CityBeat’s intrepid staff of underpaid but relatively well-fed dining writers spent 2017 eating, drinking and reporting back on the city’s newest restaurants, food trends and au courant culinary concoctions to either mildly entertain you or help you decide where to eat dinner. And as the end of the year approaches (hi, 2018!), we asked our team to reflect on their favorite food and drink finds in order to craft a list of their best bites, ranging from old world blintzes and craft coffee to poke bowls, mezcal cocktails and Kentucky-style beer cheese. The following picks get our stamp of edible approval.
Pama Mitchell
Favorite combo of smoky and sweet… and boozy: Mezcal cocktails at Casa Figueroa. The mezcal old fashioned with its dash of molé bitters was my summer favorite, but now they’ve added a new mezcal-based cocktail with lime and jalapeño that drinks like a spicy, smoky margarita. Decisions, decisions! 6112 Montgomery Road, Pleasant Ridge, casafig.com.
Favorite variety of tasty bites on a single plate: Mild chili spices a hefty portion of shredded chicken as a centerpiece in the Guajillo Chicken Bowl at Maplewood Kitchen and Bar, but along with it comes a farro/quinoa blend, smoked black beans, roasted corn, sliced avocado, pickled onions and a few other treats to perk up your taste buds. With a beer or a nice glass of pinot noir, it’s a super supper. 525 Race St., Downtown, maplewoodkitchenandbar.com.
Favorite reason to come in from the cold: It’s not usually one of my favorite types of soup, but maybe the bone-marrow-enriched beef broth of the French onion soup at Postmark elevates this version? Or maybe it’s the top-quality Gruyere cheese? The soup is presented in the traditional crockpot with cheese oozing over the side. The restaurant has had it on the menu every day since they opened in late summer and I certainly hope it carries through the icy days of winter. 3410 Telford St., Clifton, postmark.restaurant.
Favorite cheesy thing to eat while you’re shopping: “Not Your Mama’s” grilled cheese at Em’s Sourdough in Findlay Market. This sandwich combines garlic cheddar and sharp cheddar cheeses on Em’s signature sourdough bread, grilled on a panini press. You can add tomato and avocado or a side of housemade soup for a few dollars more. Or do as I do and sub in honey-sweetened whole wheat bread as your base. When grilled, the seeds and nuts in the bread add a welcome element of crunch. 1801 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, emsbread.com.
Favorite riff on a deli classic: Of course, you can’t go wrong with pretty much anything they dish out at Jose Salazar’s cozy, eponymous Salazar OTR, but lately I’ve been unable to resist the salmon entrée, an elevated take on a bagel with smoked salmon. You get a perfectly cooked piece of king salmon with an “everything” crust (poppy seeds, sesame seeds, etc.) plated with cream cheese dumplings, pickled Fresno chilies, crispy and thin bagel chips, tangy caper berries and a bit of dill sauce. 1401 Republic St., Over-the-Rhine, salazarcincinnati.com.
Garin Pirnia
Favorite tater tots that aren’t exactly tots: You’d be hard-pressed to find homemade tots in this town — most of the time they’re of the frozen variety. However, Coppin’s takes their tots to a new level. Listed as a side item on the dinner menu and surrounded by quotation marks, “tots” aren’t what you’d expect. Somehow the chef figured out a way to layer the rectangle potato slices and insert cheese between them. The bite-sized snacks are super crunchy and come with a spicy Duke’s mayo dipping sauce. They’re so good, you’ll want to ask for another round. 638 Madison Ave., Covington, Ky., hotelcovington.com.
Favorite weekend boozy milkshakes: On Saturdays and Sundays from noon-4 p.m., “ice cream savant” Giacomo Ciminello whips up his boozy milkshakes at Sundry and Vice. There’s a set menu, but every week he creates a timely and themed shake. For instance, around Thanksgiving he manufactured a milkshake with mashed potato whipped cream, a mini pumpkin pie and turkey-fat-washed Wild Turkey. This summer he recreated Skyline Chili in shake form: bourbon, creme de cacao, cream sherry, cinnamon and Coke topped with grated gjetost (a Norwegian goat cheese). Another drink consisted of the surprisingly good combo of jalapeño tequila, corn, cumin and ice cream. The boozy shakes are the best kind of liquid brunch. 18 W. 13th St., Over-the-Rhine, sundryandvice.com.
Favorite place to drink both coffee and beer: When owners Anne and Andrew Decker opened Landlocked Social House this summer, they introduced Walnut Hills to the idea of having coffee and beer at the same time, in the same place. The Wood Burl coffee flows all day and night, as does the draft and canned beer, mainly comprised of hard-to-get local and regional brews. Every week they’ve also been hosting some sort of food night. One night OTR bar Longfellow brought curry; another night pretzels from Allez Bakery came with three types of dipping sauce. Landlocked is the kind of place you could spend a couple of hours alternating between beer, coffee, Wendigo teas, more beer and finishing with a glühwein. 648 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills, facebook.com/landlockedsocialhouse.
Favorite Kentucky-style beer cheese: Elevated pub grub has become a recent trend, but the aforementioned Longfellow makes food almost more of a focus on its menu than its cocktails, which are equally as good. How often do you go to a bar that serves cottage cheese, curry and a purslane salad? Well, Longfellow does, and it also serves Vic’s Snappy Cheese, made by a guy who lives in Ohio and delivers it weekly to the bar. Vic’s version comes with saltine crackers circling a crumbly scoop of beer cheese. It’s not quite like what was invented in Central Kentucky, but it’s better than most cold beer cheese offerings in the Tristate. 1233 Clay St., Over-the-Rhine, longfellowbar.com.
Favorite vegetarian sandwich: Thankfully, the vegan/vegetarian movement is catching on more and more in Cincinnati, and some local restaurants are offering great no-meat sandwiches. The Royal OTR menu has a Peruvian ham melt and beef dip but also grain bowls and a black bean hummus melt. The hummus, braised mushrooms, sweet potato chips (because why not?) and chive goat cheese are pressed between flaxseed bread slices. In Oakley, the Italian-centric carryout The Wheel makes from-scratch pastas, lasagna and pizza alongside foccacia sandwiches, like a mortadella and a veggie-forward, meaty smashed sweet potato sandwich layered with young kale, romesco sauce and garlic yogurt. Earlier this fall, a second veggie sandwich was added, this one with grilled mushrooms, barbecue aioli and local cheddar. The Royal, 1200 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, facebook.com/royalotr; The Wheel, 3805 Brotherton Road, Oakley, thewheeloakley.com.
Ilene Ross
Favorite blintz brunch: Weekend brunch at CWC the Restaurant, featuring their insanely delicious blintzes. Blintzes are an old-world Eastern European Jewish dish — the ultimate comfort food — consisting of a thin crepe that’s folded around a sweet cheese filling, which is then sautéed and served with a cooked fruit sauce and sour cream. In the case of CWC, the blintzes are filled with sweetened ricotta and topped with blueberry sauce. Adding to the feeling of warmth is the very nature of CWC itself. Owned and operated by gregarious sisters Kelly Trush and Caitlin Steininger, you’ll feel at home and like part of the family in no time. 1517 Springfield Pike, Wyoming, cwctherestaurant.com.
Favorite fresh sushi stop: These days, it’s easy to find sushi in virtually any retail situation, be it a grocery store or large gas station, and in some of the higher-end joints, it can actually be quite palatable. But if you’ve always wanted to know what the best stuff is supposed to look and taste like, you owe it to yourself to experience sushi prepared by a master. Chef Ken Ando and his wife Keiko have been welcoming guests to Ando Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar in Blue Ash since 1998. The dining room includes a 10-seat sushi bar, which is the perfect place to watch chef Ando work his magic on the freshest of fish, sourced directly from Japan and Taiwan. 5889 Pfeiffer Road, Blue Ash, andojapaneserestaurant.com.
Favorite place for a latte and a haircut: As is the case with many dual-career couples, my fiancé Bill and I often find it hard to fit in quality time together. Enter brothers Tony and Austin Ferrari and their Ferrari Barber & Coffee Co., an homage to the shop their grandfather and great uncle ran for decades. At this combination old-school barbershop/Italian espresso bar, barber Aaron Mucha runs the chair, Austin and his mom Theresa man the espresso machine and Sinatra is on the iTunes. Time seems to slow down a bit as customers enjoy Deeper Roots coffee while getting a classic haircut and hot-towel shave. Which also means that I get to indulge in my new favorite once-a-month routine: a relaxing post lunch-date cappuccino while I watch my man “Keep it handsome,” as the Ferrari’s say. 5 Garfield Place, Downtown, ferraribarbercoffeeco.com.
Favorite place for drinks on the patio: Any beautiful day without humidity in Cincinnati is a day I want to be outside with a tasty beverage and a casual meal. Much to my delight, Queen City Radio has given us a large, all-ages-friendly urban space in which to gather, enjoy a burger or falafel from the onsite food truck and listen to live music on the patio. They get bonus points for their tasty boozy slushies and fun events like trivia nights and pop-up drag shows. Also, if you’re not keen on the food offerings, feel free to BYO carryout. 222 W. 12th St., Downtown, qcrbar.com.
Favorite charcuterie at the bar: Nino Loreto is producing the finest handcrafted cured meats in the region, and his charcuterie platters are the perfect way to introduce yourself to this culinary art. Panino is a self-proclaimed specialty sandwich shop where Loreto turns out salumi, mortadella, capicola and more from his underground curing chamber, all without the use of chemical agents. The restaurant offers phenomenal sandwiches at lunch — the Reuben is outstanding — and full plates at dinner, but I highly recommend an evening at the bar enjoying the charcuterie platter (a selection of meats with local cheeses and accouterments) with a glass of wine. 1313-1315 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, findpanino.com.
Favorite lobster roll: As an East Coast native, it certainly didn’t take me long to become addicted to Skyline and Graeter’s, but occasionally there are a few dishes from my native land that I crave. Thankfully, the opening of Court Street Lobster Bar came to my rescue with its Connecticut-style lobster roll. It’s a very simple version of the dish: lobster meat, seasoned butter and pea tendrils on the best-damned buttered Sixteen Brix challah roll. I take off the pea tendrils because, let’s be honest, it’s called a “lobster roll” and all I want is the lobster and the roll topped lots of butter, which is how lobster was meant to be served. 28 W. Court St., Downtown, courtstreetlobsterbar.com.*
Austin Gayle
Favorite Asian street food: A mouthful to say on top of being a mouthful to taste, Quan Hapa’s okonomiyaki are far and away worth the added labor behind the tongue twister. Dubbed an “oki” for the faint of heart, the Japanese-style pancake comes three ways: Pork lovers can stick to the house oki, featuring tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlets), bacon and a fried egg; the ahi tuna oki suits seafood savants with its seared ahi tuna, pickled red onions and bonito flakes; and for veg fans, the cauliflower oki features fried cauliflower tossed in a housemade honey-Sriracha sauce. Keeping things fresh, chef Mapi De Veyra tests his talents on new oki recipes every Monday after 5 p.m. and serves them at the discounted price of $8. 1331 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, quanhapa.com.
Favorite beer and pizza pairing: Beer and pizza combos range from the standard delivery box and six-pack to coal-fired slices and craft pints. If you’re interested in the latter, Taft’s Brewpourium is the go-to spot. An extension of Over-the-Rhine’s Taft’s Ale House, the Brewpourium is fitted with all of Taft’s top beers, New Haven-style pizza (crispy and coal fired with a light dusting of cheese) and enough televisions to satisfy all of Cincinnati’s sports fans. Whether paired with Taft’s Gavel Banger or the seasonal Santa’s Bribe, the BBQ Pork Pie will have even the most avid beer drinker opting for slices over sips. Featuring a barbecue sauce made with Taft’s Cherrywood amber ale, the specialty pizza includes pulled pork, red onion, jalapeño and smoked cheddar. 4831 Spring Grove Ave., Spring Grove Village, taftsalehouse.com/brewpourium.
Favorite poke: After opening in November, Poke Hut Fish & Tea Bar brought a much-needed poke presence to the city. Serving variations of tuna, salmon and scallops in both bowls and “Pokirritos,” Poke Hut lets the customer tap into their creative side when crafting their ideal poke dish, offering a range of proteins, sauces and toppings to go with bubble teas and matcha lattes. Adding to the experience, the restaurant has a mural of notable Cincinnati landmarks and tropical décor to work with the Hawaiian-inspired cuisine. 1509 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, pokehutusa.com.
Favorite Greek delight: The search for the best baklava in Cincinnati starts and ends at Areti's Gyros. Areti’s dessert follows a tried-and-true recipe of filo dough and nuts with a healthy portion of honey to hold it together. The flakiness is second to none, but the ratio of honey to filo is what keeps people coming back. Areti and George Papastergiou have also created “Chokolava.” Coined “the Cadillac of all baklava” by Areti, the chocolate-dipped sweet pushes baklava purists to kick tradition to the curb. 1509 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, findlaymarket.org/merchants/aretis-gyros.
Favorite coffee hangout: Highly regarded for its commitment to a traditional Italian take on coffee, Daniel Noguera’s Urbana Café is the place to be for those interested trading in a run-of-the-mill Starbucks blend for housemade espresso drinks and pastries. All of Urbana’s baked goods are made in-house and the shop’s upstairs bar is perfect for anyone interested in watering down hours of responsibility with an uplifting view. 1206 Broadway St., Pendleton, urbana-cafe.com.
Lauren Moretto
Favorite place to play Connect Four and eat pancakes: Breakfast and board games: The combination you never knew you needed and now can’t live without. Sugar n’ Spice is a Pepto-Bismol pink restaurant near the Xavier University campus. Its colorful interior is brimming with odds and ends, including a collection of rubber ducks. Their wispy thin pancakes, fluffy omelets and lunch dishes are best enjoyed while playing one of the board games stowed away behind the main counter. It’s a wacky atmosphere that’s endearing and one of a kind. 4381 Reading Road, Paddock Hills, sugar-n-spice-restaurant.com.
Favorite dive restaurant: There’s nothing more beautiful than the neon lights of Cincy Steak & Lemonade illuminating the sidewalk on Short Vine. It’s a Styrofoam-container-in-a-to-go-bag sort of deal, but you can get tasty classics like hamburgers, chicken wings or gyros with a side of fries for an unbelievably cheap price. The best part? Their frozen lemonade drinks, which are topped with an orange slice and a cherry. You can even add fruit flavors like strawberry, orange and grape for personalized sipping. 2607 Vine St., Corryville, 513-221-0800 and searchable on Facebook.
Favorite caffeine fix not in a coffee shop: When you think Dojo Gelato, you likely picture rows of colorful frozen treats and sweets. But they also have a slew of hot beverages that you should not pass up. Their mocha drink, for instance, is like hot chocolate with a kick. Silky smooth and topped with a dollop of dense whipped cream, it takes the concept of “dessert coffee” to a new, decadent level. 137 West Elder St., Over-the-Rhine, dojogelato.com.
* The print version of this story incorrectly attributed the Court Street Lobster Bar write-up to Austin Gayle and not Ilene Ross.
