Downtown Cincinnati

The goal of Mayberry is to bring high quality gourmet food at an affordable price to the Greater Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky area.

Joshua S. Campbell, Owner/Chef more than meets that goal.

My friend Joseph and I arrived 10 minutes before 6:00 on a hot Friday night. Though not officially open until 6:00, we took seats by the window and the gracious server opened our wine. Mayberry's is BYO and City Cellars is right around the corner. The menu changes weekly, depending on what is in season and locally available. This evening's menu listed 7 small plates for $10 each or 3 for $25. We both opted for the 3 for $25 special and ordered, and shared, everything but the venison dish. We surely weren't the first diners to have this brilliant idea, since the server asked how we would like them served and we chose two at a time.

Mayberry's dining room is small and they don't take reservations. There was only one server that night but she did a great job of pacing our dinner, promptly clearing our dishes and refilling water.

First out was Herbed Flat Bread with Yellow Tomato, Roasted Red Pepper, Artichoke, and Basil Ricotta and
Cheese Tortellini with Asparagus, Oyster Mushroom and Grana Padano. What is Grana Padano you ask? So did we. Chef Josh Campbell called it the "bastard stepchild" of Parmigianino Regianno. It's made in the neighboring region, so can't be called Parmigianino, but tastes just as good. We agreed. The homemade flatbread was deliciously seasoned too.

Next was Crab Salad with Avocado, Cucumber and Lemon and Pork Belly with Franks Red Hot Grits and Anjou Pear Slaw. The crab salad was fresh and delicious. The pork belly had a good flavor but was maybe a little overdone as it was difficult to slice and was too chewy. My delicate taste buds were apprehensive about grits billed as "Red Hot" but they were not spicy. Just creamy and tasty. The pear slaw didn't do much for me or for the rest of the dish. Still, I cleaned my plate.

Last but not least was Cod with Cilantro Carrot Broth, Soba Noodle and Sweet and Sour Eggplant and an
Artisan Cheese Board with Port Wine Braised Strawberry. I usually like cod but this was not very exciting. The sweet and sour eggplant, however, was new to me and I hope to meet it again. Chef Josh's selections for the cheeseboard were terrific. There was an excellent cheddar and my favorite of the board, gorgonzola. I don't remember what the other two were although they were also very good. The board came with a few crostini and homemade strawberry jam. Perfect.

Quite satisfied from our 6-course tasting menu for $25 each, we were full, but not too full for dessert. I pushed for the flourless chocolate cake despite concerns that it might be too dense for a hot June evening. We needn't have worried. The cake was moist and heavenly, topped with fresh berries and whipped cream. Not at all dense. Joseph even remarked that he probably could have eaten the whole slice by himself. Well, we could get another one…we restrained ourselves.

Although the pork and cod were not perfect, the rest of the meal was and I intend to go back to Mayberry soon.
Mayberry is located at 915 Vine St., Cincinnati
Check the menu and dinner times before heading to Mayberry at www.mayberrycincy.com