March 8, 201114 yr ^Haha, yeah Grammars was a definite hipster scene, but IMO it was one of the coolest spots in Cincinnati the way it was. It was one of the few places I have been to in Cincinnati where you saw gay, straight, black, white, asian, etc just dancing, drinking, and partying together. When I was there over the summer it reminded me of a few bars in Silverlake (LA), and totally did not feel like I was in Cincinnati.
March 8, 201114 yr Turning it into a restaurant- will open after renovations... They better not TOUCH the bar room. It's so beautiful/original.
March 10, 201114 yr So I'm wondering what decent restaurants are around Playhouse Square. Besides Bricco, Maybe Encore at Wyndham (I will let you all now later we are eating there tomorrow before Shrek) I havent found very much in the immediate area. While I know that E4th is right down the street, and normally a couple of blocks is nothing as far as my group is concerned. Tomorrow seems like it is going to be particularly nasty. So I was wondering what opinions everyone has of the restaurants immediately surrounding Playhouse. Say no farther west than E9th.
March 10, 201114 yr The Hanna Restaurant has a really cool "Old School Downtown" feel to it at lunch. I'm not sure if that translates to the pre-theatre hours.
March 10, 201114 yr Also for old school, Otto Moser's, although that likely isnt the best for pre-theatre, unless you want beer and corned beef.
March 10, 201114 yr Smack dab in the middle of PHS would be Star restaurant http://www.staratplayhousesquare.com/ Also, Acappella.
March 11, 201114 yr Honestly, the restaurants in Phs pale in comparison to other Cleveland restaurants. I work n Phs and I'm a big Cleveland booster, but these places don't cleveland's food scene any justice.
March 11, 201114 yr Also for old school, Otto Moser's, although that likely isnt the best for pre-theatre, unless you want beer and corned beef. We did go to Otto Mosers before Billy Elliot. Good, but defiantly not the best for Pre-Theater. Smack dab in the middle of PHS would be Star restaurant http://www.staratplayhousesquare.com/ Also, Acappella. have not heard good things about Acappella...but interested to try Star at some point. Someone from our Ski Club, who has theater tix, recommended it as well. Honestly, the restaurants in Phs pale in comparison to other Cleveland restaurants. I work n Phs and I'm a big Cleveland booster, but these places don't cleveland's food scene any justice. It feels strange considering that there are a plethora of high quality restaurants in Cleveland, but none of them are located within one of our largest attractions.
March 11, 201114 yr I agree, Star and Acapella are really not strong, and the offerings in this area are just not good. I would probably stop to eat somewhere else before going to PHS and trying to find something in the area.
March 11, 201114 yr 8-9 years ago, when I worked in the US Bank Building, I use to eat lunch at Acapella's about twice a week and really enjoyed it (especially their sauce on the chicken and veal). However, it was never a place I would think about if I was planning on going to the theater. Apparently from the comments it has gone down hill.
March 11, 201114 yr I agree, Star and Acapella are really not strong, and the offerings in this area are just not good. I would probably stop to eat somewhere else before going to PHS and trying to find something in the area. Well, problem with that is that I am already downtown. So, not really going to be able to stop along the way. With the rest of the group meeting me down here. Now if the weather for today was nicer, i.e. not covered in snow, we probably would have ended up at E4th.
March 12, 201114 yr Jack Jeff Ruby's Waterfront floating restaurant in Covington, KY broke free of its moorings this past evening and went about 100 ft. downstream. 150 people were onboard at the time. Everyone was safe and rescued some time after it came to a stop beneath the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge. Local media was VERY excited about this story. When I heard it happened, my roommates and I drove down to see what was going on, we only live five minutes away. By the time we got there, WKRC was still going on about what COULD happen if it broke away again at any second. My photographs and coverage: http://news.cincinnati.com/comments/article/20110311/NEWS0103/303100040/Patrons-rescued-from-stranded-Jeff-Ruby-restaurant "Legitimate" news outlet coverage: http://news.cincinnati.com/comments/article/20110311/NEWS0103/303100040/Patrons-rescued-from-stranded-Jeff-Ruby-restaurant
March 12, 201114 yr According to this, everyone got out okay and uninjured. Including local celeb Cris Collinsworth! 83 rescued from Ky. eatery that floated downstream Mar 12, 10:44 AM EST By DAN SEWELL, Associated Press COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- A seafood eatery aboard a barge broke from its moorings on the flood-swollen Ohio River, then drifted downriver during the dinner rush before emergency crews rescued 83 patrons using a precarious gangplank of ladders and ropes, authorities said Saturday. Covington Fire Department Capt. Chris Kiely said diners at Jeff Ruby's Waterfront restaurant used cell phones to call for help Friday night as the restaurant floated about 85 to 100 yards downstream. Everyone on board, including former Cincinnati Bengals star Cris Collinsworth, was safe after the hours-long rescue, Kiely told The Associated Press. All were led off one at a time, wearing life jackets. READ MORE: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_RESTAURANT_ADRIFT?SITE=OHCOL&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
March 14, 201114 yr You mean Jeff Ruby's Waterfront? Either that, or the Soviets did pay Jack a lot of money to silence Oswald -- enough to start a restaurant empire. :-D
March 14, 201114 yr Jeff Ruby might not reopen Waterfront restaurant 'I don't know if I want to stay in the floating restaurant business,' he says Peggy O’Farrell and Paul McKibben - 12:34 PM, Mar. 13, 2011 COVINGTON - Waterfront owner Jeff Ruby said Sunday he’s not sure if he’ll reopen his floating restaurant, which tore away from its Ohio River moorings Friday night with nearly 100 people on board. “I don’t know if I want to stay in the floating restaurant business,” Ruby said, watching from the nearby Marriott Hotel as towboats maneuvered the damaged Waterfront into the old Covington Landing. “I don’t know if I want to sell it. I don’t know if I want to relocate it.” Ruby, who has operated the Waterfront for about 25 years, said the costs of maintaining the restaurant, removing debris and insurance will figure into his decision. He estimated the cost of just moving the restaurant and securing it at the old Covington Landing “in the high six figures.” cont "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
March 25, 201114 yr Vacant for years, Maisonette block will house new venues The cluster of downtown Cincinnati buildings formerly home to Maisonette, La Normandie and Barleycorn’s will get a new concept from bar operators Four Entertainment Group. And local restaurateur David Falk is expected to join them in the Maisonette space at the $15 million development, according to sources. Ben Klopp, a partner of Four Entertainment Group LLC, said his firm will operate a 7,500-square-foot bar and entertainment venue in four stories of 124 E. Sixth St. in downtown Cincinnati, next to the building that was home to La Normandie. Klopp said Boca Restaurant Group will open a restaurant in the space ... http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/print-edition/2011/03/25/vacant-for-years-maisonette-block.html I'd love to know more, but i don't subscribe to the Courier
March 28, 201114 yr Sounds like there will be some new announcements in the next month or so. Cincinnati's Restaurant Row steadily filling up The row of retail space in downtown Cincinnati on Sixth Street between Main and Walnut streets may be completely full of restaurants and bars in the near future. Read more: Cincinnati's Restaurant Row steadily filling up | Business Courier http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/blog/2011/03/cincinnatis-restaurant-row-steadily.html
April 19, 201114 yr Bakersfield Taco Grill to Open in OTR http://cincinnati.com/blogs/developingnow/2011/04/19/bakersfield-taco-eatery-to-join-gateway-quarter/
April 23, 201114 yr World Food Bar Restaurant Group to open new restaurant in East Walnut Hills By Jenny Kessler, UrbanCincy.com http://www.urbancincy.com/2011/04/world-food-bar-restaurant-group-to-open-new-restaurant-in-east-walnut-hills/ Six months have passed since the opening of Mayberry Foodstuffs in downtown Cincinnati, and for Chef Josh Campbell and his business partners, it is time to try something new. The team will open a new restaurant called The Skinny Pig in East Walnut Hills this May. The restaurant, Campbell says, will feature flatbreads, salads, and his specialty – pork. When Herbert Hood, owner of the buildings on Woodburn Avenue , first visited Mayberry Foodstuffs, he asked Campbell to open another small grocery concept in place of the beloved, and recently closed, Lucky John’s Market in his neighborhood. After learning about Campbell’s cooking background, the pair decided that opening a restaurant would be a great use for the 750-square-foot space. After signing a 15-month lease the whirlwind renovation process, for which the World Food Bar group has become known, began. Campbell, along with his business partner Jerry Murphy and sous chef Kevin O’Connell, say they are jumping in to the new concept and location head first. “Everybody says when opportunity knocks, you should go for it,” Campbell says. “Why not? It’s a natural expansion of what we’re already doing, and we want to reach new people. I’ve surrounded myself with such great people, and it just makes sense.” Collectively, the team works interchangeably between the Mayberry restaurant as well as Foodstuffs, and The Skinny Pig will be another hock of the hog. The pressure smoker for The Skinny Pig will be housed at the Vine Street kitchen, and the entire team, from Campbell to the dishwasher will work together to complete the trifecta. The Skinny Pig will be located in the DeSales Corner business district of East Walnut Hills which already boasts other restaurants, luxury apartments and art galleries, and Campbell believes the neighborhood is the next up and coming area in Cincinnati. “The downtown area is beginning to be saturated with restaurants,” says Campbell. “In this area you have Blue Cross Blue Shield, St. Ursula Academy with students who can go off campus for lunch, and several doctor’s offices filled with people looking for healthy, flavorful food options.” Campbell says that the main menu concept is a variety of blue cornmeal flatbreads with assorted toppings, baked to order in a wood burning oven, along with unique salads. The goal is to operate an eatery that is accessible to every palate, with offerings running the gamut from wild mushroom pate to smoked pork shoulder, and everything in between. After the first 30 days of operation, he intends to open an expansive courtyard, with an outdoor grill and live weekend music, that can accommodate an additional 20 to 25 people. With exposed brick, an open kitchen, and a relaxed atmosphere, visitors will experience a homey, accessible meal in a sit down, waited-table style, run by locals that genuinely care about the area and the dining experience. “Lots of people in the city are investing in different areas of the city’s core,” says Campbell. “The suburbs – they come and go. We need to get back to that era of small mom and pop places that care about their customers and build relationships. I’m a businessman, but my goal is to grow and make sure that the people that are around me can survive, live well, and have fun at work. I’m trying to get that message out to people – to just do the right thing.”
May 5, 201114 yr BlackFinn closes According to their web site, Blackfinn, Downtown, has closed. There are other Blackfinn locations around the country, including Washington, D.C., New York City, Charlotte, Dallas and Jacksonville. They do not seem to have closed. cont "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 5, 201114 yr Passage is closing Here is their FB page with no announcement yet: http://www.facebook.com/people/Passage-Cincinnati/100000541844343. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 6, 201114 yr ^ I walked by Passage tonight, and there was a court notice on the door. The door was also chained shut. I wonder what happened.
May 6, 201114 yr ^ Searching the Clerk of Courts website showed that on May 2, they lost a decision and owe $13041.28 in unpaid contracts to a plumber, which ended a long line of suits for unpaid work from a lot of different contractors. The latest decision ended in garnishment. Maybe they were ordered to close until they pay up?
May 6, 201114 yr The Enquirer ran a more extensive story today: http://cincinnati.com/blogs/developingnow/2011/05/06/passage-lounge-closes/ Looks like it's been one mess after another. Poorly managed.
May 16, 201114 yr Beluga to close Mike Hama, the owner of Beluga in Hyde Park, says he’s closing his 11-year-old restaurant at the end of the month. http://cincinnati.com/blogs/dining/2011/05/16/beluga-to-close/
May 17, 201114 yr Vacant 6th St. restaurants may see new life Written by Laura Baverman [email protected] City Council's finance committee approved two measures Monday that would subsidize the $15 million redevelopment of three East Sixth Street buildings that once held the Maisonette, La Normandie, Barleycorn's and an Indian restaurant. The buildings have been vacant more than five years. Chef David Falk, the owner of Boca and nada restaurants, has named the Maisonette building as one of four sites in which he could open his third restaurant. Four Entertainment Group plans to open a nightclub and bar in 16,000 square feet of the Barleycorn's building. The buildings' owner, Cincinnati Center City Development Corp., hasn't yet named tenants. The announcements will be timed with the start of construction late in June, said Chad Munitz, 3CDC's executive vice president of development and operations. “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
May 24, 201114 yr Landlord seeks to evict downtown's BagPipes pub BagPipes Irish Pub is in trouble, just a few months after its February opening Business Courier - by Dan Monk, Courier Senior Staff Reporter Towne Properties LLC said Tuesday that it is pursuing an eviction against BagPipes Irish Pub, a restaurant and bar that opened in February at Seventh and Race streets downtown. “The rent check bounced,” said Neil Quinn, director of commercial properties for the Mount Adams-based owner of the Groton Lofts apartment building. cont "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
June 2, 201114 yr I saw the Brew House in Walnut Hills is up for sale. I haven't been there but heard great things about them.
June 2, 201114 yr A Tavola opened on Tuesday- Been packed both Monday and Tuesday nights. Looks like we have a new restaurant Row-- Lavo, Senate, Abigail Street, Bakersfield Taco place & A Tavola all on one block of Vine in OTR!
June 13, 201114 yr Grammer’s re-opening this week Per Polly Campbell, it opens to the public on Friday, June 17. No other details. "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
June 17, 201113 yr Another J Gumbo's replaces Servatti's in Clifton http://cincinnati.com/blogs/dining/2011/06/16/j-gumbo-in-clifton/
June 25, 201113 yr Author More entertainment than restaurant, but here you go..... Blue Wisp eyes new location 2:38 PM, Jun. 24, 2011 Owners of the Blue Wisp Jazz Club hope that a new downtown location will allow it to survive as Cincinnati’s premiere venue for jazz. They are in discussions with Towne Properties about moving from the club about five blocks to the former Redfish restaurant at Seventh and Race streets, Downtown. The space, which is 7,100 square feet in two rooms, has housed Sully’s and Bagpipes Irish Pub since Redfish closed in 2006. http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110624/BIZ01/306240022/
July 1, 201113 yr Construction going on inside 309 Sycamore. The property was transferred to the In Between Tavern owners (307 SYCAMORE HOLDING COMPANY LLC) on 03/30/2011. You can see they are constructing a bar on the south side of the building and what could be a dinning room on the north side. Not sure anything is happening on the floors above. "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
July 2, 201113 yr Landlord seeks to evict downtown's BagPipes pub BagPipes Irish Pub is in trouble, just a few months after its February opening Business Courier - by Dan Monk, Courier Senior Staff Reporter Towne Properties LLC said Tuesday that it is pursuing an eviction against BagPipes Irish Pub, a restaurant and bar that opened in February at Seventh and Race streets downtown. The rent check bounced, said Neil Quinn, director of commercial properties for the Mount Adams-based owner of the Groton Lofts apartment building. This kind of news in the restaurant and bar industry is so common, and it never ceases to amaze me. How do you go into business without a functional business plan to keep your establishment open for more than 6-12 months? Also, who in the world is approving loans for these "business people" that can't write a valid rent check a couple months into operation?
July 7, 201113 yr Author Jeff Ruby plans to expand Precinct 9:21 PM, Jul. 6, 2011 Thirty years, ago, Jeff Ruby opened The Precinct in a former police station in Columbia Tusculum. On Thursday, Ruby says he will break ground on a new addition to the steakhouse. “Our ads when we opened called it The Precinct Steakhouse and Tavern,” said Ruby. “Now we’re adding the tavern part.” http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110706/ENT01/307060055/Jeff-Ruby-plans-expand-Precinct?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|News
July 8, 201113 yr CHameleon opens in old 5th Amendment location on Hamilton Ave in Northside. Drinks only but food is in the future plans Just a PhaseBuch page for now http://www.facebook.com/pages/Chameleon/189063471144372?sk=info
July 8, 201113 yr Keystone Bar and Grill to open in Hyde Park Business Courier - Date: Friday, July 8, 2011, 2:01pm EDT Four Entertainment Group announced plans to open a second Keystone Bar and Grill, this one in Hyde Park. The restaurant is slated to open sometime in November in the former Hyde Park Tavern building on Erie Avenue. Renovations include expanding the first floor bar and adding a bar and balcony to the second floor. The restaurant will keep consumers up-to-date on the construction through a series of webisodes posted on its Facebook page and Twitter account. Cont "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
July 26, 201113 yr Here is the text from Yelp, which correlates with what 3 others wrote to me: "I am with 100 other parents at Fairview German Language School that are camping out waiting to enroll their children when the Cafe de Wheels truck pulls up. Everyone was excited as they were hoping for hot food. The owner does not serve anyone food but, instead goes into a foul tirade as to how the parents should get out of his neighborhood and how the city does not even let the homeless do this." Apparently, Cafe de Wheels did come back and apologize and tried to offer food, but the parents refused. Sorry, didn't see the text in quotes above. I just saw a sign in a window on Main street that said, "My kids proudly go to Fairview German Language School, Boycott Cafe De Wheels!" - I googled it and found this discussion. Another reason I love UrbanOhio!
July 27, 201113 yr ^Wow, I'm pretty shocked. I'm not sure that's the whole story though. Why would someone from Cafe de Wheels say all those things unprovoked?
July 27, 201113 yr ^ look back a few pages- It's definitely the story- because they came back and apologized. In other news- Does anyone know if there is a rough opening date for the new giant Currito downtown?
July 27, 201113 yr ^Wow, I'm pretty shocked. I'm not sure that's the whole story though. Why would someone from Cafe de Wheels say all those things unprovoked? Distaste for the magnet school system, I would think. Separating the "good" kids from the "bad" in an effort to make the "good" kids better, thereby making the "bad" kids worse and taking away opportunities for them. Separating the kids whose parents can afford to camp out for a couple days to enroll their kids from the kids whose parents can't afford such luxuries. Not that I am endorsing the view, and certainly not the behavior of the Cafe de Wheels guy. Nor am I boycotting CdW.
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