Cincinnati Magazine - March 2023 Edition

SEANOEVIL

IvoryHouse’sBluefin tunawithponzu, shallots,andwasabi

OUR TOP 10 RESTAURANTS

W H E R E N O W TO E AT

Shaping Up Your Spring!

Brooke Stinnette, RN BSN

“I love that EmSculpt Neo and CoolSculpting Elite treatments can complement each other to meet each person’s unique needs and enhance your favorite features while reducing unwanted fat.”

Amanda Schmidt, LME

“EmSculpt Neo treatments helped to strengthen my core and almost completely resolved back pain and diastasis recti that I experienced postpartum. I also love the skin tightening and improved appearance of stretch marks that my patients have gotten.”

Chloe Dedden, RN BSN

“Working out, eating healthy, and living an overall healthy lifestyle is necessary for mental health but to have the option to do a treatment that increases results and/or boost goal is amazing!”

Planning to slim down for Spring?

Q&A on Treatments

How much fat reduction can you expect from a body contouring treatment?

An EmSculpt Neo treatment combines radio frequency to tighten the skin and destroy fat cells, as well as high intensity focused electromagnetic (HIFEM) energy to build muscle. During the treatment, you will feel a warm sensation from the heat transmitted from the radio frequency while also feeling muscle contractions (equivalent to 20,000 crunches in one treatment). On average, 30% fat reduction and 25% muscle growth is achieved. The best part: there is no downtime with this treatment option! “Tapping” cycles within the treatment break up the lactic acid within the muscles, which is the cause of soreness after your normal gym workout.

CoolSculpting Elite treatments are ideal for those who would like to target focused areas of fat reduction. This option provides the opportunity to truly individualize the treatment plan by mapping out

It is also a fantastic option for targetinging utilizes cryolipolysis to eliminate fat through cold temperatures. On average, 20–25% reduction in fat can be expected to each area. Mild swelling, bruising, or tenderness can occur in the treatment area, resolving after two weeks on average.

What is the difference between fat reduction treatments and toning treatments?

Coolsculpting Elite is strictly a fat reduction treatment that uses cooling technology to target trouble areas like the can struggle with these areas because of their genetics and no matter how much you might work out, they cannot achieve the results they want. CoolSculpting Elite has one main job, and that is to get rid of fat and it is very targeted to the treatment area. EmSculpt Neo on the other hand does a few different jobs. It is going to treat major muscle groups such as your abdomen wall to tighten your tummy, or your glutes to plump up your booty. While it is building your muscles, EmSculpt Neo is also using radio frequency for fat loss and skin tightening. By building muscle, you will

CoolSculpting helps to debulk fat and

treatment?

Doing a toning and tightening procedure, such as EmSculpt Neo, includes many muscle to its full potential allowing it to strengthen, grow, and heal quicker if injured. When treating the abdomen, for example, the core muscles are strengthened which can improve posture and diastasis recti. Patients may see some from doing a toning treatment, such as reduced back pain, reduced risk of injury and improved mobility. Emsculpt Neo is a great treatment for people young and old, and not just for those who want a more toned body. As we age, our ability to build muscle declines and we lose about 3-8% of our muscle mass per decade after the age of 30, and even more after the age of 60. EmSculpt Neo is an antiaging secret that can actually help rebuild the muscle mass that we lose with age.

P. 36

WHERE TO EAT NOW

Here are the top 10 restaurants in Cincinnati as well as the dish of the year, a stunning dessert, and a roundup of excellent options that just missed our list. Plus, our tribute to Jean-Robert de Cavel.

THE WORKING ROYALS P. 54

In gowns and crowns, the Imperial Sovereign Queen City Court of the Buckeye Empire has been doing drag for charity for more than 30 years. Somehow their work has remained mostly under the radar.

THE BELLE, THE CAD, AND THE SEX SCANDAL P. 58

A Victorian era paternity case takes us back to a Cincinnati where sex was shameful, abortion was murder, and women were second-class citizens.

Infinite Possibilities. Unlimited Attention.®

“We strive to make furniture of such impeccable quality that it brings joy not only to the people who own it, but also to the craftsmen who build it.”

- Harley F. Shuford, Sr., Founder of Century Furniture

Style, Value & Quality

What makes for the best furniture shopping experience? At Best Furniture Gallery, we believe it’s about building long-term relationships with our clients and working hard to earn their business year after year. Charlie and Eva Best understood this when they founded Best Furniture over 80 years ago and we are proud to serve many of the same families who have been supporting us for generations.

Whether you’re in your 20s

and furnishing your first home, or a seasoned professional furnishing your masterpiece, Best Furniture Gallery has something for everyone. From the moment you walk through our doors you’ll feel right at home, and you can rest assured that we feature only the quality home furnishings and accessories that we’d want for our own home.

We look forward to welcoming you to our 18,000 square-foot showroom where our dedicated team will work hard to ensure nothing but the best possible experience. In the meantime, we invite you visit us online at BestFurnitureGallery.com. We look forward to meeting you in person.

16 / CONTRIBUTORS

16 / LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

FRONTLINES

21 / DISPATCH

The Cincinnati International Wine Festival reclaims March

22 / SPEAK EASY

Michelle Hopkins returns to WCPO

22 / THEATER

Drew Lachey in

A Chorus Line

24 / ON THE MARKET

This Springboro estate has its own indoor soccer field

26 / STOREFRONT

How Fleurish Home keeps things fresh

28 / ESCAPE

A weekend in the Steel City

30 / DR. KNOW Your QC questions answered

COLUMNS

32 / WELCOME TO MIDDLEHOOD

Maple trees and memories

BY JUDI KETTELER

112 / CINCY OBSCURA

Hamilton’s train depot BY LAUREN FISHER

DINE

82 / HOT PLATE

MamaBear’s Mac, West Chester

82 / TABLESIDE WITH…

Tiana Mutts of Tiana’s Cheesecake Wonders

84 / TAKE 5

Build a cheese portfolio

86 / HIGH SPIRITS

Annata Wine Bar and Cellar, O’Bryonville

87 / DINING GUIDE

Greater Cincinnati restaurants: A selective list

ON THE COVER photograph by CATHERINE VIOX

FOOD NEWS

An extra serving of our outstanding dining coverage. CITY NEWS

Decoding our civic DNA, from history to politics to personalities. HOME + LIFE

Tracking what’s new in local real estate, artisans, and storefronts.

Insight and analysis on the Reds and FC Cincinnati

3 Keys To Help You Slam Dunk Retirement

As a Cincinnati-based team with 55+ years of combined experience, we help everyone from executives and business owners to retirees and families navigate every step of their financial future

John Gould: Financial Advisor. Certified Financial PlannerTM. Senior Portfolio Manager. Certified Private Wealth Advisor®. Workplace Advisor - Equity Compensation. Alternative Investments Director. 27+ years of experience. Former NCAA D1 Tennis Player. Anna Kohlem: Assistant Vice President. Wealth Management Associate. Financial Planning Associate. Complex CSA Coach. 25+ years of experience. Janie Shaffer: Business Development Director. Duke University graduate. Former attorney. 5+ years of experience. Former NCAA D1 Volleyball Player.

Women Who Move Cincinnati

Cincinnati Magazine puts the spotlight on influential women who are making their mark in business, finance, healthcare, and philanthropy.

Morgan Stanley and its Financial Advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Individuals should seek advice based on their particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor. CFP Board owns the marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the U.S. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC offers insurance products in conjunction with its licensed insurance agency affiliates. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. CRC 4261368 06/2022

1 in 4 Americans suffers from mental

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DESIGN DIRECTOR Brittany Dexter

DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL OPERATIONS

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CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS Lance Adkins, Wes Battoclette, Aaron M. Conway, Chris Danger, Andrew Doench, Devyn Glista, Chris von Holle, Jeremy Kramer, Ryan Kurtz, Lars Leetaru, Marlene Rounds, Dola Sun, Catie Viox

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR & IT SYSTEMS ADMINISTRATOR

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The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center’s Cincinnati

The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center’s Cincinnati

Upstander Weekend celebrates and uplifts the changemakers in our community. Join us, in partnership with Cincinnati Museum Center, for a weekend full of events at historic Union Terminal that will inspire you to make your own mark.

JUNE 10 I UPSTANDER 5K, MUSEUM FAMILY DAY & VOLUNTEER EXPO

JUNE 11 I UPSTANDER AWARDS FEATURING KATIE COURIC

www.holocaustandhumanity.org

THE PANDEMIC SHUT DOWN OUR WORLD THREE YEARS AGO THIS MONTH. I DIStinctly remember scoffing when Fauci, the Brooklynese-spouting doctor on TV, said COVID would disrupt daily life for a long time, possibly years. We all thought things would calm down after just a month or two, making the new routines like working from home, watching live theater on the computer, and ordering takeout from nice restaurants tolerable, if not fun.

The fun stopped pretty quickly. The “new normal” soon got boring, then annoying, and finally destructive. Start with more than 1 million Americans dead from COVID. Add in the millions of children whose school years were interrupted, if not ruined, with the long-term impact on their educations yet to be known. What about the businesses and organizations dependent on human interaction—from restaurants and bars to performing arts and retail shops—that couldn’t hang on during the uncertainty? Most of us made it through the past three years in OK shape, but too many didn’t.

March 2020 was the last time we rated the top restaurants in Cincinnati Magazine. We used the next two years’ Best Restaurants issue to recognize and celebrate those who were struggling to keep their doors open, keep staff employed, and keep us fed. Rankings were beside the point; survival was the only goal.

We return to a top 10 restaurant list in “Where to Eat Now” (page 36). This feels like the right time to close the pandemic curtain— two months before the Biden administration officially does—but we can never forget the damage done in the past three years. Three of our 2020 best restaurants closed: Please (No. 1), Restaurant L (No. 4), and Orchids at Palm Court (No. 10). Boombox Buns and Zula, highlighted for certain dishes or chefs, are out of business. Jean-Robert de Cavel, the spiritual leader of Cincinnati’s restaurant industry, passed away.

The local restaurant scene pushes on nonetheless, with new concepts and old favorites rising to the occasion and a variety of chefs grabbing James Beard Award nominations. Life will never be like it was before March 2020, so we’ll take all the bright spots we can get.

MICHAEL D. MORGAN

Contributing writer Michael Morgan was working on a book about Cincinnati’s Gilded Age when he stumbled across the story of Nan Dickey, a Victorian-era socialite whose reputation had been ruined by scandal (“The Belle, The Cad, and the Sex Scandal,” page 58). The story didn’t fit the book, but Morgan couldn’t stop thinking about it. “I love a good story, and well-told history is usually more intriguing than fiction,” he says. “If you know history, the gritty details, and the real motivations behind events, you can often predict patterns of future social behavior.”

LAURIE PIKE

When a teenaged Laurie Pike first saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show, she no longer felt like an outsider in her small Maine hometown. That moment unleashed a creative spark—and a greater appreciation for the art of drag. In “The Working Royals” (page 54), Pike focuses on the “give-back” behind the glitz and glamor, pushing back against the misconception that drag is a grab for attention. “They really just want to support charities and those less fortunate,” she says.

When it comes to CM’s Best Restaurants (page 36) issue, this isn’t Catherine Viox’s first rodeo. “Photographing food is my favorite,” says Viox. “Getting to highlight these beautiful dishes within these absolutely stunning spaces is a fun challenge. It’s such a special experience to connect with the chefs and teams behind all of these incredible establishments and get a behind-the-scenes look at how they operate. That being said, it makes you hungry.”

THE SPIRITS ARE WILLING

The Cincinnati International Wine Festival reclaims its March dates for in-person wining, dining, and reveling.

AS WE CONTINUE TO CAUTIOUSLY emerge from the pandemic, which this month reaches its three-year anniversary here, most of us are ready to look ahead and put several years of cancelled events and staying home in the rearview mirror. We want to celebrate, raise a glass, and seize the day. And the Cincinnati International Wine Festival might just be the most spirited (ahem) way to do just that.

While Cincinnati might be bestknown for its brewing history, this area has a strong foothold in the wine industry, too, all the way back to the days of Nicholas Longworth and his famed Catawba grapes. Local oenophile Russ Wiles knew these connections, and in 1991 he launched the Cincinnati International Wine Festival to bring people together through an appreciation for wine and support for local charities. Thirty-plus years later, the annual event has donated a total of $6.75 million to more than 30 local nonprofits while attracting wine enthusiasts and experts from all across the U.S. and the world.

When the pan-

DISPATCH

demic hit in March 2020, the festival was one of the first public events here to cancel. After skipping 2021 and downsizing to a cozier grand tasting in May 2022, the Cincinnati International Wine Festival reclaims its March weekend this year and expands its footprint at the Duke Energy Convention Center.

Brad Huberman was brought on as the festival’s executive director last year after a 20-year career at the American Sign Museum, Cincinnati Ballet, and other organizations. The 2022 festival presented numerous challenges, most notably the subdued mood of limited public interaction. Huberman took a “dip your toes in” approach, he says, focusing first on building community partnerships and staff morale. Supply chain issues and shortages had put many regional wineries and local small businesses and nonprofits in a tough place, so he says he wanted to rebuild relationships and fund-raise for and support other charitable organizations.

Huberman says more than 100 different wineries across the globe had committed to the event by mid-January.

“The world has changed and evolved, and so has the way we drink wine,” says Mary Horn, vice president of fine wine sales and education at Heidelberg Distributing and a wine festival board member.

“Now that we’re back to hosting the festival in March, attendees can expect it to be more spread out in a larger space but with a different feeling than if you’d attended pre-pandemic.” Water stations will be separated from where wine is poured and tasted, she says, while food samples will no longer be self-serve and desserts will be individually wrapped.

Sip and Give

The Cincinnati International Wine Festival is March 9–11 at the Duke Energy Convention Center: winefestival.com.

But while the 2023 festival might look different, it won’t feel different. “We’re bringing in the same great wines and great people,” says Horn. “There will be wonderful folks representing their wineries, with international wines from all over the world.” New tasting opportunities include sake and wine-based seltzers.

Even as it recedes, the pandemic will inform much of this year’s festivities, from participating wineries to the layout itself. Grand tastings will be held in Exhibit Hall A at the Duke Energy Convention Center, which will accommodate up to 7,000 festivalgoers at one time and allow for more regions, states, and countries to be represented.

Huberman is cautiously optimistic that the event’s larger size and scope will rekindle the energy and spirit of charity that fi rst attracted him to the position. “Cincinnati has such a passion for giving back,” he says. “And combining the Queen City’s overall philosophy of generosity with wine, the Cincinnati International Wine Festival is a winwin proposition.”

SINGULAR SENSATION

Playhouse in the Park christens its new stage March 16 with A Chorus Line, the iconic 1975 musical about the thrills and challenges of live theater. Cincinnati native Drew Lachey plays Zach, the company’s perfectionist choreographer and director.

cincyplay.com

FOLLOWING HER HEART BACK TO TV

If you’d asked seasoned news anchor Michelle Hopkins a year ago if she imagined herself in front of a camera again, she would have said no. But when an opportunity with her former station, WCPO Channel 9, presented itself, she says she had to “follow her heart.” Hopkins left news in 2010 to pursue other passions, including community outreach at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Returning to television makes sense in many ways, though her new duties co-hosting the Cincy Lifestyle morning program with Peter Scalia and Mikhayla Hughes-Shaw have come with new hurdles. Reflecting on her career transitions, Hopkins says, “Life is funny, right? God has a sense of humor.”

When did you realize you wanted to return to TV? During the pandemic, Children’s Hospital asked me to host videos, and I loved it. I thought, I wish there was some way I could continue. Within months, Channel 9 and I started talking. Sometimes you have to take a step back to take a step forward.

What’s it like to make a major career

shift mid-life? I’ve always been the kind of person who likes a challenge. I figured I don’t have a ton of years left to work, so why not do something I really love? So it’s a shift, but in a way it’s coming home.

How has television changed since you left in 2010? Things have changed a lot. I’ve been blessed to work with a photographer on some stories, but other stories I’ve been out there with my trusty iPhone. And I’m constantly updating my Instagram account. You have to keep evolving and challenging yourself; that’s the way I like it.

What’s something specific you like about Cincinnati? I love the running community here. I got into it about a year ago. I don’t want to say how old I am, but it’s kind of different for somebody getting into running later in life. I joined the Black Girls Run group and started running and haven’t really stopped. I’m going to do two races this weekend. I’m going for the awards bling, right?

READ A LONGER CONVERSATION WITH MICHELLE AT CINCINNATIMAGAZINE. COM

PITCH PERFECT

THE KIDS KNEW IT BECAUSE OF THE HAGDOME.

There were plenty of other reasons to know about the house, given that it’s easily one of the largest in Springboro. But members of the Dayton/Cincinnati soccer community knew it as more than just a 13,000-square-foot mansion in the countryside. They knew it because it was the house with a full-size indoor pitch and an owner willing to throw open the doors to pickup games and practices. They had William Hagerty to thank for that.

As the story goes, Hagerty, a Dayton-area dentist and Alter grad who later played for Notre Dame, promised his soccer friends that the next home he built would have an indoor field suitable for year-round pickup games. The dentist followed through on a grand scale, tacking onto his 25-acre property a pitch as big as the house itself, complete with a carpet of green turf, movable goals, and a couple of basketball hoops, just in case players felt like switching gears. Players came from far and

wide to experience the legendary field in person.

The house sits just five miles away from Springboro, shrouded from a country road by acres of trees. A winding drive opens to a vast estate that wouldn’t be out of place along an east coast shoreline with its cedar shingles, soaring windows, and deep, breezy porches. Inside, you’ll find seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, and plenty of sunny spaces fit for work and relaxation.

And while the Hagdome is there in the side yard when you feel the urge to burn off some soccer steam, this estate isn’t just about the game, though the golf simulator and full-size fitness studio in the grown-up Candy Land of a lower level admittedly do cater to a specific sporty crowd. That lower level, referred to by listing agents as the “entertaining wing,” is home to the basement trifecta of wet bar, rec area, and a three-screen movie theater. And if that wasn’t enough, it’s got its very own pathway to the Hagdome.

THIS SPRINGBORO ESTATE WOULD BE IMPRESSIVE ON ITS OWN. THE FULL-SIZED INDOOR SOCCER FIELD IS JUST THE ICING ON THE CAKE. —LAUREN FISHER

REDEFINING THE GIFT SHOP

Starting a business is tough. And survival rates aren’t great, especially as years go on: Less than 38 percent of businesses that opened a decade ago were still around last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Fleurish Home is not only beating those odds—it’s thriving.

Since opening in 2013, the home decorturned-gift store has actually grown its operations, with storefronts in Hamilton, Loveland, and Springboro. Owner Debra Campbell attributes the growth of her gift and home decor empire to three factors: flexibility, listening to community demand, and specialization.

Campbell, who previously owned a decorative finishing business, started Fleurish Home purely as a home decor shop in 2013. But the Springboro location— Fleurish’s first—was just the beginning.

“You can’t sell furniture well in a 1,500-square-foot space,” Campbell says. “People would come in and say, ‘This is a great place to get a gift. What else do you have?’ ”

So Campbell gradually changed directions, stocking more candles at first, then expanding into dishes and serving ware. Seasonal decor and jewelry came next, while clothing followed suit when she opened Fleurish’s Main Street Hamilton location in 2017.

Campbell added clothing to the mix at the Hamilton shop in response to a need for affordable and fashion-

forward apparel options for women in their 30s to 50s. As Campbell puts it, “[they] don’t want to wear Forever 21 anymore but can’t afford expensive designer clothes.”

Today, apparel and jewelry account for one-third of Fleurish’s sales. “If you’re not always changing and evolving,” Campbell says, “you might as well hang that going-out-ofbusiness sign.”

While every new location is a part of the larger Fleurish ecosystem, each shop has a different specialty based on the needs of its community. The latest store, which migrated to a bustling corner in downtown Loveland last year, stocks a large

selection of Spiritiles, collectible copper and enamel art pieces just slightly larger than a brick. Clothing is most popular in Hamilton, in part because it’s also Fleurish’s busiest location. In Springboro, meanwhile, decor and seasonal items are most popular.

“A lot of customers will tell us we are their happy place,” Campbell says. “As an owner, I can’t think of a better compliment.”

FLEURISH HOME’S GROWTH SECRET ISN’T SUCH A SECRET: IT’S ABOUT LISTENING TO THE COMMUNITY. —JACLYN YOUHANA GARVER

STEEL CITY WEEKEND

FORGET WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT CINCINNATI’S SPORTS RIVAL. FOR A FAMILY GETAWAY, PITTSBURGH ISN’T HALF BAD.

—ALEXANDRA FROST

Pittsburgh is literally the last place my die-hard Bengals family would think to head for a weekend away. But you can only visit the same two-hours-away cities so many times before you need a change of pace. So I packed up my three young sons and my husband and headed to enemy territory to see what family-friendly weekend activities they had to offer. And in spite of all the toxic yellow and black around town, Steel City didn’t disappoint.

WHERE TO STAY

Another revelation: I didn’t realize that “familyfriendly” hotels exist, but leave it to the hometown of Mr. Rogers to create one. The Kimpton Hotel Monaco proved to be just that, with eclectic decor like full-sized bird cages for bedside lamps and, much to my kids’ delight after the four-hour drive, Micro kickboard scooters. Yes, kids are literally allowed to scoot through the hallways. They also became quickly addicted to their housemade

gummy bears, which seriously rivaled their Haribo favorites.

Traveling with babies is also much easier at this hotel, which offers mini fridges for breast milk storage, along with 4moms products like mamaRoo infant seats, breeze plus baby play yards, and a cleanwater tub. Those kinds of conveniences cut baby-related luggage in half.

WHAT TO EAT

Pittsburgh has a competitive takeout scene, which is a must-have for families who can’t wine and dine in sitdown settings. We checked out Primanti Bros (locals call it Pittsburgh’s “signature restaurant”), which features sandwiches piled high with French fries. Visitors should also check out The Yard in Market Square, which boasts an impressive kids’ menu with classics like gourmet grilled cheese and tomato soup. Just a short drive away, we loved walking around Bellevue, a quiet and charming suburb where we headed to Maxwell’s and wished our kids had the bandwidth to chill at Lincoln Avenue Brewery. Instead, we grabbed a latte at Muddy Cup on the town’s main stretch and headed back for naptime.

WHAT TO DO

After settling in, we headed to Pins Mechanical, a similar but slightly more elaborate version of our Pins location, which had just opened in Pittsburgh. It offers a two-story metal slide that my kids couldn’t get enough of. The arcade, duckpin bowling, and oversized yard games (like a massive

Lite-Brite) were a total hit, making it the perfect place for parents to chill and have a drink while kids have fun. We brought in food from a local restaurant, and the kids didn’t want to leave all night.

The next day was full of experimenting, learning, and playing at the Carnegie Science Center, where we saw a piece of Mars, went inside a submarine in the river, ate at the museum’s surprisingly good café, and my kids even practiced giving their in utero baby sister a pretend ultrasound in the BodyWorks exhibit.

Next door, the SportsWorks exhibit, which takes up an entire building, got the rest of their remaining energy out with sports challenges and physics lessons (they didn’t even

Family Fun

1: Duckpin bowling at Pins Mechanical

2: Accommodations at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco

3: Mini Mars Rovers at the Carnegie Science Center

know they were learning, of course). They jumped on trampolines, tried batting cages, ran races, and watched a robot shoot free throws—it made every shot, much to my sons’ dismay.

Pittsburgh also offers the National Aviary, for kids who are bird fans, and a zoo and aquarium. We’ll have to save those for our next trip, which my kids are already begging to take. I think they just miss the huge slide.

Kimpton Hotel Monaco monaco-pittsburgh.com

Pins Mechanical pinsbar.com/pittsburgh

Carnegie Science Center carnegiesciencecenter.org

IF YOU’RE GOING TO MAKE THE TREK TO PITTSBURGH, plan to make a stop at Beaver Creek State Park, a sprawling wilderness retreat right near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. In the park’s central visitor’s area, kids can learn about the historic mill and rebuilt canal lock system and let their imaginations run wild at the recreated pioneer village. Make it a quick stop or plan to spend the night at the campground, where the family can pitch a tent or stay in a rustic cabin. Southwest of Pittsburgh, in the town of Washington, you’ll find the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum, where younger kids will encounter Daniel Tiger in costume, as well as a working trolley ride and lots of other train toys and exhibits that’ll make the drive seem much shorter. ohiodnr.gov; pa-trolley.org

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y incredible women een nd lish nity.

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The efforts of local women in power have made a powerful future more accessible to women everywhere — today, tomorrow, and at long last. We thank you.

ture more accessible to women

Were Cincinnati’s three oldest TV stations (Channels 5, 9, and 12) originally on Channels 4, 7, and 11? My grandfather insists that all three stations moved across the dial, confusing him and the whole city. Is he messing with me, or is his memory the thing that’s messy?

DEAR DO:

Don’t worry, your grandfather did witness TV channel musical chairs in his youth, and it was even messier than he remembers. Hold tightly to your remote as we channel surf.

Cincinnati got into television early, in 1946. Today’s Channel 5

(WLWT) launched on Channel 1, then lurched to Channel 4. WCPO and WKRC later began at channels 7 and 11, respectively, but that created a problem called “re-radiation,” which is when two TVs in the same home screw up the other’s reception. Watching Channel 7 caused interference on any nearby TV watching Channel 11. Re-radiation was one reason the FCC decreed a nationwide channel reshuffling in the early 1950s, and Cincinnati had the dubious honor as the only city in the U.S. forced to drag all three of its stations around on the dial. The costs annoyed station owners, but TV repairmen loved hearing from clueless viewers with blank screens. “Yeah, sir, we’ll be right over and get your I Love Lucy program back on again. Just a $5 service call.”

Now that the crazy NFL season is over, I wonder: Does Cris Collinsworth spend any significant time in Cincinnati anymore? I’m quite sure he’s all over the country during football season, but what about the rest of the year? Does he get back here much at all?

DEAR LIVIN’:

Beware of being “quite sure” about anything, because your assumptions are exactly backwards. Football season happens to be the most likely time of year to experience a celebrity spotting of Cris Collinsworth in Greater Cincinnati. You may have noticed that when he does color commentary on NBC Sunday Night Football and other games, he really, really knows his stats at a deep level. On top of simply knowing a lot, Collinsworth—along with everyone else in the NFL—has access to the best football data analysis in the world: Pro Football Focus.

PFF provides an unimaginable depth of real-time data that can literally suggest plays to coaches during games. And guess where PFF is based? Right here. And guess who moved the company to Overthe-Rhine after making a majority invest-

ment in 2013? Cris Collinsworth—a twice-Super Bowl Bengal, for those who don’t know. So the Collinsworth family lives here all season near Ft. Thomas. The rest of the year they’re in Florida, comparing life among alligators there with stink bugs here.

Please check out something I remember from when I was a kid in Cheviot. Somewhere in the 1950s, a house on our street (Roswell Avenue) became famous for getting “Cincinnati’s newest telephone.” I’ve always wondered if the people living there now know about their home’s brief fame. —GOOD CALL

DEAR GOOD:

Sometimes the Doctor feels like he receives ever-more-challenging challenges of ever-less-signifi cant significance. Rest assured, however, that every mystery is afforded equal doggedness in the pursuit of even the tiniest truths.

On September 4, 1952, representatives from Cincinnati Bell gathered at the home of Gustav Westrich on Roswell Avenue in Cheviot to hold a brief ceremony marking a staggeringly momentous occasion: installation of Cincinnati’s 400,000th telephone! Cincinnati Bell executive R.T. Teague apparently drew the short straw and oversaw this life-changing moment by dialing the telephone’s first call to Mrs. Westrich’s sister in Michigan. How did such an event miss making that day’s front page? Well, a far more important story was printed there: a missing Australian Grass Parakeet ($28 reward), recognizable by its fondness for spaghetti and beer.

You’d think a golden plaque would have been mounted at the Cheviot home, but when the Doctor contacted the current occupants, they were entirely unaware of their address’s proud history. They will now reappraise its value by towing it to a future episode of Antiques Roadshow.

WELCOME TO MIDDLEHOOD

My Life in Maple Trees

REFLECTING ON FAITHFUL COMPANIONS AND DEEP-ROOTED CONNECTIONS

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LAST SUMMER, I LEARNED THAT THE BELOVED MAPLE TREE IN OUR FRONT YARD HAD brittle cinder fungus and was rotting from the bottom up. Nearly the entire base had turned black, and, worse, the bark disintegrated to ash when you poked it.

My husband and I knew our tree was in trouble. We got a quote from the tree removal company where a friend worked, and decided to take it down in the fall. I dreaded the thought, so I did the most logical thing: Pretended it wasn’t happening and went about my summer. Maybe fall wouldn’t come. Maybe the fungus would disappear. I used all the magical thinking I could muster, including simply not scheduling its removal.

But the guy from the tree removal company texted me one October evening, asking if the following day would be good for the crew to come by and take our maple down. I was sitting at my cousin’s kitchen table in Corpus Christi, Texas, when I got the message. One

clear emotion surfaced: Panic.

“Sorry, I’m out of town. Maybe next week?” I texted back. “OK, I’ll touch base then,” he replied. “Don’t,” I wanted to say, but instead sent a thumbs up emoji.

I thought of my tree back home and tried to picture my yard without it. For the last 17 years, it had been part of my house’s character. Daffodils sprouted under its shade in April, and in the summer I hung overflowing baskets of impatiens from its sturdy lower limbs. It provided a golden fall show before shedding its leaves and inviting snow to cake its branches.

My maple could be lush or it could be stark—but it was always there , an everchanging piece of permanence. And the life it drew in! Not just birds and squirrels, but my own children, who delighted in being able to climb it, my always-eager son helping himself up a little by dragging a plastic patio chair up the driveway for a boost to its lowest branch.

Soon, like so many maple trees in my life, it would be gone.

We measure our lives in all kinds of ways. By the places we’ve lived. The people we’ve dated. The pets we’ve had. The jobs we’ve worked. Why do I measure mine in maple trees?

GROWING UP, WE HAD FIVE BIG MAPLE trees in our backyard. One was a silver maple—I remember the silvery underside of its leaves—and the rest, I think, were sugar maples. The story we’ve heard is that our dad went across the street to the woods, dug up a bunch of saplings, dragged them back to our yard, and planted them. My mom, who still lives in the house, thinks that’s accurate, but she also seems to remember a neighbor giving them one of the trees. The point is, there were no maples on the lot in 1958, when my parents built in this budding new Ft. Wright suburb. And then there were. And they grew and grew, as maples do.

There’s a photo I love from 1964 of my parents and three oldest siblings standing in the driveway by our Volkswagen bug. Several of the tiny maples are visible in the background. By the time I came along in 1974—the seventh and final child—the maples were mature. Grand. Gorgeous. In the fall, their yellow and orange leaves cut against a blue sky in dizzying beauty.

A beautiful pastry shop

I remember my mom saying, “I think this might be what heaven is like,” as she took in the riot of gold. And once the leaves fell, they became our crunchy playground.

Maples have incredible root systems, and I still remember how the knobby tentacles felt under my bare feet as I walked through our patchy grass. There was so much shade that the grass had trouble growing. Twigs constantly littered the yard, which were perfect for impromptu wands, microphones, or swords. I didn’t understand that the helicopters raining down each May were our trees’ way of ensuring the survival of their species. I just knew it meant school was almost out. To this day, I pick one up and I’m in fifth grade again.

Undoubtedly, my favorite maple was the one at the outermost edge of the backyard that we called “the climbing tree.” It had the perfect low branch for practicing gymnastics, like pullovers and hip circles. And the spacing of its branches was just right, easy to grab and pull to wind up high above the yard, where I could safely perch under its generous canopy. I think if that tree were still alive today and I stood at the lowest branch, muscle memory would kick in and I’d know exactly where to reach.

But the climbing tree is gone. Every single one of those maples is gone. The first one to go was the silver maple, sometime in the late 1980s. It was close to the house and in the way of the deck my dad had long dreamed of building. Next was the climbing tree. You’d think I would have been sad, but I was a teenager by then, eager to distance myself from little kid activities like tree climbing. And then the final three went, one by one. They each had their issues, I suppose. My mom doesn’t quite remember. My dad— the keeper of family data—likely would, but he’s been gone nearly 10 years.

My mom has since planted a few ornamental trees, but shade is scant now. It’s full sun and open space in the backyard. The grass is so thick, you can’t believe it. And when we gather on the deck on Mother’s Day, there are no helicopters in sight. I guess the maples didn’t carry their genetic material forward after all,

despite those thousands and thousands of seeds over the decades.

BEFORE THE TREE REMOVAL CREW got to my house on that warm October morning, I stood in my front yard, staring up at my maple’s just-turning leaves, unable to stop my tide of tears. It was the maple, and it wasn’t the maple.

Two days before, I had watched my mom say goodbye to her 89-year-old brother, my Uncle Jim. That’s why we had been in Texas. My sisters and I had taken her there to see him one last time. He was declining. And though she wasn’t exactly declining herself, she was 87, with tired bones. This would likely be her final trip to Corpus Christi, a spot far away and hard to get to from Cincinnati.

That last afternoon in Texas, she walked out of his room at the nursing home in tears, which is not a common sight. My mom is warm, but not sentimental or prone to emotional spectacles. But this was it—her last time seeing a sibling, and possibly also a sister-inlaw and the many nieces and nephews she’d sometimes looked after until her brother moved his family to this south Texas beach town in the late 1970s. He left town at the height of our maple trees. Decades of visits followed, but this was the final moment. A Frank Sinatra song playing out before us.

My own final moment with my maple felt like practice for future goodbyes. I pressed my hand into its dying bark. “I’m so sorry,” I told my tree. “You have been a good tree. You’ve shaded my house and garden. You’ve let my children climb you. You’ve done all the things a maple should do. You will be remembered.”

I asked my husband to deal with logistics when the crew arrived and left to go running. I just couldn’t watch.

Our maple was gone within an hour, and my uncle was gone within a month. My mom and siblings and I told funny stories about him and looked at old pictures. Because I was writing this piece, I also asked everyone what they remembered about our maples. Those stories came, too, raining down all around me. It turns out the helicopters had done their job after all.

with

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WHERE TO EAT

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NOW

A lot has changed since 2020, but our love for the food, chefs, and eateries that make the Queen City’s culinary scene shine burns brighter than ever. I ate my way across the tri-state to catalogue old favorites and new standouts for this year’s list of best restaurants and dishes.

1mita’s

A quick fine-dining tip: always start with a salad. Not only will it provide pre-atonement for the caloric sins you are about to commit, it will also help set your expectations. In the same way that the opening scene of a movie will let you know if you are in for brilliance or boredom, the salad will tell you if you are in for a memorable meal or a miserable one.

The beguilingly simple jicama and green mango salad at Mita’s sets the tone for what will almost certainly be the most flavorful meal in the city. The jungle-green mango is slightly sweet, slightly chewy, and balanced perfectly by the crunchier, tarter jicama. Simplicity never tasted so good, and neither did mango, this side of the tropics.

Vibrant simplicity has fueled proprietor Jose Salazar’s superb Latin American restaurant—named in honor of his Colombian grandmother—since its opening in 2015. Such simplicity shines through in the brochettes, skewers of harissa-rubbed chicken thighs that stand peerless above the entire flock of chicken dishes in this city.

But this isn’t simplicity shorn of creativity. That’s not enough to land a restaurant on our list, let alone in the top spot. Salazar’s and Executive Chef Tim McClane’s subtle creative touches abound, like in the ginger-hibiscus marinade for the black grouper ceviche (part of a daily rotation of ceviche offerings); or the truffles, mushrooms, and artichokes that luxuriate the hummus in the Alcochofas Y Hongos (artichokes and mushrooms). That dish was the brainchild of Chef McClane, who came over from Bouquet in 2021. There’s plenty of room for such inspiration on Mita’s menu. It’s reworked as many as six times a year, with minor tweaks occurring on a nearly monthly basis. The classics, I’m told, stay put. Although on a menu like this, I’m not sure how one even begins to make such designations.

501 Race St., downtown, (513) 421-6482, mitas.co

abigail street

Much of the produce that comprises the Mediterranean small plates at Abigail Street—Dan and Lana Wright’s expanded “Mediterranean wine bar”— comes out of a hatchback. Every week, vendors like “Farmer Sallie” and “Farmer Eli” pull up to the back of the hip Over-the-Rhine eatery, pop the hatch, and unload their verdant wares. Abigail Street’s menu, never entirely fixed (though don’t expect the fattoush or wood-grilled octopus to go anywhere), depends on what they bring in.

That menu, a collaboration between the core team and Executive Chef Joe Bedel, features some of the freshest and most

vibrant plant-based dishes in Cincinnati. The most notable of these offerings and the best dish I’ve had all year is the Moroccan Spiced Broccoli.

Chef/Owner Dan Wright conceived this dish with former Chef de Cuisine Yousef Shtiewi (who is now the Wrights’ culinary director) as an answer to the roasted Brussels sprouts that have become an obligatory shareable. Long stalks of perfectly charred broccoli are seasoned with berbere and a touch of sugar to temper the bitterness from the char. A miso-tahini sauce adds umami, so that all five basic flavors can be had in each bite.

While the plates are small, the flavors at Abigail Street are big and bold. House-made pita is puffed up to the size of a

soccer ball and dusted in za’atar, a smoky Lebanese spice blend that includes thyme, dry oregano, and sesame seeds. The kefta, abundantly spiced woodgrilled minced beef (some variations contain lamb), gets an acidic burst from the accompanying blistered tomatoes.

Even the cocktails here are suffused with fragrant Middle Eastern flavors. Ras al Hanout syrup brought fall flavors of cinnamon and cumin to the Le Souk, a frothy bourbon cocktail. (Yes, even the drinks change seasonally.) While Abigail Street has been slinging cocktails and small plates for more than 10 years, it still feels like the freshest restaurant in OTR.

1214 Vine St., Over-theRhine, (513) 421-4040, abigailstreet.com

ABIGAILSTREET’

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Broccoli haters, we dare you to try a bite and come away unchanged.

RICH’S PROPER FOOD AND DRINK’S HOT HONEY CHICKEN SANDWICH

A piece of fried chicken glazed with hot honey and served on a brioche bun, this sandwich’s housemade pickles and tangy “Proper Sauce” balance out the sweet heat of the honey. 701 Madison Ave., Covington, (859) 415-0069, richsproper.com

le bar a boeuf

I don’t know if there is a better restaurant reinvention story in Cincinnati than Jean-Robert de Cavel’s wonderful Le Bar a Boeuf. The restaurant— perched high above the Ohio River in East Walnut Hills’s Edgecliff Building—was mainly a gourmet burger joint when it first opened in 2015. It has since been refined into a full-on French bistro, and as such, it is the best place

in town to sample de Cavel’s approachable-but-sophisticated cuisine.

They take care of you here, those black-shirted servers. On the night of my first visit, I got stuck in a particularly brutal Cincinnati rush hour crush that I somehow didn’t anticipate, certain to miss my 6 o’clock reservation. When I sheepishly called the restaurant to inform them of my tardiness, longtime maître d’ Marilou Lind replied with the warmth of a fresh-baked baguette: “It’s no problem. Is there anything we need to know about? Theater tickets, anything like that?” They’re thinking about the pace of your meal before you even arrive.

Speaking of theater, for a front-row seat to some of the best monologue this city has to offer, listen to server Daren Dixon recite the lengthy list of nightly specials with poetic precision. Specials here are not just creative ways to dump off unsold inventory: they’re opportunities for both the back and front of the house to explore the full range of their talents.

A warmth permeates this cozy bistro, a heartiness that can steel you for the coldest Cincinnati winter. This could take the form of a buttery local chicken served over a seasonal vegetable fondue and topped with a rich morel cream sauce. Or it could take the form of a seared duck breast served over creamy grits, in a dish that seamlessly melds the North of France with the American South. And it will always, always emanate from the staff.

Rest Well, Chef

In late December, powerhouse chef and restaurateur Jean-Robert de Cavel passed away, five years after being diagnosed with cancer. Over a nearly 30-year period, de Cavel led a fine dining revolution, first at Maisonette, then in his own restaurants—Jean-Robert’s Table, JeanRo Bistro, Pho Paris, Greenup Café, Lavomatic Café, Le Bar a Boeuf, The French Crust Café & Bistro, Restaurant L— training the next generation of the city’s culinary stars. Through the years, this magazine followed along. His impact on our culinary scene, and the city itself, will continue to be felt wherever chefs and food lovers gather.

nicola’s

While Nicola’s location has stayed fixed on the corner of Sycamore and Liberty for more than 25 years, ownership passed from founder Nicola Pietoso to his son, Cristian, last year. And the younger Pietoso and his team, including Chef de Cuisine Josh Brenner and Pastry Chef Erin Fledderjohn, have continued the Nicola’s tradition of serving inspired, standard-setting Italian food in the Queen City.

As with most of the other restaurants on this list, the menu here is seasonal. It’s also artisanal; both the pastas and breads are made by hand. The comforting fall menu I sampled started off with a crisp alpine salad flecked with pears and candied walnuts, and thin slices of speck (air-cured pork, similar to prosciutto) for a delightful

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DELIZIOSO ITALIANO

Nicola’s classic dishes include eggplant parmigiana (far left) and seared scallops (far right) as well as innovative desserts like the passionfruit raspberry bomb (center).

salty contrast. Nicola’s thrives on such contrasts, from the pickled giardiniera that added heat and crunch to a delicate grilled octopus to the Calabrian chiles that embold-

ened a sweet, barbacoa-like lamb ragout served over spaghetti. It helps that the menu is focused, offering a few perfectly prepared Italian dishes rather than the panoply of

Italian cuisine.

The wine list, by contrast, is one of the most extensive collections of regional Italian wine that you will find in Greater Cincinnati, with Tus-

THE AREPA PLACE’S CHORIZO AND CHEESE AREPA Arepas, grilled corn flour patties stuffed with savory fillings, are the specialty at this South American restaurant. My favorite version comes stuffed to the brim with Colombian chorizo (sliced smoky links) and shredded mozzarella. It goes well with any of their four scratch-made salsas. 1517 Springfield Pke., Wyoming, (513) 9489500; 131 W. Elder St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 744-9500, arepaplace.com

cany, Piedmont, and Veneto all well represented. The friendly, well-versed servers are good at making recommendations. They’re also just plain good: service at Nicola’s has

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consistently been among the quickest, friendliest, and most knowledgeable I have come across in my dining career.

All of this is offered in one of the most beautiful spaces

I’ve had the pleasure of eating in: a chapel-like room whose lofty ceilings somehow make the space seem more intimate. It’s a space and experience that offers a rare commodity

SAIGON NOODLE BAR’S VIETNAMESE BEEF CURRY

in a trendy, ever-changing neighborhood—timelessness.

1420 Sycamore St., Pendleton, (513) 721-6200, nicolasotr.com

The curried broth is latte-brown with fiery red pepper flecks, and the tender chunks of beef—along with the optional side of toasted French bread—do a great job of soaking up all that flavor. Love at first slurp. 9220 Allen Rd., West Chester, (513) 874-5888

PASTA-BILITIES

Sotto, as owner David Falk is quick to point out, is not a “riff” on Italian food. Nor is it a “reimagining” or a “contemporary take” on the cuisine. It’s something much more ambitious than any of that. It’s an attempt to transmit the soul of Italian cooking. And what a successful attempt it is.

This is classic and painstakingly precise Italian cooking as seen at Italy’s finest restaurants. And Falk should know; he and members of his team frequently take trips to Italy for research. Chef de Cuisine Jacob “Woody” Wood (recently promoted from sous chef) will embark on his first official research trip to the motherland this month.

Sotto’s tight, seasonal menu prizes freshness and simplicity. This is why the smoky, crispy wood-grilled branzino arrives with few embellishments aside from the beautiful color striations and latticework of grill marks. It’s also why a hearty breaded pork loin only needs capers and a squeeze of lemon. At Sotto, adornments underscore flavors, but never conceal them.

Of course, to come anywhere close to capturing the soul of Italian cuisine, you have to nail the pasta. Falk and team go to great lengths to source ultra-refined double zero flour for their pasta. But even more important than the ingredients are the talent and experience. Sotto’s longtime pasta maker Ismael “Ish” Tamayo knows when the pasta needs more moisture or needs stretched a touch thinner.

Perhaps that’s why the short rib cappellacci—arguably the city’s most famous pasta dish without chili on top—melts as soon as it hits the tongue. Sotto recently had a social media contest to see if anyone could guess how many of those delicate pasta pillows Tamayo has hand-rolled during his tenure at the restaurant. The answer was a little over 1 million. That, it turns out, is the secret to a good cappellacci.

118 E. Sixth St., downtown, (513) 977-6886, sottocincinnati.com

phoenician taverna

Does any local restaurant explore its respective cuisine more fully than Phoenician Taverna explores Lebanese food? On a menu this robust, one might expect some filler dishes, but everything that has come out of Owner Wassim Matar and Chef Safa Ghanen’s kitchen has been exquisitely prepared.

That’s because the restaurant is Matar’s ode to his native Lebanon. And when a cuisine is cooked this authentically, people tend to question their past notions of it.

Take the tabbouleh, for instance. Early on, Matar’s customers were complaining that Phoenician’s version of the iconic Lebanese bulgur wheat salad was too crunchy. The oil and finely chopped vegetables sodden the bulgur in a matter of minutes, so that the pre-made tabbouleh

frequently served here in the states is always soggy. At Phoenician, as in Lebanon, it’s made to order and served immediately, resulting in that crunch of authenticity.

It’s one thing to perfectly execute the classics; it’s another to add the kind of unique touches that can only come from such an encyclopedic knowledge of the cuisine.

The Tavern Falafel is served on a bed of eggplant puree (Matar’s concoction) for a delightful textural contrast. Sujok, a garlicky, made-fromscratch beef sausage, is served with a clean tomato sauce that brings in flavors from the north Mediterranean.

The best way to enjoy those sausages is to wrap them in Phoenician’s complementary, fresh-baked pita. Matar told me this himself; he stops by every table every

night the restaurant is open. As he was singing the praises of Lebanon’s criminally overlooked winemaking region, it struck me that he doesn’t make his nightly rounds just to be friendly (although he

certainly is). He’s acting as emissary for the cuisine he loves so much.

7944 Mason-Montgomery Rd., Mason, (513) 770-0027, phoeniciantaverna.com BEST OF THE REST

GREENWICH

The novelty of a juicy cheeseburger seasoned with garam masala (a South Asian spice blend containing cinnamon and coriander, among others) is enough to make this dish memorable. That the spice blend and beef patty (flavored with mint, cilantro, dill, and parsley) are made from scratch truly sets it apart. 5220 Kings Mills Rd., Mason, (513) 466-8209, greenwichpitaandgrill.com

boca

To make Boca’s pommes soufflés, aged, peeled potatoes (fresh won’t work, as owner David Falk found out) are cooked in oil at a low temperature until perfectly puffy, placed on a tray to cool, then fried to a golden brown before service. It’s a lot of work for an hors d’oeuvre, but the ends justify the means.

The result is a dish so delicate that touching it with too much force can cause it to crumple (far better to ever so slightly pinch it and pop what

tastes like the distilled essence of French fry into your mouth). In a way, these delicious morsels serve as a metaphor for fine dining itself. When atmosphere, service, and food are absolutely pristine, we hold our breath, hoping that no wrong move deflates the tenuously perfect evening.

At Boca, that wrong move never comes. Service is impeccable. Food gets fired out of the massive kitchen with the consistency of German trains. And it’s always good. The beet mezzaluna, thin and oily like a good crudo, offers the perfect balance between sweet and salty flavors. The Amish chicken is as soft and buttery as the mushroom truffle risotto it sits on top of.

One of the reasons that Boca operates so seamlessly is Falk’s knack for putting the right people in the right places. Over his 20-plus years of running top-tier restaurants, he’s realized that some chefs are better innovators and some are better executors. That’s why Boca has an operations team, including Chefs David Mattern and Kyle Roberts, that helps research and refine the dishes that will come out of Boca’s immaculate kitchen. It’s an unorthodox style of management for an independent restaurant, but it’s clearly working.

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This nutty, chocolaty dessert coats the flavors of childhood in an adult decadence.

DEAR RESTAURANT & BUTCHERY’S PARKER HOUSE ROLLS

This sleek Hyde Park restaurant is a carnivore’s dream. So why can’t I stop dreaming about the Parker House rolls? Because Dear’s version—fluffy and butter-soft under a crispy, sea-salt flaked top—is just that good. When the meat’s butchered in-house it would be criminal to fill up on bread, but entirely understandable. 2710 Erie Ave., Hyde Park, (513) 321-2710, dear-restaurant.com

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ivory house

Steakhouses are typically in a neighborhood but not of it. That’s what’s so refreshing about Ivory House. It’s both a destination restaurant and a beloved neighborhood joint in Westwood.

Ivory House seems to have been designed with that duality in mind. With its subdued cream colors, its black and white photos of the old neighborhood stretched over canvas, and its player piano tucked into a corner across from the cozy bar, the restaurant is elegant, but not lavish.

Oh, the food can get lavish. You could shell out more than $200 for a Japanese Wagyu New York Strip, but you don’t have to order hand-massaged steer for a tender, buttery cut of steak. My peppery filet mignon exceeded all expectations for the ubiquitous cut. This is a chef-driven steakhouse, where meat-and-potatoes fare is given surprising, almost whimsical touches.

Take, for instance, the wonderful breadcrumbs in the creamed corn side dish, which ate like the classic steakhouse side was well as a down-home cornbread. The crab deviled eggs, with a hint of horseradish, was another dish that pulled double duty, evoking shrimp cocktail as well as the creamy hors d’oeuvres. Such whimsy extends to the dessert menu,

which includes a bourbon glazed cinnamon roll. Cinnamon rolls are a rare sighting on a steakhouse menu, but one in perfect keeping with

thin, slightly charred crust and bright red sauce—is my ideal

And the coal-fired oven at Taft’s Brewporium does the style justice. The Roebling, though heartily topped with meatballs, pepperoni, and ricotta, somehow retains its firm, crispy crust. 4831 Spring Grove Ave. #1, Spring Grove Village, (513) 853-5021, taftsbeer.com/location/tafts-brew pourium-cincinnati

the restaurant’s homey-yetsumptuous vibe.

At Ivory House, such whimsy is grounded in conscientious technique. With

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the grilled wedge salad, the lettuce is lightly charred on the grill, so it soaks up savory steak flavor. The chicken and gnocchi entrée features

juicy chicken, crispy-skinned chicken breast and housemade gnocchi cooked in a chicken confit sauce, combining three different textures of

chicken into one of the most comforting dishes you’re likely to find. Why can’t every neighborhood have a steakhouse like this?

SACRED BEAST DINER’S SALMON WITH BROWN BUTTER

This contemporary diner adds inventive twists to classic comfort food. Here, rich brown butter almost pushes this medium-rare salmon into dessert territory, which is OK by me. Lemon and capers add contrasting zest and saltiness, while gardenfresh green beans serve as a reminder that this is, in fact, dinner.

1437 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 213-2864, sacredbeastdiner.com

kiki

When the James Beard Foundation comes knocking, you know you’re doing something right. As of this writing, Kiki’s chefs/ owners, Hideki and Yuko Harada, were jointly named as James Beard Award semifinalists for “Best Chef: Great Lakes Region.” After sampling the small plates and bowls at this funky College Hill izakaya, it becomes obvious that

the nomination was welldeserved.

Kiki’s taut, highly sharable menu consists of about 15 dishes, all lumped together on a single page. Each dish gets all the love and attention it deserves— food here is prepared with the same painstaking detail and respect for ingredients one expects from Japanese fine dining, though the prices are affordable and

the atmosphere laid-back. Take the curry pan. At just $4, it might be one of the best values in the city. Potato, onion, and carrot, mixed with a bold curry, are breaded and deep fried to a golden brown. The curry flavor is pleasingly strong, though it doesn’t overwhelm the taste of the fresh vegetables. This sort of balance is central to Kiki’s technique.

It is perhaps most evident in Kiki’s celebrated shio ramen. The noodles have the perfect combination of chew and slurp and the chickenstock broth, with a touch of chili oil, is both comforting and piquant. It’s the best ramen in a city brimming with flavorful options. And while we’re on the subject of top choices, Kiki’s pan-fried pork gyoza dumplings are best in class as well.

Kiki’s got some funky roots, starting out as a pop-up at Northside Yacht Club. That funkiness still pervades the restaurant, from the whimsical mural of Tokyo on the walls to the indie rock blaring over the stereo. And we can’t forget the drink menu, with its simple-but-refined cocktails, Japanese beers, extensive sake list, and Suntory Whiskey highballs on tap.

A place that serves food and drinks this exquisite, and at such accessible prices, was bound to garner attention from the top tastemakers in the nation.

The Precinct, Losanti, and Bouquet

We have a three-way tie for 10th place, according to our rankings. These great restaurants initially missed the cutoff for our Top 10 list. However, due to Royce’s sudden closure, The Precinct, Losanti, and Bouquet move up a spot. They each provide an exceptional dining experience.

THE PRECINCT

Jeff Ruby’s original steakhouse still delivers the singular service and perfectly cooked steaks one has come to expect from this east side institution. This is still the area’s go-to spot for that glitzy, special occasion meal. Ironically for such a big, bold restaurant, it’s the little things that set The Precinct apart: the mushroom truffle chive butter that’s served with the bread, the black pepper that gets hand-cranked over a Greek salad, and the Steak Burrow’s palate-surprising come-from-behind heat. This attention to detail is what has kept The Precinct at the pinnacle of Cincinnati dining for over 40 years.

311 Delta Ave., Columbia-Tusculum, (513) 321-5454, jeffruby.com/precinct

LOSANTI

This eatery differs from other area steakhouses by leaning into its Italian influences. House-made pastas pair wonderfully with prime steaks, and the massive meatballs are not to be missed. As with most of our city’s best restaurants, Losanti sources many of its ingredients locally. The tender “Steak and Frites,” for instance, uses perfectly marbled Ohio Wagyu. At Losanti, this classic dish feels familiar-yet-novel, thanks to unique touches like golden raisin chimichurri and parmesan fries. Enjoying such a dish on Losanti’s tranquil patio overlooking Washington Park is one of the city’s great pleasures.

1401 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 246-4213, losantiotr.com

BOUQUET

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THE WORKING ROYALS

In gowns and crowns, the Queen City Court has been doing drag for charity for more than 30 years.

Light bounced off of the custommade iridescent bodysuit with a floordusting train worn by Anita Dushay. Her makeup was heavy, her “diamonds” heavier, and her trademark extra-spiky false eyelashes were as exaggerated as her treacherous heels.

couple of steps from the stage to the audience, where patrons clutching dollar bills leapt to their feet and drew closer to. The more bedecked folks lined up two by two, holding hands aloft royal-style, bracelets clinking. They curtsied to Snap-Clemons as she accepted each cash tip. After the performance, she took a bow and immediately went for her silver pocketbook, from which she withdrew cash and got in line to tip the next performer.

As the evening progressed in this annual benefit event, the look of the lip-synchers varied from a cisgender woman (that is, assigned female at birth and presenting as such) in a red fringe minidress and silver sneakers to a butch lesbian in a penguin vest and red pants to an out-of-town fellow in everyday jeans and a turtleneck. If some of the numbers were amateur and even lackluster, you wouldn’t know it from the enthusiastic applause and free-flowing tips. (One patron kept a bank envelope fat with singles at the ready next to her cocktail.) Performers dropped fistfuls of bills into a basket that was periodically upended onto a table, where the mounds of cash were stacked and counted.

By the end of the evening, more than $3,200 was collected to help area kids who have a family member living with HIV/AIDS and who would otherwise have gone without holiday food, clothing, and toys. AIDS Volunteers of Northern Kentucky, working with the Northern Kentucky Health Department, distributed the money. But to the performers—members of the Imperial Sovereign Queen City Court of the Buckeye Empire (I.S.Q.C.C.B.E., a.k.a. The Court)—it was just another night of dressing up and giving back, one of more than 40 fund-raisers the group produced in 2022. The point of the event was less about moments in the spotlight and more about easing the stress and pain of children impacted by the specter of a stigmatized disease.

“You need a schtick to be noticed to draw people in,” says Casey Pond, Emperor 30 and current president of The Court’s board of directors. The group’s schtick is royalty: crowns and gowns, pomp and ceremony, and a new Empress and Emperor elected annually. Today, though, Pond is in street clothes, not drag. He has an elvish look, with a goatee and a mischievous sparkle in his eyes. His hoodie, which reads “I’m dead inside,” is belied by his enthusiasm for The Court’s work, which we’re discussing over Bloody Marys. We’re brunching at Goose and Elder in Over-the-Rhine with Pond’s husband, Michael Tate, who is in a pink oxford shirt and has twice served as I.S.Q.C.C.B.E. Empress.

Dushay wasn’t fooling anyone about her gender, what with her bushy beard and burly build. Nor was she trying to. Her aim, like all the performers at December’s “Toyland” event at the cavernous OTR StillHouse distillery and bar, was to raise funds for kids in need.

As if the show’s red-bewigged emcee wasn’t enough of an eyeful, Dushay kicked off the entertainment by introducing Ginger Snap-Clemons, who was herself cartoonishly resplendent in a blue bustier gown shot through with sparkles, a crown atop her blond barrel curls, and powderblue eyeshadow. Her look harks back to the 1960s, when such entertainers were called “female impersonators.”

Snap-Clemons lip-synced “Hard Candy Christmas,” a melancholy Dolly Parton song. It wasn’t the kind of high-energy number you see on RuPaul’s Drag Race, and her form-fitting outfit precluded any high kicks or death drops. The extent of SnapClemons’s acrobatics was descending a

Before tucking into his goetta hash, Tate says, “I am the College Representative to the Board of Directors and Mistress of Protocol; Heir to Empress 31; Recipient of the International Royal Orders of the Double Eagle and José 1; Empress 7¼ of Indiana; Her Imperial Serene Majesty, the Hot & Spicy, Whip-Crackin’, Jäger-Drinkin’ Empress of Perpetual Pleasure; Empress 8 and 29; Miss Tate; and the Silent Karen Walker.” He takes a breath. The random-sounding name is actually stratified by rules, he explains. “The protocol when you reign is you are His—or Her or Their—Most Imperial and Sovereign Majesty. When

(Stage names and performer pronouns are used throughout this story.)

you step down, you lose ‘Most’ and ‘Sovereign’ and pick up ‘Gracious.’ Then after 20 years, you become a Serene Majesty.”

Pond nods, adding, “It can get very convoluted.” Despite the fussy frocks, the regalia and regulations, and the protracted investiture ceremonies to bestow bizarre titles, The Court boils down to something simple, he says. “It’s a social organization with a family aspect and a fund-raising aspect.” Another Court member likens it to “the gay Shriners.”

INCE THE BUCKEYE EMPIRE COURT FIRST APPOINTED AN EMPRESS

Sin 1990, it has raised $1.5 million for Cincinnati area charities “one sweaty dollar at a time,” says Pond. The recipients of that largesse are mainly nonprofits assisting the LGBTQ+ community, but any 501(c)3 can apply for assistance. The Court’s other causes range from breast cancer research to animal rescue to student scholarships to medical aid for sex workers.

Court members pay for their own gowns, jewels, and travel and lodging to attend coronations by other courts. From crown to heels, a single ensemble can set a member back $5,000. Empresses and Emperors are allotted a tiny travel budget during their reign, but they’ll also typically shell out thousands of dollars of their own money to look the part, represent the local chapter at events in other cities, and contribute their own donations. That’s not to mention the time involved; the crowned potentates can spend 30 hours or more a week focusing on their reign. “It’s all very grassroots,” says Truly Scrumptious St. James, Empress 13.

At first glance, The Court is a seemingly goofy gang of mainly middle-aged, middleclass men and women prancing on stage in the name of charity. What’s even more odd is that such a long-standing and magnanimous group remains so obscure. It’s one of the oldest, if not the oldest, national gay organizations, with close to 60 years of activity under its collective garter belt. In addition to work for local charities, it contributes to national efforts; it instigated the successful push to get a U.S. postage stamp and a U.S. Navy ship to commemorate Harvey Milk, the late gay activist.

But The Court operates in a completely different world from the most famous drag entity today, that of Drag Race, which has rocketed the art of cross-dressing to the international mainstream and along the way helped correct the understanding of drag as an art form, not a sexual deviation. Celebrity drag queens who perform all over the globe don’t

speak about The Court, let alone count themselves members. “Nobody knows about it,” says Robin Kradles, Empress 19 of New York City.

“I talk about them all the time, and people are like, Who’s that? ” says Linda Seiter, CEO of Caracole, Cincinnati’s largest nonprofit for people with HIV/AIDS. “They’re our largest consistent private donor. Whenever we need something, they are there for us.”

The mouthful of an acronym is part of what keeps the I.S.Q.C.C.B.E. incognito. “I can’t remember that long name half the time,” says Donna Lunik of Cat Adoption Team, an animal rescue organization The Court supports with annual drag brunches and a campy “Wags and Drag” wall calendar.

More than its moniker, though, the I.S.Q.C.C.B.E.’s hidden-in-plain-view existence is due to its age. When the Buckeye Empire chapter was founded in 1989, “everyone had one foot in the closet, so we didn’t want to be published,” says Andrea Victory-Parkway, Princess Ultima for Life. Truly Scrumptious remembers police harassing cross-dressers, who would doll up at a nightclub or bar rather than at home so as not to be CONTINUED ON PAGE 75

Whether the Victorian Era was the best of times or the worst remains a spirited debate today. It was a time when moral chastity reigned supreme and religion dictated social norms in Cincinnati as well as across the U.S. and the “civilized” world. Politicians routinely invoked their God in legislative debates. There were only two recognized genders, and both knew their specifi

Many Americans look back now and see barbarism in those times. Others are inspired by a nation that comingled religion and politics, an era when right and wrong were easily defined.

Politicians today invoke their God again (or still) when pushing new laws to ban abortion or roll back the advancement of gay marriage and transgender rights. In a complex world, many Americans wish for “simpler times” when sin

was regularly punished by a devout legal system. And yet one sex scandal in 1870s Cincinnati reminds us that laws often exist to buttress those in power at the expense of the powerless.

ship turned to romance when he was roughly 16 and

for a Victorian lady. It was the first time they’d crossed this boundary, but it was not their last. Tytus was frequently gone, but when he came to town they made good use of empty houses and parlor room couches.

Although Tytus had spoken of marriage frequently, it was not until early 1873 that Dickey considered them formally “engaged.” He didn’t get down on one knee and propose and everything would work out and, she said, reiterated his promise of marriage.

here were options for a woman in Dickey’s situation, plenty of them, but they all involved risks. Madame Sidney Augustine Frazier, for example, was a Tarot card reader and a midwife, but she allegedly earned most of her income performing abortions.

In spring 1873, Hattie Spearing suffered what could have been one of Dickey’s alternate fates. When Spearing got pregnant, her boyfriend, a struggling blacksmith, announced that she was getting an abortion or otherwise he’d kill her or the infant. So she let him bring her to Cincinnati from the outskirts of Springfi for the operation, medications, room, and nursing services (roughly $1,100 today). The boyfriend agreed to pay about half but then Broke, alone, and in trouble, Spearing ac-

cepted Frazier’s terms that she work as a house servant until her debt. Frazier told her, however, “I’ll not touch you until my money is secured.” Spearing was already four months pregnant, but she did grueling chores for several nally being admitted to the dark, lantern-lit back room that served as an operating theater. Using a tool that looked like a bent knitting-needle with a ball at the end, along with a syringe containing an undefi performed an abortion. Then they waited.

Spearing writhed in agony for at least six hours before her induced miscarriage, a common occurrence in that era. Sometimes the process took days. Her umbilical cord was severed during the procedure, which is why the placenta remained infor the next eight days. nally called to the house, he did what he could, but Spearing was on the precipice of death. Deeming it more precarious to have a corpse in the house, Frazier called for an ambulance. At the hospital, the placenta was removed, the bleeding stopped, and Spearing survived.

Initially, she blamed her miscarriage on heavy lifting, keeping her promise not to reveal the truth. But under persistent questioning by Coroner P.F. Maley, she confessed. Spearing didn’t turn on Frazier because she’d almost killed her; she was angry that she’d been taken to the hospital, where her sins were

Frazier was successfully prosecuted, then sentenced to fi years in the penitentiary at hard labor for what the judge called her “very heinous” crime. Maley was instrumental in her prosecution, along with others, and was heralded by , Constable, detective, and informer”

Women like Spearing, however, were not the primary concern of either Maley or the state legal system. Ohio made the crime of abortion punishable by one to seven years in the penitentiary; the sentence was the same regardless of whether “the woman either miscarries or dies in consequence of the procedure.” In fact, killing a woman during an abortion, regardless of

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targeted on the car ride over or on the short walk from the parking lot to the venue. “The Court is the best-kept secret in Cincinnati because lawyers and doctors and teachers and school principals don’t want a lot of people to know about it.”

Vestigial fears about being bullied or outed are waning, but The Court, which is 100 percent volunteer, still doesn’t engage in much self-promotion. The marketing push outside its own network is minimal. The organization has been overlooked by media, including here in Cincinnati, even though this city boasts one of the oldest and most active chapters in the Midwest. Cincinnati’s Court may also have the largest percentage of female members, both straight and gay, as well as nonbinary members. “Our chapter constantly has things going on,” says Alynn Rousselle (a.k.a. Anna Mosity), who in 2018 was elected the Buckeye Empire’s fi rst cisgender female Empress. “An annual reign for us raises about $70,000 or $80,000. Other chapters don’t do nearly as much.”

Courts in mid-sized cities like Cincinnati serve an outsized role compared to those in coastal metros. “There aren’t many gay organizations [in smaller cities], so the small Courts are extremely relevant and important,” says Coco Lachine, a New York Empress who is second in line to the throne of Queen Mother, the Court’s top position. (Indeed, what passes for a gay community center in Cincinnati is a static website with links and phone numbers.) “For many, the Court is their lifeline to the gay community.”

THE COURT WANTS TO BRING YOUNG members on board, like Rousselle, who joined in her mid 20s, to ensure its future. But the group’s byzantine protocol and often expensive old-school drag can be daunting to younger folk. Fund-raising for a sometimes-forgotten disease may not be the first

priority for queer people just discovering the local scene. But The Court’s mystery and stigma is wearing off, at least among some people who initially dismissed it as unhip.

Michael Musto, the prominent Village Voice writer, said he initially considered The Court old-fashioned, but that changed after his first show in New York.“I went from being an antagonist to such a fan,” he says. “I came around to realizing that what turned me off was what was so great about it. It is ceremonial. It’s an institution with rules. It does feel rooted in the old aesthetic where gay men had to hide in drag or create a society where they could feel safe with each other, which is now more topical than ever.”

The International Court System, also known as the Imperial Court System, was started in 1965 in San Francisco by José Sarria. A political powerhouse with a knack for getting noticed, he was one of the first

organizations, only a small percentage of which survive today in their initial form and function. The Court is one of them.

Almost 25 years after the initial court was established, Cincinnati’s chapter grew out of a gay bowling league that had traveled to Toronto for a match. A handful of the bowlers attended a coronation by Toronto’s court. “I was enthralled!” says Angela St. James, a founder of the Buckeye Court. “There was a huge auditorium with gay people, women, men—it was something we didn’t see in Cincinnati. We saw people getting along. The leathers, the cowboys, everyone was having a good old time. That’s how it got started here. We brought it back from Toronto.”

As AIDS devastated the gay community, the need for dollars and community was crucial. “There was one funeral a week, and then two,” recalls Truly Scrumptious,

openly gay men to run for elected office in the U.S. When someone off-handedly called him a “queen,” he responded by saying he was more than that—he was an empress. He declared himself “Absolute Empress I de San Francisco.” A group formed around him, donning crowns, adopting regal titles, and raising money via drag shows for what was then called the gay liberation movement. In step with burgeoning civil rights activism, The Court fought to change laws that permitted people to be fired from a job, evicted from housing, or committed to a mental institution solely because of their sexual orientation.

The Court might have remained a kooky California phenomenon—like the smaller, more avant-garde and more famous Cockettes performance group—were it not for the AIDS crisis. The 1980s and 1990s saw an unprecedented rise in activism by gays and lesbians to demand money, research, and policy to combat the newly identified disease. The need for cohesion and safe spaces was met by a patchwork of start-up

who joined in 1992. “Something had to be done.” Adds Victory-Parkway, “Everybody wanted to do something but didn’t know what to do.”

Donating money to AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati, the city’s first grassroots organization to help those hit by the disease, was the obvious outlet. That nonprofit no longer exists, but its sister organization in Northern Kentucky does, as do other longtime beneficiaries of The Court such as Caracole and PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays). Government and corporate grants now flow to nonprofits in the fight against AIDS and discrimination, but those monies are notably designated to specific tasks such as housing. Donations from The Court, on the other hand, don’t come with stipulations.

“The Court helps us to fill holes in places we don’t have funding, things grants won’t cover, which is huge,” says Caracole CEO Linda Seiter. “No grants cover our Client Assistance Fund, so when a client has a special need no one will pay for, we use The

“THE COURT HELPS US TO FILL HOLES IN PLACES WE DON’T HAVE FUNDING, THINGS GRANTS WON’T COVER, WHICH IS HUGE,” SAYS CARACOLE CEO LINDA SEITER.

THE WORKING ROYALS

Court donations, among other private donations, to provide assistance. A flat tire might need to get fixed so the client can get to work. We also had someone who needed a prosthetic device, and no one else would pay for that.”

With about 100 regal heads, The Court’s membership today is about half of what it was in its heyday. There are other gay organizations now vying for members. And many young queer people don’t feel the need to belong to any gay group at all, feeling comfortable and accepted in the world at large in a way many of their counterparts in the 1990s did not.

This doesn’t mean The Court’s contributions are dwindling, though. The internet has strengthened exposure and friendships among Court members across the country, so when Pond started doing online fund-raisers a few years ago, donations rolled in from afar.

In the beginning, The Court wasn’t receptive to straight allies joining, to the disappointment of some early members. Today it’s open to any gender and is less strict about apparel: Gowns no longer need to touch the ground, and gloves don’t have to match. The nonbinary title of “Emprex” has recently been introduced.

One of The Court’s many unsung impacts is forging support across nonprofits for different causes. Volunteers of the Cat Adoption Team, in appreciation for the group’s assistance, now likewise show up for The Court’s other causes, such as suicide prevention. As a result, feline enthusiasts attend its annual Suicide Is a Drag fund-raiser. Without The Court, they might not even know of the event.

“At the last one, we were all singing ‘Love Can Build a Bridge’ by The Judds, and everyone was holding hands and crying,” says Rousselle. “That show tends to be emotional because most folks there have lost someone to suicide.”

The Court is still way too under the radar, in a camp of its own, quietly raising funds with few pats on its red velvet backs. But if its numbers are shrinking, it can be said that its heart is still growing. “As long as I can stand in 4-inch heels, you will see me traveling and participating,” says Truly Scrumptious. “This is about so much more than drag.”

THE BELLE, THE CAD, AND THE SEX SCANDAL

to perform an abortion on Nancy Dickey. He did offer an alternative.

how recklessly, had a maximum penalty three years lighter than any other form of manslaughter.

Statements by others suggest that Madame Frazier was performing at least one abortion a week, possibly more, and she was just one of the city’s providers. Only a small percentage of abortions were prosecuted, but that did nothing to change vehement public disdain for the procedure. In praising Maley, The Enquirer asked, “If Coroner Maley does not attend to this work who will, and who will put a stop to the wholesale murder of unborn children if he does not?”

Anyone who helped a woman procure an abortion—including paramours, husbands, friends, and parents—was eligible for a seven-year prison sentence. If Tytus had succeeded in finding a doctor for Dickey, he would have been guilty of the same crime as the doctor. Tytus was desperate and willing to take this risk, but it was a bad time to find a competent physician who was willing to perform an abortion in Cincinnati. An Enquirer editorial called the often quiet, unassuming homes where abortions were performed “the foulest sores on the social body” and noted with enthusiasm that “Doctor Maley is keeping a sharp eye on these places and as fast as the opportunity offers he will bring the occupants, be they men or women, to trial.”

CINCINNATI PHYSICIAN D.W. MCCARthyhad been mentioned in a past abortion investigation, but he’d never been charged with the crime. Doctors rarely faced charges for performing abortions unless they botched one badly enough to send a woman to the hospital or the morgue. Nevertheless, McCarthy didn’t want to risk his luck in the present legal environment, so he refused Tytus’s plea

McCarthy arranged for Dickey to live with a woman named Mrs. Ducker during the last few weeks of her pregnancy. Ducker concealed both the pregnancy and the birth of a daughter, Alice, in December 1873. McCarthy then performed several ethically questionable services while Ducker raised Alice from birth to the age of 4.

Tytus provided money for Alice’s care through McCarthy, but he also became scarce. According to Dickey, he’d repeated his intention to marry her in May 1873, but that proved disingenuous when he married a strikingly beautiful and extremely rich heiress from one of the wealthiest and most influential families in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.

In the years that followed, Dickey floated between family members and friends without a clear plan for her future. She rarely saw her daughter, entrusting Alice to the care of a stranger who billed her for the service of raising the girl. The birth didn’t bring the joy that it should have, as Dickey remained terrified to let anyone know that she was an unchaste woman with a fatherless child. Finally, in December 1877, after all attempts to reach an amicable resolution with Tytus were exhausted and her only remaining options were desperate, Dickey made the entire sordid tale public by filing a bastardy suit against him.

Family Court and child support payments are relatively recent developments in the law. In the 1800s, the closest equivalent started with filing criminal bastardy charges against the alleged father. Long before blood tests or DNA, the mother had the burden of proving the identity of her child’s father through physical resemblance and testimony about her own sexual history. If the accused either confessed his paternity or was found to be the father by a jury, he was guilty of criminal bastardy. There was no jail time—the punishment was to pay the cost of the child’s care in whatever amount the judge deemed fair.

Dickey also filed a $20,000 civil suit against Tytus for breach of an oral marriage contract, a legally recognized claim

Try these Ohio wineries this spring

Olde Schoolhouse Vineyard & Winery LLC

one-room brick schoolhouse. winery.

152 State Route 726 Eaton, OH 45320 (937) 472-WINE (9463) oshwinery.com

Heineman’s Winery

Heineman Winery, now in its 5th generation is Ohio’s oldest familyowned winery. Take a ferry trip to Putin-Bay and enjoy a bottle of wine and a cheese plate in our beautiful wine garden. We are also home to Crystal Cave, the world’s largest Celestite geode! Tours daily, early May-end of September. Call the winery for more details.

978 Catawba Avenue

Put-in-Bay, OH 43456 (419) 285-2811

heinemanswinery.com

Vinoklet Winery & Restaurant

Vinoklet Winery is perched atop picturesque rolling hills. A glassedenclosed solarium and spacious gazebo provide a panoramic view of the surrounding vineyards. A unique atmosphere for wedding ceremonies, receptions, rehearsal dinners, family parties, banquets, and corporate events. Please check the website for hours and events.

11069 Colerain Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45252 (513) 385-9309 vinokletwines.com

in the 1800s. Tytus hired famed Cincinnati attorney T.C. Campbell to defend him. He was a controversial figure with a lot of detractors, but everyone agreed that he was one of the nation’s most effective lawyers.

Bastardy cases began with a preliminary hearing in which the mother accused the defendant of fathering her child, laying out the abbreviated justifications for her claim. The man could concede his paternity, but if he wanted to challenge the allegation he had an opportunity to cross-examine her. A magistrate then decided whether there was sufficient evidence to move the case forward to trial.

The preliminary hearing in the DickeyTytus matter was held before the justice of the peace in Middletown. With no legal basis for barring bystanders, the room filled with what The Enquirer described as a “motley crew of corner loafers and libidinous heathens.” In a room packed with gawking men, all intoxicated by the public degradation of this sumptuous fallen so-

civil trial, the Dickey-Tytus affair received almost constant news coverage, partly due to its salacious nature and partly due to the numerous side plots that developed. Rather than breaking Dickey, though, being subjected to public humiliation hardened her mettle. On the first day of the breach of promise trial, she made her way through the packed crowd to take her seat, holding her head high and refusing to show any emotion or embarrassment. Once again, she was the only woman in the room.

Tytus unequivocally denied everything, saying he’d never engaged in “illicit intercourse” with Dickey, he hadn’t asked her to marry him, and Alice was not his child. He had paid for the infant’s care simply out of friendship with Dickey and because he was a gentleman whose generosity had been rewarded with blackmail.

Campbell’s defense strategy was to baselessly imply that Dickey was so promiscuous and of such low moral fiber that

McCarthy was sleeping soundly when his wife nudged him awake with her elbow sometime between 4:30 and 5 a.m. She heard something downstairs. The couple lay silently listening to some movement on the first floor. A man who had been crouched silently at the foot of their bed then stood up, pointed a revolver at them, and told them to keep quiet or he would “blow their brains out.” Nevertheless, Mrs. McCarthy started screaming, “Murder!” and “Police!” The unnerved gunman fled through the bedroom door, down the stairs, and out of the house as neighbors began to awake to the cries for help. Candles and lanterns were lit, warm beds hastily abandoned, and concerned neighbors started gathering in the McCarthy home. No one was hurt, but the doctor’s office had been burglarized.

cialite, Dickey fumbled, contradicted herself, and became confused during Campbell’s brutal cross-examination.

Questions about when, where, and how often she had had “illicit intercourse” with Tytus had limited legal relevance and seemed to be mostly designed to humiliate and embarrass her—the 19th century version of slut shaming. Dickey became flustered and rattled, but she prevailed. The magistrate ruled that she’d established enough facts to allow the bastardy suit to move forward. Tytus had to post a bond and await a criminal trial in the Court of Common Pleas, as well as a civil suit for the breach of promise to marry.

The breach of promise suit was tried before the criminal bastardy case. In the months between the preliminary hearing on the bastardy case and the start of the

her testimony couldn’t be trusted. Vicious and relentless as his tactics were, Campbell failed. The jury believed Dickey, ruling that Tytus had broken his promise to marry her and awarding her $6,000 of the $20,000 in damages that she had sued for (roughly the equivalent of $135,000 today). Dickey had won temporarily, but Campbell did not take defeat well.

EARLY ON CHRISTMAS MORNING 1877, Dr. McCarthy lay sleeping in bed next to his wife in their Seventh Street home. He’d been billing Dickey and Tytus to help conceal their child for the previous four years. At the insistence of their two children, the McCarthys arose in the earliest hours of Christmas morning to see what Santa had left in the stockings. After this brief excitement, the family went back to bed.

Oddly, expensive items lay untouched and in the open, but a thief had meticulously broken the lock on three different desks until finding and taking large envelopes labeled “Tytus vs. Dickey.” McCarthy had refused to give Dickey an abortion, but he enabled her to deliver her child in secret and had remained a go-between. He’d kept a series of personal letters between Dickey and Tytus pertaining to the care of their daughter after her birth and seems to have been quietly shopping them around, looking for the highest bidder. As a result, a select few people had read them, and those who’d become familiar with them agreed that the letters corroborated Dickey’s version of events and virtually assured Tytus’s conviction on the bastardy charge.

At the time of the burglary, few people knew that these letters existed, though Tytus and Campbell were among the people in the know. Tytus also seemed to have the only compelling motive to orchestrate an armed burglary solely to steal evidence in his case.

The police charged a career thief named Henry Curtis with the burglary. Following press coverage of the theft and speculation about its motive, Campbell pounced, announcing that he was representing Curtis and then brilliantly using the burglary trial to Tytus’s favor. Under the ruse of defending Curtis, he called Tytus to the stand as a witness and asked him to identify several

LEGALLY OUTMANEUVERED, DICKEY WAS FORCED TO CONFESS THAT SHE “SURRENDERED UP THE DEAREST JEWEL OF WOMANHOOD” ON THE SEAT OF A BUGGY, A HUMILIATION SHE COULD NEVER COMPLETELY CORRECT.

documents. On cue, he explained that these were copies of the letters that he had sent to McCarthy, copies he’d made before sending the letters and kept for his own records. This wasn’t relevant to Curtis’s defense, and a befuddled prosecutor tried to bring the focus back to Curtis. That’s when he walked blindly into Campbell’s trap.

Simply to placate Campbell and get on with the trial, the prosecutor agreed to stipulate that everything that Campbell was calling “facsimiles” of documents that had been stolen from McCarthy were, in fact, accurate copies of the stolen papers.

Campbell then theatrically confronted the prosecutor, demanding to know if he was accusing him or his client of hiring Curtis to commit the burglary. Taken off guard by the attack, the prosecutor vehemently assured the court that he absolutely was not accusing Campbell or Tytus of orchestrating the theft.

For the prosecutor, the sole purpose of the trial was to determine whether Curtis was guilty of burglary. For Campbell, Curtis was a pawn. Campbell successfully used the trial to unwittingly trick the prosecutor into offhandedly authenticating a stack of fake documents and to exonerate himself and Tytus from any involvement in the crime. It was a brilliant piece of chicanery. His primary objective satisfied, Campbell then delivered a solid defense for Curtis. The jury deadlocked six to six, and although he wasn’t acquitted Curtis would remain free. Officially, the stolen letters were never recovered.

Then Campbell released the documents to the press to demonstrate his client’s innocence in the bastardy case. When Dickey and McCarthy had the opportunity to read Tytus’s “copies,” they saw that several were, in reality, whitewashed substitutes removing all of the unequivocal proof of Tytus’s guilt contained in the stolen documents. Even more mysteriously, they concluded that several innocuous letters weren’t copies. They were actually some of the stolen original letters.

The McCarthy burglary officially went unsolved and was quickly forgotten. Meanwhile, a stack of fake documents that portended Tytus’s innocence were unwittingly authenticated in court and made part of his case’s public record.

FOLLOWING THE CIVIL SUIT FOR BREACH of contract of marriage in which Dickey had been awarded a $6,000 judgment, plus costs, Tytus filed bankruptcy to avoid paying the judgment. He was rich, but he earned his money in the most respectable Gilded Age fashion: He inherited it. Technically, Tytus’s father was rich. Tytus’s primary profession was flitting around the upper crust of Milwaukee, Chicago, Indianapolis, Ft. Wayne, Dayton, Middletown, and Cincinnati as a socialite and a playboy. Yes, his gorgeous new wife was also filthy rich, but she was an heiress. When you broke it down on paper, it seemed that Tytus simply lacked the resources to pay Dickey, rendering her initial victory financially useless.

When the criminal bastardy case was scheduled to begin, a courthouse full of sweaty voyeurs waited for hours in the summer heat for the defendant to arrive. He never did. Referring to one of the technical requirements that was unique to criminal bastardy proceedings, Campbell argued that because of a technical error by the judge, the only way that the court still had jurisdiction over Tytus was if he voluntarily appeared for trial—something he had no intention of doing. Based on a trivial error and his mastery of the law, Campbell threw the fate of Dickey v. Tytus into limbo.

Backed into a corner, Dickey was forced to settle the case. She’d reportedly been offered a $5,000 settlement before the breach of promise trial and had rejected it, not because of the money but because of the additional terms. Tytus’s offer required her to deny that he was Alice’s father.

Dickey had been forced to confess that she “surrendered up the dearest jewel of womanhood” on the seat of a buggy, a humiliation she could never completely correct. She drew a firm line at allowing the public record of the case to suggest that she was so unchaste that she couldn’t identify her child’s father. Tytus, however, was equally intransigent. Milwaukee and Chicago newspapers, which also followed the trial, reported that Mrs. Tytus loved her husband undyingly and vowed to stick by his side—unless, of course, he was convicted of bastardy. If that happened, she would be making her own trip to a courthouse.

If Tytus admitted paternity, he would lose the heiress.

At loggerheads and with few cards left to play, Dickey folded. She agreed to accept $3,850 with no admission of paternity. Ultimately, she received slightly less. On Christmas Eve 1878, her lawyers filed an entry of satisfaction of judgment with the Butler County Court, stating that they were releasing all further claims to the $6,000 judgment in exchange for $2,905.89 received. Although The Chicago Post and Mail wrote that it “would have been cheaper” for Tytus to have “married Miss Dickey and killed her the next day,” the money she received was only a fraction of her legal bills.

Dickey also lost a motion for injunction to stop publication of a book about her affair with Tytus and the trial. She claimed that it constituted obscenity, but the trial had muddled the legal definition of obscene. If her sex life had been described in a work of fiction, a late 19th-century court may have declared it obscene, but the bar had been blurred by the detailed and salacious coverage of court proceedings in newspapers across the country. Like the national shaming of Monica Lewinsky a century later, Dickey v. Tytus redefined Victorian moral standards for the media.

Dickey’s pleas to keep a photo of her innocent child out of the publication also failed. Mrs. Ducker, the woman who hid Alice’s birth and raised the child for the first four years of her life, cast cold scorn on Dickey as an absentee mother. But despite her righteous indignation, she decided to have little Alice photographed and then filed a copyright claim on the photo, using it to cash in on the scandal.

Written as an obvious truism, the The Chicago Tribune said that the “principal sufferer in the case is of course Mrs. Tytus,” whom the paper described as “a dashing society woman with plenty of money.” Dickey probably disagreed. But she lived in a time when Christian values were enshrined in the U.S. legal system, the sin of “illicit sex” had criminal repercussions, and abortion was murder.

The media didn’t think that Nancy Dickey deserved empathy. She was simply a lesson for other women and girls to heed.

311 Pike Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 (513) 621-4500

www.subitoatlytlepark.com

YOUR DATE NIGHT DESTINATION AWAITS

Set the scene for your perfect date night at Subito, inside The Lytle Park Hotel, where you’ll enjoy handcrafted Italian dishes, an expansive wine collection, and expertly orchestrated service. The glow of the lobby bar and the rich sounds of live music are the makings of your date night Exactly Like Nothing Else

D NE

The Bare Necessi-Cheese

MAMABEAR’S MAC RECENTLY FOUND A NEW HOME INSIDE THE GRAINWORKS BREWING Company Tap Room, and more space means more on the menu. You’ll find a bruschetta flatbread, Cuban sandwiches, burgers, and, on Wednesdays and Football Sundays, chicken wings. But the star of the show is still the macaroni and cheese.

TIANA MUTTS

THE OWNER OF TIANA’S Cheesecake Wonders slings jars of decadent dessert.

How did you get started? It wasn’t until COVID forced us indoors that my husband and I decided that it would be a good idea if I made cheesecake jars. I made about 30 big jars and made them look as presentable as possible. My husband does photography and wanted me to make the jars so that he could practice product photography. After we had finished with the pictures, I realized that he and I could not consume 30 jars, so I made a post on social media to sell them. I didn’t expect to sell out of them within a couple of hours.

How many flavors do you currently have? I started out with my two famous flavors—strawberry crunch and cookies and cream— which grew into 13-plus different flavors.

What’s your best flavor? It really depends on the person. My clients who love fruit tend to go for the peach cobbler. The overall favorite flavor is the strawberry crunch, which can be compared to the strawberry crunch ice cream bar, but in cheesecake form. It is amazing!

Do you have any big plans for your business this year? I have already begun to book more events for catering and plan on making more cakes. I plan on just continuing to grow my skills within baking and seeing how far it can take me.

MamaBear’s Mac, 7790 Service Center Dr., West Chester, (513) 480-2337, grainworks.beer/food

Hungry for variety? Try the Mac Flight with all four of the signature flavors that have made this food truck so popular. They arrive lined up in an Instagram-worthy display with seasoning that’s more than garnish deep. The Vermont Cheddar (sharp Cabot Vermont cheddar and seasoned breadcrumbs) is for fans of the classics, serving up cozy, savory memories only a great cheese can deliver. The Loaded Baked Potato Mac (cheddar, bacon, sour cream, green onions, and a secret ingredient) is worthy of the spud. The secret ingredient gives it extra oomph, enhancing the taste of the bacon bits and creamy cheddar. The Buffalo Mac (chicken, cheddar, mild wing sauce, and a ranch drizzle) has chicken in every mouthful and enough heat to make your reach for a Grainworks beer. Finally, the Smokey Bear Mac (smoked cheddar, smoked pulled pork, pickled onions, BBQ sauce, and Grippo’s Bar-B-Q chips) tastes like an entire barbecue. It’s smoky sweet with pork so tender it melts in your mouth, and the chips add a crunchy texture for variety. What better way to soak up that beer? —M.

SAY CHEESE

Turophiles, unite!

Don’t miss out on the many curded and cultured delectable dairy delicacies available in the Queen City.

—AIESHA D. LITTLE

QUARK (URBAN STEAD CHEESE CO.)

This soft, white curd cheese is one of Urban Stead Cheese Co.’s foundational products. It’s unaged so it only takes three days before a batch of what’s known as the shop’s “magic cheese” is ready to spread, bake, and dip. urbansteadcheese. com

NEGRONI BLUE CHEESE (THE RHINED)

Soaked in gin, vermouth, and bitters, and topped with candied orange slices, you’ll find this sweet, decadent cheese in The Rhined’s blue flight—three cheeses accompanied by Findlay Market–sourced accoutrement and crostini. therhined. com

WENSLEYDALE & BLUEBERRIES (JUNGLE JIM’S)

One of the oldest British cheese varieties (production dates back to as early as 1150). Sharp blueberry chunks provide a nice contrast to the honeyed flavor of the cheese, and it pairs well with a red wine or wheat beer. jungle jims.com/market/ cheese-shop

THE RATTLESNAKE (GIBBS CHEESE)

This medium aged cheddar is injected with gold tequila and habanero peppers for a sweet heat. Have a drink at the ready because the bite from the peppers will linger, waiting to strike, just like its namesake. find laymarket.org/mer chants/gibbscheese

GREENER PASTURES (MAD CHEESE)

There’s a reason this is the small-batch vegan cheese brand’s most popular item. Similar to goat cheese, this soft, tangy cheese spreads easily but if you prefer it crumbly, serving right after it’s thawed is the way to go.

madcheese.com

Wine Guru

The former Chateau Pomije space has been reborn.

WHEN IT COMES TO WINE, TIM SHUMrick has a sixth sense. It’s not all that surprising, given that he’s a veteran of the local dining scene, having opened his first wine store in Hyde Park in 1975. He’s had time to learn his stuff. But it’s still a little spooky how quickly he can make that perfect recommendation on the spot. Who would have immediately known that a picky pinot noir purist would fall for the Dolcetto? Shumrick would.

It’s that sense of instant rapport that makes Annata Wine Bar & Cellar , formerly Shumrick’s own Chateau Pomije restaurant, fit within the heart of O’Bryonville, where hot spots like Pampas and Che are just down the block. “That’s one of the main reasons I opened it—to be a neighborhood wine bar,” Shumrick says. “The name is Italian for ‘vintage’ and the boat for the name ‘Chateau Pomije’ had sailed. Annata, I think, is a much hipper name and hopefully appeals to a younger crowd. Chateau Pomije has legacy to another generation.”

Order by the glass or sample three different pours together with one of Annata’s signature wine flights (we couldn’t resist trying the albariño, the verdicchio, and the sauvignon blanc in quick succession). The 26 wines available at the bar are constantly rotating to reflect the season—more reds in the winter, whites and rosés in the warmer months—but the cellar is an even deeper treasure trove to explore, with more than 400 bottles just waiting to be uncorked.

DINING GUIDE

CINCINNATI MAGAZINE’S

dining guide is compiled by our editors as a service to our readers. The magazine accepts no advertising or other consideration in exchange for a restaurant listing.

The editors may add or delete restaurants based on their judgment. Because of space limitations, all

AMERICAN

THE BIRCH

of the guide’s restaurants may not be included. Many restaurants have changing seasonal menus; dishes listed here are examples of the type of cuisine available and may not be on the menu when you visit.

To update listings, e-mail: cmletters@cincinnati magazine.com

KEY: No checks unless specified.

AE American Express, DC Diners Club

DS Discover, MC MasterCard, V Visa

MCC Major credit cards: AE, MC, V

$ = Under $15

$$ = Up to $30

$$$ = Up to $49

$$$$ = $50 and up

= Named a Best Restaurant March 2023. Top 10

On any given evening, guests nibble at spicy hummus served with French breakfast radishes and pita bread while sipping slightly spumante glasses of Spanish Txakolina. And while the dinner menu reads strictly casual at first glance—soups, salads, and sandwiches and sharing plates—the preparation and quality are anything but. A chef salad with chopped romaine, sweet peas, applewood smoked bacon, hard-boiled egg, and sunflower seeds surpassed many versions of the bistro classic. And both the Brussels sprouts and fingerling potato sides refused to play merely supporting roles. Both were sensational studies in the balance of sweet, spicy, and acidic flavors.

702 Indian Hill Rd., Terrace Park, (513) 8315678, thebirchtp.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sat. MCC, DS. $

BOOMTOWN BISCUITS & WHISKEY

Boomtown leans hard into the Gold Rush theme: prospector-style overall aprons on servers, bluegrass tunes humming, and rustic decor details. And the dense grub isn’t for the faint of heart. Arrive with an empty belly, ready for a carbo load. The biscuits are all they’re cracked up to be, and the gravy’s not playing around, either. Sample its biscuits and gravy styles with a gravy flight. Or try The Yukon, an anytime breakfast sandwich, featuring fried chicken on par with the best the city has to offer. By the end of the meal, you’ll feel a little out of place without your own denim getup.

9039 U.S. Route 42, Suite H, Union, (859) 384-5910, boomtownbiscuitsandwhiskey. com. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner Tues–Sat. Breakfast and lunch Sun. MCC. $

BRONTË BISTRO

You might think this is a lunch-only spot where you can nosh on a chicken salad sandwich after browsing next door at Joseph-Beth Booksellers. But this Norwood eatery feels welcoming after work, too. The dinner menu features entrées beyond the rotating soup and quiche roster that’s

HEART EYES

Carlo & Johnny, Sotto, and Pepp & Dolores were recently named to OpenTable’s “100 most romantic restaurants in America” list. Created by analyzing more than 13 million reviews on the site, it focuses on eateries that “deliver on romance.”

opentable.com/lists/ most-romantic-restau rants-us-2023

popular at noon. Mac and cheese? Check. Quesadillas and other starters? Yep. An assortment of burgers? Present, including a grilled portobello option. Casual food rules the day but the surprise is Brontë Bistro’s lineup of adult beverages, which elevates the place above a basic bookstore coffeeshop. The regular drinks menu includes such mainstays as cosmopolitans and sidecars.

2692 Madison Rd., Norwood, (513) 396-8970, josephbeth.com. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days. MCC. $

BROWN DOG CAFÉ

If you haven’t had a plate of Shawn McCoy’s design set in front of you, it’s about time. Many of the menu’s dishes show his knack for the plate as a palette. A trio of grilled lamb t-bone, boar tenderloin, and prawns in scampi butter is a standout. The eye for detail and contrasts of colors and textures belongs to someone who cares for food.

1000 Summit Place, Blue Ash, (513) 794-1610, browndogcafe.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat, brunch Sat. MCC, DS. $$

COPPIN’S

With wine on tap and an extensive local beer list, Coppin’s is an ideal place to meet for drinks. In addition to plenty of Kentucky bourbon, much of the produce, meat, and cheese comes from local growers and producers. House-cured meat and cheese from Kenny’s Farmhouse and cheese from Urban Stead populate the “Artisan Cheese and Charcuterie Board,” which dresses up the main attractions with honey, dijon mustard, house pickles, and Sixteen Bricks purple barley bread. The mussels—made with seasonally rotating sauces and chorizo from Napoleon Ridge Farms in Gallatin County—were served with a peppery tomato sauce, perfect for sopping up with bread. The seven-ounce Sakura Farms Wagyu ribeye with wild mushrooms, roasted parsnip, and beef jus is a must have. Or try the striped bass with grape farro roasted broccolini and mussel cream sauce. 638 Madison Ave., Covington, (859) 9056600, hotelcovington.com/dining/coppins. Breakfast seven days, lunch Mon–Fri, and dinner Thurs–Sun. MCC. $$

COZY’S

CAFÉ & PUB

On a visit to England, Jan Collins discovered the “cozy” atmosphere of London restaurants built in

historic houses. She brought that warm, comfortable feeling back to the United States in opening Cozy’s. Though the atmosphere in the restaurant is reminiscent of Collins’s London travels, the food remains proudly American. The produce in virtually every dish is fresh, seasonal, and flavorful. The braised short rib stands out with its cheesy grits and haystack onions along with a portion of tender meat. And when it comes down to the classics, from the biscuits that open the meal to carrot cake at the end, Cozy’s does it right. 6440 Cincinnati Dayton Rd., Liberty Twp., (513) 644-9365, cozyscafeandpub.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sat, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $$$

THE EAGLE OTR

The revamped post office at 13th and Vine feels cozy but not claustrophobic, and it has distinguished itself with its stellar fried chicken. Even the white meat was pull-apart steamy, with just enough peppery batter to pack a piquant punch. Diners can order by the quarter, half, or whole bird—but whatever you do, don’t skimp on the sides. Bacon adds savory mystery to crisp corn, green beans, and edamame (not limas) in the succotash, and the crock of mac and cheese has the perfect proportion of sauce, noodle, and crumb topping. The Eagle OTR seems deceptively simple on the surface, but behind that simplicity is a secret recipe built on deep thought, skill, and love.

1342 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 802-5007, eaglerestaurant.com. Lunch Fri–Sun, dinner Mon–Thurs. MCC. $

EMBERS

The menu here is built for celebration: poshly priced steak and sushi selections are meant to suit every special occasion. Appetizers are both classic (shrimp cocktail) and Asian-inspired (shrimp tempura); fashionable ingredients are name-checked (micro-greens and truffles); a prominent sushi section (nigiri, sashimi, and rolls) precedes a list of archetypal salads; Kobe beef on sushi rolls sidles up to steaks of prime; non-steak entrées (Chilean sea bass or Dover sole with haricots verts and almondine) make for high-style alternative selections. Talk about a party.

8170 Montgomery Rd., Madeira, (513) 9848090, embersrestaurant.com. Dinner seven days. MCC, DC, DS. $$$$

GREYHOUND TAVERN

Back in the streetcar days, this roughly 100-year-old roadhouse was at the end of the Dixie Highway line, where the cars turned around to head north. The place was called the Dixie Tea Room then, and they served ice cream. The fried chicken came along in the 1930s, and they’re still dishing it up today. Families and regulars alike pile in on Mondays and Tuesdays for the fried chicken dinner. While the juicy (never greasy) chicken with its lightly seasoned, crisp coating is the star, the side dishes—homemade biscuits, cole slaw, green beans, mashed potatoes, and gravy—will make you ask for seconds. Call ahead no matter what night you choose: There’s bound to be a crowd. Not in the mood for chicken? Choose from steaks, seafood, sandwiches, and comfort food options that include meatloaf and a Kentucky Hot Brown. Or just try the onion rings. You’ll wonder where onions that big come from.

2500 Dixie Highway, Ft. Mitchell, (859) 331-3767, greyhoundtavern.com. Lunch and dinner seven days, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC, DS. $$

MR. GENE’S DOGHOUSE

Cumminsville is home to arguably the best hot chili cheese mett and chocolate malt in Greater Cincinnati. A family owned business that began as a simple hot dog stand more than 50 years ago, Mr. Gene’s still attracts lines of loyal customers at its windows. Can’t stand the heat? Order the mild chili mett—more flavor, fewer BTUs. And if you still haven’t embraced Cincinnati-style coneys, try the Chicago-style hot dog with pickles, onions, relish, mustard, tomato, and celery salt; a pork sandwich ; or wings (a sign proclaims “So hot they make the devil sweat”). Although the chocolate malt is the biggest seller, we love the $3.75 pineapple shake,

made with real pineapple.

3703 Beekman St., South Cumminsville, (513) 541-7636, mrgenesdoghouse.com. Open Feb–Oct for lunch and dinner Mon–Sat. MC, V. $

GOOSE & ELDER

The third restaurant from chef Jose Salazar, Goose & Elder is a more everyday kind of joint compared to his others. The prices are lower, and most of the dishes, from burgers to grits, are familiar. Salazar’s menus have always hinted that the chef had a fondness for, well, junk food. But junk food is only junk if it is made thoughtlessly. Everything here is made with little twists, like the cumin-spiced potato chips and delicate ribbons of housemade cucumber pickles with a sweet rice wine vinegar. Even the fries, crinkle cut and served with “goose sauce,” a mildly spiced mayonnaise, are wonderfully addictive. The restaurant demonstrates that what we now consider “fast food” can be awfully good if someone makes it the old-fashioned, slow way.

1800 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 579-8400, gooseandelder.com. Mon & Wed–Fri, dinner Mon & Wed–Sun, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $$

IVORY HOUSE

2998 Harrison Ave., Westwood, (513) 389-0175, ivoryhousecincy.com. Dinner Tues–Sat, brunch Sun. MCC. $$$

MIGHTY GOOD

With a kitchen full of students from the Findlay Culinary Training Program, this “meat and three” makes food good enough that everyone involved can hang their chef’s hats on. (Served in a small skillet so it stays hot and slightly creamy throughout the meal, the baked mac and cheese casserole would be the favorite dish at any church potluck.) At $15 for an entrée and three sides, Mighty Good offers one of the best values, not just in Over-the-Rhine, but in all of Greater Cincinnati.

1819 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 263-6893, mightygoodotr.com. Lunch and dinner Tues-Sat. MCC. $$

THE NATIONAL EXEMPLAR

Top10

The menu here generally doesn’t reinvent dishes or introduce outlandish flavors, but simply pays attention to enough little things to make the results unusually good. The Wagyu is served in cheeseburger form, but the exceptional tomme from Urban Stead gives it that extra something. The cocktails are things you’ve probably seen before, but everything—from the Death Valley Old Fashioned to the Queen City’s Bees Knees—had an extra dash of liveliness from a house-made element, like a rhubarb honey syrup or the raspberry shrub. Even when an ingredient seems out of left field, like the burnt grapefruit hot sauce on the Hamachi, it never tastes as unusual as it sounds. The hot sauce is just a hint of sweet citrusy spice that melts into the grits—a softly intriguing element rather than a slap in the face. Ivory House also has an excellent brunch.

The classics are here—prime rib with horseradish and au jus; liver and onions; an eight-ounce filet with bernaise— plus some new favorites, including short rib pasta. Or have breakfast, English-style: fried eggs, bacon, sausage, stewed beans, roasted tomatoes, and buttered toast. The dinner menu also features burgers, risotto, pasta, seafood, and plenty more lighter options.

6880 Wooster Pke., Mariemont, (513) 271-2103, nationalexemplar.com. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $$

THE NORTHSTAR CAFÉ

In Northstar’s first outpost beyond the Greater Columbus area, the space itself reflects the ethos of the food: warm and comfortable, but still modern and fresh. The dinner and cocktail menus are fab, as is the large bar. But breakfast is worth waking up early for. Take the mushroom frittata, made with meaty mushrooms, caramelized sweet onions, and Gruyère. The portions are no joke—that frittata comes with breakfast potatoes and arugula—yet it doesn’t feel gluttonous or excessive. In large part that’s due to

the freshness (e.g., the sausage made in-house daily) and the abundance of healthy options. One of our favorites: the shooting star juice, a balanced blend of carrot, ginger, orange, and lemon.

7610 Sloan Way, Liberty Township, (513) 759-0033, thenorthstarcafe.com. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days. MCC. No cash. $

OTTO’S

Chef/owner Paul Weckman opened Otto’s, named after his father-in-law, with $300 worth of food and one employee—himself. Weckman’s food is soothing, satisfying, and occasionally, too much of a good thing. His tomato pie is beloved by lunch customers: Vine-ripe tomatoes, fresh basil, and chopped green onions packed into a homemade pie shell, topped with a cheddar cheese spread, and baked until bubbly. Weckman’s straightforward preparations are best. The shrimp and grits with sauteed shrimp spinach, mushrooms, Cajun beurre blanc atop a fried grit cake, short ribs braised in red wine and herbs, served over mashed potatoes with green beans and caramelized baby carrots that will bring you the comfort of a home-cooked meal. This is, at its heart, a neighborhood restaurant, a place with its own large, quirky family.

521 Main St., Covington, (859) 491-6678, ottosonmain. com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Fri, brunch and dinner Sat–Mon. MCC. $$

QUATMAN CAFÉ

The quintessential neighborhood dive, Quatman’s sits in the shadow of the Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center, serving up a classic bar burger. Look elsewhere if you like your burger with exotic toppings: This half-pound of grilled beef is served with lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle. Sometimes cheese. The no-frills theme is straightforward and appealing. A menu of standard sandwich fare and smooth mock turtle soup; beer on tap or soda in cans (no wine or liquor); and checkered tablecloths, serving baskets, and plenty of kitsch is served daily. Peppered with regulars,

families, and political discussions, Quatman’s is far from fancy. But it is fun, fast, and delicious.

2434 Quatman Ave., Norwood, (513) 731-4370, quatmancafe.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat. MC, V, DS, MCC. $

RED FEATHER KITCHEN

Historically peasant-grade cuts of meat get the full Pygmalion treatment at Red Feather in Oakley, where there’s deep respect for the time and tending necessary to bring a short rib, pork chop, or steak to its full potential. After a quick sear to lock in juices, the steak takes a turn in the wood-fired oven. While primal cuts play a leading role, the supporting cast is just as captivating. The French onion soup is especially warming on a winter evening and the crispy skin on the salmon acts as the foil to the plump, rich flesh. Service here only improves the experience.

3200 Madison Rd., Oakley, (513) 407-3631, redfeatherkitchen.com. Dinner Wed–Sat, brunch Sun. MCC. $$$

RED ROOST TAVERN

At its best, Red Roost Tavern—located in the Hyatt Regency, downtown—meets its singular challenge with verve: offering a locally sourced sensibility to an increasingly demanding dining public while introducing out-of-town guests to unique Cincinnati foods. Take the goetta, rich pork capturing the earthiness of the steel-cut oats, served as a hash with sweet potatoes and poached eggs. The seasoning added a restrained, almost mysterious hint of black pepper. But the kitchen’s talent seems straightjacketed. Chefs thrive on instincts not covered by the five senses; restaurants thrive by taking careful risks. Red Roost seems to be struggling to find its third eye, and sometimes the entrées don’t live up to their ambitions.

151 W. Fifth St., downtown, (513) 354-4025, redroosttavern.com. Breakfast and lunch Sat & Sun, dinner seven days. MCC,DS. $$$

RON’S ROOST

They stake their reputation on their fried chicken, serving 10,000 pieces weekly. It takes a few minutes, since each batch is made to order. Ron’s also serves chicken 18 other ways, including chicken livers in gravy. It’s all about the chicken here, but that’s not all they have. The menu is five solid pages of stuff good enough to be called specialties: Oktoberfest sauerbraten, Black Angus cheeseburgers, fried whitefish on rye, hot bacon slaw, lemon meringue pie (homemade, of course), and the best Saratoga chips this side of Saratoga.

3853 Race Rd., Bridgetown, (513) 574-0222, ronsroost. net. Breakfast Sun, lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $$

THE SCHOOLHOUSE RESTAURANT

An old flag stands in one corner and pictures of Abe Lincoln and the first George W. hang on the wall of this Civil War–era schoolhouse. The daily menu of familiar Midwestern comfort fare is written in letter-perfect cursive on the original chalkboard. Once you order from a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to your high school lunch lady, the elevated lazy Susan in the center of the table begins to fill up with individual bowls and baskets of corn bread, slaw, salad, mashed potatoes, chicken gravy, and vegetables. The deal here is quantity. More mashed potatoes with your fried chicken? More corn bread with your baked ham? You don’t even have to raise your hand.

8031 Glendale-Milford Rd., Camp Dennison, (513) 8315753, theschoolhousecincinnati.com. Lunch Sun, dinner Fri–Sun. MCC, DS. $

SUGAR N’ SPICE

This Paddock Hills diner, with additional locations in Overthe-Rhine and Blue Ash, has been dishing up wispy-thin pancakes and football-sized omelettes to Cincinnatians since FDR was signing new deals. Breakfast and lunch offerings mix old-hat classics like steak and eggs, corned beef

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hash, and basic burgers with funky iterations that draw on ethnic ingredients such as chorizo and tzatziki. Get here early if you don’t want to stand in line.

4381 Reading Rd., Paddock Hills, (513) 242-3521; 1203 Sycamore St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 762-0390; 10275 Summit Pkwy., Blue Ash, (513) 447-6453, eatsugarnspice. com, Breakfast and lunch seven days. MCC. $

SYMPHONY HOTEL & RESTAURANT

Tucked into a West 14th Street Italianate directly around the corner from Music Hall, this place feels like a private dinner club. There’s a preferred by-reservation policy. Check the web site for the weekend’s five-course menu, a slate of “new American” dishes that changes monthly. You can see the reliance on local produce in the Greek lemon chicken soup. Salads are interesting without being busy, and the lemon lavender sorbet is served as the third course palate cleanser with the five-course menu. Main courses of panseared rainbow trout, grass-fed strip steak, and a veggie burger hit all the right notes, and you can end with a sweet flourish if you choose the strawberry lavender shortcake.

210 W. 14th St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 721-3353, symphonyhotel.com. Dinner Fri & Sat. $$

TANO

BISTRO

This Loveland bistro is comfortable, with reasonably priced food and amenable service. The menu is tidy—25 or so dishes divided between appetizers, salads, and entrées, plus two or three specials—its flavor profile partially influenced by a childhood growing up in a third generation Italian family. Most of Tano Bistro’s main courses lean toward the comfortable side of American. For instance, Williams serves

a stuffed salmon and an allegiance pork chop. The sprout & snout appetizer is also worth a trip to Loveland, combining balsamic-drizzled brussels sprouts with sliced pork belly.

204 W. Loveland Ave., Loveland, (513) 683-8266, foodbytano.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sat. MCC. $$$

TELA BAR + KITCHEN

Classically conceived but casually executed comfort food, including a royale with cheese, mac and cheese topped with a Mr. Pibb–braised pulled short rib, and steak frites with garlic aioli. Servers are slightly scattered, yet enthusiastic and friendly, with a good grasp of the beverage program.

1212 Springfield Pke., Wyoming, (513) 821-8352, telabarandkitchen.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sat. MCC. $$

TRIO

Trio is nothing if not a crowd pleaser. Whether you’re in the mood for a California-style pizza or filet mignon (with roasted red potatoes, sauteed spinach, crispy onions, and a red wine demi glace), the menu is broad enough to offer something for everyone. It may lack a cohesive point of view, but with the number of regulars who come in seven nights a week, variety is Trio’s ace in the hole. A simple Margherita pizza with roma tomatoes, basil, Parmesan, and mozzarella delivered a fine balance of crunchy crust, soft cheese, and sweet, roasted tomatoes. Paired with a glass of pinot noir, it made a perfect light meal. The service is friendly enough for a casual neighborhood joint but comes with white tablecloth attentiveness and knowledge. Combine that with the consistency in the kitchen, and Trio is a safe bet.

7565 Kenwood Rd., Kenwood, (513) 984-1905, triobistro.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DC. $$

THE WILDFLOWER CAFÉ

Wildflower Café is not the sort of place that tries to wow anyone with feats of inventiveness. Its formula is simple but satisfying: lots of mostly local meat and produce, a menu

that continuously changes with available ingredients, a nice selection of wine and beer, and well-made, homey food. The small, focused menu has a classic American quality (salads, steaks, burgers) with enough surprises to keep things interesting. Many of the dishes are designed with open spaces to be filled with whatever is available in the kitchen that day, an advantage of an unfussy style. You don’t go to Wildflower expecting a certain kind of perfection; you accept that your favorite dish from last time might be made differently tonight, or no longer available. Like the farmhouse that Wildflower occupies, the imperfections are part of the charm.

207 E. Main St., Mason, (513) 492-7514, wildflowermason.com. Dinner Mon–Fri. MCC. $$$

YORK STREET CAFÉ

Five blocks from the Newport riverfront, Terry and Betsy Cunningham have created the sort of comfortable, welcoming environment that encourages steady customers. A dependable menu and quirky atmosphere appeal to a broad range of diners, from non-adventurous visiting relatives to non-attentive children. Desserts have always been one of the stars: flourless chocolate hazelnut torte, bittersweet, rich and moist; butter rum pudding that would be equally at home on a picnic table or a finely dressed Michelin-starred table.

738 York St., Newport, (859) 261-9675, yorkstonline. com. Lunch Tues–Fri. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC, DS. $$

BARBECUE

BEE’S BARBEQUE

You’ll want to get to Bee’s Barbecue in Madisonville early if you want to avoid the line of friendly regulars. The restaurant’s smoker churns out a variety of meats—including brisket, pulled pork, ribs, turkey breast, and two kinds of

sausage—so it’s easy to see why they keep coming back. If you enjoy the spicy grease that oozes out of a good chorizo, you’ll love the Cincinnati Hot Link, which tastes like the delicious love child of a chorizo and a hot mett. Word to the wise: Bee’s opens at 11 a.m. and closes when they run out of meat. Understandably, this doesn’t take long.

5910 Chandler St., Madisonville, (513) 561-2337, beesbarbecue.com. Lunch and dinner Wed–Sat. MCC. $

ELI’S BBQ

Elias Leisring started building his pulled pork reputation under canopies at Findlay Market and Fountain Square in 2011. Leisring’s proper little ’cue shack along the river serves up ribs that are speaking-in-tongues good, some of the zazziest jalapeño cheese grits north of the MasonDixon line, and browned mashed potatoes that would make any short order cook diner-proud. The small no-frills restaurant—packed cheek-by-jowl most nights—feels like it’s been there a lifetime, with customers dropping vinyl on the turntable, dogs romping in the side yard, and picnic tables crowded with diners. The hooch is bring-your-own, and the barbecue is bona fide.

3313 Riverside Dr., East End, (513) 533-1957, elisbarbeque.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $

SINNERS & SAINTS TAVERN

You won’t leave this Texas smokehouse/sports bar hungry. From the brisket—served with Texas BBQ sauce, white bread, and pickles, or on toasted sourdough—to the chicken thighs, you can’t go wrong with these richly smoked flavors. Several dishes, like the Korean style pork belly, the pulled pork naan tacos, and Bigos stew, draw on global influences, while the sides take flavors back to the country (try the creamy coleslaw, the house-made mac and cheese, and chili-spiced cornbread). The restaurant’s character shines through its decor, which includes hanging hockey memorabilia, pictures of public figures and tables made from real NBA courts.

2062 Riverside Dr., East End, (513) 281-4355, sinsaintsmoke.com. Lunch Sat & Sun, dinner Tues–Sun. MCC. $$

WALT’S HITCHING POST

A Northern Kentucky institution returns. Roughly 750 pounds of ribs per week are pit-fired in a small building in front of the restaurant, with a smaller dedicated smoker out back for brisket and chicken. Walt’s ribs begin with several hours in the smokehouse and then are quick-seared at the time of service. This hybrid method takes advantage of the leaner nature of the baby-back ribs they prefer to use. Each rib had a just-right tooth to it where soft flesh peeled away from the bone. One hidden treasure: Walt’s housemade tomato and garlic dressing. Slightly thicker than a vinaigrette yet unwilling to overwhelm a plate of greens, the two key elements play well together.

3300 Madison Pke., Ft. Wright, (859) 360-2222, waltshitchingpost.com. Dinner seven days. MCC. $$

CAJUN/ CARIBBEAN

BREWRIVER CREOLE

More than 800 miles from New Orleans, this may be as close as you can get to the real deal here in your own backyard. The menu fully leans into Chef Michael Shields’s penchant for cuisine from the Crescent City. His six years of training under NOLA’s own Emeril Lagasse comes through in a scratch kitchen menu that spans a range of the city’s classics. The enormous shrimp and oyster po’ boys—the former protein fried in a light and crispy beer batter and the latter in a hearty cornmeal breading—are served on fluff y French bread loaves and dressed with lightly spicy rémoulades.

The jambalaya packs all the heat of a late summer day in

MEMORIES INSPIRATION &

the French Quarter without masking a hint of its satisfying flavors. Paired with a Sazerac and nightly live jazz, you may just feel tempted to start a second line.

4632 Eastern Ave., Linwood, (513) 861-2484, brewrivercreolekitchen.com. Dinner Tues–Sun, brunch and lunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $

SWAMPWATER GRILL

At first blush, this place is a dive where homesick Cajuns can find a good pile of jambalaya. But thoughtful details like draft Abita Root Beer and char-grilled Gulf Coast oysters on the half shell signal its ambition. Bayou standards like jambalaya, gumbo, and fried seafood also make an appearance. But the extensive menu also features amped up pub-style items for those who may be squeamish about crawfish tails (which can be added to just about anything on the menu). You’ll also find a roundup of oyster, shrimp, catfish, and alligator Po’Boys, as well as a selection of hardwood-smoked meats.

3742 Kellogg Ave., East End, (513) 834-7067, swampwatergrill.com. Lunch and dinner Wed–Sun, brunch Sat & Sun. V, MC, DS, AMEX. $$

KNOTTY PINE ON THE BAYOU

The Pine serves some of the best Louisiana home-style food you’ll find this far north of New Orleans. Taste the fried catfish filets with their peppery crust, or the garlic sauteed shrimp with smoky greens on the side, and you’ll understand why it’s called soul food. Between March and June, it’s crawfish season. Get them boiled and heaped high on a platter or in a superb crawfish etouffee. But the rockin’ gumbo—a thick, murky brew of andouille sausage, chicken, and vegetables— serves the best roundhouse punch all year round. As soon as you inhale the bouquet and take that first bite, you realize why Cajun style food is considered a high art form and a serious pleasure. And you’ll start planning your return trip. 6302 Licking Pke., Cold Spring, (859) 781-2200, theknottypineonthebayou.com. Dinner Tues–Sun. MCC, DS. $$

CHINESE

AMERASIA

A sense of energetic fun defines this tiny Chinese spot with a robust beer list. The glossy paper menu depicts Master Chef Rich Chu as a “Kung Food” master fighting the evil fast-food villain with dishes like “fly rice,” “Brocco-Lee,” and “Big Bird’s Nest.” Freshness rules. Pot stickers, dumplings, and wontons are hand shaped. The Dragon’s Breath wontons will invade your dreams. Seasoned ground pork, onion, and cilantro meatballs are wrapped in egg dough, wok simmered, and topped with thick, spicy red pepper sauce and fresh cilantro. Noodles are clearly Chef Chu’s specialty, with zonxon (a tangle of thin noodles, finely chopped pork, and mushrooms cloaked in spicy dark sauce and crowned with peanuts and cilantro) and Matt Chu’s Special (shaved rice noodle, fried chicken, and seasonal vegetables in gingery white sauce) topping the menu’s flavor charts.

521 Madison Ave., Covington, (859) 261-6121 , amerasia. carry-out.com. Lunch Mon–Fri, dinner Sat. MCC. $

CHINESE IMPERIAL INN

The chilies-on-steroids cooking here will have you mopping beads of garlic-laced sweat from your brow. The musky, firecracker-red Mongolian chicken stabilizes somewhere just before nirvana exhaustion, and aggressively pungent shredded pork with dried bean curd leaves your eyes gloriously glistening from its spicy hot scarlet oil. Even an ice cold beer practically evaporates on your tongue. Do not fear: not all the dishes are incendiary. Try the sea-

food—lobster, Manila clams, Dungeness and blue crabs, whelk, and oysters—prepared with tamer garlicky black bean sauce, or ginger and green onions. The Cantonese wonton soup, nearly as mild as your morning bowl of oatmeal, is as memorable as the feverish stuff. Sliced pork and shrimp are pushed into the steaming bowl of noodles and greens just before serving. Think comforting, grandmotherly tenderness.

11042 Reading Rd., Sharonville, (513) 563-6888, chineseimperialinn.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MC, V, DS. $

GREAT TANG

Although the (24-page!) menu features classic dishes in every style, the specialty at Great Tang is the refined coastal cuisine of Zhejiang. If you like spice, you can get still the Sichuanese and Hunanese classics. One dish will hint at the surprises in store for people who are mainly used to Chinese takeout: the lovely Xian cold noodle. The dish is exquisitely layered: the creamy and nutty undertone of sesame paste, mixed with notes of tang and spice, topped with the bright pop of cilantro. The combination of textures is also delightful, with crunches of cucumber and sprouted mung and the softness of the flat noodles. And that tofu! It was wonderfully meaty, with dense layers, substantial and satisfying as a counterpart to the noodles. Be as brave as you are in the mood to be. Ask for some suggestions and prepare to be astonished.

7340 Kingsgate Way, West Chester, (513) 847-6097, greattangohio.com. Lunch and dinner Wed–Mon, dim sum Sat & Sun. V, DS, MC, AMEX. $$

ORIENTAL WOK

When Mike and Helen Wong opened Oriental Wok in 1977, the couple wanted to recreate the glamor and refinement of the Hong Kong-Cantonese cuisine they knew. Today, locals and expats alike enjoy authentic Chinese and ChineseAmerican dishes in dining rooms reminiscent of Beijing. Beyond the elephant tusk entryway and fish ponds and

fountains is the warmth and hospitality of the Wong family, service on par with the finest establishments, and very, very good food. Best are the fresh fish: salmon, grouper and sea bass steamed, grilled or fried in a wok, needing little more than the ginger-green onion sauce that accompanies them. Oriental Wok is the tri-state’s longest-running familyowned Chinese restaurant for a reason.

317 Buttermilk Pke., Ft. Mitchell, (859) 331-3000; 2444 Madison Rd., Hyde Park, (513) 871-6888, orientalwok. com. Lunch Mon–Fri (Ft. Mitchell; buffet Sun 11–2:30), lunch Tues–Sat (Hyde Park), dinner Mon–Sat (Ft. Mitchell) dinner Tues–Sun (Hyde Park). MCC. $$

THE PACIFIC KITCHEN

TThe monster of a menu can be dizzying. Ease in with some top-notch Korean Wings. These slightly bubbly, shattercrisp wings are painted with a thin gochujang chili sauce (a foil to the fat). It takes 24 hours to prep the Cantonese duck, between a honey-vinegar brine to dry the skin, a marinade of star anise, bean paste, and soy within the re-sealed cavity, and the crispy convection oven finish. Dolsot bibimbap had plenty of crispy rice at the bottom of the stone bowl, and the accompanying banchan were soothing yet flavorful. Even dishes like a Malaysian goat stew resonated with rich, original flavors..

8300 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, (513) 898-1833, thepacific.kitchen. Lunch and dinner Mon & Wed–Sun, dim sum lunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $$

RAYMOND’S HONG KONG CAFÉ

It has all the elements of your typical neighborhood Chinese restaurant: Strip mall location. General Tso and kung pao chicken. Fortune cookies accompanying the bill. The dragon decoration. But it is the nontraditional aspects of Raymond’s Hong Kong Café that allow it to stand apart. The menu goes beyond standard Chinese fare with dishes that range from Vietnamese (beef noodle soup) to American (crispy Cornish hen). The Portuguese-style baked chicken references Western European influences on Chinese cuisine

with an assemblage of fried rice, peppers, carrots, broccoli, zucchini, and squash all simmering together in a creamy bath of yellow curry sauce. Deciding what to order is a challenge, but at least you won’t be disappointed.

11051 Clay Dr., Walton, (859) 485-2828. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $$

SICHUAN BISTRO CHINESE GOURMET

Like many Chinese restaurants that cater to both mainstream American and Chinese palates, this strip mall gem uses two menus. The real story here is found in dishes of pungent multi-layered flavors that set your mouth ablaze with fermented peppers and fresh chilies and then just as quickly cool it down with the devilish, numbing sensation of hua jiao, Sichuan pepper. Its numbing effect is subtle at first: appetizers of cold sliced beef and tripe, as well as slices of pork belly with a profusion of minced garlic, lean toward the hot and sweet; mapo tofu freckled with tiny fermented black beans and scallions, and pork with pickled red peppers and strips of ginger root, progress from sweet to pungent to hot to salty—in that order. Alternated with cooling dishes—nibbles of rice, a verdant mound of baby bok choy stir-fried with a shovelful of garlic, refreshing spinach wilted in ginger sauce, a simply sensational tea-smoked duck—the effect is momentarily tempered.

7888 S. Mason Montgomery Rd., Mason, (513) 770-3123, sichuanbistro.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sun. MCC, DS. $$

UNCLE YIP’S

Long before sushi somehow un-disgusted itself to the Western World, China had houses of dim sum. Uncle Yip’s valiantly upholds that tradition in Evendale. This is a traditional dim sum house with all manner of exotic dumplings, including shark fin or beef tripe with ginger and onion. As for the seafood part of the restaurant’s full name, Uncle Yip has most everything the sea has to offer, from lobster to mussels. The menu has more than 160 items, so you’ll

find a range of favorites, from moo goo gai pan to rock salt frog legs.

10736 Reading Rd., Evendale, (513) 733-8484, uncleyips.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, discount for cash. $$

ECLECTIC

ABIGAIL STREET

Fassone tartare waiting to be broken. While staying mostly grounded in the fundamentals of Italian and French cuisine, Boca has an air of international sophistication that sets its food apart. The hamachi crudo, an old standby on the menu, takes Japanese flavors and gives them new dimensions with grapefruit suprêmes and slivers of shishito pepper. This is food of extraordinary creativity and flair.

114 E. Sixth St., downtown, (513) 542-2022, bocacincinnati.com. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC, DS. $$$

Most people who’ve eaten at Abigail Street have favorite dishes that they order every visit: the Moroccan spiced broccoli, for example, or the mussels charmoula, with its perfect balance of saffron, creaminess, and tomatoey acidity. Many of the new items on the menu have the same perfected feeling as these classics. Working within a loose framework of Middle Eastern and North African flavors, Abigail Street has never fallen into a routine that would sap its energy. New offerings like the wood-grilled kefta, with charred tomatoes, peppers, and whipped tahini, feel just as accomplished as old favorites like the falafel, beautifully moist and crumbly with a bright parsley interior. The restaurant is always watching for what works and what will truly satisfy, ready to sacrifice the superficially interesting in favor of the essential.

Top 10

1214 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 421-4040, abigailstreet.com. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC, DS. $$

Top 10 BOCA

With its grand staircase, chandelier, and floorto-ceiling draperies, Boca has an atmosphere of grandeur and refinement. There is a sense of drama not only in the decor but in everything it serves. In some dishes, there is a painterly sense of contrast and surprise, like violet-derived purple sugar beside the pain de Gênes (French almond cake). In others, there is a dramatic suspense, like the whole egg yolk quivering in the center of the

BOUQUET RESTAURANT AND WINE BAR

Normally diners aren’t pleased when a restaurant runs out of something. At Bouquet, though, surprise changes to the menu are simply a sign of integrity. Chef-owner Stephen Williams is serious about using seasonal ingredients, and if the figs have run out or there is no more chicken from a local farm, so be it. The flavors at Bouquet are about doing justice to what’s available. Preparations are unfussy, complexity coming from within the vegetables and proteins themselves. A spring salad—wonderfully fresh and vibrant, so you know the strawberries included have just come off a nearby vine—is dressed with candy-striped beets, jerk-seasoned pepitas and whipped goat cheese. This determination to make something delicious out of what’s on hand, to embrace limitations, gives the food at Bouquet a rustic, soulful quality.

519 Main St., Covington, (859) 491-7777, bouquetrestaurant.com. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC, DS. $$

CHÉ

This Walnut Street spot draws on authentic Argentine recipes, including the empanadas. Choose from more than a dozen different crispy, perfectly cinched dough pockets, with fillings ranging from traditional (a mixture of cumin-spiced beef, hard-boiled egg, and olives) to experimental (mushrooms, feta, green onion, and mozzarella). There are also six different dipping sauces to

When you see the Ohio Proud logo, you know you are getting Ohiomade and grown products. From fresh meats, fruits and vegetables, to dairy products and snack foods, you can find Ohio Proud products in your favorite grocery store and

ETC PRODUCE & PROVISIONS

ETC Produce & Provisions is a Farmer owned Micro Local Market located in the beautiful Historic Findlay Market. Come shop some of your favorite local farms and discover a few others while enjoying the Farmer Market experience 6 days a week. Can’t make it to downtown? We offer Next Day Farm Fresh Delivery anywhere inside the 275 Loop.

1801 Race Street Unit 149 & 150 Cincinnati, OH 45202 etcproduce.com

BERTMAN ORIGINAL BALL PARK® MUSTARD

Bertman’s tasty, old-world style brown mustard, used at ballparks and stadiums for over 95 years, has been proclaimed by fans and food aficionados as “the best mustard on the planet!” Bertman mustards are available on Amazon, by the case on Bertman’s website and coming soon to a Walmart store near you.

Cleveland, Ohio 44122 bertmanballparkmustard.com

QUEEN CITY FARMS

We are changing how we supply fresh produce to the Midwest. We are a fast-growing specialty produce grower located in Cincinnati, Ohio; specializing in microgreens, edible flowers, micro herbs, and specialty blends. We believe in providing the highest quality Microgreens to our personal chefs, restaurants, grocers, and our NEW home delivery service.

ohioproud.org

3818 State Route 133 Williamsburg, OH 45176 513-549-0655

www.qcityfarms.com

Follow us @queencityfarms

at your local Farm Market. Ohio Proud is a quick and reliable way for you to identify Ohio-made and grown goods. Agriculture is Ohio’s number one industry, contributing more than $105 billion to the state’s economy. Ohio is home to more than 1,000 food processing companies and produces more than 200 commercial crops. Of these, the Buckeye State is a leading producer in more than 35 product sectors. If you are a consumer looking for products or a company who needs marketing assistance, Ohio Proud can help!

MIDDLE WEST

Middle West Spirits is an award-winning craft distillery located in the Short North Arts District of Columbus. Home to Middle West Whiskeys & Bourbons, Vim & Petal Dry Gin, and OYO VodkasOur artisan spirits reflect our originality as makers, integrity as producers, and our passion for producing spirits from grain to glass.

Middle West Spirits

1230 Courtland Ave Columbus, OH 43201

www.middlewestspirits.com

URBAN STEAD CHEESE

Urban Stead Cheese is an urban cheesemaker located in East Walnut Hills, creating artisanal oldworld style cheeses. Urban Stead offers an incredible selection of cheese, beautiful & delicious cheese boards, a fantastic selection of wine and local beers as well as many other local products. If you’re looking for amazing local cheese, look no further!

MAVERICK CHOCOLATE

Our family started Maverick Chocolate to elevate the standard of chocolate by using ethically sourced ingredients to hand-craft our chocolate the old fashioned way from beanto-bar in Cincinnati, Ohio. You can feel good enjoying chocolate that is delicious, pure, and fair-for-all.

Two Cincinnati Locations: Maverick at Findlay Market Maverick at Rookwood Commons 513-834-8369

MaverickChocolate.com

(614) 728-6206

3036 Woodburn Ave. Cincinnati, OH 45206

urbansteadcheese.com

choose from, but you need not stray from the house chimichurri.

1342 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 345-8838, checincinnati.com. Lunch Tues–Sun, dinner seven days, brunch Sat & Sun. V, MCC, DC, AMEX. $$

CROWN REPUBLIC GASTROPUB

What makes Crown Republic special isn’t its handful of outstanding dishes. It’s the place’s sheer consistency. No single dish is absolutely mind-blowing or completely original, but when almost everything that comes out is genuinely tasty, the service is always friendly and attentive, and (stop the presses!) the bill is quite a bit less than you expected, you sit up and pay attention. The crab and avocado toast, served on toasted bread with lime juice and slivers of pickled Fresno chiles, is a prime example of what makes Crown Republic tick. The cocktails are equally unfussy and good, like the Tequila Honey Bee, made with tequila reposado, honey thyme syrup, lemon, bitters, and mezcal rinse, which adds a smoky kick.

720 Sycamore St., downtown, (513) 246-4272, crgcincy.com. Brunch, lunch and dinner Wed–Sun. V, MC, DS, AMEX. $$

DEAR RESTAURANT & BUTCHERY

The concept behind the name for Dear is that the restaurant is a kind of love letter from the

team to the guests, to Hyde Park, and to Cincinnati. Occupying the old Teller’s spot on Hyde Park Square, it’s two establishments in one. One side is a full-service butchery that sells housemade sausages, wine, and coffee, and the other is a grand two-story restaurant. Animals, from pigs to cows, arrive weekly and are broken down in house, and turned into charcuterie and other cuts that make it into most of Dear’s dishes. The menu is small and focused, with dishes changing seasonally. This variability means the restaurant is serious about letting the availability of the best ingredients dictate what comes out. And if the dishes turn out to be as good as the spring carbonara, with its sugar snap pea tagliatelle, lemon, and mint, they can serve us whatever they want.

2710 Erie Ave., Hyde Park, (513) 321-2710, dear-restaurant.com. Dinner Tues–Sat, brunch

Sun. MCC. $$$

THE GOVERNOR

This Milford restaurant playfully elevates diner classics. Breakfast is available all day so if you’re looking to greet the morning with decadence, try the ricotta toast, a thick slab of brioche toast smothered in ricotta and fresh, seasonal jams. Sandwiches also get an inventive twist here. The “Governor Tso’s chicken”—a crispy fried chicken breast glazed with a General Tso’s–inspired sauce, topped with apricot slaw and served on a toasted brioche bun—is a gigantic, happy mess of a sandwich, but the sweet glaze faintly evokes the namesake “General” while letting the sublimely fried chicken lead the charge. Order a side of crinkle cut fries and ask for the housemade Maple Thousand Island dipping sauce. (You’ll thank us later.)

231 Main St., Milford, (513) 239-8298, governordiner.com. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days. Brunch and lunch Sun. MCC. $

THE LITTLEFIELD

Inside a modest 1,500 square-foot space on Spring Grove, just south of Hamilton Avenue, at least 70-odd bourbons behind the bar drive this little restaurant’s philosophy. The menu is meant to be limited, the better to support and celebrate the bottled flavors up front. There are surprises: a faint hint of curry powder deepens the moody cauliflower fritters; skewered golf-balls of mild, peppery ground lamb get a faint crust from the final sear. You’ll also want to order the smoked pork katsu. Panko crusted cutlets of pork, topped with tonkatsu sauce, served with sesame ginger slaw and kewpie mayo. The signature chicken and corn chowder is exactly what you need on a cold winter’s day.

3934 Spring Grove Ave., Northside, (513) 3867570, littlefieldns.com. Lunch Mon–Fri, dinner Sat & Sun. V, MC. $

MAPLEWOOD KITCHEN

At Maplewood, you order at the counter, then find a table, and a server will deliver what you’ve selected. There’s no cohesive cuisine, rather, the menu takes its cue from all corners of the globe: chicken tinga, spaghetti pomodoro, a New York Strip steak, guajillo chicken are all represented, along with a satisfying pappardelle with housemade sausage. Brunch is available all day so try the light lemon ricotta pancakes or the satisfying avocado benedict.

525 Race St., downtown, (513) 421-2100, maplewoodkitchenandbar.com. Breakfast and lunch seven days. MCC. $$

MASHROOTS

After serving mofongo at Findlay Market for nearly four years, Mashroots opened its first brickand-mortar spot in College Hill this year. For the

MAC ATTACK

Florida-based chain I Heart Mac & Cheese plans to open its first store in the Queen City this summer. The restaurant, which specializes in macaroni and cheese, will launch at the HaNoBe at Linden Square development in College Hill by the end of June. iheartmacandcheese. com

uninitiated, mofongo is a traditional Puerto Rican dish of mashed fried plantains with garlic and olive oil, typically served with protein and sauce. Here, you can get plantain, yuca, or sweet potato as your root and a protein, like skirt steak or pulled chicken. Top it off with veggies (pinkslaw, vinagrete, citruscarrot) and a sauce (pink mayo, anyone?), and wash it all down with refreshing cocktails made with rum and harder-to-find spirits.

5903 Hamilton Ave., College Hill, (513) 620-4126, mashroots.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sat, Lunch and dinner Sun. MCC. $

MELT REVIVAL

In this Northside sandwich joint, the restaurant’s name pretty much dictates what you should get. Diners have their choice of sandwiches, including the vegetarian cheesesteak—seitan (a meat substitute) topped with roasted onions, peppers, and provolone—and the J.L.R. Burger, a black bean or veggie patty served with cheese, tomato, lettuce and housemade vegan mayo. For those who require meat in their meals, try the verde chicken melt: juicy pieces of chicken intermingle with pesto, zucchini, and provolone. Not sure you’ll want a whole sandwich? Try one of the halvesies, a half-salad, half-soup selection popular with the lunch crowd.

4100 Hamilton Ave., Northside, (513) 818-8951, meltrevival.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Fri, breakfast, lunch, and dinner Sat, brunch Sun. MCC, DS. $

METROPOLE

Metropole has been remarkably stable since it opened in 2012. Even when chefs have left, the organization has promoted from within, kept pop-ular dishes on the menu, and maintained a certain vibe, a balance between sophistication and rustic-ity. Its vegetarian fare contains many of its most inventive and delightful creations. The seared salmon is served with beluga lentils, green tomato, cucumber, brown butter, and smoked onion. The blistered shishitos, served with refreshing watermelon, goat cheese,

yuzu, and spiced almonds, encapsulates Metropole at its best: fun and whimsical, but rooted in careful execution of deep and satisfying flavors.

609 Walnut St., downtown, (513) 578-6660, metropoleonwalnut.com. Dinner seven days. V, DS, MC, AMEX. $$

Top10 MITA’S

It’s fitting that chef Jose Salazar named this restaurant after his grandmother, because there is something deeply homey about the food at Mita’s. With a focus on Spanish and Latin-American tapas, it always feels, in the best possible way, like elevated home cooking. Its sophistication is modestly concealed. The flavors are bold and direct, whether the spicy freshness of the ceviche de camarones with passionfruit leche de tigreor the intensely bright sourness of the pozole verde. In dishes like the alcochofas y hongos, the chef hits every register: the acid of red espelette peppers to balance the earthy ramp-garlic hummus, the crunchy pistachios against the soft sautéed mushrooms and artichoke hearts. But what mainly comes through is the warm-hearted affection a grandmother might have put into a meal for a beloved grandson. It’s the kind of big hug everyone needs from time to time.

501 Race St., downtown, (513) 421-6482, mitas.co. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC. $$$

NICHOLSON’S

To remind local diners that they were here before those young dog-toting punks with their exposed brick and crafty ales in Over-the-Rhine, Nicholson’s branded themselves Cincinnati’s “first and finest gastropub,” and revamped the menu to include plenty of snacks and small plates for grazing, and notquite-brawny, straightforward sandwiches and main dishes. Try the Faroe Island salmon, bowl of cock-a-leekie soup, or check out the shepherd’s or Scottish BBQ style burgers or the turkey reuben with Russian dressing. And the bar’s clubby intimacy makes it easy to belly up and enjoy their impressive collection of single malts or a Scottish ale.

625 Walnut St., downtown, (513) 564-9111, nicholsonspub.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC.

$$

OKTO

This lively mash-up is a telling symbol of Earth+Ocean Restaurant Group’s flexible approach to traditional food. In what other Greek restaurant would the best cocktail be a smoky, chile-laced paloma, normally associated with Mexico? Or would the dish of lamb chops come dressed with gremolata, which we’ve never seen on anything but Italian food? E+O has always prided itself on its eclectic take on regional cuisine and they serve up something similarly fun and varied here. Those looking for classic Greek food will find plenty to satisfy them. The lamb kebabs, served ground, with the classic roasted tomato on the side; or the Via bowls, featuring tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, feta, red onion, tzatziki, and your choice of protein served atop a bed of couscous. The fun Okto has with Greek cuisine means there is already plenty that is good, plus plenty of room to grow.

645 Walnut St., downtown, (513) 632-9181, oktocincinnati.com. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC. $$

PAMPAS

Much like American food, Argentine cuisine is a melting pot shaped by immigration, particularly from Italy and Germany, and with plenty of meat on the plate. You see that mix in the menu, but Pampas puts parrillada, the Argentine method of cooking over an open flame, front and center. The chimichurri appears throughout the menu, and does wonders wherever it goes. Spicy, tart, and filled with the flavor of oregano, it wakes up the marinated skirt steak. Magnificent desserts deserve special mention. The dolce de leche crème brule, with its caramelized sugar crust and shaved chocolate, is particularly popular.

2036 Madison Rd., O’Bryonville, (513) 321-0863, pampascincinnati.com. Brunch Sun, dinner Tues–Sun. V, DS, MC, AMEX. $$

PONTIAC OTR

Dan Wright’s BBQ dream gets reincarnated as a wing joint and tiki drink emporium. The brisket still shows up on the brisket nachos, and the fried pickles and the cheesy grits didn’t go anywhere, but the smoked wings have taken center stage. Choose from one of three sauce options—BBQ, buffalo, or dry rub—pick your quantity, and chow down. If you’re feeling particularly spirited, you can try one of their original tiki cocktails. The cherry blossom, made with lightly aged Puerto Rican rum, whisks diners away with notes of coconut and lime.

1403 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 579-8500, pontiacbbq.com. Lunch Fri–Sun and dinner Wed–Sun, brunch Sun. MCC. $$

THE QUARTER BISTRO

The Quarter Bistro has multiple personalities: one part clubby neighborhood joint, one part dinner and a movie with a dash of lusty romance. The Bistro Burger, a halfpound of black Angus beef, is seasoned but not overly so, with a sturdy-but-not-too-chewy bun. The 18-hour short ribs are the star, and reason enough to skip the movie next door. Braised into a flavor bomb of meat candy, it’s served with papardelle pasta, roasted vegetables, and onion straws. With the no-lip service, The Quarter Bistro could be well on the way to making middle age look sexy.

6904 Wooster Pke., Mariemont, (513) 271-5400, qbcincy.com. Dinner Tues–Sun. MCC, DS. $$

RUTH’S PARKSIDE CAFÉ

The spiritual successor of Mullane’s Parkside Café, Ruth’s brings back the vegetable-forward menu with a few concessions to contemporary tastes. Dinner options now include

steaks and heavier entrées. But the stir-fries, beans and rice, pasta, and the traditional option to add a protein to an entrée (tofu, tempeh, chicken, or local chorizo) for an upcharge are all old standards. While dishes are generally hearty, they are rarely too rich, leaving room to freely consider dessert. There is a small selection of baked goods, including a gooey butter cake, homemade fruit pies, and Madisono’s Gelato.

1550 Blue Rock St., Northside, (513) 542-7884, ruthscafe.com. Lunch Mon–Fri, dinner Mon–Sat. MCC. $$

SACRED BEAST

Sacred Beast advertises itself as a kind of upscale diner, but the real gems are the oddball dishes that don’t quite fit the diner mold. The menu can be disorienting in its eclecticism: foie gras torchon is next to fries with lobster gravy, and a king salmon is next to a diner breakfast and deviled eggs. Winners are scattered throughout the menu in every category. On the cocktail list, the Covington Iced Tea, a lemon and coffee concoction made with cold brew, San Pellegrino, and vodka is oddly satisfying. The service is good, and there is some flair about the place—including vintage touches, from the facsimile reel-to-reel audio system to the mostly classic cocktails—even within its rather chilly industrial design. In short, go for the unique grub; stay for the elegant, shareable twists on classic snacks.

1437 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 213-2864, sacredbeastdiner.com. Lunch and dinnerWed–Sun. MCC. $$

SALAZAR

A freewheeling tour through Korean, Moroccan, Italian, and French flavors—and that’s just on one iteration of the ever-evolving menu. Salazar turns out fresh, well-balanced dishes dotted with seasonal surprises: the cauliflower steak special (a Moroccan spiced, seared wedge of the cruciferous vegetable complemented by a strong hit of lemon), the chicken liver mousse (so good it deserves its own trophy), and the succulent chicken Milanese (with its musky,

sweet-and-sour notes of ground cherry). With its bustling bar and cheek-by-jowl tables, Salazar hums with energy at every meal.

1401 Republic St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 621-7000, salazarcincinnati.com. Dinner Mon–Sat, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $$

SENATE

Ever since it began dishing out its lo-fi eats, Chef Dan Wright’s gastropub has been operating at a velocity few can match. From the howl and growl of supremely badass hot dogs to the palate-rattling poutine, Senate has led the charge in changing the local conventional wisdom about what makes a great restaurant. Consumption of mussels charmoula means either ordering additional grilled bread to soak up every drop of the herby, saffron-laced broth or drinking the remainder straight from the bowl and perfectly crisped and seasoned fries inspire countless return visits.

1100 Summit Place Dr., Blue Ash, (513) 769-0099, senateblueash.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sun. MC, V, DS. $

THE STANDARD

Owners Paul Weckman and Emily Wolff offer a pared down menu of five to seven rotating small plates, plus seven sandwiches. It’s simple but satisfying, with a small-town diner vibe. After a complete menu overhaul that shifted the restaurant away from its Pan-Asian street food concept, The Standard focuses on Americana classics, like smoked brisket chopped cheese, smash burgers, smoked wings, and chili.

434 Main St., Covington, (859) 360-0731, facebook. com/thestandardcov. Dinner Tues–Sun. MCC. $

TASTE OF BELGIUM

Jean-François Flechet’s waffle empire grew from a back counter of Madison’s grocery at Findlay Market to multiple full-service sit-down spots. There’s more on the menu than the authentic Belgian treat, though it would be a crime to

miss the chicken and waffles: a dense, yeasty waffle topped with a succulent buttermilk fried chicken breast, Frank’s hot sauce, and maple syrup. There are also frites, of course, and Brussels sprouts—served with pancetta and sherry vinaigrette—plus a gem of a Bolognese. And let’s not forget the beer. Five rotating taps offer some of the best the Belgians brew, not to mention those made in town.

1133 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 381-4607, and other locations, authenticwaffle.com. Breakfast and lunch Mon–Sat, dinner Tues–Sat, brunch Sun. MCC. $

20 BRIX

This restaurant mixes Mediterranean influences with homespun choices, and he comes up with some marvelous food. Lamb meatballs with melted onions and romesco sauce are sweet and peppery, and their simplicity partners well with a lush Zinfandel. The excellent wine list, arranged by flavor profiles within the varietals, features dozens of varieties by the glass in five-ounce or two-ounce pours, which makes it easy to try several.

101 Main St., Milford, (513) 831-2749, 20brix.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat. MCC, DS, DC. $$

TERANGA

West African cuisine consists of mostly simple, home-style dishes of stews and grilled lamb with just enough of the exotic to offer a glimpse of another culture. Be prepared for a few stimulating sights and flavors that warm from within. An entire grilled tilapia—head and all—in a peppery citrus marinade and served on plantains with a side of Dijoncoated cooked onions is interesting enough to pique foodie interest without overwhelming the moderate eater. Stews of lamb or chicken with vegetables and rice are a milder bet, and Morrocan-style couscous with vegetables and mustard sauce accompanies most items. The dining room atmosphere is extremely modest with most of the action coming from the constant stream of carryout orders.

8438 Vine St., Hartwell, (513) 821-1300, terangacinci. com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $

THE VIEW AT SHIRES’ GARDEN

The name of this restaurant demands that one question be answered first: So, how’s that view? Well, it’s impressive. Especially if the weather cooperates and you can get a seat outside. Most dishes are rotated out every six months, but a few remain staples from season to season. Try the panroasted chicken, featuring a Freebird Farms skin-on breast. Or go for the Chef’s Feast for Two, a shareable steak with an Argentine shrimp salad and two sides. The cocktail list offers high, low, and zero proof options alongside a well-rounded beer and wine selection.

309 Vine St., 10th Floor, downtown, (513) 407-7501, theviewatshiresgarden.com. Dinner Tues–Sat, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $$$

YUCA

Yuca is in The Fairfield’s former space, retaining much of the same modern, airy, and inviting café vibes with a neighborhood feel, but boasting a menu certainly worth a commute. In the mood for a hearty breakfast? Indulge in the Fat Zach, a heaping corn gordita packed to the brim with chicken, chorizo, and scrambled egg, served with avocado, pineapple pico, and sweet and spicy potatoes. There’s a full drink menu ranging from coffee to Bloody Marys—or a selection of margaritas and palomas if you’re looking to stick around.

700 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue, (859) 360-0110, yucabycedar.com. Breakfast and lunch Tues–Sun. MCC. $

FRENCH

CHEZ RENÉE FRENCH BISTROT

Based on American stereotypes of French food—that it’s elaborate, elitist, and expensive—one might expect Chez Renée to fall on the chichi side. Instead, it’s elegant in an

everyday way, operating on the principle that it is better to excel at simplicity than to badly execute something complicated. The formula is not complex: Simple ingredients, generally fresh and from nearby, prepared without much fuss. Warmed brie is served with thyme, almonds, fruit, and bread, and the chicken risotto is served with creamy mushrooms. This is solid, tasty food, both approachable and well executed. It’s well on its way to becoming, as a good bistrot should be, a neighborhood institution.

233 Main St., Milford, (513) 428-0454, chezreneefrenchbistrot.com. Friday–Sat and dinner Wed–Sat. MCC. $$

FRENCH CRUST

Located in the old Globe Furniture building at the corner of Elm and Elder Streets, this Jean-Robert de Cavel creation offers French fare in the heart of Over-the-Rhine. Swing by for lunch and have a quiche Lorraine (French Crust’s quiches are unrivaled in our humble opinion) and an avocado and shrimp salad, or opt for a more hearty entree—like bouillabaisse or cassoulet—for dinner. If you’re an early bird, a Croque Monsieur (sunny side up egg) is a great way to start the day.

1801 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 455-3720, frenchcrustcafe.com. Breakfast and lunch Wed–Sun, dinner Thurs–Sun. MCC. $$

Top10 LE BAR A BOEUF

If it’s been a couple of years since you’ve been to Le Bar a Boeuf—Jean-Robert de Cavel’s fun-yet-refined French bistro located on the first floor of the Edgecliff Private Residences in East Walnut Hills—it may be time for a revisit. The formerly burger-centric menu now approaches the full repertoire of bistro classics. The menu reads like a greatest hits list of bistro fare, with escargot, beef tartare, duck leg confit, steak frites, and French onion soup all making appearances. As France’s influence on American fine dining has waned, it’s refreshing to see a restaurant committed to not only preserving the French classics but reinvigorating them.

2200 Victory Pkwy., East Walnut Hills, (513) 751-2333, barboeuf.com. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC. $$

Top 10 ROYCE Royce, the latest concept from Terry Raley’s Amaranth Hospitality Group, marries the down to earth and the sublime, bringing authentic French flavors to Fountain Square. The dishes (and prices) range from humble to regal—you can get a burger and fries for $18 or a raw seafood tower fit for Versailles for $145. The menu delves into French deep cuts—from sweetbreads to grilled duck hearts to sauteed skate—while showing dedication to regional sourcing for its wide selection of pâtés, legumes, cured meats, and cheeses. It all pairs exceptionally well with the restaurant’s extensive, heavily French wine list. In fact, most of Royce’s hefty drink menu is French, loaded with French beers on taps and cocktails with names like the Claude Monet. You shouldn’t leave without trying the house-made desserts (the crème brulée or the opera cake), which are as classically French as the rest of the menu. 501 Vine St., downtown, (513) 721-0888, royce-cincy. com. Dinner seven days. MCC. $$$

INDIAN

AMMA’S KITCHEN

Muthu “Kumar” Muthiah serves traditional southern Indian and Indo-Chinese vegetarian cuisine, but with a sizable Orthodox Jewish community nearby, Muthia saw an opportunity: If he was going to cook vegetarian, why not also make it kosher? Muthiah prepares every item—

from the addictively crunchy gobhi Manchurian, a spicy Chinese cauliflower dish, to the lemon pickle, tamarind, and mint sauces—entirely from scratch under the careful eye of Rabbi Michoel Stern. Always 80 percent vegan, the daily lunch buffet is 100 percent animal-product-free on Wednesdays. Tuck into a warm and savory channa masala (spiced chickpeas) or malai kofta (vegetable dumplings in tomato sauce) from the curry menu. Or tear into a crispy, two-foot diameter dosa (chickpea flour crepe) stuffed with spiced onions and potatoes.

7633 Reading Rd., Roselawn, (513) 821-2021, ammaskitchen.com. Lunch buffet seven days (all-vegan on Wed), dinner seven days. MC, V, DS. $

BRIJ MOHAN

Order at the counter the way you might at a fast food joint, except the shakes come in mango and there’s no supersizing your mint lassi. The saag, full of cream in most northern Indian restaurants, is as intensely flavored as collard greens in the Deep South—real Punjabi soul food. Tarka dal is spectacular here, the black lentils smoky from charred tomatoes and onions, and the pani puri, hollow fried shells into which you spoon a peppery cold broth, burst with tart cool crunch. Follow the spice with soothing ras malai, freshly made cheese simmered in thick almond-flavored milk, cooled and sprinkled with crushed pistachios.

11259 Reading Rd., Sharonville, (513) 769-4549, brijmohancincinnati.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sun. MC, V, DC, AMEX. $

ITALIAN

A TAVOLA

In 2011, Jared Wayne opened A Tavola Pizza with two friends just as OTR was blowing up. A Ferrara pizza oven

was ordered from Italy; Wayne, a skilled woodworker, built custom tables; and the menu was fleshed in with trendy crowd-pleasers like charcuterie and craft cocktails. Fastforward a decade. The OTR outpost is closed but the second location is still going strong in the ’burbs: A Tavola Madeira capitalizes on the menu from the Vine Street location, including the fresh and zesty artichoke pizza on a Neapolitan crust; gooey mozzarella-filled arancini, or risotto fritters; and the zucchini mozzarella. Wash down your small plates with a glass of crisp and grassy Sannio falanghina or an ice-cold Peroni lager. They’re definitely going to need a bigger parking lot.

7022 Miami Ave., Madeira, (513) 272-0192, atavolapizza.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. V, DC, MS, AMEX. $

ADRIATICO’S

Everything about this place says it’s about the pizza: the herbed sauce, the assault of the cheese, the toppings. It’s all evenly distributed, so you get a taste in every bite. Adriatico’s still delivers the tastiest pizza in Clifton. On any given night the aroma wafts through every dorm on campus. It’s that popular because it’s that good. Being inexpensive doesn’t hurt either.

113 W. McMillan St., Clifton Heights, (513) 281-4344, adriaticosuc.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $

BETTA’S ITALIAN OVEN

This Italian place hits the spot on all levels. It’s casual—we felt at home in jeans and a T-shirt—but not so casual to rule it out as a date-night spot. It’s friendly, with a staff that stays on top of refilling that Morretti La Rossa beer. And best of all, the food is amazing (especially for the price). We ranked their pizza the best in the city. Dubious? Their pizza Margherita will make a believer out of you. Their lasagna, spaghetti, and eggplant Parmesan will have you crying Mama Mia and other Italian-sounding phrases. Their dessert options (Cannoli! Tiramisu! Amaretto cream cake!) are all homemade, and delicious to the very last bite.

3764

Montgomery Rd., Norwood, (513) 631-6836. Lunch

Mon–Fri, dinner Mon–Sat. MC, V. $$

FORNO

Cristian Pietoso’s second restaurant has all the bones of an upscale eatery, but the menu is infused with enough Italian soul to make nonna proud. In most instances, raving about a side of creamed corn wouldn’t bode well for the rest of the menu. Here, that side dish—kernels swimming in a pool of truffle-laced heavy cream that demands sopping up—is evidence that each component is purpose-driven. The red wine–braised honeycomb tripe, which carries a warning label (“Don’t be scared!”), and the pappardelle with spiced cinghiale (wild boar) ragu are examples of the elevated, adventurous comfort food that Pietoso strives for.

3514 Erie Ave., East Hyde Park, (513) 818-8720, fornoosteriabar.com. Dinner Tues–Sun, brunch Sun. MCC. $$

Top10 NICOLA’S

Chef/Restaurateur Cristian Pietoso carries on the legacy of his father, Nicola, as the elder Pietoso’s Over-the-Rhine eatery celebrates 25 years in business. Nicola’s has entered a new era of exuberant creativity under the leadership of chef Jack Hemmer. You can still get the old Italian classics, and they’ll be as good as ever, but the rest of the menu has blossomed into a freewheeling tour of modern American cuisine. Any establishment paying this level of attention to detail—from the candied slice of blood orange on the mascarpone cheesecake to the staff ’s wine knowledge—is going to put out special meals. Rarely have humble insalate been so intricately delicious, between the perfectly nested ribbons of beets in the pickled beet salad or the balance of bitterness, funkiness, and creaminess in the endive and Gorgonzola salad. Order an old favorite, by all means, but make sure you try something new, too.

1420 Sycamore St., Pendleton, (513) 721-6200, nicolasotr.com. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC, DC, DS. $$$

PADRINO

Billed as “Italian comfort food,” this sister restaurant to 20 Brix offers the classics (like lasagna and chicken carbonara) plus hoagies and meatball sliders, an impressive wine list, seasonal martinis, and a decadent signature appetizer—garlic rolls, doughy buns smothered in olive oil and garlic. Best of all, Barraco’s pizza sauce, which is comprised of roasted tomatoes and basil, is so garden-fresh that one can’t help but wonder: If this is real pizza, what have we been eating all these years?

111 Main St., Milford, (513) 965-0100, padrinoitalian. com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $$

PEPP & DOLORES

As with all of Thunderdome’s restaurants, you get a sense that they want to deliver a meal that satisfies many different kinds of people. The prices are reasonable, with pasta entrées about $15. The dishes are familiar in their flavors, but everything feels balanced and modulated and gradually perfected. There is lovely variety: the limone pasta is zippy with lemon and chili flakes, and just the right mixture of tart and creamy; the deep meaty flavors on the mushroom toast are balanced with a nice acidity; and the heat in dishes like the eggplant involtini is just enough to wake up the sauce without overwhelming the flavor. The menu has a wealth of excellent vegetarian and pasta-alternative options.

1501 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 419-1820, peppanddolores.com. Lunch Fri–Sun, dinner Mon–Thurs. MCC. $$

PRIMAVISTA

Besides offering the old world flavors of Italy, Primavista also serves up a specialty no other restaurant can match: a bird’s eye view of Cincinnati from the west side. The kitchen is equally comfortable with northern and southern regional specialties: a Venetian carpaccio of paper thin raw beef sparked by fruity olive oil; house-made fresh mozzarella stuffed with pesto and mushrooms; or artichoke hearts with snails and mushrooms in a creamy Gorgonzola sauce

from Lombardy. Among the classics, nothing is more restorative than the pasta e fagioli, a hearty soup of cannellini, ditali pasta, and bacon. Most of the pastas are cooked just a degree more mellow than al dente so that they soak up the fragrant tomato basil or satiny cream sauces. The forktender osso buco Milanese, with its marrow-filled center bone and salty-sweet brown sauce (marinara and lemon juice), is simply superb. Desserts present further problems; you’ll be hard-pressed to decide between the house-made tiramisu or bread pudding with caramel sauce, marsala soaked raisins, and cream.

810 Matson Pl., Price Hill, (513) 251-6467, pvista.com. Dinner Wed–Sun. MCC, DC, DS. $$

SOTTO

There are certain books and movies that you can read or watch over and over. Eating at Sotto is a similar experience: familiar, but so profound and satisfying that there is no reason to ever stop. Unlike other restaurants, where the techniques are often elaborate and unfamiliar, the magic at Sotto happens right in front of you, using ordinary elements and methods. When you taste the results, though, you realize that some mysterious transmutation has taken place. Penne with rapini and sausage comes in a buttery, lightly starchy broth with a kick of spice that you could go on eating forever. From the texture of the chicken liver mousse to the tart cherry sauce on the panna cotta, most of the food has some added element of soulfulness.

Top10

118 E. Sixth St., downtown, (513) 977-6886, sottocincinnati.com. Dinner seven days. V, MC, DS, AMEX. $$

SUBITO

Focusing on Northern Italian cuisine, Subito carves out its own worthwhile place in the landscape. Most of the items on the menu—from pizza to various pastas—will be familiar, but there are delightful surprises, like the vegan torta di ceci. At the base of the dish is a light, flaky farinata—a griddled pancake made out of chickpea flour. Topped with pickled red

onion, and covered with nectarine and toasted almonds, the whole dish is rounded out with a touch of tangy sweetness from a blackberry balsamic vinaigrette. Everything at Subito is done with intelligence and a light touch.

311 Pike St., downtown, (513) 621-4500, thelytleparkhotel.com/dining/subito. Breakfast and lunch Mon–Fri, dinner Mon–Sat, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $$

VIA VITE

Via Vite serves up crowd-pleasing entrées, including the Pietoso family Bolognese, over penne, right on Fountain Square. (Add in a golf-ball-sized veal meatball heavy with lemon zest, and it’s an over-the-top comforting main dish.) The same applies to the risotto, where a few small touches add sophistication. Carnaroli rice results in a glossier, starchier dish. A puree of asparagus turns the risotto an eye-popping green, and the poached lobster garnish creates a nice back-and-forth between vegetal and briny flavors. Braised lamb shank over polenta is comforting workhorse, and the flavorful Faroe Island salmon with roasted carrot puree, caramelized Brussel sprouts and truffled brown butter balsamic vinaigrette.

520 Vine St., downtown, (513) 721-8483, viaviterestaurant.com. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC, DS. $$

JAPANESE

or the pucker-inducing umeshiso maki (pickled plum paste and shiso leaf roll). Noodles are also well represented, with udon, soba, or ramen options available. And don’t forget to ask about the specials; owners Ken and Keiko Ando always have something new, be it grilled koji or marinated amberjack smoked salmon crudo, delicacies that you’ll be hard-pressed to find in any of those Hyde Park pan-Asian wannabes. The only thing you won’t find here is sake, or any other alcohol. Bring your own, or stick to the nutty and outright addicting barley tea.

5889 Pfeiffer Rd., Blue Ash, (513) 791-8687, andojapaneserestaurant.com. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC. $$$

Top10 KIKI

Kiki started as a pop-up at Northside Yacht Club, then leapt into brick-and-mortar life in College Hill. Your best bet here is to share plates, or simply order too much, starting with the shishito buono, a piled-high plate of roasted shishito peppers tossed in shaved parmesan and bagna cauda, a warm, rich blend of garlic and anchovies. Add the karaage fried chicken, with the Jordy mayo and the pepe meshi, confit chicken on spaghetti and rice that somehow works. And, yes, the ramen, too. The shio features pork belly and tea-marinated soft-boiled egg, but the kimchi subs in tofu and its namesake cabbage for the meat.

5932 Hamilton Ave., College Hill, (513) 541-0381, kikicincinnati.com. Lunch Sun and dinner Wed–Sat. MCC. $

KYOTO

ANDO

You don’t go just anywhere to dine on uni sashimi (sea urchin) or tanshio (thinly sliced charcoal-grilled beef tongue). Don’t miss the rich and meaty chyu toro (fatty big-eye tuna),

Owner Jason Shi seems to know everybody’s name as he chats up diners, guiding them through the extensive sushi and sashimi menu. Five young sushi chefs, all part of Shi’s family, work at light speed behind the bar, a choreography backlit by rows of gleaming liquor bottles. Dinner proceeds with glorious chaos as a feisty Carla Tortelli–like server delivers one dish after another—slivers of giant clam on ice in a super-sized martini glass, a volcanic tower of chopped fatty tuna hidden inside overlapping layers of thin avo-

cado slices, smoky grilled New Zealand mussels drizzled with spicy mayo, and delicate slices of a samurai roll—all between shots of chilled sake.

12082 Montgomery Rd., Symmes Twp., (513) 583-8897, kyotosushibar.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $$

MEI

Mei’s menu is meant to represent traditional Japanese cuisine, appealing to the novice as well as the sushi maven. It is divided into sections that encourage a progressive meal of small dishes: One each for hot and cold appetizers, noodles, sushi and sashimi, special rolls, soups and salads, sushi dinners (with miso soup), and combinations (such as tempura paired with sashimi). Deep-fried soft shell crab comes with ponzu sauce—a dipping sauce made of rice vinegar, soy sauce, mirin, and citrus juice—and the kind of yakitori that you can find on the streets of New York. Bento boxes—lacquered wooden boxes divided into compartments—offer the neophyte a sampling of several small dishes. Mei’s are lovely: deep red and stocked with tempura, cooked salmon, sashimi, stewed vegetables, and a fabulous egg custard with shrimp and gingko nut. Mei’s sushi—nigiri, maki, and handrolls—is exceptionally good with quality cuts of fresh seafood. The staff is knowledgeable, extremely efficient, respectful, and attentive, even when it’s at peak capacity. 8608 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, (513) 891-6880, meijapaneserestaurant.com. Lunch Sat & Sun, dinner Tues–Sun. MCC, DS. $$

ZUNDO RAMEN & DONBURI

A stark contrast to Styrofoam cup soup, chef Han Lin’s ramens are a deep and exciting branch of cuisine, capable of subtlety, variation, and depth. The simplicity of the dish’s name hides a world of complexity. Zundo uses the traditional Japanese building blocks of flavor—soy sauce, miso, sake, mirin—to create something freewheeling and timetested. Bowls of ramen come with a marinated soft-boiled egg half, roast pork, green onion, and a healthy serving of noodles. Each has a distinct identity, like the milky richness

of the tonkotsu, the rich and buttery miso, or the light and faintly sweet shoyu ramen. A transformative add-in is the mayu, or black garlic oil. Dripped on top of one of the subtler broths, it adds a deep, mushroom-y richness, with the hint of burned flavor that makes barbecue so good.

220 W. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 975-0706, zundootr.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sun. MCC. $$

KOREAN

ties, both dinner-sized soups will leave your eyes glistening and your brow beaded with sweat. They’re a detox for your overindulgence, rejuvenation for when you’re feeling under the weather. Expect crowds on weekends. Expect too, that dozens of them have come for dolsot bibimbap, the hot stone pots filled with layers of rice, vegetables, meat or tofu, egg, and chili paste. Characterized by its electric color and addictive flavors, Riverside Korean’s version is a captivating bowl of heaven.

512 Madison Ave., Covington, (859) 291-1484, riversidekoreanrestaurant.com. Lunch Tues–Fri, dinner Tues–Sun. MCC, DS. $$

lightly to brittle flakiness. The pastry arrives atop a vivid cherry tomato marmalade, which adds a welcome dimension of barely sweet fruitiness. While there is a smooth, simple hummus on the menu, you should go for the classic sucuklu hummus, which is spiked with sujuk, a common beef sausage popular all over the Middle East.

3520 Erie Ave., East Hyde Park, (513) 871-8714, mediterranean-cafe.com. Lunch Mon–Sat, dinner seven days. MCC. $$

Top10 PHOENICIAN TAVERNA

HARU

After the closing of Sung Korean Bistro, Haru is a welcome addition to the downtown scene. Dishes are served along with the usual Korean accompaniment of pickles, kimchi, fish cakes, and other mysteriously delicious dainties. A favorite is the japchae, a traditional dish sporting silky sweet potato noodles with sesame-and-garlic sauce, matchsticks of assorted crisp vegetables, and behind it all a wonderful smokiness that pervades the whole meal. The accompanying pot of gochujang, a fermented Korean chili paste, adds its own sweet and spicy note. The result is a homey, soulful, and satisfying taste that appeals even to those who’ve never eaten a bite of Korean food before.

628 Vine St., downtown, (513) 381-0947, harucincy.com.

Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat. MCC. $$

RIVERSIDE KOREAN RESTAURANT

Come for the jo gi mae un tang—a bowl of sizzling, happy hellbroth pungent with red pepper, garlic, and ginger, crowded with nuggets of fish, tofu, and vegetables. Come for the restorative power of sam gae tang, a chicken soup for the Seoul—a whole Cornish hen submerged in its own juices and plumped with sticky rice and ginseng, dried red dates, and pine nuts. Revered for their medicinal proper-

MEDITERRANEAN

ANDY’S MEDITERRANEAN

GRILLE

In this lively joint with a burnished summer lodge interior of wood and stone, even the food is unrestrained: rough-cut chunks of charbroiled beef tenderloin, big slices of onion and green pepper turned sweet and wet in the heat, skewers of marinated and charbroiled chicken perched on rice too generous for its plate. Co-owner Andy Hajjar mans his station at the end of the bar, smoking a hookah pipe that fills the air with the sweet smell of flavored tobacco, while the friendly but hurried staff hustles through.

906 Nassau St., Walnut Hills, (513) 281-9791, andyskabob.com. Lunch Mon–Sat, dinner seven days.

MCC. $$

CAFÉ MEDITERRANEAN

Chef-driven Middle Eastern cuisine leans heavily on Turkish tradition here. The baba ghanoush uses seared eggplant, which adds a pleasant smokiness to the final product. Börek is described as a “Turkish Egg Roll,” wrapping feta and fresh and dried herbs into phyllo dough, and frying it

No matter how much restraint you go in with, meals at Phoenician Taverna quickly become feasts. There is just too much that’s good, and everything is meant to be shared. With fresh pita bread continuously arriving from the ovens, and a table of quickly multiplying meze (hummus, falafel, muhammara), there is a warmth and depth to the cooking that envelops you. With such traditional cuisine, you may think there isn’t much left to discover beyond simply executed classics prepared according to time-tested methods. But there are always new discoveries as the flavors mingle from plate to plate: the tabbouleh with the hummus, mixed with a touch of harissa, or the smoky baba ghanoush spooned onto falafel. Phoenician Taverna keeps taking these classics a little further.

7944 Mason Montgomery Rd., Mason, (513) 770-0027, phoeniciantaverna.com. Lunch Tues–Fri, dinner Tues–Sun. MCC. $$

SANTORINI

Steak, eggs, and home fries. Jumbo haddock sandwich with Greek fries. Chocolate chip hot cakes with bacon. Notice something wrong with this menu? Chicken Philly cheese steak sandwich with Olympic onion rings. Yep, it’s obvious: What’s wrong with this menu is that there’s nothing wrong with this menu. Greek feta cheese omelette with a side of ham. It’s been owned by the same family for more than 30 years. Santorini has diner standards, like cheeseburgers,

chili five ways, and breakfast anytime, but they also make some Greek pastries in house, like spanakopita and baklava.

3414 Harrison Ave., Cheviot, (513) 662-8080. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner Mon–Sat, breakfast and lunch Sun. Cash. $

SEBASTIAN’S

When the wind is just right, you can smell the meat roasting from a mile away. Watch owner Alex Vassiliou tend to the rotating wheels of beef and lamb, and you understand how Greek food has escaped the American tendency to appropriate foreign cuisines. Sebastian’s specializes in gyros, shaved off the stick, wrapped in thick griddle pita with onions and tomatoes, and served with cool tzatziki sauce. Alex’s wife and daughter run the counter with efficient speed, and whether you’re having a crisp Greek salad with house-made dressing, triangles of spanikopita, or simply the best walnut and honey baklava this side of the Atlantic (often made by the Mrs.), they never miss a beat, turning more covers in their tiny restaurant on one Saturday afternoon than some restaurants do in an entire weekend.

5209 Glenway Ave., Price Hill, (513) 471-2100, sebastiansgyros.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat. Cash. $

SULTAN’S

MEDITERRANEAN CUISINE

The meze, a parade of small plates and appetizers— the refreshing yogurt dish with cucumber, mint, and garlic known as cacik, and its thicker cousin haydari, with chopped walnuts, dill, and garlic—is rounded out with flaky cheese or spinach boureks, falafels, soups, salads, and more, while baked casseroles or stuffed cabbage and eggplant dishes (dubbed “Ottoman specials”) augment the heavy focus on kebabs: chunks of lamb and beef on a vertical spit for the popular Doner kebab (a.k.a. Turkish gyro), peppery ground lamb for the Adana kebab, or cubed and marinated for the Shish kebab.

7305 Tyler’s Corner Dr., West Chester, (513) 8471535, sultanscincinnati.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $$

MEXICAN HABAÑERO

It’s easy to find a cheap burrito place around a college campus, but you’d be hard-pressed to find one as consistently good as Habañero, with its flavors of Latin America and the Caribbean wrapped up in enormous packages. Fried tilapia, apricot-glazed chicken breast, hand-rubbed spiced flank steak, shredded pork tenderloin, or cinnamon-roasted squash are just some of the ingredients for Habañero’s signature burritos. All salsas are house-made, from the smoky tomato chipotle to the sweet-sounding mango jalapeño, which is hot enough to spark spontaneous combustion.

358 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, (513) 961-6800, habanerolatin.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DC, DS. $

MAZUNTE

Mazunte runs a culinary full court press, switching up specials to keep both regulars and staff engaged. Pork tamales arrive swaddled in a banana leaf, the shredded pork filling steeped in a sauce fiery with guajillo and ancho chilies yet foiled by the calming sweetness of raisins. The fried fish tacos are finished with a citrusy red and white cabbage slaw that complements the accompanying mango-habañero salsa. With this level of authentic yet fast-paced execution, a slightly greasy pozole can be easily forgiven. Don’t miss the Mexican Coke, the margaritas, or the non-alcoholic horchata.

5207 Madison Rd., Madisonville, (513) 785-0000, mazuntetacos.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat, brunch Sun. MCC. $

MESA LOCA

Sitting on a corner of Hyde Park Square, it’s easy to see that Mesa Loca has an absolute dream of a location.

The pandemic forced a few changes to the seafoodcentric menu, but those dishes still on the menu indicate what Mesa Loca could be. The tuna ceviche is nicely balanced: tart, with a little spicy creaminess, and a good crispy tostada. The Baja snapper goes well with a bright pile of grated radish and the mango habañero salsa, one of the highlights of the meal. With minced chunks of mango and a hint of fruity habañero heat, it is a prime example of how you can elevate Mexican food and make it worthy of a higher-thanordinary price. One of Mesa Loca’s appealing qualities is its dramatic flair: The yucca fries come stacked on the plate like a late-stages game of Jenga, and their sour-and-spicy rub is quite delicious and striking against the bright starchy white of the fries.

2645 Erie Ave., Hyde Park, (513) 321-6372, mesalocahydepark.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $$

MONTOYA’S

Mexican places seem to change hands in this town so often that you can’t get the same meal twice. Montoya’s is the exception. They’ve been hidden in a tiny strip mall off the main drag in Ft. Mitchell for years. It’s unpretentious and seemingly not interested in success, which means success has never gone to their head here. At a place where you can get Huracan Fajitas with steak, chicken, and chorizo or Tilapia Asada, the tacos are still a big item.

2507 Chelsea Dr., Ft. Mitchell, (859) 341-0707. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sat. MC, V, DS. $

TAQUERIA CRUZ

The menu at this four-table mom-and-pop welcomes you to “a little piece of Mexico.” The huaraches (spelled guarachis here), are flat troughs of thick, handmade fried masa dough the approximate shape and size of a shoeprint, mounded with beans and slivers of grilled beef or chili-red nubs of sausage, shredded lettuce, a crumble of queso fresco, and drizzle of cultured cream. Should you have an adventurous side, you can have your huarache topped with slippery tongue, goat meat, shredded chicken, or pork. There are stews, carne asada plates, and sopes—saucers of fried masa much like huaraches, only smaller.

518 Pike St., Covington, (859) 431-3859. Lunch and dinner seven days. Cash. $

SEAFOOD

MCCORMICK & SCHMICK’S

The daily rotation here reads like a fisherman’s wish list: fresh lobsters from the coast of Maine, ahi tuna from Hawaii, clams from New England. But high-quality ingredients are only half the equation; preparation is the other. Herb-broth sea bass, served with roasted fingerling potatoes, makes the taste buds dance. The spacious digs and attentive waitstaff bring a touch of class to Fountain Square, and make it a sophisticated destination. It’s likely to remain a favorite. After all, it’s right in the middle of things.

21 E. Fifth St., downtown, (513) 721-9339, mccormickandschmicks.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DC, DS. $$

PEARLSTAR

Over-the-Rhine’s buzzworthy oyster bar marks owner Terry Raley and his Amaranth Hospitality Group’s first foray outside of Nashville. The oysters—flown in every 24 to 36 hours—are delivered on a bed of crushed ice with lemon wedges and a vinegary herbed mignonette sauce. Add a few refreshing drops of lemon and mignonette, mix in the additional fresh horseradish, house-made hot sauce, or cocktail sauce, and slurp your way to the sea. The entrées (Pearl “Stars,” as they’re called on the menu) are equal parts surf and turf, with the Arctic char and Texas redfish living up to the “star” billing. The char, with its topping of lemon caper butter, was creamy enough to eat by the spoonful while the soft, spicy redfish was flecked with a chocolaty chorizo oil that tasted like a master chef’s take on Cincinnati chili. All of this can be washed down with PearlStar’s extensive drink menu, including

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cleverly named cocktails like Summer Dreamsicle and House Cup #1.

1220 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 381-0427, pearl-star.com. Dinner Wed–Sun, brunch Sun. MCC. $$

ROSEWOOD SUSHI, THAI & SEAFOOD

Chanaka De Lanerolle sold Mt. Adams Fish House back in 2011, and Rosewood Sushi, Thai & Seafood is its reincarnation—and reinvention. Most of the menu tends toward fairly conservative takes on classics, like well-seasoned crab cakes and thick, creamy chowder full of seafood. The handful of ethnic experiments on the menu are among its most vibrant offerings, including a Mediterranean fish stew that takes inspiration from the North African coast. Tender, fluff y couscous soaks up a fiery but sweet tomato sauce that showcases chiles and peppercorns, golden raisins, and lovely firm cashews, and the stew itself is packed with mussels, shrimp, and chunks of fish.

3036 Madison Rd., Oakley, (513) 631-3474, rosewoodoakley.com. Lunch Fri–Sun, dinner Tues–Sun. MCC. $$$

STEAKS

LOSANTI

A bit more upscale than its sister restaurant, Crown Republic Gastropub, Losanti is also more

conservative in its offerings. Service is friendly and informal, and though the meal feels like a special occasion, prices and atmosphere are right for, say, a date, rather than a wedding anniversary.

The filet mignon, rib eye, and New York strip are cut to order for each table (there are a few available weights for each). The steaks themselves are totally irreproachable, perfectly seasoned, cooked to precisely the right point. Losanti even makes the steakhouse sides a little special. Sweet and smoky caramelized onions are folded into the mashed potatoes, a nice dusting of truffles wakes up the mac and cheese, and the sweet corn—yes, totally out of season, but still good—is at least freshly cut off the cob and recalls elote with lime and chile.

1401 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 2464213, losantiotr.com. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC. $$$

JAG’S STEAK AND SEAFOOD

Chef Michelle Brown’s food is deeply flavored, if occasionally a bit busy, her steaks of the butterymild variety, with not too much salty char crust. All five cuts are served with veal demi-glace and fried onion straws. According to my steak-centric dining partner, his cowboy ribeye is “too tender and uniform” (as if that’s a crime). “I like to wrestle with the bone,” he adds, though that’s a scenario that, thankfully, doesn’t get played out in this subdued dining room.

5980 West Chester Rd., West Chester, (513) 8605353, jags.com. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC, DC. $$$

JEFF RUBY’S

Filled most nights with local scenesters and power brokers (and those who think they are), everything in this urban steakhouse is generous—from the portions to the expert service. White-jacketed waiters with floor-length aprons deliver two-fisted martinis and mounds of greens dressed in thin

vinaigrettes or thick, creamy emulsions. An occasional salmon or sea bass appears, and there’s a small but decent assortment of land fare. But most customers, even the willowy model types, inhale slabs of beef (dry aged USDA prime) like they’re dining in a crack house for carnivores. The best of these is Jeff Ruby’s Cowboy: 22 ounces of 70-day dry-aged bone-in rib eye. This is steak tailor-made for movers and shakers.

505 Vine St., downtown, (513) 784-1200, jeffruby.com. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC, DC. $$$$

MORTON’S

THE STEAKHOUSE

No one has replicated the concept of an expensive boys’ club better than Morton’s. Amid the dark polished woods and white linen, the Riedel stemware and stupendous flower arrangements, assorted suits grapple with double cut filet mignons, 24 ounces of porterhouse, pink shiny slabs of prime rib, overflowing plates of salty Lyonnaise potatoes, or mammoth iceberg wedges frosted with thick blue cheese dressing. Jumbo is Morton’s decree: Oversized martini and wine glasses, ethereal towering lemon soufflés, roomy chairs, and tables large enough for a plate and a laptop. Even steaks billed as “slightly smaller” weigh in at 8 to 10 ounces.

441 Vine St., downtown, (513) 621-3111, mortons.com. Dinner seven days. MCC. $$$

THE PRECINCT

Part of the appeal of the Ruby restaurants is their ability to deliver deep, comfort-food satisfaction. And the steaks. The meat is tender with a rich mineral flavor, and the signature seasoning provided a nice crunch, not to mention blazing heat. The supporting cast is strong—the basket of warm Tribeca Oven bread with a mushroom truffle butter, the addictive baked macaroni and cheese, the creamy

COMEBACK KID

After closing its doors due to a rent dispute last December, Covington fave Lil’s Bagels is opening Lil’s Kitchen inside of Roebling Point Books & Coffee’s Covington and Newport locations this year. An opening date hadn’t been set at press time. roeblingpointbook sandcoffee.com

garlic mashed potatoes, the crisp-tender asparagus with roasted garlic and lemon vinaigrette—and dinner ends on a sweet note with a piece of Ruby family recipe cheesecake. Neither cloyingly sweet nor overwhelmingly creamy, it’s a lovely slice of restraint.

311 Delta Ave., Columbia-Tusculum, (513) 321-5454, jeffruby.com/precinct. Dinner seven days. MCC. $$$$

TONY’S

He is a captivating presence, Tony Ricci. Best known for his 30 years in fine dining—including the Jeff Ruby empire while managing the venerable Precinct—Ricci has built a life in the hospitality industry. Much of Tony’s menu is right out of a steakhouse playbook: jumbo shrimp and king crab legs from the raw bar; Caprese, Greek, and Caesar salads; sides of creamed spinach, mac-and-cheese, asparagus, and sautéed mushrooms; toppings of roasted garlic or Gorgonzola butters to accompany your center cut of filet mignon. There are boutique touches, though, that make it stand out—a garlic herb aioli with the calamari, steak tartare torch-kissed and topped with a poached egg, a superb rack of lamb rubbed with aromatic sumac and served with mint pesto.

12110 Montgomery Rd., Symmes Township, (513) 6778669, tonysofcincinnati.com. Dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $$$$

THAI

GREEN PAPAYA

Inside this simple dining room, replete with soothing browns and greens and handsome, dark wood furniture, it takes time to sort through the many curries and chef’s specialties, not to mention the wide variety of sushi on the somethingfor-everyone menu. Have the staff—friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable—help you. When the food arrives, you’ll

need only a deep inhale to know you made the right choice. The Green Papaya sushi rolls are as delicious as they look, with a manic swirl of spicy mayo and bits of crabstick and crispy tempura batter scattered atop the spicy tuna, mango, cream cheese, and shrimp tempura sushi—all rolled in a vivid green soybean wrap.

2942 Wasson Rd., Oakley, (513) 731-0107, greenpapayacincinnati.com. Lunch Mon–Sat, dinner seven days. MCC. $$

TEAK THAI

Owner Chanaka De Lanerolle has said that he decided to bring back Teak’s take on Thai food because of the renewed vibrancy in Over-the-Rhine, which he compared to the energy he felt in Mt. Adams during his time there. But for all of the hype around the restaurant’s re-emergence on the scene, it’s probably best to consider it a reimagining rather than a reopening. While long-time favorites show up on the menu, prepared by many of the same kitchen staff members from Mt. Adams, some adaptations have been made to better meet expectations of modern diners. Letting go of preconceived notions about Teak will serve you well. With a two-sided, standalone sushi menu and a wide variety of main plates ranging from small bites to signature dishes, you have plenty of room to craft your own dining experience.

1200 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 421-8325, teakotr. com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sun. MCC. $$

WILD GINGER

Wild Ginger Asian Bistro’s ability to satisfy a deep desire for Vietnamese and Thai fusion cuisine is evidenced by their signature Hee Ma roll—a fortress of seaweed-wrapped rolls filled with shrimp tempura, asparagus, avocado, and topped with red tuna, pulled crab stick, tempura flakes, a bit of masago, scallions, and of course, spicy mayo. It’s tasty, even though the sweet fried floodwall of tempura and spicy mayo overpowered the tuna completely. The spicy pad char entrée was a solid seven out of 10: broccoli, carrots, cab-

bage, succulent red bell peppers, green beans, and beef, accented with basil and lime leaves in a peppercorn-andchili brown sauce.

3655 Edwards Rd., Hyde Park, (513) 533-9500, wildgingercincy.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sun. MCC, DS. $$

VIETNAMESE

PHO LANG THANG

Owners Duy and Bao Nguyen and David Le have created a greatest hits playlist of Vietnamese cuisine: elegant, brothy pho made from poultry, beef, or vegan stocks poured over rice noodles and adrift with slices of onions, meats, or vegetables (the vegan pho chay is by far the most flavorful); fresh julienned vegetables, crunchy sprouts, and herbs served over vermicelli rice noodles (again, the vegan version, bun chay, is the standout); and bánh mì. Be sure to end with a cup of Vietnamese coffee, a devilish jolt of dark roast and sweetened condensed milk that should make canned energy drinks obsolete.

1828 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 376-9177, pholangthang.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DS, DC. $

CINCINNATI MAGAZINE, (ISSN 0746-8 210), March 2023, Volume 56, Number 6.

Published monthly ($19.95 for 12 issues annually) at 1818 Race St., Ste. 301, Cincinnati, OH 45202. (513) 421-4300. Copyright © 2022 by Cincinnati Magazine LLC, a subsidiary of Hour Media Group, 5750 New King Dr., Ste. 100, Troy, MI 48098. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or reprinted without permission. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, and artwork should be accompanied by SASE for return. The magazine cannot be held responsible for loss. For subscription orders, address changes or renewals, write to CINCINNATI MAGAZINE, 1965 E. Avis Dr., Madison Heights, MI 48071, or call 1-866-6606247. Periodicals postage paid at Cincinnati, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Please send forms 3579 to CINCINNATI MAGAZINE, 1965 E. Avis Dr., Madison Heights, MI 48071. If the Postal Service alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year.

SPRING

HARD ROCK CASINO CINCINNATI

Our lavish four-night dinner series returns to celebrate the bounty of Spring. Be sure to #savorthedate dining experience and enjoy a one-of-a-kind meal in a fun and festive atmosphere.

Limited tickets available.

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All Aboard!

YOU NEED TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO MOVE AN OBJECT FROM POINT A TO POINT B. EASY enough, right? Not if the object in question is an entire 19th century train station. That was the situation for the City of Hamilton, which was forced to choose between preserving the set of buildings or letting CSX, the depot’s owner, demolish them. What’s a city to do? The answer: Pick them up—the whole combined 500-plus tons of them—and move them down the street without tearing apart the original structures. “The city has been interested over a number of years to preserve the buildings,” says Rich Engle, Hamilton’s director of engineering. “[But] until recently, there were no city-owned parcels available nearby to place them.” CSX and the city began negotiations in 2021 and finalized the process in January, enlisting Wolfe House & Building Movers, a company that has carefully uprooted and transported everything from Florida’s Bellevue Biltmore Hotel to the Alexander Hamilton National Memorial in New York City. Using a series of custom hydraulic dollies equipped with remote-controlled technology, the movers lifted the depot and rolled it nearly 1,000 feet to its new resting place on Maple Avenue.

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