Author: graceyek

Just when you thought the dining scene couldn’t get any hotter, a host of exciting new restaurants are poised to open in Greater Cincinnati this year. Most of them are by chefs and restaurateurs we already know and love — some expanding their stakes while others striking out on their own for the first time. There are a couple of brand new entries, including a Louisville-based restaurant looking to join the Cincinnati community. If you like to eat out, 2018 is going to be another very good year.

Click here for more: 9 Exciting Restaurants Coming in 2018

In the blink of an eye, 2017 is almost on its way out. There are plenty of dining options if you’re looking to ring the dinner bell before ringing in the New Year. Many of the restaurants offer hard-to-resist prix fixe menus, while others make the a la carte option available. Call or go online to make reservations as soon as possible as this is an extremely busy time for restaurants. Here are nine restaurants to help you end the year on a top (and delicious) note:

Click here for more: 9 New Year’s Eve Dining Spots

There were so many great restaurants that opened this year, it was frankly, hard to narrow it down to just nine. Let me just say before going any further, there are many other wonderful restaurants outside of this list.

The restaurants featured here have a few things in common; for one thing, they are built on the foundation of experienced chefs and restaurateurs. For example, Brad Bernstein, chef and owner of Postmark, is a 3rd generation restaurateur.

The restaurants also echo a few national trends. I’ll give you 3 examples:

1. Demand for clean and locally sourced food: We continue to see a deepening relationship between chef and farmer.
2. Desire to simplify and go back to the basics: Chefs are simplifying classics including comfort food – giving them a fresh interpretation.
3. The return to – I’m happy to say – the craft of cooking: This translates to more restaurants making food from scratch, ranging from pasta to pickles.

Click here for more: 9 Great Restaurants.

 

Why wait for a table when you can simply call or order online on your smart phone, and have your steak dinner delivered to your door? Two budding entrepreneurs, Sammy Caraballo and Logan Gundolf, see this growing consumer need and started Steak It Eazy to do just that — serve the home connoisseur restaurant-quality food. Their concept aligns with an emerging national trend of “restaurants” with no dine-in option. For the operator, there’s less overhead and more focus on food quality. The customers, in turn, get more affordable good food. Win-win.

Click here for more: Steak It Eazy

 

Taking a break from cooking this Thanksgiving but haven’t yet made dinner reservations? Many restaurants are closed for the holiday and the ones that are open tend to fill up quickly. Staples like Orchids at Palm Court, Parkers Blue Ash Tavern and The National Exemplar have long sold out, but there are still some good options available. You would want to move fast though — call the restaurants sooner rather than later.

Click here for more: Thanksgiving dining 2017

Chako Bakery Cafe is the kind of sunny, charming place that just draws you in. Along with Chako‘s warmth and irresistible baked goods, you may find it hard to leave! More than anything, I love how this former nurse from Japan can reinvent her life and career in Covington in just a couple of years. The Center for Great Neighborhoods of Covington‘s Chef Fellowship Program has been instrumental in helping Chako transition successfully from a home-based chef. The rest is sheer hard work. Chako tells me she starts work at 4 am and doesn’t finish until 11 pm.

Click here for more: Chako Bakery Cafe

If you were wondering what’s cooking at the original Huit on Court Street, well, wonder no more. This cozy eatery transforms into DOPE! Dumpling and Noodle Shop today. This time, the Huit business partners (Tobias Harris, Trang Vo and Ed Reyes) have teamed up with Kam Siu, one of the owners of food distribution company, Panda Trading Company LLC — thus, vertically integrating their operation. That, together with the creativity and deliciousness Huit is known for, sound like a winning recipe. Congratulations, Toby, Kam, Trang and Ed!

Click here for more: DOPE! Noodle and Dumpling Shop

Coming in Spring 2018 – LouVino: Cincinnati OTR will dish up small plates with a southern twist, a wine list of more than 60 wines along with a complement of witty wine flights. Oh by the way, when they roll out their “boozy brunch,” mimosas can be had for $2. Congratulations to husband-and-wife team, Chad and Lauren Coulter on their expansion to Cincinnati! (Fun fact: Chad is a pharmacist-turned-restaurateur. He has a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from his first career.)

Click here for more: LouVino

When you gather three men with a love of community, you get BBQ and music. Thus begins the story of Lucius Q, a new BBQ joint in Pendleton downtown. Congratulations, Aaron Sharpe, Shane Spears and Jeff Keate on your new venture. The restaurant is projected to open in December. (Calling WNKU fans: Aaron is in charge of the music and there is a chance he might reprise his former role as DJ at this new spot.)

Click here for more: Lucius Q