Introducing: Pleasantry
2021 Snail of Approval Awardee
By Sarah Schonauer, Design Intern
Located on the corner of Pleasant and West 15th Street in Over-the-Rhine is Pleasantry, a restaurant and wine bar owned by Daniel Souder. In 2016, Daniel opened the restaurant with the desire of cultivating a stronger natural wine scene in Cincinnati and pairing it with locally sourced food and coffee. He brought Evan Hartman along with him as his executive chef after the two had developed a strong rapport while working together at the President’s Room prior. For Evan, this became the perfect opportunity to create the ‘hyper-seasonal’ menu of his dreams.
By sourcing as many local and in-season ingredients as possible, Evan crafts Pleasantry’s menu weekly—sometimes daily— to be as fresh and unaltered as possible. Daily trips to Findlay Market to stop at vendors like ETC Produce and Madison’s are a staple in his routine and allow him to foster a strong relationship with the farmers supporting Pleasantry. In his mind, this restaurant and farmer connection is empowering for both parties and helps to cultivate the slow food movement.
He works hard to use as much in-season produce as possible in order to always offer high-quality dishes. Instead of writing a menu of dishes he would like to make, he first considers what is available locally and what else he can source ethically. A visit to a farmer’s market can inspire an entire menu item for him: for example, he created a turnip and kohlrabi salad recently (pictured above) after seeing the produce selection at the Hyde Park Farmer’s Market.
Going beyond food, Daniel has worked hard to provide a natural wine selection that hasn’t always been accessible in Cincinnati. After spending time in California and seeing wine shops with natural wine galore, he was inspired to bring the same ideals home with him. As he and Evan like to put it, good food and wine have “nothing added, nothing subtracted.” They believe in letting the best flavors prevail while offering something for everyone. These practices that are an integral part of what Pleasantry is today have led us to award them a Snail of Approval from Slow Food Cincinnati.
With a beautiful patio space and indoor area, Pleasantry should be the next restaurant on your OTR list this summer— or stop in to buy a bottle of wine on the go!
Visit Pleasantry at 118 W. 15th Street — reservations available at http://www.pleasantryotr.com. Check out their Instagram and Facebook accounts for meal specials!
