25th
Daveed’s at 934
This is a bit old but better to post it now than never:
Last November I visited Daveed’s at 934 with my family when they were in town for Thanksgiving. Anticipation was high as this is currently Zagat’s lone 28’er for food in Cincinnati. I was surprised that we were one of the few tables occupied when we arrived at 7PM on the day after Thanksgiving. I would have expected it to be a bit more crowded but it just wasn’t. Daveed’s is located in Mt. Adams in an old residence which was unfortunately quite DRAFTY. Neither being seated at a table right next to a window, nor the thin sheets of plastic that were stapled over the window in attempts to keep the November air outside helped the situation. I would highly advise Daveed’s to upgrade their windows.
The place settings, while offering little to warm the body (which was obviously the wine’s job) did provide warmth to the designer’s mind:
They were arranged aesthetically in yet another creative manner. This is the only time I have ever seen silverware set in differing, non-parallel and non-orthogonal orientation. The forks were stood on their sides facing inwards while the bread knife, knife and spoon were positioned facing up, with the napkin folded triangularly in the center. I thought this was really cool and kept me entertained like a kid for a good 3-4 minutes.
The charcuterie immediately caught our attention on the menu, so we decided to order two offerings to start after being served a salmon muse. First up were the two orders of the seared foie gras, tomato, graham cracker:
What struck me first off was that the liver was seared very similarly to the preparation at L2o which was a nice deviation from the traditional pâté. Also, it was one of the few occasions where I have seen graham crackers incorporated into a savory dish. The tomatoes and apples (?) rounded out the dishes texture. I’ll say that this seared preparation is my current favorite form of preparation for foie gras largely because it helps tame the richness that can be somewhat overwhelming.
Next up was the veal terrine, pickled beets, pear mostardo, grilled bread, grain mustard:
Which was delved into before I could even snap an image. This too was well prepared and deconstructed for our reconstruction and enjoyment pleasure. Similar to the foie, I favored this terrine because it was lighter than many I tried (Local 127 could use a bit of a hint.) The combination of the pears, beets and mustard allowed for many different taste and mouth-feel experiences during consumption. I ended up eating more than my fair share after my father turned down the mixed-meat product, how could I let this treasure go to waste?
The duck came highly recommended by the wait staff, and while I did order the Filet main, there was luckily a duck and apple salad while allowed me to sample the bird:
I could not have agreed more; it was cooked and seasoned perfectly (JeanRo Bistro should take note of both Daveed’s and Cumin’s preparation.)
Next up, and unfortunately not pictured was the Beef Filet with pepernata, local fingerling potatoes, balsamic vinegar. Dare I say this cut of meat was the most tender I’ve ever had — I’m aptly curious where they got it. While I wasn’t expecting a “perfect steak” from Daveed’s this surprising experience likened to my first time at a Ruth Chris’s back in the 90s (which I now realized was “just the beginning!”) Now I’ve had two forever-memorable steaks!
We concluded with desert which was good but unremarkable since I have forgotten the dishes.
For the quality of food that Daveed’s serves the price can’t be beat! I’ve had comparable caliber food for over twice the price at many other restaurants so this was really something. It’s also not every day that I try a completely new tenderness level of steak either. The food was light and did not weigh my body down even after two starters of charcuterie. Each menu item also suggested a wine pairing which made the liquids decision much easier. To round out the review with numbers I would rate it similarly (+/- 1 point) to Zagat:
Food – 27
Décor – 20
Service – 26
I hope to return soon. I’d love to try one of their communal seating specials which include a themed multi-course meal with wine pairing in the upstairs art gallery. Do I have any takers?
