My Seven Month Restoration Complete
September 8, 2026
The last time I went back to where I grew up, it was a different environment welcoming me. When I say “grew up” I mean where I was raised. Many friends and family might not know that I’m not a native Cincinnatian. I am actually a native of Washington state. I was born in an army hospital where my dad was stationed at Fort Louis outside of Olympia Washington.
I have no memories of actually being there. I was only about six weeks old when my mom traveled back to Cincinnati, but Cincy is definitely my home regardless where I was born.
I have friends I’ve been close to for almost forty years and a great supportive extended family who’ve helped me through extremely difficult times.
As noted in my most recent post, my last trip had multiple layers of grief. What initially was meant as a trip to pay respects to a lost friend, quickly spiraled into many layers that I had to quickly adjust to.
A mother unexpectedly transitioning to hospice, an absentee brother struggling with bipolar and my wife having to quickly exit Cincinnati to care for her elderly mother. I was gifted with a shit sandwich that I never requested but proceeded to chomp on it like my life depended on it.
Fast forward seven months and I found myself once again headed back home but for the first time in years, it was simply to reconnect. No one was sick, no one died, no one was needed anything but my company and I thought I was ready. Then shit hit the fan….again. Handfuls of it tossed straight into the whirling blades just to spray right into my awaiting face.
I don’t usually drive the ten plus hours across Pennsylvania to Ohio alone. My wife and I are great road trip partners and her absence was felt every mile I was on the road. I was exhausted most of the trip. Then add incremental shit storms of rain and by the time I entered Columbus I resembled the end stages of a crack addict. Having to pull over multiple times on I-71 because visibility was zero. This is what awaited me.
There were flash floods the day before and that didn’t help my mental state. I finally made it home. Unloading my shit in a torrential downpour I ended up face planting in my Aunts kitchen, hooking my foot on a dog gate. I’m fairly convinced I tore my rotator cuff! Yay another surgery!!!
I managed to pull myself together and start piecing together what this trip entailed. Probably taverns, friends, food and family in no particular order.
I spent a lot of time alone, just driving around Cincinnati. I have so many great memories of growing up there and wanted to revisit the haunts that I hold dear. One particular place I returned to was Cityview Tavern in Mt.Adams. I knew the owner from when we worked together at The Jewish Hospital as lab couriers picking up blood, urine and other ungodly things marinating in plastic tubs I care not to describe. I was hoping to run into a bartender named Cassidy that was kind to me during my times struggling with my mom, but sadly, she moved on to a diner in Northside. The views are still amazing.
Another Cincinnati must is the chili. Skyline chili. The only kind of chili I continously crave. Like a sirens trance, this starving sailor would crash a thousand ships into jagged rocks to get that 5 way and cheese coneys!
As a chef, this trip was all about food and it didn’t have to have a Michelin star next to it. I’m a working class guy, fill my gut with good food and watch me smile. The next pub I loved to frequent wasn’t just about good grub but the people who put it all together. Oaks Tavern in Oakley have some of the friendliest staff I’ve ever encountered and they remembered me seven months later. Miles who works in the kitchen recognized me even sans the beard seven months later. The place just rocks.
I made a previous post about fried chicken. If one to end up on a desert island and was able to eat one meal and only one, my choice would be fried chicken. I mentioned the Greyhound Taven in Ft.Wright Ky, but I ventured down Kelogg ave in the east end to the Hitching Post. It’s basically a hole in the wall that serves up amazing chicken with great sides. As per my picture, most folks order to go. Not this guy.
One restaurant that holds a place in my heart is The Northside Yacht Club. I met so many friendly and supportive folks while drowning my sorrows the last time I was home and their funky pub grub is to die for that I had to make a return trip. Even their veggie beyond burger rocks. And they make a killer martini.
My oldest friend Chris invited me for dinner. We both being avid foodies, I always jump at the chance to get together and share some wine, food and hours of great conversations. We’ve been friends for forty five years.
Chicken Picatta and Risotto
Trips home don’t usually include a culinary splurge. As you can see by my recent posts, I’m a working man over here!
It’s been tempting since Cincy’s dining scene has exploded with great places to eat. My friend Chris and I decided on splurging this time back. I chose Bouquet because my wife and I ate here a few years ago and our experience was excellent.
We decided on their prix fix menu so we could try multiple courses that wouldn’t stuff us or break the bank. We included wine as well. The food and service was incredible. As seen by my pics below, I encourage you to make a trip.
Cardamom cake with rhubarb
On my way back to Pennsylvania, I usually stop halfway and stay overnight so I’m not delirious by the time I get home. That morning, I felt rested and determined. I missed my wife dearly, and decided to plow straight through. A little over eight hours later, I was back home to my lovely wife’s welcoming arms. Amd of course my little nugget Harley. It was a great trip seeing all my friends and family.
Lambertville is a funky place. This small New Jersey city has a deep history dating back to 1732 and has visible ties to the Revolutionary War era. Beautiful row houses and narrow streets give this town a distinct historic charm.
There is a level of diversity we see here that we haven’t seen since living in cities like San Francisco and Portland. LGBT friendly, it is replete with artists, musicians, and a vibrant culinary scene that contributes to the rich culture of the town. It is a perfect mirror of neighboring New Hope which is right across the Delaware River in Pennsylvania.
We’ve dined at a number of restaurants here. The area provides a variety of different eateries whether it being Peruvian or an upscale steak house. One of our favorite places to visit is Bell’s Tavern.
It is a quaint yet very busy Tavern that’s has been family owned for years that offer excellent cocktails, wine and beer, and every Tuesday, they create a twenty dollar bottle wine menu and a twelve dollar pasta menu that comes with a salad and garlic bread.
My wife opted for the linguine with meat sauce. The portions are massive and we ended up taking half home. For an additional three dollars more, you can order another bowl. The pasta was cooked perfectly and their sauce was amazing. For two people, you could have wine and a full meal for less than twenty five dollars a person.
I opted for a steak, with mashed potatoes and a side of sautéed spinach. I haven’t had a steak in over a year, and it was spectacular. It was also accompanied by a side of roasted red bell peppers. Cooked a perfect midrare. The side of spinach had hints of chili flakes and a generous amount of garlic. We devoured it, no questions asked.
The place is always lively with a great mix of folks who frequently dine here. The service is friendly and efficient. We didn’t feel rushed even though the dining room filled up quickly. Our next visit we plan on sitting at the bar. It always gives off a party vibe when we pass through.
I highly recommend Bell’s Tavern to anyone who appreciates a well executed menu with great, friendly service.
My Recipe For A Great BBQ Sauce
February 26, 2026
I’ve tinkered around with BBQ sauces for years. There are so many variations that have roots to regions of the United States. Each sauce has it’s own distinct flavor, whether its sweet, spicy, vinegar forward or mustard. I love them all.
I tend to try to balance them all. Slightly sweet but also has a good acid presence with a little heat. It’s been an evolutionary process that now has about 15 ingredients. This is a large batch recipe but with some adjustments can be scaled down for a smaller batch. Enjoy!!
Our Own Version Of Cheers Revisted
February 26, 2026
In the vast wasteland of Bucks County Tavern and Pub scene, there are diamonds in the rough that give you that Cheers feeling of inclusion.
My last few years as a chef have been mainly focused on upscale tavern cuisine. Simple, home-cooked meals, elevated but still approachable to the working class folks that keep these places humming.
We’ve tried a number of places to extract those feelings of inclusion and community. My previous employment at The Farmhouse Tavern comes to mind. Unfortunately due to poor management and unsavory business practices out of my control, this place is no longer an option for our dining needs.
We ventured into a local tavern just up the hill from our home called The Gardenville Hotel. Not a hotel anymore but it is an historic tavern dating all the way back to the Civil War, steeped in history.
We love connecting with local patrons. We tried this in Cincinnati at a place called The Friendly Stop in Glendale Ohio. Great food but friendly wasn’t on the menu. We literally felt invisible everytime we went in. Check please!
We initially went for drinks at The Gardenville. I’ve always been skeptical of pub food establishments. I always compared their food with mine and my wife always complained that she preferred my food over anywhere we ate. Not to sound ego centric but so did I.
We started going more frequently to Gardenville. It’s cozy, welcoming and the staff is always really attentive and seemed to love working there.
We noticed everyone ate when sitting in the bar section of the Hotel. It’s a small, funky space replete with deer heads, odd decorations and a comfortable seating area. Perfect for what we were looking for.
They have a decent tap list, a great to go beer selection and a well rounded food menu. We decided to try some of their offerings. We ended up being one of their biggest fans. Really good burgers, fish and chips and great turkey dinners.
Our wallets weren’t happy because I constantly drug my wife there because the social scene keeps us in a positive light being stuck in the middle of nowhere.
No one screams our name when we come in but they know what we drink, and are always happy to strike up a spirited conversation with us. It definitely makes us feel welcomed and that’s really important during these trying times.
My Trip Back Home To Cincinnati is Complete
December 16, 2025
For at least now it has. What was expected to be only a few days back home turned into five weeks. Sometimes wonderful, much of the time it was excruciatingly painful.
What was originally planned as a pilgrimage to honor a friends passing quickly morphed into a parents hospice vigil. What was supposed to be a connection to my mom, evolved into becoming an advocate for her safety with evidence of neglect, incompetence and elder abuse.
With the amazing help of Hospice, I was able to make necessary steps in protecting my mom while she transitioned to death. It was an awful task, many would consider thankless, but I had to ensure her safety with reports of multiple falls, lack of basic requirements like food, water and medicine. Hospice helped fill on the gaps. They helped me see this process through with my mom with grace and empathy. I thank them for this.
I spent many days alone on this journey. I told my wife that I was extremely anxious about being able to step up as a son and perform the duties needed to care for my mother. She reassured me that when the time came, I’d rise to the occasion and I did. It was very difficult in the beginning because no one wants to see their mom suffer. I knew her prognosis and it was killing me to witness her decline but I pushed all of that deep down inside me and focused on the tasks at hand. It all became second nature to me.
Now those feelings are starting to come out and it hurts. Very bad right now. Whenever I left her room, I’d go to the car to release the pain I was feeling and started driving. A lot. I’d spend hours driving around Cincinnati. To old haunts, witnessing the changes that were taking place. Some I considered good, some not so good. Eminent domain dismantling the Clifton area I enjoyed for years so UC could command more presence in the community. It wasn’t a pleasant sight.
I needed places to unwind. Have a drink, sometimes too many drinks. I didn’t have my wife with me to help keep me balanced and found myself going off the rails, not eating well, downing anything put in front of me. I was a fucking mess. I fortunately made it out alive and didn’t kill anyone, or myself thank God.
I did run into some wonderful and caring folks at multiple places I frequented to blow off steam. The first place I ventured into was The City View Tavern in Mt.Adams. lauded as one of the oldest bars in Cincinnati, it probably has the best view of any place I’ve been to. It’s a no billshit bar. No martinis, no margaritas, it’s a beer and shot joint that has great burgers and a decent tap list. Cassidy was the bartender who I got to know and she became familiar with my mom’s situation, like most places eventually did and was extremely gracious with me every time I came in.
During my drives, I’d also try to do things that didn’t require pounding drinks and absolutely loved Eden Park. It helped me reflect on great times I had as a kid in Cincinnati. This included the Krohn Conservatory.
One of my favorite spots is the Northside Yacht Club. A cool hip eatery off of Spring Grove ave that has excellent pub food and a great beer list.
I ended up in Camp Washington. This was my first neighborhood I moved to when I decided to live on my own at nineteen. It’s a great concrete jungle where our backyards wall was the old Cincinnati workhouse. This also required an obligatory trip to Camp Washington Chili.
Another must visit was our old home as a toddler on Walker St. in Mt. Auburn. I had many fond memories as a little kid living there.
One Tavern I frequented was The Oak Tavern in Oakley. Everyone there knew my situation and I have to say, they were some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. This was pure Cincinnati love. Their food rocked as well.
Chili, it’s what’s for dinner! Including Skyline in Clifton. Nothing beats a hangover more than a five way and cheese coneys.
My friend Scot treated me to a few beers at Madtree in Oakley for my birthday. For a huge place, it ran like a well oiled machine and the beers were excellent.
My wife insisted on a return to Korean Riverside in Covington. I reluctantly agreed and Holy Jeebus, I forgot how wonderful that place is!!
Another amazing place my friend Scot mentioned was Bridges Nepalese cuisine in Northside. I’ve never tried this type of food before and it’s similar to a cross between Indian and Chinese food. It blew our minds.
I spent many nights at The Comet. I had to. It was a Northside institution, Dave was my friend and I loved that place. I got to see many old friends during my visit.
One of the last places we lived at was Covington Ky. I love that town. Our street had all historical homes on it including the house we rented. We’d love to live there again. Beautiful.
My family was amazingly supportive of my efforts. My Aunt Sue and Uncle Neal made my stay comfortable and I felt secure. Her dogs were wonderful. Willy, Archie and the great Mango. Neals dog Luna is amazing too. Oh, Sue is a great cook as well. Her mac-n-cheese is killer.
It’s all starting to come to the reality my mom is gone. My work has been done and there is now a huge void where my mom once was. I feel like an orphan. My brother has basically abandoned his family as well as his friends so it hurts even more how isolated I feel. If it weren’t for family and friends and their undying support and love, I’m not sure if would have made it through this. I miss my mom dearly. I think she’s looking over me though. When I turned on Pandora this morning, this was the first song on my list. I didn’t choose it. It chose me.
This Cracker Hated The Barrel!
November 6, 2025
There’s this old adage that has forever rang true to me. “First time, shame on you, second time, shame on me.”
Enter Cracker Barrel. This is one of those shame on me moments. I’m currently seeing my mom, who is in hospice, which in itself is painful enough, but then you add an excruciating trip through the culinary gates of hell called Cracker Barrel, I believe I must have committed some mortal sin that carved a path to what they consider a foyer.
If every exploited nation that produced useless Tchotchkes were to take a gigantic dump at the same time, all of these consumer feces would have landed smack dab in the lobby of The Barrel.
The lobby was a horrid labyrinth of isles chock full of shit no one needs, a cacophony of keyboards playing music that would make baby Jesus ears bleed rivers of blood and a tsunami of olfactory aromas where you could literally smell fried food and sandlewood at the same time.
Just trying to navigate our way to put our name in for a seat triggered my afib. I’ve seen Japanese subway cram videos that were less claustrophobic than a Cracker Barrel lobby. My head was spinning.
The entire seating procedures were culled straight from a Six Flags business model. Replete with a PA system, we heard our name unfortunately called, which blasted out from a speaker and proceeded to navigate past a horde of ravenous groups of people that should have sworn off this establishment years ago.
The noise level was deafening with screaming kids, food chomping parents, and staff that had to yell over everyone to just do their jobs. It was like being in a wind tunnel.
Speaking of the staff. I genuinely felt for them. Dealing with people that treated them like paid slaves, unruly kids, and huge groups of people wanting everything immediately, every one of them had the appearance of someone that had every ounce of their soul drained from bodies. I actually felt guilty ordering, but we needed to see this through.
I ordered the fried chicken, and my wife ordered over easy eggs with pancakes, and our friend ordered biscuits and gravy.
It’s painfully obvious these places only goal is to stuff asses into seats but as a chef, what I saw coming out of the kitchen resembled every short cut you could take to handle the greed they displayed by over seating this place.
Every item we had besides my wife’s eggs was pre made and then reheated. Reheated pancakes, my chicken was luke warm, and the sides were all slop and serve.
My friends biscuit gravy was so gelatinous that her spoon stood straight up in the serving cup. I looked at her and said, “Are they mad at you? We finally took our last edible bites and begged for the check. Another bizarre moment is when you have to pay. You are once again forced to endure their hellish gift shop to line up in front of a row of kiosks to pay for your “meal.”
It would be easy enough to just pay and leave but the staff is required under penalty of the business end of a cattle prod to bombard you with merchandise questions about if you want to buy any of their garbage on their shelves. My wife almost lost her shit on that poor soul taking our money, but to her credit, she kept her composure as we sprinted to our car.
Yeah, lets not boycott Cracker Barrel for their shameless peddling of foreign produced garbage, the glaring culinary sins committed, or their obvious seating missteps but instead lets boycott them because they changed their fucking logo. We are so cooked as a country, I swear to God. In the fifteen years of contributing to this blog, I’ve never written a negative review about food, but this shame on me experience warranted it. Full fucking stop. Never, ever again
Another Cincinnati Great Lost
October 6, 2025
I knew Dave when I was a young punk trouncing around Clifton and Corryville. Our friendship circle was huge. I’ve never replicated this type of an amazing group of friends in the six or seven cities I’ve lived in.
My first encounter with Dave was when he worked the door at Sudsy Malone’s on short Vine. I tended to hang out up front to see the bands.
One night, some jackass came in and grabbed one of the PA speakers and turned it against the wall. Dave chased him into the street to confront him, and a bunch of the guys friends started to fight him.
I immediately jumped in front of him, and they took one look at me and scattered as I tried to hold Dave back from tossing haymakers at them. It was a wild fucking night.
He never took any shit. None of my friends did. We were all bunch of scrappy motherfuckers who stood up to some of the lamest examples of human waste the city and University had to offer.
We chased Nazi skinheads out of our hood and didn’t give an inch to the jocks or frat boys that attempted to infiltrate the shit hole Nirvana we created in Clifton and surrounding areas. This was our turf, and we didn’t hand out passes to anyone and Dave was an integral part of my formative years in Cincinnati.
Things change, we grow older, some of us move, some pass on, and some pass away, unfortunately. The old haunting grounds of Corryville and Clifton fell victim to change, a loss of a music, bar and club scene and eminent domain which gobbled up much of our old stomping grounds that are now corporate gulags for Univesity students.
I even said fond farewell to Cincinnati in 1992. I saw my surroundings change and needed a break. I think Dave saw it, too. People ended up migrating to a transitional neighborhood called Northside. Turn of the century architecture, industrial buildings, cheap rent, and Dave saw an opportunity to open a bar on the outskirts called The Comet.
I was in San Francisco for about a year when The Comet debuted. I took a number of trips during that time back home and never missed a chance to visit this great bar and say hi to Dave. He was always welcoming to me and made sure to ask me how I was.
Fast forward to 2000, and a freshly married Kevin moved back to Cincinnati with his wife and during my first spring in Cincinnati, if my memory is correct was the time I played on The Comet’s softball team.
I wasn’t great but I was a great singles hitter and a pretty lousy catcher. I didn’t care as long there was beer flowing.
My wife and I never missed a chance to see Dave’s uncle play bluegrass on Sunday’s and were called The Comet Bluegrass Allstars. Amazing group of musicians.
I haven’t been back home in almost five years. I’m not on social media anymore and found out by text that Dave passed away. It was like a gut punch. The guy I’ve known for over thirty-five years is gone. I was a loss for words. He made an indelible impression on the bar, music, and food scene in Cincinnati that I consider unparalleled. I hope folks who knew him feel the same way.
The Only Tavern We Support
September 7, 2025
I realize Bucks County has a ways to go to achieve what other areas of the country have gained culinary. It’s rural, sparsely populated, and isn’t pushing envelopes we’ve been used to.
I get it. If you are going to serve food that pleases the common working man, you have to do it right. It has to be consistent, and above all, it has to taste good.
In the last couple of years, we’ve been loyal patrons at The Gardenville Hotel. A historic mid seventeenth century former hotel. With ties to the Revolutionary War, it is a wonderful tavern that serves really good American fare.
We only just recently started going there. One reason is I was already a chef at a Doylestown Tavern call The Farmhouse. We really had no reason to venture out to any other taverns because my wife loved my cooking, and I became acquainted with many regulars who were an integral part of my social life. Plus, other taverns in the area couldn’t touch our quality of the food.
After leaving The Farmhouse in 2023, we struggled to find a decent place for a burger or wings. We lived just down the hill from Gardenville and thought of the place as a drinking establishment vs. a full service restaurant.
One afternoon, we decided on drinks at Gardenville and wandered in. The bar was funky and old. Deer heads all over the walls, various pictures on the walls, many showcasing the owner’s fishing jaunts, and we immediately felt at home.
The servers, who have been there years, provide some of the friendliest and attentive service we’ve ever experienced.
Since we now go at least twice a week, they anticipate our needs immediately. It’s a rarity to find places like this in our area. Most of the Taverns just don’t care enough to go the extra mile. This place blows most local Taverns away.
We highly suggest their wings, the burgers are excellent as well as amazing fish and chips and turkey anything. It isn’t cheap, but nothing really is post pandemic. We only sit at the tables in the bar. That’s where the fun really is. The dining room is More suited for families and older folks. We like the buzz the bar provides.
The Gardenville Burger
Our Wedding Anniversary Trip To Easton Pennsylvania
August 30, 2025
We’ve been to Easton a number of times. It reminds me of old cities that still have their architectural charm like Cincinnati and Wheeling West Virginia. Both cities are surrounded by hills and turn of the century buildings.
We’ve never stayed overnight before and usually just visit their marketplace, which I wrote about earlier on this blog.
My wife surprised me by booking us a suite at the Grand Eastonian Hotel. They’ve turned a 1927 hotel into condominiums and reservable rooms and suites. Our suite was gorgeous with a balcony looking over the city and also has a heated salt water pool that was amazing.
Home
Surprisingly, the restaurant we made reservations with was directly across the street called Kabinett, which is named after a German style of wine. The meal and service were great. They have an enormous wine list as well. We do suggest sticking with noshing on a variety of apps. My steak, which was $59, came out a bit under done and wasn’t hot. They quickly remedied it, but we liked our apps much more.
https://www.kabinettwinebar.com/
We had a cocktail at a lounge two doors up that played great 60’s r&b that featured some excellent cocktails called Presley’s.
I highly recommend Easton Pennsylvania. If you are seeking a city, feel like New York but want more accessibility and a slower pace, this is a great town to visit.