Happy Mouth Supper Club

This evening, the members of the Happy Mouth Supper Club met at Jay’s selection — the Brown Dog Cafe in Blue Ash (a suburb of Cincinnati). I’d previously worked at an event with Chef Shawn McCoy but had not had the chance to eat at the restaurant.

Boy, am I glad we finally did! Our group — Ted, Tracy, Wendy, Holly, Angel, Debbie, Jay, and me — sat at a large table at the rear of the restaurant and enjoyed many dishes from the menu, starting with appetizers including Tic Tac Tuna; Crab and Lobster Roll; Open Faced Goat Cheese Sandwiches; and Maza (”tiny bites” of food), and a special tuna amuse bouche that Chef sent out for us.

Everything was exceptionally well-prepared and presented beautifully. Entrees were also wonderful, from the Duck, Duck — pan-seared duck breast with duck leg confit, a wild mushroom beggar’s purse, and some fresh vegetables; Duck, Here Comes Your Venison — pan-roasted venison loin with johnny cakes; to Bass in Harm’s Way — fresh Chilean sea bass with jerk seasonings over sweet potato acorn squash mash. Everything was top notch, appropriately seasoned, and served cooked to the proper temperature.

Desserts did not disappoint… I enjoyed my Apple Tart, Wendy loved her Alaskan Latte, and everyone else seemed to love their desserts too.

Service was friendly and knowledgable without being obtrusive. Ambiance was nice — it’s cozy enough for a romantic dinner, and large enough that our party did not overwhelm. I was particularly impressed that Chef Shawn visited each-and-every table during service. They have a nice wine list including several wines by the glass.

I am happy to see a local restaurant doing such great food. Kudos to the Brown Dog Cafe!

This evening, a group of us met for our monthly Happy Mouth outing. It was Tracy’s month to pick, and she selected VINYL in downtown Cincinnati. The supper club had dined at the physical space previously when it was The Diner, also Tracy’s pick. After the less-than-stellar meal at The Diner (they closed the doors of that operation, oh, 15 minutes after we left), Tracy wanted to give the space another chance.

VINYL did not disappoint. From the well-stocked bar and knowledgable bartender (who allowed us to sample a couple unusual drinks) to the service at the table, everything was very good. The wine list is far-reaching with plenty of affordable wines available.

We enjoyed a variety of different appetizers such as the Foie Gras on Brioche with Peanut Butter & Jelly (a qualified success — the abundance of bread simply overwhelmed all the other components. Removing the top slab of brioche improved the flavor balance, plus, why hide the foie?). Entrees for most of the table were a selection of Gourmet Mini Burgers, and they were tasty. The rest of the menu was innovative but did not sound enticing enough to encourage us to order different items. We also sampled their high-end Mac & Cheese, and it was very nice, though the heads, legs, and antenna on the prawns were a bit off-putting to the folks who ordered it.

Desserts were servicable but not exceptional… I ordered a Lemon Tart that was un-set and liquidy when delivered to the table. I asked the server about it (I needed a replacement (or a spoon)) and was told that the dessert was served as intended. The flavor was good, but because the texture was so …wrong… I cannot recommend the dessert. Another diner, a notorious chocolate hound, ordered a chocolate dessert but did not finish it. A banana split was ordered and, when delivered, looked like the nose cone of a missle instead of the ‘banana + 3 scoops + sauce in a banana boat’ we’re used to. Hopefully, the restaurant will hire (or contract) a pastry chef to get their desserts in order.

One general observation about the presentation… Everything was almost too cleverly presented for its own good. The Mini Burgers were difficult to serve because they were presented on small square plates set atop a large square plate, making them difficult to balance. The ‘facial features’ on the prawns in the Mac & Cheese and the desserts added to this perception.

Service was good and very personable. There were a few timing issues with a table our size (we were a party of 12 or so). With most of our food coming from the grill, there were expected short delays in the delivery of entrees.

The ambiance is nice but aiming for a different demographic than us. It’s a hip place — a place to see and be seen — that happens to have good food. The house music is loud enough that conversation around the table was limited. As we were winding up our meal, the DJ was setting up and a bunch of costumed characters came in (including a strange masked person — either a child or a little person – the mask made it impossible to determine and made them look like a burn victim).

We enjoyed our meal at VINYL. I hope Tracy feels vindicated!

This evening, this Valentine’s Day evening, several of us braved the frigid cold and met for our monthly Happy Mouth outing. It was Wendy B’s choice, and she selected Thai Cafe’ in Clifton. Thai Cafe’ offers Asian food at reasonable prices. We had Curry Rolls, Edamame, and Paad Thai in two versions — soft noodles for Wendy, and crispy noodles for me. The food was pretty good, though our proteins (shrimp & chicken) were so overcooked as to be nearly unedible. However, it was a fun outing and a good time was had by all!

Our first Happy Mouth of 2007 was Kristy’s selection.

She selected BELLA LUNA on Eastern Avenue for their imported Italian pastas and house-made delights. The restaurant is quite informal and very friendly. We had a really nice time, and the food was very good. I sampled a mozzarella bread, the tomato basil soup, stuffed mushrooms, and mussels from the table, and enjoy my entree of Veal Marsala with Balsamic Vinegar and a few cheese ravioli with bolognese sauce. Everything was really good. A very nice surprise was that bottles of wine are half-off on Wednesday nights, and we took full advantage of that savings. Desserts that I saw included bread pudding (top notch), and tiramisu.

A good time was had by all!

Tonight was Ed’s night to pick and he selected the CACTUS PEAR restaurant in Clifton. I joined the gang late because of a meeting so all I had to eat was a bowl of roasted potatoes.

Seemed like everyone was having a blast and I know the food there to be good, so I will declare that this was a successful Happy Mouth!