Chow NOW with Findlay NOW Magazine

Each month, Findlay NOW Magazine hosts a Chow NOW lunch at a Findlay restaurant. Patrons vote for their favorite charities. A randomly-drawn ballot determines the winner of a donation on behalf of Findlay NOW. The next Chow NOW will take place on Wednesday, June 2nd, 11:30am-1pm at The Red Pig Inn.. For a full list of charities that appear on the Chow NOW ballot, visit Findlay NOW Magazine online and navigate to page 7. Patrons are welcome to write in a Findlay-area 501(c)(3) organization if they do not see it listed.

Upcoming Chow NOW Dates:

• June 2: Red Pig Inn
• July 7: Fricker's
• August 4: Rancho Fiesta

All events take place 11:30am-1pm on the scheduled days.

Call Findlay NOW for details on how your business can be part of Chow NOW for Charity at 419-420-5007 or 419-422-9284.

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The Red Pig Inn is located at 2215 Tiffin Ave. (across from Meijer).  They can be reached at 419-425-9205 and a full menu can be found at RedPigInn.com.

Lunch @ FoodTopia

The webmaster of Findlay Eats Out! and I decided to have lunch at FoodTopia not too long ago. When I first heard of it, no real food category came to mind. If it weren't for the gyro picture on the window, I wouldn't have known anything until I read the menu.

To get it up and running, the restaurant was opened without much in the way of decor. After speaking with the main operator of the establishment (Deena), they are still throwing around ideas. Since the idea of Greek designs aren't quite popular, I'll throw the suggestion aside. There are more tables set up than I anticipated, but it wasn't packed. I think that was due to the reliance on word of mouth advertising. I can see that. Advertising isn't cheap, especially if you do business with the Findlay Courier.

Lunch @ The Bedrock Cafe

  The building at 2227 Tiffin Ave. has had a tumultuous past; originally home to Ruby Tuesday's, it stood empty for several months when the chain restaurant closed its doors.  The food and service were average, and ultimately they were unable to compete with the plethora of "mid-range casual" restaurants nearby such as Cheddar's, Applebee's, and The Red Pig Inn.

However, the building began to see new life when the owner of TKO's Restaurant and Sports Bar decided to change locations.  The interior was given a full makeover, including installation of a  mirrored bar back, mellow, modern lighting, new seating, and LCD televisions.  Unfortunately, the combined losses from being closed during the move and the cost of the remodel itself proved insurmountable.  After only being open a little more than a week in their new location, TKO's closed its doors forever.

Lunch @ Jim's Hot Dogs

I remember Jim when he used to own the gym up on the North side of town. Now I've come to find out he opened up a restaurant in downtown Findlay. Since I am a fan of hot dogs, today's lunch it was. The establishment itself is small and prone to traffic congestion. However, there is a small open area across the street, if the weather's good enough.

Locally owned and operated, Jim's Hot Dogs serve hot dogs, burgers, and breakfast Monday through Saturday. This will be more a lunch stop for me, but it's good to know. I decided on the "Findlay-style Dog," which is essentially a Chicago-style dog. The only differences I saw were the use of a regular bun (poppy seed is common for Chicago-style) and cross-cut jalapeno peppers instead of whole sport peppers. Overall, I enjoyed my dish and could taste all of the flavors in the hot dog. For a hot dog, that's pretty good.

Chow NOW with Findlay NOW Magazine

Each month, Findlay NOW Magazine hosts a Chow NOW lunch at a Findlay restaurant. Patrons vote for their favorite charities. A randomly-drawn ballot determines the winner of a donation on behalf of Findlay NOW. The next Chow NOW will take place on Wednesday, April 7th, 11:30am-1pm at Buffalo Wild Wings. For a full list of charities that appear on the Chow NOW ballot, visit Findlay NOW Magazine online and navigate to page 7. Patrons are welcome to write in a Findlay-area 501(c)(3) organization if they do not see it listed.

Upcoming Chow NOW Dates:

• April 7: Buffalo Wild Wings
• May 5: Vino's and Mi Tequila
• June 2: Red Pig Inn
• July 7: Fricker's
• August 4: Rancho Fiesta

All events take place 11:30am-1pm on the scheduled days.

Call Findlay NOW for details on how your business can be part of Chow NOW for Charity at 419-420-5007 or 419-422-9284.

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Buffalo Wild Wings is located at 15080 Flag City Drive (by Menard's).  They can be reached at 419-422-9464 and a full menu can be found at BuffaloWildWings.com.

Lunch @ Tim Horton's (Tiffin Ave. Location)

When we started this site, we promised you that we wouldn't just review sit-down restaurants, but fast-casual and fast-food places as well.  However, we have been letting you down; both in the infrequency of our restaurant reviews and in the lack of reviews of anything but a sit-down restaurant.  We vow to change; this will be both the third review posted in two days as well as the first review of a fast-casual restaurant.  Enjoy!

Tim Horton's,  founded in 1964 by the Canadian hockey player of the same name, is a staple of our Northern neighbors' diets-so much so that there are more Tim Horton's franchises in Canada than McDonald's.  The chain consists of 3,527 restaurants overall, including 2,971 in Canada and 556 in the United States.  Two of these are in Findlay; the first to open was the Tiffin Ave. location, where we ate lunch this afternoon.  The second location was recently opened as an in-store add-on to Cold Stone Creamery.

Known first and foremost for their delicious, always-fresh coffee and their wide variety of baked goods, Tim Horton's also features several options for breakfast and lunch.  Breakfast choices include several types of breakfast sandwiches, yogurt with fruit and berries, and hash browns.  For lunch you can order one of a variety of submarine-style sandwiches, try one of the new "Wrap-Snackers," or have a bowl of soup or chili.  All of the heartier selections are available either à la carte or as part of a meal, and you can mix and match sides like doughnuts, fresh fruit, soups, and your choice of drink within the meals.

Lunch @ The Old World Café

I tend to give locally owned and operated restaurants a bit of a break, especially when it's their grand opening. Such is the case for the long awaited Old World Cafe. For quite some time, the residents were left guessing on what "Old World" would actually be. All of my conversations surmised Italian, however it turns out to be Greek. This is wonderful news, as Findlay could stand to have another Greek restaurant.

We didn't have to wait long, but I'm thinking that was due to it being a weekday rather than the weekend. Our service was polite, but not aware their duties as waitstaff. If we order hummus, then remember to bring plates with which to rest individual servings and if a party orders Greek fries with feta, please check the order to make sure it's not Parmesan.

Lunch @ Royal Buffet

We stopped in to the brand-new Royal Buffet for their grand opening, to see what all the hullabaloo was about.  Located in the old Ryan's Steakhouse building, our first impression of the place was, "Gorgeous!"

As you first walk in, you notice a giant, color-changing, fiber-optic chandelier, a fountain loaded with huge chunks of colored glass, and various lit pillars all around.  It is easy to tell that, during the planning of this restaurant, decoration was definitely a priority for the owners.  Greeted immediately, we were led through the buffet area (which itself is stunningly beautiful), and seated along the perimeter.  We ordered our drinks, and headed straight to the food.

Lunch @ Max & Erma's

Columbus, Ohio-based Max & Erma's is a fairly well established restaurant chain, having been around for more than 35 years and boasting 106 locations across the Midwest.  Originally featuring a menu heavy on burgers and fried foods, they now offer a wider variety of dishes, including pastas, paninis, and gourmet dinner salads.

In the past we have visited Max & Erma's  locations in Columbus, Pittsburgh, Toledo, and other cities, and have always brought away fond memories.  Which is why, when a franchise opened up in Findlay several years ago, we were fairly excited; finally we could enjoy Max & Erma's in our home town!  However, while the majority of corporate-owned and franchised locations have a similar decor to Cheddar's or Applebee's, this franchise just doesn't feel like the other locations we have seen.

Lunch @ Cheddar's

I am glad that I waited to post this review for a couple of reasons...We ate lunch at Cheddar's on Tuesday, and it was such a shockingly unsavory experience that I couldn't wait to get on here and blast them. However, I decided to give myself a bit of time to cool down, and went to Hulu.com to watch some episodes of Chef Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares to dull the razor-sharp edge of my retalitory wit. After viewing some truly unforgivable culinary acts, my perspective was restored and I feel that I can give this experience a less biased report. So, I present to you (a great deal less angrily, I might add) my review of lunch at Cheddar's:

A Findlay mainstay, usually the combination of well-prepared, reasonably priced food and strong, reasonably priced drinks puts Cheddar's near the top of the list of places I would like to meet up with friends. I have come to accept that, if I decide to show up during the dinner rush, I will have a bit of a wait (honestly, anyone who doesn't expect to wait for a table at any restaurant between the hours of 5pm and 8pm is delusional). However, we showed up at 4:05pm, which is hardly a busy time for a restaurant that doesn't feature "Early Bird Specials." Which is why we were less than happy to be told that, due to the "shift change," we would have to wait for "a minute."