Mt. Adams Pavilion getting new look, menu

A fixture on the nightlife scene since 2002, Mount Adams Pavilion, the oldest local bar from Four Entertainment Group (4EG), is undergoing a $200,000 renovation and getting a menu makeover from a celebrity chef.

"The whole food and beverage scene in Cincinnati has changed in the last five years," said Bob Deck, managing partner of 4EG. "I think people's expectations as to what they want in food have elevated, and we want to make sure we stay up to par."

To that end, 4EG brought in Philadelphia-based chef Brian Duffy as culinary consultant for the bar, 949 Pavilion St. in Mount Adams.

Duffy has appeared on shows including Food Network's "Date Plate," The Today Show and Spike TV's "Bar Rescue," from which he's currently on a break while gearing up for a new show. He travels the country and internationally to evaluate restaurants, revamp menus and train staff members, logging 100,000 air miles to open about 50 new restaurants last year alone, he said.

For Pavilion, he's created a 35-item American bar menu of fresh, made-from-scratch dishes using as many local items, including produce and meats, as possible.

On the menu are flatbreads, such as the Italiano, with thin-sliced salami, cracked black pepper and Pecorino Romano cheese; and a modified caprese, with slow-roasted garlic, spread thin, topped with tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil. There are house-made chicken tenders, with a breading that includes panko and corn flakes for extra crunch; fried pickles, with multiple dipping sauces; wings with a 20-ingredient Yuengling buffalo glaze; grilled mahi mahi tacos; hand-cut fries made with Kennebec potatoes and a signature seasoning.

"We're not re-creating the culinary wheel, we're working on technique," Duffy said. "Technique is where the flavor is."

"There's so much fun stuff on this menu," he added, noting that he strives for dishes that grab attention as they're going through the dining room, either by their look or aroma. "We're really proud of the food, so we want to showcase that as much as possible."

"As much as people come here for the nightlife, we also want them to come for the food and happy hour experience," Deck added.

The new menu, which is priced from $6 to $11, debuts Friday and will be available from 4-10 p.m. daily (the bar stays open until 2:30 a.m.).

New drink options will include a frozen Moscow mule and a frozen Negroni -- neither of which Deck has seen elsewhere in Cincinnati -- appropriate for drinking on the bar's expansive decks overlooking Downtown.

As for the interior renovations, developer Core Resources, which did 4EG properties Righteous Room, Igby's, Lackman and Keystone of Hyde Park, is working on the project, which should be complete by May 1, Deck said. (Pavilion will stay open during the remodel.) The goal is to update and modernize both the bar's main room and the upstairs Penthouse, used for private parties of 30 to 120.

On the main level, in the side of the bar that's home to the dance floor, the old DJ booth has been removed, and a new, elevated one that's more central (it's modeled after Marquee nightclub in Las Vegas, Deck said) is being installed. The sound system is also being upgraded.

Other updates to that side of the room will include a new metallic, laminated wall covering, more modern light fixtures and new paint. On the smaller side of the room, there will be new bar stools, and new wood on the walls will draw the eye toward the windows and the deck.

Model-filled murals that cover both the main floor and the Penthouse are going away.

The Penthouse will also get a new, deep brown leather-patterned wall covering; a new bar top in a more modern, sleek wood; a new wood floor; modern light fixtures from Voltage and new bar stools.

Deck hopes the Penthouse update will broaden the range of private parties that can be held there, as he thinks the revamped space will be more appealing for corporate gatherings.

"At the end of the day, Pavilion is still a party complex," Deck said, noting that the bar typically attracts the 21 to 40 demographic for DJs inside Wednesdays through Saturdays and bands on the deck Fridays and Saturdays. But with the updated food menu and more sophisticated surroundings, he hopes it will draw in an even broader age range going forward.

"I think Pavilion has always been a destination spot," Deck said. "We feel like over the years, we've spent a lot of time on Igby's, Righteous Room and Lackman. People have come to expect a certain look and feel, and it's time to take Pavilion into that realm."