WhereToEat: Cincinnati and N.Ky (open chat)

soozycue520
The next night we went to Nada for the first time. LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this place. The chips & salsa are awesome. I had chicken taquitos and mac & cheese. It was all excellent.

We have been several times, and it is ridiculous how great everything on the menu is. You also need to try the crispy pork belly tacos, the tinga poblana iron pot, the grilled adobo rubbed pork chop, and a side of mashed plantains if your entree doesn't include one. (Yes, I'm looking over the menu now, remembering all of the wonderful meals we've had there.)

We finally made it to Take The Cake for brunch last weekend, and I was not blown away. The biscuits and gravy are very good, and reminiscent of Honey's initial version of them, back when they used Kroeger's sausage as well. The gravy was thick and peppery, with huge chunks of sausage pieces. I was more than a little disappointed that it only came with one biscuit for $6.50, however; a single biscuit "half order" at Honey is $4, and you get two biscuits with the "full" for $7. My wife went with the shrimp and grits, which were...interesting. They tasted very good, but were literally swimming in a pool of what tasted like a very light garlic-infused olive oil. The grits, mercifully, were not slimy or coarse at all, almost like they had been pureed, and the shrimp were cooked well. IIRC, this was $8.50.

In my opinion, the food isn't the problem, but the portions vs. pricing is, considering the larger portions on most items for similar pricing at Honey across the street. Take The Cake does, however, open at 9:00 on Sunday, a full two hours earlier than Honey, which may or may not be a factor in your decision. We'll go back, but probably not regularly.

hit up Senor Rays Taco Patrol this week.  Very good and affordable.  Everything tasted and looked super fresh. Here are the steak and chicken tacos. The meat is in big chunks, the veggies and salsa was great and the cheese was good.  Dig the food and the concept.

According to http://www.cincinnatibites.com/, the owners of Tacqueria Mercado in Fairfield are going to open a new location at the old Javier's on the corner of Walnut and 8th

If true, this is outstanding news for downtown.  I hope they bring along their Mexican baked goods as well.

My buddy saw Guy Fieri from Diners, Driveins and Dives at Terry's Turf Club earlier this week so we thought we better hit it up before the show airs and it gets even harder to get in to this joint.  My burger was outstanding as usual. Bacon and grilled crabmeat on top. http://www.flickr.com/photos/richrichmond/4443485553/ tried the filet mignon chili which was awesome.  Still love this place.

Yep, they have a sign in the window but it doesn't say when they will open. It has their website posted, but I cannot find any info on the website.
 
http://www.escapelatino.com/mercado/index
 
 

TJ Jackson


According to http://www.cincinnatibites.com/, the owners of Tacqueria Mercado in Fairfield are going to open a new location at the old Javier's on the corner of Walnut and 8th

If true, this is outstanding news for downtown.  I hope they bring along their Mexican baked goods as well.

The Jackson 4 all ate at Noce's Pizzeria in Montgomery tonight

My wife said it was the best pizza she has had in Cincinnati, and no, I am not inviting the comments of those who believe there is no good pizza in Cincinnati.  Keep in mind that "best" is a relative term.

I was disappointed - the crust had no internal bubbles or structure - it was as if the dough was unleavened, and while the top was adequately cooked, the underside was a pale tan color with no crispness whatsoever.

We'll return, naturally, but I recall the crust being the absolute strength of the pie on my previous visit, and tonight it was the weakness. 

The calzone we also had tonight was also nowhere near as good as the one I had at the original west side location

Info about Taqueria Mercado downtown:

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/dining/2010/03/22/taqueria-mercado-downtown/

Buffalo Bob's has closed in Hebron, citing the poor economy and continuing road work as causes.  There's already a banner announcing The Vintage Wine Bar, Kitchen and Market coming in April.  Here's a link to their website which isn't up yet:

http://www.thevintagewinebar.com/

And here's the craigslist post where they're looking for help:

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/fbh/1636212350.html

Personally I don't see this going over any better than the martini bar that was in there before Bob's

the blog 'Cincinnati Bites' is reporting that local roadfood favorite New Orleans to Go in TriCounty has closed, but also that they are trying to put together a truck-based operation

My friend buys the Restaurant.com coupons when they are on sale, and she had bought one for a restaurant that subsequently closed.  Restaurant.com offered her a "free" $10 coupon, and she picked New Orleans to Go.  She informed me a couple of weeks ago that Restaurant.com contacted her again to let her know NOTG had closed, and she could pick another "free" coupon.  I didn't remember her telling me this until I read the above post.

Along the same lines, Red in Hyde Park has closed, as well.  Not really roadfood, but noteworthy.

On a different note altogether, I went by Abby Girl Sweets on 5th St. (downtown) last Saturday and picked up 4 cupcakes at $2.75 apiece.  This may seem a little steep to some, but cupcakes at any bakery may be less, however they are by no means cheap.  Abby Girl is a gourmet "cupcakery", so I figured why not try them. I ate one each day, and they stayed basically fresh up to the fourth day. I chose the cupcake of the week, Pina Colada, a Neopolitan (strawberry cake with chocolate and vanilla icings), Carrot Cake, and Chocolate Covered Strawberry (strawberry cake with chocolate ganache). They were really, really good.  The cake was very moist, and were top quality in every way.  I took pictures, but cannot access my Photobucket account.  I recommend trying it.  I am not really even a big cake fan, and these are good!!

Tried the new Wicked-wich downtown last week.  The first result was very encouraging.  Their spin is fresh high end meat that is seasoned and marinated overnight.  I went with the roast beef sandwich on sourdough.  The roast beef was phenomenal, cooked medium rare and sliced thin right before the sandwich was assembled.  I had some very juicy run off in the bag before I got back to work, which really added to the taste. 

Cheese is extra; there are a variety of toppings available which are very fresh.  I also received one side and I chose the curried egg salad.  This seemed more of a sandwich option than a side, but was decent nonetheless.   Would definitely try something else though.  Roast beef was $5.95 + $.50 for cheese and sides are $1.25.  Certainly not cheap but the quality was so high that it felt like I got a great deal on this.  Will definitely be back as they also have homemade corned beef, chicken, turkey, ham, and portabellas.

http://www.wicked-wich.com/

http://www.wicked-wich.com/Wicked-wich_Menu.pdf

I drove by New Orleans To Go after work yesterday, and the signs in the window say that they "will be back", and to check www.neworleanstogopoboys.com for updates. To expand on the "truck-based operation" mention by TJ, they are looking for 100 donations of $250 each, in exchange for either $250 in gift certificates once they reopen, or a catered lunch/dinner for 25 people. The signs also mention (twice) that catering is still available.

I am not too surprised by this development, as she has mentioned in the past that they were strongly considering moving the restaurant closer to their home in Boone County, KY, due to the inconvenience of the drive. It has been a couple of months since I last ate there, however, so I guess the trailer-based operation is a more recent idea.

As a disclaimer, I've never run a restaurant.  However, I think if you're looking to the public for "donations" for your working capital, you're probably not going to last long in any business.  I'm not sure that's entirely legal either. 
 
Bonus points for creativity, but I don't think it bodes well for the future of NOTG.

I would think that the fact that you are receiving some sort of consideration makes it a donation in name only.  It looks more like pre-purchasing goods and services that hopefully will be available when you want to use them.

I hope they do come back.  I didn't get there as often as I would like but enjoyed the place when I did go.

westsider12

Tried the new Wicked-wich downtown last week.  The first result was very encouraging.

Despite the fact that my favorite sandwich if all time - the mama mia at Campo's in Philadelphia - is a deli sandwich, I'm not much of a deli sandwich guy.  Seems like for every 100 I eat, 99 are 'meh' at best, and so very few have really impressed me.  Why eat a 'meh' deli sandwich when you can get an equally 'meh' fast food meal for half the price?  But with my confidence bolstered and curiosity engaged by the strength of westsider's glowing review, I ventured over to Wicked Wich for lunch today, and I too had the roast beef on sourdough baguette.

Bottom line: Very, very good and much better than I thought as a value proposition as well.  I strongly recommend it to anyone lunching downtown

The details: Westsider covered it pretty well, so let me just toss in a few other items I noted.

First, do you like your roast beef red or grey?  My wife wants it cooked through, but I like mine still mooing.   Westsider says it is medium rare, but they actually have both MR and WD, and it appears they will assume you want the well done beef unless you specify otherwise.  YMMV - westsider mentions only the MR.  That said, they slice the thing right in front of you, so when the slicer-guy picked up the well done beef, I asked him to switch to red, and he did so without comment or issue.  In the future, I will specify this when I place my order.

The slices are thicker than some might like, but the beef is so tender that one can easily bite through it with just a little (and welcome) resistance.  One quibble - it could use a bit more seasoning, but this was nothing I wasn't able to fix by adding a little salt and pepper to my sandwich.  And there is a good bit of it - 5 ozs, per the slicer-guy, on every sandwich

All the condiments you'd expect from a sandwich shop plus a few others you don't see much (at least aroudn these parts) were there.  For example - you want mustard and/or mayo?  They have more than one type of each.  I added roasted red pepper, no added cost, and these really enhanced the sandwich.  Lettuce was leaf, not iceberg, and etc.   All the toppings I saw, including the ones I added to my sandwich, were of top notch quality

The single side westsider mentioned is included with your sandwich, and this tipped the value scale for me.  I thought the sandwich itself was well worth the 5.95 I paid, but the addition of the free side, while not large, makes this a decent value as well.  I had the garlic couscous, which was decently good albeit fairly plain

For those wanting an less expensive alternative, they have a sandwich of the day called the broomstick.  It's 3.95, smaller than the regular sandwich, and appears to be limited to whatever they pick for the day in terms of protein choice.   But every protein choice I saw on display looked very good, so I'm sure regardless of what the special is, you'll get a good sandwich out of it

One negative from a RF point of view - this place has a bit of a sterile/cookie-cutter/corporate feel to it.  I dont doubt this is intended as just the first location of many, to be duplicated (if successful) all over the city, region, or maybe even the nation. We'll see.  If the quality and price points remain, I'd actually love to see this happen.  Bring one to my neighborhood :-)

UPDATE 20100412: Had the corned beef and swiss on rye, sided w/ a bag o' chips.  I really, really liked this corned beef - juicy, tender but thicker cut than the average Izzy's fan is used to.  6.95+0.50 for cheese =  7.45 w/choice of side, and while I totally get anyone who says that just too damn much to pay for a sandwich - you really should try this sandwich just once.  On the downside - the 'salt rye' was an unsalted swirled pumpernickel, and it was dowsed in melted butter.   It was good quality bread, but was not the bread promised by the signage - and the butter was a bit much.  Also, while the texture, tenderness, and juicyness of the corned beef were spot-on, the flavor of the corned beef could have been more pronounced.   Still, all in all a great sandwich.  I am already thinking about my next visit, mulling either the ham or the bellas on a brioche

UPDATE 20100528: had another red roast beef sandwich, and it was just stellar as before, but again, prices have (as I should have more clearly pointed out in my 4/12 update) gone by a dollar a sandwich mere few months after the initial opening.  I now consider this a pricey treat rather than a spot in the regular rotation.  But yes, an excellent sandwich.

Since the side is included, that makes it one heck of a deal.  That was a darn fine sandwich, way better than anything downtown currently that I have found.
 
Now I just need to hit up Senor Rays and try them out - they were on Fountain Square Opening Day and looked like they did a brisk business.
 

TJ Jackson

westsider12

Tried the new Wicked-wich downtown last week.  The first result was very encouraging.

Despite the fact that my favorite sandwich if all time - the mama mia at Campo's in Philadelphia - is a deli sandwich, I'm not much of a deli sandwich guy.  Seems like for every 100 I eat, 99 are 'meh' at best, and so very few have really impressed me.  Why eat a 'meh' deli sandwich when you can get an equally 'meh' fast food meal for half the price?  But with my confidence bolstered and curiosity engaged by the strength of westsider's glowing review, I ventured over to Wicked Wich for lunch today, and I too had the roast beef on sourdough baguette.

Bottom line: Very, very good and much better than I thought as a value proposition as well.  I strongly recommend it to anyone lunching downtown

The details: Westsider covered it pretty well, so let me just toss in a few other items I noted.

First, do you like your roast beef red or grey?  My wife wants it cooked through, but I like mine still mooing.   Westsider says it is medium rare, but they actually have both MR and WD, and it appears they will assume you want the well done beef unless you specify otherwise.  YMMV - westsider mentions only the MR.  That said, they slice the thing right in front of you, so when the slicer-guy picked up the well done beef, I asked him to switch to red, and he did so without comment or issue.  In the future, I will specify this when I place my order.

The slices are thicker than some might like, but the beef is so tender that one can easily bite through it with just a little (and welcome) resistance.  One quibble - it could use a bit more seasoning, but this was nothing I wasn't able to fix by adding a little salt and pepper to my sandwich.  And there is a good bit of it - 5 ozs, per the slicer-guy, on every sandwich

All the condiments you'd expect from a sandwich shop plus a few others you don't see much (at least aroudn these parts) were there.  For example - you want mustard and/or mayo?  They have more than one type of each.  I added roasted red pepper, no added cost, and these really enhanced the sandwich.  Lettuce was leaf, not iceberg, and etc.   All the toppings I saw, including the ones I added to my sandwich, were of top notch quality

The single side westsider mentioned is included with your sandwich, and this tipped the value scale for me.  I thought the sandwich itself was well worth the 5.95 I paid, but the addition of the free side, while not large, makes this a decent value as well.  I had the garlic couscous, which was decently good albeit fairly plain

For those wanting an less expensive alternative, they have a sandwich of the day called the broomstick.  It's 3.95, smaller than the regular sandwich, and appears to be limited to whatever they pick for the day in terms of protein choice.   But every protein choice I saw on display looked very good, so I'm sure regardless of what the special is, you'll get a good sandwich out of it

One negative from a RF point of view - this place has a bit of a sterile/cookie-cutter/corporate feel to it.  I dont doubt this is intended as just the first location of many, to be duplicated (if successful) all over the city, region, or maybe even the nation. We'll see.  If the quality and price points remain, I'd actually love to see this happen.  Bring one to my neighborhood :-)

westsider12


Since the side is included, that makes it one heck of a deal.  That was a darn fine sandwich, way better than anything downtown currently that I have found.
 
Now I just need to hit up Senor Rays and try them out - they were on Fountain Square Opening Day and looked like they did a brisk business.

I've had Senor Roy's twice now, the second time being opening day.  They were slammed, and I think the overall quality was hurt just a bit by the increase in volume.   They missed a couple toppings on my tacos, and the tortilla was not as warmed up as the first time I had it.   Having said that, the less good version was still great.  The chunks of meat (I've had the chicken and steak, but the pork looks good too) are a good size - enough for a bite, but not too big, and tender and well seasoned. 
 
I recommend it.  If you can hit them when they are a little less busy, I'd do that.

Ok, guys and gals, I know this has nothing to do with 'Roadfood' however it does pertain to eating....do anyone have a recommendation for a caterer for an outdoor Graduation party?  We have only been in the area less than a year and are having trouble finding someone that is not affiliated with a large chain-type restaurant.  I'd love some local place that does catering on the side, homemade foods, etc.  Thanks for any input you can give me.

BKulinski

have a recommendation for a caterer for an outdoor Graduation party?

http://www.lobstabakes.com/

BKulinski


Ok, guys and gals, I know this has nothing to do with 'Roadfood' however it does pertain to eating....do anyone have a recommendation for a caterer for an outdoor Graduation party?  We have only been in the area less than a year and are having trouble finding someone that is not affiliated with a large chain-type restaurant.  I'd love some local place that does catering on the side, homemade foods, etc.  Thanks for any input you can give me.

Not sure if it fits the bill for you but everybody's favorite New Orleans To Go is still doing catering.....

http://www.neworleanstogopoboys.com/

A few 'Coming Soon' announcements for Florence, KY:

1) A banner announcing La Hacienda Real has gone up in front of the old Schlotzsky's Deli on Houston Road.

2) There's a Red Pepper Chinese restaurant going into the Neltner Plaza (next to Boone Co. High School).  No idea if it's affiliated with the restaurant of the same name in Cincinnati.

3) City Barbecue has broken ground on their first Northern Kentucky restaurant.  It will be on KY 18 across from Mall Road in front of Value City Furniture.

Ghaz
There's a Red Pepper Chinese restaurant going into the Neltner Plaza (next to Boone Co. High School).  No idea if it's affiliated with the restaurant of the same name in Cincinnati.

There was also a Red Pepper szechuan restaurant that closed in Louisville, KY last month due to high rent.  I wonder if it might be them, as well?

TJ Jackson

According to http://www.cincinnatibites.com/, the owners of Tacqueria Mercado in Fairfield are going to open a new location at the old Javier's on the corner of Walnut and 8th

If true, this is outstanding news for downtown.  I hope they bring along their Mexican baked goods as well.

soozycue520

Yep, they have a sign in the window but it doesn't say when they will open. It has their website posted, but I cannot find any info on the website.
 
http://www.escapelatino.com/mercado/index

soozycue520

Info about Taqueria Mercado downtown:

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/dining/2010/03/22/taqueria-mercado-downtown/

I walked by today on my way back from Bangkok Express, and a fellow out front handing out carryout menus told me they are now open as of today

tacos ala carte: 2.25 each - carne asada, el pastor, barbacoa, pollo, carnitas, chorizo, tripe, suadero, tongue
burritos: 4.25sm 7.00 lg
tortas 5.50  - jamon, breaded steak/chicken, or hot dog(?))
plate lunch specials 5.50 til 3pm - the usual ameri-mexican choices, plus a few others
birria - goat, right? - on the weekend only
mexican coke
flan, chocolate flan, and tres leches cake
they're doing breakfast too
 
early adopters - westsider, I'm lookin at you :-) - engage!

EDIT 20100428: I stopped in to get a taco around 1pm.  Line to the door, and most of the tables filled.  Looked like they had a waiter....thought this was counter service only place.

I'm on it.   I should make it by the end of the week.  Although I may stay away from the tongue...not my favorite.
 

TJ Jackson


 

TJ Jackson

According to http://www.cincinnatibites.com/, the owners of Tacqueria Mercado in Fairfield are going to open a new location at the old Javier's on the corner of Walnut and 8th

If true, this is outstanding news for downtown.  I hope they bring along their Mexican baked goods as well.

soozycue520

Yep, they have a sign in the window but it doesn't say when they will open. It has their website posted, but I cannot find any info on the website.

http://www.escapelatino.com/mercado/index

soozycue520

Info about Taqueria Mercado downtown:

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/dining/2010/03/22/taqueria-mercado-downtown/

I walked by today on my way back from Bangkok Express, and a fellow out front handing out carryout menus told me they are now open as of today

tacos ala carte: 2.25 each - carne asada, el pastor, barbacoa, pollo, carnitas, chorizo, tripe, suadero, tongue
burritos: 4.25sm 7.00 lg
tortas 5.50  - jamon, breaded steak/chicken, or hot dog(?))
plate lunch specials 5.50 til 3pm - the usual ameri-mexican choices, plus a few others
birria - goat, right? - on the weekend only
mexican coke
flan, chocolate flan, and tres leches cake
they're doing breakfast too

early adopters - westsider, I'm lookin at you :-) - engage!

Found a new local burger blog - well, new to me, at least

http://eightytwenty.tumblr.com

Despite the fact that the ambience is weighted a bit too heavily (dude - its about the food, not the place), and despite rating the *baked* burger at Paula's as the best downtown, it's a good read

wesleyman

hit up Senor Rays Taco Patrol this week.  Very good and affordable.  Everything tasted and looked super fresh. Here are the steak and chicken tacos. The meat is in big chunks, the veggies and salsa was great and the cheese was good.  Dig the food and the concept.

KahnsKrazy

I've had Senor Roy's twice now, the second time being opening day.  They were slammed, and I think the overall quality was hurt just a bit by the increase in volume.   They missed a couple toppings on my tacos, and the tortilla was not as warmed up as the first time I had it.   Having said that, the less good version was still great.  The chunks of meat (I've had the chicken and steak, but the pork looks good too) are a good size - enough for a bite, but not too big, and tender and well seasoned. 
 
I recommend it.  If you can hit them when they are a little less busy, I'd do that.

I finally got over to Senor Roy's today, figuring it was nice weather for the 16 block walk uptown and back and the crowd would all be over at the newly opened Tacqueria Mercado.  it's good to be right - even if it only happens occasionally

There was no line when i stepped up to the truck at Main and Central around 1pm.  I asked some questions, and the guys working the truck could not have been more friendly and helpful, even showing me the difference between the two cheese choices - cojita and chihuahua.  2 for $5 or 3 for $6 - hmm - three please, and since they had three meat choices - al pastor, steak, and chicken - I had one of each.  Topped them all with rice, lettuce, tomatoes, diced onion, and cheese.  I forgot to specify corn tortillas and ended up with flour (not sure if that is their default for a customer who fails to specify) so a return visit will be necessary.  My to go box looked much like wesleyman's pic shown above, only more generously filled.

Now, three was too much.  I know, you're thinking of the typical taco you'd get anywhere else, and you're thinking - 3 was not enough.  If you're thinking Taco Bell, yeah, 4-5 might not not enough.  No, no - each taco had between 3-4 ounces of meat and the carryout box in total felt like it weighed nearly a pound.  These babies were easily the most heavily stuffed tacos I have ever had.  Go with 2 unless you're really, really hungry.

The flank steak was the best.  Tender but pleasantly chewy with a good beef flavor, with some spice but mild in heat.  I went with the counterman's recommendations of the salty, crumbly cojita cheese, which I'd never had before, on this taco.  I had intended to take a bite or two from each taco to ensure I had tried each before I got full, but I could not put this one down.  Excellent.  

The al pastor was second.  I don't generally tolerate spice heat well, but this was a slow heat that built and was not unpleasant even to a spice heat wimp like me.   The pork itself was juicy and tender, but lacked the citrus flavor I was expecting.  They did add in some small bits of chopped fresh pineapple, so the flavor was there, just not in the meat as much as I had expected

The chicken was my least favorite but was still a winner.  Not as much total flavor as the other two, being mostly your basic white chicken meat, but tender and fresh and plenty of it.  No spice heat.  Probably more a vehicle for those who (unlike me) heap on more toppings, salsa, sour cream, etc.   No complaints from me if on my next visit, they only have chicken left -- I'd certainly be happy eating it again. 

Gonna have to ask if I can get some lime wedges next time, and of course, corn tortillas.

Oh - and to those of you who like the spice heat, be assured there were plenty of heat-packed options on the list of condiments/toppings/salsas.

Looking forward to comparing these tacos to the ones at the newly opened Tacqueria Mercado

Bottom line: Highly recommended

Went to Geno's in Milford, a place that we hadn't visited in well over a year for whatever reason, and the place was gone.

It's some kind of confectionary shop now.

That's a shame -- Geno's had pretty good barbeque and excellent wings.

Ya sadly Geno's has been closed for close to a year now. We ate there from time to time. Then last summer he started closing on random days, and then had a sign up saying he was remodeling. Then he closed.

Made it to Tacqueria Mercado downtown today.  Although normally I like to focus on the positives first, I will point out the negatives:  the place was busy but not crazy, which lead to a long wait to get our food.  Plus it was a bit confusing as to how to order as there is no menu board and very few paper menus were available.  This is specifically related to take out, as the bigger part of the restaurant is devoted to sit down.

Now, having said that, they serve up some darn fine food.  I had the #1 lunch combo, which was a small burrito, refried beans, and rice.  The rice was ok, nothing special.  The beans were excellent, and I am not normally a bean fan.  I wish I would have asked for double beans - they were that good.  Finally, the burrito.  I had the carnitas and was very pleased with the choice.  The "small burrito" is a shade under the size of Chipotle's regular burrito (The large burrito had to be at least 10 inches long).  It was delicious.  It came with more beans, cheese, onions, sour cream, and cilantro.  Seeing as I do not like cilantro, that was a drawback but very minor.  The best part was that the whole thing was only $5.50.  Great value for some really good food.
 
I will go back but probably try and get there before the lunch crowd to lessen the wait.  Next - the trek to Senor Roys.

Not sure I would donate $250 to a place that MIGHT reopen. The prince of Barundi also wants my bank account number so he can transfer 100 million into it.

dlawson

I drove by New Orleans To Go after work yesterday, and the signs in the window say that they "will be back", and to check www.neworleanstogopoboys.com for updates. To expand on the "truck-based operation" mention by TJ, they are looking for 100 donations of $250 each, in exchange for either $250 in gift certificates once they reopen, or a catered lunch/dinner for 25 people. The signs also mention (twice) that catering is still available.

I am not too surprised by this development, as she has mentioned in the past that they were strongly considering moving the restaurant closer to their home in Boone County, KY, due to the inconvenience of the drive. It has been a couple of months since I last ate there, however, so I guess the trailer-based operation is a more recent idea.

Update via NOTG's twitter account:

Our mobile kitchen has been ordered. Should be ready to roll the first part of June. Stay tuned...
5:05 PM Apr 28th via Twitter for BlackBerry®

Ate at Boston Butz's today in Fairfield area.

   because Pit to Plate was a bad failure the time we went there we hedged our bets and got.

  1 16' cheese pizza.  Wife got the Boston burger. Which was pulled pork on 2 burger patties covered in bbq sauce. We also had the fries covered in cheese and bacon. I got the mini trough. I had gotten the pulled pork and ribs, along with sides of mashed potato salad, baked beans, and johnny cakes.

  My wife loved the burger. she wished she had not gotten the burger and instead had just gone with the pulled pork sammich.   Pulled pork was extremely juicy, and good. We both got the classic sauce.
  I also second that the pulled pork was good. For pulled pork I would put it as best as  have had in cinci. OF course I have only gotten pulled pork at city Q, pit to plate, and smokey bones.
  The ribs were really good also. Not alot of smoke flavor. I forgot to ask what type of smoker he used tho. Was a vast upgrade to pit to plate which was so smokey I also wondered if they added liquid smoke to it.
  Sides were good. Baked beans were really good. They could have been caned, but doctored up a bit. Still really good. Johnny cake was a great item to eat along with the food also. Been years since I last had one.

  The pizza was a great surpise also. Who would have guessed a bbq joint could do pretty good pizza. Not Tronis level, but def top 5 in cinci. crust was garlicy and thin. Next time wife and I both want to get the bbq pork pizza.

so all and all

ribs 8-10 i think he might finish on a grill. had a good crust to the sauce.

pulled pork 8-10 almost to juicy. but dang tasty along with the sauce.

pizza 8-10  a great surprise. went in figuring if it was a good chain pizza we would be ok with it and it was alot better.
 I am def looking forward to another trip out here.

I believe we were served by the owner, a quirky older guy. who was fun to talk to. We sat outside on the patio which was nice.

TJ Jackson



Update via NOTG's twitter account:

Our mobile kitchen has been ordered. Should be ready to roll the first part of June. Stay tuned...
5:05 PM Apr 28th via Twitter for BlackBerry®

 


I heard they are having extreme difficulty getting the city or any of the two major parking lot companies downtown to help them secure parking for their mobile kitchen.


Apparently Senor Roy's made a deal with Central Parking and Cafe de Wheels made a deal with System Parking.   I don't know if they are exclusive deals or what, but they can't seem to make any headway with these companies in trying to get their cart downtown.


Anybody have any ideas that could help them out?

I am fairly certain the churches on the east side could use some fees - and this would get them some business from all the construction workers over there

There's a fairly empty stretch where The Temple and Langano used to be over on the west side - most anything west of Vine street

Maybe talk to the owners of the Old Bay Horse?  Park in front of there?

....and on an entirely unrelated note: the winners of Taste of Cincinnati were announced today, and I am happy to note that almost none of the winners are from Chain restaurants.  Big problems the last few years where the top award went to a national chain.  Not so this year.   

http://news.cincinnati.co...Taste+winners+selected

Best Damn Dish: raspberry cloud pie from Courtyard Cafe / dujours

Best entree: Chicago gyro pizza, Mac’s Pizza Pub (you'll recall Mac participated in this forum some years ago, just as he was getting ready to open Mac's Pizza Pub)

baughman


Ate at Boston Butz's today in Fairfield area.

   because Pit to Plate was a bad failure the time we went there we hedged our bets and got.

  1 16' cheese pizza.  Wife got the Boston burger. Which was pulled pork on 2 burger patties covered in bbq sauce. We also had the fries covered in cheese and bacon. I got the mini trough. I had gotten the pulled pork and ribs, along with sides of mashed potato salad, baked beans, and johnny cakes.

  My wife loved the burger. she wished she had not gotten the burger and instead had just gone with the pulled pork sammich.   Pulled pork was extremely juicy, and good. We both got the classic sauce.
  I also second that the pulled pork was good. For pulled pork I would put it as best as  have had in cinci. OF course I have only gotten pulled pork at city Q, pit to plate, and smokey bones.
  The ribs were really good also. Not alot of smoke flavor. I forgot to ask what type of smoker he used tho. Was a vast upgrade to pit to plate which was so smokey I also wondered if they added liquid smoke to it.
  Sides were good. Baked beans were really good. They could have been caned, but doctored up a bit. Still really good. Johnny cake was a great item to eat along with the food also. Been years since I last had one.

  The pizza was a great surpise also. Who would have guessed a bbq joint could do pretty good pizza. Not Tronis level, but def top 5 in cinci. crust was garlicy and thin. Next time wife and I both want to get the bbq pork pizza.

so all and all

ribs 8-10 i think he might finish on a grill. had a good crust to the sauce.

pulled pork 8-10 almost to juicy. but dang tasty along with the sauce.

pizza 8-10  a great surprise. went in figuring if it was a good chain pizza we would be ok with it and it was alot better.
 I am def looking forward to another trip out here.

I believe we were served by the owner, a quirky older guy. who was fun to talk to. We sat outside on the patio which was nice.

 
Butz is pretty awesome. We hit it on our way up to Miami hockey games.
 
I almost always get the Boston burger, and it's one of my favorite sandwiches in the city.
 
The only thing about that place is you can't go there if you're in a hurry. It almost always takes us close to hour to eat there, even if it's empty.
 
I think the guy you're talking about is the owner, and yes, he is a little quirky but very nice.
 
It's actually in Ross, but its address is listed as Hamilton. Not sure what that's all about.

It isn't Roadfood, but it is good eats.......had dinner with my youngest this past Saturday at Cafe Mediterranean in the old Beechmont Mall (whatever it is called now)

She had the highly authentic chicken fingers and fries :-)

I had

--falafel app - ok, not great.  A little denser/heavier and drier than I like my falafel (albeit falafel is something I've only recently acquired a taste for)
--spinach and cheese burek - sinfully good, especially when dipped in the tahini intended for the falafel
--lamb shish kebab on rice pilaf - best lamb I have ever eaten, almost like a top notch steak, no gamey taste at all.  I even questioned the waiter to be sure he had not given me a steak in place of lamb somehow.   Pilaf was excellent as well.
--baklava - this was sent out gratis after my lovely 7 year old charmed the chef with several questions about the open kitchen (we were sat right next to it, and she watched the goings-on with interest).  I am not a baklava fan but this piece changed my mind.  Just wonderful.  The top half had a lighter color and different consistency that the bottom, and the chef said this was how baklava is done in Turkey rather than the Greek style baklava I was probably (and actually am) used to seeing.  My lovely companion also liked her piece of baklava, which is a big surprise because she regularly turns her nose up at anything she does not recognize.  That said, she's always begging for sweets, so it helped that it was a dessert. 

This place is on the pricey side but this is a white tablecloth and candle and wine service type place.  A bit fancier than you might expect.

Recommended

TJ Jackson


It isn't Roadfood, but it is good eats.......had dinner with my youngest daughter this past Saturday at Cafe Mediterranean in the old Beechmont Mall (whatever it is called now)

She had the highly authentic chicken fingers and fries :-)

I had

--falafel app - ok, not great.  A little denser/heavier and drier than I like my falafel (albeit falafel is something I've only recently acquired a taste for)
--spinach and cheese burek - sinfully good, especially when dipped in the tahini intended for the falafel
--lamb shish kebab on rice pilaf - best lamb I have ever eaten, almost like a top notch steak, no gamey taste at all.  I even questioned the waiter to be sure he had not given me a steak in place of lamb somehow.   Pilaf was excellent as well.
--baklava - this was sent out gratis after my 7 year old charmed the chef with her questions about the open kitchen (we were sat right next to it, and she watched the goings-on with interest).  I am not a baklava fan but this piece changed my mind.  Just wonderful.  The top half had a lighter color and different consistency that the bottom, and the chef said this was how baklava is done in Turkey rather than the Greek style baklava I was probably (and actually am) used to seeing.  The youngest also liked her piece of baklava, which is a big surprise because she regularly turns her nose up at anything she does not recognize.  That said, she's always begging for sweets, so it helped that it was a dessert. 

This place is on the pricey side but this is a white tablecloth and candle and wine service type place.  A bit fancier than you might expect.

Recommended

Great report. I was wondering...I've recently gotten very interested in middle Eastern food, and it's good to know you like the place. Our 25th anniversary is coming up so maybe....
 
I've also heard extremely good things about Kar-ma, the Asian place in the Anderson Towne Centre (nee "mall"; actually, when I moved to Anderson when I was seven, there was NOTHING there -- not even Five Mile. It was an open field where my brother and our friends played.)

Kar-Ma was very good - it was reported on early in the SW OH thread.

Well, I had said I was done with Capri Tavola Calda, the little italian slice and sandwich joint next to Subway on Walnut between 4th and 5th

TJ Jackson
Well, sad to say, but I am done with Capri Tavola Calda

I gave them a lot of chances since they are just a half block away from work, but nothing has worked out.

I've tried 4-5 different slices, including the white slice, and none have been better than meh.  I've tried two different sandwiches, and the prosciutto/arugula/mozz was at least good but at almost 8 bucks and sized like a half sandwich elsewhere, not worthy of a repeat.   A cup of lobster bisque was near as thin as water and tasted like paste, with nary a bit of lobster in sight.  A chocolate chip cookie I was given as a freebie when my wait was excessive - a nice touch, mind you - tasted no better than store bought and featured an uncooked center.

Westsider's experience there was more or less in step with my own

westsider12
I ate at Capri Tavola downtown before Christmas.  It is a new pizza place next to Subway on Walnut between 4th and 5th (took the spot of the old Balboa's).  I ordered a slice of cheese, a slice of pepperoni and wedding soup.  Two other companions ordered the meatball sub and spaghetti and meatballs.   The results were underwhelming at best.  This was shopping mall pizza and pasta, nothing more.  Maybe a step up from Balboa's, but not very far.

but then, not too long ago, a new thread popped up touting a specific sandwich/panini there - the Arista - with the following message

indy_traveler

In town for a Reds-Dodgers game, my husband and I stopped at Capri Tavola Calda (420 Walnut St.) on our walk to the ballpark. We asked the owner what we should order, and he recommended the Arista Panini – a daily special. This sandwich featured wonderfully seasoned roast pork topped with a slice of mozzarella and lettuce on a baguette that was soft and chewy on the inside with a delightfully crunchy crust. OMG, this was one of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten! I now know how a sandwich can “melt in your mouth.” Capri Tavola Calda will be one of my mandatory stops on future trips to Cincinnati.

and then more recently, Cincinnati Bites declared in a blog entry that this very same sandwich is "among my top 5 favorite sandwiches of all time" 

Strong praise drew my curiousity, and it doesn't hurt that this place is a block and a half away from where I work. 

so

yeah, it was lunch today

The good: this is a MUCH larger sandwich than the ones I had gotten previously, one is more than enough for most any eater.  The hoagie roll it came on was of truly excellent quality, perhaps the best I have had in Cincinnati and reminiscent of some of the rolls I ran into in Philadephia a few years back.  This was a tasty, juicy, satisfying sandwich.

The not-so-good:The dominant flavors were salt and dried oregano.  I mean, shouldn't a pricey spot like this use fresh oregano?  The taste of the pork was not in evidence til the last bites, but was good when it finally came through.  Although one might think a fresh mozerella would go on a sandwich like this, thin slices of standard dry mozz were applied, and added very little to the overall sandwhich.  While it is not mentioned as an ingredient, the sandwich was doused liberally with olive oil just before wrapping, and the wrapper was soaked with it when I got it back to the office.

The overall: I think this sandwich has the chance to become a real winner despite the hefty (6.99) price.  Cut down on the olive oil (perhaps eliminate it all together?), go easier on the salt and oregano, use a sharper (smoked provy? sharp provy? rough grated parm? a combo thereof?) or creamier (fresh mozz anyone?) cheese, and make roasted red peppers an option.....and I think you'd have a serious contender.

I will return to get this at least once more to see if all that salt was just an abberration.  it is listed as a special rather than a normal menu item, so it make take several stops to get another shot at it

and finally

I noticed two other very interesting items on the specials board - porchetta and italian beef.  Also worth checking out, particularly if they both come on that excellent roll

UPDATE 05/12/2010: I stopped in for another Arista today.  I asked about adding onion, and was told they'd charge 50 cents to add a vegetable.....per vegetable.  Outrageous, particularly given the base price.  Keeping my calm, I ordered anyway, and asked them to go easy on the olive oil this time.  The bread was as good or better than the first, but the pork was even saltier this time, so much so that I went through near 24 ounces of water to get through it.    Texturally, this remains an excellent sandwich, and it will certainly fill you up, but overall I will pass on it.  I will go back to try the italian beef (the excellent crusty roll is definitely up to going the 'extra wet' route, if thats available as it would be in Chicago) and the peppers and parm slice. 

UPDATE 05/14/2010: I had what this place calls an italian beef.  The same excellent roll was used, but it all goes downhill from there.  Cold beef was place don the roll as well as some cold congealed wet stuff, looke dmuch like gravey out of the refrigerator, and then some green peppers, and then this was put into an oven for about 5 minutes.  The result was filling, surprisingly tasty, and very spicy hot tho lacking in the expected garlic.  Good, but not 7.25 good, and definitely a cruel joke on anyone expecting (hoping for?) a real Chicago-style italian beef.

UPDATE 05/20/2010: I have since my last update had the Porchetta, which was unremarkable, and re-tried the slices.  I liked them a lot better this time, but at 2.65 a plain slice, they remain too expensive for what you get.  I also fond the crust to be dense/spongy rather than airy, and the crust itself is just a bit sour when eaten by itself.   My favorite slice of the lot is the occasional special of roasted red and yellow papers with fresh wide shavings of parmesan - very, very good, but at over 3 bucks a slice is IMHO not a good value.  That said, I admit to craving another as I type this, so I do recommend anyone in the area at least trying that particular slice once.  Also - I found out today that the excellent hoagie rolls come from Gimminetti in Walnut Hills

Flipping through the latest Bearcash coupon booklet, I couldn't help but notice an ad for the following:

www.islandfrydays.com

Now, I have yet to go, but this is the most excited I've been about a restaurant in quite some time, as I have been mourning the demise of The Pattie Shack for almost (or over?) a decade now. Neither the ad nor the site list business hours, but the ad has coupons for a $5 lunch special available between 11:00 A.M. and 1:00 P.M. The menu on the site is also a bit sparse, but the ad contains a fairly extensive listing:

Curry Goat $10 lg., $8 sm.
Curry Chicken $10
Curry Shrimp $10
Stew Chicken $10 lg., $6 sm.
Jerk Chicken $10 lg., $8 sm.
Jerk Chicken Salad $6
Steam Fish $10
Escovich Fish $10
Hellshire Garlic Shrimp $10
Brown Stew Fish $10
Jerk Chicken Sandwich $3
Jerk Wrap $3
Pattie & Coco Bread $3
Oxtail $10 lg., $8 sm.
Sweet Plantain $2
Steam Vegetables $2
Beef, Chicken, or Veggie Pattie $2
Caribbean Fruit Salad $4

They are on short Vine in Clifton, right by most of our normal dinner haunts, so I will make it a point to go as soon as possible, assuming they are open for dinner.

TJ Jackson


UPDATE 05/12/2010: I stopped in for another Arista today.  I asked about adding onion, and was told they'd charge 50 cents to add a vegetable.....per vegetable.  Outrageous, particularly given the base price.  Keeping my calm, I ordered anyway, and asked them to go easy on the olive oil this time.  The bread was as good or better than the first, but the pork was even saltier this time, so much so that I went through near 24 ounces of water to get through it.    Texturally, this remains an excellent sandwich, and it will certainly fill you up, but overall I will pass on it.  I will go back to try the italian beef (the excellent crusty roll is definitely up to going the 'extra wet' route, if thats available as it would be in Chicago) and the peppers and parm slice. 

 
If you ever find a good Italian beef here in town, let me know. Hotdoggin it is just OK, and that place in Greenhills does a decent one, and I need to try Chi-Nati's, but those are the only three places in town I know that even do a beef at all.
 
Glad to see you know how to order one -- dipped with sweet peppers. :)

Tried Island Frydays this weekend and enjoyed it. I had the Jerk Chicken and my husband had the Goat Curry. Both came with the option of yellow rice or white rice with peas along with steamed vegetables. Both were very good. The Jerk was spicy without being too hot. The Goat was flavorful but not spicy hot. The vegetables were mostly cabbage and had a good flavor but were limp.
 
We both had a Beef Patty. They sell out quickly so we had our curries while we waited for the new batch of patties to be ready. These were traditional Jamaican patties and really good. I look forward to trying the Chicken or Vegetable Patty on my next visit. They also have a full array of Jamaican drinks including ginger beer and Ting.
 
The price was fair for the portions and the food was good. They also do catering.

Finally, a legitimate reason to talk about a Dayton eatery in this thread   Hot Head Burritos is opening their first Northern Kentucky location in Florence on Mt. Zion Road.  I've eaten at the Kettering location and while they're not half bad, I don't think Chipotle has any reason to worry.

Also noticed that J. Gumbo's is opening a location in Florence on Mall Road in the old Florence Y'all Gyros and Wings location next to Chuck E. Chese's.  Will definitely give them a try once they open. 

Ghaz
Finally, a legitimate reason to talk about a Dayton eatery in this thread   Hot Head Burritos is opening their first Northern Kentucky location in Florence on Mt. Zion Road.  I've eaten at the Kettering location and while they're not half bad, I don't think Chipotle has any reason to worry.

Writing from direct experience - they're not half good and correct, Chipotle will not even notice. I'll pick Taco Bell over H.H.B..

While our boy was at Prom last evening, Vickie and I went to Great Scott in Withamsville, just east of the I-275 Beechmont Amelia exit.

This was my second visit, having had wings and salad with a friend of mine a while back.

This could easily become my favorite restaurant in the 275/Eastgate corridor. Summary:

Wings: Available traditional or char-grilled in several different flavorings. Good, not overly meaty (I like a wing with chaw), outstanding flavor.

Entree Salads: My friend gave me a taste of the Blackened Steak Salad. Outstanding; They know how to blacken wtiihout it being just burned meat with a whole lot of cayenne on it. Last night I had the new potsticker salad: Beautifully prepared salad greens, crispy noodles, very good potstickers in a delicate Asian dressing.

Country Fried Steak: My wife had this and paid it the ultimate compliment from her: Better than mine, which she loves. This is a serious piece of meat, reaching beyond the edge of the plate, with a crisp flavorful crust, accompanied by good mashed spuds and a fine gravy.

Beer list is immense -- over 100, I think, and you can join the "beer club", try 'em all, and get your name on a plaque when you're done. (I did something similar in the '80s at the bar in the Westin downtown). Last night I had the Mt. Carmel Spring Ale, which is locally brewed.

In looking at the menu there were at least five dishes I had to try. We'll be back again and again, I suspect.

Gotta concur on Great Scott -- the place is excellent.
 
If you're into them, try the fried pickles for a super-sized appetizer. The things are freaking huge with a thick batter. They're like $6 for five, and could be a meal for a smaller person.

Delilah77
Tried Island Frydays this weekend and enjoyed it. I had the Jerk Chicken and my husband had the Goat Curry. Both came with the option of yellow rice or white rice with peas along with steamed vegetables. Both were very good. The Jerk was spicy without being too hot. The Goat was flavorful but not spicy hot. The vegetables were mostly cabbage and had a good flavor but were limp.

I just finished my first meal there, and have to agree on all counts above (except for the Jerk Chicken, which will be on my next visit). The vegetables were the only disappointment in my eyes, as everything took on the flavor of the cabbage. Fortunately, I had enough leftover curry sauce to liven them up a bit. The goat was prepared quite well, and the rice and plantains were also very good.

I thought that they might be down by Bogart's, but they are next door to what was Top Cat's, a couple of doors down from the fire station. As a result, there is minimal foot traffic in that area...probably bad for business, but good for patrons.  The clerk was happy to hear that I found them in the Bearcash booklet, and I hope the ad continues to pay dividends for them. I'll be back, no question.

2 weeks ago my wife and I were in the area staying with some friends at the Great Wolf Lodge.  After check out, they headed back north, we turned south to go to Blue Ash.  Somehow we got lost and thought we found directions on our phone (I realy need a GPS for the car).  Anyways, the directions were not to Blue Ash but somehow lead us right to Chili Time in St Bernard.  We figured as long as we were there, we'd try it.  I loved it.  Blue Ash or Dixie have been my favorites of the chili parlors we've tried but I really liked this one.  The chili had a little more kick to it but still the flavor I was expecting.  Unlike the last time we were down there and at at Dehli Chili.  It had a little kick but I really did not care for the spice mixture in that one.

I haven't eaten at Scotti's downtown on Vine St since the 80s.    According to the web they are still at it.  Anyone eat there recently and able to comment on the experience?

Some tidbits

--According to a recent post on Chowhound and verified on Noce's website, Noce's Pizza has opened a NKy location at 116 Barnwood Dr, Edgewood Ky 41017 right next to the Edgewood Tavern

--I finally made it over to It's Just Crepes, picked "The Traditional" -- a ham and swiss crepe -- off their menu.  It was quite good, and more filling than I would have expected.  Will be returning soon for more, uhm, research :-)

--Polly Campbell mentioned in a recent blog post that a new vietnamese place is going to be opening up at Findlay market -- maybe we'll finally get some good Banh Mi here in Cincinnati.  In related news, I managed to get over to Findlay Market right about 5:30 yesterday, and tho the place is supposed to be open til 6 on weekdays (according to the signs), everything was shut down, doors locked, no sign of life anywhere - ie they hadn't just in the last few minutes, they'd been closed a while.  So I'd say get there by 4 if you want to shop/eat there on a weekday. 

--Polly has recently started doing live chats on the Cincinnati.com website, and in one of the chats, I asked for a place to get a good slice of chocolate cream pie, given that the excellent CCP at Frisch's is generally only available at certain times of the year.  Her response was to give the Wednesday-only CCP at Fred and Gari's downtown a try.  Well, once a week is is better than once a year :-).  I picked up a slice (3.50) today, and while I think it is good quality, it is far denser and more of a dark chocolate creation than the much lighter/sweeter/fluffier version Frisch's makes.  If you like less sweet, darker chocolate, I'm fairly sure you'll like this pie.   I will also say this - I usually (and wrongly) kinda dismiss pie crust as simply being a vessel to hold and covey the filling in question - but the crust in this pie was wonderful, sorta french-pastry-like. Flakey, a bit chewy in spots, and flavorful on its own.   Frisch's filling on this crust would currently be a "last meal"  dessert candidate for me.

- I recently stopped into Mr Sushi to give them a try.  Weird, because I dont like sushi :-)  But they have other stuff, fried rice, katsu, noodle dishes, etc etc.  I doubt I will be returning.  One word adequately describes the 4 pieces of pork and veggie gyoza ($4) as well as the chicken fried rice($10) - tasteless.  For that kind of price, I'd like to see better quality food or more of it.  To be fair, they throw in a small side salad with the fried rice, but it too was like unto an afterthought.  High prices, small portions, mediocre food - nope, not recommended.

TJ Jackson



--According to a recent post on Chowhound and verified on Noce's website, Noce's Pizza has opened a NKy location at 116 Barnwood Dr, Edgewood Ky 41017 right next to the Edgewood Tavern

Being a regular at Edgewood Tavern I can confirm this.   Haven't had a chance to try them yet but I'm hoping this will be a big step up from the La Rossa's carry-out that was there before.  Since the Tavern doesn't serve food they might not mind if you brought your pie over and had a beer along with it as long as the place isn't too crowded.  Just check first.

TJ Jackson

--Polly Campbell mentioned in a recent blog post that a new vietnamese place is going to be opening up at Findlay market -- maybe we'll finally get some good Banh Mi here in Cincinnati.  In related news, I managed to get over to Findlay Market right about 5:30 yesterday, and tho the place is supposed to be open til 6 on weekdays (according to the signs), everything was shut down, doors locked, no sign of life anywhere - ie they hadn't just in the last few minutes, they'd been closed a while.  So I'd say get there by 4 if you want to shop/eat there on a weekday. 

I was picking up my office's half price sushi order from Fuji Steak House on Mall Rd when I saw a sign for a new Vietnamese place just down the strip.  I wasn't open yet and there was no way to tell what the menu might be like but it looked like a storefront type place.  I'm not sure why it's so hard to find Banh Mi in Cincinnati since they're pretty easy to find in most other large cities.  Until they changed to Thai/Sushi Chopstix on Tylersville made a good version of the sandwich.  I hear Take The Cake in Northside has a Banh Mi on their rotating Twittered lunch menu.  I'd like to give that a try someday but I'm not usually near that part of town at lunchtime.

BTW if you're in the area the half price rolls on Tuesday at Fuji are a pretty good deal.  Miykao on Buttermilk has the same deal but it's eat-in only and I work Tuesday evenings so it has to be carry-out.

TJ Jackson
 



- I recently stopped into Mr Sushi to give them a try.  Weird, because I dont like sushi :-)  But they have other stuff, fried rice, katsu, noodle dishes, etc etc.  I doubt I will be returning.  One word adequately describes the 4 pieces of pork and veggie gyoza ($4) as well as the chicken fried rice($10) - tasteless.  For that kind of price, I'd like to see better quality food or more of it.  To be fair, they throw in a small side salad with the fried rice, but it too was like unto an afterthought.  High prices, small portions, mediocre food - nope, not recommended.

 
I have hesitated to try this place as well.  I don't like sushi much either but I like to broaden my horizons.  However, I may take a pass on them now.  Thanks for the update.
 
Also, went back Tacqueria Mercado downtown today.  Food was as good as ever and the service was ten times better.  I would highly recommend it.

I am not usually off of work on Saturday, but WAS this past Saturday, and went to Findlay Market. I don't care what anyone says, GO THERE!!! BE DAMNED the bad neighborhood, THIS PLACE ROCKS!!!

My reason for bringing this up is, there is a new BAKERY that no one has noticed yet. I cannot find it anywhere (on any blog).  It is called Skirtz & Johnston. It is on the south side of the market, east of Krause, west of Mr. Pig.

They have fresh baked breads, pastries, cakes, etc., etc. Very clean space, and excellent food. It was very crowded when I got there, and when I pushed my way to the front (because everyone was oohing and aahing, and couldn't decide what they wanted), I asked what the bread pudding looking things were.

I ended up buying a slice of the savory breakfast bread pudding, and two cannolis. They also serve cake by the slice, and BELIEVE ME, they all looked excellent!!! They also had Mediterranian bread, and other things, I overheard talked about, while I was there.

SO much food, SO little time, and I wanted to eat everything!!!

westsider12
 
 
Also, went back Tacqueria Mercado downtown today.  Food was as good as ever and the service was ten times better.  I would highly recommend it.

 
Glad to hear the service is getting better. I have been to the original location in Fairfield, on my way to Jungle Jim's, and was excited to see the downtown location. 
 
Right after they opened, I had some time to waste, and went in to order some food to go. There were more employees than customers, and my very small order took more than 25 minutes.
 
I could have walked out without paying, because they handed me my food, without payment, BUT ~~  I told them I hadn't paid. And, they gave me more food than I ordered.
 
When I tried to tell them I did not order all the food I was given, they kept quoting me the price.  I finally gave up (since I was waiting on a bus), and paid the extra $5.00.
 
The food I ended up with was great. It was fabulous. But the service was not good. Actually, after almost a half an hour, I was pretty POed.
 
So much for being honest~~ But, the food WAS good!!

soozycue520


I am not usually off of work on Saturday, but WAS this past Saturday, and went to Findlay Market. I don't care what anyone says, GO THERE!!! BE DAMNED the bad neighborhood, THIS PLACE ROCKS!!!

 


Being a former downtown resident, I have no fear of the neighborhood...but for those who do, it really is an oasis of sorts on Saturdays, almost like the market is completely independent of its surroundings. We go almost every Saturday during the summer. I will have to pay closer attention to this new bakery, but after my usual stops at Areti's, Market Wines, and Dojo Gelato, I am not sure how much room I will have left for it. 

I've been going to Findlay Market at least once a month for 25 years, usually early on a Saturday morning, and have never had a problem in the neighborhood. Never been assaulted or had anyone touch my car. And since many shops are open weeknights till 6, I'll hit a few shops on the way home from work. Heist for Amish chickens, Dean's Mediterranean for hummus and olive oil, Eckerlin for goetta and pepper bacon, Gibbs Cheese, Charles Bare Meats for steaks and short ribs, Herbs & Spice, Kroeger for sausage and big fat pork chops, and then the farmers in the back for flowers and whatever's in season. And the occasional breakfast at Tucker's nearby. Great food, great people-watching.

Anywhere in the area to get a good deep dish pizza besides Unos?

Thanks!

Unos locally - chain locations, not really associated with the original in Chicago that I am assured remains quite good - is in my opinion not very good at all

I believe it was Bonk who first talked about Bourbon House Pizza in Florence some time back, and I have had their excellent deep dish 3 or 4 times since.  Consistently good.

Mio's is not good for thin, but they make a very good cousin of the deep dish - the stuffed pie

When I go to Cincinnati I never fail to go back to Trio.  It's the best.  Great tilapia, salads, steaks and wood fired pizza.  Great desserts as well.

Also, Gold Star Chili - gotta have a 5-way.  Cincinnatians constantly debate Skyline versus Gold Star, my family prefers Gold Star.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have heard many bad things from people around me about the Unos in Anderson. Thats why I am avoiding the place.