Chalk Food + Wine

Foie gras soup with paw paw cream and brown sugar reduction

Foie gras. I’m listening. I’ve never heard of anyone serving a foie gras soup before. This was really decadent. I managed to spill some of it on my shirt. Oh yea, I licked it off the shirt.

Duck breast with heirloom tomato

What’s up with everyone and the heirloom tomatoes these days? They’re pretty good in almost anything so I don’t mind that they’re everywhere. The duck breast was really good. I have been ordering more duck breast lately and I haven’t had a bad one yet. This one was a nice medium rare with the popular heirloom tomato starring as a sweet and salty little relish on the side.

Fish with kohlrabi, chard and green beans

Don’t you know it, the manager told me the name of this fish probably 3 times. Still can’t remember it. At any rate I loved the beans and chard mixture. The mystery fish was a white fish that has a hardy texture. The manager described the look of the fish as a “small shark”. It had a nice browned crust on it.

Bread Pudding with paw paw cream and salted caramel gelato

Best bread pudding I’ve ever had! It can easily rival Senate’s chocolaty bread pudding or Bella Luna’s “bread sponge”. The bread in it looked crusty and homemade. Sweet and the caramel gelato (from Dojo) was amazing!

I talked to the manager Dan for a while about the pending sale that would separate them from their owner Martin Wade. He said it’s a done deal they’re just working out financing. One thing that I found interesting is that in financing they look at Chalk as a completely new entity. They do not get credit for the reputation that they’ve already built over the past few years. I really hope they can get their deal together. I have avoided Chalk for a few years due to the Wade involvement. I’m ready to go back here though.

Brown Dog Cafe

If it weren't for restaurant week, it probably would have taken me longer to try this place. In spite of the fact that while I was there I twisted my knee which has led to an MRI and many cortisone shots, I enjoyed my dinner here.

You’re served a plate of bread with butter (that cannot be cut with a light saber) and a garlic infused oil. I could have eaten a lot more of the bread and oil. I opted against wine because their wine list was very extensive, yes, but also overpriced. Next time I may bring a bottle.

crab and potato tot…. .
east coast style crab cake with shredded potato rolled and fried,
Indian summer succotash, red pepper oil, lemon dill aioli, sprouts

This was pretty tasty. Can’t say it was overly “crabby”. I really enjoyed the aioli. The succotash was really delicious as well. Not something you hear too often. “The succotash was really delicious as well.”


paneed goat cheese salad
pine nut crusted chevre, frissee lettuce, olive tapenade, smoked tomato
vinaigrette

Have I told you of my love of goat cheese? This came with a little crisped chevre pancake (I love when people do this), and a delicious dressing. I would seriously eat goat cheese off of a saltine.

three cheese tortellini with rabbit romesco
braised rabbit simmered in red pepper romesco sauce topped with house made
tortellini filled with ricotta, asiago, and aged provolone

This was tasty but it didn’t impress me. I jumped at it because I so rarely see rabbit anywhere. Last time I had rabbit was at Orchid’s. The pasta was delicious and the sauce was more like a vodka sauce, very cheesy. I didn’t get a lot of rabbit flavor which is a shame. It has such a rich dark flavor.

I ordered a basil gelato for dessert. That was amazing! I cannot recall correctly if they told me they use Dojo Gelato or not. Either way – delicious!

Something that miffed me slightly. I am not certain if they did this for restaurant week or if they do this on a regular basis. There was 1 person in my party (me), and they did a mandatory 20% gratuity on my check. I was pretty pissed and confused. If the scale of your food is such that your servers are taking a financial hit during restaurant week either pay your servers more or do not participate in restaurant week.

Let me be clear – I tip well. I never give under 15% unless the person was an outright ass. If you are good, take care of me and bring me what I asked for you get 20%. I don’t ask for much. I would like it to be my decision though.

In spite of the fact that I injured my knee at Brown Dog I would go back. I would love to try their other choices, but I would also like to choose the tip that I want to give.

20 Brix

I was so excited to hear that this place was doing well. Finer dining establishments were few and far between in Clermont County as you go farther away from Cincinnati. 20 Brix fills that void successfully and is at home in the “Old Milford” part of town with it’s trendy shops.

They serve a wonderful ciabatta bread that is crusty on the outside and flaky soft on the inside. Everything a good ciabatta should be.

Julius
Gem Lettuce, Crouton, Parmesan, White Anchovy Emulsion

I love Caesar salad. This one was really good. I love a good crouton on my salad. This one was topped with a little crouton flavored with rosemary and thyme. I really loved their anchovy emulsion dressing. Tangy, creamy and salty just the way a good Caesar should be.

Grilled Ashley Farms Chicken Sausage
Warm Potato and Olive Salad

This little sausage had a great smoky flavor, it was complimented with a remoulade sauce that was delicious. I wasn’t too sure about the potatoes though.

Steak Frites
6 oz. Sirloin Steak, Crispy House Cut Pommes Frites, Maitre‘d Butter, Baby Arugula Salad

On the recommendation of my server I ordered the steak. It was very tasty. Peppery and perfectly cooked. The frites were amazing and I ate every last one of them.

Pinky Sue's Smokehouse

 Barbecue and ribs you say? Less than 10 minutes from work? Count me in! In the spot where Mokka was you will find Pinky Sue's Smokehouse. It's a small restaurant that surprisingly seats a large amount of people. They have a HUGE TV to watch sports or news or whatever.

 

I ordered the beef brisket sandwich, macaroni and cheese and green beans. I also decided to be bold and try a rib bone. Let me be clear - I don't eat ribs. Usually. So I can hardly be an expert. The rib was tasty, smoky, juicy and fell off the bone. Their meats are not cooked in their sauce, you get some on the side.



My sandwich was very juicy - almost too juicy. My bun was a little water logged when I went to pick up my sandwich. I hate that. If you're not going to eat your sandwich right way - flip your bun over so the meat is on the top bun and your bottom bun stays dry.

Macaroni and cheese was good. Tasted fresh and home made, but nothing to lose your mind over. The green beans took me back about 20 years. I love green beans with potatoes and ham. So good!  I asked if they make their own sauce there and the server said "kind of". He said they mix a sauce they make with another sauce. It was decent. Rich and dark with a sticky sweetness.

If you're in the neighborhood give it a try - it beats the same old fast food in Newport!

Asiatique Bistro and Lounge

Restaurant week came in a hurry. I figured when was the next time I'd get to try Asiatique? I found my way up there just off the main drag in West Chester. I was impressed with the building. This place is HUGE! it could probably seat 300 people. There was not a large amount of folks there when I went though. It was a Monday anyways.

I've never had tomato Parmesan soup at an Asian restaurant before. It was good. I just didn't expect it.



These are crab and goat cheese spring rolls. These were yummy! I did not get an overpowering flavor of crab - but you could tell it was in there. I would likely eat a shoe if it were covered in goat cheese though. The dipping sauce was really tasty as well. Spicy with a vinegar bite.



I ordered the dry rubbed pekin duck breast, pickled root vegetables and spicy orange + grand marnier sauce. This was very tasty. I think that the root vegetable was fennel. I definitely detected that licorice flavor. The duck was delicious and seasoned well. I just loved it.




Something very unexpected was their iced tea. I've been trying to phase out soda lately and have switched to iced tea in restaurants. They told me that it was a peach mango iced tea. Very delicious!

This is a wonderful place with a huge assortment of things to try from different Asian cultures. There are some safe choices also if you are still hesitant.

Riverside Korean

I was so excited to go back to this place. I had only been here once about 3 years ago. I quite enjoyed my time. I went back with a friend who is actually Korean.

Look at the adorable tables you can sit at for an authentic experience!



We started with the dumplings. One of my favorites. Goon Man Du
Pan fried dumplings (7 pcs) - vegetables & tofu. The dipping sauce was amazing and so simple. Some soy sauce, garlic, onion and deliciousness awaits!



Here are the bowls of the accoutrement (Ban Chan) that awaits you! Top row L - R (potato, pickled turnip, kimchi, shiatake mushroom) Bottom Row L-R (spinach, cucumber, black bean, don't remember the last one) I made a beeline for the kimchi, potato and shiatake mushroom.



Lisa ordered the Bibim Bab (choice of Chicken / Beef / Tofu) Rice mixed with seven kinds of vegetables and topped with an egg with spicy sauce on the side. Here you can see the server mixing in the egg and adding spicy sauce to Lisa's specification.



I ordered the Mae Un Sae Woo Bok Um Spicy stir fried shrimp with cabbage, long hot peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, onion, green onion, and carrots. Very good. Large, HUGE shrimp were in this dish. I didn't count them but there must have been 7 or 8. The flavor was very good, spicy but a slow burn kind of spicy. Very good.



Riverside appears to have a large clientele of Cincinnati residents. The people who came in for dinner did not appear to live in Covington. But maybe I'm being too judgmental.

Flipdaddy's

I went here after work last night for dinner.

I decided to have the grilled mac and cheese as an appetizer and it was delicious. I love mac and cheese and will eat it almost in any form. The extra crisp from the grilled cheesiness was just awesome. I am a "burned cheese edge" kind of gal and always will be. I love that crunchy cheese and this has it! You can sub it for a side of any of their burgers or sandwiches.

I had the gaucho burger which was amazing. Caramelized onion, provolone cheese and chimichurri sauce. Chimmichanga? Cheech Marin? No Chimichurri. Chimichurri is made from finely chopped parsley, minced garlic, vegetable oil or olive oil, white or red vinegar, and red pepper flakes. And it's pretty darn good on a burger too! My burger was perfectly cooked and delicous. I got a side of their sweet potato fries. I was only somewhat disappointed with the fries - they were softer than I like. They did come with a really tasty cinnamon sauce for dipping. I didn't go overboard with the sauce - it was pretty sweet. It helped contrast between the sweet and the chimichurri sauce.

I had possibly the nicest server that I've ever had here. Look for Jackson if you stop by. He was super fast and accurate with my order and was just a very friendly person. I talked to him about different beers and beerfest while he did some of his side work. All of the staff that I talked to were very friendly and genuine.

If you don't live in the Mariemont area you may not be so inclined to make a trek. You may want to make the trip for the mac and cheese alone. You can get to it in less than 10 minutes from the Kenwood exit off of I71. They have monthly burger and beer specials. They also have a very extensive beer list. they have a huge draft list with a very helpful chart on the alcohol %, the color of the brew and the price. I went for the Sam Adams Octoberfest which was about $4. Not too shabby for a seasonal beer. I was very excited to see that they are a dedicated seller of Goose Island Matilda (bottle)- my favorite beer.

Another great neighborhood sports bar to try with not just your normal fare. Well okay burgers and such are pretty normal - the taste is not.


Update - 1/2/11

I finally got a chance to take my husband here. I'm glad I did because the burger of the day was the MacDaddy - regular burger with the grilled mac and cheese on top. (Please put this on your menu!) Pat barely had words to describe it when he ate it. More than the mac he was struck by their beef combination that was so flavorful and juicy. Then there was the mac on the burger which was amazing. No doubt it's something that one shouldn't eat every day but it is definitely going up there with the grilled cheese donut as a guilty pleasure comfort food.



I had the Oktoberfest burger - burger with bacon kraut and pickles with a horseradish cheddar cheese on a pretzel bun. This was good but seriously messy. When you're in the German food kind of mood but don't want to go full schnitzel at Hofbrauhaus have this tasty burger with a nice beer on the side. You'll be in heaven.

Sammy's

Another place really close to my house. They have some great specials on beer. During all televised Reds games their draft beer is $3.00 (I think I remember that correctly. There's a discount at least.

I went for a primary reason - I wanted a Sam Adams Octoberfest.

I ordered the Jalapeno Bottle Caps which are just sliced jalapenos battered and fried. These were tasty but I have realized I may now be at the age I can't just eat an order of jalapenos like I could in the past.

I ordered the Ragita dog with a side of garlic fries. Which is an all beef hot dog, corn and pepper salsa, queso fresco. Very tasty. Very sticky due to the cheese but it was different. Very good. The garlic fries were a little too garlicky for me. They were crisp and served tossed in garlic and Parmesan cheese. I would stick to regular fries next time.

They have a substantial sized patio for outdoor dining. They have a nice sized menu of burgers, pasta and a very nice selection of beers. It's a great neighborhood sports bar to try! My server was very friendly and prompt with his service.

InCahoots

This place is very close to my house which makes it delightfully convenient. The first time we went there was one of their schedule performers playing which makes for interesting conversation.

I got the tempura fried asparagus as an appetizer. Very nice twist on an appetizer. Asparagus was nicely done and the spicy sauce was tasty.



My husband fell in love with the Inca Fries which are potato and sweet potato fries in a mix. There's a little bit of garlic in there also. He's ordered them every time we've been back.



I ordered a side Inca Salad for $2 and it was good. There are heirloom tomatoes, house made crouton and housemade balsamic vinaigrette.



My husband got the build your own burger where he chose BBQ sauce, bacon and swiss. Very tasty! Note the extra side of Inca Fries.



My husband got a side macaroni and cheese. I thought it was pretty tasty. He thought it was a bit peppery for his taste.



I ordered the black and bleu pasta. Chicken tenderloins, asparagus, bacon and a bleu cheese cream sauce with pasta. This is a HUGE portion. If you are getting appetizers you may want to get the half portion.



For dessert we ordered their brownie. This thing is HUGE. It's almost the size of a DVD case. It's all warm and fudgy with ice cream and whipped cream on the side.





On a subsequent visit I ordered the crab cakes and have had that ever since. They take 2 crab cakes and serve with grilled asparagus and a garlic jasmine rice. These are possibly the best crab cakes I've ever had. Lumpy and crisp on the outside, the remoulade sauce and onion mixture are delicious. The garlic jasmine rice is to die for. Sticky and garlicky but not overwhelmingly so. My favorite dish at InCahoots!

I found out from our server that all of their sauces and items are house made and you can tell. Everything tastes fresh as possible and great flavors.

Update: 2/28/11

We went back to InCahoots for dinner tonight and I had my usual crab cakes but I did try a new soup that they had. They had a deconstructed Reuben soup. I decided to try it.

It was really delicious. Large chunks of corned beef, sauerkraut and small bits of pickle in a creamy 1,000 island style soup broth. I was very surprised by it and found it really enjoyable. If you like reubens at all you would love this soup. The only thing that would have made it complete is maybe a small piece of rye bread for dipping. 

 

City Barbecue

We were starving and Werner's Smokehouse was closed for Labor Day. After I dragged my husband to the outlets I promised him barbecue of some sort. We weren't really close to any of our usuals so we went to City Barbecue.

Here's the sides we have top left baked beans, top right macaroni and cheese, bottom left corn pudding, and bottom right green beans. All were very tasty. The corn pudding was especially good.



They have 6 different sauces to choose from ranging from vinegary to sweet to spicy. I like to mix them up.



Pat and I basically got the same platter, smoked sausage, turkey, brisket and pork shoulder. The bread was amazing. The meats were all moist and tender.