Cincinnati Cuisine

We weren’t sure what to expect in the way of Cincinnati cuisine beyond the ubiquitous Skyline Chili, but we uncovered some interesting menu choices during a recent stay in the city.

The specific restaurants we enjoyed appear to no longer exist, but Chef Jean-Robert De Cavel still has several eateries operating in Cincinnati. Check them at The JR Group.

We set out on foot from our downtown hotel, The Cincinnatian, in search of dinner one afternoon and found JeanRo Bistro, a French-style bistro a few of blocks away.

It was early enough in the day that we ordered from the lunch menu, which included classic French dishes like Croque Monsieur, steak frites and, my choice, Mussels Mariniere avec Pommes Frites. Well-prepared meals, attentive service and décor that included French posters, photos and artifacts from the owner’s collection, along with an eclectic mix of customers that included local business people and out-of-town tourists, made for a wonderfully cosmopolitan experience in the Midwestern heartland.

Later that weekend, we walked across the Ohio River to Covington, Kentucky and had brunch at Jean-Robert’s Greenup Café

Tucked into a three-story house and filled with locals, the café had a distinctly neighborhood vibe.  There was a small outdoor patio, but the heat of the day and the walk over from Cincinnati made eating inside the more pleasant option the day we visited.

The menu offered choices like omelets, pastries and Eggs Benedict. I ordered the Croque Monsieur with two eggs sunny side up (in other words, a Croque Madame), and it reminded me of similar sandwiches I ate when I visited Paris a few years ago.

JeanRo Bistro and Greenup Café are part of a small group of Cincinnati restaurants owned by Chef Jean-Robert de Cavel. Born in Roubaix France, Jean-Robert came to Cincinnati in 1993 as Chef de Cuisine at the city’s Maisonette restaurant, according to a bio in a press kit at his restaurant group Web site. He opened his first restaurant, Jean-Robert at Pigall's, in 2002.

We didn’t make it to the more formal Pigall’s, but that just leaves somewhere new to eat the next time we visit the city!

Reading an issue of Midwest Living Magazine before heading down to Cincinnati, I found an ad for a restaurant called Hugo. Having loved the Low Country cuisine I sampled in Charleston, South Carolina, the idea of a Low Country-inspired restaurant in Cincinnati intrigued me.

We found Hugo in an unassuming strip mall location nearly 10 miles out from the city center (thanks to our trusty GPS!).

Inspired by the Charleston cuisine Chef Sean Daly prepared working in that city’s restaurants, the menu and the elegant dining room represented a fusion of “down home cooking and high-class flare”, according to Hugo’s Web site. The restaurant’s name comes from a particularly devastating hurricane that hit South Carolina.

Traditional appetizers like fried green tomatoes and corn fritters were comfortingly familiar, yet included imaginative twists like the chili jam that accompanied the fritters. My shrimp and grits entrée with a taste of Tasso ham was a nicely spicy take on the creamier version I remember eating in Charleston.

Of course, you can’t visit Cincinnati without eating the city’s signature Skyline Chili.

The chili has a uniquely cinnamon-like taste, and diners enjoy it one of several different ways.

I like the traditional “3-way”, Skyline Chili over spaghetti and covered with finely grated cheese, topped off with a generous dollop of hot sauce. The 4-way is a 3-way with diced onions or beans, and the 5-way includes both diced onions and beans.

Skyline Chili outlets are plentiful around the Cincinnati area and a budget-friendly option for a quick meal. You can buy canned Skyline Chili to take home from the restaurants or from many area grocery stores.

© Dominique King 2008 (updated 2020)

Comments

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Thanks for stopping by our blog! I was born and raised in Michigan, so am enjoying your musings! Brings back fun memories of traveling in the midwest.

We will eventually do a U.S. tour on our open ended world tour....so many great things to see!

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hmmm, I thought it said, email address not displayed with comment.

[Dominique]

Thanks for stopping by. Sorry about the address thing...I checked other pages and comments and didn't see the addys displayed. Could it be because you added the email addy in the same space as the name? It's the only thing I can think of.

I've got some more Ohio articles due to upload in the next couple of weeks. Then, I'll be back home. I'm hoping to do some articles from further afield then as we're in CT and RI right now.