This past Wednesday we went down to Yeatman’s Cove for the first Party in the Park of this summer. I remember going down to the riverside park for this part in my younger years, but we had yet to check out the event with our kids in tow.

Naked Karate Girls

Happy hour with discounted drinks is held from 5 until 6:30 and saves you about $2 per beer. There is plenty of space to spread out a blanket and have a picnic. However food options on site are extremely limited, just one food truck and the park’s concession stand, both of which were slammed with long lines. The ATM also had a lengthy line as all booths are cash only.

Party in the Park runs from 5-10 every Wednesday through the third week of August.

Even though Cinco de Mayo and the Kentucky Derby were a couple of days apart this year, that didn’t stop my entire family  from celebrating both events on Saturday.

Mint Julep

I enjoyed a tasty Mint Julep with lunch at the Yard House at The Banks. After that we met up with some friends at Buck’s Badass Bash outside of Bakersfield.

Buck’s Badass Bash

We ended up watching the Derby on my phone at the bash before moving the party over to Neons to enjoy the beautiful day outside as well as grab some food  from Taste 513, who was manning the grills on the patio.

Family Trip to Neons

It was a busy and fun-filled Saturday!

Last night was the final night of this years Tunes & Blooms at the Cincinnati Zoo. We made it to three of the four weekly events and experienced the record-breaking crowd last week with over 5000 people in attendance. I wish the crowds were as large as they have become, but it is nice to see so many families getting out and enjoying themselves.

Green Light Morning

Originally Tunes & Blooms was supposed to end last week, but they had to postpone the first week due to severe weather. Normally the event is every Thursday in April but with the delay it spread into May this year and helped kick off this year’s Zoo Babies.

Tulips

Last night also kicked off the annual flower sale and I was able to get a couple of bags of tulips for $5 each. Each bag has at least two dozen bulbs in it, so they are a definitely a steal. If interested in getting your own, call  the Tulip Hotline, 487-3399 ext. 2015 for more information. See you next year, Tunes & Blooms.

Frisch’s Big Boy is celebrating its third annual Founder’s Day on May 3 and is inviting you to join the celebration. Get a Free Big Boy on May 3 when you visit any Frisch’s restaurant dressed as Big Boy! Channel your inner Big Boy and create your own costume or check out free costume kits at www.frischs.com. Dine in only.

Founder’s Day

Frisch’s founding father Dave Frisch was born in Cincinnati on May 3, 1902. In 1939, Dave opened The Mainliner, the first year round drive-in restaurant in the Cincinnati area. Nine years later he opened the first Frisch’s Big Boy on Central Parkway in Cincinnati.

In honor of Founder’s Day, Frisch’s also provided me with a $25 gift card to give away to one lucky winner. You can enter the contest below, keep in mind that you can earn multiple entries for different activities. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A couple of weekends ago my wife and I were looking for somewhere to quickly grab some carry-out food to enjoy picnic style in Washington Park with the kiddos. A quick search sent us a half block south of the park on Race Street to Cafe Lang Thang, across the street from the School for Creative and Performing Arts.

Outside

Cafe Lang Thang is the latest restaurant offering from the same guys who brought Pho Lang Thang to Findlay Market. It opened late last year serving up banh mi sandwiches as well as soup, salad and rice bowls. Orders are placed at the counter and while it makes for a quick carry-out location, there are numerous tables on the inside and even a few on the sidewalk outside.

Counter

There is a marketplace that sells boutique type Asian goods. There is a revenue split program where the restaurant collects a percentage of the revenue for each product sold and provides shelf space for the goods.

Grocery Items

My wife and I both sampled banh mi sandwiches during this visit. She went with the Xiu Mai, which is Vietnamese style meatballs, pickled daikon & carrots, cilantro, and red sauce ($7).  The sandwiches come served on a banquette style bread and are served with flavored ramen noodle “chips” on the side. The meatballs are pork based and relatively large. The flavors of this sandwich meshed very well and this sandwich is a good taste of what Cafe Lang Thang is all about.

Xiu Mai Banh Mi

If you are somewhat hesitant about trying new things, there are some more familiar items on the menu as well. On this visit I ordered the madras curry chicken salad with cashews, cilantro, and curry aioli ($6). I appreciated the addition of a side of Sriracha with both sandwiches, so you can spicy up your meal if you so desire. This was a very solid chicken salad offering and it was prepared fresh right before my eyes.

Madras Curry Chicken Salad

Cafe Lang Thang also offers a few specialty drink offerings. We were told that if we checked-in on Facebook we could both earn free drinks. The mango limeade ($2.50) was delicious, while the green tea ($2.50) was a little too strong on its own and probably would be better with a flavor addition. Overall we had a very pleasant first visit to Cafe Lang Thang and will definitely remember this spot for any future picnics in the park.

Over the weekend HalfCut opened their doors in Over-the-Rhine serving sixteen beers for either carry out growler fills or for sampling inside. There is no seating at the bar, instead you place your order at one end and then receive your beer and pay at the register located on the other end.

Beer Menu & Map

A  couple  six person tables are found in the middle of the small space as well as various counter level tables and rails for standing around. There is a stack of games in one corner for visitors to use while enjoying the beer.

Mural

One awesome features  is the to-go window where you can get growlers filled without even stepping foot inside the door. Also there is a small selection of bottled and canned beers for mixed six-packs, though draft beer is definitely the star here.

Inside

I can’t see myself ordering round after round at HalfCut, as it seems to be more geared towards sampler flights  and beer to-go. It’s a good spot for a quick visit and growler fills when you already know what you like.

We had a very busy Easter weekend. Unfortunately I was stuck working nearly half of the time, but I still managed to sneak in some fun.

Music Hall

Saturday morning was the Easter Egg Hunt at Washington Park. This free event brought in a ton of families with kids of all ages.

Kenny Bunny

My good friend Kenny is never one to shy away from a little added fun. Though the beard is probably better suited for Santa, he was happy to put on the bunny ears.

Easter Egg Hunt

The egg hunt was a little chaotic but Trey still managed to come away with a few eggs.

Bunny Paige

I think the ears look much better on Paige, so thanks for sharing Kenny. She  slept through the egg hunt but we saved a couple of  eggs for her to discover in the playground. It’s always a good time down at Washington Park.

Recently we’ve had a few events downtown where we relied on a cab to get home. A couple of weeks ago I signed up for the new to Cincinnati service called Uber. We have now taken two rides home in their UberBLACK line of cars and have had such a wonderful experience both times. This services uses high-end sedans so that you arrive in style at your destination.

Gone are the days of standing on the curb trying to flag down a cab. With Uber you use an app on your smart phone when you are ready for a ride. The app will tell you approximately how long it will be before you can get a ride, and when you tell the app where you are going you get a price quote for the trip. The app also stores your credit card number in it, so when you arrive at your destination you can just get out of the car. The driver’s tip is already included in the fare, so there is no need to exchange any money.

If you’d like to give Uber a try for yourself, you can earn a $20 credit by using my code,  vpoxe, when signing up.  Or just simply click my link and start the sign up process today. I think you will like it.

Last night my family and I kicked off yet another year at the Cincinnati Zoo’s Tunes & Blooms. This has become one of our favorite activities to kick of spring, and I don’t think we are alone. Years ago the crowds were nothing like they are now, but with a little planning ahead we’ve always had a great time.

Shiny & The Spoon

The blooms have not really arrived at the zoo yet, with the cold winter weather earlier in the year. Fortunately there are three more weeks of Tunes & Blooms and I’m sure the tulips will be ready one of these days. Last week’s event was postponed due to weather and will now end this year’s season on the first Thursday in May. See you there!

This year is shaping up to be our busiest wedding year in history. So far we have six save the date cards and already know of another wedding taking place just after the new year. We kicked it off this past weekend with a wonderful party for one of my best friends.

Group Shot

Kenny and Hannah renewed their vows at St. Francis Seraph, the same church Kim and I were married, and held a reception at Washington Park.

Cake Pop Cake

We had a wonderful time celebrating and catching up with old friends that I don’t get to see as often as I would like. Fortunately some of these friends are getting married later this year, so I hope to see them again in the near future!