While I'm working on blog content from this summer and catching up on the last six months or so, I thought this week's blog post would be about more recent #eats around my new home of Cincinnati. I recently turned 22 on October 10th, and while this was my first birthday away from family and friends I've had for years, I was surrounded by new friends with the newfound freedom of going out on a Monday night and celebrating all over the new city I call home. Let's recap the last few days of celebrations.
The Weekend
The weekend leading up to my birthday was spent back in Bloomington, Indiana for our homecoming weekend. While my school's team doesn't really play well on the field, Bloomington still knows how to do the weekend. My college friends and I drove in to reunite at our favorite coffee shop, bar, and Thai restaurant, hitting all of our spots. Chaos at the famous Kilroy's on Kirkwood bar turned into hunger for Siam House on Bloomington's restaurant row on 4th Street. My friends and I pigged out on our favorites: steamed veggie dumplings, pineapple fried rice, green curry, pad thai, and pad kee mao (drunken noodles). And while I've written up many great reviews of Siam House throughout my years at IU, this outing was particularly special because it made this weekend a true homecoming.
I returned home to Cincinnati after a long college weekend with no voice or money, but excitedly awaited my birthday on Monday knowing I had great plans for the week.
Birthday Dinner #1
On my birthday, I was thrilled to spend the evening at Sotto in downtown Cincy, the most sought-after dining experience in the city. I had this reservation on my calendar for months and finally, it was time - and I'll be quick to say that it was worth the wait. Sotto claims to be a basement dining spot serving "inventive and rustic" Italian cuisine. With a brick and wood interior, with low lights and candles brightening the room, Sotto creates a magically intimate ambiance that lets you escape from the chaos of the city above. And while the time that you're seated probably averages around two hours, the night seems endless as the wait staff so carefully and seamlessly welcomes you in with calm, warm energy, the cocktail list excites you, the wine list is so perfectly curated, and the menu makes it hard to pick what you'll be indulging in. It was a magical night, starting from the moment we sat down.
First: Cocktails
While I didn't get photos of our first round of drinks, our cocktails were crafted so thoughtfully, with flavors I'd never thought would work but indeed came together to create something fantastic. The Sempre Soleggiato cocktail offers flavors of citrus, mint, cinnamon, tangerine, and soda with a vodka base for a tangy yet smooth drink. On the other hand, the Piccolo Fiore is gin-based, with flavors like amaretto, black raspberry liqueur, lemon, and prosecco for a stronger-tasting drink but by no means less than great. These drinks went well with our first two courses.
First and Second Courses: Pane and Antipasti
I'm not necessarily one to dig into just straight-up bread, so while I knew fresh bread and olive oil would've been beyond fresh from Sotto, we excitedly went for the grilled bread with goat cheese and hazelnut honey. Obviously, the sourdough was incredible, but it was the honey with hazelnuts in every bite that had us undeniably drooling. From the antipasti menu, we went for the mozzarella di bufala with sun-dried tomatoes, chiffonade-cut basil, and thick, tangy olive oil that had us spooning up everything in the bowl. The mozzarella melted in our mouths and the tomatoes had a tang to each bite, combining many unique flavors together.
By the time we finished up our first two courses, our cocktails were nearing empty. Wine came out next - I was recommended and opted for a copper-colored pinot grigio from Italy, described as having notes of spring wildflowers and white stone fruit with whiffs of wild herb. Then the stars of the show came out: the pasta.
Third Course: Pasta
While it was a difficult choice to decide between a few winning pasta options, fish choices, and a 30oz porterhouse (which we only considered for a brief moment), we opted for the two pastas that intrigued us the most: linguine alle vongole and short rib cappellacci. Let's discuss the linguine first. Beautiful clams came on a bed of fresh pasta with pepperoncini and breadcrumbs that were buttery and salty and ultimately paired really well with the light sauce that brought the whole bowl together. While I try to stray away from any long noodle to save myself from making a mess, I really enjoyed every bite. And who's going to judge when it's your birthday?!
The second pasta dish was the short rib cappellacci. Cappellacci can be associated with ravioli due to its stuffed-pasta nature... but cappellacci is just really cool. Braised short rib comes stuffed into fresh pasta and mixed into a delicious blend of cheeses, butter, thyme, and shallot making for the most impeccable, unique pasta I've indulged in since, well, Italy. I could've had just the cappellacci for myself, but I was excited to have both bowls of pasta to create a well-needed balance for this special meal.
The kitchen's attention to detail is impeccable, and our waiter described the menu with such passion and love that I told him I'd want him to write this blog post due to how well he describes his best-selling items. He told us the cappellacci was like pockets of love - I couldn't have said it better myself.
To Finish It Off: Dessert
Sotto boasts an impressive dessert menu, and we went for the ricotta doughnuts. We could've split these doughnuts with a few other people - there were plenty. And with caramel, chocolate, and pistachio sauces for dipping, these creamy dough balls were epic.
The Verdict
Sotto provided an intimate birthday dining experience, one that truly encapsulated this time in my life that I've now entered. While I could compare this quiet evening to my over-the-top birthday bash in Nashville a year ago at this time, I've found a newfound love for spending this special day with great people, new friends, and enjoying what ended up being a perfect day in Cincinnati.
The Day After: Birthday Dinner #2
The girls and I gathered for another outing in downtown Cincinnati, spending our evening at E+O Kitchen at the Banks. The menu offers a fantastic selection of drinks and shareables for any sized party. With a Mexican and Asian flare (think salsa and dumplings), there was something for everyone. My friends and I got a few drinks, mine being a sour vodka spritz, others getting margaritas, and some opting for a glass of their favorite white. To start, I enjoyed the chilled soba noodles, and for my dinner, the lemon drop roll was my choice: salmon, tempura shrimp, cucumber, tempura crunchies, and lemon zest - it was the lemon that stood out to me and sold me. Dessert was a surprise key lime pie and chocolate mousse with a great sparkler candle that was rather unexpected. It was really special to gather with such amazing friends on what turned out to be a beautiful night with the sunset over the Cincinnati Bengals stadium.
The rest of the week was lots of fun, with a lights festival lighting up the city at night, the leaves drastically changing and autumn wings kicking into high gear, and being surrounded by awesome people. I'm excited to see what 22 brings.
Stay tuned for more #eats from around the world as I get back into my summer updates in the coming weeks.
YUMMY!
You really know how to celebrate your bday. Great post