Belleria Italian Restaurant – Fried Haddock

Belleria Italian Bread

Belleria is a very nice and friendly restaurant in Youngstown. They have the standard fare entrees but with their own special touch. Patty and I decided on fried haddock dinners. At Belleria, you seat yourselves and we were lucky enough to find an open booth. The waitress dropped off some menu’s and took our drink order. A few minutes later fresh Italian bread was delivered to our table. The bread was fresh, still warm, and very delicious.

Belleria Salad

As I said previously, we were hankering for haddock and the waitress took our order and I added fried cheese sticks for an appetizer. In less than five minutes our salads were at our table. As you can see, it wasn’t a big salad, but it was fresh and it did the job.

Belleria Fried Cheese

As soon as we finished our salads, our fried cheese with sauce arrived. There were five pieces and a zesty spaghetti sauce. However, notice the smallness in size of the sauce container. It was not enough for all five pieces. The cheese was well breaded and cooked and with the sauce was very good tasting.

Belleria Fried Haddock Dinner

Like clock work our fish dinners were brought to our table as soon as the appetizer was finished. I must say, it was very good service. And friendly. The haddock was a generous portion and breaded nicely. It wasn’t as thick as other haddock planks but good nonetheless. It wasn’t greasy or smelly but light and flaky. A little lemon and pepper and it was ready to go. The fries were fresh cut and well cooked. A packet of tartar sauce was also present on the plate which I completely ignored.

The price was reasonable, around $10 dollars for the dinner. The cheese sticks were around $4.50 which wasn’t bad, except for to less of sauce. Soft drink added and this could all be yours for around $16 dollars not including tip.

The Grassy Knoll Diner scores 3.75 out of 5 shots and recommends Belleria’s Fried Haddock Dinner for dinner.

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Vikings Lose To Bucs 24-20 – Game #2 09/18/2011

Its The First Half, Vikings Up Big

So far this season for the Minnesota Vikings can be summed up as, A Tale Of Two Halves. Last week against the Chargers, the Vikings held a 17-7 halftime lead. San Diego proceeded to score 13 more points holding the Vikings to a goose egg. Chargers win 20-17. Vikings 0-1 to start the season.

Week two had the Vikings coming home to the repaired homer dome to host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As like last week, the Vikings took a commanding first half lead, 17-0 limiting the Bucs to a paltry 48 yards in total offense. Alas, the Vikings stayed true to form and allowed Tampa to score 24 unanswered points and shut out the Vikings. Buccaneers win 24-20. Vikings 0-2 to after two weeks.

To put in a different perspective, the Vikings in both games scored 37 points in the first half combined allowing only 7 points. In the second half, the Vikings scored 3 points while allowing 37 points.

In both games, the Vikings had the Chargers and Bucs exactly where they wanted them. Simply pound Peterson (Clearly the best running back in the NFL) and churn out first downs using the passing game to keep defenses honest.

Instead, Rivers and Freeman picked the Viking defense apart and took total control of the second halves of each game.

This Sunday, the Vikings host the 2-0 red-hot Detroit Lions who just laid the wood to the Chiefs scoring 48 points allowing only 3. Yes Viking fans, the same Detroit Lions who were perennial cellar dwellers in the NFC North for years. Decades even.

I hate to play this card already but this is a must win for the Vikings or else the season is over. (Yes, I said over!) The facts and history are already against the Vikings this year. Fact, only 12% of teams starting out 0-2 have reached the playoffs. Given the fact the Vikings have to play super bowl champion Green Bay twice and a host of other solid teams, the forecast looks dark. Not hopeless, but dark. Hell, the Vikings in 2008 started 0-2 and inched into the playoffs.

However, only one team in 13 years that started out 0-3 reached the playoffs. (Buffalo Bills, 1998) The percentage is almost nil, where either a stroke of luck and a few nice bounces of the ball have to occur, or shake up the team and make major changes in team personnel.

Its The Second Half, Vikings Losing

A Tale Of Two Half Seasons:

If the Vikings win this Sunday against the Lions, (Odds are favoring the Lions in Vegas as I type) the Vikings will continue to churn their might oars steering the Viking ship along a familar course. The Vikings just might reach 9 victories and just perhaps slip into the playoffs.

If the Vikings lose to the Lions and fall to 0-3, major changes should occur. The Vikings can stop believing in the myth that they are built to win now and have a playoff and super bowl run still left in them.

The Vikings should bench Donovan McNabb and rotate Joe Webb and Christian Ponder for the remainder of the season. Let the two young quarterbacks get valuable playing time with the first string offense in real game time situations. Something that practice can never supply.

The Vikings should also increase Toby Gerhearts touches per each game. Nothing at all against Peterson, (He’s the best back in the league) but as a good change of pace and perhaps avoid less wear and tear on Peterson for next season.

On defense, to be honest, the defensive back field cannot hold up to any decent quarterback they go up against. There’s a reason teams don’t run against the Vikings. It’s not that it is difficult to do so, but because it’s so damn easy to pass against them. Solution: Blitz often. And then, blitz even more. Do not allow the QB to drop back, survey the field, have a sip of tea, thn fire the ball to the open receiver. Put him on his ass and make him hurry the throw.

Here’s to hoping the Vikings somehow find a way to slow down the Detroit’s offense and win this Sunday.

For 2011 Viking Thunder is going to compare two former players who jumped shipped. One on offense, one on defense and compare them to their counterpart on the Vikings.

Team: Vikings — Seahawks
Player: Michael Jenkins – Catches: 6 Yards: 55 Points: 6
Player: Sidney Rice – Catches: 0 Yards: 0 Points: 0
Note: Sidney Rice did not play due to injury. (2 games injured)

Team: Vikings — Falcons
Player: Brian Robison – Sacks: .5
Player: Ray Edwards – Sacks: 0

SKOL VIKINGS!

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Scarsella’s Italian Restaurant – Fried Fish Dinner

Scarcella’s Restaurant in Youngstown has been a classic Italian Restaurant for decades and is one that we often frequent especially during the Lent season.

Scarsella's Bread

Scarcella’s has the feel of an authentic Italian restaurant. The seating is sparse but just enough. We were seated right away and bread and butter were brought right out. The bread was Italian of course and was fresh and tasted good.
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Scarsella Salad

A salad comes With every dinner at Scarsella’s. It is standard fare, a little cheese, lettuce, carrots, tomato. It was good.
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Scarsella Cheese

As an appetizer, I ordered Scarsella’s fried cheese with sauce. In the Youngstown area, all fried cheese is compared to the original Antone’s restaurant fried cheese. Scarsella’s fried cheese holds its own as the taste was very good, the portion adequate, and the sauce zesty and plentiful.

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Fish Dinner - Cod

To the main course. In less than 15 minutes, our fish dinners were delivered to our table. The order was fried cod with a side of shells and sauce. The breading was well cooked and crunchy, not soggy like many other fish dinners. The cod was fresh and not greasy. The shells well cooked and plentiful with the same zesty sauce from the fried cheese.

The cost without tip was right around $10 dollars which was a fair deal considering the portion size and quality cooking.

The Grassy Knoll Institute scores 3.5 out of 5 shots and recommends Scarsella’s Italian Restaurant for dinner. Especially during Lent.

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Vikings Lose To Chargers – Game #1 – 09/11/2011

Red headed Step Child

The Minnesota Vikings opened up the 2011 season (Hut, hut, defensive off sides Vikings) traveling to San Diego (Hut, hut, defensive off sides Vikings) starting off strong with Percy Harvin returning the opening kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown (Hut, hut, defensive off sides Vikings) but ending the game ugly with three off side penalties in the final drive of the game.

In essence, the Minnesota Vikings were beat like a red-headed step child with Donovan McNabb passing for only 39 yards. Not in a series, or a half, but for the entire game. Throw in the Vikings defensive line allowing Chargers quarterback Rivers time enough to have tea and crumpets and find the open receivers down field for 335 yards and you got yourselves a good old-fashioned woodshed beating.

The Vikings continued their abysmal play away record and add to that factor that the game was played outside, and you had your first mortal lock of the season. But let’s get back to Donovan’s Viking debut. His line stats on Monday will look like this: 7-15 passing, 47% completion, 39 yards, one interception, one touchdown, one loss. I know Viking fans, it’s his first game, and there was no OTA’s, mini camp, etc. I am merely stating the facts. I will credit Donovan’s mobility as he rushed for 32 yards on three carries keeping drives alive. But 39 yards passing. Really!

Do not get me wrong here Viking fans, it is not all Donovan’s fault. Let me explain please. In today’s game, I watched Donovan drop back and immediately the pocket collapsed. Donovan had to check to the safety valve, throw the ball away, or run for his life. Complete opposite for Philip Rivers of San Diego. He had all day to pick the Vikings D-Backs apart. Donovan did not have time to throw deep. Rivers did. That is the reason.

Moving on to some good moves and news:

* Percy Harvin lobbied coach Frazier to return kicks today. Result – Harvin takes opening kickoff 103 yards to the house.

* Brian Robison records a half sack after replacing last years starter Ray Edwards.

* Michael Jenkins had three catches for 26 yards and a touchdown.

* Adrian Peterson signed a $100 million contract extension and rushed for 98 yards on 16 carries.

For 2011 Viking Thunder is going to compare two former players who jumped shipped. One on offense, one on defense and compare them to their counterpart on the Vikings.

Team: Vikings — Seahawks
Player: Michael Jenkins – Catches: 3 Yards: 26 Points: 6
Player: Sidney Rice – Catches: 0 Yards: 0 Points: 0
Note: Sidney Rice did not play due to injury.

Team: Vikings — Falcons
Player: Brian Robison – Sacks: .5
Player: Ray Edwards – Sacks: 0

There are 15 games left in the season with only 8 home games in the Mall Of America stadium. After that, who really knows. The Viking lease is up, will the Vikings move, broker a deal, or stay put in the Dome.

I wonder what Brett Favre and Randy Moss are doing?…

SKOL VIKINGS!

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