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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. |
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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 |
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 Gorgonzola Vinaigrette |
 Vegetabley Stuffed Pepper Soup |
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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.
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 Straightforward but Enjoyable |
 Well Done Cavs with Really Good Sauce and Meatballs |
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 Louisiana Chicken and Rice, Pleasantly Spiced |
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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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| Ratings | |||||||
 Food |
 Service |
 Ambiance |
 What's Best |
 What's Worst |
 Overall |
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| A | B | C | A | N/A | B | ||
| Menu Overall | No Single Standout | ||||||
