DINING OUT

ELEMEN-TREE, MY DEAR (From left) Plant life is a major feature of Alcove’s main dining area; the charcuterie board features four cheeses, two meats, paw paw butter, and mustard; barramundi served with turnips, asparagus, grilled rhubarb, and scallions over a bed of jasmine rice with ginger-coconut cream; Executive Chef Brandon Lomax.

room tartine, with its caramelized onions and pungent horseradish, for example. It’s worth noting that the mushrooms come from Cincinnati’s own Rich Life Farms. Like Bouquet, Alcove reflects Williams’s— and his team’s—commitment to sustainable sourcing from small, often local, vendors. Similar provenances can be found throughout the menu. The smoked trout spread, like the beet salad, is colorful and artfully presented, with its green dill, purple flower petals, and pink pickled onions. Like a silky pâté, it spreads easily over the accompanying grilled bread. It’s perfect for soaking up a MadTree PsycHOPathy or Happy Amber. If you are looking for something to accompany a light, refreshing beer, order the braised chicken sliders, which evoke a sunny backyard BBQ. The spice from the jerk seasoning stokes a slow and pleasant burn, one that is happily extinguished with the proper libations.

That the dishes at Alcove are meant to be served with drinks is evident in the layout of the menu itself. As of this writing, there are only four entrées; the bulk of the menu is made up of snacks and small plates, clearly meant to be nibbled and shared between collective sips. While the drink menu is expectedly strong on MadTree beers, it also features a robust wine list and a diverse array of craft cocktails, the herbs for which are grown on site. Turns out, all those plants aren’t just for show.

The entrées, though few, are surprisingly representative, with beef, pork, fish (a rotating “fresh catch”), and tofu rounding out the options. Of the four, the Sakura Farms steak is the highlight. It’s a Denver Cut, a leaner cut of beef taken from the shoulder. Despite its leanness, it’s tender and flavorful, cooked to a perfect medium rare, as requested. With its rich demi-glace and horseradish aioli, this literal meat-and-potatoes (red, skin on) dish ate like a juicy prime rib. It pairs well with the fullbodied red blend our server recommended. Perhaps the best example of sophisticated comfort food on the menu is the pork shank, served with pimento cheese grits and buttery carrots. It’s large and deliciously fatty, reminding me of a good country rib. The “fresh catch” (walleye, in another nod to our region) is also delightful. Served with its skin on, it’s perfectly charred, much like the accompanying brussels sprouts. Sunchokes enhanced the flavor, while a parsnip puree added a creamy touch and subtle bite.

As with the entrées, the dessert menu is similarly pared down.. It’s somewhat seasonal, with a rotating fruit crisp (apple, when I was there) providing a final bite of freshness at the end of the meal.

If you’re worried that committed, small-batch sourcing plus meticulous attention to detail equals outlandish prices, fear not. The most expensive entrée (the steak) is $32, a great value for the quality and portion. Most of the snacks and small plates hover right around $10.

With those prices, Alcove is poised to be the neighborhood’s “something for everyone” restaurant—a place for a quick drink and bite at the bar or a special occasion dinner. In fact, it seems to be several Over-the-Rhine drinking and dining experiences at once. It’s trendy but historic. It’s a craft brewery, a wine bar, and a craft cocktail lounge. It’s outdoors-meets-indoors. It’s focused fine dining and laid-back beer garden. Of course, balancing all those disparate elements as seamlessly as Alcove does takes the assurance of a master wheeler-dealer. Boss Cox would be proud.