While visiting Fort Lauderdale for my cousin’s wedding, we had a free night to grab dinner before the big events of the follow day. Some of my extended family said they were heading to the World Famous bar behind our hotel, the Sonesta, and so we followed them to the Parrot Lounge.

Inside

Inside the Parrot Lounge is very much a sports bar with TV’s covering nearly ever available space above the bar. There is also shuffleboard, darts, and a Wii console. They have an amazing selection of craft beer available, including Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA on tap during our visit.

Chicken Philly

For dinner I ordered the chicken philly ($8.99) and added onions, peppers, and mushrooms for $.50 each. The sandwich comes served with a bag of chips and fries were an additional $2. Phillys are served on  Amoroso rolls and smothered in cheese. I really enjoyed the sandwich.

Mahi Sandwich

My wife had the mahi-mahi sandwich (12.99) with sweet potato fries for $1 more. I didn’t try this sandwich as I’m not big on fish, but she seemed to enjoy it. The sweet potato fries were a little overdone for me, but still edible.

I really enjoyed our visit to the Parrot Lounge. Some members of my family had so much fun there this night that they went back again after the wedding the following night.

Two weekends ago my family and I all headed down to Fort Lauderdale for my cousin Allison’s wedding.

Ocean Dip In January

We spent two nights at the Sonesta,  which was within walking distance of the wedding and reception. It is also across the street from the beach, so we spent some time wading in the ocean and searching for shells. They also had a really nice pool area that entertained my rather large extended family for many hours.

Happy Birthday Trey

We arrived on Trey’s 4th birthday, and he was surprised to find our room already decorated by members of my family.

Giant Swan

The wedding ceremony and reception took place at the Bonnet House, a historic home dating from the 1920’s. The 35 acre estate houses amazing gardens, two mute swans, and even a troop of wild Costa Rican squirrel monkeys. Though we did not see these monkeys, we were told there were still three of them living on the grounds.

Allison and Her Dad

Wedding Ceremony

These amazing gardens  created the perfect spot for a wedding ceremony plus it provided enough distraction to keep my kids quiet for the entire ceremony.

Bonnet House Slough and Swan

Sebastian and the Mother of the Bride

The reception was a really fun time and even included a surprise appearance from Sebastian the Ibis, the official mascot for the University of Miami. We all had a wonderful time and were so happy to be able to help celebrate a wonderful couple.

Fort Lauderdale on Dwellable

Going back to my night on the town I recently had with my wife a month ago, after staying the night at The Cincinnatian  we searched for somewhere to get breakfast before picking up the kids from their grandparents. I quickly found Cheapside Cafe, a place neither of us had gone before, and one that I had read about a handful of times before.

Inside

Cheapside is located on 8th Street at the intersection with Cheapside Street, between Broadway and Sycamore. It’s a part of town I don’t get to very often but is just a couple of blocks  from the front steps of the Horseshoe casino and just down the street from Arnold’s. The inside is casual and comfortable with an open view to the kitchen and large coffee bar.

Challah French Toast

The menu is on the limited side,  and  could be a problem for anyone who doesn’t eat eggs. I am not a fan of eggs, though I do enjoy the occasional French toast, which was just what I ordered. The challah French toast ($7) with candied pecans, whipped butter, and maple syrup was very tasty. I especially liked the addition of candied pecans.

Breakfast Sandwich

My wife had the breakfast sandwich ($5) with fried egg, bacon, and pimento cheese on multigrain. I did not try any of the sandwich, but she seemed pleased with her choice. However I do wish  that there were some breakfast sides to go along with these dishes. With that said there are sides available to go with lunch orders, so perhaps saving Cheapside for lunch would be best. The curried chicken salad sandwich does sound awesome!

Happy New Year! Below is the list of cities that I visited in 2014 with at least one night spent in each place.

• Cincinnati, Ohio *
• Englewood, Colorado *
• Logan, Ohio
• Sevierville,  Tennessee
• Greensboro, North Carolina
• Williamstown, Kentucky *
• Columbus, Ohio *
• Blue Ash, Ohio
• Findlay, Ohio
• Oregon, Ohio *
• Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
• Loveland, Ohio
• New Rochelle, New York
• New York, New York

Those cities marked with an asterisk were visited multiple times on non-consecutive days.

See also: 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas and break from the daily grind. I know that my family truly is. Trey couldn’t have been more excited for Christmas this year and Paige is quickly catching on. In fact we found her a couple of times opening miscellaneous gifts that we had sitting under the tree in the days leading up to Christmas.

Christmas Card 2014

I am off work until Jan 2nd so posting will probably be very light to nonexistent over the next week or so. I’m looking forward to spending so much extra time with my family and friends. Happy New Year!

I’ve been a big fan of The Head and the Heart since seeing them open for The Decemberists back in 2011. Since then I’ve seen them play at a couple of music festivals but never saw them as a full headliner until a week ago. And to make it even better I had second row seats in the pit!

PHOX

PHOX opened the show with their eclectic folk/indie mix. Though the one thing I remember most was lead singer Monica Martin drinking what appeared to be whiskey out of a plastic water bottle. It must do wonders for her voice as she sounded wonderful.

Honey Come Home

Josiah and Jonathan

My seats were too close to get a full band picture  with all members of The Head and the Heart in it. But I guess that’s a good problem to have.

Charity and Jonathan

The band is very active on Twitter and was taking requests leading up to the show. I was happy to get my request in and hear one of my favorite vocal melodies of their’s in “Honey Come Home.”

@edpaffjr on it.

— The Head & The Heart (@headandtheheart) December 13, 2014

Josiah

Jonathan

With two albums out they definitely have enough material for their own headlining shows and I’m glad to see it happening. Their biggest hit is still their first single, “Lost in My Mind,” but they have had additional success with “Down in the Valley,” “Shake,” and most recently “Another Story.”

Rivers and Roads

Down in the Valley

They do not have any tour dates currently posted, but hopefully we will see some more soon! I can’t wait to see this band again.

A month ago my wife and I treated ourselves to a night on the town without the kids. After checking in to The Cincinnatian we walked up    Vine Street toward Over-the-Rhine to check out some of the recently opened establishments we had yet to visit. Though before getting too far north we decided to stop into Scotti’s Italian Restaurant, a place we had both wanted to try for quite some time.

Outside

Scotti’s has been a family-owned and family-run establishment since 1911. Inside was like nothing I have ever seen before. The quaint dining room walls are completely covered with random tiles along with old pictures and memorabilia.

Inside

Old Italian wine bottles hang from the ceiling, while other bottles can be found on  each  table holding  a  candle resting on a sometimes massive pile of old dripped wax. There is certainly a lot of charm inside.

Dripping Wax

Most entrées  include a cup of soup, an Italian salad, along with bread and butter. Garlic bread can also be ordered with fresh garlic, parsley, and olive oil for $2.50 per order. I’m not much of a soup person, but the minestrone style soup was actually very good. It was rich on flavor and had a ton of pasta rings floating throughout.

Minestrone Soup

The salad was our second course and it was also delicious. Most of the vegetables were shredded giving it a somewhat coleslaw vibe, while the dressing was  an overall sweet vinaigrette style dressing but it had an awesome tartness that I really loved.

Salad

For dinner I enjoyed the manicotti speciale ($21 including the above). The ricotta cheese was outstanding and the tomato sauce was of pure Italian style. The serving size was manageable, though I still have to stuff myself pretty good to conquer all three courses.

Manicotti Speciale

My wife went with the eggplant ala rusticana ($23.50 including the above and a side of pasta). The eggplant was a generously thick slice and was so soft it nearly melted in my mouth. While both meals were great, I think the eggplant stole the show.

Eggplant ala Rusticana

The dining room is small, so reservations are recommended. Though if there is room they will definitely do their best to seat any walk-ins like ourselves. Service can be very direct and to the point, but don’t be surprised at the occasional grin and chuckle. The only thing that needs to change are the restrooms downstairs, which are in desperate need for a renovation.

A couple of month’s ago I took a business trip back to my former stomping grounds of Denver, Colorado. It was the last week before my company would be moving offices from the far southern suburbs to a new office downtown. Therefore I didn’t have many dining experiences worth sharing, as most eateries out by our old office are of the nationwide chain variety. I did make it closer to downtown one evening to meet with some friends at the newer Atomic Cowboy on South Broadway.

Inside Atomic Cowboy

The Atomic Cowboy on East Colfax was a favorite of mine years ago, though I never tried their in-house pizza from Fat Sully’s. This time I was quick to grab a slice of their massive New York style pizza ($3.50 per slice plus toppings). The pizza was great, with a little spice to the sauce and plenty of toppings on a perfectly cooked crust.

Massive New York Style Pizza

One slice was enough for me, though I probably could have finished another though I would have been too stuffed to enjoy the Cowboys great selection of craft beers. Two slices are definitely the most you would want to eat, making Fat Sully’s a pretty cheap place for some excellent pizza and beers.

Last night I saw The Lone Bellow perform for the fourth time in a year and a half. First was their very intimate performance at Mayday in May 2013. I saw them later that year in November at the 20th Century Theater. Finally was their performance at this past summer’s Buckle Up Festival. It seems their appearance at Buckle Up helped  to double the crowd at 20th Century last night compared to what it was a year ago. I really enjoy seeing them in this intimate theater so I hope it is not the last time, but I fear that they will soon outgrow the limited capacity.

Fake Roses

Last night’s setlist was a very solid mix of tunes from their  self titled debut album and the soon to be released  Then Came The Morning, due out January 27. “Working with producer Aaron Dessner of the National, the Lone Bellow has created a sound that mixes folk sincerity, gospel fervor, even heavy metal thunder, but the heart of the band is harmony: three voices united in a lone bellow.” The new songs that I heard have definitely evolved from their debut material, but I still feel that they are at their best in their stripped down acoustic numbers where their incredible voices truly can unite.

Shared Mic

As my friend Will said on his instagram, it was another  passionate and spiritual show, which is what I’ve come to expect from this band. I look forward to seeing them perform more of their catalog in future performances. For now, enjoy this live recording of “Then Came The Morning,” which could very easily be my favorite track off the new album and I’m saying that after only hearing a handful of songs.

Our neighborhood has a new pizza delivery option thanks to Romeo’s Pizza, which has taken over the spot formerly occupied by Naked Pizza. While Naked Pizza was alright, my family and I only ordered from there a couple of times. Romeo’s has only been here for a couple of month, we have already ordered from them three times.

Specialty Pizzas

Our personal favorites are easily Romeo’s Deluxe (pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, red onions, and mushrooms) and Dante’s Peak (same as before but banana peppers instead of green and tomatoes instead of mushrooms). With a few common ingredients these two pizzas make a great option for    combining half on each side ($18.49 for large).

Kid’s Pizza

Romeo’s sauce is sweeter than it is spicy, and the toppings have always been piled high. They also sell pizza by the sheet (and half sheet) which are perfect for any parties. We ordered one on Halloween to share with our family members who came over to pass out candy at our house. Romeo’s is quickly becoming one of our favorite pizza delivery options.