Sakai Japanese Bistro in Troy, OH

Sakai Japanese Bistro
2303 W. Main Street
Troy, OH 45373
(937) 440-1302

Starving Auctioneers Rating (food): 3 1/2 Gavels out of 5
Starving Auctioneers Rating (service): 1/16 of a Gavel out of 5

A Tale of Two Boats

Miami County, Ohio is not a place for boats. Don’t let the name fool you. Miami County is as far from the ocean and ‘boat culture’ as one can get. But that didn’t stop Rich Kruse and Peter from having some boating adventures of a different kind. Both men were in the area to visit a perspective client about listing a property for sale. On the way back to the interstate Rich asked a simple question, “Did you see that?”

“See what?” Peter replied.

“Obviously you didn’t see that.” Rich stated and put the car into an immediate u-turn.

‘It’ was a handyman, do-it-yourself, nautical adventure (see picture). It was sitting partially in a barn in the middle of a typical Ohio corn field. We can all be thankful for that because if it had been in the water it would have been a Coast Guard rescue waiting to happen. Not being marine surveyors it is possible the boat was ok but it looked slightly out of proportion (top heavy) and as if one wave or wind would roll it over. It also looked plain funny sitting where it was and completely bizarre.

After enjoying the local attractions the dinner bell was calling we found an equally amazing place to eat: Sakai Japanese Bistro on the outskirts of the culinary capital that is Tory, Ohio. Some of you might have seen Troy, Ohio if you happened to look to your left or right at exactly the right moment as you sped down I-75. It is easy to miss in the unchanging landscape that stretches from south of Toledo to northern Cincinnati.

Helen of Troy was said to have a face that launched a thousand ships. On this day there was only one ship that Rich and Peter had in mind and it was a sushi boat. The food was surprisingly good for being a stone’s throw from a freshly harvested wheat field and the chief was very personable and friendly.

What was NOT good was the absolutely clueless server. Josh (names not changed) must have come from the family of boat builders up the road…at least we hope that explains it. He had as much clue about the menu as Rich and Peter had about landing on the moon. The notion of even having a server was ridiculous as both men sat at the sushi bar and watched the boat fill with piece after delectable piece. All Josh had to do was keep the ice tea coming and even at that he failed miserably. It was not even that Josh was bad just that he was completely clueless as the nature of the food being served at the restaurant, food service in general and his role in this transaction. Arriving well after the lunch rush Josh had all of 1 table to wait on. In his defense he is likely earning money for I-Tunes and living off tips in between trips to get more Silly-Bandz.

The service resulted in a Starving Auctioneer first: Split rating. It is shocker but shocking times call for shocking measures.

Kutters Bar & Grill in Quincy, IL

Kutters Bar & Grill - Map
236 North Front Street
Quincy, IL 62301
(217) 223-5888

Starving Auctioneers Rating: 3 1/2 Gavels out of 5

There are business trips and family trips; Shopping trips and wasted trips. Then there are ROAD TRIPS. The definition of a great road trip is when arriving at the destination is almost forgotten when one recounts the events that proceed it. Such was the case on an epic road trip untaken by David Helmer and Peter Gehres one December week. The trip began with a simple premise: collect a number of items David had purchased from Sullivan Auctioneers. Over time it morphed in to a five state romp visiting auctioneers, buyers, sellers in the heart of the auctioneering world: The Midwest. The best visual would be General Sherman’s march to the sea if he had a minivan.

First stop was for Peter and was to an auction customer in Illinois to deliver some items purchased from a recent Belhorn Pottery Auction. Then it was on to meet the Sullivan Auctioneers. There we collected David’s purchases, a very retro but very cool auction company calendar and some spiffy new Sullivan Auctioneer hats. We took a brief self guided tour of their impressive facility before asking for the best local food. We were directed to Kutters Bar & Grill in nearby Quincy, Illinois. After a wrong turn took us to Iowa and Missouri which offered few food choices but a couple of crossings over the Mississippi we stopped at a transmission shop to ask for directions. It was a bit embarrassing given we had a GPS on board. It was just before Christmas and the journey brought us in touch with the story of the Three Kings. Although we were just starving and would have likely only brought a doggie bag of French fries had we been in charge all those years ago.

Kutters is located as close the Mississippi as one can comfortably get and stay dry. We arrived after the lunch rush and had the place to ourselves and the stag (see picture). We ordered the nachos and the fish platter and were impressed with both. On hindsight though the nachos may have been overrated given it was the only thing we had to eat since dinner the night before. Throughout the meal David attempted to sound like a local and insisted on referring the river outside as the “mighty Mississip” and the effort understandably impressed no one. The service was good and the one could imagine the bar and grill hoping at lunch or dinner.

The next day our trip took us back to a Starving Auctioneers favorite: The Town Tavern in Auburn, Indiana for a power lunch with the Brothers Kruse. Along the way home be visited some potential clients, tractor dealerships in search of rare toys and enjoyed some local pizza while watching Monday Night Football. In the end it was a perfect trip that won’t likely ever be repeated and is one of those events in your life that is a collection of normal activities that lead to extraordinary memories.

Fukuya Japanese in Hilliard, OH

Fukuya Japanese
http://www.fukuyajapanese.com/
2469 Hilliard Rome Road
Hilliard, OH 43026
(614) 850-0888

Starving Auctioneers Rating: 3 1/2 Gavels out of 5

Business meetings at Belhorn Auction Services rarely happen in anything resembling a traditional setting. Today was no exception. Today’s meeting was called to order at the new Japanese Restaurant in Hilliard, Fukuya Japanese Steak House and Sushi. Before we get to the review, all you really need to know is that we will be back and you need to go soon.

While the steak and dinners are very good we where there for the sushi and by sushi we mean Americanized raw fish consumption with all the bells and whistles our great country can add to an otherwise unsuspecting cuisine. To further clarify what we both really wanted was Makizushi for those diehard sushi lovers and Japanese culture fans. For everyone else we will just call it sushi. In a past life Peter was a youth ambassador to Japan so it is important we get this sort of information correct. Peter was the only member of the delegation to gain weight on their first trip to Japan.

Greg ordered a California roll with no cucumber (the mysteries never cease) and the ‘special’ Dragon roll. Peter was a bit offend at this selection owing to Greg’s continued disregard for the over hunting of dragons that has brought their population to near extinction…when was the last time you saw a dragon?? Peter ordered the far more sustainable Buckeye Roll which is shrimp tempura topped with spicy crab and Hawaiian Roll which is tuna, cream cheese, crunch avocado topped with crab. Peter seems to be very interested in food inspired by the states of the union.

Those who order fresh sushi know that it can take awhile for an order to come up owing the nature of its preparation. However this was perfect as there was plenty to discuss between an upcoming auction in Michigan, a pottery pickups in Indiana, and the early 2010 auction calendar.

When everything did arrive it was great. What makes Fukuya special is that it is SO close (to us anyway) and so good. Sushi ain’t cheap but good food seldom is but it was reasonable given the rarity of fresh dragon these days.

Portside Seafood Restaurant in Cambridge, MD

Portside Seafood Restaurant
http://www.portsideseafood.com
201 Trenton Street
Cambridge, MD 21613-2406
(410) 228-9007

Starving Auctioneers Rating: 3 1/2 Gavels out of 5

A recent pottery pick up took us to the Maryland. We have never been to Maryland as a destination. Everyone has driven through Maryland just like everyone has driven through Indiana or ran from gate to gate at the Atlanta airport. This was our first real chance to enjoy the state of Maryland. We drove from the most western point, across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to Cambridge, MD. Cambridge seems like a nice enough place, no different than any other. Our pick up was at a typical slice of Americana ranch style home. It seems many of our pottery pick-ups are at normal homes. Pottery folks appear to spend their money on pottery and not real estate and we are thankful for it. We picked nearly 300 pieces of Roseville, Weller, Hull, McCoy and Gonder.

With the Chesapeake Bay within sight of the front door was asked about a local eating establishment to sample the fruits of the bay…or at least the fruits of some body of water. Our host directed us to Portside Restaurant.

Portside Restaurant is a local joint with vinyl table covers, booths and chairs that are all reaching ‘the end of their useful lives.” There is a well worn bar and outside patio and a view of the bay. You can eat on the water at Portside which we always avoid because of the ever present danger of attacking sea creatures. It was ‘Please Seat Yourself’ hour and we did.

Greg ordered the Broiled Platter with a side of Crab Imperial. Crab Imperial was new to us both, we are live in Ohio and eat at Wendy’s so cut us some slack. Peter ordered the crab cakes. We both ordered “Crazy Potatoes” and a salad as sides. We shared an appetizer of scallops wrapped in bacon swimming in BBQ sauce. Meat on meat in BBQ sauce – always a winner. The service was satisfactory if not a bit slow. Food was good and the place was a mixture of a girl’s soft ball team and old locals drinking wine and wishing their kids would call. In homage to our local radio show host and armature restaurant critic, John Corby, we checkouted the facilities; no good news on that front but at least it had running water.

The price was at the high end of our budget but unlike crab dishes in the Buckeye state these dishes contained actual crab which was a welcome change. The place had Keno and big screen TVs for watching the nearby Ravens beat up on Ohio’s perpetual man made disasters Browns and Bangles.

We entertained ourselves on the way back to Ohio though the dark, fog and rain by watching the recent crack in our windshield spread. We used a magic marker to track the progress as we hit potholes and rumble strips. Like mom marking your height on a door jamb we marked the crack through Annapolis and Hagerstown, Morgantown and Zanesville.