The Sandtrap Grill is Pretty Much On Par

Cincinnati Magazine Showcases the Cooper Creek Events Center

      It can be difficult finding a basic snack bar like those walk up ones at a beach.  There are some downtown lunch places with similar attributes, but it's especially hard to uncover one of these gems in the suburbs.  While attending a Cincinnati Magazine event at the new Cooper Creek Events Center at the Blue Ash Golf Course, that's exactly what Paul and I

Merry Olde Mariemont

Dexter Waits for a Tour of Mariemont Village

      I planted my Cincinnati roots in Madison Place 26 years ago after falling in love with Mariemont, and soon realizing I couldn't afford a home there.  The planned community (one of only a few in the U.S.) was the vision of Mary Emery in the early 1900's, and is based on a typical English village.  The detailed tudor structures are evident in the town centers (both old and new) as well as those homes originally constructed in

¡Ay, caramba! Havana in Louisville

Lunchtime at Havana Rhumba

      Sometimes a restaurant has so much personality you just can't wait to tell everyone you know.  Havana Rumba didn't project much of that when we drove up to its strip mall location in the St. Matthews area.  We were immediately welcomed by Anna who seated us and then returned to tell us she would be

Xanadu: When Talent Just About Overcomes Material

     When we saw that Alan Patrick Kenny was back in town directing a show at The Carnegie produced by Joshua Steele, we knew we’d have to see it because there was neither a more exciting director in Cincinnati in the past six years nor a more ambitious arts producer. Kenny and Steele started New Stage Collective as a summer project in college and presented a lovely Side Show (I believe it’s the only

Chez Nora: Covington’s Venerable Standby

Chez Nora in Mainstrasse

     There are a few establishments in the region that always offer a quality experience based on good food, efficient service and fair prices yet are rarely on the foodies’ radar.  I immediately think of the National Exemplar in Mariemont, The Greyhound Tavern in Fort Mitchell, and Ron’s Roost in Cheviot.  They’re each pretty unique in terms of menu and

A Déjà Vu Trip to Wine Country at 20 Brix

20 Brix Corner

     Milford’s entry in the regional fine dining sweepstakes is 20 Brix.  It’s certainly connected with residents on the east-far east side because there were only two reservation times available on a Saturday night and the restaurant and bar area were packed from 6 p.m. through when we left at 7:30 p.m.  The name refers to a 

The Wine Shop on the Premises

method for measuring sugar level in wine grapes. The scale’s limits are 18 and 35 so this would indicate a dry wine.  A main focus for the restaurant is an extensive wine and beer list with a great variety of European and American brands.   

Political Animals: Roman à clef with too much clef

The Cast of Political Animals with Dexter

     Political Animals is USA Network’s bid for appointment television following the glowing lead of FX and AMC.  This approach has worked well for AMC in terms of awards and prestige and FX has had a considerable niche audience for over a decade.  This show is about a Democratic Secretary of State, who was a former First Lady, then Governor of Illinois, but lost the presidential nomination to her current boss.  Her former husband was Governor of North Carolina before becoming President and he’s now at loggerheads about what

"The Deep Blue Sea" or Sort of Shallow Gray Creek

     Terence Davies adapted Terence Rattigan’s The Deep Blue Sea and did everything he could to free it from its stage origins by use of flashbacks and opening up scenes that are referred to but not seen in the play.  He cast three of the best current British actors – Rachel Weisz, Tom Hiddleston, and Simon Russell Beale, all of whom acquit themselves beautifully – and has shot it in an elegant, impressionistic manner with a great musical score of pre-existing works.  And it’s so dreary that I felt almost as

A Buffet of Epic Pro-"Portions"

Entrance to Epic Buffet

      The buffet at the Hollywood Casino has been a favorite of ours since the original Argosy days.  It's waned off course in recent years, but has now undergone a major remodeling so Paul and I set out for an inspection and taste test.  I always

"The Watch": Training Executives and Misbehaving Dogs

       The Watch is the kind of mediocre Hollywood corporate crap that is a symptom of creative bankruptcy.  When I saw the preview, I thought it looked like a remake of Ghostbusters.  If only.  Four guys in suburban Ohio – not like the Ohio in which we live, but some overdressed, over-accessorized, soft core consumerist porn version of the ‘burbs (actually The ‘Burbs starring Tom Hanks was a better version of this story) –