In addition to being a lover of food and drink, my appreciation of architecture ranks as a very close second in terms of what keeps my tiny little head occupied. With that in mind, I have been waiting for almost a year and a half for the opening of Taft’s Ale House. Located on the corner of Race and Fifteenth Streets in a section of Over the Rhine that is being redeveloped at breakneck speed, Taft’s is housed in the former St. Paulus Kirche, a German Evangelical Protestant Church that is the second oldest church in the city. The congregation that was housed in the building decamped to the corner of Ferguson and Queen City in Westwood in 1948 leaving the building largely vacant for the past 67 years! Various remedial efforts had been undertaken in recent years to stabilize the building, but not until the past couple of years have millions of dollars been poured into the building to make it a viable structure again. “Viable” hardly begins to describe the interior of Taft’s though. And before I even get into the food and beer, I cannot stress enough that you must make a trip to Taft’s if just to check out the building. The quality of the finishes is spectacular and the building and decor are gorgeous. Much of it pays homage to the heritage of the building and to that of our 27th President and Cincinnati native, the rotund William Howard Taft, while at the same time seeming fully 2015. And now on to the reason that most of you are here, the food. In a restaurant with the name “Taft’s Ale House”, of course one would expect an abundance of not only ales, but lagers as well. All of the beer is brewed in house, so if you came looking for a Bud Light, you might want to stop at the pony keg and guzzle one before you get here. Several of the beers are standouts and Taft’s gives you a low commitment way to sample them with five four ounce pours packaged as a flight. For the same amount of money as a pint, it is a great (and economical) way to figure out what your favorite draft will be a Taft’s. I tried the First Pitch Pale Ale, 27 Pils, Nellie’s Keylime Carribean Ale, Maverick Chocolate Porter, and Saison de Paulus. There was not one amongst the bunch that I thought I would never drink again, and several that I loved. The 27 Pils was my favorite, not surprising since a crisp, cold pilsner is an easy gateway beer to those uninitiated in the ways of the craft beer explosion that is often dominated by very strong, distinctive tastes such as I.P.A.’s. The 27 Pils was very uncomplicated to the palate, but distinctive enough to differentiate it from other pilsner style beers on the market. The Maverick was also outstanding. If you like either porters or chocolate, this beer flavored with cacao sourced from Maverick Chocolate Company also located in Over the Rhine was something you will not forget. I’m sure I will also go back to the Saison de Paulus, a Belgian style farmhouse ale that is in the flavor neighborhood of Goose Island Sofie and Boulevard Brewing Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale. If you are inexplicably not a beer drinker, Taft’s also offers a full bar, both in the main floor brewpub as well as in Nellie’s Tap Room in the basement, named after President Taft’s wife.

I started my meal with fried onions, an onion straw dipped in beer batter. Not greasy at all, they were the perfect compliment to the beer. I ordered Taft’s signature Tri-Tip Sirloin for my main course, served with au jus and accompanied by roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes with delicious brown gravy and two mini corn muffins with actual corn in them. No Jiffy corn muffin mix going on here folks. The beef was incredibly tender and delicious. Tri tip beef, a cut common in Europe, New York and central California, is new to the Cincinnati culinary scene and Taft’s has a winner, if not just for the fact that they have brought something truly new to the area. Cut from the bottom sirloin, or quadriceps area, the cut is known for its tender texture, yet lean fat content. I found it to be quite distinctive from the beef cuts that I am accustomed to eating, although if I am being completely forthright, I prefer either a good hamburger or a filet mignon. I am usually happy to skip most all of the cuts in between.

With its prime and prominent location on the future streetcar line, Taft’s is all but assured success. If you decide to go to Taft’s (and you should), please remember that they only accept reservations for large parties, but they do use the same system as Lachey’s to notify you when you table is ready. It also allows you to track your progress and see how soon you get to sample the delicious Tri-Tip beef. Its a pretty nifty system that I have a feeling will crop up soon at other popular restaurants in the area. Also remember, once again, that parking meters in Over the Rhine are operational until 9:00pm every night and on Sundays as well. The Washington Park garage is also only a block away so all of your excuses for not going downtown to eat are gone. I promise you that no matter where you live, I’m going to break you of your chain restaurant eating habit. Give me six months and you will be saying “T.G.I. Who?”.