Best of Metromix Cincinnati 2012Restaurant
No matter what you're hungry for, these eateries will leave you smiling.
And the winner is…
The Precinct
311 Delta Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45226Neighborhood: Columbia Tusculum
Housed in an historic police station, The Precinct has an upscale atmosphere and top-notch service, making that expense dinner for two worth every penny and making it our two-time Best Restaurant winner. Menu items include steaks named for Dusty Baker, Marvin Lewis and Cris Collinsworth.
Nominees
Boca
3200 Madison Road
Cincinnati, OH 45209Neighborhood: Oakley
Italian food can be stunning even while it is very simple; thats the kind of Italian food Boca serves at its small and always-busy Oakley location. Everyone tries the braised Brussels sprouts with scallops. Aside from that, there's an ever-changing array of pasta and entrees mixing local, seasonal flavors with the techniques, and wines, of the Old World.
Nada
600 Walnut St.
Cincinnati, OH 45202Neighborhood: Downtown
Mexican food like you’ve never had it before, in the hippest spot downtown. If you can, be sure to sit on the patio for optimal people-watching. Later, the bar heats up, especially during Happy Hour with drink and appetizer specials (like the amazing Nada sliders paired with a house margarita). Here you'll find authentic flavors served in a contemporary way, plus this is a great place before or after a show at the Aronoff. Nada now serves a Sunday brunch from 11 a.m.-3 p.m, with a Mexican take on brunch classics.
Orchids at Palm Court
35 W. Fifth St.
Cincinnati, OH 45202Neighborhood: Downtown
The exuberant, gilded French art deco of the Hilton Netherland Plaza makes it one of the best settings in town for any commemorative event, and the careful service makes dinner suitably ceremonious. Be sure to make an entrance by walking up the fabulous stairway from 5th Street. Chef Todd Kelly presents often exotic ingredients in combinations that may seem surprising but taste as if they were always meant for one another. You might start with seared foie gras with lemon waffle, peaches and braised pistachios, move on to wild halibut with Dungeness crab, sunchoke puree, tarragon and haricots verts.
Jean-Robert's Table
713 Vine St.
Cincinnati, OH 45202Neighborhood: Downtown
Jean-Robert de Cavel promised his new restaurant would be a place people could drop in, relax and eat delicious food, without feeling stifled or uncomfortable. True, the atmosphere is charming and quirky: exposed brick walls, a center section of bar-height tables, graphic prints of people and birds. But when it comes to food, de Cavel doesn't really do casual. The menu is stocked with refined, seasonal food in a French tradition with a modern sensibility, and with service to match.
La Poste Eatery
3410 Telford Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45220Neighborhood: Clifton (gaslight district)
The long, small-paned window on Telford displays the dining room from the outside as a happy bright place on a dark evening. The wine list is interesting and varied and the food is contemporary and sophisticated.
Local 127
413 Vine St.
Cincinnati, OH 45202Neighborhood: Downtown
Local 127 used to be located at 127 W. Fourth St., but has moved to the former location of The Bistro. Local 127 has Las Vegas-trained master sommelier Steven Geddes as the brains behind this restaurant aimed to cultivate local producers and use nearby agricultural products as fully as possible. Geddes says the menu concept is New American, emphasizing local ingredients and heritage dishes, but using modern culinary techniques. Local 127's location and class make it a perfect stop for a night on the town.
Senate
1212 Vine St.
Cincinnati, OH 45202Neighborhood: Downtown
Senate, the latest addition to Over-the-Rhine’s Gateway Quarter, is junk food nirvana. It’s a place where they put fried eggs on the hot dogs and sizzle the french fries in duck fat, and you just sit there with your big glass of Belgian beer and scarf it all down.
Last year's winner
The Precinct
311 Delta Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45226Neighborhood: Columbia Tusculum
Housed in an historic police station, The Precinct has an upscale atmosphere and top-notch service, making that expense dinner for two worth every penny and making it our two-time Best Restaurant winner. Menu items include steaks named for Dusty Baker, Marvin Lewis and Cris Collinsworth.
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What other people are saying...
mjperry51 - January 25, 2012 at 11:56 AM
Tony's needs to be in this list. . .
Report This CommentGregFritz - January 22, 2012 at 10:07 PM
Local127, REALLY? Wouldn't it help if people actually received the entree's they ordered in under 2 hours when they have a play to get to?
Report This Commentanod45220 - January 18, 2012 at 6:29 PM
How do you have The Senate mixed in with the fine dining restaurants?
Report This CommentKatherine8772 - January 18, 2012 at 4:41 PM
Please add 20 Brix. The food is great and the specials are always amazing!
Report This Commentsherylldean1693 - January 18, 2012 at 12:05 PM
I don't see 20 Brix in Milford
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