"We wanted to create that OTR-esque vibe here in Mason so people don't have to drive 30-40 minutes and go downtown," Nikki Logsdon told WCPO in September. She was describing The Rare, the restaurant she and her husband Josh are finishing inside a 150-year-old building on East Main Street.
The drive she mentions is getting shorter this fall, and it's happening from two directions. Pepp & Dolores, the Italian restaurant Fox19 calls "a beloved Italian spot in Over-the-Rhine," is set to open at the District at Deerfield at the beginning of November. The Rare is also aiming for November. Its kitchen will be run by Max Wagner, Pepp & Dolores' former executive chef. In the same month, one Over-the-Rhine kitchen shows up in Mason at two addresses, a few miles apart.
A Chef Leaves Pepp & Dolores for Main Street
The Rare will sit at 128 E. Main St., in a 7,000-square-foot space inside a building more than 150 years old, Local 12 reported from the Cincinnati Business Courier. As of mid-September, there was no exact opening date and no hours. According to a Business Courier preview, the Logsdons bought the building in 2022 and have put millions into restoring it.
The couple chose restoration over a cheaper rebuild. Demolition inside the building started in January. Nikki Logsdon told WCPO she had heard "time and time again" that tearing the building down would have been cheaper and faster. "That wasn't what either of us wanted," she said. The goal was to "keep this piece of downtown Mason."
Wagner calls The Rare's style American bistro, "food that is humble, food that is familiar." The dish he mentioned first is a take on Cincinnati chili made with braised short rib and aged cheddar, which he's calling "a rare way."
Two building details show how The Rare plans to fit into the block:
- Upstairs: the second floor will be an event space with elevator access.
- Next door: a food window will serve The Common Beer Company, so customers there can order from The Rare's kitchen.
The food window means a new Main Street restaurant opens with a built-in link to its neighbor.
The Same Company Behind Three District Openings
The restaurant Wagner left is arriving a few miles away. Pepp & Dolores belongs to Thunderdome Restaurant Group, which also owns The Eagle and CityBird, the two restaurants that opened together at the District at Deerfield on Monday, Oct. 5.
Thunderdome didn't open its usual version of The Eagle here. Fox19 reported that the Mason-area Eagle is a new 4,600-square-foot beer hall, with CityBird under the same roof in an 800-square-foot takeout area. That area has a walk-up window selling to-go beer and cocktails. The Eagle's menu leans on Southern comfort food like iron skillet sweet cornbread and white cheddar grits. CityBird is the faster, simpler counter for chicken. Axios North of Cincy lists the address as 5200 District Park Drive, Suite G112, Mason.
Pepp & Dolores completes the set. Its menu draws on the founders' Italian heritage, with 10 housemade pastas, salads, traditional Italian starters and a long wine and spirits list. Developer Ryan Silverman called the three Thunderdome restaurants "exactly the kind of concepts the District at Deerfield was designed to attract" in comments to Fox19.
So in November, Mason gets the Over-the-Rhine Italian restaurant itself at the District and its former head chef cooking chili-inspired bistro food on Main Street.
The District Keeps Adding Out-of-Town Names
The Thunderdome group is the biggest part of a broader pattern. The District at Deerfield is a 28-acre, $150 million mixed-use development with 362 apartments. Fox19 says it was built in 2023 to become a residential and entertainment district for the whole Tri-State. It's technically in Deerfield Township, and its businesses use Mason addresses. WCPO places it near Mason-Montgomery Road. Deerfield Township lists its park at Parkway Drive and Wilkens Boulevard, with 5249 District Park Drive as the event address.
These businesses were already open before the October openings, according to Fox19:
- 101 Craft Kitchen
- PINS Mechanical
- Fifty West Brewing Company
- Jeni's Ice Cream
- Cafe Patachou
The next opening comes from Northern Kentucky. The Beeline, a cocktail bar from Newport on the Levee run by Four Entertainment Group, is scheduled to open Oct. 16 in a 3,379-square-foot space with indoor and outdoor seating. Its signature drinks include Bend the Rails, made with Ketel One Botanical Peach & Orange Blossom, honey, peach and an edible flower, and Night Train, a Kentucky-themed drink built on Old Forester Bourbon. The bar's address is 5200 District Park Drive, Suite G110, the same street address The Eagle uses. Managing partner Bob Deck told Fox19 the company's goal is "turning neighbors into regulars."
Biscuit Belly kicked off the fall a little further down the road at 9333 Mason Montgomery Road. Local 12 reported a Sept. 15 target date in August. Early in September, CityBeat gave Sept. 18 as the opening and grand-opening date. The two reports don't explain why the dates differ.
Every Date Here Has Moved at Least Once
Opening dates at the District have shifted all year, and that affects how firm any November date really is. Here's how each opening has changed, from earliest forecast to latest report:
- The Beeline. Early-August coverage from Local 12 and the Mason-Deerfield Times said late August. The Oct. 5 Fox19 report says Friday, Oct. 16.
- Pepp & Dolores. In March, WCPO reported a September or October target for the Thunderdome restaurants. The October update moved Pepp & Dolores to the beginning of November.
- The Eagle and CityBird. February coverage projected a summer opening. They opened Oct. 5.
- The Rare. November, with no specific day. Nikki Logsdon told WCPO the doors will open in November "if everything goes to plan," with crews working around the clock.
A February Fox19 report also mentioned Bakersfield as a possible District tenant. At the time, it wasn't clear whether that opening would still happen, and no later report confirms it.
Treat the November dates as plans. The Eagle's opening shows that a schedule can slip by a season and the restaurant still opens.
The Fall Calendar at the District
Deerfield Township is also running events at the District's park, and those dates are firmer than the restaurant openings:
| Date | Event | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Oct. 18 | Pure Barre Pop Up | Noon to 1 p.m. at District at Deerfield Park |
| Friday, Nov. 27 | Holidays in Deerfield | 5 to 7 p.m.: tree lighting, carolers, Santa, games, cocoa and a winter drone show |
Holidays in Deerfield is free and falls on the day after Thanksgiving. The township's event listing says the ice rink's season opens that same evening. By then, if the current schedules hold, Pepp & Dolores will have had most of November in its District space, and The Rare will have opened its East Main Street doors and the food window to Common Beer Company.
If you're comparing the District with the stretch of Main Street around The Rare and The Common Beer Company, the Woehrmyer Team can walk you through how the two areas differ from street to street. Book a consultation, and bring your list of new places to try.
