Wowed by a restaurant! (And we're not easy to wow....)

Foodies in the metro Cincinnati area, take note. Nuvo at Greenup, a less-than-six-months old venture by chef/owner Mark Bodenstein, might be the best restaurant in town.
We (finally) made it over there -- Covington KY -- last night, and it was a first rate dining adventure.
There's no menu; they just bring you what Mark is cooking, which consists of anywhere from six to ten or more courses. Our servers said it could be six fairly substantial courses or up to ten smaller portions. We hit it when they were doing the ten-spot.

Duck with Carrots @ Nuvo

The restaurant is in a small house on Greenup Street near the Ohio River, which has been a few other restaurants in the past, including an old favorite of mine called Wildflower, which served the healthiest and freshest food within walking distance of my former place of employment.
Nuvo has modernized the interior, and the decor is minimalist but pleasant. There's a lovely garden/patio in back which of course was totally off limits in this dreadful cold and icy winter we're suffering through, but they intend to revive it when the weather improves.
Upon being seated, you choose your beverages -- beer and wine only, no mixed drinks -- and confirm any dietary restrictions (they ask when you make reservations, which are a must as the place is very small and many foodies already are onto it). The price is $45 per person, not including whatever you decide to drink. You also can add wine pairings chosen by the staff for $40.
The wine list was short but interesting, I thought, and while we didn't select the wine pairing, other tables nearby did, and I noted the clever choices served by the beverage manager, a woman named Marie.
I will add some photos of our dishes, but won't go into detail about ingredients in each.....mainly because the dishes change so often that you wouldn't get the same thing even if you dined there next weekend. (They open for dinner only, Wednesday - Saturday.)
The concept, it seems to me, is to take mostly familiar ingredients and combine or prepare them in ways you probably never have had before, or even thought of having.

"Knife and fork onion soup"

For instance, the "knife and fork French onion soup" deconstructed the main ingredients and then came up with a (small) dish of a couple varieties of lightly cooked onions, leeks, seasonings and instead of cheese, a sauce made of "caramelized milk." We thought it a memorable, fascinating course, although we didn't think that the milk could have been an improvement on cheese. (One of the servers said that Mark couldn't find a particular type of cheese that set off the dish in the way he wanted it to taste.)
Toward the end of the meal -- right before dessert -- was a pappardelle with crawfish that was a favorite. Also a mushroom preparation that knocked us out. And they did a fine little take on duck breast with carrots prepared several different ways, including a garnish of fried carrot tops.
All in all, delightful. We look forward to trying it again in different seasons of the year, especially to see what he does when local produce is at its peak.

The mushrooms

ONE DOWNER: I told them that my husband doesn't eat red meat, but they served him pork and pork sausage anyway. Gamely, he ate it without complaint, but next time I call for a reservation I will mention this lapse and ask that they are more careful next time.

Murphin Ridge Inn: Foodie destination and relaxation heaven

It's just 75 miles from our house in the city, but truly worlds away.

View out the window--from the whirlpool

Murphin Ridge Inn, nestled amid Amish farms in Adams County, OH, has become our beloved retreat from city life.  Don't get me wrong, we love the excitement and stimulation of living in town -- and really despise the boredom and conformity of the suburbs, too. But spending time in a place where you can go for a walk or hike in absolute silence is a priceless treat and treasure.
The Inn includes a 10-room guest house and nine one-room cabins. Dinner and breakfast are served in a separate building -- the historic centerpiece of the property -- while there's also a swimming pool in season, a tennis court, a bonfire pit active almost every night, and miles of hiking trails on the grounds.

Sunrise over the meadowland

The Inn also is renowned for its kitchen; patrons from the western Columbus suburbs and the east side of Cincinnati often drive in for dinner.
We had our second consecutive Thanksgiving meal here while spending two nights in a lovely cabin, which features a king bed, whirlpool bath, see-through gas fireplace, rocking chairs and two porches (though it was too cold this time to sit out there).
I love the hiking trails and take at least two walks per day in them. On the day after Thanksgiving I went for an afternoon walk and would stop to listen: literally, no sounds, not even the wind or any birds. In the summer, you'll hear the birdies, of course. This is such a big deal to someone who is used to the sounds of the city!
At the end of one of the trails you come to a clearing leading onto a farm property. And there was a corral with a beautiful horse all by himself. He saw me and walked right over. Another big deal to the city girl.

Met him on a hike

Regarding meals, I am especially fond of breakfast there -- which is included with accommodations, of course. The main breakfast room is sunny and faces a grove of trees with dozens of bird feeders -- although there weren't too many feathered creatures this time of year -- and fields/meadows beyond. You meet and chat with other guests and the new owners -- a farming family who took over the Inn earlier this year -- and help yourself to yogurt and granola before being served the main breakfast.
(If you're lucky, you'll get to try the Foggy Bottom Pancakes, my favorite breakfast entree.)

Start your breakfast here

Nearby attractions and sights include a couple of Amish stores -- especially the big operation, Miller's -- the Serpent Mound, and many interesting hiking trails of various levels of difficulty.
There is no other comparable property this close to our city. Highly recommended any time of year, though I'll admit I prefer it when it's a little warmer outside. What a delight!

View from our breakfast table

Family Night @ La Poste

Or maybe they're calling it community night. In any case, beginning this week La Poste in Clifton will be closing on Mondays except for one time a month. On the "second Monday" they'll open for a few hours in the evening for a family-style meal.
Monday November 11 was the inaugural event; here's a photo of the buffet table.
For $20  a person, there won't be a menu, but platters of food will come out of the kitchen from 6-8 PM. This week the entrees were fried chicken and roast pork, with enough pasta and veggie sides to satisfy vegetarian eaters, as well.
Alcoholic drinks are not included but are available.
Though you can't see it in my no-flash photo, there's also a jazz band playing, which will be part of the scene ongoingly. Children are welcome, and many were in attendance.

On the town -- Where's the best "restaurant row" in Cincinnati?

What are the best restaurant-rich neighborhoods in the Cincy metro area? Never mind areas that are heavy with mid-range chain eateries, even upscale ones. (That's about the best you can hope for in the outer suburbs, but I'd almost always prefer an independently owned restaurant to one that's part of a large corporation.) For the sake of this discussion I'll also omit clusters of bars and sports bars that don't offer much in the way of a square meal. And I'm looking for more than one or two "quality" places to eat, so that if one interesting choice is fully booked and you don't have a reservation, you might be able to find a comparable option without having to get (back) in your car.
City dwellers are more likely to have this scenario play out, of course....

Entree at Otto's

What works in Cincinnati/NKY and what doesn't?
I think Clifton fails the above test -- alas, since that's my home 'hood -- because even though almost everything is independently owned, it's also almost all of mediocre quality, at best. Once you get past La Poste (a wonderful gem for which I thank God every week), things go south really fast. Don't even get me started on the inconsistent but mostly unappealing food at Olives, and the rest of the bunch is ethnic mostly Indian fare that cannot be justified on a health basis.
Hyde Park actually flunks, too, because it is so full of chains. There really isn't a destination restaurant in that part of town, unless you want to count J. Alexander's, Seasons 52 or Bonefish Grill -- none of which is unique to our metro area.
We love OTR/Gateway Quarter (Bakersfield, Abigail Street, Senate, Kaze, A Tavola -- just to name our favorites) as well as downtown (though less so -- although Local 127, Jean-Robert's Table, Boca, Red Roost Tavern and one or two others are quite good). Northside is high on quirky, tasty and low-cost options (Take the Cake, Melt, Django, among others) but doesn't have anything to compare to any of the others named in this paragraph.
This is a long-winded way of leading into my vote for Covington, specifically the Main Strasse area that consists of at most three blocks along Main Street within sight of the Brent Spence (I-75) Bridge. Bouquet is the top-shelf entry and worth at least a couple of visits a year. But the street also has the Old Kentucky Bourbon Bar (and I'll add a photo of my very authentic whiskey sour from the other night) as well as a handful of quite acceptable if less stellar tables. We dined at Otto's (photo is of my shrimp and grits entree), and on the same block Chez Nora (so-so food but a great rooftop bar), the new Main Bite (haven't tried yet) and the old standby Dee Felice (never been a fan but others like it).

OKBB whiskey sour

Of course, for health/weight control, eating out often is a bad idea!  I usually only do so at most twice a week for dinner and perhaps once for lunch, and even that can be a diet-buster. I haven't yet and probably never will figure out how to stay slim AND eat/drink everything I want to........

(Gourmet) Weekend in the Woods

Murphin Ridge Inn Main House

If you live in the city or suburbs -- as most of us do -- you're probably well aware of the benefits and costs of urban/suburban life. On the downside, my husband and I notice a profound disconnect from the natural world. Don't get me wrong; we prefer the diversity, convenience and fun-factor of city life. But we also treasure our occasional forays into quieter places.

Last weekend we drove out to Adams County, just 70 miles east of our Cincinnati home, for another visit to our favorite rural retreat, Murphin Ridge Inn. This particular weekend attracted us thanks to the first "Spring into Spring in Adams County Arts and Crafts Day" held on Saturday 4/27. It also happened to be the end of the 2012-13 academic year and the start of my summer vacation.
The fair (or arts & crafts day) took place on a gorgeous farm just a few miles from the inn. On the same property and owned by the farm family is As It Was Antiques, which sits atop a hill overlooking miles of farmland greening up into the growing season.

Top highlight of the fair for us was participating in a cooking class with Murphin Ridge Inn sous-chef Josh Catone. Here he is with my husband, and a close-up of the asparagus-and-fresh-ricotta crepes that he/we made.

Cooking with Josh Catone (right)

Crepes for lunch

As for the Inn itself, I can't recommend it too highly. There are 10 rooms in the guest house, one of which has a fireplace and another has a whirlpool; but we always stay in one of the cabins dotted around the property. Each A-frame cabin (there are 9) has a porch with rocking chairs, king or queen bed, fireplace and whirlpool, along with a little fridge where you can store supplies.
The highlights for me out there, though, are the wooded trails on the property and the nightly bonfire. Along the trails, you often can stop and listen, and hear no human-made sounds. I just love that.
The bonfire provides the evening's entertainment (believe it or not). The place is so isolated you can't possibly go out in the evenings, so you eat at the inn and then sit by the bonfire for an hour or two afterward, chatting with other guests.
People love the meals, too -- in fact, it was as a foodie destination that I first made a point of getting out there. Here's a photo of one of our meals -- salmon and a vegetarian potato-dumpling kind of dish -- but my favorite munch out there usually is breakfast.

Entrees at Murphin Ridge Inn

We had two breakfasts this time, and the best was Sunday morning's multi-grain pancakes, which departing owner Sherry McKenney calls Foggy Bottom Pancakes (long story about how she came up with the name). They were the best thing I ate all weekend -- well, those crepes were awfully good, too -- and in such a lovely setting. Here's a photo of one of the inn's gardens as seen from the breakfast room.

Springtime at MR

Also right next to the main house -- which is where meals are served but it's separate from the building that has the guest rooms -- is a grove of trees with countless bird feeders and many comfy chairs and benches where you can hang out and check out the dozens of birds of many species sure to be chowing down.
The Inn has many loyal repeat guests, and there's no reason why if you live in metro Cincinnati (or Dayton, Columbus, or Lexington) you can't become one, too.