Nada has been a reliable part of downtown Cincinnati’s dining since 2007, although it closed for several months after the coronavirus lockdown in March — along with the other Boca Restaurant Group establishments on that stretch of Sixth Street (Boca and Sotto). Nada reopened this Labor Day weekend with a new executive chef, Johnny Curiel, and an expansion of its focus from purely Mexican food with an emphasis on tacos toward “a diverse palate of flavors and dishes inspired by the cultures of Peru, Colombia, El Salvador and Mexico,” according to owner David Falk.
I could hardly wait to see what they had come up with for the new menu, and celebrated my September birthday there with my daughter and her husband.
You can still enjoy tacos and margaritas at Nada, but the Small Plates section of the menu now includes more than a dozen additional offerings, and three Large Plates (serving two to four) to tempt those who have big appetites — or at least enough people at the table to tackle these interesting-sounding dishes. We didn’t go in that direction, although beer-can roasted Peruvian chicken and Cote de Boeuf Argentina — featuring an 18-ounce bone-in prime rib with an array of tasty sides — would make a fantastic feast.
Instead, we started with excellent queso and some of the best housemade chips in town ($9), then selected a variety of small plates. (At the end of the meal, we agreed that nothing that graced our table had surpassed the creamy, mildly spiced queso and perfectly crisp tortilla and plantain chips.)
We skipped tacos this time, although I was intrigued by several of the descriptions, including the lamb barbacoa with avocado tomatillo and mole sauce ($15, includes sides) and roasted mushroom with asparagus succotash and sweet corn purée ($9 for two tacos, no sides). I’m already planning future visits to sample not only these tacos but also maybe the roasted chicken.
Our server helped explain and recommend items from the Small Plates section and we took her advice when ordering jalapeno cornbread ($9) and chile relleno ($9). The cornbread, drizzled with honey, was too sweet for my taste, though my kids didn’t think so. The relleno had a nice balance of flavors including just the right amount of heat, but I wished it wasn’t quite as small as it turned out to be.
Empanadas stuffed with roasted chicken, diced veggies called sofrito and aji verde, a spicy Peruvian green sauce ($9), were unremarkable, but I loved the chilled Hamachi Aguachile ($14), a ceviche-style marinated tuna with mint, lime, jalapeno and other flavors. It was the best thing I ate all night, queso aside.
I also enjoyed a couple of cocktails, including the house Paloma, a tequila drink made with grapefruit juice that is often referred to as the national cocktail of Mexico (not the margarita, which apparently is more popular in the United States). That and the house margarita — dubbed the “Nadarita” — go for $12 each, while other cocktails and sangrias range from $10-$14.
Patio and rooftop dining options have been a godsend this summer and fall, both for patrons and for the establishments that use outdoor dining to stay in business during the pandemic. Following the advice of health officials who recommend outdoor over indoor gatherings, we requested patio seating. But patios often come with their own set of problems.
We struggled to fully enjoy our dinner due to the traffic noise on Nada’s busy corner of Walnut and Sixth streets. Propane heaters — two of them near our table — while necessary for warmth on a somewhat chilly night, overwhelmed us with gas fumes intermittently throughout the evening.
Of course, this won’t be a problem for much longer as diners find the sidewalks too cold for lingering. With distanced tables, good ventilation and other precautions, I’m confident this restaurant will make indoor dining as safe as possible under these difficult circumstances.
Happily, Nada has a beautiful interior, with tasteful décor, a bar that makes a striking centerpiece for the main dining area, and a staircase leading to a second-floor space that includes restrooms, private dining and high-quality art and furniture.
A few days after dinner at Nada, I stopped for another Mexican meal at the recent addition to the growing Agave & Rye chain, which has taken over the large space in Rookwood that formerly housed a branch of Bravo! Italian Kitchen. This is the fifth location for Agave, which started in Covington and also has locations in Liberty Township, Louisville and Lexington; they are opening two additional restaurants in Troy, Ohio and New Albany, Indiana this fall.
The patio at this Norwood/Hyde Park shopping center has a suburban feel: instead of being on a downtown street corner, you’re on the edge of a parking lot. It was definitely quieter than at Nada. Heaters dot the outdoor space, but they weren’t on the night we dined. Potted plants created a pleasant buffer near our table and the ambiance felt good.
The restaurant was crowded for 6 p.m. on a weekday, and we learned that it happened to be Whiskey Wednesday, featuring attractive discounts on selected drinks. Some might call the interior décor at this place “funky,” thanks to bright chandeliers, oversized wall hangings and a Day-of-the-Dead motif. Because the indoor bar was packed with young people, I felt safer on the patio.
The style of service at Agave is decidedly casual. Tacos come out in metal baskets lined with wax paper and most of the non-alcoholic drinks are served in plastic glasses. You get a fork wrapped in a paper napkin, and other utensils on request. The downscale accouterments seemed a little incongruous with tacos priced at $5-$11.50 each, the average price being around $7.
The menu at Agave includes a section called Not a Taco, where you can find such things as an Epic Burger ($8, plus $3.50 for fries), Epic Chicken Sandwich ($8.50) and something called Yummy Tummy Lo Mein ($12, more if you add protein).
But the staff pushes the tacos, and there are 20 to choose from, so we tried a couple of them. Having dined at the original Agave & Rye when they opened a few years ago in Covington, I remembered that a) most of the tacos will have unusual filling ingredients, and b) the tacos come in hard shells inside a soft shell. I like the double shells because you can enjoy the taste of the crunchy shell without having it fall apart in your hands, thanks to that layer of flour tortilla holding it all in. Each taco is stuffed with filling, so two is plenty for most people.
The funky fillings, for the most part, didn’t wow me. If you’re more open to experimentation than I am, there are tacos with sticky rice, maple syrup, French fries, a sunny-side-up egg or mac and cheese. Or stick to more traditional combos, such as the Good Wolf ($6), featuring pork carnitas and refried beans, or the Alderman ($6.75), with carne asada steak and corn salad.
We tried one taco called Big Thumper ($10.50), whose main ingredient was gamey-tasting kangaroo meat accompanied by sticky rice, barbecue jam and a fried egg. The Bee’s Knees ($5) was a lot simpler, just a couple of ingredients along with the honey lime grilled chicken, but it didn’t have much taste. The Birria Street Tacos (3 for $12), from a section of shareable appetizers, sounded delicious: slow-braised beef with Guajillo chilies and Oaxaca cheese on grilled corn tortillas. However, the filling was sparse and the dish was a bit greasy overall.
Drinks wise, I ordered their riff on a Manhattan called Agave & Rye ($11) and we each had a glass of pricey cabernet sauvignon ($15). Several of the cocktails come in regular or “epic” sizes. The world “epic” is dotted all over the Agave & Rye menu, including their epic nitro ice cream dessert.
All told, go to Nada for elevated, thoughtful Latin/Mexican fare in a glam setting, or spend a little less and experience the epic at Agave & Rye.
Nada, 600 Walnut St., Downtown, eatdrinknada.com. Agave & Rye, 3825 Edwards Road, Norwood/Hyde Park, agaveandrye.com.
