June 20, 201212 yr That's effing expensive. I ate brunch when I lived in NYC fairly regularly, and places there had it figured out. They'd be as nice as or nicer than Senate, but for $12 you'd get the food, coffee, and 2 mimosas/bloody marys. Somehow that is profitable in Manhattan, but not Cincinnati. A decent yet appropriately priced brunch is tough to come by here.
June 29, 201212 yr Author Panera to open Fountain Square location 9:03 AM, Jun. 29, 2012 Written by The Enquirer Panera Bread has signed a 4,985-square-foot retail lease agreement for space on Fountain Square, Fifth Third Bancorp announced on Friday. It is expected to open in October. http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20120629/BIZ01/306290066/Panera-open-Fountain-Square-location?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
June 29, 201212 yr The Simply Grand concept opened within the past couple weeks in the Great American Tower (down in the 3rd Street lobby).
July 1, 201212 yr Days before thousands of visitors from all over the world arrive... Ruby: Walnut St. Grill's closing Jeff Ruby closed his year-old Walnut Street Grill for good on Saturday night, saying he plans to focus on his other restaurants. The downtown eatery across from the Aronoff Center for the Arts opened in spring 2011 replacing Bootsy’s, another Ruby venture that struggled to turn a profit. “Tonight’s the swan song,” he said Saturday. Ruby has other restaurant projects in the works, including a Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse in downtown Lexington. He said he’s feeling pretty confident that he’ll reopen The Waterfront, the floating restaurant that closed in spring 2011 after breaking loose from its Covington moorings during Ohio River flooding. He’s also working on a new location in either West Chester or Springboro. Cont "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
July 2, 201212 yr Fusian will be moving out of Tower Place to 600 Vine, right next to Tazza Mia (vacant space just east of it by the alley). Don't be surprised if a location opens in Clifton as well before year end. That sucks, I liked that location because it was literally right next to where the megabus stop is, and was great for grabbing a meal just before the 6:30 would leave back to Chicago...
July 2, 201212 yr Seasons 52 coming to Rookwood Exchange in 2013 Seasons 52 will open a new restaurant in Cincinnati at Rookwood Exchange. The grill and wine bar, which has been rumored as one of two restaurants coming to Rookwood Exchange for months, is More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2012/07/02/seasons-52-coming-to-rookwood-exchange.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 3, 201212 yr http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/blog/2012/07/why-did-jeff-ruby-close-walnut-street.html Found this article interesting, Precinct is one of my favorite Cincinnati restaurants, but sounds like Jeff is trying call a failure something else. I was not a big fan of walnut street Grille, thought the food was sub-par and overpriced. It is a great space and with all the new activity in the area i'm sure someone will move in the space soon.
July 4, 201212 yr http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/blog/2012/07/why-did-jeff-ruby-close-walnut-street.html Found this article interesting, Precinct is one of my favorite Cincinnati restaurants, but sounds like Jeff is trying call a failure something else. I was not a big fan of walnut street Grille, thought the food was sub-par and overpriced. It is a great space and with all the new activity in the area i'm sure someone will move in the space soon. But he did succeed..... "It was my mission to see Cincinnati finally have an entertainment district and become a better city. ~ I did what I set out to do." holy crap I don't think those cigars are tobacco.....
July 4, 201212 yr http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/blog/2012/07/why-did-jeff-ruby-close-walnut-street.html Found this article interesting, Precinct is one of my favorite Cincinnati restaurants, but sounds like Jeff is trying call a failure something else. I was not a big fan of walnut street Grille, thought the food was sub-par and overpriced. It is a great space and with all the new activity in the area i'm sure someone will move in the space soon. Totally disagree. WSG was a great restaurant. Food was very good and well priced. I never went there for dinner because it was such a great lunch place that I was there once a week for lunch. When I was DT for dinner I would go to places that I didn't frequent for lunch. Very sad to see WSG close.
July 4, 201212 yr Good food, but vastly overpriced. They kept seating me/us in the bar and adding a surcharge for sitting at the bar (or anywhere near it), and after having it disputed 3 times - I gave up. Not sure why Jeff was playing around with the wording. It failed as a business - no need to dance around it and to give your employees 0 days notice that it failed. You saw it coming quite a while back. This guy's a pompous jackass anyways - and not a fan of the streetcar (remember - he took out quite the advertisement in the Enquirer).
July 5, 201212 yr Not sure why Jeff was playing around with the wording. It failed as a business - no need to dance around it and to give your employees 0 days notice that it failed. You saw it coming quite a while back. He did the same thing when Tropicana closed at the Levee. He blamed in on not want to rebrand the restaurant when he lost the suit over the name, but if that restaurant had been making $$ he would have changed the name in a heartbeat and never missed a dinner service.
July 5, 201212 yr The second floor location is a problem. People can take a look at Nicholson's or the bars next door and can judge if they want to go in or not. From the outside you couldn't tell what kind of people were at Bootsy's or the Walnut St. Grill.
July 5, 201212 yr Jeff Ruby seems like he has been on a coke binge since the 80s and still thinks Reagan is president.
July 6, 201212 yr Jeff Ruby seems like he has been on a coke binge since the 80s and still thinks Reagan is president. So funny and so true
July 6, 201212 yr I found Walnut Street Grill to have mediocre food and be way overpriced. I remember paying around $10 for an average burger that didn't come with fries or any side. I'd rather go to Terry's Turf Club, Gordo's, Quatman Cafe, or one of the many, many other restaurants that have awesome burgers at a much lower price. Remember, Jeff Ruby once made a comment about how his goal wasn't to run good restaurants but to operate places where rich men could meet women. I might be getting the specifics wrong, but his statement was something along those lines.
July 9, 201212 yr Lavomatic to Close for Remodel Wine Me Dine Me reports: This just crossed my email… “Lavomatic will close just temporarily. To ensure the restaurant remains open to World Choir Games guests, Lavomatic has timed its temporary closing to coincide with the closing of the World Choir Games. Beginning Sunday, July 15 – and for twelve days only — Lavomatic will close just long enough to undergo a total re-design. Expect an entirely new atmosphere: new floors, lighting and furniture. Even the bar is getting a make-over. Cont "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
July 10, 201212 yr New restaurant coming to Incline District of Price Hill Construction is set to begin at the Incline Public House, a new restaurant in Price Hill. The restaurant will be run by Tony and Dominic Cafeo. A news conference is scheduled for Thursday morning at the corner of West Eighth Street and Matson Place to show the plans for the restaurant. The Cafeos and developer and former city councilmember John Cranley will be there to discuss the project. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2012/07/10/new-restaurant-coming-to-incline.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 11, 201212 yr No mention of where it's going to be. I think one downtown would be successful... Buffalo Wild Wings opening 1st redesigned restaurant in Cincinnati Business Courier Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. unveiled a new logo Wednesday and said it is redesigning its restaurants. The first redesigned restaurant will open in Cincinnati in late 2012, the second will open in San Diego. Most of the new Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants opening in 2013 and many remodels will feature the new design. There are 18 Buffalo Wild Wings locations in Greater Cincinnati. The new logo is not dramatically different. The colors are the same, and a winged buffalo is still the centerpiece. Cont "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
July 14, 201212 yr About Yard House soon to open at The Banks, with commentary from a friend at Miller Tabak within the article... Some of Yard House's successes - mainly the consumption of alcohol that make up 30% of sales, could be implemented at some of Darden's other restaurants. http://www.foxbusiness.com/news/2012/07/13/darden-looks-to-budding-firm-for-expansion/ Darden Looks to Budding Firm For Expansion Dow Jones Newswires, Published July 13, 2012 Darden Restaurants Inc. (DRI) is buying one of casual dining's rising stars, Yard House USA Inc., to help it continue opening new restaurants once it has tapped out of Olive Garden and Red Lobster expansion in the U.S. Darden, which owns the Italian and seafood chains as well as LongHorn Steakhouse, has been expanding what is known as its specialty-restaurant group--which includes higher-end chains such as Capital Grille and Bahama Breeze--through small acquisitions. But its $585 million all-cash deal to purchase Yard House represents a significant investment. Lately, Darden's smaller specialty-restaurant group, which Yard House will soon join, has been outperforming its more mature, core brands.
July 25, 201212 yr Lavomatic Café reopening July 26 Lavomatic Café in Over-the-Rhine will reopen July 26 following its temporary closing for interior remodeling. The restaurant will feature new lighting, flooring, furniture, a new bar, and a revamped menu. “We’ve always been an anchor in Over-the-Rhine,” manager Brian Firth said in a news release. “With the enhancements of Music Hall and Washington Park, we thought now would be the perfect time for a Lavomatic upgrade.” More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2012/07/25/lavomatic-cafe-reopening-july-26.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
July 25, 201212 yr On my way to/from the gym this morning, I saw that a new bar/grill/restaurant is opening downtown. Local's is opening on 7th next to Snap Fitness across from Hustler.
July 28, 201212 yr Yeah, I think it's going to be a Cincinnati-centric sports bar. I'm sure I'll watch some games there. Did Lavomatic open back up?
July 28, 201212 yr Yeah, I think it's going to be a Cincinnati-centric sports bar. I'm sure I'll watch some games there. Did Lavomatic open back up? Yep. I haven't been in since it reopened (Thursday) but I got a tour on Wednesday and it was pretty nice. Rookwood tile, work by Such + Such, lights by Switch --- I'm glad they used local products/workers.
August 5, 201212 yr Finally put together the Lavomatic post. I'm impressed by the new attitude. http://www.blogotr.com/otr/lavomatics-renovation/
August 5, 201212 yr I hadn't visited before the renovation, but I went last weekend and enjoyed both the indoor and outdoor spaces. The roof deck is pretty awesome. I wish there were more of them in OTR. One complaint though was that the bar on the roof deck has stools that leave nowhere near enough room for a human's thighs beneath the actual table surface. Other than that though I enjoyed the space quite a bit. I have no idea how service was before the renovation or if anything along that front has changed, but my order was completely wrong (a different burger entirely than what I ordered) and after it was dropped off nobody came by for quite a while so I just put up with it. The burger was okay, but again, not what I ordered. I don't generally like to complain since I know how easy it is to mix up something in the food industry (worked in it for several years in high school) and am usually pretty flexible so it wasn't a big deal, but it would have been nice if the waiter had come by at some point so I could have actually gotten the food I wanted. Unfortunately we couldn't wait since I was leaving for Tennessee shortly after. I would still like to go back though and actually try the Bourbon BBQ burger.
August 6, 201212 yr Buffett's 'Margaritaville' finds new home at Horseshoe Casino http://www.fox19.com/story/19184006/buffetts-margaritaville-restaurant-to-open-in-cincy-casino CINCINNATI, OH (FOX19) - Jimmy Buffett's restaurant 'Margaritaville' will find a new home come Spring of 2013. Kevin Kline, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Horseshoe Casino, said in a press conference on Thursday that the restaurant will have a location at the Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati. The Horseshoe will have four restaurants total, with Margaritaville located on the front side of the casino site. Full article below: http://www.fox19.com/story/19184006/buffetts-margaritaville-restaurant-to-open-in-cincy-casino "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
August 6, 201212 yr jmicha - I have only been before the renovation and while the bar service was good I had similar problems with the table service. Hopefully this is the next change as it is getting more and more competitive in the area.
August 10, 201212 yr jmicha - I have only been before the renovation and while the bar service was good I had similar problems with the table service. Hopefully this is the next change as it is getting more and more competitive in the area. for what it's worth i've only heard good things about lavomatic since the reopen --- which is remarkable but true.
August 10, 201212 yr The Anchor-OTR opening soon http://www.blogotr.com/otr/the-anchor-otr-prepares-for-opening/
August 10, 201212 yr I gathered up a group 8 of my friends to go to Lavomatic on Wednesday night for restaurant week. The earliest reservation we could get was 8:00. I thought that's great they are doing so well. We were seated on the rooftop by request, and ordered drinks right away. It took 30 minutes until we got our drinks. This was irritating to me due to the fact that I brought everyone there, but everyone seemed okay at this point. After we got our first round of drinks we decided we better order right dinner right away. I had the mac and cheese, the shrimp and chicken pasta and ordered one of the two deserts they had left. We finished or drinks and nobody came to check on us for probably 20 minutes when our appetizers came. We ordered another round of drinks that were slow to come out. The Mac and Cheese was bland and only had two small slivers of bacon in it. Dinner took a long time to come out, and when it did they only brought half of the tables, and one of my friend's salmon was closer to raw than medium rare. You could tell that the dinners were sitting under the heat lamp for a while. The pasta was okay, but nothing I couldn’t have done myself When the waitress came bring out deserts she said that the chief had whipped up some of the other desserts and we would be getting samplers. That sounded great, and I figured it was their way of apologizing for the slow service. When they came out it was one strawberry with whipped cream, a quarter of a cookie, and a tiny scoop of mousse. The desert was good, but very small, and none of us got any of the desserts that we ordered. The table of two next to us got the pie that we had all ordered and it looked a hell of a lot better than what we got. All said and done it took 2 hours and 15 minutes, and everyone left saying they would never come back. I was very disappointed and embarrassed that I had recommended it. Hopefully we just had a waitress that had too many tables, but it’s too expensive for me to keep giving them the benefit of the doubt. I've been there 7 times and never been impressed since Jean Robert left. After reading all the reviews after the renovation I thought they had turned the corner, but I think they still have a long way to go.
August 13, 201212 yr Zula Restaurant & Wine Bar set to open in early November at 1400 Race Street http://www.blogotr.com/otr/zula-restaurant-and-wine-bar-sets-early-november-opening-date
August 13, 201212 yr I'm starting to worry about overstauration with the restaurants...between Zula, Anchor, Quan Hapa, and whatever the Japanese place in the Color building is going to be called, that's 4 new ones slated to open in the next few months!
August 13, 201212 yr Agree, between the Banks and Gateway, it seems that it is now saturated with restaurants/entertainement. I will say that the additions have certainly contributed to a much improved restaurant scene but it would be nice to see some other businesses open to provide a more complete neighborhood experience i.e. banks, services, pharmacies, small businesses etc.
August 13, 201212 yr http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/blog/2012/08/take-a-peek-at-4egs-new-sixth-street.html some pics of inside of the old Barleycorn's place that 4EG is re-doing. alot of work to be done still.
August 13, 201212 yr I'm starting to worry about overstauration with the restaurants...between Zula, Anchor, Quan Hapa, and whatever the Japanese place in the Color building is going to be called, that's 4 new ones slated to open in the next few months! And there's at least one more in the works that hasn't been announced. I think more restaurants are a great thing. They tend to be the leading edge of development. Once Phase V is complete and Mercer Commons is online as well as some of the other projects (non-3CDC) - that's when I think you'll start seeing a greater diversity of development.
August 13, 201212 yr Yeah, I think we can support all of them. And some of the other stuff is starting to arrive--on Vine St now there's a dry cleaner, pet store, and bicycle shop. Keep it coming!
August 13, 201212 yr Yes, new restaurants are a great thing and I think although there have been some casualties i.e. Bartini, Walnut St. Grill, Le Boxx, the net number is positives and as mentioned, overall the qualty has improved dramatically. I do think Mercer will be a game changer in that area, becase it will singificantly imact the critical mass. I think a few resendential high rises south of Central Parkway in CBD would have a simial effect. 5th and Race is a great start.
August 13, 201212 yr The restaurant in the Paint Building will be called Kaze http://www.blogotr.com/otr/kaze-coming-to-paint-building/
August 13, 201212 yr I'm starting to worry about overstauration with the restaurants...between Zula, Anchor, Quan Hapa, and whatever the Japanese place in the Color building is going to be called, that's 4 new ones slated to open in the next few months! I'm not going to worry about over saturating OTR with restaurants until I can walk in the Senate or A Tavola at 6:30 on a Friday night without having to be put on a waiting list. “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
August 15, 201212 yr The Enquirer is now sending random office staffers to do restaurant reviews and take photos of the food with their cell phones: http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Avis=AB&Dato=20120814&Kategori=NEWS06&Lopenr=308140087&Ref=PH So...we're literally to the point where the newspaper is getting random staffers to create content.
August 15, 201212 yr ^wow that is extremely unprofessional. Check out this gem from the Enquirer tonight on the Reds' off day yesterday: http://cincinnati.com/blogs/reds/2012/08/14/day-of-rest-good-for-reds/ Since I'm sure it'll be deleted/fixed, I'll copy and paste the following paragraphs as they appear at 1:20 a.m. Wednesday: The three players hurting — third baseman Scott Rolen and relievers Sam LeCure and Jonathan Broxton — are better tonigh for the opener on the three-game series with the New York Mets. ... LeCure and weren’t available because of shoulder soreness. “We hope Sam’s better,” Baker said. “Big Broxton said he’s better. He said he’ll sore from time to time. When he was in Kansas City, he was closing. He didn’t have as many opportunities to pitch as here in a setup role.” It would be funny if it wasn't so sad. Cincinnati is too big of a city to settle for this crap in its daily newspaper.
August 15, 201212 yr ^ I'm guessing this was meant to be in the Reds or Cincinnati Enquirer threads? :) For a second I thought LeCure & Broxton were opening a new restaurant!
August 15, 201212 yr Progress at The Anchor-OTR at 14th and Race: http://www.blogotr.com/otr/progress-at-the-anchor-otr/
August 16, 201212 yr New downtown bar will serve up Cincinnati food, sports Fifteen months after BlackFinn closed, a new local sports bar is opening this fall in the same space on East Seventh Street downtown. It won’t be just any local sports bar, either. It’ll be the Local Sports Bar & Grill, with decor focused on the Cincinnati Reds, Bengals and Cyclones as well as local college and high school teams, according to Mike Perrich, the bar’s general manager. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/blog/2012/08/new-downtown-bar-will-serve-up.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
August 17, 201212 yr From City-Data: Why the dig on Applebees? I go to Applebees for one thing and one thing only - the Riblets. Several years ago we were on a trip to the DC area to visit our daughter and got stuck in traffic it seemed like forever. We had called our daughter and advised her it appeared we would be a quite late arrival. We then decided hunger was taking over, since we had not eaten since leaving Allentown Pa earlier in the day, and darkness was now falling. I spotted an Applebees which appeared bright and cheery, can't recall ever being to one prior. I was indecisive as to what to order when I spotted a serving of the Riblets being delivered to an adjacent table. They looked good, I ordered, and they were good. I still cannot identify what particular cut of meat they come from as I have never had anything I recognize as similar anywhere else. That was it for me. We have an Applebees here in Mason, but with so much to choose from locally we only visit infrequently. But you can bet when I do go it will be the Riblets I order. Applebees was smart, they located their store smack in front of the Marriott hotel. Those guests not willing to pay the over-inflated pricing for mediocre food at the hotel just jam the Applebees. It is one franchise I sure would like to own.
August 17, 201212 yr ... "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
August 17, 201212 yr Menchie's Frozen Yogurt coming to West Chester Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt is opening its first of three upcoming locations in Greater Cincinnati on Aug. 25. Menchie’s Beckett Ridge, a franchisee of the fast-growing frozen yogurt concept, is opening in West Chester at 8177 Princeton Glendale Road. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2012/08/17/menchies-frozen-yogurt-coming-to-west.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
August 20, 201212 yr First Quaker Steak in Ky. coming to Florence :-o The first Quaker Steak & Lube in Kentucky will open this October in Florence. The 410-seat restaurant will open Oct. 3 at 8025 Action Blvd., General Manager Bob Jacoby said. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2012/08/20/first-quaker-steak-in-ky-coming-to.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
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