Pompilios sets opening date for Independence outpost
Newport’s historic Italian restaurant is gearing up for the opening of its second location. Pompilios will open at 1920 Declaration Drive in Independence, in the space that was Buffalo Bob’s restaurant, on March 19.
“We’ve been talking about it for a long time,” said Joe Bristo, one of the restaurant’s owners. “This location was a right place, right time scenario. We all felt that there was going to be a demand for some home-cooked food and some wine out here.”
Diners who’ve grown accustomed to the decor at Newport — and those who recognize it from its appearance in the movie “Rain Man” — won’t feel out of place at its sister restaurant, Bristo said. He said they’ve done their best to recreate the feel of the 80-year-old Newport outpost with the renovation, using the same tile on the floors and bringing some of Newport’s large, round mirrors to the new space. To eliminate the building’s “strip mall” feel and enhance the ambiance, they’re covering its large windows.
“The most important part of the expansion is that people are going to walk in here and know it’s Pompilios,” he said. “Anybody that’s familiar with Newport is going to walk in and see Newport.”
The Independence restaurant is about 70 percent of Newport’s size and will seat about 130. And it has a couple of features that Newport lacks: a large waiting area, complete with a TV, with an additional covered waiting area outside, plus plenty of parking.
Likewise, the menu will look familiar to regular diners, with 95 percent of the same dishes, Bristo said. A few “American” offerings, such as meatloaf, a reuben sandwich and a turkey club, will be added.
And for the first time, they’ll offer a different menu at lunch, with everything under $10. Newport has $5 lunch specials on Mondays and Tuesdays; in Independence, they’ll have $5 lunch items every day.
Hours will be 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. The bar will stay open one hour later if it’s busy.
Bristo said he’s been getting a lot of concern from patrons who fear that the Newport Pompilios is closing, but they needn’t worry.
“Newport’s not going anywhere,” he said.
“We’re all very excited; we think it’s going to be a good fit,” he said of the new location.
www.pompiliosrestaurant.com
Show-Me’s sports bar opens in Colerain
Show-Me’s, a Midwest sports bar chain, opened its first Ohio location in Colerain Township on Sunday, March 4.
Kurt John, who owns the local franchise with Steve Hazlett, describes the atmosphere as a “cross between Buffalo Wild Wings and Hooters.” The emphasis is on sports, with 61 TVs (four of which are large projection screens) and four more on the patio for warmer days.
“We try to create a fun atmosphere with nice-looking servers who are personable and attentive,” he said. “We really hit on the sports; you can’t sit anywhere in there without seeing at least one TV.”
On the menu are choices such as crab legs, oysters on the half shell and burgers, but wings are the specialty, John said. There are lots of beer choices, including $1 Natural Light and Keystone Light drafts, available any time.
As the name implies, the chain got its start in Missouri — the Show Me state.
11 a.m.-2:30 a.m. Monday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-midnight Sunday.
9343 Colerain Ave.; 513-407-8265 or www.showmes.com
Tot Dogs serving lunch on Vine
Jim Thompson, the man behind Lucy Blue Pizza, has turned his attention to gourmet hot dogs and sausages with his new venture, Tot Dogs. The small, takeout-only restaurant opened downtown at 634 Vine St., next to PNC Bank, last week.
“It’s basically taking hot dogs and sausages to a little bit higher level,” he said.
On the menu are hot dogs (regular, all-beef, turkey or veggie), sausages (Italian, chicken and andouille), bratwurst, metts and hot metts. They can be topped with standards such as chili and cheese, or with house-made Asian slaw or blackberry mustard. Down the road, Thompson plans to add game sausages, too.
In keeping with the shop’s canine concept — pictures of dogs adorn the walls, and rows of dog leashes serve as curtains — Tot Dogs offers a weekly “Best in Show” special. This week, it’s a Portuguese linguica sausage topped with roasted red peppers and aged provolone. Next week’s creation will be a reuben sausage, a Swiss cheese-filled sausage topped with sauerkraut, more Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing.
Thompson said the restaurant is named for his daughter, Taylor Thompson, whose nickname is “Tot.” She’s no longer a tot, though; in fact, she’ll soon take over running Tot Dogs from her father.
Currently, it’s open for lunch only from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., but Thompson hopes to eventually expand to “Lucy Blue” hours to serve the late-night crowd.
513-345-3056; www.totdogscincinnati.com
Fort Thomas Pizza & Tavern adds breakfast
Fort Thomas Pizza & Tavern recently expanded its offerings beyond what its name implies with the addition of early hours and a new breakfast menu.
With the recent closing of the Fort Thomas Frisch’s, manager Jeremy LaVelle LaVelle said they now offer not only full sit-down breakfast meals, but also fast, cheap breakfast sandwiches for those on the go.
LaVelle said plans are in the works to make holidays, like St. Patrick’s Day, extra special at the tavern, even during the breakfast shift, when they plan to offer a full authentic Irish breakfast.
Another fun draw is the tavern’s Hall of Fame, where customers’ unique food creations are featured, like the “Griesy Mess,” a three egg omelet stuffed with a biscuit and goetta and covered in sausage gravy.
“We like to see what people can come up with,” LaVelle said. “If we have it, we’ll make it in any style or combination we can.”
Breakfast is served at the tavern daily until 11 a.m.
www.ftpat.com.
