Last Thursday we walked up to Ault Park for the first of this summer’s dance series. Once a month a band plays a free concert at the Ault Park pavilion providing family fun for all ages. Beer, wine, and food is all available for purchase.

From The Lawn

The turnout for the event was great. Many families brought blankets and picnic baskets to sit on the lawns around the pavilion. Others brought chairs to sit near the pavilion steps for best viewing the band and dancers.

The Remains

Entertainment for the night was provided by The Remains, a great local band that I had seen play once before at my cousin’s wedding. The music starts around 6pm and was still going strong as we headed home shortly before 10.

Dancing In The Park

The remaining dates this summer are July 19 with The Modulators and August 16 with Soul Pocket. I hope to attend either or maybe even both.

Toward the end of last year, I won a gift certificate for J. Gumbo’s from the Food Hussy. Since it could only be redeemed at the Fairfield location, it took me nearly half a year to finally give it a try. Coincidentally my brother had purchased the same certificate from eversave, so we decided to all give it a try together.

Unlike other J. Gumbo’s locations, this one is not counter service and upon entering the front door I was told that I could sit wherever I liked. I attempted to grab a seat in a nearby booth, but my one and a half year old son decided he would rather be outside. He was immediately drawn to the set of cornhole boards outside, so we played around with those waiting for my brother and his girlfriend to arrive.

After their arrival we all sat down at an outside table and looked over the lengthy menu of  Cajun  styled bowls which are served over a bed of rice. My brother ordered the crawfish cheese dip appetizer ($5.50) while we continued to look through the menus. With thirteen different bowls available, we wanted to be sure to get a good variety. The appetizer arrived quickly, and though I didn’t sample any I was told that there was not a lot of crawfish in it, it was mostly a cheese based dip.

Red Beans & Rice

Since my certificate was good for $13 I decided to order two different bowls, hoping that my son would eat some of the food and that I would have enough to take home for lunch the next day. I decided to order the red beans & rice for him to try – slow cooked red beans with yellow onion, smoked sausage and  Cajun  spices ($6.99). Despite being a little dry, the dish was actually quite good. The sausage was thick sliced and the flavor was not too spicy. The serving was large enough that even after a few bites from the bowl, there was still enough for a full lunch for me and a couple of small lunches for my son.

Chicken Red Hot

For my dinner I went with the chicken red hot – tender chicken slow cooked with garlic, red onion and celery in a tangy Cajun Buffalo style sauce and topped with bleu cheese crumbles ($7.29). This was given a 3 out of 4 rating on their  spiciness  scale and it was definitely hot! There is only one bowl with a higher rating, the voodoo chicken, and I wonder if that would be much too hot for most people. The chicken red hot was filled with plenty of chicken (though not all of it was white meat) and the flavor was good. There was definitely a lot more buffalo seasoning than  Cajun, so keep that in mind if you are looking for more authentic flavors.

I also had small bites of my brother and his girlfriend’s two dishes. The bourbon street chicken – tender chicken slow cooked in a  lightly  sweet butter-hoisin sauce ($7.29) – was by far the least spicy of the bunch, and had a pleasant sweet flavor to it. It could have used a little more sauce, as the rice below the chicken was pretty dry. The drunken chicken – tender chicken with garlic, olive oil, stewed tomatoes and Cajun spices slow-cooked with beer ($7.29) – was on the spicy side of things. This dish seemed a little more authentic tasting than the chicken red hot, so I think I would go with the drunken chicken on a future visit.

Overall the food was good and the prices are affordable. I would likely return if it weren’t so far from home. Perhaps I’ll try one of the franchise’s other locations, either downtown or Clifton.

For the first time in a while I brewed a batch of beer this past Friday. Since my in-laws were going to be out-of-town the rest of the weekend, we had them over to our house for an early father’s day celebration. My father-in-law, Chuck, has dabbled a bit with homebrewing and  wanted to brew an Irish Red Ale recipe kit that he had lying around, so that’s what we did.

I considered getting a propane burner so we could brew outside, but the one I saw in the store was a little too much for me to purchase on a whim. This would have allowed for more participation from the family, but I still had my youngest brother-in-law inside and helping nearly the entire time. It never hurts to start them young, right? Nick will turn twelve later this year.

Brewmaster Nick

The entire brewing process went very smoothly. I don’t think I made one mistake the whole way, which could be a first for me. With that said it is always reassuring to wake up the next morning to find the airlock bubbling away, meaning that the beer is fermenting! I plan to try a secondary fermentation for the first time and hopefully have it bottled and ready for Chuck’s 60th birthday in about a months time.

After a long day of working on Saturday morning and afternoon, I just wanted to get outside of the house for a beer and some food. I looked to see if there were any summer festivals happening and discovered the  MainStrasse Village “Original” Goettafest  in Covington. Goetta is a Cincinnati area breakfast sausage composed mostly of pork and steel-cut oats. According to the festival’s website, “It’s not just for breakfast! Sample Goetta Hanky Pankies, Goetta Pizza, Goetta Balls, Goetta Gumbalya, Goetta Chedda Cheese, Goetta Chili, Goetta Fried Rice and Goetta Burgers.”

After parking the car ($5 in a nearby lot) we walked over to the festival and quickly discovered that it was quite a bit smaller than we expected. There was a large stage at one end of the square followed by a couple of beer booths and less than a dozen food booths. Most disappointing was the children’s area that was advertised as having games, rides, and other activities. It turned out to be  nothing more than a half-dozen of inflatable jumping houses, costing $10 per child. Friends of ours were planning to come down with their three kids, but quickly bailed when we let them know that the festival was not at all what we expected.

Goetta On Rye With Onions

Before leaving we did get to sample a couple of goetta sandwiches, one smothered in sautéed onions and the other melted with  Swiss  cheese. Both were very good, but a little expensive at $5 each. I guess that is to be expected at a festival. I didn’t see the goetta pizza, chili, or gumbalya during our two laps of the festival grounds. Had it been more family friendly, I’m sure we would have stuck around for a lot longer, but as is I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone with children.

Yesterday was my second father’s day spent as a father. We spent the bulk of the afternoon at my aunt and uncle’s house swimming and hanging around their pool with various members of my extended family. It was a good way to wind down a rather chaotic weekend.

My mom helped Trey make a father’s day card for me toward the end of last week, which you can see below.

Trey’s Card To Me

Thanks Buddy!

Trey also knew exactly what to get me – a new temperature controller for his old deep freeze for milk so that I could turn it into a beer cellar! I’ve been quietly stashing beers in various places around the house, and now I can keep them all in a temperature controlled area until the perfect time has come to enjoy them.

New Temperature Controller

Re-purposed Deep Freeze

Starting My Collection

After fourteen years it looks like my time has come to  fulfill  my civic duty and become a juror. I have received a few notices in the past in different cities, but those always had a phone number to call the day before you were to report. And each time I called I was told not to come in. I’m actually excited to see how this whole jury thing works. It sure does look fascinating on TV and in the movies. I’ll be sure to post again after July 2nd detailing my experience.

Notification

I took a ride on my bike during my lunch break today to head down to Armleder Park for the opening ceremonies of the bike trail that connects to the Lunken Trail. With the connection complete there are now over eight miles of continuous paved trails packed into the urban setting around Lunken Airport. I found out about the ceremonies from queencitybike.com  and though I couldn’t leave in time to start the ride with them, I did catch up to them on the Lunken Trail.

Ohio River Trail Marker

Before riding on the Lunken Trail, I rode on a very small section of the Ohio River Trail, which is still under construction. As it is now, the section of trail is not very scenic and most of it runs along the side of Kellogg Avenue. Though once the trail detours away from Kellogg (at Carrel Street) it gets a little better. One cool relic left from the railroad days is the  Carrel Street Station, a remodeled freight transfer terminal, which now serves as a resting place.

Carrel Street Station

Shortly after Carrel Street Station, the Ohio River Trail ends at Wilmer Avenue where connections can be made to the Lunken Trail. This was actually my first time riding the Lunken Trail, which despite running around a small airport, has a secluded feel. After a mile and a half on the trail I caught up with the previously mentioned group and we all rode toward the new connector trail to Armleder Park. Once there we had to ride the mile trail to the ceremony that was taking place over at Armleder.

Councilman Wendell Young

Members of the  Hamilton County Park District, along with  the  Cincinnati Park  Board and the Cincinnati Recreation Commission  all gave short speeches from the temporary podium.  Councilman Wendell Young was there to congratulate everyone on a job well done and to emphasize how great things can happen with cooperation  from these organizations. From there a ribbon cutting ceremony was held before I again rode back along the connector and toward home.

Ready

Cut

Hamilton County Park District, Cincinnati Park Board, and Cincinnati Recreation Commission

150′ Long Steel Truss Bridge

My full bike route can be viewed below. I really enjoyed the ride and hope to get back on the saddle a little more often this summer.

Two Saturdays ago my wife and I participated in a scavenger hunt on the west side of town. We had a late lunch and the scavenger hunt started at 6pm, so we didn’t have any time for dinner. The game was over at 10 and we eventually started making our way back home to Hyde Park around 11. It was at this time that I realized how hungry I was and then I soon realized that our route would not be taking us past any late night dining spots. That was until I got to Mt. Lookout and spotted Lucy Blue Pizza.

I don’t recall ever having pizza from any of their four locations before, though I’m sure it was possible in my younger days. Lucy Blue is definitely late night pizza, and though a few tables are in the back of the Mt. Lookout location, I don’t think many people use them. There is a carry out window on the sidewalk side of the building, which seems to get the majority of the business. That’s where my wife ran to get a few slices upon our visit while I waited in the car.

Pepperoni Pizza

I’m not going to lie and say that this is the best pizza I’ve ever had, because it really wasn’t. However the slices are large and they only cost $2 each. I definitely could have used more pieces of pepperoni on my slices, and probably a little more sauce too. The crust was good, but I felt that overall the slices might have been a bit overcooked leading to some dry and crunchy spots. The first few bites of each slice were really pretty good though. I doubt I’ll stop by for more often, but their pizza definitely works in any late night pinch.

Great American Ball Park

I finally made it to my first Reds game of the season, which is actually more than a month before my first game last year. Friends of ours were married on Saturday evening and they bought a block of tickets for the Friday night game for added celebration.

Corinne And Ted

It also was a big celebration for us as it was Trey’s first Reds game. The employee who collected our tickets asked if it was his first game and directed us toward guest services where they printed out this certificate free of charge. I think you can also get certificates on your birthday or for an anniversary as well. Trey really loved the game, especially all the music, clapping, and cheering.

Trey's First Game

He also took any opportunity he could to steal his own seat, while grabbing peanuts from the guys behind us and snacking on cracker jack all night.

Stealing Seats

As far as the game goes it was a fun one and a victory of the Reds, including a three run home run by Joey Votto and a 10th inning squeeze bunt by pinch-hitter Wilson Valdez to drive in  Miguel Cairo for the 6-5 win!

Last night I finally got to see The Avett Brothers live. They have been on my radar since the release of the last studio album I and Love and You  back in late 2009. For various reasons I never got to see them perform live, most recently it’s been the fact that they seem to refuse to play in Cincinnati. Fortunately they added a date to their current tour outside of Dayton at Fraze Pavilion.

Top Of The Lawn

It had been ten years since my last visit to Fraze, and I truly forgot just how intimate the venue is. You can see just how small the space is in the photo above that was taken from the top of the grass lawn. I don’t think there is a bad seat in the house, especially not when you get to enjoy the show from the front row of the Orchestra sections.

Early In The Show

The show itself was great! It started off a little slow for me with a handful of songs that I’m not very familiar with before they launched into “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise” followed by “January Wedding.” I also enjoyed an early set “Paranoia in B Flat Major” before they played a five song tribute to Doc Watson who passed away last week. After finishing the 23 song set, including hits such as “The  Ballad of Love and Hate,” “Kick Drum Heart,” “Laundry Room,” and the set closing “I and Love and You,” the band was quickly back on stage for a four song encore with “Talk on Indolence” and “Slight Figure of Speech” ending the show.

After Sunset

The show was easily over two hours long and I was still left wanting more. I hope that three more years don’t pass before I see them perform again.  After the show was over I had the pleasure of meeting touring bassist Paul Defiglia, who happens to be friends with a good chunk of the group I went to the show with. They are playing Bonnaroo in about an hour from now, and you can watch it online,  along with tons of other performances throughout the weekend.