Boca restaurant, as good as they say

[kjbrill]

Everyone has a different evaluation of what they like to eat. As stated, in my mid-70s, about the last thing we need is a gourmet restaurant. With nothing to do all day long during the entire week I am perfectly capable of fixing a meal. Just where you are in life. That is the major factor, where are you in life? There is a point in life when the last thing you desire is a 1st class restaurant. Believe me it happens.

[mike1003]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

Everyone has a different evaluation of what they like to eat. As stated, in my mid-70s, about the last thing we need is a gourmet restaurant. With nothing to do all day long during the entire week I am perfectly capable of fixing a meal. Just where you are in life. That is the major factor, where are you in life? There is a point in life when the last thing you desire is a 1st class restaurant. Believe me it happens.

Why do some posters just have to post to hijack threads? This isn't a home cooking thread. If you want to talk about cooking, look here: //www.city-data.com/forum/recipes/

The question presented by the OP is: Is Boca restaurant, as good as they say?

[kjbrill]

Sorry if you don't like my comments on food. But to me food is just that - food. If it turns you on fabulous. But to get all excited about a certain restaurant, not so exciting. I hope the patrons of Boca are overjoyed and get a great satisfaction from their meal, but doubt if it will turn the overall living in Cincy one iotta. Haven't seen a restaurant yet which which actually affected the city and we have had some great ones.

[SWOH]

OP, if you do go to Boca, let us know how it is.

I've never been before, but it's a spot that's on the "bucket list".

[Wilson513]

Originally Posted by mike1003

Why do some posters just have to post to hijack threads? This isn't a home cooking thread. If you want to talk about cooking, look here: //www.city-data.com/forum/recipes/

The question presented by the OP is: Is Boca restaurant, as good as they say?

Well, the OP got his answer, as if it mattered. After all, restaurant opinions are purely subjective. I see folks crowding into places I thought were terrible and sometimes my favorite restaurant is nearly empty. So, what is the point of putting up a question like this if not to stimulate conversation. In any event, the OP was answered and hasn't even been back as far as we know. So, let talk about whether the short ribs at Boca are better than mine at home. I am pretty sure they are not.

I got the ribs from Avril Bleh's last side of beef and they are on the menu for tomorrow, Sunday supper with guests. Three days of refrigerator aging, brown deeply in cast iron dutch oven, fresh ground Malabar pepper and sea salt, cover with chopped shallots and into the oven for 2 hours at 325. Remove, deglaze pan with dry red wine, make and add the roux, add beef broth as needed. Serve with miniature potatoes cooked in the Syracuse salt potato style, Korean chili spiced broccoli and a nice salad of Romain lettuce. Shadeau rolls.

At Boca, their inferior dish is $34 plus the salad.

[Sarah Perry]

Oh, what the heck, I'll weigh in with my own irrelevant Boca story. Heaven knows, I've told it a lot of times. It's long, so stop reading now if you're not interested.

Many of you may not be aware that a restaurant with the name Boca has been around for a long time - close to 20 years, maybe? A friend (who was in the restaurant business) and I ventured in one lovely weeknight two or three months after they first opened on Hamilton Aveue in Northside. I recall that the weather was warm to hot, and the temperature in the restaurant was stifling, not much helped by the fact that the back door was standing open, with no screen. The noise level was deafening. I ordered an iced tea, but couldn't track down the server to bring me a spoon to stir it with. Eventually the friend and I ordered an appetizer, which was nothing memorable, but tasted fine.

After a rather long wait, the server returned, recited the specials, and I ordered one which was some kind of fish--tilapia, I think. After another rather long wait, the food arrived. She set a plate of salmon down in front of me. "This is not what I ordered," I said. "Oh, we ran out of ..., so I just substituted this." "It's not what I want," I said. So I ordered a baked or broiled chicken (I forget which) off the regular menu. Meanwhile, my friend didn't want to eat his entree alone while we had what we assumed was going to be another long wait. He sent it back. About 45 minutes later, she brought out HIS SAME PLATE OF FOOD which had obviously been just sitting under a heat lamp all that time. And my chicken, which at that point was looking delicious. But by then, he didn't want HIS overcooked, dried-out entree. We agreed to just share the chicken and get the hell out of Boca. But when I cut into it. IT WAS STILL RAW.

My friend got up, walked up front to the manager, and told him we would be leaving, and we would not be paying for anything. Close to three hours after we had arrived, we headed across the river to Covington to the Anchor Grill.

I'm sure Boca is now a fine eating establishment. But I'll never be able to get past the name.

[goyguy]

Could be one reason they've meandered around town from Northside to Oakley to downtown...LOL

In my family the Goyguy Sr's are the types to "dine" out while Yours Truly goes out to eat. There's a difference. Anyway, they are in the camp that has no clue what all the hype and hullaballoo is about. They've been (to the first two incarnations) and were of the "OK but nothing spectacular" opinion every time - and have no plans to visit them in what they'll always consider "The Maisonette's building."

[FWIW their go-to places for dining out are Orchids, Jean-Robert's Table, Salazar, and Nectar (in Mt Lookout Square.) And there's the very occasional excursion up to Dayton suburbia and Rue Dumaine (sp?) Might as well add a touch of brill to this post. ]