The Mega Cincinnati Post

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Here’s a little rundown of the places I’ve been hitting recently down here in Cincy.

Slims - This place is mega-hip in a very relaxed way. Maybe similar to the Winds but I haven’t been there. Erin and I had one of our best waiters ever at Slims. He was a killer friendly quirky guy and really knew his stuff. Most of the food is locally grown and tasted delicious. The three course dinner started with mini sloppy joe sandwiches. Luckily Erin’s a veggie so I got two! It was my big day. We had the most perfect cornbread ever so the guy gave us the recipe. Have you ever heard of such a crazy thing—a restaurant giving away its secrets just because you wanted it!

Via Vite - The first time I was there was opening night and it was packed the crap out. This is the restaurant that opened right on Fountain Square. I don’t think there could be a more prime location. Erin called ahead but the owner was a total jerk and said he didn’t see that we had and basically said tough luck. The hostess was very apologetic and said she remembered the call and would try to find a seat for us as soon as she could. Doesn’t that seem a little backwards? Shouldn’t the owner be the one that tries to smooth things over when an employee starts messing up. Oh well. We left. All the L.A. looking kids in Cincinnati were there and giving us funny looks. I went back with some other people a week or two later late on a Thursday night and it was much better. We had pizza and some Christian Morlein (I wish Dayton had hometown beer). I liked it. The coolest thing about this place is how it looks—extremely mod and hip.

Keystone - I’ve been back there like half a dozen times. It’s really becoming the neighborhood bar in a way. Call me up, we’ll go some time.

Zip’s - I love Zip’s. It’s not possible to go to this little Mt. Lookout pub and not have a nice happy full belly afterward. They’ve had the best burgers in the City since the 1920’s or something and I don’t think they’ve upgraded the interior since then either which is great to me. Their bar is in a back room dubbed the “Code Room”. Is that a reference to Prohibition times? This place has loads of character and is busy non-stop (which is kinda crappy of course).

Covington Chili - I’ve been exploring a lot of the little hole-in-the-wall, most people I know wouldn’t go to sort of places lately. CC is on Madison—a street that still has a functioning commercial strip on it. I rode my bike down there the other day and had a little Cincy-style chili for breakfast; the place is a perfect dump. Each booth has is own personal jukebox. They’re old, old, old. Adjusting the volume is as easy as selecting either the hi, mid or low button. It had Cabo Wabo by Van Halen so I was impressed. The food was good and the place was only mildly smokey so it hit a good chord with me.

Country Inn - Another perfect dump. Newport’s version of Madison St. in Covington is Monmouth St. And I may like it a touch more even. The Country Inn was pretty full when I went. Real people were there (not the L.A. kids). I had eggs and meat—pretty much their specialty.

La Mexicana - I like this little Mexican place on Monmouth. It’s in a tiny storefront and was pretty dead when I arrived but was bustling by the time I left. I’m not sure what it was but it just had a little bit of a different taste than the usual Mex joint. I’m happy to have discovered a place like this close enough to ride my bike to if I want.

Arnold’s - Have I already talked about this place? Anyhow, it’s the oldest bar in Cincy and has been operating since Civil War times. That’s a mind bender. The first time I went there was a nice cold winter night with Erin and her sister. We sat near the bar but the patio was open. It’s covered and heated in cold weather so you can still get a semi-outdoor feel. We had some more of the Morlein. I went back later for lunch. I had a burger as is appropriate at such an eatery but it was kinda weak. Condiments in the small packets? Please. The more entrée-ish items looked good though. We’ll see. Either way it’s still a good place to hang out.

Betta’s - There’s a Betta’s in Mt. Lookout I’ve been to but the one we’re discussing here is the one owned by the son of the one in ML. His location in Norwood is new because the old building burnt down a year or two ago. I go to Norwood proper (not Rookwood) rarely so it made for a nice little exploration. The chicken parm and pizza were excellent. The interior felt really warm and it was nice sitting at a table near the window were pedestrians and traffic buzzed by. While trying to figure out how to enter the parking lot behind the building we took a wrong turn and found ourselves in one of the most picturesque neighborhoods. Norwood is definitely cooler than most realize. I mean they have a scooter store so that should say something right away.

Mokka - Erin really wanted to check this quirky 5th St. (Newport) breakfast place out. It’s in a pink art deco building that looks like it used to have some connection to mob activity. The breakfast was good but the service was fairly lousy. One of the waitresses was loud and annoying the entire time—almost going from table to table to say obnoxious stupid things. Erin gave her a sour look when she said something gay to her. That was the end of her attempts with us.

Molly Malone’s - We went there around holiday time last month. It’s right around the corner from Keystone and is kinda similar—a pretty cool bar and grill. This is in a much larger building though and has action on all three or four floors. When we left I saw band playing on the top floor. Cool. Keystone is better but this is still a tasty option.

Habit’s Cafe - I’ve never been to a bar and grill that has an hour and 15 minute wait. I wanted to jump across the street to Oakley Pub and Grill but we waited it out. Drew, who was previously pretty ticked about the wait changed his mind when we got a free round of drinks. That’s what I’m talking about, taking care of the customer. The food was good and cheap, the setting was cool.

Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse - We played it classy this night. We valeted the car at Jeff Ruby’s flagship restaurant on Walnut St. in downtown Cincy. We were with some of Erin’s family for this one. The steak was pretty sensational. The thing fell apart as I cut it. Mmm. More Morlein and wine. The interior was designed by some person who did the interior of some famous Vegas casino. It looked like it too. I’m not saying that was bad. It was over the top in a good way. I really want to check out Pine Club more than usual now as I read an article where Ruby said he would’ve never gotten into the steak business if it wasn’t for the PC.

Nada - A upscale Mexican place? No, that’s not an oxymoron. The owner of Boca opened this cool restaurant/night spot near the renovated Fountain Square a month or so ago. We went on opening night just for drinks directly after Ruby’s. Erin and I went back later late one night for apps and drinks. I’d like to have dinner there sometime, it looks great.

Bang - I’ve been wanting to get in this cool nightclub for a while. I rarely go to these sort of places but this place seemed real NYC (not that I would know). The site will tell you more than I can. I just like that they have hand-made Rookwood tiling…

The Pavilion - This place is better in the summer but I think Mt. Adams in general is. It has four stories of decks with bars on each that look over the city and river. It’s a bar and grill, night club or music venue depending on the time of day you’re there (or what part). I’d like to go there more next summer, sit on the top deck and watch boats float down the river.

Skyline (Clifton) - Because there is a difference between the Clifton one and the others! If you’re here it means you’ve had a good night and want it to last another hour or so. This place still has character and isn’t like the plastic looking Skylines in the suburbs. We drove through Over-the-Rhine instead of taking the highway to get up to Clifton that night and someone got murdered down there. Yeah, we’re that tough.

Currito - Another Clifton (area) place. It’s similar to Chipotle but has a few more options which was nice. I want to check out a ton of places around UC. There’s so much character up around there.

Scotti’s Italian Restaurant - It’s more expensive than it should be but a lot of Italian place are. The experience and ambiance are out of this world. It was very Tony. The restroom was downstairs in what looked to be overflow seating. I almost would’ve rather eaten down there. I love basements. If you’re big on Italian check this place out, I’d love to know what you think of the setting.

Campanello’s - I hit up this little family Italian place one night by myself. I first went to the Carew Tower observation deck and looked around at the city. I then talked to a stupid girl in the lobby that thought it was one of the tallest buildings in the world. I informed her that indeed it was not and it would be lucky to be in the top 300 tallest. Whatever, then I walked over to Campanello’s to have a great dinner and some red wine. Tasty tasty.

The Stand - This place is cool to chill at after having dinner in Mt. Lookout or even just going there for the heck of it. The group is usually pretty mellow—no college kids ready and willing to fight. I love their retro dark red wallpaper. A quality place to spend an evening. Nice website too.

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