Soup and Sandwich find: Ladles
Posted Sunday, May 22, 2016The Carolinas are home to many unique culinary rules and traditions. First, there's no "pop" down there, fellow Yanks. Only soda. In South Carolina, liquor stores are identified by at least one prominent red dot on the front of the building and often serve up boiled peanuts sold in small paper bags. Waffle Houses and Huddle Houses abound. Frogmore Stew is neither a stew nor does it contain frogs. And She-crab soup, a bisque-like concoction of heavy cream, Atlantic blue crab and fish stock, can be found in many restaurants showcasing the region.
Ladles, a new soup and sandwich shop located in front of the giant Oakley Kroger Marketplace near Crossroads Church and Cinemark, is such a restaurant. Founded in Charleston, South Carolina, the small regional chain operates all its franchises in the Carolinas, except for the one peculiar standout in Oakley. This gives Northerners a rare opportunity to try a bowl of the restaurant's signature dish: She-crab soup.
Ladles offers ten soups, including a "soup of the day." There are a dozen sandwich varieties as well as several salad and burger options.
As someone who spent most of his summers in Beaufort, South Carolina, I had low expectations. But damn if I wasn't pleasantly surprised.
On our first visit, my girlfriend and I stepped up to the counter and placed our order after absorbing the menu. She chose a cup of the watermelon gazpacho soup of the day and half a Ladles Club sandwich ($8). I chose a combo that included a sizeable bowl of She-crab soup, half a Turkey Bacon Griller sandwich and a small roll infused with rosemary ($9.70). Sourdough, pumpernickel, honey wheat and other roll varieties are also available.
Half a Ladles club with cup of watermelon gazpacho
Half a Turkey Bacon Griller, a bowl of She-crab soup and roll
My half sandwich was served on grilled rye bread with turkey, bacon, Swiss, tomato and mayo. The Southern-style She-crab soup, made from real lump crab meat, was equal parts spicy and hearty and creamy and delicious. The sandwich was toasty and satisfying, and the rosemary roll made a great dipping vehicle for the She-crab soup.
My girlfriend particularly enjoyed her gazpacho, a traditionally cold dish that was light and refreshing, with a spicy finish. With summer fast on the horizon, cold soups like this one will prove essential to their business.
Prices are reasonable and portions are fair, particularly the large bowls of soup. Ladles also offers those dining in an "endless bowl of soup" option for $8.95 and a soup sampler consisting of three soups and a roll for $7.95.
Ladles quickly turned two skeptical patrons into fans.
3206 Vandercar Way, Cincinnati, OH 45209513-351-4333
Rating: 3.0 out of 4
= Outstanding
= Fair
= Poor
The best TACO joint in the city. I go there as a treat to myself every Monday. TEX MEX TACOS are delicious culinary treats that look beautiful and taste great. I'm so impressed with this place that I never explore the other items on the menu. If you don't get your taco fix here, you're losing in life.
posted: Tue., Apr 27th, 2021 @ 2:37 PM
My Wife and myself dined at Ferrari’s on Saturday and the Food and service was great/ I had the Butternut Squash Ravioli with misc nuts and sauce and it was the best meal I’ve had there/ My wife had the Fish and Vegetables and was very happy/ I also got a couple of their pizza and olive loaves of bread/ The bread is always a hit at work.
posted: Mon., Nov 23rd, 2020 @ 1:14 PM
@Rick: Thanks for the suggestion! I'll have to remember to give them a try.
posted: Sat., Nov 21st, 2020 @ 9:06 AM
Try Joe's Pizza located at Airway and Smithville Rd. You might like it...That's one of favorite haunts. I definitely think it beats Cassano's.
posted: Fri., Nov 6th, 2020 @ 4:19 PM
Hands down the best Indian in the area. I have yet to find their yellow Punjabi dish anywhere. It is my favorite, and what keeps me coming back time after time. I think I have been here over 100 times. I love this place.
posted: Thu., May 28th, 2020 @ 12:03 PM
I found a gyro I keep thinking about
https://www.yelp.com/biz/tazikis-mediterranean-cafe-cincinnati
their lamb gyro is about 2-3 bucks higher in cost than a gyro elsewhere - B U T - it is made with whole pieces of lamb meat, not the lamb and beef loaf that all other Gyro joints in Cincinnati seem to do
it is a chain. A minus for me, and I suspect for you as well.
But its good.
really, really good
one caveat: skip the baklava as it is not made in-house
posted: Mon., Dec 9th, 2019 @ 12:43 PM
I'll take your word for it, then.....it is fairly close to work so it'll be an upcoming lunch
I also need to try out this little taco wagon near Quatmans in Norwood
posted: Mon., Sep 9th, 2019 @ 6:21 PM
Hi @TJ - We were pretty impressed with the quality of the items, which I think justifies some of the pricing. I really liked the house-made tortillas and their salsas. Chilero offered some extra little touches that were a pleasant surprise. :)
Just by way of comparison...that same week we'd tried the new Mazunte location downtown...and our experience at Chilero beat them out.
posted: Thu., Aug 29th, 2019 @ 10:18 PM
Great food and fantastic atmosphere
posted: Wed., Aug 28th, 2019 @ 8:29 PM
Seems very pricey for a mostly carryout/counter-service joint
posted: Wed., Aug 28th, 2019 @ 5:51 PM