Agave & Rye
633 Madison Ave., Covington, agaveandrye.com
Agave & Rye faces both Hotel Covington and The Madison Event Center and is just around the corner from the Braxton Brewing Company. With its full bar and kitchen open until 2 a.m. seven nights a week, this glossy taqueria has been an instant hit for patrons of those neighboring establishments and pulls in families and young couples earlier in the evening as well.
Except for a few small side dishes and a couple of desserts, the menu consists entirely of tacos ($3-$5). They’re organized as “Graze” for meat-based fillings, “Swim” for fish-filled tortillas and “Grow” for veggie versions. Graze is the largest category, with eight different options that include a taco based on kangaroo meat — we didn’t try that one — as well as chicken, pork, beef and duck confit. Altogether we selected from 15 taco options, including a monthly feature: “cheese-filled mini beef meatballs, mac and cheese, white cheddar and vodka sauce.” We skipped that one, too.
One unusual feature of the menu is that each taco comes in a crispy corn shell and a soft flour tortilla. A taco called The Bee’s Knees would have been better if the chicken in it hadn’t been too dry, but we all loved The Alderman — ancho grilled steak with Mexican street corn salad and a good salsa. The Swanky One came in a fried wonton shell — the only non-tortilla wrapped taco — with a filling of ahi tuna poke, serrano aioli and guacamole. It tasted good, but the shell fell apart when you picked it up. One of the veggie tacos, The Bang Bang, hit the right notes with crispy cauliflower, spicy carrots and a creamy cheese sauce. (Pama Mitchell)
Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey
1201 Broadway St., Pendleton, boomtownbiscuitsandwhiskey.com
At Boomtown, the true delight comes plated. The signature biscuit isn’t a run-of-the-mill thousand-layer flaked baked good. It’s a buttery, soft disc with a close crumb and a browned, lightly bubbled top that no breakfast chain can compete with.
The food menu starts with “Pick & Shovel Sandwiches.” All of these options feature fillings like fried chicken, barbecue short ribs or mush cakes with chimichurri tofu, stuffed between two biscuits.
The most popular sandwich — and the one I ordered — is the Yukon ($11), with fried chicken, gravy, smoked cheddar and thick-cut bacon. The option to add an egg is, theoretically, optional (and a $2 upcharge), but better thought of as an intrinsic part of the dish. This sandwich was sumptuous.
Besides the sandwiches, the menu offers “Prospector Plates,” which are more entrée-style than the sandwiches; “Bowls of Gold,” which are the requisite beans and grits but gussied up; “Sundries,” aka the sides you’ll want at least a few of; “Nuggets of Gold,” for condiments and dips; and “Sweet Fixins” for dessert. (McKenzie Graham Willits)
Cherbourg Cyprus
1804 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, cherbourgcyprus.com
In its seven years in existence, the Columbus-based Cherbourg bakery has become a worth-the-drive cultish destination for locals on the hunt for allergy-friendly pastries — everything Cherbourg makes is both gluten-free and nut-free. The Cincinnati extension of the bakery is no different, except for the name.
OTR’s Cherbourg Cyprus is inspired by the blue-collar grit of Cherbourg, a seaside town in France, and the warmth and hospitality of the people of Cyprus, a Mediterranean island.
The name also applies to the menu. The internationally-inspired shop features not only French- and Mediterranean-style pastries — brioche, loukoumades, Cherbourg’s famous double lemon bars, muffins, cookies and cake — but also savory eggy deliciousness, like inventive stratas, quiches and individual skillet servings of shakshuka (eggs baked in a rich tomato sauce with a dollop of ricotta and a sprinkle of fresh herbs). (Maija Zummo)
CityBird Tenders
1344 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, citybirdotr.com
The deep-fried offspring of The Eagle in OTR, Citybird dishes out cage-free, all-natural chicken paired with housemade craft sauces.
CityBird’s “house-brined, fresh fried” chicken leans more toward tenderness than crispiness, but still packs a considerable punch paired with green chile hot sauce. The tenders boast a full-bodied flavor: mostly mellow and savory, but tinged with spice. They’re at their best wedged inside the Spicy sandwich, topped with Green Goddess slaw, Sriracha, mayo and a toasted potato bun.
Surprisingly, the chicken is almost eclipsed by the quality of their sides. Coleslaw is my favorite chicken partner, and CityBird does the dish justice with a recipe that eschews excess creaminess for a distinct, mustard-infused tang. The fries steal the show, though. Dusted with parmesan, parsley and sugar, they’re an addictive base that soaks up the tenders’ spice. Together, these flavors stick with you long after you’ve put down your fork. (Jude Noel)
Colonel’s Kitchen
22 N. Fort Thomas Ave., Fort Thomas, colonelde.com
With creative takes on breakfast fare such as pancakes, French toast and egg dishes to sandwiches, salads, soups and biscuit concoctions, Colonel’s Kitchen delivers “fast-casual from scratch.”
The section called “Plates” includes the breakfast treats, such as The Colonel (eggs, cheesy grits, biscuit and a choice of breakfast meat), Jam-Packed (housemade fennel-apple-butter French toast) and a vegetarian frittata with tomato jam and Swiss cheese. Everything is priced attractively considering the quality and generous portions, with breakfast plates ranging from $7.50-$9.
My friend Susan selected The Colonel with scrambled eggs and bacon — all good, she said, but her favorite thing on the plate was local apple butter from the Fort Thomas Farmers Market. I had a couple bites of the cheesy grits and don’t see how apple butter could top that, but to each her own.
My sandwich was called Not Your Mama’s Veggie Burger, made from roasted falafel and red pepper and topped with arugula and harissa cream ($7). Veggie burgers can be mushy and bland, but this one not only was flavorful but also had a nice crusty crunch to complement the creamy center. (PM)
Crafts & Vines
642 Main St., Covington, craftsandvines.com
Crafts & Vines owner Lesley Hugo had worked as a financial analyst for a prominent hospital but wanted to leave the corporate world so she started Crafts & Vines. The bar has eight wine rotating taps — four red and four white wines, which Hugo says are among their most popular drink categories. Her menu also has several wines by the glass or bottle. Her husband, Vic, is a home brewer and enjoys helping with selecting beer offerings. He also pitches in on weekends by smoking meats in a Big Green Egg smoker.
We sampled an array of wines and one of the beer taps, along with a meat-and-cheese charcuterie platter. From among a half-dozen meats and seven or eight cheeses, you can pick three or six. We decided to sample six — three each of cheeses and meats — for $23. We had prosciutto, speck — actually a variation on prosciutto — and the hit of the table, a large and sinfully delicious strip of maple-Sriracha bacon.
Hugo said she recently acquired a permit from the city to open a walk-up window, which likely will lead to expanded food items. So far, in addition to the charcuterie, they serve only bar bites, such as olives, nuts and a hummus trio with pita chips. The window will give that meat smoker a little more to do. (PM)
Crown Republic Gastropub
720 Sycamore St., Downtown, crgcincy.com
Crown Republic Gastropub is located on the first level of the same building as Encore Apartments. I stopped by on a Saturday for a solo, pre-theater meal, and because my eyes are always, always bigger than my stomach, I ordered enough food for two: the octopus tabbouleh ($16), fried chicken gobbets ($8) and pappardelle ($16).
The octopus was tender, served on a bed of farro tabbouleh under creamy, zesty duck-fat hummus and loaded with fresh herbs and merguez. When I ran out of the four pieces of housemade pita, I shoveled the rest of that delicious food confetti into my mouth with a fork.
Did you know the name “pappardelle” comes from the Italian phrase “to gobble up”? Well, it does, and that’s exactly what you’ll do. The housemade noodles are at least two-inches wide and curled in a winding nest under a nice Bolognese sauce, topped with a pat of green ricotta gremolata and sprinkled with parmesan cheese and parsley.
Oh, and the gobbets. You’re probably wondering what those are. They’re basically adult chicken nuggets, soaked in the malt brine the crew makes their pickles in, then fried and served with honey hot sauce on the side. (LS)
Kitchen 1883
9003 US Highway 42, Union, kitchen1883.com
Kitchen 1883 lives up to its “New American comfort food” concept. The restaurant is sandwiched between a Kroger supermarket and a Kroger liquor store. This might seem strange unless you know that Kitchen 1883 is the grocery chain’s first foray into sit-down casual dining. In fact, it’s one of the first grocery-chain-affiliated restaurants in the country. Fun fact: It’s named after the year Kroger founder Barney Kroger opened his first store.
First, my friends and I ordered the pretzel bites and beer cheese appetizer ($6) and our smiling server brought them out posthaste, much to our delight. The bites were perfect — not too doughy, not too tough, crisp on the outside and with a cholesterol-friendly amount of salt. The beer cheese was made with Braxton beer.
The restaurant’s online menu features a prominent picture of some meat-and-mashed-potato dish, and I correctly assumed it was the braised beef short ribs ($18) with horseradish smashed potatoes and blistered carrots; I followed my eyes with my stomach and ordered it.
The short ribs were very tender, falling apart with the slightest abrasion of my fork, and I devoured the entire plate. The horseradish potatoes were sharp but complementary, the carrots kind of superfluous, but I liked their varied colors, and the pan sauce was the perfect consistency. (LS)
LouVino
1142 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, louvino.com
Take your taste buds on a journey from the marigold-lined pathways of Château Guiraud in France to the Alps-framed Castelfeder winery in northern Italy — all while dining at LouVino in Over-the-Rhine. The concept restaurant opened in late August on Main Street and offers 60 wines by the glass as well as small plates inspired by Southern cuisine.
You’ll see some familiar names on the wine list, too, as flights are named after Ohio and Kentucky celebrities like Carmen Electra and John Legend. They are served in three 2-ounce pours and can be paired with cheese for an additional $2. Individual glasses are 6 ounces and range in price from $8 to $29.
While their wine selection is impressive, their elevated comfort food deserves a spotlight of its own, too. There are two menus: classics and seasonal. The former features dishes that are permanently available while the latter is a rotating menu dictated by the chef.
For food we shared the Brussels sprouts salad ($10) which came in a cilantro lime vinaigrette, the steak and hoe cakes ($14), the beef sliders ($12) and the loaded baked potato tots ($9). While they’re called small plates, you get very generous portions. Two per person would be more than enough to leave you satisfied. (Lauren Moretto)
Lucius Q
1131 Broadway St., Pendleton, facebook.com/luciusq
There’s a new pitmaster in Pendleton. And while the name of the barbecue joint may look like “luscious” — which isn’t a bad association — the restaurant is actually called Lucius Q (loo-shus q), a moniker taken from a Roman general with special ties to Cincinnati.
The Roman association is pulled through in the branding, created by locals Keith Neltner and Tommy Sheehan: The restaurant logo is a Centurion riding a pig. But the Italian influence stops there. The menu is all about the meat; no pizza or pasta in sight — unless you count the macaroni and cheese waffle. Instead, it draws influence from regional barbecue specialties and the partners’ own backgrounds.
“The sauce and the meat and how we do that is inspired by all the best regions in the country and we bring it here to the heartland,” says co-owner Aaron Sharpe. “We’ve got the Texas brisket, the Carolina pulled pork, the Memphis-style ribs (and then) we’ve got the Avril-Bleh sausage from right here in Cincinnati. Everything’s smoked back here in that smoker.”
The sauces — which range from Carolina-style Queen City Gold mustard sauce to Kansas City-style Luscious Lucius sweet and smoky sauce to the unique ‘Bama White mayonnaise-based sauce — are made in house. The only thing not made in house are the buns, which are sourced from Giminetti Baking Company in Walnut Hills.
For vegetarians, there’s a mushroom sandwich with barbecue sauce and sides like coleslaw, grits and queso corn or the pie of the day. (MZ)
Maize OTR
1438 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, maizeotr.com
Maize specializes in a unique fusion menu that honors traditional recipes from across Latin America, with an emphasis on Venezuelan cuisine. The restaurant takes its name from maize, a corn flour dating back some 10,000 years and first utilized by indigenous Mexicans. The flour serves as the basis for the arepas, cachapas and empanadas served at Maize, and indeed, is the starting point for the restaurant’s whole concept.
To that end, the menu is colorful and varied, with dishes from across the region that complement one another while retaining their traditional roots like the Peruvian ceviche, Mexican street corn and Venezuelan cachapas and asado negro.
For appetizers, my friend ordered the ceviche ($9) and, on our server’s recommendation, I tried the guasacaca gruesa ($8), which is a chunky Venezuelan avocado dip, similar to guacamole, but prepared with olive brine for acidity instead of lime. Allow me, briefly, to exalt the ceviche: it was perfect. Crisp, bright, tangy, fresh; it tasted like the ocean.
For my main dish, I ordered the reina pepiada arepa ($9), stuffed with avocado chicken salad, red onion slivers, queso de mano (think mozzarella but saltier) and cilantro. It was filling and very, very good. Empanadas and traditional Venezuelan cachapas, a sweet corn pancake, are also available. (LS)
Nicola’s
1420 Sycamore St., Over-the-Rhine, nicolasotr.com
Nicola’s had fallen off my radar, but news of a recently hired executive chef gave me good reason to revisit the fine Italian restaurant. It has been at the same downtown/Over-the-Rhine location for 22 years, making owners Nicola (Nick) and Maureen Pietoso true pioneers in the area’s eventual renaissance. In June, executive chef Jack Hemmer came on board. He had cooked at Nicola’s a few years ago and left for other local kitchens, including a stint as executive chef at Mercer OTR when it first opened.
He and his team retained some fan-favorite menu items that he said “absolutely deserve” keeping, such as a couple of pastas — tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce and four-cheese gnocchi — along with a goat cheese salad. And since June, Hemmer has developed several intriguing appetizers, pastas and entrées. He said that on the fall menu he especially recommends the duck leg and octopus starters; tortelloni pasta with a mélange of ingredients that “balance savory, sweet, spice and acidity;” and a pan-seared branzino entrée.
We took our server’s recommendation and split a couple orders of gnocchi ($18-$28) as an intermediate course. We agreed that the dish had been over-salted, which bothered some of us (including me) more than others. After more wine and waiting, our main dinner arrived. Several of my companions scarfed up more pasta, from the Bolognese ($15-$25) to risotto Milanese ($18-$28), while two of us went with fish entrées. Between the branzino ($34; my choice) and my friend’s Atlantic sole ($34), I preferred the latter. The fish was tender and flaky, and I liked the preparation with sautéed cauliflower, Marcona almonds and wine-soaked raisins. (PM)
Orchids at Palm Court
35 W. Fifth St., Downtown, orchidsatpalmcourt.com
If I’m lucky, I’ll get to Orchids once or twice a year, and I’ve almost always had a stellar meal. In June, I dined there with friends to see whether that level of wonderfulness is still attainable under the new direction of executive chef Maxime Kien, a native of southern France with deep experience at excellent restaurants from London to Las Vegas and New Orleans. In a word: yes.
If I had to select one feature of the meal that we all agreed was over-the-top spectacular, it would be all of the “freebies” that accompanied the dishes we actually ordered. That bounty started with a delectable amuse-bouche consisting of a savory panna cotta topped with a bit of local caviar and a sprinkling of herb salad. Between the appetizer and entrée came a small portion of the freshest pea soup you can imagine, enhanced by a shaving of black truffle. A pre-dessert treat centering on not-too-sweet strawberry sorbet prepared us for the desserts we had ordered, but there was even more after that: petits-fours and a take-home granola bar.
As you would expect, the seasonally-attuned menu takes advantage of midsummer produce and combines those ingredients with top-quality seafood and meat from a variety of sources. Kien says he has enjoyed teaching his mostly young kitchen staff how to handle and prepare whole salmon, or a lamb saddle. During his months at the helm, he’s started to share his knowledge and show his team his vision, he says.
That vision produces dishes that are never overly complicated either in ingredient combinations or presentation. Case in point was the vichyssoise appetizer — a chilled potato-based soup. It was marvelous: a creamy purée without the tiniest of lumps, topped with a spoonful of local Big Fish Farms caviar, a sprinkling of fines herbes and melba toast croutons for the all-important crunchy contrast. (PM)
Overlook Kitchen + Bar
5345 Medpace Way, Madisonville, thesummithotel.com/dining
Foodies, take note: a lot of excellent food is coming out of the kitchen division of the new Overlook Kitchen + Bar at Madisonville’s The Summit hotel. But you’re going to have to put up with a significant disconnect between the high-level cooking and the garishly-lit, noisy bar where you have to eat it. Six of us raved about the food while just tolerating the rest of the experience.
Chef Kyle Goebel most recently was executive chef at Cooper’s Hawk, and also previously worked with chef Todd Kelly at Orchids. He’s now overseeing all the food service at The Summit and deserves attention and praise for the delightful fare he’s created for Overlook.
We tried almost all of the entrées, and there wasn’t a dud in the batch. Two of us had the gnocchi with lion’s mane mushrooms (a variety I hadn’t seen before), spring peas and white truffle ($19) — savory, toothsome and satisfying. The bass ($29) was cooked just right, with a browned, toasty exterior and velvety center. The fish sat atop Yukon potatoes, parsnip and spring onion, all covered in a light butter sauce. Those dishes were the consensus favorites at our table, but the duck preparation earned accolades, too. Slices of medium-rare duck breast drizzled with duck demi-glace accompanied diced sweet potato and apple ($21). A substantial Kentucky grass-fed ribeye steak ($32) pleased our meat-lover as it benefited from the sweetness of caramelized spring onion and the umami of tender morel mushrooms. (PM)
Sacred Beast
1437 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, sacredbeastdiner.com
Sometimes a lot of advance hype doesn’t do a new restaurant much good. At least, not unless the place lives up to it. Sacred Beast qualifies as a case in point. It took me two tries to understand the raves, but then I did become a believer.
My husband, two friends and I went for supper. It was early in the week and not busy. It was hard to tell which of the food choices might qualify as a main course, but our server said that the bottom portion of the “Now Serving” column could be considered entrées.
Those entrées include king salmon, steak tartar with french fries and an egg, chicken thighs, hash browns (yes, in the main course section) and the cryptically listed “ham and cheese,” all priced between $13.95-$18.95. Descriptions of these and other presumably lighter dishes are sparse, and you might want to ask before you order.
It wasn’t easy to decide what to eat, but I’m happy to report that my choice of the Diner Breakfast hit the jackpot. It’s a truly great plate of food and I’d be hard-pressed to order anything else upon a return visit. Soft scrambled eggs, a short stack of ricotta pancakes topped with two strips of maple-glazed pork belly and a small grilled tomato make up this scrumptious meal. Clearly, this kitchen knows how to get the very best out of the humble egg: My husband had the equally delicious omelet filled with a simple combo of goat cheese and sweet peppers. (PM)
Sitwell’s Act II
324 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, facebook.com/sitwells.coffeehouse
Clifton coffee shop mainstay Sitwell’s has reopened under new ownership, and is now known as Sitwell’s Act II. Now owned by Florencia Garayoa and her husband Alex Barden, the couple are determined to preserve what made Sitwell’s an iconic Cincinnati hangout while adding their own philosophy and personality. While Barden is a Cincinnati native, Garayoa is from Argentina and she was an employee at Sitwell’s during its last few months of operation under the original owner, Lisa Storie.
The couple purchased Sitwell’s and began renovations, giving the interior a complete overhaul. Chef Kyle Scrimsher, formerly of E+O Kitchen in Hyde Park, was hired and tasked with creating a fully vegetarian and vegan menu.
One featured sandwich is their Greek gyro made with seitan which, upon sampling, resembles traditional shaved gyro meat in both taste and texture. The glass noodle summer roll is springy, fresh and spicy with the included Thai chili sauce. Their quinoa and black bean salsa is one of several grain salads offered and was especially delicious when paired with some old-fashioned potato chips that served to scoop the salad like a dip. Soups include Vietnamese pho, vegan chili and a rotating soup du jour.
Garayoa’s heritage is also represented on the menu via empanadas, Argentine wine and mate, an herbaceous drink similar to yerba mate tea that’s served in a traditional gourd and sipped through a filtered metal straw. (Sean M. Peters)
The Takeaway
1324 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/takeawayonmain
The Takeaway’s premise is simple: grab a really good sandwich …and go. Business is split between the deli — with sandwiches and cut-to-order meats and cheeses — and a tidy retail grocery.
The deli offers an assortment of sandwiches, sides, daily soups, salads and a kids menu — a rarity in to-go shops. Among other sandwich options, you can chow down on the Reuben, featuring house corned beef layered on rye bread from Allez; the northeast-Ohio staple, Trail & Swiss, featuring Troyer’s Genuine Trail bologna; or one of three variants of The Salad Sandwich, with egg, chicken or tuna salad. Vegetarian-friendly options include the Caprese with housemade basil pesto on Allez sourdough or one of three salads — the Caesar, kale apple and house.
On the first visit, a BLT felt like a safe choice. It proved to be that and more. The bacon was the thickest cut I’ve had on a sandwich in a long time (the slicer is set to 26), the aioli was creamy, but not overpowering, and the wheat bread sufficiently held it all together. (I also added a slice of cheddar.)
In addition to the fixed sandwich menu, customers can try their hand at building their own. Meat options include ham, turkey, German bologna or turkey pastrami; cheese includes Swiss, cheddar, provolone, muenster or American; and bread options are white, wheat, sourdough or rye; with a choice of veggies and sauce. (LS)
Unwind Wine Bar
3435 Michigan Ave., Hyde Park, unwindhydepark.com
Unwind may not be Cincinnati’s oldest wine bar, but after almost six years in business, it’s definitely in the running. The expansive indoor and outdoor space around the corner from Hyde Park Square has fused an upscale-casual ambiance with a wide selection of New World and Old World wines and small plates that complement the drinks.
The deal at happy hour consists of a $2 discount on glasses of wine — regular prices range from about $9-$15 — and $2 off most of the food items (regularly priced $9-$14). There’s also a wine flight of the day, which consisted of three ounces each of four Spanish wines ($20) during our visit. You can create your own flights of four pours from the entire list, at half the listed price. Regular pours are six ounces; flight pours are three.
We did enjoy a few small plates. I’d especially recommend the warm artichoke dip, pleasantly garlicky with truffle oil and topped with browned bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. It came with a few slices of baguette (and we would have welcomed a few more).
All of the food is either vegetarian or vegan (the owners are vegan). With choices such as crostini, flatbread, warm olives, cheeses and a hummus sampler, along with a few desserts, there’s enough for a light meal — or at least some satisfying bites to accompany your wine. (PM)
Wiedemann Brewing Company
4811 Vine St., Saint Bernard, wiedemannsfinebeer.com
Wiedemann’s beer came back from the dead inside a former Saint Bernard funeral home. The Geo. Wiedemann Brewing Co. trademark was acquired by Jon and Betsy Newberry in 2012 when Jon, a journalist who covered local beer news, became intrigued at the prospect of bringing back the beer that was synonymous with Cincinnati family gatherings.
The taproom makes great use of the bottom floor of the elegant building, originally the Imwalle Memorial Funeral Home. Vintage Wiedemann signs wash the inner rooms with that comforting barroom glow only attainable from neon luminescence.
The original Wiedemann recipes did not come with the trademark acquisition, meaning the new owners had to come up with their own approach to the iconic beers.
Wiedemann’s Bohemian Special Brew, the beer older drinkers associate with the Wiedemann brand, was still in the tanks at the time of our interview, so much of our conversation revolved around the Royal Amber Ale, a smooth beer that drinks sweet thanks to roasted malt, but finishes with a pleasant dryness that makes the beer incredibly crushable.
In addition to beer, the taproom boasts a full food menu, offering fried barroom appetizers, hot sandwiches, burgers and basic salads. (SMP)
The Wheel
3805 Brotherton Road, Oakley, thewheeloakley.com
The Wheel is an Italian takeaway restaurant housed on a well-hidden residential block in Oakley. A spinning wheel hangs above the door; inside, concert posters adorn pale blue walls, joined by personal iconography curated by owner Chrissy Antenucci.
The food provides evidence that cooking is an act of love and creativity for Antenucci, who named The Wheel after a Grateful Dead song. “I really like to cook the way (the Grateful Dead) plays: walk out onto a stage without a set list and see what happens,” she says.
On the surface, the ingredients seem simple; I ordered the rosemary roasted carrot sandwich ($9). The first bite alone was enough to convert this Punk into a Deadhead. The carrots were tender and hearty. Within the dish, they were a vegetable transformed — I experienced a taste metamorphosis with each new bite.
As a vegetarian, it was more exploratory and creative than most other veggie sandwiches I’ve had. Kale peeked through between bites of carrot; both were covered in the perfect amount of romesco sauce and garlic yogurt, the latter of which added a surprisingly creamy touch. The bread, which Antenucci makes fresh daily, is thick — almost like foccacia — and cradled the ingredients within.
“I think (The Wheel) is becoming a neighborhood gathering place of sorts of people from different areas, like Hyde Park, Mariemont and Oakley,” Antenucci says. “We just want it to be a place where everyone feels welcome, almost as if you’re coming into our home to eat.”
And the food did feel like home: simple, loving, spontaneous and hearty. With one exception — the food at The Wheel is far better than any food I could get at my actual home (sorry, ma). (Mackenzie Manley)
Zundo Ramen & Donburi
220 W. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine, zundootr.com
Cincinnati’s Han Lin, the chef behind Montgomery’s traditional Japanese sushi restaurant Mei, aims to captivate OTR’s foodies with ramen done the soulful way.
Ramen, a traditional Japanese dish consisting of a meat- or fish-based broth, noodles and a range of vegetables and protein, has grown in popularity in recent years, but Lin believes the balance between authenticity and modernism has yet to be struck. As such he calls his ramen “incomparable” to Greater Cincinnati’s current offerings.
In addition to pouring proper Japanese authenticity into each bowl, Lin hopes to introduce locals to authentic eating techniques, as well.
“The thing is with the United States is when people eat ramen, they eat it slowly,” he says. “When I eat ramen, it’s like a two-minute or three-minute finish. I eat it while it’s hot. When it gets cold, the noodles soak in too much and it’s not good.”
Tackling a bowl of hot ramen with haste can be a test of willpower for those that can’t stand the heat, but speed is a running theme at Zundo: Donburi, a Japanese stew that consists of various meats and vegetables served over steamed rice, is also considered a “fast” food.
Whether topped with chicken teriyaki, eel or sashimi, donburi is a versatile dish that brings together protein, sauce and rice in a three-part harmony. It is seldom found on local menus, so this is truly a treat.(Austin Gayle)
This article appears in Dec 19-26, 2018.
