up:







It was only after my server returned that I asked about the striking similarity of this menu to another place in Cuyahoga Falls, also called Eddy's.

"Yep," she replied, "one and the same."

I've had many good meals at the original Eddy's; I was excited to see how the new location stacked up. One thing I had never tried at the original was the matzoh ball soup. Apparently while there were always several soups du jour, the one soup that was always on the menu was matzoh ball soup. Having had two of the most tremendous versions of matzoh ball soup at my friend Nancy's house during both Passover and Rosh Hashanah, I knew what good matzoh ball soup was. Nancy had set my bar high and I somewhat nervously ordered a bowl to see if it could compare.

My server returned shortly with a bowl of Jewish penicillin with the largest matzoh ball I've ever been served:


Here was a side shot of the matzoh ball after I cut out a few spoonfuls:


First, let's talk about the broth. It was a nice broth with a good depth of flavor. It was seasoned properly and still had some of the residual onions and carrots, now nicely softened, in the bottom of the bowl. The broth itself could've been a little warmer as it was a little warmer than lukewarm when I received it. Second, let's talk about the matzoh ball. As far as matzoh balls go, Eddy's version was pretty good. It was fully cooked through and there were no raw spots. The texture was closer to Nancy's Passover matzoh balls which have no leavening, so it was a little dense. I checked with my friend Nancy and she said that most places that serve matzoh ball soup usually add leavening to their matzoh balls to help with the lightness, especially when they get to be the size of a tennis ball. While this version may have had leavening in it, it just didn't compare to the version Nancy made for Rosh Hoshanah. The only real gripe I had with this matzoh ball was that it really needed salt. Eating a spoonful of matzoh with the soup helped, but once I swallowed the soup and was left with chewing the matzoh, it quickly became apparent that it needed some serious help.

Oddly, the server also brought saltine crackers to the table for my soup:


Which, given the size of the matzoh ball and the fact that the soup was seasoned perfectly, was a curious addition to the soup service.

After I finished my soup, my sandwich platter arrived a few minutes later. I had decided to order the patty melt:


All sandwiches come with potato chips and a pickle spear, unless you want to pay extra for a different side item. I chose just to stick with the potato chips. The chips and pickle spear were pretty much run of the mill, so there aren't any surprises there. The patty melt, which I ordered medium, came out something more like this:


While the burger was cooked closer to somewhere between medium well and well, it was still juicy, which was most appreciated. The meat was seasoned properly, but ha an odd sort of "spongy" texture to it, like it had been compressed too much before cooking. The two cheeses, American and Provolone, were nicely melted and added a definite creaminess to each bite. Unfortunately, the onions weren't grilled quite long enough and had a sort of raw bite to them. The rye bread, however, was nicely buttered and grilled. Still, even with the shortcomings I mentioned, I managed to finish my sandwich and almost all of my potato chips. Overall, I'd say that this was about an average version of this burger classic.

There were a few misses today at Eddy's new location in Stow, but overall I had a positive experience. Having now experienced both Eddy's locations, if I had my choice, I still think I'd prefer the original in Cuyahoga Falls because of the ambiance. If you happen to be closer to the location in Stow, at least there isn't a reason to drive further to experience the food that Eddy's has to offer. The menu has lots of choice, the prices are reasonable, and the food for the most part is pretty good. Definitely check Eddy's out if you have a chance.

Making The Grade At Alexandris Restaurant

At a recent breakfast with one of my faithful readers and her husband, the suggestion was made that I ought to check out another one of Wadsworth's old stalwarts, Alexandris Restaurant right on the downtown square. I had eaten there many, many years ago when I was still in high school, but for some reason, it had fallen off of the radar until the moment when my breakfast companions suggested it.

The restaurant is located at 146 Main Street, Wadsworth, OH, 44281 and can be reached at 330-336-0203. I searched for a website and couldn't find an official one, although the restaurant is mentioned on a number of other related website (Urbanspoon, etc.).

I approached the front of the restaurant at around 1 P.M. As I prepared to take the photo of the front of the restaurant,


a woman carrying a carry-out container walked out of Alexandris and out of frame. At that moment I snapped the photo only to discover that she had only been delivering an order to the store next door. As I lowered my camera, she approached me.

"What are you doing?"
"I'm taking a picture."
"Why?" (Her voice began to escalate.)
"Because I wanted to."
"Is there something wrong?"

I knew I couldn't tell her the real reason why I was here as that could potentially compromise the anonymity of my visit and the quality of the food I would receive. I decided to play it cool and try and diffuse the situation.

"No, nothing is wrong. I just wanted a picture, that's all."

Seemingly placated by my words, I followed her in through the front door and promptly asked for a table for one person. She seated me at a table near the back of the restaurant and went back about her business, oblivious to the fact that I continued to discreetly take additional photos. The seating arrangements at Alexandris can be broken up into tables, booths, and the ever popular lunch counter. Here was a shot of the lunch counter:


To the left of the lunch counter is a small salad bar containing the ingredients for a green, leafy salad with all of the trimmings or a variety of homemade non-green salads such as pasta salad, macaroni salad, potato salad, and cole slaw.

I normally try and photograph the entire menu, especially for a restaurant that doesn't already publish theirs on a website, but unfortunately, there were FOUR menus to choose from today and I decided that it would be just too much. Here were some of the menu choices I had from which to choose.

The regular Breakfast Specials:


The regular Lunch Specials:


And the regular lunch and dinner menu:



I failed to take photos of the regular breakfast menu and the daily specials which were written on a dry erase board by the entrance to the restaurant. Clearly there is a lot of choice at Alexandris Restaurant.

Today I was in the mood for a sandwich and despite the fact that my server suggested I try the Triple Decker, when I saw that they offered a Patty Melt, I was immediately drawn towards that choice instead. With most of the sandwiches offered on the menu, it was only a $0.50 surcharge to add a bowl of soup, too. My server assured me that both soups today, Lentil soup and Creamy Chicken Noodle soup, were made from scratch in the kitchen. My choice of Lentil soup was greeted with approval as my server noted that "too few people order that, but it is really very good."

A few minutes later, my soup arrived:


The soup was actually very good and the lentils were nice and soft. In addition to the lentils, ham, carrots, celery, onion, and a good bit of black pepper made their way into this bowl. While I would order this soup again just the way it was, as I continued to eat it, I began to notice that it was missing something. The first flavor that popped into my head was rosemary. The second was thyme. I don't know that it needed both, but it definitely needed something herbaceous. A second tier of flavor, if you will.

After finishing my bowl of soup (which is a great deal for $0.50 extra), my sandwich and onion rings arrived:


Served with grilled rye bread, two kinds of American cheese (white and yellow) and grilled onions, the Patty Melt was slightly better than average. The bread and the cheese were fine, but unfortunately, the grilled onions still had a bit too much crunch to them and the 1/2 pound burger, which I had asked to be cooked medium, came out something more like this:


While the burger wasn't dry, it certainly wasn't medium either. Closer to a shade over medium well. I'm guessing that the grilled onions were started at the same time as the burger and only after the onions cooked long enough were they both removed at the same time.

My side of onion rings didn't fare much better:


The moment I tried to bite into these, the onion on the inside immediately released from the outer coating and I got a mouthful of cooked onion sans coating. I suspected that these were fried from frozen and when I asked my server about it, she freely admitted it. "Gee, we don't have time to do everything from scratch, you know?" This seemed a little strange given that they made so many of their other items from scratch and yet failed to see why doing fresh onion rings would make that much of a difference.

I finished up the remainder of my lunch and took my check up to the front of the restaurant where the woman who had first confronted me outside was standing behind the cash register.

"How was everything?" she quipped.
"Oh, just fine," I quietly answered.

Apparently she had been fortuitous enough to catch me snapping a photograph of the outside of her restaurant, but hadn't managed to catch me in the act of taking a dozen more once I sat down. I thought about telling her that I would be writing about her restaurant on my food blog (since I had already paid the check and comps weren't possible at that point), but then thought better of it. Of the many places I have reviewed so far, few have gotten that privilege and those that did had normally caught me in the act of taking pictures and asked enough specific questions about what I was doing that I had to come clean.

I'm torn about Alexandris Restaurant. The Patty Melt platter was $5.95. The additional bowl of soup was only $0.50 more. That makes for a check that is easy on the wallet. However, an excellent bowl of soup mixed with an overcooked burger and mediocre onion rings makes me think that while there was nice potential for a good meal, they definitely have room for improvement. While Alexandris Restaurant isn't someplace I would recommend to people who are looking for a destination dining type of spot, if you happen to be in Wadsworth, it's worth checking out.

eG Heartland Gathering: The Foodie, or There and Back Again

After my simply amazing brunch experience at Crum Farm, I knew it was time to return home. While I was able to drive the twelve hours straight through to Kansas City on Friday night, I realized repeating that feat on my way back would have me arriving in Akron around 3 AM. Had I been 25 years-old and making this trip, I perhaps would've considered doing this. However, I am not 25 years-old and decided to live within the limitations of my body. Looking at the map, I realized that Terre Haute, IN was exactly half-way between Kansas City and Akron. Thinking ahead, I managed to snag a cheap hotel room at the Knight's Inn with free wi-fi access for $35 if I pre-paid for it. Clearly a no brainer.

When I finally reached Terre Haute, I was sad to discover two things. First, while the Knights Inn that I stayed at did indeed have free wi-fi, it wasn't working. I was hoping to get all of my photos processed and uploaded to the Internet on my Sunday evening stay as well as catch up on the Kansas City reporting thread on eGullet. Alas, neither were possible. The second thing I discovered was that Terre Haute, at least the part immediately accessible off of I-70, was a epicurean wasteland consisting of every national chain restaurant known to mankind. Although I was hungry, I almost felt like it was my duty after having eaten two amazing meals during the gathering to find something that could be passed off as homemade or local.

After getting my laptop and bags settled into my room, I hopped in the car and started driving. After several miles of nothing but chains, I finally spotted a local grocery store, Kroger, and decided that if I couldn't find someplace local to eat, perhaps I could just pick up some items from the store and make it myself. Deciding that the easiest thing to fix for myself would be some sandwiches, I picked up my ingredients, a styrofoam cooler and a bag of ice and headed back to my room.

Here is a shot of my makeshift "fridge":


While I thought I would be subject to all sorts of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and partially-hydrogenated vegetable oils in my bread, I actually managed to locate a loaf of whole wheat bread made by a local Terre Haute bakery, Spring Mill Bread Company:


As it turns out, the location for the bakery was just around the corner from my hotel! Oh, man, things were looking a little better now for Terre Haute. I decided that the following morning I would stop in and check out the operations at Spring Mill.

And finally, a shot of the inside of my fridge:


You have some roasted chicken deli slices (which actually tasted like chicken for once), the smallest jar of mayonnaise I could find, slices of Swiss cheese and one quart of milk for my breakfast the next morning.

Hungry from my trip, I put together my sandwiches in my makeshift kitchen (i.e., the small round table in my hotel room):



All things being equal, these weren't too bad. Even with the bread, they were several steps below what I had eaten earlier in the day, but I'm still glad I had this for my supper rather than Taco Bell. It felt more in-line with the spirit of the weekend I had just experienced.

The next morning, I had an impromptu breakfast of the wonderful granola that was handed out as a parting gift at Crum Farm served with a bit of milk I had bought the previous night at Kroger:


And while the milk wasn't really anything special, the granola was fantastic! The crunch of the almonds, the sweetness from the honey, and the heady aroma from the spices really made this a memorable breakfast despite the obvious confines of my small room. After finishing up my breakfast, I packed everything back into my car, checked out of the hotel and drove down the road until I found the bakery:


Here are a couple shots of the interior as taken through the front window:



Seeing as it was only 10 AM when I got here and there wasn't a soul to be found inside, I was a bit confused until I saw this sign:


It turns out they were closed for business on Sundays and Mondays. Damn! Always my luck, I suppose. My hopes for an in-depth review of Spring Mill's bakery now dashed, I returned to my car and headed back to the I-70 eastbound entry ramp.

Prior to reaching Indianapolis, I realized that I would be traveling through Columbus around 2 PM or so. On a whim, I called an old childhood friend of mine who happens to live in Columbus to see if she'd be available for a late lunch. To my great surprise, she was able to fit me in. Having not had a Mary Kelley's patty melt in quite some time, I suggested this Dublin, OH eatery as our meeting point. I have long considered their patty melt as the version upon which I judge all others.

Arriving almost precisely at 2:15 PM, I pulled into the parking lot and walked up to the entrance of Mary Kelley's:


After settling into our table, I decided to take a shot of the placemat as it had some interesting history of the restaurant:


While the patty melt was still on the menu, I was disappointed to learn that some other favorites (namely the spinach salad with warm bacon dressing) were no longer available. I ordered my burger medium with a side of fries and after about fifteen minutes, I received this:


I don't know if I didn't read the menu in it's entirety or if it was omitted, but they had made my patty melt using pumpernickel instead of rye. This was not boding well for me. The fries were actually nice and crispy and seasoned well. The patty melt was ... well ... okay. It was actually overcooked and was closer to medium-well than medium. A side shot of the sandwich tells the whole story:


It wasn't a bad patty melt, per se. It just wasn't the amazing burger that I remembered it once was. I suppose that the only constant in life is change. Unfortunately, the change this time was in the negative. My companion's soup ended up being a little too sweet for her taste and her son's fruit cup was also off, so I'm not sure what the heck was going on today at Mary Kelley's. I'm not ready to write the restaurant off quite yet, but I'm having serious reservations recommending it to anyone else before I have a chance to return and re-evaluate the food.

Our lunch finally finished, I got back in the car and started on the final two hours of my journey from Terre Haute to Akron. Along the way I received a surprising email invitation. But that's fodder for my next post, so you'll just have to stay tuned.

  

A Not-So-Traditional Patty Melt

T Meldrum's was a suggestion from a previous Massillon resident who grew up eating at this restaurant. It is located at 2144 Wales Road NE, Massillon, Ohio 44646 and can be reached at (330) 833-4729. There is no website currently at this time.

After listening to him talk about his experiences at the restaurant, I decided to leave work a little early and give T Meldrum's a try. They are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but do be aware that they close at 8 pm, so there won't be any late night runs for a burger or a malted. As you travel north on Wales Rd, as soon as you pass Hills and Dales Road, you will see this sign on your right:


The building sits in the middle of a parking lot for a larger strip retail outlet. It's hard to tell from the outside, but once inside, it looks as if the original T Meldrum's was added onto over the years as there are distinctive sections to the restaurant. Here is a photo of the exterior of the restaurant:


Once inside and seated, I got down to business of perusing the menu:


And a shot of the inside of the menu. Note the message to the customers:


And a shot of the condiment tray at the end of every table:


The food at T Meldrum's is based on pretty traditional diner fare. However, after looking at the menu, I noticed that they do their own twist on the classics. What finally convinced me to give them a try in the first place is when my friend said that they offered a really great Patty Melt. I am such a sucker for a really good Patty Melt. The combination of the juicy burger, the crispy rye bread and the grilled sweet onions is just something I crave every now and again. The best Patty Melt I've ever had is at Mary Kelley's in Dublin, Ohio, and it is the standard against which I compare all others.

T Meldrum's version is actually a "Sisco" Patty Melt. It is served on grilled sourdough bread and offered with not only grilled onions, but also grilled green and banana peppers. I decided to go with that. Here is a shot of my sandwich when it arrived at my table:


And a shot from the side showing the layers:


This was an excellent sandwich. I opted to go with the 1/3 pound burger instead of the 1/2. This made the burger not quite as juicy as I normally like it, but between the two kinds of cheese and the grilled vegetables, the sandwich as a whole worked nicely together. The big surprise to me was the grilled banana peppers. They added a nice acidity which helped to cut some of the fat of the sandwich and grilling them first helped to tame some of their heat. I definitely recommend including those on your sandwich.

I decided to upgrade my sandwich to a platter for a couple of dollars more. This gave me my choice of two sides. My first side was the Macaroni and Cheese casserole:


This definitely had a homemade feel to it. It was nice and cheesy but wasn't overly so. It had that "baked" look to it; somewhat dry from the heat of the oven without being too dessicated. It wasn't the best mac and cheese I've ever had, but given the location I was eating in, it was certainly acceptable.

They did offer fresh cut fries, but instead I opted to go with the home fries. The difference? Home fries are essentially another name for hash browns. Here is T Meldrum's version:


These were okay, but definitely not nearly as good as the hash browns I had at Wally Waffle. Having worked at Bob Evan's my senior year as a short order cook, I know good hash browns. These were just a bit overcooked. And unfortunately, the seasoning was off just a bit as well. A little ketchup corrected that problem as well as added a nice acidity.

Overall, I enjoyed my meal at T Meldrum's. The Patty Melt was good, but definitely didn't blow my mind. If I were to order it again, I'd definitely get the 1/2 pound burger instead. I think it would end up being juicier. I'd stick with the Macaroni and Cheese casserole as my side again and perhaps order something other than the home fries. The menu is quite large and you could return many times without ordering the same thing twice.