Chef Patrick Bowling
BIEN HECHO PAMPAS O’Bryonville’s new gastro-gem embarks on a delicious Argentine culinary pilgrimage Written by Sheree Allgood / Photography by Rachel Lutz of Andrew Kung Photography It is encouraging to note that there are tremendously brave investors and fearless chefs with the chutzpah and vision to embrace the ever-elusive dream of transcendence in today’s tentative dining climate. Even in the most prosperous of times, the prospect of opening a new restaurant can be daunting. But the inspired dream of owner Juan Imeroni and Chef Patrick Bowling has merged into the stunningly creative confines of Pampas. This new restaurant is a delight for all the senses and chockful of warm hospitality and sublimely delicious food. Pampas is pure magic! Be assured that it is truly a gastro-gem, much more elevated from the realm of the mere gastropub. The dining experience is distinctly elegant, comfortable, and eclectic. Some elements of the décor within this circa 1862 farmhouse are natural holdovers from past establishments. I have it on good authority that this establishment is, in fact, the original building of the O’Bryonville neighborhood. The cozy fireplace in the bar is a charming spot for a cockle-warming libation on a cold night. There are nooks and quiet romantic corners, more intimate spaces up a broad staircase, as well as a two-sided bar for those more sociable types. The restaurant’s owner, Juan Imeroni, brought influences from his childhood visits in the Pampas of Argentina to both 22 slmag.net
the restaurant’s style and its outstanding flavor. While there are many whimsical remembrances of his time at his grandfather’s farm in the Pampas (a charming picture of his stunning mother is proudly displayed in one booth), there are also romantic flashes from Mr. Imeroni’s adopted city, including an impressive wrought iron chandelier from the old Emery Theater. It is a decidedly rustic look, expertly curated without being garish or kitschy. I imagine it to be very much like a farm kitchen or pequeno restaurante filled with a posse of famished gauchos home from the cattle drive. And assuredly, the most urbane gauchos of the Argentine plain or the sophisticated damas elegantes of Buenos Aries would want only Chef Patrick Bowling to dazzle them with their favorite repasts, nuanced and expertly prepared. Chef Bowling is a tour de force in the kitchen, warm and generous with his time, talent, and energy. He is fully invested in every functional aspect of the Pampas dining experience and has gathered around himself an amazing staff, from servers to sous and bartenders. Cincinnati should be very proud to have given rise to this talented cook from the West Side, who apprenticed, as he puts in, “in the school of hard knocks.”
