Jul 24

In the Cinci area? Go eat here!

Tag: GeneralPaul C. @ 10:38 pm


Our family has always been a Jeff Ruby’s restaurant fan club. The steaks (Ruby’s Gem or Collinsworth anyone?) are to DIE for. Its about the only place you will see me order a salad ( A Freddy…no tomato, no dressing thanks) and king crab legs too. Although..I get funny looks when I ask for soy sauce with my crab leg!
Anyway, in the Crestview Hills Towne Centre, there used to be a place called Mike and Jimmy’s Chop House. It was a steak place…and the food was pretty good. Not great, but good. It was open for a couple years and eventually shut its doors. We had a few really bad experiences there and we gave them quite a few chances to make good. You tell my pregnant wife that you have a special that includes a desert that she is craving and then tell her its all gone by the time we are ready for it…thats one thing. When you come back a week later, explain to the wait staff what happened last week, are promised it won’t happen again…and then it does?? Good riddance.
But I digress. Mike and Jimmy’s closed its doors. Not too long after, another proprietor took over the establishment and dubbed it John Phillip’s. Its a whole new restaurant. While the interior changed slightly with a new wall in the non-smoking section, a new wine room, and I believe the smoking/bar area was changed a bit too – the service and menu has changed tremendously.
First off, if you do go there, ask for Richard. He is our waiter of choice and always does the best job. The first time we went there, we spent three or four hours with family. Richard wasn’t our waiter, but was working. Emily and I went for Father’s day and he did serve us then. He actually remembered us! (is that a good thing…or were we that obnoxious? 🙂 ). He is a great waiter – never pushy, recommendations are excellent – be they wine, meals, or soup; and he has a knack for timing meal after appetizer, drinks during, and – one of my biggies – he doesn’t bother interrupting if the conversation is flowing between his patrons. He waits for a moment when there is a pause.
Emily may chime in for her recommendations, but if you do go – and you are a steak person- make sure you get the Steak Bites appetizer. Skewered steak bites served mostly medium, with sides of bearnaise and a this lighter mushroom wine sauce that is to die for! Emily and other’s highly recommend the Tuna appetizer. Their main coarse steaks are really good – def. give Ruby’s a run for their money. The roasted chicken breast entree is also very good, although the rice pilaf was a tad on the dry side. Emily and my mom both boast the Prime Rib. It comes in two sizes – queen and king. The Queen size is MORE than enough for a meal…order the king if you want a nice doggy bad though 🙂 Emily also recommends the halibut main course.
What you’re still reading my rambling? Amazing! I’ll cut to the chase and say if you want to impress your date or wife, go here. Want to go for an excellent meal without having to drive far? Go here! Ask to be seated with Richard -he’s the waiter with the Asian tattoo on each forearm. Haven’t asked him what they mean yet. Appetizer prices range form $9-15 and main courses run $10-25 depending on your choice (steaks on the high end of course).
They do have a website, but I guess its still in the design stage.
Drink, Eat, Enjoy.
-pc

5 Responses to “In the Cinci area? Go eat here!”

  1. Chris says:

    I’ll have to check this place out. Thanks for the tip. If you’re putting it in the same sentence with Ruby’s, it sure must be something! Now, I just need a date to impress 😉

  2. Heather says:

    Well, you have convinced me – how are the desserts?

  3. Paul C. says:

    Their deserts are awesome as well. The first time we ate there, (about 7 or 8 of us), we had one of each to share! The Creme Bruille (yeah, I butchered that), is my favorite. It is served in a shallow dish, with three flavors – vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry (neopolitan).

  4. Ashley says:

    mmmmmm makes me want to go back again. Maybe not for 4-5 hours like before though 😉

  5. Mom C says:

    the food was fabulous…but I have to edit…the word is “course” not “coarse”…the latter not a good word with fine foods! 🙂 love you!

Leave a Reply