Out to eat: Primavista

Bruschetta, the grilled Italian bread, is served here with a sundried tomato pesto, plus caponata and prosciutto and the Cincinnati city lights, at Primavista in Price Hill. (Credit: Joseph Fuqua II)

In 2012, I have decided to be a tourist in my own city. This has taken me to parts of town I forgot about and parts where I have never been before. This week's trek took my date and I to Price Hill. Why? Well, for the best view of our beautiful Queen City and for some amazing Italian food at Primavista.

Sitting atop a winding path to Matson Place is Queen’s Tower. Yes, Primavista is nestled inside a high-rise apartment building.

The mood: Primavista has been part of the city’s restaurant scene for decades but is often forgotten. That is until you think of Valentine’s Day and want to romance your honey with amazing food with a view.

When you walk into the restaurant you are surrounded with old world charm – dark woods and dusty wine bottles on the wall. The view of Cincinnati grabs you as soon as you round the corner into the dining room. The space is simply decorated and dimly lit to set the mood. When you are with that special someone, make sure to request a banquet booth facing the windows. Ah, romance is in the air at Primavista.

They also have a private dining room for special occasions (up to 50 people) and a small bar area that was actually filling up as we were leaving around 10 p.m. on a weeknight.The service was polite, polished and knowledgeable.

The food: Coming from an Italian family, I can be a snob about restaurant-style Italian food. Primavista comes pretty darn close to Grandma’s cooking though. After studying the menu for an extremely long time, some decisions were finally made.

My date and I shared the Mozzarella con Pomodoro ($8.99) stuffed with pesto and mushrooms with roasted tomatoes and a balsamic glaze – amazing.

For dinner he had the Scampi Rigano ($26.99): jumbo shrimp, lots of garlic and mushrooms over angelhair pasta with a sherry sauce. Watch out for the garlic in this dish, whoa.

I ordered the Risotto ai Funghi ($17.99) with porcini and exotic mushrooms, some kind of cheesiness and I added asparagus to get my veggies in there ($4.99). I had to stop from eating myself into a food coma – delish.

The salad course was just that, salads ($5.99). Nothing to write home about, but crisp and crunchy as it should be.

Dessert was tempting but we had to skip it this time. Madisono’s Gelati and Sorbetto were really hard to turn down though ($6.99).

The drinks: Primavista does a great job on their wine list blending Italian style wines with other world regions. They offer wines by the glass, but have a much better bottle selection – including Frank’s Special Selections if you can afford them. I was tempted by my dad’s favorite – Amarone Classico ($150) from Italy.

The cocktail menu has a few fruity martinis and specialty concoctions but I had to laugh out loud at the Skimerton Tea ($9.49), a top shelf version of a Long Island Iced Tea. It is proudly named after a local bartender in Cincinnati that I happen to be friends with, so I had to have one!

My date had the Barbera d’Alba, Marches Barolo Ruvei ($6.99) from Italy. It was spicy and bold, just like him!

The verdict: Primavista may be off the beaten trail for some, but absolutely worth the trip across town for amazing food and a spectacular view of our city. It is the perfect spot for any special occasion – Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! They are offering a special menu and take online reservations to make it easy (see page 14 for more details). Branch out of your normal routine, explore the city and discover this hidden gem in Price Hill.