What's Next at NEXT?

 Sous Chef Robert Sieber 

The Day's Specials

David and Liz cook, formerly of Daveed's in Mt. Adams, were looking for something other than the traditional. And their "small plate gatherings" are the "Next" step in their culinary  travels.  If you haven't guessed yet, the name of their newest restaurant is Daveed's Next, located at 8944 Columbia Rd in Loveland OH. Technically, it's in Loveland, but it's at the intersection of Columbia Rd. and Montgomery Rd., behind where the old (and now destroyed) 20 Mile House was. Next can be reached at (513) 683-2665.  The evening we were there David and Liz were catering and Michael Brown was our chef. Catering is a large part of their current business.  There is an a la carte menu as well as a large chalk board with the days special offerings. Be prepared to have a difficult time making your selections as everything sounds so interesting and delicious!  These are all small plates meant to be shared so variety is definitely the spice of life here. The available communal tables also bring an element of fun to dining here.  We started with the Bulgogi Pork Belly with braised cabbage and cucumber.

For our second course we decided on Ricotta Ravioli with a trio of rabbit confit, rabbit bacon and rabbit brodo.

Yummy!  Moving on to the Shrimp & Grits:

To finish up we had to try the Smoked Pork Shoulder Taco with mole and salsa verde. You'll have to trust us when we say this is definitely a eatery worth coming to again and again as the menu changes often! Also on hand is a cocktail list that is as imaginative as the food and wines by the glass and bottle. 

Bon Appetite!

Bacon tip: Does a whole package of bacon just seem too much? Take about a 15" piece of wax paper, fold in half 4 pieces of bacon (this is about right for a receipe requiring bacon, if you need more take another 4 pieces from plastic bag).Place it in one  corner,fold corner of wax paper over folded slices. Place another 4 slices folded in half on top of those and turn left & right corners of wax paper over & turn over & over till you have a nice neat package. Place those in a plastic bag. Do this again with remaining slices of bacon. Label with marker, place in freezer. When needed, you can now remove just 4 slices at a time and return to freezer the rest!

Vivien and Terry

Last Day at Biltmore

  Lovely way 
to start the day!

Imperial Eggs Benedict

A Local Legend

Our last meal at the Inn at Biltmore Estate before hitting the road back to Cincinnati was breakfast. There was a chill in the mountain air, so the fireplace was lit, a fresh rose on the table and we had our hearty appetites.  Terry was still enamored with the buffet but I decided to check out the menu; glad I did! The Imperial Eggs Benedict has the expected poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce (eggs were poached perfectly, soft whites and liquid yolks) atop crab cakes. Favorite foods on one plate- how divine!

Time to pack up, but where to go for lunch?  A landmark that's been here for years is Sonny's B-B-Q located at 70 Sonny's Way in Somerset, KY.  The original Sonny's was started in Gainesville, FL by Floyd "Sonny" and Lucille Tillman. The restaurant has that down home feel and we could smell the wood smoke from miles away. After the heavy breakfast, we shared the pulled pork sandwich which was just right!

I must mention a restaurant that came highly recommended but we were just too relaxed to leave the veranda- Curate at One Biltmore Ave in Asheville, NC.  Reservations are highly recommended at least 3 days in advance by calling (828) 239-2946. Seating at the bar is by first availability. Chef and owner Katie Button has won many awards and her background is very impressive. Having worked with Jose Andres in Los Angeles, Ferran Adria of Il Bulli in Spain and Rene Redzepi of Noma in Denmark, she has decided to make Asheville her  home. She describes her food as Spain meets the South with new takes on tapas. This may be a great reason to get back to North Carolina....