BEST ITALIAN
DeMeo’s Pasta & Grill
111 Main Street
Milford 831-6484
Everyone who has ever been there knows Dom’s delicious “Jersey Italian” is the best. For those of you who haven’t been there yet... what’s your problem? Dom don’t bite.Get there early, it’s intimate and seats fill up quick. You can’t go wrong with any item but I say order whatever is on special. It will put the meaning back in special.
BEST MEXICAN
El Picante
903 Loveland Maderia Rd.
Loveland 677-6209
Habla Espanol? Don’t worry you won’t need too. Just get a table and order a roast pork dish. It’s the kind of stuff your taste buds dream about. It’s awesome in any language. Run solely by relatives this really is a family restaurant. Again you gotta try the roast pork. It’s beautiful, television worthy.
BEST SOUTHWESTERN
Miguels
1340 State Route 125
Amelia 947-7300
Original Tex-Mex at its best. Some say El Coyote has never been the same since Miguels opened. I can’t verify that but one thing is for sure, I doubt any Tex-Mex hot spot puts this much effort just to make the best beans you’ve ever had. Same goes for scores of other scratch made dishes. Ariba!
BEST INDIAN
Indian Oven
7397 Main St. Ivy Hills Center
Suite H, Newtown 561-7444
No one voted for any Indian restaurants at all so we’re calling it. Indian Oven is a very welcome addition to the Eastside. I’ve been there once and that was all it took. Wholly kind and gracious hosts, fantastic Indian and an ample lunch buffet. I take special interest in judging 3 things: Sausage, gyros and Indian and I loved it. Go try it, they’re good cooks and good people.
BEST AMERICAN
Great Scott
1020 Ohio Pike 752-4700
You voted for it... so you got it. Fans of Great Scott say they love the crab cakes, ribs and many other menu items not mention the lively bar. Strange sauces and snooty service have always spoiled it for me.
BEST GERMAN
Iron Skillet
6900 Valley Ave. Newtown 561-6776
It’s probably going to still be around when they celebrate 3008. It’s pure German. Usually even the patrons are pure German. Now if that doesn’t tell you something your not paying attention. We have been though and I can tell you it’s the Schnitzel Dwitzel.
BEST TRADITIONAL
The Schoolhouse
8031 Glendale-Milford Road, Camp Dennison 831-5753
This place is surreal. You feel like your in a reenactment of the late 1800’s in some Dream Works fantasy film. It’s all authentic. Think grandma’s green beans, cole slaw, mashed taters, fried chicken, cornbread and gravy stick to your ribs good ole boy food. Served up in big dishes set in the middle of the table Thanksgiving style. Eat there and you’ll understand why our elders lived to be so old. Down home cook’n at its finest.
BEST PIZZA
(Anderson/Mt.Carmel area)
Newtown Village Tavern
6778 Main St. Newtown 561-9590
Fresh hot pizza delivered until 2:30 a.m. now how is that for service. It’s crazy! I can’t believe they don’t need a fleet of drivers. If people could just remember to order before they left the bar NVT could put a big dent in Whities and Perkins bank drops. Wouldn’t that be cool. Newtown Village Tavern blends local pub with awesome pizza joint grub. Now what the hell is wrong with that. Since they won “Best Pizza” by popular vote I’d say nothing at all.
BEST PIZZA
(Beechmont area)
Garzelli’s Grinder & Pizza Co.
637 Ohio Pike 947-9000
This family run business goes to show you can run a corporate franchise without a corporate conscience. The public has spoken and Garzelli’s pizza is king. Personally I love the grinders. I’d eat any of them and be happy. The fact that you can order either one complete with a cold beer makes it even better. In fact it makes it the best. Well that and your votes.
BEST PIZZA
(Williamsburg area)
Giovanni’s Pizza
206 W. Main St, Williamsburg 724-5543
When we first had this we immediately loved it. It’s reminiscent of Donato’s with the edge to edge toppings and the crisp crust. The fact they don’t use “rabbit turd” sausage makes me ecstatic. Whenever I think Giovannis I order my favorite pie... sausage bacon and pineapple. A friendly staff always helps and these folks make you feel like kin.
BEST VEGGIE
The Veg Head
920 B Loveland Maderia Rd.
Loveland 697-7090
If this place didn’t win I’d have to laugh.
First of all veggie isn’t even the half of it. First off how about bio “to go” containers, no grease whatsoever, no chemicals, no hormones, no bio-engineered food, no msg. Basically there’s no healthier restaurant anywhere, not for the patron or the environment. Veg Head doesn’t even have a trash bin. Think about that. Yeah it’s that green. Check out the award winning veggie burger or a wrap for starters. Carnivores fear not, the Veg Head has meat on its menu as well... good meat.
BEST CHINESE
Rong Tan’s Bistro & Lounge
606 Ohio Pike 752-1907
“The place to be to drink the beer and eat the Chinese” I think that says it all. We love it, chow down on house Lo Mein and hang out for karaoke and cocktails... cool twist on a Chinese joint to say the least. Of course if your big fat and lazy and just dying for a dozen delicious dumplings don’t sweat it... they deliver.
BEST GRINDER
Garzelli’s Grinder & Pizza Co.
637 Ohio Pike 947-9000
Garzellis again! I’ve been telling you these grinders are great. Don’t be fooled by the East coast monicker. It’s a hoagie people, and you all know what a hoagie is. Call it what you will but the Philly Cheese Steak is freakin’ great. It’ll give Gino and Pat a run for their money.
BEST BURGER
Mamma’s Grill
4227 All Star Drive (133/32) Williamsburg
724-5700
This place has a burger that would make Andre the Giant grin from ear to ear. You’ll need a mouth that goes from ear to ear to get it around this behemoth too. It’s called the Mamma Burger. It’s big it’s beautiful and for you 200+ pounder patrons it comes heaping with fries. Cincy Burger Guys your slackin’ we beat ya to this one and it’s a big one too baby. Score EV 1 CBG 0.
BEST GYRO
Demetrios IV
4002 Plainville Rd. Madisonville
271-7550
They won it last year and this year makes two in a row. Gyros are among my favorite treats and I take them seriously. While no one has upped the ante in Cincy by putting a “real” gyro on the menu (a spit stacked with thin marinated beef and lamb steaks, like the Mad Greek out west) Demetrios is still putting out one hell of gyro. If you dig em’ like I do you then you need to get one. No dried out meat or stale pitas here, just sweet juicy meat, flash grilled soft buttered pitas and fresh tzatziki sauce. Summertime they break out the garden tomatoes and it simply can’t be beat. Sorry Westside I’ve had it all and we still have the best. I have to shout out to Sebastians though. His Greek sausage gyro is right up my alley. Oh and for the record it’s pronounced “Yee-row”
BEST BUFFET
Golden Corral
All Locations
C’mon people have you even read EV? Your voting for Golden Corral when you know they shovel out the absolute cheapest bottom dollar mass produced monosodium glutamate crap they can find! Oh well here you go “Best Buffet... GC” I never thought I’d see the day when we’d print those words. For the rest of the sane readers we say Rong Tans or China Town. They are both Chinese but at least they serve good food. As for a good American buffet we’ll just have to wait and see if one pops up. I hope it’s next door to the “Corral”.
BEST BURRITO
Chipotle
All Locations
The burritos are fat, the sauce is spicy and the ingredients are fresh. It’s an above par burrito. Oddly enough they don’t actually offer any chipotle. I wish they did but all they have is a bottled chipotle hot sauce.
Go figure. If you think Chipotle is good grab a burrito at Paxtons in Loveland or Tostados in East End. You might re-think your vote next year.
BEST BREAKFAST
Baker’s Family Diner
St. Rt. 28 Goshen
DeMeos owners Dom & Linda DeMeo snatched up this Goshen restaurant just in time to make this years Best Of. Good things come out of this kitchen I can tell you that. Big breakfast platters, mammoth chili burgers and fresh Penko breaded cod just to name a few. True to Dom’s Italian heritage there’s even Italian dinner specials on the blackboard now and then. Other than that this is good old fashioned all American goodness.
BEST RIBS
Sleepy Hollow
378 Bridge Street
Loveland 677-0290
Sleepy’s isn’t an obvious ribs joint. No big smoke stacks or cords of wood outside, no Texas style decor. The decor is Christmas 24/7 365 and the ribs are phenomenal. What Sleepy’s calls a half rack other places pass off as a full portion. Same with the King Crab dinner. Sleepy Hollow is just one of those places the Food Network hasn’t got around to yet, when they do you’ll need reservations just to get lunch. Winner of the EV Best Ribs contest is just the humble beginning of the awards bound to grace the wood walls.
BEST WINGS
BW3’s
All Locations
They won by votes but they can’t steal my vote. I used to work there and I did everything you could imagine in that place. No matter what you do you can’t change the wing size unless you drop your vendor. That’s not going to happen so BW3’s is stuck serving those itty bitty wings... at full price. A.J’s Roadhouse, J Kelley’s, Petes Cafe and Bad Habitz carry the big fat wings so they get my vote. I will admit BW3’s has great sauces, fun decor and hard cider on tap. All in all it’s a great place but the tiny wings are quite a short coming for a wings joint.
BEST WRAPS
The Veg Head
920 B Loveland Madeira Road 697-7090
No one does it better, the Veg Head has veggie and meat wraps but both are as healthy as humanly possible. Owner Mark Metcalfe makes certain of that. He puts ingredients and preparation above ease and costs to deliver the finest product available to his customers. Try the Curry Hummus wrap, both sweet and spicy it’s our favorite.
