Tale Tuesday: Over the river and through The Boot--Enoteca Emilia

Just across the river, there's a piccola portion of bell' Italia just waiting to show off The Boot. Last summer, Jeremy Luers--a chef who trained with Mario Batali at his NYC Babbo ristorante--cooked up a carefully selected menu to bring the simple, delicious traditions of Emilia-Romagna to Cincinnati with Enoteca Emilia.

To pair with a healthy selection of bianchi and rossi Italian juice, Chef Luers serves up cicchetti (classy but unpretentious Italian bar snacks) that spin from plates of salumi and cheeses to to salads, pasta, pizza, and dessert. While northern Italy is the inspiration, the boundaries of Chef Luers' kitchen stretch only to the same lengths that guide a true Italian cuoco: seasonal, local, delicious.

Check out Enoteca Emilia's charcuterie selection where Smoking Goose's Smoked Elk Terrine and Soppressata get the spotlight. Chef Luers' new spring menu makes its debut next week, and we won't ruin the tempting surprise...except to give lipsmacking hints like Merguez and Lamb Bacon. But before it disappears, we'll pull up a chair to order his Bucatini all'Americana, a steaming plate of pasta richly dressed with tomato, black pepper, pecorino romano, and Smoking Goose Guanciale.