FOOD & DRINK
Pampas’ main dining room P H OTO : H A I L E Y B O L L I N G E R
A Taste of Argentina in O’Bryonville Housed in the former Eighth & English space, Argentine gastropub Pampas serves a rustic, gaucho-inspired menu in a beautifully decorated dining room R E V I E W BY PA M A M IT C H E L L
I
experienced a jumble of emotions when I noticed the “now open” signage on a familiar brick building along Madison Road in O’Bryonville:
happiness and relief that the space had been revitalized, mixed with trepidation that yet another set of hopeful restaurateurs was taking a chance on a
location that I’d come to think of as the place where good restaurants go to die. Extreme as that may sound, the address — 2038 Madison Road — has proven untenable for at least two pretty wonderful establishments: Enoteca Emilia and Eighth & English. Will this new venture, Pampas, described as an Argentine gastropub and owned by Ignite Entertainment, find a formula for success that has eluded others? It could be helpful that the new owners have purchased the building instead of leasing it and have created a fascinating space with so much to look at on the walls, counters, stairways and cubby holes. They’ve also acquired the property next door that has gone through a few restaurant iterations of its own.
Another hopeful factor is experience in the Cincinnati restaurant market. Among other local dining and drinking establishments, Ignite Entertainment is the parent company of downtown’s Butcher and Barrel and Over-theRhine’s Che — both with menus that emphasize traditional, meat-oriented Argentine cuisine — and now Pampas, which brings this style of cooking to a slightly more suburban neighborhood. There are distinctions among the three Ignite restaurants that go beyond location, though. Che is the most casual, focusing on a variety of empanadas. The more upscale Butcher and Barrel features grilled meats in a style called parrillada, which mixes several
JUNE 2021
CONTINUES ON PAGE 26
|
C I T Y B E AT. C O M
25
