Restaurant Review: WG Kitchen & Bar at the Banks

The Banks have really exploded in the past year in downtown Cincinnati. A year ago - it was nothing - now there are tons of restaurants, bars and even some ice cream! I work fairly close by - so after work - walking there takes just about 10 minutes. Last week I had clients in town and decided to try out WG Kitchen & Bar.

Wine Guy now has 7 locations in Southwest Ohio - 3 in the Cincinnati area. First we tried the meatball sliders - these were okay. The buns were good and didn't get soggy - but the meatballs were nothing special.

For another app - we tried the Roasted Red Pepper & Mozzarella Bruschetta ($9.99). This was DELICIOUS!!! This one went so quickly that we ordered a 2nd plate of it. The mozzarella melted a bit and the balsamic reduction was thick and sweet. I would highly recommend the bruschetta.

I chose the Potato-crusted Mahi Mahi ($22.99) served in a lemon-clam sauce with red skin potatoes, asparagus and cherry tomatoes. I went for this because I remembered having fish prepared similarly at Gordon Ramsey's The London in NYC and really enjoying it. This version I really didn't enjoy - mainly because of the sauce. Whoever thought that a lemon-clam sauce was a good idea needs to have their head checked - blech! I really didn't notice the sauce on the menu (it's there - I was just schmoozing) but if I had - I wouldn't have ordered it. The fish was cooked nicely but was bland - and that sauce just was't a good pairing. I would have much preferred a light cream sauce.

Why Should You Go? WG is a local chain and has done really well. It's a very nice restaurant and was great for a client dinner - they even had us in a separate little room for privacy - which was nice and unexpected for a party of 6. Even though I didn't like what I got for an entree - I would definitely go back because I've heard great things from others. And again - the bruschetta would be worth it alone.