March 2016
Features
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Jean-Robert’s Table
You’ll see Jean-Robert’s de Cavel’s hand just about everywhere these days, but nowhere more so than inside his eponymous Table.
Mita’s
Upon entering Mita’s, Jose Salazar’s bigger, better downtown 2.0, diners are greeted by cards bearing a stately black-and-white portrait of his Colombian grandmother, the restaurant’s namesake. Her maternal spirit flawlessly informs a menu that’s surprisingly manageable for a variety of budgets and occasions.
Orchids at Palm Court
Orchids at Palm Court has been stunning diners since it opened in 1931. To enjoy dinner in its hallowed French Art Deco dining room is to keep one foot planted in Cincinnati’s storied fine-dining past while sampling the very best of Todd Kelly’s modern yet grandiose sensibility.
Boca
Like a good Parmigiano or Barolo, Boca just keeps getting better with age. In the three years since David Falk’s flagship moved downtown, the menu has steadily evolved.
Abigail Street
Leave it to Dan Wright to play culinary cupid, one small plate at a time.
Metropole
We’re enchanted by Metropole’s shameless extra effort—the housemade condiments, the gout-worthy charcuterie, the innovative-yet-delectable shrub pops served in the summertime.
Ando
With so much to try, you’ll be plotting your next trip before you lay down your chopsticks.
Mazunte
Tucked into a strip mall straddling Madisonville and Oakley are some of the most authentic Oaxacan flavors around.
Bouquet
Cozy, off the beaten path, and with a menu touched with a lovable Southern drawl, right down to the bourbon-centric cocktails, Bouquet verily announces “Come on back, y’all.”
Dance Like Everyone is Watching
A well-choreographed season on the brink with the University of Cincinnati Dance Team. (Don’t cry! It’s all Gucci now.)
Cincinnati Kid: Michael Anthony
The road to a James Beard Award can be long and hard, and for Michael Anthony it ran from his parents’ garden in New Richmond through a bakery and farm in Japan, various high-test kitchens in Paris, and on to some of the swankier restaurants in New York. Still, all along the way, he never lost his appreciation for a really tasty beet.
An Edible Archive
Don’t be fooled by the stately atmosphere of the 181-year-old Mercantile Library. It harbors a trove of saucy vintage cookbooks that dish recipes and worldly advice in equal measure.
The 6 Dining Trends That Need to Go Away
Enough already with Shishito peppers.
10 New Rules of Dining Out
It’s time to collectively update our etiquette manuals.
Dinner à Deux
Shareable entrÉes have come a long way. As we ate our way around town we couldn’t help but notice more menus embracing food for two, or even a crew.
Dish of the Year: Mita’s Cordero Al Ajillo
The year’s best bite transports even the most jaded traveler to Spain’s colorful southern coast, home of sherry, flamenco music, and bullfighting.
The Baba Ghanoush Curtain
While Dan and Lana Wright’s Abigail Street has been riffing heavily on Mediterranean cuisine since 2011—the two met working at Chicago’s Souk in 2003—the Middle Eastern restaurant scene has blossomed, sometimes in unlikely parts of town.
Recipe: Mazunte’s Mole Coloradito
At Mazunte, owner Josh Wamsley sticks to traditional ingredients and multiplies the following recipe by 40. It’s served over a house favorite, tinga de pollo (chicken enchiladas).
Q&A: Metropole’s Jared Bennett
Metropole Executive Chef waxes philosophical on personal growth, kitchen culture, and squash blossoms.
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Frontlines
Speak Easy: Jason Alexander
It’s not what he’s known for, but Jason Alexander began his acting career on stage. Here he talks about returning to those roots for a trio of shows with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, as well as the short, stocky, slow-witted bald man he can’t seem to shake.
Squad Goals
Will Cincinnati’s newest soccer team be the one that sticks?
Artifact: The Thirteenth Amendment
More than 150 years after it abolished slavery, the Thirteenth Amendment finds safe passage to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
Middle Age at the 50-Yard Line
Chris Bachelder’s new novel, The Throwback Special, explores the intersection of Joe Theismann, masculinity, and middle age.
Dr. Know: SpongeBob Tombstones, the German Purge, and Alphabet Street Names.
“If mercy exists in this world, it must forgive the overpowering molecular-level compulsion to snicker at this situation.”
The Great Escape
Escape rooms—timed challenges in which participants work together to solve a series of puzzles that lead the way out of a locked room—have laid claim to our city, with themes ranging from Houdini to (of course) zombies.
Growing Up is Hard to Do
Coming of age and making do with what you got in Theresa Rebeck’s new novel.
Radar
Get Your Dirndl On
Wiesnkoenig USA brings Bavarian style stateside.
On The Market: Pre-War Digs at The Grasmoor
New York’s pre-war apartments are legendary. This condo brings a piece of that legacy to Hyde Park.
Channel Spring with Pantone’s Most Popular Shades of the Season
Brighten up your life with pillows, purses, and pencils.
Style Counsel: Ashley Payne
Occupation: UC Student; Her Style: Keeps it on edge
Clock Of Many Colors
Depending on the light, environment, and angle from which you view Alex Brokamp’s color clock, the reflective face can appear in a range of colors.
The Paint Whisperer
Who knows what secrets lurk in the heart of a 600-year-old piece of art? Serena Urry knows.
Long Weekend: Amish Towns, Beyond the Horse and Buggy
Three Amish towns that’ll teach you to embrace the simple life—with some really good snacks.
Columns
Letter from the Editor: March 2016
In addition to being a big eater, Joanne Drilling, our dining editor, is a big reader and thinker.
Cincy Obscura: Behind the Scenes at the Geier Collections & Research Center
Cincinnati’s attic is getting really crowded.
Dine
Wine Your Way Through the Loire Valley
Known for its whites, the Loire has memorable reds, too.
Taste Test: Fried Chicken
Cincinnati’s proximity to the South comes with major perks in the comfort-food department.
Tableside with Ryan Vaughan
The man behind Paulie Gee’s Pizzeria in Brooklyn
Lebanon’s The Golden Lamb Is Still Worth a Stop
Opened in 1803, this historic inn is the oldest continually operated business in Ohio, its authentic colonial architecture having housed Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and 12 U.S. Presidents.
Try This: Charcuterie (With Smoked Grapes!) at Metropole
We’d definitely buy them by the bunch.