 |
Traditional wood-fired cooking techniques anchor the menu at Metropole.
(Photo: Courtesy of Metropole) |
Settle into a high-backed lime-leather banquette at Salazar, the breakout star of the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood’s burgeoning dining scene. Formerly head chef at the Cincinnatian, Chef Jose Salazar is using his solo venture to loosen up. Start with small plates, like fried broccoli florets in a sambal-buttermilk emulsion ($5), little fried-oyster sandwiches with kimchi and radish sprouts ($5), and bluegrass soy-and-sorghum pork belly with shishito peppers ($5). Be sure to try the mouthwatering Angus rib-eye served with creamed kale and papas bravas ($32), washed down with a pint of Madtree ($6), one of the ten rotating craft beers on offer.
Warm up at Metropole, the relaxed spot devoted to old-world fireplace-cooking techniques. Majestic arched windows, mosaic tile floors, and a 15-foot-high ceiling hark back to the building’s 100-year-old history�an opulent setting that complements the menu’s focus on traditional hearth-roasted meats and veggies. A custom-built wood-burning fireplace serves as the kitchen’s centerpiece, where fortifying dishes like housemade goetta (an oatmeal-infused sausage hash, $21) and a succulent burnt-carrot salad ($9) get the open-flame treatment. A gooey grilled-cheese and soup ($11) is made with Gouda from a nearby farm in Barren County, Kentucky, and the roasted half-chicken ($26) spends a solid three hours over the fire before winding up on your plate, ideally with a side of the grilled sweet-potato with pomegranate and ricotta salata ($8).
Imagine you’re in Rome at cavernous Sotto, whose wood-beam ceilings and low-lit alcoves feel straight out of an old-country osteria. Frequent trips to Italy have allowed owner David Falk to perfect dishes like the short-rib-filled cappellacci ($16) and light, lemony tonnarelli cacio e pepe ($16). Be sure to peer inside the glass-windowed �primi room,� where an aproned chef can be seen rolling out the pasta by hand each night. Leave room for hearty entrées like sous-vide roasted chicken ($23) and wood-fired branzino ($28), plus the beloved sugar-coated ricotta fritters for dessert ($6), served with a trio of tangy fruit sauces.