Fifi's Reprise Restaurant and Lounge (Toledo, OH)

6/10/09

Truly a 5-star restaurant, Fifi's Reprise Restaurant and Lounge is one of the few establishments that makes Toledo proud! Given its secluded nature, i.e. tucked in the corner of a strip mall off of Airport Hwy and Bernath Parkway, many Toledo natives may not even know that such a fine dining restaurant even exists. Others who are aware of its presence may be put off by the price tag on some menu items; rest assure, however, that Fifi's does offer a lounge menu which may be a bit easier on the wallet.

Step inside and be prepared to experience a sudden surge in class and sophistication. Is this a restaurant? Or an art gallery? The answer would be, well, both. Two of my favorite dining companions, who enjoy checking out what Toledo's restaurant scene has to offer, happily accompanied me to Fifi's without making reservations ahead of time and were quickly led to a table. At first glance, it may seem that this place is not open even at 6 in the pm, but give it an hour or so and you'll see folks slowly trickle in. Admittedly, the three of us were probably the youngest customers to have stepped foot inside in quite some time, but we certainly were not treated any differently than our older counterparts. In fact, Fifi herself graced us with her presence many times throughout the entire night, which was definitely a wonderful touch.

In addition to the regular dining room menu and the specials of the day menu, diners can also order from the extensive lounge menu. I personally found the lounge menu to boast quite the selection and opted for the lobster cake as my appetizer, while my friends had the clam chowder and the imported cheese plate for their appetizers. Chock-full of lobster with the perfect flakiness and crispiness, the lobster cake was an amazing start to what would be the best dinner I've had to date in the 419. Absolutely divine.

Salads, that accompanied every entree, were immediately brought out shortly after we finished our appetizers. Wanting to stray away from the ordinary sounding dressings, I opted for the house cognac dressing. Creamy yet light, the dressing certainly left a lingering, pleasant cognac aftertaste without being overpowering. The bread basket was also brought to our table at the same time, along with a plate of delicious natural butter.

Our entrees took longer to reach our table, but after seeing the meticulous presentation of each dish (and learning that each was made to order), all was quickly forgotten. My red wine braised duck breast was once again superb and having tasted this bird prepared in countless ways, I must say that this could easily be one of the best means of preparation as the natural tenderness and flavors were preserved. The red wine served to augment the overall excellence of the dish. The potato du jour just happened to be scalloped potatoes that evening -- a welcoming change from the typical mashed potatoes. Most of the house vegetables were left untouched not because it wasn't equally delicious, but rather because I was leaving room for the most important aspect to every meal: desserts!

Fifi's once again does not disappoint with its dessert menu. On top of the dessert of the day (guinness ice cream with chocolate molten cake), other tempting options included the bananas foster and the strawberry flambe with vanilla ice cream. While both of my friends decided on the former, I went with the latter. Words cannot do justice to the excellent desserts, as mine was rich and delightful without being too overly sweet.

What can you expect at Fifi's aside from all the elegantly executed food? Attention paid to the smallest details -- from chilled utensils prior to salads and desserts to blue cheese dressing served in a shot glass due to its thickness. All were much appreciated and certainly did not go unnoticed.

I cannot recommend Fifi's highly enough for those of you who are looking for a break from Toledo's chain invasion. Granted, you will not be finding me dining here every night of the week (as I have absolutely no intention of going broke anytime soon) but you can absolutely count on my venturing back for future celebratory dinners. Hats off to you, Fifi!

Rating: *****

Fifi's Reprise Restaurant and Lounge
1423 Bernath Parkway

Toledo, OH 43615

Ciao! (Sylvania, OH)

6/12/09

Having heard many wonderful things about Ciao(!), I ventured out to Sylvania with four of my friends for an evening of -- hopefully -- good Italian food. What some may not know about Ciao, however, is the fact that it is part of the Mainstreet Ventures "chain" which includes other local favorites such as Real Seafood Company and Zia's.

So what can you expect at Ciao? A homey, unpretentious decor with great, attentive service. In addition, I have to agree with that it has a country club feel to it. It was easy to pick out the regulars from the non-regulars (i.e. my party) as they sat down, exchanged greetings with the servers, and ordered without even taking a gander at the menu nor the daily specials.

The menu was rather expansive with many highfalutin choices, from artichoke hearts stuffed with seafood as appetizers to lobster ravioli as entrees. One tip to eat at Ciao is to come with a group of folks who are willing to sample the various menu options. The second is that you will not be able to pronounce half of the items on the menu, and chances are, you won't be the only one -- so point to the item if necessary.

Since we couldn't decide on one appetizer, we ended up ordering two. The first was the Carciofo Fritti (panko fried artichoke hearts with cream garlic vinaigrette; $8.95.) Yes, it was just as delicious as it sounded on paper. Granted, it was a bit on the greasy side, but it also brought out the natural juiciness and unforgettable flavor of artichoke hearts.


Our second appetizer was the Bruschetta Ciao ($5.95.) While the bread basket was unimpressive, I was pleasantly surprised at the good execution of the aforementioned bread with pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and mozzarella. Needless to say, both superb appetizers set the bar quite high for our main courses.

All entrees come with a house salad, although it can be substituted with the soup of the day (gazpacho on the evening that we went) for an additional $3.95 surcharge. To be honest, it looked like watered down salsa when presented and, well, it also tasted like watered down salsa, even after our server had stated in a matter-of-fact tone that it tasted like anything BUT salsa.


The Gamberetti al Abruzzese (grilled jumbo shrimp in spicy piquant sauce served with orzo and fresh vegetables) caught my eyes, but the special of the day (Rainbow trout in special sauce served with pesto mashed potatoes and butternut squash - $21.95) sounded equally impressive that I eventually settled with the latter. With the exception of the butternut squash which was rather tasteless, I enjoyed the dish. The trout was grilled to perfection while maintaining its texture and freshness. The pesto mashed potatoes could easily top my list of top 10 comfort food; with just the right hint of pesto, the basil fragrance blended nicely with the potatoes.

Now, onto the other small disappointing factor to the meal: dessert options. Ciao does not have a dessert menu. Rather, following your meal, a server will present you with a tray of six dessert shooters. I believe a single shooter was about $2.50 while the entire tray, $11.75. Now, it doesn't take a math genius to figure out that you get more bang for your buck if you were to simply say 'Yes' to the entire tray (while sampling all the sugary goodies.) Helloooo, win-win situation! The only drawback, however, is that Ciao does not offer regular sized portions of the dessert shooters (which included the zabaglione, tiramisu, chocolate mousse, etc.) Fret not, because these shooters are beyond rich. One is more than enough to curb that sweet tooth craving... for an entire week. My favorite -- and it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone -- was the chocolate mousse. Whipped glass of heaven, I tell you.

Unlike its Italian restaurant counterparts, Ciao will not send you home with the feeling that you are going to explode at any given second. You will be stuffed but you will not swear off carbohydrates for an entire year. Rather, you will be looking forward to your next trip back -- seeing the dearth of noteworthy Italian restaurants in town -- to sample the rest of the menu, or that delicious sounding special of the day.

Rating: ****

Ciao!
6064 Monroe St
Sylvania, OH 43560