It’s hard to believe Melt Eclectic Café has been holding down its spot next to the Northside Tavern for more than a decade. What began as a uniquely vegan- and vegetarian-friendly café (for Cincinnati) in 2005 added sister locations over the years dedicated to healthy carry-out options, first as Picnic & Pantry in Northside and later as Bottle & Basket in Over-the-Rhine. Each has been marked with Melt’s trademark creativity, utilizing local breads, gluten-free options, any and all vegetarian fare — tempeh, tofu, housemade seitan — and even certified humane meats for the carnivores. After being acquired by Wellmann’s Brands, the café will soon move two blocks south into a 3,000-square-foot space inside the sprawling Gantry Building. And, of course, the expansion will come with a full-service bar offering the type of craft cocktails locals have come to expect from booze queen Molly Wellmann’s Wellmann’s Brands establishments. Melt Eclectic Café, 1580 Blue Rock St., Northside, 513-681-6358, meltcincy.com.
We write these words not to encourage the fine proprietors of Over-the-Rhine staple Senate to raise their prices but to acknowledge that without such a deal many of us would not often indulge in such fare. The “$25 wood-grilled, dry-aged ribeye” — which costs just $24 — with marrow butter and truffle fries is kind of like getting half-off a badass fancy meal. You can spend the other 20 bucks on the restaurant’s excellent beer, wine and cocktail lists. Or, if you’re one of those people who uses a budget app to make yourself feel guilty about how often you eat out, go with the $17 seared scallops or slum it with a $10 award-winning street dog until you’re deserving of the full steak treatment. Senate, 1212 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-421-2020, senatepub.com.
Some might argue that any good restaurant on the West Side is a hidden gem, but Sakura truly takes the cake. Located off I-74, this Japanese steakhouse is really hard to find from the street and must be accessed from Old Rybolt Road past the BP gas station or via Rybolt Road past the Holiday Inn, near the closed (we hope) Imperial House Hotel. The adventure continues inside, where patrons can choose from a seat at a Teppanyaki grill table or a spot at the sushi bar for classic rolls and rice dishes. If the music and lights emanating from the adjacent Hillside Gastropub tempt you, just head next door for drinks, jams and dad dancing. Sakura Steakhouse, 5510 Rybolt Road, Dent, 513-574-9666, searchable on Facebook.
Very few things beat waking up in the morning as a kid and sliding twin Pop-Tarts into the toaster for a morning jolt of sugar. Benjamin Arington, owner, creator and chef of Fat Ben’s Bakery, has taken that childhood nostalgia and updated it for 2017 (and for grown-ups) with the creation of his pastry pockets. The pockets are rectangular crusty pastries filled with classy flavor combos like strawberry cheesecake, blackberry thyme and pineapple rosemary. And if you don’t feel like adulting quite yet, Arington also offers flavors like milk and cereal, chocolate PB fudge and Girl Scout Cookie. While you can only order the addictive pastry pockets online for now, a Fat Ben’s storefront is coming soon. Fat Ben’s Bakery, 917-628-8202, fatbensbakery.com.
