FEATURE: EATS
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The menu also features a variety of sizeable starters ($6-14), including decadent items like the Duck Poutine, a French-Canadian dish with fries, duck confit, cheese curds and gravy. These starters and many other dishes on the Bistro Grace menu offer elegant updates to humble, traditional dishes that a wide variety of tastes will appreciate. During our visit, my party of three sat in the bar area facing out into the restaurant. Although it was after 8:00PM on a Sunday, two-thirds of the tables were occupied and I made a mental note to get a reservation if I planned on dining there during busier hours. Nevertheless, we were greeted immediately by our server/ bartender, and the owner herself. Throughout our meal, our server showed a genuine interest in our dining experience and gave thoughtful recommendations based on our expressed preferences. We started with the Abby’s Mac and Cheese and the sizeable Beet salad with goat cheese, almonds and orange mint vinaigrette ($8). We liked how thick and creamy the mac and cheese was, and appreciated the portion- enough to feed three or four people. The salad was also impressively large, and the vinaigrette was a subtle and refreshing addition. For dinner, we tried the Grace Burger made two ways (burgers are
half price every Sunday) and the risotto cakes with tomato confit and celery cream sauce. I enjoyed the simplicity of the risotto cakes, and the burgers were a hit. While we ate, our server shared some of the thought processes behind the menu and invited us to sample a Sazerac cocktail, making our experience even more enjoyable. We finished off the meal with dessert, dutifully trying not one, but all three options prepared in-house: chocolate mousse, crème brulee, and banana pudding. The banana pudding was the easy winner amongst the group, made outstanding by the addition of Bistro Grace’s homemade gingerbread ice cream. All in all, Bistro Grace is a welcome addition to Northside’s growing restaurant scene. The dinner menu is one of the most ambitious and adventurous in the neighborhood, with enough versatility to satisfy a wide variety of tastes.
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Emily Buzek Valentino Sales Vice President
2716 Observatory Avenue Cincinnati, Ohio 45208 Cell (513) 602-7414 E-mail evalentino@comey.com
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Visit www.bistrograce.com for online reservations and more information.
Print and online publications, promotional materials, posters, postcards, annual reports, invitations, brand identity, & illustration. I am available for virtually any design project, If I can’t do it, I’ll figure out how.
BY VANESSA THURMAN Vanessa Thurman is an independent consultant and freelance writer. She and her husband moved to Northside in 2012 after falling in love with the community’s welcoming attitude and eclectic charm.
513-885-0504 | uncagedbirdstudio@gmail.com
Northside’s newest Cafe! LOCATED IN THE
American Can Building
HOURS
4101 Spring Grove Ave
MONDAY–THURSDAY lunch : 11.30–5 dinner: 5–10* FRIDAY lunch : 11.30–5 dinner: 5–11*
* kitchen closes one hour before closing life & culture 45223
SATURDAY dinner: 5–11* vol. 1 | Issue 4 jan 14’ 9