Unpredictably hip
GINA DAUGHERTY | CIN WEEKLY
3200 Madison Road, Oakley
513-542-2022
Special occasions call for special places. Just sold your video idea to Google? Boca.
Getting engaged? Celebrating an anniversary? Need to get back into someone's good graces?
Boca. Boca. Boca.
Intimate and upscale, Boca is where you go so you can brag about where you went to dinner last night. And where you go to surround yourself with other fashionable people.
The menu in the main dining room is prix fixe ($47 per person), and is a fusion of fine Italian food with French and Asian accents. But don't expect the same menu items night after night. At Boca, everything changes depending on the season and what's fresh. It's all part of Boca's nightly evolution, which keeps it one of Cincinnati's hippest and coolest restaurants.
Though the menu constantly changes, there are several staples on Boca's menu that everyone must try. The Boca Caesar ($8), complete with grilled romaine hearts and anchovy garlic is one em. Another is the sea scallops, with caramelized Brussels sprouts and brown butter truffle vinaigrette ($12). And no meal is complete at Boca without a spoonful of the crème brulée ($7).
But don't expect to just breeze into a place like Boca and get seated. Reservations are strongly recommended, of course.
There is another side of Boca, too, apart from the upscale dining room, and that's the Trattoria side.
The area is small but cozy and the atmosphere is more casual. The menu is less expensive, with entrées hovering around the $20 mark. But that's not to say that Boca won't "BPA," which is owner David Falk's abbreviation for "blow people away."
Seating on the Trattoria side is first come, first served, and you can expect to wait on weekends. But to help you pass the time, Boca's front bar is an ideal spot to sip cocktails and wait it out. Try the Bawe Wowie, Boca's champagne martini ($12).
No matter where you end up at Boca, either in the main dining room or Boca Trattoria, you're going to want to look as good as the food and posh décor, so dress to impress.
HOURS: Open 5:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 5:30 to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday; bar stays open Tuesday-Saturday as long as there are customers.
MENU SAMPLER
SALAD: Boca Caesar, with grilled romaine hearts and anchovy garlic ($9)
ENTREE: German Farms Amish chicken ($26)
DESSERT: Crème brulée ($7)
