When the city editor at The Daily Record, Jarred Opatz, went on vacation, I put in a lot of hours trying to fill his shoes. The job seemingly never ends, and I had a lot of overtime when he was gone. So, with Jarred back, I decided to take Friday off, and Wendi was able to get the day off, too. I wanted to go to Raising Cane’s in Columbus (a place that specializes in hand-breaded, deep-fried chicken tenders), but Wendi preferred staying close to home. So, we compromised: We stayed close to home.
Commercial & Savings Bank
The first thing we did was to collect our loose change we have been saving since the beginning of the year and head to a bank. We are planning a trip to New York City with Wendi’s sister, Randi, and her husband, Shaun. The money will be added to what we have been saving for the trip since February. One of the banks we use, Commercial & Savings Bank, has a coin counter, and we pointed the car in that direction. Check out the photo below of the coins. How much do you think we saved (answer at the bottom of the page)?
Gouda Bar & Grill
With the money for New York safely secured, our next stop was to try Wooster’s newest restaurant, Gouda Bar & Grill, a concept similar to Melt Bar & Grilled, which features the funkiest grilled cheese sandwiches around (read about our visit to Melt here). The restaurant occupies the same space as the former First Amendment Public House, which, I think, everyone misses. With us living it up, Wendi ordered the Jalapeno Popper Dip as an appetizer. I ordered the Mac & Cheese Grilled Cheese Sandwich, and Wendi had the Asian Pulled Pork Burger (the burger is Certified Angus Beef!).
Wendi will be writing about our lunch at Gouda, but I need to say something about the Jalapeno Popper Dip for Jess Estridge. (He asked for a full review.) I had no idea what to expect. Here is what it is: Cream cheese with diced, fresh jalapeno peppers mixed in, topped with cheddar cheese and bacon bits. The dip is baked and served with a side of tortilla chips. The dip is pretty good. The heat came through. It packed more punch than I would have expected. It is a nice dish, but I would have done it just a little bit differently. First, I would use pickled jalapenos instead. I pretty much only like fresh jalapenos sauteed in butter with fried potatoes. I would add a little bit of taco seasoning to the cream cheese. Once those ingredients were mixed, I would cover it with cheddar cheese, homemade buttered bread crumbs and bacon bits (I would add more bacon to let the flavor stand out). Then, I would bake until the cream cheese was warm, the cheddar melted and the bread crumbs browned. I also would have preferred homemade tortilla chips. The chips we had were a little sturdier than what you get in the grocery store, but not any better tasting. Having said all that, I would definitely order it again.
Holcomb’s Classics Gourmet Popcorn and Nuts
It seems like we cannot go downtown without heading to Holcomb’s in the Public Square. (Wendi wrote about our first visit here.) She is absolutely in love with their Ashby’s Michigan Pot Hole Ice Cream, a decadent chocolate concoction described as having “thick black-tar fudge and chocolate ice cream with chunks of chocolate asphalt.” Owners Rich and Michele Holcomb posted on Facebook the other day they had Ashby’s Carrot Cake Ice Cream. With me being a lover of carrot cake, I had to try it, and let me say, it did not disappoint. It was a little too spicy for Wendi, but it was perfect for me. I loved it. And, of course, Wendi loved her Michigan Pot Hole Ice Cream. I told Rich the last time he ran out, I got in trouble, so he could never be without it again.
Everything Rubbermaid
Wendi wanted to stop by Everything Rubbermaid to look for some kind of divider that could be used between my dresser and hamper. She didn’t find what she was looking for, but I ended up finding storage containers and Sharpie markers for my magic. While the visit didn’t pan out for Wendi, it sure did for me.
Time for Change
So, how much change did you think we saved? How close were you?
After working so many long hours in the recent weeks, it was nice to spend the day with my wonderful wife, Wendi Warren in our favorite place to be, our hometown, Wooster, Ohio. And no day off would be complete for Wendi, if it didn’t include a nap — which ours did! What do you think of that?
