MrsAWeeks

That is dinner tonight for the hubby and me....we love the spicy peppers, and of course their sugar cookies are out of this world. I am so glad I don't have to drive to Clifton or Hyde Park for a Potbelly fix.

Another one bites the dust....... I walked by the Nine West store today in Tower Place, and noticed they were having a big sale. I then saw the sign that said "store closing". Boo.

From a blog on Cincinnati.com PLAYHOUSE EXLPORES FOUNTAIN SQUARE This week’s big theater dish: Looks like Playhouse in the Park could embark on its third feasibility study re a move downtown. The first was for The Banks, but the project stalled. Second was Fifth and Race, but the developers are yawning. Current very preliminary conversation (which came up at the theater’s December board meeting, and evreybody is using the word “exploratory”) is high atop Macy’s overlooking Fountain Square. Fifth Third Bank, which owns the air rights, seems amenable – but that doesn’t put a developer at the table. Yet. Jackie Demaline

I want to suggest a name change from Sully's to Slutty's....yall know what I am talking about! :)

Our total bill with tip was about $70.....we ate on the cheaper side too by ordering the house wine ($25) a pizza ($13) and the shrimp ($15)......I am not sure how much cheaper it is than Nicola's. We love Nicola's too, but like the convenience of Via Vite. Rock Bottom, Universal Grille, and Sully's is where we go when we don't want to spend too much and my favorite Palomino's! We actually walked up there about 6:30 and the bar was packed, and there was an hour and half wait for a table for two. I love it that people are seeing all that downtown has to offer.

So AWeeks and I went to Via Vite for dinner tonight and ate at the kitchen bar. The food was wonderful. We ordered a half liter of the house red wine, one of their pizzas, and the special of the night which was skewered shrimp with asparagus and tomatoes. We also had the chance to meet Urbanohio David. I felt like a stalker when I asked our waiter if someone named David was working tonight, and sure enough he was! Kind of makes me want to sing Kumba Ya, thanks Urbanohio!

I am an example of a downtown resident who has never been to Mythos, ever. I did see that Pot Belly is advertising on its corporate website about the new location in downtown Cincinnati. I love Pot Belly!! I can't wait for that to open. It will be a hard choice between Ingredients or Pot Belly......

Best happy hour in my opinon is Palomino's. They have it 7 days a week from 5-7PM. The drinks specials are $3 draft beer, house wine, mojitos, and margaritas. The mojito was ranked "Best Mojito" in the recent Cincinnati Magazine. Careful though, I learned the hard way, to just take in a $10 bill, so I only get 2 and leave a nice tip. The food is $5 pizzas, and half price appetizers like steamed mussles, waffle fries with blue cheese, calamari, brushetta, a couple of dips, etc. Sign up for their mailing list too. I am getting an email a day from them right now for the holidays with specials.

In contrast, it is the lower income families where obesity is more present due to the fact that good quality food like produce, higher cuts of beef, organic, etc is more expensive. When you can buy a jumbo bag of chips for a dollar for a family of 6, why would you pay $1.99 for a pound of apples. Eating healthy is expensive.....

Yep All Rise is at the corner of Sycamore and Court. It is just open for breakfast and lunch.

They also have quesadillas I know.....I will check next time I walk by.

M&S's happy hour menu seems to be what yall are looking for. Good food, good atmosphere, and $1.95 menu. I also like Palomino's happy hour which is EVERYDAY of the week not just Mon-Fri.

My hubbie and I hit up Nicholson's for dinner last night. They had a folk/Celtic/bluegrass band playing. We might need to try Via Vite tonight for a drink. Anyone been to the bar at Morton's? Downtown is definitely the place to be.....

I stopped by Vinyl yesterday evening to see if they were open for dinner, and of course they were not. I knew that an event was being held there yesterday evening promoting Cincinnati, and the owner was at the bar when I dropped by. I asked her if they planned to open for dinner again and she said they were doing some remodeling and hoped to be open in early November. When I pressed the issue that I have left numerous messages and even sent and email inquiring about their status as a restaurant, she then disclosed that the chef had quit and they were in the process of finding another one. I left my number and email address for them to contact me when the dining room opens back up. I will let you know if I hear anything but honestly I am doubtful.....

Yikes! My hubbie and I are running the Boston Marathon in April, and we booked our flights on Skybus this past week. The flight goes from Columbus to Portsmouth, NH which is about an hour from Boston. Total roundtrip for BOTH of us was $122. I hope they work out these kinks by then......

My mother, mother-in-law, husband, and myself had a nice lunch at Via Vite today. The place's ambiance is nice and it reminded us of Bella on the interior. The crowd was slim when we first arrived around 11:30ish but was beginning to pick up with a lot of people who walked over from the 5/3rd building. The rainy weather may have kept some away today. Food was good. The presentation though was incredible. Us girls tried the soup and salad combo. The soups they were offering were a yellow pepper soup and a leek and potato. Both were excellent. My hubbie ordered the spicy sausage panini, and cleaned his plate. I think this place is going to be a winner not only for the square but also for downtown residents. Best of luck to them. The next time I go, I want to sit at the bar and enjoy the happy hour dining menu.......

Hey David, My mother is in town from Seattle, and I wanted to take her to Via Vite for lunch tomorrow. I tried making a reservation at Open Table, and it said none were available, so I called the restaurant, and they said they don't take reservations for less than 8 people at lunch. Do you think we have a good chance of not having to wait if we go tomorrow at 11:30 AM? Are you a server there? Should we request you if you are working at lunch? Any other info I should know? Thanks! Looking forward to trying it out!

I like the Green Papaya in Oakley for Thai and sushi. You can BYOB there too which cuts cost....

I agree with the comments on the FR. While the food was decent, I thought the atmosphere was the appeal. I don't see how they can recreate that at NOTL. I think this was mentioned previously so I apologize if I am repeating something but I believe the owner of the building was considering converting it to condos. On the flip side, it could turn out to be something positive for 4th street.

I had a message from Vinyl yesterday saying they were closed for 10 days for renovations but are now open. Whew! I was wondering what I was going to do with $75 dollars worth of gift certificates if they closed! http://www.wizfm.com/goout.asp?u=http://roc.radioonedeals.com/

Honestly, how you view Cincinnati is what you make of it. I am a small town Southern who moved here a year and a half ago. I was overwhelmed by the arts, entertainment, sports, dining options, etc! I love having so much at my fingertips. If you talk to people who have lived here their whole life, I really think some don't appreciate what this city has to offer. For a good taste of Cincinnati, come downtown this weekend for Ocktoberfest. I promise you won't be disappointed. Check Craigslist for apartments, groups, activities, etc. Good Luck!

Has anyone heard anything on the status of Vinyl? My husband and I have tried to go three times recently and they have been closed. We tried to go twice Friday nights and once on a Saturday night? Very strange........

I will take a stab at that....isn't that in a Vanilla Ice song? My favorite shirt so far is the "Downtown West Chester scares me"!

Does anybody know when Graeter's will open? They kept saying August, well now it is mid September.....

UncleRando must be hungry today...