A Cincinnati restaurant is getting some national love after it was selected as one of 50 of the best restaurants in America right now, according to the New York Times.
For the NYT’s annual “The Restaurant List,” reporters and editors travel to nearly every state over the course of a year to scout restaurants. One of Cincinnati’s newest restaurants, The Aperture in Walnut Hills, landed on this year’s list.
“This year, it was about spaces as much as places,” writes Brian Gallagher for the NYT. “As always, there were no-brainers and tough choices — the United States has a vast, diverse spread of great restaurants these days — but these are our 50 favorites for 2024.”
The Aperture, helmed by chef and owner Jordan Anthony-Brown, opened in Walnut Hills’ Paramount Square in January 2024, enriching the up-and-coming neighborhood with a Mediterranean-inspired menu that focuses on three pillars: intention, balance and focus. The menu isn’t divided into the traditional appetizers/salads/entrées form; instead, it flows from lighter to more substantial dishes, beginning with items that pair well with cocktails and moving onto interesting vegetable preps, pastas and seafood. NYT had this to say about the restaurant:
“The restaurant’s regulars already have favorite bartenders and go-to orders like glazed hamachi collar, pita dips built from roasted vegetables, and tomato spaghetti swirled with candied chiles — stars on a menu that reflects the kitchen’s firm grasp of Mediterranean cuisine, particularly its eastern rim,” write Brett Anderson. You can read the full blurb here.
“There’s a massive range of emotions that come with an honor like this being bestowed upon your team and the work that you’ve done, but they all can be consolidated into one word - gratitude,” Anthony-Brown shared on Instagram this week following The Restaurant List’s release. “I’m grateful for it all - the easy days and the hard ones. The smooth services and the rough ones. The good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s only through managing and enduring that pendulum that enables us to remain steadfast in our identity and make the most of the opportunity that’s been presented to us. I’ve always said that this is truly an opportunity - nothing more, nothing less; what we do with that opportunity, is up to us. And it appears that, thanks to the @nytimes, we’ve done pretty well with that opportunity so far.”
The Aperture is open for dinner Wednesday through Saturday, and you can make a reservation on OpenTable. Read CityBeat dining critic Pama Mitchell’s full review here.
The Aperture, 900 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills. More info: theaperturecinci.com.
