Happy New Year! Below is the list of cities I visited in 2023 with at least one night spent in each place.

• Cincinnati, Ohio *
• Seven Springs, Pennsylvania
• Denver, Colorado *
• Golden, Colorado
• Copper Mountain, Colorado
• Aurora, Colorado
• Williamstown, Kentucky *
• Asheville, North Carolina
• Maggie Valley, North Carolina
• Wheeling, West Virginia
• Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
• Dublin, Ohio
• Dayton, Ohio
• Nashville, Tennessee
• Logan, Ohio
• Boyne Falls, Michigan

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

See also: 2022 |  2021 |  2020 |  2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 |  2015 |  2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006

Located in Over-the-Rhine, Milkman is an upscale lunch and dinner diner-style restaurant. They are on Race Street just south of Washington Park.

Outside

Orders are placed at the counter. The menu features “juicy burgers,” fried chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, nuggets, and boozy shakes. If you don’t want a boozy shake, there are unalcoholic versions available as well, in addition to canned/bottled beer, soda, juice, etc. all available to grab yourself just before you place your order.

Inside

The food is cooked to order but comes out really fast! I was happy to see that they have fried chicken sandwiches on the menu since I don’t eat burgers. The club with swiss, bacon, shredded lettuce, tomato, and garlic herb mayo ($11.99) was really good. The thicken was thick and juicy and the sauce was great. The buffalo and damn hot chicken sandwiches are also very good. It’s hard to go wrong.

Fried Chicken Club

As far as boozy shakes go, I recommend the Grasshopper with bourbon, creme de menthe, chocolate chips, and whipped cream ($12.99). However, I think it is hard to go wrong with any of their choices.

Grasshopper Boozy Shake

My only complaint is that prices are a little high since the sandwiches do not come with a side dish, but I recommend sharing the order of fries or onion rings anyway, making the prices not too bad. This is a great place to bring your kids and we will for sure be back for more.

Ford’s Garage has two locations in the Cincinnati area, and one of them is right down the road from my house. When it first opened, it was nearly impossible to get a table at dinner time. But now that things have settled down after a year and a half, you should have an easier time walking in to find an open table. Avoiding weekend evenings would probably still be a good idea though.

Outside

The restaurant space is wonderfully themed of old model Ford vehicles and other automotive artifacts. The highlight has to be the assembly line of car frames that dangle from the ceiling in an assembly line fashion.

Inside

On my first visit, I had the buffalo chicken sandwich topped with blue cheese dressing, chopped romaine, and tomato and served with fries ($13.50). I upgraded the fries to onion rings, which I would highly recommend. Their onion rings are top-notch! The sandwich was also great and included a very large piece of fried chicken and the blue cheese dressing was creamy and delicious.

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

My kids have enjoyed the junior cheeseburger and the grilled cheese, both served with fries ($6.99). The fries are also well-seasoned and perfectly fried.

Junior Cheeseburger

My wife was pleased to find that any of their signature burgers can have the burger patty subbed with a chicken breast, turkey, or veggie burger for no additional charge. She opted for the estate burger with smoked gouda cheese, sweet red onion marmalade, arugula, tomato, crispy onion straws, and white truffle bacon aioli ($15.99). She was happy with her selection and commented that the marmalade was delicious.

Estate Burger

Overall the food is great at Ford’s Garage. Our service has been quick and efficient. We will be back.

TAHONA Taqueria+Tequila Bar can be found in downtown Loveland, just a short stroll from the bike trail. I was excited to try a newer (to me) restaurant, though I already have a couple of favorites in the area. Orders are placed at the counter, items are quickly prepared, and then brought to your designated table.

Tacos

For lunch, I had the chicken taco and the pork carnitas taco ($3.85 each). For starters, I wouldn’t get the chicken again. It was a really bland mix of chicken, tomatillo-chimichurris sauce, and queso fresco, and the microgreens on top did little to help. The pork carnitas combined barbacoa sauce, corn and poblano pico, cotija cheese, and cilantro. This was a lot better, though still, I have had many better tacos now that the Cincinnati area is full of taco options.

Salsa Bar

They do have a fresh salsa bar, which I appreciated to try to spice up the chicken taco. But with all of that said, there are better meals to have in Loveland. However, if you are in a hurry, there are worse places you could go.

Bluegrass Brewing Company is a staple of Louisville. They helped to pioneer the microbrewery scene, and since 2010 they have occupied a former bank space downtown.

Inside

When in Louisville you have to try a hot brown. The hot brown at BBC features sliced turkey, tomatoes, bacon, mornay sauce, cheddar jack cheese, and smoked paprika served open-faced over sourdough toast ($17.90). This is a great example of this famous Louisville dish and the serving size is large enough that it could be shared.

Hot Brown

Bluegrass Brewing Company is worth a stop for great pub food and while you are there try a dank IPA.

Sinners & Saints is close to my house, but it’s on a stretch of road that I rarely travel. When going to or from downtown I almost always use Columbia Parkway and rarely go along Riverside Drive. Sinners & Saints is one of only a few restaurants along this nearly 4-mile stretch. One evening I made a special trip down Riverside to visit. I really enjoyed this stop and will have to make a special trip again in the future.

Smoked & Stuffed Jalapeños

For starters, their smoked & stuffed jalapeños are delightful ($10)! Sausage, cream cheese, and cheddar are all inside, wrapped with bacon and smoked. They come served with house BBQ sauce on the side, but you may not even need it. The smoke flavor is really there on the bacon and mixes well with the creamy filling.

Naan Street Tacos

For dinner, the naan street tacos are a solid choice. Pulled pork, peach BBQ, source cream, pickled onion, and green onion are packed inside of garlic naan and served taco style ($16). This is served with a very large side of mac and cheese. It is quite a filling meal! The tacos were great and the naan holds up really well to the juices and sauces, as compared to a soft corn shell.

If you haven’t had an empanada from Ché, stop what you’re doing and go! These delightfully fried pastries are Argentina’s favorite street food. Ché started as a food truck, then they opened in Over-the-Rhine in 2016, and a couple of years ago expanded close to my home in O’Bryonville.

Outside

My wife and I have visited multiple times recently. Each time at least one of us had the mushroom and feta, the chicken salsa verde, and the jerk chicken. These are good ones to start with. I’ve also heard great things about the short rib. They also have more interesting flavor combinations such as buffalo chicken or even a Cuban. They cost $4.75 each, and I think two or three make for a good meal.

Empanadas

The menu at Ché also features tacos, sandwiches, salads, and more. Plus a full bar with some awesome cocktails and a great draft beer selection.

I really enjoyed Warped Wing beers and was hoping the same would be true about their Brewpub & Smokery in Mason. We stopped by during a soccer tournament for lunch and found immediate seating available both inside and out. The space is very large and can host quite a crowd.

Beers

You can’t go wrong with a tall glass of Gamma Bomb IPA. But they also have a wide variety of drafts on their two dozen or so taps. In colder weather, you cannot go wrong with Whiskey Rebellion, their barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout.

Chicken Sandwich & Grits

For lunch, I had the chicken sandwich, which combines smoked chopped chicken with Swiss cheese, Carolina gold bbq, and fried onion straws ($14 with choice of side). The smoke flavor of the chicken was great, and the Carolina sauce was on point, sweet, and tangy with just a bit of spice. On the side, I chose the jalapeno grits, which were a little soupy for my liking. The flavor was good though. Overall it was a good meal and we will be back I’m sure during another soccer tournament.

Since my time living out in Denver, Oskar Blues has always been one of my favorite breweries. It’s hard to go wrong with their Dale’s Pale Ale. When I realized that they now had a restaurant in Denver, it was time for my family to stop in for dinner one night while on spring break. Oskar Blues Grill & Brew is located just off the 16th Street Mall on Market Street, just a few blocks from Union Station. There was a good crowd when we arrived, but the spacious restaurant space allowed for a table to be had right away.

Inside

Obviously, you will find Dale’s Pale Ale on draft, but they also have a ton of other beers that aren’t so common, especially out in Ohio. If barrel-aged Ten FIDY is there, be sure to give that a try! Other popular beers include Mama’s Little Yella Pils and Old Chub. The restaurant also features a full bar and signature cocktails.

Spicy Chicken Sandwich

For dinner, I had the spicy chicken sandwich which is tossed in honey sriracha, topped with coleslaw and pickled jalapenos on a brioche bun ($15 with fries and pickle slices). This was a really unique and good spicy chicken sandwich. It was pretty hot, so be sure you have plenty of Dale’s Pale Ale to wash it down with! My wife enjoyed the pulled pork, and the kids menu had just about everything our littles could want on it.

The Stanley Beer Hall concept is something I wish I saw more of at home in Cincinnati. You check in at the front desk and open a tab. The staff provides you a card to use during your visit to then use when you pour your own beer. You can get as much or as little of a taste as you want. It’s like a buffet of beer!

Pour Your Own Beer

Add to that some really good food. My wife loves pork green chili and found that theirs was spot on. Pork shoulder, Monterey jack, sour cream, cilantro, served with flour tortillas ($13). It had the right level of spice and plenty of chunks of pork.

Pork Green Chili

I enjoyed the B.L.A.T. with candied bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato, and mayo on brioche ($16 with a side). The candied bacon was perfectly cooked and I loved the addition of avocado to the sandwich. The only thing I should have done was added green chili to my tots for an extra few bucks.

B.L.A.T.

My only complaint would be that the prices are a little high, especially considering that you are often your own server. But overall a great experience.