30 April 2009

POTD: BFE

25 April 2009

POTD: Theosophotography

Every time I pass this erstwhile church I always have the same two thoughts: the irony of the beautiful-because-it's-ugly nature of the building; and Marx's "opiate of the masses" line.

Karl meets Groucho

23 April 2009

Smoking Linked to Breast Cancer

There is now enough scientific evidence to link both active smoking and second-hand smoke to breast cancer, according to an international panel...

The panel also concluded that the relationship of active smoking to both pre- and post-menopausal breast cancer is consistent with causality...

"It is important from a public health perspective to get the message out to the public, and young women in particular, that available evidence shows that both active smoking and exposure to passive smoke increase the risk of breast cancer," said Professor Anthony Miller...


Anyone surprised?

(from)

More Food: Habits Cafe Ostrich Burger



WHERE IT IS: 3036 Madison Road in Oakley Square, north side of the street.

WHAT I ATE: The Ostrich burger, "Godzilla" style. This means it comes with pepper jack cheese, jalapeno mayo and-- this is the key thing-- onion straws.

HOW IT WAS: I've had it three times and it was very good all three times. If a burger with onion straws sounds good to you then this is a burger to try. And the leaner ostrich meat makes up for the extra fat of the fried onions (probably not but that's what I tell myself). But if you are like my friend Jamie who thinks ostrich meat is "just wrong" then you can always get a beef or turkey burger Godzilla style (FYI, she ordered a chicken sandwich and said it was very good).

At the first visit I got the mac & cheese side dish and it was okay, nothing great. The second time it was worse. The third time the server (who was my friend by now) steered me away from it based on another diner's unenthusiastic impression, so I got the cajun fries which were good (regular fries dusted with cajun seasoning). So the mac & cheese cannot be recommended at this point. Other side dish choices: pasta salad, red beans & rice, sweet potato fries.

SERVICE: Be nice to them and they'll be nice to you.

PRICE: The ostrich burger is 8.50. With soft drink and tax the final bill was 11.27.

CONCLUSION: Burger fans should (a) try ostrich, and (b) try it Godzilla style.





Habit's Cafe on Urbanspoon

19 April 2009

Advertising 101

Business is up 30%, reports the owner:



(And don't bother stealing her for your party gimmick... she's well secured as you can see in the bottom of the photo).

17 April 2009

Whoot for Yagoot

I stopped by Yagoot yesterday because Liz put the idea in my head. Yagoot is in Rookwood Pavilion near the P.F. Chang's.

Liz wrote:

it is not really sweet... it is a sour yogurt that is apparently very similar to pinkberry if you have ever had that.

Based on a locker room conversation I was pretty sure I've had pinkberry but after reading that I think we are talking about two very different things.

But I digresss; here is the funky Yagoot decor:


As I approached the counter an attractive woman came in from the back and asked me if it was my first time in Yagoot. I said "yes" and she gave me the new customer orientation briefing and samples of the coffee, strawberry and plain yogurts. The briefing included these facts:

Yagoot is 99% fat-free;
Yagoot has no gluten (I don't know why a dairy product would contain gluten but whatever);
Yagoot has active yogurt cultures which are good for the digestive system.

I impressed the pretty lady by paying attention and mentioning "probiotics." She then went back to the back, leaving the younger girl at the counter to deal with me. Her favorite flavor was strawberry and she told me they import the strawberry slush stuff from Italy and it's expensive, probably because it comes from Italy.

She also told me they were considering opening another Yagoot in the Kenwood Towne Centre, which did not interest me. But she also said they were considering downtown or Clifton which woke me back up. We agreed that Clifton would be a good location.

Smile if you want to sell me Yagoot


By now I finished sampling my samples and decided upon a strawberry-plain mix with crunch berries and shredded coconut toppings.

An artist would quickly recognize the compositional error and just as quickly shutup about it

I have to emphasize that this is NOT a frozen yogurt dessert-type food item. It is not sweet so do not go there to satisfy a sweet tooth (although they do have some sweet toppings, like oreos, chocolate chips, Cap'n Crunch, e.g.). Yagoot is different and it has to be accepted on its own terms, like how veggieburgers should not be compared to hamburgers, for example.

The first several spoonfuls tasted odd because my mind is used to expecting sweetness. But about halfway through I got used to it and the Yagoot and I worked together in harmony.

I have a sweet tooth and I likes my ice cream. But I appreciate having a healthier alternative and I'll try it again soon. I have a feeling that it is a bit of an acquired taste because it might take a few times for the brain to get out of ice cream mode and stop expecting sweetness.

THE GOOD: healthy, different, fun to eat, mod decor, friendly staff
THE BAD: everything else associated with a huge mall

Portrait of the artist as a Yagoot man


Yagoot on Urbanspoon

15 April 2009

Cincinnati "Tea Party" Pictures

For your viewing pleasure, presented with a soupcon of snark (as is my wont, bi-otch):

Irrelevant sign for irrelevant event


Stimulus plan = killing babies?


Wait... what??


Public school students against public schooling




"If Smitherman & Finney can do it so can we!"


Funny sign, scary eyes


Jesus is our co-pilot and we call shotgun!


Note the sign on the left

12 April 2009

Kentucky Easter Signage



11 April 2009

Happy Family Lunch Holiday

In my family, we celebrate Easter by re-baptizing ourselves, having confession contests, and buying guns only from people who oppose the death penalty. If the weather is bad then we stay inside and discuss whether there is a dark matter signal in the galactic positron annihilation radiation.

For Catholics: Happy Easter!
Everyone else: See you in hell.


09 April 2009

POTD: Creepy or Not?

I'm guessing the sculptor was going for something along the lines of "philosopher" but all I get is "severed head."

06 April 2009

Arts Recommendation: Kennedy Heights Arts Center

I recently visited the Kennedy Heights Arts Center to see the exhibit "The Art of Healing." The Center's website describes it thusly:

This six-week show features the art of over fifty individuals dealing with grief, serious illness, disability, addiction and mental wellness.

Painting, fiber art, sculpture, collage and found object installations tell the stories of people who have used art to navigate some of life’s most difficult obstacles.


As far as I can determine, someone tracked down ordinary people (i.e. not artists) and asked them to express aspects of their circumstances through art. I found the exhibit impressive and moving. The artists are not professionals so there is none of the pseudointellectual facade that is too often par for the course. It's raw, sincere and honest. If that's what community arts centers are for then I'm all in. This is stuff you'd never see in a "big" art museum and I'm not sure why.

The exhibit runs until April 25. The center is easy to find (it's an old white mansion on the south side of Montgomery Rd). Parking is free in their lot.

A few examples from the exhibit:




Can't let go of a child's shirt


Putting the pieces back together; cracks remain

04 April 2009

Bubba on Board


Local cat's reaction:

02 April 2009

Thumbs Up for Parkside Cafe Gyro Sandwich

(Bad picture of good sandwich)

WHERE IT IS: 1026 E. McMillan St. in Walnut Hills, just past the Kroger.

WHAT I ATE: The regular gyro sandwich (they also have a chicken gyro), which comes with saratoga chips and a pickle spear.

HOW IT WAS: Very good. The meat is lamb/beef and is not too salty, which is a gyro risk (example: the gyro at the Diner on Elm-- under the previous owner-- was decent but so salty I felt thirsty for hours afterwards). The meat was tasty and didn't have any little "seeds" or "pebbles" that can accompany sub-standard gyro meat.

The gyro was topped with lettuce, red onion and sliced tomato in generous portions. The tzatziki was thick and creamy (in contrast to Sebastian's which is liquidy). I'm sure they use Greek yogurt which is 102% fat but definitely the way to go.

The chips were also good.

SERVICE: This deserves a special mention since I have been to Parkside three times and had three different servers. Each time I received friendly, courteous service with a smile. Either they all genuinely like working there or they are all on anti-depressants.

PRICE: With tax, $5.27

CONCLUSION: Gyro fans should explore the gyro at Parkside Cafe. Parking is convenient and free in their lot.


The building that watched me eat a gyro


Parkside Café on Urbanspoon

Signage POTD: Happiness is a Warm Duplicate Key

01 April 2009

Signage POTD