Venice on Vine – An Unknown Cincinnati Gem

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Last month my husband and I got to go together to a great blogger dinner at Venice on Vine. When I first heard about it, I had never heard of the place before. Let me just say, I am so happy to know about it now! If you live in/near Cincinnati, or are planning a trip close to here, you need to check it out! It’s a great place that’s for a great cause. I’m so excited to tell you about it!

Venice on Vine - An Unknown Cincinnati Gem | Optimistic Mommy

Venice on Vine, location on Vine Street in Downtown Cincinnati, is owned by Powered Inspiress Progress (PIP), which is a nonprofit organization that provides paid training, in a supportive work envionment. PIP helps empower their trainees to further their education and provides instruction in basic life skills and paid job training. They help people who are inheritors of injustice, poverty and disinvestments that have no way out.

It’s such a fantastic program that they have. These people, who could just end up on the streets or in jail, get an opportunity to totally change things around. By visiting Venice on Vine, you’re helping these wonderful individuals get the real-life experiences they need to be able to prosper in society. The individuals get to work at the restaurant for 22 hours a week for one year, and during that time community volunteers help them develop a resume, computer skills, pract interviewing and work on getting their GED.

On to another amazing part… you know how a lot of restaurant’s meals come in frozen or par-baked or something crazy like that? You won’t find any of that at Venice on Vine! Everything is homemade! By making homemade items, the works get to learn how to read and work a recipe.

Venice on Vine - An Unknown Cincinnati Gem | Optimistic Mommy

The first part of the meal was this delicious salad with fresh fruit, feta cheese and a raspberry vinaigrette. I have to say I’ve never tried a green salad with fruit on it. Just didn’t think it would taste that good. But, let me tell you – it was absolutely delicious! I think it was the best salad I have ever had!

Venice on Vine - An Unknown Cincinnati Gem | Optimistic Mommy

Next was a Vegan African Stew. This was my first time trying sweet potatoes. This stew was great! Had a great taste with the cinnamon and sweet potatoes – definitely a recipe I would love to try to replicate!

For the main entrees… I may have forgotten to take a picture since I digged in so quickly! Oops! One of the main entrees was a chicken marsala… which was to die for! I loved all of the mushrooms that were in it. The other two were a chicken alfredo pizza and a shrimp alredo pizza. I’m a huge lover of anything alfredo. I make a homemade alfredo sauce that is my husband’s favorite. Let’s just say, it’s a close tie on whether my alfredo or Venice on Vine’s is the best. You can definitely tell it’s homemade and not out of a jar!

Venice on Vine - An Unknown Cincinnati Gem | Optimistic Mommy

And last, but certainly not least, dessert. They had a yummy caramel apple cake, which was delicious. There were nice bits of apple throughout. My favorite, though, was their carrot cake. I was never a fan of carrot cake until my mother-in-laws. She makes a great homemade carrot cake. This one is just as good (if not better – but don’t tell her!) if not better than my mother-in-laws (again, please don’t tell her! 😉 )! So moist and delicious! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Venice on Vine is open Monday through Saturday from 10:30am-8:30 pm for dine in or carry out. You can view their pizza menu here (don’t be fooled, though – they also have hoagies, pasta and salads). They also have a great catering menu that has some great prices. Whether for dine in, carry out, or catering, I definitely recommend Venice on Vine! You’ll be getting tremendous food while helping support a great organization that helps people – what could be better?

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Comments

  1. What a great idea behind the restaurant. The food looks delicious too 🙂

  2. The food looks amazing there. I am not sure if and when I will be in that area, but I will have to remember this place if I ever find myself out that way!

  3. looks like they have some tantalizing items on the menu. we haven’t got plans to head to cincinnati but friends of ours are driving to see family in a few weeks and will be staying in cinci for 2 nights. i’ll let them know!

  4. I think that is a brilliant program they have set up! I love that they are helping people get more from their lives than what they could achieve on their own. If we were closer, we would totally visit Venice on Vine!

  5. It all sounds amazing! Especially that dessert!

  6. Everything looks absolutely DELICIOUS, especially that salad with raspberry vinaigrette. YUM! I have been loving fresh fruit in my salad lately, it gives it such a nice flavor and texture.

  7. You most certainly showed why this is a place to dine. It sounds worth several visits!

  8. That looks soooo yummy!! Jealous I am not in Cincinnati:)

  9. What a wonderful sounding mission, and the food looks great. Apple Caramel Cake? Oh, yes please!

  10. Everything looks so delicious not to mention was so beautifully plated! I wish I could review for a restaurant in my town but I haven’t had any luck yet.

  11. I’m sort of wimpy when it comes to trying new foods, but your meal looks great. My husband on the other hand loves to try anything and everything different – he’d dig that Vegan African soup!

  12. That Apple Caramel Cake looks divine! I love hearing about places like this that help out those that need it! Thanks for sharing 🙂

  13. WOW! There is not one bit of that that doesn’t look amazing! What a treat!

  14. Oh wow that all looks delicious – but that caramel apple cake oh yum! I could tuck into some of that right now 🙂 x

  15. What a great restaurant for offering a program that gets people the skills they need to secure a job. That cake looks delicious too!

  16. Salad, soup and dessert, oh my! All of those dishes look delicious – mind if I join you for dinner?!?!

  17. I really like supporting organizations like this that offer great product or service while helping people out. All of that food looks wonderful! Seems like Venice on Vine is definitely worth a visit.

  18. This sounds way good! The dessert looks absolutely amazing! Too bad I don’t live anywhere close but I will have to remember this place if I ever go through Cincinnati!

  19. Remind me tnot to go on-line when I am hungry!
    Your pics make this place look super appetizing!
    thanks,
    Mitch

  20. That all looked so good I bet you had a great time!

  21. That is so cool! And the food looks really yummy!

  22. Ack! All that food looks so delicious! Now I am even hungrier than I was a second ago LOL.

  23. What a great place-I love that they are helping people to help themselves! I don’t live anywhere near there nor will I be going there but if I hear of anyone who is I will be sure to tell them to stop in there.

  24. This looks like a seriously good restaurant
    I would have gone for the same menu choices

  25. The caramel apple cake looks divine and delightful. I have never tried carrot cake before.

  26. i’ve had some really great food from other programs like this. I’m a sucker for carrot cake too

  27. That soup looks hearty and good. Yum

  28. YUM, this looks AMAZING!

  29. Sounds like a place that hubby and I would enjoy. If I’m ever that way I’ll be sure to make hubby take me there.

  30. wow everything looks so delicious and beautifully displayed sounds like a lovely place to visit

  31. I love fruit on my salad. That dessert looks so yummy!

  32. Yumminess!

  33. Mmmm, everything looks so delicious. Glad you had a good time!

  34. It all looks completely delicious. I love having a great meal with little fuss.

  35. That looks amazing. I love that they make everything right there. I am not sure how a chef would really even like having the food pretty much ready to go for them. It would kind of take the fun out of the job. When it is fresh it usually have better flavor.

  36. I love programs like this. They’re so good for everyone involved and I love that the people working there are trying to better themselves. (I’m also a huge fan of made from scratch meals. SO great!)

  37. We may be making a trip to Cincinnati this summer. I will definitely have to remember this restaurant! The food looks so wonderful!

  38. The organization and their work sounds really great. And it’s wonderful opportunity to eat good food, enjoy yourself and give back to the community.

  39. Seems like a a great restaurant where the my husband & I would enjoy, But that food sure looks tasty

  40. This just made me so hungry! Looks so good!

  41. That dessert looks so delicious!!

  42. Yum!! I love trying new places. This looks like a great way to spend a date night on.

  43. Never been there before. Liking the look of that dessert!

  44. I don’t think there is anything better than a restaurant that does everything homemade. Venice on the Vine sounds like a stop I’ll have to make the next time I’m in Cincinnati on the way to the in-laws!

  45. This seems like a very romantic location for a quick getaway. The food actually looks delicious too.

  46. What beautiful food! I bet it was amazing!!!

  47. Sounds like a great restaurant, I want to try that apple cake! YUM!

  48. I think this place looks so yummy! I love trying new restaurants because they usually have the best specialties.

  49. The desert looks amazing i would of love to have tried that 🙂

  50. The salad looks so light and refreshing. I’ll be sure to check them out if I’m ever in the area.

  51. oh Delicious!!! The caramel apple cake looks so yummy! The soup! oh how I wish you would have remembered to take a picture of the alfredo! I’m going to need to eat lunch early now.. Great post! Yumm!!

  52. What a lovely restaurant! That soup looks amazing, but really, everything does! It looks like you had a great time.

  53. I live about an hour and a half from Cinci. I’ll have to try this place out sometime!

  54. Sounds like a great place to eat out. I want some of the dessert!

  55. I would have so ordered the same thing. YUMMY!! That salad is the best. Thanks for sharing and oh by the way – I like your new hair cut!!

  56. This sounds like a wonderful establishment – how wonderful to see people get opportunities instead of doors slammed in their face!

  57. It’s so great that this restaurant is helping the disadvantaged. The food sounds pretty yummy, too.

  58. That caramel apple dessert looks absolutely divine! This sounds like an amazing place to eat!

  59. Yum! We will be in the Cincinnati area in a few months, so we’ll have to check this place out.

  60. Looks and sounds so goooood! Glad you got to enjoy a night out.

  61. We never seem to go downtown – but with all the great restaurants popping up all over Cincy, I think we are going to have to make the ‘dreaded’ 40 minutes drive, lol. It just seems so far, but definitely worth it!

  62. I love Venice on Vine

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