Restaurant Review: Honey

The Place: Honey in Northside, OH

The Time: 7:15 pm May 11, 2010
The Meal: Cocktails and Dinner

Overview: One of my dearest friend's birthday is in May and to celebrate we went to one of our favorite restaurants, Honey in Northside. Now, this is the second restaurant review I've done and the second in Northside. One might think I live in this area or near it; not so. The concentration of fantastic food in Northside is just that incredible. At least 3 other restaurants in that neighborhood are on my list of places to blog about.

ANYWAY. Back to Honey. Honey is located right across the street from Take the Cake on Hamilton Avenue in a lovely old building. The wood siding has been painted a deep blue and the awning and curtains are black. The inside is a complete contrast, light and airy and cozy all at the same time. The food is trendy without being pretentious, simple but expertly composed. The dranks iz cray cray (by which I mean they are delicious and strong, but the kind of strong that you can't taste... magical), the food is delectable, the staff is friendly, and the whole experience is style without the pretension.

The Food: This evening at Honey I went with one of the specials; I tend not to order thingsfrom the specials list at any restaurant cause I find they're typically over priced and under whelming.However, A NY Strip with Au Gratin potatoes and grilled asparagussounded too perfect to pass up this particular evening.

Before the main course though, we had cocktails and an appetizer. We both had Honey's signature martini, aptly named the Honey Martini. I can't recall what all it contains, but it's something akin to a sweeter, more sophisticated Cosmopolitan. It's... fantastic. Seriously, one of these drinks is more than enough for me even WITH a big meal after. You definitely get your money's worth in the form of generous amounts of top shelf liquor that is smooth and sweet.

Along with that we had Honey Fries: sweet potatoes and Yukon Gold's cut ultra thin, quick fried, topped with softened minced garlic, and served with a honey and and chili sauce. SO GOOD. I honestly would prefer a thicker cut fry, but I suppose these work well for those who'd rather not eat with their hands; in order to efficiently eat them with the sauce, it's best to put them on a plate and poursome sauce over them, then dig in with a utensil rather than your fingers.

So I've not talked about my main course yet. Unfortunately, that's because it was a bit disappointing. I consider this my fault though. A steak is a steak is a steak (when it's a good cut, anyway). Sure, you CAN mess it up, but if you're at a good restaurant the chances of that are slim to none. There wasn't anything explicitly bad about my meal, but it wasn't anything extraordinary either. It was a good cut of meat cooked the way I ordered it, the asparagus was fresh and cooked just fine, and the potatoes were just OK. This is what I get for ordering a "special."

All that said, I've eaten at Honey a number of times prior to this and am always beyond pleased with my food. Typically their dishes are unique twists on classic and modern gourmet and always leave me guessing what that certain something was that pulled the whole thing together. Conclusion: I need to stop ordering steaks in restaurants. I do quite a good job with them in my own kitchen, so from now on I'll only order things that sound like they'd be difficult to do at home. Go to Honey and order something off of the regular menu.

The Decor/Atmosphere: Honey is one of those truly lovely spaces to dine in. They've balanced out cool tones on the walls with warm orange-ish stained wood furniture. Steel and glass accents with simple flowers adorn the table, and the menus are clean parchment like things with sophisticated but not fussy fonts. The art on the walls consists of plain prints, most of which appear to be enlarged diagrams of flowers and plants from field guides. It really is one of the best designed restaurants in the city, in my opinion.

The space isn't terribly large, but it feels open due to the extremely high ceilings and abundance of light that comes through the store front style windows and skylights. You get this interestingly mixed feeling of openness and coziness all at once. I think that helps the place not to feel at all pretentious despite it being one of the best restaurants in the city.

The Service: As should be expected with any restaurant with the reputation and pricing of Honey, the service was excellent. Prompt, friendly, knowledgeable, present but no hovering. Not much else to say here.

The Price: Honey is a nice restaurant. Most would probably save this for special occasions or other indulgences. The pricing reflects that. It's not the most expensive restaurant in Cincinnati, but it's certainly not what one would call budget friendly. An appetizer, two meals, and two premium cocktails plus tip ran us about $120. You could do a lot worse, and the quality of the overall experience is such that this seems perfectly reasonable. If you want to try Honey but don't have a hundred bucks to drop, try them for brunch. Or come and have just a main course and water to drink. They do have some mains that run under 10 bucks, chiefly salads and the like.

The Verdict: While my meal this time around wasn't as stellar as they have been in the past, I blame this mostly on my personal preferences. Honey is highly recommended if you're looking for a restaurant that delivers on the whole package. The food is typically exceptional, the atmosphere is lovely, the staff is friendly; what more can you ask for, really?

Up next, I'll be posting a few recipes. Morrocan Chicken with Orzo and Polenta with Collard Greens, Bacon, Parmesan, and Fried Egg.

-R