A few weeks back, my wife and I were able to grab dinner without the kids before heading to Music Hall for her employers Christmas Party. I came up with a couple of restaurants that we had never tried and from the list she picked Senate.

Inside Senate

We arrived just past 8 PM on a Tuesday and were seated right away. Most of the tables along the wall opposite of the long bar are too close together. I felt like we were having dinner with the other groups on either side of our table. The restaurant space is pretty small though, so perhaps this is the only way to arrange the seating.

Crispy Potstickers

We started with the pork-ginger potstickers served with sweet chili, miso cream cheese and sesame seeds ($10). I really liked these fried potstickers and enjoyed the crispness when compared to the more common boiled or steamed versions. The sauce was also a really good mix of sweet and spicy flavors.

McBelly Pulled Pork

For dinner I went with the McBelly sandwich, BBQ pork belly with coleslaw and fried onion. This sandwich was extremely messy but had a nice flavor combination. The BBQ sauce was a little too sweet for my tastes but the slaw and onion were a nice touch.

Truffle Fries

We split an order of truffle fries ($5). The thick cut slices of potato come served in a shaker pint glass and is plenty for sharing. Served on the side is an aioli sauce that is also pretty good, but the truffle oil fries are tasty enough on their own.

Panko Crusted Chile Relleno

My wife ordered the chile relleno, a crispy poblano pepper, black beans, roasted squash, rice, queso fresco, raisins and pumpkin seed molé ($12). There is certainly a lot going on with this dish, but it worked really well. The molé sauce was outstanding and the pepper itself was cooked well.

Senate is best known for their hot dogs. We did not try any of them after finding that they nearly all use beef hotdogs. It would be nice to have some red meat alternative options there. The food we did have was all really good, though a bit overpriced. I’m still not convinced that casual food deserves these kinds of prices.

We had a wonderful Christmas. The break from work was nice and tied in almost perfectly with our vacation, giving us nearly two full weeks off. It was wonderful to spend so much time with the kids as well other family and friends. It certainly was busy but that is part of what makes it so much fun.

Our Tree

Trey was very much into Christmas this year. He obviously loved opening gifts but had a great time giving gifts as well. One time he even told what was inside the gift he was giving before it was opened, but grandma didn’t seem to mind. Paige tried her best to open gifts herself but really liked it when her big brother would help her. They are doing a pretty good job at sharing their toys. Trey now thinks they are nearly all his and Paige is happy playing with whatever is left.

Merry Christmas 2013

I hope that Santa was good to all of you as well. Merry Christmas!

We spent all of last week on vacation, first visiting with our friends Doni and Phil at their new home of El Dorado Hills, California. We spent a night with them on either end of a our four night stay at the Heavenly Mountain Resort at Lake Tahoe.

First Lift

It was our first time visiting Lake Tahoe, but I certainly hope it is not the last. It is one of the prettiest places I have been, especially for a winter sports location. I’m told the scenery as equally as stunning in the summer months.

Heavenly Views

Our first day on the slopes was a great bluebird sky day. It was and is still very early in the season, so only a handful of lifts and runs were open. I spent a quick morning on the slopes the first day and conquered all of the trails before heading in for lunch and to play with the kids while Kim made turns with her brother Chip.

Before Powder Day

We only spent two days on the mountain since so little was open, but our second day out was a powder day! Kim and I got out early to get in some runs on some fresh snow. We had a blast and wore out our legs after just a few hours.

After Powder Day

I went back out with Chip after lunch and we tore through all the open terrain once again. When the day was complete I had put in roughly 12,600 vertical feet on 20 runs. It was a very solid day on the mountain.

21,600 Vertical Feet

Heavenly treated us very well and I hope to return in the future and will make sure to go later in the season to see one of the largest resort in America at its prime.

Heavenly Valley on Dwellable

Tomorrow night is the annual basketball game between the University of Cincinnati Bearcats and the Xavier University Musketeers now known as the Crosstown Classic. I won’t be able to attend the game, but I did go to a game a couple of weeks ago with a few other family members.

Family Shot

As we typically do, we got seats up high so the kids could run around without disturbing any of the other fans. The sight lines aren’t the best from the top of 5/3 Arena, but it is always fun to catch a game regardless of where your seats are.

Go Cats!

That night the Bearcats put a 30 point smack-down on UMass-Lowell River Hawks, 79-49. Go Bearcats!

We had plans to attend the second annual Christmas Saengerfest this past Friday night, but the winter weather caused the organizers to cancel the event. Fortunately it was a two-day event, and everyone with a ticket for Friday night was invited to attend Saturday instead.

May Festival Youth Chorus

We started off our night listening to the wonderful sounds provided by the May Festival Youth Chorus at Memorial Hall. The May Festival Youth Chorus, was organized in 1987 to give high school students the opportunity to rehearse and perform challenging choral music in a highly stimulating artistic environment.

Awaken the City Gospel Band

From there we moved on to Awaken the City to hear their phenomenal Gospel Band. We saw the band perform last year and had to take our family to see them this year. The band did not disappoint and once again by the end of their show the entire audience was up on their feet celebrating with them.

Moerlein Barrel Project

We got a late start on the evening and were not able to see any other performances aside from a few small choir performances from inside the relatively new Moerlein Tap Room. I’ve been in this location numerous times before, but had not seen the renovated bar and tasting room. I also spotted a row of barrels used for aging beer, which is very exciting for the continually expanding brewery. We had a couple of Moerlein pints to wind down a great night.

Despite growing up in Loveland, just around the corner from the original Holtman’s Donut Shop that has been open since 1960, this year was my first time having any of their delicious treats. Their new shop in Over-the-Rhine has been open for about three months and was very convenient for a weekend visit after attending church.

Counter

The shop is on Vine Street in the Gateway Quarter, and aside from Taste of Belgium, is the only place to get a bite to eat in morning in this area. A large glass window displays the bakery kitchen as you walk your way back toward the counter and display cases filled with donuts.

Bakery

Some friends of ours that live in the neighborhood joined us on this visit and made some great recommendations. The maple bacon donut is a specialty that is not served every day, but if it is be sure to grab one of these. The combination of sweet and salty is really great and you can’t complain with a little protein added to your otherwise fat-filled breakfast.

Donuts

The other donut I tried on this visit is now my most favorite donut ever. The blueberry cake with vanilla icing donut is outstanding and I had no idea that donuts could have this much flavor. It obviously reminded me of a blueberry muffin but with a more concentrated blueberry taste in a much denser bite. The delicious icing came piled high on, but I think I would have enjoyed the donut even without the icing.

Committed to the old-fashioned way, Holtman’s Donuts are created from scratch using the highest quality ingredients, and it really pays off in the end. I will absolutely be back for more soon.

Florida based The Brass Tap, a chain of beer bars, opened their first Midwest location near the University of Cincinnati this past summer. The spot is in the newly finished U Square development that is a series of buildings with a mix of retail, residential, and dining.

U Square

Parking is available on the street outside of the bar, or in the garages that were built as part of development. Special event parking is just $10 when there is a big sporting event on campus, which is cheaper than on campus parking, and it leaves with you plenty of warm options for pregame activities.

Outside

This Brass Tap location features eighty taps, many of which are dedicated to local beer offerings. It is a very impressive lineup, better than anywhere else around campus, and near the top that the city offers.

Taps

No food is offered yet, but menus for a handful of neighboring restaurants (mostly in the U Square development) are available at the bar and I’m told that food orders can be made available for delivery. My only compliant is that they are not family friendly. In an effort to keep the underage college students out of the bar, no one under 21 is permitted inside. Instead head to the nearby Adriatico’s if you are bringing the kids along.

In addition to the Duke Energy Holiday Trains at the Museum Center, another Christmas tradition we never miss is the Festival of Lights at the Cincinnati Zoo.

International Tree Lighting

A couple of Fridays ago was opening night for zoo members only. We took advantage of the slightly smaller sized crowd to get an early visit to this wonderful holiday tradition.

Wild Lights Show at Swam Lake

The Festival of Lights is the largest holiday light display in Cincinnati and can become quite crowded as we get closer to Christmas. If you want to visit I recommend avoiding Friday and Saturday nights and make sure to get there as early as possible.

Carousel Ride

The displays will be up until January 4 and are open Sunday through Thursday 5-9, Friday and Saturday 5-10.

Sunday afternoon I attended a rally in front of Music Hall to help save the Cincinnati Streetcar. The newly sworn in mayor, John Cranley, has made it his first mission to shut down the project after the track work now stretches nearly a mile up Elm Street. However, he cannot do it alone and has to have the support of city council. Unfortunately it seems that the majority of council are now in favor of canceling, or at least suspending construction, which the feds have said is the same as canceling in their opinion.

Supporters in front of Music Hall

So a rally was organized to show support for the project. An estimated crowd of around 1,000 listened as speeches and presentations were made before spreading out to line the rail current rail line to the current terminus. I was so excited to see the first rails go in just over a month ago, and was really looking forward to our city’s continued progress. Now I am not so sure that the progress we have seen over the last few years will continue into the future.

My Son, Cincinnati of the Future

These streetcar tracks, while only a 3.6 mile route when complete, are a great start to any future rail expansion projects. Not only can the current rails going into the ground carry the streetcars, but they could also carry lightrail trains with no changes needed. Having an urban circulator is just as important as the lines running into town, and is the perfect place to start a system. The far suburbs and even those in Hamilton county may not want enhanced public transportation, but I believe most of the neighborhoods in the city of Cincinnati want it and would benefit from it greatly. Supporting the streetcar now will not only help our city now, it will help many years into the future.

Line The Line

More arguments for keeping the streetcar going can be found on UrbanCincy.com.

This isn’t my grandma’s green been casserole recipe, but I wish that it was. I’ve made the recipe at least three times now and have had great feedback. We’ve already had two Thanksgiving dinners this week with another big one on Thursday. I think I am in charge of green bean casserole once again Thursday, so I’ll be making at least one more batch. Give it a try if you are looking for something different from the traditional cream of mushroom soup based recipe.

Green Bean Casserole

The first Thanksgiving dinner was with my parents, brother, and his girlfriend this past Saturday. I decided to smoke a turkey breast for the main attraction. Originally I wanted to find a boneless breast, but ended up with a bone-in as that was all that two different stores had in stock. The breast weighed about 7.5 pounds and took right around five hours to smoke somewhere between 335 to 350 degrees.

Smoked Turkey

I used a very basic hickory chip for the smoke and thought the flavor came through pretty well. I would definitely do it again as it really didn’t take much additional effort or time and the results were great. I remembered how much fun it can be to sit and tend to a smoker all afternoon while sipping on a few beers. I hope to get back into this more in the coming summer.

My Plate

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving holiday and break from the daily grind.