Visiting Cincinnati & Covington
Cities built upon beer and bourbon? That sounds like my kind of trip.
Cincinnati, Ohio and Covington, Kentucky, linked by several vehicle and pedestrian bridges across the Ohio River, are a package deal that have more eateries and drinkeries between them than one could visit in a lifetime. The culture is about enjoying life together: meeting over good sustenance, sports, and music. Flying to Covington, Kentucky from MSY with Allegiant is fast; my flight was just less than two hours. And I set out to get a small taste of what this vast landscape has to offer.
Welcome to Cincy
Eye-popping street art coats the brick facades of storied buildings. There are splashes of color and culture almost everywhere you turn. It's easy to see why Cincinnati was a contender for being the new home of Sundance Film Festival. I stayed in the heart of downtown Cincy at the contemporary Kinley Cincinnati Downtown. The staff walk out from behind the desks to meet you in a personable manner, showing you around the loungey bar area to the elevator bank. This must be a popular spot as a meeting of high-powered local officials was happening in the restaurant. My room was airy and light despite seeing the big buildings of downtown outside the window. The lovely, modern glass-top desk/dresser piece mirrored the fluffy bed.
From Kinley Hotel, most of the downtown area was walkable for me, though I could have opted for the free electric streetcar service. I chose to walk to Sudova, taking the long way to see more of the area first. The architecture and street jump out. Famous childhood toys (including the exact same Easy-Bake Oven that I had) were featured in the Kenner Toys mural (Kenner Products, now owned by Hasbro, was headquartered in Cincy). Turning a corner, it seemed like I was transported to Brooklyn. But Cincy has possibly the largest collection of Italianate architecture in the U.S. Soon, I would learn the fascinating history of how the Ohio River led to a population boom in this area boomed in the 1800s.
Sudova is nestled between two tall old brick buildings because it was once a carriageway. This allowed for a ceiling that has several skylights that brighten the greenery. Every table was taken; large tables filled with families and friends were there before and after our meal because they treated it like their own home's dining room.
The impressive menu featured down-home Eastern European fare lovingly crafted by owner Sara Dworak. While the atmosphere and decor was light and delicate, these drinks and dishes were not. Every sip and bite packed earthy, rich flavor that transcended the mouth and pulsed to every part of the body. Punches of tang and salt cut through the fresh or cream flavors to create harmony.
The Borschtini set the stage for that. The deep purple drink was a hearty dose of fresh beet juice and horseradish vodka further spiced with celery bitters and vermouth. Each sip felt like a head rush.
The Tvorog farmers cheese that one dabbled on crisp sourdough and Rye Varenyky dumplings filled with hot potato, sauerkraut, apple butter, onion, and dill could be sequestered on the lighter end of the scale (though still far beyond most dishes in terms of sinus-opening vegetal flavor), but the Halushki was a winner. The server recommended the dish of spaetzle noodles with cabbage, onion, and brown butter, and it was fantastic. It was like every taste a farm could produce in a forkful.
Not to be outdone, the large plate of Kulebiaka arrived. I have never experienced salmon inside of a pastry. The filet was flavored by dill and mushrooms, but the magic happens when you pour on the bearnaise sauce provided alongside. Again, the balance of earth, salt, sour, and cream weave together so perfectly here.
Just a few blocks away, there's a somewhat secret watering hole. You would never know such an exciting scene was taking place down below when you approach the door of Ghost Baby, so named for the disembodied cries that some hear ringing through these halls. Three stories below the street, a tall brick tunnel is packed with people enjoying a contemporary jazz quartet. The luxurious plush seating envelopes you and the menu recommends fancy cocktails that are inspired by drinks of old. The drink "inspired by The Old Fashioned" arrived in a glass dome, and cherrywood smoke billowed out when it opened. A single ice cube stamped with a "G" cooled the smokey, boozy beverage as the jazz heated up the intriguing room.
Over-The-Rhine, Then Over The River
It was a pretty day to walk to the historic Findlay Market, and I was taking in more street art. While the colorful murals are treats for the eyes, Findlay Market is a feast for all the senses. This lively market has so many vendors of meats, cheese, seafood, pastries, and pasta. Fresh-cut flowers and bounties produce herbs line other stalls. The scents of everything combine into a totally unique aroma.
I had a hot Red Velvet Latte from Urbana Cafe that was too pretty to put a lid on until the patterned foam dissipated. It wasn't too sweet to mismatch with the Cheddar Spinach Scone from Blue Oven Bakery. I enjoyed them while watching locals make their groceries, having conversations with the vendors about the meals they plan to make with their products. The community really comes together here, and it's palpable.
It was a short walk from the market to the meeting spot for the Hidden Caverns Tour. Our guide walked us around Over-The-Rhine, thoroughly explaining how the area was populated by German immigrants and how they built this area on beer, literally. We learned how Christian Moerlein built the towering starting point Northern Row Brewery basically as a beer refrigerator in 1895 with walls that are three-feet thick.
Christian's prolific brewery-building history and the tales of other local characters was explained throughout the neighborhood walk before we were asked to descend into the bowels of a building nearer to the hillside. Lower and lower we crept until reaching a bricked lagering tunnel that was rediscovered in recent years. Like most other lagering tunnels, it had been filled in at some point and forgotten. These well-constructed arched tunnels are being found and dug out as evidenced in Ghost Baby. In addition to this fun tour, I enjoyed a closing drink at Northern Row Brewery.
On my route to Findlay Market that morning, I passed by one of the numerous old churches only to realize it was a brewery. I made sure to stop back by when it opened. Mellotone Beer Project is gorgeous inside and hardly resembles a church. The tall white walls and large windows highlighted the tanks gleaming above the bar. I tried the Radiant Goat brewed specifically for Bockfest which took place earlier this month. I couldn't try the cuisine though it looked great because there was somewhere else that I was told couldn't be passed up.
Walking up to Young Buck Deli definitely looked like a movie. I can see why so many shows about New York City are filmed here. The aroma and spice immediately greet your nose upon entering, and '90s hip hop played on the speakers. One of the guys was slicing meat right on the counter, and the rest of the kitchen could be seen through the glass on the left. I had the special Chicken Parm Sandwich, and it was stellar. The "adult-sized nugget" came seasoned well with basil and red pepper flakes and coated in a thick, decadent marinara sauce. The focaccia bread was perfect, and it had some flaked salt that really appealed to my salt obsession.
After a short rest, it was time to cross the Ohio River to Covington, Kentucky, but not before stopping to see the Black Music Walk of Fame on the banks of the river, Cincinnati's side. This was an impressive, interactive installation that not only explains the history of well-known bands and musicians from here or who had prominent careers here, you could listen to their music, put yourself in a live performance video, and make a beat.
I didn't know a concept like the one at Revival Vintage Bottle Shop even existed. There certainly aren't many places to go where you can choose to sip spirits from perhaps a hundred years ago, and this is probably the first of something big. You can sit in the smart lounge/bar on the ground floor and enjoy cocktails, or you can head upstairs to peruse the racks of vintage bottles for sale. I love the interesting collectible bottles, some of which you would never even know are spirit bottles: a chainsaw bottle, for instance. On this second floor, you can also take a seat to sip a few ounces of rare and very old spirits. Try a 1951 Southern Comfort next to a 1980 Southern Comfort. I sampled a tequila from the 1960s with a real worm in it…also from the 1960s. Luckily, there were plenty of other spirits, some over 100 years old, to wash it down.
Just across the street, Carmelo's was already full of guests canoodling over big portions of hearty Italian fare. I was surprised to learn that this is a newer restaurant created by Billy Grise and Chef Mitch Arena (formerly of NOLA staple Cochon). It certainly felt like a long-standing restaurant with little cozy rooms instead of one large, loud dining space and family mementos on the walls. Indeed, this restaurant is named for Billy's grandfather Carmelo Caserta, and his Sicilian heritage is on display visually and tastefully.
As happens at all Italian restaurants I go to, I ate way too much. It all started with the Say Hello to My Little Fig cocktail made with local New Riff Bourbon, black walnut bitters, and an actual little fig garnish. It continued with the Tuscan Kale which is the lightest item available. A plate of wonderfully sautéed kale made fragrant and exciting with garlic and chili flake.
Then the Mozzarella came out. The dish looked innocent enough until you try to pick up a forkful only to realize that you can't put it back down. The mozzarella is hand-pulled, and it creates a never-ending drip. This was followed by a seemingly endless parade of pasta and entrees: Mushroom Marsala, Oxtail Ragu, Alfredo, and Eggplant Parm. I just wanted one single meatball to try it out, so that took up the last possible slot on the table.
Needless to say, this pasta party was as thrilling as it was filling. I typically go for a marsala right way, especially one like this that features mushrooms so prominently. And it was delightful. The oxtail and osso buco were so tender in the ragu that it nearly fell apart when scooped up with the pasta. The Eggplant Parm, however, was unexpected. I feel like there's a large margin of error with eggplant, especially when you add sauce to it that can make it gooey. The genius method of cutting the eggplant into wedges and frying them individually, then adding a thick, not watery sauce made the eggplant stay crisp. It was the best way I've experienced eggplant.
Though I could barely move at this point, I just had to have a scoop of Pistachio Gelato. I don't regret it because it was so good that I took it with me (with a shot of espresso). The gelato had large chunks of nuts in it that were salted, adding another level of flavor to it.
I could have called it a night here, but I was told that it was "Claw Night" at Northside Yacht Club, and I really wanted to know what that meant. This little bar in Cincy is packed a lot of personality. It was nautical, nostalgic, weird, and wacky; it's definitely my kind of bar. Claw Night means that you can play the claw machine to possibly win a prize. The 70s claw machine filled with empty drink cans only has two buttons (back and right) that you can push one time each. Although I watched every player fail before me, I miraculously pulled off two wins in a row. My prizes were a peanut butter tequila shot (tequila mixed with peanut butter) and a t-shirt. I liked the tiki drinks a bit more than the shot, though. Northside Yacht Club is filled with oddities and wonders, especially in the bathroom. The walls are lined with photos of a flood that devastated the city long ago, and there's a conspicuous red button that reads "Push for Assistance." Apparently, assistance is a 20-second rave-lighted dance party to a variety of songs. I did hit the button several times.
From Camp Washington to Walnut Hills
This day held so many wonderments for me. Although it's a bit of a drive out of the city center, I needed to visit Jungle Jim's International Market. My wish came true. I knew that it was a massive grocery store with interesting things in it, but I really did not expect this scale. More than 200,000 square feet of aisles stocked with every product imaginable. That was the normal aspect. It was the array of animatronics, pinball machines, and things I can't really describe that was a total sensory overload. The theater plays the story of how all this came to be on a loop, and the podcast studio regularly hosts shows just about the happenings in the store. The tanks where fish and lobster are farmed were impressive. I definitely got lost a few times, but the store had maps available to find your way out.
The American Sign Museum in Camp Washington was not any lesser in its visual amazement. Founder Tod Swormstedt was a writer for a sign industry magazine and an avid collector of vintage business signs. This bright museum is his collection displayed and expanded. Through several rooms, you walk through history to see how store signs went from hand-painted beauties to neon shrines. One room transports you to a city street with businesses lining it. The largest signs from businesses like McDonald's and Howard Johnson's tower over you with an all-encompassing glow. It's absolutely beautiful and quite the eye-full. You can also watch the young neon repairman at work as he revives old signs and conducts demonstrations.
Not far away, Camp Washington Chili was packed. The bar top had a recently vacated spot that I got into quickly though. The first thing that you should try at a local chili diner, apparently, is 3-Way Chili. The plate arrived within seconds: hot chili heaped upon spaghetti noodles and covered with a mound of shredded cheese. This chili has a distinct Greek seasoning, as many of the iconic chili restaurants in Cincy were founded by Greek immigrants and their descendants. The owner herself Maria Papakirk took orders from the bar diners and served them.
Just a little rest was needed to digest that chili and to prepare for drinking while thinking. I headed back to Covington to enjoy some bourbon. However, this wasn't a typical tasting. Wenzel Whiskey is an entire bourbon blending experience in which you and your pals sit down in a historic building (a rectifier pre-Prohibition made by Henry Wenzel), get educated about how to blend a bourbon, and then work to create your very own blend using the four options you are presented with. The bourbons vary in their tastes pretty widely, hailing from different states and strengths. However, nothing was under 100 proof.
You are taught how to glean the flavors of each whiskey and then how to test various blends using the beaker and droppers provided. The nerd in me really enjoyed this concocting and pondering. It's easy to see why they've done so well in just two years that Wenzel Whiskey is soon to open their own distillery across the alleyway. If you love your blend, you can bottle it up to take home with you. I called mine "3-Way Chili."
Wenzel Whiskey is accessed via Tobacco Alley which is unlike any alley I've ever seen. The building facades lining it are covered with panels bearing a homey design, like walking through an old house and seeing the rooms. You can open cabinets and doors attached to the wall revealing trinkets and locally-made products that are a part of the art.
It was high time for drinks to be made for me instead of making my own. Somerset was a treat on this perfect sunny afternoon. The glass ceiling of the hip bar cast a gorgeous glow around the room. It was like hanging out in a conservatory, festooned with greenery and oddities. The Rubi Fuego cocktail was surprisingly punchy due to the habanero reposado tequila but balanced with the inclusion of blackberry, lime, cinnamon shrub, and coconut.
A little birdie said to check out a newer place in Walnut Hills before dinner. So up the steep hills we went. I couldn't imagine how my heart would handle walking these hills. I can see why there were one-way trains that used to bring people up and down them.
King Pigeon was an intriguing concept. The clean aesthetic bar/coffeeshop seemed almost like a library. The menu was a story, a fairy tale about a pigeon who accidentally went on a hallucinogenic trip making friends with a bear. I had the Into the Wild cocktail of reposado tequila, corn liqueur, champagne acid, and Victorine de Chasternay Cremant de Bourgogne. And there was a little mushroom floating atop a leaf in the drink. The end of the menu led to a cliffhanger. I pleaded with the bartender to tell me what happens next because I may not be back in time for the next seasonal menu, and he said that the pigeon ends up in Louisiana. How serendipitous for me!
The Aperture is clearly a hotspot for foodies. Every table was taken at this time. I was excited to get to sit along the open kitchen so that I could watch as Chef Jordan Anthony-Brown and his dedicated team work their magic; it's the best seat in the house. It's quickly apparent why Chef Jordan is a James Beard Award semi-finalist in the Best Emerging Chef category. The complexity of the dishes is incomparable, yet there isn't an avalanche of ingredients listed to obtain the flavor. Part of the boom of taste is achieved by the open-fire wood-fed grill.
The Charred Carrot dish showcased the power of the flame. You could hardly see any orange left beneath the delicious char and large tears of fresh herbs. The smokiness was deepened with the ras el hanout spices.
Obviously, I had to get the Spice Girl cocktail, and I enjoyed this cocktail just as much as I enjoy occasionally re-watching Spice World: tequila, blood orange liqueur, sake, honey, and lime. And the gorgeous art deco glass solidified it.
I was excited to partake in the Gravlax as the large amount of fresh dill. The thick rim of creme fraiche added just a touch of sourness that cut through the rich, savory flavor. The Lumache with fennel sausage and chilis brought back that smoky decadence that reached up through the nose and tingled.
I cannot say enough about the dessert: Smoked Butter Cornbread. A rectangle of cornbread rested between a scoop of chevre ice cream and a healthy amount of smoked butter. It was like eating all of the flavors of a campsite.
I always seek out tiki bars while traveling because I feel like you can get a good sense of a city by the quality of its tiki bar(s). Tiki Tiki Bang Bang's quality is obviously top-notch because this is a city built upon gathering together for a drink or two. Tiki Tiki Bang is an immersive environment with a big neon sign on the wall, nets across the ceiling, and flaming drinks that put on quite the show. You can easily spend a lot of time here, totally lost in the kitsch and color.
A Final Treat
On my way to the airport, I remembered the one thing that I forgot to do. Luckily, the airport was ready to serve me this last must-do experience. I had to get a scoop of Graeter's Ice Cream, and the Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip is unique. Indeed, the chilling, rich, tart fruit with bits of chocolate was a decadent feast before hopping on the quick Allegiant flight back home.
Cincy and Covington are a 2-for-1 special that can't be beat if you're into great food, epic city scenery, and lots of drinks. Visit Cincy and Meet NKy are excellent resources for everything going on between the cities. Even though the direct flight is quick and convenient, I may drive all the way there next time. I will have an ice chest in tow so that I can load up on goodies from Jungle Jim's.
