August 2013
“I am looking forward to adding my New York experience and energy to all
the exciting stuff that is going on in the Cincy culinary community. I love the
atmosphere and aesthetics of current NYC restaurants, and want to combine that
with Cincinnati’s friendly energy and new enthusiasm. I think Meatball Kitchen
will be a perfect addition to the scene here. I spent a long time collaborating
and experimenting and have come up with a truly delicious, addictive meatball.
We go way beyond the familiar meatball to bring exciting new flavors to
Cincinnati” – Dan Katz, owner
Meatball Kitchen
will be the newest addition to Clifton’s Short Vine area, at 2912 Vine St. The
restaurant was conceived and developed by Dan Katz, a former New York City
restaurant and bar owner who moved to Cincinnati to raise his young family. The
restaurant will serve a core menu of turkey, beef, and vegetarian meatballs on
sandwiches, pasta, and salads as well as rotating and seasonal specials such as
lamb gyro meatballs, buffalo chicken meatballs, and meatball tacos. There will
be a variety of exciting and innovative sides, many of which are influenced by
the Mediterranean diet Dan enjoyed growing up, and by the Asian-inspired,
vegetarian cuisine he often cooks at home for his family. Delicious cupcakes
will be dreamed up by Dan’s talented dessert chef, April Dunaway. As for
libations, Meatball Kitchen has a full liquor license, and will serve the
essential beers, a select wine list, and a series of seasonally-inspired
specialty alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.
Meatball
Kitchen’s mission is to serve fast, fresh, affordable, creative food. Their
core concept is that any delicious recipe can be turned into a meatball.
Meatball Kitchen
will be perfect for a business lunch, a family dinner, a night out with
friends, or a cozy date.
“It’s nice to be able to go somewhere and
spend less than $10 for a whole meal. We won’t charge for atmosphere!” – Dan
Katz, owner
To create the
look and feel of the restaurant space, Katz is collaborating with his sister,
Tali Katz, an interior designer whose home office is in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Tali’s design portfolio includes restaurants and cafes in Tel Aviv as well as
private residences. “The building is a blank slate right now,” Katz said. “Our
goal for the décor is an inviting space that will transition seamlessly from
day to night.”
In fact, Dan’s
whole family is involved – his wife, Laura Katz, is a graphic designer who
created the logo and branding for the restaurant. He often collaborates with
his brother, Israel Katz, a partner in Fabbrica, a hip Italian restaurant in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Dan and Laura’s 11-month old son, Asher, is the
official mascot of Meatball Kitchen.
Dan and his Meatball Kitchen crew have been
hosting popular monthly pop-up dinners at The Kitchen Factory at 1609 Chase
Avenue in Northside. Diners can sample the $5 sandwiches, $2 sides and $2
cupcakes. The next pop-up will be Wednesday, August 21, 6-8:30 PM. View details
about the event on facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1380629075496747/
Meatball Kitchen will be located at 2912 Vine
Street near the University of Cincinnati also commonly known as Short Vine. In
the past three years there has been over $150M of private investment on Short
Vine, including five new Class A apartment developments and over 40 renovated structures
by Uptown Rental Properties adding in excess of 500 new Short Vine residents.
Between the North and South anchors to Short Vine the City of Cincinnati has
allocated $2.5M for a streetscape project that will include underground
utilities, installation of new lighting and the creation of
"festival" streets from one end to the other. "Short Vine
is Back!”
To find this
great location, Dan worked with OnSiteRetail Group, a commercial real estate brokerage company focused on retail and
restaurants in Ohio and Kentucky. OnSite are huge supporters of both Short Vine
and Meatball Kitchen, they are true visionaries!
Meatball Kitchen
is scheduled to open in November. More information will be released in the
coming weeks. Follow along with what’s happening at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Meatball-Kitchen/318599961602673.
Send Press
inquiries to: cincinnatimeatballs(at)gmail(dot)com
