A few weeks ago a small portion of relatives on my mom’s side got together for my grandpa’s 87th birthday. He wanted to go to the Montgomery Inn at the Boathouse, so a reservation was made for dinner at 4:30 that afternoon/evening. It had been years since my last visit to the Boathouse, so I was very easily convinced to attend.

Panoramic View from the Boathouse

There isn’t a finer view of the lovely Ohio River than the one from the outside seating area at the Boathouse. The circular shaped building allows for sweeping views in both directions no matter where you are sitting. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t the best (and our party was too large) for outdoor seating on this visit.

Looking Outside

Fortunately even the inside dining areas have great views thanks to the floor to ceiling windows, and the curved nature of the building. Our large party was stuck toward the center of the room, but even this area has a good view due to an elevated floor.

Ready to Eat!

Montgomery Inn is famous for their barbecued ribs and their sweet barbecue sauce. Due to the fall off the bone nature of the ribs, bibs are provided and encouraged. Even though I wasn’t having ribs, I still took the opportunity to fit in with the rest of the crowd.

Barbecue

I’m not a fan of ribs, so I’ve never tried theirs. The thing I go to Montgomery Inn for is their barbecued spring chicken ($17.99 or $19.99 for all white meat). This roasted half chicken is always so moist and tender. It comes with warm barbecue sauce on the side for dipping. It comes with your choice of side dish and I almost always opt for their Saratoga chips, which are  delicious  on their own and even better when dipped in the sauce.

Barbecued Spring Chicken

My wife went with a lighter option, the pulled pork barbecue sandwich ($10.99). The pork is lean cuts that are  slow-smoked for 16 hours then pulled  and mixed with the world-famous barbecue sauce. Again this comes with a choice of side dish, and she went with the baked sweet potato. I didn’t hear any complaints from her. I had a small bite, and while definitely not the best pulled pork in the city, this sandwich is definitely worth ordering for those who desire a lighter meal or want something more affordable than the entrées.

Pulled Pork Barbecue Sandwich

All of the food I sampled was average to above average. The problem I have is that the prices seem to be  sporadic. The pulled pork sandwich is fairly priced, but the spring chicken seems overpriced to me. It’s these higher priced dishes that leave most people thinking that the Montgomery Inn is only for special  occasions. However the lower priced sandwiches and smaller dishes with fair prices should be affordable lunch options for people with all budgets.

Along my regular three-mile running route is a home with a free book stand outside. A closer look at the wooden structure reveals that it is part of the Little Free Library network. This organization started in Wisconsin in 2009 and has added over 2500 free book kiosks throughout the world. According to the location map, there are three others in the Cincinnati area and one in nearly every major city throughout the US.  From my brief research is seems that people are encouraged to borrow a book, return it when they are finished, and even contribute their own books to the collection. It’s a neat concept.

This very same house was also in the news around the same time I first noticed their Little Free Library when their concrete pig was stolen from their yard, and later found behind a nearby coffee shop. The large pig has yet to make its return on public display, but a smaller pig has taken its spot in the landscaping. If you find the pig, you’ll find the Little Free Library nearby.

While I have raved about the pizza at Adriatico’s before, I had never stepped foot in their newer location on McMillan Street in Clifton. Back when I was a resident in the area and attending the University of Cincinnati, Adriatico’s was on the other side of campus and wasn’t somewhere to go for a sit down meal. A couple of weeks ago my wife and I met for lunch at their new space which opened at the beginning of this year.

Inside Adriatico’s

Once we finally found parking (do not park in the lot neighboring the restaurant, as this belongs to Pomodori’s next door) we entered the restaurant and were immediately greeted by an employee who showed us to a table near along the windows on the McMillan side. It looks like some large garage doors can be opened on nice days, which this was not. There is a really good selection of craft beer available, and the menu has a lot more than just pizza.

Large Sicilian

We definitely came for the pizza though. Having never had much more than the really large “Bearcat” pizza, I wasn’t sure exactly what to order at first. But then I soon realized that the Sicilian style crust that the Bearcat is served on is available in other sizes. My wife and I easily agreed to split a Sicilian with pepperoni, sausage, peppers, onions, and mushrooms. It was delicious, easily on the top of my list of pizza in Cincinnati.

This past Saturday was homecoming weekend at the University of Cincinnati, and what a busy day it was. We started off by watching the parade at 3. The floats that are mostly made by the  fraternities  and sororities all seemed a little more well constructed than I remember them being in the past.

We Love Lucy

Neil Armstrong Tribute

After the parade we spent the rest of the afternoon on campus at our tailgate spot before heading into the football game versus Miami University RedHawks. This was the 117th battle for the Victory Bell, and with a huge 52-14 victory the Bearcats have extended their winning streak to 7 over the RedHawks.

White Out Crowd

The Cats are also now a nationally ranked football team. With four more home games still to go, it looks like we are in for a fun ride as the season progresses.

Touchdown!

We started off our last day of vacation in San Francisco with breakfast at the Cable Car Cafe, which was just down the hill from our hotel in Nob Hill.

Outside Cable Car Cafe

As you approach the outside of the building, just look for the distinctive red awning. The word crêpes  is on it numerous times, so it’s fairly obvious that these are their specialty. Once you enter the red door you are in the heart of the rather small dining area. Orders are placed at the counter, and food is brought out to your chosen table once it has been prepared.

Inside Cable Car Cafe

I decided to try the ham and cheese crêpe, served with seasonal fruits ($8.95). The crêpe was of typical size, however the price seemed a little high to me. It did come with a cup of fruit, which was an added bonus. The crêpe itself was not as crunchy as I like them to be. This one sort of flopped over when I picked it up, making it necessary to eat with fork and knife. With all of that said, the taste was still good.

Ham & Cheese Crepe

My wife went with the good morning cr̻pe Рtwo scrambled eggs, cheese, grilled onion, tomato, bell pepper, ham and salsa. Again this was served with a side of seasonal fruits ($11.95). This was by far the largest cr̻pe I have ever seen! There was no way you could pick this thing up and eat it, which kind of defeats the purpose. Anyway, my wife really seemed to enjoy having all the omelet like ingredients inside her cr̻pe.

Good Morning Crepe

Overall we were happy with our breakfast. However, I think I would look elsewhere if in the area again.

Last night I made a batch of turkey chili. Most of the time when I make chili I just loosely follow a guideline recipe until it tastes right to me. But last night I found a recipe that I had printed long ago that I had never tried. It has many additional ingredients in comparison to how my chili’s usually are made. I still didn’t follow this one exactly but stuck pretty close. I left out the Habanero pepper hoping to cool it down a little bit so Trey would eat it, however it still turned out pretty spicy, which was fine by me. Trey didn’t care for it. I also used black beans instead of kidney, as that was what I had on hand. And I used some  home-brew  rather than the cheap beer the recipe called for.

The results were  delicious! It was quite possibly the best chili I’ve tasted. Without knowing that there was hot chocolate mix in the chili, my wife picked up on the subtle sweetness. But as I said earlier, there is quite a bit of spice in it even without the Habanero. I’d love to try a batch with Habanero in it, but next time I may even dial down the amount of crushed red pepper to see if Trey will give it a try. Either way, this will not be the last time I make this chili. Everyone should give it a try.

After biking our way from San Francisco, across the Golden Gate Bridge, and into Sausalito, we arrived hungry and with about an hour to kill before the ferry ride back. We parked the bikes near the ferry terminal and walked along Bridgeway looking for something to eat. Before we could get too far along, we stumbled upon the Napa Valley Burger Company. A quick glance at the menu hanging outside and we were sold.

Silverado Trail Veggie Burger

As we were somewhat short on time, we quickly glanced through the menu again and were ready with our order when the server arrived. I decided on the Silverado Trail veggie burger ($13.95). This combined a freshly made black bean patty with roasted peppers, arugula, and chipotle mayo. This sandwich was very good, easily one of the better veggie burgers I’ve had. All burgers are served with a fresh Napa Field greens salad, which was just okay.

Sweet Potato Fries

Fortunately we decided to also order a  share-able  side of sweet potato fries ($5.50). The perfectly cooked fries were served in a paper funnel inside of a metal pail. Though a bit on the pricey side, the serving size was plenty for myself, my wife, and our toddler aged son to all share.

Baja Fish Tacos

My wife ordered the Baja fish tacos ($15.95). This massive plate of food consisted of three tortillas with a seared fresh catch of the day and an ancho chile crema served over cabbage, pickled red onions and tomato salsa, finished with a three cheese blend and avocado slice. Also on the plate were plenty of chips and a couple of dipping sauces. I didn’t have any of the tacos, but my wife was in love with them. And the chips and dips were all quite tasty too.

The prices might be a little high at the Napa Valley Burger Company, but the food is excellent. And the more I think about it, I bet the prices are all pretty high in the touristy town of Sausalito, even more than they already are in northern California. This was among one of the best meals we had on our vacation.

Over the weekend I spent two nights at the MidPoint Music Festival in downtown Cincinnati, specifically the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Each night I started at the recently renovated Washington Park, which served as a great venue for the festival. A temporary stage was setup just in front of Music Hall, providing a really cool backdrop. I don’t know if there are extra noise restrictions in the area, but it seems like this space could have been better utilized with additional bands taking the stage rather than ending at 8 or 9 each night.

Washington Park Stage

The reason I would have liked more bands at Washington Park is that it is really big space. Throughout the rest of my late nights, I ran into some very crowded venues and was even completely shut out of the Emery Theatre for Ralph Stanley. Some of the bands that were playing at Grammer’s such as Dinosaur Jr. and The Walkmen would have brought a decent sized crowd to this space. The outdoor area at Grammer’s is not an ideal place to see a show, plus it could eliminate some of the walking if it wasn’t used anymore.

The Walkmen

Despite this complaint I still had a great time and discovered some really great bands. A couple of my new favorite are Hoots and Hellmouth and  Holy Ghost Tent Revival.

Hoots and Hellmouth

Holy Ghost Tent Revival

I only managed to see about four full sets each night. Had I stayed out until the very end each night I probably could have added another couple of bands each night. However the last bus back toward home left before 1am each night. If I were to do it again, I’d try to convince a friend in the neighborhood to come along to split a cab home with me. Other than that I think I got a great taste of what this annual festival is all about.

MPMF.12

While in San Francisco, we had the opportunity to tour the awesome California Academy of Sciences. I would highly recommend seeing this attraction, especially for those traveling with children. Before touring through the museum we decided to have lunch at the in-house Academy  Café.

The Academy Cafe is a modern, casual, kid-friendly restaurant inside the California  Academy of Sciences, with an emphasis on quick service. The café serves a wide variety  of multi-cultural cuisine, made fresh, with healthy, seasonal and organic ingredients.

Chicken Sandwich

I had a delicious chicken sandwich with a pesto sauce on a baguette ($10). This was served with a salad on the side and a couple of vegetable spears as well. A very healthy meal that actually tasted good too.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

My wife went with the chicken and sausage gumbo ($8.50). This was a very nice sized serving of gumbo, which was packed full of meat and vegetables. There was also a good amount of heat to it. It wasn’t the best gumbo I’ve ever had, but certainly not the worst.

I was surprised and happy to find bottled beer available for purchase, including a couple of local craft brews. That helped make the lunch even better in my opinion. For anyone already heading to the California Academy of Sciences, do not hesitate to stop in for a quick, healthy, and delicious lunch.

Yesterday I was informed that I had won a weekend ticket for this weekend’s MidPoint Music Festival thanks to 4EG and the Righteous Room. This will be my first time attending the eleventh annual festival. I thought about going last year, but couldn’t convince myself to fork out the money to do so. The lineup is a little more indie than what I traditionally listen to. However, now that I’m digging a little deeper into this years lineup, I’m finding quite a few acts that I’m excited about. The music kicks off this evening, but I won’t be attending until tomorrow as I have a prior commitment with my hockey team. Feel free to send any band suggestions my way for Friday or Saturday.