Park Chili Parlor

Guess what guys! I don't hate breakfast!

You know about my plans of making myself like beer. (No progress there, by the way.) Beer is just the newest item in a long list of things I'm trying to teach myself to like: wine, then olives, and I think I'm finally making some headway on BREAKFAST!

Yep. I don't like beer, pig, breakfast. Kick me out of Cincinnati, why don'tcha.


So that's what brought me to Park Chili Parlor. My coworker-friend and I had a pre-workday meeting. He's from Northside and knows I'm way into the greasy spoon-type restaurant, so we went to Park Chili.

I had the "veggie mess," which I'm craving again right now. Potatoes and peppers and eggs and you know what I'm not even sure what all was in that thing except a heap of delicious.


The best part of the meal-- which I don't have to tell anyone who's been there-- is the local flavor. Regulars would walk in and be heckled, heckle back. It sounded like there was a script that the whole restaurant was reading from, and it was really very sweet and funny.

No website. Shock-o-rama!

Melt

I've certainly been hearing about Melt for a dog's age, but never found a chance to make it out until we met my friend-boss Jeff and his wife Rachel for some pre-ballet dinner.


The ambiance at Melt is comfortable right off the bat. Dan and Rachel amused themselves with magnetic poetry while we were waiting for our food. None of the tables, chairs or dinnerware matched, which is absolutely my style. There were cupcakes from Take the Cake, ice cream from Jeni's, and a whole slew of menu options that I can't wait to take on.


I had an asparagus flatbread because Rachel recommended it-- great choice! Dan had a chicken sandwich and liked it. Ooh, I can't forget to mention my side dish... mm, those potatoes were kickin'. The picture here looks pretty bland but I promise you... delicious.


Melt's website: http://www.meltcincy.com/
Melt on Twitter: http://twitter.com/meltnorthside

Shake It Records

How incredible is Shake It Records?

Dan and I stopped by after hitting up Northside Tavern for the Crafty Supermarket. (I think a lot of people had that same idea.)

I had thought that Shake It Records was all music, but I was wrong. Tons of memorabilia, toys, books, magazines, more more more. I bought a handful of things, but I can't tell you what-- Christmas stuff!



Shake It Records' website: http://www.shakeitrecords.com/Shakeit-store.html

Crafty Supermarket

This year saw Crafty Supermarket's very first incarnation. Planted in the adorable neighborhood of Northside (specifically in Northside Tavern), this little local-goods flea market was a perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

There was a huge turnout-- from what I heard, it was much busier when it opened at noon, and by the time I got there (1-2pm) it was still swarming.

There was a plethora of local vendors and craftmachers, and I hope they bring this fest around more than even just once a year. Unfortunately I didn't end up buying anything-- I'm in Christmas mode, and while *I* wanted every single thing in that room, there just wasn't anything that fit the family members on my list.

Crafty Supermarket's website: http://craftysupermarket.wordpress.com/
Northside Tavern's website: http://lisalouuu.com/northsidetavern/html/

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/