La Poste

Last night, Tuesday, five of us went to "La Poste" 3410 Telford St. Cincinnati, OH 45220 (513-281-3663). The location was the former home of "Tink's" and is well located near the Esquire Theatre and "Graeter's"." La Poste" had opened for business the previous night. The dining room, and adjoining wine room, have been lightened and minimally decorated with several paintings and prints. Tables are nicely spaced and all have white linen, and last night yellow, fresh flowers. David Taylor is the Executive Chef and he and several others of the service and kitchen staff were previously at "Honey" in Northside.
After my signature Bombay, the cocktail onions had not yet arrived, I shared, with the others, a helping of ricotta fritters. The fritters were the consistency of a "doughnut holes" but slightly larger. They were excellent, just the right amount of ricotta had been worked into the dough to have a nice flavor but not be overwhelming. A "Smoked Lemon Caesar Salad" was next and was also large enough for several of us to share. The greens and other ingredients were well chopped, except the anchovy fillets, and the flavor again was more than satisfactory.
Marilyn and I divided a brazed lamb shank served with French fried potato's and a rich, but not too thick, gravy. Some of the potato's soaked up some of the juice and the others remained crisp. Lastly I ordered, for the table, sour cherry Bread pudding. Two good sized slices, probably from a baked loaf with a crusty outside and a firm overall consistency. The sauce was a syrup mixture of sugar, cherry juice, possibly some alcoholic beverage and lots of poached sour cherries. A fitting finish for an excellent meal.
Prices seemed reasonable and although we were guests I would imagine a dinner with drinks would run in the $40 range. Service and hospitality were evident throughout the evening.

Monday night we went to "Allyn's" an Eastside fixture. Located at 3538 Colombia Parkway, in Columbia Tusculum 45226 (513-871-5779) it has been in operation, I believe over 20 years. We were drawn by the Monday music provided by the "Faux Frenchmen" a string jazz ensemble, playing our kind of music.
Over the years "Allyn's" has upgraded their mostly Tex-Mex and beer menu to now include various dishes and a wide selection of wines. I had Red Snapper picatta( sauce on the side) with a nicely baked potato and a side salad. Marilyn chose the Tillapia and also the potato and salad, both items were $14.95. The food was decent and the entertainment fun and exciting.

Sunday night "Cafe Mediterranean" 7454 Beechmont Ave. (513-232-2400) beckoned to us after drinks and conversation at home with our dinner companions. "Cafe Mediterranean" is our favorite Turkish dining place in the area. We all divided Lahmacum, a three level Turkish pizza, with very thin dough covered with ground, seasoned lamb placed on a very light tomato sauce. It is served with fresh lemon, chopped onions, romaine and thinly sliced tomato's which are eaten on the pizza wedges. Marilyn and I split an order of marinated, grilled chicken thighs, beautifully done and flavorful, accompanied with fresh steamed vegetables. I sampled a dark Turkish beer (Efes) which I found fit perfectly. Total for our share before tip was $32.50.