Dinner Out @ Dancing Wasabi

We've been to Ichiban a few times recently, and each time we have gone we've walked by an overflow of people next door at Dancing Wasabi.  Because we've been so happy with Ichiban, we hesitated to go to Dancing Wasabi - why mess with a good thing?  Now that we've gone to both, comparing the two is like apples and oranges.  Ichiban is clearly our choice, but maybe you're a Dancing Wasabi person.

The Food:  The big draw at Dancing Wasabi, like at Ichiban, is the half price sushi.  We barely glanced at the non-sushi menu, so I can't say anything about it.  For sushi they have a full 8.5x11" sheet with room for both the typical rolls and space to write in what you'd like from their lengthy list of specialty rolls on a separate menu.  We chose a solid sampling of items (check the camera phone picture on the left).  Here's what we thought:

• Salmon nigiri - It's all about comparison with sushi - and since we've had a fair amount of it recently, I am confident in saying that this fish had a disappointingly bland taste.  Its color was so pale, it could not have been wild caught.  This had been my favorite sushi bite at a few places, but the nigiri here disappointed.
• Tuna nigiri - Similar to the salmon, the tuna was just ok.  Definitely not freshest.  We went on a Thursday, could that have been our mistake (what's the day Anthony Bourdain said not to order fish?)? 
• Mackerel nigiri - I read recently that this is one of the best sustainable sushi options, so I wanted to give it a try.  It was definitely the fishiest flavor of the nigiri, and it's got a much more notable texture than the smooth salmon or tuna bites I've been getting used to.  I don't have much to compare this to, but it was about the same as above - definitely did not blow me away.
• Smoked salmon nigiri - Sarah said it was good.  Typical, but good.  In my experience, it's pretty hard to screw up smoked salmon.
• Spicy tuna roll - This is one of our go to rolls, which we try just about everywhere we go.  Their version was fairly spicy, but had a mealy texture, almost like canned tuna - not so good.
• Crunch roll - We found this roll to be average.  It is made with spicy crab and cucumber-topped cooked shrimp with wasabi dressing and tempura flakes.  I wrote down while we were there that there was "nothing bam about it."  Also, I couldn't taste the crab.
• Shrimp tempura roll - This is (and was) a pretty straightforward roll.  They make theirs with shrimp and crab stick, and its solid.
• Volcano roll - Unfortunately, I don't see this on the menu online (maybe it was the Fire Scallop Roll?), and I can't recall exactly what was on it.  It comes in tin foil, and is essentially rolls smothered in a relatively spicy sauce, with slivers of scallop on top.  There is definitely a crunch from the cucumber, and I don't remember any of the other ingredients standing out.  But, this was surprisingly good - when they showed up with what appeared to be a tin foil reservoir filled with red hot cheese whiz, I wasn't so sure what to think.
• Red double roll - This was another item that is not on the online menu (note to blogger self: always, always write down all the ingredients, even if they say the menu is online).  It was by far the best looking roll on our plate, and was a bit sweet on the outside.  This was another one of our tasty options, with a few different kinds of fish spread across the rolls.

I should say that across the board, these weren't very good looking rolls, which isn't surprising considering how many they must be churning out during the madness that is half price sushi at Dancing Wasabi.  The quality wasn't that different from Soho Sushi, which is kind of sad to say, honestly.  I'm generally all for supporting artisans, but if they aren't given the time and space to work effectively, their craft will inevitably suffer.

The rolls also weren't very fresh tasting and didn't have the snappy, crispness of the best rolls we've had recently.

The Ingredients:  Regular readers (I know you're out there somewhere, Mom) may remember that we ordered a guide to sustainable sushi recently.  We carted it along dutifully to this, our first trip with access to such great information.  Only to find (surprise, surprise) that the server didn't know where anything came from, and neither did anyone else working at the time.  So, using the book was officially a bust.  But, they were kind enough to share that they order from Yamasho and True World Foods, and suggested I call and talk to Charlie, the owner, or come see him on a Sunday when they aren't so full and aren't doing 1/2 price sushi.  This was a good learning experience - if we want to know where our sushi comes from in the future, we need to plan ahead and make some phone calls.  I'm confident this would be the case for many to most places, not just Dancing Wasabi.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  Again, the big draw here is 1/2 price sushi, which you can get every day except Sunday from 5pm-2am (which is better than at Ichiban, which only has 1/2 price on Wed-Thurs from 5pm-1am and Fri-Sat from 9pm-2am).

I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't what I walked into - it is, in fact, almost the exact opposite of Ichiban next door.  It is a small, cramped space that was loud and packed - mostly with young and youngish patrons, making it feel an awful lot like a college bar.  They have a couple of big screen TVs that made it hard for me to keep my eyes off of Sportscenter, and a weird hodge podge of modern art and sports photography/memorabilia on the walls that made me wonder who their interior decorator was.

We were seated quickly after a short wait, and the guy came out and found us, which was nice.  Our server was no nonsense and nice enough too.

The Last Bite:  I can't see any reason we'd go back to Dancing Wasabi, unfortunately.  We never like to not like places, but this was a disappointment.  Plus, with just a little bit of foresight and planning so that you hit the 1/2 price days and times, you can get better food and better atmosphere for the same price just next door.  If we ever do go back, we'd likely order the Volcano and Red Double rolls again.

Dinner Out @ Ichiban

We actually haven't been to too many sushi places in Cincinnati yet. I'm still learning about it, and Sarah is still recovering from a bad experience years ago (more on that below). But, Ichiban has emerged as a favorite for its mix of tasty food, chill atmosphere, and (probably most importantly) the half-price price tag. Epiventures' post captured things quite well a few months back (and has some great photos), but here's our take.

The Food: They have other options on the menu, but with 1/2 off of all the sushi (with the exception of the boat and other samplers/platters), we've made bee lines for the rolls and nigiri. As I mentioned above, I am still in the learning stage - I've probably had sushi 30-40 times, but too many of those have been a single (often unimaginative) roll as an appetizer. One of the real joys of this amazing deal is that you can let loose and try a number of things without feeling like your eating your bank account instead of fish.

On this most recent visit, we sampled tuna and salmon nigiri sushi, crunch, spicy tuna, and shrimp tempura rolls, and two specialty rolls - the Honey Bee and J.T.B. The more I eat sushi, the more I find that I am adapting the "less is more" mantra. My favorite thing of all was probably the salmon nigiri sushi. So simple, but the texture and flavor of the fish are so clean, it makes me sad I wasn't hip to sushi yet when I was a bear viewing/fishing guide in Alaska one summer long ago. Best salmon in the world, right out of the water.

The spicy tuna has a nice kick and the shrimp tempura is a nice standard. I'm coming around to eel, and the added texture brought by the tempura crunch on the crunch roll was appreciated. Both specialty rolls were great too. The Honey Bee is a beautiful creation that packs a handful of flavors - I particularly enjoyed the pieces with avocado rolled on the outside. My favorite specialty roll so far is the J.T.B. though - it is tempura fried and has a spicy mayo on top - there are so many things going on in your mouth, all of them good. Our friend Kate said it was simply "f*cking divine."

On a previous visit we tried the specialty Cajun Roll, and it was one of the only things I wouldn't recommend so far (too smoky, not enough cayenne or garlic or salt). Friends of ours ordered the scallop nigiri sushi and thought it tasted a bit musty. They mentioned this was a "canary in the coal mine" at a sushi place and I can see what they mean. It's a delicate animal that is only really fresh for a short amount of time. Hopefully that was just a fluke.

Oh, and I almost forgot, I tried the sea urchin. Ruth Reichl talks about trying it in one of her books, which got me interested. I don't know what I expected exactly, but from looking at it, I thought it would have some a grainy texture of some sort. Turns out, its a liquid explosion with virtually no form at all. It is definitely weird, but kind of good. I can't decide.

The Ingredients: No mention of any local, organic, or sustainable ingredients. I want to do some more research on sustainable sushi. Mark Bittman's new blog (which has been great so far, by the way) had a link to this site, and there is a book I think I might buy there. I'd like to learn more about how I should feel about eating tuna or salmon and what questions I should ask. As with all the restaurants in town, it would be great if Ichiban would share their sources with their customers. Particularly for a genre of food where provenance is so important, it would be great if they'd pay attention to where their edamame or pork or chicken on the menu come from too.

The Story, Setting, & Service: I told a bit of my story as a sushi newbie above. Sarah's story is a bit more dramatic. She had gotten into sushi big time after she'd been traveling in Mexico one summer and got tired of all the beans and rice. After a weekend trip, she ordered some Domino's pizza (Mexico style) and she - and all of her friends - got extremely sick. Somehow, the association of all the sushi she'd been eating and that dreadful chain pizza got intertwined in her senses, and couldn't eat sushi for years. Fast forward a handful or ten years, and Sarah's happily enjoying sushi again.

As far as the Ichiban setting goes, it has a smooth decor with plush, sunken booths and tables that have the appearance that you'll be sitting on the ground but you're really not. The cool, colorful artwork and round, crisp edges of the furnishings matched the down tempo beats on the stereo. We're told it's almost exactly the same as Aqua before it. On a Friday night they had a live band with a stand up bass, electronic xylophone, and saxophone. We sat down at a little after 9pm and the place was getting more and more full until we left at 11:30 or so.

The service was nice and attentive. You probably shouldn't go if you're in a hurry with a large group (but where is that not the case?), we got some edamame to tide us over after we'd been waiting a while. I guess with 1/2 price sushi a lot of sushi gets ordered, so even with 3 chefs working they get a bit backed up.

Finally, after we ate we walked down to see Nectar's new back patio (and it was rhubarb night), which is cute, and will be a nice spot for upcoming brunches to be sure.

I'm excited about sushi, and thanks to Ichiban for getting me there! I feel like I am just starting to really taste the ingredients fully. For the first way too many times I ate sushi I doused everything in soy, wasabi, and ginger (I still love all three) and was having a hard time getting over things being raw. Here's to many more upcoming opportunities to learn!

Brunch Out @ Annabel's

Mount Lookout is quickly becoming one of our go-to locations for food in Cincinnati. If you already knew, bare with us, we don't end up going that far east too often unless we have a special destination. But, the bevy of excellent restaurants are (or is it is?) putting the neighborhood on the map. Annabel's is next door to Nectar, and with all the accolades the latter has received, and how much smaller Annabel's space is, I could imagine them developing a bit of an inferiority complex. Yet, based on the menu we saw and the food we tasted, that shouldn't be happening any time soon.

The Food: We'd glanced at the menu of Annabel's on the way out of Nectar the last time, and knew it looked good. Really studying it at brunch last Sunday, we were happy from the top to bottom. Salivation started the moment we sat down - they had a couple beautiful tarts sitting out on the counter right next to us, and the place smells fabulous.

We ordered the breakfast croissant and scrambled eggs with lump crab. The croissant for the sandwich was fantastic (it was a bummer to learn they weren't to be found in Cincinnati - they said they thought they came from Wisconsin) - flaky and buttery. With scrambled eggs, bacon, spinach, onions, tomato sauce, parsley, and romano, the sandwich has a great mix of unique and familiar flavors.

You don't even have to get the crab eggs in your mouth to taste the meat, they are so aromatic. With light, fluffy eggs, and plenty of butter (creme fraiche and dill too) there was some savory goodness on our plate. We added just a bit of salt and the flavors really popped. Annabel's doesn't skimp on the crab - sometimes its a mystery when you order something with crab trying to figure out whether or not there really is any in there. But back to the eggs - they were so juicy and creamy, and with a croissant on the side perfect for sopping up the juices.

Sarah kept "mmm"ing throughout the meal. It was very good. The server said that I probably had the cleanest plate ever. They're not very big portions, but every bite was delectable.

The Ingredients: There's nothing on the menu about local or organic ingredients, but we asked and got some more information. The server said the eggs are from a local farmer, and that local ingredients are a "big part of our restaurant." It would be great if they'd put that info on the menu too. We were also told that when the farmers market opens, basically all produce will come from there, and that they get their bacon from Kroeger and Sons at Findlay.

The Story, Setting, & Service: As I mentioned at the top, Annabel's is next door to Nectar. But, they have very little in common in terms of the decor and set up. Annabel's is cozy, and has lots of sunlight streaming in. There is cool photography (taken by the owner's father) of markets, animals, and other candid shots. They've got a couple tables outside, and if it was a bit warmer, it'd be awfully Parisian feeling to languidly dine on Mount Lookout's square.

There's a sign saying "we have parking meter timers" on the counter, a thoughtful touch that tells you they're paying attention. The accordion music on in the background adds to the French feel. Oh, and the servers are nice, smart, and attentive. All of this adds up so that it's not totally surprising that when I looked at Urbanspoon they had a 100% rating before we went. They've fallen drastically to a 98% since.

We'll definitely be heading back to Annabel's, probably more frequently if we lived in any other neighborhood than Northside. Mount Lookout vs. Northside - a good brunch battle, but it's not really a fair fight since we can walk to one and it takes 20 minutes to get to the other.

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.

Dinner Out @ Zips Cafe - Mount Lookout

The Food: 5 out of 5 stars
Zips is a Cincinnati landmark that's known for its burgers. My wife and I met there on a blind date a few years ago so we try to stop in on a fairly regular basis and we've never been disappointed. Our bartender/server (we tend to prefer the small bar located in the back of the restaurant) informed us that the burgers have no special preparation or secret ingredients - they're not even salted, but the meat is brought in fresh every day except for Sunday and they're broiled on a grill that sears them on both sides. The method insures that the burgers hold their juices.
An odd variation from the traditional "Zip Burger" is the "Girth Burger", a burger with a met, sliced long ways, on top. Ordinarily, I wouldn't want to subject my digestive system to this monstrosity but for the sake of our review I figured I'd better give it a shot. Turns out, the "Girth Burger" was pretty good. The first bite all I could taste was the met but as I continued the hamburger flavor showed up too. The two meats complimented each other more than I expected.
The burgers are served with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and (surprisingly) miracle whip (my wife and I always substitute real mayonnaise). They come with your choice of salad or fries, which are thin but good. One side item of note is the chili-cheese fries. We've never had 'em but have noticed them coming out of the kitchen and thought they looked amazing.

The Setting: 4 our of 5 stars
Zips was established in 1926. It's changed hands a few times since then and the current ownership has had it since 1996.
As you walk through a narrow hallway at the entrance and through a set of saloon doors, you'll notice a relatively small dining room with booths on both sides and a few long tables in the middle. A model train slowly makes its way along the outer wall, on which is painted a mural depicting Mount Lookout as it was a few years ago. In the back you'll find another set of saloon doors, behind which is a small bar that seats about 10.
Don't try to show up at normal dinner hours and expect to find an open table immediately (especially on weekends). We suggest you wait until later in the evening before arriving. That way you'll avoid the noisy and crowded atmosphere and you'll get better service. Lots of families with young kids frequent this place.

The drink: 4 our of 5 stars
Zips is almost as much a bar as it is a restaurant. Knowledgeable bartenders serve up cold draft or bottled beers, liquor and mixed drinks. You don't see much wine consumption, though. Our friend, Sarah, ordered the bloody mary and said it was a good one. The bartender said he used a pre-mixed concoction and added olive juice, Guinness and horse radish.

About Zips Cafe:

• Location: 1036 Delta Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45208 (North end of Mount Lookout Square)
• Phone: (513) 871-9876
• Hours: Sunday through Thursday 10:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Friday through Saturday 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.