Nothing's fishy about the success of Anchor OTR

One of the newest additions to the developing over the rhine quarter district, Anchor OTR is a hip seafood restaurant at 1401 Race Street. The restaurant opened with such an overwhelming success that they actually ran out of food! Now that's saying something.

I was excited to see what the buzz was about so I visited on a Saturday night with my wife. They do not take reservations so we went early (also because we consider ourselves to be old and must return before the hipster kids take over and make us feel even older). The exterior and interior walls are textured and colored with burnt cedar facings, the space has an orderly and comfortable feel with brown paper insets and oyster crackers on the tables. Their belief that "uncomplicated is better" is felt as well as seen. The service was excellent and the menu was full of delicious choices. We eventually resolved to try the cockles and hush puppies for appetizers, then had the calamari and lemon salad to share. Our main courses were divine; my wife had the scallops and risotto and I had the X. The only difficulty was choosing between the ice cream sundae or the seasonal crisp for dessert. Both included our Madisono's Madagascar Vanilla Gelato, so we were stumped. In the end, the blueberry crisp won out and we were in homebaked heaven.

Donna's Gourmet Cookies loves a little Madisono's too!

We have been enjoying Donna's Gourmet Cookies for years and now. Seriously, every cookie is a dense, chewy sweet delight that is a meal in itself. Of course they are made from scratch and with all natural ingredients. That's why they're so darn good!

Donna is now selling our Madisono's Gelato and Sorbet in her retail location at 10796 Montgomery Road in Montgomery, so when you pick up your order (call 513-489-9600 or order online here) you can also grab a pint and send yourself to sweet heaven. Donna also ships her cookies so you can share with your friends who can't make the trip to Cincinnati.

Check out our new restaurant partners!

We've updated our list of restaurants that serve Madisono's Gelato and Sorbet and are honored to add the following eateries to our roster. We like to say that they all have really good taste, and for that we are grateful.

Anchor OTR, Cincinnati, OH
Bronte Bistro in Joseph Beth Bookstore, Hyde Park
Cafe De Wheels, Cincinnati Food Truck
Half Day Cafe, Wyoming, OH
Mayberry, Cincinnati, OH
Coles 735, Lexington
Rue de Maine, Dayton

And those are just the new additions to our list. Find all the restaurants that offer our products right here. It might make the "Where are we going to eat?" question that much easier to answer.

Madisono's at Miami University!

We are super enthusiastic about our new partnership with Miami University's on campus market in McCracken Hall. Marketplace at McCracken is an on-site general store stocked full of the college necessities like laundry detergent, cold medicine, candy, fresh salads and organic produce and snacks. What a brilliant idea!

Madisono's Gelato and Sorbet is now going to be included in the frozen foods offerings so you can get some lemon basil sorbet to keep you awake on those late night study sessions. Or perhaps soothe some boyfriend troubles with a pint of Dark Chocolate Orange gelato. Or grab a pint of Caramello with sea salt and head to a bench on the green for some socializing.

If the freezing rain holds off, we'll be sampling our gelato today at the "Local Day" festivities. Come on down and say hello to your new foodie obsession!

New Fall Flavors from Madisono's Gelato and Sorbet!

They're here! We're very excited to start distribution on our seasonal flavors for fall. One of our favorite aspects to owning a gelato and sorbet company is that we get to create new flavors for our customers. These were especially fun to make since we partnered with so many local vendors. We love to support other local  and family-owned businesses and know that it makes Cincinnati the delicious place that it is!

We hope you have the chance to try one or all! Available at our retailers and select restaurants.

(from left to right)

1.      Spiced Cider Sorbet: Made with local fresh pressed cider from Beiersdorfer Orchards in Guilford, Indiana. We add our in own blend of mulling spices, then finish with fresh orange zest.

2.     Concord Grape Sorbet: Made with 100% concord grape juice, and no preservatives. Madisono’s has great relationship with a grower’s cooperative in New York, in the heart of Welch’s grape country.  The high pectin in the grape juice and our recipe science yields a creamy sorbet. Try it with peanut butter pie or as an intermezzo. We debuted this at ZooBrew last week and received rave reviews!

       

3.     Maple Walnut Gelato:  Made with Ohio maple syrup from Bonhomie Acres in Fredricktown, (their syrup is sold at Madison’s Market at Findlay Market).  We add chopped walnuts and brown sugar for a flavorful finish. How about some on a waffle?

4.     Cinnamon Crunch Gelato: Made from our own cinnamon gelato base in 15 gallon batches. The high oil content of the Vietnamese cinnamon delivers a real cinnamon punch.  Just before the gelato makes it into the pints, we blend French vanilla granola into the ribbons of frozen goodness.  My kids say it tastes like cinnamon toast crunch cereal. I think it is the best of a snickerdoodle. Let us know what you think!  

Affogato! Party on, Italian style

One of our favorite ways to eat Madisono's Gelato is with espresso coffee. It's is called affogato and it's the most quick and glorious dessert! Simply pour hot espresso over vanilla gelato and serve. We loved seeing this Italian after dinner treat mentioned in the September 2012 issue of Bon Apetit as Peter Som's favorite 'go to' dessert when entertaining.

Great Gelato Poster

I just stumbled upon this poster for the Brooklyn Larder, an artesianal foodie shop in Brooklyn, New York (of course!) What a great image for one of our favorite food groups. :oP

There are some other really clever ones, including one with salami that might make a nice gift for my brother-in-law. See what I mean?