Review: Daveed's at 934

During Restaurant Week this Fall, Kris, me and 2 of our friends decided to do our Wine Wednesday at a restaurant for a change.  After looking at some of the menus online, we decided to try Daveed's at 934 in Mt. Adams. Kris had been there before and raved about it, and 3 of us had never gone, so we thought it was a good choice. We made a reservation, but after arriving, I'm not sure if we would have needed one.  It wasn't too busy, but there were about 5 other tables seated.

The inside of Daveed's is really unique.  There is really vibrant, colorful artwork along the walls in the main room with some mirrors along one side as well.  It felt very modern but not "stuffy".  The tables had wine linens but the restaurant didn't feel too fancy.  I didn't go out back, but apparently there is an outdoor area as well.

Since we went for Restaurant Week, we ordered off that menu, but their regular menu seems to be "American with a twist".  Some restaurants give you a variety of choices for their Restaurant Week menu, but Daveed's had a soup, salad, and a choice of 2 for an entree.  Kris also said the truffle fries here are awesome, so we ordered a side of those to start with.

Our server was great.  He was talkative and a nice sense of humor too.  As we were enjoying our wine and talking, our server brought us some warm bread served with a spread.  The bread was nice!  I liked the spread, it was a nice change from original butter.  We were also brought an amuse bouche.  None of us really cared for this.  It didn't really have any taste to it all. Very bland.

The fries came out, and Kris was right.  These were delicious!  Very crispy and warm.  The truffle oil was light but added just enough flavor with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.  These was served with a "merlot" ketchup (I think that's what it was called), but most of us liked the fries better without it. I would definitely order these again.

Our soup arrived first which was a roasted tomato bisque with a homemade crouton and artichoke tapanade. This was fantastic!  Very creamy with great flavors of the tomatoes.  It wasn't too creamy though, it was more of a puree consistency.  This was one of the best soups I have had.  I would love to go back and get this again.

Next was our salad.  It was a romaine salad with feta and cucumbers tossed in a sherry vinaigrette.  I don't typically like cucumbers in my salad, but these were chopped fine and added a nice coolness.  I didn't LOVE this, but it was a good enough salad.

For our last course, I chose the flank steak.  Abby and Kris did as well.  This was served on a risotto cake, with spinach, and a honey truffle aioli.  They were cooked medium rare, which I like for flank steak.  This was great! I thought it was cooked perfectly.  The biggest surprise was the risotto cake, this was awesome! It had a nice crispy outside and warm and soft in the middle.  A nice addition to the steak.

Peppy got the other option of Grilled Chicken Pasta minus the chicken because she is a veggie.  This was a penne pasta with broccoli in a cheese-type sauce.  She really liked this!  I tried a bite and thought it was good as well.  I thought it'd be a bit boring without any meat, but it was pretty good!

I was overall really pleased with Daveed's.  The service was great.  All our courses were brought out together by an individual person which adds a nice touch.  The only complaint I would have was that it took awhile to get our checks and pay, but overall great!  Definitely give this place a try, on Thursdays they have burger and beer night, and starting October 1st, they are starting a pasta night special on Wednesdays as well.
~Kate

Food: 4
Service: 4
Overall Experience: 4

Guest Blog: Senate

So today we are introducing a new feature we’re going to try out….Friday Guest Blogger Series! When possible, on Fridays we’re going to have our friends and family (let us know if you’re interested!) post about their dining experiences and/or recipes.

Today, my co-worker Beth will be blogging about her recent experience at Senate, which Kate and I absolutely LOOOOVE! Thanks, Beth...

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First off I want to thank Kris and Kate for allowing me to guest blog about my dining experience. What a privilege to write for the Girls Who Grub!

The other night I had the fortunate experience of eating dinner with my good friend Alison at the Senate in Over-the-Rhine. I am a huge fan of this restaurant and have been many times! My favoritism comes from the niche of food they serve (gourmet street food) and the unique restaurant space where you dine (a narrow, cozy space with exposed brick and an open kitchen).

Every day at work, Kris and I read and talk about Senate’s “dog of the day” that they post on their Facebook page. It’s always named after a celebrity, and it always sounds AMAZING! So before meeting Alison at the restaurant, I had already found out that the dog of the day was the William Shatner – spicy falafel dog, chipotle hummus & roasted veggie chips. I knew I wasn’t going to order it (I always get my usual), but thought it sounded good.

Already knowing what I wanted, since I get the same thing every time, I ended up ordering the Poutine for the appetizer. This is by far the most disgustingly delicious mess of French fries, cheese curds, braised short ribs and gravy. Once you have tried this you will crave it for your next visit! Secretly, I think this is why I want to go back all the time.

Special thanks to Alison for the pictures!

After the appetizer, my friend Alison ordered a side of truffle fries and My Wife’s Salad, which consists of arugula, avocado, mozzarella, tomato, basil and balsamic. I didn’t try the salad, but Alison said she loves it because it’s light and fresh, but the mozzarella and avocado are just enough to make it filling as a light dinner. She joked that she always cancels out its healthiness by getting it with truffle fries, even though it’s only the top layer that is good (the ones further down in the glass are always soggy and disappointing).

I decided on my usual, the croque madame, which consist of a beef hot dog, béchamel and black forest ham on a brioche bun with a poached egg. My favorite part of the hot dog is the poached egg. I think anything that has an egg on it is delicious. There is something about the mixture of flavors that makes me want to go back for more.

Overall our dining experience was fantastic, which is no surprise to me. Our server Nathan was very prompt and courteous. I would definitely recommend the Senate if you're looking for a fun downtown experience with a different flair and unique cuisine!

Food: 5                                                                                                                                            

Service: 4                                                                                                                                       

Overall: 4.5