The time: 7:00 PM
The watch: Bell & Ross BR-X5 Carbon Orange
In this episode of Time & Taste, we’re going back to the heart of Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine district, to visit a restaurant called Sudova. I’ll be honest, at first, I wasn’t sure about this restaurant, since I’m not very familiar with the food, but I decided to give it a shot. What I found, surprised me.
The restaurant is a warm, daring homage to Eastern European cuisine that delivers both ancestral comfort and bold modernity. For this adventure, I wanted to wear something bold, so I chose the Bell & Ross BR-X5 Carbon Orange, which, much like Sudova, it fuses tradition and innovation, elevating what once was utilitarian into something amazingly avant-garde.
I went with 3 other people, and we ordered approximately 60% of the menu, so brace yourself.
Our journey begins with Salat, a seemingly simple dish of local greens, golden beets, and fennel. But don’t let its modest appearance fool you. The roasted caraway vinaigrette and rye breadcrumb ignite a flavor profile that’s both earthy and electric, much like the BR-X5’s carbon case: lightweight, resilient, yet striking in its complexity.
Then came Tvorog, an Eastern European farmer’s cheese whipped to velvety perfection and crowned with green walnut agrodolce sauce. One spoonful is a lesson in contrast: sweet and savory, creamy and crunchy. Unlike anything I’ve ever had before. Spread it on their rustic Allez sourdough and you realize this isn’t just an appetizer, it’s a statement of intent. Just as Bell & Ross took the tool watch and re-engineered it into a high-performance sculpture, this dish takes simplicity and sharpens it into elegance.
Sudova’s Holubsti, their stuffed cabbage rolls, similar to Polish Gołąbki which I am a HUGE fan of, are draped in tomato sauce and memories. Each bite is dense, rich and soulful, a loving tribute to generations past. This is where the BR-X5’s duality shines again: a watch born from aviation and military DNA, now housed in avant-garde materials with a skeletonized dial and COSC-certified movement. Function meets finesse.
Comfort continues in Halushki, a humble yet heavenly tangle of caramelized cabbage and onion bathed in brown buttery goodness. Paired with Linnea’s spaetzle (egg noodles), it’s as honest as a dish can get, echoing the BR-X5’s openworked architecture that doesn’t hide anything, only highlights what’s essential.
If Halushki is the whisper of tradition, then Rye Varenyky and Beef Pelmeni, a couple of dumpling variations on the menu similar to Polish Pierogi, are the echoing chorus.
The Rye Varenyky, delicate rye dumplings filled with potato and sauerkraut are adorned with apple butter, pancetta, caramelized onion, and a dollop of dill smetana. It’s sweet, smoky, tangy, and creamy all at once, a harmonic convergence in a bowl.
The Beef Pelmeny, tiny dumplings packed with Black Hawk beef come bathed in a sherry shallot vinaigrette, then crowned with dill smetana. The acid balances the richness, the dill cuts through with freshness, and the smetana holds it all together. DO NOT skip this one. It’s an absolute MUST HAVE.
Each dumpling delivers satisfaction with the precision of the BR-X5’s chronometer-grade movement, measured, reliable, unforgettable.
I have a confession to make. For the longest time, I’ve wanted to try this dish, and Sudova delivered big time. It was so good, that we ordered another one. The Khachapuri, a Georgian cheese bread crowned with egg yolk, sulguni, and khmeli-suneli, is pure indulgence. Tear the crust, stir the yolk, and surrender to the richness. It’s an edible metaphor for what Bell & Ross has done with the BR-X5, embracing excess, but engineering it for control.
The Kotleta, a kefir-brined, golden-fried crispy and juicy chicken cutlet, arrives with snap peas and a dill sauce that cuts through with refreshing sharpness. Paired with a zesty arugula salad, this dish balances power and agility, much like the BR-X5’s featherlight titanium interior and 72-hour power reserve, ready to handle any mission with style.
Then there’s the showstopper: Lamb Shank Paprikash. Bone-in, braised to perfection with juicy lamb that falls off the bone, glazed in paprika-spiced sauce and nestled on hutsul polenta, this dish is commanding, just like the BR-X5’s aggressive orange accents and multi-layered construction. Both are bold, structured, and unforgettable.
To close the evening, Sudova offers a sweet coda in Medovik, a lemon poppyseed wildflower honey cake layered with chantilly smetana, a mix between sweet and sour cream, whipped, and carefully placed between the cake layers, which gives it the perfect amount of sweetness. Light yet complex, it’s a dessert that reveals more with every bite.
And if you prefer something more chocolatey, go for the Shokolad & Morozyvo, a decadent brownie with sea buckthorn (a type of orange berry native to Europe and Asia) sour cream ice cream. Smoky, bitter, tangy, and sweet, just like the BR-X5’s carbon shell paired with a soft rubber strap: intense yet tactile.
The Pairing
Sudova redefines Eastern European cuisine by focusing not just on what’s served, but how it’s elevated, reinterpreted, and presented with heart. The Bell & Ross BR-X5 Carbon Orange mirrors that exact philosophy. From its subdued black dial to its bold orange accents, it takes a familiar shape and injects it with modern adrenaline.
Constructed from high-tech carbon and titanium, the BR-X5 isn’t just a tool watch, it’s a statement of intent. Its Super-LumiNova indices blaze in low light, the bold orange rubber strap wraps your wrist like a glove and the COSC-certified caliber BR-CAL.323 movement offers a 70-hour power reserve. It’s precision and punch in equal measure, and when worn inside the sleek, moody elegance of Sudova, it doesn’t just complement the cuisine, it keeps time with its evolution.
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