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Fine Diving: Apple Tree Café

J. Kevin Wolfe — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Yeah, at the Apple Tree Café they have deli sandwiches: the BLT or double decker egg salad and ham, salads like Caesar or spinach, soups like ham and bean or chicken and dumplings that make you go running into the kitchen shouting “Grandma? Oh. What a nice beard you have.” But people are here for what comes off the griddle. Like the goetta, eggs, and potatoes or the classic French toast. Or the grilled sandwiches like the Italian or the tuna melt. Or the sirloin steak or sausage and sauerkraut. OK, but what about cholesterol? you may ask. Oh, that myth. The attitude here is that cardiologists really shouldn’t write cookbooks. The Apple Tree is well hidden. From the aging-strip-mall exterior you’d never know that this little place with knotty pine booths and knickknack-laden walls is even here. But inside the griddle is sizzling and someone is always asking if they can freshen up your coffee. So what is it that attracts the crowd of regulars? Maybe it’s that they cook just about everything from scratch. From the soups to the pies, it’s all lovingly made in the kitchen. Or maybe it’s that they serve breakfast anytime. The further we get away from eating a real honest-to-gawd breakfast in the morning, the more likely we are to crave pancakes and an omelette for dinner. Or maybe the anti-barista crowd just likes a cup of coffee hot from the pot and not from a gazillion-dollar machine. Whatever the reason, there’s usually a table open for you at this place.

Apple Tree Café, 3920 E. Galbraith Rd., Dillonvale, (513) 984-2233

Photograph by Stacy Newgent
Originally published in the March 2013 issue.

At the Table: Chief Chef

Holly Coletta — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:00:00 GMT

As food service manager for Western & Southern Financial Group, Scott Buchanan makes more than 2,000 meals a day in the corporate cafeteria.

What are some staples on the menu? We always have chilis, soups, and salads. We have “healthy choice” entrées, like grilled chicken and baked fish, and a second entrée like cheese coneys or barbeque ribs. The “power food” line has whole grains and high-protein foods.

How often do you add new items? The menu changes every day, but new items are added monthly. Associates can request an item and we’ll research it. Most items we cook, we’re going to make at least 500 servings, so we have to look at a recipe and make sure we can do that.

What sort of trends have you noticed? More spicy foods, grilled foods, and baked things versus fried foods. Things like roast pork, grilled chicken—common things, but they’re made from scratch so people enjoy them.

What’s the best-seller? Our Cajun rice soup. It starts with a chicken stock, then rice, okra, five kinds of peppers, onions, Cajun seasoning, and hot sauce. Lots of heat, but it’s really tasty. On days we serve it, we go through 45–50 gallons.

What’s the best part about the job? You see the same people day after day, so you get to build relationships with them. If someone likes a particular food, we can point them to try something new.

Illustration by Joel Kimmel
Originally published in the March 2013 issue.

Weeknight: Troy’s Café

Justin Williams — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Troy’s Café is not what it seems. Located at the end of a plain West Chester strip mall populated with beauty salons and florists, its earth-toned walls—accented by colorful canvases and decorative wine bottles—exude a sophisticated ambiance. But after sitting down and perusing the menu, we had to place our order at the front counter, fast-food style. And the help-yourself ethos didn’t end there. Drinks are either self-served at the soda fountain, purchased by the glass or bottle from a massive wine list, or selected from an eclectic stock of bottled beer in the mini Gatorade fridge flanking the register. It’s a bit strange, even for a small, family-owned establishment, and it tempered our expectations of the food. Fortunately, our fears were mostly unfounded. Our bowl of apple beer-cheese soup du jour ($4.50) was a fitting remedy for the frosty temperature outside, creamy and comforting with chunky croutons stirred throughout. The smoked mozzarella pasta ($9.45) has a similar effect, packed with herbs, bow tie noodles, and grilled chicken, all draped in a cheesy cream sauce. An eight-ounce grilled pork chop ($12.95) was the evening’s standout dish. Tender and juicy, topped with a crisp and tangy Washington apple relish, it’s the perfect companion for sides of sweet potato mash and green beans. It also made amends for the disappointing namesake burger ($7.95), which was regrettably bland. Café atmosphere mixed with do-it-yourself charm is worth the walk to the counter if you’re satisfied in your seat. And we were. You’ll just have to get over getting your own refills.

Troy’s Café, 4877 Smith Rd., West Chester, (513) 860-3206

Photograph by Stacy Newgent
Originally published in the March 2013 issue.

At the Table: Katrina Mincy

Rachael Harris — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 14:46:00 GMT

Katrina Mincy has built her reputation on cobbler over the last 20 years. Now she has two restaurants on West Fourth Street—The Cobbleria and What’s in the Skillet? We asked her about her nickname, her cobbler recipe, and her future plans.

How did you get the name Aunt Flora? My aunt was one of the women who played Aunt Jemima from the pancake box. People would say, “Where’s Aunt Flora?” I just adopted the name. It’s a marketing tool that connects me with what I do.

Is the cobbler recipe your own? It combines my aunt’s and father’s recipes—my father was a chef in the service.

What’s the most popular flavor? People love peach. I’ve had people come to [my old stand at Findlay Market] and say, “Shh! My mom is right down at the next booth, don’t tell her that your cobbler is better than hers!”

Would you want to branch out from restaurants? I have a couple cookbooks in the works. I want to sell a make-your-own package of my pie. And I have this awesome spice that you can put in anything and it just works, so I’d like to put that on the shelves.

What’s next for you? I’d like to go to an island and have a bed and breakfast, cooking for people who come in. Just a kitchen where we will talk and cook and eat. That’s what I would love.

The Cobbleria and What’s in the Skillet?
211 & 213 W. Fourth St., (513) 421-3287, facebook.com/AuntFloras/

Originally published in the February 2013 issue.
Illustration by Joel Kimmel

On Tap: Beer Dinners

Tess Eger — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 14:45:00 GMT

Matching brews with every course from salad to dessert is not a new concept. In fact, restaurants as varied as Virgils Café, Nicholson’s, and Teller’s of Hyde Park frequently host beer dinners. But the trend appears to be spreading. Dinners at DeSha’s have featured specific breweries, including Southern Tier Brewing Co., with their signature Pumking ale capping the evening alongside Brown Cow Creamery’s rum butter walnut ice cream. For Otto’s Great American Beer Dinner, head cook Paul Weckman and Quaff Bros. co-creator Danny Gold paired Quaff Bros. Brown Chicken Brown Cow—brown ale aged in Four Roses Bourbon barrels—with Kentucky bourbon marinated short ribs. To find your own event, keep an eye on the Hoperatives website, where Carla Gesell-Streeter and Tom Streeter keep a calendar. “We love beer dinners,” Carla says. “We just don’t want to see them get priced out of reach, and they need to keep the focus on the beer.” Sound advice for a tasty concept: Perfectly crafted brews paired with the perfectly crafted meal.

FYI: DeSha’s, deshas.com; Otto’s, ottosonmain.com; Hoperatives, hoperatives.com

Originally published in the February 2013 issue.

Weeknight: Tacocracy

Amy Brownlee — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 14:44:00 GMT

If classic L.A. food truck-style authenticity is your benchmark of taco quality, then Tacocracy may not be the place for you. But it is the place for you if you’re open to black pepper bacon, pineapple salsa, chili-roasted chorizo, and a million other clever variations on the trusty foodstuff-cradled-in-a-tortilla formula. With its oversized lamps and mismatched chairs, Tacocracy’s hodgepodge interior mimics its menu, and looks a bit like a thrift store (which is fitting—there’s a thrift store around back). The shop fronts the Northside International Airport, a confusingly-named urban micro-mall with stalls selling everything from handmade soap to used guitars. Tacocracy joins a growing cadre of taquerias at various points on the hipster spectrum, all of which seem determined to make Cincinnati A Place To Eat Tacos. And eat them we shall: savory adobo-curry chicken topped with fresh mango-mint chutney, tangy Korean beef stewed with sesame and ginger, aromatic wild mushrooms glazed with black truffle and balsamic vinegar—all trimmed with a small world of international fixings like roasted baby corn and black-eyed pea salsa, sriracha crema, and “pear de gallo” salsa. The house-made crunchy corn tortilla is unavoidably sloppy, but the duck—slow-cooked with apricots and juniper berries—is so tasty that you’ll track down a fork to finish it. Creativity will only take you so far in today’s brave new world of cosmopolitan tacos. The most important part about Tacocracy’s plucky, all-or-nothing approach to ingredients is that they totally pull it off.

Tacocracy, 4029 Hamilton Ave., Northside, (513) 541-8226, facebook.com/tacocracy. Prices: $1–$6.75. Lunch and dinner
Tues–Sun.

Originally published in the February 2013 issue
Photograph by Stacy Newgent

Fine Diving: Al-Amir Café

J. Kevin Wolfe — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 14:44:00 GMT

I wonder if Odysseus would have stayed strapped to that mast if his ship had passed the smells of the Al-Amir Café instead of a bunch of women singing on some rocks. When the door of the Al-Amir Café is open—and that seems to be most of the year—through all the bus exhaust and stale sidewalk odors, the heavenly aromas tempt every nose. Despite the unassuming facade with its hand-painted sign, the smells of this Middle Eastern hole in the wall seem impossible to pass. Who needs advertising when you’ve got this? The gyro is a hot item here, but I’d advise you to forgo that and try something a little more exotic, like the chicken shawarma platter, the falafel wrap, or the grilled fish sandwich. If you’re looking for something boring, like a double cheeseburger or mozzarella sticks, you’ll find those, but why not be adventurous and go for the baba ghanoush (grilled eggplant dip), the kafta platter (spiced ground beef), or the spanakopita (spinach pie.) You really wouldn’t expect a dive like the Al-Amir to be right next to the Westin. It should be in Cincinnati’s “Little Jordan” district. Then you remember: Oh yeah, Cincinnati doesn’t have a Little Italy, much less a more exotic ethnic neighborhood. Still, the inside feels perfunctory and foreign, much like the little Greek places you’d run into on the back streets of Athens. People tend to stand out front engrossed in the menu in the window. At first you think they’re struggling with those seductive sounding names. Then you realize: they just want to get their daily whiff of the Al-Amir.

Al-Amir Café, 410 Vine St., downtown, (513) 621-9299. Prices: $5–$8. Lunch and dinner seven days.

Originally published in the February 2013 issue.
Photograph by Stacy Newgent

Lunchbox: Whack Burger

Evan Wallis — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 14:44:00 GMT

A lot of places have burgers on the menu, but few places have only burgers on the menu. Such is Whack Burger. The comic book–themed Covington joint opened in June and serves up burgers that would still appear large when grasped by Andre the Giant’s fist. Flavors abound in the 14 burger “styles,” to wit: Curry Chutney (onion chutney, curry seasoning, and shredded lettuce); Brie & Apple (grilled red apples, melted brie, and ketchup); and Mediterranean (garlic hummus, black olives, feta cheese, and sprouts). For the timid, there are a few less wacky options, such as the Classic (bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion) or the namesake Whack Burger (bacon, jalapeño, onion, lettuce, cheese, and a secret sauce). Once you choose your style, choose from beef, turkey, or black bean patties. The carnivorous options are processed and packed by Heringer Meats, right around the corner; the black bean patty, which is more like a black bean mash, is cooked in-house with spices and veggies. You can even get the whole thing chopped up on a salad. While our favorite was the beef patty, all on-the-bun choices have two things in common: they are quite tasty, and terribly messy. The sheer size of the burgers makes them hard to handle—the toppings will spill back onto your plate, but you’ll still scoop them up. All you need is a pile of napkins, a monstrous appetite, and the fortitude to keep eating when you really should stop. At the end of our meal, none of our plates were cleared, none of our faces were clean, but all appetites were sated. Pro tip: Eat at the bar in front of the mirror so you can watch yourself consume a gigantic, one-of-a-kind burger and revel in your messy face. Then wipe it off and go back to work.

Whack Burger, 715 Madison Ave., Covington, (859) 360-3361

Originally published in the February 2013 issue.
Photograph by Stacy Newgent

Weeknight: Burnell's

Bryn Mooth — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Walk around a big food-obsessed city, and if you’re lucky, you’ll stumble upon a neighborhood spot that only the locals know, with just a few seats and a chef cooking up flavorful, unfussy food. In Cincinnati, Burnell’s is that place. Chef Nathan Jolley opened in the shoebox of a space (named after his grandfather) after Mayberry decamped for Over-the-Rhine in March 2012, and he crafts seasonally inspired small plates for dinner Thursday through Saturday nights.

The Vine Street space has the feel of a starter restaurant, with about 20 seats and casual decor. But Burnell’s is hardly an amateur operation. Jolley’s weekly menu reflects his sure hand with simple ingredients: fat triangles of buttery toasted challah alongside a ramekin of oven-roasted wild mushrooms; matchsticks of fork-tender winter squash in a salad dressed with a bright vinaigrette accompanying the pork special. This is the kind of food you’d make at home—if you were a talented chef with passion and experience. (Jolley’s résumé includes Teller’s, The Precinct, Murphin Ridge Inn, and Iron Horse.)

Our server described the menu as “a bit confusing” before she clarified that the list of shared plates ($12) and small plates ($16) runs from lighter and more shareable to heavier and more entrée-ish. Choose three shared plates for $33, and then sample a small plate and a side of the chef’s creamy grits. (Don’t skip the hot-from-the-oven cookies du jour, Burnell’s only dessert.) Bring your own beer or wine, and two can share a five-course weeknight dinner for under 60 bucks. Let the out-of-towners know about downtown’s white-tablecloth restaurants. We’ll keep Burnell’s our little secret.

Burnell’s, 915 Vine St., (513) 345-7163. Prices: $12–$16. Lunch Mon–Fri, dinner Thurs–Sat.

Ed. Note: Burnell's is now closed.

Originally published in the January 2013 issue.
Photograph by Stacy Newgent

Fine Diving: Loving Hut Vegan Café

J. Kevin Wolfe — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 12:00:00 GMT

The first thing you notice about Loving Hut is how normal vegans have become. No nose rings. No forehead tattoos that say “Meat is murder.” The loyal clientele of the Loving Hut looks just like everybody’s neighbors. Veganism has become so mainstream that even you won’t feel out of place here. And the menu is mainstream too. Much of the food mimics meat. You’ll find burgers, drumsticks, Sloppy Joes, chili, tacos, and even a “chick’n” sandwich. As opposed to serving really weird stuff, Loving Hut creates some tasty alternate versions of what you’d get in a typical diner. The Sunny Burger is the most popular of the four burger recipes they serve. Can you tell it’s not real meat? Of course. That’s not the point. When you sink your teeth into something this tasty and this healthy, you feel like you’re cheating the devil. The spring rolls are so popular people buy them by the dozen for parties, and the strawberries-and-cream smoothie will leave you wondering how they got perfection without a hint of dairy. Some of the regular customers are here because of dietary restrictions. All foods are low fat with no MSG, and they have an extensive raw menu as well. The staff can also accommodate those with gluten, soy, or nut allergies. What will surprise you is that this little place is part of a chain of hundreds of Loving Huts worldwide. Each has menu autonomy, which is why everything here seems so normal to Cincinnatians. Other than the vegan propaganda posters, Loving Hut is like just another restaurant where you’d see your neighbors. And heck, you probably will.

» Loving Hut Vegan Café, 6227 Montgomery Rd., Pleasant Ridge, (513) 731-2233. Prices: $4–$11. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sat.

Originally published in the January 2013 issue.
Photograph by Stacy Newgent