DINING
A-to-Z Guide to Greater Cincinnati:
"Best Place to Live in North America"
You can eat five stars or five ways
BY CHUCK MARTINThe Cincinnati Enquirer Cincinnati has been known for its fine cuisine since the early 1970s, when the city boasted three five-star Mobil Guide restaurants. Now there are fewer stars, but the food is still good and the restaurants are less stuffy.
String of Stars
Recognized as one of the best in the country, the Maisonette (114 E. Sixth St., downtown; 513-721-2260) has been awarded five Mobil stars 32 years in a row - longer than any other restaurant. Chef Jean-Robert de Cavel uses fresh, local ingredients in contemporary, French-influenced dishes.
Other noted fine restaurants:
The Phoenix Restaurant (812 Race St., downtown; 513-721-8901);
Orchids at Omni Netherland Plaza (35 W. Fifth St., downtown; 513-421-1772);
The Palace at the Cincinnatian Hotel (601 Vine St., downtown; 513-381-3000).
Best beef
The Precinct (311 Delta Ave., Columbia Tusculum; 513-321-5454)
Morton's of Chicago (Tower Place at Carew Tower, downtown; 513-241-4104).
Dining Downtown
Plenty of good food in the 'burbs, but the newest, most exciting place to eat is the Backstage Theater District - near the Aronoff Center for the Arts (650 Walnut St., downtown).
Plaza 600 (600 Walnut St., downtown; 513-721-8600) offers moderately priced creative dishes in a bustling New Yorkish atmosphere.
Ciao Baby Cucina (700 Walnut St., downtown; 513-929-0700) serves a similar uptown feeling and a Mediterranean-accented menu.
Also nearby:
The Maisonette's sister restaurant, LaNormandie Taverne and Grille (118 E. Sixth St., downtown; 513-721-2761);
Mallorca (124 E. Sixth St., downtown; 513-723-9506) serving Spanish cuisine.
Creative and casual
Among the best small restaurants offering a comfortable atmosphere and innovative dishes:
Arboreta (1133 Sycamore St., Over-the-Rhine; 513-721-1133);
Boca (4034 Hamilton Ave., Northside; 513-542-2022);
diJohn (724 Madison Ave., Covington; 606-581-5646).
Rooms with a view
The best place to dine and gaze at Cincinnati's striking skyline is across the Ohio River in Northern Kentucky. Choices among these mostly seafood restaurants include:
Swanky Waterfront (14 Pete Rose Pier, Covington; 606-581-1414);
Crockett's (101 Riverboat Row, Newport; 606-581-2800);
Chart House (405 Restaurant Row, Newport; 606-261-0300).
Stellar views on the Ohio side include:
The Celestial (1071 Celestial St., Mount Adams; 513-241-4455);
Primavista (810 Matson Place, Price Hill; 513-251-6467).
Italian
Cincinnati has experienced an explosion in Italian eateries, with the opening of restaurants such as:
Ferrari's Little Italy and Bakery (7677 Goff Terrace St., Madeira; 513-272-2220);
Nicola's (1420 Sycamore St., Over-the-Rhine; 513-721-6200);
The transplanted Germano's (9415 Montgomery Road, Montgomery; 513-794-1155).LF
Indian
Mayura Indian (3201 Jefferson Ave., Corryville; 513-221-7125);
Bombay Palace (2733 Vine St., Corryville; 513-221-7821):
Anand India (10890 Reading Road, Evendale; 513-554-4040)
Sri Lankan dishes:
Aralia (815 Elm St., downtown; 513-723-1217)
Japanese
Searching for sushi? Find traditional Japanese dishes at:
Osaka (11481 Chester Road, Sharonville; 513-771-4488);
Ko-Sho (215 E. Ninth St., downtown; 513-665-4950);
Meshiya (8102 Market Place Lane, Montgomery; 513-791-9160).
Thai
LF Teak (1049 St. Gregory St., Mount Adams; 513-665-9800)
Chinese
Dressy China Gourmet (3340 Erie Ave., Hyde Park; 513-871-6612);
Budget-priced LF Johnny Chan Chinese Restaurant (8721 Fields Ertel Road, Symmes Township; 513-489-0888).
Bottoms up
Beer now flows at trendy microbreweries such as:
Main Street Brewery (1203 Main St., Over-the-Rhine; 513-665-4677);
BarrelHouse Brewing Co. (22 E. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine; 513-421-2337);
Watson Bros. Brewhouse (4785 Lake Forest Drive, Blue Ash; 513-563-9797);
Rock Bottom Brewery (10 Fountain Square, downtown; 513-)
Coffee craze
The coffee craze has also caught on in the Queen City. Starbucks Coffee operates six retail shops in LF the Tristate, and other coffee bars such as LF Awakenings (five locations) LF are expanding.
Brunch bunch
Hotels offer formal Sunday brunch, but casual, less expensive meals are available at such places as:
The Diner on Sycamore (1203 Sycamore St., Over-the-Rhine; 513-721-1212);
Original Pancake House (9977 Montgomery Road, Montgomery; 513-745-0555);
First Watch (three locations).
Chili any way
The city's most famous dish is usually flavored with cinnamon, allspice and sometimes chocolate, and the ground beef sauce is served over spaghetti. Cincinnati chili is traditionally offered in several styles, ranging from ''one-way'' (sauce only) to ''five-way'' (sauce and kidney beans over spaghetti, topped with chopped onion and shredded cheddar).
Skyline is the most popular chili chain, followed by Gold Star, Empress and several others.
Did you know?
In 1922, a Macedonian immigrant invented Cincinnati chili while working at a hotdog stand.
Franchisee Lou Groen is credited with creating the McDonald's ''Filet-O-Fish'' sandwich at his North Bend restaurant in 1963.
The Cincinnati area has two revolving restaurants: Riverview Revolving Restaurant (668 W. Fifth St., Covington; 606-491-1200) and Seafood 32 (150 W. Fifth St., downtown; 513-352-2160).
The city's most famous breakfast food is goetta (get-UH), a meatloaf of pork and oats, sliced, fried and served with apples.