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Inside Abigail Street

PHOTOS: MATTHEW ALLEN

An Updated Abigail Street Offers a Quieter Space for Enjoying Expertly Crafted Meals An Updated Abigail Street Offers a Quieter Space for Enjoying Expertly Crafted Meals e Over-the-Rhine standout has expanded into the former Senate space next door.

e Over-the-Rhine standout has expanded into the former Senate space next door. REVIEW BY PAMA MITCHELL

REVIEW BY PAMA MITCHELL

Idon’t need an excuse to eat at Abigail Street, inarguably one of Cincinnati’s most reliably excellent restaurants. Go there with a few people, order and share two or three items per person, and you’re all but guaranteed to have a memorable feast of a meal.

But I’m happy to have a reason not only to dine there but also to help spread the news about some welcome additions to this 11-year-old standout in Over-the-Rhine.

In October, owners Dan and Lana Wright closed their adjacent restaurant, Senate, and said they planned to expand Abigail into the space. Ten months later, that project is near completion. e new dining room, now open to the public, has a noticeably di erent décor and vibe from the one I’ve known and loved for all these years. e seating is more widely spaced, there are more banquettes and booths than tables, and the room consequently doesn’t get so loud that you have to shout to converse with your dining companions. e often-oppressive noise level in the main dining area previously was a downside – although not enough of one to keep me away – but the option of having both a wonderful meal and less cacophonous social interaction makes the new addition quite attractive.

As with so many construction projects these days, transforming what was Senate into an enlarged version of Abigail took longer than expected. Dan Wright said that one of the most timeconsuming facets of the project was to duplicate the nish on the ooring to create a smooth transition between the two dining rooms. His team also tore out the Senate bar to make room for more table seating.

Wright said the expansion has

Idon’t need an excuse to eat at Abigail Street, inarguably one of Cincinnati’s most reliably excellent restaurants. Go there with a few people, order and share two or three items per person, and you’re all but guaranteed to have a memorable feast of a meal. But I’m happy to have a reason not only to dine there but also to help spread the news about some welcome additions to this 11-year-old standout in Over-the-Rhine. In October, owners Dan and Lana Wright closed their adjacent restaurant, Senate, and said they planned doubled the restaurant’s capacity, adding 50 seats. at includes three large eight-person booths and two banquet tables that also can serve eight per table; nothing like that was possible in the original dining room. Outdoor tables on Vine Street add another few dozen seats, and Wright has managed to nd enough sta to serve at capacity. e restaurant now uses the reservation service Resy, a welcome move. For years, Abigail Street didn’t take reservations, and the walk-in waits could be prohibitive. Wright said with that convenience and the added capacity,

to expand Abigail into the space. Ten months later, that project is near completion. e new dining room, now open to the public, has a noticeably di erent décor and vibe from the one I’ve known and loved for all these years. e seating is more widely spaced, there are more banquettes and booths than tables, and the room consequently doesn’t get so loud that you have to shout to converse with your dining companions. e often-oppressive noise level in the main dining area previously was a downside – although not enough of one to keep me away – but the option of having both a wonderful meal and less cacophonous social interaction makes the new addition quite attractive.

As with so many construction projects these days, transforming what was Senate into an enlarged version of Abigail took longer than expected. Dan Wright said that one of the most timeconsuming facets of the project was to duplicate the nish on the ooring to create a smooth transition between the two dining rooms. His team also tore out the Senate bar to make room for more table seating.

Wright said the expansion has doubled the restaurant’s capacity, adding 50 seats. at includes three large eight-person booths and two banquet tables that also can serve eight per table; nothing like that was possible in the original dining room. Outdoor tables on Vine Street add another few dozen seats, and Wright has managed to nd enough sta to serve at capacity. e restaurant now uses the reservation service Resy, a welcome move. For years, Abigail Street didn’t take reservations, and the walk-in waits could be prohibitive. Wright said with that convenience and the added capacity,

the restaurant now “is doing better than ever.”

When the expansion opened earlier this summer, the Wrights also made a couple of personnel changes, most notably elevating sous chef Joe Bedel to the position of executive chef. Bedel is no newbie to the operation—he was sous chef for a half-dozen years—and many of the avor combinations that make dining at Abigail Street so memorable can be traced to his creative in uence. Former executive chef Yousef Shtiewi— who also should be thanked for the great food coming out of this kitchen—has been promoted to culinary director for Queen City Hospitality Group, the umbrella company for all the restaurant and bar concepts in the Wrights’ growing empire.

With the expanded capacity at Abigail comes a few new menu items, but longtime favorites aren’t going away. Some of the additions are seasonal, such as the spectacular peach and tomato salad. Since the menu helpfully lists all ingredients for each dish, I tried to reproduce that salad at home the next night and did a halfway decent job of it, but the restaurant’s is a cut above – I didn’t have burrata cheese or berbere croutons, and I used nectarines instead of peaches.

Equally refreshing and at-out yummy is fattoush, a cold salad that’s been a mainstay here since perhaps day one. One of my companions said he always orders it, and yet I never had tried what sounded rather dull. How good could yellow peppers, radish, tomato and cucumber be? Way better than it sounds, it turns out, thanks to a lemony dressing and crunch provided by bits of toasted pita bread. Fattoush now goes to the top of my must-have list for return visits.

We ended up trying eight dishes shared among the four of us. Other hits included lamb spaghetti, a relatively recent addition that Wright said could become permanent, given its popularity. As with much of the cuisine at Abigail Street, the preparation is uncomplicated, letting the high-quality ingredients shine. e pasta, cooked perfectly aldente, is robed in a sauce of crispy lamb shoulder, parmesan cheese and kale.

Merguez stu ed dates didn’t please everyone at our table, but I enjoyed this savory preparation that took almost all the sweetness out of the dates. ey are stu ed with lamb sausage (merguez), wrapped with bacon and sauced with tomato and sa ron. Sweet dates have their place, but this savory version was a revelation.

I’m not sure how it happened, but we didn’t get around to ordering two of my favorite dishes—wood grilled octopus and potato gnocchi. Wright assured me that while the chef might tweak the preparations, these two items won’t be taken o the menu. We did enjoy the daily hummus preparation, one of the newer o erings that starts with housemade hummus and builds the plate

the restaurant now “is doing better than ever.” When the expansion opened earlier this summer, the Wrights also made a couple of personnel changes, most notably elevating sous chef Joe Bedel to the position of executive chef. Bedel is no newbie to the operation—he was sous chef for a half-dozen years—and many of the avor combinations that make dining at Abigail Street so memorable can be traced to his creative in uence. Former executive chef Yousef Shtiewi— who also should be thanked for the great food coming out of this kitchen—has been promoted to culinary director for Queen City Hospitality Group, the umbrella company for all the restaurant and bar concepts in the Wrights’ growing empire. With the expanded capacity at Abigail comes a few new menu items, but longtime favorites aren’t going away. Some with either meat, sh, or vegetables, according to “what the farmers bring in,” Wright said. Wright is still waiting for completion of a second kitchen in the rear of the former Senate space, which needs approval from the city. It will include a wood- red oven and generally give the sta more space to produce such remarkably tasty food. Sunday brunch also is on the horizon, maybe before the end of the year. Looking beyond Abigail Street, the Wrights’ restaurant group Queen City Hospitality will be making changes to its Liberty Street spot, Forty ieves, and developing two new eateries out in Terrace Park. While we wait for that, it’s easier than ever to nab a table at the Wrights’ stellar standout. of the additions are seasonal, such as the spectacular peach and tomato salad. Since the menu helpfully lists all ingredients for each dish, I tried to reproduce that salad at home the next night and did a halfway decent job of it, but the restaurant’s is a cut above – I didn’t have burrata cheese or berbere croutons, and I used nectarines instead of peaches. Equally refreshing and at-out yummy is fattoush, a cold salad that’s been a mainstay here since perhaps day one. One of my companions said he always orders it, and yet I never had tried what sounded rather dull. How good could yellow peppers, radish, tomato and cucumber be? Way better than it sounds, it turns out, thanks to a lemony dressing and crunch provided by bits of toasted pita bread. Fattoush now goes to the top of my must-have list for return visits. We ended up trying eight dishes shared among the four of us. Other hits included lamb spaghetti, a relatively recent addition that Wright said could become permanent, given its popularity. As with much of the cuisine at Abigail Street, the preparation is uncomplicated, letting the high-quality ingredients shine. e pasta, cooked perfectly aldente, is robed in a sauce of crispy lamb shoulder, parmesan cheese and kale. Merguez stu ed dates didn’t please everyone at our table, but I enjoyed this savory preparation that took almost all the sweetness out of the dates. ey are stu ed with lamb sausage (merguez), wrapped with bacon and sauced with tomato and sa ron. Sweet dates have their place, but this savory version was a revelation. I’m not sure how it happened, but we didn’t get around to ordering two of my favorite dishes—wood grilled octopus and potato gnocchi. Wright assured me that while the chef might tweak the preparations, these two items won’t be taken o the menu. We did enjoy the daily hummus preparation, one of the newer o erings that starts with housemade hummus and builds the plate with either meat, sh, or vegetables, according to “what the farmers bring in,” Wright said. Wright is still waiting for completion of a second kitchen in the rear of the former Senate space, which needs approval from the city. It will include a wood- red oven and generally give the sta more space to produce such remarkably tasty food. Sunday brunch also is on the horizon, maybe before the end of the year. Looking beyond Abigail Street, the Wrights’ restaurant group Queen City Hospitality will be making changes to its Liberty Street spot, Forty ieves, and developing two new eateries out in Terrace Park. While we wait for that, it’s easier than ever to nab a table at the Wrights’ stellar standout.

Abigail Street, Abigail Street, 1214 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, 1214 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, abigailstreet.com. abigailstreet.com.

EATS EATS Fifty Fifty Gin Club in Over-the-Rhine Offers 60 Types of Gin

Fifty Fifty Gin Club in Over-the-Rhine Offers 60 Types of Gin BY SEAN M. PETERS

BY SEAN M. PETERS

Walk into Fifty Fifty Gin Club in Over-the-Rhine and you’re in a di erent era. It’s still Cincinnati, but time’s turned back in all the right ways.

Nostalgia pours from the blue walls, sandy wood furniture and red lighting. e room makes you feel like you’re about to run into an old friend. e drink of the night is gin and it’s got a lot of its own stories to tell.

Attached to Homemakers Bar, which describes itself as a slightly retro, mostly modern cocktail bar, Fifty Fifty Gin Club o ers around 60 di erent gins, from locally distilled to imported Japanese varieties alongside representatives from seemingly every distinguished ginproducing region. e cocktail menu runs the gamut (or gimlet) of all of gin’s expressions, making it an alluring destination for juniper lovers.

“I love the experience of going to new cities and discovering little nooks,” Julia Petiprin, the bar’s founder, tells CityBeat. “ is was the perfect opportunity to create a little nook in the city — it’s almost like a little hideaway.”

Petiprin’s credentials in OTR’s drinkeries are notable, as she’s the cofounder and owner of Sundry and Vice as well as Homemakers Bar. Regular patrons of Homemakers Bar, which has been open since 2019, would recognize Fifty Fifty Gin Club as the former mentioned bar’s extra seating area. e original building’s beautiful doors were being put to waste in the scant used space, so Petiprin’s instinct was to set up an additional bar.

“I’m a bar person, so I’m like, ‘Put a bar everywhere!” Petiprin says. e bar seats 22 guests, so don’t plan on simply dropping by with a large crew and expect enough seating. e menu includes the inventive mixology that made Petiprin’s other bars so highly regarded, harboring a genuine spirit of adventure with unique recipes that are obviously the result of years of joyous gin-fueled experimentation. ere’s nuanced adherence to proven standard recipes with no shortage of creativity. For example, instead of using simple olive brine in a dirty martini like so many other bars do, Fifty Fifty uses the pickling brine from its own house-made gardiniera (a mixture of peppers and aromatic vegetables pickled in tart and salty vinegar-based brine) — still salty and savory, but with an added little kick. ere are plenty of other cocktails, too. e current menu o ers a watermelon negroni, which pairs Salers – an aperitif – with Hendrick’s gin, Dolin Blanc vermouth, clari ed watermelon juice and salt. e sparkling beverage is a refreshing and light way to cool down after a hot day. Other drinks include several iterations of gin and tonic, plus wine, beer, and even cocktails made with vodka or bourbon.

While the menu is gin-forward, it doesn’t discriminate against those who don’t have room for the herbaceous spirit on their palate. e selection of light bites shows a deep sense of solidarity with other locally owned culinary entrepreneurs. ere are roasted marcona almonds from Tablespoon Cooking Co.; a mini cheese board with seasonal preserves and quark, a creamy European-style of cheese from Urban Stead; and bread and dipping oil with some chimichurri from e Empanada Box, which recently opened its rst permanent brick-and-mortar restaurant in Covington.

For those not familiar with what distinguishes gin from other spirits, Petiprin and her sta can talk through history and options with patrons.

“We o er cocktail classes, more gin-centric stu in the future, for sure,” Petiprin says.

Walk into Fifty Fifty Gin Club in Over-the-Rhine and you’re in a di erent era. It’s still Cincinnati, but time’s turned back in all the right ways.

Nostalgia pours from the blue walls, sandy wood furniture and red lighting. e room makes you feel like you’re about to run into an old friend. e drink of the night is gin and it’s got a lot of its own stories to tell.

Attached to Homemakers Bar, which describes itself as a slightly retro, mostly modern cocktail bar, Fifty Fifty Gin Club o ers around 60 di erent gins, from locally distilled to imported Japanese varieties alongside representatives from seemingly every distinguished ginproducing region. e cocktail menu runs the gamut (or gimlet) of all of gin’s expressions, making it an alluring destination for juniper lovers.

“I love the experience of going to new cities and discovering little nooks,” Julia Petiprin, the bar’s founder, tells CityBeat. “ is was the perfect opportunity to create a little nook in the city — it’s almost like a little hideaway.”

Petiprin’s credentials in OTR’s drinkeries are notable, as she’s the cofounder and owner of Sundry and Vice as well as Homemakers Bar. Regular patrons of Homemakers Bar, which has been open since 2019, would recognize Fifty Fifty Gin Club as the former mentioned bar’s extra seating area. e original building’s beautiful doors were being put to waste in the scant used space, so Petiprin’s instinct was to set up an additional bar.

“I’m a bar person, so I’m like, ‘Put a bar everywhere!” Petiprin says. e bar seats 22 guests, so don’t plan on simply dropping by with a large crew and expect enough seating. e menu includes the inventive mixology that made Petiprin’s other bars so highly regarded, harboring a genuine spirit of adventure with unique recipes that are obviously the result of years of joyous gin-fueled experimentation. ere’s nuanced adherence to proven standard recipes with no shortage of creativity. For example, instead of using simple olive brine in a dirty martini like so many other bars do, Fifty Fifty uses the pickling brine from its own house-made gardiniera (a mixture of peppers and aromatic vegetables pickled in tart and salty vinegar-based brine) — still salty and savory, but with an added little kick. ere are plenty of other cocktails, too. e current menu o ers a waterFifty Fifty Gin Club is open ursday, Friday and Saturday evenings for walkins, though Petiprin says reservations are preferred. melon negroni, which pairs Salers – an aperitif – with Hendrick’s gin, Dolin Blanc vermouth, clari ed watermelon juice and salt. e sparkling beverage is a refreshing and light way to cool down after a hot day. Other drinks include several iterations of gin and tonic, plus wine, beer, and even cocktails made with vodka or bourbon. While the menu is gin-forward, it doesn’t discriminate against those who don’t have room for the herbaceous spirit on their palate. e selection of light bites shows a deep sense of solidarity with other locally owned culinary entrepreneurs. ere are roasted marcona almonds from Tablespoon Cooking Co.; a mini cheese board with seasonal preserves and quark, a creamy European-style of cheese from Urban Stead; and bread and dipping oil with some chimichurri from e Empanada Box, which recently opened its rst permanent brick-and-mortar restaurant in Covington. For those not familiar with what distinguishes gin from other spirits, Petiprin and her sta can talk through history and options with patrons. “We o er cocktail classes, more gin-centric stu in the future, for sure,” Petiprin says. Fifty Fifty Gin Club is open ursday, Friday and Saturday evenings for walkins, though Petiprin says reservations are preferred.

Fifty Fifty Gin Club bills itself as a mostly modern cocktail bar with a few retro twists.

PHOTOS: HAILEY BOLLINGER Fifty Fifty Gin Club bills itself as a mostly modern cocktail bar with a few retro twists.

PHOTOS: HAILEY BOLLINGER

Fifty Fifty Gin Club, 35 E. 13th St., Fifty Fifty Gin Club, 35 E. 13th St., Over-the-Rhine, fty ftyginclub.com. Over-the-Rhine, fty ftyginclub.com.