Hello LTHers,
I took an impromptu trip to Cincinnati this weekend to cheer on my beloved Chicago Cubs. I booked my downtown hotel room Wednesday night and got in my car Friday morning. Cincinnati was a great town, very beautiful with the riverfront (I have never been), but very busy this weekend because there was some sort of music festival going on.
I did have some time off when I wasn't watching baseball, so I took some of the recommendations I read about on the forum. I did get to try Skyline and Gold Star chili 4-way with onions and while I did enjoy both, I have to sheepishly admit that I might like Steak N Shake's chili mac supreme a bit better. Maybe it's the sweetness, maybe it's the nostalgia (I went to school in Bloomington-Normal, home of the first SnS). Some native Ohioans might find it to be sacrilege, but hey, it's what makes the world go 'round, no?
Friday night's game was delayed due to the rain and I was cold and wet, so afterwards, I went to a small downtown cafe called Shanghai Mama's, whose kitchen is open to 3 am on the weekends. I ordered potstickers and some shrimp wonton soup to go. The wontons were firm and shrimpy and the broth very well balanced, but I did not like the egg noodles that were in the dish. They had a strange aftertaste to them and were a bit too al dente for my taste. The potstickers were very well flavored (I've waxed poetic about potstickers
here), but strangely enough, they were covered in a quasi Chinese bolognese sauce, spiced with ginger, soy, chili flakes and thickened with corn starch). A pretty decent meal that hit the spot and warmed me up.
Saturday morning I visited Jungle Jim's and almost missed the international section, which is a bit hidden and past the registers. I had to walk around the front part of the store three times until I figured out where to go. The cheese and deli section is incredible and I was sad I didn't have a cooler (but I had a game to attend that night). I did buy some interesting British items, including Wine Gums (my favorite candy), South African peri-peri curry, and an interesting little packet called "Chip Shop Curry", much like the McCormick gravy packets they sell at the Jewel. I am addicted to dipping my 'chips' in curry sauce, especially at the Celtic Knot in Evanston. I decided to buy this little packet purely for curiosity's sake.
One place I didn't see mentioned on the forum was the Findlay Market, a public market and farmers' market in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. The market is set up with a free standing market house that has meat markets, grocers, bakeries, and soul food catering businesses. Outside there are produce sellers, merchants, soap makers, etc. Off to the north side there is a farmers' market with many local farmers, most from Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. I got to talk with many of them and sample their produce. Nothing really beats an organic cherry tomato. There was a meat market that had a grill set up outside so they could grill and sell their own sausages. I had a surprisingly fantastic slice of thin crust pepperoni at a small Italian deli called Bella Luna. Along the south side of the market, I noticed a storefront called Mr. Pig, where I could smell the sweet smoky smell of real barbecue. Even though the pizza slice was delicious, I was kicking myself for not seeing the Mr. Pig sign earlier. Findlay Market is a real gem in this town and I sugget people to check it out if they are visiting on the weekends (I believe it's open Wed-Sun)
thomasec wrote:Pacific Moon Cafe has wonderful dim sum.
Pacific Moon Cafe
8300 Market Place LN
Cincinnati, OH 45242
I found out that the orignal Pacific Moon Cafe has now closed and reopened up across the Ohio River in Newport, Kentucky at Newport on the Levee, a new entertainment complex, complete with 20 screen megaplex, aquarium, and chain stores. It's basically a glorified mall, but the view of the riverfront makes up for it a bit. I intended on visiting Pacific Moon for some post-game sushi and dumplings, but arrived to find a line of girls in sparkly tank tops trying to get in and someone collecting cover. Apparently it was salsa night and the restaurant transformed into a club. I'm not sure what the vibe or the food was like at the old location, but this is what I call Asian Fusion Disco (much like Sushi Wabi). Maybe they have good food, but I can't help but get the distinct vibe that I am not cool enough to be dining there.
All in all, I had a great trip, the Cubs won 2 out of 3 and as of right now, they are 1/2 game out of first place. Cincy was a great town and I am looking forward to going back. Oh and by the way, the food at the Great American Ball Park is terrible.
Skyline Chili
http://www.skylinechili.com/index.php
Goldstar Chili
http://www.goldstarchili.com/
Shanghai Mama's
216 E 6th St
Cincinnati, OH 45202
(513) 241-7777
http://www.shanghaimamas.com
Jungle Jim's info in above posts
Findlay Market
1801 Race Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
(513) 665-4839
http://www.findlaymarket.org/index.htm
Bella Luna at Findlay Market
(513)381-LUNA
Mr. Pig
109 West Elder
Cincinnati, OH 45210
(513) 651-2251
http://www.mrpig.us
Pacific Moon Cafe
1 Levee Way, Suite 2125
Newport, KY 41071
(859) 261-MOON
http://www.pacificmoononthelevee.com
Sharona
ps. Sorry I don't have pictures, my camera is a bit wonky at the moment