Our last stop, “A TAVOLA”

15 Monday Jul 2013

Posted by thereluctantcountrygirl.com in Site Updates & Ramblings

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Cincinnati Atavola, Cincinnati italian, Cincinnati pizza, Cincinnati restaurants

The last night was A TAVOLA. Oh my, I can not say enough about this restaurant, in fact I was so into the food, I forgot to take pics, so I have to borrow!!! Yes, it is shameful and I feel awful but you do not understand how good their meatballs are. This was the night I was craving since we arrived. They are made with Wagyu beef, house made sauce and then drizzled with house made basil pesto and served with Blue Oven grilled crusty bread for dipping. All I can say is pure heaven. In fact, when the meal was done, I ordered just one more for dessert! Oh, yes I did. We also had their bacon wrapped dates stuffed with their house made sausage and drizzled with their house made marinara. Lovely! Um, they were gone before I snapped the picture.

When we moved on to the pizza, we chose the Pizza of the Day. House tomato sauce, panna, gorgonzola, mozzarella, pepperoni, house sausage and black pepper was the special pizza of the night and my daughter’s new favorite. To be honest though, she will eat anything with gorgonzola or blue cheese on it.

Just look at that handmade oven. You will not find anything else like that in Cincy. It is a Stefano Ferrara oven hand built for A TAVOLA Pizza in Naples, Italy! Nice huh? We also had the sausage and panna pizza which was house sausage, panna, mozzarella, red onion and fennel. Always a favorite when we go. The coup de grace was the Soppressata, with banana peppers and aged provolone.

Yes we had three pizza’s! Hey, don’t judge, we had 6 people! This is a must stop if you are in Cincinnati guys. You will not go wrong. Visit their page here to get more info –> A TAVOLA. I am also pleased to announce that they will have a new location shortly right in my brothers home town of Madeira!! Now if they would just consider where I live? Please? Pretty Please? Mountain folk will like it I promise!

My Early Birthday Night @ BUZ

14 Sunday Jul 2013

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Off to Buz with family for a fun filled night and good food! We arrived and the atmosphere was great and best of all we were one of the first ones in for dinner. I love it when we get the best table.

We started out with some appetizers.

Stuffed blue cheese, bacon wrapped dates, Seared rare tuna spring rolls of sorts, furikake crust, daikon mint and cilantro salad with wasabi dressing… Wow, they were good! The queso fundido was amazing! Honestly the best I have ever had. Served warm with chorizo, julienned pablanos on top and served with warm corn chips.

I will not bore you as yes again everyone ordered burgers but me. I always want to try something new, so I ordered the Porcine mushroom and Kalamata olive quesadilla with cilantro pesto, wild mushrooms, and a mix of cheeses. It was served with a summer salad of golden cherry tomatoes and onions with fresh herbs. Loved it!

And finished the night with a cocktail of course! My choice? Amaretto Sour.

I will definitely go back. The wait staff was extra helpful, the food was wonderful and I love the diversity of their menu. For you Cincinnati folks and visitors, check it out here —>BUZ. You won’t be sorry.

The Senate “Dog of the Day”

09 Tuesday Jul 2013

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Cincinnati, famous hotdogs, Gourmet hot dogs, hotdogs, Over then Rhine, The Senate

Oh yes, that is a hot dog, but not just any old hot dog. this is the “Taylor Swift”. The Senate channels fine dining into crafting amazing with tricked-out hot dogs and upscale comfort food. This is what they advertise but personally I think they don’t do themselves justice. This hot dog consisted of an all beef frank, bacon, chorizo, black beans, queso, jalapeño beer cheese and a fried avocado and fresh cilantro on top.
Yes this is the “Taylor Swift” and it sang to my taste buds… hehe, cheesy huh? But this lunch did not disappoint! The service was almost a good as the food. The location was right smack in the middle of downtown Cincinnati in a beautiful old building and within 15 minutes of sitting, every seat in the place was filled.

One other hot dog I must talk about is this beauty. It is the “Croque Madame “, a beef hotdog, bechamel sauce, black forest ham, brioche bun and a poached egg. Oh my, this was amazing! In fact, I had to grab the picture quick before it was all gone! What I could not figure out while I was eating these masterpieces is why didn’t I do this at home before?

Now while I brag about these dogs and the staff and watch my niece catch up on her social media…..

I must mention what my daughter devoured, as they don’t just have dogs here but comfort food that is to die for as well. She had the lobster macaroni and cheese. We also got the poutinne fries, the duck fat fries and the best crispy potstickers I have ever had. Housemade pork-ginger potstickers, sweet chili, miso cream cheese & sesame seeds. I know what you are saying. Where are the pictures? Well um …we ate them. I’m sorry! But you have no idea what I was dealing with. But I did get a picture of the fries! Only because we re-ordered!

Duck fat fries accented with kosher salt and rosemary. YUM! And below my lovely daughter is quite into her lobster mac and cheese, she did not even look up.

So if my vote counted and if I was a critic I would have to give a huge thumbs up on this lunch! On every scale it was a winner. I mean c’mon! How can you pass up a fried avocado? Thanks again, KJ. You picked another winner and tomorrow night it’s all about the Buzz.

L.A. Burger at BBP!

08 Monday Jul 2013

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bobby flays burger palace, cincinatti

Located inside the new Horseshoe Casino here in Cincinnati, Bobby Flay did not disappoint. We walked in Bobby Flay’s Burger Palace and the place was abuzz. The choices had me in a tailspin. Do I go for the burger of the day or go my own way? Well, if you know me at all, you know I went my own way. I ordered the L.A. burger, a perfectly done patty, avocado relish, watercress, tomato and cheddar cheese. I opted for the topless, which set this burger of perfection atop a bed of mixed baby greens with a light balsamic dressing.

It was amazing. The little one had the Bobby Blue with blue cheese and of course bacon.

The husband got the Miami. He urged me to take a bite and it was WOW. How did they get this burger to taste a like a perfect Cuban. Pressed ham, melty swiss cheese, pickles, the perfect amount of mustard and mayo and to top it off, he had it crunchified. What’s that, you ask? Well, in Cincy, it seems to be an option at many sandwich places to add potato chips to your sandwich.

I truly can not decide which one I enjoyed better, but the Miami is a must try to perfect at home. The fries with Bobby’s signature sauce and sweet potato fries with horseradish sauce were no slouch either. So I have to say the experience was awesome. The only thing that could have made it better was if Bobby Flay had been there himself.

Cincinnati here I come….

04 Thursday Jul 2013

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My brother, his wife and three lovely daughters live in Cincinnati. I am going to visit them Friday for an entire week. Let me just say this is always an event! My sister in- law is not only my best friend but a Wedding Planner and owns her own business called After 5 Events. She is hands down one of the best event planners for vacations, time off , taking us to the new restaurants you name it, this chicka can do it and we love every minute of it.

Yes that is her. Needless to say, I need an entourage just to keep up. This week I anxiously awaited my itinerary (What? you don’t get these when visiting family?) and I was not disappointed!! Not only am I visiting Bobby Flay’s Burger Palace, but we are also hitting some other insanely good eats that are all the Buzz. YES Buz is included in that mix! Buz is the one everyone is raving about right now. It is eclectic casual dining and I can not wait!. We are also looking forward to The Senate. So many insanely good choices there, I do know one thing, those poutine fries are on my list!