Local restaurants are cozying up their outdoor dining spaces as the pandemic continues, offering a safe(r) space to escape and indulge as the weather chills.
For the winter, Over-the-Rhine Italian eatery Pepp & Dolores has transformed their outdoor tent into an apres ski-inspired dining experience called "The Lodge."
“When we first began offering outdoor dining, our goal was to make sure that experience matches the beauty and charm of dining inside at Pepp,” says Joe Lanni, co-founder of Thunderdome Restaurant Group (which oversees Pepp and other area restaurants), in a press release.
“We knew, as the weather turned colder, we wanted to do more than just winterize our tent, we wanted it to be an elegant, seasonal dining destination.”
The space features a dedicated outdoor bar to ensure "wine and cocktails (flow) freely and quickly;" a fresh air intake heating system which warms and circulates outside air; and they also have open-air, four-seat firepits by which to eat or sip.
“We wanted to create a beautiful retreat for our guests, in a time where we could all use one,” said Lanni. “It’s a place to escape your house for a night and have a great dinner in a fun, safe, socially distanced atmosphere.”
In addition to a festively modifying the tent, Pepp & Dolores is also rolling some new menu items, including Swiss chard and sausage cannelloni in three cheese fonduta sauce with garlic breadcrumbs, and the Italian-inspired cocktail The Nocino Old Fashioned. The press release says more wintery items will be released throughout the month.
Reserve a seat online via their website.
Pepp & Dolores, 143 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine.
