Review: Brunch at Honey

Today’s choice off the Breakfast Menu was Honey in Northside

The wife and I wanted to eat somewhere good today after church, and I wanted to go somewhere a little trendy. Honey looked pretty good when I viewed the menu online. It’s a little restaurant in Northside with a ritzy menu. I convinced the wife to try something new and off we went. The result was more than we imagined. The place was really five star with cozy and posh surroundings and a delicious menu of brunch items.  

Restaurant:

Honey is a cozy little Northside restaurant that is in the old location of Boca, which I previously dined at once. According to the website Honey was the result of Doug and Shoshana Hafner who “dreamed of owning their own restaurant for years.” The place has been in Northside since 2005. The mission, according to their site is to have the concepts of fine dining with a casual dining feel. I can attest to the upscale nature of the place and the relaxed atmosphere. The restaurant has high ceilings and natural light that gave the mid day dining experience a nice atmosphere.

The menu was interesting Honey offers a few salads, sandwiches and an omelet. The menu is not as diverse as a family establishment and the descriptions all sound amazing. I was definitely interested in the Frangipane French Toast which was described as topped with caramelized bananas and mascarpone. The menu online was only a sample and when I arrived the recipe for the French toast was different. They offered wit with rum brown sugar apples, maple syrup and the mascarpone. The service in the restaurant was excellent. The prices were decent, with items around 8-12 bucks. Our server was attentive without hovering and helpful with them menu. The ambiance, as I hinted before was very good.

The Food:

We ordered the Binkle Fries, Frangipane French Toast, and the Omelet Du jour. The Omelet Du Jour came with sundried tomatoes, spinach and goat cheese.

Binkle Fries - New red potatoes with chive sour cream & sweet Thai chili sauce

Frangipane French Toast - Shadeau Bakery’s bâtarde slathered with frangipane topped with rum-brown sugar apples, maple syrup, and Crave Brothers mascarpone

The verdict:

The food was amazing. My wife loved the Binkle fries. She said it was the best potato dish we have had in the city so far. They were well spiced and complimented by the Thai chili sauce. The sauce was a little spicy but not too hot for me. The spice was balanced well by the sweet sauce. The omelet was really good. It was well flavored. The omelet was egg wrapped over the veggies, rather than cooked in, which I usually don’t like, but it worked in the omelet. The French toast was spectacular. Literally the best flavored French toast I had ever had. I did have some problems with the bread, it was like a French bread with a thick crust. My wife loved it, but I felt it was a little too thick. I also would not have thought to have apples on a French toast but with the butter rum it was amazing.

Ratings:

Service:              4.5
Ambiance:          5
Food:                   5
Coffee                  4

Nicole felt the coffee was better than average but not mind blowing good. She said it was just the right strength

Overall Experience:

I give the whole experience 4.5 out of 5 broken eggs:

The food was excellent, and the coffee was good. I felt like I would take friends there for a relaxing Sunday Brunch. The French toast was definitely a reason to return. I feel like I would have to come back to re-evaluate the place for a 5 rating. It offered good service, excellent food and a cozy setting.

For more information on the location:

Honey

4034 Hamilton Ave
Cincinnati, OH
(513) 541-4300

Hours:

Tuesday-Thursday 5pm - 9pm

Friday-Sat 5pm -10pm

Sunday Brunch 11am – 2pm

Website: www.honeynorthside.com