It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of the Cincinnati’s Tunes & Blooms series. The first three weeks of this year had to be postponed due to severe weather in the area each of those weeks. Last night was the first make-up date and it seems that many people haven’t got the message about the rescheduled dates as this was the least crowded I’ve seen Tunes & Blooms in years!

Lion Cubs

There are still two more rescheduled dates, the first is tonight, Thursday, May 7. The second is next week on Wednesday, May 13. And now that Zoo Babies is going on, it is the perfect time to head to the zoo. Last night I took the kids over to see the three lion cubs and the ten African painted dog puppies. The energetic lion cubs must be driving their parents crazy as it looked like the keepers have given them phone books to explore and other things to chase.

African Painted Dog Pups

The painted dog pups are just as rambunctious, but I think there are enough of them that they often leave their parents alone. The creek that runs through their habitat seems to give them plenty to explore as well. It’s going to be a fun couple of years watching these babies grow up.

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Over the weekend my family and I visited the Cincy-Cinco Latin Festival on Fountain Square. The 12th annual event took place Saturday and Sunday and featured Latin music, dance, and food.

Fountain Square

While my wife and I were able to enjoy some Mexican beers and Latin styled food, our kids loved exploring all the children’s  activities that were available. The highlight was easily the Home Depot area where everyone was welcome to paint a flowerpot and once dry a flower was added to it, all completely free of charge. The kids area also featured a variety of games and a prize was awarded after  playing them all.

Children’s Activities

My four-year-old had so much fun painting the flower-pot, that we ended up going back again on Sunday so that he could paint another. And the timing couldn’t have been better with mother’s day just around the corner.

A couple of weekends ago I made it into the newly opened Taft’s Ale House for the first time.  Taft’s now occupies a previously abandoned church in Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati’s oldest remaining Protestant church building, which had previously sat vacant since 1993. Since Taft’s opening on April 6 I had seen plenty of pictures of the magnificent renovation  but I was still completely blown away by the work.

Nellie’s, The Downstairs Bar

Our group started in Nellie’s, the downstairs bar, but couldn’t get a drink before our table upstairs was ready. One member of our used the NoWait app before our arrival to get us on the waiting list and I was impressed by how will it worked.

Bar Area

The main restaurant area occupies what would have been the church. There are two levels of dining areas, which make good use of the space while still allowing all visitors to marvel at the beautiful structure. Above the bar are some serving tanks and a list of beers on tap.

Tasting Flight

Taft’s has opened with a very impressive list of ten beers. Everything from a German Pilsner to a milk stout and eight other styles in-between. The Mooly Wooly coffee milk stout was a quick favorite of mine. Nellie’s Key Lime Caribbean Ale was another that really stood out and I’m hearing reports that this beer may soon be available in cans to go.

Full View of Taft’s Ale House

I didn’t have time for dinner on this visit but I’m sure I will be back soon for a full meal. I did try a few tots with the house made ketchup and they were delicious. I can’t wait to try more!

My wife and I met some of my family members for lunch at Parkers Blue Ash Tavern over the weekend. Parkers is hard to miss at the corner of Reed Hartman and Cooper, though the large white  Colonial style building looks more like a home than a restaurant. The walls inside are decorated in equestrian style and  several distinct dining areas are offered.

Inside

Since the weather was so pleasant, we decided to sit on the patio, which was not as big as I expected. With so many tables inside I assumed there would be more than a  handful of tables available on the outside. Even so our party of eight didn’t have to wait long to be seated at a table (or two).

The lunch menu offers plenty of burger and sandwich choices, as well as seafood and a selection of tavern favorites. I went with one of these favorites, the Tavern “Mac & Cheese” with  cavatappi pasta, chicken, Andouille sausage, applewood smoked bacon, scallions, spicy tomato cream sauce topped with Parmesan panko bread crumb ($13). I’m guessing the mac & cheese was put in quotes as the dish isn’t really all that cheesy, but it is very good.

Tavern “Mac & Cheese”

Parkers is known for their prime rib, and many in our group took advantage of the daily trifecta offering of prime rib sliders served with a choice of soup as well as fries, coleslaw, or house-made chips ($12). I didn’t try any of this, but everyone who ordered seemed very pleased.

A small variety of craft beer options were available as well as an award-winning wine list. Our service was very friendly, but  a little on the slow side. However I think Parkers is meant for a relaxed and  slow-paced meal. Though a children’s menu is offered, I’m not sure our kids  would have enjoyed our nearly one and half hour visit to Parkers.

Over the weekend I finally paid a visit to the Rivertown Brewing Company.  With so many breweries opening shop on the eastern side of town, it took me way too long to visit one of the originals. But I can now say that I’ve been there and had a great time too.

Tasting Room Bar

Free Arcade Games

Inside the tasting room is a decent size bar, along with a handful of larger tables, plenty of space to spread out. They’ve also recently added some classic arcade games to the space which are available for free for anyone to play.

Brewery Area

While visiting the brewery we also took the 45 minute tour of the facility ($6 per person). Tours are currently offered Wednesdays at 5, Fridays at 6, and Saturdays at 3 and reservations can be made on their website.

Bottling Line

Cellared Beers

The tour offered both general information on the brewing process and also things that are special to Rivertown including their awesome sour program. I truly hope it doesn’t take me so long to make a return visit to their brewery.

A friend of ours was in town for work last week and was staying in Blue Ash. My family and I met up with her for dinner one night. Originally we were going to go to the  Firehouse Grill  but she had already been there earlier in the day. Instead we made our way to Sammy’s Gourmet Burgers & Beers, which was just  around the bend at the corner of Kenwood and Creek.

With the word beer in the restaurant name I was expecting big things and Sammy’s delivered. There were around 30 beers on tap and a good selection of local and regional favorites. A fairly large bar dominates one side of the building, while the rest of the one room space is filled with various tables and booths.

Inside

All burgers can be prepared with Angus beef, turkey burger, or house-made veggie burger and come on a honey-kaiser roll with fries on the side. I ordered the Tex-Mex veggie burger with ranchero cilantro dressing, green and red peppers, onion, and pepper jack cheese ($9.99). The veggie patty is made primarily of pinto beans, which was a refreshing change from the more standard black bean. It was well seasoned and I really loved the sandwich.

Tex-Mex Veggie Burger

My wife ordered the turkey burger with bourbon sauce, fresh onion straws, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo ($9.99). I had a few bites of this burger and it was also very good. The fresh vegetable mix that she shared on the side with our daughter was also a great substitution for fries for the health conscious.

Bourbon Turkey Burger

Others in our group had the chipotle burger, the maple bacon burger, and the guacamole burger all with very high reviews. A kid’s menu  is available offering mini Angus burgers, grilled cheese, and more ($4.49 with choice of side).

Sammy’s reminded me a lot of Flipdaddy’s Burgers & Beers and not just because of the similar names, though both do have a focus on unique burgers and great craft beers. As much as I have enjoyed Flipdaddy’s in the past, I loved Sammy’s even more. I will absolutely be back to Sammy’s again especially as it is on the way to my parents house.

Lucy Blue in Mt. Lookout has closed, and Bub’s Pizza Bar has opened in its place. The late night hours that made Lucy Blue a popular spot will be maintained (until 3:30 on Friday and Saturday) but the pizza has changed considerably. Bub’s features a stone fired crust and a big selection of specialty pizzas. Plus they offer local delivery, which my wife and I were happy to use recently.

Half Pesto & Goat Cheese / Half Coetta & Onion

We couldn’t settle on just one of their specialty pizzas so we got half and half. My choice was the goetta and onion while she wanted the pesto and goat cheese. Two sizes are offered, the 16 inch regular and a large 24 inch. The 16 was plenty for the two of us with leftovers for the next day. I’ve been waiting for a restaurant to offer a goetta pizza and this one did not disappoint. I will definitely order this again!

In the middle of our Lexington brewery crawl a few weekends ago we stumbled upon The Gastro Gnomes food truck outside of Blue Stallion Brewing Company. On the menu for the day was a Philly cheese-steak burrito, open-faced ham sandwich, brie burger, grilled cheese, and bread pudding for desert.

Placing Orders

Of the limited menu offerings, my wife and I could only agree on the “Road to the Final Four Cheese” Grilled Cheese with provolone, Muenster, mozzarella, and cheddar on Texas toast with a smoked tomato soup dunker and gold-fish crackers ($10). Since we wanted to split something to eat this is exactly what we ordered.

“We’re in the Final Four Cheese” Grilled Cheese

Our small group of six placed three separate orders. The two grilled cheese sandwiches were delivered first after a five or ten minute wait. The open-faced ham sandwich took a few minutes longer to be delivered. Overall the food tasted good, though  even with the expected higher prices from a food truck I felt that the price tag for a fairly standard grilled cheese was too high. The ham sandwich was  a dollar cheaper and seemed to offer a better value. I would skip the grilled cheese and look for other options on the menu.

Two  weekends ago I attended the Queen City Survival benefit for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This event was held at the newly opened Columbia Community Center in Columbia-Tusculum. This beautiful event center and music hall was renovated and is owned by the same man who brought us Eli’s BBQ, which is conveniently located just down the road.

Nicholas & The Pessimistics

During the few hours I was there I saw a few of the musical acts perform and the sound inside was really great. The event featured many local artists and there were a couple of dozen raffle items including Red’s tickets and items from some of the bands.

The Almighty Get Down

I hope more concerts are held at the Columbia Community Center. I missed Al Scorch at a recent show but would happily go back to see him perform if/when he returns.

Last week I found myself in White Oak with no plans for lunch.  The second I drove past Mad Mike’s I knew this would be the place, so I quickly turned around and parked my car. The Reds mural on the side of the building is very eye-catching from Cheviot Rd just before intersecting with Blue Rock Rd.

Outside

Mad Mike’s is  a small chain of restaurants around the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area that specializes in burgers. However they also offer chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, and a small selection of other sandwiches.

Inside

Just one employee was working during my visit, alternating between taking orders and cooking the food. I was shocked when he dropped off my food as quickly as he did. I went with a “what the cluck” chicken sandwich with cilantro mayo, avocado slices, bacon, Swiss cheese, lettuce, and tomato ($6.99).

What The Cluck

The chicken is hand pattied all white meat and was stacked two high on the bun, which was nice as it was not very thick. The avocado was fresh and abundant. The flavor of the sandwich was very good. The fries (regular size for $2.19) reminded me a lot of Penn Station. In fact vinegar was offered as a condiment making them nearly identical. I wouldn’t go out-of-the-way for Mad Mike’s but you could certainly do much worse.