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Articles by Mark Smesko
Third time is a charm at Scacchetti's Ironwood Grille
January 30, 2019 at 12:00a.m. By Mark Smesko and Michael Vallas BrothersinFood@gmail.com The place has good bones, but for some reason this Canfield fixture just hasn’t lived up to its full potential. Now, under ownership of Mike Naffah and management by his daughter Mallory and son-in-law Jeff Padurean, the former Harry & Jean’s and Whitefire Grill is open as Scacchetti’s Ironwood Grille. If you’ve ever been to the restaurant, you know the facility is well-appointed.
A seasonal menu and great food keep this place on course Drive to ANOTHER ROUND
A seasonal menu and great food keep this place on course Drive to ANOTHER ROUND IF YOU GO The amount of unsolicited advice one receives on a golf course can be daunting. Keep your head down, loosen your grip, hit down on the ball, finish your swing and ... blah, blah, blah. Truth be told though, if you were in our foursome, there is nothing more delightful then seeing someone’s wheels come off during a round.
Don’t sacrifice your favorite food FISH FRIDAYS AT BOGEY’S
IF YOU GO Hours: Sunday: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Monday – closed; Tuesday to Thursday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. “Potato chips & Diet Coke. And what, my portly friend, are you giving up for the next 40 days?” Yes, the Lenten season is here. A time of prayer, repentance and fasting. Growing up, it was a time to give up something, more often than not a personal sacrifice in the form of abstinence from a favorite food.
WHITEFIRE GRILLE:SFlbA flare-up of flavors
IF YOU GO Hours: Monday-Saturday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. (brunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.) A convenient location, delicious food, in a beautiful decor but yet it is barely on our culinary radar screen. Why is that? We both drive by this establishment every day. So is it due to familiarity or because we are idiots? Occam’s razor, and our friends, would suggest the latter. Nevertheless our second trip in 2017 brought us to Whitefire Grille in Canfield.
Johnny’s Fine Food & Spirits Casual intention
IF YOU GO Hours: Monday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Tuesday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 3 to 11 p.m.; and Sunday, closed except for private parties. It’s the eve of election night as the final edits are being made to our monthly masterpiece; it’s hard not to think of how the choices ahead of us will influence the coming years.
Youngstown news, It’s NO secret
IF YOU GO Kitchen hours: Monday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m. during football season. Nothing is quite as tasty as a good secret. Sometimes savory, maybe sweet, oftentimes salty or a bit sour. A secret can be kept like a hidden gem just for you to enjoy, or maybe to protect someone else’s confidence. In any case, we all have them. Of course, when you are trying to write a story, sometimes a secret may pose a problem.
Simply delicious
First, we didn’t gorge ourselves at someone else’s expense. Second, someone actually called and invited us in to render an opinion. And third, Mark (as he secretly desires) got to stand in front of an adoring crowd as he was introduced as “Doctor.” It started around mid-February when we received an invitation from Mary Margaret Hovanes to be judges at the baking contest for the annual Simply Slavic festival. This was the sixth year for the event, held in downtown Youngstown on June 18.
Aqua Pazzo restaurant is based on simplicity, authenticity
IF YOU GO Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 4 to 10 p.m.; and Friday and Saturday, 4 to 11p.m. (midnight for the bar) Our last trip to 492 McClurg Road was about a year and half ago when we visited the CA Restaurant. We had an outstanding meal with great service in a fine setting. The room has recently reopened as Aqua Pazzo. So naturally, for a couple of bumbleheads like ourselves, the first question we asked was “Why?” Why the remodel, why the menu revamp, and pointedly, why the new restaurant?
The Courthouse Inn & Restaurant Verdict favors vegetarian fare
From the entry doors to the courtyard in the rear, each step within the Courthouse is a feast for the eyes. A copper-top bar, hand-made floor tiles, rich wood on the inside and jade stone tables and chairs outside, the attention to detail is amazing. Built in 1802, the Courthouse Inn on Main Street in Lisbon is the oldest brick building in Ohio. After 11 years of painstaking renovation, the restaurant and bed and breakfast opened in January by owners Renee Lewis and Michael Spirtos.
Lock 24 is one of the region’s treats Comfort and quality
IF YOU GO Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, 2 to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 am. to 10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Monday, closed. The New Year is a restart. A fresh chance to get things right. Like a third marriage, the triumph of hope over experience. A comparison of our respective resolutions yielded very little in common. However, there was the mutual goal of finding more joy in everyday things.
Spice up your life at Bombay Star A taste of India
IF YOU GO Hours: Monday through Friday: lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 10 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday: lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner from 5 to 10:30 p.m. Every now and then you need to break the routine and get out of your culinary comfort zone. So we decided to trek down U.S. Route 224 in Boardman and visit the Bombay Star for some Indian food.
Inner Circle Pizza Perfect SLICE
if you go Hours: 11a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday Our monthly commute for a gratis meal was relatively short as we headed to Ironwood Boulevard, near the intersection of Raccoon Road and U.S. route 224 in Canfield. Longtime residents of Canfield may recall when this property was a large field, with a driving range for golfers.
Cockeye BBQ is a straight shooter
Nothing makes Mark’s mouth water more than the promise of good barbecue, so with empty bellies and hungry hearts we ventured to Parkman Road in Warren to taste the offerings at Cockeye BBQ. Cockeye opened in May and is owned and operated by Chef Erik Hoover and his wife, Stacey. What started as a side hobby, and competition in Kansas City Barbeque Society events, led to the decision to purchase a building and open up their “fast casual” restaurant, explained Chef Hoover.
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