After mass this past weekend, my wife and I decided to get crêpes, but we wouldn’t be going to our downtown favorite It’s Just Crêpes. Instead we headed to the relatively newly opened Fave in Hyde Park. Fave is mainly a self-serve frozen yogurt place, similar to Orange Leaf  that also recently opened in the area. You walk in, grab a cup, and fill it up with any combination of their eight flavors. There is also a variety of toppings you can add on top. Then you take it to the register and pay a set price (55 cents) per ounce. I’ve yet to give this a try, but it seems like it could get expensive very quickly. While we were there, a customer was rang up for over $6 in frozen yogurt alone.

Inside Fave

Anyway, Fave also has a small offering of crêpes. My wife and I actually tried to get crêpes  a few weeks earlier, but turned around when we found ourselves third in line with just one iron working and only one employee inside. It seemed like it would have taken a long time, and even when we returned on this visit to find nobody else inside, our order of two crêpes  took at least ten minutes to prepare. Again just one employee was there, though later anther did show up in time to ring up our order.

Pizza Crêpe

I ordered the pizza crêpe with pizza sauce, Chihuahua cheese, pepperoni, and basil (though I don’t remember any basil in mine). My wife went with the BBQ – chicken, onion, bell pepper, and BBQ sauce. Overall the crêpes were good, but I felt that the shell may have been cooked too long and it was a little thicker than I was used to. With so few ingredients inside the crêpe, the  thickness  of the shell blocked out most of the flavor in my crêpe. My wife’s had a better flavor mix, but I wonder if maybe a little less batter was used would that let the ingredients shine through more?

I think Fave would be best off picking one item to specialize and then doing it really well. If the yogurt alone will keep them in business, I say they expand on that. If not, I think a well done crêpe spot would be perfect in Hyde Park. The eight item crêpe menu could easily be doubled or even tripled. They already have a decent start at making crêpes, but I think it takes a bit more focus to really do it right.

The Keystone Bar & Grill opened their Hyde Park location this past November. Though I have never been to their other location in Covington, I did sample some of their signature mac ‘n cheese at this past years Taste of Cincinnati. With a basketball game on TV that I wanted to watch, I headed to the new restaurant this past Saturday afternoon.

In addition to their signature mac ‘n cheese menu, they also have very similar flavor combinations offered on a quesadilla menu. For my meal I went with the BBQ’dilla –  grilled BBQ chicken, bacon, marinated onions and cheddar served with ranch ($9.99). The serving size generous and was easily enough for lunch. I thought the flavor combination was great and it didn’t really need the ranch on the side. Other quesadilla offerings include ingredients such as corned beef, flank steak, and even chili.

BBQ'dilla

My wife ordered the Buffalo Springfield mac ‘n cheese, even though I insisted that we already tried it at the Taste of Cincinnati. This dish ($7.99) adds buffalo chicken and crumbled bleu cheese to the mac ‘n cheese. It came served in a hot skillet and took a few minutes to cool. You can tell just by looking at it that this was prepared fresh versus the sample we had at the “Taste” this past summer.

Buffalo Springfield Mac 'N Cheese

Once it was cool enough to eat I stole a bite and was immediately hit with buffalo sauce and lots of it. So much in fact that my wife couldn’t eat more than a few bites the dish. I’m always a sucker for spicy things, so I offered to switch meals with her after only eating one slice of my quesadilla. Typically she likes spicy foods too, but this proved to be too much for her, so buyer beware.

In addition to the mac ‘n cheese and quesadillas, there is a full menu of wraps, sandwiches, burgers, and other bar and grill type food. They also have a pretty decent beer list. When we were first seated our table didn’t have a drink menu on it, but after many questions and ordering our first drafts, a tabletop menu was provided. Service was adequate and our food arrived very quickly. We will be back for more.

For lunch today I headed to one of the few remaining restaurants close to our home in Hyde Park that I have yet to visit, Indigo Casual Gourmet Cafe. I have read some really bad reviews of Indigo, so I wasn’t expecting much, but figured I at least had to try it for myself. The restaurant itself looks like it hasn’t changed in years, thought he copper topped tables were pretty cool. The rest of the decor is very 80’s and could use some updating. It felt like we were seated in a cheap hotel lobby restaurant.

Inside Indigo

Our service wasn’t exactly speedy, but I think the one waitress was taking care of the entire lunch time crowd. The menu is really pretty large and full of specialty salads, pastas, sandwiches, and pizzas. My wife, son, and brother-in-law were all along for the experience, though my wife had already been here a time or two before. After much pondering, I decided to order the  creole macaroni and cheese, with andouille  sausage, chicken, and a mix of peppers.

Creole Macaroni & Cheese

The pasta was penne, the cheese was  mozzarella, and it was all topped with panko bread crumbs before being baked. When the dish was served it was extremely hot and the sauce was a little too liquidy. Once it cooled a bit the sauce was more creamy and actually very good. The flavor combination really worked well, but this is far from a traditional macaroni and cheese. My brother-in-law order the regular macaroni and cheese, and though it too looked very good and full of ingredients, it is not a creamy cheese based dish.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

My wife went with the BBQ chicken pizza,  though I wish she would have decided on the chicken tikka masala pizza instead, which seemed much more interesting to me. I may have to try that in the future. Her pizza was also really good and relatively large serving. We’ve all had this flavor combination before, so it wasn’t anything out of this world, but still was a solid take on this dish. Overall the food was really good and I’m sure I will be back for more in the future.

Over the summer I had the pleasure of sampling a pulled pork sandwich on Fountain Square from Eli’s BBQ. It was the same day that I tried Tom + Chee for the first time. At that time, Eli was only operating from the food tents that were located on the square, but once the city removed them late last year, the owners were forced to find other options. Fortunately they found a space at 3313 Riverside Drive  to open a permanent  restaurant  and it just happens to be relatively close to my home. In addition to the new location, the menu has also grown from the single item pulled pork sandwich and now included smoked turkey and ribs.

Eli’s BBQ Menu

The new restaurant space seats 25-30 people comfortably at a variety of high or low top tables. At the back of the dining space is a record player that was playing a variety of folk and bluegrass tunes. Orders are placed at the back of the space, near an open door to the kitchen. Menu items are written on a chalk board hanging on the back wall. Currently only cash and checks are accepted, so plan accordingly.

Inside Eli’s BBQ

My wife and I agreed to split a variety of the food offerings. I walked to the counter and ordered the pulled pork sandwich platter with baked beans and cheese macaroni, as well as a hickory smoked turkey sandwich platter with jalapeño cheese grits and jalapeño corn bread. We also decided to sample two bottles of Ale-8-One, a ginger ale like soft drink from Kentucky, which I really liked and will have to find more of in the future.

Eli’s Pulled Pork Sandwich Platter

The pulled pork was just as good as I remembered it being this past summer. Easily the best pulled pork sandwich in the area, at least that I’ve had. The pork has a bit of smokey flavor, is really tender, and is just a bit crisp on the ends. It comes served on a grilled honey bun and is topped with a great flavored coleslaw and some of the wonderful signature BBQ sauce. The baked beans were awesome, quite possibly my favorite ever! They weren’t overly spicy, but had a really nice complex flavor full of various spices. The cheese macaroni was super creamy.

Hickory Smoked Turkey Sandwich Platter

The smoked turkey sandwich was definitely more smokey in flavor than the pork. For me, it might have been smoked just a tad too long. It was thick sliced and piled high on the same grilled honey bun and again topped with slaw and sauce. I didn’t enjoy it as much as the pulled pork, but I will still order it again on future visits. The sides with this platter both featured jalapeños. Typically I’m not a fan of grits, as I find them bland and boring, but these were full of flavor. I would easily order them again if it weren’t for the other sides that I enjoyed even more. The cornbread was delicious! It was still moist and the addition of jalapeño helped kick it up a notch.

Everything we had cost only $20. The sodas were $2 each, making the platters just $8 each for a ton of food! My wife couldn’t finish her portion so I gladly cleaned up behind her. I couldn’t get enough of Eli’s wonderful food. We will be back soon and I encourage you to visit perhaps the best BBQ spot in the city.

A couple of weeks ago I signed us up for Green B.E.A.N. Delivery, a company that provides home delivery of organic produce & natural groceries to Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Dayton and Columbus. Wednesday our small produce bin arrived on our front porch while we were away at work. Inside the plastic bin was a reusable  Styrofoam  cooler, and inside that was all of our produce stored with a reusable ice pack. I emptied the contents and snapped a quick photo of all of our goods.

Small Produce Bin

This is a lot of produce for the $35 price tag, especially considering it is delivered to your door. And to make it all better, I had a coupon code for half off my first order, so it only cost me $17.50! I signed us up for delivery every other week, though we may easily conquer it all in a week and may opt to have weekly delivery in the future. I plan to make a vegetable soup soon using the butternut squash, 1 potato, the carrots, 1 onion, and the bunch of kale. The fruit is nearly gone already and it has all been really fresh and tasty. If your new years resolution is to eat healthier, this service could really help you out.

While attending the New Years celebration in Oakley Square, I had the opportunity to try New Orleans To Go. My cousin has been hyping this place since the early summer. I overheard them say that they only brought a very limited menu since they weren’t sure of the attendance of the event. Basically they only had a few options, but even still I had a hard time deciding between the  Cajun  rice and the gumbo.

Menu Board

In the end I decided to try the Louisiana chicken and sausage gumbo. Upon ordering a hot bowl of the gumbo was quickly handed to me, fresh from the pot. Not only was it hot in temperature, but it was spicy too! It may not look like much from my terrible cell phone photo, but the gumbo was packed with tons of chicken and sausage as well as plenty of rice to soak up all the juice. I was really impressed with the dish and I hope that I can track down the food truck again in the near future to sample some of their po-boys and other bayou  specialties.  Based on other reviews I’ve read online, all of their food is tasty!

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

With the holiday weekend being so busy, my wife and I didn’t find much time for dining out. We did manage to get out of the house on Monday, and found our first choice for dinner was apparently closed that evening, likely in observance of Christmas. With that plan ruined I drove toward downtown with no destination in mind. I was hoping to find someplace new to try, and eventually we ended up crossing the river into Newport and stumbling upon Mokka and the Sunset Bar & Grill. It was recommended as a good breakfast spot during the Newport Gangster tour, but as it turns out they serve pretty good dinner options as well.

Since it was Monday, we were able to take advantage of their half price appetizer selections and agreed on the pesto dip –  goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto sauce served warm with soft and crispy pita chips. This was a really good start to our meal and at only $4.50 it was a steal! I thought I had a photo, but my phone is acting like it doesn’t exist. Bummer.

The Islander

For dinner I ordered the islander sandwich –  sliced hot ham, Swiss cheese, pineapple, lettuce, tomato and jerk mayo served on grilled wheat bread – with onion rings on the side ($8). My wife ordered the goetta grinder –  grilled red onions, green peppers and goetta topped with Pepper Jack cheese and mayo served on a seasoned hoagie bun – with waffle fries ($8). We tried these since they were some of the more unique items on the menu and it really paid off. We split both sandwiches and I was happy with both.

Goetta Grinder

The goetta grinder was definitely unique and I would easily order it again. The mix of peppers and onions with goetta was something I’ve never had before but I think it really worked well. The islander had pretty thick sliced ham and the pineapple was a nice touch. One thing that I would change would be the amount of butter used. It seemed that both meals were overly greasy. The grinder definitely didn’t need the butter and seasoning on top, which is visible in the photo. Other than that, we had a good meal for an affordable price. Beer prices were also fair and there were a few good craft choices on tap too.

I had a surprise work lunch outing today since one of the leads on the project that I work on was in town. The last time he was in town we ate at Bravo! and I was expecting a similar lunch. To my surprise again, we were whisked away to the Great Wolf Lodge. Not exactly where I thought we would be going when he invited me to lunch earlier this morning. However, there are a couple of dining options inside this mega hotel/water park, and the Camp Critter Bar & Grille was our destination on this visit.

Great Wolf Lodge

The inside of the spacious lobby area is festively decorated for the holiday season. I’m told that at various times in the day that they actually have fake snow that falls from the inside rafters. We did not experience this during our visit, but it is something to look out for if visiting the lodge during the holidays.

Inside Great Wolf Lodge

The rustic restaurant itself was relatively small for such a large lodge complex, but I guess there are a few other dining options inside. The lunch menu was pretty simple, a small variety of burgers and sandwiches for the most part. Everyone at our table either got the chicken sandwich or either the buffalo or regular hamburger. I ordered the chicken sandwich, which came topped with bacon, mushrooms, cheddar, and  BBQ  sauce along with the traditional lettuce, tomato, and onion.

Chicken Sandwich

This sandwich was much better than I was expecting from a restaurant inside of a hotel or resort. While the size of the chicken breast was a tad on the small side, the flavors of the sandwich were great and I enjoyed the addition of mushrooms to a relatively standard BBQ chicken sandwich. The sweet potato fries on the side were also good, as was the  mayonnaise  based dipping sauce. I don’t think the restaurant is worthy of special visit but if you find yourself in the Kings Island area, it is worth a stop over the nearby chain restaurants. The resort itself looked like a lot of fun too.

Tickets for the 5th annual Cincy Winter Beerfest  are now on sale. If you purchase them before Christmas, you can get VIP tickets for the same price as regular tickets, just $35 each. VIP includes early entry, 25 samples, and an 8oz souvenir glass. The festival takes place over two nights and includes 300+ beers. We are planning to go VIP style for the Friday evening session if anyone would like to join us.

Also Hoperatives  is putting on the 5B:  Believers in Better Beer, Bites and Blogging Conference to be held Saturday, February 11, 2012. “5B is a one-day blogging conference featuring sessions on beer blogging, food blogging and blogging in general.” Registration is just $50 and includes a general admission ticket for Friday night and a Connoisseur ticket for Saturday night. You can also upgrade to a Connoisseur ticket for Friday night as well for just $25 extra. This is definitely the way to go, and I just submitted my registration. The only catch is you have to be  affiliated with an active blog, which means at least eight posts in the last two months.

Last Thursday after getting our son’s hair cut at a nearby location, my wife and I stopped into Shaan Indian Cuisine for dinner, dragging our almost one year old son with us. We thought we could sneak in a quick dinner, but after sitting down it was quickly evident that the haircut alone had tested his patience and he didn’t want to sit in a high chair. We decided to put in a carry out order and enjoy it at home where he could run around freely.

The restaurant itself wasn’t too crowded, but it was past seven o’clock. The room is pretty small with booths lining the left and right walls along with a few bigger tables in the middle of the restaurant. At the back is an area for the lunch buffet, which I would like to try sometime, and a counter for paying the bill along with an entry to the kitchen. The staff were all very friendly and had no issue with us changing our order to carry out, which was ready in less than fifteen minutes.

Chicken Vindaloo

My choice for dinner, chicken vindaloo, should come as no surprise as it is one of my favorite Indian dishes. I love the  spiciness  of it and found Shaan’s heat level four of six to be right on! I could have probably ordered a five but I know that my wife wouldn’t have liked it to be that hot and we were sharing our dishes. The chicken and potato mix was good, though I could have used a few more potatoes in my serving.

Chicken Tikka Masala

My wife decided on the chicken tikka masala, another very popular dish. She ordered a two of six on the spice scale since we were going to feed some of it to our son too. The chicken in this dish appeared to have been cooked in a Tandoor oven as it had the trademark pink outside. The taste of this dish was excellent and the tomato, onion, and butter sauce was perfect. I might have liked this dish better than the vindaloo and I loved the vindaloo.

We also had a side of garlic nan ($2.99) that was easily large enough for the both of us and with extra to go with our leftovers the next day. The serving size of both meals we ordered was more than enough and the $10.99 price tag for each seemed fairly priced. Though I’ve yet to try another Indian restaurant in Cincinnati, it will be hard for them to compare to a wonderful experience at Shaan.