Best Restaurants

1. Orchids at Palm Court

Donna Covrett — Thu, 26 May 2011 18:01:00 GMT

It is a Saturday night, and even above the rhythms of the live jazz trio at Orchids I can hear the OMGs. At the table directly across from us, it’s in wide-eyed response to two plates that have just been ceremoniously delivered by vested servers. From a couple seated behind us, the benediction is proclaimed in concert. At our table, one of my companions is two bites into Chef Todd Kelly’s signature Maine lobster salad appetizer: a molded disc of chilled lobster, warm poached egg, a halo of fried tempura batter, and caviar cream. She whispers: “Oh. My. God.” In the cathedral-like opulence of the French Art Deco dining room, an organ postlude would punctuate the moment nicely.

You, too, should prepare to be wowed—by the melodic interplay of texture; by the luxuriance of prime seasonal ingredients; by the clarity of flavors. These dishes are nearly faultless: The pitch perfect warm blue cheese beignets with bitter greens, batons of sweet-crisp Asian pears, snappy almond tuile, and a stripe of spiced honey gastrique. The stylish mâche salad dressed in port wine yuzu vinaigrette crowning a fig and brie tart. The narcotic pleasure of veal sweetbreads with braised cardoons or roasted duck breast with foie gras flan. It is a testament to Kelly’s ingenuity that after five years at the helm of the most majestic dining room in this city (you would be hard pressed to find its equal in any city) and numerous accolades and awards, he continues to explore the edge while dialing down the over-dramatic. There are, to be sure, pedigree ingredients and treatments that might have you reaching for the smart phone to consult the oracle for their meaning, but the results are as sincere as they are seductive. Example: on paper the seared “dry” scallops (wild scallops untreated with phosphates) with sugar pumpkin, glazed pork belly, baby carrots, quail eggs, and mirin sounds almost restless, but in Kelly’s intuitive hands, the ingredients unite harmoniously while still maintaining their distinct qualities.

The incandescent food and gilded grandeur of the 80-year-old historic landmark would fall flat without great service. The largely male waitstaff is stealthy, acutely sensitive, and exceptionally knowledgeable, providing a luxurious experience without affectation. OMG, indeed.

35 W. Fifth St., downtown
(513) 421-9100
Rank Last Year: 1

Photograph by Ryan Kurtz
Originally published in the March 2011 issue.

2. Boca

Donna Covrett — Thu, 26 May 2011 18:05:00 GMT

Since stepping fearlessly into the fine dining arena nearly 10 years ago, Boca has maintained a relentless dance floor throwdown of food, service, and ambiance. Directed with bracing energy and unbridled ambition by Chef/Owner David Falk and Executive Chef Jono Fries (who oversee the kitchen run by Chef de Cuisine Chase Blowers), diners are seduced by bewitching truffle-laced pastas or chubby pork shanks braised into submission; by the hip-forward strut of artisan ham tastings (including the current darling of pigs, the palate massaging Mangalitsa), or by the modest-but-never-humble preparations of branzino (a.k.a. loup de mer or European sea bass, paired with braised mussels and baby bok choy when we last had it).

From the street outside, Boca appears to be just another modish neighborhood restaurant. Stylistically speaking, it is. Intimate and inviting, the minimally adorned walls, posh textiles, and flickering votives are both unpretentious and a backdrop for drama, a performance the expertly trained Boca staff can be counted on to deliver nightly. Their Achilles’ heel? The presentation. Some of the dishes just don’t draw diners’ eyes.

Still, the law of attraction applies overall. You think you’re just ducking in to grab a couple of salads and cocktails, but what you get is a synergistic, customized happening. Because here, even a salad and a glass of wine can become a celebration. How often do you get the chance to extol the pleasure of a warm poached egg roosting on slender haricots verts, smoky bacon, and greens tossed in a mustard vinaigrette, or a lusty salad of Belgian endive, comté cheese, and caramelized onion tart? At Boca, it—and anything else—can happen nearly every night.

3200 Madison Rd., Oakley
(513) 542-2022
Rank last year: 2

Photograph by Ryan Kurtz
Originally published in the March 2011 issue.

3. Nicola's Ristorante

Donna Covrett — Thu, 26 May 2011 18:09:00 GMT

I’ve tried to replicate the moody sensuality of Nicola’s carnaroli risotto—a spellbinding dream of short-grained Italian rice, grilled lobster, and cauliflower ringed by a moat of cacciucco sauce (seafood, tomatoes, and red wine). So far I’ve been met with little more than a confirmation that great chefs have a gene that I’m missing. Chef de Cuisine Joel Molloy’s risotto—whether it’s this or one of the many variations (the velvety mushroom trilogy is another favorite)—is but one of the reasons the house is constantly rocking. Pristine greens are another. An underrated companion to the elite handmade pastas and excellent second course plates of meat and fish, they come dressed in a gauzy citronette with prosciutto and Parmigiano-Reggiano; paired with grilled fennel, pancetta, and a poached egg; or beside a round of Boucheron goat cheese and apple vinaigrette. With its exposed brick and white tablecloths, the vaulted two-story dining room lit for intimacy and cocktail dresses is a place to share a luscious Barolo and food marked by effusive aromas and dazzling melodic sensibilities. Perhaps a cannellini stew with baby octopus and Italian sausage to start, a flawless pan-seared duck breast or monk fish second, and most definitely the lemon panna cotta or strawberries submerged in Prosecco zabaione to finish. Or both. Definitely both.

1420 Sycamore St., Over-the-Rhine
(513) 721-6200
Rank Last Year: 4

Photograph by Ryan Kurtz
Originally published in the March 2011 issue.

4. The Palace Restaurant

Donna Covrett — Thu, 26 May 2011 18:13:00 GMT

To describe the food that emerges from Chef Jose Salazar’s kitchen as simple is not to suggest that it is insubstantial. Far from it. One spoonful of his roasted chicken consommé—a deconstructed version of chicken and dumplings in which a clear, golden broth is poured over a miniature potato dumpling centered in a wide bowl—is a soul ballad that packs the flavor of the entire chicken. Discovering inherently modest, straightforward dishes prepared with this much care and unwavering attention to detail is all too rare. Salazar transforms the best ingredients into focused, clean, and exacting dishes with uniform cuts produced by enviable knife skills and flavor that is at times candid, at times subtle, and often unexpected. It may be black cocoa nibs freckling a white Vidalia onion soubise under a filet of orange dusted halibut; the combination of candied peanuts with bottarga and edamame supporting lightly cured tuna; or figs and glazed parsnips as companions to horseradish crusted salmon.

Where Salazar delivers explosive flavors rooted in tradition, Pastry Chef Summer Genetti’s Never-Never Land desserts owe as much to a sprinkling of pixie dust as to her considerable skills and adventurous spirit. Buoyantly paraded through the serenely stylish dining room by the deft waitstaff, Genetti’s imaginative chocolate s’more (flourless chocolate cake, toasted handmade marshmallows, and graham cracker ice cream), sweet corn crème brûlée (paired with two maple bacon corn madeleines), and chocolate zucchini cake (with peppered chocolate sauce and cream cheese ice cream) are as mischievous as they are sensual.

601 Vine St., downtown
(513) 381-3000
Rank Last Year: 5

Photograph by Ryan Kurtz
Originally published in the March 2011 issue.

5. Bouquet Restaurant and Wine Bar

Donna Covrett — Thu, 26 May 2011 18:16:00 GMT

Truth be told, Bouquet surprised us all. When I first reviewed it in April 2010, I found the lo-fi vibe of this 42-seat bistro charming, the good heartland cuisine from Chef/Owner Stephen Williams promising, but the service inconsistent. By the time we returned in the fall, things had clearly changed.

We were met by the quietly confident and knowledgeable Nicole Mersmann, a one-woman legion of service who warmly greeted every customer at the door, sold the menu as if she had created it herself, and navigated Bouquet’s wine portfolio with the acumen of a certified sommelier (when asked, she humbly downgrades her wine proficiency to “a love”)—all while dispensing expert table service with Zen master poise. The relative modesty works in tandem with the rustic elegance of the room (windows framed in bronze silk, exposed brick, warm woods) and the low-frills presentation of the 30-year-old chef’s seasonal dishes, which on one night may be a rabbit ragout nesting on a drift of wilted mustard greens and parsnip puree, gilded with pickled cherries and crisp bacon; or on another, bison tri-tip with red wine braised onions and mushrooms, and a crown of pineapple chutney. Williams has designed a compelling and affordable wine list, nabbing a 2010 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence. It works as a mission statement with his small plates—farmhouse cheeses suited up with house-made conserves, parmesan crusted scallops, and artisanal pizzas—or to prime the pump for one of his intoxicating desserts, like the warm brownie with fennel ice cream. We raise our glass to changes like these.

519 Main St., Covington
(859) 491-7777
First year on the list

Photograph by Ryan Kurtz
Originally published in the March 2011 issue.

6. Cumin

Donna Covrett — Thu, 26 May 2011 18:19:00 GMT

Chef Owen Maass creates cover-girl food. His sous vide venison was the prettiest dish placed before me all year, his pecan raisin bread salad the second. Picture this: A white rectangular plate with a rich mahogany stripe of juniper-infused venison reduction. At either end are two blackened poblano peppers onto which are stacked thin juliennes of pale celery root, tiny half rounds of roasted yellow and red baby beets, and plump slices of venison deeply purpled from a current-cumin glaze. In the center are batons of magenta prickly pear. Tiny emerald micro greens are scattered across it all. It’s simply stunning.

Like all great chefs, Maass’s use of color, texture, and flavor make for dazzling, energetic dishes that reappear in your dreams. Recently I received an e-mail at 2 a.m., the sender flushed from dinner at Cumin. Devoid of any analytical reflection, his e-mail listed dishes with dozens of exclamation points. “Root Beer Float!!!!! Root Beer Float!!!!!” he shouted through the digisphere. I couldn’t agree more. Maass’s root beer float is the ’70s muscle car of root beer floats: house made root beer syrup with Madisono’s root beer sorbet and sassafras gelato (made expressly for Cumin). Maass is clearly having a blast, and why shouldn’t he? His plates enhance one of the coolest dining rooms in the city, are delivered by a competent (if at times mercurial) staff, and orchestrated by one very polished and charming maître d’ in Alex Mchaikhi. Cumin is ready for its close-up.

3520 Erie Ave., Hyde Park
(513) 871-8714
Rank Last Year: 7

Photograph by Ryan Kurtz
Originally published in the March 2011 issue.

7. Via Vite

Donna Covrett — Thu, 26 May 2011 18:21:00 GMT

As local chefs go, Cristian Pietoso is one of my superheroes. When he arrived in 2004 from Florence, Italy, the conversation changed. After marching Nicola’s Ristorante into the dining Promised Land, he and father Nick turned their attention to building Via Vite into an urban community crossroads with an approachable menu of truly remarkable Italian recipes, both rustic and voluptuous.

Each dish succeeds largely due to Pietoso’s commitment to quality ingredients and his ability to make them sing. Seasonal produce accompanies large plate preparations of fish and meats; during our fall and winter visits, butternut squash, parsnips, mushrooms, and Brussels sprouts came creamed, pureed, sautéed, and caramelized. The overnight braised lamb shank rising from a bed of creamy polenta is a must during the chilly comfort food season (though I can rarely pass up a small side bowl of the polenta dosed with the lamb jus in any season). And Pietoso’s cioppino—a sexy fish stew—produces the sort of euphoria I misspent my youth chasing. (If only I had known.)

Via Vite’s interior captures the essence of the city with soaring windows in the main room and an outdoor terrace overlooking Fountain Square, a great place to gather for lusty red wines and thin-crusted pizzas during happy hour. The only stumbling block here is consistency in service. Busy event nights tend to bog down the kitchen or trip up even the best of their service staff. But as a rule, tutto bene.

520 Vine St., downtown
(513) 721-8483
Not ranked since 2009

Photograph by Ryan Kurtz
Originally published in the March 2011 issue.

8. Nectar

Donna Covrett — Thu, 26 May 2011 18:24:00 GMT

You may be fed up to your heirloom tomatoes with the constant chatter about restaurants practicing locavorism and sustainability. But Nectar’s entire identity hinges on the idea that it’s possible to nourish both the diner and the environment. Hormone-free meats and fish and chemical-free produce weave through Chef/Owner Julie Francis’s minimalist but imaginative menu, which lists local farms and growers. In some establishments this comes off as pretentious, but when you consider the unspangled simplicity of the room and the quiet, earthy dishes, it’s evident this is a fiercely personal choice.

Of the 15 or so plates offered each night, you may find raw milk cheeses from Kenny’s served with local honey, house-made fig chutney, and spiced almonds for dessert; or a starter that combines Sheltowee Farm’s mushrooms with triple cream mascarpone and basil pesto as a companion to plump herb gnocchi. Duck and chicken, goat and beef from nearby small-herd farmers are paired with seasonal vegetables—cauliflower, Asian pear, and fennel slaw with the roasted duck breast; a chipotle-tinged sweet potato mash under an assertive achiote-rubbed chicken. Francis’s popular monthly dinner club series, a fixed price menu of five courses planned around one ingredient (Meyer lemons from Madison’s, Blue Oven breads, and Chocolats Latour have all been recent headliners) extends and enhances the local theme. It is as much a celebration of good, simple food as a manifesto.

1000 Delta Ave., Mt. Lookout
(513) 929-0525
Rank Last Year: 6

Photograph by Ryan Kurtz
Originally published in the March 2011 issue.

9. Daveed's at 934

Donna Covrett — Thu, 26 May 2011 19:20:00 GMT

James Brown is feelin’ good on the soundtrack that is funking up Chef David Cook’s dining room. And so am I. In fact, I feel better than James Brown after swiping the last remaining evidence from the bowl of fabulous roasted mushroom soup that was delivered as the Godfather declared “So nice! So nice!” The soup’s solid bass line of rich musky earth supports the twangy top notes of crème fraîche and truffle. The seared scallops are another wonder, atop porcelain-crisp bacon, cauliflower, and bok choy; and the beef tenderloin tartare—bounded by caramelized cippolini onions on one side and a delicate stack of toast points on the other—is phenomenal.

Not so long ago Cook was the local king of the culinary vanguard, a restless imagination who had the time and energy to play the edge. But then three things happened: the economy demanded more focused menus and leaner staff, chic farmhouse fare came into vogue, and

most of all, David and Daveed’s matured. Now papa’s got a (somewhat) brand new bag—a menu that usually totals 16 dishes and has been leaning more in the direction of sophisticated Sunday suppers (a pan-seared chicken thigh resting on crushed potatoes and haricots verts; an extraordinary roasted duck breast sliced and fanned over garganelli and wild mushrooms) than the House that Cook’s Euro-funk Built (arugula with truffled peach puree and Parmigiano Reggiano). It’s food as good as it gets when the cook is not feeling capricious or the server moody (and we’ve encountered both on our visits). For now, Daveed’s seems comfortable with this new groove, and we’re content to shout and shimmy along.

934 Hatch St., Mt. Adams
(513) 721-2665
Rank last year: 3

Photograph by Ryan Kurtz
Originally published in the March 2011 issue.

10. Honey

Donna Covrett — Thu, 26 May 2011 18:30:00 GMT

Shoshannah Hafner is shy. The 43-year-old chef and co-owner of Honey (with her husband Doug) speaks softly, thoughtfully, and rarely makes direct eye contact with anyone when she emerges nightly from the kitchen to have a seat at the bar. She’s also tiny and pretty in a Lisa Loeb way, without any of the weight characteristic of a chef. The only reason any of this matters is that it’s a contrast to the food she’s become known for since opening Honey five years ago: zaftig portions in bold, nearly raucous dishes of homespun beauty at bargain basement prices. Immense bricks of Creole meatloaf draped in tasso ham gravy. Burgers topped with bacon, guacamole, tomato, and red onion that beg to be halved. Vegetarian fare—there’s almost always a tofu dish or crisped polenta cakes with seasonal accoutrements on offer—and towering, pie-eyed desserts. The menu carries a dozen or more dishes that are better than your bubby’s on most days, and are at the very least intriguing on the occasions that they falter (a sauce that’s too pasty, a custard too grainy).

Like the food, the room is lively (which can translate to stridently loud when

it’s full of babbling diners) and unpretentious but improbably cool: a 46-seat bistro-ish scene framed in horticultural prints, pouring craft beers and champagne cocktails at the bar, and driven by the likes of Keane and Etta James on the iPod playlist. Service varies; it can be at times quirky and is often slow, unless you happen to be under the care of Ben Smith, a three-year veteran who works every role—host, server, wine steward, bartender—simultaneously, and it would seem, effortlessly.

4034 Hamilton Ave., Northside
(513) 541-4300
Not Ranked Since 2007

Photograph by Ryan Kurtz
Originally published in the March 2011 issue.