Sweet Deal

Are there any investors out there looking to make money? Here is one opportunity worth the risk. Embrace Sweets is a local business making a great product that is looking to expand. This business is seeking to open up shop in the Gateway Quarter of OTR and they will make this into something special. Check out their website or better yet, check out their products at most of the indie coffeehouses around town and at most local theatres including New Stage Collective (See Bug now!).

Earthquake

For as far as it was away, I still felt the the Earthquake this morning. It felt like someone was rocking my bed and I got to see what was going on. I couldn't notice it standing up, but I could notice one of my window frames rattle. Reports indicated it lasted 30 seconds. I must have been awake only at the end of it, because it didn't appear to last that long to me.

Joe Wessels has the full coverage of the Quake in Cincinnati.

Market Wines Opens At Findlay Market

The Details:

Market Wines is located at 128 W. Elder St., directly across from the main Market build-ing. Hours of operation are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9-5, Friday from 9-6, Saturday from 8-6 and closed Sunday and Monday. In addition to fine wines, Market Wines stocks a selection of micro-brewed and imported beers and wine acces-sories.

Market Wines is hosting a wine tasting, this Saturday, April 19 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Have a Belgian waffle and a glass of wine at THE place for Saturday Morning shopping.

The Jordan Moved?

According to this Enquirer article on the City fighting certain liquor licenses, the 12th and Main mini-mart/booze stop has been evicted and moved to a different Main Street location. Can anyone shed any light on this? Where on Main Street did the Jordan move?

There's No Place Like Home

A few days ago, City Beat's Larry Gross announced that he's moved back to Cincinnati, taking up residence in an undisclosed location in Westwood. First, welcome back, Larry! Second, the post caused me to ponder one of Cincinnati's best--and sometimes its worst--feature.

Cincinnati is, more than anything else, a city of neighborhoods. No doubt this blog focuses too much on Downtown and Over-the-Rhine. That's to be expected: three of us (Julie, Griff, and I) live downtown or in OTR, and the fourth works downtown (I've no idea where Jack lives--perhaps up in Indian Hill down the street from Stan C.? :-) ). But Cincinnati has dozens of terrific neighborhoods. In all of these neighborhoods, many residents identify strongly with their neighborhood. It tends to create a real sense of community and feeling of familiarity. Years after "natives" have moved from their neighborhood, they can return to have conversations with people who have gone to the same schools and know the same people as they do. Julie described the phenomenon in a recent post.

That strength, though, can also be a weakness. With so many neighborhoods, there are lots of groups fighting for pieces of a limited pie. When City Council spends substantial time talking about downtown and OTR development, folks in other neighborhoods (often rightly) wonder when their neighborhood's "turn" will be.

Sometimes, though, "community" and "familiarity" can turn into provincialism and xenophobia. We all need to be on guard--whether we live in the "urban core," where we're more likely to get the attention of our political leaders, or in areas that aren't presently on a majority of Council's radar screens--that a healthy sense of community and feeling of belonging doesn't turn into unhealthy division that rends our city.

I think we all should make an effort to get out of our own neighborhoods regularly to see what's going on elsewhere. I can't remember, for instance, the last time I've been up to Northside, and I should remedy that promptly. What's on your list of places to get to soon (and what should be on mine)?

Good Eats: Tom's Pot Pies

I know that culinary critique is Julie's bailiwick, but I'm hoping she won't mind an intrusion today.

I have no idea how many times I've passed (and ignored) Tom's Chicken Pot Pies, on Vine Street between Ninth and Court, on my way from the courthouse to my office. But yesterday, it was just chilly enough that upon seeing the sign out front, I thought, "Hmm, a pot pie might hit the spot today."

It was the best pot pie I've ever had. It was perfect. Really tasty. Big, tender chunks of chicken. Just a few veggies in the mix (the requisite peas and corn--anything more just gets in the way). A really good sauce (see the website for the list of ingredients; my palate isn't sophisticated enough to guess at them without help). And the crust was delicious. And best of all? $5.50.

Usually when I pick up lunch on my way to the office, I call ahead and see if I can get anything for my office-mates. I was in a hurry this time, so I didn't. (Besides, I didn't know if the pot pies would be any good, and didn't want to be responsible for my colleagues having a bad lunch.) Imagine my guilt when, as I dined on my scrumptious pie from Tom's, my friend microwaved his sad, store-bought, frozen pot pie.

It may be the best "comfort food" in Cincinnati.

From The "I Am Not A Racist" Category Or What Does This Say About Our Region?

Sometimes no comment is even necessary:

"I'm going to tell you something: That boy's finger does not need to be on the button. He could not make a decision in that simulation that related to a nuclear threat to this country."

Northern Kentucky's own Republican Representative Geoff Davis discussing Democratic Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama. Since Davis is only three years older than Obama, one can only assume that the "that boy" comment was not a reference to age.