This year’s got a few interesting ones… (See the lists from the past few years for reference)
1. Orchids at the Palm Court (Downtown)
2. Boca (Oakley)
3. Nicola’s (Over-the-Rhine)
4. The Palace (Downtown)
5. Bouquet (Covington)
6. Cumin (East Hyde Park)
7. Via Vite (Downtown)
8. Nectar (Mt. Lookout)
9. Daveed’s (Mt. Adams)
10. Honey (Northside)
Best New Restaurant: Jean-Robert’s Table (Downtown), runner up Senate (Over-the-Rhine)
Remember that the magazine’s method involves “points”, and multiple visits and multiple diners’ opinions and scorecards are used. It’s pretty thorough– probably the most thorough reviews of restaurants in town. I don’t always agree– but I really respect the lengths Donna Covrett and her staff go to to make this list.
No high-end Asian or Indian cuisine this time, lots of Italian– a solid list. What do you think? What’s missing?
I really like how they focused on 11 dishes under $10– so you can get a taste of the awesome work being done by chefs in Cincinnati on a bit of a budget. You can catch them on www.cincinnatimagazine.com
Don’t forget to pick up the rest of the issue, which I’m looking forward to reading, on newsstands March 2. There’s a great article about artisan food makers and some details about an event called “Food + Thought” in March where you can talk to those artisans (think Shadeau Bakery and Fab Ferments).