10/26/09

Best Restaurant in Cincinnati

by Tim Lemke

In my opinion, Nicola's is the best restaurant in Cincinnati, hand's down! Every time I've dined there the food has been excellent. The gnocchi with shaved truffle melts in your mouth.

The bad part is the fact that I can't eat there every week... it's just too expensive. My wife and I usually eat family style and that saves some money (i.e. split an appetizer, split a salad, split a pasta, split an entree and split dessert). While I feel a little cheap ordering that way, I frankly feel that that's how Italian should be done. And we get plenty of food when you do that anyway.

• Pros: The food is outstanding
• Cons: Your wallet will feel light when you leave

03/08/09

Fantastic Food!

by wholtone

I'm a Cincinnati native. A friend and I just got back from a week-long trip to San Francisco where we ate at all types and level's of restaurants, as well as went out to the Napa valley. We ate a lot of good food there, obviously. So when I returned to Cincy I was disappointed because Cincy's cuisine can not compare to the breadth and depth of San Fran's cuisine.

One night we headed over to Bockfest '09, but soon found we were too hungry to hang around. We google map'd a bunch of nearby restaurants and seen Nicola's had a good rating.

I wasn't expecting much, given it's in the Over-the-Rhine/Pendleton area--a gritty place with tons of potential--but when I got inside it was like stepping into a different world.

The only complaint is that the waitress gave off this "are you sure you have enough money to be here" kind of vibe, but she eventually lightened up. (The last place I was going to wander around dressed up all nice would be OTR!)

The long and short of it is that the food was great. The bread was great, it was all great. The food really was more complex and interesting than anything we had in San Francisco. Maybe we just didn't go to the right places, I dunno. Granted, we ate a lot of Asian food in San Fran, so we're not comparing apples-to-apples, but the complexity of the flavors at Nicola's superseded all the other places in San Fran. It's nice to discover a place in Cincy that can stand it's ground against bigger cities.

My friend and I got two entrees, a basket of bread (great), and two classes of wine. I don't remember what mine was, it was something odd, but his was basically a steak. It ended up being a little over $100 with tip. Not cheap, but it would be a good date place if you want to impress your date. I'll note I haven't been to Pigalle's or the Precinct, so I can't compare.

Note: I'm not saying the one star person is lying, but I didn't have any problems at all like he/she described. Overall, I recommend Nicola's if you have the $$$.

• Pros: great food, atmosphere
• Cons: expensive

07/14/08

Not worth the effort

by ccollins0325

What a disappointment. My wife and I and another couple had read all we could find on this `#3 restaurant in Cincinnati`. We had very high hopes going in. They were dashed immediately.

Once we were seated, we were informed that they were completely out of beef. No fillet, no prime rib, no strip. Nada.

Hard bread and salad consumed the first hour we were there. Into the second hour, our food arrived. Cold, unattractive and of very poor taste. Three different dishes, all inedible. Soggy Gnocci and something that resembled old Hamburger Helper.

We asked to speak to the manager, and he proceeded to yell at us and accuse us of trying to get free food (For the record, I never even took a bite because it smelled so bad, i did try my wife's not any better). He offered to take mine off the bill but the other three had been `partially consumed` (tasted)so we would have to pay for them. We said fine. Bring the check.

I sent the women outside while us guys settled the tab. Suddenly the manager comes up, takes the check and tears it up. He starts saying how very sorry he is and that he's been tired. I begin to think that he may have some understanding... but no. It turns out that when my friends girlfriend stopped to speak to him on the way out, to explain that we didn't want free food, just someone to listen to our concerns. He screamed in her face about how many dishes he serves and how great his food in and continues to yell at her until she leaves the restaurant in tears. THEN he came back to the table and tore up the check to cover his blatant bad behavior.

All in all it did turn into a fun story to tell everyone that was staying at our hotel, hopefully they won't make the same mistake we did. Fortunately, there was a White Castle next to the hotel. Better food, and MUCH better service.

• Pros: Great wine selection
• Cons: Cold, poorly prepared food. Rude wait staff. irrational management.