René of the Day // 9.24.11 // Gators vs. Wildcats

For my dad's 60th birthday and Father's Day this year, I surprised him with tickets to the Florida Gators versus Kentucky Wildcats football game in Lexington. He grew up in Gainesville, Florida and has been a diehard Gator fan since he was a kid. I don't believe he's been to a game since he moved to Cincinnati when he was 17 and I knew he'd be thrilled... We've anticipated the day since the early summer and I was so excited to take him. I really enjoyed riding down together, catching up, laughing and realizing we have the same favorite current country songs in common ("You and Tequila Make Me Crazy" and "Dirt Road Anthem") - I thought he still listened to classic rock all the time. But he's a good ole Southern boy so no surprise really. We had an early dinner at Pazzo's in Lexington, a pizza place a friend who's a UK alum recommended. We sat right in front of a 70" TV and watched the Alabama/Arkansas game which was great. The pizza was delicious but the wait was ridiculously long, considering they weren't slammed. But we did have some time to kill. But the ole boy wanted to get into that stadium to watch the Gators run out, even if we just sat and watched cheerleaders for a half hour til they were ready (okay, Dad, I get it, you're not dead.)

After dinner we drove to campus and searched for parking... He sure as hell wasn't about to pay $40 to park at a fraternity so we pulled down a residential street and a bunch of college kids were tailgating in their front yard and had a handwritten sign in the driveway: "$20: Spot and a Shot." DONE. Dad worried the kids would screw with his car since we were Gators fans but I told him we'd be good. A super nice kid helped us out and three of them offered us a drink as we walked from behind the house. They were clearly making bank on this parking situation so handing out a cheap drink to their customers was a great sell. Dad asked him if he was in business school and he said, "Yes sir." Dad replied, "Alright then good, because that's where you belong." I pulled out my Gators coozie, slipped it over the Bud Light a random girl handed me and we walked just down the street, over a little bridge and through the parking lot tailGATORs to the stadium. Granted, we sat damn close to the top but he was happier than a pig in sh-t. We had a great time watching Florida kill it. Their running back/track star Rainey is just impossible to catch. There was a group of six young dads behind us with their sons at their first UK game - they were super cute and entertaining throughout the game. Dad knows the game really well so it was enjoyable to talk through the plays and see how pumped he got. At halftime he grabbed us drinks and came back with two blue Powerades (of course, Wildcat Country.) He said a guy looked at him and said, "Shouldn't you be drinking Gatorade?" and he said "Y'all don't have any!" and he replied "That's how we do it." He got a kick out of that.

I was laughing all night because Dad and MR were going back and forth via my texts. Dad asked how he took Florida beating Tennessee the week before. I told him I didn't talk much smack. He goes, "I would've. I'd call him and say, 'This is your future father-in-law. CHOMP! CHOMP! CHOMP!" LOL Later he said, "At least one of the son-in-laws likes football." Then MR text me to say he was dressing up as the Tennessee Tech University golden eagle at halftime. Pepsi put on a big tailgate for their employees and their colleagues at Tech have been teasing him to do it for quite a while - thought that night would be good to show off for the employee's kids. Dad said, "Yeah right, golden eagle? It's probably a vulture costume." Ha. He said he shook his tail feather, posed for pictures, hugged randoms, cheered with the cheerleaders and took a knee for an injured player. He's a total ham so I know he loved it. They told him he can come back to do it anytime haha!

The Gators killed it and I'm so glad I decided to buy those tickets and take a day trip together. A few days later I called Dad to chat and asked if he had a good time. He said, "Honey, it was one of the best times I've had." That statement makes it all worth it. Go Gators!

Commonwealth Stadium

René of the Day // 9.23.11 // I love this bar

Maybe I have Toby Keith lyrics stuck in my head as I anticipate his concert tomorrow night... but one of my absolute favorite spots in Cincinnati is The Blind Lemon on Hatch Street in Mt. Adams. It's really not a hidden gem these days, but it surely is a special place. Inside it feels like a hobbit hole nestled into the side of a hill in Britain. Copper mugs, old political buttons, trains and other nostalgic paraphernalia line the ceilings and walls. You can count on a phenomenal acoustic musician to be tucked into dimly the back corner by the bathrooms, with their relaxing tunes pumping through the bar and out on the patio, which is a dreamy secret garden. With ivy-covered brick walls, cobble stone paving and woven white metal chairs you'd find on your grandparents sun porch, it's a lovely spot to relax around the fire pit and enjoy said music. Their beverage menu includes a hearty list of warm boozy beverages for blustery nights - last Friday I had the Hooken Effer which had, I believe had 4 kinds of liquor, lovingly swirled into hot chocolate and dolloped with whipped cream. Helllllo happy hour. This time of year is perfect for visiting The Blind Lemon - fantastic for a date night, a place to catch up with friends or to bring new Cincinnati visitors. Cheers!

René of the Day // 9.22.11 // Open up your heart and let the sunshine in

How blessed is our generation to be able to capture images, ideas and memories in digital format to have forever? With the Interwebs as our database, we can share and save, practically without limits.

"Open up your heart and let the sunshine in" is a song that my grandmother and her two sisters recorded in Cincinnati in 1954 as the Nunn Sisters (short for their surname, Nunneker.) They didn't write this song but they perform as the vocalists. I will admit, it sounds very cute, almost like the Chippets from Alvin and the Chipmunks! It's not like their other songs that sound much more like the music of the times, more mature, pretty voices. They made a number of records, during the same time as Rosemary Clooney was recording in Cincinnati. It's mindblowing to me to hear them on YouTube 57 years later - they would be absolutely thrilled! I'm so happy to have this to listen to, archived online - the last time I heard one of their songs was when it was played at my grandma's funeral four years ago. I'm not sure who this person is that posted it on YouTube for his mother but it is quite sweet of him. It's so special, I have to share it here. Enjoy.

Original 45 for the song recording.

René of the Day // 9.21. // Cloud 9

So I'm not quite there (on Cloud 9 if you follow) after dining at the new restaurant in the former Dancing Wasabi space but I was pleased with the experience. Katie texted me in the early evening to finally catch up after numerous failed attempts and re-scheduled dates and sushi just sounded right. I'd been wanting to see the new place but was also curious because their sign outside reads, "Half price! Same menu as Dancing Wasabi!" It didn't make much sense to open a new restaurant and keep it the same so it didn't excite me, but it was worth checking out. Of course they offer "half price" which has been the gig for at least two years now. They keep the prices high and you do the math to see how "cheap" it is - wow!

Cloud 9 doesn't have any of the tacky art work and junk on the walls that Dancing Wasabi had. They do have two small white boards that state that they offer toro (richer, fatty tuna, harder to find and pricier) on the weekends. The menu has expanded non-sushi options with more appetizers and entreé options. The sushi menu offers all of the rolls that Dancing Wasabi did, but features quite a few new options. Katie and I struggled with determining which to choose because so many sounded similar. Almost every roll was wrapped around shrimp. It was hard to find five different rolls that were enticing and not repetitive, and neither of us are picky, we do it all - eel, uncooked, veggies, tempura, spicy, etc.

We ordered:
Orange County (sushi shrimp, cucumber & crab topped with spicy tuna, eel sauce & spicy mayo)
Dynamite (California roll topped with torched Hot Mama - mix of chopped tuna, salmon, tilapia, white tuna, yellowtail, garlic, red pepper paste, sriacha & green onion - eel sauce & spicy mayo)
Red Double (tempura shrimp, avocado, crab, eel sauce, spicy mayo, tempura flakes & wasabi sauce)
Caterpillar (eel & cucumber inside with layers of sliced avocado and eel sauce on top)
Tempura (tuna, salmon, tilapia, white tuna, crab stick, asparagus, cream cheese - deep fried)

Ultimately, the Orange County was the only new one for us. The Dynamite has changed a little and it was very similar to the Red Double, which we enjoyed much more. Red Double, Caterpillar and Tempura are always easy wins. We joked that they need a chart of spreadsheet comparing the rolls since many are so similar, it's hard to compare (so much for leaving work at the office, ha).

A friend from work was also there and mentioned they had really slow service and their plate of sushi sat on the counter for a while before it was noticed and delivered to their table; not a great experience but I've had this happen before. I think I'll go back - the atmosphere of Dancing Wasabi in the old Beluga space has better ambiance but I'm so sick of ordering maki from the same menu over the past few years.

Their full menu is available on their urbanspoon page.

(As always, I'm not a restaurant critic. Just a foodie sharing my experiences.)

René of the Day // 9.20.11 // Falloween

On a trip to Michael's craft store to inspire the fall decor for my adorable Willow House glass thimble domes that are the highlight of my kitchen table, I came across some fun Halloween items that I had to have! I spent Friday night relaxing, watching "Something Borrowed," eating English chocolate and dressing up the little scenes. Yes, I sound old and boring and lame but after endless weekends of travel, it was nice to relax at home. (Never thought I'd say that.)

One has sparkly little spiders with creepy long legs, one has two little jack-o-lanterns and a tiny black cat and one has little piles of skulls. I knew I wouldn't be able to use a whole bag of fake spider webs and I didn't have cotton balls so I pulled apart the ends of Q-Tips to improvise and line the bottoms of the domes - I think they turned out quite cute! And I have my fall set-up planned for November. Just call me Mini Martha. ;)

René of the Day // 9.19.11 // Aunt Né Days

We need more of these... But between work and other commitments and my sister's plans, it does make Aunt Né Days with my 7 (almost 8) year old niece, Kylie, less frequent as I'd love for them to be. But we have a great time together. I mean, I'm a goof ball, she's practically as tall as me but I have a bank account and a car "that's Kylie-sized" - what's not for her to love? We plan little adventures like the Cincinnati Children's Museum or a day on "Kids Row" in Oakley - reading books and having lunch at Blue Manatee DeCafé, going crazy with the toys at King Arthurs Court Toy Store and rounding out the day with ice cream in a special silver bowl on a pink stool at Agalamesis Brothers. It's been amazing to watch her grown up from when she was born my senior year of high school. She's so bright, energetic and so damn cute - but hey, what aunt wouldn't say such things about their sibling's offspring? 

Our latest Aunt Né Day included "The Lion King" in 3D - which I hear is only in theaters for 2 weeks! - followed up hanging out at Grandmommy's. I blew bubbles in the yard while she pretended to be a "quarterback" and ran and popped them. Then Grandmommy cooked pulled pork with pineapple BBQ sauce and homemade cole slaw and mashed potatoes with olives and some delicious horseradish cheddar cheese. And later I made ice cream cones to eat in the backyard. I was also able to catch up on some laundry! It was a perfect Aunt Né Day - I'm trying to think about our next, perhaps making them a regularly scheduled date. I'd love to take her for a more grown-up outing like getting a mani/pedi or have her spend the night at the studio with me and her best buddy, Findlay. I'm blessed to have such a little sweetheart as my sidekick.

Check out our sweet 3D shades!

René of the Day // 9.18.11 // Restaurant Week @ Bouquet

Bouquet Restaurant and Wine Bar is located in Covington, Kentucky, part of MainStrasse Village. It's been on "my list" for years and when Becca and I were deciding where to go for Greater Cincinnati Independents Restaurant Week, it was one of my top choices.

The Restaurant Week menu - 3 courses for $26.11 - wasn't as appealing to me as some of the selections from their man menu. Becca really enjoyed the butternut squash soup, heirloom salad and Atlantic salmon. I decided to forego the deal and choose what sounded best. I started with the smoked salmon mousse, served with cucumber, pickled ginger, red onion, candied orange zest and lemon caper aioli (see photo below). I was surprised to see the mousse served in little tarts but it was fantastic - the crust was rich and buttery and not too flaky. I would love to try another dish in a larger shell made with this dough. For the main course I had game hen with roasted brussels sprouts, blackberries, bacon and smoked buttermilk grits. It was outstanding! It was plated with four meaty little winglets stacked on top of one another, atop the delicious medley listed. The brussels sprouts were crunchy and roasted, the bacon was in thick, juicy little hunks and the grits provided the perfect creamy texture. My only qualm was that the blackberry seeds kept finding their way between my teeth, but what can you do? Our server was wonderful - I'm looking forward to going back with my mom and Kiki - we've talked about going for a long time - or for a romantic date with MR - he thought the hen sounded great. It's a very small and intimate space, so reservations are certainly recommended, I'm glad we had one. It was a full house at 8pm on Saturday. Next time I'd like to tap into their wine list, too.

After dinner we went to Oktoberfest Zinzinnati to meet up with friends and it was an absolute cluster! Phone service was spotty and it was nearly impossible to find anyone. I have never seen the festival so packed - it made it hard to enjoy the evening. The weather that afternoon was beautiful so perhaps that would've been a better time to go. It was just a crowd of drunk fools and far too many insulting smells in every direction. I also hate to see how people trash our city - but I also didn't see many garbage cans at our disposal (literally.) We each had one Sam Adams Oktoberfest beer and chatted a bit then headed home. I'll need to re-think my visit to Oktoberfest next year because I just can't be bothered with that circus again.

Side story: Bouquet also holds a special spot in my memory because last May, Kristin and I went to MaiFest in MainStrasse one Saturday and decided to sit down with our Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ales at a little table right in front of Bouquet. We were chatting about how I'd been a single gal since college and Kristin gave me a great girl talk about how I'm too quick to judge and should give guys the benefit of the doubt and not be so skeptical. I took her advice and tucked it in my back pocket when she dropped me off in Mt. Adams to meet up with Lindsey & Maura an hour or so later. So when we left Monk's Cove and sat down at a table at Tavern on the Hill, the only open seat was across from the girls, next to a guy with a huge smile and a big laugh who started talking about the Vols - so I turned around and gave him - MR! - a big Gator chomp... I gave him a chance, just like Kristin said, and the rest is history :)