Noshes and News 4.16.13

After a busy week and a trip to Louisville and Nashville, I'm back and have lots of good news and events to share. Rather than clog your facebook feed with too many links tonight, I'm rounding up the best of the best here (although my facebook page is generally the best place to stay up to date with the local food news I have to share).

First off, cheers to Barrio Tequileria, which had its Grand Opening in Northside while I was away! Luckily, I had the opportunity to check out the neighborhood's newest taco joint, from Taco Azul food truck owner Gary Sims, during its soft opening. The food and drinks I've sampled so far – including the mango-habanero marguerita at the top of this post – are solid and delicious! I love the comfortable yet hip LA vibe and the quirky day-of-the-dead artwork (including a Día de Muertos-style Marilyn Monroe piece). Barrio's spacious fenced-in back patio will open Cinco de Mayo weekend with live music, and I could see it becoming my favorite al fresco spot in the city. I can't wait to explore more of Barrio's extensive tequila list, along with the black molé and an upcoming pig roast Gary is promising. For more photos, check out this great post by 5chwar7z.

If your tastes run to the adventurous, mark your calendar for next Tues. (April 23). During the afternoon Local 127 chef Steven Geddes and the ubiquitous Justin Dean will host a goat butchery session with Adam Danforth. Special goat dishes will be available that evening, along with the regular menu. Contact the restaurant for more details. A great opportunity to check out this underutilized meat and taste what can be done with it in the hands of skilled chefs. ETA: I just received the press release below. If you opt for the goat dinner, it is $35 for four courses. The butchering demo begins at 3:00 "and continues into the evening." Reservations strongly encouraged for both the demo and the dinner: (513)721-1345.

OTR's vegan-friendly green general store Park + Vine hosts a release party for the 2013 CORV (Central Ohio River Valley) Local Food Guide Wed. night (4/17) from 5:30-7:30. Other ways to lay your hands on this indispensable annual guide to farms, farmer's markets and other local/sustainable food resources in southwest Ohio, northern Kentucky, and southwestern Indiana: it's available for free in this week's City Beat or you can download or order a copy via CORV here.

What's better than Findlay Market staying open late on a spring evening? The chance to score discounts on tickets for the Bunbury Music Festival! This Thursday (April 18) from 4:00 to 7:00, Findlay kicks off a series of special events where you can get 20% off a 1-day or 3-day Bunbury pass by buying $50 in groceries OR showing receipts from 5 different Findlay Market vendors (discount limited to two passes). Even better, in keeping with Bunbury's "Bee Free" slogan, the first person to buy $120 in groceries AND show up in a bee costume will get one FREE 3-day pass to the July 12-14 music festival. You can savor an adult beverage in Findlay's OTR biergarten, enjoy live music, take in a Taste the World at Findlay Market food tour, indulge in one of the best pastimes at Findlay Market – people watching – and get your grocery shopping done at the same time. The same discount is on offer two more Thursday evenings, May 16 and June 20, as well as three Sundays from 10:00-4:00: April 21, May 19, and June 23. ETA: I read an item today that indicated the Findlay markethouse vendors would be be open until 6:00 this Thursday, with other events continuing until 7:00. I am trying to confirm, but you might want to get your shopping done first, before kicking back in the biergarten.

Nectar Restaurant is hosting another of its spectacular Dinner Clubs next Thursday (April 25), this one featuring artichokes, in conjunction with Daisy Mae's. At each month's Dinner Club Nectar chef Julie Francis highlights a given ingredient through five savory and sweet courses that will surprise and delight you. Check out this month's menu here.

Also coming up April 25, something cities across the country have been doing for years. I am glad to see Cincinnati restaurants FINALLY getting on board with Dining Out for Life, where restaurants donate a portion of their proceeds to AIDS service organizations. Click here for local participating restaurants. As I write this, they include Jean-Robert's Table, Mayberry, Kitchen 452, Park + Vine, 20 Brix, Melt, Cumin, and more. It will be a good night to support local restaurants that support a great cause.

I'll sign off for now with kudos to some of my favorite Cincy food folks who broke good news while I was out of town.

My talented, determined, hard-working friends at Tom + Chee held their first press conference last Friday to announce they will appear on the ABC show Shark Tank May 17 (locally, Ch. 9/WCPO). I was bummed I couldn't be there in person, but glad to catch this video. I've been rooting for them since they got their start in a tent on Fountain Square and was excited to be with them during the filming of their first TV appearance, on Man v. Food Nation. Whatever the outcome of their pitch to investors on this show, I'm confident they will continue to grow, thrive, and remain committed to what they do: bringing cheesy goodness at an affordable price point for families of all sorts.

And in case you missed Polly Campbell's piece, Jose Salazar's new restaurant will be called Salazar and it will be located at 14th and Republic. I've had the pleasure of tasting what Jose does on his own terms at his pop-up dinners at Pallet23, and I can't wait to see where he'll go next as he launches his new venture in a renovated OTR butcher shop.

So much food talent to be proud of in our city! Stay tuned for more!

CHEESE Dinner at Local 127 Sunday Night

Chef Steven Geddes hasn’t changed his focus on local food, although he has changed up the schedule at Local 127 (now located in the former Jean-Ro’s Bistro space at 413 Vine St., across from the Westin). The restaurant is now open only one Sunday night a month, for a prix-fixe dinner shining a special spotlight on artisanal foods and nearby food producers. This Sunday’s dinner will feature Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheeses: Here's the four course menu for $45 (wine pairings available for an additional $20):

1st course: Potato Skins, Reserve White Cheddar Cheese Whiz, Crispy Pork Belly

2nd course: Havarti Soup, Heirloom Tomato, Pistachio Pesto

3rd course:
Chicken Saltimbocca, Smoked Gouda, Prosciutto and Sage Jus

Short Ribs, Kentucky Rose Fondue, Red Onion Jam

Potatoes Au Gratin, Tomme de Nena, Preserved Lemon Gremolata

Roasted Corn, Norwood, Lime Juice, Herbs

4th course: Barren County Blue Cheesecake, Apricot Mostarda, Whipped Cream

The seeds of the new Sunday schedule grew from a June event co-sponsored by Local 127 and Slow Food Cincinnati. In the afternoon, Chef Geddes and the ubiquitous Justin Dean did a pig-butchering demo in the restaurant’s dining room. (Yes, dining room.) It drew a substantial crowd of local foods enthusiasts, as well as Cincinnati chefs including Jose Salazar of The Palace, Julie Frances of Nectar, and Brendan Haren of Orchids. It took a couple of hours for Justin and Chef Steve to break down the heritage pig provided by Napoleon Ridge Farm. (Anyone who wanted to stick around could also watch them dispatch a pig’s head into its useful components.) At 6:00 the doors reopened for a sold-out pork-centric dinner, at which Slow Food Cincinnati presented Local 127 with its first “Snail of Approval” award.presented Local 127 with its first “Snail of Approval” award.

Chef Geddes was on the advisory board for this year’s “Made in America” American Treasures Awards. Although the website spells our city’s name with too many n’s and t’s, Geddes is getting the word out about some of our region’s best food producers – and, he says, taking his own stuffed local pig faces wherever he travels as a food ambassador. Two of his nominees, Carriage House Farm, in Northbend, Ohio, and Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese, in Austin, Kentucky, received awards this year. That's such a big honor that Richard Stewart of Carriage House Farm traveled to D.C. to accept his on the 4th of July.

Chef Geddes is committed to working with local and regional food producers in everything he puts on a plate at Local 127. But the format of these Sunday dinners gives him a unique opportunity to share his passion, acknowledge local food folks, and just plain have fun. On these Sunday nights, diners are seated at communal tables and food is served family style (in dishes to be shared by everyone, not individually composed “restaurant” plates). You never know who you’ll meet, or who you’ll want to meet again.

Before dinner Geddes speaks to the group about how and why he came to be in Cincinnati. In his booming voice, he is happy to share the story of his early days in the flatlands of Colorado, where his grandparents farmed. After spending much of his life in arid Las Vegas, he found what he’d been seeking when he discovered the bounty of the Ohio River Valley foodshed (which includes both sides of the Ohio River). He introduces the evening’s menu, then opens the floor for the featured guest to talk about what they do, like Richard Stewart of Carriage House Farm at the second dinner in this series.

And then you eat. Oh, my, do you eat! Many of the “courses” at the previous two dinners have included multiple, generous offerings, like these from the Carriage House Farm dinner last month.

Chef Steve always likes to start with a sampling of pickled and cured items. And I always dive right into them without taking notes about the culinary details.

Smoked trout

Pork terrine with potato salad

Chicken wings

This appetizer, featuring pickled nasturtium seed pods from Carriage House Farm

 that taste like capers, was one of my favorites of the night.

Those four dishes were just the first course. Here's the second.

Potato soup with salsa verde and nasturtiums. Velvety and delicious.

The fourth, or entree, course was another bounty of dishes featuring Carriage House Farm offerings and other local goodness.

Confit chicken with Sheltowee mushrooms and thyme jus

Roasted pork from the "Porkopolis" plate, 

a constant but always changing feature on Local 127's regular dinner menu 

featuring Chef Steve's love of heritage pork and pork preparations

Sides included a risotto made of Carriage House Farm wheatberries, a collaborative dish of wilted greens, and an amazing cheese-filled Johnny Cake that was another of my personal favorites. 

And then there's dessert.There's always dessert.

Buttermilk panna cotta over spiced bush berry brumble.

That’s Carriage House Farm’s bee pollen on top.

I'm a cheese lover who isn't going to pass up the opportunity to taste what Local 127 will do with Kenny's Farmhouse cheeses this Sunday night. I discovered Kenny's Farmhouse Cheeses a couple of years ago at Kentucky Crafted, and am delighted to find they are now available at many Greater Cincinnati farmers markets (including Bellevue Farmers Market in front of the Party Source) plus Picnic + Pantry in Northside and on restaurant menus at Bouquet and Virgil's.

Call Local 127 to make a reservation at (513) 721-1345. I'd love to share a table with you.