Category: WCPO

Team behind Huit and Lalo to open DOPE, a new eatery with a ’90s vibe

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

LouVino will serve seasonal faves, boozy brunch and quirky-but-nerdy wine flights

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

Lucius Q’s promise: Fill your belly with BBQ, your soul with great music and community

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

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we share 9 things you need to know about Hispanic cuisine

What would life be without foods like tacos, paella and empanadas? Thank goodness for the Hispanic cultures, we get to enjoy these foods and more. Special thanks to Joseph Garcia (Texas Joe The Legal Mexican, Tex-Mex Food Truck) , Alfio Gulisano (Che) , Derek Dos Anjos (The Anchor-otr) and Eduardo Rodriguez (My Artisano Foods) for your insight and what you bring to Cincinnati!

Jose Salazar (Mita’s Cincinnati, Salazar) had this to add to the question, “Is Hispanic food always spicy?” “I think some people associate Latin with Mexican. The great majority of Latin cooking is not based around chili peppers. Most of Latin America is made up of communities that are mountainous or areas where chili peppers don’t grow. Colombian, Venezuelan, Brazilian, Argentinian, Puerto Rican (any many other) cuisines, are all places not based around peppers.”

Click here for more: 9 Things You Need to Know about Hispanic Cuisine

Tahona Kitchen owner plans to take urban vibe to Mason with new restaurant and ‘very large’ bar

S.W. Clyborne Co. will serve fresh, seasonal and made-from-scratch food when it opens the first quarter of 2018. This is Scott Schmidt’s second restaurant in Greater Cincinnati, after Tahona Kitchen + Bar in Blue Ash. Schmidt is a 30-year veteran in the hospitality industry and has opened roughly 60 bars and restaurants in his career (mostly for other restaurant groups).

I have a feeling the restaurant will transform the vibe of this busy corner at Snider and Tylersville roads in Mason.

Click here for more: Restaurant with an urban vibe coming to Mason

With the arrival of Andy Huang, Cincinnati’s sister-city chef exchange finally comes to fruition

Cincinnati’s first chefs exchange with sister city, Liuzhou, China, has now come full circle. It’s taken more than 10 years to get here but this marks the beginning of what could be a prolific exchange of chefs and culinary expertise between the 2 cities. We may well see more regional cuisine from Liuzhou in the years to come. Kudos to Susanna Wong and Doug Burgess of Oriental Wok Restaurant for kicking things off a couple of years ago. Welcome to Cincinnati, Chef Andy Huang!

Click here for more: Cincinnati-Liuzhou Chefs Exchange