March 15, 200916 yr Here is the wine dinner menu for March 10, 2009 reservations can be made from 6-9 p.m. there is limited availability. Issue430 and his David and my wife and I all went to this dinner, and HOLY CRAP. What an undersung gem this place is...that tasting menu was generous on the wine (they topped off your glass every course), even gave seconds on some of the courses, and everything was just fantastic - six courses of REALLY tasty stuff - and all for $50/person! Only problem with the place is that there's no liquor license, just beer and wine. But wow, what great food. Definitely worth checking out. In other news, the Edgecliff is now the Edgecliff Bistro - they went way downscale, and now feature salads, sandwiches, burgers, and pizza - nothing on the menu is over $10 except the pizzas. I'm really happy about this, because that's an easy walk from my place, and it always used to be really expensive, and kinda crappy...
March 15, 200916 yr ... Afterwards I tried the famous Graeter's ice cream for the first time. Eh, I didn't get what the big deal was. It was good but no better than any other ice cream I've had I guess. Did you try one of the flavors with chocolate chips? If not, that might explain it.
April 2, 200916 yr Balboa's expanding to O'Bryonville http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090401/BIZ01/904020309 The Enquirer • April 1, 2009 Downtown cheesesteak and pizza shop Balboa's will open its first full-service restaurant in an old pizza parlor in O'Bryonville. See link for article. "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
April 2, 200916 yr Dinner at Bootsy's tonight...meh. We were in a cool booth, but it was 20 minutes to get a drink order in, and the service was slow all night. Food was inventive, but honestly, not all that. We had a variety of tapas, and I got some sushi rolls - the Ruby Roll was good, but I enjoy Apsara or Beluga a lot more. All in all, kind of disappointing - glad we went, but meh. Oh, and they share their valet with the Aronoff - we left the restaurant to quite a line...should have parked at the Fountain Square garage. I'd go back for a fun appetizer and drinks, but not for dinner.
April 2, 200916 yr I saw there was work going on at the Righteous Room yesterday. I liked Bootsy. But Riverviewer is right, a drink and some tapas is the way to go.
April 2, 200916 yr Oh, and they share their valet with the Aronoff - we left the restaurant to quite a line...should have parked at the Fountain Square garage. Park at the URS Building garage (7th & Walnut) if you are going to the Aronoff, Bootsy's, Nada etc. Much closer and probably cheaper.
April 3, 200916 yr Hey everybody, I am going to catch a movie this weekend at the Esquire on Ludlow and never get to that area very much. I am a hardcore downtowner, and know very little about the Clifton area...if only we had a streetcar...but I digress. I am looking for some recommendations with regards to restaurants within walking distance of the theater. I don't want anything too expensive, but I also don't want chipotle. Any recommendations? I am definitely cool with all types of ethnic food.
April 3, 200916 yr I am looking for some recommendations with regards to restaurants within walking distance of the theater. I don't want anything too expensive, but I also don't want chipotle. Any recommendations? I am definitely cool with all types of ethnic food. There is a Dewey's pizza nearby. Ambar India is also very good. It's owned by the same family as Akash India on 6th Street.
April 3, 200916 yr Hey everybody, I am going to catch a movie this weekend at the Esquire on Ludlow and never get to that area very much. I am a hardcore downtowner, and know very little about the Clifton area...if only we had a streetcar...but I digress. I am looking for some recommendations with regards to restaurants within walking distance of the theater. I don't want anything too expensive, but I also don't want chipotle. Any recommendations? I am definitely cool with all types of ethnic food. Sitwells is a neat little coffee shop as well.
April 3, 200916 yr Would you suggest reservations at Ambar? I don't know if they take them or if they'd be necessary.
April 3, 200916 yr I've never made reso's at Ambar, but no harm in calling to ask: 281.7000. If I were looking for cheap eats a step above Chipotle, I'd probably choose Ambar myself. Tink's is pricey, but it's also quite good, and has a full bar. Arlin's has food all the time now too, doesn't it? That'd be cheap + full bar!
April 3, 200916 yr I like Olives' food but service (at least in the basement) is slow. I'll throw out Thai Cafe (recent change in owners I think and better than a year or so a go - less greasy IMHO) and I'll second Ambar and Arlin's.
April 3, 200916 yr It's good to hear the service at Uno's/Olives hasn't changed in ten years then. If you good and cheap you can't beat Habenero's.
April 3, 200916 yr Don't waste your time with Olives, go to Tinks if you can get in, they are usually always booked: http://www.tinkscafe.com/ 3410 Telford Street Cincinnati, Ohio • 961-6500 “In the Gaslight District of Clifton”
April 3, 200916 yr Tinks is really quite good...haven't been to Olives, so I can't compare the two, but I can DEFINITELY agree about Tinks!
April 4, 200916 yr I've never been impressed with Olives. Their food is decent, if a bit overpriced and in 3 times going I have yet to have good service.
April 4, 200916 yr It's good to hear the service at Uno's/Olives hasn't changed in ten years then. If you good and cheap you can't beat Habenero's. I've only been to Olives two times and both times were at non-busy hours so the service couldn't have been better. I can't really comment on a comparison in service. I don't like going to restaurants to complain about service, I go to have fun, so I don't pay attention to it unless it's particularly terrible.
April 4, 200916 yr I've only been to Olives once, and had no inclination to go back. The service wasn't bad because it was early and there were only a couple of tables occupied, but the food was only decent, and priced as if it were fantastic. Tinks is nice and Habenero's is a good, cheap place. There's also the best Skyline in town.
April 9, 200916 yr Pigall’s to reopen in June Business Courier of Cincinnati - by Lisa Biank Fasig Staff Reporter Print Email Reprints RSS Feeds Add to Del.icio.us Digg This CommentsThe former Jean-Robert at Pigall’s is scheduled to reopen June 5 as a restaurant focusing on locally raised foods. To be called Twist Restaurant & Lounge, the one-time four-star restaurant will combine the lounge and dining room into one entity, to encourage visitors to use both. The kitchen will be run by Mark Bodenstein, a former co-owner of NuVo in Newport, and by Chris Burns, the executive chef at JeanRo Bistro. “What we want people to do is plan a night out at both locations, since they are one building,” Bodenstein said. “Come to the lounge side, have a drink or cocktail before you go to dinner.” No link for article.
April 9, 200916 yr Polly Campbell's Blog: A restaurant serving “contemporary farmstead cuisine,” featuring local foods served with a twist, will open June 5 in the former Jean-Robert at Pigall’s, downtown. Chris Burns, currently of JeanRo Bistro, and Mark Bodenstein, who opened and co-owned NuVo Restaurant in Newport, will be co-executive chefs. It will be called Twist Restaurant and Lounge. No link available for article.
April 9, 200916 yr I'm really happy for Mark, but will miss him at NuVo - that was a consistently stunning dining experience. Only thing wrong with that place was that they didn't have a liquor license. But he was just a fabulous chef - open kitchen where you could watch everything happen, and he was out front chatting with you, happy to explain why he made this choice or that one, quick to let you sample sauces or salts, and even giving you seconds for no charge sometimes! This is a great move by the Wade's, no doubt. I just hope his quirky foodie local-sourced cuisine translates from the almost mom-and-pop feel of NuVo to this contemporary, chic address...
April 11, 200916 yr ^^Well that didn't take long. Glad to hear it's not going to sit vacant. It's a great space.
April 11, 200916 yr Yeah, and Mark is such a good chef, it's great that when his big opportunity came, it was still in Cincinnati!
April 11, 200916 yr Isn't there already a place called Twist? Yea, its the bar right next to Pigall's, also owned by the Wade's. They are simply combining the spaces and calling it Twist Restaurant and Lounge.
April 14, 200916 yr Covington's Greenup Café getting greener http://www.soapboxmedia.com/devnews/greenupcafe0414.aspx In an effort to integrate itself deeper into the local community, Greenup Café, at 308 Greenup Street in Covington, is beginning to incorporate several green and sustainable business practices. "We're basically gradually going green," says Janna Williams, Greenup Café's new general manager. "It's a change that's being made to be more locally inclusive." See link for article.
April 17, 200916 yr Riverside Korean and Asiana (Cin-Day Road) are the two best for Korean fare, operated by Koreans. The bistro at 8th or somewhere is full of faux-Korean decor with foods prepared by Americans that is too expensive for the amount of food you receive.
April 17, 200916 yr Best asian cuisine in the urban core? Riverside Korean (Covington) Cilantro (Corryville) Sung Korean (downtown) Ko Sho (downtown)
April 17, 200916 yr Riverside Korean and Asiana (Cin-Day Road) are the two best for Korean fare, operated by Koreans. The bistro at 8th or somewhere is full of faux-Korean decor with foods prepared by Americans that is too expensive for the amount of food you receive. You don't know what you're talking about. Sung's Korean Bistro is owned and operated by an actual Korean. Sung Oh. He and his sister used to own Riverside in Covington but sold it a few years ago.
April 17, 200916 yr Riverside Korean and Asiana (Cin-Day Road) are the two best for Korean fare, operated by Koreans. The bistro at 8th or somewhere is full of faux-Korean decor with foods prepared by Americans that is too expensive for the amount of food you receive. I think you are being thrown off by the fact that a lot of the wait staff at Sung are non-Koreans and the modern decor. I think the the food is on par with Riverside.
April 17, 200916 yr Riverside Korean and Asiana (Cin-Day Road) are the two best for Korean fare, operated by Koreans. The bistro at 8th or somewhere is full of faux-Korean decor with foods prepared by Americans that is too expensive for the amount of food you receive. I think you are being thrown off by the fact that a lot of the wait staff at Sung are non-Koreans and the modern decor. I think the the food is on par with Riverside. I agree
April 17, 200916 yr Riverside Korean and Asiana (Cin-Day Road) are the two best for Korean fare, operated by Koreans. The bistro at 8th or somewhere is full of faux-Korean decor with foods prepared by Americans that is too expensive for the amount of food you receive. You don't know what you're talking about. Sung's Korean Bistro is owned and operated by an actual Korean. Sung Oh. He and his sister used to own Riverside in Covington but sold it a few years ago. And when I went to the kitchen, I noticed that there were Americans and Koreans working the stoves. The wait-staff is mostly non-Koreans. Sorry, I grew up pretty much in a Korean family (closer to my Korean mom and her extended family) and eat a lot of Korean food, so I know what I am talking about here. I seek out true and authentic Korean restaurants whenever I travel and give a lot of reviews on the fare, and I was not impressed with Sung for the reasons stated. For what I pay for a Bibambap at Riverside, I can expect to get a fourth less at Sung's. I have been to Riverside about 30 times since moving here in July, and Sung's at least 15. And about 70% of my trips to Sung's have been rather disappointing, in comparison to about 10% at Riverside (usually some new employee forgets an item or is slow). Sung's does present their food far better, with chic dishes and cups, and a nice arrangement of their food, but if they place less food and charge more for the portion, then I'm going elsewhere. Sung's do carry more varied alcohol choices, but it's nothing that I can't get elsewhere. Asiana is one of my favorites (as I mentioned earlier). Although further out, it is family-owned, with Korean and Chinese cooks (they serve both types of fare), and although the prices are slightly higher than Riverside and the same with Sung, you get more food. Sorry if you don't agree with my statements and opinions, but I tend to value authenticity, food quality and quantity, and then price over anything when I go to these establishments. And I do know Sung's history (actually know them personally), but that doesn't stop me from giving them a disappointing review.
April 17, 200916 yr New life at Cincinnati's Pigall’s one of several new twists for Wades http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/04/20/story7.html There are fewer than two months to go before Cincinnati’s famed four-star restaurant, Pigall’s, reopens as a more casual and affordable locale, but the deadline isn’t keeping its owners from other endeavors. See link for article.
April 21, 200916 yr Bankers Club to close http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/04/20/daily30.html The Bankers Club, the historic private dining club that over the decades lured both button-down executives and young professionals, is closing in June, due to insolvency. See link for article.
April 21, 200916 yr I drove down Walnut the other day and it looks like the new restaurant/bar close to Bootsy's is under construction. I forget the proposed name but I remember it is owned by the Pavilion people.
April 22, 200916 yr ^ Righteous Room Thank you sir. So yea, Righteous Room looks to be under construction.
April 24, 200916 yr I saw that Grammers biergarden was supposed to open this week. Anybody been by to check it out? I thought they were only open weekends at this point, so it suprises me that it was supposed to open 4/22 (a Wednesday). Where exactly is it located (not Grammers, but the patio itself)?
April 24, 200916 yr Morton’s The Steakhouse Seeks To Toast Cincinnati USA’s Greatest Mom CINCINNATI, April 24, 2009 – Cincinnati USA’s Greatest Mom, please take a bow at Morton’s The Steakhouse. Morton’s The Steakhouse is conducting a 500-word essay contest to determine who is the greatest mom in the Cincinnati market, with the winning mom receiving dinner for two at the fine-dining establishment overlooking one of the world’s first fountains honoring the strength and dignity of women, the Tyler Davidson Fountain on Fountain Square. Essays of 500 words or less are being accepted for Cincinnati USA’s Greatest Mom through end-of-business Monday, May 4, via email at [email protected]. Morton’s management will review the essays and will announce a winner on Wednesday, May 6, to enjoy a dinner for two at Morton’s on Mother’s Day, May 10. Value of the dinner for two is $118.00; alcohol, taxes and tips are not included. On Mother's Day Morton’s The Steakhouse features a special prix fixe menu of $59.00 that includes a salad, entree, vegetable or potato, and dessert.
April 29, 200916 yr Terry's burger lands on Food Network Magazine's 'ultimate' list http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20090429/ENT01/304290095/1055/NEWS The burger served at Terry’s Turf Club in Linwood has landed on Food Network Magazine’s list of the “ultimate burgers.” See link for article.
Create an account or sign in to comment