Once upon a time there was a Vietnamese restaurant on Airport Highway. It has been gone for a long time so when we heard about a new Vietnamese joint that opened on Upton we rushed to check it out.

Pho Viet Nam is fantastic! The story is they opened about a year ago as a soul food place. About a month ago they started adding Vietnamese dishes to the menu and have gotten rave reviews from friends and foodies in Toledo. On our first visit I asked if they served banh mi (a wonderful sandwich I used to enjoy when living in NYC). They didn’t have it then… but on our next visit BAM! There it was on the menu. YUM.

You should really check this little gem out for yourselves. I’m looking forward to this Summer when we can take advantage of the sweet deck they have out front with tables.

Pho Viet Nam | 3636 Upton Avenue | (419) 720-2952

So excited about this… Toledo-favorite Cake in a Cup gets invited to the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars. AND WINS! We were happy to join them in a viewing party where their lips remained sealed about the outcome until it was shown on the TVs. What a night. Congrats to Lori and Dana… well done girls. Well done!

Cake in a Cup | 6801 W Central Ave # 2 | (419) 491-1104

Well, this post was a long time coming! Monday afternoon we finally got a chance to check out the newly expanded San Marcos Grocery with a fully-functioning dining room.

I have a feeling several of you are San Marcos cult-members and will henceforth reminisce about a small counter in the dim lit corner of a little grocery store. San Marcos has gone through a growth spurt… simply walk all the way through the far back archway to enjoy the same, best tacos in NW Ohio.

It was after 5pm so a couple margaritas were tossed at us–with salt, please! The tables and booths are covered in colorful paintings and relief art.

Of course we ordered too much food (leftovers!) and D.’s dishes came out first. A beef tongue taco (which I find conceptually abhorrent), a pork taco, and a chili relleno. He loved it all.

While the dining situation has changed, the food has remained just as fresh and authentic as it ever was.

There are bottles of both green and red hot sauces on the tables and I suggest trying both. The green hot sauce is a little hotter than the red… the red has a bit of a smokey flavor to it. Both have little to no vinegar taste which is common in Mexican hot sauces.

My first “torta” would have been when I lived in San Francisco. This sandwich lived up to my high expectations–prepared with chicken, melted cheese, roasted peppers, tomato, lettuce, and avocado. The mayo-looking dressing was not mayo but more of a creme fraiche. It was a delicious dine (n.-yes I’m using it as a noun), huge (half went home in a box), and cheap.

Afterwards we spent a few minutes in the actual grocery store, which is always an adventure.

We not only left with satisfied and very full tummies but also brought home some perfectly mysterious patries.

Don’t be shy. Try this much loved authentic Mexican joint for yourself! I promise you… it’s a hidden gem that is more and more becoming less “hidden.”

San Marcos Super Marketo | 235 Broadway Street | (419) 244-2373

D. and I aren’t fans of chain restaurants and I struggled with whether to even try this new concoction by Taco Bell, but Toledo was the very first city in the WORLD to have this Doritos taco! After reading about it on practically every foodie blog in existence, we decided to give it a go for Toledo’s sake.

I can say it does taste pretty much like you would expect; run-of-the-mill Taco Bell taco within a large Doritos chip. It wasn’t at all “bad” but I’m certainly not advocating that everyone run out and get one. Why eat at a fast food chain when you can savor a real taco from critically-acclaimed San Marcos?

Last Friday the Original Sub Shop hosted a benefit for Toledo GROWs aptly named “Baghdad Cafe.” Toledo GROWs is the community gardening outreach program of Toledo Botanical Garden — and a really great cause!

The dinner I shared with D. started off with a bunch of darling little bowls (handcrafted by Lisa David from now on to be known as L.D.) that were filled with the yummy richness of roasted red peppers, hummus, vegetables in an incredibly fresh tasting pickle, and an unknown-until-that-day carrot dip. Have you ever had carrot dip?

We joined in at the 5pm seating (there was the 5pm and a 7pm). The windows were still fogged up… must have been all the great cooking that had been going on over the past day or two!

We indulged on a choice of two soups. D. chose the yogurt-based option but I went straight fot the one that mentioned meatballs. I was hoping to spare my tummy for the main courses so I only plated a couple of the meatballs. They were really fantastic.

And then came the motherload of deelish. I shot D.’s plate because it was much more filled with stuff than mine–look at it!!!–I don’t know enough about the names of the cuisine, but there was some little rolls of meat, chicken (shwarma?), grape leaves, pastries filled with meats and cheese, barley salads, rices… it was bonkers.

And what was really bonkers… ending with this…

Now, I don’t remember the name but it was a custard encased in filo, drizzled in honey and nuts and amazingness. No… it wasn’t baklava.

In my fantasy life I can host amazing cooks at my home to create important dinners whenever I like – and L.D. from the Original Sub Shop is at the top of my list. In my dreams… sigh. I am a huge fan of the Original Sub Shop and you should be as well!

Toledo Grows | Original Sub Shop