I’ve already expressed how much I love Eli’s BBQ, but I recently found a spot that is just about on the same level of quality. Velvet Smoke BBQ operates on weekends out of Findlay Market, does catering, and are active in BBQ competitions throughout the midwest. They only offer a few items for sale at Findlay Market (pulled pork, brisket, and ribs). I ordered a pulled pork platter with coleslaw and asked for a toasted Servatii’s bun on the side.

Pulled Pork

The pork was perfectly smoked with a great mix of crisp outside and tender inside. I made a sandwich topped with the rather plain tasting coleslaw and a tangy Kansas City style sauce. I had plenty of extra pork leftover to eat on my own and plus a little to share with my wife. I think I give a slight edge to Eli’s overall, but Velvet Smoke is still a very solid product.

My family and I were up and out of the house early this past Saturday and decided we wanted to try somewhere new for breakfast. We have a running spreadsheet of new restaurant ideas so I picked the first place on the list, the Bluebird Restaurant in Norwood. Though I knew the general area it was in (just up Montgomery Road from Surrey Square) I nearly drove right past it. The outside of the restaurant is not easily recognizable and it looks quite small.

Inside Bluebird

Once we stepped through the front door I was amazed at just how large the restaurant really is on the inside. It isn’t very wide but offers plenty of seating with booths lining the entire length of the long right wall. There are also a few other larger tables to fill in the corners plus a large counter area that looks toward the semi-open kitchen. It’s very much an old-time diner, but still seems clean and bright.

Jukeboxes

Our son was a huge fan of the jukebox that was mounted on the wall just above our chosen booth. For 25 cents you can pick a song to be played throughout the centrally wired system of jukeboxes in every booth. This gave him plenty to do for the short time we had to wait for our food orders to arrive.

My Breakfast

I ordered from the ala carte menu and ended up with biscuits and gravy ($3.30), hash browns ($2.30), and bacon ($2.30). The biscuits and gravy were excellent with a nice peppery gravy and plenty of fluffy biscuits. I also was a huge fan of the hash browns, which were cooked perfectly with a bit of a  crispness  but not overly done. The bacon was also good and plentiful compared to what you normally get for a side of bacon.

Breakfast Special

My wife ordered the breakfast special – 2 eggs, hash browns or home fries, 1/2 order biscuits and gravy, choice of bacon or sausage (goetta and ham add 50 cents). This was a massive amount of food for the $6.90 price tag. We probably should have paid better attention to what each other were ordering, as we ended up with a lot of duplicates. I did get to steal some of her goetta, which I thought was a little overcooked but still tasty.

Children’s Pancakes And Egg

We also ordered the children’s pancakes and egg for our son. Again I was able to take a few bites of his pancakes, which I found to be light and fluffy, just as you’d expect. Though he didn’t say it, I think our son agreed with me as he nearly ate an entire pancake and most of his scrambled egg.

Our total for the three of us was $24.18 and we had enough food to take home for another breakfast the following morning. All of our food was tasty and our service couldn’t have been nicer and more efficient. We will definitely be back for more.

Friday night we attended the Cincinnati Christmas Saengerfest  with complimentary tickets from American Legacy Tours. The event featured area choirs in five venues throughout the  Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Though there were seven choirs spread around the venues we were only able to catch four of them perform. We saw the Cincinnati Boychoir at Memorial Hall, Nast Gospel & Praise Band at Nast Trinity Church, the Cincinnati Men’s Chorus at St. Francis Seraph, and the  Young Professionals’ Choral Collective of Cincinnati at the Christian Moerlein Brewery.

While at St. Francis Seraph all concert attendees were invited back into the friary to look at the extensive collection of nativity scenes from around the world, as well as loads of other Christmas decor. We also let Trey spend plenty of time with the animals in the live nativity, which is one of his favorite activities of the Christmas season.

The Christian Moerlein Brewery recently hosted an open-house to show off their newly renovated brewery space on November 21. Fortunately the area was again open to self-guided tours during the Saengerfest. I snapped a few photos of their equipment and look forward to when all of their brewing operations are finally moved back to Cincinnati.

Finally the Light Up OTR event had placed luminaries throughout the neighborhood and it was all capped off with a lighting of a Christmas tree in Washington Park.

This past Friday evening I finally made it down to Pera Mediterranean in Mt. Lookout Square, less than a mile from home. My wife and I actually tried earlier in the day for lunch, but found their doors still locked at the advertised opening time of 11. Since we had a Groupon that was expiring, we decided to head back later in the day for dinner, bringing along our toddler aged son and one of my wife’s brothers. We arrived at 5:30 to find the restaurant empty aside from one other table.

Just a small portion of the dining area.

I’ve read reviews stating that the restaurant is BYOB, but they actually have a liquor license now. Also happy hour is offered from 4 until close with $1.50 domestic beers and $19 bottles of wine. Our server was quick to get our drink order and had our selections to us in no time. We put in an appetizer order, an appetizer sampler plate, while we looked through the rest of the menu.

Appetizer Sampler Plate

The small appetizer sampler plate is recommended for 2 people but easily can be shared with more ($12.95 for the small). This included tabouli, hummus, stuffed grape leaves, eggplant puree, ezme and falafel. The hummus was smooth and creamy, just as it should be. The tabouli was also good, though not quite as delicious as I remember it being at Andy’s. The eggplant puree is  essentially  baba ghannouj and was fine. The ezme had a nice kick to it, which I used in conjunction with the other spreads. I loved the falafel better than Andy’s, easily my favorite from the sampler plate. And the stuffed grape leaves were average at best. Overall the sampler is worth getting.

Chicken Kebab

For dinner I went with the chicken kebab served with basmati rice and steamed vegetables ($13.95). The chicken was well seasoned and perfectly cooked. I thought that the veggies were slightly over cooked and under flavored. For what you get, the price tag is a little high, I think.

Penne Mediterranean

My wife had the penne Mediterranean with chicken, green onions, chili pepper, Parmesan cheese, tomato and romano cheese sauce ($10.95). The menu indicates that mushrooms are also in the pasta dish, but none were present in my wife’s serving. I had a few bites of this and found the chicken to be overcooked and tough. It’s a shame that the chicken wasn’t cooked as well as the kebab was, otherwise this could have been a better dish. However as it was I would definitely skip on this one.

Gyro Kebab

My brother-in-law had the gyro kebab ($13.95). The thinly sliced seasoned lamb and beef served was served with tzaziki sauce on the side. I did not sample any of the gyro meat, but he really seemed to enjoy it. He commented that it was his first time having lamb, so he didn’t have anything to compare it with, but he said he would order it again.

Dinner for the three of us exceeded $65, which again seemed a little steep for the portion sizes. With that said I definitely will not return to Pera again for dinner, but will consider it for lunch in the future. I’m eyeing the chicken kebab wrap with  tzaziki, lettuce, tomato, and onion served inside a pita ($5.75). And I would likely get the appetizer sampler plate again.

A few months ago the Wooster Tavern on Wooster Pike transformed into the second location of Mac’s Pizza Pub. I went the Wooster Tavern a lot as an early twenty-something but haven’t been back in many years. The second I walked through the door, over this past weekend, it was like I never left.

Inside Mac’s

The layout of the building is completely the same. There is a bar area to the right as you walk in the main door on the side of the building. To the left is a small dining area and then around the corner from there is the stairwell to the upper level with even more seating, a shuffleboard table, and another small bar.

Upstairs At Mac’s

There are TV’s in every corner of the building and then some. My parents joined us for dinner and my dad was really impressed by the number and quality of TV’s on their walls. We will definitely have to remember that when searching for somewhere to catch a game. Plus they have a really great beer selection. I was able to finally try Mt. Carmel’s Third Shift Imperial Coffee Stout. Wonderful!

Bar Ceiling

For dinner we all agreed to split two medium (12″) pizzas. It was the perfect amount of pizza for the four of us plus our young child. Speaking of which, every single table in the place seemed to have at least one child with them, so it’s a very family friendly place.

Mac’s Supreme

The first pizza I tried was the Mac’s Supreme ($14.49 for 12″). This was loaded with pepperoni, sausage, ham, green peppers, red onions, mushrooms, and black olives before being topped with plenty of mozzarella and provolone cheese. It was basically a pretty standard supreme pizza but I really enjoyed their rather chewy hand tossed crust. The sauce was also full of flavor.

Hawaiian Heaven

Our other pizza was the Hawaiian Heaven ($14.49 for 12″). This one was topped with pineapple, ham, bacon, and a dusting of cinnamon with the same cheese blend as before. I’ve had the Hawaiian pizza many times before, but I don’t recall ever having it with cinnamon. My parents were skeptical of this at first, but we all seemed to really enjoy the addition. It added a little extra spice to the already sweet pizza. This pie typically comes served with roasted almond slices as well, but we had them removed as I am allergic to almonds.

With an excellent selection of beer, great quality pizza, and TV’s on every corner, I think we may have found a new favorite spot.

Late last week my wife and I met another couple for dinner at the newly opened Alfio’s Buon Cibo in Hyde Park Square. Alfio’s opened about a month ago in the former Poco a Poco spot (which I enjoyed during its short lifespan). Chef  Alfio Gulisano was born to Italian parents but grew up in  Argentina. So the menu is a mix of both cuisines, with most of it focusing on recipes from his family’s Italian heritage.

Outside Alfio’s

I made a reservation for 6:45 and arrived to find the restaurant with just a few tables occupied. The bar area is just past the hostess stand and had a number of guests already there enjoying glasses of wine. As we waited for one of our friends to arrive, the restaurant became increasingly crowded and a couple of larger parties also made their way inside.

Inside Alfio’s

Our server for the evening offered suggestions not only for dinner but also was very knowledgeable about the wine list and even suggested an  Argentinean  beer, Quilmes, a lager with a little more flavor than most of our own domestically produced options. He was quick to provide refills throughout the night. The other employees that we did see throughout the night were all helpful and provided excellent service.

Spinach And Apple Salad

My wife started with the spinach and apple salad with  spicy honey candied pecans, goat cheese, red onion, and dried cherries in a quince pomegranate vinaigrette ($9). I didn’t order a starter of my own, but was happy to share a few bites of her salad. It was an excellent blend of flavors and I loved it. Sorry for the dim picture above, I didn’t realize until later that I needed to use my flash. One of our friends tried the  butternut squash mascarpone soup and said it was very tasty as well (cup $4 and bowl $7).

Chicken Saltimbocca

For dinner I decided on the chicken saltimbocca, which combined pan seared chicken breasts with prosciutto, roasted red peppers and sage then cooked in white wine and butter  sauce and served over fettuccini ($18). The presentation was a bit strange with the large roasted red pepper dwarfing the rest of the dish, but the portion size was excellent with two full chicken breasts. The sauce was a delicious butter and wine based sauce and the flavor combination was really good.

I also considered ordering the chicken caprese – sautéed chicken breasts topped with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil in a white wine shitake  mushroom sauce served over spaghetti ($19). One of our friends ordered this dish and it was much prettier in presentation. I didn’t sample any it, but I think I would consider giving that a try next time, as she seemed to really enjoy it.

Eggplant Parmigiana

My wife ordered one of two specials for the night, eggplant parmigiana ($14). They also offer  Lobster ($25), Portabella ($16), and Chicken ($18). This dish again was a large serving with three large slices of eggplant that were breaded and fried and then smothered with marinara and mozzarella. I’m not usually one to enjoy eggplant parmigiana, but I stole a few bites anyway and I though this was again very good. I would even rank it above most of the chicken parmigiana I have had in the last few years.

The fourth plate at our table was braised veal short ribs  in porcini and shitake truffle mushroom broth served over creamy polenta and  asparagus ($22). Again I did not sample any of the dish, but our friend commented that it was good. He added that they weren’t the best short ribs he’s ever had, but that they were tender and tasty.

Overall we had a great dining experience at Alfio’s and I’m sure we will be back for more food in the hopefully near future.

Unwind Wine Bar and Light Fare officially opened their doors a couple of hours ago. They are located at  3435 Michigan Avenue, just around the corner from Hyde Park Square. I had a ticket for their soft opening last night thanks to a good friend of mine, but wasn’t able to attend. I passed the ticket on to friends that I had dinner with last night and the email I received from them this morning was positive. Everything I’ve heard has been very positive and I look forward to checking it out soon myself. I did snap a couple of photos the other week as they were making final preparations.

Lounge Area

Bar Area

My wife is an employee of the Great American Insurance Group and as part of their Christmas party last year we were given two $75 gift certificates to use at the Cincinnatian Hotel’s Palace Restaurant or Cricket Lounge. She used one of the gift certificates for lunch at the Palace with her family a few weeks ago and while she commented that the food was good, the service left something to be desired.

Fast forward to last Friday, the last day the gift certificate could be used. We still had one certificate left so we decided to head down for another lunch. Upon our arrival around 11:30 we checked with the Palace to see if we could get a table. Despite the nearly completely empty dining room we were told that they were booked solid with reservations. I’m assuming that most of the reservations were for noon, and we did see a steady stream of people arrive throughout our visit.

Palace Guard

Since we had still beaten most of the lunch rush, we were able to find a table in the seat yourself Cricket Lounge. Our service started off great, with our drink order taking only a few minutes to fulfill. However as time went along and the lounge got more and more crowded, it was clear that the single server was going to struggle keeping up with the demands from the entire lounge.

My wife started with a bowl of the soup of the day, butternut squash ($6), while I started with the farm greens salad with  apples, candied walnuts, aged cheddar, and sherry vinaigrette (full $8, half $4). The salad was full of flavor from the sweet toppings and cheese. Plus the sherry vinaigrette dressing was wonderful. I really enjoyed this salad and would easily order it again. Though I’m not sure why it took a half hour for the starters to appear at our table.

Farm Greens Salad

For lunch my wife had the  BBQ pulled pork sandwich with fries ($9). The sandwich was piled high with pulled pork that appeared to already be mixed with some sauce and then it was topped with even more Sweet Baby Ray’s sauce. I wish they would prepare their own BBQ sauce for the sandwich, as I feel it could definitely have been better. The fries were nice and crisp but definitely nothing out of the ordinary.

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich

I went with the turkey wrap which comes filled with bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato,  Swiss  cheese, and dijonnaise on whole wheat wrap ($11). I like that the wrap comes grilled on a panini press so that the wrap itself has a bit of a crunch to it, while the insides remain slightly chilled as you would expect in a wrap. I definitely enjoyed this more than the pulled pork sandwich. And the house made kettle chips were also more enjoyable than the fries.

Turkey Wrap

I was hoping to be in and out in an hour, that was one of the reasons we got down there as early as we could. Unfortunately it took over two hours for our meal. I would think that most  business-people  downtown would want to be in and out at a quicker pace,  especially  in the more casual lounge area. I think it was purely a staffing issue, and they shouldn’t expect one server to be able to handle the entire space, especially when they know the gift certificates that all employees received were expiring that day.

My wife, our toddler aged son, and I visited the Rusty Bucket in Rookwood for lunch over the weekend. I had visited this restaurant at least once before, though it had been years since my last visit. I remember enjoying the food and thinking the service was adequate, so why hadn’t I visited more often? Well the location in Rookwood leaves a lot to be desired. The parking lot section in front of the restaurant is really small, and Rookwood itself can be tough to navigate.

We arrived on this visit just before 1 in the afternoon. A hostess immediately took us to a table in the back of the restaurant, a booth just as we had requested. You have to walk past the bar area to reach the dining area, which is kind of awkward and tight. However the dining area itself offers plenty of space.

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

For lunch I went with the buffalo chicken sandwich –  panko crusted chicken breast slathered in medium wing sauce, topped with crumbled blue cheese, shredded lettuce, tomato and mayo ($8.99). The piece of chicken was very large for a sandwich, appeared to be freshly battered, and was very tasty. The fries were also pretty good.

All Jacked Up Turkey Burger

My wife ordered the “all jacked up burger” substituting a turkey burger for the standard beef. This came topped with  spicy red and green chili relish,  pepperjack cheese, lettuce, tomato,  onion and mayo ($9.79). I did not sample the burger but she really seemed to enjoy it.

Kids Cheese Pizza

We choose the kids cheese pizza for our son, along with a side of fruit ($4.95). They also offer a variety of hand tossed pizzas on the regular menu, so this wasn’t just some frozen and microwaved pizza. I was able to borrow a slice from our son and I was pleasantly surprised. The dough was actually a little chewy, which I wasn’t expecting at all for the thin pizza. After sampling this, I would not hesitate to order a pizza from the main menu.

The Rusty Bucket is definitely a place we should visit more often and we probably would, but the parking situation stinks. Perhaps the experience would be a lot better if we just walked there, like we do for many other Rookwood establishments.

Two Saturday’s ago was a rare date night for my wife and I. Since our son was born I think I can count on one hand the number of meals we have eaten without him. However now that he is less tolerable of sit down meals, this may become a more regular  occurrence. Anyway, the destination for our dinner was Via Vite on Fountain Square downtown. I had seen the outside of this restaurant numerous times due to its very central location but had never ventured inside.

Via Vite’s Bar

We made reservations with OpenTable and arrived at our designated time, quickly being ushered to our reserved table in the relatively crowded dining area. It was crowded with nearly all tables being occupied, but it was also crowded in that the tables were very close to each other. The cramped dining area was therefore quite noisy.

Dining Area

Service on the other hand was wonderful! Our drinks were never empty and the pace of the meal felt just right. The first item delivered to our table was some fresh bread along with an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip. Nothing out of the ordinary here, but still a nice way to start the meal.

Bread And Dip

For dinner I ordered the  Handmade Spaghetti Chitarra with velvet pioppini mushroom ragout  and Parmigiano Reggiano ($19). The spaghetti is handmade and cut in the restaurant and thicker than what you would typically make at home. The mushroom based sauce was outstanding! It was still full of a nice tomato flavor and a hint of spice as well.

Handmade Spaghetti Chitarra

My wife had the  Italian spicy sausage and caramelized onion pizza ($13). The pizza was large and covered with sausage and onions. I was able to steal a slice from her and I have to admit that this was one of the better slices of pizza I’ve had in a long time. The  mozzarella used was certainly fresh and really stood out to me. With such flavorful cheese and toppings the sauce took a backseat, but that’s not to say that it wasn’t tasty on its own. I was very happy to have some of this leftover to take home with us.

Pizza

The food at Via Vite was excellent and the service was great. Twice  Executive Chef Cristian Pietoso stopped by our table to chat and ask how everything tasted. I will definitely be back for more.