We know about the Rhine River's-worth of beer that flowed through 19th-century Cincinnati. But the city's German saloons were equally as celebrated (or at least appreciated) for the food, namely sausages and other Porkopolis products served by barkeeps and meat peddling street vendors just passing by.
Mike Stankovich, who owns Longfellow Bar in Over-the-Rhine and the Cutaway in Oakley, respects Cincinnati’s old tavern food traditions, something that’s evident at his newest spot, Mid-City, a comfortable and affable restaurant and tavern located in an alleyway just off Court Street, Downtown.
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While the small (but soon-to-be-expanded) bar menu has hints of everything from Asian to American cuisine, the Mid-City Plate, a gorgeous mess of meat, potatoes and sauerkraut, lends the place a bit of 19th-century Cincinnati flavor. It’s inspired by choucroute garnie, a dish from Alsace, the French region that borders Germany (of which it’s been a part of several times over) and takes its culinary traditions from both countries.
In a Spanish twist, all the meats are cooked or seared on a plancha (a rectangular carbon-steel skillet) rendering each slightly charred, crisp and almost sweet on the exterior, with interiors that are tender, juicy and a lot of other annoying but accurate adjectives.
Chef Francisco Alfara and sous chef Joe Cheek use the plancha for lightly smoked frankfurters (sourced from just across the street at Avril-Bleh) that are split down the middle (this is no mere hot dog) and cooked to perfection on the plancha.
The pork belly is braised in fermented hard apple cider before it’s cooked and arrives at your table (or barstool) near the point of caramelization – so flavorful that even a person like me who’s put off by the fattiness of pork belly can’t help but clean my plate. Meanwhile, the loin is brined in beer, salt and sugar before it’s cooked, rendering it as moist and juicy as a good cut of steak.
The potatoes are especially good; firm but not overcooked with hints of the bay leaves and cloves Alfara tosses into the water as they boil. While Mid-City isn’t making its own sauerkraut, it serves a delightful doctored version in which Alfara adds caraway seeds, drains it and reconstitutes it in lager before heating it on the plancha.
The Mid-City Plate is served with German mustard spiked with Dijon. But what brings everything together is the cider-and-beer braising liquid from the pork belly, which is cooked down and drizzled over the plate just before it’s served.
The Mid-City plate is available in three sizes. A plate for one costs $13, $21 for two or $30 for three.
40 E. Court St., Downtown, midcitycinti.com.
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