CINCINNATI — Over the past three decades, regulars at deSha’s American Tavern in Montgomery have fallen in love with the restaurant’s elevated, home-style dishes served over a picturesque, lake-side setting.
But from April 17 to April 23, the deSha’s and other restaurants across the region are going to take their menus to the next level as part of Greater Cincinnati Spring Restaurant Week.
What You Need To Know
- Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week returns from April 17 to April 23
- At least 43 eateries from across the region have three-course menus that range in price from $26 to $46
- Organizers donate $1 from the sale of every Restaurant Week meal to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
A collection of at least 43 eateries from the Lebanon, Ohio, to Covington, Ky., will sling delectable favorites and adventurous new dishes to promote the region’s food scene and culinary tourism.
Each participating restaurant developed a special three-course menu. Most let a diner chose between two or three items for each course. Base prices range from $26 to $46.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center will receive $1 from every Restaurant Week meal sold.
deSha’s, which opened in 1990, has taken part in every Restaurant Week to date.
“It’s an event for (everybody),” said Natalie Lammers, the assistant general manager at deSha’s. “People who normally wouldn’t go out during the week are going to because they want to try something different. This is our opportunity to show them a little of what we do.”
Most of these limited-time menus feature some failsafe staples sure to satisfy even the picket of eaters — high-end salads, gourmet burgers and jazzed up pasta dishes. But most of the offerings want to make a lasting impression on guests, noted deSha’s executive chef, Thom Milliken.
Establishments range from family-oriented, neighborhood favorites to fine-dining establishments like James Beard-nominated Mita’s in downtown Cincinnati. Dishes on chef Jose Salazar’s menu include a Colombian-style arepa with octopus and chorizo, and a ceviche with poached rock shrimp.
Some kitchens going with tried-and-true regional favorites, like the signature pork loin back bibs at Montgomery Inn. Others got a little more adventurous. BrewRiver Creole Kitchen, for example, is serving a buttermilk fried chicken Po’ Boy with pickled ginger and sriracha aioli.
Milliken, who’s been at deSha’s for the past 12 years, feels people enjoy Restaurant Week because it presents a cost-friendly excuse to try something different. They’ll often go to places they don’t normally visit, he said, or they’ll frequent their favorite haunts, hoping to see something new on the menu.
Crafting the fall and spring Restaurant Week menus is a “balancing act,” Milliken said. He described it as trying to create something unique for new guests without departing from the dishes that attracted their regulars.
The way Milliken and his team are getting around that is by putting a fresh spin on things from the existing menu.
DeSha’s always sells a lot of salmon, Milliken said. For Restaurant Week, they’ve upgraded it by adding a bright, apricot-glazed they filet. They’ve got a little adventurous with their popular meatloaf dish by infusing it with shiitake and portobello mushrooms. It’s served with a side of fried Brussel sprouts.
“We want to get a little more culinarily challenging, a little more unique, so our regulars get to experience something a little different, but we don’t want to surprise them with something completely off-script,” he added.
Embers’ Restaurant Menu starts at $46 a person. The Madeira steakhouse gives diners a choice of soup, salad or sushi roll as a starter. The entrée course has three options: Salmon, chicken or braised short rib.
“It seems weird to call a dessert the highlight of a meal, but people love our Oreo-stuffed doughnuts,” general manager Bobby Richardson said of the deep-fried treat. “People drive from all over for them.”
While the tasting menu isn’t inexpensive, the cost is still “more approachable” than a regular three-course meal at the steakhouse, Richardson said. He called it a chance to attract families, college students and anyone who wants a high-end meal without having to “break the bank.”
The organizers of Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week have brought back the event mobile app. It has details about menus from all the restaurants, and guests can map out their dinner plans for the week. App users who check in can win gift cards.
“Restaurant Week is our chance to make a lasting impression,” Richardson said.
“Some people go out all the time, but not everyone can or choose to do that,” he added. “We want to make to make sure everyone has a memorable experience so they next time they go out for dinner, maybe we’ll be fortunate enough to have them choose us.”
The team behind Alcove didn’t get to show off their new Over-the-Rhine space during last spring’s Restaurant Week. The kitchen and bar had just opened, and everyone was still “getting everything off the ground,” said Trevor Self, marketing manager for MadTree Brewing. The Cincinnati-brewery owns the Vine Street restaurant.
Alcove is using Restaurant Week to debut some of its “really fresh, delicious” seasonal items made with farm-to-table products, Self said.
“Hopefully they’ll have an experience that makes them fall in love with our food and our space,” he added.
MadTree is also one of the beverage sponsors for Restaurant Week. The others are Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey. Alcove has specials on 1873, a prohibition-style house lager, throughout the week.
“Overall, it’s really a home run for us,” Self added.
Flatiron Café in Mount Auburn is taking part in its second Restaurant Week since opening in June. In the fall, Flatiron Café saw an uptick in sales and foot traffic during the weeklong food event, said Amanda Tamburello, the general manager. She referred to it as helping to “put this place on the map.”
This time around, the coffeehouse-wine bar is serving a charcuterie board – “it’s a conversation starter,” Tamburello said – and a caprese chicken sandwich with house-made basil pesto aioli and roasted red pepper. The meal concludes with a gluten-free cheesecake with blueberry compote.
Diners can opt to pair their meal with curated wine pairings for $12.
While she hopes for similar success this time around, Tamburello stressed that Restaurant Week isn’t all about the money. She referred to it as introducing people to Mount Auburn, a developing neighborhood just north of downtown Cincinnati.
The café also has two Airbnb rentals above it for who want to come downtown for the weekend and “explore what Cincinnati and its food scene have to offer.”
“We see restaurants as being cornerstones of vibrant communities,” she said. “That’s what we’re trying to be for Mount Auburn.”