First, let’s talk about accomplishing the most important part of going somewhere for a night out: getting there. Google maps still doesn’t have Just Q’in’s second location listed in its system (the first one is in Newtown) so, confused, my dining partner and I clicked on “Just Q’in Catering,” which took us on a wild goose chase around downtown and comically landed us, on foot, at the edge of a very busy ramp onto the highway. When you’re ravenous and you’ve already waited too long to eat, a misunderstanding with Siri is just enough to set a dark mood. Thankfully, Just Q’in’s website is well-organized and we found the address there. I’ll just give it to you now: 975 E. McMillan St.
That shiny new address has some real significance. Walnut Hills is the most recent darling of urban development with lots of buildings primed for remodeling at low costs. The process is likely to incur many of the same criticisms OTR’s gentrification did and has continued to garner, but it’s undeniable that the remodeled buildings are beautiful and attracting business. The East McMillan location of Just Q’in is topped by several floors of new apartments, and owner Matt Cuff has made a smart business decision in buying there.
This location is huge compared to the Newtown original — an easy-to-miss little cube of real estate mostly used for carry out that acts as a sort of permanent food truck, which is how Just Q’in began. That being said, the new space hasn’t quite filled out. There’s still plenty of room to add tables to the cute, fenced-off modern courtyard dotted with bistro lights. There were only a couple scattered about when we were there, with some additional larger built-in seating. It’s a great location inside the city for a big dinner party to spread out on a nice evening if additional seating is added outside as the restaurant grows — there must be room for at least four or five more tables.
A slight breeze, mood lighting and food are most of what I need on a summer night, but a cold drink never hurts. Your options here are limited to nonalcoholic ones, but the restaurant serves glass-bottled soda, bottled tea and the like, including artisan root beer and cream soda. They also carry the locally made Hopwater. Did you know Hopwater is delicious? I didn’t. My friend got one in lime, and the slightly floral, slightly sweet summery bubbles were a perfect offset to our heavy meals.
If you happen to miss the dinner rush, Just Q’in has wisely installed a walk-up window, open until midnight. That’s where a soda fountain instead of bottles wouldn’t go amiss, but I don’t doubt that they’ll see heavy traffic after-hours anyway.
There are a lot of dining choices to consider when you walk in. If you don’t want pork, brisket, chicken or ribs, you can get wings, rib tips or even do a platter of sides since each one is only two bucks. The restaurant is set up like a hybrid between a Chipotle and your elementary school cafeteria, but way more done up and ready for your Instagram meal close-ups.
It’s shiny and new and very pretty inside. When you walk in, you can immediately see the open food-prep area and the employees putting together plates of food, which are presented on a plastic tray to a cashier, located around the back of the place. Each “plate” comes with a meat entrée, two sides and a slice of cornbread.
Tray meals always charm me like a moment of real food flirtation. Other than harkening back to simpler times and big three-ring binders with boy-band stickers, the food seems to humble-brag as it looks up at you from its modest presentation: “I’m basic but comforting,” it says. “I’ll surprise you with my flavor and sophistication.”
The mac and cheese delivered, and so did the coleslaw. Anything with macaroni and also with cheese is likely to be edible, but Just Q’in’s version is truly delicious. It doesn’t slip between your teeth in a strange NASA way like so many other cheese-product mac and cheeses do. The color is deep and the texture is hearty, and you can tell that real cheese has gone into the making of this dish. Similarly, the slaw was a pleasant change from the standard-issue coleslaw. It’s vinegary, sweet and has the most satisfying crunch — and it’s not slathered in slimy sauce. My partner enjoyed the molasses-flavored beans and we both enjoyed our cornbread with honey on top.
Here’s where the flirty tray date starts to let me down. I was staring at an enticing plate of ribs ($15.50) and tasted the sauce in preparation — tasty but standard and extremely sweet. The ribs themselves had a strange chemical taste on the outside, almost like the smell of freshly purchased Tupperware. Perhaps the new equipment just needs some wearing in, but my partner’s brisket ($15) was dry as well, which was a surprise because Cuff began his pursuit of cooked meats by entering (and winning) barbecue competitions in South Carolina. I don’t doubt his success, and with some of that same go-get-’em attitude, I’m sure Just Q’in will find its stride in a community ready for its partnership.
Just Q'in
GO: 975 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills; CALL: 513-271-6555; INTERNET: justqin.com; HOURS: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.
