BEST VIEW
The Landing
401 Front St. New Richmond 553-6400
It doesn’t get any better than this. This is what a perfect Ohio/Ky view is all about. Summer, fall or winter it’s impossible not to stare.
BEST
BARTENDER
Sam Khoury
Latitudes Cafe
Sammy! We love Sammy, If we bought a bar we’d steal him asap. He’s aced his way through every corporate training seminar you can think of and he wouldn’t do it again for stock options. Even though Sam was the star of the show he left all those corporate clowns to fend for themselves and turned his attention to finding a nice local owner operated establishment (right on Sammy). His style and flavor is perfectly suited to his new home away from home the Anderson Latitudes. I can think of no better host than Sammy. He’s the real deal..
BEST SERVER
Roberto from El Picante
903 Loveland-Maderia Rd. 677-6209
If you think you’ve seen great service check out this guy. He can handle the whole restaurant practically by himself and he never seems in a hurry. If that isn’t enough for him to do in one shift he always has more work after closing... he’s also the manager and owner. Wow, now that’s hard work times three! In fact a total of 7 people (all family) run this restaurant even during the busiest weekend nights. Just goes to show what an unstoppable work ethic our Mexican neighbors have going for them. I challenge any 150+ seat restaurant to run it flawlessly with 7 people total (owner included).
BEST
BOUNCER
Doug Vestring
Rhino’s Bar & Grill
792 Eastgate South Drive 752-1800
I wish we had room to put almost all the bouncers in here. No one gives enough credit (or pay) to the bouncer. These guys run straight into the fights that scare all the crowds (and even the cops). I bet if we had an Eastside Bouncers vs. cops Ultimate Fighting Championship the bouncers would pound some piggy ass. Cops are so scared to be caught without their weapons they even carry them off duty day & night 24/7. Bouncers never carry weapons and they still aren’t scared. Doug works at Rhinos keeping the crowd safe from the dumb asses and he does one hell of a job too. Doug’s tough as they come but unlike some bouncers (and almost all cops) Doug doesn’t have that big bad ass attitude that sometimes comes with the job. He actually wants the night to go without incident and everyone to have a good time. He’s “nice until it’s time to not be nice”
BEST STAFF
Latitudes
I’ve never seen better and the readers obviously agree. There’s nothing worse than getting some idiot server at your favorite restaurant. It’s a hard job and many managers will hire just about anybody. Good managers know what to look for and then train them to be the best. However a server is only as good as the weakest manager so remember that the next time you want to short tip the server you thought was inept.
BEST CHEF
Latitudes Anderson
Danny Starkins
Arizona born Chef Danny is leading the area restaurant industry in creativity and culinary expression. His dishes are a standout hit. This kind of culinary creativity is what makes Latitudes the Eastside’s epicenter of top notch dining experiences. He’s not afraid to take risks and his specials have become so popular the menus aren’t even getting read by the regulars. If he says it’s “special” he means it. Just look at this fish! How many chefs even know what it is let alone how to clean and prepare it. He’s been all over the west coast cooking and honing his skills. Now he’s here on the Eastside cooking with pride.
BEST JUKEBOX
Suburban Bowl
1991 Front Wheel drive Batavia 724-2333
Two years in a row! The jukebox at Suburban Bowl is great. It’s loud, it’s in surround sound and it’s so chock full of great bands anyone can find the music they were hoping for. During Midnight Madness it’s the star of the show.
BEST KARAOKE
Tostados
3500 Eastern Ave. 871-0212
The folks at Tostados don’t believe in karaoke night. They offer karaoke all the time. I mean all the time. Stop in for lunch... sing karaoke, stop by on Monday... sing karaoke stop by anytime they’re open and you can sing karaoke. They get big crowds during the weekends too. The college crowd loves Tostados and the all night karaoke. The best part is they own the karaoke set up so you won’t find some “karaoke king” host who really got into the business so they could sing. I hate that.
If you like to sing karaoke check this place out you never know who you’ll see there. Lots of pro ball players often hang out at Tostados so you might get a chance see a Bengal do something other than lose a football games.
BEST RESTAURANT
Latitudes
They describe it as “where downtown meets hometown” and I guess that hits the mark. Latitudes is the first up-scale suburban professional concept we’ve seen on the Eastside. Finally someone has taken the modern approach to entertianment dining and created an atmosphere that’s inviting to all Eastsiders (not just those with 100k a year incomes). The decor is more Vegas than Cincinnati and the food is definatley all chef insipred rather than sysco inspired. There are no Golden Tees and there never will be. There is live bands, and entertaining events. The menu is unusual but not “cheffy” you won’t see froi grois but you will see fresh sushi grade Ahi tuna, Lebanese chicken and superb Indian shrimp. The specials are special indeed. It’s a place where you can find a dedicated dead head band jamming on stage with dancing realtors, brokers, golfers, plumbers, drywallers and mechanics on the dance floor. It’s true cosmopolitan and it’s about time.
BEST PLACE TO PLAY GAMES
Sneaky Pete’s
1001 Lila Ave. Milford 831-6307
If you want a little friendly competition to start out the evening Sneaky Pete’s is the place. They have a plethera of pool tables, and a wall of cornhole games. Now Monday through Thursday corn hole is free so I’d say they have the best place to play games locked down. Mt. Adams Pavilion has just taken over the Milford Sneaky’s so you know what that means... more promotions more great bands and more fun all the way around. These folks from the hill know how to run a bar and they have big plans for Sneaky Petes. They plan on giving you the best entertainment for you buck they can muster and with intial changes like free games 5 days a week I’d say they’re on the right track.
BEST PLACE TO WATCH SPORTS
Bad Habitz
1296 State Route 28 Milford 722-1700
Everyone knows Bad Habitz is a great place to see live bands but did you know what a great game day they host? They have Monday night football covered with cheap food & drinks and great giveaways like authentic NFL jerseys, mugs, hats and so on.They even have some friendly competitions going on during the half time with more prizes to boot. Most local places have a decent Monday Night Football party but giving away all these expensive prizes puts Bad habitz in the number one spot.
BEST BOWLING ALLEY
Suburban Bowl
1991 Front Wheel dr.
Batavia 724-2333
Suburban Bowl has always been a local favorite. Maybe it’s the bowling promotions like $1 games, maybe it’s the Midnight Madness or maybe it’s the fact that the night club (Club 11) is reason enough to go there all on it’s own. One thing is for sure they put on a weekend night party better than any other bowling alley. They have good food too, the diner inside has fresh made burgers, pizza and many things you’d only expect to find at “real” restuarants like big breaded cod filets and big steak hoagies. Lots of cool promotions and discounts are abound not to mention weekends get hot on the Club 11 dance floor. Whether you came to league bowl, or your just trying to beat your girlfriend you’ll have fun because they keep the bowling loud and lively (after all they did win Best Jukebox). Now if you don’t have a girlfriend Club 11 has lots of lovely ladies so... well you know.
BEST HOAGIE
Bad Habitz
Ahh the hoagie, a Cincinnati tradtion. Eastsiders adore hoagies, most of us probably think Grammas or Angilos when we think hoagies but if your near Milford when you you get the hoagie urge stop by Bad Habitz. They won the Eastside Hoagies Showdown we had a few months back and with good reason. First and foremost is the meat patty Bad Habitz uses. I’m not certain if they buy it or make it (I’d guess they make it) but it’s the meatiest moist and juicy patty around. One things for certain this is no JTM patty.I realize other pubs claim they have the best but we’ve had them all and Bad Habitz has the best patty by far. It’s thick rich and delicious. You can get it smothered in pizza or mushroom sauce. Either way it’s a grand hoagie for sure.
BEST MARGARITA
Miguels
BEST CONEY
Skyline
All locations
BEST CALZONE
La Rosas
all locations
BEST ICE CREAM
Marble Slab Creamery
187 Rivers Edge Dr. Milford 248-0222
BEST BAKERY
Servati
All locations
BEST BBQ
Smokey Bones
509 Ohio Pike Cherry Grove 528-1725
Best brisket I’ve ever had. True slow smoked BBQ. One of the best corporate companies in town.
BEST OUTDOOR MUSIC FESTIVAL
Wangdangdoodle
Paxton Farm Goshen
The spirit of woodstock lives on in the whispering pines of Paxton Farm. Look for the next “Doodle” in 2008
BEST THEMED RESTAURANT
Quaker Steak & Lube
590 Chamber Dr. Milford 831-5823
Go see it you’ll see why.
