Lunch Out @ Fortune

Last weekend, while house hunting, Sarah said she wanted to go get some spicy food.  She wanted something Asian.  Probably Thai.  We headed for Nida's - my favorite Thai spot so far - only to find that they were closed at lunch time on Saturday at their Short North location (we should have just gone down to North Market). Well, a similar scenario this weekend led us to Fortune, which I'd heard great things about. It did not disappoint!

The Food: The menu is a bit overwhelming because there are so many options - and we had to ask for the full menu because they first just brought us a lunch menu without any of the Szechuan offerings.  And then it's tough because so much sounds good!  We went with some mala string beans to start, and asked them to mix in a bit of the Spicy Pot of Gold (fried tofu).  It cost $2 more but it was fantastic.  There must have been half a head of sliced garlic, several jalapenos, and a handful of dried red chiles.  Add the Szechuan peppercorns (not super fresh, so not much numbing) and well cooked beans and we were excited!  Then we ordered some cold noodles, which frankly weren't that good (too vinegary, but soon forgotten, because...).  The pork in garlic sauce - sweet, salty, nice texture differences with strips of celery, very savory - was a suggestion from the waitress and very tasty.

The Ingredients: Nothing of note in terms of organic, local, etc. that we're aware of.  We'll have to ask next time, but doubtful.

The Story, Setting, & Service: It's going to take some time to get used to so many good things coming in strip malls.  The ambiance here is nonexistent, but the people were very nice (a menu change took help from a 2nd server).

The Last Bite: We're feeling pretty confident that this place is going to be consistently making us happy, and we're already looking forward to returning.  I almost went for lunch today, the day after.  If you don't like spicy food, be careful.  But, the taste is wonderful!

Breakfast Out @ Katalina's

My wife and I were pretty steady food bloggers in Cincinnati for a year or so before we ran out of places we really wanted to review and life happened in some major ways.  We've just moved to Columbus and Katalina's was recommended to us as a great breakfast place - and indeed it was!  It inspired us!

We were inspired late in the meal :)

The Food:  We ordered the pork and egg sandwich and a country egg sandwich - two big egg sandwiches that are on crusty, buttery bread and packed full of flavorful ingredients.  The meats were tasty, the cheese was gooey, the other toppings were all good.  We also had the sweet and spicy bacon on the side, and that was pretty darn yummy as well (I wonder if they use regular sugar and if it would taste even better with brown).

The Ingredients:  Not sure about any local, organic, or other notable options.  They do sell some of their staples which is kind of cute.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  Harrison West was on our list of neighborhoods to check out while house hunting, so we started here (turns out it's probably out of our price range).  Katalina's is small and frankly I was surprised we didn't have to wait at 11am on a (slightly drizzly/snowy) Saturday.  You order up front, the folks were real nice, and then find a seat.  They've got a grip of outdoor seating, so mental note for the spring/summer/fall.  Food came quick.  And again, it was good!

The Last Bite:  The breakfast sandwiches are legit.  Highly recommended that you go eat one.  I know we'll be back.

Dinner Out @ Via Vite

We'd had a restaurant.com coupon for a while for Via Vite, and a 7:30pm concert:nova show at the Mercantile Library last night was a perfect opportunity to eat and then walk across the square to the event.  I'd heard mixed reviews, and now that I've been I'd say I'm not surprised.  There was nothing terribly wrong, but nothing excitingly right either - par for the course.

The Food:  We ordered the grilled asparagus salad to share, and then two pasta dishes - pappardelle and tortellini - for our mains.

The asparagus comes with roasted beets and goat cheese.  The presentation was nice, but that was probably the best thing.  Salt was helpful on everything we had, and in general there just wasn't much flavor popping from this plate.  Shame on us for ordering asparagus out of season, I suppose, and thankfully if you put enough goat cheese on anything it can't be horrible (and they do give you a lot of goat cheese).

We ordered the pappardelle in part because it was house-made (only a couple of the pastas are), and it comes with Italian sausage the waitress said is from Findlay Market (I'd guess Kroeger & Son's, but can't say that for sure).  It was a "pasta e fagioli," which basically means that it's got beans in it, something that I would have liked to have known initially (I just Googled it) because, try as I might, I just am not that big of a fan of beans as a main component of dishes.  There were big cherry tomatoes that had been cooked with the sauce as well, and they were one of my favorite things.  The pasta was cooked well, and overall the dish was solid, but the flavors just did not pop at all for me.  I was hoping for more.

The tortellini was another "fresh" pasta option, and it was my preferred dish.  It was very creamy, as the menu noted, and had sundried tomatoes and basil.  The tortellini were filled with what I believe was ricotta cheese, but I didn't ask so can't be sure.  The pastas were delicate and the cheese sauce was very savory.  I'd say it was a couple notches above a good macaroni and cheese (the creamy cheese sauce reminded us of mac & cheese), but again, nothing special.

The Ingredients:  There is a quote prominently on the menu from the chef saying that they "never take shortcuts and import the finest products that Italy has to offer."  I wonder where they get their tomatoes?  Seriously though, nothing on the menu about local or organic ingredients.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  The space is quite nice - open, well put together, modern and sharp without being over-the-top.  Windows onto the square are a plus, except that when seated next to the window we were cold the entire meal.  I'm generally a warm person, so if you're a cold person, definitely ask for a table away from the glass.  Service was fine, nothing notably good or bad.

If you planned ahead and got a reservation outside or upstairs overlooking the square on a busy day, I think that could be pretty cool.  On this night, it didn't add much since it was dead - in large part due to the fact it was very chilly out.

The Last Bite:  I'm not sure what I'd order if I went back - maybe try the penne with bolognese, which the waitress said was good and there are some other good reviews about.  But, realistically, I don't think we'll go back.  There are plenty of places in the same price range where I'm confident I'll get a better meal, and while Fountain Square is an understandable draw - especially if you have someone in from out of town - it's just not my thing.  Disappointing but true, this was probably our only visit.

Lunch Out @ T.J.'s Korean Restaurant

I walked by this place on Court Street the first time a week ago and then did a double take before stopping to go in, look at the menu, and ask the lone patron how it was.  He said great - with a look and a tone like he'd stumbled upon something that only he knew about and he was very happy about.  I was on my way to a different lunch spot, otherwise I would have tried it on the spot no question.

Today my friend/colleague and I stopped in for lunch and I am so happy this place exists!  I've lamented for a while not having a good, affordable Korean place in town - and it seems like this is going to fill the void.  Sung and Riverside are both great, but they're also both pretty expensive for an "everyday" meal.  I haven't been to Bento Korean (I've heard mixed reviews unfortunately), so that's on my list to try as well.

T.J. took our orders and was very kind and energetic.  There was a woman doing the cooking who brought us our food - she was also very nice.  We ordered "Vegetable Bi Bim Bap" (in parentheses because it also has beef in it, although that's not listed on the menu sheets) and Pork Bul Go Gi.  At $8 and $6 respectively, both had plenty of food, and T.J.'s thus propelled itself into my cheap-Asian-take-out-go-to list - Thai Express and Cilantro being my two main choices (I'm still seeking a consistent Chinese spot).

The bi bim bap comes in a large bowl with a fried egg and runny yolk - sprinkled with sesame seeds and nori pieces - on top of beautiful, separated helpings of bean sprouts, carrots, spinach, mushrooms, and beef.  All of this is on top of a mound of rice (which is not crispy as it is in the frequent variation - dolsot bibimbap, although it did definitely have sesame oil in it).  They give you a sauce on the side that is sweet and spicy and thick and brings everything together once you mix it all up.  Great flavors!  I asked if they had any tsiracha or anything for the side to spice it up even more (my friend thought it was hot enough), but I'm not sure if they understood and said no.

The pork (we split both dishes) is wonderfully juicy with this Korean barbecue-esque sauce and cooked with onions.  With rice and a small portion of snap peas and cabbage too - along with a small salad (ranch or Italian dressing options :), one pot sticker, and two bites of "T.J.s Chicken" (a sesame chicken-esque boneless bite with a thick sweetish sauce), this is an absolute steal for $6.  I thought the bi bim bap was solid, but this meat was bursting with flavor!

As if all that isn't enough, both dishes also come with a small bowl of soup - seemed like an egg drop variation.

I will definitely be back here, and probably sooner rather than later.  I want to try everything on the menu (I am posting a picture of the menu here too), but I'll certainly be getting that bulgogi again.  Get over here and help make sure this place sticks around - please!

Lunch In @ Pho Lang Thang

Count me as one of the many who waited patiently for Pho Lang Thang to open up at Findlay Market.  I had just eaten lunch prior to a trip to Findlay a few weeks back when they had a soft opening, but this weekend I knew the time had come.  I'd hoped to be wowed, or at least thoroughly pleased, by my visit, but it turns out I'm still in the boat of being patient and hopeful.  It's clear they've got some kinks to work out, and they're very new, so grace is clearly in order.

The Food:  I asked for the most flavorful thing on the menu, and the young woman at the register quickly suggested the banh mi thit nuong - a baguette sandwich with grilled lemongrass marinated meat, garlic butter mayo, do chua (pickled daikon and carrots), cucumber, and cilantro.  They asked if I wanted jalapenos and pate as well, and I went for it.  I also ordered goi cuon or "salad rolls" with sliced pork, whole shrimp, vermicelli noodles, cilantro, and lettuce wrapped in rice paper with a sauce on the side.

I hate to say it, because I wanted so much to love it, but the sandwich was disappointing.  I told them to choose whatever meat was the most flavorful, and I'm not sure if it was a mistake or on purpose, but I got mostly beef and some pork too.  Neither really stood out, so no recommendation there.  The bummer was that the sandwich just wasn't that flavorful.  Nothing popped.  Maybe it needs more of the mayo, maybe a higher ingredients to bread ratio, maybe more salt, maybe all of the above.  I put some sriracha on after I ate the first half and that helped a bit (I could barely taste the jalapenos - maybe that'll change when they're in season next year), but something was still left to be desired.

The best thing I got was the order of salad rolls.  The shrimp were perfectly cooked - not tough - and the slice of pork adds some additional weight to sink your teeth into.  The hoisin and peanut dipping sauce was pretty thick (too molasses like for my taste), and the peanuts were nearly nonexistent.  If I could have Pho Lang Thang's roll with Cilantro's sauce, I'd be especially happy.

The Ingredients:  Nothing noted about local or organic ingredients.  They do make note of some vegan and vegetarian options, which I'm sure many people will appreciate.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  Several of the initial reviews have noted this, so I guess I'm going to have to pile on.  I ordered my food at 1:20 and was told it'd be ready in 30 minutes.  That's a long time to wait for take out.  When I was told that, I thought "ok, they'll under-promise and over-deliver."  I actually waited 40 minutes.

The space they have at Findlay is quite large, with lots of tables to the right and left of the kitchen and counter.  I don't know if they have too many tables and not enough cooking space, or they haven't been well prepared (banh mi and salad rolls shouldn't require anything other than composition of pre-made ingredients), or they don't have enough staff, or all of the above.  But, they've got their work cut out for them.

The Last Bite: I think they'll get things figured out because they seemed like nice people and there plenty of good signs - a thorough menu with plenty of options, a well put together restaurant space, etc.  But, for the mean time, I'm still a Cilantro guy.  But with my office in OTR and no banh mi at Cilantro, I'm looking forward to Pho Lang Thang living up to its potential.

Dinner Out @ VanZandt Restaurant and Tavern

Cincinnati Magazine's 40 best burgers article a while back was fantastic because, even for someone like me who pays probably too much attention to dining options in our fair city, it unearthed several new places to try. One of the top choices popped out quickly for me, a Northsider now - North College Hill's ZanZandt Restaurant and Tavern, which was ranked 5th.  Sarah and I finally made it up this past week, and while I don't think it's the 5th best burger in the city, it was very good and it's worth a visit.

The Food:  We went for the burgers and we ordered the burgers.  They did have some other food on the menu, but I didn't really pay any attention.  They have an 8oz. and a 16oz. option, and then it's a build your own situation, with about 20 toppings to choose from.  Burgers start at $8 and then each ingredient adds 50 cents to a dollar.  Two burgers (fries come free) cost us $21.  But I digress...


I got my burger with bacon, gorgonzola, and sauteed onions and asked for it cooked medium.  When the meal arrives open-faced, the potato-chive bun stands out as unique and they aren't skimping on the toppings.  Cutting into my sandwich, it clearly was done past medium, and the juiciness did suffer (Sarah's was overcooked a bit too).  But, that is a relatively small quibble with an otherwise very tasty burger.  They don't do anything too special to their patties that I could tell, but this is a great tasting burger.  All of the ingredients could be identified and nothing overshadowed anything else.

I'd put this burger in the same category as a Gordo's burger, if you've been there.  Ours definitely weren't in the Terry's ballpark, but maybe the Cincinnati Magazine folks went on a particularly good night.

The fries are the kind that are battered a bit - we thought they were done in the same oil as the onion straws, and that was not a bad thing.

The Ingredients:  Nothing local or organic here that we heard about or saw.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  We arrived at about 5:30 for dinner, so there was no one in the bar area, and in the dining room in the back (which we didn't know existed at first - it's kind of hidden around a corner) there were only a couple people.  It has a bar and grill feel, with nice new decor and a a couple flat screen TVs at the bar.  The service was prompt and kind, nothing notable really.


They just celebrated their 1 year anniversary, but I hadn't heard of it until the Cincinnati Magazine article.  I haven't heard anyone talk about it, and as close as it is, that's too bad.  Hopefully the word will get out, because it'd be great to have this option near by for years to come.

The Last Bite:  I can't speak to anything else on the menu, but VanZandt is worth a trip for their burgers.  Load it up or keep it simple - either way you won't leave disappointed.

Lunch Out @ Mekong Thai

I've been kicking around the idea of buying an e-reader, and a buddy of mine is as well, so we scooted up to Barnes & Noble in Kenwood to check out the Nook.  We wanted to grab a lunch afterward, so I did a quick Yelp search on places close by - Mekong Thai stood out with respectable reviews, great proximity, and low prices.  I don't know how often I'll return, but the dishes we had were good, and I'd recommend it if you want an alternative to the chains in the area - whether you're a local or a shopper.

The Food:  The menu is pretty straightforward, with mostly Thai and then some Vietnamese mixed in as well. I ordered the pad kee-mao and my friend ordered the yellow curry.  We had a starter of fried tofu too.

The pad kee-mao was very tasty, and quite spicy too.  A few reviews said that they weren't joking about their heat, and I found that to be the case.  It is a 1-3 scale, and if you don't really like it hot, don't get a 3.  Others also mentioned that it was pretty oily, but I didn't find it to be that bad at all.  The noodles were well prepared - cooked, but not overly slimy like is sometimes the case - and the big pieces of basil added a nice flavor.  I found that a bit of soy sauce brought out more flavors, as is the case when you add a bit of salt and sugar to just about anything.  I went the veggie route and chose tofu to go with the broccoli and cabbage.  I would definitely order this again.

I can't say as much about the yellow curry because I only had one bite, but apparently it was quite tasty - buttery and flavorful, which I can attest to.  The fried tofu we had was simple and good as well - it came with a nice peanut sauce that we both enjoyed.

The Ingredients:  Nothing notable here - no local or organic options listed.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  The restaurant is very simple with about 10-15 booths lined up in a narrow space.  There is a TV at one end that had ESPN on at lunch time.  There must have been another TV or a radio in the foyer though, because when I noticed the sounds it was Barack Obama talking while I was clearly watching SportsCenter.  Who knows, maybe Barack just gave up and decided to pursue his true passion.

The waitress was kind and knowledgeable, and our food came quickly (it was a late lunch, so there were only a few other people there).

The Last Bite:  I'm interested in trying more of their menu, and since Trader Joe's is just down the street and it is a regular stop for us, I am likely to be in the area again.  But, I'd definitely confidently order that pad kee-mao again and be plenty happy.

Dinner In (the car) @ Taqueria Yolandita

I caught this place out of the corner of my eye on the way to a poker game up Queen City Boulevard a couple months back.  I didn't notice the taco truck at first, just Tienda la Centro Americana next door (a little grocery) - luckily one of the people in the car does some organizing with Latina/o folks in the city and mentioned they had tacos there, and that they were pretty good.  So, I've been wanting to go back for a while now, but never could overcome my fear of the unknown streets of the West side until tonight - and I'm glad I did.

The Food:  On the side of the trailer there are pictures of tacos, quesadillas, tortas, and burritos, each for $6-7.  The woman (could it be Yolandita of Taqueria Yolandita fame?) rattled off the standard list of taco meats available (chorizo, tongue, chicken, etc.) and we ordered 2 barbacoa, 2 carne asada, and 2 al pastor tacos - a grand total of $12.

Sarah and I both agree, the barbacoa choice was the best.  The meat was moist and flavorful and wasn't nearly as fatty as what I've gotten used to a Taqueria Mercado (which I still like, but it is a bit offputting).  Al pastor was second, with more flavor but the texture wasn't as good.  And the carne asada was our least favorite - not horrible, but definitely overcooked and pretty tough, without too much flavor.

All the tacos come traditionally with cilantro, avocado, and onion.  The key limes on the side were juicy for the squeezing, and they also put lemon and radish in the carry out container - something we hadn't seen before.  Also, both the red and green salsas were quite tasty, adding a nice burst of flavor and kick of heat to all the meats.

The Ingredients:  No idea.  Hard to imagine organic, local meat was being served - but maybe I'm just a hater (99% probably not).

The Story, Setting, & Service:  If you want a TRUE taco truck experience, this is the only one in Cincinnati that we're aware of.  I want to like Senor Roy's, but that's just not traditional (and wasn't good when I went).  All of the trucks taco or otherwise - at least that I'm aware of so far in Cincinnati, are catering to a more upscale/American clientele.  In the original sense, trucks were a cheap way to start a business and often meet some ethnic or working class group right where they're at rather than try to hold down a lease.

Taqueria Yolandita, planted squarely in the middle of nowhere on the near West side, is by all appearances as authentic as they come.  Oh, and you can buy perfume from a suitcase off the counter too if you're stopping by on your way to a hot date and need to freshen up.  It's also next door to a Mexican grocery that isn't huge, but seems to have a good little collection of foodstuffs if you're interested in more than the "Mexican" aisle at your local Kroger.  Hours are 10-6pm every day of the week, although the proprietor said she goes to church on Sunday night, so they close a little early.

This trip left us wondering if there are other gems on the West side, which really isn't far from our house in Northside at all, but we're just too afraid of getting lost to find them.  If you've got suggestions, please let us know.

The Last Bite:  I suppose we might try a burrito or torta someday, but there doesn't seem to be any reason to stray from the tacos here.  Next time, we'll likely get a whole bunch of barbacoa ones and pig out happily, knowing we're part of a very small number of people who even know this place exists (until you go and tell all your friends - which you'll probably want to).

Dinner In @ NorthSlice Pizza

When I heard NorthSlice was opening, we put up a post spreading the word.  Northside shines on Independence Day weekend, and that's when NorthSlice opened up.  So far, they've been rocking the pizza window - no dining room just yet.  We've had a chance to stop by for a few slices, and recently ordered a full pie.  This pizza is worth driving across town for, but thankfully, we live right around the corner!

The Food:  The only thing we've had (the only thing they make thus far, I think), is pizza.  Our classic order is pepperoni and green olives, and this time we got one half with cheese.  What stands out about this pizza stands out right away - the freshness and flavor of the ingredients really pop.  We were told before that they don't cook the sauce, and the tomatoes are a bit tangy and sweet, very good.  They go pretty light on the cheese and ingredients, which also leads to the sauce standing out.  Plenty of fresh herbs on top of the pizza add to toppings we chose.  Just as we'd been expecting, the crust is not too thick, not too thin.  But because that crust is doused in herbs and salt and crunchy cornmeal, it has a nice crunch (especially around the edges) and a great taste.  Overall, it comes together quite nicely.

The Ingredients:  When we spoke with Mike, the owner, initially, he talked about buying local ingredients, doing his own herb garden, and more.  I'm not sure how that's panned out so far.  Next time I see him I'll try to get some more info on how the sourcing is going.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  Read all about the story of NorthSlice in our original post.  We're excited that they appear to have gotten off to a good start, and are hopeful for more over time.  As I mentioned above, it's only a pizza window right now, but you can peek in at the graffiti walls and see the hip logo and know it'll be a cool hang out some time soon.  The owner is a really nice guy who has been a fixture in Northside for many, many years, and I've had nothing but smiles and kindness from the other folks I've encountered so far.

The Last Bite:  This is definitely the best pizza in Northside.  It's true that it is more expensive than NYPD, but the quality is simply far better.  Whether you're stopping by for a quick slice mid-day or late-night, or ordering a whole pizza for dinner, you won't be disappointed by the fresh flavors at NorthSlice.  For convenience plus taste, this has clearly moved into our number one ranking for pizza in Cincinnati.  Check the menu in the slideshow below.

NorthSlice Pizza

Dinner In @ Thai Namtip

I had a quick (unsuccessful) tryst with an Android phone, and it certainly does have some nice toys.  The Yelp app was one of them, and when we plugged in "thai" searching nearby our house, Thai Namtip came up as the closest option.  As it turns out, the map was wrong and its not as close as we thought, but since we'd already put the call-in order in, we gave it a shot.  If you're a West-sider in particular, then you'll definitely want to read on, as there aren't as many Asian options on your side of town.

The Food:  We ordered a pad thai with tofu and a panang curry with chicken over the phone, without even seeing a menu.  After snagging a to go menu, I can say they do have a full, if pretty typical, selection of dishes to choose from.

The pad thai was solid.  It didn't jump out at me in any major way.  Not as sweet as the way I like it, but you can't make everyone happy.  If you like it spicy, I'd go for a pretty high number on their scale - they didn't seem to trust me that I wanted a kick.  As for the curry, it was flavorful and had a decent stock of vegetables - cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots.  Those veggies were overcooked though, which may have simply been a function of us driving home for 15 minutes, but I don't think so.  Plenty of flavor though, and definitely not bad.

We also ordered spring rolls, which were nicely filled and crunchy.  I didn't like their sauce as much as Thai Express' (although I didn't take specific notes, so I can't remember why exactly) - Thai Express is my gold standard generally in this town.

The Ingredients:  No mention of local, organic, or sustainable ingredients.  If we ever go back, I'll ask, but I would be very surprised if this was something they do and don't publicize.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  Thai Namtip is sitting in a strip mall just as North Bend Road takes a bend, about 3.5 miles southwest of College Hill.  We got our food to go, but while it is unassuming on the outside, it is quite large and well decorated on the inside.

Probably the most surprising thing to me was that they had a sushi bar as well.  I have been seeing this more and more lately, after my recent read of Zen of Sushi, which in part discusses the expansion of American interest in sushi to the Midwest, I am especially in interested in what kind of operation they run.  Could the fish possibly be fresh?  Could the sushi chef possibly be good?  Who knows.

The Last Bite:  If you live on the west side, then this may be your best option for thai food.  As is for us, we can make it to Clifton or Hyde Park in just as much time, where there are better options, so I doubt we'll go to Thai Namtip again any time soon.  But, nice to know that the option is there.  I'd be satisfied sticking with pad thai and curry at Thai Namtip, but if I go again I'll probably give the sushi a try and branch out a bit on the menu after talking to them about any specialties they may have.

Lunch Out @ Grand Oriental

After an awesome first dim sum experience in San Francisco recently, I was writing a post about it and was about to say "it's too bad we don't have a place with dim sum in Cincinnati," and then - as one should do when one wants to be sure about information on anything - I googled.  And it turns out, you can get the dim sum experience (the fact that it is an experience is key - it is more than just the food), at Grand Oriental on Fields Ertel just off I-71.  A group of six of us went this past Sunday and we had a great time - I'd recommend you try it too.

The Food:  At Grand Oriental, you don't choose food from a menu, you choose it from carts.  Each cart carries 10 or 12 options - one carries silver steaming containers, another has plates of meats and buns, another has rice soup, and the list goes on.  As each cart comes by, the waitress shows you what she has and does her best to explain what is in each dish (some waitresses spoke better English than others).  I said to our car as we were coming in that I think the trick is to be patient, review all of your options, and then choose.  But, so many things look appealing, and the people offering the food seem to want you to take it so much, that I forgot my own advice and just ordered constantly.  Thankfully, while in SF it was about $70 for 2 of us at lunch, this was $70 for 6 (you can ask the prices, but they don't have numbers right on them, so if you're not careful you could go overboard).

In our first round of choices we took sticky rice, which is (duh) sticky rice with some sort of beef and comes wrapped in a lotus leaf and was very good.  Next was BBQ pork, which is glistening red on the outside and in a brown sauce and quite tasty.  I realize only now that I did't try the ribs with black bean sauce, but I did have the bean curd meat roll and it had a unique texture that I liked and bet I would like even more if I had it again. Texture is big with authentic Chinese food, and while it may take some getting used to for many people, it is definitely worth an attempt or three.

In another wave of ordering we got shark's fin dumpling (not actually shark's fin, they just look that way - its shrimp and cilantro), which was an excellent example of how well done we've found dim sum shrimp dishes to be.  They're so succulent and delicate, never overcooked.  Jellyfish was offered, and I'd never had that, so what the heck (it reminded me of the texture of pickled radishes that is called for in some pad thai recipes - kind of firmly gelatinous - I liked it).  At some point we got some spring rolls that were normal and good, as well as two uses of the same BBQ pork - one that was cooked in a roll that was glazed with something very sweet and another in a steamed bun.  Niether of these were big hits at our table - the balance of sugar and salt didn't seem quite right.  Oh, and a shrimp and chives dumpling that was another great choice.

I'm sure I'm forgetting things - we ate a whole lot of bites.  And just as we were thinking we were done, we were brought some sesame balls for dessert - they're a doughy ball a bit smaller than a racquetball that is rolled in sesame seeds and has a sweet red bean paste in side.  It tastes almost like fig, but not so strong.  I actually like it best without the bean inside, but it was good either way.  We were sure it was over until one more plate arrived which was a delicious bite sized custard tart - just barely sweet and at the same time accentuating the egg that made the custard possible.

All in all, an excellent meal!

The Ingredients:  There is no menu on Saturdays and Sundays when they serve dim sum (although after we asked our our 20th question they gave us a list of the offerings and their prices), but there was no mention of any local or organic ingredients - and since that usually leads to higher prices, most places usually tell you, so I'm going to guess they don't use any.  But, we will definitely be back, so we'll ask next time.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  Grand Oriental is located in between a car wash and a HH Gregg (go left at the entrance after the car wash - you can't see it easily if you just came from 71), and it is easy to get lost out amongst all the strip malls.  From the outside it is nothing special, but when you walk in it is actually full of character.  Ornate walls that are carved so you can see through them are painted with reds and blacks and gold, and help the space feel cozy and expansive at the same time.

You sit down at Grand Oriental, and simultaneously your drink order is being taken as waitresses with carts are lining up around your table.  With at least 400 people at the place we ate in SF, there were at least a dozen different kinds of carts.  There were only a handful here, but that makes much more sense seeing as there were maybe 50 people in the restaurant.  Going with a group turned out to be a good decision because you get to sample a lot of food without paying too much.

The staff here was very friendly, and really seemed to enjoy that we were enjoying ourselves.  We were talking on the way home about how much of a difference that makes, when the staff enjoy themselves and smile.  One of the owners, Kenny, helped explain what several dishes were, and then happily brought us 2 desserts on the house.  He seemed to particularly enjoy our reactions to eating things that are clearly not on the average menu - I'm thinking of the jellyfish first.  Explaining that some things are acquired tastes, he told us that someday we'd like the chicken's feet too.  I believe him.  As we were paying, the other owner, Kenny's brother Henry, recommended an article from the Wall Street Journal on dim sum which I haven't read yet, but I'll check out soon.  Between the owners and the waitresses, they made this meal a lot of fun and we really appreciated it.

The Last Bite:  Other reviewers had noted that the BBQ pork was a favorite, and everyone at our table really enjoyed that dish.  But, the sticky rice, shark's fins dumpling, and bean curd meat roll were all happily gobbled up, amongst others.  The experience is different and fun, and if you haven't tried it I think you simply must.

Lunch Out @ Pomodori's

I used to pick up pizza by the slice every now and then from Pomodori's several years back, and Sarah remembered it being good many years ago, but neither of us had visited in a long, long time.  Restaurant.com provided the ridiculously cheap coupon (I think it was $3 for a $25 coupon), and we decided to give it a go.  We've visited enough pizza places in the past several months to have a pretty good idea of what spots may stay in our rotation, and it doesn't look like Pomodori's will be on that list.

The Food:  We started with the Bruschetta Caprese - a crusty ciabatta with halved grape tomatoes, bits of fresh mozzarella, and herbs.  It was fine, but there was something about the flavors that just didn't quite mesh.  It could have used more salt.  Then, about half way through eating this and deciding on pizza, we realized that the coupon makes it so you have to order $35 of food, so we ordered enough for 2 lunches for 2.

A caesar salad was our next choice, and it was straightforward and good.

For pizzas, we picked from the wood-fired choices - a "Spinach" (which is not nearly so simple - it has mushrooms, red onion, garlic, and bacon) and a traditional "Margherita."  We had a problem with the Margherita - there was a very bitter aftertaste that we are pretty sure came from the tomato sauce.  It made it hard to enjoy any of that pizza.  For a pizza place to have sauce that has gone bad, that is pretty disappointing.  Plus, the "fresh mozzarella" did not have have the consistency of what we know as fresh mozzarella.  It seemed more like the typical mozzarella you'd find often find shredded and ready for pizza topping.  But, the Spinach pizza was actually quite good.  Every bite was buttery and the crust was nicely bubbly and soft.  This was the only redeeming part of the meal.

The Ingredients:  No mention of local or organic ingredients here.  Unfortunately, as I mentioned above, while they talk about fresh ingredients on their menu in several places, we were served some not-so-fresh options.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  Pomodori's is located across the street from the humongous chunk of vacant land between McMillan and Calhoun streets in Clifton (what the heck is going on up there - weren't they supposed to build a park or something?).  It's sort of an odd shaped building (inside and out), but it has plenty of parking.  The service was fine, nothing of note.

The Last Bite:  There are so many better pizzas within minutes of Pomodori's (ZZ's, Dewey's, and Adriaticos to name a few), let alone further away, that I don't think we'll return.  But, I can see how students around UC might make the choice.  If you do go, we'd recommend the "Spinach" pizza.

Lunch Out @ Cathay Kitchen

After a recent trip to San Francisco, where we were blown away by an exciting dim sum lunch, as I was writing the post-trip blog post, I googled dim sum in Cincinnati.  The clearest option for dim sum (carts and all) was Grand Oriental, but Cathay Kitchen was also listed as a choice.  Since we were meeting some friends for lunch, Cathay Kitchen was a closer option (they were at the Florence Antique Mall, which was their favorite part of the trip) and we went for it.  I even called ahead to make sure they had dim sum, but I should have known better when the response was a yes, but not a confident one.  This trip turned up some respectable, somewhat authentic Chinese food - but not carts and options galore for dim sum.

The Food:  We had hoped not to order off a menu at all, but since there were no carts (more below on the setting), we settled in for a more typical meal.  The one note of dim sum on the menu was a starter of dim sum, which we ordered.  We also chose some chicken curry pot stickers and shumai dumplings, trying to recreate the multitude of appetizer options we had come in hopes of.  Then, we ordered 3 entrees to split - Mongolian beef, kung pao chicken, and sweet and sour pork.

The chicken pot stickers came first and were straightforward and good.  They came with a simple gyoza-esque sauce that was mostly soy sauce.  Next up were the shumai dumplings, which are one of the many kinds of beautiful looking bites that are about the size of a marshmallow.  The dough that holds the pork inside is twisted at the top and they came in a steamy silver container.  One member of our table (cough *Ben* cough), bit into one just a bit too quickly and then just about spat it back out it was so hot (not spicy hot, but the juices inside the dumpling were scalding).  After learning from that mistake, we all made little holes to let out some steam and then enjoyed the dumplings just fine.  Lastly, the dim sum, which was made up of two different dumplings - one was a light shrimp offering and the other was some sort of sausage with water chesnuts that looked like a little tree stump.  Both of these were just OK in my opinion.

Our three entrees came out and we dug in.  The Mongolian beef was probably my favorite option - the meat was very tender and along with stir-fried onions and chili peppers it had just a bit of a kick.  Kung pao chicken (which I've been meaning to cook for a while, as it is Ezra Klein's favorite - and then I just learned his recipe was adapted, just barely, from Fuschia Dunlop's) is a simple dish, and they did a nice job with small, succulent pieces of chicken to go with the peanuts and chilies in a brown sauce.  I led our dining team astray a bit with the choice of sweet and sour pork.  I was imagining some of the pork I'd been reading about at over-the-top Chinese banquets, not pork that was battered just like sweet and sour chicken at Panda Express at the mall.  It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't very exciting either.

The lunch specials also came with egg rolls, which were standard.

The Ingredients:  Nothing listed as local or organic here, and the language barrier was pretty substantial with our server, so I don't think we would have gotten far in asking.  If we ever return, maybe we'll try.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  Cathay Kitchen is smack dab in the middle of a strip mall, just off the interstate.  It's next to an empty storefront and several other small businesses.  We walked in to a completely empty dining room at noon (which did have about 5 tables full at 1:30 when we left).  Needless to say, this is not a place you'd likely come for a romantic dinner (even if the website tells you that's the case).

Our server was kind and smiled sheepishly just about every time we talked (the language barrier was substantial).  There was another staff person who came over to answer some of our questions when we asked about what was the most authentic on the menu, what she liked, that sort of thing.

The Last Bite:  It's highly unlikely we'll be back to Cathay Kitchen because it is so out of the way for us and doesn't have anything special that we could tell.  If it was in Cincinnati and within 10 minutes of Northside then it just might be the best Chinese restaurant around (until I try Chung Ching in College Hill, which I've heard is good).  If we do go back, we'd probably stick to the Mongolian beef.

Dinner Out @ Yat Ka Mein

I had been to Yat Ka Mein one time several years back, and since that was before I was really, truly paying attention to what I was eating, and certainly before I'd read Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper and been really interested in Chinese food, it was time for a return visit.  I've been on the lookout for some authentic options, and I was hoping this visit might take me in the right direction.  A recent trip to Cathay Kitchen in search of dim sum did not turn out as planned (post coming soon), but Yat Ka Mein did not disappoint - in fact, it was very good!

The Food:  Taking a quick scan of the dinner menu, Yat Ka Mein has a good mix of typical American Chinese options - sesame chicken, sweet and sour chicken, etc.  But, they've also got enough things you probably have not heard of that made me believe their might be a higher level of authenticity here.

We ordered the brisket soup, ho fun with chicken, and veggie fried rice (so we'd have something with a bit of vegetables).  The ho fun came out first, and it had tender chicken, thick tasty noodles, and was was covered in a light gravy-like brown sauce.  I added sriracha to give it a kick, while the crisp bean sprouts and carrots add texture.  Our brisket soup followed quickly, and had a lightly aromatic broth (I bit into a small piece of anise that gave away that secret).  This was very good - Sarah tasted first and said "oh, you're going to like this."  Meat was flaking apart, and went well with the Chinese broccoli and thin ramen-esque noodles.  Finally, the fried rice was simple and tasty and came with lots of veggies - we found zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli, onion, napa, bean sprouts, peas, scallion, and carrot.  It tasted super fresh, and was the best fried rice I've had in quite some time.

To top it all off, even the fortune cookies tasted good!

The Ingredients:  There was nothing on the menu about local or organic ingredients.  Par usual, we'll have to ask the next time we come.  It always feels like it would be an extra imposition/hassle to ask about ingredients on the first trip to a place, especially one where you're paying $8 for an entree.  But, ask we will - on the next trip, and then we'll update the post.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  Sitting in the same strip mall as the Aveda Institute and Penn Station, it would be easy to live around the corner from Yat Ka Mein and never give it a second thought.  It's also a stone's throw from Wild Ginger and Lemon Grass - two Thai places - and a handful of other restaurants.

They proudly advertise "noodles for your noodle," and their kids menu is "for the growing noodle," showing their sense of humor.  Our server was very nice, and had a jovial, helpful energy.  He said their Cantonese, but they have food from several Chinese provinces as well as other places across Asia.  If you're in the neighborhood, they deliver for $2 as well. 

The Last Bite:  Yat Ka Mein offers a simple, pleasant ambiance and kind service.  The food is fresh and tasty, and has some great flavors happening.  We'll definitely order the beef brisket noodle soup bowl again - the meat was tender, the broth had great depth, and the anise made it a bit aromatic as well.  Interesting flavors that are not easy to find in Cincinnati.

Dinner In @ Lemon Grass

Lemon Grass is solid, dependable, and makes Sarah's favorite pad thai in town to date.  Lately we've been using it as a take out option, but they also have space to dine in.  This post has been in draft form for a long minute, so I'm glad it is finally making its way to you!  It's a simple one.

The Food:  As I said above, Sarah loves the pad thai at Lemon Grass (it reminds her of the pad thai she loves best, at her old haunt in Sarasota called Thailand), while my favorite continues to be at Thai Express.  And Sarah was out of town when I made this order, so this is a Gavin only review, and I tend to enjoy Lemon Grass' curries the most.

I ordered a pad thai, spring rolls, and sesame noodles, although my typical order is curry (I am especially a fan of their massaman).  The starter, sesame noodles, was very sweet and covered in a thick peanut sauce.  There was a crunch from the scallions and iceburg lettuce at the bottom of the to go container, and small bites of chicken on top.  I usually think of sesame noodles as being a round lo mein-style, but theirs are made with a flat egg noodle, and sprinkled with black sesame seeds as garnish.  The noodles were a bit overcooked too unfortunately.

I had straightforward but good spring rolls and dipping sauce (which is thicker than the sauce at Thai Express), and then ate the pad thai.  Lemon Grass' version of this thai standby has quite a bit of egg, and has noodles that I felt were less sticky, but more slimy in texture.  Also, their pad thai is not nearly as sweet as at Thai Express.  They also use a bit of cilantro, and I've found that I need to go a bit higher on the spicy scale at Lemon Grass then at other spots locally to get something as hot as I like it.

The Ingredients:  There's nothing on the Lemon Grass menu about local or organic ingredients.  I'll have to ask on the next trip.

The Story, Setting, & Service: The interior is very simple - no frills, and smells great.  It's always calm and quiet inside, and yet there always seem to be people coming through.  I've gone many, many times and have never had a wait.  The service is straightforward.  Maybe most important of all, Lemon Grass is open Sundays and Mondays, making it one of the few options to choose from on both of those days.

The Last Bite:  Honestly, most of the time we end up at Lemon Grass because it's the only place open - it's become a Sunday dinner option a few times recently.  I've never had anything bad at Lemon Grass, and that consistency means something these days.  Plus, with reasonable prices and a favorite Thai dish as well in our household, we will certainly be back.  Do you have a favorite Thai place we should try?

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.

Lunch In @ Cafe de Paris

The first time I went to Cafe de Paris - a small place on beautiful Garfield Place just a block away from the main branch of the Public Library - I thought it was very good.  My second visit was not as impressive, but it's comfortable vibe and prime location makes it a lunch choice worth knowing about for downtowners.

The Food:  It smells great when you walk into Cafe de Paris, and what I remember most from my first visit was the freshness of the food.  I asked for whatever they thought was the best tasting thing on the menu, and they gave me a chicken salad sandwich with brie cheese, greens, green peppers, sprouts, and tomato on a fluffy baguette.  It came with a simple, fresh Greek salad that had a light vinaigrette, crumbled feta, banana and green peppers, red onion, tomato, and olive.  The baguette was light and crusty, and there was an earthy flavor from the brie.  But, it quite simply was not as flavorful as I'd hoped.  Less bread and more ingredients probably would have helped, and it definitely was not bad.  I just had a memory in my head of all that freshness adding up to very flavorful food, and in this case it was not to be.

The Ingredients:  Nothing on the menu about local or organic ingredients.  It was a quick stop in for lunch - I'll have to ask more when I go back.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  Cafe de Paris has a cute, comfortable inside seating area - a mix of colorful large canvas paintings and photography prints adorn the walls.  There is bar seating as well, and patrons can also sit outside at a handful of tables on the sidewalk.  Most diners appeared to be crossing the street to the large area in the middle of Garfield Place that has seating, landscaped gardens, and is a wifi spot.

The staff at Cafe de Paris is very nice - another of the breed of restaurants in the city which I so appreciate: where the people actually appear to enjoy working there.  I've been reading Heat by Bill Buford, which is in part about his adventures at Mario Batali's Babbo.  The machismo lore of restaurant kitchens simply does not appeal to me at all.

The Last Bite:  I'll head back to Cafe de Paris for the atmosphere and the shady, quite location.  But, I won't be returning often unless my next experience with the food improves.  Especially with Jean-Robert's Table scheduled to open soon or later just around the corner, this could be a nice little hub for French-inspired choices in Cincinnati.

Late Night In @ Mayday

We're not late owls in general, but last week we found ourselves disappointed by the fridge's options and went out into the world to seek happy bellies.  We'd been to Mayday before, but it was just as they were getting started and we wanted to give it another shot.  They've got some good stuff going on over there, and it's a unique choice at just about any hour.  There's still room for improvement, but especially at 11pm on a Tuesday you'll be happy it exists.

The Food:  At Mayday, it is all about the hot dogs.  You can either build your own, or choose from their suggested combinations.  I went with a "signature dog" and Sarah built her own.  Sarah ordered horseradish, raw onion, and sweet green relish with pickle on the side on her dog, which comes on a house-made pretzel bun.  The horseradish turns out to be horseradish mayo, and she thought it would be nice if that was clear and that they would have straight up horseradish.  I ordered the Mayday Dog, which comes with carmelized onion, grilled peppers, spicy mustard, house ketchup, and house relish.  The spicy mustard is quite sweet as well (it reminds me of Woeber's sweet & spicy), and I don't even really like green peppers, so it's my own fault for ordering them.  In general, the toppings erred on the sweet side more than the spicy, and I would have been happy with louder flavors across the board.

We both agreed that overall both the hot dog and the bun taste good.  The dog didn't have that casing snap that is familiar and, in our opinion, desired.  With a bun that is fairly dense, and just a bit sweet, if you want toppings and bun and dog in a bite, it is bound to be a big one.  It wasn't way off, but in our opinion, they could get a better balanced dog, that has a better bun/dog/topping ratio if they tweak it just a bit more.

It's notable that these dogs range from $4.50 to $6.50, so if you're one of the people who simply cannot believe the price of Senate's hot dogs, not to worry - Mayday dogs are more in the range you'd expect.  They also come with a side of either Husman's potato chips (noted on the menu as locally made) or mixed greens with homemade basil vinaigrette dressing.  The chips were, well, chips.  And the salad was ok, and a nice option to make you feel better about eating a big hot dog, but it was overdressed (probably much earlier in the night), and I agree with Sarah's assessment to just ask for it on the side.

The Ingredients:  The menu doesn't say much other than what to order, but we found all of the information about ingredient sources and origin to be great!  Avril-Bleh & Sons Meat Market supplies the all beef hot dogs, and the Chef Aaron Cross makes the pretzel buns fresh daily.  It'd be great if they'd share the sources of the other ingredients on the menu as well.

The Story, Setting, & Service:  The first time we went to Mayday they had recently started doing hot dogs, and frankly (pun intended), it could have better.  They forgot the hot dog in one of our hot dogs, and we weren't too excited about the combinations we got.  But, it's only a couple minutes from our house, and they've got some cool ingredients, so we thought we'd give it a try again.

You pick up an order form at the bar, circle all the things you want, and then the bartender tallies up your bill.  You walk the now-stamped order around the corner to the kitchen (it's sort of a Comet-esque process) and in a few minutes - hot dogs!

Mayday is in the space where Gypsy Hut used to be, and it is still pretty much the same overall.  As an avid ping pong player, I love that they have a table upstairs, and the non-initiated can choose from a number of indoor and outdoor seating options.  The space is very hipster/garage/warehouse feeling, and honestly, it looks somewhere between rough around the edges and a mess (we've never understood, for instance, why the trash pile on the side of the building can't be enclosed or in some way diminished - it's an eyesore for sure).  But, on my last couple visits it has felt on the unpolished side, and the vibe is decidedly Northside hipster.  The reviewer from Metromix may have said it best, saying "I'm probably not cool enough to come here on a regular basis."

There are a number of indications that these folks are skilled artists - from stenciled art to eye-catching flyers, which makes you feel like you're at a insider's hangout.  Posters advertising Mayday's events focus on sexy ladies in almost every instance, but I think most people would be lying if they said they didn't want to take a second look.  With bingo nights and drunk spelling bees, they've got some pretty cool ideas that would be worth checking out.

The most recent event info is loud and proud on the front of Sidewinder Coffee & Tea - the owner there is a part-owner at Mayday too.  These are clearly folks that are connected in the community.  When I asked about how the hot dog eating contest went at the May 1st Mayday party that was advertised behind the bar, they told me not enough people wanted to participate and instead gave the glut of dogs to CAIN.

It was great to be able to grab a late bite to eat, and with NorthSlice Pizza coming soon, there will be another option.  Now, if someone can just open a thai/noodle place in the neighborhood that is solid, I'll be all set!

The Last Bite:  We'll head back to Mayday, if for no other reason than to try to construct the perfect hot dog.  With a number interesting ingredients to choose from, we're bound to get it right sometime soon.  My next try: spicy mustard, banana peppers, carmelized onions, and beer cheese.  Hey, why not?

Lunch Out @ Soho Sushi

Soho Sushi is not your typical sushi place, and they're not trying to be.  They opened recently in the Tower Place Mall (with a storefront on 4th Street), and although we were a bit skeptical about the concept - they use a few machines to automate the process, and are arguably more like a Chipotle than what you probably know as a sushi restaurant - it was actually pretty darn good.  We'll have to try the chicken or steak on a roll on a future visit, but some more familiar options were quite tasty.

The Food:  We've done a handful of sushi reviews in the past month or so, and I've found the bullet formatting you'll find below to be the best way to talk about each item in an easy to read format:

• Soho California roll - The use plenty of crab, and in general they don't seem to skimp on the ingredients at Soho.  There are some places lately where I've had a hard time tasting the fish or crab, so its nice to have it loud and clear here.  Not too much rice, which again is appreciated.  If anything we've been overwhelmed by it recently.  It does stand out that these are not particularly good looking rolls - the ends are messy and even the best pieces aren't particularly tight and compact.  But, that's not why you should go to Soho Sushi.  This roll had avocado, cucumber and sesame seeds in it and was topped with wasabi mayo and yakisoba sauce, and was truly full of flavor.
• Spicy salmon roll - Sarah particularly liked the cream cheese, but there was too much scallion in a couple of my bites (I suggested they cut it more finely to ease the texture).  This was another across the board comment - bite to bite things can vary quite a bit, as the construction of the rolls happens so fast.  You know when you're at Chipotle (or any build your own place) and they put most of one ingredient on one side and you're in a long line so you're trying to decide whether to say anything - that will happen to you here.  But, you'll get over it because they used lots of salmon and carrots (yes, carrots) and topped the roll with spicy mayo and a sesame seed mix (black and white) that was delicious. 
• Tempura shrimp roll - Not much to say here except the roll had avocado and asparagus in it - I've never seen the latter before in a roll.  This was one of those times that I thought maybe I would try a steak roll sometime soon - its not the norm, but it's not bad either. 
• Spicy tuna roll - Like with the salmon, lots of thick cut scallion in some bites.  Again with plenty of tuna to match the avocado, cucumber, and a spicy mayo topping.  Not my favorite spicy tuna roll ever, but satisfying nonetheless.

The Ingredients:  With only 2 raw items on the menu (the back of their shirts read "not just raw fish" and "that's how we roll") - tuna and salmon - that is what stands out as far as ingredients go.  They're talking about doing seasonal ingredients, and would like to buy local (I'm starting to hear this from most everyone at every restaurant I go to - which is a good thing!  But, I'm certainly planning to follow up and see what follow through is like as well).  After some feedback they got different nori, are changing their process for rice (see below), and definitely seem open to ideas.  You may also be interested to know that they can indeed do inside out rolls, and you are encouraged to make whatever roll you'd like out of the ingredients.  We saw one guy make what was dubbed on the spot "The John Roll" - if I remember correctly it had steak, tempura chicken, and salmon (maybe there were vegetables too, but I was too amazed at the meat additions to pay attention after that).

The Story, Setting, & Service:  A friend of ours went to school with one of the owners of Soho Sushi, so we had it on our radar for a while.  We also told them about our connection after we got our food, so a couple of the co-owners did come by and chat with us.  They've been fairly active on Twitter and Facebook as well, so tracking their progress from before opening has been easy for anyone.

The most notable thing about what they're doing is their technology, which their staff uses efficiently to make the speed of ordering quite impressive.  Once you tell them what you'd like, you'll have your food in hand almost as soon as you pay.  It made me wonder how fast other sushi places downtown go at lunch time - anybody ever tried to get in and out of Mr. Sushi in a hurry?  They have a machine that puts the rice on the nori, a machine to cut the sushi, and even just invested in a rice tumbler after hearing concerns about the heat of the rice from some customers and a Metromix review (see the slideshow below for photos of the machinery).

Their space is open and clean - it's where that tea place used to be (I never did go in there) in the mall.  They've got crisp images of Shun knives on the walls - this was pretty cool for us because our main chef's knife is a Shun - and a fountain adds to the Asian feel of tranquility.  The menu board is big and bold when you walk in, and they have clear glass that separates you from the handiwork that goes into creating your rolls.

At $26 for 4 rolls, it's not exactly cheap.  But, they are quite generous with their portions of meat and other fillings, so you'll get more bang for your buck than at other sushi places.  They told us they know that its hard to get full on sushi, so they wanted to try to have larger helpings.

And the owners, both from Dayton, clearly have their eye on something bigger than just downtown Cincinnati.  They're thinking about expanding to other parts of the city, and there was definitely a glimmer in their eye when they mentioned growth.

Lastly, if you're not walking from downtown, street parking can be hard to find, so aim for the $1 city parking lot at 5th and Race, or park under Fountain Square.

The Last Bite:  Soho Sushi is clearly worth a trip, and if you're a downtowner looking for quick lunch options, your choices just expanded in a cool new direction.  If you're a sushi traditionalist, Soho is probably going to drive you a bit batty - the rolls aren't perfectly crafted, and there are no sushi chefs in the first place.  But, if you can get past that and just focus on what's in your mouth, I think you'll have to admit its good.  Who knows whether they'll be able to sustain and expand, but from an outsider's perspective it does look like they're on to something.  Sarah and I will be back, and we're likely to jump on the Soho California roll again because they give you plenty of delicious crab meat.