Red in Hyde Park Square

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to eat at Red in Hyde Park Square. I say I had the opportunity, because I don't think I would have eaten there had I not been invited. And that's because I knew it would be expensive, for one. It's on Hyde Park Square, for crying out loud.

But the second reason is that Red is in one of those restaurant blackholes, a location where no one can seem to find any success. I remember going to dinner at J. B. Winnberies in this location back when I was in high school, before a high school dance. I've gone to at least two other restaurants in this location as well.

But back to Red. It's a steak house, and I was in the mood for steak. I ordered the New York Strip with bearnaise and a baked potato. I had heard about their great tomato, mozzarella and basil salad made with all locally grown ingredients, so I asked why I didn't see it. LeeAnn, our energetic server, told us that since the ingredients weren't in season, it wasn't on the menu. She told us to come back in a few months to try it out.

And I'd be happy to. I enjoyed my meal. I realize, it's steak, it's not super tricky to prepare. But it was good steak, cooked to near perfection. A great cut of meat, almost as good as Ruby's.

It was an expensive meal, so for me, it's a great place to go with family.

One thing that I wanted to mention was the atmosphere. Previously, as I recall, there was a large fish tank that separated the bar from the dining room. Red has removed this separator, and it has opened the dining room up. It used to feel like you were eating in a barrel of a cannon, and it doesn't feel that way anymore.

Good News about Bella

Finally, there's word that something's happening at the restaurant space that used to hold Bella. This was a wonderful Modern Italian restaurant in one of the coolest spaces in Cincinnati. It's the location right next to the Aronoff, and I'm surprised it's taken this long for something to happen.

They're auctioning off the contents soon. And here comes the exciting news: David Falk is rumored to be the chef who'll be taking over the space. He's the chef at Boca, for those of you who don't know. One of the city's greatest chef's in one of the city's greatest locations. I hope that happens.

Ketchup

It's been almost two weeks since my last post, and I'm sorry. I definitely didn't mean to go AWOL for this long, but work got busy. I am going to do a better job of keeping up with posts going forward, but today I'll catch up on some links I've come across over the last few weeks that I wanted to post about, but didn't.

Some articles about food at Great American ballpark were run in the Enquirer around the time of Opening Day. I got a big kick out of them. This article serves up some info on the finer dining options at the ballpark. I've eaten at the Riverfront Club on more than one occasion, and I think it's great. It's not quite the same ballpark experience, but it's a good restaurant experience with an awesome view. They simulcast the 700 WLW broadcast of the game while you eat. I usually get the buffet, they always have good options. The cheese tray is particularly good, well worth it.

They even profile the executive chef of the ballpark.

The Machine Room Grille is a good place to get some food during the game. It has a true pub atmosphere, which is amazing when you think of the atmosphere of all of the eating establishments in the old Riverfront Stadium. Whenever I think of the Machine Room though, I think of how it was supposed to be open year round, but couldn't sustain enough customers when there wasn't any baseball. They didn't tell anyone, people showed up one day and saw a sign that said, basically "We're no longer open unless there's a game on."

Cin Weekly has stopped by one of my favorite little spots: Maribelle's Tavern. I'm still proud to say that this blog was the first to review this great spot. I'm pretty sure that's true, and I realize that doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot, but most media outlets have now written about it. I've also heard a lot of friends try it out and liked it.

Anything else I missed? Let me know what you're thinking about in the comments section, and I may get an idea for a posting. Also, I'm going to have some bonafide reviews coming up in the next few weeks.

Restaurant thoughts on Reds Opening Day, 2007

This post won't concentrate too much on the Cincinnati Reds and their great win over the Chicago Cubs. But I'll admit that I'm a huge baseball fan, a bigger Reds fan, and the Reds have dominated my thinking over the last week or so as I've gotten ready for another season. And I'll also admit that I think the Reds can have a very succssful year.

But other than that, I noticed a couple of interesting articles recently that made me think of the Reds. The first one is this one from the Boston Globe. They're catching up with Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo, who used to pitch for the Red Sox, then was traded to the Reds where he has done awesome.

It's cool to read how a non-Cincinnatian sees the city. Not just Bronson, but also Steve Morse, the Globe reporter. Check out how they both describe Mt. Adams:

"It's nice and chill up here. It is its own community, and I'm still right near the park," Arroyo says, pointing down the hill to the shiny, four-year-old Great American Ball Park by the river's edge. The lights of Kentucky shine across the water. The view is similar to peering into the valleys of Los Angeles, on a smaller, though still impressive, scale.

Arroyo talks about some of his favorite restaurants, including Teak Thai.

The other article is news that Jean-Robert de Cavel has decided to open a restaurant in the new Gateway Quarter of Over-the-Rhine. I'm not too interested in the neighborhood building aspect of this. (Actually, I am, but I don't think this blog is the place for it. And this can be a touchy subject to some, so I'm not going to touch it here.) Either way, this is probably a big coup for that area.

But what really got me thinking about the Reds was all the talk about Broadway Commons as a viable place for the current stadium to be built. Take a look at the third picture on this page, and you'll see the proposed area of benefit that this site would have created, pretty close to where the new Jean-Ro restaurant will be.

Anyway...Baseball's here! Are you as excited as I am?