Zundo:

In general, David has been more interested in anime than I have. I mean, I did realize pretty quickly that children stare at me constantly because my hair style reminds them of a Yu-Gi-Oh! character, and I may own the Pokémon Soundtrack to the first movie, but in general I’ve only watched casually.

In the past two years or so, that’s changed a bit. Last year for Halloween we dressed up as Tatsumaki and Genos from One Punch Man. We’ve also started watching My Hero Academia and most notably, Food Wars.

What does this have to do with Zundo and ramen? Well, the main character in Food Wars, Soma Yukihira, dreams of being a professional chef, and is sent to a very fancy-pants cooking school by his father after working in his diner for most of his life, where he makes donburi among other things considered to be more of a working man’s dish more than elevated art. 

No spoilers, but I will tell you that it’s an underdog-takes-on-the-institution type of story. If you like food, you’ll probably find it amusing, especially when the dishes are apparently so good they blow people’s clothes off and send them on a hallucinogenic journey through various ingredients. The ridiculous sequences when dishes are tasted are worth it alone.

So imagine our excitement when we learned that Zundo, specializing in both ramen AND donburi, was opening up. While we’ve eaten there several times and remained fully clothed throughout the process, we’ve been pleased with just about everything we’ve tried.

First up, the ramen. There’s several different types of ramen on the menu, from miso, to creamy tonkotsu to vegetable and spicy miso. Ramen broth can be labor of love, requiring a lot of time to do well to produce a rich, multifaceted stock, and the texture of the noodles—nice and bouncy—is excellent. We’ve got some good ramen in the city, but this is among the greats. If you're feeling indulgent, the tonkostu is the way to go; miso ramen is a little more complex but doesn't beat the silky simplicity of the straight tonkotsu stock.

I recommend getting an extra egg for a dollar upcharge in whatever ramen you choose. The spicy miso isn’t really that spicy, and don’t be scared of the pickled bamboo shoots; they provide a nice crunch and change of texture.

Keep ramen, ramen, ramen

Giant shrimp dumplings

Appetizer-wise, we’ve gotten the kaki furai (panko-fried oysters) and the takoyaki (griddled batter balls with octopus centers), as well as the tatsuta age (fried chicken) which was amazingly juicy and crispy, the gyoza, the soft shell crab, the chashu (pork belly bun) and the giant steamed shrimp dumplings.

They are all a bit on the smaller side (I wouldn't personally call the shrimp or the dumplings "giant") so if you are going with a group, we recommend getting a few to share. If you have someone with you who's a little unsure of what to get, the tatsuta age is probably your best bet.  Everyone loves fried chicken.

 

Tatsuta age

Kaki fry

 

Soft shell crab

In our opinion, Kaze still has Zundo beat on pork belly buns for a few reasons. The sauce with the buns itself needs a little work, and for some reason, the Zundo cut is a little thinner and chewier. Fear not though, after impressing them with a sample of our hot pepper jams, they invited us to work with them to develop a sauce that is going to knock (at least) your socks off, Food Wars style.

As for the donburi, we’ve tried the katsudon (fried pork cutlet), katsukarē (same as previous except with Japanese curry-style gravy), the unadon (eel), and the loco moco don (burger).

Let me see that don, da don don don

The curry for the katsudon is rich, flavorful and very comforting. Stewed potatoes and carrots also add some heft to the dish. If you opt for udon instead of rice, the springy but tender noodles have a wonderful texture as well. The loco moco don may sound a little unusual, but just think of it as a Japanese version of meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  The sauce is a little ketchupy, but that adds to the meatloaf-like charm.

Curry udon

Zundo is simple food, done extremely well. As you can tell from all the food in this post (and the items mentioned we didn't tote the camera with us for), we’ve been at least five times now and will be back very soon as the cold Cincinnati winter sets in. We recommend you do the same.

Oagariyo!

Veracruz Mexican Grill:

I was craving Mexican one night (spoiler alert, this is pretty much my constant state) and the city of Cincinnati was in the middle of a crazy heat wave punctuated by impressive thunderstorms. We weren't about to venture out anywhere on foot, so you know what that means: delivery. But where-oh-where would we find authentic, home-style Mexican fare that could be delivered to our doorstep?

Enter Veracruz. Thirty minutes and one UberEats order later, we were enjoying some of the best refried beans and tacos in town, and we knew that we had to make the trip to the actual restaurant so we could try more of the menu.

There was just uno teeny problemo. Veracruz is on the West Side.

Let me preface this to say that I don’t have any hate for the West Side as a whole. There’s lots of neat things on the West Side. Creamy whips, chili parlors, great views from the Incline Public House. West Side people are cool. I don’t know if West Side is “best side” but it’s certainly not the worst side. I’m not super fond of Rapid Run park, which is a hilly hellacious bear of a 5K course that I still remember struggling through from my high school cross country days, but I can deal. Here’s my beef with the West Side.

It’s impossible to navigate.

Downtown Cincinnati (like most cities) is a grid. Not so with the West Side. The West Side map is made up of a series of random streets which make hardly any sense that loop, curve and (sometimes) intersect with no rhyme or reason, topped by no left turns allowed exactly when you need them most. You can’t get anywhere in a straight line, and once you’re lost, good luck trying to find your way back, you’ll just end up driving hopelessly in one direction without any way to turn around. One afternoon a few years ago we had to navigate by the sun to try and get out. THE SUN. When I find myself on the viaduct and emerge on the other side, I swear I see the triple moons ala Land of the Lost. The West Side is Cincinnati’s version of Hotel California. You can visit any time you like, but you can never leave.

But some things are worth the trip; Veracruz is one of them. We’ve been twice (and have been lazy and ordered delivery two times as well) now and have been impressed each time.

So many tasty choices

Our first visit, we ordered some drinks, the choriqueso, taquitos and cochinita pibil. The cheese dip at Veracruz is a bit thinner than at some of the other restaurants we’ve been to, which is not a bad thing - it makes it less salty and it doesn’t set up into glue as it cools down. I actually like it cold the next day out of the fridge with their flaky corn chips almost as much as when it is fresh. They also are kind of stingy with the portion sizes of the dip (read: if you have a group, get a double order), which is silly because we all know it’s Extra Melt, which is sold in five-pound blocks.

More queso por favor

The restaurant’s semi-open kitchen is right there when you walk in, and there’s the matriarch of the family running a tight ship with a notebook and a clipboard. It's very clear that Veracruz does not cut corners. Service each time has been friendly and fast.

My taquitos were stuffed with delicious, flavorful and tender chicken, served with traditional rice and excellent refried beans. David’s cochinita pibil made for a wonderful taco he assembled. Cochinita pibil is somewhat of a rarity around here, so it’s fantastic that it is on Veracruz’s menu.  It wasn't perfect (a bit dry) but fortunately that meant we didn't have to shoot the cook.

Our second trip (which we made without getting lost!) we were a bit more adventurous. There were two of us, we decided. Why not go for the gold with the “Monster Margarita?”

The couple that tries to drink "Forty Ounces of Fun" together...um, gets a stomach ache together?

I opted for the chicken tostada and a carnitas taco, because when in a Mexican restaurant, always get something with carnitas. The chicken was the same juicy, seasoned variety that was in my taquitos, and it did not disappoint on the crunchy, just-fried tostada. As for the carnitas, well, let’s just say Veracruz does them as well as they do all their menu items - the simple traditional carnitas taco is a knockout.

 K.O.

David ordered the steak norteño platter which features nopalitos (cactus strips).  Tasty flank steak combined with the nopalitos produced a steak-and-peppers-like combo that made great DIY tacos with flour tortillas.

🌵🌵🌵

So, what of the monster margarita, you may ask? Well, David and I are not ones to back down from a boozy challenge, but the combination of the volume, sugar and the fact that we were also busy stuffing our faces with delicious food from Veracruz meant that we had to throw in the towel on the margarita. It happens. Sometimes when you go hard or go home, you end up going home. Take it from us - this is a drink for a group of three or four. 

David and I have carefully documented how to get to Veracruz turn by turn, and I can even run there (about three miles from downtown) so you know we'll be back. Plus, rumor has it they have some great happy hour specials and an outdoor patio to enjoy before winter sets in. 

MidiCi:

We were very excited when it was announced that MidiCi was coming to Cincinnati, but also a little apprehensive. At that time (last year at the end of March), David couldn’t eat much of anything, and especially not pizza. It was a real bummer, because David is very particular about his pizza, and MidiCi’s wood-fired ovens can make pizza one of the best ways.

But, we were hopeful that by the time David was well and able to eat cheese, regular bread and tomatoes and salt again, the restaurant would be open for business - and that's what happened! Lucky us. MidiCi has been open since mid-December.

We checked out the place with our good friends Bob and Erin Marie a little after they opened.

I am particularly thrilled about one appetizer - the burrata with melon and prosciutto. Three of my favorite things, all on one plate. There’s a reason this appetizer is one of the most popular. It combines some really nice flavor profiles for a light, shareable appetizer. Unless you are dining with me, then you got to get your own.

I like a 'lotta burrata

The meatball appetizer is a little heavier and we’d advocate splitting it, especially if you are also ordering a pizza. Seasoned well, with tender meatballs, crunchy bread and a nice vibrant sauce, you can’t go wrong here.

 

The drink menu is a good balance, there's a bit of something for everyone, I have ordered a drink twice now called “A Moment in the Sun” made with limoncello, vodka and lemon juice with a sugar rim. David appreciates the lighter options like an Aperol spritz. 

 

Which brings us to the pizza. We ordered three pizzas between all of us, The Margherita, The Meats and The Hawaiian. All had excellent crust and structure, the only thing we’d love to see more of is a little more browning on the mozzarella. 

Spoiler alert: It's good 'za

The interior of the restaurant has been decorated with care, including an indoor fire pit, a tree and lots of little details that will keep your eyes entertained while you wait for your meal to arrive over a cocktail or spritz.

It's the little things - look,..purse hooks

It can be a little confusing to order if you visit for the first time, but just head towards the cash registers in the middle and let them walk you through it. Some of the staff were still getting trained up while we were there, so be patient - it’s worth the wait.