Lauren and I decided to start off 2010 by visiting my old UC pals. The weekend involved a great new year's eve party, sandwiched in between a fantastic dinner, and a few of my old haunts from grad school. We left Madison around 9 on the 31st and got to Cincinnati just after 5 ET, and met up with 6 of my friends and Via Vite, a new Italian restaurant that just opened on Fountain Square. And I do mean ON Fountain Square...it is an entirely new two-story building built right in the square. This kind of makes it an “object in the park,” rather than a support building, and with a large fountain and ice skating rink already in the square, this was kind of conflicting. But the inside was very well done, and it was nice to watch pedestrians and skaters brave the cold from our warm table.
The menu was full of chef specialties and also featured a menu created specifically for NYE. The first thing you notice when parousing the menu was that there were only about a dozen items, all prepared in very intense, specific ways, and all kind of pricy. Being a small menu, it lent itself to recommendations, but everything on the menu was apparently so good that even our waiter could not decide. When we asked him for help, he basically said that every single thing on the menu was great, but the overnight braised lamb shank was the best. So, about half of us ordered the lamb shank, and Lauren, not surprisingly, ordered the potato gnocchi. It can be really hard on this blog to rank food – I mean, something is either good, or it’s bad, and with many types of food there is little or no grey area. But I can honestly tell you, that this meal was a perfect 10. Ambiance, good service and location, and delightful food, all shared with friends. The lamb shank was served on a bed of polenta, which I had never had and have always wanted to try from all of those episodes of DDD I’ve watched. The polenta was outstanding, very creamy and decadent. As for the lamb, all I had to do was lift the end of the bone, and half of the meat just fell off - I literally could have eaten it with a spoon, it was that tender. That overnight braising made it so juicy, and the quality of the meat was just phenomenal. The rosemary stuffed inside the bone was not only nice aesthetically, but it also gave the lamb a nice touch on the back end. Lauren’s gnocchi was also well prepared, but sadly still not comparable to the gnocchi we had at the Madison CAC. This seemed like a great restaurant to enjoy an occasion, and what better occasion than New Year’s Eve?
Following the dinner was a party new by at the Contemporary Arts Center, where we watched the ball drop. Lauren and I resolve to lose weight in 2010, but before that, we had a couple more stops we had to make while in Cincinnati. I have already written about Uncle Woody’s and Skyline – the other two must-go places when visiting Cincinnati are Graeter’s and The Comet, both of which I took Lauren to this weekend. (I’d also throw in Dewey’s Pizza as an honorable mention on that list). We went to Graeter’s after dinner on New Year’s Day for ice cream. Wisconsin is king of frozen custard and nothing can beat it, but if we’re talking regular ice cream, then Graeter’s is hands down the best I’ve ever had. It’s the kind of place that has so many choices, but the first thing you’ve ever ordered is so perfectly delicious, that you have yet to venture out into the rest of the menu. Although I’ve sampled about half the flavors, I always ALWAYS order a scoop of Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip in a dish. It was like 20 degrees outside and we had to walk 3 blocks, but I didn’t care – I needed it. This was always the easiest place to take any visitors or dates when I lived there, because I mean someone may not like burritos or chili, but who doesn’t love ice cream? I can even think of some lactose-intolerant students I graduated with that regularly risked life and limb for some Graeter’s ice cream.
Our next major food excursion of the weekend was The Comet, a bar on the north side of Cincinnati. Woody’s was all about the camaraderie. Skyline was that place you knew you could always get a quick, cheap meal at any hour of the day. Graeter’s was all about comfort and familiarity. Of the four though, I’d have to say the Comet burrito was the most delicious meal and the one I most looked forward to. I didn’t go there as regularly as the other three because it’s kind of a long drive, and that just added to the intrigue. There are a few other good things on the menu, and it’s a great place to watch a live band, or to try just about any weird seasonal, imported, or microbrew beer on the planet. All the locals will tell you though that you come here for the burritos. It’s totally word of mouth too, you would never even know from the outside that they served food here. These are monstrous Chipotle-type burritos that can literally stand up on their ends. They are served with a heap of fresh tortilla chips that are thick enough to help scoop some of the contents out as you plow through the burrito. My friend Andreas and I both ordered chicken burritos with black beans, sour cream, and medium salsa, and Lauren got the same sans-meat. They weren’t as overly-stuffed as I remembered, but still delicious. The key that helps that Comet burritos stand out over Chipotle or Qdoba is that they mix all the ingredients together beforehand, so when you’re eating it it’s not one side rice, one side toppings. The mixing also allows all of the sauces and meats to soak into the rice, giving it a deeper flavor.
Our last meal of the weekend was at Mac’s in Clifton, right near campus. We tried to all meet at Woody’s after Comet, but they were closed! Closed twice in two separate visits, and also underwent a major renovation – clearly, our bar will never be the same. So, instead we walked across the street to Mac’s. This was the bar I usually came to watch Sunday Night Baseball, and this bar hosted our architecture school happy hour for a year, so it was also a place I was familiar with. Between Lauren, myself, and my friends John and Toombs, we ate just about everything on the menu. I can speak to the burgers being good, and the cheese & bacon covered waffle fries are the best fries in town. Mac’s is technically a pizzeria, so also the pizza here is pretty good – a really seasoning-intensive pie. Lots of good places to sit and watch a ballgame, lots of good beers on taps, and there is always a drink special. The bar is also semi-divided out into several “rooms” of varying privacy and function, which I prefer to those bars that are just like a big mess hall. Our weekend in Cincinnati concluded with my friend Toombs trying to defeat Macs’ Devil’s Breath 12-wing challenge. He got about 4.5 down and eventually had to succumb to the chemical burn. I coaxed myself in to trying one, and it took me about a half-hour to even be able to talk. Despite that intense mouth pain, it was great to see all of my friends in Cincinnati and share some good food with my best gal Lauren.
restaurant rankings and stats
The menu was full of chef specialties and also featured a menu created specifically for NYE. The first thing you notice when parousing the menu was that there were only about a dozen items, all prepared in very intense, specific ways, and all kind of pricy. Being a small menu, it lent itself to recommendations, but everything on the menu was apparently so good that even our waiter could not decide. When we asked him for help, he basically said that every single thing on the menu was great, but the overnight braised lamb shank was the best. So, about half of us ordered the lamb shank, and Lauren, not surprisingly, ordered the potato gnocchi. It can be really hard on this blog to rank food – I mean, something is either good, or it’s bad, and with many types of food there is little or no grey area. But I can honestly tell you, that this meal was a perfect 10. Ambiance, good service and location, and delightful food, all shared with friends. The lamb shank was served on a bed of polenta, which I had never had and have always wanted to try from all of those episodes of DDD I’ve watched. The polenta was outstanding, very creamy and decadent. As for the lamb, all I had to do was lift the end of the bone, and half of the meat just fell off - I literally could have eaten it with a spoon, it was that tender. That overnight braising made it so juicy, and the quality of the meat was just phenomenal. The rosemary stuffed inside the bone was not only nice aesthetically, but it also gave the lamb a nice touch on the back end. Lauren’s gnocchi was also well prepared, but sadly still not comparable to the gnocchi we had at the Madison CAC. This seemed like a great restaurant to enjoy an occasion, and what better occasion than New Year’s Eve?Following the dinner was a party new by at the Contemporary Arts Center, where we watched the ball drop. Lauren and I resolve to lose weight in 2010, but before that, we had a couple more stops we had to make while in Cincinnati. I have already written about Uncle Woody’s and Skyline – the other two must-go places when visiting Cincinnati are Graeter’s and The Comet, both of which I took Lauren to this weekend. (I’d also throw in Dewey’s Pizza as an honorable mention on that list). We went to Graeter’s after dinner on New Year’s Day for ice cream. Wisconsin is king of frozen custard and nothing can beat it, but if we’re talking regular ice cream, then Graeter’s is hands down the best I’ve ever had. It’s the kind of place that has so many choices, but the first thing you’ve ever ordered is so perfectly delicious, that you have yet to venture out into the rest of the menu. Although I’ve sampled about half the flavors, I always ALWAYS order a scoop of Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip in a dish. It was like 20 degrees outside and we had to walk 3 blocks, but I didn’t care – I needed it. This was always the easiest place to take any visitors or dates when I lived there, because I mean someone may not like burritos or chili, but who doesn’t love ice cream? I can even think of some lactose-intolerant students I graduated with that regularly risked life and limb for some Graeter’s ice cream.
Our next major food excursion of the weekend was The Comet, a bar on the north side of Cincinnati. Woody’s was all about the camaraderie. Skyline was that place you knew you could always get a quick, cheap meal at any hour of the day. Graeter’s was all about comfort and familiarity. Of the four though, I’d have to say the Comet burrito was the most delicious meal and the one I most looked forward to. I didn’t go there as regularly as the other three because it’s kind of a long drive, and that just added to the intrigue. There are a few other good things on the menu, and it’s a great place to watch a live band, or to try just about any weird seasonal, imported, or microbrew beer on the planet. All the locals will tell you though that you come here for the burritos. It’s totally word of mouth too, you would never even know from the outside that they served food here. These are monstrous Chipotle-type burritos that can literally stand up on their ends. They are served with a heap of fresh tortilla chips that are thick enough to help scoop some of the contents out as you plow through the burrito. My friend Andreas and I both ordered chicken burritos with black beans, sour cream, and medium salsa, and Lauren got the same sans-meat. They weren’t as overly-stuffed as I remembered, but still delicious. The key that helps that Comet burritos stand out over Chipotle or Qdoba is that they mix all the ingredients together beforehand, so when you’re eating it it’s not one side rice, one side toppings. The mixing also allows all of the sauces and meats to soak into the rice, giving it a deeper flavor.
Our last meal of the weekend was at Mac’s in Clifton, right near campus. We tried to all meet at Woody’s after Comet, but they were closed! Closed twice in two separate visits, and also underwent a major renovation – clearly, our bar will never be the same. So, instead we walked across the street to Mac’s. This was the bar I usually came to watch Sunday Night Baseball, and this bar hosted our architecture school happy hour for a year, so it was also a place I was familiar with. Between Lauren, myself, and my friends John and Toombs, we ate just about everything on the menu. I can speak to the burgers being good, and the cheese & bacon covered waffle fries are the best fries in town. Mac’s is technically a pizzeria, so also the pizza here is pretty good – a really seasoning-intensive pie. Lots of good places to sit and watch a ballgame, lots of good beers on taps, and there is always a drink special. The bar is also semi-divided out into several “rooms” of varying privacy and function, which I prefer to those bars that are just like a big mess hall. Our weekend in Cincinnati concluded with my friend Toombs trying to defeat Macs’ Devil’s Breath 12-wing challenge. He got about 4.5 down and eventually had to succumb to the chemical burn. I coaxed myself in to trying one, and it took me about a half-hour to even be able to talk. Despite that intense mouth pain, it was great to see all of my friends in Cincinnati and share some good food with my best gal Lauren.restaurant rankings and stats
(Via Vie/The Comet/Mac's):
ambiance - 9/3/6 (Comet is usually about a 7, we were the first people there; Mac's is usually a little higher when school is in session)
beer & wine selection - 7/10/8
food variety - 5/3/5
service - 9/5/9
accessibility - 4/4/9 (can be hard to find parking by Fountain Square; Comet on far north end of city)
design - 9/4/6
taste - 10/9/7
price - $$$$/$/$$
Would we recommend? Yes/Yes/Yes
Style - contemporary Italian/tavern/pizzeria & bar
Dress - formal, but no black-tie required/casual/casual
Location - Fountain Square, 4579 Hamilton, McMillan & Clifton - Cincinnati OH
ambiance - 9/3/6 (Comet is usually about a 7, we were the first people there; Mac's is usually a little higher when school is in session)
beer & wine selection - 7/10/8
food variety - 5/3/5
service - 9/5/9
accessibility - 4/4/9 (can be hard to find parking by Fountain Square; Comet on far north end of city)
design - 9/4/6
taste - 10/9/7
price - $$$$/$/$$
Would we recommend? Yes/Yes/Yes
Style - contemporary Italian/tavern/pizzeria & bar
Dress - formal, but no black-tie required/casual/casual
Location - Fountain Square, 4579 Hamilton, McMillan & Clifton - Cincinnati OH
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