Wild about Wine.

Last week's Wild About Wine has been rescheduled for next Monday, March 3. Same time, same place. Let's drink to the manatees!

These people make me feel like such a bum.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/opinion/27kristof.html

But there is a good point in all of this. Think of all the time and money being spent on all the political campaigns. All to elect a few people who will bicker with each other and, despite the potential, not get as much accomplished as the individuals in the article.

Restaurant Week

Go out and enjoy some of Greater Cincinnati's terrific independent restaurants!

This year's Restaurant Week will be March 3-9, when 29 locally owned restaurants offer a three-course prix-fixe dinner for $25.08, a penny up from last year.

Participating restaurants: Andy's Mediterranean Grille, Behle Street Café, Bella Luna, Brown Dog Café, Chalk Food + Wine, China Gourmet, Daveed's at 934, deSha's American Tavern and Grille, Dilly Deli Wines and Gourmet, Greenup Café, Holy Grail Tavern and Grille, Hugo, Jag's Steak & Seafood, Jimmy D's Steakhouse, Kona Bistro, Mesh, Mike & Jimmy's Chophouse Grille, Molly Malone's Irish Pub (Covington), Nicholson's, O'Bryon's Irish Pub, Polo Grille, Pompilios, Primavista, the Pub at Crestview Hills, the Pub at Rookwood Mews, Red, Tink's Café, Universal Grille, Vineyard Café and Washington Platform.

http://www.gcindependents.com/restaurants.php

I want to try Hugo, Bella Luna, Chalk, well actually I want to try any that I haven't been to before. I can recommend Kona Bistro, the Pubs, Nicholson's, Tink's. Oh, why bother trying. They're all good.

Got Plans?
If not, here's what to do this week:
Feb 21 Wild About Wine
If you’re wild about wine, then this is the event for you! February’s event has an Australian theme at the Zoo’s Manatee Springs. Guests will sample eight Australian wines courtesy of the Party Source and have the opportunity to watch a special viewing oft "Planet Earth" in the 4-D theatre. The event features delicious appetizers, animal encounters, tours, music, a silent auction and wine education. All proceeds benefit the Zoo’s Lindner Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW) - the umbrella for all local and international conservation and research efforts of the Cincinnati Zoo! 6-8pm. $25/person, $30 at the door. Call 513.559.7754 or email wildaboutwine@cincinnatizoo.org

Feb 22 - Members Opening Party: Sol LeWitt: Structure and Line at the CAC
Free for Art Museum and CAC members, $15 at the Art Museum for the general public. Light hors d'oeuvres and cash bar.
6-9pm at the Cincinnati Art Museum
7-11pm at the Contemporary Arts Center
The Daniel Liebskind exhibit also opens at the CAC on Saturday.
Feb 23 - Bellydancing at Andy's Mediterranean Grill
Donna/Myrrah is my former belly dancing teacher and she is the best! She usually starts dancing around 8:00. Let me know if you're coming and we can reserve a table.

What do I have in common with Jane Goodall, Oscar Robinson and Erich Kunzel? We all support the zoo levy! Jane Goodall said, ""I am honored to have the opportunity to share with the leaders and residents of Hamilton County how respected and admired the Cincinnati Zoo is throughout the world."

We are so cool!

Don't you hate it when bloggers don't keep their blogs up to date? I do. I hate when I have to let mine lag because my computer is misbehaving! Bad computer! The screen keeps going out. For no apparent reason. So frustrating. It's not a software or system problem so I have to take it somewhere to be fixed. Aaaugh.

The cold, snowy weather has not slowed things down around here. Last Tuesday I went to the launch party for the new website Soapbox Cincinnati. The party was at the Mercantile Library which is one of downtown Cincinnati's great little secrets. I had only been there once before for a lecture. If you like to lounge in a traditional-looking library surrounded by books, you might want to check out the Mercantile.

You'll also want to subscribe to Soapbox. It's a new weekly on-line magazine about what's new and exciting in Cincinnati. There is a lot of material for them to cover. http://www.soapboxmedia.com/default.aspx

Last weekend, I saw Red Light Winter at the Know Theatre. It was pretty good, although a bit slow in parts. The sex and nudity was only a small part of the play and was not graphic or gratuitous. Still, Taylor said it was the most action she had gotten in a year. Which really does not reflect well on the dating scene in Cincinnati.

I'm looking forward to Wild About Wine on Feb. 21. I've been writing about the zoo a lot, but I really like the animals there. I do feel sorry for some of them in their confined spaces, but I think our zoo does a good job of educating visitors about the wild. And I think it's a great setting for a wine tasting. Wine tastings are everywhere these days and so overdone, but I don't know of any others that incorporate animals. Yay!

I Love The Zoo.

Support the Zoo levy. Vote YES on Issue 17!

And go to Wild About Wine on Feb. 21.

Still Winter.

I don't have Spring Fever yet. I know this because I was at DSW today. They have rows and rows of sandals out. I wasn't interested. I barely looked at them. Craving new sandals is usually one of the first signs of my Spring Fever.
I still want to go somewhere warm.

BOOKS

Allison asked me the other day if I could recommend any good books for her to take to Mexico on her vacation. I offered to personally deliver a few to her in Mexico ;)

I suggested something by Isabel Allende. She is a beautiful writer. Although the books aren't a light or quick read, I think they are entrancing enough to supplement a vacation. When I got home later that evening, I perused my bookshelves, and book piles and stacks, contemplating the best Isabel Allende books to lend Allison. I think I ended up with Daughter of Fortune and Eva Luna. But I couldn't stop there. I wondered if she had read Bridget Jones' Diary. That is a great, light beach read! So I grabbed Bridget's Diary, and the follow-up The Edge of Reason. Then I included The Spy Wore Silk and The Spy Went Dancing. These are books 2 and 3 of a series by Aline, Countess of Romanones who was an American spy during WWII. I think the first book is the best, but you can read the others without having read the first. She fills you in on what you need to know. The books are so interesting, its hard to believe they are true! They sound almost like any other spy novel.

Lastly, I included A Mighty Heart by Marianne Pearl. I heard Marianne speak at one of the Smart Talk lectures a few years ago, and really enjoyed the book. If you don't remember, Marianne's husband Daniel Pearl, was kidnapped by terrorists in Pakistan in 2002 and later beheaded. He was a journalist for the Wall Street Journal. Marianne is also a journalist and the book is wonderful. It's one of those stories that are hard to read because you know that the ending is not a happy one. But it is also heartwarming to hear her tell of the people who helped her get through the ordeal. My copy of the book included some of the letters that she received political leaders and from total strangers after Danny was killed. It was very touching. A Mighty Heart was also made into a good movie last year starring Angelina Jolie. I think you would get more out of the book, but the movie is worth seeing.

ZOO ALERT!

The Cincinnati zoo has set the dates for Wild About Wine and Zoo Brews. The first one is February 21 at Manatee Springs. I'm guessing they'll give the manatees a watermelon so they can play football. The next one is April 16 in the new Harold C. Schott Education Center, which, I believe is a LEED-certified building. I've heard that a cheetah will be attending on April 16! I'm so excited. The next day, April 17, I have to go back to the zoo for a Barrows Conservation Lecture with Boyd Matson whose last job, as host of National Geographic Explorer, I wanted so much.
On June 19, Wild About Wine will be held in the Children's Zoo. Last year, they had Pallas kittens in the nursery and attendees were allowed to go into Lorikeet Landing and feed the birds.
The next one is on August 21 and has an Africa theme. Yay! It will be at the new Giraffe Ridge exhibit which looks like it will be pretty cool.
Finally Zoo Brews, the beer tasting, is on October 16.

Go to my Flickr page for pictures from last year's wine and beer at the zoo. There's me with the python, Michelle with lorikeets on her head, and Taylor holding a scorpion. In her hand.

Later on Friday night, I headed over to CCM for Night Bites, the afterparty for A Moveable Feast. Many cool people there and quite an age range, from CCM students, to CCM patrons.
I can't put up a picture of Suzanne because, although she looked great, she was not happy with the color of her hair. Instead, I'll show a picture of fabulous footwear. Clara got her sassy red open-toed shoes at Payless! I didn't ask Taylor where her sexy red heels are from, but I want some!!! Shoetopia, maybe??

Friday night was the annual Robert Burns night at Nicholson's. Naturally, my friend Robb, whose last name is Burns, had to go so I met him and Joseph there. We tried to work the name as much as we could, with minimal success. Joseph and I demanded that Robb keep his license ready to flash at anyone at a moment's notice. I tried haggis for the first time. It tastes much better than it sounds. I also tried Scotch for the first time. Some of it tasted better than I thought it would. I'm probably not going to make a habit of drinking it though. As usual, I had a blast with Robb and Joseph. Gay men really know how to treat a woman! I told them they should give seminars to straight guys.

Wednesday Night in Mt. Lookout.
I ride the bus to work a lot. You see the same people who are on the same schedule alot. Even if you never talk to them, it still feels like you know them. Tuesday afternoon, one of the men who boards the bus at the same stop I do, handed me a photocopied flyer: Josh Ferreira performing at Jasper's in Mt. Lookout on Wednesday. I know this is not the most effective means of publicity (his show was also listed in the events in CinWeekly), and I normally would not actually follow up on photocopied fliers. Or go to performances by someone I've never heard of. But on Wednesday afternoon I decided it sounded fun. At least more appealing than going to the gym. Why not try something new? And I was hungry for sushi. So I emailed some friends. Only Sarah and Taylor replied. Sarah had to work late but Taylor and I planned to meet at Aqua for dinner. We had heard that Aqua has 1/2 price sushi on Wednesdays!! What?? How fantastic! Only, when we got there, we saw that 1/2 price sushi doesn't start until 9:00 pm on Wednesdays. Oh well. We feasted anyway. It was delicious. A little before 9:00 we hauled our stuffed bellies across the street to Jasper's where, it so happens, they have 1/2 price glasses of wine until 9:00 on Wednesdays. So we had done it backwards. Now we know - first, go to Jasper's for a glass of 1/2 price wine and then to Aqua for 1/2 price sushi.

There were only about 8 people scattered around the bar at Jasper's. One of the 8 happened to be Paula Wiggins, a talented artist with a studio at Pendleton which she usually has open on Final Fridays.

I waved to Josh, from the bus, who was in the midst of a song. I was pleasantly surprised. He was quite good. Sort of like Cincinnati's own little John Mayer. We didn't stay very long. It's too bad more people weren't out that night. Maybe the cold kept everyone home. I'm glad I ventured out into the cold to listen to a singer I had never heard of.

Lots of good stuff going on Friday night. I'll probably only make it to the LUSH Grand Opening Party (sad, I know) and Nite Bites at CCM.

Have another sip.

On Thursday night I went to a wine tasting at Allyn's Café in Columbia Tusculum. Apparently they hold these about once a month. I didn't know. But I'm glad I do now. We sampled six wines - two whites and four reds - all from Spain. Allyn's also provided plenty of delicious food to go with the wine. Why do I love Swedish meatballs so much when they are on a buffet? I never eat them otherwise. I rarely even eat meatballs with my spaghetti. I loved their hummus too. And the Caesar salad and the tortellini. I found some good wine, too. I even bought three bottles. When you buy at the tasting you get a 10% discount, even if you don't buy a case. Smart sales tactic. They sold a lot of wine last night.

I overheard one woman remark that it's hard to find a good wine tasting in Cincinnati. Really? The paper lists six or seven every weekend it seems and it doesn't even get all of them. There are a lot during the week as well. I realize they vary greatly on the quality and quantity of wine and food served. But why not check them all out until you find the good ones? My favorites are the Casual Friday tastings at Chateau Pomijie and now the monthly tastings at Allyn's. Both offer a good mix of wine and food and conversation. I also love the wine or beer tasting events at the zoo. The food isn't always plentiful, but there are animals! If you're looking for more, check the blog My Wine Education at www.wine-girl.net. She lists a lot of Cincinnati wine events and resources.

I found a lot of good-looking guys on Saturday night. Unfortunately, they were all at Below Zero - checking out all the other good-looking guys. We were there to celebrate Joseph's 40th birthday. Happy Birthday Joseph! I have such a great time going out with all my gay boyfriends. They tell me I'm gorgeous and fabulous and they are a ton of fun! Tony even said he would gladly cuddle with me. Aww. If only more straight guys were like that. I know, it is a little different. If a straight guy walks up to you and says nothing but "You're gorgeous!!" it sounds a lot like a come-on. Gay men can say it because we know it's not a proposition and they know we know. But straight guys can say nice things without seeming like they're just after something. A certain guy I've gone out with just says "Ready?" when he comes to the door. Doesn't tell me I look nice. Even if I know I do and I know he realizes it. I just need to hang out with the gay guys more. Even if I won't get any action. At least I'll have fun and feel appreciated.

HIGH SCHOOL REUNION.

Last Sunday I got together with some of the girls I went to high school with. We met for lunch at Essencha which was perfect for the chilly afternoon. I realized that this year, 2008, would be the year for our 20th high school reunion! Yikes! Actually I am not much of a reunion person. I plan to skip it this year. Any one I am interested in keeping up with was at Essencha on Sunday, except for Shelly. But I saw Shelly at the Pub on Saturday so I am done with the reunion-ing!

Happy 2008!

There was a sparkling wine tasting to benefit Toys for Tots at Created Illusions, a new art gallery in Hyde Park on Observatory Avenue. It was a very nice night. Admission was $5 or a toy. What a deal. And we could mingle amongst the paintings and photographs. I was also introduced to a drink called the "Black Velvet." It apparently was very popular in Cincinnati in the '50s or '60s. It's made by blending Guiness beer and sparkling wine. Not bad, but not great. Maybe more of an acquired taste.

I'm not a very good cornhole player. I came across this site, and since cornhole is such a Cincinnati thing, I thought I would share:
http://cornholeplayers.net/

Another famous photo!

This picture of a baby bison is going to be featured in the 2009 Cute Overload daily calendar! You will want to rush out and buy one. Next year. I took the picture in Yellowstone National Park in 2006. Cute little baby bison!

http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/316045/20064516