Need some more Coaching

So tonight, I joined my father for dinner at the Coach and Four restaurant in Walnut Hills. It's in the Edgecliff building, which is, I believe, a condo building with some office space in it. It overlooks the Ohio River and Kentucky--a great view.

Of course, we asked to be seated outside. The first thing I saw when I walked out to the patio was a walker. That should tell you a bit about the clientele. This place would be a great place for a date, but I was the youngest person there by at least 20 years, I'd guess. (I'm 28.)

We were seated right underneath an exhaust port, so we had to talk over it the whole time. No good. Seems really stupid to me that you're going to ruin this great eating balcony with an expansive view of the river with this annoying and loud fan.


Alright, I should say the food was really good. I had a Caesar salad, and it was very good. The croutons stunk, a little too puffy. But great dressing.

I ordered the Coach Penne with grilled chicken. It's been a while since I had some pasta, but it sounded good. The pasta was okay, a little overcooked perhaps. The chicken was good, better. The "sauce" was the highlight, with sundried tomatoes, olive oil, pine nuts and broccoli. Very tasty.

I was looking around this nice little restaurant, and it's a good space. I think it'd make an awesome bar. It could be a better place, a better restaurant.

How many of you have been there? Did you have a better experience?

Mythic Gyros

So I used to live in New York city, and one thing I loved about living there was all the "street meat" vendors. I could get a filling meal for a few bucks that was absolutely delicious. There was one guy I always used to go to, a halal food stand one block north of Union Square. I always ordered the chicken with rice, and I always asked for extra white sauce.

I never really new what the white sauce was, but I think I may have finally figured it out. I have been going to this Greek place right across the street from Newport on the Levee called Mythos on the Levee. They serve wonderful gyros, and they have a great white sauce. I'm guessing it's a cucumber sauce, which is pretty common in Mediterranean cooking.

Now, this may not sound like someone who's knowledgeable about food. Actually, this whole blog may not sound that way. But I grew up in Cincinnati, and what we consider Greek food is chili. So I've got some learning to do on this subject.

I also suspect that the white sauce I had in New York is different than Mythos's, but they are similar, and my pita kind of reminded me of Union Square, which is a great memory.

Anyway, I really love this place. Apparently there are three locations in downtown Cincinnati as well. The pita bread is nice and fresh. The lamb meat is sweet and juicy and the cucumber sauce--well, I've already mentioned that. The whole thing is great.

They have crinkly fries, which have a nice cuteness to them. Don't taste particularly good, but they're kind of fun. I've eaten in, and carried out, and I find that Mythos is a great lunch spot. Good. Fast. Cheap.

I also know that Jordan Valley serves a mean mediterranean meal. Anyone know where I can find a good halal streetmeat vendor?

Deweys and Larosa's

So I just posted something about Dewey's salads, and that reminded me of something I was told last week.

I was at a presentation by the local Samuel Adams distributor. This presentation was put on by Ad2 Cincy, a local professional organization for folks 21-32 who are interested in advertising. The presenter was talking about the challenges of marketing Sam Adams, which is a more expensive beer, and also a better beer. So he was talking about convincing people to "trade up" to Sam Adams.

In the beginning this was hard, because no one knew what great beer tasted like. But then they gradually taught people what great beer tasted like. So anyway, this distributor obviously knows people at Larosa' and he mentioned that the people there were actually happy that Dewey's has shown up on the scene.

Seems counterintuitive, right? Well, they say that Dewey's has educated people in the area about gourmet pizza, allowing Larosa's to sell their own line of gourmet pizzas, at a higher price point than their other pies.

I find that interesting. Do you?

Defending MY Choice of Salad

A few months ago, I listed my votes for the Best of Cincinnati poll conducted by CityBeat magazine. Under best salad, I chose Skyline Chili. For which I received a good piece of criticism.

Anonymous said...

your vote for Skyline as "best salads" negatively taints all else I will read from you- have you no shame? or have you never actually eaten fresh greens?

I gotta say, that's a fair piece of criticism. I knew when I wrote it, I might have to explain myself, or risk losing credibility. So here it is.

I love Skyline's Greek salad. I usually get it a few times a week from the Skyline Chili Mainstrasse. Lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, pepperoncini and feta cheese. Not to mention the dressing. It's a great salad. Throw in some oyster crackers, and we're good to go.

I knew that their ingredients aren't the freshest, but I enjoy the salad so much, I just had to choose it. I get it almost every day, not to list it wouldn't have been right.

Having said that, the Greek Salad at Dewey's is awesome. If it was easier to get it, and cheaper, I might have voted for it. It's a great Greek Salad.

So, sorry if I disappointed you with that choice, but I hope you'll try this salad out. You'll agree it's tasty. Maybe not as great as Dewey's, or other spots, but it's great.

What are some of your favorite salads in town?