Thai namtip, West Side Cincinnati

This entry is a little late but two weeks ago Stacie and I traveled to Cincinnati to celebrate Graham’s, my sister Samantha’s boyfriend’s, birthday. My brother Ben and his wife Amy joined us. Graham decided he wanted to go to a Thai restaurant on the west side of Cincinnati called Thai namtip.

Upon arrival we were met with the usual Asian restaurant dining room décor; elephants, bamboo screens, and pictures of the owner’s country. We greeted Graham and Samantha and started to peruse the menu. Standard Thai fare like Pad Thai and Pad See Ew were available in addition to the usual spring rolls, curries, and Thai fried rice. We ordered several appetizers including vegetable spring rolls, dumplings, and fried tofu. All of the appetizers were well done and enjoyed by the table. As far as entrees go I ordered crispy duck with cashews. I enjoyed my dish; it was flavorful and well cooked. The problem I had with it lies in the spice level. Our server explained Thai namtip’s spice scale from one to ten, ten being the hottest and one being mild. I like spicy food but when it becomes so hot that it over powers the rest of the dish I don’t enjoy it. I ordered a level three for my duck. This was way too mild. Ben and Graham ordered their stir-fries at a level seven and upon tasting Ben’s curried beef I could have ordered a seven or above. The great thing about Thai food is the perfect balance between spicy, sweet, fresh, salty, and savory. If one of those things is out of balance, too much or not enough, the dish falls short. The flavors in this dish were good but it was way too mild. As you can see from the pictures the girls all seemed to be happy with their meals although Amy and Stacie had the same criticism of the spiciness that I did. We gave Graham his presents, which he enjoyed, and we decide to cap off our Thai meal with Dairy Queen.

Blizzards, cones, and slushies were had all around. DQ never fails to deliver. The dessert was a nice way to end our visit. Everybody enjoyed spending time together, Graham liked his presents, and we had a good time, even if we were on the west side of Cincinnati. Thai namtip six out of ten, Dairy Queen ten out of ten. PS- “R U MY KID”

Lunch at Rue Dumaine

Rue Dumaine is my current favorite restaurant in the city of Dayton and they are open Fridays only for lunch. This last Friday I had the pleasure of eating there with my Mom and Grandma. Lunch is ordinarily a quick in and out affair as people usually have to get back to work but being as that I am a man of leisure on spring break and my mother has Fridays off we were able to linger and enjoy lunch in a more European way. Rue Dumaine is the perfect place to relax and enjoy a long three-course lunch with friends or family.

I started with the fresh spring pea soup and I have to say this was the highlight of the meal for me. This bright green soup was a perfect thing to have on the first day of spring! The soup was light, refreshing, clean, and crisp. The peas soup was finished with a little crème fraiche for a touch of richness. It was a perfect compliment to the gorgeous weather we are currently having in Ohio.

For an entrée I ordered the duck ragout with asparagus and wild mushrooms served over creamy polenta. I was really happy with the flavors again, a nice springtime lunch offering. My complaint was not with the depth of flavors or how they complimented each other it was with the texture of the meal. Everything in the dish was soft. Duck braised till falling off the bone and shredded, sautéed mushrooms, and asparagus (slightly overcooked) all soft. Then these items were all served over creamy polenta, again soft. What Chef Anne needed here was a textural contrast. This is a fundamental of plate presentation. I assume that the asparagus was there to add some crunch to the meal but as it was overcooked it could not do that. I would suggest some toasted pine nuts to accompany the Italian polenta. My Mom and Grandma both ordered the haricot vert salad with blue cheese and sherry vinaigrette. This salad was good and surprisingly filling. I think it was perhaps a little heavy on blue cheese, but overall a great salad


Lastly we ordered dessert, a luxury for this time of day. The lunch menu at Rue Dumaine is a brief affair, written once weekly and is essentially a short list of five or six specials showcasing Chef Kearney and her Sous Chef Brian Griffey’s talents. Because the lunch menu is so short they only had one dessert, a pear galette, which made our choice easy. This is not a dessert I would normally order but I was pleasantly surprised. A simply warm pear turnover topped with fresh, lightly, whipped, cream that was not too sweet or too rich for lunchtime. The pastry was light and crisp not doughy and rich like premade puff pastry has a tendency to be. The pears were just sweet enough to end the meal and the cream added some richness to balance the tartness of the fruit.

All right service, as always, is the sticking pint with me. I feel that lunch service at Rue Dumaine is better than the nighttime service. The feel here is more relaxed and not as stuffy. Also I felt that they servers aren’t as rushed because the volume is not as high for lunch so they have the time to dote on their tables a little bit more than usual. The Chef even had a moment to come to our table and say hello. This is a nice touch and I must admit I have a soft spot for Chef Anne and I love it when people in the restaurant make a fuss over my table.

A nice leisurely lunch with two of my favorite people in the world, in one of my favorite restaurants in the world! Eight out of ten.