Good right out of the gate

Saadeys Place has all the right ingredients

Photo

Photo by: Katie Rickman

The “Down the Stretch Turkey” sandwich at Saadeys Place.

By Mark Smesko & Michael Vallas

AUSTINTOWN

Going to a new restaurant can be a bit of a gamble. But like a filly with good bloodlines, we were hopeful that our experience would be good right out of the gate since the people involved already run a successful establishment.

Saadeys Place is owned and operated by Joe Saadey, owner of the venerable Upstairs Restaurant. Saadeys opened this past July and is located on Route 46 next to the Best Western hotel and just across from the new Hollywood Racino.

We stepped inside to find a clean decor, a nice open bar and beautiful paintings by Joe’s mom hung above the tables lining the perimeter. We met up with Joe, who was eager to show us the offerings at his new place.

We started our meal off with one of Saadeys signature cocktails, The Progressive. This is a mixture of Absolut vodka, tomato juice, spices, Worcestershire, and Tabasco as spicy as you’d like. Topped off with a chilled shrimp, celery, olives and a crisp slice of bacon, it makes a good start to a Sunday lunch.

Our job is to write on restaurant’s signature dishes, but we always tell the chefs and owners we will sample anything they would like us to try. Joe made sure we didn’t go hungry.

We first sampled the Tomato Bisque, which was a soup consisting of a rich tomato broth with onions, celery and carrots. Served with a Parmesan crisp, it was a comforting starter. Next up was the Meatball Bowl. Meatballs made with all beef mixed with garlic, eggs, parsley, cheese and bread crumbs topped with house-made Sunday gravy (marinara) and Romano cheese. These were tender and delicious on their own but when topped with the house-made hot peppers, a wonderful appetizer.

Next appeared Buffalo Chicken Dip with corn tortilla chips, warm chunks of white meat chicken mixed with ranch dressing, bleu and mozzarella cheeses and hot sauce. The dip was creamy and slightly spicy with the chunks of chicken providing texture. The accompanying tortilla chips were the perfect match for this savory dip.

We sampled one additional appetizer, Cocktails of the Sea, a fresh chilled half-pound of shrimp served with lemon wedges and a spicy cocktail sauce. A classic and tasty starter.

Joe insisted that we try a couple of their signature salads, so who were we to argue? First up was The Wedge, a crisp wedge of iceberg lettuce topped with chopped bacon, tomatoes and bleu cheese dressing. Another classic dish executed well.

The next salad was Hearts are Wild, spears of romaine hearts topped with dried cranberries, candied walnuts, asiago cheese crisps, tomatoes and cucumbers. This is served with your choice of dressing. We really enjoyed this salad and thought the dried cranberries made the dish.

We next moved on to two of Saadeys signature sandwiches, the Brisket Bomber and the Down the Stretch Turkey. Chef Randy Davenport explained that they smoke both the turkey and the beef brisket in house slow and low at about 300 degrees. The turkey smokes for about an hour and a half to two hours, and the brisket takes about 8 hours.

The turkey is served on toasted multigrain bread topped with Monterey jack cheese, tomato, lettuce and chive mayo. This really was a superb sandwich. Tender smoky turkey, creamy mayo, melted cheese, fresh tomato and lettuce all brought together with the toasted, hearty bread.

The beef brisket sandwich is topped with coleslaw and house-made barbecue sauce on a toasted roll. The stacked-high meat had a slight smoke, was tender and juicy, and melted in your mouth. The coleslaw added texture and the barbecue sauce was sweet and smoky. A solid offering.

When we started writing for the Vindy, we really didn’t have a sweet tooth. Now, 18 months into our food adventures, we crave dessert every time. Saadeys didn’t disappoint. If there’s one dessert that Mike cannot pass up, it’s bread pudding. Add sea-salted caramel and he was sold.

Chef Davenport takes pieces of the Italian and multigrain bread and soaks them in a custard consisting of eggs, milk, butter, nutmeg, cinnamon and sugar. This is baked off and served warm and topped with the house-made caramel sauce accented with sea salt. No further description is needed, but suffice it to say, it was fantastic and finished in its entirety.

Maybe it was the decor or the proximity to the horse track, but during our evening we couldn’t help but think what a perfect spot this would be to stop by with racing form in hand. Whether for a Sunday lunch, after work drink or a casual evening dinner, Saadeys Place is sure bet for a good meal.

ABOUT Signature Dishes

Mike and Mark are on the lookout for the biggest, hottest and tastiest dishes in the Valley. Email them at BrothersInFood@gmail.com.