2012 New Year's Resolution: Best sushi, pizza, and new restaurants. Plus the top 10 restaurants in the city!

2012 New Year's Resolution: Best sushi, pizza, and new restaurants.  Plus the top 10 restaurants in the city!

This year's resolution is a drastic change from burgers...in actuality I don't think I'll be eating beef the entire month of January.  I definitely need it.  I am taking several lists and making one awesome list with the 21 best sushi places, the top 10 OVERALL restaurants, the top 6 NEW  restuarants, and a handful of PIZZA places from cincinnati magazine's top 50.  I don't have the pizza list yet, I'm waiting to get it from a friend.  I don't know exactly how I'll be writing these reviews and judging the places yet.  I'll get to that later.  This list is also a better representation of the city and it's fine dining establishments.  I especially added some places on the Northside since there was a severe lack on my top 40 burgers list.  I've been to a few of these before, but I added them anyways just because I liked them.  I hope my vegatarian friends and those that don't eat beef with be able to join me on my adventures this year. 

Best sushi places came from these 2 sites mixed

http://cincinnati.metromix.com/restaurants/best-of-award/sushi-restaurant/2402335/content
http://www.urbanspoon.com/f/32/3146/Cincinnati/Sushi-Restaurants

the top 10 restaurants I found on wine me dine me's blog, but it is originaly from  cincinnati magazine
http://winemedinemecincinnati.com/2011/02/cincinnati-magazines-top-ten-restaurants-2011/

Best new restaurant came from metromix
 http://cincinnati.metromix.com/restaurants/best-of-award/new-restaurant/2402333/content

BEST SUSHI - 

1. Green Papaya - Hyde Park/Mount Lookout

2. Vitor's - Cheviot/Westwood

3. Dancing Wasabi (Hyde Park) - Hyde Park/Mount Lookout

4. Bangkok Bistro - Hyde Park/Mount Lookout

5. Sweet Basil - Crescent Springs/Fort Wright

6. Fusian – Downtown

7. Kabuto Japanese Steakhouse... - Colerain Township

8. Miyako - Crescent Springs/Fort Wright

9. Mai Thai – Florence

10. Ichiban Japanese Cuisine - Hyde Park/Mount Lookout

11. Wild Ginger - Hyde Park/Mount Lookout

12. Thai Namtip - Monfort Heights/White Oak

13. Thai Taste - West Chester

14. Ruthai's Thai Kitchen - Hyde Park/Mount Lookout

15. Kyoto - Loveland/Maineville

16. Mr. Sushi – Downtown

17. Fuji Steak House – Florence

18. Miyoshi Japanese – Florence

19. Teak Thai – Mt. Adams

20. Cloud Nine – Mt. Lookout

21. The Painted Fish - Northside

 

BEST PIZZA

1. Betta’s Italian Oven - Norwood

2. Enoteca Emilia – O’Bryonville

3. Via Vite - Downtown

4. Cosmic Pizza - Hartwell

5. Sorrento’s Pizzeria - Norwood

6. Padrino – Milford

7. Adriatico’s – Clifton

8. The Works – Loveland

9. Pomodori’s - Clifton

10. A Tavola – Over the Rhine

BEST RESTURANT

1. Orchids at the Palm Court - Downtown
2. Boca - Oakley
3. Nicola’s - Over-the-Rhine
4. The Palace - Downtown
5. Bouquet - Covington
6. Cumin - East Hyde Park
7. Via Vite - Downtown
8.  Nectar - Mt. Lookout
9. Daveed’s - Mt. Adams
10. Honey - Northside

NEW RESTAURANTS

1. Senate - Over-the-Rhine

2. Jean-Robert’s Table - Downtown

3. Taqueria Mercado - Downtown

4. Pho Lang Thang – Findley Market

5. Take the Cake - Northside

6. Abigail Street - Over-the-Rhine

Gordo's Pub and Grill

Burger #35: Gordo's Pub and Grill - Gordo Burger 8.50$

Not my picture.

 

Ok, I am excited to write this review for two reasons, first, it was an amazing burger experience and second, it gives me an excuse to put my business law book down and stop thinking about the US constitution for a short time.  :)  These reviews take so long that I just start a CD and get done with it by the time my review is done.  Me First and the Gimme Gimme's are covering "The Longest Time" by Billy Joel to start this write up!

Just a heads up, after 7 burgers when I went to Gordo's, it was in the  lead. And they are opening a second location in April 2011 in jungle Jim's.

I have been to Gordo's on 3 occasions and it's always been a great new burger to try.   Gordo's is located at 4328 Montgomery Road in Norwood.  Everytime I go there I drive past it because it's in an area that doesn't look like there would be a burger place there.  They have parking, but it's on the right side of the building so when you pass it up you have to turn around to get to the lot.  Gordo's is a single building that probably used to be a regular bar that was bought and renovated.  The bar looks nice and they have several flat screens to watch the games on.  It's a more upscale sports bar feel, with a Xavier college nearby.  I went on a Tuesday night and like most places there was an ample amount of seating.  They seem to have one of the most diverse beer selections I've seen.  There online beer menu is huge, if that's what you're into.  I usually don't have any drinks when I am having a burger, just as another way to be unbiased, because everything tastes great when you are drunk.

Beer selection.  Not my picture.

The menu is quite different from the usual offerings at a sports bar.  This is due to the fact that the chef was a Chef de Cuisine for the Jean-Robert Restaurant Group.  There are loaded cheese fries, quesadillas, mozzarella sticks, and chicken wings which you would expect.  The ones that I didn't would be a goat cheese bruschetta, baked mixed mushrooms, and the nanay egg roll, which is ground beef mixed vegetables with pickled carrots and a soy sesame sauce.  The egg roll sounds interesting to say the least.  The sandwiches seem to be the standard bunch, a reuben, fried fish, ham and cheese, etc.
Gordo's Burger was something close to perfection.  The half pound burger was lean ground beef mixed with bacon, onion compote, and mixed herbs.   You can't go wrong by starting your burger out with bacon INSIDE of it! Top that with roasted poblano peppers, mushrooms, onions, smoked bacon, boursin cheese and mayo (I skipped the mayo, seemed kind of redundant with the creamy cheese).  I ordered my burger medium, like I do all of my burgers.  It was cooked perfectly.  The burger was just the right amount of greasy.  The burger patties were taller then most other places, as opposed to wider, just a weird thought.   I love peppers, and these poblano peppers stick out in my mind still, very tasty.  The bacon was the best I've had on a burger.  I hate when one ingredient takes over ALL of the flavor. This was the case, since all of the flavors could be tasted.  The bun was soft and flavorful as well.  The burger comes with giant steak fries, but you can upgrade for 2$ more to Asian Coleslaw, Saratoga Chips, Small Mac and Cheese , and Vegetables.  I asked the waiter for his recommendation and he said he loves the mac and cheese.  I really liked it, but it was no keystone mac and cheese.

Gordo's burger made with a tall patty rather than wide. Not my picture.

My partner in crime had a strange craving for sweet and savory I think, so she got one of the most unique burgers I have tried.  The BPJ (8$) is a burger topped with fried banana, chunky peanut butter cream cheese, jam and smoked bacon.  I don't remember it coming with fried banana, but the PB & J was a perfect combination with the savory flavor of the burger and the great bacon.  I highly recommend trying a PB & J burger at least once in your life.  Hers came with the steak fries which were giant, but otherwise ordinary.  Other burgers include Jean-Robert (Topped with Lettuce, Grape Compote, Mayonnaise, Bleu Cheese and Goat Cheese), Surf & Turf (Topped with Fresh Crab Meat, Bearnaise and Spring Mix), and the other strange burger the Chocolate Stout (Creamy Goat Cheese Folded into Chocolate Shavings and Cocoa Dust, Mayonnaise and Chocolate Stout Mushroom Sauce).

I am keeping Gordo's on my go to places for a nicer, but still cheap place to take friends who want to try one of the best in the city.  You should go there now if you haven't been yet!  Get out of your rut and try something new.




Remember this guy?

 

Arthur's Cafe

Burger #17: Arthur's Cafe - Boursin Burger 9$

 

If I had a nickle for every time I put off writing a review I'd be a rich man right now.  As far as burgers go, I have had 10, but as far as reviews go, I have done 4.  This is not an ideal ratio of course, but these reviews take about an hour to write and a burger takes 15 minutes to eat.  So it looks like the eating is going to win every time.  Plus the great company when I indulge in one of my burgers makes it that much more fun!

So this being the 5th burger I've had and #17 on "the list", I took a stop over to Hyde Park for one of the consistently highest rated burgers in the city, Arthur's Cafe.  This was about my 3rd or 5th time going to Arthur's, but it's been a while so I went back for a little refresher on why this place rocks.  I think everyone in the city has been to Arthur's so this will be an easy review.  Located in the pedestrian friendly Hyde Park square, Arthur's has been around for over 50 years and has had quite a few regulars including a cartoonist who would make paintings of the other regulars.  The pictures are pretty entertaining to look at when you first notice them.  I went on a Thursday and even then it was packed for dinner, but there was no wait.  I know there is quite a wait on the weekends so be prepared or make a reservation.

The bar has a great list of beers, even the taps are more than you'd expect at this type of place.  I saw bottles of three philosophers, OTR, dogfish head, Kentucky bourbon barrel ale, stone, and bells to name a few.  I know these names so much better after going to the Cincinnati Beerfest a week ago!  I thought I'd bring some of those names up, because they were pretty tasty.  The draft beers new holland oatmeal stout, two brothers domaine dupage and rivertown winter ale.  I will say that this was the best winter ale I have had, so definitely try it if you get the chance.

On my list this time was the Boursin Burger for 9$.  This was a half pound burger made with 90% lean ground beef, which is probably half the fat of a normal burger that you would make at home which is a 80% lean cut, and some restaurants would use much worse than that.  It's ok though because I caught up on my calorie intake when they added a heaping dollop of a heated, herb boursin cheese.  This is a cheese with a creamy consistency which I like to dip my fries in when I have it on a burger.  I ordered my burger medium and it came out perfectly cooked and juicy, even though it was made with a lower fat cut of meat.  You definitely want to try to not get these burgers well done since it would be too dry.  The bun was tasty and soft.  Usually this would come with fries, but I upgraded to the sweet potato fries for 1$ extra.  Other burgers to note are the blackened blue burger and the gourmet burger (goat cheese, spinach, roasted red peppers, and pesto mayonnaise). If you come in on Sunday, Monday or Tuesdays they have burger madness, 7$ burger with unlimited toppings.  The menu does ask, "please limit your servings of cheese to six!"...because in America we need at least a few dozen slices of cheese on our burgers!  I can't believe they had to post that on the menu, because you know this had to happen on a fairly regular basis for it to be written on a menu.

Well that's all for today.  It is about 12:40 am on a Sunday and I guess I should get some sleep.  I am going to need my energy to take down my next burger.