Sacred Beast Diner OTR — Restaurant in Cincinnati

We started with the salted beets with goat cheese and pistachios. Mostly it was so we can get SOME vegetables in. But really, it was just good. The beats may have been salted, but they were by no means SALTY. The cheese played off well with the earthiness and the pistachios brought a much needed textural component as well as slightly sweet notes that cut throughout the salad.

This we ordered with the Foie Gras, in season strawberry preserves and toast. I love a torchon of foie, and this absolutely did not disappoint. Foie pairs delightfully with sweet fruit and this was no exception. The fatty, unctuousness atop the crusty, toasted bread with bits of char served as the luscious component to fresh, rich strawberries in season. So good you can taste the Cincinatti sunshine in every bite, the foie keeping it just a little longer on your lips (and perhaps a minute or two longer on the hips).

After, we just HAD to order the Korean Fried Chicken. Sorry Colonel, your melted down highway cone of a mac and cheese is delicious but this is the KFC I long and crave for. It's served with a spicy maple that was not what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be sticky, spicy, syrupy but instead it was spicy, sweet and CREAMY. It was perfect to dip super hot (temperature wise) chunks of juicy and perfectly crisp fried chicken into. Pro tip, ask for a side of the chilis which graced our next dish.

Deviled eggs. They may not be a big deal to you, but they're a big deal to me. I don't know what it is about them, but I go crazy for them. And nothing throws me into a pit of despair and self loathing than the rubbery, bland eggs you can get premade at grocery stores. What I'm saying is, they mean a lot to me. They should mean a lot to you, too. These, here at the Sacredest of Beasts mean a lot to me. A beautifully cooked (and not rubbery) egg; the perfect vessel for toppings. In this case, the aforementioned chilis (hot and VERY tasty; a hard balance to nail), PORK RINDS, a little celery leaf (from the stalk) and this super intriguing and just oh so right pickled mustard. The real genius of these things though is that the team at Sacred Beast does a soft boil to the eggs and then, and THEN, tops them with the usual deviled bits. So not only to you get the tasty deviled in deviled egg part on top, but you get this expertly cooked yolk as well. These things were a revelation. After eating them, I had to go back and meet the owner, Jeremy. He said everyone thought he was crazy for wanting to keep the yolk intact. It was crazy. Crazy delicious. It just makes so much sense that even now sitting here typing I am getting angry no one else thought of this. Why aren't we doing this more? I recently cured and smoked my own bacon of which I made sure to save the skin. I think I know what I'm doing this week (read: pork rind deviled eggs).

Last but certainly not least were our mains; double cheeseburgers. We all ordered them, we pressured Father into adding not only the pork belly (which we all did) but also the fried egg. Our double burgers came out as triples. Apparently this is a secret here, so don't tell them where you learned this from but their single is actually a double and their double is, you guessed it, a trip.

Genius.

And it is a damn fine burger. The bun is awesome. Great texture, just bland enough (because come on, it's about the meats and cheese). They also do a thin patty which, as a native Californian, I absolutely adore. The crust on their patties is on point. It makes Maillard himself weep in joy. They come, usually, with pickles and onion but you can get other accoutrements as well (tomato and lettuce, bib in this case). It was heaven on a bun.

The service was incredible too. We got to know pretty much everyone. From Alyson, to Rachel, Meghan, Deja, and the family behind it all, Noah, Hannah, Bridgette and Jeremy. I can't wait to see what these warm people do in the days and years...

Cincinnati, OH. The creative takes on classic American fare plus several visits to our table by the owner, the manager and impeccable servers elevated this to one of the most memorable family meals we’ve ever had. We definitely felt well cared for on this day of thunderstorms, 4/14/24.

My sweet great grandson, a toddler right now, had an ear infection. We five sat in the outside area and they turned on the heaters for us because of his earache. They kept checking to be sure he was doing well. Thankfully there were few other patrons dining outside for quite a while. My great grandson walked all over the back area, smiled at everyone and they waved back, threw his food on the sidewalk, and was actually trying hard to contain his ear pain. The staff was SO kind to him and us!!!

We ordered the tasting menu (Italian arancini risotto balls in a divine sauce and the wedge salad as an appetizer; Crispy Chicken Schnitzel with freshly grated Parmesan and a spicy sauce; chocolate pudding with pistachios for dessert) plus their French fries with lobster sauce and real cheese curds (we get deep-fried breaded imposter cheese curds in Orlando); a side of Thousand Island dressing for my grand son-in-law who asked for it, some Mornay sauce which we also dipped our fries in, some good old ketchup; the Sacred Beast cheeseburger. My granddaughter got the gnocchi and loved it. My husband got the Goetta breakfast. My granddaughter and I loved the locally sourced Vanilla Chai ( we met the person who creates the vanilla and chai blend at a shop down the street!) and my son-in-law got a beer on tap.

My grandson in-law has very high standards for IPA beer on tap. He has a social media following for his hobby of finding the best bourbons and cigars. He actually has companies send him products to review. He didn’t say anything negative but he held back when I asked his opinion about the food and drinks. He said he’d be very interested to see what I wrote.

I told him I’d give this establishment 5 stars because of the care shown us by the owner and staff. We had a lovely time. And I enjoyed everything!

The price for the meal was steep but one is paying for the fantastic service and real estate necessary for a venue of this kind. They spared no expense to make this an elevated experience. It is great for romantic dates, business meetings, and impressing someone. The servers are dressed elegantly.

So yes, five stars and I’d give 10 stars if I could. Kudos to this Cincinnati establishment; may it...

This is the first restaurant that we have physically eaten inside of since the Pandemic started! And Wow!! It was the right choice. The restaurant decor and atmosphere was so cool. Our server was MacKenzie and she was the BEST server we’ve ever had. Knowledgeable about the menu and how things were prepared. Very knowledgeable about their signature cocktails and mock tails (I don’t drink). From the time we sat down we were treated like we were the most important people there! The manager Jake, came to our table several times to check on us, sent us over a round of shots (yummy)! Ya’ll, they make their own Fireball!! Our group thought they were delish! The Head Chef came out and introduced himself. Overall, the best experience EVER! And let’s talk about the food! OMG we started with the deviled eggs which were out of this world and a spicy shrimp appetizer. Yummy! The three of us ordered the Dirty French burger and it tasted like french onion soup in a burger. Lord it was tasty! Our other friend ordered breakfast. They serve it all day and night long. It tried one of her hash brown cubes! Deliciously crunchy outside and a creamy explosion of potato inside. I could have eaten a whole plate of those all by myself. And now...dessert. I need a moment of silence...the chocolate pudding with whipped cream and chopped hazelnuts- yum- and then their cake with sliced strawberries!! To die for!! This was the meal we’ve been dreaming about since the shutdown. And it was worth it very month of waiting!! Truly spectacular from beginning to end. And did I mention our fabulous server, MacKenzie! Of course I did, but she is worth mentioning twice! Along with Allison and everyone who came to our table to make sure everything was great. Not invasive! Just made us feel pampered and valued. Can’t wait...