awadablog

cincy new restaurants, via vite,

via vite.....
i have twice sampled this beachhead fountain square restaurant in what one hopes will be growing pietoso empire.
i must initially comment that upon my approach to the square i felt i could have been at some piazza in italy. maybe not quite the fontana di trevi, but you get the idea. the city has done a remarkable job with this resurrection.

the restaurant is beautiful, visually arresting and wonderfully open to the square.
the terrace on the 2nd floor should be wonderful both in the summer and even in the winter overlooking the ice rink.

my dining experience was good if not completely consistent, ( both visits in the 1st week of opening) but the 2nd night showed a real crescendo from the 1st, particularly with the pizza- onions, and sausage. the first night not well crisped and soggy, while the 2nd night the onions were caramelized to a melt, and the crust was perfect.

the linguine pesto is sensational. perfect in every was though only gently scarred by slightly salty shrimp.
the inzimino, a traditional tuscan stew with calamari and spinach, cooked in red wine for 7-8 hours, was delicious, and might be well renamed calamari saag for those fans of indian food.

speaking of indian food cumin's -falling of the bone so fast it appears to be running-lamb shank now has a rival in chef christian pietosos. sampled 3 times, it's a consistent winner. served with a gentle, creamy, sumptuous polenta.

there are however a few blemishes.
super-super lemony salad
the staff knowledge is not quite up to par, though i'm sure this will be remedied in time.
the more vexing concern is the lack of wine storage space.
the wine i ordered a brunello di montalcino of la gerla 2001, was served at about 75-78 degrees. this is far too warm for both storage and consumption. dominic pietoso, the sommelier assures me this will be remedied soon. neither he nor i would want to have a conversation about a damaged masseto, lupicaia or any one of the fine gaja wines on the list.

this is an auspicious debut, and it's presence on the dining scene will be an important one.

seny, new to the sceny in cincy

well, seny restaurant has as much going for it as it doesn't. the opening salvo is decidedly less successful than at via vite.
there are some hits, and there are some misses. the misses really miss.
there are some dishes that will need reconsideration, and likely, remedy.

in addition there is a lack of truth in advertising on the menu. for instance it reads in part:
"fresh fried calamari spiced with espresso over preserved oyster mushrrom salad"
espresso spiced could work.. ( i use a coffee, and vanilla rub on lamb...) however what i was presented with were beautifully crisped fried calamari that i was to dunk in an espresso.
why dry-- to dunk?? i cannot understand how one calls a cup of espresso a spice.....

I ordered the pork belly which reads "marinated and braised belly of pork with braising liquids, apple, and fava beans" . i received a tasty morsel of belly, but with rice and not an apple in sight, unless it had been pulverized and dusted in the air above the belly while being plated...

prawn fritters with tomato seeds and mint oil, tasted like fried??? with tomato seeds in ??? oil

slow roasted mushrooms stuffed two ways, were two ways too many- for the mushrooms themselves were excellent.

i'm a nervy eater but something about pan roasted breast of chicken with an unexplained peach-green mustard puree scares me.

on the other hand, ---yes there was one!,
the croquettes of chicken , ham and spinach were a marvel.
fragile and delicate, with subtle, savory flavors.

the house cured beef loin with charred scallions, idiazabal cheese, and sherry foam was a perfect marriage of flavors and textures.

the winner was the hake a la basque, poached loin with pea water, grilled potato, and tartare.

in the beverage department, i was confronted with yet another toasty, red wine........
this an alvaro priorat les terrasses.
i'm hoping that this was an anomaly and there is an appropriate wine storage space here, as i love spanish wine..

in general the chef is skilled technically, however his craftiness, and creativity are not consistently at the level of the actual quality of the preparations.
i've had the torture of dining at alinea in chicago, the plate served on a saffron pillow, the heat from the plate releasing the essence ....god i can't even write the rest of the nonsense there...:
and the magnificent creations of the aforementioned soto in nyc. i've enjoyed a stunning meal at the french laundry with thomas keller doing a virtuoso turn in the kitchen preparing variations on each item of tasting menu for me, while my friend received the actual menu items. ( i'm a friend of the then restaurant sommelier bobby stuckey) that was complicated, challenging, and beautiful.
i'd love to go to el bulli, and i understand that his meals are a mix of the non-food food, and food, and in the end both spectacular and enjoyable.

chef travis maier interned with martin berasategui for two months. i'm not sure that's enough time to master the complexity of the combinations of flavors he's attempting.
i'm on his side however, because i'd love for there to be great, ambitious, thought-provoking food in this city, but i fear it's a short leash town for adventure.
new experiences are tough for cincinnatians, ambivalent new ones won't get repeat visits from most.
i however will be back in a week or so, and see if it's all working better.

ap out

bloggo numero uno

welcome to the awadablog, the place where you get to see "what condition my condition is in", to get the state of the art-ist. the current affair here is pete blackshaw, chief architect of the awadaweb experience. more on pete later. vitawadagin- the life of awadagin, will just be the general post.
meanwhile labor day weekend finds the trio lunaire.com of ccm  (college conservatory of music, university of cincinnati) on their way to munich for one of the premiere chamber music competitions in the world.www.br-online.de/kultur-szene/klassik_e/pages/ard/ard.html i've been coaching them for a couple of years now, and we had an intensive period of work this summer in preparation for this competition. i believe they will do well, and certainly wish them well.  last night i took them out for a send off to tellers and allyns. negroni's all around, luna merlot 2002, (more on luna later), bell's two hearted and fullers london pride beers rounded out the beverage drinking.
this blog will cover my concerts, where i'm eating , and what i'm drinking, and maybe any notable events on either the basketball court at the cac, or on the tennis court with pete.
holla,
a