Joe's Diner - revisited

We posted about Joe's Diner on Sycamore a while back and wanted to post a follow-up about our visits since their 'soft' opening. We have been back 3 or 4 times since and have really enjoyed each visit. Their menu is a lot bigger than it looks and even on our last visit, my fifth visit to Joe's, I was finding things I had never even noticed on the menu. Lately we have had friends and family specifically request to go there when they are visiting downtown, which is a rare thing. Usually people come down and leave the food choices to us because they tend to not know the options, so Joe's must be getting some decent press.

Last time we visited I also finally tried the chicken and waffles that get much praise on Urban Spoon. I've never had that combo before, so it's hard to truly judge, but it was really good and they make a fine waffle.

I think they are still finding their footing a bit with the way things run, but each time we visit they seem to be getting better. It seems like it's really becoming a neighborhood diner; the staff are all very friendly and there's always a good amount of people dining when we go in. We'll definitely continue visiting and hope Joe's is here to stay.

Take the Cake

For the first few entries of Cincinnati Re-adventure, I'm going to be playing catch-up on the places I've been in the past month or so-- after I decided to reclaim Cincinnati, but before I considered starting a new blog for it.

However, today's entry is from the delicious lunch Dan and I had today, at my much-loved Take the Cake.

My first experience with Take the Cake came when I was looking for a dessert to bring to a party; Dan suggested Northside's local bakery, and the half-dozen cupcakes we ordered were fantastic. (The red velvet cupcakes went over particularly well.)

But Take the Cake serves lunch too, and the daily menus they post online make me salivate every time I read them. Today it was the "G-BLT" that lured me in ("G" = "guacamole"). I'm still drooling a little, and I've already eaten the damn thing. Dan had the chicken stew with buttermilk biscuits (I tried it-- warm and flavorful, very comfort food-y).

Naturally, you don't leave Take the Cake without one of their desserts. They have an entire case stocked with cakes, cupcakes and brownies, as well as plates of cookies and pies. Selection can be difficult. Dan tried the peanut butter brownie (which I'm happy to say has none of that fake PB taste) and I had a yellow cupcake with "Italian strawberry buttercream icing" which I would recommend to anyone, absolutely. Again, the icing has none of the artificial taste I've come to expect-- it tastes like the actual fruit, with a sharp twang and natural sweetness.

Take the Cake is another one of my successes for my goal of supporting local business-- every time I eat at the café I come away wondering why I would eat at a Panera or a Bruegger's when this kind of place exists in my neighborhood. It's not just a matter of local economy-- the food actually tastes better, is made of better things, is locally grown and often organic... hell, you can watch it being made from scratch in the open kitchen behind the cash register. You walk away feeling better on all fronts.

Take the Cake
Twitter: http://twitter.com/takethecakecafe/
Website: http://takethecakecincinnati.com/
Online menu: http://takethecakecincinnati.com/menu/cafe/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=28993317451/

Northside Community: http://northside.net/