ANYTIME White Castles - if your whole travelling party has had these, or they are widely available in your area, skip this. Otherwise, be sure at some point to buy a sack or two of these tiny "steam grilled" burgers that some readers here (not I!) will claim are greaseless. They come with onion and pickle standard, but if you like onion ask for extra. You apply your own catsup and/or mustard, if you like, no other condiments are available. Open 24 hours a day all over the freakin place in Cincinnati. That said, there isn't one in downtown Cincinnati, but you can find them just across the bridge in both Covington and Newport.
BREAKFAST The main regional thing about breakfast in Cincinnati is goetta. Mind you, not everyone eats it, and not every restaurant serves it, but a fairly good number of locally owned restaurants have it. If you end up at a Bob Evans or some other widescale chain, the local Cincinnati locations will not have this delicacy
Since you'll be in a hotel downtown, I'd guess you won't want to travel too far to get breakfast, preferably even walking.
Walking Hathaways
http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=1162&RefID=1162 Not a bad little dive, really. Cheap, unpretentious - a throwback type of place.
The goetta here is as good as anyone's, more or less.
Chick-Fi-Let 28 W. Fourth St (Basement food court of the Carew Tower)
Very few Chick-Fi-Let locations offer breakfast - this one does. The Chicken
N Biscuit is awesome, all else is mediocre.
First Watch
http://www.gototown.com/cgi-bin/listestab.cgi?est_id=80 Also a chain, but imho a good one, especially if you want a leisurely sit down breakfast
with all the trimmin's. That said, as a national chain, they probably dont have goetta.
Driving A lot of people say the Anchor in Covington is the place, partly because they're open
24 hours, partly because they are right across the street fro the Gleier's Goetta
factory. I've been there, and although the goetta is fine, everything else is not so
good. Instead, head to
Camp Washington Chili
http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=119&RefID=119 They serve breakfast and chili and goetta, all in the same meal if you want. I think
(somewhat) better chili is to be had but you can sample our chili, goetta, and double
deckers all in this one stop, which I think given your schedule is a good thing
Price Hill Chili
http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=1166&RefID=1166 This west side institution has a much better breakfast than Camp Washington, and the
Chili is every bit as good, imho. Double Deckers are also available. A longer drive
than to Camp Washington, but better neighborhood. Click the provided RF link for pics
of all three aforementioned local specialties.
Sugar N Spice
http://www.digitalcity.com/cincinnati/entertainment/venue.adp?sbid=105569633 I'm not 100% sure they serve goetta, but everything they do serve during their breakfast
and lunch only hours is fabulous. Famous for wispy thin pancakes. I like the corned
beef has with a fried egg in place of the normal poached egg.
My Three Chefs
http://www.cincinnati.com/freetime/dining/reviews/060404_my3chefs.html I've not been here yet, but have heard a lot of good things about it. Not far out of downtown Cincinnati,
somewhat upscale. I am certain goetta is served here :-)
BEER, ICE CREAM, and GROCERIES GALORE I could have just called this miscellaneous, but that wasn't fun enough, so there you have it.
Hofbrau House
http://www.hofbrauhausnewport.com/ Carlton has the right of it. You can find this place in Germany, or right across the river from Cincinnati's stadium in Newport Kentucky. They do serve food, but I'd stop in just for a beer or two. I think this little stop in particular fits the group you are going with to a 'T', and will earn you lots of kudos.
Aglamesis Bros Ice Cream
http://www.aglamesis.com/ Graeter's Ice Cream gets all the press, and has gotten some national attention, but I think their ice cream is only the SECOND best in town. For the best, head to Aglamesis's location in Oakley, just a 3-4 mile jaunt northwest of downtown Cincinnati. This location is nearly a century old, and you can tell it when you go in.
Graeter's Ice Cream
http://www.graeters.com Ok, so this is the "famous" ice cream Cincinnatian's rave about. There are a lot more locations, including one that will be convenient to your downtown stay
http://www.graeters.com/viewCity.cfm?locID=7. The flavor they are most famed for is their chocolate chip.
Jungle Jim's
http://www.junglejims.com/ One word - unbelieveable. Food items from all over the world, things you'd have to go to dozens of different ethnic grocery stores to *maybe* find. This is however sort of a "foodies" delight, so your baseball group may not find this very appealing. I include it here because it is so unique. One of the admins here (you call call me Eddie, and Eddie when you call me, you can call me Al) lives in the Louisville area and has made several trips to Cincinnati just to go to JJ's
Findlay Market
www.findlaymarket.org You say you're going to see the Opening Day parade...well, the parade is and always has been called the Findlay Market parade....so why not stop by this open-air market right there in downtown, is a neat experience. The local weekly newspaper wrote of it this week, saying "the best shopping experience in the city is still FINDLAY MARKET. You cannot beat the urban experience of fresh foods, bargains, people watching, street performers, vendors and special events. Findlay is open Wednesday through Saturday 8 a.m.-6 p.m. with Sunday hours coming next spring. Info:
www.findlaymarket.org or 513-665-4839" Also, here's a great writeup about FM:
http://www.citybeat.com/2001-11-21/diner.shtml LUNCH Walking If you don't otherwise get the chance to get out of downtown for some Cincinnati chili, you will still be able to hit any of several[url='http://www.skylinechili.com/']Skyline Chili[/url] or [url='http://www.goldstarchili.com']Gold Star Chili[/url] locations all over the downtown area. Of the two, I find Skyline to serve the better chili. Oh, and I recommend that you ask them to drain the spaghetti well at either place if you order a chili-spaghetti dish (called a 3, 4, or 5 way locally depending on what the chili spaghetti is topped with)
Arnold's
http://www.cincinnati.com/dining/arnolds/chef.html In business since 1861, and always crowded at lunch time. Excellent specials starting at 3.99. Get there by 11:15, or after 1pm for lunch. Here's an extra review to look at:
http://www.cincinnati.com/freetime/dining/reviews/101504_arnolds_lunch.html Sakkio of Japan 28 W 4TH ST (lower level of Carew Tower)
The top poster at this site once described the chicken teriyaki at Sakkio of Japan as "the best I've ever had". Mind you, this is a food court place, but your buddies might like that - every scatters and gets what they want. What you'll want in the aforementioned chicken teri. They cook the chicken and the acompanying vegetables on a grill right in front of you as you watch, and the chicken and fresh steam-grilled veggies go atop a bed of rice, and then are topped with some extra teri sauce. Ask for another scoop of the sauce, it's free and makes it even better.
Izzy's
http://www.izzys.com/ I'll admit that I don't "get" Izzy's. A lot of locals rave about their corned beef sandwich, and so I am including it here, but I've been there a couple of times and their unique potato pancake (pictured in provided link) has been the highlight. The Pastrami is also supposed to be quite good.
Patoshnik's
http://www.citybeat.com/gbase/restaurant/RestaurantListing?restaurant=Patoshnik's Tiny hole in the wall place, carry out only. Wonderful hot wrap sandwiches and soups
Driving Blue Ash Chili
http://www.cincinnati.com/freetime/dining/reviews/070204_blueashchili_yum.html All of the Chili places I recommended for breakfast are good bests for lunch too, particularly Price Hill Chili, which has excellent non-chili lunch items as well However, for a chili-only parlor, for my money the very best in town is Blue Ash Chili. Outstanding cheese coneys. They also serve a very, very good overstuffed double/trip;le decker sandwich. Zero ambience, just great basic food. Here's the RF review:
http://www.roadfood.com/Reviews/Writeup.aspx?ReviewID=513&RefID=513 Saigon Dragon
http://www.findthefun.com/rests/rOH/r0288283.htm Hands down, my favorite lunch spot in all of Cincinnati. This is a bit of a long drive, and is best accompanied by a stop at Jungle Jims, as the two are only about 2 miles apart. Great chinese and Vietnamese food at outstanding prices...3.99 lunch special includes entree, rice, eggroll (or other app), and soup. Make sure you get at least one egg roll, and also try the marinated beef appetizer called bo sate. One fellow roadfooder took me up on my recommendation was quite pleased, see
http://www.roadfood.org/Forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4555. Pit to Plate BBQ
http://www.cincinnati.com/freetime/dining/reviews/031904_pittoplate_yum.html Fabulous real smoked BBQ - brisket, pulled pork, ribs, wings, you name it. Great sides too. Easily the best BBQ in Cincinnati in my opinion.
Mio's Pizza
http://www.miospizza.com/ Several locations around town, but the one in Hyde Park/Oakley probably doesn't have enough seating for your group, so pick a different one. Best pizza in town, imho, and they have a Chicago stuffed-style pizza that is according to the many Chicago natives I work with very nearly the equal of Giordano's in Chicago. Thin crust is fabulous too. Make sure you get at least one pizza with the sesame seed crust.
Taco Casa
http://www.digitalcity.com/cincinnati/entertainment/venue.adp?sbid=126769 Outstanding crunchy tacos, fabulous taco salads, and burrito boats. Cheap and awesome. A warning: the chicken tacos are actually more like chicken salad, ie you get a mayonnaise base. The Hyde Park location is no more than an inside service counter, so if you want inside seating, head for the much larger and newer location in Landen. Aside: Aglamesis' is only about a half mile away in Oakley
Note: The Hyde Park Mio's and Taco Casa are next door to each other. You could walk from one to the other in about 5 seconds. Both are tiny, best suited for carryout -- but if you're ok with that, pick up some carryout from each and what a fabulous lunch you'll have!
Quatman's Cafe
http://www.cincinnati.com/freetime/dining/reviews/092404_under25.html A lot of people will say "Zip's" when asked where the best burgers in Cincinnati are. Or they'll name a chain. I disagree on both counts. If you want a great burger n fries, head to Quatman's in Norwood. Thick, big, juicy, and good. Nuff said.
DINNER Dinner downtown is sorta problematic. Downtown is ghost town most nights as early as 7pm, exceptions being when there is a late red's game or a show at the Aronoff. Still, I'll give you two.
Walking Redfish
http://archive.cinweekly.com/content/2004/06/09/0609outtoeat_redfish.asp Yeah, it's a chain. But it's a really, really good chain, or at least the one in Cincinnati is. Never had a bad meal there. a lot of local 'celebs', like our Mayor, like to hang out there. The specialty is cajun food but really and truly everything is good.
Jeff Ruby's.
http://www.cincinnati.com/freetime/dining/reviews/121099_jeffrubys.html This is the high end ultra prime steakhouse that guys travelling always seem to enjoy, and it's right downtown in the theatre district. Jeff Ruby owns several very good steakhouses in Cincinnati, and this one is quite good. There is also a Morton's downtown, but you never hear anything good about it, whereas you always hear good things about Jeff Ruby's.
Driving All the places mentioned for lunch are good dinner destinations as well.
Montgomery Inn [url='http://www.montgomeryinn.com/']website[/url] and [url='http://www.cincinnati.com/local/montgomery/E220html_10072003__GNMSribsking.ART_Other.html']feature article[/url]
Opinions among Cincinnati roadfood members are divided regarding this place, but I stand firmly on the side that this is a quintessential dining Cincinnati experience. The Boathouse location is only about a half mile east from the baseball stadium, so walking there *might* be doable. I find the ribs -- their specialty -- to be very good, but honestly, everything I have ever had there has been good. The house dressing is a "must" as is the saratoga chips - more or less a thick cut potato chip freshly fried. I also strongly recommend the bbq duck. Very crowded at traditional dinner hours, so I'd suggest going a bit early, say arrive by 4:45pm. If you like the sauce, it is available at any major local grocer in 16 and 24 oz bottles.
Betta's
http://www.citybeat.com/2001-10-18/diner.shtml Haven't been there yet, but Wallyum has and liked it a lot, perhaps he'll comment. Excellent italian food in this rather small hole-in-the-wall family run restaurant. Is at the top of my "musts" list for the next time the wife and I get to go out sans the kids.
Greyhound Tavern
http://www.cincinnati.com/freetime/dining/reviews/102204_greyhoundtavern_25.html What's not mentioned in the link I above is that they serve one of the very best fish sandwiches in an area so serious about fish sandwiches that the local paper runs a "best fish sandwich" competition every year. They've won this competition several times. Stick with the fish or fried chicken, everything else isn't nearly as good.
Parker's Blue Ash Grill
http://www.cincinnati.com/freetime/dining/reviews/110300_parkers.html Excellent top quality steaks and prime rib at a somewhat lower price that one would pay at the big name places. Nuff said.
WELL KNOWN CINCINNATI RESTAURANTS TO AVOID LaRosa's
Very popular locally, the owner does a lot of charity work and such, their pizza is regularly voted by the chain friendly populace of Cincinnati as the area's best. The strength of this pizza is in it's sauce, and these days it is at best "painted on" in a thin sheen you can barely taste. Even when one requests extra sauce, one generally does not get much. Also, this company is predatory, setting up a LaRosa's location next door or across the street from most single-location pizzarias around town, helping to drive them out of business.
Frisch's.
A lot of local people swear by this place, but it is really nothing more than a very bland, greasy little coffee shop. I'm told their tartar sauce (also available for sale in local groceries) is quite good, but I don't like tartar sauce so I can't vouch for that.
Dixie Chili
Not so good. Once one of the greats, but has fallen by the wayside considerably. Family owned, but the younger family members have not shown the interest in running the bsiness that their elders did.
