Firehouse Grill

Firehouse Grill, in the giant building on the corner of Reed Hartman Highway and Pfeiffer Road in Blue Ash that has formerly housed a litany of failed restaurants including Watson Brothers, Garcia’s and Apsara, is somewhat off of my restaurant radar. Yet surprisingly, I have been there several times since they opened in 2011. Why should I (and you too, for that matter) go there more often? Just hold your horses buckaroo, I will get to that in a minute. Why do I never think about going there? For starters, it is located in an area filled with office parks and hotels that cater to business travelers and restaurants that fit that same profile. That’s not exactly the winning formula to launch an independent restaurant, yet somehow Firehouse Grill succeeds where many restaurants have failed before. The sheer size of the building would be a turn off to most restaurant operators, but it works perfectly in this case.

On the busy Friday night that I most recently visited Firehouse Grill, I waited almost an hour to be seated. Not too long of a wait for a Friday but longer than I usually wait at Firehouse. I think the two largest contributing factors were the suffocating snowfall several days before causing a mass case of cabin fever, as well as Firehouse hosting events for Cincinnati Beer Week. On this particular night, it was a “Meet the Brewmaster” event featuring Warped Wing (a new Dayton brewery) and 50 West from Mariemont. I was seated along the back wall below one of the seemingly hundreds of TV’s, tuned to nothing in particular. (What in the world is there to watch on a Friday at 7:00pm anyway?) The noise level was loud, about what you would expect from a sports bar/casual dining restaurant on a Friday night, but at no point during the meal did I feel like I needed to scream across the table to be heard. The food menu is broad in scope, much like many casual restaurants that it competes with in the area (i.e. Applebee’s and T.G.I. Friday’s), but the beer list is chocked full of local offerings that are far less likely to be found at a chain. Right away I ordered a Blank Slate Pat’s Rip’n Kolsch and before I turned my head it was delivered to the table. I very quickly figured out that this was not going to be a leisurely dining experience, which was fine by me. I also started off the evening with an order of the Buffalo Chicken Rolls, consistently named the Best Appetizer at Taste of Blue Ash. I can certainly see why. While I rarely order food in the “Buffalo” genre that I don’t like, this appetizer was a cut above. Filled with not only the obligatory chicken, mozzarella cheese and buffalo sauce, but also pepperoni, they definitely out rate the obligatory premade frozen appetizers on the menu of every chain restaurant in the country. As their menu proudly states, almost every menu item is made in house down to the potato skins, sauces and salad dressings. Pretty impressive in my opinion. I have also had the Baked Pretzel Sticks and the Spud Bombers on previous occasions and they both put chain restaurant appetizers to shame.

I ordered a classic Cowboy Burger for my main course. It was not only served juicy and hot, but also topped with barbecue sauce, onion straws, cheddar cheese and crisp bacon and served with either kettle chips or fries. (I, of course, elected to top those fries with cheddar and bacon.) It also arrived at my table in record time. Was it a Terry’s Turf Club quality burger? Of course not, but it definitely trounces all of the local competition in the Blue Ash/Kenwood area. My dinner companion ordered a pasta dish from the entrée section of the menu. The Chicken and Tasso Penne was a delicious and savory combo of pan seared chicken and Cajun pork, with red peppers and spinach served in an alfredo sauce that was most certainly not from a jar.
I hope that by now you are seeing the same theme that I see.

Is Firehouse Grill ever going to be the hippest, coolest or trendiest restaurant on the proverbial block? Absolutely not, but if you live in the northern burbs, or don’t mind making a short drive, Firehouse is a worthy adversary to the usual suspects in the casual and family dining categories. Fresh, tasty food delivered promptly to your table with a smile on the face of the service staff makes Firehouse Grill a cut above the rest. Just when I least expect it, I’m sure I’ll be back.

Flipdaddy’s

I really wanted to like Flipdaddy’s Burgers and Beers in Mariemont’s on Wooster Pike. Locally owned, burgers, beer. It checked all of the right boxes in my mind. I wanted to like Flipdaddy’s so much so that we even ventured out of the house on the coldest night of the year about a week ago when it would have made a whole lot more sense to curl up on the couch with a hot bowl of chili. I kind of wish that I would have stayed in for the night.

If you asked me what I hated about Flipdaddy’s, I would probably not be able to come up with anything other that the fact that the interior temperature was nearly as cold as the exterior temperature that night. I literally wore my wool peacoat the entire time I was eating. But that small fact aside, nothing was so offensive that I feel compelled to tell everyone about it. On the flip side, (get it? Flip side. Now I fancy myself a comedian as well. You’re welcome.) there was nothing that I care enough about that I want to tell all my friends about it either. Meh.

I think the best part of my evening was the sample of Blank Slate Opera Cream Stout that the server was kind enough to bring me to try. As some of you may know, Opera Cream Torte from The Bonbonnerie is my favorite dessert in the whole wide world so when I heard that Blank Slate Brewing Company was collaborating with The Bonbonnerie to create a stout beer flavored with Opera Cream coffee beans I was over the moon. It was very heavy, as is typical for a stout, but met and exceeded my every expectation. It was probably not a beer that would pair well with a burger so I ordered a Brooklyn Lager with my dinner. On a side note, the server also pointed out the Blank Slate Three Way Porter, which she erroneously said was flavored like Cincinnati style chili. Sounds nasty, right? In actuality it is flavored to complement Cincinnati chili, but I didn’t have the heart to correct her.

I did actually really like the Beer Cheese appetizer served with pretzel bites that were almost drenched in garlic butter. In my opinion it is very difficult to mess up pretzels, but these were better than most, crunchy on the outside and chewy and warm on the outside. The chicken noodle soup was good as well, or maybe we were just freezing and boiling water would have been delicious. I guess we will never know.

I ordered the French Connection burger, served with a somewhat bland aioli, crispy fried red onion straws, and boursin cheese. Boursin is a soft cheese, not unlike cream cheese, but seasoned with garlic and herbs. While I ordered the burger medium rare, it was delivered to the table nearly medium well. Perhaps the chefs were shivering as well and were unable to accurately cook my burger to temperature. I think I was expecting something akin to the renowned Boursin burger from Arthur’s in Hyde Park. Needless to say I was somewhat disappointed. The burger was closer to a JTM frozen burger that might be served at a tailgate than a gourmet burger at an independent restaurant. The fries also fell into the so-so category.

Flipdaddy’s has big ambitions in the Cincinnati market. In addition to the flagship Mariemont location, there are also outposts in Symmes Township and Union, as well as another under construction at Newport Pavilion. They are clearly aiming for a mass market approach, which is exactly what they seem to be achieving. In my humble opinion, I don’t think that’s a good thing. I suppose that there are many worse things to put in your mouth than Flipdaddy’s, but in a town with burgers like Quatman’s, Zip’s, Terry’s Turf Club, and even Oakley Pub, there are so many better things too.

Myrtle’s Punch House, Liberty’s Bar and Bottle, & Obscura

Before anyone beats me to the punch (bad pun intended), I fully and completely realize that I am not comparing apples to apples to apples with this particular post. The three bars that I will be examining could not possibly be more different, but I thought it might be somewhat interesting to compare and contrast what makes these relatively new watering holes popular (or not) in their respective neighborhoods.

Liberty’s Bar and Bottle is probably the most low key, neighborhood hang out type of bar among the three. Liberty’s opened at 1427 Main Street just south of its namesake, Liberty Street, in Over the Rhine, continuing the steady march north (and east and west for that matter) of redevelopment in the trendy area. They feature over 20 beers on tap as well as multiple wines by the glass, in addition to a small selection of liquor. There is ample seating at the bar as well as several communal beer hall style tables, quite appropriate considering the beer brewing heritage of the neighborhood. They also offer a selection of carry out beer and wine, something that the residents of the nearby Liberty Hill neighborhood no doubt find quite convenient. Where Liberty’s excels is capturing the feel of the neighborhood in not only the atmosphere, but the service staff as well. It is a welcoming feeling that is in stark contrast to Obscura.

The best way that I can describe Obscura is that she is the girl at the party who keeps looking in the mirror at herself and scanning the room to see how many people are staring at her at any given time, since she is convinced how fabulous she is. In reality, no one gives a shit because she isn’t nearly as pretty as she thinks she is. She might be wearing expensive clothes and have a nice face, but her personality is so wretched that everyone at the party is waiting with bated breath until she leaves. Can you tell that I am not a fan of Obscura? The bar is located in the central business district on the corner of Walnut and Seventh Streets, across from The Aronoff Center for the Arts, and diagonal from Jeff Ruby’s eponymous steakhouse. After celebrating a special occasion last summer with friends at Ruby’s, we decided to stroll across the street to Obscura. Bad move. While I am a big fan of craft cocktails, just because a cocktail has the “craft” label attached to it doesn’t make it a good drink, or even an enjoyable one. None of the four of us wanted to finish our very pricy cocktails, not to mention that the staff couldn’t have cared less whether we lived or died. I literally could clutched my chest, Fred Sanford style, (This is the big one! I’m coming, Elizabeth!) and the entire staff would have probably forgotten how to dial 9-1-1. The décor was interesting in an over the top, almost Alice in Wonderland kind of way, a way that loses its charm very quickly. That may be why Obscura closed its doors in the middle of January for light remodeling and redecorating, in order to more focus on their event business. Let’s hope the cocktail menu and staff get an upgrade as well.

Myrtle’s Punch House is the most recent addition to this trio. Everything that is wrong at Obscura is right at Myrtle’s. Molly Wellman, the mixologist and entrepreneur behind Japp’s and Neon’s, is the architect of the drink menu and the vision behind the venue. Located in what was an abandoned commercial space on the corner of Woodburn and Myrtle Streets in Walnut Hills, about a block from Madison Road and the iconic St. Frances de Sales Catholic Church, Myrtle’s captures the vibe of the up and coming neighborhood. (All of the experts say that Walnut Hills is the next Over the Rhine. Let’s hope they are right.) The décor is contemporary, with mid-mod touches, while still honoring the history of the building with exposed brick walls and stone arches in the cozy basement. The entire space feels like where a grown up might go on a Saturday night and not have to fight for a seat at the bar with an intoxicated 21 year old frat boy. (My license to insult frat boys comes from my three years spent as one in the ’90’s.) Both times I went to Myrtle’s, Three Floyd’s Gumballhead was on draft so I needed to look no further, but friends ordered the signature punch and polished it off quickly. Myrtle’s doesn’t need any additional publicity from me or anyone else for that matter. I have a feeling that word of mouth alone will be enough to bring the crowds back every night. Not too many though, I hope. I don’t want everyone to invade my new spot.

Marx Hot Bagels

When I say “bagel”, what is the first place that comes to mind? Panera Bread, maybe? Bruegger’s Bagels perhaps? Or if you are an old school Cincinnatian, Skolniks? The first words that should come out of your mouth are “Marx Bagels”. Even if you have never heard of them, Marx is a Cincinnati institution, first opening in Roselawn in 1969 in what was, at the time, a predominant Jewish neighborhood. Marx expanded, topping out with four locations including the original Roselawn shop as well as stores in Springdale, Crescent Springs and Blue Ash. All but the Blue Ash Store have faded into memory, but it is well worth the drive to the Kenwood Road location not too far north of the Ronald Reagan Highway to get your bagel fix.

If your idea of what passes as a good bagel comes from Panera, or god forbid, Lenders from the frozen food case at Kroger, then you desperately need to experience the goodness of Marx. The Marx bagel, which comes in over 30 varieties, is the classic New York bagel, slightly crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Since Marx keeps Kosher, don’t plan on a Turkey Sriracha melt or anything of the kind. For those of you not in the know, kosher refers to a set of Jewish dietary laws that govern what foods can and cannot be eaten as well as a set of guidelines on how they must be prepared. Thus, there are no meat products at Marx. Prepare to get your protein from eggs, tuna or lox. I like to order mine with peanut butter on a chocolate chip bagel, but their cheese melts are great as well. (I like mozzarella on an combo bagel.) If you prefer to go the traditional route and eat your bagel with cream cheese, Marx offers almost 15 different varieties, creating a dizzying array of possible bagel/cream cheese combinations.

Although you will definitely want to take some bagels home for next week’s breakfast or lunch, half of the joy of bagels from Marx is dining in and enjoying (?) the rantings of owner John Marx. Think Ed Debevics or Dick’s Last Resort, but turned down a notch or two. While the attitude at Ed Debevics or Dick’s seems almost scripted, that’s not the case with John Marx. The restaurant seems to thrive upon his energy which, in all honesty, is mostly directed at getting the best out of his employees. As the sign on the front door says, “This is an experience, not a restaurant. Owner is not politically correct. Enter at your own risk.” You couldn’t keep me out.

Son Of A Preacher Man

I have been waiting for months, nine months to be exact, for the opening of Son of A Preacher Man in O’Bryonville, the tiny Cincinnati neighborhood nestled between Hyde Park and Walnut Hills along Madison Road. You may know the area for its namesake pub, O’Bryon’s or perhaps as the location of The Bon Bonerie, by many accounts the best bakery in Cincinnati. But now you (and I) have another reason make a pit stop in O’Bryonville. Son of a Preacher Man is the new restaurant from the owner and executive chef of the restaurant right next door, Enoteca Emilia. I have had a positive experience there so I was hoping that Son of A Preacher Man would meet the same standards. By and large, I was not disappointed.

The décor is an effective mash up of a traditional Southern diner and a contemporary restaurant, think Mayberry meets Chicago perhaps. As you may know by reading this blog, I usually go to a restaurant that I intend to review with a group of friends and this night was no exception. I arrived early with a couple of those friends to have a drink. Son of a Preacher Man offers a full bar, however they specialize in bourbon, not surprising considering its current popularity and our proximity to the Bluegrass state. However, I was in the mood for a beer, so I ordered a North Coast Scrimshaw Pilsner and my friends ordered a Green Flash IPA and a Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’. Beer is served in bottles and cans only, a minor disappointment for this draft beer lover. While I always enjoy a beer or a drink, the focus here is really the food not the alcoholic beverages.

Once our entire party arrived, we were seated after a brief wait at a large picnic table in a quiet corner. As of now, they do not accept reservations, so planning ahead is a must. I am sure that as the restaurant becomes more well known, the wait time will increase. The menu is compact in both its size and scope. This is a Southern food restaurant so if that’s not your preference, Son of a Preacher Man is not for you. Luckily for me, I’m a big fan of Southern Style cooking. A little background here: I grew up eating grilled chicken and turkey burgers, so going to my Tennessee-born great grandmother’s house on Sunday after church for fried chicken and mashed potatoes was always a huge treat. Son of a Preacher Man teleported me back to a Sunday afternoon in 1978 and that’s a good thing.

One of my friends ordered an appetizer for the table and told the server to surprise us. I was hoping that he would bring the Pimento Cheese Fritters so I was a happy camper when they arrived, piping hot no less. While I was thrilled with the crunch on the outside of the fritters, I was hoping that the cheese inside would be a little spicier. As the meal progressed though, I realized that this was not that kind of food. I ordered the Sunday’s Best Fried Chicken as did several others at the table. Others ordered the Low Country Shrimp and Grits and the Fried Chicken Biscuit. Between all of us, I think that we managed to order nearly all of the side dishes as well. The Southern Mac and Cheese was crispy on top and creamy inside, the Southern Mash and Gravy was a little garlicky but not overbearingly so, and the grits and Pork ‘n Beans were delicious as well. The fried chicken on its own was crispy and a little salty on the outside and moist and tender on the inside. However, paired with the fluffy homemade biscuits served with every main dish, it was elevated to another level. My only complaint about the chicken is that the portions were a little on the small side.

I think that everyone thought that their food was great, but the best surprise of the night was the check. Mine had two entrees, one pop and one beer and the grand total was around $29.00 before tip. Its always nice to add a restaurant to the approved list that doesn’t bust the budget.

The Mercer OTR

This is going to be a rough one. I hope to never come across like I have been paid by the management to write a favorable review. (After all, who the hell am I anyway?) But on this occasion, I found myself being overly critical looking for something on which I could fault The Mercer and the best that I could come up with is that the dining room chairs are vaguely Blanche Deveraux South Florida 1980’s chic. That’s all I got folks.

Despite its somewhat odd location on the ground floor of the Mercer parking garage (on the corner of Vine and Mercer), the décor and atmosphere both made me instantly forget that there were probably upwards of three hundred cars stacked directly above the table at which we were dining. The outside noise from the hustle and bustle of a Friday night crowd on Vine Street was completely muffled, yet the noise level in the dining room could certainly be described as lively, as was the discussion at our table. (Just ask our poor server!) I doubt that the mélange of drinks that we ordered was helping matters a whole lot, but we definitely enjoyed not only the extensive wine list but the cocktails as well. Of note were American classics like the metropolitan and the French 76, as well as the Mercer Flip which was topped with a meringue like frothy egg white. If you are so inclined, The Mercer also offers several bottled and canned beers as well as a few on draft. Our party of 6 also enjoyed an appetizer or two, including the ricotta with onion compote, served with grilled bread. I love ricotta and bread, so this was right up my alley. It may be almost as good as the ricotta and honey at WG Kitchen, nee Wine Guy Bistro.

Rarely at a restaurant of this caliber are there so many items on the main course that tempt me. Many times the ingredients are one pay grade above my palate. I genuinely had a very difficult time choosing an entrée from several that were calling my name, but I settled on the risotto which is not something I usually order. You can’t even imagine how glad I am that I ventured outside of my culinary box. The creamy risotto was filled with salty pork belly, green onions, sweet blueberries, and black truffle. The explosion of complex flavors in my mouth was one of the best rice dishes that I have ever had. (To absolutely no one’s surprise I’m sure, I also enjoy Rice A Roni, the San Francisco treat. Maybe I am just easily pleased.)

My dinner companions were equally as enthralled with their main dishes as well. I managed to steal a bite or two of some of the other entrees on the table and my enthusiasm extends to them too. The Chicken Saltimbocca with roasted carrots and fingerling potatoes was of special note.

No one had the room or energy to partake in dessert, but I will have to admit that the chocolate ganache with peanut butter, bacon, bananas and bourbon sounded heavenly. Maybe next time, because there will definitely be a next time. The service was on point, the atmosphere was elegant without being stuffy, and the food was divine. My only complaint is the hole that was left burning in my wallet. This level of refinement comes with a price, but I am happy to add The Mercer to my list of restaurants suitable for a special occasion.

J Bar Pizzeria

Its not like I ever go into a restaurant that I plan to review with the preconception that it will be horrible, but J Bar Pizzeria on Hyde Park Square in the former location of Indigo, already had one strike against it after my first visit the last week of December. I can’t say enough awful things about my first time eating at J Bar, but I was more than willing to chalk it up to first week kinks still being worked out.

J Bar has been open for almost two months now though, so my patience with any excuses real or imagined that they may have had are completely gone. I honestly don’t even know where to start. One of the few things that J Bar has going for it is the location. I would have thought that the inside of the restaurant would be beautiful since it was theoretically brand new. However, I can’t pinpoint exactly why, but it already looks run down. If that were where the problems ended, they might have a fighting chance.

I ordered a glass of Montepulciano before dinner. While I am by no means a wine expert, this particular glass was horrible, with a strong vinegar aftertaste. In general, this could either indicate a bad bottle of wine, or that the particular bottle has been left open for too long. I don’t really care why. To be fair, I didn’t tell the server or manager that the wine was bad because then I would have also had to tell them how bad the appetizer was too. I ordered a Coke (sadly the best part of the entire meal) as an unsuccessful attempt to wash down the fried cheese that I chose as an appetizer. The cheese was a heavily breaded Chihuahua cheese that was either freezer burned or actually burned in dirty fryer grease. My pizza was only marginally better. In my amateur opinion, the beauty of wood-fired pizza should be the crispy crust. J Bar can’t quite seem to get this simple detail right. On my December visit, the pizza was clearly burned. This time the crust was soggy and wet. I could tell you which particular pizza off of the menu that I ordered, but that doesn’t really matter either.

To cap off the evening, the redneck family next to us was engaged in a lively discussion about their favorite sitcom, Malcolm X. I can call them rednecks because I come from a proud lineage of rednecks myself. From what I deduced of their conversation, they may have been referring to Malcolm in the Middle. At least I hope so, because Malcolm X doesn’t sound like a very funny show to me. And speaking of TV shows, the table on the other side of us was filled with the entire screeching cast of The Real Housewives of Hyde Park. Props to our server, Maxy, because he seemed to handle us, the rednecks and the Housewives with a skillfulness that eluded the kitchen staff.

It takes a lot for me to hate a restaurant this much, but J Bar has managed to accomplish that with ease. It is amazing considering the restaurant comes from the same operators as O’Bryon’s Bar and Grill which serves quite respectable bar food. Rarely do I ever say this, but J Bar goes on my personal “Never Going Back” list. Don’t waste your time or money either. I’ll never get that $60.00 or 60 minutes back.

Zula Restaurant & Wine Bar

Winesday. Yes, you read that correctly. Not Wednesday. I guess it does occur on Wednesday, but that’s really all that they have in common. Winesday is what my close group of friends calls dinner on a Wednesday night. It is really more of a celebration that we have all made it more than halfway through the work week than a celebration of wine. But occasionally, we do partake in wine, more often than not at Unwind in Hyde Park or at 1215 on Vine Street in Over the Rhine. However last Wednesday, as the self-appointed Julie McCoy, Cruise Director of the group, (Love Boat reference, for those of you born past 1985.) I thought we should branch out and try something new. (By branch out, I mean around the corner from where we usually go. Zula is located on the corner of 14th and Race Streets, near Washington Park.) I have had a drink or eaten at almost every restaurant in Over the Rhine, so it was really quite amazing that I had failed to visit Zula, because they have been open for over a year and well, you know, wine. My mistake, for sure.

I think my trepidation may have been rooted in the fact that Zula is known for their mussels. Similar to my feelings about sushi, I just can’t bring myself to enjoy mussels. That didn’t stop most of the rest of our group from devouring several pots of them though. What I was most looking forward to were their artisan flatbreads, but before we ordered our main course, we sampled the giant, salty delicious Marcona almonds. What are Marcona almonds and how do they differ from plain old almonds? For starters, they are much larger, sweeter and somewhat softer, and as I mentioned, much more delicious. They are usually served lightly fried and salted, tapas style. If you have not had them before, I highly recommend that you at least give them a try.

While we were enjoying the almonds and a few other appetizers, we all ordered drinks. I had one of my favorite French whites, a Pouilly Fume from the Loire Valley. The extensive wine menu is amusingly organized by “First Mortgage Wines”, “Second Mortgage Wines”, “Third Mortgage Wines” and “Chapter 7 Wines”. Ironically on this Winesday, most everyone else ordered craft cocktails from the mixed drink menu.

I had a hard time deciding between the Thyme Roasted Tomato Flatbread and the Braised Fingerling Potato Flatbread, but I eventually decided on the latter since I could probably subsist on potatoes alone. The Braised Fingerling Flatbread was topped with salami, and taleggio and mozzarella cheeses. I think it may have been intended for more than one person, but I had no problem devouring the entire thing. The sweetness of the fingerling potatoes was a great contrast to the saltiness of the salami. It doesn’t hurt that salty and sweet is one of my favorite flavor combinations. Most of us finished off the evening with dessert, myself included. I tried the Walnut Kahlua Brownie, which I didn’t regret. It was a small slice of brownie topped with a drizzle of vanilla crème anglaise, a type of custard used as a dessert sauce. I love that the trend in desserts is moving away from a mountain of frozen microwaved brownies, topped with a can of Redi Wip, a la TGI Fridays’s. Who needs that anyway?

Winesday at Zula was a rip-roaring success so if you make plans to visit yourself, I’ll be the guy at the corner table who is just a little too loud with the group that is just a little too inappropriate.

Pi Pizzeria

Let me just start by saying that not only do I like the pizza at Pi Pizzeria on the corner of Main and 6th Streets downtown, but I also happen to like what they stand for and their unique history. Pi comes to Cincinnati via our friends and NL Central rivals down I-70 in St. Louis. Pi in St. Louis is roughly analogous to Dewey’s in Cincinnati, if only in the place it occupies in the local food scene. Pi began as the first food truck in St. Louis and was also honored to be the first restaurant to prepare food in the White House, pizza which President Obama called the best he had ever had. That’s a fairly grand statement coming from a man who lived a good portion of his life in Chicago, home of Lou Malnati’s, Giordano’s and Uno’s. Pi has several locations in the greater St. Louis area and one in Washington, D.C., but the Sixth Street location is the first to join the exploding and extremely competitive Cincinnati restaurant scene. Judging by their location, I have a feeling that they are targeting the robust downtown lunch crowd. If so, they have chosen a prime spot.

I have been to Pi twice, once immediately following the lunch rush and once on a weeknight with 4 other friends. Both times the servers were not only attentive without being suffocating, but also very helpful in explaining what sets Pi apart from a run of the mill Pizza Hut pizza. The crust on both the amazing deep dish style and the thin crust variety is made with cornmeal, rendering a crispy, crunchy crust that doesn’t get soggy like so many lesser pizzas do. In case you are wondering, the crust is always vegan on the thin crust variety, but the deep dish pans are brushed with butter. Check their website for details for all of the ways they are able to accommodate special dietary needs, including gluten free options.

Of course, we started with beer before our pizza when I was there for dinner. It is always exciting for me to try new brews and Pi did not disappoint. There were several regional favorites on draft including Rivertown Lil Sipa, Christian Moerlein Helles, Upland Wheat, and Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, but what I was salivating to sample were some of the St. Louis favorites previously unavailable in our area. Schlafly Beer supplies an entrant to almost every category on the beer list. I tried (and when I say tried, I mean that I had two and could have ordered a third) the Kolsch, which they describe as a golden classic ale that has the clean finish of a lager. It paired perfectly with the appetizers and the pizza. Pi also serves craft cocktails and wine by the bottle or glass, if you are so inclined.

We ordered a few appetizers to keep us entertained while our deep dish pizzas baked in the kitchen. The chips and dip, comprised of what they call “Billy Goat Chips” and “Frenchy Onion Dip”, was an upscale variation of your basic Frito Lay chips and dip, albeit a substantially improved version. We also chose the Garlic Bread which was a simple but delicious warm basket of bread, served with garlic butter and sea salt.

While the appetizers were tasty, the pizza was the real star of the show. It is impossible to describe the crunchy goodness of the cornmeal crust. (I guess that means you will have to try it yourself.) The pizza is constructed as follows: crust, followed by cheese, followed by toppings, and topped with an oregano tinged sauce. In appearance only, it is quite similar to Chicago style pizza. I’m sure that all of the menu items as listed were amazing, but I chose to create my own. I ordered bacon, caramelized onions, and roasted garlic. Let’s just say that they will never be accused of skimping on the garlic, which I loved. Friends ordered the thin crust pizza and salads as well and I don’t remember seeing much of anything left on our plates. Pi also has a small dessert menu which I was way too stuffed to even think about.

I think one of the two things that I loved most about Pi is the great pizza, especially because it adds a unique take on pizza to Cincinnati without treading on local favorites like A Tavola, M Wood Fired Oven, or any of the local chains or neighborhood mom and pop pizza parlors. The second thing that I appreciate is that they make a big effort to minimize their carbon footprint and make sustainable purchases, as well as paying their staff a living wage. Welcome to Cinncinnati, Pi Pizzeria. I think we are going to get along swimmingly.

Pontiac Bourbon and BBQ

Smokey XThe first thing that comes to mind when I hear the word “Pontiac” is a 1970’s muscle car with a screaming chicken on the hood (a la Smokey and the Bandit). You might be screaming about your food when you leave Pontiac Bourbon and BBQ but it probably won’t have anything to do with a black and gold Trans Am.

Pontiac is the latest venue to open in the Gateway District on Vine Street in Over the Rhine. I have been eagerly awaiting its arrival since it was announced last year by the owners of Senate and Abigail Street, both restaurants that have garnered not just spectacular popularity, but national acclaim as well. As is evident by the name, Pontiac specializes in barbecue. This is not your garden variety chicken breast slathered in Open Pit, or even City Barbecue for that matter. Let’s start at the beginning though. Pontiac has a unique seating philosophy, especially for Over the Rhine. As is typical for the neighborhood, Pontiac does not accept reservations. However, you may procure a table by waiting in the restaurant until one becomes available. The extremely friendly staff will find you at the bar and let you know that you may be seated once your table opens up. They do not participate in the roulette style game where diners in the neighborhood put their name in at every restaurant conceivable and eat at the first place to call or text them with an open table.

All of these shenanigans are worth the wait though. There are ten beers on draft and between twenty and thirty in cans and bottles, comprised of a nice mix of locals like Blank Slate and Rivertown and popular craft brews from around the country such as Ommegang, Founders and Southern Tier. If you aren’t a beer drinker, the mixed drinks are great as well, including one that is now called “Purple Drink”. I say “now called” because it started out with another name that several people with nothing better to do found offensive. In the words of Joy Behar, “So what. Who cares?”. And of course, there is a bourbon for everyone (most of which are well beyond my palate).

We ordered the Pulled Pork Nacho Cheese Poutine as an appetizer as well as the Pimento Cheese with Ritz crackers. The cheese had a little kick to it and disappeared before we could really figure out why it was so tasty. Were we really hungry or was the cheese delicious? I’m not sure but I’m going to go with the delicious cheese theory. The Poutine was great too, but if you have preconceived ideas of what poutine should taste like based upon a visit to Senate (or elsewhere), leave those preconceptions at the door because this another dish entirely. For those of you not familiar with the most delicious dish ever to cross our Northern border, poutine, by definition, is a Quebec Canadian treat made of French fries covered in a light brown gravy and cheese curds. Needless to say, poutine at Pontiac is highly modified from that familiar formula. For entrees, Pontiac offers sandwiches or smoked meats by the pound. Everybody at our table wanted the Smoked Brisket, but apparently so did everyone else in the restaurant, as they were out of brisket by 7:00pm when we ordered. I settled upon the turkey, which was moist without being soggy. Others at the table ordered Pulled Pork and St. Louis style ribs. The barbecue sauce itself (both regular and spicy) is served in ketchup style squeeze bottles that remain on the table. The entrees were all good, but the stars of the main course were the side dishes. They are all served a la carte and are only $3 each. I think between the four of us, we tried nearly all of them. The Bacon Fat Grits were delicious (if you like grits) and so was the Mac and Cheese.

I don’t remember exactly how much the check was when we paid out, but Pontiac definitely ranks among the more reasonable venues in the neighborhood. As usual, when eating in Over the Rhine on a weekend, park your black and gold Trans Am in the garage across the street and plan to make a night of it.