The Wheel — Restaurant in Cincinnati

So this is not a review of a normal restaurant. The Wheel does carry-out only on the weekends, and pop-up dinners on the days of their choice. If you follow them on socials, you can score a seat at the pop-ups. The place is an old house with a lot of character. The food for carryout is fantastic and their bread is fantastic. We live in West Chester and have driven down to there a few times just to pick up delicious dinners.

We just attended our first dinner there last Tuesday. Oh My Goodness! What a treat. Jordan greeted us with a glass of Prosecco and directed us where to sit a long table that seats 20. We introduced ourselves to our seatmates and then our first dish arrived. Chef does explain the food before we had each dish, however we wished there was more background and history as to how this place came into being. So expect fantastic food without a lot of details.

The first dish was a salad made with all local ingredients. It was so fresh and the dressing made with fresh dill was fantastic. The second dish was a ravioli with northern Italian cheese on a bed of butternut squash puree and brown butter. The pasta was SO delicate and the flavors complimented each other so well. The third dish was a 6 hour braised pork shoulder with ricotta gnocchi in a sauce with Calabrian chilis and I don't know what else. We have been to Italy and all the Italian restaurants in Cincinnati and never had anything like this. It was truly phenomenal. Dessert was a apple upside down cake served warm with whipped cream...fantastic.

You bring your own wine, and Jordan is on it by never letting your glass get empty, pouring water, and clearing dishes. Service was so great and she is so friendly and accommodating.

The cost was a very reasonable $100/pp and SO worth it. There is no menu, so you go in just devouring what Chef...

The Wheel started as a pop-up restaurant hosting private dinners and they have expanded to now offer takeaway orders four days a week. All of their bread and pizza doughs are hand mixed and baked fresh daily. And the menu changes daily.

The Wheel is pretty well hidden on the eastern edge of Oakley on Brotherton Road, tucked between homes and small apartment complexes. There is a small parking lot, or street parking out front.

The brick exterior actually doesn't look much different from the neighboring four family homes. The interior is clean, new, and modern. Menu boards are updated daily with the offerings of the day.

I couldn't decide between the two pane offerings of the day, so I ordered a slice of each! The tomato pane is amazingly delicious! The stewed tomato sauce for this is super thick and also contains oregano, garlic, and olive oil. It is lightly topped with cheese and dried herbs.

The coppa & peppers pane had a base of the same thick crust, a little tomato sauce, and provolone. The coppa is a salami like meat and was complimented with banana peppers. This was also a good slice of pie, but I have to recommend that you try the tomato if you can only handle a single slice. Two slices was more than I could finish...

Went there recently, and was warmly greeted by Chrissie. So many choices, tried the lasagna, and the stuffed peppers, wonderful and creative variations of familiar favorites.

Also had the local lettuces salads with the lemon vinaigrette very delicious and a nice balance of pistachios, cherries, and cheese, with a wonderfully matched dressing.

Got a loaf of the rustic sourdough, mild sourdough tartness, with very crunchy crust, though perhaps a bit over baked for my tastes.

Finished with two desserts ricotta lemon cookies, tasty and wanted more, they would be super with a nice cappuccino. Even better (I love coconut and chocolate) were the nanaimo bars. Very rich with a walnut and coconut base topped with a chocolate ganache.

An excellent alternative to the hum drum carryout that we usually get. It was recommended that I heat them in the oven, which I think gives a better result than using the microwave.

I highly recommend it, and do not let the exterior fool you,...