Foodie News You Can Use

Two local restaurants in the running for USA Today contest, King Pigeon shutting down cocktail program, “social darts” bar opens downtown today, and more.

Vote for Local Restaurants in USA Today Contest
Two local restaurants are in the running for USA Today 10Best’s “best new restaurants” Readers’ Choice award. The newspaper asked a panel of food and travel experts to nominate their 20 favorite new restaurants from the last year and a half, which included Carmelo’s in Covington and Over-the-Rhine standout Wildweed. The writers noted that Wildweed “has diners praising the inventive and creative cuisine focused on foraged, seasonal ingredients” and referred to Carmelo’s as “an intimate and stylish dining venue focused on Italian American comfort cuisine.” Voting ends at noon on Monday, December 22, and the winners will be announced on Friday, January 2.

Eighth Wawa Location Opens Today
Wawa’s tri-state roll out continues with the opening of the Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain’s eighth location today, December 12. The celebration for the new store, located at 5308 Fields Ertel Road in Deerfield Township, will feature ribbon-cutting ceremony, free T-shirts for the first 100 customers (while supplies last), and free coffee to toast the opening. The chain plans to open eight to 10 other locations in the state by the end of the year.

“Social Darts” Bar Opens Downtown Today
“Social darts” bar Flight Club opens tonight in the former Saks Fifth Avenue building at 125 W. Fifth Street downtown. With “Victorian fairground–inspired” decor, the venue allows customers to engage in multiplayer dart games while sipping on signature cocktails and indulging in an expansive menu of bar food, including lobster elote, truffle Parmesan fries, and buffalo chicken sliders. Owned by State of Play Hospitality, this is the 10^th Flight Club location in the U.S.

Columbia-Tusculum Einstein Bros. Bagels Opens This Weekend
The Einstein Bros. Bagels’s Columbia-Tusculum location (3515 Columbia Parkway) will have its grand opening on Saturday, December 13. The first 50 guests in line will win a free bagel topped with an Einstein Bros. signature cream cheese shmear every week for a whole year. For the first two weeks after the opening, customers will receive a free egg sandwich with purchase when ordering in the store, online, or on the app with code GRANDSAND.

King Pigeon Shutting Down Cocktail Program
After two years in business, King Pigeon is retiring its evening cocktail program at the end of the month to focus on its daytime operations. “Creating this program and watching our bar team bring it to life with such heart, creativity, and intention has been one of the most meaningful chapters in my career,” owner Nick Kallenberg said in an Instagram post earlier this week. “The cocktails we created together weren’t just drinks—they were stories, experiments, and celebrations of the craft. I’m endlessly proud of what we built and deeply grateful to everyone who joined us for a drink.” The bar will serve its last cocktail on New Year’s Eve.

Third Shake Shack Location Opens Next Week
Fast food fave Shake Shack will open its third location at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, December 18, at 5010 Deerfield Blvd. in Mason. The restaurant—known for its hand-spun milkshakes and made-to-order hamburgers—will give $1 of every sandwich sold at the new location to the Mason Food Pantry. Another location will open in Kenwood next year.

Sweetgreen’s Liberty Center Location Opens
California-based quick-service salad-slinging chain Sweetgreen will open its first location in the tri-state at 10 a.m. on Friday, December 19, at 7615 Blake Street, Suite A, in Liberty Township. The first 100 customers in line will have the opportunity to create their own bouquets with flowers from Eve Floral Co. In addition, local breakfast food favorite Proud Hound will host a coffee pop-up from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. This is the chain’s third location in Ohio.

Veteran Chef to Open Spot in Hyde Park
Jared Bennett—who served as chef at many area restaurants over the years, including Branch, Metropole, and Maplewood Kitchen—is set to open a new venture next spring. Jarrido’s will open in the former Dutch’s space at 3366-3378 Erie Avenue in Hyde Park and will focus on meal prep, catering, and pop-up events.