Phoenician Taverna - @@@

Another restaurant with the misfortune of comparison eating. This is a Middle Eastern restaurant located in a strip of local eateries that I particularly enjoyed (Sichuan Bistro and Sura as the others). Again the food was pretty good and reminded me of the places back in Detroit.

I got the mixed shawarma which had chicken and lamb. Good flavor overall and well spiced. Chicken was not overly cooked and dry, which I have seen in other places. The lamb was also tasty, although I preferred the chicken as I usually do. Served with freshly baked pita, garlic sauce and rice, the meal was again quite filling. The pita was the puffy, fresh kind which surprised me in a positive way. Garlic sauce on point, although the little cup is hardly enough. Rice was odd in that it just seemed like basmati rice, no pine nuts, almonds, or vermicelli. That was slightly disappointing.

I liked this place in relation to other Cincinnati eateries and would come back. But in relation to a Cedarland or other Dearborn favorites, just not at that level. The meat is just more moist, garlic more plentiful, and rice more seasoned but all in all a good place to explore some Middle Eastern cuisine.

7944 S Mason Montgomery Rd
Mason, OH 45040

SmoQ - @@@

Couple of things about this place. One, rating is devalued a bit just cause of the amazing BBQ I have had across the US. Two, I got a ton of food. I don't think the picture does it justice. Third, also had the gumbo which I don't know if I was really wanting something like that tonight but was really tasty.

This place actually seems to use fire to cook their meats. That is always a good start. I got the brisket and ribs combo upon recommendation from the server. It was what I was thinking too, just wasn't sure whether to order ribs as well or just go straight brisket. He recommended the dry rub St Louis style, again what I was looking at. The rub was sweet, not overly so, but definitely could taste the sugar. This was later confirmed as a brown sugar base for the 13 spice rub. Gladly I did not need the sauces, which they had the typical Carolina, KC sweet, and a spicy version of the KC with sirracha in it. The food was good, and came out blazing hot which is slightly curious for a BBQ smoke place. I'm guessing they finish the food on a grill (hopefully not a microwave!) before they serve it since smoked meat never gets overly hot. I'm talking this was burn your tongue hot. In fact I did burn my tongue. The ribs were amazingly tender for being smoked, and were able to be eaten with only that slight resistance that you want. Brisket was thick cut (always a good sign since they aren't worried about drying out) and still tender.

For the sides I got the collards and a sweet potato brûlée with pecans on top. Again very solid sides with not much to complain about. Collards were still slightly bitter and had good seasoning on them and the sweet potato was not overly sugary.

I am taking 1/3rd of this meal back to the hotel there was so much food. Great deal for $20 as you could easily split it. Though it was practically empty when I was here, the server was helpful and they played a southern style blues constantly. The size of the place reminds me of a Chilis, in my mind I think if it was smaller it could have a better, less imposing ambiance. Like maybe what they have in KC with just cafeterias or Texas with park benches. But overall I think this is a really good option for BBQ in the Cincinnati area. If I had not been exposed to Rudy's or Arthur Bryant's, this would easily get a 4. If you are in the area, I would definitely recommend if you are in the mood for a meat-intensive meal.

275 Pictoria Dr
Cincinnati, OH 45246

Sura - @@@

I tried out this Korean restaurant Monday after the Chinese restaurant I wanted to go to was closed. At least they both serve rice right?

This is an in-line restaurant common of suburbia. I did not expect too much and it delivered to my expectations. Got the kalbi which tasted like good Korean BBQ. The banchan was not as impressive as the Korea House we went to earlier in the project. Both places amazingly had purple rice which I have never had before prior to Cincinnati.

Overall in the comparison I favored Sura only slightly more. They give you either more kalbi or I was less hungry. But either place will give you a quick Korean fix if needed and in the suburbs.

7876 Mason-Montgomery Rd
Mason, OH 45040

Houston Inn - @@@

Wrapping up dinner here tonight on the advice of the driving range worker who said they have some pretty good food. He was right, not bad.

First off however I got nervous before I even walked in. It looks like a prime place for that tv show Restaurant Makeover it is so "classic". Walking in does not make it newer looking either. Very country-ish but I guess it is on the outskirts of bustling Mason, OH so it makes sense.

They advertise a 55 item salad bar which is included with the meal. Of course I order prime rib as it is billed as "the very best". Again it suffers from overcooked-ness as i am resigning myself to out here. Tender yes, tons of flavor no.

But what gives them the extra point is the totally off the wall salad bar item pickled watermelon rinds. What??? I am amazed I even tested them out but they sounded so unique that I had to try at least 1. I'm glad I did, they were quite tasty. Had a mellow crunch similar to a mandarin orange in jello. As a matter of fact, that definitely explains the texture. It was soft throughout and then a bit harder (crunchy would not be the term to describe it as it wasn't that firm). The taste was slightly tangy, but nothing overpowering. I ended up going back to have a few more pieces. Keep in mind that I don't feel it was amazing just that it was something I have never even heard of before. Googling it, it appears to be a southern thing. Additional interesting items on the salad bar included a mashed potato salad (meh), ambrosia (marshmallows in a maraschino cherry sauce with pineapple?? Odd texture), and homemade mouse (decent).

So yes I was by far the youngest here as yelp reviews suggest. No the food will not wow you. It is just a local place catering to locals for a casual experience. I would not go out of my way, but it is interesting nonetheless.

4026 S US Route 42
Lebanon, OH 45036

Umich spring "game"

Great day for some spring football. Went to what amounted to a glorified practice but was still nice to see the team itself. Big year in 2014!

Gardner threw a pick on the first play of the game. Ouch! Overall was good fun even though the bubble tea place was still closed and the not as good one had a line out the door.

Jean Roberts Table - @@@

This was our city day and I selected this French bistro sort of restaurant. Bistro in the sense that's what it was billed as but in reality it was a touch more expensive. I guess that's what happens when you order multiple non-price listed specials.

My meal was actually quite good, the duck breast with sweet potatoes, creamy risotto, dates, nuts and mushrooms. All served with a table side red wine Demi glas. Again however I am stumped by the apparent lack of faith of medium rare cookness as this was more towards the medium scale. Very few restaurants in Cincinnati have been able to cook to medium rare, and in most instances 1 or 2 shades overdone. The flavor of the duck was good, however subtle. It took on the flavor of the sauce along with the creamy risotto that is buried underneath in the picture.

Also worth noting was the great bread and even better butter. French restaurants always serve the best butter I feel. The one downer was the price, and as I expected the portions were more Euro-centric than typical American standards. Not a bad thing by any means, but something to pay attention to. All in all I thought not a bad dinner, just not something to go absolutely crazy over.

713 Vine St
Cincinnati, OH 45202

Moerlein Lager House - @@@

Tried this place out last week as our downtown choice. We are aiming to get into the city at least once per week. This place is really cool; a large restaurant/bar right next to Great American Ballpark and the river. It is 2 stories and we had a seat upstairs giving a great view of the river and what I am assuming is Kentucky.

The menu featured a large variety of classic American food ranging from beer can chicken sandwiches to rotisserie pork chops. The options were quite appealing sounding and I remember thinking that if I had to come back I would have some pretty good choices. I went with the prime rib, med-rare. I give them credit, it actually came out close to desired and had some good sides of sautéed green beans. The meat was spiced alright and as you may notice extremely thick. Always good. But it wasn't overly warm. I get that it's medium rare but was just odd that it wasn't hot. It felt like it was left on the warming table a bit too long. Flavor was good though and tender enough. One other difference was the au jus which was thickened just a bit by some beer rather than just straight jus which I would've preferred.

This place is probably even better if there was a game and I had some beer. They brew their own and offer tasting flights. If in the area, I would not hesitate to go back especially to try some other options on the menu.

115 Joe Nuxhall Way
Cincinnati, OH