Sunday, August 26 – Sunday, September 3
The Week(end) in Food – Part 1: I got off work early on Friday for the Labor Day Weekend and grabbed a quick lunch at one of my old stand-bys, Pontiac, where 80’s movies play in the background as they serve up BBQ and Bourbon. I made sure to keep hydrated for my re-emergence into the heat and humidity of late summer and Elizabeth Shue seemed to notice.
The Week(end) in Food – Part 2: I’m kind of a snob for preferring locally owned restaurants over chains. But in the hierarchy I will make room for regional chains. A few weeks ago, Cleveland based Aladdin’s opened on Main Street, a here-to-fore completely locally owned block of establishments. Reviews from people I trust were good, and I really like meditteranean-style food. I went for lunch on Saturday.
I got their “Flavor Savor Special”: Chicken Mishwi and Beef Kafta on a bed of seasoned brown rice with vermicelli, served with greens, Hummus and Falafel. It was all very good, the service, even on the off-hour when I was there, was attentive.
The Week(end) in Food – Part 3: Lou Vino is OTR Main Street’s newest restaurant and it’s a good one. Coming out of Louisville, where they have multiple locations (I know, I know, my standards took a hit this weekend), they have an accessible menu with simple food prepared well. The concept is small plates. And, though I’m over the small plate trend, I’ll live with it until it’s gone. The wine selection was surprisingly large and the service was terrific. Another great addition to the OTR experience.
The Week in Riverfest: Summer “officially” ends in Cincinnati with the Western Southern/WEBN fireworks on the river. This year’s music, sponsored by Kiss 107.1 and the Project (aka – corporate I Heart Radio), brought a couple decent acts in. Sir Sly, who put on a terrific show at Bunbury a few month’s ago, headlined the day of music. My personal favorite was the The Arkell’s, who I first saw at Bunbury two years ago. The lead singer is personable, the music is happy and upbeat, and on a hot, hot, hot and humid day, they made the burning sun and smell of humanity very tolerable.
The Week in Fireworks: The music was just to the east of the main attraction of Riverfest, the Fireworks display. People stake their territory on the wall days in advance and spend the day on the river partying. Well, there’s no beer, but it’s still quite a party. You can see the display from all over the city, but there is nothing like being close up and feeling the reverberations, and if you’ve got a lucky spot, watching the fireworks shoot up from the barge in the river, and the two bridges on either side of the barge. It really is a spectacular show.
The Week in Jay Walking: For what it’s worth, as I galavant around OTR and downtown I do a lot of jay walking. In our camera-ed up world, there’s probably hundreds of hours of footage of me illegally crossing. I bring this up because tonight at Vine and 13th, a young man was teaching his younger brother how to cross the street, giving him the full on “look both ways” and “wait for the light.” He was holding his brother’s hand. I could have wept. And for one shining moment, I too, complied. #Civics
Nothing Ever Happens on My Street 
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