HOME RENOVATION 16 pages of Tips, Resources, Inspiration
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BLESS THIS MESS WHAT WAS ONCE THE W.J. WILLIAMS YMCA IN WALNUT HILLS (SHOWN HERE MID-RENOVATION) HAS BEEN TURNED INTO AN APARTMENT COMPLEX FEATURING DETAILS OF THE OLD Y, INCLUDING ITS POOL AND BASKETBALL COURT.
RENOVATING OUR HOMES, REFRESHING OUR LIVES
Thanks to the pandemic, we’ve spent a lot more time at home the past two years—enough to get restless and bored with our surroundings. Find some inspiration in these tips, trends, and resources, and start re-feathering your nest.
BRINGING BEN DOMBAR BACK TO LIFE P. 46
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING MAYOR AFTAB P. 50
BY LINDA VACC ARIELLO
BY JOHN FOX
Beth Johnson is rehabbing the famous Cincinnati architect’s own home and studio, hoping to place it on the National Register of Historic Places and cement the reputation of a Frank Lloyd Wright disciple.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY THE WILLIAMS
Aftab Pureval doesn’t shy away from discussing the symbolic meaning of his election win, but he’d rather talk about how an outsider mayor and fresh faces on city council will energize Cincinnati.
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Sara Clark plays Hamlet at Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
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Anaïs Mitchell of Bonny Light Horseman
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Celebrating 10 Years in Cincinnati Is renovating a home in your future? Let me help you achieve your goals through our simple, hassle-free financing process for remodeling loans. I am a 24-year veteran of the mortgage business and the Branch Manager for PrimeLending in Greater Cincinnati, the state of Kentucky and Naples, Florida. I’ve appeared on Lifetime’s TV show “Designing Spaces” as a home renovation loan expert. Plus, catch me locally as the host of “Cincy’s Hottest Properties” every Saturday at Noon on Local 12 WKRC-TV. I also nationally co-host CNBC’s “Financing the American Dream” at 9:30 a.m. each Saturday. As your local go-to resource, I’ll be by your side delivering personalized service, professional guidance, and timely results on the way to your ideal home remodeling loan.
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Smart Guide to Local Schools Searching for a school for your kids? Our guide has details and stats on some outstanding local schools.
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O U R H O U S E T U R N S 1 0 0 I N A CO U P L E O F Y E A R S , S AYS T H E H A M I LTO N CO U N T Y Auditor. The previous owner and our neighbors claim it’s a little older, based on their own records, so I’m already celebrating. What kind of gift do you get for a house that’s 100 years old? In our case, a new stove and dishwasher. I’m such a romantic. My wife, son, and I have spent a lot of time in the house over the past two years, as you’ve likely done yourself, and it’s served us well—from the dining room and bedrooms converted to office space to the constantly running heat and AC to the overworked kitchen. It’s more than a house, of course. It’s home, the place where our kids grew up and where we splattered stains on the ceiling, poked holes in the walls, set up our Christmas trees, and hosted birthday sleep-overs. In so many ways, the house has been the seventh member of our family, after the four of us and our cats. And there’s a 99 percent chance it’ll outlive all of us, which is both encouraging and melancholy. After spending so much time at home during the pandemic, many of you have started renovating your living spaces to adapt them to the new WFH reality, to improve their market value, or simply to break up the boredom. This month’s home renovation section (page 30) offers advice and resources to help you navigate the process and to inspire you to give it a try. There’s no time like the present. Two other stories touch on the emotional attachment we sometimes feel for our homes. Beth Johnson, the city’s urban conservator, takes us inside the house she renovated in honor of its original owner, a famed Cincinnati architect (“Bringing Ben Dombar Back to Life,” page 48). Why she did the work is as impressive as how she did it. And Cole Imperi describes how our physical homes contribute so much to our sense of wellbeing (“Spirit of Place,” page 22). They say home is where the heart is. I’d add that life is better when your home has a heart of its own.
J O H N F OX
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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ILLUSTR ATIO N BY L A R S LEE TA RU
Contributing Editor Laurie Pike isn’t just a writer—she’s also an experienced renovator (“D-I-Why Did I Do That?,” page 32). “It’s stressful and unpredictable, so you have to really be passionate about it,” Pike says. “I’ve decided, after more than a dozen rehabs, to hang up my hat. But I’ve said that about the last three rehabs.” Her advice for Cincinnatians thinking about their own renovation projects? “Talk to someone who has done something very similar to what you want to do,” she says. “Pump them for budget, timeline, and snags. There are so many details that a book or YouTube videos don’t include.”
JEREMY KRAMER Photographer Jeremy Kramer shot his first photos for Cincinnati Magazine in 2014 and hasn’t slowed down since. This month, his shoots couldn’t have been more different: One day, he was down and dirty in the creek with search and rescue dogs for “Person of Interest” (page 28); the next, he was getting up close and personal with new Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval (page 50). “Mayor Pureval was great to work with,” Kramer says. “One thing that stood out while we were shooting was how well-connected with the community he is. Everyone knew him and he was happy to stop for a photo or to chat with people.” CORRECTION
January’s story on the Cincinnati Zoo contained a number of errors: King penguin Coretta Scott died in 2021, manatees are on display year-round, and the polar bear exhibit no longer exists. We also provided incorrect dates for Penguin Days, which extend to March 11. We regret these errors.
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The Heart of Cincinnati for 200 Years Home to the region’s most advanced heart failure treatment center. As the region’s only adult heart transplant program, UC Health brings together the best and brightest physicians who provide the most advanced cardiac care in Cincinnati. We provide services for heart care, AFib, structural heart, heart surgery and treatment for heart disease, all while leading the way with the most clinical research in the region. It’s just another way, In Science Lives Hope. Discover more at go.uchealth.com/heart
Alexandru Costea, MD, director of the Electrophysiology Laboratory at UC Medical Center and professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
ANAÏS MITCHELL MULTITASKS P. 16
STYLE THAT’S ON FIRE P. 18
TRUE TO HER OWN SELF How Sara Clark came to be Hamlet. R I C K P E N D E R
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T
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HE TITLE ROLE IN SHAKESPEARE’S HAMLET HAS, QUITE NATURALLY, BEEN
played by some of the greatest male actors of all time, from Laurence Olivier to Kenneth Branagh. Over the play’s 400-year history, countless performers have inhabited the troubled Prince of Denmark as he ponders how to revenge his father’s murder. It’s a massive role: Hamlet speaks nearly 40 percent of the show’s lines in the Bard’s longest play. So why does Cincinnati Shakespeare Company’s new production, opening this month, have a woman in that legendary role? And, of all people, why is it diminutive Sara Clark, more often cast as young women or mischievous characters such as Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream? In truth, she’s directed or performed in roughly 75 productions during her 16 years with Cincy Shakes, taking on male roles like Mark Antony in an all-female staging of Julius Caesar. But this is her first foray into inhabiting Shakespeare’s enormous tragic character. “When you’re a woman,” Clark says with a smile, “and someone offers you that part, you say, Hell yes.” She’s quick to point out that women have occasionally played Hamlet since the 1700s, though it’s typically been a woman—such as Sarah Bernhardt in 1899—acting as a man. “I need to play it as a woman,” Clark says. “It matters to see Hamlet played by a woman.” She has given this assignment much thought since being asked to take the role four years ago. The production was originally planned for CSC’s 2019–2020 schedule, focused on the “Season of the Woman” undertaken by many local arts organizations and ArtsWave to celebrate the 100th anniversary of CONTINUED ON P. 16 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M 1 5
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The Cincinnati Cyclones always provide a fun mid-winter diversion. The Clones have nine home games this month at Heritage Bank Arena, with promotions for wizard fans (left), military appreciation, and free ice cream, plus $1 beer on Wednesdays. cycloneshockey.com 1 6 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2
SPEAK EASY
OUT OF THE STILLNESS Anaïs Mitchell, who performs at Memorial Hall February 8 along with her folk ballad trio, Bonny Light Horseman, released a new self-titled solo album at the end of January. Local audiences will also see her Tony Award–winning Broadway musical Hadestown as part of the 2022–2023 Broadway in Cincinnati season. We discuss her busy schedule and her diverse interests. Your new album is inspired by leaving Brooklyn while nine months pregnant in early 2020 to go back to the family sheep farm in Vermont where you were raised. What did you learn from that? I just didn’t want to give birth in the city. So we hastily packed up a van and drove through Vermont to where my parents have a house and my brother’s family have a house and where my grandparents, when alive, also had a little house. I had the baby a week later, our second child; like everyone in the pandemic, we were in this incredible moment of stillness. It was just a real inward-turning kind of discovery, and I think a lot of these songs come out of that time.
Will Bonny Light Horseman record the song you performed here in September at the MusicNOW festival? “Comrade Sweetheart.” Yeah, that will be on our next group album. Oh man, what a thrill to play MusicNOW with the Cincinnati Symphony and with Bryce Dessner’s arrangements. That was a real surprise; none of us had ever done anything like that. It was very moving to have that kind of sound at our backs on stage [at Music Hall]. Are you thinking of a future musical show? I’m having a lot of fun just making records now; I had pushed that part of me aside while working on that show. But when I went to Broadway for the reopening of Hadestown after the pandemic shutdown, it was really thrilling. And as I watched the first act, I was brainstorming that I need to write another musical. I got so inspired by seeing the amazing color that happens when you’re putting a fully musicalized story on stage with actors, props, costumes, sets, choreographer, orchestration. —STEVEN ROSEN READ A LONGER INTERVIEW WITH ANAÏS AT CINCINNATIMAGAZINE. COM
PH OTO G R A PH S BY J O N ATH A N W I LLI S
I M A G E R Y C O U R T E S Y ( I C O N ) E M I V I L L AV I C E N C I O / ( S P E A K E A S Y ) J AY S A N S O N E / ( S P O R T S ) T O N Y B A I L E Y/ C I N C I N N AT I C Y C L O N E S
women’s right to vote. Before the steered toward being likeable.” Too often, pandemic cut that season short, she points out, strong female characters Clark delivered a local TED Talk built on are defined by just one characteristic, the premise that, as much as we claim such as manipulative Lady Macbeth, who she’s played for Cincinnati Shakespeare to live in an equal world, “It’s just not how it plays out.” Referring to efforts at Company. Clark says she’s drawn to comcreating equal opportunities for women plicated roles that are nuanced, perhaps onstage, she made a sharp point: “How do ranging from weak to cruel. we move from conception to reality? We The role of Hamlet has many colors. An actor in the role, Clark says, “gets have to be able to imagine it, and there is no better place to exercise our imaginato be funny and loyal and a wonderful tion than in the theater.” friend and beloved and a person who is It’s not her goal to deliver the definiexperiencing the whole range of human tive Hamlet or to say that this is how it emotion in a couple of hours. How wonderful to have an opportunity should be done. “But I want to do that as a woman, and for to say, Why not? and What if? an audience to see it. We have For a couple of hours, can we break out of our preconceived little chance to watch women notions and experience somego on that journey until you thing slightly new? What does see something like this. I rarely that do to us going forward? There’s the Rub see that many different shades How is our perspective shifted Cincinnati Shakespeare of a person when a woman is Company presents ever so slightly? How does it doing it.” Hamlet Feb 25–March 26 Hamlet is being staged by change how we see women in in Over-the-Rhine. these different aspects of life? director Sarah Lynn Brown, a Maybe we’ll start to question why we theater artist from Nebraska who has exdon’t see more of them.” plored classic works from new perspecClark points out that Hamlet is fretives. “You always have to cut the script of Hamlet, otherwise it’s four hours quently unkind to women in the play, long,” says Clark. “There are decisions including his conflicted mother Geryou make about what you want to focus trude and his potential wife Ophelia. on and what is the story within Hamlet “Think about what it is for a woman to say, Frailty, thy name is woman,” she says. that you actually want to tell. Sarah has “How often do you see women be harder done some really nice stuff to bring a on other women than men are? Isn’t that little bit more of an ensemble quality to something that’s interesting to explore?” it and make sure the play keeps moving But Clark likes that Hamlet is not forward.” That’s exactly what Sara Clark is doing as she questions whether to be always an admirable character, saying, or not to be this winter. “Women in entertainment tend to be
STYLE STYLE COUNSEL COUNSEL
Taj Hameed OCCUPATION: Cincinnati firefighter STYLE: Effortlessly sophisticated What do you love about being a firefighter? I’ve always loved people. It was a natural transition to the fire department because I consider myself to be a people person. I’m very selfless. I love being a source of help and comfort during someone’s worst possible day or moment. The good thing is people can be certain that when I show up, I’m only there to help. Being a firefighter, I’d imagine you don’t have too much flexibility when it comes to what you can wear on the job. That’s exactly right. We have a mandated uniform with little leeway. Honestly, I can’t say I have set “off duty” pieces. Usually, after work, I go straight to the gym. And once I’m home, I’m in very dresseddown attire. I love anything relaxed— fleece joggers, hoodies, and a pair of Nikes. Nike is definitely my favorite brand of athletic shoes. You strike a fantastic balance between casual and sophisticated. How would you describe your personal style? I have a blue-collar occupation, so I don’t mind something casual and dressed down. But I also love a spiffy suit when the occasion calls for it. On top of your day job and your work as a content creator, you’ve somehow also found the time to run your food page, @homemadebyhameed. Where does that come from? My love of cooking started in my early 20s. I just kept at it for decades and just got better and better. My brother got into photography, so I learned how to take pictures on my own of my dishes. It’s truly a passion of mine. You’re a self-described firehouse cook. What’s your go-to meal when you’re cooking for a crowd? My coworkers will attest that I don’t have a signature meal. I constantly like to make dishes from all across the globe. — L A U R E N F I S H E R
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KNOTTY BY NATURE
OTR’S BOUTIQUE CALA SPECIALIZES IN DRESSES, HANDMADE MACRAMÉ, AND HOME DECOR. — J A C L Y N Y O U H A N A G A R V E R
There’s something about a small business launching during a global pandemic that signals it has a little more grit than your average boutique. That’s especially the case when the storefront’s physical opening coincides with its biggest year. Amanda Miller had been hosting pop-up shops for her handmade macramé decor and accessories anywhere she could: Washington Park’s City Flea, Art on Vine, Rhinegeist Brewery, Fountain Square, the WestSide Market in downtown Cheviot. When the pandemic shut down large gatherings last year, she didn’t want to shutter her business. She’d been selling on her Etsy shop, A Modern Take Fiber Art, but she wanted to keep a connection to local Cincinnati shoppers. Enter Boutique Cala Home & Fashion in Over-the-Rhine, which opened its doors a week before Christmas 2020. Boutique Cala— derived from the Greek kala, which means most beautiful—is airy and bright. Miller wanted to create a space that wasn’t overwhelming, where customers could relax and feel at peace, but inspired. The shop is simple, accented by unstained, light wood and exposed brick. The floors are teak, and plants abound. The boutique sells jewelry, clothing, and home decor, but the most popular items are the macramé pieces, which include wall hangings, chandeliers, and plant hangers.
Miller taught herself macramé years ago when she couldn’t find a plant hanger she liked. “I figured I’d DIY it like usual,” she says. When the pandemic slowed shipments—she said in December, “I just got inventory I ordered in February for immediate delivery. My spring order never showed up. I got half of Christmas. I’m like, I’ll take what I can get.”—she turned to Etsy to find small businesses to support, like a Michigan nurse who makes polymer clay earrings. But aside from the macramé, Miller’s most popular items have to be her dresses—including slip dresses featuring bold floral prints or shimmering sequins, like the ones in the window (below).
Many retailers switched to leisurewear during the pandemic, and they didn’t switch back, Miller says. “The reason I have a lot of dresses is because nobody else does,” she says. With wedding season on the horizon, guests can turn to Boutique Cala to assemble the perfect outfit—and Miller is happy to help them. “I’ve worked in retail before, but I’ve never worked anywhere where I can honestly say every person who comes in my shop has been a joy to me.”
BOUTIQUE C AL A HOME & FASHION, 1321 VINE ST., OVER-THE-RHINE
In addition to the macramé art at Boutique Cala, owner and artist Amanda Miller also made the store’s cash wrap, clothing racks, and most of its lighting fixtures by hand. GOOD TO KNOW
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY LANCE ADKINS
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SPIRIT OF PLACE
COLE IMPERI HAS SPENT HER ADULT LIFE AS A STUDENT OF DEATH AND
dying. But when the internationally renowned thanatologist and her husband decided to move to Los Angeles, knowing it would mean leaving behind their beloved Covington home, she couldn’t help feeling like she was saying goodbye to a friend. “I’ve had the privilege over the years of seeing a lot of people as they prepare to exit this lifetime,” Imperi says. “And houses— places where we choose to live our lives—become more and more important as time goes on.” So with the help of photographer Sybilka Storie and prop stylist-slash real estate agent Annie Venerable, Imperi gave her home a final hurrah—a legacy photoshoot of its very own, during which Storie captured intimate moments on an average weekend as the couple observed Shabbat, played piano, and enjoyed cocktails in the kitchen. “Most of us just have pictures of special occasions in our home—only parties and events and things like that. But we often don’t 2 2 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2
walk around and take pictures of just our house as it is on a [day] in November,” Imperi says. “And part of how I want to live my life is by appreciating the present and not just focusing on remembering or capturing the exceptions.” Gutted in 2013 as part of Covington’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program, the mid-1800s home was renovated down to the studs—so much so that Imperi says she’s living in a “new house tucked inside the bones of an old house.” Though the amenities have been completely modernized, the couple honored the property’s historic roots by installing periodappropriate pieces, like the ceiling medallions that crown the living spaces. Most of the decor and furniture—including the stunning curved sofa in the living room—were thrifted. “My physical personal space is really important to me,” Imperi says. “It absolutely impacts my mood and how I feel. My view on your living space, whether you own it or not, is that it’s actually another relationship.”
PHOTOGRAPHS BY SYBILKA STORIE
A THANATOLOGIST SAYS A BITTERSWEET FAREWELL TO HER HISTORIC COVINGTON HOME. — L A U R E N F I S H E R
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Dr. Know is Jay Gilbert, weekday afternoon deejay on 92.5 FM The Fox. Submit your questions about the city’s peculiarities at drknow@cincinnati magazine.com
DR. KNOW
deeply obscure rarities. Example: Peter Frampton’s “Show Me the Way” is right next to “Royal Fever,” a song about the 1982 Maysville High School basketball team. Sorry, there isn’t enough space here to explain the little-known Peter Frampton. We see “Dancing With Myself” from Billy Idol, “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” from The Shirelles, and “Fame” from the movie. There are also some big hits from Blondie, Kool and the Gang, and more, but they’re hiding under the unknown “B side” songs that are facing out. If you’re familiar with the charming quirkiness of Sitwell’s, you know that this could be intentional. Other singles include Dion’s “The Wanderer,” Joey Dee’s “Peppermint Twist,” and “Mickey’s Monkey” by The Miracles. Then there are the album covers, featuring juxtapositions like Miles Davis next to Rowan & Martin. Sorry, not enough space; look them up.
Q+ A
I’ve seen Cincinnati get complimented (and slammed) a thousand different ways. But not until I was driving near UC recently had I ever seen our city called “The San Diego of the Midwest”! It’s a big sign painted on a building at Vine and McMillan. Who put that up there? What does that even mean?
Sitwell’s Café next to the Esquire Theatre has many old movie posters and records displayed on the walls. I like checking out that stuff, but there are some 45 rpm records way up near the ceiling, and I can’t make out what they are without bothering the customers nearby. Can you find out? —PLAY MY REQUEST
DEAR PLAY:
Here is the Doctor’s secret to conducting this kind of fearless investigative journalism: Visit Sitwell’s on a Sunday morning. Ah, yes, we see the years 1956 to 1985 covered, with many Top 10 hits alongside
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—DON’T SIGN HERE DEAR DON’T:
You obviously have not received your membership card from the Cincinnati Is Exactly Like San Diego Society. This group was founded in the year 3, when the two cities at least had similar real estate values. The Doctor kids. “San Diego of the Midwest” and its accompanying artwork is an actual trademark, which you can get on T-shirts, hoodies, and more. It is the promotional brainchild of ES Properties, owner of the Clifton Heights building whose artwork almost caused your fender bender. The company owns and manages properties throughout the city and has a nonprofit division that donates to NewPath child services (formerly ILLUSTR ATIO N S BY L A R S LEE TA RU
St. Joseph Orphanage). One way they fund-raise is by selling merchandise (shirts, hoodies, etc.) displaying their admittedly debatable slogan. Well, let’s see...Cincinnati and San Diego both have famous zoos, legendary beer-brewing histories, and perfect weather, right? The slogan’s purpose is to get attention, smiles, and dollars. It clearly succeeded with you in the first category. Let’s see how it does in the other two.
Last year you wrote about a popular Clifton Heights club on the now-empty block bordered by McMillan, Vine, and Calhoun streets. I’m more curious about some stone-wall fragments there. They’re much older than the demolished club. They look like ancient foundations. What buildings were on that block originally? —GHOST CORNER DEAR GHOST:
First, let us all celebrate this, the Doctor’s first all-Clifton column. In ancient times, of course, there was no block there at all—just some wild animals, foliage, and The Cupboard selling bongs nearby. But you are correct that by the early 20th century several buildings occupied that block. We can only guess which ones survive in the stone fragments you observe, because the widening of Vine Street in the 1940s may or may not have sacrificed a structure on the corner. Those foundations could therefore be the remains of 4 West McMillan, or 6, and/or 8. Over the years, city directories show a grocery store, bakery, dentist, tailor, apartments, savings and loan, and “smoke shop,” which again suggests subtle influences from The Cupboard. Yes, the block’s other side facing Calhoun Street is just a slab now. It once was a popular music venue that changed its name several times during the 1970s and ’80s. In our February 2021 issue, the Doctor recalled those names for any UC alumni who could not, perhaps thanks to subtle influences from The Cupboard.
MARCH 15 - 27, 2022 Aronoff Center CincinnatiArts.org
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LIVING IN CIN BY JAY GILBERT
Life in the Slow Lane
YES, MY NAMESAKE GILBERT AVENUE TRANSFORMED CINCINNATI’S EAST SIDE. EVENTUALLY.
I OCCASIONALLY GET ASKED IF I’M SOMEHOW RELATED TO THE GILBERT OF GILBERT AVenue. The answer is no, except for one coincidence: Both Alfred W. Gilbert and I were born in Philadelphia before spending most of our lives in Cincinnati. That’s it. From there our biographies wander apart. We didn’t even share the same century. The other Mr. Gilbert never knew the joy of playing “Stairway to Heaven” 10 million times on the radio, and I shall never know the thrill of naming a major Cincinnati street after myself. Gilbert Avenue was born in 1866 as Cincinnati’s first-ever long road out of downtown, surveyed and mapped to begin at today’s Hard Rock Casino and run diagonally to the northeast. After researching the street’s history, I am surprised that Mr. Gilbert wanted— or even allowed—his/my name attached to it. 2 6 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2
He was the city’s civil engineer, so he knew to the exact inch where the “Gilbert” signs would show up along Deer Creek Valley. That area is now just a spaghetti of exit ramps on I-71 South, but back in the mid1800s Deer Creek Valley was famous. Like, really, really famous. Here’s a tiny sampling of the things people said about it: the grand cesspool of all rottenness; a synonym for all that is disagreeable and repulsive; a bloody pool of filth; and an unutterable abomination. Gilbert stuck his name right there. Why was Deer Creek Valley so disrespected? We all know Cincinnati’s history of meatpacking and the massive vats of animal fat transforming into candles and soap. Have you ever wondered where such grisly carnage and unbearable stench of pig entrails were housed? Welcome to Deer Creek Valley. It was sparsely inhabited then, handy for dumping excess animal flesh and fluids into its meager waterway. Slaughterhouses crowded there for more years than we want to think about. The street we know as Elsinore Place was then named—not kidding—Effluent Pipe Road. Only later did the industry move west to the Mill Creek. Walnut Hills, Avondale, and other communities safely distant from Deer Creek Valley needed a better way to get their increasing populations into the city. Remember, this was when the method of travel was the horse and railroads were young. Decent roads coming from Cincinnati’s northeast into downtown barely existed; some didn’t even deserve to be called roads. To the rescue rode Colonel Alfred W. Gilbert, Civil War veteran and surveyor. He joined with other city leaders to propose that Deer Creek be filled and graded, with a new street alongside it that would extend out and be connected with “the Montgomery Road.” If you’ve ever navigated the clumsy angle where Gilbert Avenue is stitched to Montgomery Road like a third leg, now you know why it’s a five-point clown car of an intersection. GILBERT AVENUE’S DEBUT WAS NOT UNIversally applauded. Sure, the street was an improved straight shot into the city, but Deer Creek Valley wouldn’t be completely filled in and free of slaughterhouses for a ILLUSTR ATIO N BY STE V E N N O B LE
few more years. Just imagine those warm summer days as travelers ambled beside a 40-acre unflushed toilet. Even after the creek was transformed into a popular park called Deer Creek Commons, there was still one big problem. You may have noticed the problem yourself, back when I mentioned Hard Rock Casino. That’s right: Gilbert Avenue started at Court Street, a short stub of a street that was blocked by the Courthouse (and still is). So if your horse or wagon were approaching the city, you had to turn
(enter the Cincinnati Traction Company), but below it on Eggleston Avenue sat a spiderweb of tracks (enter the Pennsylvania Railroad). What followed was a fourdimensional game of chicken that lasted decades. Competing plans flew back and forth; one of them would have plunked the viaduct between Eighth and Ninth Streets, preventing our beautiful TimesStar Building from ever existing. Each participant stood firm, defending their God-given right to have the others pay for
I’VE LED A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT LIFE FROM COLONEL ALFRED W. GILBERT, EXCEPT FOR OUR NAMES, PLACE OF BIRTH, AND THIS CITY WE ULTIMATELY CALLED HOME. right at Court Street, then left to cross super-wide Eggleston Avenue without being killed by one of the constant trains, and only then could you go, uphill, to downtown’s main streets. In other words, this new road was not the easy connection that had been promised. If only there were some kind of viaduct or something smoothly merging with East Eighth Street. The Gilbert Avenue Viaduct had been included in the Colonel’s original plan, but that part wasn’t built right away. It took another 40 infuriating years. It would have been easy for Alfred Gilbert to shake his fist at God for those lost years, because the terrain between downtown and the foot of Mt. Adams has eternally cursed Cincinnati’s road planners. I’ve previously written in Cincinnati Magazine about the nightmares surrounding the building of Columbia Parkway (August 2019) and the connecting ramps to I-471 (May 2018). Landslides were the punchline to every joke of an engineer’s vision. In this case, though, Gilbert probably shook his fist at his fellow humans. Turf wars between Hamilton County and Cincinnati are literally as old as dirt. This particular turf war added an extra dimension: tracks. Not only would Gilbert Avenue’s viaduct require streetcar rails
everything, and poor Colonel Gilbert was left with his dream unfinished. His viaduct finally opened in 1912, but he’d died in 1900. Meanwhile, all of the villages and neighborhoods northeast of downtown spent those decades making babies, and with them came that new contraption, the automobile. By the time Gilbert Avenue was truly complete, it had little impact on the 20th century’s most unwanted new invention: traffic congestion. Streetcars, personal cars, horses, wagons, and pedestrians were now competing daily for a Darwin Award on streets that were only half as wide as they are today. I’M NOT A REAL HISTORIAN. WHILE I’VE gotten pretty good at digging through old publications and official documents, I sometimes worry that I could be distorting things by not grasping the whole story. I’m pretty confident, however, about this claim: If there’s anything that moves more slowly than Cincinnati traffic, it’s Cincinnati government. Every widened street, every new ramp and viaduct, every solution to a local traffic problem came just in time to be too late. Here’s just one example. When the Gilbert Avenue Viaduct had become a daily clog of cars, a bold solution was recommended:
Let’s double the width of Seventh and Eighth Streets, make each of them one-way, and then on Seventh Street we’ll build a new connecting ramp to the viaduct. That was proposed in 1931, when traffic in the area was already horrendous. Get ’er done Cincinnati got ’er done 19 years later. Oh, wait, that’s only when the new ramp was built. The plan was accomplished backwards— first the ramp, then another two years before the widening of Seventh Street. Local sales of Tums and Rolaids must have been fantastic. Arguments about the widening of Gilbert Avenue itself began in 1896, as the invasion of those suburban babies was proceeding and the viaduct was still unbuilt. All the way into the 1950s, hardly a year passed without some talk—and occasionally a bit of action—on widening or further-widening a section of the street. The constant upgrades settled down by the 1960s. Countless buildings, of course, continued to disappear and be replaced. I recently drove the entire length of Gilbert Avenue, just to feel a little kinship with the guy who mapped out its path in 1866 as he lugged along that surveyor thing to do whatever the hell it does. I reflected on the fact that Alfred Gilbert and I have both enjoyed gazing upon Fountain Square, Music Hall, Findlay Market, Arnold’s, several churches, and more. But along our shared street, not one structure I saw was something he would have known. And nothing he viewed back then has survived for me. It’s another example of how completely different our lives have been, except for our names, place of birth, and this city we ultimately called home. There’s a Gilbert Street in Philadelphia, but it’s known only to those who live nearby, in an outlying neighborhood that didn’t exist during Alfred’s time. Cincinnati’s Gilbert Avenue, though, is somebody! I must admit that whenever I’m approaching downtown on I-71, it’s kind of cool to see my name in letters four feet high. Since Alfred W. Gilbert could not possibly have envisioned these enormous exit signs referring to him, I hereby accept the inheritance. Thank you, Colonel. We’ll always have Deer Creek Valley.
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PERSON OF INTEREST BY LISA MURTHA
four others co-founded Buckeye Search and Rescue Dogs), Napier, her teammates, and their canines have tackled subzero temperatures, deep lakes, dense forests, smoldering buildings, and the wreckage of natural disasters in search of missing persons. “This is the type of job that can really humble you,” Napier says. “It’s frustrating at times. It’s heartbreaking at times. But it’s an honor to be able to do this.”
Good Dogs
GLORIA NAPIER AND HER SEARCH-AND-RESCUE DOGS HELP FIND WHAT’S LOST. “TRAINING’S NOT OVER ’TIL GLORIA’S MUDDY OR BLOODY. OR BOTH.” Of all the things Gloria Napier’s teammates say about her, that may be the most telling, because it shows exactly how dedicated she is to her volunteer job. In all fairness, that job—working as a search-and-rescue (SAR) dog handler—has become something of a full-time vocation over the course of the last 24 years. And the training is what she and her dogs, these days an 8-year-old yellow Lab named Pearl and a 2-year-old black Lab named Finley, go through regularly to keep up their skills—running through dense woods or abandoned buildings, scaling hills and valleys, or climbing over downed trees. Sometimes they’re training to look for a child who ran away or an elderly person who wandered off. Sometimes they’re practicing finding victims of crimes or suicides. Either way, over the course of the past 17 years (which is when Napier, her husband, and 2 8 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2
“MY HUSBAND AND I ARE KIND OF AN unusual entity in search and rescue in that we have both had people go missing,” says Napier, Pearl and Finley by her side. Both incidents happened in Greater Cincinnati decades ago, well before K9 SAR was a thing. In both cases, it took way longer than it should have to find the people in question. And in both cases, Napier and her husband were devastated when the bodies were finally found. When Napier read years later about Carolyn Hebard, a pioneer in the K9 SAR industry whose dogs searched for missing people worldwide after earthquakes, bridge collapses, and more, her interest in the field was piqued. “It blended everything I love,” she says, noting her fondness for spending time outdoors, the fact that “I could have empathy for the families who are missing loved ones,” and the fact that “I love having that working relationship with dogs.” She began volunteering as a trail runner—hiding on practice trails so dogs in training could learn to track scents. After that, she spent two years “flanking” for other dog/handler teams (basically serving as a second set of human eyes on searches). Finally, in 1998, she began training her first SAR dog, a Lab named Emma. “Back then there really were no certified dogs in Ohio,” says Napier, so she took certification classes out of state. (SAR dogs can be certified in everything from underwater human remains detection to “urban man-trailing.”) There, she learned how to read the dog and understand its body language. “My thought [was]: I can re-train it if I mess up, [but] Emma’s thinking: ‘I don’t know if I can retrain you,’ ” says Napier, laughing. “Finally, I learned to just go with her. She was just amazing—a great first search dog.” No two search dogs are alike, Napier notes, but there are a few traits they all share: “Basically, we’re looking for that dog PHOTOGRAPH BY JEREMY KRAMER
that’s a pain in the butt at home—independent, high energy, high drive, high intellect, doesn’t get frightened easily, willing to face challenges confidently, and loves to play.” Maybe most important of all, though, is the dog’s ability to find and follow scent without getting distracted. “The bigger the nose, the more scent receptors they have,” says Napier, “so it can be a bit more challenging for a smaller dog.” That said, Napier’s seen plenty of small SAR dogs in her day—dachshunds, yorkiepoos and others can be great cadaver dogs, she notes—but “our team tends to have larger dogs—German shepherds, Belgian Malinois, bloodhounds, Labs, mixed breeds—because we do a lot of wilderness work, so we want a dog that can maneuver easily over downed trees” and maintain stamina on lengthy searches. Though there are some adult dog exceptions (notably Finley, adopted by the Napiers in October and just beginning cadaver dog training at age 2), training for SAR dogs generally starts when they are puppies, and includes obedience training; imprinting them on odors (either of live humans or of decomposing ones, depending on what kinds of searches the dogs will do); distraction training (throwing out food or animal bones to try and throw the dogs off the scent); and getting them used to odd surfaces—places like boats and dense forests, where searches are often conducted. It also includes motivation, in the form of special treats and toys the dogs only get while doing search work, which ensures that they love doing their jobs. In the end, she notes, “Dogs have used their noses for thousands of years to find food, to find mates, to find shelter. All we’re doing is taking the natural ability of that dog [and] teaching them to look for what we want them to look for.” OFF DUTY, IT’S HARD TO TELL THE DIFference between Pearl and Finley and any other well-trained pet dogs; Pearl sleeps on the ground quietly, Finley gently paws at Napier when he’s bored, and both happily accept pets and love from visitors. But when the call comes in for a search, their focus abruptly changes. In fact, says Napier, “Some things we have to spell. W-OR-K is one. When the phone rings, they can
tell—probably because my tone of voice, my demeanor changes—it’s time for a search. They become very excited, but they also just kind of step up.” K9 SAR dogs are only certified as part of a team; in other words, the handler is just as important as the dog. “These are our pets,” says Napier. “They’re our partners. They watch our body language as closely as we watch their body language. There’s a connection there.” So what exactly makes a good SAR dog handler? First off, says Napier, “We don’t get paid to do this; we’re volunteers. We actually pay money to do this. A lot of money.” She adds, “This is like being a volunteer firefighter, almost—you could get a call in the middle of the night from a handler two hours away who needs help. You can get there just as they find the person. And you get to turn around and go back home.” Handlers also have to be certified in a bevy of things, including human and canine first aid; CPR and AED; search management planning and operations; hazmat awareness; crime-scene preservation; and incident management. And handlers have to be in decent physical shape, capable of running either right alongside or just behind a fast-moving dog. “You really have to be in it for the right reason,” says Napier. “If you love to be out in the summer when it’s hot and sticky and sweaty and in the winter when it’s cold and wet, then it’s perfect for you.” In 2005, post-Hurricane Katrina, Napier, Emma, and a team of three other dog/ handler pairs camped for six days at a Mississippi fairground after being called down by law enforcement officials. Each day, Napier and the other handlers took their dogs to a structure that had been decimated by the storm, figured out which direction the storm had been blowing when it left, and then had the dogs sniff as far out from the debris field as they could, looking for signs of life or human remains. Together, Napier and Emma braved knee-deep mud, snakes, alligators, debriscovered swimming pools and endless piles of distracting (for a dog, anyway) household wreckage, including fridges and freezers full of rotting food. Every night, Emma would wrap up work filthy and exhausted, and Napier would bathe her at the campground so
she was ready to start again the next day. They never found anyone, but Napier and Emma did manage to help local safety officials clear dozens of wreckage sites. “I get a lot of e-mails from people saying, This would be such a cool thing to do with my dog,” says Napier. When she sends them an e-mail detailing what it’s really like, “99.98 percent of the time I never hear from the person again.” IT’S EASY TO THINK OF SAR MISSIONS ALways having happy endings, but the truth is there is a sad component to this work. “Sometimes it’s not the outcome you had hoped for,” Napier says. “The whole time you’re doing these searches, especially if it’s a child, you’re praying: Please let it be curled up somewhere on somebody’s back porch asleep.” Regardless of the outcome, families are generally very appreciative. “A lot of searches they’ll come up and want to meet the dogs and thank the handlers,” says Napier. “It’s really touching. I think from having been there—you know what their anguish is.” Still, there are plenty of success stories. Once, one of her teammates found an elderly man with a broken hip whose first words were, “I could use a little help here.” Another time, a fellow teammate was deployed to help find a 7-year-old boy. “They had searched all day and it was almost beginning to be dark and they called in the dogs,” says Napier. “This massive bloodhound named Ruby, within 15 minutes, tracked right to him. The first thing he said was, ‘I want my mommy!’ ” In fact, the surprisingly good news about SAR is that “95 percent of the live people who have gotten lost—child wandered away, grandpa went to the store and didn’t come home, somebody lost in a park—are found before we even arrive on scene,” says Napier. “That’s the best search ever.” Napier also wants people to know how much K9 SAR has grown in the 20-plus years she’s been doing it. “At one point in time, that resource just didn’t exist,” she says. “Now there are multiple good K9 search-and-rescue teams, many in Ohio. They work together, they train together. It’s been humbling to be even just a teeny tiny part of that.”
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Renovating Our Homes,
Refreshing Our Lives
If we're spending so much more time at home these days, why not fix and upgrade it? These tips, trends, and resources will inspire you to get going. P H O T O G R A P H S B Y ( L E F T, F A R R I G H T ) L A U R A T H O M A S O N / ( M I D D L E ) J U S T I N S H E L D O N P H O T O G R A P H Y
31
D - I - why did i do that 10 renovation
lessons i learned the
hard way — L A U R I E P I K E
H
OW DID I LEARN TO REHAB HOUSES? TRIAL BY FIRE. And that isn’t a metaphor. Doing work on a Northside house in 2016, I set it ablaze. It was a sweaty summer afternoon, and my painter was AWOL. Well, correction: He’d stopped by to show me how to do his job for him. “Use a heat gun,” he said, demonstrating how it melted layers of paint off of a porch overhang. “Keep a water hose handy in case the old wood inside starts smoking.” From my ladder perch, I heated and scraped; it smoked; I hosed. When white puffs started issuing from the other side of the overhang, I called 911. The longest 10 minutes of my life passed while the eaves vaped in stereo, like a cartoon character about to blow its top. I was steamed, too, more at myself than the painter. Lesson No. 1: Don’t DIY if you don’t know how. The episode typified my career pivot into the home-renovation business. My fearlessness in jumping in was matched only by my utter lack of knowledge or experience. How hard could it be? I thought blithely. The answer was written in ash as firefighters chopped open the overhang to extinguish the fire. And that wasn’t the only horrible day on that rehab, my first attempt at whole-house general contracting. Soon afterwards, I sprawled on the living room floor, crying like a teething toddler because the plumber walked off the job, cursing me as he stomped out. It can be very, very hard. But it can be rewarding, too, in ways my previous career was not. In the two decades I spent as a Los Angeles fashion editor, I
wrote about clothing and handbags and lifestyle trends that came and went with the Santa Ana winds. A house, on the other hand, is lasting. Most of the ones I’ve renovated in Cincinnati are a century old. Bringing them back to life—refinishing a hardwood floor, rebuilding a stone retaining wall, tuck-pointing brickwork—gives me concrete satisfaction and rooted connections to the neighborhood and the city. I’m as proud of the paint and caulk on my hands as other women are of their French manicures. “I held off decorating my apartment,” said a tenant of an old, badly maintained apartment building in Spring Grove Village I bought in 2016. “I didn’t know if I was going to stay or move.” Seeing me make repairs on the place—replacing downspouts and gutters, rebuilding stairways, installing a new furnace—she decided it was worth feathering her nest. Other tenants livened up their deck with plants and, well, animal bones. A little property TLC ripples outward and often inspires neighbors to step up their own game. That movement, in turn, gradually strengthens a neighborhood. Northside is a perfect example of an enclave of old houses rehabbed one by one starting in the 1980s, often modestly and DIY, until critical mass was reached and suddenly it became the hot neighborhood. Its biennial house tour now attracts gawkers from all over the city. After the fire episode, you would think I’d learned about my rehab shortcomings and about poor choices in subcontractors. Nope. A few years later, on a top-to-bottom modernization of a Glendale bungalow, a fellow I hired to tile a shower spent less time I L LU S T R AT I O N S BY E L L I C E W E AV E R
in the bathroom and more time parceling out his work to a couple of his own hired hands (and smoking weed). This was unexpected (not the weed, though), but once they were all kneedeep in the project it felt too complicated to stop and re-think it. Excuses and promises were made, but in the end the job was botched. Lesson No. 2: If a project goes off the rails, don’t just pray. Stop and start over. There are a million corners that can be cut on a revamp, both kosher and not-so-kosher. When I painted the interior of a house solo in 2017, I figured I could freehand it; my hand was steady. Yeah, no. A contractor friend who is, shall we say, not super exacting about aesthetics told me it looked terrible. I had to do the entire thing over, this time using painter’s tape. Lesson No. 3: If you want to do it once, do it right. I take this man’s counsel more seriously these days. (Lesson No. 4: Advice is free, so get as much as you can from different people.) This past fall, a trusted handyman told me that vestigial wallpaper needs to be scraped off a wall before you can “mud” it (skim over it with joint compound) and paint it. After two days of scraping and steaming, I learned from someone else, a specialist painter, that I would have fared better using fabric softener or a wet sponge. Another pro insisted that an oil-based paint primer is sufficient over wallpaper to prep it for mudding. Why hadn’t I consulted YouTube? Renovations, for me, are just as spread-sheet-y as they are hands-on. (Lesson No. 5: Planning and organization are as important as good materials and workmanship.) You finish electric and plumbing before you paint, and you paint before you re-do the floors. That’s just sequence. When it comes down to math, though, I choke. On my last kitchen improvement, I configured the cabinet layout in my head incorrectly. I brushed aside an inkling that something was awry and hoped it would all magically work out—I mean, I had 12 secondhand cabinets and I needed just nine. I let the delivered materials sit in the basement for weeks without re-measuring or conferring with the installer. Said installer was then subjected to a Jenga-like task of making the items, which were originally customized for another person’s kitchen, fit congruously into mine. “Everything comes with a fight,” he mumbled as he made it look, well, acceptable. The project will now extend an additional two months because I was short one particular cabinet, which I’ve special-ordered at full price. And, of course, it’s backlogged. As I write this, I am slow-boiling door hinges to strip off paint. New hinges cost under $10 for a three-pack. What’s wrong with this picture? It’s my natural inclination to buy used and recycled materials, but my penny-pinching often comes back to pinch me. On a duplex in Avondale last fall, I replaced the front door
in one of the apartments. The house has tons of original character—oak floors, tile fireplaces, built-in garde mangers—so a replacement door that was “pre-loved” was a no-brainer. The first one I bought (unpainted! five panels!) swung out the wrong way. The second one (crystal doorknobs!) was too short. The third one was hollow, too flimsy for an entrance door. I now have seven used doors sitting in my basement and a brand-new one from a big-box store installed in the apartment. Lesson No. 6: Charm has its limits. Along a similar vein is Lesson No. 7: Custom ideas come with custom challenges. A client fell in love with handcrafted cement tiles from Mexico, so we ordered them to be shipped. They arrived not only irregular in thickness but missing a protective glaze, so they absorbed anything that came in contact with them: adhesive, water, cleaning products. The discolorations would not come out, so she now has a floor that “tells the story” of its installation. On another job, I felt clever using a linen closet as a nook for a stackable washer-dryer. I had forgotten that dryers need vents, and this dryer was nowhere near an exterior wall. So back to the drawing board and to the appliance store for a return. The search for a ventless stackable began. Lesson No. 8: Go with what’s standard. I’m envious of friends’ kitchens with sleek cabinets, smart refrigerators, and built-in everything. I return home from dinner parties to my own 1954 kitchen, with its mismatched appliances, and contemplate yet again sprucing it up. But after four years in the only house I’ve ever bought for myself, I have barely altered it. “The cobbler’s children have no shoes,” my friends muse. True, the last thing I want to do when I get home from work is to pick up a hammer. Realistically, though, I don’t need a six-burner range, a farmhouse sink, or a kitchen island with electrical outlets. Lesson No. 9: Less can be more. Instead of replacing the cabinets, which would have cost thousands of dollars, I painted them and replaced the pulls. The beleaguered Formica counters got a $100 refinishing-kit treatment. It’s hardly Instagrammable, but it functions perfectly for me. With the money saved, I bought things I value more, including a gigantic chandelier for my living room (still sitting uninstalled in my den). Glamour is a bigger priority to me than a HGTV-worthy kitchen. Lesson No. 10: To each his own!
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Good Bones take a before-andafter look at some of our favorite local renovation projects. —LAUREN FISHER
nky fixer upper When Laura Thomason first set eyes on this Dayton, Kentucky, home in early 2020, she knew it was a diamond in the rough—and it would be worth unearthing. A lover of all things vintage and handmade, Thomason took a blank canvas and filled it with eclectic finds from anywhere and everywhere.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY LAURA THOMASON
camera-ready After the pandemic hit, multimedia pro Allie Martin (left) turned a space in her onebedroom apartment into a WFH TV studio. With a built-in greenscreen, she’s now ready to go live from her living room. Special details like a custom-built desk made from the old Xavier University basketball court make the office entirely her own.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALLIE MARTIN
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the runningfawn remodel Instead of playing it safe, Ryan and Leah Slicer of Rylea Design + Build LLC dialed into the midcentury charm of this Monfort Heights flip and ran with color. Their bold selections include this deep blue backsplash anchoring the modernized kitchen.
P H O T O G R A P H S C O U R T E S Y R YA N S L I C E R
the ashland flip Flipping power couple Jessica and Ricky Rettinger of Hazelwood Homes kept the best original details (the grand staircase and stained glass windows) in this Norwood stunner, but gutted the rest. The result? A character-filled home that strikes the perfect balance between bright and moody.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JUSTIN SHELDON PHOTOGRAPHY
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The Unsung Heroes of renovation dawson heating & air conditioning makes it a family mission to keep homes comfortable. — E L I Z A B E T H M I L L E R W O O D
CLIMATE CHAMPIONS Todd Dawson (right) with his father Thaddaus (left) and children Dionne McCarthur and Micaiah.
P H OTO G R A P H BY D E V Y N G L I STA
expert tips
L
ET’S BE HONEST, HVAC SYSTEMS AREN’T THE SEXIEST PART OF A HOME renovation (it’s hard to compete with marble countertops), but they’re essential to maintaining a comfortable climate. Whether adding square footage, finishing an unused space, or removing walls to rework an existing living area, HVAC planning ensures air will flow and systems will have enough horsepower to circulate through all the space. Failing to plan properly is “equivalent to taking off one of your legs and still wanting to run a marathon,” says Todd Dawson, chief operating officer of Dawson Heating & Air Conditioning, a third-generation family-owned HVAC company in Avondale. Founded in 1980 by patriarch Thaddaus Dawson—who, at 77, still makes service calls— the company today is helmed by Todd and his wife, Dora, along with their two adult children, Dionne and Micaiah, and four additional service members. Together, they specialize in HVAC planning for historic renovation projects in Over-the-Rhine, Walnut Hills, Avondale, Roselawn, and other neighborhoods where homes were built without heating and cooling technology or have experienced a hodgepodge of system installments over the decades. “Heating and cooling are essential to a renovation, because it’s taking the character of an old home to today’s standards,” Todd says. Working as a family, as one might expect, has both perks and challenges. Generational gaps can (and have) led to friction over modernizing operations, but overall, Todd says, “It’s drawn us closer because we’re all in. We’re not the biggest; we’re just the best. That’s the model my dad had, and I carry that through.” When a customer calls on a Saturday night because they smell gas, for example, the Dawson team doesn’t hesitate to drop everything and pay a visit. It’s this commitment to “over-service,” Todd says, that builds customer loyalty. Beyond temperature control, HVAC also plays a role in home air quality. Air purification systems have exploded in popularity during the pandemic, as people are spending more time in their homes and realizing the hazardous effects of stale recirculating air. Particularly for those with asthma and allergies, Todd recommends ionization varieties, which are self-contained, selfcleaning, can last five to eight years without maintenance, and are able to be installed at any time. Before you dream of renovating, remodeling, or adding new spaces or start swinging sledgehammers, Todd suggests you consult an HVAC specialist for drawings and load calculations that factor in the delicate interplay of windows, doors, garages, and ceiling height. If the system is doing its job, you won’t even notice it’s there. If it isn’t, well, it’ll be hard to enjoy those new marble countertops with chattering teeth. P H OTO I L LU S T R AT I O N BY M AT T H E W B I L L I N G TO N
Buy New or Rehab?
Bathrooms Toilets should be bought new, and not just for the “ick” factor. Older ones, even in those fabulous mid-century pastel colors, may still be functional but are also lower to the ground and round-seated rather than today’s standard size. New ones aren’t expensive and should last for as long as you live in your house. If you want to get fancy, try Keidel Supply (Bond Hill, Westwood) or Signature Hardware (Ft. Mitchell). Faucets should always be bought new. Too often a secondhand one will leak or you may not find supply lines to match it; Noel’s Plumbing Supply (Evendale) is a great place for hard-tofind styles. Tubs, tub surrounds, and shower stalls should be store-bought unless you want, say, an antique cast-iron soaker; those can be had for $100 or less online or at Building Value (Northside), and reglazing runs about $350. As for bathroom sinks, pedestal versions can be had for a song at any of Habitat for Humanity’s five area ReStore locations, but remember that your plumbing has to be hidden behind that slim stem. A sink set in a vanity is often a better choice, and those can be had used at Cincinnati ReUse Center (Fairmount) and online, especially Facebook Marketplace. — L . P. 39
What ’ s In , What ’ s Out home renovation trends for your own project. — L A U R I E P I K E
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I
’VE BEEN STARING AT THESE SAME WALLS FOR A YEAR AND A HALF, AND I WENT A little nutso,” says Molly Milano-Rifkind, an Amelia homeowner whose lockdown project was constructing a window bench atop storage drawers with built-in, ceiling-high bookcases flanking it. So many of us have experienced the same pandemic emotions: boredom with our current house and a desire for a more organized, functional, and attractive interiors. Milano-Rifkind installed the seating and cabinetry in her “she loft,” originally a retreat for reading and crocheting, that turned into her remote-work office in 2020. She also kept an eye on her baby in the room, so the storage drawers house toys. The project was one of many happening across the city, reflecting how the pandemic reinforced some renovation movements already underfoot and prompted new ones. The kitchen is the most renovated room in a house, and always has been. Increased cooking at home over the past two years has most influenced trends in that space. If we’re forced to become the chefs we used to depend upon, we want nice equipment and surroundings for the job. Built-in appliances are in vogue, says Lisa Meeks of Rock Island Realty, which builds and renovates houses, as are multi-functional appliances like a microwave doubling as an air fryer. Layout and cabinetry choices are shifting away from fussy details and natural-wood colors, adds Mark Vise, whose eponymous LLC rehabs properties. The preferred look, he says, is “modern, sleek, clean, and minimal.” Since open shelving has retained its Insta-fueled popularity, a separate spot in the room hides the less display-worthy everyday dishes. Many of Vise’s revamps have no upper cabinets to speak of, and the base cabinets are in colors such SPRUCING UP as blue, gray, green, or even red. Faucet and pull hardMolly Milano-Rifkind created a comfortable ware is often black; adieu silver, brushed nickel, and WFH office (above), while oil-rubbed bronze. other rehabbers created Islands remain the locus of the kitchen, if not the functional space where entire house. Like our pandemic bellies, they just they could find it (top, keep getting bigger (the last two that Vise built were opposite page), and upgraded bathrooms. 5-feet-by-8-feet). Dining rooms continue to be con-
verted to other purposes, some of which require a remodel, like a pub Vise built for a client, for which he added brick to one wall. Bathrooms are the second most popular rooms to be revamped. Think large tile (up to 4 feet square) and curbless step-in showers with a glass enclosure or stationary panel of glass. “People love heated floors,” says Rick Pouliot of EP Investment Group, which flips West Side properties. “If you’re retiling a floor, it’s a rare opportunity to put one in.” As showers take up more room, soaking tubs are being relegated to the guest bathroom, says Meeks. Traditional vanities are falling by the wayside, too, replaced by floating vanities and those with glass tops. As for vessel sinks, buh-bye. Ditto traditional vanity light fixtures with frosted sconces. Think
P H O T O G R A P H S C O U R T E S Y M O L LY M I L A N O - R I F K I N D
expert tips
linear, geometric LED lighting. “We take out medicine cabinets and replace them with mirrors that have integrated lighting,” says Richard Rodier of Renovations by Rodier. Let’s not forget the toilet! Contractors are often asked to install outlets near them for electric bidet add-ons. In the flooring category, clients are souring on carpet—even in bedrooms, says Meeks— and opting for hardwood, engineered hardwood, and luxury vinyl planks. “Now everybody wants LVP,” says Rodier. Layouts and room use are evolving. In larger houses, kids’ play spaces are often no longer relegated to the basement or den. Vise frequently sees a spider-like configuration on top floors, in which a central room is a playroom, “like how a common area in a dorm would be used,” he says. As for the basement, it’s more than ever the COVID-safe workout area. The outside of the house is functioning more as a gathering place, especially when guests come over and even in cold weather. For Rodier, this means building or extending decks. Fire pits and outdoor flat-screen TVs help COVID-weary homeowners fend off cabin fever. The trend puts contractors to work constructing overhangs, pergolas, and other enclosures. With entertaining and relaxing areas spread throughout the house, the living room no longer needs to be the size of a football field. Cozy is the new operating word there. “I would love to make our living room more homey,” says Milano-Rifkind, emboldened by the success of her home-office project. “Cabinetry and floating shelves framing our fireplace to give some more storage for books and to display some pretty things. All this home time has allowed my brain to go bananas!”
Buy New or Rehab?
Kitchens Many renovators insist on new appliances, and I get it. You’ll certainly suffer fewer breakdowns going forward that way. But I purchase all of mine at stores selling them used with a 30-day warranty, snagging a fancier pre-loved item for the price of a low-end new one. For my last renovation, I bought a dishwasher at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Fairfield and a fridge and stove at Building Value (Northside). The stove hood I bought new; I draw the line at vintage grease. As for laundry machines, just one out of the dozen-plus I’ve gotten from Tri-State Appliance (Northside) has been wonky and was replaced quickly at no extra charge. With patience, you can save thousands on cabinets, as I did this fall. I searched for weeks online and in secondhand stores (Building Value gets the best of them) before finding a set of KraftMaid all-wood wall and base cabinets from an individual on Facebook Marketplace, in the approximate dimensions I needed. At $2,500 for a set of 12 in good, clean condition, they cost a third of what that first owner paid. Bonus: They came with hardware, which isn’t included when you buy new cabinets. Caveat: Measure carefully to make sure what’s on offer will fit your kitchen. — L . P.
P H O T O G R A P H S C O U R T E S Y ( C L O C K W I S E , F R O M T O P L E F T ) R E N O V A T I O N S B Y R O D I E R / ( B O T T O M L E F T ) R O C K I S L A N D R E A LT Y / P H O T O I L L U S T R A T I O N B Y M A T T H E W B I L L I N G T O N
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The Kitchen That Got Away why do we tackle certain home renovations and leave others undone? — P A T R I C I A G A L L A G H E R N E W B E R R Y
W
HEN WE PUT OUR LAST HOUSE ON THE MARKET IN spring 2018, we attracted the now-normal flood of showings and bids over asking price. In the end, we went with the family who sent us a love letter extolling the beauty of our home’s grand staircase, the possibilities of its roomy backyard, and the “years of memories we will build…on the front porch with the red door.” Of note: They did not remark on our kitchen. What a snub! I mean, who would not be ga-ga over painted and mismatched pine cabinets, bland Formica counters, gray linoleum floor gone yellow in spots, and knotty pine paneling hiding behind layers of paint? Well, the new owners. The ones with the love letter. They gutted our kitchen within the year, installing custom cabinets and highend appliances with a supersized, gleaming white quartz counter/ bar where a wall once separated the kitchen and dining room. It is a House Beautiful photo spread. It’s everything I would have loved when it was mine. But there were kids with extracurriculars, first in grade school, then high school, then college. And groceries. And cars. And dogs. And so many other needs in that 100-year-old, high-ceiled, wood-floored, three-story Money Pit. And we’d hit reno fatigue after ripping out and replacing kitchens in our first, second, and third This Old House addresses. By No. 4, our money and time were needed elsewhere. So we never created the HGTV kitchen of my dreams.
Instead, with our three kids now (mostly) gone, we moved to a smaller house in the same neighborhood. We have (mostly) onefloor living, lush landscaping, and a spacious deck that overlooks a park and provides secluded al fresco dining. The neighbors are great. The street is quiet. And for the first time in my adult life, I can park my car in a no-bike, clutter-free double garage I open with the push of a button. And the kitchen? It’s fine. Perfectly fine. The cabinets and counters are newish. We replaced most of the appliances. The eat-in space has plenty of light. Two built-ins hold most of my china. But, like the house around it, the kitchen is small. The cabinets we added make it feel even smaller. It’s tight with more than one cook at the counter. When we entertain, we have to set up tables in other rooms. Meanwhile, a half mile away, at the charming old Money Pit our children will always consider home, other children are doing their homework on that silky slab of a counter, while their dad (a real chef!) is prepping dinner on the other side and their mom is setting a table in a roomy dining room not walled off from the kitchen. With fresh energy and funds, a new family made our tired old kitchen the showstopper we’d always dreamed of but never realized. When (if?) they ever sell, their kitchen will be the first line of any love letters coming their way. When (if?) we ever sell again, I’m hoping a hidden deck and super-sweet garage seal the deal.
P H OTO I L LU S T R AT I O N BY B R I T TA N Y D E X T E R / S TO C K . A D O B E .C O M
expert tips
Sharing the Costs funding sources are available to help you afford home renovations. — J O H N F O X Programs mortgage loan
Sources The federal FHA 203(k) program insures up to $35,000 in home renovation costs. hud.gov/program_offices/housing/sfh/203k
low-interest loan
Hamilton County’s Home Improvement Program offers loans at interest rates 3 percent below bank rates. hamiltoncountyohio.gov
tax abatement
City of Cincinnati residents can keep paying property taxes on the value of their home before renovations for 10–15 years. choosecincy.com/ homeowner-renter-assistance
Buy New or Rehab?
Many cities and towns in the region offer tax abatement programs. Search “renovation incentives” on their websites.
tax credit
Historic homes in Kentucky can take a tax credit for 30 percent of renovation costs. heritage.ky.gov/historic-buildings
lead paint control
City of Cincinnati residents can access a federal grant to clean up lead paint, dust, and soil hazards in old homes. choosecincy.com/homeown er-renter-assistance
energy upgrades
Property assessed clean energy (PACE) programs finance 100 percent of energy- and water-saving renovations and are repaid by a property tax assessment over 20 years. kypace.org/mortgage-holders and ohpace.org/mortgage-holders
tips and tools
Electric, Floors, Etc.
Northern Kentucky Restoration Weekend in May offers renovation classes for homeowners. nkyrestoration.com
Cincinnati Preservation Association archives its Zoom-based Preservation at Home Lecture series. cincinnatipreservation.org
I C O N S S O U R C E D F R O M S TO C K . A D O B E .C O M / P H OTO I L LU S T R AT I O N BY M AT T H E W B I L L I N G TO N
Here’s a rule of thumb: If you need to get a permit for renovation work, buy the materials new. This includes pipes; electrical wiring, outlets, and switches; water heaters; furnaces; and drywall and lumber. Leftover wood from other people’s jobs can be sourced for smaller projects, but it tends to be runts and can warp from being left outside. But if you need just a few pieces and you’re careful, Building Value (Northside) is a good place to start. Secondhand lighting is a real bargain everywhere, even in thrift shops such as St. Vincent de Paul and Goodwill. Building Value is the only store I know that will refund you if light fixtures bought there don’t work. Gable Electric Co. (South Fairmount) is your go-to for rewiring. Tile can be bought used, and there’s quite a variety available. Make sure you buy enough for the space you’re tiling; I get 20 percent overage instead of the usual 10 percent. Flooring is similar. Click-in laminate and linoleum is cheap and plentiful. Even luxury vinyl plank (LVP) can be had used. The ReUse Center (South Fairmount) has the area’s largest selection of both tile and flooring. — L . P. 43
one of a Kind Spaces we’d love to have basketball court hardwood floors. wouldn’t you? — S A R A H M . M U L L I N S
Cincinnati is home to hundreds of unique and historic buildings yearning for attention and creativity. Here are three of our favorite new “adaptive reuse” rehabs across the region.
ymca-turned-apartment complex in walnut hills The once popular W.J. Williams YMCA was transformed into an apartment complex with a rooftop deck for all residents and an outdoor courtyard in the middle attached to one of the units. “I love the feeling of walking up to the building,” says developer Chris Frutkin. “It really has a powerful street presence.” One unit has the shell of the Y’s original pool, which is now a living room, while another apartment features part of the original basketball hardwood.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY THE WILLIAMS
expert tips
Buy New or Rehab?
Outdoors
a former thoroughbred barn is now an indian hill home
converting a west end church into a home
Carol Sanger read that the thoroughbred barn was for sale, and she decided it had to be hers. “I really wanted to do something that would be different, a creative outlet,” she says. The kitchen and dining and living rooms were built on the first floor, which formerly held horse stalls. The hayloft is the star of the show: Original rafters contrast against the second floor, and an overlook in the center peers down to the main floor.
Abdiel Acevedo had been eyeing the nearby 7,500-square-foot church ever since he moved into a Dayton Street rehab in the West End. He’s now renovating the first floor into a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment, while the upstairs—with a preserved organ keyboard, 20-foot ceilings, and massive windows—will be his new home. “Cincinnati allows people to be creative,” says Acevedo. “Expect unexpected things when you walk into these buildings.”
P H OTO I L LU S T R AT I O N BY M AT T H E W B I L L I N G TO N
Let’s move outside, shall we? Motion lights I buy new, but standard exterior lights, like interior ones, can be found at ReStores, Building Value, and the ReUse Center. Pavers, bricks, and even landscaping rocks can be sourced through individuals selling online; check the free offers and curb alerts first! Everything to do with the roof (gutters, downspouts, flashing, chimney caps) should be bought new, but roof tiles, rounded Spanish tiles, metal roofing, and even slate tile pieces can occasionally be found at Building Value and the ReUse Center. Supply depends on what those businesses are demolishing at any given time, and the amounts are usually small—better for a shed than to redo your own home’s topper. Those demo jobs also result in lots of windows and doors, including patio doors. Fencing should be bought new; it would be hard to acquire the right amount you need from cast-off sources, unless it’s just a panel or two. — L . P. 45
Bringing Ben Dombar Back to Life Beth Johnson is rehabbing the famous Cincinnati architect’s own home and studio, hoping to place it on the National Register of Historic Places and cement the reputation of a Frank Lloyd Wright disciple.
BY
Linda Vaccariello PAGE 47
PHOTOGRAPHS BY
Devyn Glista
OUR STEPS IN, I
said, This is it,” Beth Johnson recalls. The house—hexagonal in shape, mustard-colored, four stories tall yet barely visible from Galbraith Road— was uninhabited and, as she stood inside the front entrance, also uninhabitable. But she fell in love on the spot, busted pipes, raccoon pee, and all. It takes guts to imagine a future for an unorthodox property sitting vacant on a steep, thickly wooded hillside. But Johnson has advantages over the average would-be rehabber. First, she’s the city of
Cincinnati’s urban conservator, so she understands what it takes to make a decrepit site livable. And second, she knew that this neglected residence on the honeysucklestrangled banks of Congress Run Creek once was a dream home: the residence and studio of esteemed Cincinnati architect Ben Dombar. Dombar and his brother Abrom (Abe) were trained by Frank Lloyd Wright. They brought Wrightian principles and sensibility to town, designing homes for hundreds of area families from the 1940s to the 1980s. This house was completed in 1968 on acreage Ben and his wife, Shirley, bought in the early 1950s. It was here that 48
Dombar, at the height of his career, had a free hand to build what he wanted. Throughout Johnson’s multi-year restoration, she has worked to preserve Dombar’s artistry and retain his vision. Now she’s hoping that the Ben Dombar House and Studio will be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. If she’s successful, it will be the first property designed by Dombar to be recognized in this way. Historic designation may not have been Johnson’s immediate thought when she took those first steps. But what motivated her is what drives so many people who fall in love with a building that needs rescuing:
BLUEPRINTS COURTESY THE ROBERT A. DESHON & KARL J. SCHLACHTER L I B R A R Y F O R D E S I G N , A R C H I T E C T U R E , A R T, A N D P L A N N I N G , B E N J A M I N D O M B A R PA P E R S , D O N AT E D BY R O C K E L L M E E S E , DAU G H T E R O F B E N DOMBAR.
RECLAIMING A DREAM BETH JOHNSON RENOVATED AND FURNISHED BEN DOMBAR’S HOME (ABOVE AND PREVIOUS PAGES) TO RECAPTURE ITS MID-CENTURY MODERN AESTHETIC AND CELEBRATE DOMBAR’S ARCHITECTURAL PROWESS.
She was confident it could be saved, and she was convinced it should be. TH E DO M BAR H O US E AN D STU D I O
isn’t Beth Johnson’s first rehab rodeo. Fifteen years ago, when she served as preservation officer for the city of Covington, she owned a house built in 1877 that burned before restoration was completed. After that heartbreak, she tackled a full rehab of another late-19th century house in Northern Kentucky, a gut job to save a property with serious structural issues. Moving to Austin, Texas, as that city’s deputy preservation officer, she lived in a modest ranch requiring “mostly cosmetic work,” she recalls. When she returned to this region in 2016 to helm Cincinnati’s conservation office, there was no question
What motivated Beth Johnson is what drives so many people who fall in love with a building that needs rescuing: She was confident it could be saved, and she was convinced it should be. that she’d redo something for herself to live in. “This time,” she says, “I was thinking about adaptive reuse”—that is, transforming a non-residential historic property into a home. But a year into her search, the Dombar house came on the market in fore-
SHIP HIP SHAPE HAPE DOMBAR DESIGNED HIS HOME AS A HEXAGON WITH VERTICAL WINDOWS TO INCREASE VIEWS OF ITS NATURAL SURROUNDINGS. JOHNSON PAINTED THE CHARLEY HARPER MURAL HERSELF (ABOVE RIGHT); HARPER AND DOMBAR WERE CINCINNATI CONTEMPORARIES.
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closure and her real estate agent rushed her to see it. She closed on the house in April 2017 and moved in in August. “There was still work to do,” she says, “but it was livable.” Of course, one C O N T I N U E D O N P A G E 7 8
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ssing m discu o r f y a of his shy aw eaning doesn’t m c i l o her b the sym in, but he’d rat w der election t how an outsi ou s on talk ab esh face ze r f d n a nergi mayor il will e c n u o c city ati. Cincinn
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merican history is replete with politicians who have caught the public’s wandering eye and catapulted from obscurity to power. They’re often a case of the right person in the right place at the right time. It took Barack Obama just five years to rocket from the Illinois State Senate to the presidency, and Donald Trump rose from reality TV host to president even quicker. Five and a half years ago, Aftab Pureval was a Procter & Gamble attorney running for Hamilton County Clerk of Courts. After competing in four political races since then—and winning three of them—he became Cincinnati’s 70th mayor in January. Cincinnati Magazine introduced our readers to the political newcomer in September 2016 (“Can Aftab Pureval Pop the Republican Machine’s Bubble?”). He was running against incumbent Tracy Winkler for Clerk of Courts, but also against the Winkler name (her husband and brotherin-law are county judges) and the insider nature of GOP county politics. He beat Winkler with 52 percent of the vote. “I feel like my political career started with that story in Cincinnati Magazine,” Pureval says.“No one thought I had a chance in that race. The photograph has me blowing a bubble, just like Robert Redford did on the poster for a movie in the 1970s called The Candidate. He played an outsider and a young guy running for office. I loved the idea of the picture.” Pureval thought he could ride his newfound political momentum to challenge U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot in 2018,
but the gerrymandered 1st District wasn’t ready for a fresh-faced Democrat. He hunkered down to remake the Clerk of Courts office with a focus on transparency and technology, and he won re-election in 2020 with 57 percent of the vote. Pureval finished first in the open mayoral primary last May, then easily beat City Hall veteran (and fellow Democrat) David Mann in November. The victory gained national attention for Pureval’s personal background story and quick political ascension. He’s the city’s first mayor of Asian descent and the first of Asian descent to lead a major city in the Midwest, and he was featured prominently in national media coverage of Asian-American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) candidates who won mayoral races, including Michelle Wu in Boston and Bruce Harrell in Seattle. The son of immigrants grew up in suburban Dayton and, like many area kids, attended state colleges: Ohio State, where he was elected student body president, and UC for law school, where he volunteered at Legal Aid. Pureval worked at a law firm in Washington, D.C., returning to Cincinnati to serve in the U.S. Attorney’s office and then joining P&G. He proudly recalls his parents’ journey to the U.S. from India, where his mother, a refugee from Tibet, met and married his father. Five years ago, Pureval described his motivation for seeking public office as an attempt to speak for those who felt powerless against the county courthouse.“I can’t imagine spending this much time and energy just to get your name out there,” he told Cincinnati Magazine. “You have to believe in what you’re saying and what you’re running for. I do, because I know what it’s like not to fit in, to be an outsider in the system. And that has a lot to do with my name.” After managing an annual budget of $12 million at
I IS “CINCINNAT ERE YOU A P L A C E W H ED T O P O W ER C AN BE EM E AMS. R D R U O Y E A C HIE V EDIBLY I’M SO INCR OPLE HAT PE GRATEFUL T ME THIS N E V I G E V A H TO LEAD.” Y T I N U T R O P OP
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the county, he’ll now oversee the city of Cincinnati’s $1.5 billion budget, which includes $310 million in capital projects. It’s a huge leap in scale, which Pureval admits “intimidated” him when he first considered running for mayor. But his campaign focused on Pureval’s leadership experience, gained from taking on an entrenched political system at the county courthouse and opening up the clerk's office to new people and new ideas. He convinced city voters weary of corruption—three councilmembers were indicted for bribery in 2020—that he could lead a similar turnaround at City Hall. His margin of victory over Mann was 66 to 34 percent. Pureval discusses his emergence as a political leader and his plans and hopes for Cincinnati in an interview conducted in November. His comments have been edited for length and clarity.
WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE DURING THE MAYORAL CAMPAIGN, ESPECIALLY RUNNING AGAINST A FELLOW DEMOCRAT, DAVID MANN?
PUREVAL: It was a lot different [from
ON THE MOVE (ABOVE, PREVIOUS SPREAD, AND COVER) AFTAB PUREVAL PHOTOGRAPHED AT FINDLAY MARKET ON DECEMBER 27, 2021.
my earlier campaigns]. Our national politics are so polarized and so toxic, it was refreshing and inspirational to have a local race that was really defined by issues and not personalities or parties. Through the primary and the general election, David and I participated in over 40 forums and debates. We’re all probably tired of Zoom, but Zoom really did break down barriers for getting candidates out into different communities to talk about our specific policy ideas and the big topics of the day, which in my mind was our economic recovery from this pandemic and putting racial equity at the center of affordable housing, public safety, and environmental and infrastructure concerns. So it was refreshing to be given time to answer questions not with sound bites but with substance and to spend our time talking about the future of Cincinnati rather than attacking our opponent, which is unfortunately how our national CONTINUED ON PAGE 80
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Smart Guide to
LOCAL SCHOOLS
I Profi N S I D E some les and s t at s fo ou t s t aroun anding sc r h d the regio ools n.
FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF
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Photographs used under license from Adobe.Stock.com
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Cincinnati Classical Academy Open House and Tours: February 27, 2022 Cincinnati Classical Academy provides a traditional, timetested alternative to modern trends in education. As a member of the Hillsdale College K–12 Initiative, CLASSICAL offers a tuition-free, content-rich curriculum in the classical liberal arts and sciences, with instruction in moral character and civic virtue. We aim to prepare students for life, not just for college and career, through formation of the will to desire what is good, true, and beautiful. We rely on teachers, not digital devices, to teach, inspire, and form our students. We use primary sources and classic literature so that students can converse with and learn from the greatest thinkers who shaped Western culture and institutions.
The CLASSICAL curriculum is balanced between language, literature, math, history, science, and the arts. In lower grades, language is taught through explicit phonics and grammar, cursive handwriting, sentence diagramming, and the study of Latin. Singapore Math is used to develop algebraic thinking. These studies will prepare students for courses in logic, rhetoric, economics, moral and political philosophy, and government in upper grades, and also for robust curricula in literature, history, modern languages, mathematics, and the sciences. Come to CLASSICAL to find a community and education that prizes those things that have lasting and proven value.
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YEAR FOUNDED: Opening Fall 2022 GRADES SERVED: K–6 in 2022–2023 (a grade added each year until K–12) CURRENT ENROLLMENT: estimated 400 students in Fall 2022 STUDENT/FACULTY RATIO: estimated 16:1 GRADUATION RATE: N/A UNIFORMS REQUIRED? Yes, all grades TUITION: None ENROLLMENT PERIOD: January 18–March 8 TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITION: The only tuition-free classical school in Greater Cincinnati • The Hillsdale K–12 Initiative has been supporting classical charter schools throughout the country for 10 years and is currently educating over 14,000 students • Students at Hillsdale K–12 schools have a 99% graduation rate and consistently outperform national averages in reading and math proficiency and college entrance exams. ¼ 170 Siebenthaler Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45215 • www.cincyclassical.org
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The Seven Hills School To learn more or schedule a personalized tour, contact The Seven Hills School’s Admission Team at (513) 728-2400 or visit www.7hills.org! To read about our COVID-19 safety protocols, visit www.7hills. org/StaySafe7Hills. Affordable, flexible tuition Seven Hills is committed to providing access to as many students as possible. Our Affordability Initiative offers two important options: The Flexible Tuition Program and Seven Hills Scholar Program. Approximately 35 percent of the Seven Hills student body participates in the Flexible Tuition program. Academic excellence The Seven Hills School is ranked by Niche.com as the #2 Best Private College Prep High School in Ohio, #1 Best Private College Prep High School in the Cincinnati area, and #1 Best Private K-12 School in the Greater Cincinnati area. Seven Hills teachers, at every grade level, provide unique learning opportunities that lead to academic achievement and personal well-being for students.
Teachers are the difference Trained in some of the nation’s best universities and recruited from all over the country, Seven Hills teachers are experts at their academic subjects and the grade levels they teach. They design learning experiences that enable students to acquire and hone skills to think critically and creatively, pursue their interests, collaborate with classmates, and explore the world around them. In an environment that encourages students to take risks and stretch beyond their sphere of mastered skills, Seven Hills students gain more from their time at Seven Hills—supported along the way by their innovative teachers.
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YEAR FOUNDED: 1906 GRADES SERVED: Pre-K (2-year-olds) through Grade 12 CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 1,038 STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 9:1 GRADUATION RATE: 100% UNIFORMS REQUIRED? Yes, Doherty Campus (2-year-olds through Grade 5); no, Hillsdale Campus (2-year-olds through Grade 12) TUITION: $7,670– $28,600 TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Ranked #1 Best Private College Prep High School in Greater Cincinnati • Ranked #1 Best Private K-12 School in Greater Cincinnati • Ranked #2 Best College Prep Private High School in Ohio • 14% of the Class of 2022 have been recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program • 24% of the Class of 2021 received National Merit Recognition • Accreditations include National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS), Ohio Association of Independent Schools (OAIS), and the State of Ohio. ¼ Hillsdale Campus, 5400 Red Bank Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45227 • Doherty Campus, 2726 Johnstone Pl., Cincinnati, OH 45206 • (513) 728-2400 • www.7hills.org
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Bethany School Open House: January 23, 2022, 2–4 pm Bethany School is a 123-yearold independent, K-8 Episcopal school located in Glendale, Ohio. Bethany has a long history of nurturing the whole student with outstanding results. Known for its campus like setting, the school encourages spiritual growth, academic excellence, and character development. As a result of a 2014 strategic plan, two new academic buildings were constructed and welcomed students through their doors at the opening of school 2019 and 2020. The Bethel building
is a one-of-a-kind LEED certified Platinum energy efficient school building and has an equally amazing natural playscape. The new playscape will foster activity and risk-taking in a safe environment. The new buildings are both beautiful and inspiring for the staff and students. Join us for our Open House on January 23rd from 2 to 4 p.m. For more info visit www. bethanyschool.org
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YEAR FOUNDED: 1898 GRADES SERVED: K–8 CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 180 STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 10:1 GRADUATION RATE: N/A UNIFORMS REQUIRED? Yes TUITION: $10,350 ¼ 555 Albion Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45246 • (513) 771-7462 • www.bethanyschool.org
Bishop Fenwick High School Bishop Fenwick High School is a Catholic, co-educational high school in the heart of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati on 66 acres on State Route 122, minutes from I-75 and State Route 741. Fenwick offers three levels of college prep courses to prepare students for the future, including AP and CCP courses, Engineering and IT programs, and a wide variety of electives. Fenwick provides
many different opportunities for extra-curricular activities. To know Fenwick is to know our students and graduates: young men and women of faith, knowledge, and character, learning and living with purpose, and serving others as bold Christian leaders.
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YEAR FOUNDED: 1952 GRADES SERVED: 9–12 CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 480 STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 13:1 GRADUATION RATE:100% UNIFORMS REQUIRED? Yes TUITION: $11,275 TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Three Fenwick students were named as National Merit Semifinalists in fall 2021. • The Class of 2021 was awarded $21.2 million in scholarship dollars. ¼ 4855 OH-122, Franklin, OH 45005 • (513) 428-0525 • https://fenwickfalcons.org
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Children’s Meeting House Montessori School Open House: Sunday, January 23, 2022, 2–4 pm Tours: By Appointment, contact RSVP@CMHSchool.com Nestled on more than seven acres just outside historic Loveland, Children’s Meeting House seeks to foster the development of the whole child by implementing the philosophy, practices, and curriculum of Dr. Maria Montessori. Children are empowered to learn and develop at a pace inspired by their own instinctive love of discovery. From preschool through sixth grade, students
are guided, challenged, and prepared for their futures using authentic Montessori lessons and materials. Enriched by abundant natural woodlands and working gardens, CMH fosters a high level of academic success within an outdoor setting few schools in Cincinnati can match. Come see where learning happens, naturally.
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YEAR FOUNDED: 1972 GRADES SERVED: Preschool–grade 6 CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 150 STUDENTFACULTY RATIO: 12:1 UNIFORMS REQUIRED? No TUITION: $4,995– $11,595 TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Member of the American Montessori Society and the Cincinnati Montessori Society. • Voted Best Preschool by the readers of Cincinnati Family Magazine, 2018 and 2020. • Voted Hulafrog’s Most Loved K-8 Private School, 2020 and 2021. • Certified as a Wild School Site and Monarch Butterfly Waystation. ¼ 927 O’Bannonville Rd., Loveland, OH 45140 • (513) 683-4757 • www.cmhschool.com
Cincinnati Country Day School Individual appointments available in-person or remotely. Evening appointments also available in the winter (January–March). Learn more at www.countryday.net We are Cincinnati Country Day School. Few schools are better equipped to connect students both academically and personally, whether in the classroom or outside on our 62-acre campus. We are one family united to help grow students, ages 18 months to 18 years, to become exemplary citizens, confident leaders, and the best versions of themselves. We ensure families that their
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children will be known, nurtured, and inspired. We provide students with an exemplary, character-driven, and innovative academic experience that will guide them to be the future leaders of the next generation. Graduates will be fully prepared for finding success in the next phase of their lives with purpose, confidence, and character. We are Country Day.
YEAR FOUNDED: 1926 GRADES SERVED: Early childhood (18 months) –Grade 12 CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 850 STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 9:1 GRADUATION RATE: 100% UNIFORMS REQUIRED? Yes, K–grade 4; dress code grades 5–12 TUITION: $7,570– $27,730 TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Students matriculate to top colleges nationally and internationally • #1 Cincinnati area high school for sending students to Harvard, Princeton, and MIT (PolarisList) • $11.4 million awarded in college grants and scholarships • A top K–12 school by Niche for 2022 • Member of Cum Laude Society • Nation’s first 1:1 laptop computer program • Advanced Placement Scholars • National Merit Recipients, Scholars, and Scholarship winners • Scholastic Art and Writing Award winners ¼ 6905 Given Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45243 • (513) 979-0220 • www.countryday.net
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Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy Open House Schedule: January 20, 2022, 8:30–10:30 am (PK–K Symmes Township); February 26, 2022, 10 am–1 pm (all campuses); April 7, 2022, 8:45–10:30 am (all campuses); in-person and virtual tours available. Step into CHCA and you will discover an extraordinary Christ-centered education unlike any within the city, where students have countless opportunities to Choose More—to find their place, pursue their gifts, strengthen their faith, and make a meaningful impact on our world. Whether you are a preschooler, an Upper School
student, or anywhere in between, you will experience high levels of engagement intellectually, spiritually, and relationally. It’s where innovative programming, theological integration, hands-on learning, and countless extracurriculars all come together to result in unique and exciting learning experiences.
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YEAR FOUNDED: 1989 GRADES SERVED: PK2–Grade 12 CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 1,300 STUDENTFACULTY RATIO: 12:1 GRADUATION RATE: 100% UNIFORMS REQUIRED? Yes, through Grade 6 TUITION: $3,590– $18,500 TOP THREE AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: 8% of students from the Class of 2021 were National Merit Finalists • CHCA is ranked by Niche as the #1 Christian High School in Ohio • Only school in the region offering an Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Program with student-run businesses, a greenhouse, multiple learning gardens, and Teaching Kitchen ¼ PK2–Gr 3: Edyth B. Lindner Campus, 11312 Snider Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45249; Gr. 4–8: Founders’ Campus, 11300 Snider Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45249; Gr 9–12: Martha S. Lindner Campus, 11525 Snider Rd., Cincnnati, OH 45249; PK3–Gr 6: Otto Armleder Memorial Education Campus, 140 W. Ninth St., Cincinnati, OH 45202 • (513) 247-0900 • www.chca-oh.org
Cincinnati Waldorf School Open House: February 5, 2022, 10 am–1 pm. Personal tours available by appointment; e-mail enrollment@cincinnatiwaldorfschool.org The Cincinnati Waldorf School provides active hands-on academics infused with nature, community building, and the arts. CWS students learn compassion, resilience, creativity, balance, problem solving, and independent thinking—exactly what our world needs most right now. Waldorf teachers are experts in outdoor education, and our students spend a lot of time outside. This year we are continuing to spend as much time outdoors as
possible to provide a safe and joyful learning environment for our students. Waldorf High School students work closely with teachers who are experts in the subjects they teach. The high school curriculum is extremely diverse and gives students the opportunity to engage in a wide assortment of classes, allowing them to dive deeply into academic subjects that are integrated with art, music, drama, community building, and more!
The Stats
YEAR FOUNDED: 1973 GRADES SERVED: Preschool–Grade 12 CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 275 STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 10:1 GRADUATION RATE: N/A UNIFORMS REQUIRED? No TUITION: Varies by program TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Voted “Best Private School in 2020 and 2021” by CityBeat readers ¼ Preschool–Gr 8: 6743 Chestnut St., Cincinnati, OH 45227 • (513) 541-0220; Gr 9–12: 6703 Madison Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45227 • (513) 386-7974 • www.cincinnatiwaldorfschool.org
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Great Oaks Career Campuses Open House: January 26, 2022, 4–7 pm, Live Oaks Career Campus, 5956 Buckwheat Rd., Milford January 26, 2022, 5–7 pm, Scarlet Oaks Career Campus, 300 Scarlet Oaks Dr. (use 3254 E. Kemper Road for GPS directions) January 27, 2022, 5–7 pm, Diamond Oaks Career Campus, 6375 Harrison Ave. January 27, 2022, 5:30–7:30 pm, Laurel Oaks Career Campus, 300 Oak Dr., Wilmington Experiential learning is a key to success at Great Oaks. Students begin in the classroom, but spend much of their time in career labs, using the advanced equipment, tools, and computers that professionals use. Culinary students spend their time in commercial kitchens, robotics students program manufacturing robots, heavy equipment students drive earthmovers, surgi-
cal technology students learn to hand surgical equipment, and so on. Great Oaks students can—and typically do—earn college credit to give them a head start. They can also gain field experience during their senior year, through co-op programs and internships.
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YEAR FOUNDED: 1970 GRADES SERVED: 11–12 CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 2,800 STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 18:1 GRADUATION RATE: 99.4 UNIFORMS REQUIRED? No TUITION: N/A TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: 112 students qualified for national student competition in 2019 (the last year full national competitions were held). 12 finished in the national top 10 in their field. • 93.3% of students graduated last year with at least one state-recognized industry assessment. • Career-technical instructors have at least five years’ experience in the career field they teach. ¼ 110 Great Oaks Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45040 • (513) 771-8840 • www.greatoaks.com
Guardian Angels School Open House (K-8): Sunday, January 30, 2022, 1–3 pm. Call to schedule a personal tour any time. Guardian Angels School provides a Catholic education to students in preschool through 8th grade. Our focus is on individualized education, preparing each student to be a faithful disciple of Christ through service and leadership. Character development is a top priority. Students work hard each day at earning their "H.A.L.O.," which stands for Honest, Accountable, and a Leader to Others. Skills related to each of
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these character traits are directly taught by staff and modeled by all. The result is a strong community of well-rounded, faith-filled persons. The combined approach of guiding students spiritually, academically, and socially leads students to graduate from Guardian Angels fully prepared to be successful in high school and beyond.
YEAR FOUNDED: 1895 GRADES SERVED: Preschool–grade 8 CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 440 STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 11:1 UNIFORMS REQUIRED? Yes TUITION: $5,080 TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Blue Ribbon School of Excellence • Thomas Edison Award for Excellence in STEM Education • All students participate in service to our community. ¼ 6539 Beechmont Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45230 • (513) 624-3141 • www.gaschool.org
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Nativity School Open House: January 30, 2022, 12–2 pm Nativity School first opened its doors in 1921. One hundred years later, our school still offers your child an experience in Kindergarten through Grade 8 that is unique among schools throughout Greater Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Enquirer called Nativity School one of the crown jewels of Cincinnati’s Catholic school system. The strength of our school lies within our mission—to provide a solid academic education with a global perspective where the arts and technology are integrated within the curriculum—all rooted in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This recognition of Nativity’s value extends beyond the boundaries of Cincinnati. In considering Nativity for your child’s education, you
are looking into a school that has been named a Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education. Here, your child enters an academic environment where students score above the national average, typically in the top 20% of students tested. We believe that our children must be prepared to enter an ever more connected global community. This global perspective is shared with your child in a number of ways, within the classroom and beyond. More than anything else, at Nativity you will find an active, supportive community of teachers and parents. We believe that this is a major key to our success over the years.
The Stats
YEAR FOUNDED: 1921 GRADES SERVED: K–8 CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 400 STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 16:1 GRADUATION RATE: N/A UNIFORMS REQUIRED? Yes TUITION: $6,200 non-parishioners / $5,525 Parishioners TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Blue Ribbon School • Celebrating 100 Years in Catholic Education ¼ 5936 Ridge Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45213 • (513) 458-6767 • www.nativity-cincinnati.org
The New School Montessori We encourage you to visit our website and schedule a virtual or in-person tour with our admission director. Our experienced Montessori-credentialed teachers prepare students to succeed in the real world by allowing children to discover their innate love of learning and by helping them develop time-management and relationshipbuilding skills. Students are adept at working in active spaces in both positions of leadership and as team members. Teachers interweave Montessori principles and philosophy to create an atmosphere of respect for one another. Students’ social and emotional health is fostered daily through intentional lessons, reflective dis-
cussions, and skill-building exercises in grace and courtesy. Our hands-on Montessori kitchen provides homemade, healthy lunches with plenty of vegetarian options. The New School’s outdoor spaces for children are called the Preprimary Woods and the Elementary Woods. These areas allow for age-appropriate active play. In addition to more traditional climbing equipment, tetherball, and gaga pit, children enjoy tending flowers, playing in the sand, lifting logs in search of interesting insects, climbing on low tree branches, and building huts.
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YEAR FOUNDED: 1970 GRADES SERVED: 3-year-olds to grade 6 CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 148 STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: Average 6:1–12:1 pre primary, 10:1–15:1 elementary UNIFORMS REQUIRED? No TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: The only Ohio State chartered Montessori school in Cincinnati with dual accreditation: AMS and ISACS • Recognized by Cincinnati Magazine for our innovative lunch program. We are the only school in Cincinnati making homemade, healthy lunches for all students and staff every day—and it’s covered in tuition. No pre-made meals. Nothing merely warmed up. • All teachers are Montessori trained and certified. ¼ 3 Burton Woods Ln., Cincinnati, OH 45229 • (513) 281-7999 • www.newschoolmontessori.com
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Purcell Marian High School For more information about visiting our campus, Please contact Dawn Ellington, Admissions Director, at dellington@purcellmarian.org or (513) 751-1230 ext. 128. At Purcell Marian, we cultivate the best in each for the benefit of all. We take pride in our richly diverse co-ed student body and the unique paths we offer our students, including the rigorous International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program. We challenge our students to be open-minded risk-takers and engaged global citizens. Rooted in the traditions of the Marianists, we foster faith, hard work,
and service to others. We believe every student is different, and these differences strengthen our community. We concentrate on inclusiveness and preparing our graduates for post-secondary professional opportunities in our ever-changing world through our IB Diploma, Career Initiatives Program, and Global Connections travel program.
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YEAR FOUNDED: 1928 GRADES SERVED: 9–12 CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 360 STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 12:1 GRADUATION RATE: 100% UNIFORMS REQUIRED? Yes TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Authorized International Baccalaureate World School ¼ 2935 Hackberry St., Cincinnati, OH 45206 • (513) 751-1230 • www.purcellmarian.org
Rockwern Academy Tours available by request. Please contact Sarah Shmoel at admissions@rockwernacademy.org or (513) 984-3770 ext. 3015 to set up an appointment. Rockwern Academy’s mission is to expand minds, celebrate Judaism, nurture community, and commit to building a better world. Located in the Kenwood area, Rockwern serves students from 12 months through sixth grade. Small class sizes allow our teachers to know their students at a deep level, tailoring learning to meet individual needs and interests. An integrated curriculum
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supports personal and intellectual growth through discovery and hands-on experiences. Early care and after care are available for all students. For our early childhood program, there are full- and part-time options plus a summer camp. Tuition assistance is available to families in need.
YEAR FOUNDED: 1952 GRADES SERVED: 12 months–sixth grade CURRENT ENROLLMENT: 224 STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO: 5:1 GRADUATION RATE: N/A UNIFORMS REQUIRED? No TUITION: $7,100– $15,150 TOP AWARDS/RECOGNITIONS: Accredited by ISACS • Students graduating Rockwern and applying to Walnut Hills achieved 98th percentile on reading and 95th percentile on math entrance exams ¼ 8401 Montgomery Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45236 • (513) 984-3770 • www.RockwernAcademy.org
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Local Love FEATURING SEVEN QUEEN CITY WEDDINGS
GOT YOUR BACK Sami Stewart and Andrew Zylka, photographed on their wedding day, June 21, 2021. The solstice ceremony was held at the groom’s childhood home. r
PHOTOGRAPH BY SHE WANDERS PHOTOGRAPHY
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H OW T O D E S I G N T H E ABSOLUTLEY PERFECT
Engagement Ring Designing the perfect engagement ring is no small task. The ring you choose is a true testament to how much you understand your partner. Their engagement ring is a part of your love story that they will wear everyday and should reflect their personality, style, and capture the essence of your relationship together. No matter what that means to you, here are 3 helpful tips on how to help you get it right!
C e n te r S to n e S h a p e ? The shape of the center stone helps def ine the entire ring and can impact the additional elements in the overall ring’s design. From classic rounds & elegant emerald cuts to romantic cushion & modern oval cuts, once you get the shape of the diamond right, the rest will fall into place!
Halo or No Halo? Does your partner want the simplicity of a solitaire or a bit of spice with a halo? If they do decide on a halo, discover what silhouette they want! When in doubt, choose a hidden halo, this style offers a solitaire look while still maintaining that extra sparkle!
Photo by Odessa James Photography
Ready to make some magic? Metal Color? The color of metal is an important element when building the perfect ring. Give attention to the color of the jewelry your partner wears day to day, odds are their ring color will coordinate with this. Currently, yellow gold is a popular choice for a modern look with a classic appeal.
C re a te yo u r o n e - o f - a k i n d , c u s to m e n g a g e m e n t r i n g to d ay !
Start Designing!
Diamonds by the Yard Bracelet by Richter & Phillips Jewelers Starting at $750
to have & to hold day after day... Yo u r b r i d a l j ewe l r y s h o u l d b e c re a te d to l a s t a l i fe t i m e . Your bridal jewelry becomes an incredibly special part of your wedding day - don’t let it sit in a box once your bridal gown is put away. Select a meaningful piece that you can wear well after “I do.” A modern pearl necklace, diamonds by the yard bracelets, diamond stud earrings or a special gold charm are perfect ways to keep a little bit of your day with you. To make your bridal jewelry even more sentimental, incorporate family heirlooms into a new piece. Richter & Phillips Jewelers specializes in custom design and is ready to add your grandmother ’s pearls or your mother ’s gold brooch to a lovingly handcrafted keepsake you will treasure forever. Let’s create something meaningful together.
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Genuine Pearl Stud Earrings by Richter & Phillips Jewelers Starting at $70
Photo by Alana Lindenfeld PhoUography
Nicole Lee Photography Mandy Paige Photography
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DERRICK OLIVER & KYLE NEISES OCTOBER 16, 2021
For a romance that began long-distance, an autumn ceremony at home was especially meaningful for Kyle and Derrick. The couple kept the day low-key with DIY decor and a downtown sparkler sendoff. PHOTOGRAPHY: Steph Keller Photography CEREMONY: The couple’s backyard RECEPTION: Nicholson’s Tavern & Pub FLOWERS: Flohemian Floral Design CAKE: Nothing Bundt Cakes CATERING: Nicholson’s Tavern & Pub SUITS: Ace Custom Tailors (Louisville) FAVORS: Locust Creek Caramel Apples DERRICK’S PROFESSION: Finance KYLE’S PROFESSION: Finance COUPLE’S CURRENT HOME: Southgate OFFICE ROMANCE: The couple met while working for Huntington Bank—Derrick in Columbus and Kyle in Cincinnati—but their first in-person meeting was during Columbus Pride, when they ran the weekend’s kickoff 5k together. As soon as Derrick saw Kyle round the corner, it was love at first sight. “I knew he was the one,” Derrick says. MIX AND MATCH: Rather than opt for classic black tuxes, the couple got creative with color. Kyle wore navy blue, while Derrick opted for a bold shade of green.
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SAMANTHA STEWART & ANDREW ZYLKA JUNE 21, 2021
When the rain moved in on Sami and Drew’s Summer Solstice wedding, they moved the ceremony into the living room of Drew’s childhood home. PHOTOGRAPHY: She Wanders Photography FLOWERS: The Budding Florist CATERING: Mazunte GOWN: Jenny Yoo, BHLDN HAIR: Melissa Leitru, Wild Honey Salon BRIDE’S PROFESSION: Barista GROOM’S PROFESSION: CPA COUPLE’S CURRENT HOME: Norwood PLANTING DEEPER ROOTS: This couple’s story began one winter evening at Deeper Roots, where Sami was working the closing shift. The two hit it off immediately, Drew kept coming back for lattes, and two years later, the café supplied the coffee when they tied the knot. “I felt like a princess having cappuccinos on demand at my own wedding,” Sami says. HOME SWEET HOME: When it came time to choose a venue, the decision was clear. “There’s no venue in the world that would’ve held the same significance and intimacy as [Drew’s] house,” Sami says. The couple filled the home with glass jar candles, colorful DIY tassels, and dried flowers, which they’d been collecting since they first began dating.
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JULIE TRAN & JUSTIN TEPE J U LY 1 0 , 2 0 2 1
Blending tradition, vintage flair, and local favorites, Julie and Justin’s nuptials were uniquely their own. PHOTOGRAPHY: Merrilee Luke-Ebbeler CEREMONY: Our Lady of La Vang RECEPTION: The Center FLOWERS: Two Little Buds DESSERT: Mochiko CATERING: McHale’s Catering RENTALS: Kinetic Light Sculpture and Lighting by Golden Brown TRANSPORTATION: A Savannah Nite VIDEOGRAPHY: Vivid Wedding Videos RECEPTION MUSIC: DJ Bev Rage GOWN: Love Curvy Bridal TUX: Jos A. Bank INVITATIONS: JTran Creative FAVOR BAGS: Print Drop & Roll MAKEUP: Sarah Dean HAIR: Hair by April Rochelle BRIDE’S PROFESSION: Creative director GROOM’S PROFESSION: Education aide COUPLE’S CURRENT RESIDENCE: Northside TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HEART: Julie and Justin met in 2002, when they were both summer camp counselors. On the last day of camp, the two played an engaged couple in a skit, during which they pantomimed to the Bonnie Tyler hit. YOU LIGHT UP MY WORLD: The couple paid homage to the venue’s former life as the Contemporary Arts Center by commissioning a custom kinetic light sculpture that Julie calls “a really elegant disco ball” that spun during the reception.
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MARIA SCAVUZZO & JAKE BRUM ELD M AY 2 9 , 2 0 2 1
A Miami University romance leads to a campus wedding. PHOTOGRAPHY:Dolce Vita Photography CEREMONY: Kumler Chapel at Miami University RECEPTION: Shriver Center at Miami University WEDDING PLANNER: A Bride’s Mafia FLOWERS: Two Little Buds CAKE: Tres Belle Cakes VIDEOGRAPHY: Weisgerber Productions CEREMONY MUSIC: Treva Boardman RECEPTION MUSIC: TOAD Entertainment and Production GOWN: Daalarna Couture from B. Loved Bridal INVITATIONS: Shine Wedding Invitations HAIR AND MAKEUP: Luna Blu Salon BRIDE’S PROFESSION: Registered dietitian GROOM’S PROFESSION: Engineer COUPLE’S CURRENT HOME: Beavercreek REDHAWK ROMANCE: Jake and Maria met during freshman move-in day in 2014, courtesy of Maria’s mother, but their friendship blossomed on the university’s track and field team. OXFORD EATS: The couple’s wedding weekend featured a late-night snack from Bagel and Deli.
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JULIA EARNEST & THOMAS “KYLE” CARNAHAN AUGUST 14, 2021
A missed connection sparked romance, and a midsummer wedding in Loveland. PHOTOGRAPHY: Nancy Riley Photography VENUE: The Marmalade Lily FLOWERS: The Marmalade Lily CAKE: The BonBonerie CATERING: Village Pantry MUSIC: Upbeats DJ GOWN: Bridal Closet INVITATIONS: Cass Loh, Minted BRIDESMAIDS’ MAKEUP: Sarah Ellexson BRIDE’S HAIR: Kelly Schroder BRIDE’S PROFESSION: Registered nurse GROOM’S PROFESSION: Stock trading COUPLE’S CURRENT HOME: Mason TAKING A CHANCE ON LOVE: The two met in economics class where Julia says they “largely ignored each other.” Two years postgraduation, Kyle reached out, much to Julia’s surprise. THE PRINCESS BRIDE: Julia had her Rebecca Ingram gown altered to include removable sleeves, which she wore for the ceremony and ditched for dancing at the reception. “I felt like a princess the entire time,” she says.
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SAMANTHA HINDS & JOSEPH CAREY OCTOBER 23, 2021
A rustic autumn wedding in Kentucky was the romantic full-circle moment this couple was looking for. PHOTOGRAPHY:Dolce Vita Photography VENUE: The Prickel Barn WEDDING PLANNER: Melissa Lohr at Beautiful Memories FLOWERS: Flowers by Brandi CAKE: Christine Clarke CATERING: McHale’s VIDEOGRAPHY: Rooted Creative CEREMONY MUSIC: Felicity Phillips RECEPTION MUSIC: Cincinnati Entertainment Services GOWN: Alexandra Grecco MAKEUP: Nicole Wendling HAIR: Isabella Sims BRIDE’S PROFESSION: Mental health therapist GROOM’S PROFESSION: Firefighter COUPLE’S CURRENT HOME: Western Hills ALWAYS THE BRIDESMAID: Having been in 12 weddings, Samantha was thrilled to call 13 her lucky number. FLYING BLIND: Within moments of meeting Samantha on a blind date at Rick’s Tavern in Fairfield, Joe asked for her address so he could take her on a “real date.” “I rattled off my address to a perfect stranger,” Samantha says.
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INDIA CHAMBERS & RAYSHON RICHARDSON OCTOBER 2, 2021
Luxurious details made this autumn wedding shine. PHOTOGRAPHY: Bambino International VENUE: The Summit Hotel WEDDING PLANNER: Nicole Chambers-Cunningham DAY-OF-COORDINATOR: LUXE + NOIR Designs FLOWERS: Oberer’s Flowers CAKE: A Spoon Fulla Sugar RENTALS: Sphire Elegance CEREMONY MUSIC: Shon Hubble and Musical Ensemble RECEPTION MUSIC: DJ DMarsh (Donovan Marshall) GOWN: Wendy’s Bridal TUX: Crowned King Apparel and Clothing INVITATIONS: M. Hopple & Co. MAKEUP: The Glamour Code, Glam Chixx Makeup & Beauty Bar HAIR: Gifted Hands, T & Co. Styles BRIDE’S PROFESSION: Assistant principal GROOM’S PROFESSION: Supervisor COUPLE’S CURRENT HOME: Madisonville OPPOSITES ATTRACT: Outgoing Rayshon is “the biggest personality in the room,” India says, while she is shy and studious. SPIRITUAL CONNECTION: The couple met when India requested a DVD from her church’s media technician, Rayshon. The groom swears it was his phone number India was really interested in.
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BRINGING BEN DOMBAR BACK TO LIFE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 49
Bringing Ben Dombar Back to Life Beth Johnson is rehabbing the famous Cincinnati architect’s own home and studio, hoping to place it on the National Register of Historic Places and cement the reputation of a Frank Lloyd Wright disciple.
BY
Linda Vaccariello PAGE 47
PHOTOGRAPHS BY
Devyn Glista
person’s “livable” is another person’s job site. Because Johnson acted as her own general contractor, she was part of the process, the progress, and the peculiarities of the project at every step. The first order of business was accessibility. The house sits almost 50 feet down from the road, and the driveway has a sudden turn and sharp drop to the bottom. Paving it so that contractors could come
proved impractical on the steep site. Instead, the contractor designed an HVAC plan using two heat pumps—one for the bottom floor, another for the main and upper floors. A drop ceiling in the kitchen conceals duct work, and a closet upstairs hides the second unit. “Peak Heating and Air did a lot of calculations, studying the place to see what they could do and how the system would work so that we didn’t have to open too many walls,” she says. Although the house hadn’t suffered the kind of water problems that ruin some neglected buildings, it had been unheated for long enough that there were places where drywall, paint, and woodwork were compromised by rising and falling temperatures. And there were smells. There hadn’t been vandalism, but a door left ajar had welcomed in wildlife. “I could still
BEN DOMBAR CREATED DOZENS OF HOMES IN NEIGHBORHOODS SUCH AS WYOMING, AMBERLEY VILLAGE, AND PADDOCK HILLS: SIMPLE, STYLISH, AND AFFORDABLE. and go more easily was a priority. Still, scant parking meant that subs had to be carefully coordinated. Then there was the problem of water— getting it in and keeping it out. “We had to replace a lot of pipes downstairs,” says Johnson. Initially, the extent of the damage was unclear. “We’d say, Let’s fix this, turn it on, and see whatever leaks.” The house had comparatively little damage from roof leaks, but the original wood in the deep eaves was sagging (“Amazing architects are not always great engineers,” Johnson allows) and the shingles were past their shelf life. The steep hillside made accessing the roof and eaves with scaffolding a challenge. “Mike Owens Roofing did an amazing job,” says Johnson. “But when they were doing it, I didn’t really come to see. It would make me too anxious.” The all-electric house still had its original baseboard heat, inadequate and inefficient by today’s standards. Johnson explored using geothermal energy, but the drilling necessary for that type of system
hear the raccoons,” Johnson says. After Hamilton County animal control removed them, Johnson spent weeks deep-cleaning soaked-in urine. From clearing critters’ stench to carting off storm-felled trees, “It was a feat,” she says. “There’s nothing easy when it comes to this property.” BEN DOMBAR WOULD BE GLAD TO KNOW that woodlands, the steep ravine, the splashing creek, and, yes, even the wildlife still shape life there. That’s why he and his wife chose the spot, says his daughter, Rockell Dombar Meese. “They loved the setting, and he thought it would make the design more interesting.” Meese, the middle of Ben and Shirley’s three daughters, was in college at the University of Hawaii when the house was under construction. But she knew the site; when she was growing up, her family lived in North Avondale but visited here often to picnic in the thick woods alongside the stream. Initially the family owned close to two acres, land that lay on both sides of
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Congress Run Creek; unhappily, some of it was lost for construction of the Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway. “I think it’s the long-term dream of an architect to build his own home,” Meese says. It was indeed her father’s dream, one that would use many of the ideas, and ideals, he’d been exploring ever since he was a teenager. Dombar was just 17 and fresh out of Hughes High School when he joined his brother Abe to study architecture at Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Wisconsin home/farm/cultural mecca where Wright schooled his apprentices in the principles of Organic Architecture. Ben stayed for seven years, assisting on a number of Wright-designed projects in the region, including the acclaimed Johnson Wax headquarters in Racine; laboring in the fields; and rubbing elbows with the famous folk who came to see Wright in his element. Even when those years were long behind Dombar, “Mr. Wright played a very big role in our lives,” Meese says. The family would go to Taliesin for reunions, and as a kid in the 1950s she remembers the Great Man patting her on the head. Dombar returned to Cincinnati in 1941, served in WWII, and then began his professional life enabling his hometown’s booming suburban expansion. He worked with some of the city’s best-known midcentury talents, including Woody Garber, Carl Strauss, and Ray Roush, before going out on his own. Much of the work he did here reflects the Mid-Century Modern aesthetic of the day. But his teacher’s influence remained. Shaped by Wright’s egalitarian notion of Usonian design, Dombar created dozens of homes for middle-class families in neighborhoods such as Wyoming, Amberley Village, and Paddock Hills—simple, efficient, stylish, and affordable. He designed some spectacular homes, too, most notably the arc-shaped Runnels residence on Hidden Valley Lane in Wyoming. Built in 1965, it was recently on the market for $1 million. Realtor Susan Rissover and her husband, Arlen, are champions of Cincinnati’s mid-century architecture. She notes that few of the houses Dombar and his brother built are in obvious drive-by spots. “Many
were built on modest lots, at the end of a street, or down a ravine,” she says. In a city of daunting hills, “Their style lent itself to building on previously unbuildable lots.” And whether it was a grand project or an unpretentious one, Dombar distinguished it by his attention to detail. “My husband and I can spot a Dombar home by the tile work in the bathroom,” she says. “There’s artistry throughout.” BETH JOHNSON DIDN’T EVEN HAVE TO get as far as the bathroom to see that artistry. Her front door opens to a low-ceilinged entry with a rustic stone floor. It’s as if a quiet corner of the woods has been ushered inside. And in a way, it has. All of the house’s stone came from the site, carted up from the creek by Dombar and his family. “When I was writing the nomination [for the National Trust for Historic Preservation], I went back and forth about the style: Is it Mid-Century Modern with organic influences or organic with mid-century influences?” Johnson says. “We came to the conclusion that it was Organic Architecture, designed to be in harmony with the landscape.” The house testifies to that spirit. The compact entry leads to an open, expansive main floor, with floor-to-ceiling windows and cantilevered balconies overlooking the creek. Its hexagonal shape wasn’t merely a quirky whim: Dombar chose it to maximize the views upstream and downstream. Homes he designed for his clients were usually long and low—horizontal and landscape-hugging in the tradition of Frank Lloyd Wright. But when he built for himself, Dombar “harmonized” with this dramatic vertical landscape, tucking this tall house into a steep hill in order to echo the terrain. The lowest level opens onto the banks of the creek; the highest looks into the treetops. “I will never tire of watching the landscape and the birds,” says Johnson. “You’re immersed in nature.” While the site was grand, Dombar’s budget for his home was not grandiose. He hauled stones and did some of the carpentry himself. The striking central fireplace is simply decorated with a concrete slab he etched in a starburst pattern. The woodwork trim inside is simple too: redwood 1-by-4s, 1-by-2s, and 1-by-6s in
grid patterns that emphasize the design’s vertical lines. The exterior is asbestos paneling; its unconventional color is baked in and permanent. Johnson’s research indicates that the Hamilton County auditor valued the house at $13,200 in 1970, when the median value of homes in Ohio was $17,000. “It was a concept house,” Johnson explains. “Each floor is a plate that’s 1,200 square feet, the trusses could be pre-made, and the design could be adapted to the unique hillsides of Cincinnati.” Apparently, no client ever truly grasped the concept; Dombar built nothing else based on this design. But it must have worked, because successive owners (there were two before Johnson acquired it) made few changes. The floor plan is the same as when the Dombar family lived here. No walls came down to turn the small, intimate bedrooms into sweeping suites. The galley kitchen with its stone backsplash is remarkably intact, too, with original cabinets and countertops; a built-in telephone (not working), food warmer (still working), and can opener (ditto); and an intriguing vintage mixing/blending/grinding “food center” manufactured by Cincinnati-based NuTone. Shirley Dombar kept a Kosher kitchen, so there’s a three-bowl sink for proper food handling. She was also quite short, and her husband included pull-out steps so she could reach upper cabinets. They’re still in service, too. The lower floor, with its separate entrance, was Dombar’s open studio, where he met with clients and worked with associates. In adapting the house for her own use, Johnson made this level her owner’s suite without disturbing the basic open floor plan, using Dombar’s central storage room as a walk-in closet and arranging furnishings so that the sleeping portion is separate from the workout area, laundry, and mechanicals. Johnson has been keen to keep the original materials intact when possible and replace them with appropriate substitutes when necessary. Except where there is stonework, upstairs floors needed to be replaced (thanks, raccoons!). On the main level she installed cork flooring—not what the Dombar family had used, but appro-
priate to the home’s era and more practical for Johnson and her one-dog/two-cat household. On the lower level, the original Armstrong vinyl composition tile had come unstuck. She was able to remove it, replace it with new tile in the same color, and send the half-century-old vinyl back to Armstrong for recycling. She was disappointed that the original tile wasn’t salvageable, but because of the recycling, she says, “I didn’t feel so bad.” Restoring the bathrooms was a far more challenging task. Zins Plumbing worked on the quirky wall-hung toilets, sourcing parts for the outdated mechanism from a dealer who handled vintage plumbing supplies. One bathroom had been remodeled; she retiled it to be in keeping with the original design, and she was able to replicate a damaged vanity using a cupboard removed from the kitchen. Some tasks called for scouring websites to find suitable replacements for missing fixtures. Others called for simple elbow grease. Johnson painted the interior, rehung doors, and replaced the missing trim herself. Thanks to Dombar’s simple design, the trim was particularly easy-peasy. “It just took basic math and a miter saw,” she says. Is it finished? The better question is, will a house like this ever be finished? Now Johnson chooses just two big projects a year, one for fall and winter, another for spring and summer. The most recent effort was adding a fence. The next will be uncovering a stone patio she discovered on an overgrown part of the property. Whether or not the house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places won’t change her plans. Johnson has done this work—restoring wonky toilets, sourcing sympathetic materials—because she believes it’s what Ben Dombar and his home deserve. The point of having a building on the National Register, she says, is “mostly a way of recognizing and honoring the work of the person who created it. But it’s also a way of elevating the history that the building represents.” And there’s also the issue of professional bona fides. Johnson is, after all, a preservationist. “It’s a matter of walking the walk I talk,” she says.
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THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING MAYOR AFTAB CONTINUED FROM PAGE 53
THE
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we won with a historical margin but also why so many new councilmembers, eight of whom are Democrats, won as well.
BE ING
R MAYOB AFTA BY
JOHN FOX PHOTOGRAPHS BY
JEREMY KRAMER
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AFTAB PUREVAL
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politics are characterized. You know, people in Cincinnati care deeply and personally about reproductive rights, sensible gun reform, and immigration, but they’re also passionate about pets on leashes, pedestrian safety, potholes in their streets, and sewer rates. And so I was trying to meet people where they were on issues I didn’t necessarily have a great deal of institutional knowledge about, because I was a county official focused on the courthouse. I went into city communities without any preconceived notions, but rather with the message of, “I’m here to learn about your challenges and to learn about your vision, your issues, and be a partner in trying to address them and to fix them.” And so it was an incredible learning opportunity. Every day I met local experts and local people passionate about their issues, and every day I got smarter.
YOU WERE OPEN TO LEARNING DURING YOUR CAMPAIGN, BUT ON THE FLIP SIDE, AS MANN POINTED OUT, YOU WERE INEXPERIENCED WITH CITY ISSUES .
PUREVAL: I was the first to say that David Mann had more City Hall experience than me. That’s just a fact. I think what voters were looking for was dynamic change from the chaos at City Hall and the several indictments [of councilmembers], as well as from the uncertainty of the pandemic and the increase in violence in the city. I think what really resonated with voters is my leadership experience and a track record of taking on a corrupt organization like the Clerk of Courts, which was known for its patronage system. I started reforming that on my very first day, leading with innovation and talent and delivering wins to the people of Hamilton County. That’s the kind of bold, progressive leadership I think the city was looking for. That’s why
AN OUTSIDER CAN HAVE GREAT APPEAL TO VOTERS . YOU RELIED ON ADVICE FROM MARK MALLORY, WHO WAS WELL-KNOWN IN THE CITY WHEN HE WAS ELECTED MAYOR BUT STILL WAS A POLITIC AL OUTSIDER.
PUREVAL: Mark is a close professional and personal friend of mine. He’s fond of saying I’m the second mayor to be elected without any City Hall experience because, of course, he was the first. He was really instrumental in me running for mayor in the first place. Frankly, I was a bit intimidated by the office. The mayor’s position is, in my mind, the most important local position we have, because it demands substantive knowledge on a whole host of issues, whether it’s public safety or Water Works or police and fire. But beyond the knowledge and policy, it demands leadership. The mayor is the moral conscience of the city, and it’s the one position in our community that’s not just thinking about next year but the next 20 years and how to ensure that my children and your children live in a city that’s thriving and equitable. And that’s intimidating. Mark was instrumental in talking me through what the city requires and what the position requires. I don’t know why he believed I was the best person for the job, but his belief gave me a lot of confidence to take on the challenge.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN IN COUNTY GOVERNMENT THAT C AN HELP YOU LEAD THE CITY?
PUREVAL: That changing culture is really hard work and requires intentional leadership. Unfortunately, in City Hall, particularly on council, there’s a culture of corruption, but it goes deeper than that. There’s a culture of transactional relationships. The corruption inside the Clerk of Courts office was different; it was more about ingrained patronage and nepotism. I remember having a conversation with my employees when I first started, and they asked me, “Why do you keep talking about the fact that a lot of people in the Courthouse are related? That’s how we network
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and how we advance our career.” That really illuminated for me that not only did they believe there wasn’t anything wrong with the status quo, they didn’t understand why it could be wrong. I think there are similarities with the culture at City Hall as well. A good first step is what the voters did, which was bring in so many new councilmembers with fresh new progressive perspectives. But it’s going to take all of us and it’s going to take a little bit of time to change the culture there. Changing cultures is like turning a battleship. I’ve talked to John Pepper, the former CEO of Procter & Gamble, and his advice on changing cultures is always be direct and over-communicate, tell people exactly what you’re going to do, and then do exactly that.
WHAT ARE YOUR RELATIONSHIPS LIKE WITH MEMBERS OF THE NEW CITY COUNCIL? HOW MANY ARE NEW TO YOU AS WELL?
PUREVAL: I’ve known Jan-Michelle Kearney for a while and think she’ll do a great job as Vice Mayor. I’ve known Greg Landsman, Reggie Harris, Meeka Owens, and Jeff Cramerding. I will say Scotty Johnson and I have a newer relationship, but a strong one. Mark Jeffreys, the same way. My wife knows Mark better than I do, actually, because they’ve worked together on pedestrian safety issues in Clifton, where we live. Victoria Parks I’ve known from the county, of course. Liz Keating is a newer relationship, and I’m working to get to know her better. I really do subscribe to the City Charter’s statement that there’s no Republican or Democratic way to fill a pothole. So much of what we do at City Hall isn’t partisan. It’s more about providing basic services to people.
FRESH FACES C AN ALSO BREAK THROUGH ORGANIZATIONAL MALAISE AND LEADERSHIP’S TENDENCY TO REPEAT HOW THEY DO THINGS BECAUSE THEY ’RE USED TO IT.
PUREVAL: That’s exactly right. When I first got to the Clerk of Courts office, we did a full review of our systems and processes. And if anyone said, “Well, this is the way we’ve always done it,” I knew that was a red flag. I think the people of Cincinnati believe
the city generally is on the right path. And so I don’t think I or the new council are interested in just completely turning things inside-out. But we are interested in making more intentional decisions, particularly around racial equity and racial justice. Here’s an example. In our current tax program for incentivizing the creation of more residential housing, the vast majority of our tax incentives are going to the wealthiest neighborhoods in Cincinnati, more than 95 percent. That’s just not equitable. I think we need more housing in general, and as a city we need to be incentivizing that. We need more market-rate, workforce, affordable, and low-income housing across the board. Instead of catalyzing economic activity in our wealthiest neighborhoods and giving rich people tax breaks, let’s give more tax breaks to communities that are yearning for economic activity and density, like Price Hill or Bond Hill or Sedamsville. So I want a review of that program and a reform as simple as, “Let’s include location as part of the standard for tax breaks.” I’m not suggesting there should be a ban on tax breaks in certain neighborhoods, just the opposite. We should give more tax breaks to communities that need them.
IS THE CITY C APABLE OF BEING MORE INTENTIONAL ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ?
PUREVAL: City officials right now agree they want economic activity, but I don’t think they’re very intentional about where it goes. I’m not sure the city cares where it goes as long as it’s happening. I care very deeply where new economic activity goes, because we need to take a look at these decisions through an equitable lens. Cincinnati has had a lot of wonderful success with the Collaborative Agreement [on police-community relations], wonderful success revitalizing our urban core, and excellent new initiatives like Preschool Promise. Despite all of those wins, we remain a very segregated city—segregated as it relates to race and to wealth. So if we want to create a city with dense neighborhoods that are walkable, that have good access to public transportation, and that can recruit and retain diverse workers, we have to start making decisions with racial equity
in mind. You have to be intentional.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON FILLING KEY ROLES IN YOUR ADMINISTRATION, STARTING WITH THE CITY MANAGER?
PUREVAL: I want to be very respectful of the City Charter, which clearly lays out the responsibilities of mayor, city council, and city manager. It’s the city manager’s job to employ those directors and professionals in City Hall. What I’ve been looking for is someone who believes wholeheartedly in my priorities to move Cincinnati forward. And I’ve been very clear about what those priorities are and very clear about the specifics of how we’re going to accomplish them. So I’m looking for professionals who are passionate about that vision. We want to execute with excellence. We want to deliver wins for citizens every single day and are fully committed to the future of Cincinnati.
YOU SAY THAT MAYOR IS THE MOST VISIBLE AND IMPORTANT LOCAL GOVERNMENT POSITION. DO YOU SEE YOUR ROLE AS A LEADER FOR THE ENTIRE REGION?
PUREVAL: When you look at the City Charter, the mayor has very distinct powers and authority, but I think the real power of the mayor is as a convener. First and foremost, we need to fix the Brent Spence Bridge. The city and county need to work with Northern Kentucky and Indiana officials to make one strong, persuasive argument that the Brent Spence should be the top infrastructure priority in the country. It’s the intersection of so much of the country’s cargo traffic, and particularly with the supply chain challenges from the pandemic, we have to fix this. You've seen the county and the city quarrel about issues like the Metropolitan Sewer District and The Banks, but we need to make a strong united pitch to the federal government along with our corporate partners. I’m interested in the fact that Cincinnati is literally the birthplace of branding and brand marketing. We’re just not very good about telling our story and branding ourselves. So I want to work regionally to discuss how we pitch the region as a place to move your business and why you should
choose to live and work here when you can do that anywhere. Getting back to racial equity, I’ve been thinking recently about how to make it easier for Black- and women-owned businesses to compete for city contracts. I would like to partner with the mayors of Dayton and other regional municipalities to create a certification process for Black- and women-owned businesses so that you get certified once and can then compete across the region for contracts.
THE MAYOR’S OFFICE C AN BE SORT OF A BULLY PULPIT FROM WHICH TO LEAD THE REGION. PEOPLE PROBABLY RETURN YOUR CALLS WHEN YOU’RE MAYOR.
PURE VAL: I can tell you no one returns your calls when you’re the Clerk of Courts [laughs]. My personal story is I’m the son of a refugee, and my mom, as a young child, moved to India, where she met my father, who was from Punjab. They immigrated to this country in 1980. Because of that decision, in one generation my family went from being refugees to now the new mayor of Cincinnati. I want the world to know that Cincinnati is a place where you can be empowered to achieve your dreams. And I’m just so incredibly humble and grateful that the people of Cincinnati have given me this opportunity to lead.
I’M SURE YOU’D LIKE TO BE RECOGNIZED AS MORE THAN THE SUM OF YOUR BACKGROUND PARTS AND NOT BE REDUCED TO A SYMBOL .
PUREVAL: I’m very happy to talk about my family story, because I’m proud of it. I think it’s a really important statement about Cincinnati being the kind of place where no matter what you look like or where you’re from you can achieve your dreams. I’m certainly an example of that. Going back to the earlier part of our conversation about feeling some intimidation when I first considered running for mayor, I think a healthy amount of—what’s the word I’m looking for—trepidation is good. It focuses you and inspires you to work harder. At the very least, I can promise I will work my heart out to achieve for Cincinnati.
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M 8 1
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WINE BAR FOOD IN GLENDALE P. 86
AFROMEALS CO-FOUNDER P. 86
NEW ORLEANS IN OAKLEY P. 88
SPOON MAKES A SPLASH P. 89
FARM FRESH Pearlstar’s farm-direct oysters (Island Creek Oysters in Massachusetts, Florida’s Grayson Bay Oyster Co., and Hama Hama Oysters in Washington state) come with condiments such as house Fresno hot sauce, fresh horseradish, and cocktail sauce. PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRIS VON HOLLE
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DINING OUT
RAW TALENT
PEARLSTAR makes waves with its fresh seafood.
T
—BRANDON WUSKE
HE FIRST THING I NOTICED WHEN WALKING INTO PEARLSTAR, THE NEW restaurant in the former A Tavola space in Over-the-Rhine, was how crowded it was. This is partly due to the space itself. It’s a narrow dining hall with a sleek bar and bustling open kitchen on one side and low, tightly packed tables on the other. The space gives one the impression of being in a ship’s galley, albeit a bright, polished one. More than that, it has been months—maybe years—since I’ve been in a place so electric. I should have expected it. This is, after all, one of the most buzzworthy new restaurants in recent history. Owner Terry Raley has already opened several successful Nashville restaurants under his Amaranth Hospitality Group. Pearlstar marks his first foray outside the Music City, and he brought some highly acclaimed chefs along for the ride. Executive Chef David Jackman is a Winnipeg, Canada, native who has worked in some of the best kitchens in America, including Grace in Chicago, SingleThread in Healdsburg, California, and The Catbird Seat in Nashville. Culinary and Operations Director Leroy Ansley, who collaborates with Jackman on the menu, worked at two beloved though sadly departed Over-the-Rhine restaurants, A Tavola and Senate. Suffice it to say, book your reservation well in advance if you plan on going. The oysters are what packs them in, judging by the spread of bivalves that graced nearly every table. Our server, Raj, pleasantly and authoritatively guided us through the menu. The day’s “catch” is listed, along with sourcing information and delightfully poetic flavor profiles. 8 4 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2
FYI
Pearlstar 1220 Vine St., Over-theRhine, (513) 381-0427, pearl-star.com Hours Wed & Thurs 5 pm–10 pm, Fri 5 pm–11 pm, Sat 10 am–2:30 pm, 5 pm–11 pm, Sun 5 pm–10 pm Prices $4 (East Coast Yuzu Kosho dressed oyster, lemongrass foam)–$30 (dry-aged NY strip steak) Credit Cards All major The Takeaway Confoundingly fresh seafood in sleekly comfortable digs.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHRIS VON HOLLE
STAR POWER (From left) Yellowfin carpaccio, topped with chive aioli, capers, and rye bread crumbs; Pearlstar’s interior; hamachi crudo with yuzu kosho, dill, orange, and radish; Executive Chef David Jackman.
Massachusetts’s Island Creek oysters, for instance, taste like “butter and brine with a mossy finish.” Descriptions like this are enough to make a food critic rejoice. The flavor, even more so. Much like the phantom breakers heard in a smooth seashell, the salt-blast from a well-slurped oyster has a way of transporting you to the coast. And for that half second before the cold beer washed the brine down, I was in Nantucket. Or New Brunswick. Or Prince Edward Island. Chef Jackman works closely with a select group of small-batch oyster farmers, mostly in Eastern Canada and New England, relationships he’s cultivated over the course of his career. The oysters, like the fish, are flown in every 24 to 36 hours. With rotation like this, the oyster menu is guaranteed to be unique from customer to customer. Orders (minimum of four) are delivered on a bed of crushed ice with lemon wedges and a vinegary herbed mignonette sauce. Add a few refreshing drops of lemon and mignonette, mix in the additional fresh horseradish, house-made hot sauce, or cocktail sauce, and slurp your way to the sea. The other standout dish also came from the raw bar: the yellowfin carpaccio. Thin, bright pink slices of tuna nearly floated on a pungent chive aioli. A sprinkle of rye breadcrumbs added the perfect textural contrast to the velvety tuna. For $15, the five whisps of yellowfin would have been a meager portion, if we hadn’t spent so much time savoring it. I savored most of the dishes I tried at Pearlstar. The smoked trout mousse appetizer was exceptional. Spread over perfectly grilled toast points, the mousse was tart and buttery. The dish,
with its accompaniment of pickles and grainy mustard, would be an instant mainstay at any classic kosher deli. The entrées (Pearl “Stars,” as they’re called on the menu) were equal parts surf and turf. The Arctic char and Texas redfish lived up to the “star” billing. The char, with its topping of lemon caper butter, was creamy enough to eat by the spoonful while the soft, spicy redfish was flecked with a chocolaty chorizo oil that tasted like a master chef’s take on Cincinnati chili. Turf options include a hanger steak, a NY strip, and a steak sandwich. My landlubber friend went with the steak sandwich. The juicy strips of rare steak, topped with sharp Grana Padano (an Italian cheese, similar to parmesan), piquant horseradish, and a drizzle of truffle oil, was like a study in umami between two slices of firm-but-airy bread. The sides at Pearlstar are served à la carte, which can get tricky, as the small tables are soon covered in plates and bowls. Luckily, a rotating team of servers and bussers is on hand to remove plates and refill drinks with alacrity. The crispy fingerling potatoes— sprinkled with lemon juice and served with a rich mustard cream sauce—were the highlight. I would direct all spud afficionados to this dish. The wood-grilled beets were also a welcome addition to the table. With a hint of mint and feta, the warm beets cleansed our palates between bites of seafood. All of this can be washed down with Pearlstar’s extensive drink menu, curated by Aaron Patrick Strasser, formerly of Boca. There are plenty of wines and beers to choose from, and our servers were quick to recommend good pairings. There are also several creative, whimsical cocktails, like the citrusy Poolside Gin & Tonic. Other cleverly named cocktails include Thyme to Fly and Golf Pants. Pearlstar takes its sourcing and preparation seriously, but it never forgets that dining out is meant to be fun. F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M 8 5
TABLESIDE WITH...
GABI ODEBODE
HOT PLATE
THE AFROMEALS CO-FOUNDER offers a crash course in West African and Caribbean dishes. How did Afromeals come to fruition? I started a catering business as a side hustle. I cooked mostly West African food for small parties, church events, and students. After graduating, I worked as a researcher and taught biology. I was still doing light catering gigs until I moved to Ohio a few years later with my family. This is when I decided to turn my hustle into my full-time business. What are some of your favorite meals to prepare? Some of my favorite meals to prepare are my one pot dishes—Jollof rice (a popular West African rice dish cooked in a tomato-based stew), West African fried rice, Jamaican Rasta Pasta, and certain West African soups.
Wine and Dine LAST SEPTEMBER, KATE AND JEFF EBERLEIN, THE OWNERS OF PICCOLO WINE ROOM IN Glendale, announced that they’d hired a chef to bulk up the establishment’s menu offerings. These days, you can have some food with your wine or some wine with your food. It’s hard to go wrong with the generous portions and creative flavors, and Chef Ron Nocella’s new menu is a bite above. He packs the small menu with standard fare—a charcuterie board, salads, burgers—leaving room for expansion. The chicken sandwich has more flavor than any chicken sandwich has a right to offer. Savory and well-spiced, the deceptively simple ingredients (marinated chicken breast, roasted red peppers, caramelized onion, goat cheese, and Kaiser bun) have all the allure of great comfort food with more than enough class to share a table with fine wine. A glass of St. Francis Cabernet Sauvignon, as bold as the marinated chicken, made an excellent pairing. If warm entrées don’t entice you, the club wrap should satisfy. With perfectly crisp bacon, Swiss, dijonnaise, and roasted turkey breast, the massive sandwich has enough ripe tomatoes and lettuce for a small salad. And aside from beer, hard cider, hard soda, and a healthy by-the-glass wine list, the Gelida Cava Brut may be the perfect introduction for those who say they don’t like wine. Bubbly and gently sweet, it delivers plenty of flavor without bitterness. Piccolo Piccolo Wine Room, 23 Village Square, Wine Room works hard to be a friendly neighborhood venue. Visit for Glendale, (513) 771the food and wine, but stay for the service and long chats with friends. 6612, piccolowine —M. LEIGH HOOD
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room.com
What are your long-term goals for Afromeals? To continue to give people the African and Caribbean food experience through our services and products. To make African and Caribbean food famous. We want Afromeals to have a place of its own. So there’s a brick-and-mortar spot in your future? Yes! This is our vision: to one day open our own spot in downtown Cincinnati where people can come and dine in/pick up food or learn how to cook some incredible meals. We want a place people can access easily and have the AfricanCaribbean experience.
—AIESHA D.
LITTLE
afromeals.com Read a longer conversation with Gabi at cincinnatimagazine.com
PH OTO G R A PH BY L A N C E A D K IN S / ILLUSTR ATIO N BY C H R I S DA N G E R
best
Delta Hotels by Marriott, Sharonville
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TAKEOUT HERO
Food Krewe
This New Orleans cuisine is a way to “pass a good time.” E HAVE EXECUTIVE CHEF JEFFERY HARRIS’S great grandmother to thank for the meals he serves up at Jimmie Lou’s. The restaurant, located in the Oakley Kitchen Food Hall, is named after the woman who taught Harris how to cook and offers up so much southern charm it’ll have you longing for a trip to the Big Easy. “I like to show people what authentic New Orleans cuisine is,” he says. “It’s high time for soul to stay in Cincinnati.” And Harris makes good on his promise. Start off with the po’boy, available with flash fried shrimp, house-made spicy beef patties, fried catfish, or braised beef roast. Dressed with mayo, lettuce, tomato, and pickle, the sandwich is essentially the Crescent City’s version of non-franchise fast food. If a hearty, flavor-filled stew is more up your alley, you can take your pick from gumbo or jambalaya. If you’re hankering for some yardbird, drop by for Fried Chicken Fridays, when you can get three pieces of dark meat chicken, a side, and a biscuit for $15. Whatever you choose, you must end your meal with a bag of beignets. Leaving room for the chewy fried dough tossed in powdered sugar is the best way to treat your stomach to a little lagniappe.
W
—AIESHA D. LITTLE Jimmie Lou’s, 3715 Madison Rd., Oakley, (513) 802-6705, jimmielous.com
TAKE 5
MOON FOOD Celebrate the Lunar New Year (Feb. 1) with dumplings from these Asian eateries. – AIESHA D. LITTLE
DOPE! ASIAN STREET FARE Served in spicy 1 Sichuan chili oil with bean sprouts and green onion, an order of DOPE!’s Sichuan pork and shrimp wontons is a tasty entry point for a trip through Asian street food. $7. thisstuffis dope.com
YEE MAMA These Canton2 ese-inspired wontons are made fresh weekly and you can cook them yourself in the comfort of your own home. Snag a kit of 12 (we recommend chicken and basil!) with your choice of sauce and herbs for garnish. $11.99–$15.99. yeemama.square.site
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AROMA This Japanese 3 restaurant offers up pan-fried gyoza, a slightly crispier version of dumplings (more along the lines of a pot sticker). Available in pork or veggie, each order is served with Aroma’s special soy sauce concoction. $6. aromakenwood.com
KUNGFOOD AMERASIA 4 If you haven’t tried this Covington spot’s Dragon’s Breath wontons yet, where have you been? Served with chili bean paste and hot chili oil, these boiled pork dumplings really turn up the heat on your tastebuds. $7.50. kungfood.online
RIVERSIDE KOREAN Made with veg5 etable and tofu fillings, Riverside’s goon mandu (in Korean, we’re told “goon” means “fried/cooked” and “mandu” means “dumplings”) are for all of the veggie lovers out there. You’ll love these Korean-style meatless treats. $8.95. riversidekore anrestaurant.com PHOTOGRAPH BY ANDREW DOENCH
PANTRY
URBAN GREENS SPOON SERVES UP LOCALLY-SOURCED GROCERIES FOR ALL. — M . L E I G H H O O D
GROWING ON US
Spoon: Kitchen and Market wears several hats in Covington—it’s a grocery store, restaurant, gathering space, coffeehouse, and bar, all with an eye toward sustainability. Guests can stop by for a baked salmon bowl, shop for fruits and vegetables, pick up a French press, and come back for a bourbon flight or boozy coffee after work. “You cannot put it in a box,” says Jessica Williams, Spoon’s cofounder (below). “At first, it really seemed to confuse people but as the time has gone by, I find that they are really starting to enjoy it. The freedom to make it whatever you want it to be is liberating. Your daily coffee shop, a place to let your kids play, enjoy a wine class, just sit and enjoy the atmosphere. We got you covered.” Spoon grew out of absence. Although MainStrasse is well known for variety, Jessica and her co-founder/ husband, Stephen Williams (of Bouquet), struggled to find healthy lunch options. They saw an opportunity, and when they found the right venue, they realized they had room to do much, much more than just lunch. “As the building was coming together, and we started to see all the extra space we had not anticipated, the opportunity to expand the original idea of what we would put there just kept growing,” Jessica explains. From the beginning, the couple knew they wanted more than healthy food. Partnerships with small regional and family-owned
farms and businesses like Black Hawk Farms in Princeton, Kentucky; Carriage House Farm in North Bend; Dark Wood Farm in Petersburg, Kentucky; and Ed-Mar Dairy in Walton, Kentucky, allow Spoon to offer everything from fresh meat and seasonal vegetables to gourmet coffee and cake. Glutenfree, vegetarian, vegan, and more diet-specific options abound. If MainStrasse is
too far for lunch, keep in mind Spoon has a wine club. Memberships will include a monthly wine tasting with a hand-selected bottle and pairing notes, and a class hosted by rotating sommeliers. The grocer/ eatery/coffeeshop also has artist collaborations in the works. “There is so much to experience,” Jessica says. “And we do this because we love it.” They hope you’ll love it, too.
Spoon: Kitchen and Market, 501 Main St., Suite A, Covington, (859) 916-6204, thespoonmarket.com
Don’t forget to check out Spoon’s vertical garden full of very alive shade-friendly plants.
PH OTO G R A PH S BY D E V Y N G LI S TA
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WHERE TO EAT NOW
AMERICAN 90 CAJUN/CARIBBEAN 90 CHINESE 91 ECLECTIC 91 ITALIAN 92 JAPANESE 92
DINING GUIDE
KOREAN 93 MEXICAN 93 MEDITERRANEAN 93 SEAFOOD 94 STEAKS 94 THAI 95
AMERICAN BRONTË BISTRO
You might think this is a lunch-only spot where you can nosh on a chicken salad sandwich after browsing next door at Joseph-Beth Booksellers. But this Norwood eatery feels welcoming after work, too. The dinner menu features entrées beyond the rotating soup and quiche roster that’s popular at noon. Fried chicken? Check. Quesadillas and other starters? Yep. An assortment of burgers? Present, including turkey and veggie versions. Casual food rules the day but the surprise is Brontë Bistro’s lineup of adult beverages, which elevates the place above a basic bookstore coffeeshop. The regular drinks menu includes such mainstays as Hemingway’s Daiquiri, a tribute to the author who drank them (often to excess). 2692 Madison Rd., Norwood, (513) 396-8970, josephbeth. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days. MCC. $
COPPIN’S
With wine on tap and an extensive local beer list, Coppin’s is an ideal place to meet for drinks. In addition to plenty of Kentucky bourbon, much of the produce, meat, and cheese comes from local growers and producers. Housecured meat and cheese from Kenny’s Farmhouse and cheese from Urban Stead populate the “Artisan Cheese and Charcuterie Board,” which dresses up the main attractions with honey, dijon mustard, house pickles, and Sixteen Bricks grilled sourdough. The mussels—made with seasonally rotating sauces and chorizo from Napoleon Ridge Farms in Gallatin County—were served with a peppery tomato sauce, perfect for sopping up with bread. The seven-ounce Sakura Farms Wagyu rib eye with wild mushrooms, roasted parsnip, and beef jus is a must have. Or try the striped bass with grape farro roasted broccolini and mussel cream sauce. 638 Madison Ave., Covington, (859) 905-6600, hotelcovington.com/dining/coppins. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days. MCC. $$
GOOSE & ELDER
The third restaurant from chef Jose Salazar, Goose & Elder is a more everyday kind of joint compared to his others. The prices are lower, and most of the dishes, from burgers to grits, are familiar. Salazar’s menus have always hinted that the chef had a fondness for, well, junk food. But junk food is only junk if it is made thoughtlessly. Everything here is
CINCINNATI MAGAZINE’S
dining guide is compiled by our editors as a service to our readers. The magazine accepts no advertising or other consideration in exchange for a restaurant listing. The editors may add or delete restaurants based on their judgment. Because of space limitations, all
of the guide’s restaurants may not be included. Many restaurants have changing seasonal menus; dishes listed here are examples of the type of cuisine available and may not be on the menu when you visit. To update listings, e-mail: cmletters@cincinnati magazine.com
KEY: No checks unless specified. AE American Express, DC Diners Club DS Discover, MC MasterCard, V Visa MCC Major credit cards: AE, MC, V $ = Under $15 $$$ = Up to $49 $$ = Up to $30 $$$$ = $50 and up Top 10
= Named a Best Restaurant March 2020.
made with little twists, like the cumin-spiced potato chips and delicate ribbons of housemade cucumber pickles with a sweet rice wine vinegar. Even the fries, crinkle cut and served with “goose sauce,” a mildly spiced mayonnaise, are wonderfully addictive. The restaurant demonstrates that what we now consider “fast food” can be awfully good if someone makes it the old-fashioned, slow way.
pizza with roma tomatoes, basil, Parmesan, and provolone delivered a fine balance of crunchy crust, sharp cheese, and sweet, roasted tomatoes. Paired with a glass of pinot noir, it made a perfect light meal. The service is friendly enough for a casual neighborhood joint but comes with white tablecloth attentiveness and knowledge. Combine that with the consistency in the kitchen, and Trio is a safe bet.
1800 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 579-8400, gooseandelder.com. Lunch Tues–Fri, dinner Tues–Sun, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $$
7565 Kenwood Rd., Kenwood, (513) 984-1905, triobistro.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DC. $$$
IVORY HOUSE
The menu here generally doesn’t reinvent dishes or introduce outlandish flavors, but simply pays attention to enough little things to make the results unusually good. The Wagyu Frisco is basically a cheeseburger, but the exceptional tomme from Urban Stead gives it that extra something. The cocktails are things you’ve probably seen before, but everything—from the bourbon rhubarb sour to the Queen City’s Bees Knees—had an extra dash of liveliness from a house-made element, like a rhubarb honey syrup or the raspberry shrub. Even when an ingredient seems out of left field, like the burnt grapefruit hot sauce on the pork belly and tenderloin, it never tastes as unusual as it sounds. Tthe hot sauce is just a hint of sweet citrusy spice that melts into the grits—a softly intriguing element rather than a slap in the face. Ivory House also has an excellent brunch. 2998 Harrison Ave., Westwood, (513) 389-0175, ivoryhousecincy.com. Lunch Tues–Fri, dinner seven days, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $$$
TELA BAR + KITCHEN
Classically conceived but casually executed comfort food, including mini-Monte Cristo sandwiches with tangy housemade pimento cheese stuffed into sourdough bread and fried crisp, mac and cheese topped with a Mr. Pibb–braised pulled short rib, and steak and potatoes. Servers are slightly scattered, yet enthusiastic and friendly, with a good grasp of the beverage program. 1212 Springfield Pke., Wyoming, (513) 821-8352, telabarandkitchen.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sat, brunch Sun. MCC. $$
TRIO
Trio is nothing if not a crowd pleaser. Whether you’re in the mood for a California-style pizza or filet mignon (with side salad, garlic mashed potatoes, sauteed swiss chard, and mushroom jus), the menu is broad enough to offer something for everyone. It may lack a cohesive point of view, but with the number of regulars who come in seven nights a week, variety is Trio’s ace in the hole. A simple margherita
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CAJUN/ CARIBBEAN BREWRIVER CREOLE
More than 800 miles from New Orleans, this may be as close as you can get to the real deal here in your own backyard. The menu fully leans into Chef Michael Shields’s penchant for cuisine from the Crescent City. His six years of training under NOLA’s own Emeril Lagasse comes through in a scratch kitchen menu that spans a range of the city’s classics. The enormous shrimp and oyster po’ boys—the former protein fried in a light and crispy beer batter and the latter in a hearty cornmeal breading—are served on fluffy French bread loaves and dressed with lightly spicy rémoulades. The jambalaya packs all the heat of a late summer day in the French Quarter without masking a hint of its satisfying flavors. Paired with a Sazerac and nightly live jazz, you may just feel tempted to start a second line. 4632 Eastern Ave., Linwood, (513) 861-2484, brewrivercreolekitchen.com. Dinner Tues–Sun, brunch & lunch Fri–Sun. MCC. $
SWAMPWATER GRILL
At first blush, this place is a dive where homesick Cajuns can find a good pile of jambalaya. But thoughtful details like draft Abita Root Beer and char-grilled Gulf Coast oysters on the half shell signal its ambition. Bayou standards like jambalaya, gumbo, and fried seafood also make an appearance. But the extensive menu also features amped up pub-style items for those who may be squeamish about crawfish tails (which can be added to just about anything on the menu). You’ll also find a roundup of oyster, shrimp, and catfish Po’Boys, as well as a selection of hardwood-smoked meats. 3742 Kellogg Ave., East End, (513) 834-7067, swampwatergrill.com. Lunch and dinner Wed–Sun, brunch Fri–Sun. MCC. $$
KNOTTY PINE ON THE BAYOU
The Pine serves some of the best Louisiana homestyle food you’ll find this far north of New Orleans. Taste the fried catfish filets with their peppery crust, or the garlic sauteed shrimp with smoky greens on the side, and you’ll understand why it’s called soul food. Between March and June, it’s crawfish season. Get them boiled and heaped high on a platter or in a superb crawfish etouffee. But the rockin’ gumbo—a thick, murky brew of andouille sausage, chicken, and vegetables—serves the best roundhouse punch all year round. As soon as you inhale the bouquet and take that first bite, you realize why Cajun style food is considered a high art form and a serious pleasure. And you’ll start planning your return trip. 6302 Licking Pke., Cold Spring, (859) 7812200, letseat.at/KnottyPine. Dinner Tues–Sun. MCC, DS. $$
CHINESE ORIENTAL WOK
This is the restaurant of your childhood memories: the showy Las Vegas-meets-China decor, the ebulliently comedic host, the chop sueys, chow meins, and crab rangoons that have never met a crab. But behind the giant elephant tusk entryway and past the goldfish ponds and fountains is the genuine hospitality and warmth of the Wong family, service worthy of the finest dining establishments, and some very good food that’s easy on the palate. Best are the fresh fish: salmon, sea bass, and halibut steamed, grilled, or flash fried in a wok, needing little more than the ginger–green onion sauce that accompanies them. Even the chicken lo mein is good. It may not be provocative, but not everyone wants to eat blazing frogs in a hot pot. 317 Buttermilk Pke., Ft. Mitchell, (859) 331-3000; 2444 Madison Rd., Hyde Park, (513) 871-6888, orientalwok.com. Lunch Mon–Fri (Ft. Mitchell; buffet Sun 11–2:30), lunch Tues–Sat (Hyde Park), dinner Mon–Sat (Ft. Mitchell) dinner Tues–Sun (Hyde Park). MCC. $$
SICHUAN BISTRO CHINESE GOURMET
Like many Chinese restaurants that cater to both mainstream American and Chinese palates, this strip mall gem uses two menus. The real story here is found in dishes of pungent multi-layered flavors that set your mouth ablaze with fermented peppers and fresh chilies and then just as quickly cool it down with the devilish, numbing sensation of hua jiao, Sichuan pepper. Its numbing effect is subtle at first: appetizers of cold sliced beef and tripe, as well as slices of pork belly with a profusion of minced garlic, lean toward the hot and sweet; mapo tofu freckled with tiny fermented black beans and scallions, and pork with pickled red peppers and strips of ginger root, progress from sweet to pungent to hot to salty—in that order. Alternated with cooling dishes—nibbles of rice, a verdant mound of baby bok choy stir-fried with a shovelful of garlic, refreshing spinach wilted in ginger sauce, a simply sensational tea-smoked duck—the effect is momentarily tempered. 7888 S. Mason Montgomery Rd., Mason, (513) 770-3123, sichuanbistro.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sun. MCC, DS. $$
UNCLE YIP’S
Long before sushi somehow un-disgusted itself to the Western World, China had houses of dim sum. Uncle Yip’s valiantly upholds that tradition in Evendale. This is a traditional dim sum house with all manner of exotic dumplings, including shark fin or beef tripe with ginger and onion. As for the seafood part of the restaurant’s full name, Uncle Yip has most everything the sea has to offer, from lobster to mussels. The menu has more than ICON BY AERIAL333/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
260 items, so you’ll find a range of favorites, from moo goo gai pan to rock salt frog legs. 10736 Reading Rd., Evendale, (513) 733-8484, uncleyips.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, discount for cash. $$
ECLECTIC ABIGAIL STREET
bulgogi pork, and cilantro—hitting all the right notes. More adventurous palates may opt for the nuanced ramen—the pork and soy broth teeming with cuts of both pork belly and slow-cooked shoulder, while a superbly poached egg lingers at the edge, awaiting its curtain call. Service is friendly but tends to sputter when it comes to the basics of hospitality. 3520 Edwards Rd., Hyde Park, (513) 832-1023, eokitchen.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $$
THE LITTLEFIELD
Most people who’ve eaten at Abigail Street have favorite dishes that they order every visit: the Moroccan spiced broccoli, for example, or the mussels charmoula, with its perfect balance of saffron, creaminess, and tomatoey acidity. Many of the new items on the menu have the same perfected feeling as these classics. Working within a loose framework of Middle Eastern and North African flavors, Abigail Street has never fallen into a routine that would sap its energy. New offerings like the duck leg confit, with spicy-sour harissa flavors, firm-tender butternut squash, and perfectly made couscous, feel just as accomplished as old favorites like the falafel, beautifully moist and crumbly with a bright parsley interior. The restaurant is always watching for what works and what will truly satisfy, ready to sacrifice the superficially interesting in favor of the essential
3934 Spring Grove Ave., Northside, (513) 3867570, littlefieldns.com. Lunch Mon–Sat, dinner seven days, brunch Sun. V, MC. $
1214 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 421-4040, abigailstreet.com. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC, DS. $$
MASHROOTS
Top 10
Top 10
BOUQUET RESTAURANT AND WINE BAR
Normally diners aren’t pleased when a restaurant runs out of something. At Bouquet, though, surprise changes to the menu are simply a sign of integrity. Chef-owner Stephen Williams is serious about using seasonal ingredients, and if the figs have run out or there is no more chicken from a local farm, so be it. The flavors at Bouquet are about doing justice to what’s available. Preparations are unfussy, complexity coming from within the vegetables and proteins themselves. A tomato salad—wonderfully fresh and vibrant, so you know the tomatoes have just come off a nearby vine—is dressed with chopped shiso, a crimson herb that tastes like a mysterious combination of mint and cilantro. This determination to make something delicious out of what’s on hand, to embrace limitations, gives the food at Bouquet a rustic, soulful quality. 519 Main St., Covington, (859) 491-7777, bouquetrestaurant.com. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC, DS. $$
CHÉ
This Walnut Street spot draws on authentic Argentine recipes, including the empanadas. Choose from more than a dozen different crispy, perfectly cinched dough pockets, with fillings ranging from traditional (a mixture of cumin-spiced beef, egg, and olives) to experimental (mushrooms, feta, green onion, and mozzarella). There are also six different dipping sauces to choose from, but you need not stray from the house chimichurri. It complements practically every item on the menu, but particularly the grilled meats, another Argentinian staple. Marinated beef skewers and sausages are cooked on an open-flame grill, imparting welcome bits of bitter char to the juicy meat. 1342 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 3458838, checincinnati.com. Lunch Tues–Sun , dinner seven days, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $$
E+O KITCHEN
The former Beluga space comes alive with a menu that conjoins minimalist Asian with gutsycum-earthy Latin. The results are hit-or-miss: while guacamole was pointlessly studded with edamame, the pork belly buns are especially tender. Taco plates are a safe bet, with the “sol” pastor—pineapple coupled with Korean kimchi,
Inside a modest 1,500 square-foot space on Spring Grove, just south of Hamilton Avenue, at least 70-odd bourbons behind the bar drive this little restaurant’s philosophy. The menu is meant to be limited, the better to support and celebrate the bottled flavors up front. There are surprises: a faint hint of curry powder deepens the moody cauliflower fritters; skewered golf-balls of mild, peppery ground lamb get a faint crust from the final sear. You’ll also want to order the smoked pork katsu. Panko crusted cutlets of pork, topped with tonkatsu sauce, served with sesame ginger slaw and kewpie mayo. The signature chicken and corn chowder is exactly what you need on a cold winter’s day.
CHAIN GANG
After serving mofongo at Findlay Market for nearly four years, Mashroots opened its first brick-andmortar spot in College Hill in 2021.. For the uninitiated, mofongo is a traditional Puerto Rican dish of mashed fried plantains with garlic and olive oil, typically served with protein and sauce. Here, you can get plantain, yuca, or sweet potato as your root and a protein, like skirt steak or pulled chicken. Top it off with veggies (pinkslaw, vinagrete, citruscarrot) and a sauce (pink mayo, anyone?), and wash it all down with refreshing cocktails made with rum and harder-to-find spirits.
Graeter’s was recently named to Newsweek’s inaugural “America’s Favorite Restaurant Chains” list in the ice cream and frozen yogurt category. The 220 winners were selected from a survey distributed to 4,000 customers and employees at U.S. chain restaurants.
5903 Hamilton Ave., College Hill, (513) 620-4126, mashroots.com. Lunch and dinner Tues-Sat, Lunch and dinner Sun. MCC. $
newsweek.com/ americas-favoriterestaurant-chains-2022
MITA’S
It’s fitting that chef Jose Salazar named this restaurant after his grandmother, because there is something deeply homey about the food at Mita’s. With a focus on Spanish tapas, it always feels, in the best possible way, like elevated home cooking. Its sophistication is modestly concealed. The flavors are bold and direct, whether the smoky depths of the chimichurri rojo on skewers of grilled chicken or the intensely bright sourness of the pozole verde. In dishes like the mushroom soup, the chef hits every register: the acid of red piquillo peppers to balance the earthy mushrooms, the crisp fried leeks against the delicately creamy soup. But what mainly comes through is the warm-hearted affection a grandmother might have put into a meal for a beloved grandson. It’s the kind of big hug everyone needs from time to time. Top 10
501 Race St., downtown, (513) 421-6482, mitas.co. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC. $$$
PLEASANTRY
With only 40 seats inside, Daniel Souder and Joanna Kirkendall’s snug but spare OTR gem— they serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner like a true neighborhood spot—features an engaging wine program aimed at broadening your palate alongside small plates that are equally ambitious. Classic technique and fresh produce anchor an approachable menu—“everything” biscuits with cured salmon, burgers, and chicken salad sandwiches are available at lunch, and the cauliflower with sambal is a comforting mash-up of a rich cauliflower-and-coconut-cream schmear topped with a head of sambal-roasted cauliF E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M 9 1
WHERE TO EAT NOW
flower, grapefruit segments, toasted cashews, and cilantro. This is not to say that the proteins aren’t something special. Traditionally a much less expensive cut, the small hanger steak was decidedly tender, served with braised cippolini onions and sauteed mushrooms. 118 W. 15th St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 3811969, pleasantryotr.com. Dinner Tues–Sat, brunch Fri–Sun. MCC. $
PONTIAC OTR
Dan Wright’s BBQ dream gets reincarnated as a wing joint and tiki drink emporium. The brisket still shows up on the brisket nachos, and the fried pickles and the silky mac-and-cheese didn’t go anywhere, but the smoked wings have taken center stage. Choose from one of seven sauce options—BBQ, original, chipotle-mayo, hot garlic, General Tso, Carolina gold, and island jerk—pick your hunger lever (five, 10, 25, or 60 wings), and chow down. If you’re feeling especially brave, take the wing challenge and consume 10 winges tossed in housemade “super mega ultra hot sauce” in five mintues, and you’ll get your wings for free and a picture on the wall of fame. 1403 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 579-8500, pontiacbbq.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sun, brunch Sun. MCC. $$
SACRED BEAST
TWO IN ONE
The Westwood Community Urban Redevelopment Corp. has selected the owners of the Ivory House restaurant to lead the development of Alfresco at Town Hall. The project will house an Italian restaurant (Terrazza Trattoria) and a Mexican restaurant (Paloma’s), both of which are scheduled to open in spring 2023.
Sacred Beast advertises itself as a kind of upscale diner, but the real gems are the oddball dishes that don’t quite fit the diner mold. The menu can be disorienting in its eclecticism: foie gras torchon is next to lobster poutine, and a king salmon is next to a diner breakfast and deviled eggs. Winners are scattered throughout the menu in every category. On the cocktail list, the Covington Iced Tea, a lemon and coffee concoction made with cold brew, San Pellegrino, and vodka is oddly satisfying. The service is good, and there is some flair about the place—including vintage touches, from the facsimile reel-to-reel audio system to the mostly classic cocktails—even within its rather chilly industrial design. In short, go for the late night grub; stay for the elegant, shareable twists on classic snacks. 1437 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 213-2864, sacredbeastdiner.com. Lunch, dinner, and late night seven days. MCC. $$
THE STANDARD
Owners Paul Weckman and Emily Wolff offer a pared down menu of six small plates (if you include the fries) and five mains. It’s simple but satisfying, with an interesting Pan-Asian street food vibe. The two kinds of satay (particularly the lemongrass chicken) and the fried honey sriracha tenders, with an excellent housemade bread-andbutter pickle, are the highlights. In terms of drinks, try the Hot Rod, which has the flavor of kimchi captured in a drink. There is a gochujang (salty, fermented Korean chile paste) simple syrup and a rim of Korean pepper—and the result is wonderful and unique. 434 Main St., Covington, (859) 360-0731, facebook.com/thestandardcov. Dinner Tues– Sun. MCC. $
TASTE OF BELGIUM
Jean-François Flechet’s waffle empire grew from a back counter of Madison’s grocery at Findlay Market to multiple full-service sit-down spots. There’s more on the menu than the authentic Belgian treat, though it would be a crime to miss the chicken and waffles: a dense, yeasty waffle topped with a succulent buttermilk fried chicken breast, Frank’s hot sauce, and maple syrup. There are also frites, of course, and croquettes—molten Emmenthaler cheese sticks—plus a gem of a Bolognese. And let’s not forget the beer. Six rotating taps offer some of the best the Belgians brew, not to mention those made in town. 1133 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 381-4607, and other locations, authenticwaffle.com.
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Breakfast and lunch Mon–Sat, dinner Tues–Sat, brunch Sun. MCC. $$
20 BRIX
Paul Barraco mixes Mediterranean influences with homespun choices, and he comes up with some marvelous food. Lamb meatballs with melted onions and romesco sauce are sweet and peppery, and their simplicity partners well with a lush Zinfandel. And his chicken and waffles could inspire you to regularly take a solo seat at the bar. The excellent wine list, arranged by flavor profiles within the varietals, features dozens of varieties by the glass in five-ounce or two-ounce pours, which makes it easy to try several. 101 Main St., Milford, (513) 831-2749, 20brix. com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat. MCC, DS, DC. $$
ZULA
For a restaurant whose name loosely derives from an Israeli slang term for “hidden treasure,” it seems apt that a dish or two might sneak in and stun—like the mussels Marseilles, with its bouillabaisse-style broth, rich with saffron, tomato, and fennel. But Zula is no one-trick pony. With a wood-fired oven on the premises, it’s incumbent on you to try the flatbreads. One zula is the eggplant option, where caramelized onions and marinated red bell peppers pair well with subtly sweet fontina. Not every bite at Zula is a gamechanger, but one is all you need. 1400 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 7449852, zulabistro.com. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC. $$
knowledge—is going to put out special meals. Rarely have humble insalate been so intricately delicious, between the perfectly nested ribbons of beets in the pickled beet salad or the balance of bitterness, funkiness, and creaminess in the endive and Gorgonzola salad. Order an old favorite, by all means, but make sure you try something new, too. 1420 Sycamore St., Pendleton, (513) 721-6200, nicolasotr.com. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC, DC, DS. $$$
PEPP & DOLORES
As with all of Thunderdome’s restaurants, you get a sense that they want to deliver a meal that satisfies many different kinds of people. The prices are reasonable, with pasta entrées about $15. The dishes are familiar in their flavors, but everything feels balanced and modulated and gradually perfected. There is lovely variety: the limone pasta is zippy with lemon and chili flakes, and just the right mixture of tart and creamy; the deep meaty flavors on the mushroom toast are balanced with a nice acidity; and the heat in dishes like the eggplant involtini is just enough to wake up the sauce without overwhelming the flavor. The menu has a wealth of excellent vegetarian and pasta-alternative options. 1501 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 419-1820, peppanddolores.com. Lunch Sat & Sun, dinner seven days. MCC. $$
SOTTO
Everything about this place says it’s about the pizza: the herbed sauce, the assault of the cheese, the toppings. It’s all evenly distributed, so you get a taste in every bite. Adriatico’s still delivers the tastiest pizza in Clifton. On any given night the aroma wafts through every dorm on campus. It’s that popular because it’s that good. Being inexpensive doesn’t hurt either.
There are certain books and movies that you can read or watch over and over. Eating at Sotto is a similar experience: familiar, but so profound and satisfying that there is no reason to ever stop. Unlike other restaurants, where the techniques are often elaborate and unfamiliar, the magic at Sotto happens right in front of you, using ordinary elements and methods. When you taste the results, though, you realize that some mysterious transmutation has taken place. Penne with rapini and sausage comes in a buttery, lightly starchy broth with a kick of spice that you could go on eating forever. From the texture of the chicken liver mousse to the tart cherry sauce on the panna cotta, most of the food has some added element of soulfulness.
113 W. McMillan St., Clifton Heights, (513) 281-4344, adriaticosuc.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $
118 E. Sixth St., downtown, (513) 977-6886, sottocincinnati.com. Lunch Mon–Fri, dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $$$
I TA L I A N ADRIATICO’S
Top 10
FORNO
Cristian Pietoso’s second restaurant has all the bones of an upscale eatery, but the menu is infused with enough Italian soul to make nonna proud. In most instances, raving about a side of creamed corn wouldn’t bode well for the rest of the menu. Here, that side dish—kernels swimming in a pool of truffle-laced heavy cream that demands sopping up—is evidence that each component prepared by chef de cuisine Stefano Carne is purpose-driven. The red wine–braised honeycomb tripe, which carries a warning label (“Don’t be scared!”), and the pappardelle with spiced cinghiale (wild boar) ragu are examples of the elevated, adventurous comfort food that Pietoso strives for. 3514 Erie Ave., East Hyde Park, (513) 818-8720, fornoosteriabar.com. Dinner Tues–Sun, brunch Sun. MCC. $$
NICOLA’S
Chef/Restaurateur Cristian Pietoso carries on the legacy of his father, Nicola, as the elder Pietoso’s Over-the-Rhine eatery celebrates more than 25 years in business. Nicola’s has entered a new era of exuberant creativity under the leadership of chef Jack Hemmer. You can still get the old Italian classics, and they’ll be as good as ever, but the rest of the menu has blossomed into a freewheeling tour of modern American cuisine. Any establishment paying this level of attention to detail—from the candied slice of blood orange on the mascarpone cheesecake to the staff’s wine Top 10
J A PA N E S E ANDO
You don’t go just anywhere to dine on uni sashimi (sea urchin) or tanshio (thinly sliced charcoalgrilled beef tongue). Don’t miss the rich and meaty chyu toro (fatty big-eye tuna), or the pucker-inducing umeshiso maki (pickled plum paste and shiso leaf roll). Noodles are also well represented, with udon, soba, or ramen options available. And don’t forget to ask about the specials; owners Ken and Keiko Ando always have something new, be it oysters, pork belly, or steamed monkfish liver, a Japanese delicacy that you’ll be hard-pressed to find in any of those Hyde Park pan-Asian wannabes. The only thing you won’t find here is sake, or any other alcohol. Bring your own, or stick to the nutty and outright addicting barley tea. 5889 Pfeiffer Rd., Blue Ash, (513) 791-8687, andojapaneserestaurant.com. Lunch Tues & Thurs, dinner Tues–Sat. MCC. $$$
KIKI
Kiki started as a pop-up at Northside Yacht Club, then leapt into brick-and-mortar life in College Hill. Your best bet here is to share plates, or simply order too much, starting with the shishito buono, a piled-high plate of roasted shishito peppers tossed in shaved parmesan and bagna cauda, a warm, rich blend of garlic and anchovies. Add the karaI C O N B Y M I S S B O B B I T/ S T O C K . A D O B E . C O M
age fried chicken, with the Jordy mayo and the pepe meshi, confit chicken on spaghetti and rice that somehow works. And, yes, the ramen, too. The shio features pork belly and tea-marinated soft-boiled egg, but the kimchi subs in tofu and its namesake cabbage for the meat. 5932 Hamilton Ave., College Hill, (513) 5410381, kikicincinnati.com. Lunch (carryout only) and dinner Thurs–Sun. MCC. $
KYOTO
Owner Jason Shi seems to know everybody’s name as he chats up diners, guiding them through the extensive sushi and sashimi menu. Five young sushi chefs, all part of Shi’s family, work at light speed behind the bar, a choreography backlit by rows of gleaming liquor bottles. Dinner proceeds with glorious chaos as a feisty Carla Tortelli–like server delivers one dish after another—slivers of giant clam on ice in a super-sized martini glass, a volcanic tower of chopped fatty tuna hidden inside overlapping layers of thin avocado slices, smoky grilled New Zealand mussels drizzled with spicy mayo, and delicate slices of a samurai roll—all between shots of chilled sake. 12082 Montgomery Rd., Symmes Twp., (513) 583-8897, kyotosushibar.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $$
MEI
Mei’s menu is meant to represent traditional Japanese cuisine, appealing to the novice as well as the sushi maven. It is divided into sections that encourage a progressive meal of small dishes: One each for hot and cold appetizers, noodles, sushi and sashimi, special rolls, soups and salads, sushi dinners (with miso soup), and combinations (such as tempura paired with sashimi). Deep-fried soft shell crab comes with ponzu sauce—a dipping sauce made of rice vinegar, soy sauce, mirin, and citrus juice—and the kind of yakitori that you can find on the streets of New York. Bento boxes—lacquered wooden boxes divided into compartments—offer the neophyte a sampling of several small dishes. Mei’s are lovely: deep red and stocked with tempura, cooked salmon, sashimi, stewed vegetables, and a fabulous egg custard with shrimp and gingko nut. Mei’s sushi—nigiri, maki, and handrolls—is exceptionally good with quality cuts of fresh seafood. The staff is knowledgeable, extremely efficient, respectful, and attentive, even when it’s at peak capacity. 8608 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, (513) 891-6880, meijapaneserestaurant.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $$
ZUNDO RAMEN & DONBURI
A stark contrast to Styrofoam cup soup, chef Han Lin’s ramens are a deep and exciting branch of cuisine, capable of subtlety, variation, and depth. The simplicity of the dish’s name hides a world of complexity. Zundo uses the traditional Japanese building blocks of flavor—soy sauce, miso, sake, mirin—to create something freewheeling and time-tested. Bowls of ramen come with a marinated soft-boiled egg half, roast pork, green onion, and a healthy serving of noodles. Each has a distinct identity, like the milky richness of the tonkotsu, the rich and buttery miso, or the light and faintly sweet shoyu ramen. A transformative add-in is the mayu, or black garlic oil. Dripped on top of one of the subtler broths, it adds a deep, mushroom-y richness, with the hint of burned flavor that makes barbecue so good. 220 W. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 9750706, zundootr.com. Lunch Tues–Sun. MCC. $$
KOREAN HARU
After the closing of Sung Korean Bistro, Haru is a welcome addition to the downtown scene. Dishes are served along with the usual Korean accompaI C O N B Y S L I P F L O AT/ S T O C K . A D O B E . C O M
niment of pickles, kimchi, fish cakes, and other mysteriously delicious dainties. A favorite is the japchae, a traditional dish sporting silky sweet potato noodles with sesame-and-garlic sauce, matchsticks of assorted crisp vegetables, and behind it all a wonderful smokiness that pervades the whole meal. The accompanying pot of gochujang, a fermented Korean chili paste, adds its own sweet and spicy note. The result is a homey, soulful, and satisfying taste that appeals even to those who’ve never eaten a bite of Korean food before. 628 Vine St., downtown, (513) 381-0947, harucincy.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat. MCC. $$
RIVERSIDE KOREAN RESTAURANT
Come for the jo gi mae un tang—a bowl of sizzling, happy hellbroth pungent with red pepper, garlic, and ginger, crowded with nuggets of fish, tofu, and vegetables. Come for the restorative power of sam gae tang, a chicken soup for the Seoul—a whole Cornish hen submerged in its own juices and plumped with sticky rice and ginseng, dried red dates, and pine nuts. Revered for their medicinal properties, both dinner-sized soups will leave your eyes glistening and your brow beaded with sweat. They’re a detox for your overindulgence, rejuvenation for when you’re feeling under the weather. Expect crowds on weekends. Expect too, that dozens of them have come for dolsot bibimbap, the hot stone pots filled with layers of rice, vegetables, meat or tofu, egg, and chili paste. Characterized by its electric color and addictive flavors, Riverside Korean’s version is a captivating bowl of heaven. 512 Madison Ave., Covington, (859) 291-1484, riversidekoreanrestaurant.com. Lunch Mon– Fri, dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $$
SURA
This traditional Korean oasis has been flying well beneath the radar since 2010. Don’t let the pepper count on the menu deter you. Each entrée arrives with purple rice and assorted small bites aimed at cutting the heat—steamed broccoli, pickled radishes, soy-sauce-marinated tofu, pan-fried fish cake, and housemade kimchi. Korean barbecue staple osam bulgogi—one of only two items meriting a three pepper rating—swiftly clears sinuses with a flavorful duo of pork belly and squid lashed with Korean red pepper paste and served on a sizzling skillet. The two-pepper kimchi jjigae stew marries fermented Korean cabbage with hunks of tofu and shards of pork in a bubbling tomato-based broth. Make sure to order a bowl of the bone noodle soup for the table—a comforting combination of thick noodles and bits of flank steak floating in a umamirich marrow broth that magically soothes the burn. 7876 Mason-Montgomery Rd., Mason, (513) 204-3456, surakorean.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat. MCC. $$
MEDITERRANEAN ANDY’S MEDITERRANEAN GRILLE
In this lively joint with a burnished summer lodge interior of wood and stone, even the food is unrestrained: rough-cut chunks of charbroiled beef tenderloin, big slices of onion and green pepper turned sweet and wet in the heat, skewers of marinated and charbroiled chicken perched on rice too generous for its plate. Co-owner Andy Hajjar mans his station at the end of the bar, smoking a hookah pipe that fills the air with the sweet smell of flavored tobacco, while the friendly but hurried staff hustles through. 906 Nassau St., Walnut Hills, (513) 281-9791, andyskabob.com. Lunch Mon–Sat, dinner seven days. MCC. $$
CAFÉ MEDITERRANEAN
Chef-driven Middle Eastern cuisine leans heavily on Turkish tradition here. The baba ghanoush uses seared eggplant, which adds a pleasant smokiness to the final product. Börek is described as a “Turkish Egg Roll,” wrapping feta and fresh and dried herbs into phyllo dough, and frying it lightly to brittle flakiness. The pastry arrives atop a vivid cherry tomato marmalade, which adds a welcome dimension of barely sweet fruitiness. While there is a smooth, simple hummus on the menu, you should go for the classic sucuklu hummus, which is spiked with sujuk, a common beef sausage popular all over the Middle East. 3520 Erie Ave., East Hyde Park, (513) 871-8714. Lunch Mon–Sat, dinner seven days. MCC. $$ Top 10
PHOENICIAN TAVERNA
No matter how much restraint you go in with, meals at Phoenician Taverna quickly become feasts. There is just too much that’s good, and everything is meant to be shared. With fresh pita bread continuously arriving from the ovens, and a table of quickly multiplying meze (hummus, falafel, muhammara), there is a warmth and depth to the cooking that envelops you. With such traditional cuisine, you may think there isn’t much left to discover beyond simply executed classics prepared according to time-tested methods. But there are always new discoveries as the flavors mingle from plate to plate: the tabbouleh with the hummus, mixed with a touch of harissa, or the smoky baba ghanoush spooned onto falafel. Phoenician Taverna keeps taking these classics a little further. 7944 Mason Montgomery Rd., Mason, (513) 770-0027, phoeniciantaverna.com. Lunch Tues– Fri, dinner Tues–Sun. MCC. $$
SEBASTIAN’S
When the wind is just right, you can smell the garlicky meat roasting from a mile away. Watch owner Alex Sebastian tend to the rotating wheels of beef and lamb, and you understand how Greek food has escaped the American tendency to appropriate foreign cuisines. Sebastian’s specializes in gyros, shaved off the stick, wrapped in thick griddle pita with onions and tomatoes, and served with cool tzatziki sauce. Alex’s wife and daughter run the counter with efficient speed, and whether you’re having a crisp Greek salad with house-made dressing, triangles of spanikopita, or simply the best walnut and honey baklava this side of the Atlantic (often made by the Mrs.), they never miss a beat, turning more covers in their tiny deli on one Saturday afternoon than some restaurants do in an entire weekend.
POUR QUE
The bar Pour Lounge is scheduled to open in the original Boca space on Hamilton Avenue this winter. Home to several Northside eateries (remember Honey? And Bistro Grace?), the cozy space will feature specialty cocktails and shots, hard-to-find topshelf spirits, and upscale appetizers.
5209 Glenway Ave., Price Hill, (513) 471-2100, sebastiansgyros.com. Lunch and dinner Mon– Sat. Cash. $
MEXICAN HABAÑERO
It’s easy to find a cheap burrito place around a college campus, but you’d be hard-pressed to find one as consistently good as Habañero, with its flavors of Latin America and the Caribbean wrapped up in enormous packages. Fried tilapia, apricotglazed chicken breast, hand-rubbed spiced flank steak, shredded pork tenderloin, or cinnamonroasted squash are just some of the ingredients for Habañero’s signature burritos. All salsas are house-made, from the smoky tomato chipotle to the sweet-sounding mango jalapeño, which is hot enough to spark spontaneous combustion. 358 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, (513) 961-6800, habanerolatin.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DC, DS. $
MAZUNTE
Mazunte runs a culinary full court press, switchF E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M 9 3
WHERE TO EAT NOW
2645 Erie Ave., Hyde Park, (513) 321-6372, mesalocahydepark.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $$
TAQUERIA CRUZ
ing up specials to keep both regulars and staff engaged. Tamales arrive swaddled in a banana leaf, the shredded pork filling steeped in a sauce fiery with guajillo and ancho chilies yet foiled by the calming sweetness of raisins. The fried mahi-mahi tacos are finished with a citrusy red and white cabbage slaw that complements the accompanying mangohabañero salsa. With this level of authentic yet fast-paced execution, a slightly greasy pozole can be easily forgiven. Don’t miss the Mexican Coke and self-serve sangria (try the blanco), or the cans of Rhinegeist and MadTree on ice.
The menu at this four-table mom-and-pop welcomes you to “a little piece of Mexico.” The huaraches (spelled guarachis here), are flat troughs of thick, handmade fried masa dough the approximate shape and size of a shoeprint, mounded with beans and slivers of grilled beef or chili-red nubs of sausage, shredded lettuce, a crumble of queso fresco, and drizzle of cultured cream. Should you have an adventurous side, you can have your huarache topped with slippery tongue, goat meat, shredded chicken, or pork. There are stews, carne asada plates, and sopes—saucers of fried masa much like huaraches, only smaller. 518 Pike St., Covington, (859) 431-3859. Lunch and dinner seven days. Cash. $
5207 Madison Rd., Madisonville, (513) 785-0000, mazuntetacos.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat, brunch Sun. MCC. $
Sitting on a corner of Hyde Park Square, it’s easy to see that Mesa Loca has an absolute dream of a location. The pandemic forced a few changes to the seafood-centric menu, but those dishes still on the menu indicate what Mesa Loca could be. The tuna ceviche is nicely balanced: tart, with a little spicy creaminess, and a good crispy tostada. The Baja snapper goes well with a bright pile of grated radish and the mango habañero salsa, one of the highlights of the meal. With minced chunks of mango and a hint of fruity habañero heat, it is a prime example of how you can elevate Mexican food and make it worthy of a higher-thanordinary price. One of Mesa Loca’s appealing qualities is its dramatic flair: The yucca fries come stacked on the plate like a late-stages game of Jenga, and their sour-and-spicy rub is quite delicious and striking against the bright starchy white of the fries.
Over the years Chef John Broshar has developed his niche, inspired by the seasonal availability of fish obtained daily from one or more of the purveyors he uses. Mahi-mahi from the Gulf, swordfish from Hawaii, Lake Erie walleye, wild Alaskan salmon, wreckfish from South Carolina, rainbow trout, and wild striped bass are just some of the varieties that rotate through the extensive features listed on a 10-foot by 2-foot chalkboard. The regular offerings are no slouch: Grilled grouper sandwich with chipotle tartar sauce, chubby fish tacos, perfectly fried piping hot oysters tucked into a buttered and toasted po’ boy bun with housemade slaw, and tart-sweet key lime pie. And of course, the damn good New England style chowder. 7261 Beechmont Ave., Anderson Twp., (513) 232-2526, the pelicansreef.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat. MCC, DS. $$
STEAKS
SEAFOOD
MESA LOCA
PELICAN’S REEF
CARLO & JOHNNY MCCORMICK & SCHMICK’S
The daily rotation here reads like a fisherman’s wish list: fresh lobsters from the coast of Maine, ahi tuna from Hawaii, North Carolina catfish, Massachusetts cod. But high-quality ingredients are only half the equation; preparation is the other. Flaky Parmesan-crusted tilapia, with a squeeze of lemon, makes the taste buds dance. The spacious digs and attentive waitstaff bring a touch of class to Fountain Square, and make it a sophisticated destination. It’s likely to remain a favorite. After all, it’s right in the middle of things. 21 E. Fifth St., downtown, (513) 721-9339, mccormickandschmicks.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DC, DS. $$
The stars of the menu are 12 delectable steaks that could sway the vegi-curious to recommit. Not sure which to choose? If you prefer brawny flavor over buttery texture, go for one of the three bone-in rib cuts. Or if it’s that meltin-your-mouth experience that raises your serotonin levels, C&J features several tenderloin cuts, including the hard to find bone-in filet. There are the usual suspects of raw bar, seafood, pork chops, et al, if you’re interested in non-beef alternatives. 9769 Montgomery Rd., Montgomery, (513) 936-8600, jeffruby.com. Dinner seven days. MCC. $$$$
JEFF RUBY’S
Filled most nights with local scenesters and power brokers (and those who think they are), everything in this urban
March 4, 5, 6, 2022 Presented by
Kentucky Horse Park’s Alltech Arena, Lexington, Kentucky The Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation Visit www.bluegrasstrust.org/antiques-and-garden-show
859.253.0362
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@bluegrasstrust
steakhouse is generous—from the portions to the expert service. White-jacketed waiters with floor-length aprons deliver two-fisted martinis and stacks of king crab legs, or mounds of greens dressed in thin vinaigrettes or thick, creamy emulsions. An occasional salmon or sea bass appears, and there’s a small but decent assortment of land fare. But most customers, even the willowy model types, inhale slabs of beef (dry aged USDA prime) like they’re dining in a crack house for carnivores. The best of these is Jeff Ruby’s Jewel, nearly a pound-and-a-half of bone-in rib eye. This is steak tailor-made for movers and shakers.
mashed potatoes, the crisp-tender asparagus with roasted garlic and lemon vinaigrette—and dinner ends on a sweet note with a piece of Ruby family recipe cheesecake. Neither cloyingly sweet nor overwhelmingly creamy, it’s a lovely slice of restraint. 311 Delta Ave., Columbia-Tusculum, (513) 321-5454, jeffruby.com/precinct. Dinner seven days. MCC. $$$$
5461 North Bend Rd., Monfort Heights, (513) 481-3360, thainamtip.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MC, V. $
THAI
700 Walnut St., downtown, (513) 784-1200, jeffruby. com. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC, DC. $$$$
MORTON’S THE STEAKHOUSE
No one has replicated the concept of an expensive boys’ club better than Morton’s. Amid the dark polished woods and white linen, the Riedel stemware and stupendous flower arrangements, assorted suits grapple with double cut filet mignons, 24 ounces of porterhouse, pink shiny slabs of prime rib, overflowing plates of salty Lyonnaise potatoes, or mammoth iceberg wedges frosted with thick blue cheese dressing. Jumbo is Morton’s decree: Oversized martini and wine glasses, ethereal towering lemon soufflés, roomy chairs, and tables large enough for a plate and a laptop.
WILD GINGER
GREEN PAPAYA
Inside this simple dining room, replete with soothing browns and greens and handsome, dark wood furniture, it takes time to sort through the many curries and chef’s specialties, not to mention the wide variety of sushi on the something-for-everyone menu. Have the staff—friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable—help you. When the food arrives, you’ll need only a deep inhale to know you made the right choice. The Green Papaya sushi rolls are as delicious as they look, with a manic swirl of spicy mayo and bits of crabstick and crispy tempura batter scattered atop the spicy tuna, mango, cream cheese, and shrimp tempura sushi—all rolled in a vivid green soybean wrap.
441 Vine St., downtown, (513) 621-3111, mortons.com. Dinner seven days. MCC. $$$
2942 Wasson Rd., Oakley, (513) 731-0107, greenpapayacincinnati.com. Lunch Mon–Sat, dinner seven days. MCC. $$
THE PRECINCT
THAI NAMTIP
Part of the appeal of the Ruby restaurants is their ability to deliver deep, comfort-food satisfaction. And the steaks. The meat is tender with a rich mineral flavor, and the signature seasoning provided a nice crunch, not to mention blazing heat. The supporting cast is strong—the basket of warm Sixteen Bricks bread with a mushroom truffle butter, the addictive baked macaroni and cheese, the creamy garlic
heat. Tom Kha Gai soup defines the complex interplay of flavors in Thai food: astringent lemongrass gives way to pepper, then Makrut lime, shot through with the gingery, herbaceous galangal, all yielding to the taunting sweetness of coconut. Even the simple skewers of chicken satay with Thai peanut sauce are rough and honest, dulcified by honey and dirtied up by a smoky grill.
Classic Thai comfort food on the west side from chef/owner Tussanee Leach, who grew up with galangal on her tongue and sriracha sauce in her veins. Her curries reign: pale yellow sweetened with coconut milk and poured over tender chicken breast and chunks of boiled pineapple; red curry the color of new brick, tasting of earth at first bite, then the sharply verdant Thai basil leaves, followed by a distant
Wild Ginger Asian Bistro’s ability to satisfy a deep desire for Vietnamese and Thai fusion cuisine is evidenced by their signature Hee Ma roll—a fortress of seaweed-wrapped rolls filled with shrimp tempura, asparagus, avocado, and topped with red tuna, pulled crab stick, tempura flakes, a bit of masago, scallions, and of course, spicy mayo. It’s tasty, even though the sweet fried floodwall of tempura and spicy mayo overpowered the tuna completely. The spicy pad char entrée was a solid seven out of 10: broccoli, carrots, cabbage, succulent red bell peppers, green beans, and beef, accented with basil and lime leaves in a peppercorn-andchili brown sauce. 3655 Edwards Rd., Hyde Park, (513) 533-9500, wildgingercincy.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sun. MCC, DS. $$ CINCINNATI MAGAZINE, (ISSN 0746-8 210), February 2022, Volume 55, Number 5. Published monthly ($14.95 for 12 issues annually) at 1818 Race St., Ste. 301, Cincinnati, OH 45202. (513) 421-4300. Copyright © 2022 by Cincinnati Magazine LLC, a subsidiary of Hour Media Group, 5750 New King Dr, Ste 100, Troy, MI 48098. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or reprinted without permission. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, and artwork should be accompanied by SASE for return. The magazine cannot be held responsible for loss. For subscription orders, address changes or renewals, write to CINCINNATI MAGAZINE, 1965 E. Avis Dr., Madison Heights, MI 48071, or call 1-866-660-6247. Periodicals postage paid at Cincinnati, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Please send forms 3579 to CINCINNATI MAGAZINE, 1965 E. Avis Dr., Madison Heights, MI 48071. If the Postal Service alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year.
Love at First Bite
Croissant Brûlée
A new DLM signature classic, our Pâtisserie delicately crafts a croissant bowl that nestles a generous brown sugar crème brûlée as it bakes. Depths of royal, sweet richness meets the perfectly soft crunch of the buttery caramelized croissant exterior.
Oakwood (937) 299-3561 Washington Square (937) 434-1294 Springboro (937) 748-6800 D O RO T H YL A N E . CO M
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CINCY OBSCURA
Look Up RESIDENTS OF THE Belvedere in North Avondale don’t have to look far to see world-class art. They just have to look up. Built in 1926 as the city’s first high-rise luxury fireproof apartment building, The Belvedere takes its interior design cues from the Second Renaissance Revival architectural style, which looks to Italy’s golden age for inspiration. But soaring ceilings and arched windows are just a taste of the main attraction. The ceiling is decorated with elaborate murals painted by Herman Wessel, a Cincinnati artist who honed his skills under Frank Duveneck. Wessel was reportedly inspired by the Villa Madame, a rural palace in Rome, and used the canvas of The Belvedere’s ceilings to paint vignettes representing themes from the four seasons to state, law, and family. He never signed the murals—and didn’t receive widespread recognition for them—but the building’s residents have ensured that his legacy lives on. And the experts have taken note. In 2016, the Cincinnati Preservation Association recognized Deco Works Studio for its meticulous work on the restoration of Wessel’s sky-high masterpiece. —LAUREN FISHER
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PH OTO G R A PH BY W E S B AT TO C LET TE
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