Yay! Another new coffee shop on my end of town has opened.. well, actually, they've been in business for about 2 months now.. I've just been slacking on my snooping around.
The Eclectic Curio in Eastgate is aptly named.. the owners have a selection of cute, vintage items for sell, along with their yummy coffee.
I was greeted warmly by the owner and we chatted for awhile. The atmosphere is homey and the leather couch on the back wall was excellently comfy.My vanilla latte was perfect - smooth, creamy and and not too sweet.
I will have to try the regular joe next time I'm in, and perhaps some of their home-made chocolate.
Overall, a great little shop.The owner also does floral design on the side- she is formerly of Count Your Blessings on Beechmont Ave.
Check them out:
The Shoppes at Kennedy's Landing
960 Kennedy's Landing #8(off Glen Este Withamsville Rd. - Eastgate area)
Cincinnati, OH 45245
http://theeclecticcurio.blogspot.com/
Monday, February 16, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Karma Asian Bistro
It seems that finally the east side of Cincinnati is starting to catch up, restaurant-wise. New places have been showing up on Beechmont.. and two of the more recent additions have been Thai restaurants. I'm not complaining though - I love spicy food!
My coworkers and I just hit Karma Asian Bistro for lunch. It's in the Anderson Town Center, near Carrabbas. The space was first occupied by Roly Poly, and then Panda Express, and now it is home to Karma. Hopefully Karma will stick around longer than its predecessors.
I do miss Roly Poly, though. (They make a yummy indian chicken wrap. I've come up with a pretty good recipe for making it at home, which I'll share below..)
Back to Karma - it is small, cute, and clean.. the service was good and we didn't have to wait too long for food, even though the place was full of people. We ended up pushing it a bit for our lunch hour; it would probably be better to do take-out if you have to punch a time clock like we do.
They had a good selection of dishes, most of which were $6-$15. I had the yakisoba noodles with chicken at a "2" spice level. The scale is 1 to 3, and 2 was very spicy. I'm a big fan of spice, but if you're not, stick with a 1.
My coworkers got chicken pad Thai and sweet and sour chicken. We all liked our dishes. The portions were on the smaller side for a Thai place, but I thought it was the perfect amount.
Karma Asian Bistro
7418 Beechmont Ave, Suite 106
Cincinnati, OH 45255
513.233.0444
"Indian" chicken wrap recipe:
Grill a boneless, skinless chicken breast.
Shred into large pieces and mix with a little light mayo, yellow curry powder, salt and pepper
(to taste)
Slice and saute some sweet onion.
Put chicken mixture, a little of the sauteed onion and swiss cheese into a whole wheat wrap and fold up.
Press on a panini grill until heated through.
Heat some mango chutney and serve as a dipping sauce. (This is a must - super yummy!)
My coworkers and I just hit Karma Asian Bistro for lunch. It's in the Anderson Town Center, near Carrabbas. The space was first occupied by Roly Poly, and then Panda Express, and now it is home to Karma. Hopefully Karma will stick around longer than its predecessors.
I do miss Roly Poly, though. (They make a yummy indian chicken wrap. I've come up with a pretty good recipe for making it at home, which I'll share below..)
Back to Karma - it is small, cute, and clean.. the service was good and we didn't have to wait too long for food, even though the place was full of people. We ended up pushing it a bit for our lunch hour; it would probably be better to do take-out if you have to punch a time clock like we do.
They had a good selection of dishes, most of which were $6-$15. I had the yakisoba noodles with chicken at a "2" spice level. The scale is 1 to 3, and 2 was very spicy. I'm a big fan of spice, but if you're not, stick with a 1.
My coworkers got chicken pad Thai and sweet and sour chicken. We all liked our dishes. The portions were on the smaller side for a Thai place, but I thought it was the perfect amount.
Karma Asian Bistro
7418 Beechmont Ave, Suite 106
Cincinnati, OH 45255
513.233.0444
"Indian" chicken wrap recipe:
Grill a boneless, skinless chicken breast.
Shred into large pieces and mix with a little light mayo, yellow curry powder, salt and pepper
(to taste)
Slice and saute some sweet onion.
Put chicken mixture, a little of the sauteed onion and swiss cheese into a whole wheat wrap and fold up.
Press on a panini grill until heated through.
Heat some mango chutney and serve as a dipping sauce. (This is a must - super yummy!)
Friday, October 10, 2008
Bi-Partisan Burgers
Yesterday my husband and I took the afternoon off and went to see Barack Obama in Ault Park. It was a gorgeous fall afternoon, so even though we had to park really far from Ault, the walk was nice.
But, after standing in a crowded, hot park for two hours, the walk back was a bit less enjoyable. The bright light at the end of the tunnel: a burger at Terry’s Turf Club on Eastern Ave.
We were greeted by Terry, who is apparently a staunch republican, with, “No Obama supporters welcome!” ..He was joking, I think. I was wearing my Obama t-shirt, so it was pretty evident where we had just been. Then, as more and more people from the rally trickled in, Terry kept his politics to himself.
He makes a delicious cheeseburger, so I won’t hold his political beliefs against him.
Terry's Turf Club
4618 Eastern Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45226
513-533-4222
Hours: 4 p.m.-2:30 a.m. Monday-Saturday; noon-8 p.m. Sunday.
But, after standing in a crowded, hot park for two hours, the walk back was a bit less enjoyable. The bright light at the end of the tunnel: a burger at Terry’s Turf Club on Eastern Ave.
We were greeted by Terry, who is apparently a staunch republican, with, “No Obama supporters welcome!” ..He was joking, I think. I was wearing my Obama t-shirt, so it was pretty evident where we had just been. Then, as more and more people from the rally trickled in, Terry kept his politics to himself.
He makes a delicious cheeseburger, so I won’t hold his political beliefs against him.
Terry's Turf Club
4618 Eastern Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45226
513-533-4222
Hours: 4 p.m.-2:30 a.m. Monday-Saturday; noon-8 p.m. Sunday.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Guess who's coming to dinner...
Our friends Dave & Natasha had a potluck dinner party on Saturday night. Potlucks aren't very popular amongst people our age....but they should be!
We all brought a dish, so there was minimal monetary damage to the host and the guests. With the current state of the economy, I expect more people will be staying in..
And when would be a better time to learn a few culinary skills? It's cool again to know how to cook.. and guess what, the more you do it, the better you get. Open a bottle of wine, turn up the ipod, and give it a shot.
For $20, you could have a meal that would have cost you $60 at a restaurant, if not more.
And the wine is cheaper too :)
Get creative and invite friends over for dinner... come up with a theme, and ask guests to bring dishes that tie into that theme. You don't have to go all "Sandra Lee" on them with a table scape and crap (we call that woman the Food Network crack lady). A few candles and maybe some flowers will do the trick.
In the end, you get to enjoy the company of friends, good food and drinks, and still pay your mortgage. Life is good.
We all brought a dish, so there was minimal monetary damage to the host and the guests. With the current state of the economy, I expect more people will be staying in..
And when would be a better time to learn a few culinary skills? It's cool again to know how to cook.. and guess what, the more you do it, the better you get. Open a bottle of wine, turn up the ipod, and give it a shot.
For $20, you could have a meal that would have cost you $60 at a restaurant, if not more.
And the wine is cheaper too :)
Get creative and invite friends over for dinner... come up with a theme, and ask guests to bring dishes that tie into that theme. You don't have to go all "Sandra Lee" on them with a table scape and crap (we call that woman the Food Network crack lady). A few candles and maybe some flowers will do the trick.
In the end, you get to enjoy the company of friends, good food and drinks, and still pay your mortgage. Life is good.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Royal Taj - Indian buffet by the pound....
My dad eats one thing at a time. He doesn't like his food to touch.
For example, he'll put the meatloaf on his plate, eat it, and then go after the mashed potatoes.
That's just weird, or at least I thought it was growing up. As an adult, I've met quite a few people who have the same food issue.
How does this happen? It bothers me, considering I usually take the time to think about the dishes I'm serving and how they will compliment each other. I don't think you can really appreciate that when they're never on your plate at the same time.
I love to lump things together on one fork.. I like the combinations of flavors, textures, etc.
This is perhaps why I love indian food so much. When I visit my favorite indian buffet, I dump everything on one plate, letting it all run into each other and form one delicious, spicy food fiesta..
Saag paneer, chicken tikka masala, aloo gobhi... all these things taste wonderful scooped up together by a piece of naan.
On the east side, Royal Taj on Beechmont is the best place to go for indian food cravings. I used to limit my visits to this buffet due to a lack of self control, but now they offer buffet to-go, by the pound. At first I was a bit apprehensive... do I really want to know how many pounds of indian food I eat in one serving? (1 lb, exactly, it turns out)
But, I have found this to be a great lunch time option. I don't have to worry about over eating, but I'm not limited to one dish like I would be if I ordered regular take-out.
At $4.99/lb, it's a more economical option as well.. as long as you're not a big pig... just kidding :)
Royal Taj Indian Restaurant
7711 Beechmont Ave.
513.231.0500
For example, he'll put the meatloaf on his plate, eat it, and then go after the mashed potatoes.
That's just weird, or at least I thought it was growing up. As an adult, I've met quite a few people who have the same food issue.
How does this happen? It bothers me, considering I usually take the time to think about the dishes I'm serving and how they will compliment each other. I don't think you can really appreciate that when they're never on your plate at the same time.
I love to lump things together on one fork.. I like the combinations of flavors, textures, etc.
This is perhaps why I love indian food so much. When I visit my favorite indian buffet, I dump everything on one plate, letting it all run into each other and form one delicious, spicy food fiesta..
Saag paneer, chicken tikka masala, aloo gobhi... all these things taste wonderful scooped up together by a piece of naan.
On the east side, Royal Taj on Beechmont is the best place to go for indian food cravings. I used to limit my visits to this buffet due to a lack of self control, but now they offer buffet to-go, by the pound. At first I was a bit apprehensive... do I really want to know how many pounds of indian food I eat in one serving? (1 lb, exactly, it turns out)
But, I have found this to be a great lunch time option. I don't have to worry about over eating, but I'm not limited to one dish like I would be if I ordered regular take-out.
At $4.99/lb, it's a more economical option as well.. as long as you're not a big pig... just kidding :)
Royal Taj Indian Restaurant
7711 Beechmont Ave.
513.231.0500
Friday, September 19, 2008
NuVo Restaurant: Um, delicious.
Just got back from NuVo, at its new location on York Street in Newport, Kentucky.
We found it on restaurant.com today and decided to give it a shot. Restaurant.com has a lot of $25 gift cards for $10, so it's a good way to try a new place without spending a lot... check it out!
Anyway, back to the deliciousness.... this was easily one of the best meals I've eaten at a restaurant in Cincinnati. The restaurant was discreet from the outside and small but comfy inside. Overall it felt upscale, but down-to-earth. We made reservations today for tonight at 7pm without a problem. I think it's still relatively unknown... it wasn't crowded, but it will be when the secret gets out..
First came a basket of small, delightful crescent-like rolls. They were really light and melted in my mouth. We ordered wine - they have a small and economically priced selection- perfect for us; we enjoy wine but aren't very snobby about it. My glass of pinot noir was $5.
Next we were presented with an amuse bouche of little potato pancakes topped with fresh tomato and capers.. very tasty. We ordered a duck and cheese sandwich for an appetizer, which my husband would have happily eaten as a meal (if it were 4x the size).. it came with caramel popped corn, a nice compliment. Next came a cassis sorbet to cleanse the pallet.. really vibrant flavor and very refreshing.
As an entree I ordered the short ribs with bacon mashed potatoes. It was perfect.. the ribs melted in my mouth and were perfectly seasoned. My husband got the poulet with corn, black bean paste and gnocchi.. I didn't hear a peep from him as he gobbled it down.
We finished the meal with the chocolate torchon and french press coffee. The chocolate was dark and rich, very good.. and then they brought us two more chocolates with our bill..
We left very full and satisfied.
(Oh, and all of this, with our $25 off, and tip came to $60.00. Amazing quality for the price.)
NuVo Modern American Cuisine
527 York St. Newport, KY 41071
Phone : 859.261.1222
http://www.dinenuvo.com
We found it on restaurant.com today and decided to give it a shot. Restaurant.com has a lot of $25 gift cards for $10, so it's a good way to try a new place without spending a lot... check it out!
Anyway, back to the deliciousness.... this was easily one of the best meals I've eaten at a restaurant in Cincinnati. The restaurant was discreet from the outside and small but comfy inside. Overall it felt upscale, but down-to-earth. We made reservations today for tonight at 7pm without a problem. I think it's still relatively unknown... it wasn't crowded, but it will be when the secret gets out..
First came a basket of small, delightful crescent-like rolls. They were really light and melted in my mouth. We ordered wine - they have a small and economically priced selection- perfect for us; we enjoy wine but aren't very snobby about it. My glass of pinot noir was $5.
Next we were presented with an amuse bouche of little potato pancakes topped with fresh tomato and capers.. very tasty. We ordered a duck and cheese sandwich for an appetizer, which my husband would have happily eaten as a meal (if it were 4x the size).. it came with caramel popped corn, a nice compliment. Next came a cassis sorbet to cleanse the pallet.. really vibrant flavor and very refreshing.
As an entree I ordered the short ribs with bacon mashed potatoes. It was perfect.. the ribs melted in my mouth and were perfectly seasoned. My husband got the poulet with corn, black bean paste and gnocchi.. I didn't hear a peep from him as he gobbled it down.
We finished the meal with the chocolate torchon and french press coffee. The chocolate was dark and rich, very good.. and then they brought us two more chocolates with our bill..
We left very full and satisfied.
(Oh, and all of this, with our $25 off, and tip came to $60.00. Amazing quality for the price.)
NuVo Modern American Cuisine
527 York St. Newport, KY 41071
Phone : 859.261.1222
http://www.dinenuvo.com
Monday, September 15, 2008
Miguel's : Best margaritas east of the city.
This being my first post, I thought I would start with the restaurant closest to my house (decent restaurant, anyway).
We go to Miguel's quite a lot - and I'm not going to lie- mostly because we are too lazy on weeknights to drive further out.
It's casual, reasonably priced (most dishes under $20), and I've never experienced poor service. You get chips and the house salsa when you sit down - both tasty. My husband and I have tried quite a few of the dishes, but our favorites are steak fajitas and the fajita burrito. You get plenty of food.
The half & half margaritas are excellent. They're easier to drink than a frozen margarita, but more slushy than one on the rocks. I highly recommend. They are very strong.
One problem- only get a pitcher if you have a couple people drinking.. with just the two of us we don't drink it fast enough, and you lose the slushy half of the "half & half". (If there can really be a problem if you are enjoying a delicious margarita... I guess it's more of a "complication".)
Miguel's: 1340 State Route 125 Amelia, OH 45102
Phone: 513-947-7300
http://www.miguelsmenu.com/
We go to Miguel's quite a lot - and I'm not going to lie- mostly because we are too lazy on weeknights to drive further out.
It's casual, reasonably priced (most dishes under $20), and I've never experienced poor service. You get chips and the house salsa when you sit down - both tasty. My husband and I have tried quite a few of the dishes, but our favorites are steak fajitas and the fajita burrito. You get plenty of food.
The half & half margaritas are excellent. They're easier to drink than a frozen margarita, but more slushy than one on the rocks. I highly recommend. They are very strong.
One problem- only get a pitcher if you have a couple people drinking.. with just the two of us we don't drink it fast enough, and you lose the slushy half of the "half & half". (If there can really be a problem if you are enjoying a delicious margarita... I guess it's more of a "complication".)
Miguel's: 1340 State Route 125 Amelia, OH 45102
Phone: 513-947-7300
http://www.miguelsmenu.com/
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