CUCINOVA URBAN ITALIAN

Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, a new restaurant opened up in Kenwood this month, and it easily made its way onto my favorite tastes list. Cucinova moved into the shopping center near Half Price Books on Montgomery Road, and is serving up first tastes of the franchise in Cincinnati's northern suburbs.

Taking form in the popular walk-the-line, fast casual restaurant (similar to Chipolte), Cucinova cooks up custom creations in the form of personal Neapolitan pizzas, salads, and pasta bowls. Diners can opt for a chef-created specialty off the menu or build their own meal at each station. The best part: whatever you choose and however many toppings you pile on, it's only $6.99.

I visited Cucinova for a tasting night and sampled all three options, building each myself. I like to stretch the limits with toppings and was curious how the structural integrity of the pizza would hold up -- it succeeded! Made with hand-stretched, scratch-made dough, the pizza crust was full, fluffy and baked to perfection. If you like Dewey's pizza crust, you'll love this. Sliced into six pieces, I piled on plenty of veggies, seven to be exact, and opted for half red sauce, half creamy parmasean sauce, drizzled with balsamic. Both were spectacular, but the latter half was easily my favorite.

Next, the spaghettini bowl came with just the right amount of pasta and plenty of room to pile on the extras, plus sauce and cheese. I loved being able to fill the bowl with as much vegetables as pasta to even out the meal. Both the pasta and salad come in two sizes, small and large. The small was the perfect size to complement my other entrees; I could easily see doing a pick two with both a small pasta and a salad for lunch.

There's pasta under there somewhere...

I also built a salad with just as many veggies heaped on top of the lettuce, plus two kinds of cheese, and a plank of salmon. I'm pretty picky about ordering fish from quick service restaurants, and this one exceeded expectations. The salmon was fresh and juicy, not frozen and reheated, and flaked apart as if it were straight from the sea. I never thought I would pick a salad over pasta or pizza, but this was by far my favorite thing of the night -- and the bowl that I emptied first.

If you haven't been to Cucinova yet, here's a reason to give it a try:
I'm giving away a $25 gift certificate to the restaurant to one lucky winner! To join, leave a comment on our Cucinova Facebook post and I'll pick a winner October 31! Now that's a Halloween treat everyone can enjoy.

BREAKING BREAD WITH LA BREA BAKERY

Have you ever tried La Brea Bakery? If not, you're in luck! To celebrate 25 years of dedication to the craft of artisan baking, La Brea Bakery is bringing their fresh-baked bread to Cincinnati for a four-day sampling. Founded in 1989, the bakery has been continually ranked as the premier artisan bread brand in the country.

Image provided by Dave Estep Photography

Image provided by Dave Estep Photography

On Thursday, September 11, you can get your taste of over-fresh goodness at Fountain Square starting at 8:30AM, or on Saturday, September 13 at 12:30PM at Newport on the Levee. Keep an eye out around town for unannounced sampling opportunities. Plus, if you catch a glimpse of the breadmasters, snap a photo and tag it on Instagram or Twitter as #BreakingBread for a chance to win prizes.

ONE LAST TASTE: MYRA'S DIONYSUS

"Oh yeah, Myra's! We should go eat there sometime."

Friends, that time is now. Like many of my neighbors, I am guilty of mentioning the above phrase as we pass by the restaurant while circling Uptown for our regular consumption of pizza, burritos, or cheese coneys. Several years had passed since I first learned about Myra's, but for whatever reason, I never thought of Greek food when hungry in Clifton. Maybe it had to do with Cincinnati's abundance of Greek-style chili overshadowing the craving for traditional Mediterranean fare. Maybe it goes back to the age-old local question: "Where'd you go to school?"

My partner and I both attended university out-of-state, but for the legions of students who passed through University of Cincinnati in the last four decades, Myra's Dionysus was a staple for off-campus dining. A mecca for vegetarians and vegans, it was also one of the first restaurants in the city to offer a variety of delicious meat-free options; a rarity in the 1970s and 80s.

The hole-in-the-wall eatery seats 20 customers and features a small open kitchen where Myra Griffin cooked an endless assortment of scratch-made meals. From common Mediterranean dishes like falafel, pitas, and baba ganouj to the more eccentric imam bialdi, pulao, or gado gado, the Dionysus was the perfect place to eat healthy at an affordable price. Most entrees average between $6-$8.

What piqued everyone's interest were the soups. On a daily basis, eight soups would rotate on a display board, selected from over 30 different recipes. More than just your cup of tomato, Myra's specialized in extraordinary combinations such as curry peanut or watermelon gazpacho.

One week before closing, we made it to Myra's Dionysus and decided to try a little bit of everything. We started with a sampler plate of baba ganouj, dolmades (grape leaves stuffed with rice), and imam bialdi (a Turkish dish of eggplant, tomato, and currants) with garlic pita bread and a piece of corn bread.

Next came a cup of Avgolemono (a creamy Greek soup made with chicken broth, rice, lemon and eggs.) The soup exceeded its tasty hype and led me to order a second flavor for takeaway, the Thai Pumpkin, which was as equally impressive when reheated for lunch the next day.

For an entree, my partner selected Gado Gado, a spicy Indonesian sauce of peanuts and fresh ginger served over brown rice with tomatoes, cucumbers, raisins, and sunflower seeds. I kept it simple and ordered a falafel sandwich drizzled with tahini lemon sauce. Both were mesmerizingly scrumptious as we barely conversed through our meal other than the occasional "Mmmmm!" sounds.

By this point, we were stuffed to the brim, but decided to order a slice of key lime pie for dessert. Not only was the pie naturally made and arrived without a speck of bright green coloring, but it was one of the best key lime pies I've tasted. And I've been around the pie block a few too many times.

From infused teas to carefully crafted plates, Myra's will certainly be missed by customers new and old. If her tastes have yet to grace your palate, there's still time. Myra's last day of business will be August 30. While the restaurant's finale ends on a triumphant note (it's closing due to Myra's retirement; she's in her 80s) we can't help but wonder what's next for the building. The restaurant is on the market for $100,000, or investors can purchase the entire building for $400,000. Could one of Cincinnati's many restauranteurs secure the restaurant and keep the legend going? Time may tell. For now, we know we can at least expect a cookbook as Myra and her store manager work to share the long-time favorite recipes from her kitchen to ours.

THE SNACKIST: THE DURANT

CincyWhimsy is starting a new weekend segment: The Snackist.

Inspired by my friend who has a knack for whipping up simple, delicious snacks using random ingredients available in any household: Mike Moroski will be penning the articles as a guest contributor, and on occassion, I may share a favorite recipe too. Another bonus: following the recipe, Moroski will be chronicling his thoughts in a chapter series entitled: Foodie & Loathing, a nod to Hunter S. Thompson's book about experiencing the American Dream. Or in this case, the American Dream of snacking.

If you try our recipes, be sure to share your photo on the CincyWhimsy Facebook page and tag #TheSnackist on Twitter and Instagram. 

 

Do you have ideas for The Snackist? Leave a comment below!

 

 

The Durant

Named in honor of a former student at Purcell Marian High School, The Durant was created by a young lady who used to only eat the aforementioned snack for lunch (sometimes she just ate Frank’s Red Hot – even when she had other food.  She loved Frank’s).  It was only a matter of time before I, too, began eating my Doritos in a similar fashion.  I have perfected The Durant and am proud to share it with you – and to spread my student’s legacy to Snackists around the world.

 

Ingredients:

• About an inch of crumblies left in the bottom of a bag of Doritos (for best results, the bag should be of the “Family Size” variety)
  
• Frank’s Red Hot. It has to be Frank’s. Not that knock off junk, Tobasco, and definitely not sriracha

Tools:

• 1 pair of scissors
• 2 working hands with opposable thumbs (this becomes important later)
• 1 spoon

Directions:

1. Cut off all of the excess packaging from your Doritos bag. Leave about 3 inches on the bag per 1 inch portion of crumblies.
   
2. With truncated Doritos bag in one hand, pick up bottle of Frank’s Red Hot in other hand. Pour a liberal (not politically) amount of Frank’s into the truncated bag of Doritos. Thoroughly cover the crumblies until you can no longer see them. Return Frank's Red Hot to the 'fridge.
   
3. Pinch the bag closed, curl your palms below the bag, and begin to massage the Frank’s into the crumblies so the sauce is thoroughly mixed with the chips.
   
4. Open bag to make sure the Frank’s Red Hot has been equally distributed. Pick up your spoon in your dominant hand.  Use the spoon to eat your Durant.  Eat until finished.

WARNING: This recipe will tempt you to throw out 75% of your Doritos when you buy a new bag simply so you can create The Durant.  Do NOT waste your Doritos. There are starving children in Africa, yes, but also in Cincinnati (50% of our kids are poor).

Foodie & Loathing, Ch. 1:

I am not a “Foodie.” I have never been a “Foodie,” nor do I plan on ever becoming one. In my honest opinion, I feel that a Frisch’s Big Boy combo meal, salad bar, and sweet tea is the best meal in America. Therefore, I have asked others to refer to me as a “Snackist,” a term with which I am far more comfortable than “foodie.”

Foodie & Loathing is an homage, perhaps, to my favorite journalist, Hunter S. Thompson, or maybe my reaction to the Dark Side of the Foodie Movement – those Foodies who define self-worth by being able to afford to eat out all the time and write about it.  I’m not sure; it’s one of the two.  

Unlike most Foodie blogs, my Snackist column will be written in the vein of the serial novel, a la Charles Dickens.  (Fun fact – Pip was a Snackist.  It is but one of the reasons that Estella teased him.)

Until next time, snack well, snack often, and snack creatively.

FISH FRY #3: NATIVITY SCHOOL

#FFFCincy Rating:

5 of 5 Fishies

Our third Friday Fish Fry was one everyone had been anticipating since last year: Nativity School in Pleasant Ridge. With two terrific reviews from fellow #FFFCincy members and Instagrams of the meals, we knew something special was in store.

Located just one block from Montgomery Road and Losantiville Avenue, a major intersection in the neighborhood, some of our group decided to take the METRO*Plus bus to the fry instead of battling rush hour traffic. We met up at Government Square after work and enjoyed a leisurely and scenic ride along the new route, which features limited stops for a faster journey. The best part: we were dropped off just steps from the front door of Nativity School.

 

Once inside, we were welcomed with some of the shortest queues in the history of fish fries. We walked right up to order and pay, and had a brief 10 minute wait to get our food.What did end up being gigantic were the portions, the taste, and the value for the meal.

Hand-breaded Haddock

 

Bountiful condiment table with all the fixins, including fresh lemons!

Claiming to have the best hand-breaded haddock in town, Nativity lived up to the hype. Perfectly crisp, evenly seasoned, and stuffed with moist, fluffy fish, the sandwich had me considering getting one more for the road. Be sure to jazz it up at the condiment table: fresh lemon and generous tartar sauce complimented the taste. 

Each of the side dishes looked outstanding, so of course, we had to try them all. Praises shall be sung to the mac n’ cheese, a homemade recipe baked full of cheddar goodness and topped with crunchy bread crumbs. The green beans also tasted from scratch like they had been simmering in the slowcooker all day. The sweet potato fries were a welcome change from regular fries, as was the coleslaw recipe, which had a tangy sauce garnished with horseradish.  

Nativity served up $3.00 local brews from MadTree Brewing, located around the corner off of Ridge Road. All three canned beverages were a hit around our table: Happy Amber-- an amber ale, Lift—a kolsch ale, and Sprye—a seasonal pale ale.   

 

Bourbon pecan pie bar

The evening was made complete by a bourbon pecan pie bar purchased from the eighth grade bake sale and a tableside serenade by a parishioner who played accordion. Ranking among my favorites, Nativity School is a must-visit fry during Lent.

Nativity School
5936 Ridge Ave, Cincinnati, Ohio 45213
513-458-6767
Fish Fry from 5:30pm-7:30pm Fridays through Lent
Cash only.



Follow our Friday Fish Fry adventures on Twitter: #FFFCincy