Ohio restaurant named to New York Times top 50 list

CINCINNATI, Ohio –The New York Times has named a Cincinnati restaurant to its Top 50 list. It is the only Ohio restaurant on the list.

“While The Aperture just opened this winter, it’s not hard to find diners who have already made a ritual of visiting this Art Deco building for live-fire cooking from the chef-owner Jordan Anthony-Brown,” said writer Brett Anderson.

“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.”

Upon waking up to the ranking, chef-owner Anthony-Brown posted delight on Instagram:

“Quite a surreal thing to start your day with …,” Anthony-Brown wrote. “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.

“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.”

The restaurant’s website says, “The menu – and its individual dishes – are approached with the objective of putting critical thought into every component, eliminating the extraneous, and ensuring a natural flow across the menu.”

New York Times editors and reporters traveled to nearly every state during the past 12 months, scouting restaurants to build its annual list.

“This year, it was about spaces as much as places,” wrote Brian Gallagher. Thirty-two of the places are new since the 2023 list.

The Aperature is at 900 East McMillan Street, Walnut Hills, Ohio.