There's something new in town called
Dishcrawl Cincinnati - imagine a pub crawl but with food. You meet up in downtown Cincinnati with a theme for the night and it's a surprise as to where you end up. Next week they're hosting two
Tacocrawls - be sure to check out their site for more info.
Michael Bellanger - who's worked in restaurants around the Tri-State - was the host for our Dishcrawl. We met at Fountain Square and headed off on our surprise journey!
First up was Fusian - it's the Chipotle of sushi - which isn't a bad thing by any means.
We were provided three types of samples: salmon, chicken and steak - yes STEAK SUSHI. The sushi I had this day really wasn't a good representation to me of what Fusian offers - because it was really simple - protein & rice. The best part of Fusian is that I get to have
EXACTLY what I want. The one thing I will say - I was a bit shocked that I liked the steak! The steak sauce was a good match. The chicken I didn't like so much and the salmon was really bland. I don't think I would order the steak - but it was interesting to try it. (BTW - I am a fan of Fusian - it's my go-to for downtown sushi.)
Next up we headed to
Jimmy G's in the former Wah-mee spot down the road from the old Hustler shop.
Jimmy's shared with us two appetizers and dessert - it's very dark - so I apologize for the flash. The one on the left was a bacon wrapped apricots served with olives. The red sauce/strips were very bitter. This was fine and similar to bacon wrapped dates that I had before but probably not something I would order. The other dish (to the top right) was pork medallions over couscous. The pork was well cooked with some type of fruit compote served with it. Jimmy's also serves
Rivertown and
Mt. Carmel (local craft beers) which is great to see.
The dessert was chocolate mousse and I have to say - it was amazing! I might go to Jimmy's just to have this again. This was just what mousse should be - thick and creamy but light and fluffy. Delicious!
The club is actually two rooms - one is the club and the other is the restaurant. While sitting in the restaurant, jazz paraphenalia lines the walls and you can hear the music from the club next door.
Ken Moore - the new manager - came out to chat with us - and his enthusiasm was infectious. He was really excited to tell us about all the new menu items and their new passion for this portion of their business.
Our first stop was a bit of an appetizer - then Jimmy G's had a little more - but our last stop was a full meal. We had pita triangles with spinach artichoke dip along with cod served with mashed potatoes, asparagus and a tomato sauce. The spinach artichoke dip was tasty and I would definitely get that again. The entree was unique - cod is a fairly light fish - so to have it paired with mashed potatoes and a thick sauce (which tasted like tomato soup) was an odd match. That said - I actually liked it - especially the mashed potatoes with the sauce - very different than a traditional gravy - but good!
This was probably in a tie for my favorite item of the evening - their bread pudding. Served with ice cream and a thick creamy sauce. I devoured this and nearly stole seconds from folks who weren't paying attention. I would DEFINITELY go back for this - again and again.
Also - interesting to note - they have a whole lunch menu for under $8! Wings, sandwiches, etc... I'll definitely be in to check it out for lunch.
They also have a pretty cool rewards program - you get a little keychain card (like Kroger gives you) and then you scan it in at the bar and get points when you come in.
Then we popped into the Rosemary Clooney room to check out the band...
It's a good sized room with lots of seating - I would definitely head back for dinner and music. There is typically cover for this room but since we were visitors - we were allowed to pop our heads in for free.
Overall - the Dishcrawl was fun - we got to experience some new foods and meet some new people. There are some kinks to work out - as with any new business. There's a lot of down time between stops - or I guess at the beginning of each stop. Also if you're not a drinker - I hope you have good company to talk to. If you have any dietary restrictions - let them know when you purchase the ticket - NOT the night of. It's a big job to wrangle 50 people to 3-4 places in one night.
I don't know that's it's quite my scene - but it's a fun evening. I also think it's a way for you to explore an area (be it downtown, Northside, whatever) in a less intimidating atmosphere. You don't have to figure anything out - it's all done for you.
Next week - they have two nights in a row of a
Peddle Wagon Tacocrawl! Have you seen the
Peddle Wagon downtown? Tickets are $35 each and you'll peddle your way to a few new taco places. It does sound fun - right? There are still tickets available - they have Tacocrawls next Tuesday May 28 & Wednesday May 29.
