I think we saved the best for last on our gastronomic tour of Cincinnati, Ohio. All three of us are huge fans of Mexican food. We always enjoy our visits to Under the Volcano in our hometown of London, Ontario. You can find Nada at or near the top of all the Best Of Cincinnati dining guides online – so we just had to check it out on the last night of our long weekend getaway. Very cool looking establishment with a stylish brand. I would love to come back in the warm summer months to check out the patio. The restaurant is spread over two floors with the lower level featuring a bar area and the upper level for dining. We reserved well in advance and were rewarded with a perfect window table in the center of the restaurant.
We started out with the ubiquitous nachos and salsa and also ended up getting a double order of the house specialty guacamole which was outstanding! Our main courses were also excellent and the one dish that really stuck out in our minds was the crispy pork belly tacos – yes, pork belly tacos! Not for the light of heart, these bad boys were unbelievable! We always have to try the most unusual things on the menu and these tacos did not disappoint. Crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside – just like a pork belly should be. This dish is extremely rich and filling, but well worth trying for the more adventurous eaters out there. Overall, a great night at Nada. The staff are extremely friendly and outgoing and seemed to take a genuine interest in us being from Canada and coming all the way down to Cincinnati for the football game. The restaurant manager also dropped by our table for a nice chat. They really made us feel like we were welcomed guests in their establishment which made for a very special customer experience.
I also had a brush (sort of) with sports celebrity at Nada. I spotted Bengals back-up QB Bruce Gradkowski going into the restroom across the restaurant. My one older brother is a die-hard Raiders fan, so I would have been all over Bruce for a picture had we not forgot to put the SD card back in our camera before leaving the hotel. Damn! That’s why I don’t have any pictures from Nada to share. I did holler his name and then point to him and give him the thumbs up as he came out of the can. He waved and gave us a big smile (I’ve always heard Bruce is a class act and good with the fans). But it would have been nice to get a picture to commemorate the big Bengals comeback win over the Buffalo Bills. Alas – it was not to be. Memorable time at Nada though – we will definitely be back. For now, back to the cage.
