Category: Cincinnati (Page 1 of 2)

Intensely chocolaty but not intensely sweet - a bean-to-bar frozen hot chocolate

Maverick Chocolate, Cincinnati OH

October 27, 2017 / Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle / 0 Comments

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We enjoy Hershey’s milk chocolate as much as the next guy… actually, we probably enjoy it much more than the next guy. Most chocolate enthusiasts find Hershey’s sour and gritty. Try as we might, we have no idea what they’re talking about. We really don’t think it’s about nostalgia, either, but who knows. That said, our catholic palates embrace the “good” stuff as well, especially the interesting, nuanced bean-to-bar chocolates crafted by artisans like the folks at Maverick Chocolate. Continue reading

Samples of smoked mozzarella ravioli - superb!

Checking in at: Bouchard’s, Cincinnati OH

October 26, 2017 / Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle / 0 Comments

The mother and son team of Renee and Jodi (Bouchard? Miller? We see them listed online both ways) arrived in Cincinnati, and then the Findlay Market, from West Virginia, in 2007. Their deal is fresh pastas, flat breads, and sauces, as well as baked goods like pies, cookies, brownies, and cobblers. Some is available to eat on the spot, all is available to finish off at home. Continue reading

We're not ordinarily fans of meatballs made with poultry but Gramma Debbie's Italian chicken meatballs are well-seasoned and satisfying.

Checking in at: Gramma Debbie’s Kitchen, Cincinnati OH

October 25, 2017 / Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle / 0 Comments

Gramma Debbie has been selling her somewhat odd combination of comfort food and sort-of-health food in the Findlay Market since 2010. Some of her food is ready to eat on the spot; much of it is ready for you to cook or heat at home, like marinated chicken breasts, stuffed peppers, and turkey burgers. Continue reading

On a warm Cincinnati afternoon we had the opportunity to sample a most refreshing iced tea made with Churchill's Starfruit Green Tea, which also includes papaya and mango.

Churchill’s Fine Teas, Cincinnati OH

October 24, 2017 / Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle / 0 Comments

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Even if you’re not a tea drinker, we urge you to step inside Churchill’s Fine Teas in Cincinnati’s Findlay Market, for at least a moment or two. The heady aroma of tea leaves, spices, and herbs is fairly intoxicating, and the shop is an oasis of calm amid the bustle of the market. Look around, admire the tea sets and tea cups, all the while inhaling, inhaling, free of charge. Continue reading

Sliced and browned, Eckerlin's goetta has a meaty flavor and a pleasantly nubbly texture thanks to the oats.

Eckerlin Meats, Cincinnati OH

October 23, 2017 / Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle / 0 Comments

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Cincinnati has a number of signature foods, but perhaps the most exotic and regionally focused of them is goetta. First things first: it’s pronounced as if the o wasn’t there, i.e., getta, and it has German roots. OK, so what is this goetta? It’s a sausage-like loaf of meat and oats that is sliced and fried in a pan, usually for breakfast. Continue reading

Five-way chili: that's soft spaghetti, the meat sauce, beans, chopped raw onions, and shredded Wisconsin cheddar

Camp Washington Chili, Cincinnati OH

October 19, 2017 / Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle / 0 Comments

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This is it, the one you’ve read about, by national acclaim the ne plus ultra of Cincinnati chili parlors, the only one to be honored by the James Beard Foundation. Camp Washington Chili has achieved that level of fame where future success is guaranteed no matter what they put on the plate. Consider it a bonus that the restaurant still makes an effort, and continues to serve quality grub. Continue reading

Gold Star's chili seasoning profile is a bit different from most others. Sue prefers it.

Gold Star Chili, Cincinnati OH

October 18, 2017 / Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle / 0 Comments

We well remember our first taste of Cincinnati chili. We were summering in Washington, D.C., our first jobs out of college, and a friend told us about a place that recently opened up in the ‘burbs (Virginia, we think) that served something called Cincinnati chili. Chili, we knew – spicy hot, cumin-scented, but what did Cincinnati have to do with it? Continue reading

The two-meatball bowl with marinara sauce. We chose one beef and one chicken parm meatball. They also had something called RWB, which was a beef meatball with sundried tomatoes and Cajun seasoning. Other available sauces included parm cream and Buffalo. We tend to be poultry skeptics in dishes where beef or pork are the norm but, we have to admit, we really loved the chicken parm meatball. Vibrant marinara as well.

Taste of Cincinnati, Cincinnati OH, May 27th through 29th 2017

October 16, 2017 / Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle / 0 Comments

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Either you love urban street festivals or you don’t. They’re not for everyone. We’re street festival veterans and you can put our names down among the lovers. In our New York days in the ’70s, we’d never miss the annual Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy, or the Ninth Avenue International Food Festival. It usually takes years of festival-going to learn each festival’s strengths and weaknesses. Continue reading

Double Chocolate Chip is sure to scratch your chocolate itch.

Graeter’s, Clifton, Cincinnati OH

October 14, 2017 / Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle / 0 Comments

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It doesn’t seem that long ago — if you wanted to sample Cincinnati’s great home-grown ice cream, you had to visit Cincinnati. Louis Graeter began selling ice cream in 1868 and, over the ensuing decades, the Graeter’s company expanded, but it wasn’t until the 1980s that the company pushed out to the wilds of Kentucky and Columbus with franchised stores. That’s also when they began making their ice cream available in supermarkets. Continue reading

A 5-way means spaghetti, beans, chili, chopped raw onions, and shredded cheese. If you are new to Cincinnati's downscale culinary ways, the enormous haystack of shredded cheese atop the chili and coneys can be stunning.

Skyline Chili, Clifton, Cincinnati OH

October 13, 2017 / Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle / 7 Comments

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If you’re coming to Cincinnati for the first time, you undoubtedly intend to sample the famous Cincinnati chili you’ve heard so much about. Have you done lots of research? Do you have time and transportation? Then you’ll probably wind up at one of several well-regarded independent chili shops. Otherwise, you’ll be dining close to your hotel, which means you’ll receive your initiation at one of the almost two hundred Skyline Chili restaurants in the city and suburbs. Continue reading

Two summer super-refreshers: Peach Dodo Gose and Puma Pilsner

Checking in at: Rhinegeist Brewery, Cincinnati OH

October 12, 2017 / Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle / 0 Comments

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Cincinnati has a long history as a brewing town. In the old German-settled neighborhood known as Over-the-Rhine, at the turn of the 20th century, there were 38 breweries. The largest of them was Christian Moerlein Brewing. Eventually, they would all go out of business, leaving hulking manufacturing facilities and warehouses behind. Continue reading

If the Steelers win, Gold Star coneys and chili will be part of the package delivered to the mayor of Pittsburgh.

It’s Graeter’s vs. Primanti on Saturday

January 8, 2016 / Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle / 0 Comments

Our fascination with mayors’ wagers over sporting events continues: the Cincinnati Bengals play the Pittsburgh Steelers in an NFL playoff game Saturday, and the mayors of both cities have put up their towns’ signature foods in support of the home teams. Cincinnati’s buffet is headlined by Graeter’s ice cream, which will be accompanied by chili and coneys from Gold Star and unspecified food from the Montgomery Inn (known for their ribs). The Pittsburgh cache features Primanti’s sandwiches and other items from Heinz, Dream Cream ice cream, and Smiley Cookies. We’re giving the edge to Cincinnati, food-wise.

Take a sausage-making class at Avril-Bleh Meat Market and come home with 15-18 pounds of links.

Learn to Make Sausage in Cincinnati!

December 10, 2015 / Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle / 2 Comments

Looking for a special gift for your favorite carnivore? Here’s an idea that we think she or he would love: a sausage-making class at the Avril-Bleh Meat Market in Cincinnati. The class last three to four hours, and during that time you’ll grind, mix, stuff, and link a dozen or more types of homemade sausage. The cost is $125, which sounds pretty reasonable to us for the class but it’s way more reasonable than you think, because you get to take home all the sausage you make! That generally runs between 15 and 18 pounds of links. They also serve everyone a sausage lunch, and you get a t-shirt to boot. Continue reading

Red AND green peppermint candy in Young's Jersey Dairy's peppermint stick ice cream... we approve!

‘Tis the Season for Peppermint Ice Cream!

December 9, 2015 / Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle / 0 Comments

When the weather turns cold, and the scent of pine is in the air… and twinkling lights hang from the eaves, and fat men in red suits loiter on street corners and in department stores… it can only mean one thing: peppermint ice cream is back! We’re not talking about the green mint chip ice cream that is available year round (and which is quite alright by us) but that (unfortunately) seasonal pink concoction, often studded with red and white bits of peppermint candy. Continue reading

Giordano’s Coming to Cincinnati

June 30, 2015 / Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle / 1 Comment

Giordano’s continues to expand. They’re bringing their Chicago deep-dish pizza to Cincinnati, hoping to sign the first lease by the end of the year. Giordano’s is expecting to eventually open at least half a dozen restaurants in the Cincinnati area when all is said and done.

Goetta Life

June 18, 2015 / Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle / 0 Comments

There are two kinds of goetta fans: those who live in or come from the Cincinnati area, and those who have received their advanced degrees in regional eating. Yes, for some reason goetta (pronounced as if the “o” wasn’t there), unlike its close Philadelphia cousin scrapple, has never ventured beyond its hometown. Goetta is a loaf made with ground pork and/or beef and pinhead oats (which are the coarse oats also known as steel-cut or Irish). It’s then sliced and fried, often for breakfast. Continue reading

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A Morning Menu of LAF-Style Food News and Stories to Begin Your Day

HAPPY NATIONAL PEANUT BUTTER LOVER’S DAY!

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A Morning Menu of LAF-Style Food News and Stories to Begin Your Day

HAPPY CREME-FILLED CHOCOLATES DAY!

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A Morning Menu of LAF-Style Food News and Stories to Begin Your Day

HAPPY NATIONAL CROISSANT DAY!

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A Morning Menu of LAF-Style Food News and Stories to Begin Your Day

HAPPY NATIONAL MARZIPAN DAY!

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