December 29, 200816 yr yeah it is like a year later. . . ^out of this world you say? like you get to eat on mars!?
January 1, 200916 yr FYI - Cincinnati Native Nate Appleman will be on Iron Chef America tonight at 9:00 Nate worked a number of places in town - the Maisonette, the Palace, Beluga - before going to San Francisco eventually opening A16 there. He also just released a killer cookbook
January 2, 200916 yr wow, i never knew nate appleman was from cincinnati. A16 is a great restaurant, as is SPQR.
January 9, 200916 yr Cincinnati restaurateur David Falk reportedly has taste for downtown's Maisonette site http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/01/12/story7.html Several restaurant groups, including at least one local operator, have shown interest in the former Maisonette space downtown, a sign that one of the city’s most celebrated locations soon might be revived. The high-profile space – which once housed the five-star restaurant, its downstairs neighbor, La Normandie, Barleycorn’s and a warehouse in back – was acquired in November by Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. The group paid more than $2.4 million for the combined parcels on Sixth Street and is working with Towne Properties to develop them. See link for article.
January 9, 200916 yr I know it's pretty much inevitable, but if anyone out there happens to run across this posting ... "PLEASE people ... not another UPSCALE restaurant!"
January 9, 200916 yr sushi and a deweys are needed A couple cheap chains might be nice too (McDonalds, IHOP, Burger King). A LaRosa's location downtown would also be great...it could be their flagship location.
January 9, 200916 yr You just got a downtown Chipotle! You guys are never happy! Correction...we're never content. And that's a good thing, I think.
January 9, 200916 yr As for fast food places there are several Skyline's, an Arby's, a Wendy's, a Subway, and the tower place food court, and probably some more I'm leaving out. But yeah I guess no McDs or BK. I like the idea of LaRosas level restaurants better.
January 9, 200916 yr A couple cheap chains might be nice too (McDonalds, IHOP, Burger King). A LaRosa's location downtown would also be great...it could be their flagship location. I think a two-story McDonald's in the Mercantile Center in space formerly occupied by Walgreens (first floor) and the CAC (second floor) on 5th across the street from Government Square would do killer business.
January 9, 200916 yr I know it's pretty much inevitable, but if anyone out there happens to run across this posting ... "PLEASE people ... not another UPSCALE restaurant!" What exactly qualifies as "upscale"? Anything other than McDonalds?
January 9, 200916 yr As for fast food places there are several Skyline's, an Arby's, a Wendy's, a Subway, and the tower place food court, and probably some more I'm leaving out. This is true, but the hours are not great. For example, the Skyline locations are closed on typical Sundays (the exception is for some Bengals game and Riverfest). Wendy's is usually closed by 6 PM on Saturdays. I think some of the places in Tower PLace close early some nights as well.
January 9, 200916 yr I know it's pretty much inevitable, but if anyone out there happens to run across this posting ... "PLEASE people ... not another UPSCALE restaurant!" What exactly qualifies as "upscale"? Anything other than McDonalds? Something that doesn't make your bill come out to $20 for dinner, per person.
January 9, 200916 yr You just got a downtown Chipotle! You guys are never happy! 40 new joints in 3 years isn't enough.
January 10, 200916 yr sushi and a deweys are needed A couple cheap chains might be nice too (McDonalds, IHOP, Burger King). A LaRosa's location downtown would also be great...it could be their flagship location. 100 bucks says Larosas is one in line for the two Banks restaurants in front of the Freedom Center.
January 10, 200916 yr If La Rosa's isone of the flagship restaurants at the Banks, it will be one of the biggest dissappointments in this cities development history. the pizza is awful and stays in business b/c a generation of Cincinnatians didnt have any viable options. That restaurant wont do a thing to attract anyone. Would be the Banks worst nightmare.
January 10, 200916 yr If La Rosa's isone of the flagship restaurants at the Banks, it will be one of the biggest dissappointments in this cities development history. the pizza is awful and stays in business b/c a generation of Cincinnatians didnt have any viable options. That restaurant wont do a thing to attract anyone. Would be the Banks worst nightmare. I would second the above.
January 10, 200916 yr If La Rosa's isone of the flagship restaurants at the Banks, it will be one of the biggest dissappointments in this cities development history. the pizza is awful and stays in business b/c a generation of Cincinnatians didnt have any viable options. That restaurant wont do a thing to attract anyone. Would be the Banks worst nightmare. I would second the above. While I do agree that the pizza is bland, I think a LaRosa's in the banks would do well. Many Cincinnatians still think this pizza is outstanding. Many people coming downtown for events such as those at US Bank Arena or any sporting event will probably go there before or after the games. I can see it doing a decent business at other times as well, and it probably would be a popular delivery choice among office workers. Believe me, I would prefer to see a better pizza option (such as Dewey's), but I don't think a LaRosa's would be a disaster. If they do open at the Banks, I doubt they would make it their flagship store. That would probably always remain on the West Side. Anyways, many Cincinnati-based chains seem to shun downtown, so I really don't see any of them making a flagship store downtown. That said, my husband and I really are not big fans of LaRosa's. The quality has gone downhill, they really seem to skimp on toppings and ingredients, and they are inconsistent. However, most of our friends and family members don't seem to care or notice. They still prefer LaRosa's.
January 19, 200916 yr Casual diner to open in Blue Ash Rising Roll aims for lunch crowd http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090119/BIZ01/901190333/1055/NEWS Hoping to attract thousands of professional workers hungry for a fresh breakfast or lunch, Frank Foster is bringing a new restaurant franchise to the region. Foster, 52, is investing more than $400,000 to open Rising Roll Gourmet, a fast casual dining restaurant at 4122 Hunt Road near Kroger. The nearly 3,200-square-foot eatery, expected to open in March, will employ nine people. See link for article.
January 20, 200916 yr I want to know what is going on at Slot 15 my guess is Slot 15 will be a sushi restaurant from the people that brought you beluga I heard the Beluga people had a spot near Oceanaire in the 580 building picked out, but Oceanaire has a non-compete that makes it very difficult for other restaurants to open there; particularly ones serving a lot of fish. Supposedly Iron Chef, which I think has a location in WC, will be opening another location somewhere in that area though.
January 20, 200916 yr I've always though the LL of the 580 Bldg. would make a great spot for a club with the glass and high ceilings.
January 21, 200916 yr Springdale Applebee’s closing By John Eckberg • [email protected] • January 21, 2009 http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090121/BIZ01/301210052 The flagging economy and competition among fast casual eateries has claimed another suburban chain restaurant as the Springdale Applebee’s will be closing after 20 years in business. See link for article.
January 22, 200916 yr Does anyone know if Bootsy's will be adding any signage to the front of the building? I ate there in early Jan and absolutely loved it, but approaching it from the street, unless you look at the door you wouldn't even know what it was. My dad works downtown and he didn't even know it was open until I told him he was and he saw on Opentable.com. I know the renderings had some pretty cool looking signage as part of the plan, and I really think that could help draw people in the space, because due to the restaurant being on the second floor, it is hard to tell what it is unless you are familiar with the space already.
January 22, 200916 yr Well they won't be completely done with everything there until Spring when I was told they plan to have a major celebration marking the full-scale opening. I bet you'll see something up by then.
January 22, 200916 yr Anyone else think their bar is WAY too big? Not the room, but the circular bar itself. When that place is busy it's impossible to get around the room (kind of like trying to get to the bathroom at Hofbrauhaus). If they had just scaled that thing down 10%, the room would be so much more navigable.
January 22, 200916 yr Pigall’s, Cincinnatian win Mobil stars again http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/01/19/daily46.html The Cincinnatian Hotel and Jean-Robert at Pigall’s both earned four-star status from Mobil Travel Guides, continuing a trend that dates back to at least 2005. Pigall’s, the downtown French restaurant operated by Chef Jean-Robert de Cavel, is among 159 restaurants to have earned the four-star ranking. Twenty restaurants earned the prestigious five-star ranking. See link for article.
January 23, 200916 yr ...And a few hours after the Mobil 4 star rating news was released comes this.., Jean-Robert leaves restaurant group By Polly Campbell • [email protected] • January 22, 2009 Jean-Robert at Pigall’s, the fine-dining restaurant downtown, will close at the end of February as the partnership between owners Jean-Robert de Cavel and Martin and Marilyn Wade is dissolved. The Wades said they may re-open the restaurant with a new concept this spring. The other restaurants that the partners own, two in Cincinnati and two in Covington, will remain open without de Cavel’s involvement, they said. See link for article. http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090122/ENT01/301220111/1055/NEWS
January 23, 200916 yr I've heard that Hofbrauhaus has stopped serving food . . . anyone know what the deal is?
January 23, 200916 yr That is terrible news about Pigall's. I hope Jean-Robert really does stay in the area.
January 23, 200916 yr Author More info... As for Hofbrau, I am going tonight and will see about the food! Jean-Robert at Pigall’s closing Business Courier of Cincinnati - by Lisa Biank Fasig Staff Reporter Downtown restaurant Jean-Robert at Pigall’s – on the same day it received its fifth four-star rating from Mobil Travel Guide – announced it will close Feb. 28. Chef Jean-Robert de Cavel said in a news release that he is leaving his partnership with restaurateurs Martin and Marilyn Wade because of “philosophical and business differences.” See link for article. http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/01/19/daily59.html
January 23, 200916 yr On Hofbrau - it was in reference to a Friday night event, so perhaps it is just a much shorter window for food.
January 23, 200916 yr So was Pigalls doing poorly? Wade said "it was obvious it wasn't working". Think about it this way, Pigalls created a brand name and gave instant credibility to the other 6 restaurants in the group
January 23, 200916 yr Yes, I understand that, but was Pigalls not making money? Or why did Wade feel the need to re-launch with a differenct concept? I had always thought Pigalls was doing well.
January 23, 200916 yr Yes, I understand that, but was Pigalls not making money? Or why did Wade feel the need to re-launch with a differenct concept? I had always thought Pigalls was doing well. Apparently not... Martin Wade said the issue was money. He said Pigall's had lost money every year since it opened in 2002. In 2008, it lost $250,000. The fine-dining concept, he said, just did not work.
January 23, 200916 yr Who cares when their female bartenders are as attractive as they are? Good point!
January 26, 200916 yr I think Wade is exaggerating as far as how poorly its doing. Clearly there was a MAJOR MAJOR falling out between the two and he iits in his best interest to simply highlight the finacial aspect of the situation and not any kind of personality issues he has. While its unfortunate that Cincy is losing such a top notch restaurant, the partnership has produced some great restaurants for region and it seems that they will remain. On top of that, JR will almost certainly remain in the region so we can expect at least one of not more hot spots to our improving retaurant scnene. I predict something in the old maisonette space.
January 26, 200916 yr On top of that, JR will almost certainly remain in the region so we can expect at least one of not more hot spots to our improving restaurant scene. I predict something in the old maisonette space. That would be fitting.
January 26, 200916 yr I think Wade is exaggerating as far as how poorly its doing. Exactly. Some of the employees and former employees I've spoken to confirm the same thing. On the bright side, having both the Wades and John-Robert operating restaurants will only be a good thing. Competition is almost always good.
January 27, 200916 yr Barleycorn's coming to Florence http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090126/NEWS0103/301260040/1055/NEWS Barleycorn's plans to open a restaurant in Boone County this year, the locally owned company announced today. See link for article.
February 3, 200916 yr regarding the Cincinnati Dining Scene and recent JeanRobert/Wade imbroglio.... http://www.soapboxmedia.com/features/0127soadishfoodies.aspx
February 3, 200916 yr ^great article. I enjoyed this bit . . . "Which brings me to the current landscape of our dining scene, as this front page story has ignited a firestorm of commentary, ranging from the slightly more informed blogosphere to the usual quasi-closeted klavern of ingorami at the Enquirer comments page. While some ignorant rube exurbanites have predictably weighed in with ill-informed comments about why they won't set foot in the city and how this is just further proof of downtown's "decline," I'm not interested in educating the Applebee's/Outback frequent dining cardholder about the finer aspects of the city's dining scene.
February 3, 200916 yr That article seemed to criticize fine dining, and those seeking a "bourgeois" dining experience, yet managed to be incredibly pretentious and grating.
February 4, 200916 yr That article seemed to criticize fine dining, and those seeking a "bourgeois" dining experience, yet managed to be incredibly pretentious and grating. Right! but you forgot "snarky"!!
February 4, 200916 yr ^I like the message it is delivering, but I felt it was a bourgeois plea for the foodies in this town to stop acting...bourgeois.
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