I've lived in Ohio my entire life, but I came to the conclusion years ago that I was meant to live in a warmer climate. I hate winter. I hate cold. I hate leaving for work when it's dark out and coming home from work when it's dark out. I hate driving and walking with my arms locked to avoid shivering.
And as a result? I'm very boring in the winter. Summer makes me want sit on patios and drink cocktails and try new things. Winter makes me want to stay home and curl up under a blanket. So, a lot of the things I have been eating and doing are same old, same old.
But here are a few things I've enjoyed in the last few weeks.
The Bluebird: I'm almost afraid to talk about this place, because my secret will get out and it will have a line out the door on Sundays like The Echo. The Bluebird is a little diner in Norwood, right on Montgomery Road about 2 blocks south of The Lateral (does everyone call it that? 562, if you don't). I first ate here last summer, and it quickly became my go-to for greasy weekend breakfast. (The food isn't really that greasy; sometimes I just want bacon and eggs - which are greasy by definition - rather than fancy brunch menus.) The Bluebird has a 'breakfast special' that includes 2 eggs (over easy), choice of meat (bacon), choice of potatoes (hashbrowns, extra crispy), and half an order of biscuits and gravy. It just might be the perfect breakfast, especially after a night out. The prices are reasonable, I've never had to wait for a table, and there's a newspaper machine outside so that I can get my Sunday crossword (and the weekly Target ad) on the way in. What's not to love?
Carl's Deli: I love Carl's. I used to pass by it between my old apartment and my old workplace, and I picked up lunch or dinner there regularly. I tend to forget about it when I don't drive by every day, but once in a while I'll get a craving for their Crab and Artichoke Sandwich. It's delicious. It's actually a Crab and Artichoke Salad - with mayo, shredded cheese, and big chunks of crab - served warm on a croissant. Carl's prices can border on the high side - I'll often stop in for a sandwich and end up spending $10 or $15 after I add a drink and soup or salad (they have a deli case full of pasta salad, broccoli salad, and other treats - even deviled eggs!). But they use quality ingredients, I watch them make my food from start to finish, and I've never had anything bad there. They also have a great BLT, with no less than 6 slices of bacon.
Teller's Brunch: I regular proclaim my love for their happy hour. The Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls, the Pineapple Upside-Down Martinis; what's not to love? Their brunch menu isn't too shabby either (and they have it on Saturday!). This shouldn't surprise anyone, but I'm immediately drawn to menu items with the most unsual combination of ingredents. The more sauce and cheese, the better. So, I was instantly drawn to their Goetta Hot Brown. I've had it a few times and it's always too rich (and too large) for me to finish, but it's damn tasty. "Seared Challah bread topped with Glier's Goetta, Caramelized Onions, Sausage Gravy, Smokehouse Bacon and White Cheddar Cheese; laced with Hollandiase Sauce and served with Teller's Chips." Now, tell me your mouth isn't watering. The Challah bread has a delicious sweet taste and pairs perfectly with everything else. If I can get the 'perfect bite,' with a touch of every single component on it, I'm in heaven. I especially like to balance it out with something sweet, so I'll frequently persuade whoever I'm dining with (typically my mom or The Boyfriend) to order the Bananas Foster French Toast. The French Toast is WAY too sweet for me to have as a meal, but a few bites of it are a real treat.
Bella Luna: The Boyfriend and I went here on our first date, but I loved Bella Luna even before that. It's cute and eclectic, they have good food, and you feel like you're treating yourself without totally breaking the bank. They have half-priced wine night on Wednesdays. And on our most recent visit, Friday, we played Wine Roulette. OK, I can't remember what it was actually called and I'm sure I am going to mess up the details, but - the server brings a bucket with 4-5 bottles of wine upside down so you can't read them, they give a brief description of each wine, all supposedly regularly priced between $35 and $50, and you can choose the one you want based on their descriptions for $30 a bottle. Their Portobello Ravioli is fabulous - they are huge, with red pepper sauce and crumbled Gorgonzola. I first tried it at Taste of Cincinnati, actually, and have had occasionally cravings for it ever since. I also went to Bella Luna for dessert on my meet-up with Liz and the Food Hussy, but we didn't get to try the highly touted Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding, and I've been too stuffed to try dessert on my visits since. I need to make another trip just for dessert!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Saturday, February 14, 2009
J. Gumbo's
In the winter, I love anything for lunch that doesn't involve me walking outside in the cold. I love the skywalk system in downtown Cincinnati - I can travel several blocks without even putting a coat on.
J. Gumbo's is actually a small chain, although I'd never heard of it before and I believe that this is the first one in Ohio. It sits inside the Westin/USBank building, on the Walnut Street side.
Like many places downtown, I think they're just open for lunch. They have about 10 tables to sit and eat, and they seem to do a decent carry-out business as well. It's order-at-the-counter style, so pretty easy to pick up and go.
The menu has the usual suspects: Red Beans and Rice, Jambalaya, and Bourbon Street Chicken. The menu is organized into "Sweet and Mild," "Medium and Zesty," and "Hot and Spicy."
On my first visit, I really wanted to try the Black and Bleu Dip (sweet and spicy corn, black beans, sweet onions and bleu cheese crumbles served over tortilla chips) and we decided to split it as an appetizer. I think I'm naturally attracted to any menu item with the word "dip" in the name. I then got the special of the day, a bowl of the Bumblebee Stew (a sweet and spicy blend of juicy yellow corn, black beans and sweet onions) while my friend got the Voodoo Chicken (shredded pieces of tender chicken slow cooked in garlic sauce, cajun spices and voodoo sauce).
I was a little surprised to discover that the Black and Bleu Dip was really just Bumblebee Stew with blue cheese crumbles on top. I'd basically ordered two of the same thing! Luckily it was good, especially in the nacho form. The Stew was just served over rice, and while it had good flavor it wasn't very exciting.
I had a few bites of the Voodoo Chicken and was glad I didn't get it for an entrée. It was delicious for a few bites, but too spicy for me to eat for an entire meal. I love spicy to an extent, but not when my lips and tongue are burning too much for me to enjoy the flavor.
I made a second visit the following week - the snow and ice of January was really limiting my restaurant choices. This time I had the Bourbon Street Chicken. I'd passed over the first time since it was in the mild column, but the heat of the Voodoo chicken the previous week had steered me back that way. It was definitely sweet and mild, and I thought it had GREAT flavor. However, like the majority of their menu items, it was served over a huge bowl of steamed rice. If you're a rice fan, the meals here will fill you up, but if you don't get into steamed rice (which I don't…we won't even get into my weird issues with rice today) the meal ends up being a little on the skimpy side. I can appreciate a good Fried Rice at a hibachi restaurant, or even the fluffy rice that comes with Indian food, but this just didn't do it for me at all. Still, the chicken had awesome flavor and I'm sure I'll go back for it again, rice issues or not.
J. Gumbo's is actually a small chain, although I'd never heard of it before and I believe that this is the first one in Ohio. It sits inside the Westin/USBank building, on the Walnut Street side.
Like many places downtown, I think they're just open for lunch. They have about 10 tables to sit and eat, and they seem to do a decent carry-out business as well. It's order-at-the-counter style, so pretty easy to pick up and go.
The menu has the usual suspects: Red Beans and Rice, Jambalaya, and Bourbon Street Chicken. The menu is organized into "Sweet and Mild," "Medium and Zesty," and "Hot and Spicy."
On my first visit, I really wanted to try the Black and Bleu Dip (sweet and spicy corn, black beans, sweet onions and bleu cheese crumbles served over tortilla chips) and we decided to split it as an appetizer. I think I'm naturally attracted to any menu item with the word "dip" in the name. I then got the special of the day, a bowl of the Bumblebee Stew (a sweet and spicy blend of juicy yellow corn, black beans and sweet onions) while my friend got the Voodoo Chicken (shredded pieces of tender chicken slow cooked in garlic sauce, cajun spices and voodoo sauce).
I was a little surprised to discover that the Black and Bleu Dip was really just Bumblebee Stew with blue cheese crumbles on top. I'd basically ordered two of the same thing! Luckily it was good, especially in the nacho form. The Stew was just served over rice, and while it had good flavor it wasn't very exciting.
I had a few bites of the Voodoo Chicken and was glad I didn't get it for an entrée. It was delicious for a few bites, but too spicy for me to eat for an entire meal. I love spicy to an extent, but not when my lips and tongue are burning too much for me to enjoy the flavor.
I made a second visit the following week - the snow and ice of January was really limiting my restaurant choices. This time I had the Bourbon Street Chicken. I'd passed over the first time since it was in the mild column, but the heat of the Voodoo chicken the previous week had steered me back that way. It was definitely sweet and mild, and I thought it had GREAT flavor. However, like the majority of their menu items, it was served over a huge bowl of steamed rice. If you're a rice fan, the meals here will fill you up, but if you don't get into steamed rice (which I don't…we won't even get into my weird issues with rice today) the meal ends up being a little on the skimpy side. I can appreciate a good Fried Rice at a hibachi restaurant, or even the fluffy rice that comes with Indian food, but this just didn't do it for me at all. Still, the chicken had awesome flavor and I'm sure I'll go back for it again, rice issues or not.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
chili for a cold day
I made more than a doubled recipe of this last week with my five pounds of ground beef, but this normal size will still serve 8-10 people. I’ve adapted it from the Steak and Black Bean Chili from a Desperation Entertaining cookbook, but the stew cubes of steak in their recipe were always too chewy for me in chili, so I just use hamburger, and I’ve made other adjustments over the years.
It’s a VERY thick chili, especially if you don’t add any water. It’s great for nachos (or as a dip with Frito Scoops!). I’m writing it below to include a cup of water, but even with that it’s still pretty thick, and you can add more to your liking. If you add a lot more water, you might want to consider doubling the tomato paste too. This recipe is pretty mild, and you can add hot sauce or other spices to taste.
Black Bean Chili
2 lbs ground beef, browned
Ground cumin (a generous sprinkling, about 1 tablespoon)
Chili powder (a generous sprinkling, about 1 tablespoon)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans diced chili style tomatoes
1 can tomatoes with green chilis (Rotel)
Sugar (a sprinking, about one teaspoon)
1 small can tomato paste
Dump the ground beef in the bottom of the crock-pot and cover with cumin and chili powder. The beef can be hot if you just browned it, or cold from the fridge if you browned it previously - it doesn’t matter. Sprinkle onion and green pepper over the beef. Cover with black beans, then all tomatoes (with juice). At this point I typically add about ½ a can of water as well, pouring it directly over the tomatoes. Sprinkle sugar over the tomatoes. Cover and cook on low, stirring occasionally after the first 2 hours. After 3-4 hours, add tomato paste and simmer an additional 30 minutes.
It’s a VERY thick chili, especially if you don’t add any water. It’s great for nachos (or as a dip with Frito Scoops!). I’m writing it below to include a cup of water, but even with that it’s still pretty thick, and you can add more to your liking. If you add a lot more water, you might want to consider doubling the tomato paste too. This recipe is pretty mild, and you can add hot sauce or other spices to taste.
Black Bean Chili
2 lbs ground beef, browned
Ground cumin (a generous sprinkling, about 1 tablespoon)
Chili powder (a generous sprinkling, about 1 tablespoon)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans diced chili style tomatoes
1 can tomatoes with green chilis (Rotel)
Sugar (a sprinking, about one teaspoon)
1 small can tomato paste
Dump the ground beef in the bottom of the crock-pot and cover with cumin and chili powder. The beef can be hot if you just browned it, or cold from the fridge if you browned it previously - it doesn’t matter. Sprinkle onion and green pepper over the beef. Cover with black beans, then all tomatoes (with juice). At this point I typically add about ½ a can of water as well, pouring it directly over the tomatoes. Sprinkle sugar over the tomatoes. Cover and cook on low, stirring occasionally after the first 2 hours. After 3-4 hours, add tomato paste and simmer an additional 30 minutes.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
oh yeah...
I made The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls last week.
I don't really bake (too precise). I don't really follow recipes (see: why I don't really bake).
But people... I followed the recipe (for me, anyway) and these are delicious and totally worth the effort. And, I love that someone else loves butter more than me.
For me, the recipe made 6 pans of rolls (the recipe said 7; I crammed them in). More than I needed even for a group, so I froze two pans. We'll see how that goes. You also pretty much have to do it on a day when you know you'll be home all day, as there is a lot of down time between steps.
But seriously... they were awesome.
I don't really bake (too precise). I don't really follow recipes (see: why I don't really bake).
But people... I followed the recipe (for me, anyway) and these are delicious and totally worth the effort. And, I love that someone else loves butter more than me.
For me, the recipe made 6 pans of rolls (the recipe said 7; I crammed them in). More than I needed even for a group, so I froze two pans. We'll see how that goes. You also pretty much have to do it on a day when you know you'll be home all day, as there is a lot of down time between steps.
But seriously... they were awesome.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
still alive...
I'm still here. I have been in and out of town several times in the past few weeks. I'm sure my holidays weren't any busier than anyone else... but it still feels like it!
I did figure out an easy new way to brown mass quantities of ground beef. Usually more than a pound or so is the most I like to manage on the stovetop, but I've had to make several large dishes recently and the idea of doing it in 4 or 5 stages gave me a migraine! So I looked into doing it in the crock pot... surprisingly easy and it works pretty well! If I only had a pound I would probably still do it on the stovetop since this is a slow process, but anything more than that definitely makes this way worth it.
I'm currently browning 5 lbs of ground beef for a huge vat of black bean chili. You just dump the meat in the crock pot with a cup or so of water, and cook on low for 3-4 hours. You want to stir and break up the meat with a spatula every hour or so, and more frequently at the end, but it breaks up pretty easily and cooks really evenly. The only issue is draining it... I usually don't like to put grease down my disposal/sink, but after trying to avoid it the first go-round I just gave in and ran lots of hot water with it.
I feel like that was painfully boring. Sorry guys. Hopefully someone will use the tip some day. Hopefully I'll have something more interesting to say soon.
I did figure out an easy new way to brown mass quantities of ground beef. Usually more than a pound or so is the most I like to manage on the stovetop, but I've had to make several large dishes recently and the idea of doing it in 4 or 5 stages gave me a migraine! So I looked into doing it in the crock pot... surprisingly easy and it works pretty well! If I only had a pound I would probably still do it on the stovetop since this is a slow process, but anything more than that definitely makes this way worth it.
I'm currently browning 5 lbs of ground beef for a huge vat of black bean chili. You just dump the meat in the crock pot with a cup or so of water, and cook on low for 3-4 hours. You want to stir and break up the meat with a spatula every hour or so, and more frequently at the end, but it breaks up pretty easily and cooks really evenly. The only issue is draining it... I usually don't like to put grease down my disposal/sink, but after trying to avoid it the first go-round I just gave in and ran lots of hot water with it.
I feel like that was painfully boring. Sorry guys. Hopefully someone will use the tip some day. Hopefully I'll have something more interesting to say soon.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
All I need now is a jello mold...
If my cookies this year had a theme, I think it would be Kitchy Christmas.
Wreaths - like rice krispie treats, but substitute corn flakes. Add green food coloring to the marshmallow mixture and use Twizzler pull & peels to make little bows!
I think these have been called Moose Droppings, and other names related to animal excrement. I just call them White Chocolate Cereal cookies. Rice Krispies, peanut butter puffs, and dry roasted peanuts coated in melted white chocolate. (I also love the white chocolate mix candy with chex, cheerios, pretzels, and peanuts... YUM!)
And pretzel rods. White and milk chocolate. Large and small. Sprinkles, nuts, and crushed candy canes.
I'm also going to do some jam thumbprints and candy cane shortbread cookies. Clearly I bake for my own tastes... I'm not much of a sweets person - I like the salty/sweet combos. Although technically I'm making these for other people, I need to enjoy snacking while I work!
Wreaths - like rice krispie treats, but substitute corn flakes. Add green food coloring to the marshmallow mixture and use Twizzler pull & peels to make little bows!
I think these have been called Moose Droppings, and other names related to animal excrement. I just call them White Chocolate Cereal cookies. Rice Krispies, peanut butter puffs, and dry roasted peanuts coated in melted white chocolate. (I also love the white chocolate mix candy with chex, cheerios, pretzels, and peanuts... YUM!)
And pretzel rods. White and milk chocolate. Large and small. Sprinkles, nuts, and crushed candy canes.
I'm also going to do some jam thumbprints and candy cane shortbread cookies. Clearly I bake for my own tastes... I'm not much of a sweets person - I like the salty/sweet combos. Although technically I'm making these for other people, I need to enjoy snacking while I work!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
I am a marketer's dream...
I am the queen of the impulse purchase. It's nearly impossible for me to leave the store with only the things on my list.
The latest? A jar of black truffles.
Have I ever cooked with truffles? No.
Did I have a recipe in mind for using the truffles? No.
Am I totally excited to browse recipes upon recipes and dream up something to use them for? Oh yeah.
The latest? A jar of black truffles.
Have I ever cooked with truffles? No.
Did I have a recipe in mind for using the truffles? No.
Am I totally excited to browse recipes upon recipes and dream up something to use them for? Oh yeah.
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