LOCAL REVIEW: Soon's Sushi Cafe of Kenosha

Alright, everyone, listen up! Kenosha is a tough place to live in. Not only do we have to endure 11 months of winter, but we also have a stunning lack of foreign restaurants. Sure, greasy burgers and 24/7 breakfasts are great and all, because- as the Japanese puts it -us Americans, "...basically like sweet, high fat, high calorie things."

This is true.

But, but, buuuuut... As a Kenoshan- or as a Wisconsinite, even - you have to wonder what the alternative to sweet, high fat, high calorie things is. I suppose the Japanese would know, huh? I guess the only sensible thing would be to go out and try their food. Like sushi! But for many Wisconsinites, this may prove to be a challenge, as- like I said -foreign restaurants are far and few between in our lowly Midwestern state. Most towns in Wisconsin would never have a sushi restaurant, let alone know what sushi is. But thankfully, Kenosha is, like, the fifth biggest city in Wisconsin, so we have one golden sushi joint. One. Technically, there is another sushi restaurant in Pleasant Prairie, a village located in Kenosha County, but I'm focusing on the city of Kenosha alone. 

So, yeah! We have ONE Japanese restaurant. And it's not even really Japanese. It's Korean. But, whatev! That just makes the place all the more unique! What's the name of this place, you may ask? Well, it's Soon's Sushi Cafe- a teeny tiny building tucked away in a really shady party of town. But, hey, I got my pepper spray and have my phone ready to type 911 into any second, so let's go!

LOCAL REVIEW: Villa D' Carlo's Pizza of Kenosha

If there was any pizzeria in Kenosha that would be considered a "generational" restaurant (well, to my family, at least) -it'd be Villa D' Carlo's. My mom's mom used to work at Villa D's dontown and make the pizzas. My mom and her brothers knew when their pizza was from my grandmother as the best center piece was always missing, and the pizza box would always having something funny written on it, like, "Ron- Sober up! Kids- Go to Bed! Love You, Mom." 

It's no big surprise that, to this day, my mom still orders from Villa D' Carlo's more frequently than any other pizza joint. No, I'm not saying she orders pizza "frequently" as in ALL THE TIME- Hey! How dare you call my mom a lardo! Let me finish! -it's just that, when she DOES order pizza, you can pretty much guarantee it's going to be from Villa D's. And if by some odd chance our family were NOT to order pizza from Villa D' Carlo's, you would hear Mom's near-catchphrase, "It's good... But not as good as Carl's!" as if it were some kind of slogan.

In today's review, instead of focusing on all aspects of this restaurant, I am solely going to focus on one type of food served there, and one alone- the pizza. One reason being that our family usually orders from Carl's instead of going out to eat, so judging the restaurant as a whole would not be fair in this point in time. Another reason being that Carl's pizza is just so famous, it deserves a whole review dedicated to itself. Of course, I can talk about SOME aspects of the customer service at Villa D's too... how employees answer the phone, delivery time, yadda yadda. By the way, I will be reviewing the Villa D' Carlo's that is DOWNTOWN (otherwise known as Carl's East).

So, with that, andiamo! ("Let's go" in Italian).

LOCAL REVIEW: Gateway Cafe of Kenosha

It's Valentine's Day, and love is in the air! Ahhhh... Each reader gets a complimentary kiss on the forehead. Kiss for you... Mwaah! Kiss for you... Mwaah! Kiss for you... Mwaah! Kis for you...

But just kidding. Most of you probably have someone special to kiss your forehead for you. If not, join the club.

Anyway guys, you better be taking your gal somewhere pretty special for Valentine's dinner. Iffin' you ARE taking her to Valentine's dinner. If I had a date (my lack of which I'm oddly ever-to-eager to proclaim), I would have him take me to somewhere that serves breakfast 24/7. It doesn't have to be some fancy place, no sir. I'm fine with the breakfast, thanks. And if my date suggests we go out for breakfast without even having to take my heed, he is probably Mr. Right. 

And where would I like to go for breakfast specifically? Well... the Gateway Cafe is certainly a viable option here in town. I wouldn't mind going there at all, just to give you guys a little review spoiler. But, today I'll be going over there menu items, prices, service, etc, to make sure that you guys are taking your gals to a restaurant that will fit both your Valentin-y tastes. Or whatever tastes. 

LOCAL REVIEW: Valeo's Pizza of Kenosha

Are you in the Kenosha area during New Year's and throwing a party? Have a bunch of hungry mouths to feed? Going one more day without the "lose weight" resolution weighing down upon your shoulders? Sounds like a recipe for pizza! But where to order it from? Kenoshans are rather picky about their pizza, I'll tell you what. They will NOT take some tacky, greasy, chemically deep-dish abomination from Pizza Hut or Domino's or Papa John's or Rocky Rococo's...Ugh. They need something REAL. Thankfully, there are a lot of "real" pizza options to choose from in Kenosha, and Valeo's Pizza is one of them.

LOCAL REVIEW: The Charcoal Grill & Rotisserie of Kenosha

While going for a shopping spree with my mother and grandmother during the weekend, Mom suggested we three should hit up the Charcoal Grill in town for lunch. I'd never been there before- or to any Charcoal Grill for that matter -so I figured, "First time- makes for a good blog post!"
Charcoal Grill has more than one location, but it's not a national chain either. You'll pretty much only find these restaurants in Wisconsin. I didn't know much about this place going in, but I could tell it was gonna have a few traits of the typical "grill" restaurant that's moderately successful but not incredibly successful- Basically, these types of joints have big portions for fair prices, a diverse menu, a sports theme, family-friendly dining, a cozy atmosphere, plenty of T.V's and specials for game day, and would rather focus on crowd-pleasing food than healthy food. I guess we'll see how many of these traits Charcoal Grill exhibits.

LOCAL REVIEW: tg's of Kenosha

Hot beef sandwiches (or also sometimes called Italian beef sandwiches) are probably one of the most perfect sandwiches out there. And thankfully, my little town of Kenosha is crawling with restaurants who offer this delectable combination of succulent pot roast-esque beef, thick absorbent bread, and flavorful au jus. You can find a hot beef pretty much anywhere you go! Well- maybe not if you went out for Chinese or Mexican, but you get the picture. But in all my years of living here in town, I've never been to tg's Restaurant & Pub, self-proclaimed "Home of Kenosha's Famous Hot Beef." Not really an outrageous claim- Many Kenoshans have been to tg's to try their hot beef and even go as far as to say they make THE BEST hot beef. And today, I finally got to go and experience what everyone's been talking about.

REVIEW: Wisconian Deletables' Apple of My Eye Chips

Today I bring to you a review for a local product, made here fresh in Wisconsin- Wisconian Delectables' Apple of My Eye Chips. Wisconian Delectables makes at least a dozen different chips flavors (and salsas too), but since I've always had an affinity for sweet over salty flavors (of which WD has varieties of both), I pleaded with my parents to pick this certain type of chip up when we stopped at Wisconian Delectables' stand at the Kenosha HarborMarket. One 9 oz. bag of chips costs $6.00. You can purchase Wisconian Delectable's products at the several locations listed here.

REVIEW: Slice of NY Pizzeria

There are quite a few pizza joints in Kenosha that have been around for a long, long time. Take Tenuta's, for example: It first opened its doors in 1950... That's older than the Beatles! I mean, people were just starting to wear poodle skirts and leather jackets and all that. The general public would still have to wait one more year before I Love Lucy even aired. So yeah, places like Tenuta's have been around for a long time. There's Valeo's Pizza too.. been in operation for more than 40 years. Gee, 1950s... 1970s... We're talking places where my parents could remember getting food from when they were kids! Yikes! Slice of NY, however, is like an infant in Kenosha terms. It's only been open since March of last year. That doesn't mean that Slice of NY has been treated like some pathetic rookie thus far though. Imagine if allllll the pizzerias in Kenosha went to high school together: You might think Slice of NY is the sad little freshmen who gets stuffed into lockers by the big tough seniors, like Tenuta's and Valeo's, but this isn't the case. Slice of NY is actually like that freshmen who's gaining popularity extremely fast- even bolstering a rep comparable to the seniors already! Why? Well, Slice of NY- if the name doesn't give it away already- serves up authentic, by-the-slice, New York-style pizza. This freshmen has a personality totally original to Kenosha High, one the likes of which the school has never housed before. And it's about time this reviewer gets her chance to meet this up-and-coming freshie.

REVIEW: Trolley Dogs

Trolley Dogs is a small corner restaurant located in downtown Kenosha, which has been selling delicious hot dogs since 2003. All of their hot dogs are made with Fresh Vienna JUMBO Dogs, and are served up in many different styles: There's the classic Chicago Dog, the savory Chili Dog, the Kenosha Dog (a hot dog with cheese), the meaty Bacon Dog, an Octo-Dog for the kids, and even the eponymous Trolley Dog, which is a tamale and a hot dog all together in the same bun! Today, my Dad took my brother and me to Trolley Dogs for dinner. Even with all the unique hot doggy options on the menu, I wasn't feeling in the weenie mood, so I purchased an Italian Beef for $5.00.

REVIEW: The Roma Lodge's Roast Beef Au Jus Bomber

Every Thursday at the Roma Lodge in Racine, Wisconsin, is Bingo Night, and I am NOT ashamed to say I've frequenting the joint for this certain event nearly every week with my grandmother for about a year now. We grab our daubers, our Sharpie pens, our good-luck possessions- whatever is required to win us some big bucks!
I don't think many teens my age realize that the Bingo played here this isn't your average, run-of-the-mill, "get five in a row" Bingo. No, rather, quite contrary to the sort: You have your Four Corners Bingo, your Arrow-Shaped Bingo, your Top & Bottom Row Bingo, and your Cover All Bingo, just to name a few (You can play about 20 different games, altogether). And what do you get if you win?A big wad of cash money, that's what! Most games pay out $75.00 to the winner, but some are even worth $200.00! With so much money at stake, the competitiveness is high. Which is why I think so many old people like the game: It's one of the only things they can compete at and not break a hip in the process.
That's not to say young people can't enjoy Bingo too. It can actually develop into something pretty fierce, believe it or not. Each game, your heart is pratically beating out of your chest. "What if the number you so desperately need is called next? But if it is called, will someone else shout out "Bingo" too? How close are all the other players to winning the game? What if the next number called ends it all? Or the next one? Or the one after that? Or the one after that?" Many thoughts swirl through your head as you stare intently at the paper sheet below you, dotted with the colorful ink of your dauber.
What I'm saying this, you gotta respect the game of Bingo. It's not just some chance for all the old bags out there to have their "ladies' night"- It's more than that. It's a high-risk game of luck and suspense! And, I think if more kids out there realized that their grandmothers are mainly playing for humongous cash prizes, they'd join in too. Of course, Bingo Night isn't free- You have to pay for your sets of Bingo sheets. And if you want dinner, you're going to have to pay for that too.
Which makes for a great segway into the main topic of this article- Roma Lodge's Roast Beef Au Jus Bomber: the greatest hot beef sandwich this young one has tasted in her short, fourteen (near fifteen, by the way) years.

The Roma Lodge has plenty of options for grub to eat during their Bingo Night- The selection varies from week to week, but there are a couple of staples- One of them being the Roast Beef Bomber. I can say, with the utmost certainty, that it will be available every Thursday. And that's good news for me, since I oh-so loooove this scrumptious sandwich. It's large, it's in charge, and it tastes like a big hunk of heaven!!! And one whale-sized sammy will only cost you $2.50, unless you're going to Bingo on the third week of the month, where all food items are priced at a discount $1.50. My Roast Beef Bomber (which I ordered with extra meat, because it is just that delicious), my Diet Mug, and my coffee only set me myself back $2.00, but this is because the cashier is sweet on kids. I may be reaching my age though- He used to even give me a free dessert- sometimes two even, but I'm not offered a single cookie anymore. Growing old is tough, and sometimes rather sad, when you think about it... Enjoy your youth while you can, kiddos!

REVIEW: Cafe La Scala (aka The Italian Community Center)

My Italian class had planned a field trip to go see Le nozze di Figaro, or the Marriage of Figaro, an Italian opera which was written by, believe it or not, Mozart himself! I didn't know Mozart had written operas before this trip had been brought up. It's pretty impressive that the man can write a whole opera in a completely different language from his own. I can barely write a whole paragraph in a different language, you know?
Well, anyway, this field trip was optional, but all the Italian classes taught at my school were invited. Mama had offered to drive some kids over to the opera, which was in Milwaukee, and I was afraid we might get stuck with a bunch of students who were either painstakingly annoying and immature, or so unrelatable that the car ride would get extremely awkward. I was on pins and needles, really! But in the end, everybody in our car was an adult chaperone. And it turns out that, altogether, only 25 people had signed up to go in the first place. Even better was that the students were the more mature, more wittier kids at school. Va bene! Needless to say, the car ride went much better than expected. Adults can provide much greater conversations than I'd get out of most of the students at school. But am I sounding condescending? Well,  I'll just move right along then!

REVIEW: The Soup Depot

Hey, everyone! Today's post is another local Ri-view (Haha, get it? Ri. View. Cuz' my name is Ri. And I'm reviewing... Yeahhhh, you get it). This time, Sweet and SavoRi's spotlight is on Kenosha's very own Soup Depot, a cute little cafe that sells dozens of different sandwiches (I counted 38 cold ones, 5 hot) and a bunch of other menu items. They also have a big breakfast menu with omelettes, egg sandwiches, and sides. Best part? Breakfast can be ordered all day! (Yes!!! Does anyone else think it's awesome when restaurants do that?!) The Soup Depot also specializes in- you guessed it- soup. They make a few different batches of homemade soup fresh every day. This means that, some days, you might be able to get something like Clam Chowder, while other times, you may not. But don't get mad if you walk in and find the soup you want is unavailable- Soup Depot has a list of which soups are served which days here.

Tenuta's Take-N-Bake Pizza

It's Friday night, and you're dying for a good slice of pizza. Where do you go? Enter Kenosha, Wisconsin- a cornucopia of pizzerias galore. Although, to be frank, the town is as cold as hell more than half of the year, and plenty enough of my friends complain there's nothing to do, Kenosha has its good points: one is that there are more than a dozen of authentic, traditional pizzerias. Yes, you could order from Papa John's or Domino's or Pizza Hut here, but why would you? That would be like going to, say, Italy and stopping at Olive Garden for lunch. Get what I mean? Anyway, today was Friday, and it's become a family tradition to get pizza every Friday night. This time, my family and I decided to drive over to Tenuta's Delicattessan to grab some take-n-bake pizza. Sure, at first, take-n-bake might seem a bit tedious... Having pizza delivered seems so much faster and convenient. BUT... Tenuta's has some of the best pizza I have ever tasted (yes, I've had it numerous times), so I'm willing to bear with the whole cooking-in-my-own-oven thing.