The replies were “no, but we’re working on it.” Then voila, a few days later the emails are flying and the Rampage is a go.

So to everyone that put it together and was kind enough to invite me, thanks!

In case you didn’t read Bob or Maureen’s take on things, the concept is fast food sushi. All the ingredients are at the ready, waiting for rice and wrap to be passed down the line. Pick your fillings and sauces, pay, and walk away before you would normally get a glass of water at a sit down restaurant.

Here is my take:

For starters, the rice machine that spits out flat layers of sushi rice ready for a seawead (or apparently a soy) wrap at up to 1200 sheets an hour….that rocks….and I want one….

Also a mechanized plus to the sushi world, the cutter, insuring 10 evenly cut pieces every time.

In between those steps are all the fillings. Only two raw fish are available–tuna and salmon–and both are already marinated in some pretty tasty sauce. Everything else is hot…baked salmon, grilled steak, fried calamari, tempura chicken, etc… It’s most certainly a new twist on a traditional food form.

I went for a steak roll, dressed with their choice of toppings (except asparagus, I couldn’t bring myself to do that in sushi just yet). It was pretty tasty, but more of a novelty for me. I also did a raw salmon and tuna roll with my favorite accoutrements–avocado, green onion, and cream cheese, topped with tempura flakes and spicy mayo. I’m good at making healthy things bad for you….and it was delicious!

The sushi really was good, and I will certainly be going back. It’s not gonna be my number one spot…I like too many crazy fish options and weird stuff that Soho doesn’t have to make it my go to….but they are after a different segment of the market, and from what I saw/tasted they’re doing a great job at it. That’s what is cool about Soho, they are doing something different, something you can’t get at just any sushi joint.

As far as value, this place has it. Every roll is 10 pieces, which means two is plenty for me and anyone that wants to try a roll off my plate.

So to Zach and Stephan: great job fellas, and thanks for hosting our group. I can’t wait to come back.

The overall highlight for me? Being in great company at a fun/tasty new spot downtown on a stellar Tuesday night.

Night 1

My first stop is always at Andy's for Shish Tawook

Fish and Chips: ok, but not good enough to remember where it was from

I feel bad for people that can't tolerate gluten because this cookie was pretty weak.

So the winner of night 1, hands down, was Andy’s Mediterranean

Night 2

Ribs from The Inn

Mac n' Cheese from Bella Luna was pretty good, but the Buffalo Mac was awesome

Beer for desert...always a winner

I love The Inn, but damn that Buffalo Mac n’ Cheese was good. Dare I say it was Mackin’ Cheese….so it wins night 2.

Night 3

Vicious Voodoo Chicken

I also got the Shrimp Scampi from somewhere…wasn’t that good and I forgot to take a picture.

That leaves the awesome and perfectly spicy Voodoo Chicken from J. Gumbo’s as the night 3 winner.

Overall the Voodoo chicken was the best thing I ate all weekend. Tthat chicken and sauce had so much flavor and spice I ended up going back for another bowl. Located downtown on Walnut between 4th and 5th, I’ll be heading to J. Gumbo’s for lunch often……especially on the other side of summer when I need something to heat me up.

Once again we met in front of Park+Vine at 12:30 on a bright Saturday afternoon. This year Reser had some shirts (rolled as bike tires) sitting on the check in table, and I had a little fun waiting for everyone to check in and pump up.

The OTR/Gateway Summer Celebration was taking place right up the block, and had I not been working on Race St I would have run the 5k and partied a bit before our food trek. Instead I caught a glimpse of the action as ~50 of us pulled away from P+V.

We cruised up Vine St through the heart of OTR (and past the park that will be my new backyard) on our way to Take The Cake in Northside. I’ve heard so many great things about TtC that I was a bit embarrassed I had never been there before.

My garage is on the other side of the park

The cruise to Northside was a good 5 miler, enough to work up a sweat, only to have it cooled by TtC’s awesome Gazpacho. Which then heated you back up with its spicy kick!

I may have purchased a brownie as well...

Not an official stop, but right next door was Cluxton Alley Coffee roasters. I’m not a coffee guy, but I poked my head in with a few other people to check it out.

Back on our rides we pedaled the longest single length of our journey, a 10 mile and at times not-so-flat (hey it’s Cincy) route over to Pleasant Ridge to Loving Cafe. The only repeat so far in the B+D series, they changed up from the veggie rolls and peanuts sauce we got last time (which was awesome) and went with fresh fruit and a salad, accompanied by two phenomenal homemade dressings.

With only six miles left to cover two stops, we took a short cruise over to Lucky John Slow Food where we filed through a buffet of pasta and vegan pizza awesomeness.

Seeking shade

After a nice boost of energy from all those carbs most people cruised (and some of us hauled ass) through Eden Park into Mt. Adams to The Rookwood. They served up some awesome chocolate on chocolate dessert and some “Yellow Bicycles” which were something, something, St. Germain and Proseco.

Each Bike+Dine has been a different experience for me, so I can’t say any one was better than the other. They have all been a blast though, and I can’t wait for the fall 2010 ride.

Turning+Sneezing....now that's talent

A little help from the popo in walnut hills

Cheers!

Thing is, even with work being the primary objective of this particular trip, when 3 gentlemen who went to university together reunite, especially under such spectacular weather conditions, they must immediately celebrate with glorious amounts of food and alcoholic libations. Upon my friends arrival we immediately made our way to La Mexicana, and I was able to creep them out a little bit by parking in back and walking in through the cash only mexican grocery store.

Dinner was as great as it always is and I determined once and for all that the green salsa in the bottle (as opposed to the one that comes out with the first basket of chips) is my favorite. A little red for some extra kick is ok, but not always necessary.

After a feast that included barbacoa and chicken tacos as well a big order of flautas we hopped back across the river to my place to drop the car off and walk to Arnold’s. There in lies a bit of the problem–by dropping the car off, we took the limit on the intake of alcohol and pushed it into different territory (let’s forget about that time at the Jacob’s house….thanks for the ride). For three guys who enjoy the company of one John Jameson, that can be somewhat detrimental to accomplishing a full days work (keeping in mind the weekend before I worked 7:30 am to 6 pm).

Two thirds of our party started with Cumberland Pale Ales while the crazy SOB in our group said fuck it and went Jameson and ginger. “Oh yeah, and a three shots of Jameson,” accidentally flowed from my lips–we were off. Bowl of peanuts in hand we moved to the patio, 3 stooges out drinking and generally being goofballs. A step away from their normal Friday night genre, Arnold’s was featuring a pretty funky little jazz band on the patio. I’m pretty sure they had a deal with Rhonda to play music that convinced people they need more booze, because even our one friend who didn’t normally like straight shots of Jame was DEMANDING them!

*                    *                    *

Soooooo we made it to Findlay market by noon on Saturday. Have I mentioned how nice it is to have a garage directly across from the market? The place was slammed and we just parked at my spot and walked over. We grabbed a quick breakfast at Ms. Helen’s Grill (best $3 breakfast sandwich around) and then walked back across the street to start working. Greasy food and powerade gave us energy, while at the same time our natural male desire to break things using big tools took over, and we started tearing apart drywall and plaster.

In a solid five hours we managed to expose the entire wall of brick in what will be an upstairs office/den. I had already removed the commercial-style drop ceiling, and while we were chipping away at the plaster we were also pulling down parts of the old furred out plaster ceiling, exposing copious amounts of coal dust from the rafters above. The good news was that the joists themselves look great, and so far there are no signs of water leaking; lets hope the same holds true in the back of the building as well.

We accomplished well more than I could have in a whole weekend by myself, and for that I am very thankful. I’m lucky to have good friends who will come down and help out (even in potentially hazardous conditions). Of course I treated them to breakfast and plenty of those drinks the night before, but they would have come and helped me out regardless (hell we played 3-way Rock, Paper, Scissors for the tab at La Mexicana).  I’m sure the chance to break stuff with the 10 lb sledge didn’t hurt either.

The awesome G&M wrecking crew

One of my friends commented that out of almost any one of our acquaintances in college, he never would have picked me to be living in Cincinnati. I’ve been thinking about what has made me stay here these past three years, and why I’m committing myself to this area for the foreseeable future with the purchase of a building–of my first home. At the end of the day a lot of it comes down to the local friends that I keep in contact with-it has made this a very comfortable area to be in (and I’m really speaking about here to Columbus, where half of my friends reside). Not only have I met awesome new people, but I’ve been able to sustain long term friendships with close college friends. Add to that a job I really enjoy in a city where the cost of living is low–it’s pretty hard to complain. With the progress I have witnessed in the last three years I think Cincinnati is going nowhere but up. That extends beyond downtown and OTR (which I do love) to places like Northside, another community that does a great job of being, well, a community. I’m excited to be part of a location people are so passionate about and its renaissance.

Anyone in my family can tell you, one of my favorite sandwiches growing up was a Peanut Butter+Mint Jelly sandwich.

At some point (holiday) we were having lamb for dinner, and we had mint jelly as a condiment for it. I liked mint, I liked jelly, and I like PB+Js, so naturally I threw together a PB+MJ one day, and it turned out to be awesome!

I had kinda forgotten about mint jelly until my most recent trip to the grocery store. In an effort to rid my diet of products containing High Fructose Corn Syrup, I stood in the jelly aisle looking for something that was just fruit based. Then, on the top shelf at the edge of the section, I spotted the green glory. Yes, it is cheap, and most certainly contains HFCS. At that moment I didn’t care, I wanted it. So I bought some “all-natural” strawberry preserves (so says Smuckers) and a little jar of MJ.

After 5 days of being with my mom and sister, I was feeling nostalgic for the days of yore, and it was great to bring this childhood treasure of mine back for a taste. It’s got me thinking about some of the other staples of my childhood (many not as simple as a PB+MJ) that I want to bring back into my life. Arroz con pollo watch out, you’re next…

Now I’ve been alive a hair over 25 years–in that time I have heard, read, and uttered more than my share of viral language. But the number of times I’ve heard the words “shit” and “fuck” were doubled on Monday when I went to Park Chili in Northside for lunch.

I get to Northside a few times a month, and I’m always game to try something new. Having eaten at the Blue Jay Diner, my boss and I thought we would give a similar establishment, only a few doors down, a chance at feeding us. Located on the southeast corner of Hamilton and Knowlton, Park Chili holds a prime piece of restaurant real estate. So when we walked in to NO customers and the staff sitting around the diner bar, alarm #1 went of in my head. I think had either my boss or I turned around the other would have followed without question. But being a family owned and operated business since 1937, we thought we owed it to the legacy to take a chance.

Alarm #2 rang as I sat down and heard a woman in the back utter “So-and-so put the fucking lid from the boiled potatoes on top of my clean lids!” That was followed by our waitress who brought us two glasses of water, muttering “I think these are clean,” as she set them on our table. Alarm #3 began to ring over #2.

But c’mon, this is a greasy spoon if I’ve ever been in one, and if everything was spotless the food would probably suck. So we stuck around, albeit with a keen eye on every bit of silverware placed at the table.

My boss got a coney and a 4-way and said the chili was decent, better on the coney than the pasta. I got the Phil Burger, a diner-sized double decker that was on par with what I remember having at the Blue Jay, but not as good as Red Fox (Editor’s note: Although I’ve eaten there more times than I can count, I have yet to try The Big Tucker at Tucker’s on Vine, which I expect to be pretty solid as far as diner burgers go).

The food is not why I’m writing about this place. I eat out all the time, but I leave the restaurant reviews to the foodies. But fuck me if this wasn’t the most fucking fucked up speech pattern I’ve ever fucking heard during a meal. I wish I had one of those admissions counters they use at events to count the swear words. Honestly, I don’t think 10 seconds went by without hearing one, which puts our half hour meal in the 180 curse word territory…and frankly it could have gone over 200.

We were treated to conversations about how so-and-so fucked this up, or how some other asshole was a total piece of shit. Or how so-and-so had to be making money because “That son of a bitch is selling sandwiches for $10!”

It was really unbefuckinglievable, and I hope you give it a chance so you can (audibly) witness it for yourself. And when your meal is done, don’t fuck around and wait for the fucking check, just walked up to the register and pay for your shit.

Part of what made this last weekend so phenomenal was eating one of my favorite sandwiches, the egg-in-a-grilled-cheese basket. It all starts by building a grilled cheese to your own specs. In my case it was two slices of wheat bread, one slice of muenster and one slice of swiss. Acceptable add-ons include but are not limited to: tomato, onions, smoked salmon, salsa, and damn near anything else that goes with bread, cheese, and eggs.

This next step is critical. Locate a cup around your house that will cut a hole in the sandwich large enough to allow a nice egg layer, but small enough that there is still cheese involved–you don’t want to eat eggs wrapped in crust. In my case I use a tasting glass from the Great American Beer Festival.

Next butter up your pan (mmmmm, real butter) and throw in the sandwiches. Notice the cut-outs are still used as baby grilled cheeses.

Crack 1 or 2 eggs in the middle of each sandwich and cook for a few minutes on medium heat. If you use 2 eggs, might I suggest you crack one, sprinkle some shredded cheese on it, and then add the second egg.

Next up, flip ‘em.

I’ve found that if I follow my normal grilled cheese cooking times I get a nice easy/medium egg. If you want it super runny turn the heat up a bit to cook the bread faster (and thus a faster flip) while leaving the insides pretty mushy. I’ve also pulled the sandwiches off and wrapped them in tin foil to take for a breakfast on the run, although the eggs will normally cook the rest of the way through.

In this case, however, I pulled these straight outta the pan and dove right in. A damn good meal if you ask me.

Eggtacular

Eggceptional

Egg-a-rific

The other night, however, brought about rumblings in my stomach that wouldn’t be quelled by any ordinary breakfast sandwich. No, after a grueling circuit workout of body and free weight exercises I needed something more substantial. Raiding my bare cupboard turned up the usual; bread, cans of soups, pasta and peanut butter. The fridge wasn’t any better, not holding much more than eggs, bread, cheese, and OJ. Like a word problem on the SAT’s I was left trying to figure out the best combination of pieces, knowing not every foodstuff was going to be thrown into the mix (if all those cooking shows taught me one thing it was KISS!–keep it simple stupid!).

Ok, tomato-basil soup, cheese, and bread–that’s an easy option. But I didn’t want to make three grilled cheeses, requiring my continued attention at the stove, eating one sandwich as a made another. No, I was looking to cook, eat, and be done.

Thus I bring you the smothered and covered (I don’t think waffle house has that trademarked) over-medium triple decker, served bloody.

Don’t be fooled, there is no meat in this.

It all starts with four pieces of bread and cheese (I’m going muenster and swiss) in the toaster oven. Crisping bread and melting cheese, keys to a good start.

While that’s toasting it’s time to turn our attention to the eggs. Fried eggs aren’t that difficult. Normally I like mine over-easy, and for me that means cooking them on one side, flipping them over for about 30 seconds and then pulling them off the stove for that phenomenal runny yoke. But for this adventure I wanted over-medium, with a gooey center that stayed in place upon dissection. Instead of pulling my eggs off at the over-easy phase, I just kill the heat and let them finish up while the toast/cheese is in it’s final stages of toastymeltification.

At this point it’s time I turn to my friends at Progresso, heating up their tomato-basil soup in the microwave.

Now, for the construction (click on the pic below to see the GIF, sometimes it doesn’t load on this page).

I call it the stack n’ smash, because the next step is….

Now, for the awesome inside reveal shot:

So that’s the triple decker over-medium, but where’s the blood? Remember the tomato soup that is still sitting in the microwave…lay it on…thick.

Truth be told I ladled some soup on so I could take that picture, but then I just dumped the rest of the bowl over it.

The final step, clean your plate, as best you can.

That took about 5 minutes, then I was in the shower. Fast forward 15 minutes, I’m out of the shower and the rice is almost done. Then I started cooking the eggs–6 six scrambled eggs minimum, although 8 leaves you with egg to the last bite. By the time those are done the rice is about there as well. I pile the eggs onto the rice, add some sriracha sauce, and mix it all together.

Shitty iPhone photo, but you get the idea

You can add any shredded cheese you like to the mix, although I didn’t have any. Instead, I went for some of the best sour cream around, from Gibb’s at Findlay Market. Made fresh on Thursdays, delivered on Friday mornings, this stuff is incredible, and it stays good for about a month!

I took some of the egg/rice mix and threw it on some Frito’s Scoops, and topped that with a little sour cream.

I’m normally left with a nice one pound container to use for any of the three meals today. I can wrap it up in a tortilla or fork it right from the container. I also like to throw it on toast with cheese–a rice and egg melt.

Naturally you can add meat to this, but again, I was working with what I had. Overall the version above costs about $10, and I’m including the sour cream, the entire bag of Fritos, the other half dozen eggs, and the bottle of sriracha sauce in that.

When situation C arises, there is only one option, and that is using the awesome Chipotle Mobile Ordering App on my iPhone.

So Many Choices

I love the ease with which I can order and pay from my office (note: you can do all of this online if you don’t have an iPhone). As soon as I get the confirmation email I start walking down to Fountain Square. Upon arrival I bypass the line and walk up to the online order window. I give them my name and *viola* they pull out my order from the warmer (note: this is why I go right when I order, because it is always ready before they say it is in the confirmation email, and no one likes their food to sit in a warmer for an extended period of time).

Your credit card information is stored with your account, but you can pay at the store if you don’t feel comfortable keeping your plastic on file. However, you have to type in your password when you order, so if I lose my phone whoever finds it won’t be ordering tacos on my dime.

My only suggestion is that if you plan on ordering a side of salsa or guacamole, add that and pay for it when you get to the register. Otherwise it will end up with your order in the warmer, not the ideal conditions for a cold side.

My basic sushi set up

5chw4r7z‘s post on sushi inspired me to finish/publish a post about making sushi. I love the stuff, and it’s an integral part of my diet. Plus it has it all, carbs from the rice, protein from the fish, and all the benefits of whatever veggies you throw in the mix.

However there is one downside to going out and eating sushi, as evidenced by 5chw4r7′s photos…it can get a bit pricey.

Fear the tab no more, I am going to show you that making sushi is easy, delicious, and wayyyyyy cheaper.

Let’s start with the basics:

Step one is go to the asian market on the south side of Findlay Market and pick up the following: Sushi rice, Nori (seaweed), and the powdered vinegar/salt/sugar mix you need for the rice. You will also want to get a sushi rolling mat, and perhaps some chopsticks. There are other great accoutrements you will find there as well, but the basics will get you started and shouldn’t cost more than about $15-$20.

Next walk through the market and find the innards of your rolls. This includes you fish, veggies, fruit, cream cheese, or whatever your heart desires. You begin to realize that making sushi is just like making a sandwich, the possibilities are endless.

The hardest part is cooking the rice. If you have a rice cooker, sweet, you’re cooler than I am. If you don’t follow these simple instructions:

1. Rinse the rice. I put the rice in muslin bags that I have for homebrewing, but cheesecloth works as well. I generally soak the rice for 10 minutes, after which time the water is a murky white. I then remove the bag and run water through it until it comes out clear.

2. I then put the rice in a pot on the stove with 1 1/2 cups of water for every cup of rice. 1 cup of rice should make about 3-4 rolls depending on how big/thick you make them.

3. Bring the water to a boil, then cover and turn the heat down to simmer. Stir occasionally for the next 15 minutes to ensure it doesn’t stick. Then kill the heat and let sit covered for another 10-15 minutes.

4. At this point you will want to mix in your vinegar/sugar/salt mix. I buy the powdered stuff from the store, but you can also mix rice vinegar, sugar and salt and add that. The powder makes things easy. You will add about a tablespoon per cup of rice directly after the rice is done cooking. Be sure to fold in the mixture with a rubber spatula, too much stirring and your delicate rice kernals will turn to mush.

5. I then take my rice and spread it out on a tray to allow it to cool to room temp. Do NOT put it in the fridge, it will cool in 30-40 minutes.

Ok, the hard part is over. Now it’s as easy as putting rice onto seaweed, adding your fillings, and rolling with the bamboo roller (techniques can be found on youtube). Oh, and remember to cover your roller in saran wrap, it makes cleanup so much easier.

You can add rice to the inside, outside, or both sides of your roll, depending on what you like. Then start throwing in the fillings. Note that sticky rice is, as the name implies, sticky! Keep a bowl of cold water to dip your fingers in before you handle the rice to prevent it from sticking to your hands.

Get creative!

Then get your roll on!

When your roll comes out, be sure to use a sharp knife to cut it. Again, this is sticky rice. Take a cloth and dampen it with cold water, then wipe down your knife. Doing this before each cut will prevent the knife from sticking (and make cleaning it that much easier).

That may seem like a long process, but I promise it is easy. Plus it is a great activity to get everyone you are eating with involved in the kitchen. It’s a very difficult dish to mess up (except for the rice, and even that isn’t so bad).

Advanced Technique: Tempura Fried Sushi

Pick up real peanut oil, tempura batter mix, and japanese bread crumbs (optional) and you can make your own tempura rolls, or tempura pieces to go into your rolls.

Finally, grab a good beer and enjoy on your roof deck.

Oh, and the spicy mayo is just mayo with sriracha sauce. Add wasabi for some extra flavor.

The Green Dog is in Neyer’s new development at Columbia Pkwy and Delta Ave. The chef (whose name I regretfully forget) came and spoke to us about being a sustainable business, and how that theory was used in everything from construction of their space on through to the foods they prepare. Much (all?) of their ingredients are locally sourced. The food was phenomenal, and I can’t wait to drag my boss there for lunch.

Turkey BLT and Hummus/Red Pepper Sliders at Green Dog Cafe

We got back on our bikes and traveled across town to the Five Star Foodies commissary. It’s located near the corner of central pkwy and ludlow, but you can find their food at Bigg’s as well as a number of local eateries such as the Coffee Emporium. We tried a seitan slider and some delicious Thai soup. They also quenched our thirst with some very flavorful hibiscus juice.

We were running a bit behind schedule (damn you flat tires!) so we took the quick route over to Northside for a stop at The Hideway. If you are looking for a great black bean burger then this is your place. It went really well with the tomato bisque soup. I’ve always enjoyed their creamer potatoes as well, though I recommend brushing off some of the salt they are coated in.

After filling our bellies with food we traveled back to OTR to begin the libation portion of the afternoon. We stopped at Grammer’s where I was able to drink one of my favorite beers of all time, The Maharaja from Avery Brewing Co.

Thanks to everyone who braved the (slightly) cold temps to enjoy a great day of bikes, bites, and beer!

Thumbs up for a great ride!

Checkin' out Campy Washington

Hangin' at the Hideaway

Waiting for the gun

My triumphant return to running events was the Reggae Run, and it was a great race/party to attend. I had been missing the feeling of me and a few thousand of my closest friends taking off at the sound of a pistol, slowly working our lungs to the point of heaving air in and out of our mouths. The run started off by winding our way downhill out of Ault Park until we hit Delta, where we climbed back up to Observatory and did the roller coaster that is the entry back into the park.

Haulin' ass and taking pix

A quick 3.1 miles without a single flat step. This is the type of race course that fits Cincy so well. It kept a smile on my face the whole time. Although I got a few odd looks for running with my camera. It was well worth it though, especially to capture the after party.

The after party was full of goofy hats-mine included

The way I describe the after party to people that haven’t been…a mini, all-you-can-eat version of taste of Cincinnati, including four drink tickets. What a way to end a race =)

Full bellies partying to the soothing jams of The Ark Band

Check the slideshow up top for the food pix.

The Queen City Bike+Dine is coming up again on Saturday, October 10th. Like last time, the trip will feature some tasty local food and a smooth cruise around town. Granted we will be lacking the beautiful midsummer day we had for the last QCD, but it will be a nice fall ride instead.

Meet at Park+Vine a little before noon to get squared away. Cost is roughly $30 if I remember from last time. A few pictures of the food are up on the slideshow to the right. I’m still getting used to this whole flickr thing and how to get the photos to look decent when being pulled on this stream.

Boiling

One of my favorite things to eat (not just for breakfast) is a bagel with smoked salmon and cream cheese. When you have the right ingredients it’s a hard meal to beat. Finding a good cream cheese is a plus, but frankly regular old philly will work for me. No, for me it is about the salmon, and the bagels. Ever since Michael at Just Cured stopped making his salmon, I have been struggling to find something to satisfy that part of the equation. Thus, I focused my attention on the last part of the trio, the bagel itself.

Fresh out of the oven

I thought about heading up to Marx Hot in Blue ash, but I wanted something different. I decided to get adventurous and make my own from scratch.

After making the dough and forming the basic bagel shape, I let them proof overnight. The next day it was as simple as boil, egg baste, and bake.

The result is like no other bagel I’ve ever eaten. It requires no toasting, which I am normally adamant about. But the process yields a deliciously warm bagel that is crispy on the outside, while being soft and chewy on the inside. It was spectacular to say the least.

Mmmmm...tasty

What I saw walking back from breakfast

I’m a little late on this, since it took a little while longer than I thought to get the blog up, but the Queen City Bike + Dine was a blast. I found out about this event walking back from breakfast one morning, when I noticed 10 bikers sitting outside of Park+Vine. I found out about the 25 mile journey from the shop, thru Norwood, Pleasant Ridge, down to and along Eastern Ave, and ultimately over to Covington, sampling vegan fare all the way. Check out the post on Queen City Bike for more info, but the event was great, and more (and maybe meatier) types of these events need to happen around town.

Cruising thru Piatt Park

I found four great new restaurants to check out, and met a ton of people along the way. I stood out a bit, as the one mountain biker amongst about 50 road or hybrid bikers, but they were accepting and I tried to keep my antics to a minimum. Sometimes it’s hard when you can jump over curbs and no one else can though.

This is just another example of how living downtown turned a saturday of no plans into a great day that got me outside, meeting new people, and learning about new, independently owned businesses. Take that ‘burbs.

Fried Green Tomatoes at Otto's in Covington

This brings me to my winner of that particular trip, the fried green tomatoes at Otto’s in Covington. They were fried perfectly, and had a great sauce that went with it. It was a great end to a great ride (helped of course by an ice cold beer).