March 2015
Features
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Big Data Gets Personal
Your shopping cart is watching every swipe you make.
The Gospel of Bockfest
Goats pulling kegs of beer through the historic streets of Over-the-Rhine. Snowmen burning in the night. Sausage Queens balancing plates of brats on their heads as they do the splits. This is a snapshot of the gonzo world of Bockfest.
Amma’s Dosas It Up
Amma’s may be a humble kitchen in a neighborhood still yearning for transition, but like any good mama’s joint, the sauce is steeped with comfort in mind.
Salazar
This ability to layer flavors without upstaging the ingredients is what makes Salazar’s solo debut such a chart topper.
Red Feather
Historically peasant-grade cuts of meat get the full Pygmalion treatment at Red Feather in Oakley.
Mazunte
Say it with me: “wa-HAW-kuh.” No matter how you pronounce the Oaxaca region of southern Mexico that inspires Mazunte owner Josh Wamsley, it’s the commitment to freshness—inspired by street vendors and village grandmothers—that keeps the tables full.
Abigail Street Brings the Baklava
The generously portioned, shareable-plate setup is a boon for diners—having to settle on just one or two dishes here would be dreadful.
Bouquet
There are five bridges that cross the river into Northern Kentucky. Pick one and make your way to Bouquet posthaste.
Metropole Brings It In-House
Executive Chef Jared Bennett’s menu is inventive and primarily locally sourced with a prophetic zeal for making everything but the cocktail napkins in house.
Boca
Our advice: Abandon all pretense of restraint and opt for the six-ounce Filet Boca, topped with king crab and plenty of textbook-perfect sauce béarnaise.
Orchids
Veteran Executive Chef Todd Kelly possesses a mastery of flavor, pulling inspiration from any tradition he can get his hands on.
Jean-Robert’s Table
Chef Jean-Robert de Cavel has a deep knowledge (and enduring love) of French culinary tradition, as well as a knack for keeping things contemporary.
Orchids Under The Porch Light: An Excerpt From Paul Daugherty’s Memoir
A father, a daughter, and the magic of an ordinary night.
Three Fancy Cocktail Recipes
While on the hunt for the “Top 10 Best Restaurants In Town,” we decided to take a plunge into the world of fancy drinks to find the classiest of classy recipes. Here are three fancy potions to try: Corpse Reviver #2 Shake with ice: ¾ oz. Bombay Sapphire gin ¾ oz. fresh lemon juice ¾ […]
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Frontlines
Speak Easy: Caroline Shaw, Pulitzer Prize-Winning Violinist
Caroline Shaw is multitasking for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra this month, appearing as both a soloist and composer as part of the MusicNOW Festival.
UC’s Emerging Fiction Writers Festival
We asked three young authors this question: “How do you make a living writing ‘smart’ fiction?”
The Old Todd Snider is Dead. Kind of.
Some artists need boredom to pave the way to creating something new. Todd Snider is not that kind of artist.
Covington Bicentennial Makeover
Covington’s bicentennial-cum-makeover crowns itself the new hispter Shangri-La.
One More Round With Ezzard Charles
A new biography on boxer Ezzard Charles chronicles the legend of a man most locals know as the namesake of the street leading to Union Terminal.
Quakers: Movers, Not Shakers
Covington isn’t the only bicentennial in 2015. Local Quakers belonging to the Cincinnati Friends Meeting celebrate 200 years this month, and are using the occasion to dispel some long-standing misconceptions.
Matt Stainbrook: Xavier Starting Center, Uber Driver
By day, 6-foot-10, 270-pound Matt Stainbrook is the starting center for the Xavier Musketeers men’s basketball team. By night, he’s an Uber driver.
Artifact: Hot Air Balloon History
In 1835, Englishman Richard Clayton took to the skies via hot air balloon, leaving from Cincinnati on a record-setting excursion.
Hot Ticket: Albano Afonso’s Self Portrait as Light
Albano Afonso: Self Portrait as Light celebrates the Brazilian artist known for his distinctive takes on traditional genres.
Dr. Know: March 2015
Maisonette, The Jewish Hospital conundrum, and the pronunciation of “Cincinnatee”
Radar
Style Counsel: Chris Dam, shirt-and-tie guy
Occupation: Second grade teacher, J.F. Dulles Elementary; His Style: ’50’s flair
Vintage Gold
Skip the spring cleaning. Shine things up with these housewares instead.
Worth The Drive: Southern Michigan Winter Beer Festival
Headed up north? There’s more on tap than syrup.
Great Room: A Converted College Hill Firehouse
Clever repurposing turned a College Hill firehouse into a home.
Necessities: Tools Of The Trade
The pros from our Best Restaurants 2015 issue know a thing or two about setting a table.
Shop Talk: Koop Diamond Cutters
“Do you want to see what a $300,000 dollar diamond looks like?” Justin Koop asks, eyes wide with excitement. The third-generation jewelry maker has a contagious energy: Whether he’s telling his family’s story, walking you through the custom jewelry process, or showing you a diamond he just purchased, he makes you care like he cares. And Justin Koop cares a lot.
Field Guide: 9 Great Local Bookstores
Despite the digisphere’s many attempts to kill them, books survive. Here are 9 shops where they’re alive and well.
It’s Maple Syrup Month in Michigan
March is the month for all things maple syrup in Michigan.
Columns
The Observer: Aisle-land Sketchbook
Let’s go (and go and go and go and go) Krogering.
Scott Stoll Wants To Go To Mars. And Never Come Back.
What will it take to mount the first manned mission to Mars? Scott Stoll is hoping to find out.
Cracking The Code In Westwood
Westwood wants to change its future. Will it work?
Dine
75 Years of Sugar n’ Spice
The line of hungry patrons queued up for a seat at Sugar n’ Spice on weekend mornings is not a recent development. The Paddock Hills diner has been amassing clientele for the past 75 years—dishing up wispy-thin pancakes and football-sized omelettes to Cincinnatians since FDR was signing new deals.
Try This: Nicola’s Bolognese Mondays
What may be the best fine dining bargain in the city started five years ago when Nicola and Maureen Pietoso needed a way to drum up business on a traditionally slow dining night.
Takeout Hero: Ron’s Roost
The chicken at Ron’s Roost is legendary and the array of preparations so dizzying that the place is a veritable yard bird institution.
Taste Test: Juice
Dining Editor Joanne Drilling gives the skinny on a two-day juice cleanse.
Recipe: Abigail Street’s Pistachio Baklava
Dessert first.
Ingredient: Fennel
Fennel has stepped into the spotlight as a chef favorite for early spring menus.
Best Restaurants 2015: Honorable Mentions
After weeks of gluttonous reporting for Best Restaurants 2015, who says we should have to stop at 10 restaurants? Here are our 15 Honorable Mentions.