Brunch Out @ Nectar

In terms of best brunches in Cincinnati, Nectar is definitely in the running. In keeping with our habit of getting the same thing every time we go somewhere once we know it is good, here are our thoughts from another tasty visit.

The Food: Nectar's menu has several enticing options, but Sarah and I both honed in on 2 items the first time we went, and haven't strayed since. The Croque Madame and Kroeger and Son's Goetta Melt. Both plates come with a nice medley of fresh fruit as well as "crispy red chile potatoes" (which aren't too crispy and aren't too chile-y, but are still a nice addition to the plate).

The Croque Madame is well balanced with fig, prosciutto, cheddar, and greens. Fig has fantastic flavor, but can often be overpowering, so this is happily well done. A nicely fried egg topped it off. The only barely-complaint: the Blue Oven bread was sliced a bit thinner last time and made it a bit easier to cut through to eat (you can't bite into a sammy with prosciutto - you take the whole thing).

All this time in Cincinnati, and I'd never really gotten into goetta. Well, my first Goetta Melt at Nectar had me at Kroeger and Son's buying a slab of my own the next day. It certainly doesn't hurt that this sandwich is overflowing with wonderfully rich hollandaise that has a nice spicy warmth from the Chipotle chile. But back to the goetta - it is crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, just as it seems it should be. Sarah and I were both scraping the bottom of our plates to make sure we didn't miss any of the flavors from this dish.

The Ingredients: "Nectar is proud to serve as many local and organic items on our menu as possible." Nice! They list several farmers and producers they source from at the bottom of the menu (this one doesn't name the sources, but the one at the restaurant does), as well as naming them on the specific meal choices - see "Kroeger and Son's Goetta Melt" above. This commitment makes us feel even better about our eating than we already did! Three cheers for Nectar!

The Story, Setting, & Service: The service at Nectar has been consistently nice and attentive. A large, open window to the kitchen makes it hard not to stare as the chefs are at work. Nice to see that they haven't seemed too crazed (it hasn't been packed).

If there is any place for improvement at Nectar, it is in the atmosphere. Sarah said "quote me on this: give me one night in here with all the things they have and I could fix this." They have kind of an odd decor, and its awful dark. The place is filled with splendid smells (note: anybody know a noteworthy thesaurus, maybe a culinary specific one? I'm running out of ways to say good!), so if they can ever please the eyes as much as the nose and mouth then their game will officially be stepped up.

In somewhat unrelated news, Annabel's is next door. I've heard good things, so am hoping to make it to Mount Lookout again soon.

We will definitely be going back because of Nectar's commitment to sourcing local and organic ingredients, as well as the simple fact that they make a darn good meal. They do a Dinner Club with a "specific theme/ingredient," and we're looking forward to trying that out as well.