The B-log 2.0: B's Food Quest

Yesterday for lunch I had a smoked salmon and cucumber sandwich on marlbled rye bread with a side of fruit and a small salad.  I had a very stylish outfit of sharp black pants, gray sweater and red flats that looked tres professional.  And yet, I was the most casually dressed person at the Taft Museum for lunch.  The Taft Museum is this wonderfully charming little art museum in downtown Cincinnati in an old mansion formerly owned by the Taft family (as in President Taft).   It's in this wonderful corner of downtown that tucked away between some very plain buildings and the concrete mess of highways along the river.   This little corner looks like something that belongs in Boston; colonial style buildings, a little plaza/park area with a fountain and the museum, a remnant of the richy-rich's that used to adorn this neighborhood. 

My friend Laura and I were meeting for a long overdue lunch and I was going to suggest Arnold's my favorite place for lunch downtown (till now) and my favorite bar.  Unfortunately due to company rules, I can't enjoy the establishment for both at the same time.  But, Laura immediately had a suggestion...for a place she had just been to yesterday.  Seriously, yesterday.  I knew this place must be good.   And so we headed to the Taft.

When we walked in we were greated by the nicest lady who welcomed us and opened the french doors into the entrance to the museum.  Tables had been set up inside the lobby and also outside in the garden.  Laura and I opted for dining outside.  Al fresco dining is hard to find in this city (another reason why I love Arnold's), so I was thrilled to see such a bright and comfortable place to have lunch. 

The menu was brief, but well put together.  There was a wide variety of intriciate soups, a bevy of salads and some easy sandwiches.  Our waiter shared two warm specials with us that sounded delightful, but I had already noticed the smoked salmon on the menu.  Ever since Seattle, I seriously cannot eat enough Salmon.  It's become a regular part of my weekend breakfast's and if it's on the menu someplace, I get it. 

What was most grand about this place though was the few other people who were there.  Laura and I were one of the few people from the local businesses.  Instead, the place was filled with ladies who lunch.  We're talking Chanel Skirt Suit wearing, discrete politeness and order food that doesn't get eaten ladies who lunch.  I've heard about these women, but I've never really seen them before.  They dress nicer for lunch and whatever volunteer activities they're headed to after lunch than I do for most formal events.  It was totally cool.  

Not cool in an envious way though.  If I ever become a lady who lunches, I better be 80 years old, retired, and wearing my nicest clothes cause it reminds me of my youth. None of this ladies who lunch as a career choice.  Still, the entire meal was a charming experience.  Sitting on the patio, drinking our iced teas while we dined on salmon and cucumber sandwiches.  We are so chic. 

Is this that place?  B's review:

Chillness:  Chill? No.  Chic? Yes.

Price: Ladies who Lunch could afford more, but perfect for us working stiffs.   

Food Quality:  Simple, well put together and served with a smile.

What do people in Northern Kentucky eat?  I have yet to have a good meal on that side of the river. 

Last night we had dinner club at Dee Felice on Main Strasse.  It was Kristin and Kevin's turn to pick and, as I found out later, Kristin realized that they had already eaten there (and not liked it), the second we got to the restaurant. 

But it was $2 beer night.  And dinner club always provides for interesting conversation.  Last night we covered all popular television on right now and then proceeded to interesting physical talents.  This oddly started and ended with John's ability to triple roll his tongue. I guess I get to perform the National Anthem via my nostrils some other time. 

I had the jambalaya for dinner.  It's a creole place, so I figured I couldn't go wrong.  I assumed that a place that made jambalays, etouffe and red-beans and rice would know how to make rice.  I was wrong.  My rice was undercooked undercooked undercooked.  Which was odd because the shrimp and chicken in the jambalya were so overcooked as to be dry and chewy. 

Other than the $2 beer, one interesting aspect of this restaurant is that there is a stage directly above and behind the bar that looks like it would knock all the liquor bottles over if it really got swinging.  Unfortunately there was no band last night, so I really don't know. 

So, one more dinner club down, one more not-so-great-cincy-eatery.  Good thing I like to cook. 

Is this that place?  B's review:

Chillness:  Nice pressed tin ceilings chill...um...that's a pretty lame chill

Price: Good value (bad food + low price = good value)

Food Quality:  Starving people in Africa could make rice better than this place did.  

Delta may be the worst airline in the history of flight.  Tim and I were supposed to be on a direct flight arriving in Seattle last Thursday.  Instead, we ended up in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Vancouver on Friday and finally wheeled (yes we drove) into Seattle on Saturday. 

Still, our adventure was a blast and due to our little detour, I had the best greek meal in the history of greek food. 

One little note about Vancouver.   It's a great city...at least I'm pretty sure it is.  It was raining while we were there and I couldn't see the mountains which are supposed to be gorgeous.  And the skyline isn't so visually appealing either.  It's like a mad architect took over in 1970 and built zillions of the ugliest residential buildings ever.  But the street-level atmosphere is awesome.  It's trendy, it's ethnic, it's fun.  And did I mention the greek food?

We were walking down the street, trying to decide if we wanted Thai, Vietnamese, Italien, Seafood or Greek.  After realizing that Thai is the only ethnic food we can get in Cincinnati, we decided on Greek.  We went into a little place called Maria's Taverna.  It was a single room with the walls painted in greek island scenes and greenery hanging down from the rafters.  We sat down at a white-clothed table, thrilled that we had a chance to dry out.   Tim suggested the Greek dinner for two and as I was incredibly indecisive, I agreed.  

After the pita w/tsanski and greek salads, they brought out our platter.  And our sides.  It was ridiculous how much food we had.  There was chicken, dolmas, grilled calamari, some sort of greek sausage and a huge chunk of lamb in the middle.  It was beautiful....and then there was silence....and then we devoured 90% of it.  Tim ate the rice.  I ate the potatoes.  I ate the calamari.  Tim ate the lamb.  We finished the dolmas.

And because it was still raining outside, we decided to order more wine and see if we could polish off the last of the lamb and chicken.  We polished off the wine, but not the food.  It was truly so good and filling that we absolutely couldn't eat anymore even though we truly wanted to.

But beyond the food, the reason I like this place so much was that it had that special dining atmosphere that you don't see a lot in the US.  It's that un-rushed feeling where dining is an event to be savoured, the entertainment for the evening.  There were tables of people around us who were there before we got there and still there 2.5 hours later when Tim and I, now suffiently dried and intoxicated, decided to walk back to the hotel....the hotel that was 4 km away. (this is Canada, it's metric)  

Our goal was to walk off our dinner, but given that we didn't eat the next day till 3pm, 4km probably wasn't enough walking.  But it had finally stopped raining and there's nothing more gorgeous than nightlife in the city.   So we walked and walked and fell asleep pleased that the greek gods had blessed us with their wonderful cusine...served by our friendly neighbors to the north.   

On the coldest day of the year (I'm not exaggerating), Tim and I walked down to Ruthai Thai's for dinner.  Tonight Leslie and Lydia and I walked down there for dinner.  The city was seriously on red alert when Tim and I showed up.  The city had shut down and the only people anywhere as far as the eye could see were the Thai transports at Ruthai Thai's.  We ate alone in the restaurant and our meal was specially prepared since the poor cook had NO ONE else to deal with.  It was so cold that night (but still warm on the inside) that I thought Ruthai Thai's was a great place.   Not the best Thai ever, but still in the top 20%.  We were the only people there and it tasted oh so good.

Tonight, not so much.  But, it's BYOB, which makes it at least 9 points better than anyplace else. (when you are intoxicicated, points are irrelevent).  So we had a great dinner, even though dinner was in and of itself, not so great.  The tofu was good.  I remember this from last time, but the noodles were slightly undercooked.  And, my favorite part of the evening;  Leslie asked for some Lime with her Pad Thai with Shrimp. The little waitress brought her out a bowl of rice.  And Leslie said, "no, a lime,"  so the waitress brought her out a knife.  So naturally, Leslie squeezed the knife over her pad thai to add a crisp and tart taste to her pad thai.

If I were starving and my refridgerator had exploded and I was out of powdered drink mixes and the only option I had for nourishment was Thai food, I would still most likely make the hike to Green Papaya before I would slide down the hill to Ruthai Thai....but like I said, Ruthai Thai's is BYOB...that's important.  Two bottles of wine important.  It's a toss up.

Is this that place?  B's review:

Chillness:  BYOB Chill.

Price: Cheap like a night out at Deja Vu's

Food Quality:  Variable, but the imaginary limes (knifes) are great.   

I'm not sure why I insist on keeping a food blog when it's not food that really matters, but instead what makes this city palatable. 

When Wilco shows up twice in one year, everything in Cincinnati starts to taste a little better.  

This is the third time I've seen Wilco perform and was by far the most rockingest show I've ever seen.   The entire band was on fire, they did two encores, and the entire theater was turned upside down by the end of it.  It was the perfect mix of new stuff and old stuff and since the new stuff is particularly awesome, nothing but goodness poured through the Aronoff.

The whole playlist rocked, but one in particular stopped time.  "What Light," absolutely the best new song on the album, opened their second encore and filled the room with a figurative happy yellow glow. 

The playlist was as follows.  I totally copied this off another website, so it may be innaccurate.  

Wilco - Aronoff - June 14 - Best. Show. Ever.

Shake it Off - You are my Face - I'm trying to break your heart - Shot in the Arm - Side with the seeds - Handshake Drugs - Impossible Germany - Sky Blue Sky - Pot Kettle Black - Via Chicago - War on War - Jesus, etc - Walken  - I'm the man who loves you - Hummingbird - Encore 1: ????  - Poor Places - Spiders/Kidsmoke   - Encore 2: What Light- Heavy Metal Drummer.

Dancing Wasabi

I ride the bus now.  I forgot how much I love riding the bus.  It's the perfect transition time between work-life and real-life that allows me to diffuse and arrive home happy.  And when I got off the bus tonight Leslie and I decided to check out the new Sushi place in Mt. Lookout.  It's called Dancing Wasabi and is just a tiny little place tucked around the corner from Aqua, which looks like a cool place, but is most like overpriced and overrated. 

Dancing Wasabi, on the other hand, is totally tasty sushi at totally tempting prices.  The fish is fresh and melts in your mouth, just like good sushi should.  But, the place is totally unpretentious.  They hand you the little sheet with all the sushi options and then a list of the special rolls.  And oh the special rolls.  Lots and Lots of options. 

Leslie and I sat down at a table outside and right as they brought our waters out we see Hilary and Lindsey crossing the street.  They were planning on going to Bella's, but we convinced them to dine with us instead.  We ordered a variety of the specialty rolls and had a little sushi feast.  I love specialty rolls, but sometimes you have a specialty roll and you'd think the sushi chef is trying to choke you.  They create these massive rolls with a diameter so large that no proper girl could possibly fit the entire thing in her mouth at once.  Dancing Wasabi has these great specialty rolls that are still perfectly sushi sized.  I'm a fan. 

Is this that place?  B's review:

Chillness:  Walk down the hill, open till 4am chill.  

Price:  4 girls, lots of sushi:  $50:  sold!  

Food Quality:  Sushi so sweet you'd think it was made by Hershey's.

Sarah came to visit this weekend.  She got a great deal because everyone else in the world leaves Cincinnati over Memorial Day.  So, I was pretty excited to use this opportunity to try some new places to eat this weekend. 

Nectar

Saturday afternoon we inadvertently got tanked in my yard with my neighbors.  I'm not entirely sure where those two bottles of wine and the rest of my beer went, but we had a blast.  And we had 8pm reservations at Nectar down the hill.  So at seven we pried ourselves from the patio furniture and went about trying to make ourselves look presentable for dinner at a place that made the top 25 list from Cincinnati magazine.   The place is adorable with very bistro-esque appeal and dapper all-black wait staff.    We probably should have been hungrier than we were, but as happens with excessive drinking, we had also been doing excessive snacking.   We ordered scallops for an appetizer and they were really tasty.  They had that slightly fishy taste that is endemic to 90% of all scallops I've had, but still very good and garnished in some sort of greenery and sauce that was tremendously tasty.  We both had the risotto for dinner as it was the only vegetarian option on the menu.  For some reason I had the impression that Nectar served a greater variety of vegetarian foods.  Not quite true and the seafood that night was soft shells crabs.  And well, after the Foresman-Bob-Chins-Incident-of-2002, I stear away from soft-shell crabs.  The risotto was wonderful, but maybe it was the mixture of being slightly sun-burnt with a waning buzz that made the evening not quite right.  Or maybe it was the waitress, who seemed prompt and friendly, but kept apologizing for being slow and overworked.  So, all in all, glad I tried Nectar.  Will I ever eat there again?  Probably not. 

Is this that place?  B's review:

Chillness:  Meet your boyfriend's parents for the first time chill (aka: not at all chill) 

Price:  fine, if someone else is paying. 

Food Quality:  Well prepared and flavorful, but not decadent enough to want to go back.

Pacific Moon

Sarah and I did some serious shopping on Sunday morning, which naturally leads to the need for some serious sushi.  We drove to all three sushi places in my neighborhood, only to find that every single one of them was closed.  Now I know this city is a little conservative and they don't sell beer early on Sunday's, but sushi?  I really don't think jesus had anything against raw fish on the sabbath day.   So, we made due with something else, but that night at about 9pm, we were still craving raw fish.  Knowing tthat Newport on the Levee would be open to entertain the few tourists who came to town, we headed over there to check out Pacific Moon which promised sushi until 2am. 

Newport suffers from the too-cool-for-school pandemic.  Many of the restaurants over there are all decor and style and no taste.   I mean it's Kentucky.  I see permed hair and hot pink lipstick there all the freaking time.  But, I was sure that Pacific Moon would be different.  Any sushi person know that you don't need a lot of pizzaz, just excellent sushi to make a great sushi place.  And the decor was great.  Very 1920's asian chic with wicker seats and paper-looking panels on the walls.  The sushi on the other hand was disappointing.  The fish was tough. The rolls were hardly that and the rice wasn't quite as sticky as it should have been.   But our yen for sushi was satisfied. 

Is this that place?  B's review:

Chillness:  Impress trailer trash from Kentucky chill.    

Price:  The perfect price for overpriced sushi.

Food Quality:  The mussels were good.

My boyfriend brought me tulips today and grilled steaks for dinner.  

I eat steak so rarely.  I love my dad's steak and Libby's Kevin made a steak once that I really liked.  I don't go to steak houses on my own volition and when I'm there I generally order fish.  But my yen for steak may be on the upswing.  Tim and I were sitting on my patio yesterday afternoon, reading our respective magazines and munching on grapes, crackers and mango-ginger cheese.  It was the perfect afternoon.  We had talked about grilling all day and decided to invite friends over too.  Bernd came, and Angela and then Leslie.  

I started the coals using the coal starter as Tim admired how advanced american grilling technology is.  I went in to make the pasta salad and he did the rest.  He picked out the steaks, knew when to put them on the fire and got them just perfect in less than 30 minutes. 

I seriously haven't had a steak that good in years.  It was crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside and mine was the perfect level of doneness.  We all sat out on my patio and absolutely devoured our steaks.  Tim would accept no compliments, thinking that he had merely observed while the perfect steak came into existence.  Still, I know that I've gotten myself into something special, and he makes steaks and buys me tulips just because. 

 Is this that place?  B's review:

This is the place. Chill.  Grill.

I've had many interesting taxi experiences in my life.  There was the female cabbie who drove me home from Ohare and explained her anthropological thesis to me.  There was the greek guy who drove me home on Lake Shore Drive, told me my eyes were the color of the lake and offered to set me up with his nephew.  And the infamous time when my driver was so high (off god knows what) that he forgot that I was still getting out of the cab (door open and everything) when he took off around the corner and I promptly rolled out onto Wacker drive, amazingly unscathed apart from a few bruises, scrapes, a crowd of worried pedestrians and a lot of shock. 

But now, in Cincinnati, the Queen City itself, I have found the Queen of all taxi experiences.  Of course this has nothing to do with dining in this city.  But it adds so much to my perception of this city's local flavor, that I have to include it here. 

Saturday night, Leslie and I decided to do an impromptu ladies night.  We assembled a great group of gals; Stephanie, Leslie, myself, Lindsey, Hilary and Lydia; and started with wine and snacks at Leslie's apartment.  The goal of the evening was to bar hop in Hyde Park Square.  This isn't terribly difficult, as there are really only three late night places in Hyde Park: Tellers, Red and Beluga.  It's a miserable rainy and cold evening outside and we are dolled up in our sexiest, but un-walkable shoes, and cutie outfits, so Leslie decides to call a taxi.

And we wait.  This is one of the downers of Cincy.  You can't just get a taxi.  You have to plan for a taxi.  You have to call, and see if one is available, and then give yourself about 30 minutes for it to show up.   So we keep drinking and eventually we hear honking outside. 

But that can't possibly be our taxi?  I mean, who puts a lo-glo in neon blue and silver spinning hubcaps on a taxi?

"Um Leslie, what taxi company did you call."

"The first one that came up, one sec, let me check."

Pause. Click Click.  A look of utter perplexity on Leslie's face. Pause. Anticipation.

"It's called Phat Taxi" Leslie says.

We all start laughing hysterically.  We are, no doubt, about to get into the phattiest taxi in the land. 

And it only gets better.  Inside, he has a disco ball hanging from the ceiling.  As we pile in, he tells us to smile and takes a picture of us with his digital camera. We notice that these pictures slide show across the laptop attached to the front panel of the car.  Sweet.  We are now c-list famous.    The entire time we are giggling hysterically, already sure that this is going to be the greatest girls night ever.  And we start watching the pictures of all the other people who have piled in the phat taxi in the past.  Oh, but we get more than pictures.  We get social commentary.  The slide show is intersperced with messages about Jesus and how our tips are going to sponsor an inmate.  Good thing I'm just tipsy enough not to wonder whether I've gotten myself in a bad situation or not.

We arrive shortley thereafter at Red.  He tips his cowboy hat at us, thanks us and hands us his card to visit the website (and hence the slideshow that we will now be apart of) at www.phattaxi.com. 

And the best part?  The evening only got more exciting after that. 

Is this that place?  B's review:

Chillness:  Sponsor an inmate chill.   

Price:  All the Phat you want at normal taxi rates.

Food Quality:  I don't recommend touching your lips to anything in here.

My parents came to visit this weekend.  And while my dad could eat at the Olive Garden for the rest of eternity and not get tired of it, I always feel pressured to find a good restaurant when they come to town.  Something with local flavor, fair prices and food tasty enough that my parents will like it.  Tonight I decided to try the York Street Cafe over in Newport, KY with them. 

It rocked.  My parents loved it.  But honestly, this place has so much charachter (leg lamp in the lobby) that it's much more suited as a first date place.  If I were a guy in Cincy, I would do a little tap dance once I found this place.  It's the ideal place to take any girl worth dating.  The food is simple and well-prepared, the atmosphere can spark much conversation, and it's just enough out of the way that it would look like you put some thought into where to go.  Are you listening boys?  This is the place to take your lady to. 

But me, if there are any restaurants left by the time the time the CDC gets around to the B's, then I'll suggest this place.  Oh and the CDC, that's the Sussman-inspired Cincinnati Dinner Club.  Basicallly it's our way of trying new restaurants in Cincinnati with the dual purpose of becoming a nuisance to everyone else who is dining at the restaurant that evening.  The inaugaral CDC was at Jo-An, which I totally need to write about it. Toyota quality Sushi.  The second was at Wild Ginger, another of the not-worth-writing-home-about Thai restaurants in the city.  

And now that I think about it, how in the world can Cincinnati host a Thai restaurant every half-mile, but you'd have to force a thai person at gunpoint (if you could find one) to make pad thai for you in JCMO? That may explain my pad-thai crush from earlier in the year.

Is this that place?  B's review:

Chillness:  1970's "Chistmas Story" Chill  

Price:  Too pricey to take my sister to if I were paying

Food Quality:  Hearty, Homey and Wholesome