WhereToEat: Cincinnati and N.Ky (open chat)

tpd: going to try to hit Chopstix tonight, and will report back later if I do manage to get there

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Originally posted by BillC

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Originally posted by Alco251

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Originally posted by Sandy Thruthegarden

Has anyone eaten at the Southern Trails Restaurant on Erlanger Road in Erlanger? Another co-worker said that it is in the building that the short-lived Andriola's occupied a few years ago.

I am going there tomorrow night and will file a report.

Did you go?

Sorry, got busy at work this week at it slipped my mind.

I'm not sure what to say about this one. Both my date's and my main courses had issues. She got the sliced roast beef and half of it was so overcooked it as chewy as a minute steak! I got the Hot Brown, and it came with about twice as much cheese as I would have liked. The good news is that the appetizers and side dishes were great! We split an order of drop biscuits (with ham and cheese), I had cole slaw and corn pudding and she had a gigantic sweet potato and fried okra. The waiter was fast and effecient, as comp'd us a dessert when we complained about the beef. The butterscoth merangue pie was excellent!
They have a fairly extensive menu with most entrees about $8-$15 and lots of good southern fare so overall I feel I will give them another shot before I give up on them. I just hope their location doesn't kill them, as the crowd was pretty much gone by 9 on Friday, and they are listed as open til 12 Fri-Sat.

I did make it to Chopstix last night, picking up a grilled pork banh mi (3.50) and a order of eggrolls (4.95). I am finding more and more that the fat (golf ball diameter) eggrolls I prefer generally are not to be had at vietnamese places - these were the thickness of a fat cigar and encased in the thin, smooth wrappers. Decent, but not great. Seems like the smaller the diameter of the eggroll, the drier it is.....the lady at the counter also helpfully pointed out that the half dozen or so varieties of "spring roll" listed on the menu are a cold (not fried) roll. I wasn't feeling adventurous enough that night to try it....I'd never had anything like that before. Again, I was disappointed with the amount of food I got for the price....5 bucks for these 4 tiny rolls seems too much.

The banh mi on the other hand was absolutely excellent, albeit smaller than the one at Le's. I personally think this sandwich would be improved immensely by doubling the meat, and the hostess explained that although it was not on the menu, they could accomodate this for a 2.00 upcharge. I'll definitely go that way next time.

Thanks for the recommendation, tpd, I will definitely be making a return trip.

Doc Green's...closed! Crestview Hills is dead to me.

TJ, if you want bargain rangoons, you can't beat China Island on Hosbrook, just north of Montgomery. They have 5 for $2! The place is your typical strip mall Chinese, but the prices are great and the food is good with good portions, at least on the lunch specials. If anyone is in the Kenwood/Madiera area give them a try.

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Originally posted by dlawson

Doc Green's...closed! Crestview Hills is dead to me.

Oodles of Noodles is gone as well, let the shakeout begin!

Maybe the marketing gurus will figure out that "upscale" is more than trendy and overpriced.

Shame about Doc Green's, but they really never had a chance in deep fried NKY.

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Originally posted by Alco251

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Originally posted by BillC

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Originally posted by Alco251

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Originally posted by Sandy Thruthegarden

Has anyone eaten at the Southern Trails Restaurant on Erlanger Road in Erlanger? Another co-worker said that it is in the building that the short-lived Andriola's occupied a few years ago.

I am going there tomorrow night and will file a report.

Did you go?

Sorry, got busy at work this week at it slipped my mind.

I'm not sure what to say about this one. Both my date's and my main courses had issues. She got the sliced roast beef and half of it was so overcooked it as chewy as a minute steak! I got the Hot Brown, and it came with about twice as much cheese as I would have liked. The good news is that the appetizers and side dishes were great! We split an order of drop biscuits (with ham and cheese), I had cole slaw and corn pudding and she had a gigantic sweet potato and fried okra. The waiter was fast and effecient, as comp'd us a dessert when we complained about the beef. The butterscoth merangue pie was excellent!
They have a fairly extensive menu with most entrees about $8-$15 and lots of good southern fare so overall I feel I will give them another shot before I give up on them. I just hope their location doesn't kill them, as the crowd was pretty much gone by 9 on Friday, and they are listed as open til 12 Fri-Sat.

Thanks for the review. It sounds like it at least has some potential. We'll try to get there before they closeSeriously, this is a restaurant that cannot be seen from any major road and is the former site of an Italian Restaurant that closed pretty quickly.

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Originally posted by TJ Jackson

I was on my own for dinner tonight, and had recently noted a random blurb in Citybeat about Lemon Grass in Hyde Park having the best crab rangoons in town. Now, I love me a good crab rangoon, even when the item has not even been shown a picture of a crab, much less contain any crabmeat, so I decided this was as good a time as any to check it out...


Anyone else got an opinion on the place?

TJ, I've been eating at Lemongrass for over 10 years now (it was an excellent Chinese restaurant before it swapped over to Thai) and favor it or any other Thai restaurant I have been to (which is most).

Yes, you pay more for food here, but it is in trendy Hyde Park, and most important the food is consistant and always good. I never had a crap dish yet. Very few ethnic restaurants can repeat a dish the next time I go back, but it is good here day in and day out. I weigh that heavily when dropping 8 to 11 dollars on a dish. Teak is good if you feel like a nice environment and the quality of the food is good there to, but I prefer the sushi /tempura bar in the basement.

Recently a favorite Chinese restaurant in Kenwood by the LaRosa's switched over to Thai entirely. I tried one of the curries there after the switch . It was overpriced, which seems to be the Thai norm these days and the quality barely passable.
A new Thai place opened over in Monfort Heights (Thai Namtip) off of I-74 and I want to see if this place bucks the trend of soaring Thai food prices vs. quality and quantity received.

Sorry . To get back on track, Bangkok Bistro is quite acceptable, as is a tiny place down on Mt. Lookout Square. Sukhothai in Montgomery has good Pad Thai and a quaint atmosphere, but it's hard to mess that up.

All in all, $8.95 for a dish of Panang curry (endless white rice included), which is the Lemongrass price, is very resasonable these days.Add the consistant quality, and I'd eat there once a week if it was closer to me.

Now I'm off for my fix of Chicken Makahani and garlic naan at the Taj Mahal restaurant in Tri-County. :)

Hope this helps.
jjjrfoodie

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Originally posted by jjjrfoodie

Now I'm off for my fix of Chicken Makahani and garlic naan at the Taj Mahal restaurant in Tri-County. :)

They do a decent one, but Hi Bombay! on Fields Ertel does the best Makhani for my money. The fish/seafood version is especially welcome during Lent.

I still miss the Jamaican place that occupied (part of) the spot where Taj Mahal is now, years before Bahama Breeze decided to show up. I can't recall the name of it, but it was run by Jamaicans who knew how to make a mean jerk chicken. I always thought the location did them in, but Taj Mahal seems to do fine in that spot. Maybe the area just wasn't ready for it yet.

quote:

Originally posted by Alco251

Maybe the marketing gurus will figure out that "upscale" is more than trendy and overpriced.

Shame about Doc Green's, but they really never had a chance in deep fried NKY.

$4.99 for a salad of that size wasn't out of line, but probably not the biggest money-maker...and when that's just about the only thing you sell, probably not the best restaurant concept. The prices at Shane's Rib Shack next door, on the other hand, are way out of line. I can't believe they opened two "barbecue" places in the same shopping center, even if they are at opposite ends of the complex. We'll see which one folds first, I guess.

I'm slightly altering my assessment of Crestview Hills. They're on life support, not dead. I have yet to visit Hoggy's, and won't make a special trip for it. If Wiener Haus goes (and I forgot to check if they are still hanging on), I'm done with the place.

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Originally posted by dlawson

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Originally posted by jjjrfoodie

Now I'm off for my fix of Chicken Makahani and garlic naan at the Taj Mahal restaurant in Tri-County. :)

They do a decent one, but Hi Bombay! on Fields Ertel does the best Makhani for my money. The fish/seafood version is especially welcome during Lent.

dlaw, I work in tri-county and live near downtown Cincy, so heading farther north is out of my way, but I'll have to scoot up that way some Saturday and avoid the M-F traffic and try Hi Bombay.

Being the foodie I am, I needed some backup fridge meals for this week as I will be on the road alot and thought I'd swing by Jim Dandy's BBQ over on Sharon Rd. for a to-go order . A pint of pulled pork and a beef brisket sammich later (sans bun), I was on my way. I tried both at home and they were very good and smokey as well as VERY tender. Pricey , well yes, but I wanted to give the place a go so I had some summer palces to take folks. BTW, I got the hot BBQ sauce, which is laden with red chili flakes whichh overpowers most of the flavors in the sauce itself. I'll mix it 1/2 and 1/2 with a mild sauce like Buddy's and be good to go. Get one hot and one mild if you dine in. I negelcted to try any sides, but will do so next time I am out there.

Atmoshpere was nice, the staff friendly but patrons were a little light. It's been around a while so my guess it that it is here to stay.
Stop out and give it a try if you dare.

jjjrfoodie

jjjr, my work and home locations are pretty similar to yours, but my wife works in Montgomery, which puts her just minutes away from Hi Bombay! It's in a plaza with a Gold's Gym and an empty former Kroger. Closer to home, we enjoy Mayura, but I find their Makhani sauce a bit dull and runny.

I have also been to Jim Dandy's and find the pulled pork to be pretty good. I have not found a side that I really enjoy there, however; the cornbread is a bit dry, and the red beans and rice is very soggy and has too much tomato in it. This apparently is "North Carolina" style, but my wife is from Louisiana, so I am used to red beans and rice being done right.

quote:

Originally posted by dlawson
I still miss the Jamaican place that occupied (part of) the spot where Taj Mahal is now, years before Bahama Breeze decided to show up. I can't recall the name of it, but it was run by Jamaicans who knew how to make a mean jerk chicken. I always thought the location did them in, but Taj Mahal seems to do fine in that spot. Maybe the area just wasn't ready for it yet.

It was The Patty Shack and I too still miss the place. At least once a week I rolled in for my Jerk Pork with rice and peas and double curry cabbage. The Jerk Chicken or Pork Roti was good too. It looked like everybody that worked there was family. I was very bummed when they closed.

Taj makes a pretty good lamb vindaloo but I still think of Patty Shack every time I go by there.

The latest issue of Citybeat has some closings and openings news that seem germaine to share here

http://www.citybeat.com/2007-04-04/thedish.shtml

In particular, I will note the closings of Manna Vegetarian Deli (downtown on Main) and Brinkley's Restaurant & Lounge (Norwood), as both have been mentioned recently here and on Chowhound.

quote:

Originally posted by BillC
Thanks for the review. It sounds like it at least has some potential. We'll try to get there before they closeSeriously, this is a restaurant that cannot be seen from any major road and is the former site of an Italian Restaurant that closed pretty quickly.

Here is a coupon for Southern Trails that was in the Community Press
http://www.communitypress.com/ROPDisplayAds/ROPViewLrg.asp?adid=112215

I notice the closing hours are scaled back a little - 9pm Su-Th and 10pm Fr-Sa.

Another tidbit of note for Southern Trails
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070326/NEWS0103/703260381/

I took a walk through downtown last week, as good weather coincided with some available time on my part, and made some misc observations I thought I'd share

Sivad's, a little hole in the wall spot that I had high hopes for, has a "closed, but we'll be back in April" sign on it's door. I hope I do see them back, but am not optimisitic

I have held out hope after hope that Patoshnik's would return, as all the signage and coutners were still in place even through this past winter, but now someone is remodeling the spae and all the signage is down, so the dream is dead. There was nothing on the outside to describe what the place was going to be, but it looked like it was going to be food service of some kind. I will follow up when time permits.

The chain place that took over the old Carol's on Main spot - Union Station Cafe - has a sign in the window declaring they are closed due to a water main break. However, I noted stickers on the door indicating UPS/Fedex packages that could not be delivered and needed to be picked up, and the dates on the stickers were 45 or more days old. I don't think it takes that long to fix a water leak. Another one bites the dust

I noted Cafe Martin is going strong, with those excellent flawed (soggy middle, edges are GREAT) pizzas. They appear to have added a good number of the graeters flavors, with over a dozen different flavors, about half of which are the various "chip" types, plus at least one sorbet, and have the facilities to do sundaes as well now. And yeah, just like a regular Graeter's location, it's pricey.

My final stop: I picked up a gyro at Cafe Marrakesh at the old Apple on Elm location and was pleasantly suprised - very, very good. It's a good 15 minute walk for me just to get there, but if the gyro was this good cold(after a 15 minute walk back to my desk, where I devoured it) I can only imagine how good it (and other menu items) must be if I eat there.

My wife and I are planning to be at the Netherland to celebrate our 1st anniversary later this month. I remember there was a wonderful restaurant inside the hotel, the Palm Court I think, but we are considering sometime else this time. Anything around Fountain Square that we could walk to would be great. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Tristan: for a anniversary, I figure you want the fancy-schmansy stuff

Lunchtime rec:
Jean Robert's Bistro (on Vine between 4th and 5th)

Dinnertime rec:
The Palace (at nw corner of 6th and Vine)
or
Jean-Robert's at Pigalls (on 4th between Vine and Race)
or
Ruby's Steakhouse (a bit further of a walk, dry aged steaks, corner of 7th and Walnut)

TJ~ I was wondering about Cafe' Marrakesh. I have heard good things. I'll try it soon.

AND SPECIAL THANKS TO dlawson for posting the link to the coupon for McCormick & Schmick's. I remembered on Saturday that it expired that day (3-31}, and made on-line reservations for 8:45pm.

It turns out we needed those reservations. The hostess was quoting a 45 min. wait, but told me it would be around 5 minutes before they could get our table ready. We went to the bar for a drink, and it didn't take much longer that 5 or so minutes to be seated.

Our server, Patrick, was excellent!! Service was a little slow, but he always stopped by, and gave us free soup and dessert to compensate for the slow service (which wasn't really necessary, but appreciated). He knew the menu very well, and gave fabulous descriptions of the seafood that was available that evening.

And the food was great!! The clam chowder was some of the best I've ever tasted,and we shared a mixed greens with gorgonzola salad that was very good, as well. For my entree, I had crab stuffed shrimp in a brie cream sauce that was to die for. The food and the service went together to make the night terrific. And with the $25 off coupon (and free stuff), it wasn't a very expensive evening, either!!

Thanks dlawson!!

The bread situation was as everyone else described. They gave our table of three 1/4th a loaf (with a knife), but it was barely enough for three slices. We were going to ask for more, but as each course arrived, we forgot to ask. With all the rest of the food, we didn't need anymore bread, anyway.

I will definitely go back. Although it's a chain, I think they try to make the experience unique. Hopefully, it can stay that way!!

Thanks for the suggestions TJ. I just read in the Enquirer that the Nazis are planning to march through Over-the-Rhine during our visit. If it causes rioting like it did in Toledo last year after they came, I think we'll probably celebrate our anniversary at home.

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Originally posted by TJ Jackson

Another tidbit of note for Southern Trails
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070326/NEWS0103/703260381/

TJ - Thanks for the tidbit. Something is wrong there. I doubt we'll make even a first visit.

I pass through Oakley fairly frequently, and kept wondering....when am I going to start seeing signs of the new Jungle Jim's location long planned for Oakley?

No need to wonder any longer - it's not going to happen - http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070402/BIZ01/304020051/1076/BIZ

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Originally posted by TJ Jackson

I pass through Oakley fairly frequently, and kept wondering....when am I going to start seeing signs of the new Jungle Jim's location long planned for Oakley?

No need to wonder any longer - it's not going to happen - http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070402/BIZ01/304020051/1076/BIZ

Well that's simulataneously too bad (Oakley is more convenient to our home than Fairfield)and probably good news (I was worried that two would dilute the uniqueness that is the Jungle Jim's experience).

Went to Jean Paul's Paradiso again today.

their everyday soup is portabella mushroom, and it is out of this world good. Best mushroom soup I have had, bar none, ever. For those who have had the excellent mushroom soup at Palamino's downtown, Jean-Paul's is notably better.

I also had a meatball panini, which was fairly good but not great. I should have taken the counter-person's advice, I think, and gone with the cuban.

I will be back soon :-)

I totally agree about Willie's--the service stinks (from personal experience and friends who have experienced the same). Definitely NOT worth your while, especially with so many other options around.

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Originally posted by carlton pierre

Went to Cincy yesterday and today to visit family. Had lunch at Willie's SportsBar on Rt 747 just north of Tri County Mall. Wasn't my choice to go there, but the service was atrocious, and food was ok. Would not care to ever go back.
Had breakfast this a.m. at Camp Washington Chili. I met a friend of mine there who knows the owner, Jerry Johnson. He's greek, only his name is not. Excellent breakfast of pancakes and goetta. He said he serves about 60-70 gallons of chili per day.
Shopped at Jungle Jim's. Can't imagine any other place like it. I bought 15 lbs. of rice that cannot be found here, along with some cheeses, goodies from the olive bar, etc. Indian food.

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Originally posted by Tristan Indiana

Thanks for the suggestions TJ. I just read in the Enquirer that the Nazis are planning to march through Over-the-Rhine during our visit. If it causes rioting like it did in Toledo last year after they came, I think we'll probably celebrate our anniversary at home.

TI: it was just on the news tonight that the march has been cancelled. Don't know if tht changes your plans again, but thought you'd like to know.

I had one of the best italian hoagies I have encountered in hoagie-deficient Cincinnati at the Silverglades on 8th street (http://search.cityguide.aol.com/cincinnati/restaurants/silverglades/v-115869036) today.

I asked them to add onions and roasted red peppers (having noted the peppers as an ingredient on another specialty sandwich) and let me tell you, it was spectacular, on a really great fresh roll. At 5.75 (no additional charge for the add-ons) it is by no means one of the cheapest italian hogies around, but it is well worth the extra expense.

One word of caution here: there have several of their specialty sandwiches pre-made inside the large glass counter where you order. Make sure you order a sandwich not on display, or you'll get one from the case rather than one freshly made.

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Originally posted by TJ Jackson

I did make it to Chopstix last night, picking up a grilled pork banh mi (3.50) and a order of eggrolls (4.95). I am finding more and more that the fat (golf ball diameter) eggrolls I prefer generally are not to be had at vietnamese places - these were the thickness of a fat cigar and encased in the thin, smooth wrappers. Decent, but not great. Seems like the smaller the diameter of the eggroll, the drier it is.....the lady at the counter also helpfully pointed out that the half dozen or so varieties of "spring roll" listed on the menu are a cold (not fried) roll. I wasn't feeling adventurous enough that night to try it....I'd never had anything like that before.

Yeah, eggrolls vs. spring rolls are kind of apples and oranges, TJ. I prefer the thin Vietnamese ones myself, as eggrolls (in Chinese restaurants, anyway) seem rather bland full of cabbage filler. They shouldn't be dry, however.

The fresh spring rolls are quite tasty and worth a try. I usually get the one with shrimp and pork, it typically comes rolled up with rice noodles, lettuce, mint and Thai basil and a hoisin-based dipping sauce.

There is a new barbecue joint in town, called Scott's BBQ. It is in a corner location in a plaza at the Northland/Southland intersection in Forest Park, where a Vietnamese restaurant (Song Phung, if I remember correctly) used to be several years ago. I tried to grab a sandwich on Monday, but they are closed Mondays and Tuesdays, and I haven't had a chance to go back yet. The sign outdoors advertises ribs and fish, among other things, so I expect it to be similar to Goodies in College Hill. (I am not a fan of Goodies "homestyle" cooking, but every restaurant is worth a shot.)

Soozy, you are quite welcome. If they run the $25 offer again, I will be sure to post it here.