Cincy Eats A to Z

Fratelli's Pizzeria

Restaurant #006
Fratelli's Pizzeria
6890 Tylersville Rd
West Chester, OH
513.777.5061

Bottom line: Decent New York-style pizza, not so decent service.

We ordered a large pepperoni pizza ($16.20). MP ordered a Coors in the bottle (around $4).
SP ordered a side salad with Italian vinaigrette ($3.75).
The bill came to $24 and change. We would have left a tip at the table, but you'll soon see why we didn't.

SP gave Fratelli's a B. MP gave it a B.

If you're going to order from Fratelli's, make sure it's carry out.

Located in a strip mall the corner of Tylersville and Cin-Day Rd in West Chester, Fratelli's could graciously be described as unassuming. On a Friday evening, they were bustling with carry-out business. With a few cheap tables, black vinyl chairs and generic NYC prints, you could certainly choose to dine in, though it's not recommended. You order at the counter and then take your seat.

The pepperoni pizza arrived quickly, and we soon learned why. The clerk served us someone else's order, which was actually a medium pie instead of the large we ordered. Only after digging in did we realize that our pizza was undersized. And at $16, the pizza seemed pricey, especially when you consider the service error. We did not receive an apology, nor were we offered a refund for the difference between the two pies.

Despite the disappointing service, the pizza itself was pretty good. The crispy-chewy crust was thin and nicely blistered. The toppings were applied with restraint (a good thing), though one could argue that the pepperoni was a bit sparse. The sauce was the standout, tasting like fresh tomatoes instead of the cloyingly sweet, canned tomato sauce that seems to pervade most chain pizzerias, especially LaRosa's. Fratelli's is not as good as the pizza you may find on any street corner in Brooklyn, but it comes as close to authentic NY-style pizza as we've seen in the greater Cincinnati area.

After asking at the counter twice for my salad, it finally arrived. It was less than impressive but passable, with iceberg lettuce, tomato chunks, chopped black olives and sliced onion and banana peppers with (possibly homemade) Italian vinaigrette on the side.

No visit to Fratelli's would be complete without a stop at The Cone, located directly across the street.

SP orderd a very messy, small "zebra" (chocolate-vanilla swirl) cone dipped in chocolate-flavored coating. The small could have easily fed two people. Here it is half-eaten:

   

MP ordered a medium Butterfinger Wizard (The Cone's knock-off of Dairy Queen Blizzard). Neither of us could finish our desserts, perhaps because we had filled up on our undersized pizza after all.

Echo Restaurant

Restaurant #005
The Echo Restaurant
3510 Edwards Rd
Cincinnati, OH 45208
513.321.2816

Bottom line: Everything a diner should be.

SP ordered the chicken feta chop salad ($8.50) and a Diet Coke ($2).
MP ordered a cheeseburger platter ($6.90) and a root beer ($2).
We shared a chocolate shake ($3.95).
The bill came to $24.76 plus tip.

SP gave the Echo a B+. MP gave it a B+.

The Echo, a classic diner located in Hyde Park Square, is one of those places that makes you happy to be alive. It was a lively Saturday at lunchtime, with a mix of clientele (complete with some crusty old men) packed in at the curvilinear lunch counter. It's "seat yourself" at the Echo, and we lucked out and found a booth at the back -- the charming black vinyl kind that your thighs stick to on a hot day. While breakfast is served all day, every day, we opted for lunch.

SP thoroughly enjoyed her chicken feta chop salad, a cross between a Greek and a classic chopped salad. It was tastily adorned with small chunks of grilled cubed chicken, chopped tomato, red onion, seasoned croutons, crumbled feta cheese and crispy bacon bits. (Bacon makes everything better.) The Greek vinaigrette was served on the side, and while it probably wasn't housemade, it was yummy. Salads come with your choice of a roll, garlic roll or biscuit. The garlic roll was basted with a bit of butter and garlic salt, and tasted somewhat stale. Next time we'll try the biscuit.

The 1/3 to 1/2 lb. patty of MP's cheeseburger was well-done, but still juicy, and tasted better than its pricier and more well-known cousin next door at Arthur's. MP's frequent cheeseburger-related complaint is for "sturdier buns," and the same is true for the Echo's. The bun was fresh, though didn't really hold up to the cheese, tomatoes and grilled onions. MP added on fries and cole slaw to make it a platter for $1.95 more. The crinkle-cut fries were crisp, if a bit greasy, and the cole slaw was fine.

We couldn't leave without trying a famous Echo shake. We ordered a chocolate shake to go, and it was one of the best we've tasted. The portion was so generous that they gave us two cups: one large and one "kiddie" cup. (Negative points from SP for the Styrofoam.) This is what a diner shake should be: good old fashioned, chocolate-syrupy, milky smoothness.

Dancing Wasabi

Restaurant #004
Dancing Wasabi
1018 Delta Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45208 (Mt. Lookout)
513.533.9218

Bottom line: Darn good sushi

SP had the dumpling soup ($5) and a glass of Huber Gruner Veltliner ($8).
MP had the house salad with ginger dressing ($5) and a Heineken ($4.50).
We shared the tempura roll ($10.50), Bengals roll ($10.50), and eel cucumber roll ($6.50).
The bill came to $53.25 plus tip.

SP gave Dancing Wasabi an A-. MP gave it an A.

We ventured in to Dancing Wasabi on a busy Friday evening because the Mount Lookout Tavern was overrun with 20-somethings looking for love. We found two seats at the bar where we could watch the sushi chefs in action. The atmosphere of neighborhood congenialty prevailed, with the chef-owner Charlie barking pleasantly at his regular customers from behind the sushi counter.

MP's house salad with ginger-peanut dressing was a delightful start to the meal. It was light but full of flavor, with just the right amount of heat from the ginger and a touch of sweetness from the peanut butter and rice vinegar. The vinaigrette was served over fresh mixed greens, tomatoes and cucumbers.

SP's dumpling soup was also outstanding, with a clear, flavorful broth over mixed vegetables and cabbage. Two or three large dumplings filled with a mixture of pork (and...?) were perfectly cooked. When asked, the server informed us that the dumplings were filled with "different meats" (perhaps whatever was left over in the kitchen). If so, these are among the best leftovers SP's ever had.

The Bengals roll (pictured in center) was the clear winner—if only we could say the same about the football team. A generously sized 5-piece roll filled with spicy crab, avocado, fried spicy tuna and topped with dark green seaweed powder, the roll was just the right combination of spice and crunch -- "sprunch"! The second best roll was filled with sweet-savory eel and cool cucumber (pictured at back). The 6-piece tempura roll was made with five different (unidentified) fish, cream cheese, asparagus and crab (pictured at front). Usually a go-to favorite, the shrimp tempura roll had the potential to be super-tasty, but each piece of sushi was deep-fried, rather than just the shrimp, resulting in an unappealing chewy texture.

Even though the tempura roll was a slight misstep, this was among the best sushi we've had in Cincinnati (and we've had some good sushi). We will definitely be back, and often.

Chalk Food + Wine

Restaurant #003
Chalk Food + Wine
318 Greenup St
Covington, KY 41011
859.643.1234

Bottom line: Not perfect, but Chalk makes dining fun again.

SP ordered the short 'n puff ($8), drunken salmon ($16), and a glass of Tunnel of Elms cabernet sauvignon ($7).
MP ordered the cheddar ale soup of the day ($5), duck sloppy joe ($9), mustard + fries ($4), and a Boulder Brew Cold Hop ($4.50).
We shared the flight of cupcakes ($8) [Disclosure: "Shared" is a strong word. SP ate most of it.]
The bill came to $65.19 plus tip.

SP gave Chalk an B+. MP gave it a B+.

Both of us are huge fans of local celebrity chef Jean-Robert de Cavel, and we were excited to try Chalk Food + Wine, one of his latest restaurant ventures. The restaurant is located on Greenup Street, just two doors down from his beloved Greenup Cafe, and in his former Pho Paris restaurant. On a mid-week spring evening, Chalk was plenty busy, with a few diners enjoying the mild weather on the quaint outdoor patio. We opted for indoor dining, beneath a skylight dangling with a giant paper mache garlic bulb. The emphasis here is on whimsy as well as fresh ingredients, hence the name Chalk, which I've read signifies the chef's ability to change up the chalkboard menu based on what's fresh.

We didn't see a chalkboard anywhere (except for in the restrooms), but the printed menu offered lots of fun options to ponder. After wanting to try nearly everything on the tongue-in-cheek and slightly mysterious (in a good way) menu, SP settled on a first course of short 'n puff, a cutesy name for braised short ribs and boursin cheese served in a perfectly browned puff pastry, served atop a tasty slaw of julienned carrot and red onion. While she sopped up nearly every last drop of au jus, the short ribs lacked the depth of flavor typical of this dish, and the juicy bed made for a soggy-bottomed puff. The beef paired well with the smooth Tunnel of Elms cabernet recommended by our helpful and knowledgable waiter.

Being from Wisconsin, MP could not resist the soup of the day (titled "What's the soup?" on the menu): cheddar ale. It was not what he expected. More ale than cheddar, it had decent flavor, with fresh scallions and herbs, but with the odd texture of gritty, semi-melted cheese in a thin consistency almost like a broth. This is either good or bad, depending on your point of view. The thin soup left room for the bevy of food to come. The small basket of fresh sourdough with herbed butter (mint, chive, parsley, honey and basil) was a delicious accompaniment, as was his hoppy Colorado microbrew.

SP planned to order the catfish with grits and white cheddar, but was distracted by the server at the next table describing their most popular entree, drunken salmon, under the "Eat Us" portion of the menu. Marinated in red wine and served over white bean puree with a red wine demiglace, the dish sounded too good to pass up. The dish was indeed good, and the fish firm but tender, yet surprisingly bland if not for the crumbled bacon. It was not the transcendent experience SP was expecting based on the description.

MP had the winning entree with his duck sloppy joe, from the "Hand Food" portion of the menu. The tender bird had good, slow-cooked flavor that was not gamey. A red cabbage and carrot slaw was a nice foil for the rich meat. "Firm buns are always a good thing," says MP, and his duck sandwich proved the adage, with the substantial but not-too-bready bun soaking up all the sauce and duck fat. The side of homemade potato chips were an unexpected treat.   

From the "Friends" portion of the menu, MP ordered a side of mustard+fries (french fries with stoneground mustard for dipping). These crispy, heavily salted, thin-cut "frites" (much like those that are served at JeanRo Bistro) did not last long at our table, or we doubt, any other.

There was hardly room for dessert, but the dessert menu was so delightful that we had to order something. The waiter recommended the light meringue with lemon sorbet, but the flight of cupcakes sounded like way more fun. It was indeed a party on a plate, as fun to look at as it was to eat. Five mini cupcakes in all (lime blueberry with cream cheese frosting garnished with fresh blueberries, red velvet with cream cheese frosting, vanilla with cherry almond cream cheese frosting garnished with a maraschino cherry, carrot with cream cheese frosting and garnished with dried apricot and crushed pisaschios, and turtle), were playfully arranged on a plate swirled with chocolate sauce and sprinkled with multi-colored jimmies (!). The cakes looked better than they tasted, with the only true winner really being the turtle cupcake with a thick, sweet chocolate frosting and caramel/candy nut topping. The mini cakes were certainly moist enough, but the cream cheese frosting on four out of the five cakes was dense and relatively unsweet, and the overal effect too heavy. Nevertheless, it was the most fun SP has had eating a dessert in a long time.

Bella Luna

Restaurant #002
Bella Luna
4632 Eastern Ave
Cincinnati, OH 45226
513.871.5862

The bottom line: Great bread, so-so Italian.

We both ordered off of the 3-course Restaurant Week menu ($25.08 per person).
SP ordered the pecorina alla grillia (grilled pecorino cheese), mixed greens with honey balsamic vinaigrette and spaghetti all' aragosta (spaghetti with rock lobster). SP also ordered the accompanying Restaurant Week flight of three wines ($15).
MP ordered pandorato (pan-fried bread pockets with prosciutto), classic Caesar salad, bistecche all arrabiatta (hot pepper steak), and a Peroni ($4.50).
The bill came to $71.11 plus tax and tip.

SP gave Bella Luna a C+. MP gave it a B-.

We were excited to try Bella Luna during Restaurant Week, when local independent restaurants offer special 3-course menus for $25. Truth is, you could probably cobble together a three-course meal at Bella Luna on any regular night for about the same price, so this wasn't the deal of the century.

SP perks up whenever she hears the words "wine flight." The Restaurant Week wine flight consisted of three middling brands, two forgettable reds and a third from a bottle that had been left open for far too long. The real disappointment (surprise?) was in how the wines were served: three full glasses all at once. It made SP feel like a bit of a wino, even though she left one barely touched.

Despite the strange wine service, MP was enjoying his Peroni and the meal started off on a high note. A basket of warm herbed focaccia and Italian bread with herbed butter arrived at the table, along with a dish of olive oil and balsamic for dipping. This is quite possibly the best bread we'd ever had in any restaurant anywhere. Atkins devotees beware.

The friendly server offered us a tasty "gift from the kitchen" (an amuse bouche in French restaurants), a small portion of fried tortellini in a tomato cream sauce and topped with shredded parmesan cheese (nearly everything here comes topped with shredded parmesan).

 MP's first course, pan-fried bread pockets with prosciutto, was a study in butter and oil, which is to say it wasn't bad—though instead of teasing his palate, it (plus the bread) left him feeling pretty full. They were like mini Italian grilled cheese, again topped with that ubiquitous shredded parmesan. His second course Caesar salad was decent but unremarkable.

 SP's first course was a wedge of grilled pecorino, mysteriously hard despite the nice grill marks, with a tangy bite and topped with shredded parmesan (again). (Does one really need parmesan on top of a slab of cheese?) SP's second course salad of mixed greens with thick and sweet honey balsamic vinaigrette (thankfully served on the side) was a petite and simple palate cleanser. Both first courses were assembled with a heavy hand. Would the entrees fare better?

 SP's entree, spaghetti with rock lobster, consisted of slightly fishy lobster chunks in a bowl of nicely cooked al dente pasta. The tomato-based sauce was light and fresh-tasting, but the true highlight was the surprise grilled asparagus spears, which were perfectly roasted. And, of course, the dish was topped with shredded parmesan.

MP's hot pepper steak was perfectly cooked to medium-rare, served au jus with red peppers and mashed potatoes, and topped with the same tasty asparagus (though mercifully no shredded parm). The meat was fairly tender and very juicy, but not particularly spicy. Like nearly everthing here, the dish was decent but forgettable.

We wished we had liked Bella Luna more. It's the kind of locally-owned, colorful, eclectic neighborhood place that you hope will thrive. Though it wasn't busy on a mild Wednesday evening in March, the tables around us were laughing and talking and seemed to be having a great time. The bread and whimsical decor is reason alone to give Bella Luna a try. With a little refinement, Bella Luna will be a true gem worth visiting a lot.

Arthur's Cafe

Restaurant #001
Arthur's Cafe
3516 Edwards Rd
Cincinnati, OH 45208
513.871.5543

Bottom line: A great neighborhood place with unremarkable bar food.

SP ordered the buffalo chicken salad with ranch dressing on the side ($9) and a Diet Coke ($1.75).
MP ordered a cheeseburger and fries ($8) and a Guinness ($4.50).
The bill came to $24.76 plus tip.

SP gave Arthur's a B, more for its ambience than its food. MP gave Arthur's a B.

Arthur's was packed on a busy Saturday afternoon with a mix of young couples and families, along with those clearly there for the bar specials, which include $2.50 appletinis. The young'ins at a table near ours were availing themselves of the bar special on Grape and Cherry Bombs. Nevertheless, we were able to snag a table right away, and the service from there on out was cheerful and efficient. MP's perfectly poured Guinness even came with the outline of a shamrock drawn in the foam.

 SP never misses an opportunity to try buffalo chicken, this time in salad form. The chicken breast came grilled, tossed in buffalo sauce (typically a mixture of a vinegar-based hot sauce and butter or margarine) and served atop a bed of iceberg lettuce and chopped tomatoes, fresh sliced mushrooms and chopped, hard-cooked egg -- ingredients reminiscent of a bacon-less Cobb salad. Celery, the traditional veggie accompaniment to buffalo chicken wings, was noticeably absent. Though iceberg gets a bad rap, it was a cool, crisp counterpart to the spicy kick of the chicken. SP opted for ranch dressing on the side, instead of the traditional blue cheese dressing. (Despite spending the last 13 years in Wisconsin, there are some cheeses that we don't care for.) The garlic roll was actually a garlic breadstick, and though it was not fresh-baked, it was still buttery and garlicky and warm.

At over an inch thick, MP's burger was baseball-shaped and appeared to be hand-formed (recalling Eddie Murphy's famous 1980s burger sketch). He was glad he ordered it medium-well because it still had a very pink center. The bun was fairly sturdy, which is important, because the burger was dripping pink burger juices. Overall, MP deemed the burger decent, but he's had better. The fries were somewhat crisp and sprinkled with seasoned salt. (Fries have been our nemesis since our arrival in Cincinnati -- it's so hard to get really good, crisp fries in this city.) The pickle was a crisp dill -- not the limp, overcooked ones you sometimes encounter with bar food.

City Beat calls Arthur's "a Hyde Park bar without the Hyde Park prices," and we would agree. The menu is quite varied, with a mix of burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads and some limited entrees, with the average lunch coming in at under $10. Arthur's looks like it's been around a while. We like this, and SP immediately thinks it would be great to have a neighborhood place like this around the corner, where one could come on a regular basis for a beer and camaraderie -- if not for the garlic breadsticks.