Long time no see, my friends, but I am back with a vengeance. Maybe vengeance is not the right word, lets just call it a hunger. (Get the pun?) For my first blog back in the saddle after a several week hiatus, I went to The Eagle Food and Beer Hall in OTR. Why The Eagle? Well for starters, other restaurants may come and go, but The Eagle always lands a prime spot in my Top 10 Favorite Restaurants in Cincinnati list.

If by chance you are that one lone holdout who won’t or hasn’t investigated the exploding Over the Rhine culinary scene, The Eagle is located on Vine Street between 13th and 14th Streets. It is the second of three OTR restaurants by the Lanni brothers who also brought us Bakersfield OTR and Krueger’s Tavern. Some will argue that The Eagle is the best of the three. (My vote goes to Bakersfield, but that’s for another post.)

The Eagle is housed in what was long ago the neighborhood post office and the décor pays a subtle homage to that, in addition to employing the currently popular recycled wood walls and obligatory Edison bulb lighting, both to better effect than most. The small gated patio area is a great place to people watch while you wait for your table if the weather is favorable, and wait you will. During peak periods, a two hour wait is not uncommon. But much like most restaurants in the area, that’s half of the fun. Put your name on the waitlist and go have a cocktail at one of the other restaurants or bars in the area and The Eagle will notify you when your table is ready. (Do me a favor and try Sundry & Vice and let me know how it is.) Most tables are communal, including the large semi circular booths, but there are a few two and four top tables as well as seating at the bar.

Speaking of the bar, The Eagle has an extensive bottled beer list as well as about 10 beers on draft, including Abita Root Beer for the designated driver in your group. I enjoyed a New Belgium Snapshot, but there are local selections as well, including Madtree, Rivertown and Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale. They also serve mixed drink cocktails, including one of my favorite Bloody Marys in the city. How can you go wrong with a drink served garnished with a piece of delicious candied bacon, coated in brown sugar with just a hint of cayenne pepper? You. Can. Not.

It is very difficult to make a decision about what to order at The Eagle, so my best advice is to take a group of friends and order everything. You won’t be disappointed. Start with a couple of the apps, including the aforementioned bacon, or maybe the crunchy hominy. I was a little apprehensive to order the hominy, and in fact had to google it just to see what I was getting myself into. Don’t be afraid city dwellers, hominy is just dried field corn. The Eagle’s crunchy chili and lime preparation makes it one of my favorite appetizers around. The Eagle offers pork, grilled cheese and fried chicken sandwiches, but I almost always order the half or quarter chicken. You may specify light or dark meat, but either is delicious. It is all served with a small syrup dispenser of spicy honey which perfectly compliments the spicy fried chicken. Make sure to order a few sides as well. I wish I could narrow down your selections for you, but that’s just not going to happen. I have never had any single item at The Eagle that I didn’t absolutely love, and the side dishes are no exception. The herb seasoned shoestring fries served with a spicy aioli that rivals Taste of Belgium’s are a perennial favorite as is the iron skillet spoonbread. My friends swear by the five cheese mac and cheese as well. But don’t worry, if you choose something other than the menu items that I have mentioned, you will love it too.

Any time is a great time to enjoy The Eagle, but if I could offer one piece of advice, it is to go on a weeknight and to go before six o’clock. That will certainly minimize your wait time. But never fret, the longer you have to wait for The Eagle, the better it gets. (Is that even possible?)