Cincinnati Restaurants

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This is without doubt one of my favorite restaurant's in Cincinniti!

Sure, they're famous for their roast chicken (see photo #2), and serve fabulous Lebanese-style Middle Eastern food (fabulous hummus, tabouleh, moussaka) but I have to give owner & chef, Raine, high marks for her turning me on to LIMA BEANS, of all things!! I mean, I detest lima beans, right?! Many people do. But the way she fixes hers, mmmm... They're cooked 'til softened, garnished with garlic, parsley, and fresh lemon juice and taste remarkably like hummus. DELISH!

Another of my favorites are her stuffed red bell peppers and the moussaka. Oh, the moussaka!!

If what I've told you hasn't convinced you, maybe you should look at the decal on her window. Raine's restaurant (it's named after her gentlemanly husband, Floyd) has been designated as one of AOL's City's Best of 2006 (and probably 2007 & 2008, as well).

Favorite Dish: Lima Beans (I get them every single visit)
Stuffed Red Bell Peppers
Moussaka
Roast Chicken
Hummus
Greek Salad

Well, it's all great, really!

Photos: May 2006

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One of my best friends, Cassaundra, and I had dinner here before our jaunt over to the Aronoff Center to see The Color Purple mid-April 2008. We split a bowl of the Orange Glazed Duckling As you can see from the 2nd photo, the bowl was so HUGE we had to share it! And at only $9.95 for the dish, we made out very cheaply on the deal, too. The dish also contained napa (chinese cabbage) and julienned bits of carrot. It was a lovely dinner!

This is without a doubt the least expensive meal you'll find downtown. And since it's open 'til 3am on the weekends (closed Sundays) then you're sure to find a late-night great cheap meal after the show!

When you access their website, be sure to scroll down the page to find the on-line dinner menu.

One word of caution, when I ordered jasmine tea they tried to pull a fast one on me by serving green tea insisting that all green tea was jasmine (what?!?!).

Favorite Dish: Orange Glazed Duckling (orange glazed crispy duck confit served over fluffy white rice)

Photos: April 18, 2008

With several locations, this hometown favorite has grown to a chain. The chili is so well-loved that people who move away will have family members send it to them. It is usually the first thing people get when they come back to town after long stays away. The thing that makes the dish is the chili, which has no beans (you can get them added but they aren't mixed in, it is more of a topping) and is rumored to be made with chocolate and cinnamon, but the recipe is actually secret. The biggest competitor is Gold Star which, in my opinion, is not as good. My favorite location has to be either Clifton, which is open to 3AM for the college students or the Anderson location, where the waitress remembers the name and "the usual" of regular customers.

Favorite Dish: I get the classic three-way, sometimes with extra cheese. My boyfriend likes the Chili Cheese sandwich which is basically chili and cheese in a hotdog bun. This is definitely not health food!

I did Cadillac Ranch on a Thursday night- ladies night, and had a great meal and drinks. The atmospherew was decent and the bartenders were very helpful in pointing us in the right directions for further nightlife. This place has a mechanical bull to complete the Nashville experience.

Favorite Dish: I did the crabcakes and loaded mashed potatoes.

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My dessert consisted of a Variation de Gourmandises (Variation of Sweets):
Key Lime Pie with Blueberries,
Lemon-Mint Bavarian with Strawberry Soup (Bavarois au citron-menthe avec une soupe des fraises),
Raspberry Mousse with Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce (Mousse a la framboise avec une sauce au chocolat semi-amer),
and 2 bites of Crème Brûlée with the proverbial cherry on top,
all accompanied by a vibrant glass of Pigall's Label Tissot, Cremant du Jura (at last, I got my glass of sparkling wine)! This is the same Cremant that I rave about at Bistro JeanRo.

Mary's delectable choice was the Tartelette au Chocolat au Lait et Noix de Macadamia (Milk Chocolate & Macadamia Truffle Tart with Macadamia Whipped Cream).

Ebony opted for the classic crème brûlée (Crème Brûlée à la Vanille accompagnée des fruits frais) which was, as the French say, correct (meaning it was prepared exactly the way it's supposed to be prepared but what else would you expect from Jean-Robert de Caval?). Hers looked so good I had to snap 2 photos!!

We were then given a dish of cookies - one was a macadamia nut cookie that resembled a Mexican Wedding Cookie but without the powdered sugar (castor sugar to you English folk) and a chocolate cookie. THEN we were served small bon bons of dark-chocolate-covered coconut candies. They were going to bring out more but we pleaded for mercy as we were BURSTING!

Photos: September 2007

Favorite Dish: Well, I'm a sucker for Key Lime Pie so obviously this was one of my favorites but I can never turn down a good crème brûlée and this one was perfect (ADORED the clever presentation in the spoon)!

This must've been a birthday week because I saw at least 2 other desserts with birthday candles being brought out to diners. Per Richard, the maître d', Jean-Robert's birthday is this week also (Wednesday or Thursday) so that makes this talented chef a Virgo!

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For the main course I was served with the Ombre chevalier, émulsion à la betterave rouge et citron, risotto au fromage de chèvre et basilique (Braised Arctic Char, Beets & Lemon Emulsion, Basil & Goat Cheese Risotto, Compote of Candied Fennel) accompanied by a glass of Domaine Joseph Voillot Bougogne Vieilles Vignes, 2004.

This was immediately followed up with Pièce d'agneau au thym et vin rouge, roulade d'aubergine et champignon, mais et merguez, pommes de terres au persil (Lamb Loin with Thyme-Red Wine Sauce, Eggplant Roulade with Mushrooms, Corn & Merguez Sausage) accompanied by a glass of Pierre Gonon Saint Joseph, 2003.

Mary loved the Saint-Jacques à la sauce aux truffes, Risotto de légumes de printemps (Sea Scallops with Light Truffle Sauce, Risotto of Spring Vegetables, Mushroom Duxelle).

Ebony was wowed by her Aiguillettes de canard au miel et mûres, polenta légère au roquefort, gratin de blettes et cèpes (Duck Breast with Peppery Honey, Blackberry Compote, Polenta with Roquefort & Vidalia Onion, Gratin of Swiss Chard & Cèpes). With more mushrooms she was in heaven!

Photos: September 2007

Favorite Dish: I fell in love with both my dishes and the wine selections were SUPERB perfectly complementing each course.

BTW, the service here was EXCELLENT! Our server was Emily, who looks just like a younger Virginia Madsen with straight blonde hair, is pregnant and due in November. Not once did she ever show any signs of her energy flagging (bless her heart). She was kind, warm, funny, and spoiled us rotten.

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I CELEBRATED MY 40TH BIRTHDAY HERE WITH MY FAB FOODIE FRIENDS (MaryG & Ebony) LAST NIGHT!!!

Alas, in 2006 no restos garnered a 30 rating from Zagat's, its highest rating; only 8 restaurants in the entire country garnered a 29. But one of Cincy's own, Jean-Robert at Pigall's earned the top cumulative 29 rating! And this year Mobil (equivalent to Michelin in Europe) just gave them a 4-star rating!

This is the pricey fabulous fusion French restaurant, owned & operated by former Maisonette head chef, Frenchman Jean-Robert de Caval (considered by many to be the best restaurant in the city). The absolute finest in French cuisine due to his well-known philosophy of using local home-grown cuisine with the freshest ingredients (a very French concept - you see this quite a bit in Paris). His menu changew day-to-day dependent upon fresh market pickings.

I find it funny that they persist in including the "Pigall" appellation as anyone familiar with Paris would automatically conjure up images of prostitutes in the seedy area surrounding Pigalle near Montmartre! But the prior resto was called Pigall's and it was a long-term well-known place in Cincy; tradition dies hard in this conservative enclave.

I offer my congratulations to Jean-Robert for his Top Zagat rating as well as his new 4-star Mobil designation. Thank you for bringing several authentic French restaurants to the Queen City!

E-mail: info@jean-robertatpigalls.com

Favorite Dish: Menu Gourmand for the current sampling of the chef's best (especially when pan-seared foie gras is on the menu)! Priced at $134, wine pairings included, and for $97 sans wine. The 3 course prix-fixe comes in at a reasonable $74. Last night I chose the Menu Gourmand as a birthday celebration and it was trés fantastique! Click HERE to see the amuse bouches, HERE to see the main courses, and HERE for the desserts!

When calling ahead to make reservations, if you call before the new season's menu appears, you'll be asked what your food preferences are - cool! I told them I'd love the pan-seared foie gras, if possible, anything to do with macarons (rose preferably) and no mushrooms (even though that seems to be one of de Caval's favorites).

Photos: January 2005 & September 2007

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Two of my best friends, Mary G, Ebony, and I dined at Jean-Robert at Pigall's for my 40th birthday (which is next weekend but I'll be in Chicago celebrating with Kristi (dabs), Sally (shrimp56) and Katherine (Callavetta). Mary & Ebony opted for the 3-course meal while I celebrated with the menu gourmand.

We started off with the amuse bouche of Duck Confit en Papillote, Salmon Rillettes, a bright, sprightly Vicchysoise (with some sort of vegetable included). I started off with a Kir (apparently, this was a complimentary birthday kir because I was never charged for it!), Mary chose their fabulous Cremant du Jura (Pigall's label Tissot) and Ebony opted for the Perrier (she tells me she's a light drunk - ar ar).

First Course:
Mary G's Fromage de Chèvre Chaud de la région en croûte dorée, cebettes de haricots vert aux amandes (Indiana Warm Goat Cheese in a Golden Crust with Scallions, French Green Beans, Almonds and Currants).

Ebony's Duo de homard, flan et salade de légumes printaniers, caviar de Kentucky (Maine Lobster Duo, with Spring Vegetable Salad and Flan with Kentucky Caviar Cream). Apparently, there is a farm in Louisville that creates its own caviar!

I had the Salade de Crabe façon gazpacho, sorbet d'algues marines et caviar de Kentucky (Jonah Crab with Kentucky Caviar Cream, Gazpacho Style with Seaweed Sorbet) accompanied by a Kerpen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett, Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, 2005 (perfectly sweet to complement the crab).

Next up was the divine Foie gras chaud au poire, pastèque et cresson, fondue de chanterelles et choux-fleur served with a Kracher Zweigelt Beerenauslee, Burgenland, Austria, 2003. The Kentucky Caviar Cream was poured after the dish was presented - lovely.

Photos: September 2007

Favorite Dish: I totally forgot to take a photo of it but my favorite dish was pan-seared foie gras in a black pepper & sweet wine emulsion accompanied by watermelon & watercress, chanterelle mushrooms (gave those to Ebony who LOVES mushrooms) & cauliflower. I'd fallen in love with pan-seared foie gras when I tasted a bite from my friend Daniel's at Chez Georges in Chartres last year. I was eager to try it here and was not disappointed. Fabuleaux!! No photo of the Jonah Crab, either.

The great thing about this restaurant is that you can opt to sit at the bar, sip a bit of wine or your favorite aperitif, and opt for one simple course. I'll be back for the foie gras!