August 2010
5 posts
a manhattan ... to the nines
In the past nine months or so I have become quite the fan of Manhattans. Tonic on Fourth has been my local watering hole which serves them correctly, up, in traditional proportions of:
2 parts whiskey 1 part sweet vermouth 2 dashes angostura bitters maraschino cherry
The key ingredient that is often overlooked here is the vermouth - good vermouth makes a good Manhattan, while the inexpensive...
pina colada... perfected
A friend’s invitation to a house at Norris Lake, TN for the weekend was the perfect excuse to have some fun with cocktail recipes. Telling him that he was in for a surprise, I brought along 10 pineapples (only 5 pictured obviously):
After a little over an hour of making use of the available kitchen knives and enduring pain from the acidity of the juice, these pineapples were no longer...
an agave affair
I’ve spilled the beans, err cactus, err lily on this one! Yes, that is correct; I’ve recently fallen in love with mezcal! To get everyone properly grounded, I’ll start with some basics: Mezcal is made from the type of plant Tequila comes from. All tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila. 100% agave tequila must come solely from the Blue Weber Agave, while mezcal can come...
KY 8 & KY 20 the "scenic" way to CVG
Getting to the CVG airport has never been so much fun! After my flight… err 36 hour ordeal landed me back in Cincinnati 22 hours late and without a bag I was nonetheless dolefully tasked with returning to the airport to collect my luggage at a later hour. This trip ended me up in rush hour traffic with a big-rig crash, going uphill e-brake/clutching was sometime I just wasn’t...
so where have I been?
Well, as everyone is aware, I haven’t posted in an epically long 49 days… wow! I really don’t have any excuses either aside from being quite busy, on vacation, enjoying Cincinnati a bit more, etc so I’ll just say that expect somewhat of a quick catch up of the past 49 days, in the next week or two. I’m planning to write as many up as I can and queue them for daily...
July 2010
1 post
June 2010
1 post
Zagat Chicago Ratings are in...
Zagat Chicago Ratings are in and Les Nomades (where I’ve never dined) edged out Alinea for the top food spot! Even more amazingly, Schwa took the #3 spot also receiving a 29 for food. Rick Bayless took two with Frontera as Most Popular and XOCO as Top Newcomer.
WOW! … and I’m sitting here in Cincinnati unable to go to any of them so instead, I must reflect on what was one...
May 2010
5 posts
SENATE Specials
Raves from my most recent SENATE visit…
They just tapped a keg of Goose Island Kolsch which is amazing and a perfect beer for the summer! If you haven’t had it before, go there now and order a pint!
The special of the evening was Porkbelly and Pear Wontons, Red Curry, Soy Reduction, Frisee Greens:
I ordered the dish solely based on the description… and it ended up mostly...
Locanda Verde
This post concludes my much belated part 3 of 3 post on my April NYC Adventure. For Sunday brunch, my foodie contingent put on our game faces after a late Saturday night and headed to Locanda Verde in Tribeca on Easter Sunday… although none of us were really celebrating. This restaurant also received a James Beard nomination for best new restaurant but lost in the finals to Marea.
To start,...
pork buns, coffee, arepas, and fries, oh my!
Part 2 of 3 of my belated NYC adventure takes place after my epic evening at Marea. Rachel and I, later joined by others, headed down to the Lower East Side for an afternoon walking food tour. In hindsight we were overly ambitious and should have probably much earlier to cover the ground that we were hoping to. Regardless, it was a wonderful time.
Our first stop was Momofuku Milk Bar where we...
la Esquina & CupcakeSTOP.com
Long overdue is chronicle of the rest of my April 2-4 NYC Trip. What will follow are three fairly succinct posts about my extra-Marea food adventures on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This post represents Friday.
My flight arrived promptly at 9:15AM as Scheduled on a beautiful Friday morning. After dropping my baggage off at my friend’s, we headed down to Corner Deli… err… aptly...
the votes are in...
It appears the votes are in for the 2010 James Beard Awards. Read all about it here.
Some highlights:
Best New Restaurant: Marea, NYC, Chef/Partner: Michael White, Partner: Chris Cannon.
Best Chef: Great Lakes: Koren Grieveson, Avec in Chiacgo.
Best Chef: Pacific: David Kinch, Manresa, Los Gatos, CA
Among many others…
Unfortunately I’ve been super busy as of late and...
April 2010
5 posts
legit or not?
I saw this sign on the corner outside of a drugstore on Hamilton Ave in Northside last Friday. I couldn’t resist taking a picture — I hope some humor was intended. I think I may have to check back on May 14th.
Marea
As a preface, I’m going to try something a little bit different. The ensuing commentary will be not only that of my own (ES), but of my fellow foodie and guest blogger Rachel (RW) as well.
ES: Friday April 2nd in NYC I had the opportunity to check out a real treat with friend: Michael White’s Marea. Located on Central Park South, Marea’s façade is rather simple, and doesn’t allude to...
Cincinnati Restaurant Week 2010
Greater Cincinnati Restaurant Week 2010 (March 22-28) flew by between trips to Chicago and Birmingham so I’ve been unfortunately remiss about sharing my experiences. During the week I had a chance to check out three restaurants I had been meaning to try. For just $26.10 it was an excuse to drag myself and friends to some out of the way places: 20 Brix in downtown Milford and Brown Dog Cafe...
xoco
I finally got to try it: xoco. It ended up mostly delivering, but was a tad underwhelming given all of the anticipation that had been bottled up inside of me. Xoco, which is Mexican sland for “little sister” is situated in River North just spitting distance from Rick Bayless’s other two restaurants Frontera and Topolobampo. Taking up the corner slot, this window-heavy...
BELLY SHACK
At this point I’m pretty behind on keeping up with the food blogging. I have Chicago, Cincinnati Restaurant Week, and an amazing trip to New York in queue so I’ll keep some of these short and sweet.
Over St. Patty’s day weekend in Chicago, I had a chance to check out a number of these “fancy street food” places that are popping up in every city in the country. That...
March 2010
2 posts
Annie's Mac & Cheese firesale at Kroger's
I was in the Kroger’s off Mitchell today when I saw they had a full endcap of Annie’s on sale. They were marked down from $2.49 to $0.99 with a Kroger’s card, with an additional $4 savings per set when purchased in lots of 8! This resulted in a final price of $0.49/ea! They must be trying to reduce inventory or something, this is ridiculous.
I would highly suggest all...
workplace irony
I stumbled across this article on CNN.com about a Denver-based design firm holding a funeral for IE6. The hilarious part is that I was reading about it using IE6. Looks like legacy browsers still live on at P&G. I think they made a movie about this… being present at your own funeral?
February 2010
5 posts
daddy got new shoes...
So my pair of Piloti DTM’s just arrived:
These bad boys come equipped with a spherical heel and reinforced laterals for fancy footwork behind the wheel. I’ve yet to try them out on the road but hope to later this week — or maybe even on the way to work tomorrow just for kicks (pun intended obviously.) I had the option to go with a bit more subdued coloring but opted to go...
SENATE: First Impressions
SENATE finally opened at 1212 Vine Street this past Friday after a 4-month delay due to issues getting a liquor license. It was worth the wait! Although the restaurant does not have a website yet, you can visit their linked-above Facebook page or just stop by. The ensuing is my take on the place after visiting both Friday and Saturday evenings.
SENATE is a big step for Cincinnati offering...
burger pursuits continued
I’ve been to The Rookwood Bar and Restaurant located in Mt. Adams in the old Rookwood Pottery factory twice now. The first time was for a happy hour, and the second time was to sample their cuisine. My first experience in the bar was a visual “wow” (or excellent FMOT for those P&G readers.) The bar décor was elegant, minimalistic and rustic: exposed brick walls, circular...
The Driver
The Driver by Alexander Roy was blood-pressure-raising first-hand account of “his dangerous pursuit of speed and truth in the outlaw racing world.” Alex raced a “modified” E39 M5 often disguised as a German Police car in numerous road-rally events including the Gumball, Bull Run, and set a new world record for the Cannonball (a race from NYC to LA) in 31 hours and 4 minutes. Oddly, my father and I...
a friday gift to myself
This week was an exceptionally long week at work. So now that it is finally over, I treated myself to a week well done.
This Willett Family Estate Bottled Single Barrel Bourbon started out as spirits from the Four Roses Distillery and then spent 8 years in select white oak barrels starting on 2/20/01. This bottle is number 112 of 162 from Cask 374, hand-selected for the Party Source. What...
January 2010
7 posts
Daveed's at 934
This is a bit old but better to post it now than never:
Last November I visited Daveed’s at 934 with my family when they were in town for Thanksgiving. Anticipation was high as this is currently Zagat’s lone 28’er for food in Cincinnati. I was surprised that we were one of the few tables occupied when we arrived at 7PM on the day after Thanksgiving. I would have expected it to be a...
sixthsense technology?
This is one of the better TED talks I’ve watched in the past year: Pranav Mistry: The Thrilling Potential of SixthSense Technology
Mayberry
I’ve heard a great deal of buzz about Mayberry since it opened so I finally had to see what all of the hype was about. I’ve now been twice, once for dinner on their second evening of patronage and once for lunch just last week. In short, it has lived up to expectations.
Behind an unassuming café façade at 915 Vine, Mayberry delivers complete satisfaction on simple, varying menu items.The...
neglecting food
As of late, I have become remiss about posting my foodie adventures so I will be taking responsibility over the next few weeks to Ketchup with many Cincinnati eats and barrage you with my terrible sense of humor. Be forewarned.
let my people go surfing
The business book review-to-dos are piling up around here so it was about time to write one. A read from last fall was Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard, founder and owner of Patagonia. Immediately I was intrigued by the name as well as learning about the culture of Patagonia since: a) I’ve used their gear all of my life and b) I’ve heard they’re one of the most...
new year's resolutions
As a rough latter half of 2009 ends, my first full year as a “real person” begins. This is a complete surprise because my mind keeps telling me its summer. For the past 18+ years I have been in school, and thus my life has revolved around the academic calendar. I’m accustomed to fall coming around once I start classes, however class never came around and I find myself stuck in...
Restaurant Gary Danko
While I am the greatest lover of food in my family, the rest appreciate it and enjoy going on epicurean adventures. My sister is increasing becoming a foodie like myself; my mother enjoys trying new restaurants and dishes and my father is a very good sport. As a family we are entering a different stage of life and have less time together so it is all the more precious. One way we spend our time is...
December 2009
18 posts
AT&T and Verizon, at eachothers' throats
I turned on the TV this evening only to watch a barrage of AT&T and Verizon commercials bringing out the heavy hitters. There’s Verizon’s “Island of Misfit Toys” and AT&T’s “Marbles” for starters. What is it exactly that I missed? It’s hasn’t been since the 2004 election that I’ve seen two parties slinging so much mud! While I...
opinions please...
I can’t decide if this is awesome or incredibly dangerous, but either way its an confounding concept. I am often stuck behind large trucks as I drive down the freeway, yearning for an open horizon (and no speed limits) so I can appreciate the idea of being able to see just what is beyond that big rig lumbering along at 55 in front of me. I would just hate to daze off and forget the open road...
wardrobe vetting
I take good care of possessions, including clothing, and am quite reluctant to part with them. However, I haven’t seriously gone through my clothes since leaving for college over 5 years ago so it was time despite my sentimentality towards lettings things go. The picture below shows what I could bare to part with after about an hour of vetting:
All in all I parted with the following #...
ingenious, split commercials show passage of time
I saw the new AT&T “Postcards” commercial for the first time two weeks ago. I didn’t think much of Part 1 aside from mumbling, “Wow, its about time that AT&T went on the offensive given what Verizon has been up to recently” However, once Part 2 came on about a minute later (after the P&G block I might add) I screamed “That’s Awesome!”
I...
my wall art finally arrived: part 3 (of 3)
After 24 hours over glass and under books, I removed the weights to check on the flatness of the pieces and was pleasantly surprised with the results. The sections were more-or-less flat with only minor wrinkles — which will probably never be 100% removed unless I had it done professionally, so I decided to move on to removing the “hard” folds. I used a similar approach to...
my wall art finally arrived: part 2
After approximately 8 steam cycles it was off to the ironing board to remove the remainder of each of the soft folds that were made more pliable with the humidity:
I used the iron on the low-heat “silk” setting with moderate steam. At first I placed a dishtowel between the iron and the poster to make sure that it would not overheat the forty-year-old paper. After a bit of practice,...
my wall art finally arrived: part 1
I’ve debated for a long while what I should put on my large, bare walls but long story short I’ve found the perfect thing:
It may not look like much besides some old folded pieces of paper right now, but it will eventually be unfolded into a vintage 1969 7UP & Yellow Submarine billboard advertisement. You heard that right - billboard - as in 25’ by 10’. As shown...
How to Make a Mobius Bagel, Amazing! →
Thank you to Anne for the link.
tom + chee hits the spot
tom + chee (Short for Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese) opened up as a booth on Fountain Square on the east side of the ice rink this past Thursday. I stopped by to see what all of the hype was about; long story short they really hit the spot. They serve homemade tomato soup along with the soup of the day and completely customizable grilled cheese sandwiches. The sandwiches range from your...
On the first day of December, the Procter and...
ONE GIANT BLUE BOX:
Inside:
One P&G Cooler Two P&G Reusable Shopping Bags Two Oral-B Toothbrushes One Oral-B Floss Picks Plus Scope One Crest Weekly Clean Intensive Cleaning Paste Two Mr. Clean Magic Erasers One Dawn Plus Hand Renewal Dishwashing Liquid One Pringles Baked Wheat Stix One Pringles Mexican Layered Dip Restaurant Cravers One Puffs Ultra Soft & Strong One Herbal Essences...
a foodie's paradise
I visited Jungle Jim’s International Market for the first time with my family when they were in town last Friday. I was simply speechless, the place was like a petting zoo for foodies. I wish I had visited sooner! They have one of the US’s largest wine selections at 12,000 different labels; additionally 1,200 beer labels and over 1,000 kinds of cheese! Not to mention “The Big...
tonic round five
I’m drawn to Tonic on 4th time after time this post is about my 5th visit I had the opportunity to try their Julep for starters:
Which was elegantly served, to my surprise, in a real mint julep cup. The ice was also hand-crushed ice using a wooden muddler(?) and cheesecloth. The drink was quite palatable although a bit on the sweet side for my taste. I would have preferred a tad more...
they don't print them like they used to
I’ve pulled these two oldies out of my change in the past few months so it was finally time to write about them:
First, the two dollar bill has always been one of my favorite notes because of its small printing quantity. I find them fun to pick up at the bank because of their novelty. Buying something with one often leads to strange facial expressions and confused hands as it nears the...
the ascent in covington
Above is a gloomy day picture of one of the most unique buildings in the Cincinnati-Covington-Newport area, which looks quite menacing in this light. This building would be my dream home if I could afford it. Pictured on the site are some amazing interior shots of the Pinnacle Penthouse. While I really don’t know what I’d do with the space, I think it would be an experience just to...
i never knew how pumpkin pie was made...
…until I lol’d in the office about this:
The sad thing is that there are numerous variants of this theme online. I guess more than one person had the brilliant idea. What would Freud say?
northwestern wasn't the only one who beat iowa
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit a good friend of mine in Columbus. I had never been to OSU before, or the city for that matter so I jumped at the chance for another adventure.It was a temperate fall weekend; the clear sky and turning leaves accentuated beauty of the main quad:
Of course, I had chosen the weekend because of the home game versus Iowa, which the Buckeyes would end...
a honkatonk weekend in nashville
I have to crank this one out before the cobwebs set in… so it may be a bit brief:
I had the opportunity to take a weekend getaway to Nashville early this November with a friend so I jumped on it. We drove down after work on Friday and made it there in about 4.5 hours. Upon checking into our hotel we were surprisingly graced with an extra hour of night! We didn’t realize that Nashville...
November 2009
6 posts
internet vices, what's your poison? →