DINING OUT
THE FRENCH CONNECTION LE BAR A BOEUF is Cincinnati’s lifeline to classic French cooking. — B R A N D O N W U S K E
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F IT’S BEEN A COUPLE OF YEARS SINCE YOU’VE BEEN TO LE BAR A BOEUF—JEAN-ROBERT de Cavel’s fun-yet-refined French bistro located on the first floor of the Edgecliff Private Residences in East Walnut Hills—it may be time for a revisit. The restaurant has undergone dramatic (and welcome) changes since our initial review in 2015. The formerly burger-centric menu now approaches the full repertoire of bistro classics. The changes are so extensive that the restaurant’s name, which essentially translates to “The Beef Bar,” no longer fits, despite the numerous cow sculptures that grace its interior. Perhaps “Table Redux” would be more apt. The closure of de Cavel’s beloved downtown bistro in 2020 is largely responsible for the changes. After Table’s closure, many of that restaurant’s kitchen and front-of-house staff, including Chef de Cuisine Jordan Brauninger, made the move to East Walnut Hills. Luckily, the eatery’s renowned hospitality and commitment to approachably exquisite French cuisine made the move, too. Service starts with airy slices of warm, crusty baguette, accompanied by a small glass of creamy butter—the perfect start to any decadent deep dive into French cooking. The menu reads like a greatest hits list of bistro fare, with escargot, beef tartare, duck leg confit, steak frites, and French onion soup all making appearances. As France’s influence on American fine dining has waned, it’s refreshing to see a restaurant committed to not only preserving the French classics but reinvigorating them. As appetizers go, the artichoke appetizer (a deceptively simple name) is highly recommended. The pungent, vinegary artichokes perfectly counterbalance the creamy poached egg, mushroom ragout, and creamy hollandaise, which, like all sauces at Le Bar a Boeuf, is brought to the table in a gravy boat that your server 1 0 8 C I N C I N N AT I M A G A Z I N E . C O M M AY 2 0 2 2
FYI
Le Bar a Boeuf 2200 Victory Pkwy., East Walnut Hills, (513) 7512333, lebaraboeuf.com Hours Wed & Thurs 5:30– 9:30 pm, Fri & Sat 5:30–10:00 pm Prices $8 (French Onion Soup)– $36 (Vin Rouge Braised Short Rib) Credit Cards All major The Takeaway French classics impeccably but approachably served.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY JEREMY KRAMER
