dinner was no better, it was a few offerings of overpriced (like $15!) pasta, which consisted of some noodles, tomatoes, and olives, which i could make better in my own kitchen. blah.
i like arnold's though, it is the oldest running bar in cincinnati and it has a nice outdoor courtyard with christmas lights and a little tree in the middle (which they cover in the winter so you can still sit "outside"). they have live music on weekends. the staff is nice and they have good beers on tap. so i was always sad that the food was so terrible.
well readers let me tell you, arnold's crappy food streak is over. i am not sure exactly what happened, i am thinking they got a new chef or something, but they have a new menu and it is great. i went for lunch a couple weeks ago with maggie, beth, and rickell. beth really wanted to go because it was st. paddy's day and she wanted the irish stew. maggie and rickell were like "eww, arnold's? i don't want to waste my money there." i had been hearing rumors about a new menu so i was up for it. somehow beth and i convinced them.
i am so happy we went. the food was great. i had the arnold's hot brown, which was roasted turkey, bacon, french fries, and grilled tomatoes all on a huge delicious roll and covered in a yummy cheesy sauce. yes, this was a heart attack on a plate but it was damn good and huge and filling. rickell ordered a burger with cheese and bacon and bbq sauce and it was cooked perfectly and delicious. the fries were yummy. the bacon was very high quality... thick and smoky and fresh.
they were out of the irish stew by the time we got there so beth ordered some crazy sandwich that i can't remember the name of, but it was like a big panini thing with chicken and blue cheese and grilled red onions. she reads this blog so she will correct me if i am wrong. she said it was delicious. i was so full from my sandwich that i did not even want to taste hers although it looked good.
only maggie was disappointed... she ordered the grilled cheese with tomato basil soup. i think the food was good (it looked good, a big fat roll with lots of cheese and tomatoes and herbs inside) but the problem is that we think her food got done a lot sooner than ours and sat waiting on the counter a while. cold grilled cheese = bleah. but i think the flavors and portion size were good.
prices were a little more than i like to spend for lunch, i think the sandwiches were all about $9. however, we had a really fun time sitting out in the courtyard and there was a crowd so it was festive. service was friendly as usual.
the menu is the same at lunch and dinner, so next time i would probably go for dinner since i think i would mind the prices less (i am really cheap, i normally spend less than $9 including tax and tip on my lunches when i go out). and then you would probably get some live music or something. but i totally recommend you check it out either way. if you have not been in a while, you are in for a happy surprise.
10 comments:
So I happen to work just a few feet farther from Arnold's than Liz does, so I've been a few times, too. The lunch menu is pricey, but not if you get the $4 bowl of soup, which is not only cheap but delicious.
Liz--
Couldn't agree more-- I was at Arnolds at Bockfest a few weeks ago-- first time in over a year and it was REALLY nice. Not perfect, mind you, but LEAGUES ahead of where they were. A good thing, because I've long thought their patios to be one of the best al fresco spots in the city. Now you can go and NOT be disappointed with the food (if you order right)!
I agree - Arnold's seems to have gotten back on track.
We should meet up there for lunch sometime!
i'm glad everyone is enjoying arnold's now. it's soooo much better than before.
VO: lunch sounds good one day... i'm saving $ so i'm only allowed to eat lunch out once a week so i have to plan ahead!
oh how I pine for american food sometimes ;-)
I'm so flattered that this post has invited my comment! Yes, my sandwich was delicious, although I believe it was prosciutto, grilled onions, and melty, delicious cheese (although I can't remember which cheese it was). The best part about this sandwich is that it is totally different from anything I'd ever eaten before, which is always exciting because most restaurants (even the good ones) have the same 10 sandwich options.
I agree with Liz that it's not a great lunch value, but my sandwich was very filling, so it'd be a steal for dinner. And we can always use more lunch options in this corner of downtown.
Glad to hear about Arnold's! The food had not been good since Jim Tarbell owned the place, but I still loved Arnold's for it's history, and as an authentic old time bar. Glad I can eat there again!
The chef is the owner, Ronda Androski. Ronda loves Arnold's with all her heart. She took over a few months back, and the food is amazingly better. I was last there for Bockfest and had a roasted acorn squash filled with roasted vegetables and covered in a paprika-smoked gouda cream sauce over barley. A-ma-zing! Everyone at my table tried it and had food envy--a rarity for a vegetarian.
Ronda's sweet and nice, and if you meet her once, she'll remember your name, face and life story. Her husband Bret helps run the place, too.
I work close to Arnold's as well and eat there quite a bit. I would agree that their food has gotten better recently. I personally am in love with the Spinach/Mandarin orange salad as well as with the grilled cheese/soup combo.
The food sitting out too long seems to be a common problem. That happened to a large group of use, except that everyone had cold food except for one person. But they did knock half the entire bill. Also, I would avoid the oyster sandwich in general. But that's the only bad meal I've had there recently.
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