15th
burger pursuits continued
I’ve been to The Rookwood Bar and Restaurant located in Mt. Adams in the old Rookwood Pottery factory twice now. The first time was for a happy hour, and the second time was to sample their cuisine. My first experience in the bar was a visual “wow” (or excellent FMOT for those P&G readers.) The bar décor was elegant, minimalistic and rustic: exposed brick walls, circular bench seating inside brick kilns, quartersawn rafters, etc. Although I did not take any pictures, I suggest visiting the gallery on their website, or better yet stopping by. Their dining room was similarly rustic, but unfortunately didn’t quite have the same appeal as the bar.
Their specialty cocktail menu is well balanced, offering a selection of vintage concoctions. I have yet to try to full list, but particularly like the Boulevardier (a Manhattan variant,) the Corpse Reviver #2 (gin, Lillet, lemon, Cointreau, absinthe rinse) and the Sazerac so far. This overwhelmingly positive first experience with décor and drinks, left me wanting to return again to try to food — which, after the return trip, added to my overall impression.
The food, while we only had the “sandwich” variety, was as good as it gets. The table ordered the Rookwood Olives which caught me off guard because they were served warm, unlike most Greek olives I’ve had before. After letting them cool a bit (since the pits retained so much heat) I enjoyed them a great deal. Heated, the olives were significantly more flavorful than their chilled brethren. While part of this may have been due to the house marinade, I think that the heat really brought out the flavor. I think I may try heating up olives the next olives I buy in the store to see if I get similar results.
For our mains, we ordered the Barnsdale Burger, Pork Belly (sandwich), and Cincinnati Sliders with ample fries. I had the burger, which was cooked to perfection. The patty was tender and well dressed with caramelized onions, fontina cheese, pickles, and thyme aoili. The bun was lightly toasted and misted with butter(?) which added to their delightfulness (and vein-clogging potential.) This burger ranks very high on my list of “craft” burgers, coming in just above Mayberry and Tonic on 4th, and is possibly the best I’ve had in Cincinnati (largely because of the toppings.) While I did not get a chance to try to Pork Belly or the Sliders, my company thoroughly enjoyed them. Based on this, I would recommend them accordingly and plan to order the Pork Belly next time I visit. Additionally, the fries were well seasoned and offered the perfect level of crisp, topping off the evening.
With that, I offer the following numbers which should reflect the above review:
Food - 25
Décor - 26 (of the bar)
Décor - 22 (of the dining room)
Service - 23
Don’t forget to order the olives when you go!
