New OTR Eatery Gets Its Name

Daniel Souder and Joanna Kirkendall, of 1215 Wine Bar & Coffee Lab, have chosen Pleasantry as the name for their newest venture on the corner of 15^th and Pleasant Streets. See what they did there?

Pleasantry will feature Chef Evan Hartman, formerly of the Presidents Room at The Phoenix, as its Executive Chef. Hartman is a 2015 graduate of Cincinnati State’s Midwest Culinary Institute and began working as a line cook at 20 Brix, where he later became sous chef, before moving to The Phoenix in 2014. He plans to create a menu highlighting seasonal ingredients that are sourced from sustainable farmers, fishers, and butchers.

Pleasantry will also offer what Souder claims is Ohio’s first natural wine program. “We’re bringing the same mindfulness to wine as any chef worth his salt would with his food. We care about where it comes from, how it is made, and what goes into it,” he explains. At Pleasantry, food will be paired with wine, not the other way around as it is at most restaurants. “So often, the wine list is an afterthought,” Souder says. “Here, the wine is the driving force.”

Along with naturally made wine, customers can expect dinner items like locally sourced duck rillette, served with grilled Sixteen Bricks bread, pickled vegetables and sweet jam, and house cured salmon with “everything biscuits,” whipped cream cheese, and fennel pollen.

On the morning and lunch menu, one can expect quiche and pesto morning bread served with seasonal produce. Coffee from the 1215 Wine Bar & Coffee Lab program will be available all day to complement any meal. Joanna Kirkendall adds, “We are taking the beverage programs we’ve worked so hard on at 1215, and adding food around them for every meal.”

Pleasantry is set to open in early spring and will employ a sous chef and two line cooks, along with Executive Chef Hartman. With hours from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, this little corner spot will be available for passersby to unwind and socialize all day long. How pleasant indeed.