Each week CityBeat staffers, dining writers and the occasional intern tell you what they ate this weekend. We’re not always proud — or trendy — but we definitely spend at least some money on food.
Ilene Ross: Friday was the BF’s birthday and since he’s always wanting to go on a picnic, I thought I’d pack a basket — complete with the most adorable and delicious birthday cake from Happy Chicks Bakery — and treat him to an evening at Devou Park, since that’s where you’ll find one of the best views of downtown Cincinnati. Well, Mother Nature had other ideas in mind, so we spread the blanket out on the living room floor, lit tons of candles and enjoyed a romantic picnic dinner inside, sans bugs, muggy weather and the rest of the world. Perfection.
On Sunday morning, we hit up Red Feather for brunch because BLOODY MARY BAR. Seriously, you get a glass of ice and vodka, and you’re let loose on a bar loaded with all sorts of condiments, bacon and some really tasty pickles. Mix away and drink yourself to happy land. Also, the food is fierce. We had Eggs Baltimore, which consists of poached eggs on English Muffins with crabcakes and a Tasso Hollandaise, and poutine with short rib gravy. Bonus round: complimentary beignets. We’ll be back.
Jac Kern: We ordered Dewey’s this weekend. The West Side’s first location (5649 Harrison Ave) is still relatively new and, thus, extremely packed on the weekends. There was a two-hour wait when we picked up our dinner Friday night: Half meatball-half Southwest barbecue chicken pizza with a house salad to split. I love me some Dewey’s, but it’s going to be a long time before the frenzy dies down enough for me to eat in. Take-out for life!
Casey Arnold: I was at Forcastle — so straight-up garbage.
Pama Mitchell: We ate at home or at friends’ houses this weekend but last Wednesday, we went to Boca for our anniversary (20th, woot). It’s fun how they have “taste” portions of most dishes. My favorite was the Cappellacci di Gianno — pasta with “butter-soaked lobster.” There wasn’t much lobster but it was quite tasty nonetheless.
Maija Zummo: We had friends in town from Chicago this weekend, so we dined out for every meal. Our most memorable meals included a picnic lunch we grabbed from Picnic and Pantry‘s new OTR location and enjoyed at Washington Park with wine and beer from the concession stand, dinner at Anchor OTR and nachos in a helmet at the Reds game. I was initially super sad that the grab-and-go tempeh pesto sandwich from the Picnic and Pantry’s Northside location wasn’t in the fridge at the new OTR space, but now they make you fresh sandwiches at the lunch counter. I ordered mine with egg salad on toasted ciabatta, pesto, gouda and tomato. So good. And then Anchor was fun. I don’t eat seafood, so I only had a salad and corn, but my gin and cucumber cocktail was really, really good. Because we got there later in the night, they were out of a lot of things people wanted to order — lobster roll, crab legs, lobster, etc. — but everyone found a replacement seafood dish and all were incredibly happy. I think people liked the peel-and-eat shrimp the best.
This article appears in Jul 15-21, 2015.
