What is this picture missing? (Hint: it’s you)

May 27, 2010 by

It’s magical, undeniable, visceral. Brimming with vitality. The aroma alone induces salivation. Bodies, not automobiles, cram every corner of every sanctioned block of the direct center of the city. Vendors serving last customers in line, gasping a second’s breath, returning barely in time to receive another crowd of relentless patrons. The good AND the crappy bands drone en masse, entertaining drunken crowds of suburban mothers and budding hipsters. People pay dearly for it, the young and the old live for it, babies spring from the womb crying for it, Moses descends from the mountain holding tablets inspired by it. And some… have never been to or even heard of it. And that sucks to me, so for Moses’ sake, listen up:

If Taste of Cincinnati is not a ritualistic, habitual event marked on your calendar, you are sincerely missing out.

First, the food. Of course, it’s all that matters to me. Surprised? We should hang out more. Anyway, the whole shindig was originally inspired by it. In 1979, Karen Maier of Frisch’s wanted to host a one-day New York-inspired culinary festival in then Garfield Park. By 1988, it was was on Central and longer than a weekend. Now, for the fourth year in a row, Fifth Street is sectioned off for six blocks (between Race and Broadway) to accompany the almost half-million hungry peeps who overrun the swelling, busting-at-the-seams venue over the span of three days. Why? Street food at its greasiest and its best. Don’t expect to see Local 127 here. Instead, look for the guys holding sauerbratens and a Warsteiner. Or any of the superfluity of asian and pub fares. Courtyard Café and all their awards, especially their desserts. Arguably thebest gyro in the city. The friggin’ Melting Pot. And when you have barbeque places competing for the number one spot on the platform, everybody wins.

Second, some really, really varying music. (See, I can make up other reasons other than food) So many pop bands, so many 80‘s bands, but then you turn a corner and get the jazz band that blows your mind. It’s like finding your niche. Oh I see that theRusty Griswolds are playing… I think I shall be there. I also see there are comedians scheduled. How. Interesting.

Third, beer. That is all.

Fourth, Naked Cowboy. Yes, that’s right. A cowboy. Who is naked. Well almost, save a guitar. Actually is he even around anymore, or is he just working part-time at the Cadillac Ranch?

Yes, it’s crowded. Yes, it’s expensive. So just suck it up, save up, buy an overpriced lemonade slushy and cancel the rest of your plans for this weekend. Because you need this more than it needs you.

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Cincinnati Fish Fry Crawl – Week 1 – DeSales Church

Feb 26, 2010 by

A Weekly Report on Cincinnati’s Lenten Fish Fries…

I’m not Catholic. I just happen to like fish.

Having been raised in Philadelphia, we grew up with fresh fish, always beautiful and fresh. Not just the bland supermarket varieties like cod and flounder, but the more colorful and flavorful fish such as bass, perch, catfish, and crab, a giant undersea assortment apropos to a big coastal city with scores of fishmongers. On our many vacations to the beaches along the east coast, we learned to fish from piers, crab at my aunt’s house, and collect mussels in the bays not far from my grandmother’s beach house in North Carolina. We’d always eat what we caught.

Five years ago, my partner and I moved from Philadelphia to the much more landlocked Cincinnati. Fish was something jetted into Ohio, or trucked in frozen at best. It was mostly foreign to the region. People didn’t really eat it as much here, vocally announcing their dislike of all things from the sea.  I mostly stayed away from it, wary of its origins, until I discovered good sources. I discovered Cincinnati’s local forms of sustenance, like Skyline and its orange cheese, or Dewey’s with its gourmet but definitely not Italian pizza. Fish wasn’t something I sought out here – it was just wrong to want it in a region so far inland. But I missed fish.

What I didn’t realize was that Cincinnati, so very German Catholic Cincinnati, bites the bullet and eats fish for religious purposes, during a six week period called “Lent”, the six week period we, in our house, also call “Fish Fry Season”.

During my  first year came Lent. Driving around the city, I noticed signs for Fish Fries on many churches, VFW’s, and fire halls. “People actually eat fish here?” I said to my Northern Kentucky-born partner. “Only for religious purposes”, he said, as he explained how each Friday during Lent, Catholics are asked to not eat meat, and since it was a church requirement, many organizations held fish fries as fundraisers. Hmm. “Want to check out the church around the corner tonight for dinner?” “Sure.”

So, my first fish fry was in our neighborhood, and I was, no pun intended, hooked. The commanding Saint Francis De Sales Catholic Church, at the corner of Madison Road and Woodburn Avenue, in East Walnut Hills at what’s commonly referred to as DeSales Corner.  DeSales’ Fish Fry is one of the best in the city, I’ve found.

For its fried fish dinner, DeSales starts with fresh whiting, and hand batters each piece it fries with a corn meal batter. Three or four pieces are served on a platter, with your choice of mac and cheese or fries, all served with cole slaw and your choice of wheat or white bread. It’s plain food but it’s all homemade and there’s a lot of it. The mac and cheese is creamy and cheesy and served from big vats with a crispy top. The cole slaw tastes like my mom’s.

Baked varieties of fish, pizza, or just a “Fish slider” are available as well as the fried dinners. Look for a newer looking school structure sort of behind the church, it’s a busy place. Place your order at the window, and pay, they give you a ticket, go find a seat and listen for your number. When you hear your number, raise your hand and one of the school’s students will deliver your meal. Drinks include canned sodas and coffee and are $.50 extra. Raffles happen on the stage, take a chance on the Split-the-Pot!

The DeSales’ Fish Fry is one of the hidden gems of the city, always delicious and plentiful! We always try to get there at least two times during this six week cycle. The food is consistently good and made fresh each week. We’ve taken many friends there who had no knowledge of fish fries, and they’ve even gone back on their own!

Each week until Easter, my faithful Doug and I will be scoping out the best in Cincinnati fish fries. Tonight? I think we’re going to the West side to St. William for week two. Stay tuned.

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I Know Where to Get the Good Stuff

Jan 19, 2010 by

I never thought that going to a farmer’s market was unusual.  Both of my parents were avid gardeners, and whatever we didn’t raise ourselves, we’d buy from local farm stands.  Suffice it to say that I am more than a little geeked about how much of a destination our beautiful little burg’s markets are becoming, thanks to how Cincinnati is fostering a healthy population of food lovers, and a burgeoning locavore culture.  The historic Over the Rhine district, just blocks from downtown, features Findlay Market, Ohio’s oldest continuously operated public market.  If you have never visited Findlay, I strongly recommend you check them out!

Some of my personal favorites:  Kroeger Meats (no affiliation with the supermarket chain), for the tastiest, most interesting sausages in town; Herbs and Spice and Everything Nice, because this fellow KNOWS his spices, and won’t hesitate to let you sniff the quality for yourself; Dojo Gelato for the always-necessary treat for you after a shopping trip well shopped; and the farmers with their myriad of local goods will be coming back soon, some as early as next month!  There are a few of the neighborhood farmer’s markets still churning along, including my own beloved Northside Farmer’s Market (Wednesdays from 4:30 to 7:30 – currently at North Presbyterian on Hamilton Ave.), where I can still get not only locally raised honey, but local fresh eggs, pasture-raised chicken, beef and pork, organic microgreens, even apples… just a few of the things available in the dead of winter. Here is a listing from CORV for the local providers from the 2009/2010 season.

I cannot tell you how excited I get every time I see a fine dining establishment sourcing goods from local farmers… meaning I jump up and down and do a little dance!  The farmer I buy my honey from (Richard Stewart at Carriage House Farm, from North Bend, Ohio) at the Northside market also supplies more than a few of the finer local restaurants, including Chalk and Jean-Ro Bistro.  This past summer, I hooked up a downtown bartender friend of mine with cucumbers and nasturtium flowers from my own home garden for his fancy specialty cocktails.  This is more than just a fad.  Chefs are proud to tell their customers where the food they serve is coming from, and more and more people are finding out just how wonderful that food can be when it hasn’t traveled across the country, or across the planet to get to their plate.  I encourage you to try to buy one foodstuff from a local producer every shopping cycle. You will be pleasantly surprised by the quality and you will be supporting your local economy more so than spending exclusively at a big-box chain retailer.

Dark Martha

http://www.consciousurbanliving.com/

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