Bogey's Bar and Grill
 Youngstown, Ohio        Date of Visit  06/19/11          
 
 
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We passed by Bogeys not too long ago just after dinner and John said he had heard good things so a couple of weekends later we were cruising through Campbell towards Lowellville just outside of the East side of Youngstown to give it a shot. After a twenty minute detour including a picturesque tour of the East side we arrived to find a packed parking lot. John told us the lot is full of cars every time he passes by. We found a spot and stepped inside. From the first sight, the space doesn’t promise much. There is an enormous bar with more space behind it than it affords the consumers. There is outdoor seating and the booths and tables inside are all packed and there are people waiting inside the door.  The whole place has a very generic barsy sort of feel to it.
 



 


 
 


The Y-town Staple
 

With a little closer inspection I noticed that everyone, including the people at the bar were intently eating all sorts of stuff. Promising. There were quite a few names ahead of us on the list but everyone that came in stayed. We finally heard our name and were led to a booth, ready to eat.

Service was a bit slow but that is to be expected when the place is soooo packed. We put in our order and started with the appetizer special listed on the menu, Italian Eggrolls. Once again, we just had to know. Two enormous wraps hit the table alongside a bowl of chunky marinara sauce. The wraps were stuffed with melted Italian cheeses, greens and tomatoes. The skins were thick and crispy and the logs were pretty tasty in themselves but the addition of the tomato sauce balanced the richness of the cheese with a garlicky acidic punch that was scrumptious. Fresh bread and whipped butter arrived with our salads.
 
 
"Italian" Egg-Rolls
 

Crunch Loaded with Cheese
 
 

Gorgonzola Vinaigrette

Vegetabley Stuffed Pepper Soup
 
 

The salads were deceptively bigger than they look as the bowls are deeper than they look. I ordered the Gorgonzola vinaigrette which was tasty but needs something to make it cling to the leaves. It ran down through the salad and worked well if you used it more like a dip. My mom ordered the stuffed pepper soup instead of the salad and it was fresh and loaded with pepper and tomato flavor.

For dinner we went with a burger, chicken parmesan, cavatelli and Louisiana chicken and rice. I ordered the chicken and rice based on the recommendation of another diner who stopped by our table to chat with my brother. Most people I know think that Louisiana means “too hot to eat”. I have had the fortune to dine with some natives and understand that while some dishes can be incredibly spicy, most traditional bayou cuisine is more spiced than spicy. Apparently they get it at Bogeys as the dish had a wide array of various spices throughout with just a bite of heat on the back-end. The chicken was juicy, the rice was well done, and the whole thing was studded with peppers and tomatoes. I barely got half of it down it was such a pile of food. My mom got the burger and was really pleased with it from bun down through.
 

 

Straightforward but Enjoyable
 

Well Done Cavs with Really Good Sauce and Meatballs
 


Two Large Chunks of Chicken Parm
 


Louisiana Chicken and Rice, Pleasantly Spiced
 

Steph promptly settled on her favorite noodle, the cavatelli. These were also well done, tender with just enough texture left. The spaghetti sauce is just as good as the marinara with a nice equilibrium between the spices and herbs. The meatballs are very soft but not spongy and also share the slight shot of spice that pervades so many dishes we tried here. Overall a well done Italian dish in a place that offers a good deal more on the menu than a strictly Italian eatery. The same goes for the chicken. Once my brother was convinced the sauce would not be chunky he ordered away and received two big pieces of chicken atop sauced spaghetti. The noodles were done just right again and the chicken had a flavorful and crispy breading that held it’s own against the layer of sauce and cheese and clung to the chicken giving it a salty, crunchy bite all the way through. Bogey’s might not look like much from the outside or once you step inside, but there is a reason the lot is always full of cars. A manageable but rangy menu that is well executed across the board and servings that practically guarantee doggy bags. I’m certain we will return to try other options.
 

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