After news broke last month that Cincinnati restaurants will now be eligible for Michelin stars, I’ve spent some time wondering which ones might bring a coveted star home. Unlike the James Beard Awards – which factor in service, atmosphere, kitchen culture and many other things – Michelin stars focus almost entirely on the cooking and the food. According to their website:
“Put simply, we award Michelin Stars to restaurants offering outstanding cooking. And what is ‘outstanding cooking’? We take into account five universal criteria: ingredient quality, harmony of flavors, the mastery of culinary techniques, how the chef’s personality shines through their cuisine and, crucially, consistency across the entire menu and over time. An incredible meal could be a one-off experience. We’re after those restaurants that deliver the same standard every time.”
Beyond stars, another Michelin category of recognition is the Bib Gourmand award, which was introduced in 1997 as, according to Michelin, “a special distinction recognizing restaurants that serve high-quality food at great value, helping diners discover outstanding meals for every occasion and every budget.”
This doesn’t have to be high-end cuisine. While some Bib Gourmand winners include higher-end restaurants such as the Fox & the Knife, an Italian spot in Boston, others include Nashville’s Redheaded Stranger, which serves wood-fired Texas brisket tacos and green chili cheeseburgers, and the pizza and cheesesteak joint Angelo’s, in Philadelphia.
The Michelin Guide will also include “selected” restaurants, which, according to Michelin, indicates a chef is using quality ingredients that are well-cooked and provide “a good meal.” According to Michael Ellis, international director of the Michelin Guide books, “it means that the inspectors have found the food to be above average, but not quite at star or Bib level.” American restaurants selected for the guide include Arnold’s Country Kitchen, a classic meat-n-three spot in Nashville, and Helen, a contemporary Southern grill in Birmingham.
Now that we know the criteria the judges are using, I’ve put together a list of a dozen restaurants I think are worthy of at least one Michelin star (let’s not get ahead of ourselves by aiming for 2 or more just yet), a Bib Gourmand or selected status. Keep in mind that Michelin will only be covering the Ohio side of Greater Cincinnati since, unfortunately, Kentucky is not yet eligible for consideration.
Abigail Street, Over-the-Rhine (1 star or Bib Gourmand)
Type of food: Mediterranean small plates.
Why? Under the leadership of longtime chef Yousef Shtiewi, this Daniel Wright-owned restaurant has kept things top notch with dishes such as lacquered beef cheek hummus, wood-grilled octopus topped with merguez, a magnificent bouillabaisse of seafood and vegetables in saffron broth, and Moroccan-spiced broccoli with Ethiopian spices. Based on my own experiences and the responses I’ve heard from out-of-town guests, Abigail Street could either earn a star or at least a Bib Gourmand.
Nolia Kitchen, Over-the-Rhine (1 star)
Type of food: Southern flavors with an emphasis on the global South.
Why? Chef and owner Jeff Harris, a two-time James Beard Award finalist, and his team focus heavily on unexpected ingredients, flavor combinations and the extraordinary techniques Harris honed working under chef Emeril Lagasse in New Orleans. In recent years, Nolia Kitchen has hit its stride, offering pitch-perfect dishes on an seasonal menu that might include smoked strawberry gazpacho, a vegan take on jambalaya, Nigerian jollof or Cajun-style corn maque choux made with coconut milk instead of heavy cream.
Sudova, Downtown (1 star or Bib Gourmand)
Type of food: Eastern European.
Why: In an Eastern European-inspired dining room decorated with family photos and her grandmother’s own dining room table, James Beard finalist Sarah Dworak shares personal dishes inspired by her Ukrainian heritage. An earthy buckwheat and millet “risotto” is tossed with parsley root, black garlic and wild mushrooms, and plump Rancho Gordo beans are mixed with sweet roasted leeks and peppers with crumbles of tangy Bulgarian feta. While the dishes can be humble, Dworak adds a twist to each one, be it a sprinkling of edible flowers or a chicken Kiev made with kefir-brined chicken.
Boca, Downtown (1 star)
Type of food: Classic French and Italian dishes with a twist.
Why: The crown jewel of Downtown restaurants, Boca is chef and owner David Falk’s tribute to the fading legacy of Cincinnati fine dining that dates back to Cincinnati’s emergence as a culinary powerhouse. Boca doesn’t rest on any laurels and remains ambitious and excellent, evidenced by Falk’s charred Romanesco with Swiss chard, green pistachio pesto and sorghum or his mafaldine with dry-aged beef Bolognese.
Wildweed, Over-the-Rhine (1 star)
Type of food: Italian and French dishes seen through a Midwestern lens.
Why: From pastas made with foraged Midwestern ingredients to molecular gastronomical feats employing local crab apples, tomato leaf pasta dough and nettle stuffing, chef David Jackman’s ingredients and cooking techniques are likely to catch the judges’ attention. Wildweed’s tasting menu, which always showcases interesting ingredients in unexpected pairings, even more so. Jackman, a James Beard finalist, is also a veteran of a three-Michelin star restaurant in Chicago, so he might have a good idea on how to impress the judges.
Mid-City Restaurant, Downtown (Bib Gourmand)
Type of food: A mish-mash of globally inspired dishes, from Korea, Germany, Japan and North America.
Why: Mid-City is a semi-affordable restaurant with a unique menu that includes rabbit cannoli with whipped mascarpone in a cherry-soy glaze, petit steaks with pork cracklins, and a mushroom and crab crepe. Ambitious but relaxed, it’s a place that affords customers a deep dive into high-end chef-driven cuisine without breaking the bank.
Roji, Downtown (1 star)
Type of food: Omakase.
Why: A top-notch omakase restaurant in a Cincinnati alleyway may seem counterintuitive. But the tasting menu at Roji includes first-rate sushi, nigiri and other dishes made with an astonishing variety of Japanese imported fish. The dining experience is intimate and the chefs, who often include owner and James Beard semi-finalist Hideki Harada, give customers deep insights into what they’re cooking and why they should cherish each precious bite.
Cafe Mochiko, East Walnut Hills (1 star or Bib Gourmand)
Type of food: Filipino pastries and Japanese ramen.
Why: Erik Bentz, a James Beard semifinalist, cooks ramen so good that Sho Spaeth, author of the highly praised cookbook “Homemade Ramen” called it “some of the best ramen I’ve ever had.” But ramen isn’t the only dish where Bentz excels. Other standouts include his sauteed house-made mochi mixed with ground pork and a popular broccoli gomae in a sweet sesame dressing.
Meanwhile, Bentz’s wife, Elaine Uykimpang, a Beard finalist, turns Cafe Mochiko into a Filipino-inspired bakery in the morning, serving sweet corn bibingka – a moist corn rice cake stuffed with cream cheese and topped with soft curls of shredded white cheddar, and an everything cream cheese bao for which pillowy milk bread is stuffed with sweet cream cheese and sprinkled with everything bagel spices.
Mita’s, Downtown (1 star or Bib Gourmand)
Type of food: Colombian and Puerto Rican-inspired cuisine.
Why: The menu at Mita’s tells the personal story of James Beard finalist Jose Salazar, who grew up in Queens and later worked under such culinary all-stars as Thomas Keller, Geoffrey Zakarian and George Vongerichten. It’s a story about his childhood memories of his Colombian grandmother (Mita) and his own journey told not with words, but with sweet fried plantains, tangy seafood pozole and other foods he grew up with. Other highlights include poached rock shrimp with jicama, cucumbers and corn nuts, and pupusas stuffed with sausage and refried beans topped with fermented cabbage. I’ve never had a mediocre meal at Mita’s − and I’ll bet the Michelin judges won’t either.
Sago, Mount Lookout (Bib Gourmand)
Type of food: Malaysian.
Why: Always flying under the radar is this excellent Malaysian restaurant located in a tiny storefront on Mount Lookout Square. The quality and taste of chef and owner Paul Liew’s dishes should make him a sure bet for a Bib Gourmand award. Case in point is his traditional Nasi Lemak with coconut rice served with sambal, hard-boiled eggs, peanuts and beef rendang.
Phoenician Taverna, Mason (Bib Gourmand)
Type of food: Lebanese and Mediterranean.
Why: I feel like Phoenician Taverna is a shoo-in for a Bib Gourmand – since it’s a place that serves gold-standard Lebanese and Mediterranean food at affordable prices in a dining room that always feels like a family gathering.
Camp Washington Chili, Camp Washington (Bib Gourmand or selected)
Type of food: Cincinnati chili and double deckers.
Why: If a taco joint in Nashville can get a Bib Gourmand, why shouldn’t this iconic chili parlor, which serves excellent Cincinnati-style chili as well as our famous double-decker sandwiches? Other chili parlors that might qualify for a Big Gourmand or selected designation include Price Hill Chili or Blue Ash Chili.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 12 Cincinnati restaurants worthy of Michelin Guide recognition
Reporting by Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer | USA TODAY Network
