(Relatively) new pizza in Cincinnati

Friday at dinnertime, everyone in my household answered "PIZZA" when the time came for me to ask about dinner. I've been eyeing this new restaurant that has sprung up in one of the old Mio's locations since I noticed it a couple of months back. It's called Portobello's and as I mentioned, it's located in the old Mio's location in Mt. Carmel. It's one of the nicer of the Mio's stores, with an unusually large seating area compared to some of the others we've been in. The first thing that caught my eye were the Saratoga Chips listed in the Appetizers section. I ordered a basket of chips with our drinks, (wondering if the new place had picked the idea up from the oddly legendary Montgomery Inn, where Saratoga Chips were one of the only high points of several below average meals I've eaten in the past,) and they were an excellent start. Served with Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce, I think they finally helped convince my daughter that barbecue sauce is a legitimate threat to ketchup as a condiment. When the time came to order, none of us were in a similar mood and we all wound up ordering our own pizza. My daughter picked the thin crust pepperoni pizza off the kids menu. My son had to have the "Atsalotta Meat" pizza, also thin crust. My wife ordered a thin crust Mexican and I went with the Portobello Mushroom deep dish. Everyone but my wife came away satisfied, and my wife was only disappointed in herself for not choosing the Spinach & Bacon pizza. Speaking for myself, my Portobello Mushroom deep dish was excellent. It looked and tasted much like one of Mio's Stuffed Crust pizzas, never a bad thing to be compared to, with the toppings buried below a thick topping of cheese and tomato sauce. Service was good, not great, but they seemed fairly busy despite the water main break out on the street. (While we were happy to have found a new pizza place to add to our list, on the way home we were disappointed to find that the Hibachi Master, a Japanese fast food style restaurant that we enjoyed, had closed it's doors.)

Don't worry overmuch over Hibachi Master.

Same style food, but prepared freshly rather than steam tabled, can be found in the lower level food court of the Carew Tower downtown Cincinnati. Called Sakkio of Japan.

As an aside, I think 4 or 5 different restaurants have failed at the HM location since it originally opened as a Bruegger's bagels

We've tried but were not overly impressed with Portabello's, but I think we'll give it a second chance based on your review, Wallyum. They do regularly appear in the local coupon books (Reach, etc)

I liked the people as much as I liked the food at Hibachi Master. I just wanted to see them make a go of it. I liked Pizza Nova also. Pizza the way it's supposed to be; greasy and cheesy. As for eating downtown, I manage to get to Tower Place once a year on the day after Thinksgiving. I'll try Sakkio this year. And you're right about the Hibachi Master location. I swear it's jinxed. Beechmont Avenue in general has been a death knell for a lot of our favorites. (So why does TGIF keep hanging on?)
We're going to try Portabello's at least once more so my wife can try the Spinach Bacon pizza. That will tell us if our visit last week was a fluke or not. I was wrong about her choice on Friday. She had a vegetarian pizza, largely because it featured something called basil cheese. Turns out that basil cheese isn't enough of a draw for her. I'll look for the coupon for our next visit.

What do you think of Mio's? And have you tried a Mio's with the sesame crust?

This is our favorite right now for good basic pizza, with ZZ's in Clifton as our favorite "gourmet" pizza

I like Mio's. That's actually where my first thought was going to take us on Friday, but then I decided to be daring. We ate there once last winter at your local Mio's and they made me two BarBQ Chicken pizzas because they said the first one was burnt. They were both great. Losing Mio's was one of the worst things ever to happen to Ft. Thomas.
I hate sesame seeds. When I was a kid I ate many a cold Big Mac because I insisted on picking them off.
I don't think we've tried ZZ's. I've had some bad experiences in the past few years in Clifton. Where exactly is it? I've heard that Zino's reopened down in Covington, so I'll have to check that out some time before summer ends.

Wallyum, Portobello's has its own website at http://www.portobellospizza.com/!

Thanks for the link. It says they've been there since 2002! Can that be right? I think I'm going to try the Trivoli on my next trip.
Shoot. Now I'm hungry for pizza.

ZZ's Pizza

http://www.cincinnati.com/dining/zzspizza/
http://www.citybeat.com/2002-05-16/diner.shtml

I thought that sounded familiar. We were there years ago when my wife worked just down the street. I'd consider that East Walnut Hills as opposed to Clifton though. We'll have to give it another try. It's been too long.

Great. Now I went and read the menu. Where am I going to find a Greek pizza at 11:00 at night?
Sounds like a Whitey's night to me!

Wow...I never thought I would find such great reviews re: restaurants in my lil' ol' neighborhood (Cherry Grove/Beechmont). I agree with just about everything I've read, but thought it would be fun to post my two cents.

Best Pizza: Papa Murphy's, hands down. This is the new take & bake place that opened near Chipotle and Skyline in the Cherry Grove Plaza. Quality ingredients, cooked fresh and hot at home, and incredibly cheap. Plus they will gladly do half & half pizzas, light sauce, all the nitpicky stuff. Addictive -- similar to Pizza Nova, but I think better.

I love Hibachi Master and hope it survives on Beechmont. It moved away from the more Sakkio-style format to a more traditional Japanese resturant menu, now serving a full sushi menu. The only sushi place I know of in this area, and delicious miso soup, salad and chicken teriyaki. Quite reasonable as far as Japanese food goes, and you feel great after eating it (not over-full or guilty). By the way, you mentioned Sakkio in Tower Place downtown, where I eat several times a week. Perhaps more convenient if you don't want to venture downtown is a sister location called "Sarku" in the food court of Eastgate Mall. Same Japanese fast food menu, same company, same employees, just a different name.

Another great new restaurant is Royal Taj. We're lucky to have finally have Indian food come to Anderson and it is DELICIOUS. The lunch buffet is the best way to go, but there are endless options for dinner as well (never miss an opportunity to get the garlic nan -- soft and fresh, practically like pancakes). This resturant opened just a few months ago behind Kinko's on Beechmont near 5-Mile. Delicious food, very reasonable pricing, a welcome addition among the usual chain restaurants and predictable food. It seems to be catching on pretty well with the locals, so I hope it will be around for a long time.

Thanks for the forum -- this was fun!

quote:

Originally posted by Shelma9

Wow...I never thought I would find such great reviews re: restaurants in my lil' ol' neighborhood (Cherry Grove/Beechmont). I agree with just about everything I've read, but thought it would be fun to post my two cents.

Best Pizza: Papa Murphy's, hands down. This is the new take & bake place that opened near Chipotle and Skyline in the Cherry Grove Plaza. Quality ingredients, cooked fresh and hot at home, and incredibly cheap. Plus they will gladly do half & half pizzas, light sauce, all the nitpicky stuff. Addictive -- similar to Pizza Nova, but I think better.

I love Hibachi Master and hope it survives on Beechmont. It moved away from the more Sakkio-style format to a more traditional Japanese resturant menu, now serving a full sushi menu. The only sushi place I know of in this area, and delicious miso soup, salad and chicken teriyaki. Quite reasonable as far as Japanese food goes, and you feel great after eating it (not over-full or guilty). By the way, you mentioned Sakkio in Tower Place downtown, where I eat several times a week. Perhaps more convenient if you don't want to venture downtown is a sister location called "Sarku" in the food court of Eastgate Mall. Same Japanese fast food menu, same company, same employees, just a different name.

Another great new restaurant is Royal Taj. We're lucky to have finally have Indian food come to Anderson and it is DELICIOUS. The lunch buffet is the best way to go, but there are endless options for dinner as well (never miss an opportunity to get the garlic nan -- soft and fresh, practically like pancakes). This resturant opened just a few months ago behind Kinko's on Beechmont near 5-Mile. Delicious food, very reasonable pricing, a welcome addition among the usual chain restaurants and predictable food. It seems to be catching on pretty well with the locals, so I hope it will be around for a long time.

Thanks for the forum -- this was fun!

I've been wondering about Papa Murphy's. Wednesday is my birthday, so maybe I'll treat the family to a couple of pizzas. (Great. Now I'm hungry.)
My son loves Hibachi Master. It upsets my wife's stomach and my daughter claims that it does the same to her, but I love it. Sam and I usually hit HM on nights when the ladies are elsewhere engaged.
I'm familiar with the Kinko's. Is this in the plaza with Kinko's and Panerra Bread? (Years ago there was a Camelot Music there. I miss Camelot.)

Wally, keep in mind that you can't eat in at Papa Murphy's - they only sell unbaked pizzas that you have to take home and bake. You prolly knew this already, but on the off chance you didn't, I figure it'd save you some aggravation (showing up with a hungry family) otherwise. I haven't been there yet, can't speak to the quality of the pie.

I have a coupon for the Indian place and will (am on vacation this week alone doig honey-do projects) prolly hit it for lunch this week.

I knew that. We've eaten at Skyline, Chipotle's and Smoothie King often enough to be curious, but just haven't managed to give it a try. I'd love to give the Indian place a try, but I'm not sure what to order. We ate at one of the Indian places in Clifton with one of my wife's co-worker's, who happens to be a native Indian. He ordered everything we ate that night and while I enjoyed some of the dishes, the only thing I can remember with any clarity is the pickles. :-o I'd do those again in a heartbeat. If either of you care to make a recommendation, I'll be ready with pen in hand.
TJ, enjoy the vacation.
BTW, what's the story on Pizzaville in Mt. Washington? Ever tried that?

Pizzaville is amazing

A long time ago, Pizzaville was the only pizza place in Mt Washington. It has somehow survived the arrival of chain pizza places as well as the big blow, LaRosa's moving in right next door.

I don't know how the owner - Len - does it. The place is all but empty most of the time, with occasionally groups of kids sitting down at one of the few tables inside, ordering a 1$ calzone and a drink, and playing cards and yakking for hours. He runs the place by himself with no help whatsoever. He's still putting money and effort into the place, for example putting in a new marble tile floor in the past 6 months. Amazing. I hope he is open for years to come, but I have no idea how the business is sustained

The pizza? I think it's pretty good. My wife, a lifelong LaRosa's addict, tried it once and pretty much prefers it (and Mio's) to LaRoas's, but still gets LaRosa's from time to time. If I am ordering, she always asks for Pizzaville, tho. He also offers a calzone (sans ricotta, rally just a pizza foldover) and a hoagie which are decent. Of course, no delivery is available.

Now my question: I thought you lived in Ft Thomas? You seem to be in the Cherry Grove/Eastgate area a whole lot for a Ft Thomas resident....

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

Pizzaville is amazing

A long time ago, Pizzaville was the only pizza place in Mt Washington. It has somehow survived the arrival of chain pizza places as well as the big blow, LaRosa's moving in right next door.

I don't know how the owner - Len - does it. The place is all but empty most of the time, with occasionally groups of kids sitting down at one of the few tables inside, ordering a 1$ calzone and a drink, and playing cards and yakking for hours. He runs the place by himself with no help whatsoever. He's still putting money and effort into the place, for example putting in a new marble tile floor in the past 6 months. Amazing. I hope he is open for years to come, but I have no idea how the business is sustained

The pizza? I think it's pretty good. My wife, a lifelong LaRosa's addict, tried it once and pretty much prefers it (and Mio's) to LaRoas's, but still gets LaRosa's from time to time. If I am ordering, she always asks for Pizzaville, tho. He also offers a calzone (sans ricotta, rally just a pizza foldover) and a hoagie which are decent. Of course, no delivery is available.

Excellent! I'm glad to hear that it's a worthwhile pizza. We try every new mom and pop pizza place that we can find in the area, so I'll have to move this one up to the on deck circle. Now that I think of it, we MAY just celebrate my birthday there on Saturday with my family. That'd bump his bottom line up some.

Now my question: I thought you lived in Ft Thomas? You seem to be in the Cherry Grove/Eastgate area a whole lot for a Ft Thomas resident....

Easy answer. Ever been to Florence? Bleah.
I've been going to Beechmont since I was a kid, so that has something to do with it, and I'm sure working over here helps. One of my co-workers complained about this years ago. He couldn't understand why we would consider going to the Beechmont area when Florence was so close. Well, it isn't, and it's a night and day difference in traffic and food quality. I never could make him understand that. Take Donato's for instance, we not only miss out on a lovely journey on I-75 if we pick Beechmont over Florence, but the Donato's on Beechmont is far superior to the others we've tried. (That was my grandparent's favorite before they passed away. We'd take them out on Saturday nights and Donato's was almost always their first choice, then Bill Knapp's. My wife can't stomach the thought of Donato's now.) It always bums me out when the Beechmont area loses an eatery because it cuts down on our options. It killed me to see Fuddrucker's go, as well as Bill Knapp's and Ditto's.
That's about it. Short drive. Less traffic. Familiar turf.

Wally - good to know.

Keep in mind that Len has like, oh, 12 chairs total at three tables, so there isn't a lot of seating room even assuming the place is empty when you arrive. Maybe call him in advance to see if he can reserve some seats for you or something? He's pretty flexible/amiable.

I am suprised I haven't heard you mention the lone Roy Roger's Cincinnati location just a tiny bit north from Portobellos on old SR74. Easily my fave cheap hamburger and fries place in town. Another good burger -- had my first one yesterday -- is at Salem Gardens on Salem road not far at all from the Mt Washington Mio's. It's a bar that happens to serve food, lots of TVs with mostly sports on, that sort of thing.

Did you know Bill Knapp's chocolate cakes are still made? You can find them at Meiers, in the bakery area in a refrigerated case.

Hey Shelma9! Is the pizza at Garzelli's, just barely on the other side of I-275 in Withamsville, any good? They've survived at that location for a good 5 years or so now.....

That small, huh? I guess maybe I'll save Pizzaville for a night when it's just my wife, kids and I.

I've mentioned Roy's on several occasions. The Double R Burger is my all time favorite. Few treats bigger in my book than a Double R, Apple Cheese Crisp and an iced tea you could bathe in. My son shares my fondness for Roy's, but my wife and daughter aren't quite as thrilled when I suggest it.
As for local burgers, can I assume that you've tried Zip's in Mt Lookout? We ate there for the first time on Saturday and it was everything I've ever heard it would be. Great burger done the old fashioned way. Salem Gardens sounds like the Skyline Tavern, an old bar that overlooks the NKU campus in Highland Heights. I played ball for them for years and we'd often eat there after our games. One of my favorite hole-in-the-wall burger places. (Very reminiscent of Zip's.)
As for the Knapp's cakes, I'm not much of a dessert guy. I do my damage the old fashioned way; burgers, pizza, steak and ribs.

I had forgotten that you had mentioned Roy's, sorry.

I've tried Zips a couple of times, and have not been impressed. *shrug* I don't know what to tell you, they get rave reviews all the freakin time around here.

It sounds like you son and ou like a lot of things, and your wife and daughter don't like anything. what DO they like? :-)

I gave Zips another try today based solely on your praise of it, and the result was the same: for just shy of 4 bucks, a thin and fairly tasteless burger that seemed to be overcooked, on a bun that did not seem to have any substance, ie it wanted to fall apart. I can't even conceive of spending 7 bucks (!!!) there on a double zipburger.

I had a 1.75 small order of fries as well, and was underwhelmed by these as well. I'll admit it was interesting to find shoestring fries in Cincinnati at a place other than Steak and Shake.

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

I had forgotten that you had mentioned Roy's, sorry.

It sounds like you son and ou like a lot of things, and your wife and daughter don't like anything. what DO they like? :-)

No problem. I don't expect people to remember what I say. If they started now I wouldn't know how to handle it anyway. ;-)

Oddly enough, they both liked Zip's. They'll also agree on LaRosa's, Mio's and Portabello's. My daughter loved Tony Roma's, but MAN! did she ever turn her nose up at a Krystal burger on the way back from the beach last month. In short, no telling. We have tickets to see Chicago at the Aranoff next Saturday, so I'm sure we'll find something my wife likes.

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

I gave Zips another try today based solely on your praise of it, and the result was the same: for just shy of 4 bucks, a thin and fairly tasteless burger that seemed to be overcooked, on a bun that did not seem to have any substance, ie it wanted to fall apart. I can't even conceive of spending 7 bucks (!!!) there on a double zipburger.

I had a 1.75 small order of fries as well, and was underwhelmed by these as well. I'll admit it was interesting to find shoestring fries in Cincinnati at a place other than Steak and Shake.

HA! You and I must be from completely opposite ends of the burger spectrum. How do we agree on Roy's? My burger at Zip's was great, but those fries didn't do it for me either, but then I'm not a fries guy.

Awesome! Finally a review of some of the best pizza in Cincinnati

http://www.cincinnati.com/freetime/dining/reviews/100104_mios_yum.html

Wally: I finally had pizza at Betta's in Norwood, just yesterday evening.

Didn't much care for it. Good crust, I must admit, but the little sauce on it was somewhat bitter and it didn't have very much chese either.

Also thought it was odd that they really lack a waiting area for carryout orders.

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

Wally: I finally had pizza at Betta's in Norwood, just yesterday evening.

Didn't much care for it. Good crust, I must admit, but the little sauce on it was somewhat bitter and it didn't have very much chese either.

Also thought it was odd that they really lack a waiting area for carryout orders.

I'm looking forward to a return trip. Which pizza did you have? I had a Four Seasons pizza, which was pretty good, but my son and daughter both had straight up pepperoni, which was great. As for the carryout, I noticed that also. I think the layout was done with the idea that they would be primarily an "eat-in" place. They maximized table space and completely forgot about the carry-out business.

Plain cheese pie.

I always tend to go with plain cheese when I am trying a place out, as I feel I get a more pure taste of what the place makes, with toppings just getting in the way.

Nice little article in[url='http://www.citybeat.com']Citybeat[/url] this past week on an assortment of non-chain pizza places in Greater Cincinnati.

http://www.citybeat.com/2004-10-06/diner.shtml

I really like the fact that Adriatico's and ZZ's did well, and that Fratelli's did poorly. I too did not finish my Fratelli pizza a few weeks back.....and that may be a first for me.

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

Plain cheese pie.

I always tend to go with plain cheese when I am trying a place out, as I feel I get a more pure taste of what the place makes, with toppings just getting in the way.

Good idea. I usually go for the oddest pizza on the menu that doesn't feature green peppers, but straight pepperoni is always a good standby.

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

Nice little article in[url='http://www.citybeat.com']Citybeat[/url] this past week on an assortment of non-chain pizza places in Greater Cincinnati.

http://www.citybeat.com/2004-10-06/diner.shtml

I really like the fact that Adriatico's and ZZ's did well, and that Fratelli's did poorly. I too did not finish my Fratelli pizza a few weeks back.....and that may be a first for me.

Nice article, but I wish they'd have gone a little deeper. There are a bunch of mom and pop places in the area that I've always been curious about.

mio's is pretty good when i'm in the mood for deep dish... wasn't that impressed with the regular...

what i really want is a pizza place near hyde park square. i live just off the square and wish there were a new york style pizzeria somewhere within walking distance.

where is zz's? i'm trying to picture it...

There is a lot of good eating to be had at Hyde Park Square, but none of it is pizza. I think the place across the street from 5/3 - am thinking the name is Indigo - does pretentious california style pizzas. Teller's also does some of these, sometimes, or at least they used to.

I'm not sure there is a NY style pizza anywhere near there

One fairly well reviewed pizza near you is at Dewey's at Oakley Square. Only about a mile away, not too bad of a walk, really.

Another one to try is one of the very few sell-by-the-slice places in Cincinnati, Lucy Blue's at Mt Lookout Square. They even have a NY-style ordering window that opens right onto the sidewalk, so you never have to leave the sidewalk to order a slice. i tired them during their openign week, was so-so, may have gotten better since then.

I think the closest thing we have to a nyc style pizza is at Pomidoris in Clifton and Montgomery, or at Betta's Italian Oven in Norwood.

Fratelli's in Westchester has gotten some press since it's recent opening as being authentic, but to be quite succinct: their pizza sucks. The crust is OK, the sauce is thin and bitter, and the toppings are scant.

yeah, i like dewey's... it's a do-able walk. but i usually just go and pick it up.

i called and got mios after reading this. and, well, it was pretty darn good -- as always.

i like indigo, but haven't tried one of their pizzas. i may do that sometime soon. i'll make sure to get a take-out menu next time and we'll see.

The mio's thin crust traditional style is imho just as good as the stuffed pizza, and I think the stuffed pizza is improved if you ask for regular pizza sauce in place of the "marianara" sauce they use on the stuffed pizzas

Just once, pay 50 cents extra and get the sesame seed crust. I really like it, albeit 50 cents is steep for what little you get. Nonetheless, worth a single try.

A good place for pizza is in Hamilton, it's just a few miles from the Vietnamese restaurant that some of you have mentioned going to in Fairfiled, Saigon Dragon. it's called Chester's, on Rt 4 in Hamilton. Been there since I was kid and really outstanding. I think it is their only location.

carl reitz

quote:

Originally posted by carlton pierre

A good place for pizza is in Hamilton, it's just a few miles from the Vietnamese restaurant that some of you have mentioned going to in Fairfiled, Saigon Dragon. it's called Chester's, on Rt 4 in Hamilton. Been there since I was kid and really outstanding. I think it is their only location.

carl reitz

I think they used to run commercials on local radio for this place a few years ago. I remember thinking that I needed to check it out, but never got around to it. I'm again thinking that I need to check it out.

Chester's last name is DaDabo so he is very italian, Wallyum. I think you;ll like it. Whenever I go to Hamilton I come home with a pizza.
While you're there, you might want to check out Richards. Another mile beyond Chesters, on Rt 4 on the left. Excellent steak sandwiches, and pizzas. I always get a steak sandwich. Their specialty.

carl reitz

Last time I was at Chesters, it was indeed quite good.

Describe Richard's steak sandwich, if you don't mind.

Richards steak sandwich is what I grew up thinking was a steak sandwich. A ground meat patty, rather elongated, covered in pizza sauce, or something akin to it, and cheese with mushrooms on a hoagie style bun. They're quite excellent and they ship them all over the country, you can order via internet, but not someone's idea of a steak sandwich if you grew up in the east.

http://www.richardspizza.com/index.shtml

Ah, this is what I know (and have known for 35+ years) as a steak hoagie.

Couldn't find a nice "sandwich only closeup" pic, but this pic includes what appears to my eyes to be a standard steak hoagie...err, half of one :-)


The standard Steak Hoagie in Cincinnati are put together with an enlongated hamburger "steak" pattie covered with pizza sauce and mozzerella cheese topped with raw onion and pickles on a hoagie roll.

The most common variant, and this one is favored by my wife, replaces the pizza sauce with brown beef gravy.

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

Nice little article in[url='http://www.citybeat.com']Citybeat[/url] this past week on an assortment of non-chain pizza places in Greater Cincinnati.

http://www.citybeat.com/2004-10-06/diner.shtml

I really like the fact that Adriatico's and ZZ's did well, and that Fratelli's did poorly. I too did not finish my Fratelli pizza a few weeks back.....and that may be a first for me.

I didn't know that you had an Adriatico's in Cincy. Heck, maybe it was there first. But I love the one here in Columbus for the deep dish pizza. The review is right, the crust is very garlicy but it is really good and incredibly filling. I can eat maybe three pieces of it in one sitting if I'm really hungry. I usually just get pepperoni there. It's big (one piece per piece) but I also like their sausage as it is clearly not pre-made but is just torn into little chunks right before going into the oven.

The one here in Columbus has a special every Monday and Tuesday which is a large one topping for $10. That may not sound great but it is actually $3.50 off the regular price and a large can easily feed four people with some leftovers for breakfast (it's great cold).

One other good thing there is the breadsticks. It is one of the only places I can find that has nacho cheese sauce for the breadsticks. I grew up on this back in Indiana eating at the now closed Noble Romans chain. And I was surprised to find out after moving away from there that this is not a common dipping sauce for breadsticks. Most places just have marinara or maybe garlic butter.

Ok now I'm hungry.

quote:

Originally posted by hatteras04
I grew up on this back in Indiana eating at the now closed Noble Romans chain. And I was surprised to find out after moving away from there that this is not a common dipping sauce for breadsticks. Most places just have marinara or maybe garlic butter.

The Noble Roman's chain is no more? Bummer. That was one of the high points of any trip through Indiana for me. They never went over in Cincinnati (and cost us our Godfather's franchise,) but the difference between the Cincy/NKY Noble Roman's and the Indiana stores was like night and day.

I didn't know there was/is an Adriatico's anywhere else, to be honest, I thought it was a one of a kind place here in Cincinnati.

http://www.cincinnati.com/freetime/weekend/030201_weekend.html

I wish they had a website so we could compare, but I did a search and came up empty, other than the link above that gives it a mention.

The Adriatico's here is right on the University of Cincinnati campus, so most all of their business is UC students, and they are carryout and delivery only.

Wally, have you had a chance to try Pizzaville yet?

quote:

Originally posted by carlton pierre

While you're there, you might want to check out Richards. Another mile beyond Chesters, on Rt 4 on the left. Excellent steak sandwiches, and pizzas. I always get a steak sandwich. Their specialty.

carl reitz

Carl, Richard's has three locations. Besides the one on OH 4, there is one on Main Street (OH 129&177) between "E" and "F" Sts. on the west side of Hamilton (I grew up there, BTW), and earlier this year one opened in Trenton (west of Middletown) on the west side (855 W. Main St./OH 73).

As for Chester's, I thought they had a west side location as well, in the strip mall further west on Main St. (OH 177; by this time OH 129 has turned onto Millville Ave.) between Lawn Avenue and the Marathon (formerly Ashland, Chevron, and Gulf--the gas with guts!) gas station.

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

Wally, have you had a chance to try Pizzaville yet?

No, but not because I've forgotten about it. I was going to suggest it on Saturday night this week, but my parents and my sister's family all were looking to get out also. We wound up at Betta's in Norwood, which is rapidly becoming one of my favorite stops. My son had a pizza, and while I love the crust, the rest of the pizza didn't impress me all that much this time. No matter. He liked it and was thrilled to have some left over to eat on Sunday.
I did try Papa Murphy's last week, just because I wanted to see how the process worked. I managed to feed the family for under $15, and the pizza wasn't bad. It cooked up a lot like some of the frozen pizzas of my youth, but the quality of the toppings elevated it to a level above frozen. I think the distance will keep it from being a regular stop on my Beechmont route, but we may return in the future.
ANFSCD, did you notice that IHOP is making a return to Beechmont? Hear anything about a return by Uno's?

Return by Uno's is unlikely...

Have been watching the IHOP rise from the ashes of Bill Knapps. Wife loves pancakes, so its a sure stop at least one time to try.

Betta's - Love the crust, hate the sauce. ah well. I'm going to make an effort to get in to Pomidori's, Adriaticos, and/or Trottas in Westwood for a pie, will let you know how it goes. I also want to get the wife in to try the original Betta's in Mt Lookout.

I'm glad you reviewed Papa Murphy's...no need for us to try it now. Doesn't make sense to make a stop specifically for a pizza I still have to bake that in turn isn't much better than frozen.

quote:

Originally posted by hatteras04

I grew up on this back in Indiana eating at the now closed Noble Romans chain. And I was surprised to find out after moving away from there that this is not a common dipping sauce for breadsticks. Most places just have marinara or maybe garlic butter.

quote:

Originally posted by Wallyum

The Noble Roman's chain is no more? Bummer. That was one of the high points of any trip through Indiana for me. They never went over in Cincinnati (and cost us our Godfather's franchise,) but the difference between the Cincy/NKY Noble Roman's and the Indiana stores was like night and day.

Are you two absolutely certain Noble Roman's is out of business?

I look at http://www.nobleromans.com/premier/premier_main.htm and http://www.nobleromans.com/ and it would seem that they think they are still in business, particularly with press releases like this one: http://www.columbusconventions.com/pr_nobles04.htm

I am all but certain they are gone from Cincinnati (they don't have a locator/locations link on the website) but I am not sure the whole chain is gone.

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

quote:

Originally posted by hatteras04

I grew up on this back in Indiana eating at the now closed Noble Romans chain. And I was surprised to find out after moving away from there that this is not a common dipping sauce for breadsticks. Most places just have marinara or maybe garlic butter.

quote:

Originally posted by Wallyum

The Noble Roman's chain is no more? Bummer. That was one of the high points of any trip through Indiana for me. They never went over in Cincinnati (and cost us our Godfather's franchise,) but the difference between the Cincy/NKY Noble Roman's and the Indiana stores was like night and day.

Are you two absolutely certain Noble Roman's is out of business?

I look at http://www.nobleromans.com/premier/premier_main.htm and http://www.nobleromans.com/ and it would seem that they think they are still in business, particularly with press releases like this one: http://www.columbusconventions.com/pr_nobles04.htm

I am all but certain they are gone from Cincinnati (they don't have a locator/locations link on the website) but I am not sure the whole chain is gone.

No, I just took what Hatteras said at face value. I haven't seen one in Indiana in quite a while, but I haven't really been looking either. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

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Originally posted by TJ Jackson

I'm glad you reviewed Papa Murphy's...no need for us to try it now. Doesn't make sense to make a stop specifically for a pizza I still have to bake that in turn isn't much better than frozen.

No, it wasn't exactly a memorable culinary experience. Not bad, but not anything to get excited about.

You folks will be happy to know that Noble Roman's is not dead, though indeed it's gasping. There are a few locations left here in Indianapolis.

How's the pizza there, Lambertman?

quote:

Originally posted by Wallyum

quote:

Originally posted by TJ Jackson

quote:

Originally posted by hatteras04

I grew up on this back in Indiana eating at the now closed Noble Romans chain. And I was surprised to find out after moving away from there that this is not a common dipping sauce for breadsticks. Most places just have marinara or maybe garlic butter.

quote:

Originally posted by Wallyum

The Noble Roman's chain is no more? Bummer. That was one of the high points of any trip through Indiana for me. They never went over in Cincinnati (and cost us our Godfather's franchise,) but the difference between the Cincy/NKY Noble Roman's and the Indiana stores was like night and day.

Are you two absolutely certain Noble Roman's is out of business?

I look at http://www.nobleromans.com/premier/premier_main.htm and http://www.nobleromans.com/ and it would seem that they think they are still in business, particularly with press releases like this one: http://www.columbusconventions.com/pr_nobles04.htm

I am all but certain they are gone from Cincinnati (they don't have a locator/locations link on the website) but I am not sure the whole chain is gone.

No, I just took what Hatteras said at face value. I haven't seen one in Indiana in quite a while, but I haven't really been looking either. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

To clarify, all of the ones in Bloomington are now closed. There was one left across from South high school but when I went there in October, it was now closed.

TJ, it's actually still pretty good. I get the works, and the sausage and pepperoni is very overpowering. The heavy meatiness is a good balance to the thin crust. (Although it becomes hard to handle when reheated. :) )

quote:

Originally posted by Wallyum

Friday at dinnertime, everyone in my household answered "PIZZA" when the time came for me to ask about dinner. I've been eyeing this new restaurant that has sprung up in one of the old Mio's locations since I noticed it a couple of months back. It's called Portobello's and as I mentioned, it's located in the old Mio's location in Mt. Carmel.

The local monthly coupon magazine this month included a coupon for Portabello's, 6.99 for a large one topping thin crust, so I and the 2 daughters (3yr4mo, 1y21mo) headed off to Portabello's to try it out.

The parking lot was empty at 1pm on Saturday, so we had the run of the place. The 3yr old picked a table, and I ordered up a 1/2 cheese 1/2 bacon and onion posthaste, with a small chicago style stuffed pizza as well to try. Heck I had a good coupon, no biggie :-)

Both pizzas came at the same time, which suprised me a lot. At Mio's, or any other place where you get a deep dish or stuffed, you're warned about the wait. Well, I found out why soon enough. Both pizzas were made from the same very thick, bready dough. The "thin" crust was nearly 3/4 of an inch thick, it was more like eating a dinner rool topped with pizza toppings than a pizza. The stuffed pizza, which should normally be made with a somewhat different dough and baked twice (once with just cheese, then again after the sauce is ladled on top) was made of the same dough, only more of it. Said another way, they made their "deep dish" the same way they made their thin crust, only used more dough and put on the sauce after the cheese for the chicago deep dish "look" without the deep dish taste.

I was also disappointed in the fact that there were very few toppings, not a lot of difference between the cheese side and the bacon/onion side, to be honest. The onions were also cut into very thin rings, which made them hard to chew

The sauce was good, nicely spiced, but rather thin.

Overall, I'd say this was a very disappointing stop.

Must be something in the air over your way. ;-) We went to the new Mio's on Friday night at my insistence. (Everyone else wanted Portabello's.) Worst meal I've ever had in a Mio's. When we were first married, my wife and I would order takeout from the Ft. Thomas Mio's every couple of weeks and each get a sandwich with banana peppers. They were awesome! Friday night I decided to make lightning strike again and was sorely disappointed. The sandwich that we once loved has been reduced to a shadow of it's former self. It was kind of a tasteless blob, with onions even though I had asked for them to be left off. I'd also ordered a Caesar salad, (watching my figure,) and that was also an experience. I've never had a Caesar with salad dressing that tasted sweet. My wife and kids (+1) all got pizza, which was as good as I've come to expect. From now on I stick with pizza in a pizza place. (And to think I passed on a stuffed pizza for that mess.)

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Originally posted by carlton pierre

While you're there, you might want to check out Richards. Another mile beyond Chesters, on Rt 4 on the left. Excellent steak sandwiches, and pizzas. I always get a steak sandwich. Their specialty.

I finally got up to Richard's for a steak sandwich yesterday, and I concur with you wholeheartedly. Great recommendation. Huge and tasty, loaded with onions, wonderful. The roll was toasted, has a nice crusty bite to it with soft innards. The garlic butter added a certain something, very nice.

I tried a small pizza as well, found it to be passable, nothing nearly as good as the steak sandwich.

Going to have to get me another Richard's fix soon, thanks for addicting me! :-)

quote:

Originally posted by carlton pierre

Richards steak sandwich is what I grew up thinking was a steak sandwich. A ground meat patty, rather elongated, covered in pizza sauce, or something akin to it, and cheese with mushrooms on a hoagie style bun.

Mushrooms and cheese are (as the menu says) both extra. I tried it with cheese but no mushrooms. If you order the standard sandwich, the sauce is a steak sauce, but you can specifcy pizza sauce. The sauce on the small pizza I also tried was fairly unremarkable, so I'd always go with the steak sauce on this sandwich.

Lord, I've never seen so much sliced onion on a sandwich :-)

Another franchise I wish would return to Cincy is Godfather's. I grew up in the Surrey Square shop playing the KISS pinball machine after shopping at Record Theatre.

Great semi-deep dish crust with unique sauce and 'pebble style' sausage.

With LaRosa's at an all-time low point, maybe it's time for a comeback.

I think Godfather's was bought out and closed forever.....resurrection not possible, as I understand the matter

Nope, they are alive and well. A search on their website shows 60 locations within 200 miles (closest is 67 miles). I go to the Danville KY store when I am down that way.

Hmm, how odd

A number of regional chains gave up on the area during the Little Caeser's/Dominos onslaught of the 80's. The resurgence of quality over price began with Snappy Tomato and allowed Papa John's and Donato's a foothold. I just hope everyone can ride out the Atkins nightmare, I love the variety of pizzas available here.