Review: Blinkers Tavern

Awhile back, we received an email from staff member from Blinkers Tavern asking us to include them to our list.  We love feedback and loved that someone ASKED us to come in! So a couple weeks ago my two good friends, Anne and Tina, and I decided to get dinner together. Tina was dog sitting near Covington, so I suggested we try Blinkers Tavern.  It is located across from Keystone Bar & Grill in the old Chalk location.  I like the location because there is plenty of parking nearby and great sights to see on the street as well.  It was a nice night out, so we decided to sit outside and take it all in.

There are a variety of drink specials throughout the week, and Tuesday is half off bottles of wine! Can't beat that.  So Tina and I ordered a bottle to share.  I didn't go inside the restaurant, so unfortunately I can't say much about the interior, but it appeared to be a bar and grill type feel.  The menu, on the other hand, definitely has a mix of choices different from a typical "bar and grill" menu.

Anne and I both were in the mood for different things, so we decided to get two dishes and share!  I love sharing, so this was perfect for me.  We got the black and bleu burger which is served with a side of fries and the pork tenderloin with a raspberry sauce.  All entrees are served with a side salad and a choice of a side, so we shared the salad and went with the order of mac n' cheese.  Needless to say, we had PLENTY to eat!

Christina was debating over a couple things to get, but we suaded her into ordering the shrimp risotto which is pan seared with mushrooms and red and green peppers.

I have to say that service was really great here!  Our server was very friendly, had great suggestions, and was on top of everything.  I was really pleased with the service this night.

So onto the food.....the salad was a pretty standard side salad. It seemed like it came from a bag though and just had one cherry tomato cut on the side with shredded carrots. We had ordered a sun dried tomato dressing, which I was a bit disappointed with, it sounded much better than it tasted.  It was almost too sweet for me.  I don't think I would go out of my way to have this salad again.

We ordered the burger medium, and we thought it was overcooked, but it was still good! I loved the blue cheese topping and the bun had a nice toast to it.  Even though it was cooked more than I liked, I would order this again.  The burger itself had a great seasoning to it as well.  The fries were really good too! They were crispy, not soggy, and good sized.  I don't usually like shoestring fries, and thought these were pretty good.

The pork tenderloin was pretty good.  It was served with a spinach-type topping, but we really weren't quite sure what it was and onion straws.  I liked the greens with the pork and thought the raspberry glaze was a good combination with the pork, but the onion straws were just okay.  It seemed like an afterthought to the dish.   Overall, this dish didn't wow me.  I thought the pieces of pork were a bit thin but loved the glaze.

As for the mac n' cheese...not impressed.  It used a nacho-like cheese sauce and tasted pretty much like Velveeta shells and cheese.  With Keystone across the street, I would never get this again!

Tina loved her shrimp risotto.  She thought the shrimp was really tasty and a good portion of shrimp in the risotto.  I didn't try it, but she really enjoyed this dish and said she would get it again.  She ordered a side of broccoli with the dish.

Anne and Tina were in the mood for dessert, and Tina LOVES chocolate so they got a chocolate cake-type dessert.  They didn't really care for this.  They thought it was way too rich and thick.  It was hard for them to eat because it was so thick in their mouth.  It looked good though!

So, overall, I thought Blinkers was okay.  I would maybe go back again to try some of their other sandwiches or appetizers, it seems like they may excel in those more so than their entree dishes.  They have a wide variety of their menu, but I am a bigger fan of Keystone across the street, so it would be pretty hard for me to pass that up to go back to Blinkers, but we'll see!
~Kate

Food: 2.5
Service: 4
Overall Experience: 3

Review: Valley Vineyards

I have to first apologize because I forgot my camera for this review.  I was really mad at myself too, considering I was at a vineyard!  My husband and I also aren't up to date yet with our phones, so we couldn't even take pictures with our phones....but I still wanted to share my experience.

Valley Vineyards is located in Morrow, OH and is the second largest vineyard in Ohio.  My mom and dad gave us a gift certificate for the vineyard for Christmas last year, and we had been waiting for a good time to use it.  We decided we wanted to go in the Fall because it isn't as hot outside and we thought it'd be a bit prettier outside too.  Valley Vineyards has a tasting room that is open Monday through Thursday 11-6 and Friday and Saturday 11-4.  They also have weekend cookouts from 5-8:30 and Sundays 4-6 and reservations are required.  We decided to go on Friday night for one of their cookouts.

We had made reservations which seems to be pretty much required.  When we walked in, we had to check in with a lady at the front who gave us two dinner tickets, a ticket for a bottle of wine, and we paid right there. She told us everything was pretty much self-serve and a buffet.  After we got our tickets, we went to the tasting table to try some of the wines.  With the dinner you get the option of 5 different kinds of wine (I think it was 5), or you could upgrade to a different bottle of wine for various prices.  Since we both prefer dry reds, we tried 3 different reds.  We ultimately liked one that was an $8 up charge best, so we went ahead and got that bottle, especially since we had a gift certificate.  On a side note, the wine pourers were very helpful and provided a lot of helpful tips about the wine.

Next, we were told to find our table in the dining room that had our name on it.  The dining room was okay.  It was wooden walls with faux wood tables.  I think it would have really helped to have had a table cloth on the tables.  The chairs were very outdated as well and not terribly comfortable.  After we had a bit of our wine, we decided to get started on some of the buffet.

We walked into the room with food where there was salad out and ready.  There were two options: a pre-made Italian salad or an Iceberg mix with a choice of 3 dressings.  I began with the iceberg salad because I saw a sundried tomato dressing that I wanted to try.  This dressing was just okay.  I was hoping for it to be better.

After our salads, we gout our meat.  With the cook-out, you have the choice of a New York Strip or Salmon that you grill yourself outside.  We both went with the steak.  They looked really good, nice size and pretty lean.  Once we got outside, there were a variety of rubs and seasonings that you can add to your meat.  We both seasoned our steaks and put it on the coal burning grills.  This part of the night was actually a lot more fun than we thought it would be!  We were a bit unsure about grilling it ourselves, we are not professionals, but it was quick and easy!  It was also really nice being outside and taking in the scenery of the vineyard across the street.  There were lots of groups here this night who also appeared to really be enjoying themselves.

Once our steaks were finished, we went to the buffet to get some sides.  There were baked potatoes, green beans, corn on the cob and bread.  I didn't try the corn because it didn't look very good to me, but Ross did. He didn't think it was that great.  The baked potato was good--hard to mess up a baked potato, and the green beans were pretty good as well.  As for the steak....I thought it was pretty good!  I think the seasonings really helped a lot, and I cooked it just to my liking-medium to medium rare.  They were very juicy and very little fat.  The bread was a simple white bread.  I wish it would have been warmed up or toasted.

We continued to sip on our wine before we got dessert.  Dessert is also included in the buffet.  There was sugar free cheesecake, pecan pie, a chocolate-mousse type pie, and cherry cheesecake.  I went with the cherry cheesecake and Ross had the chocolate pie.  Mine was fine, tasted kind of like a store bought cheesecake, but the lady putting out the desserts said she made them all except the sugar-free cheesecake.  Ross liked his okay too, but we were both pretty full by this point.

So, Valley Vineyards was a fun experience!  I thought the food was okay and the scenery was pretty.  I didn't really care for the ambiance inside the dining area.  It was very old fashioned and felt almost "banquet" like.  I thought the wines were also okay.  I wouldn't say they were my favorite wines I have ever had.  It seemed like it could be a fun place to go with a group; by the time we left, it was packed and there were a lot of people outside grilling and having a good time.  So the price is $59.00 per couple plus tax which includes the buffet and bottle of wine.  Not a terrible price, but I don't know if it was worth quite that much.  I would recommend giving this place a try.  It's something unique and a nice experience overall.
~Kate

Review: The Wine Guy Bistro

I had been into the Wine Guy Bistro over the summer when it initially opened to buy a bottle of wine but had not been in to eat.  There was a Groupon not too long ago for Wine Guy, and my cousin said it was one of her favorite restaurants, so I decided I'd buy the Groupon to give it a try!  Ross and I went on a Thursday night.  I hate the parking lot where Wine Guy is located, it is in Rookwood right by the Rusty Bucket.  There is never any parking and you typically have to park over by Don Pablo's or somewhere in that area.....well, the restaurant wasn't too crowded on this night and we were offered to sit inside or outside.  I thought the outdoor area looked really nice and cozy, but it was pretty hot out when we went.  The inside of Wine Guy is very open with wooden tables, a wine bar in the center, and a wine shop on one side of the restaurant.  I liked the decor and the tables but the acoustics made it pretty noisy. 

Ross and I took awhile to look over the menu.  Our waitress greeted us and explained the wine portion of the menu.  She said that there are various wine flights available for $14.99, glasses of wine, or you can purchase wine bottles from the store and pay for the $10 corking fee.  Most glasses of wine ranged between $8-$15.  We thought the better deal was to get one of our favorite Tempranillos at $10 a bottle and pay for the corking fee. 

As we sipped on our wine, our waitress brought a complimentary appetizer of pita wedges with a creamy cheese-type spread.  This reminded me a bit of hummus at first by the looks of it, but it wasn't.  It was cheesy and had a really nice flavor.  I liked this and thought it was a great little appetizer with the wine. 

We looked over the menu and realized many of the items are served in small plates and some are offered in large plates as well.  We asked our waitress what some of her favorite items were, she said the bruschetta, margherita pizza, and spicy shrimp pasta.  Well, we decided to try all three! 

The tomato and basil bruschetta came out first.  The bread was crispy on the crust and soft in the middle.  The tomatoes were very fresh and it was drizzled with balsamic.  I liked that the basil was shredded and there was just the right amount.  I would have liked a little more balsalmic, but this dish was overall very good. 

Next came our margherita pizza.  This was definitely bigger portion than we had anticipated.  After we looked at it, we realized it was very similar to the bruschetta! But that was okay with us.  I liked the tomatoes on this pizza even more than the bruschetta.  They were roasted nicely with just enough sweetness.  We could have easily just eaten these two items, but we wanted to try the shrimp pasta as well.  We had the rest of the pizza boxed up and waited for our pasta.

We had ordered the small plate of the shrimp pasta which was good since we had other items, but I wouldn't say this was enough to share by itself.  This was a great dish! It was definitely spicy though, if you don't like spicy food don't order this.  Luckily we love spicy food and thought it was great!  The shrimp was cooked very nicely and paired well with the linguini.  This was served with a tomato based sauce (yes, more tomatoes) and topped with scallions.  This dish was very light and yummy.  I would get this again for sure. 

Our service at Wine Guy was great!  We wished it was a bit less noisy overall in the restaurant, but it wasn't overly distracting.  We were glad we had our Groupon though because all those dishes with the bottle of wine added up.  This would be a great place to go for a bite to eat with some wine, there are many different cheese plates available, to go and share some dishes with friends, or to just have a glass or two of wine.  I think I will definitely go back!  But don't forget your leftovers! We left ours on the table :(
~Kate

Food: 4
Service: 3.5
Overall Experience: 4

Review: Indigo Casual Gourmet Cafe

I have been to Indigo restaurant many times before.  I went a couple weeks ago with my husband on a Thursday evening because I had a Yo Deal coupon.  It started to rain, so we sat inside, but they have a great courtyard-like outdoor seating area looking onto Hyde Park Square on Erie Ave.  Indigo also offers half off bottles of wine on Wednesdays, which I have taken advantage of in the past.  I must say that Indigo has been one of those restaurants that has been hit or miss for me.  This visit was pretty good though!

The inside of Indigo is casual but nice.  There are booths along a mirrored wall and tables in another section of the restaurant.  We sat along the mirrored wall which was somewhat distracting for Ross. Our waiter greeted us and was very friendly.  He also pointed out that appetizers were half off.  Ross started with a beer and I opted for a glass of the house cabernet.   I did not like this house cabernet, I can't remember what kind it was, but I didn't like it at all really. 

Since appetizers were half off, we decided to share the bruschetta bread.  This was more like a garlic bread with cheese and topped with chopped tomatoes.  This was good, but very filling.  It was toasted just enough with a crunchy crust but soft in the center. 

Although this was pretty filling, Ross and I decided to share a salad and a pasta bake.  Indigo is mostly Italian food with a variety of pastas, bakes, calzones, pizzas, and sandwiches.  I have had the Spinach bake many times and love it, but Ross wanted to try the sausage bake.  This was baked with a red sauce, penne pasta, sausage, onions, and cheese.  There may have been more things but I can't remember.  This was very good!  We both loved this.  It was plenty to share as well.

We also had ordered a spinach salad topped with bacon, feta, chicken, and red onion and served with a balsamic dressing.  This too was a very good salad; however, I thought there was too much bacon.  I would have liked the bacon to have been chopped up more.  The spinach was fresh and there was just enough feta and red onion.  I also liked the dressing. It tasted house made and was very good. 

I ended up ordering a different glass of wine, the Zinfandel, which was much better.  Our service here was great. Our server was attentive without being overly zealous. 
This visit to Indigo was a great one!  I recommend sharing some things because many of the dishes are very filling.  The prices range from $8-$15 or so for entrees.  Like I said before, this has been a very hit or miss place for me, but I would give it a try. This visit was excellent for a casual Italian restaurant and the patio is really nice. 

~Kate

Food: 3.5
Service: 4
Overall Experience: 3.5

We're Wild About Wine!!

Kate and I and several of our friends attended the Cincinnati Zoo’s Wild About Wine event last Thursday, which happened to be on the same day as my birthday. Coincidence? I don’t think so! I’m sure it was planned especially for me. ;)

As expected, it was a great time!! The Zoo has an entire series of Toast to the Wild events including Zootini, three Wild About Wine events and Zoo Brew. I’ve never been to Zootini or Zoo Brew (not a big martini or beer drinker), but Kate and I attended one of the Wild About Wine events last August and absolutely loved it. Actually, we loved it so much we bought the pass for all three wine events this year, which was less expensive than buying each ticket individually.


Photo from Wild About Wine website

Throughout the park, there are various food stations set up from area restaurants and wine samplings from Krogers and Banfi Vintners. Not only is there great food and wine, there’s also live music, up close animal encounters (I actually got my picture with a bearcat!), and a free wine glass! Now you know why we love it so much! 

I have absolutely no complaints about the wine (which is really the main reason I go), but I will be honest about the food - I was not very impressed. The food last year was more abundant and more easily accessible. They tried a new set-up this year that did not flow as well as last year’s event, and several of the vendors ran out of food before we got to them. 

My favorite food this year was from Butterbee’s American Grille. I’ve never heard of them before, but they definitely got my attention! They served mini pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw and Saratoga chips with barbeque sauce. Delish!! 

We also tried buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese from Keystone Bar and Grill….this was my second favorite. I actually had two servings of this! If you've ever had buffalo chicken dip, it tastes similar to that - but with mac and cheese! Sorry – I didn’t get very many photos, but it was great - take my word for it!

We tried cupcakes from Sweet Peace Bakery. This was my first vegan cupcake experience…and probably my last. I tried the vanilla and thought it tasted like Play-doh. Not good.

The other sweet treat there was Madisono’s Gelato. Thank goodness they did not disappoint and I was finally able to satisfy my sweet tooth! I got the pistachio gelato (which I have purchased at Bigg’s before). This is soooo yummy! It has a little kick to it, but I love the combination of sweet and salty.

The Bistro served a trio of items including a fresh fruit jam tart with honey mascarpone, duck liver mousse, and pork roulade with mustard and red onion marmalade. The fresh fruit tart was very good and so was the pork roulade. The duck liver mousse on the other hand....not so good! I didn't like the texture and it tasted like dirty feet in my opinion....which I may have said a little too loud after a few glasses of wine! I'm pretty sure The Bistro staff heard me say this...but oh well, I'm not sure why they would serve something so "risky" to begin with. They should have expected that kind of reaction with a dish like that at a zoo event!


Remembered to take a picture after already digging in to the fresh fruit jam tart!

There were chicken wings from Mt. Adams Pavillion, which I would have liked to try but they would have been too messy and difficult to eat. Imagine trying to eat a chicken wing while holding a glass of wine, a purse, a plate of food, an event program and a camera...then imagine doing this after about 6 glasses of wine. Not the best choice of items to serve for this type of event.

Other things we didn't try included a large cheese station from Innovations Culinary Company (line was waaaaay too long for just cheese), ZZ's Pizza (they ran out) and Bronte Bistro (never found it).

Even though the food is not the greatest, I would definitely still highly recommend going to the future Wild About Wine events! The wine is really the star, so I would go back for that in a heart beat! And it supports a great cause - the Zoo!

~Kris

Review: 20 Brix

20 Brix is located in the business district of Milford.  I had been here once before, but I wanted to try it again for Restaurant Week, so my sister and I headed there one night after work.  On a weeknight, there are plenty of spots on the street for parking.  We had a reservation, but it wasn’t too busy by the time we got there.  I was greeted by the hostess who took me to my table and brought me a glass of water.  The server greeted me quickly and pointed out some special items on the menu.  She was very knowledgeable about the wine as well as the menu items. 

One thing I noticed about the wine menu was how big it was! There are tons of different wines to choose from, but the menu was not intimidating at all.  I loved how they made it very simple to navigate through, and you don’t have to be a wine connoisseur to figure out what you want.  It is categorized with titles like “You like merlot but want something different”.  Their glasses of wine and bottles of wine have a wide range of prices for whatever mood you are in and whatever budget you’re on.  I contemplated doing a flight of wine, but settled on a glass of Tempranillo.  Once my sister got there, she ordered a dirty martini.  Both drinks were quickly brought out and were great selections.

We both knew we were going to choose items off the Restaurant Week menu.  For my first course, I went with the carrot and ginger soup.  It sounded different, so I thought I’d try something new.  My sister went with the Julius salad.  The carrot and ginger soup was different but it was really good! Very creamy and had a nice little spice to it.  I wish it would have been a little bit warmer, but overall, I thought it was great.  It was pretty filling, so I wasn’t able to finish all of it.  My sister’s salad was a version of a Caesar salad.  It was topped with a parmesan cheese and an anchovy-infused dressing.  This salad was great as well; it had just enough dressing and was a bit different from the traditional Caesar salad with that dressing. 

The second course I chose was the lamb meatballs, and my sister chose the duck popper.  I thought both of these were delicious. The meatballs were served with a side of grilled country bread and a romesco sauce. The sauce with the meatballs was delicious. They were great on top of the provided bread.  I can’t remember a lot about the duck popper except that it was delicious!  I don’t think this is on their traditional menu, however. The lamb meatballs are though.

So far, we were very pleased with out meals!  My entrée came out, which was shrimp and grits; Kelley ordered the scallops. I LOVED these shrimp and grits.  They were so flavorful with pieces of chorizo and lots of toppings.  The shrimp were good sized and cooked well.  I’ve only had shrimp and grits one other time, and I liked these even better.  I was just disappointed that I was so full! I couldn’t eat all of it.  The scallops were good but not the best that I have had.  I think they could have had a little more flavor to them.  They were a little bland. 

All in all, I loved 20 Brix!  The service was fantastic.  Our server was attentive without being annoying.  She was very helpful with menu items, friendly, and had a smile on her face the whole time.  I’d like to also point out that the manager had stopped by and was very friendly as well.  He initiated conversation and was very welcoming. 

The menu has a wide variety of appetizers, flatbreads, and entrees.  I think it would be a great place to stop in for a glass of wine with an appetizer or two or even a flatbread if you don’t want to spend as much money.  Last time I had gone here, I got a flatbread and it was awesome!  They have tasting events various times throughout the months, but if you're intersted, make reservations early because they sell out! 

~Kate

Food: 4

Service: 5

Overall Experience: 4