I’ve started a todo list of restaurants I’d like to visit in the Cincinnati area.
One that’s long been on my radar is La Mexicana on Monmouth Street in Newport, Ky.
Finally made it out on and my expectations were exceeded.

So. Darn. Delicious. (I highly recommend the chicken tacos, though the steak are pictured).

Authentic, simple, mexican food. I’d put it up there with Taqueria Mercado downtown.
Mind you, it’s nothing fancy, and that’s part of the allure. For a step up, I’d go Nada.

The list of places I’d like to eat based on reviews, friends, or whatnot include:

• Pompilios
• Jets Pizza
• Betta’s Italian Oven
• Twin Dragon Buffet (West Chester)
• Empire Buffet (Buttermilk Pike)
• Sweet Basil
• Sidebar (Greenup in NKy) - ✔ Good burger I’d do again.
• Gordo’s
• Susie Wong
• FB’s
• Wicked Wich
• Otto’s (particularly brunch)
• Miss Helens
• Stone Creek (on Montgomery)
• La Poste
• Loving Cafe
• Jean-Robert’s Table
• Local 127
• Abigail Street - ✔ Definitely get the beet salad and carrot salad. 
• Jimmy G’s (Elm St.)

So that’s the list as it stands. Always open to suggestions!

Soon I’ll complete my hipster look with mustache wax.
For now, I’m enjoying eyeglass frames that don’t slip down my face all the time.

A hat tip to Warby Parker for making the complicated dance of buying glasses not only painless,
but actually fun.

Visited The Carnegie for the opening of “The Art of Hair.” (Above: “Ginger” by Kelli Gleiner)
I have a thing for hair… (maybe because I’m losing mine).
A time ago I drew a t-shirt of ladies hairstyles… (Buy one! They’re a bargain ’cause we printed too many).

Missed the runway show at the exhibit, but I did spy this pretty amazing dress of woven locks:

The day started out catching mascots from around the area play broomball on Fountain Square.
They’re always doing something down there. It’s nice like that.

Then it was over the river to grab lunch in Kentucky. (Above, the Roebling Bridge)

Back to Ohio and drove around The Banks on the river to see how the construction was going.
Passed behind Longworth Hall where WOXY used to be. Miss those folks.

The new Moerlein Lager House is coming along nicely.

Then popped over to the convention center for the Cavalcade of Customs.

Heavily modded cars aren’t usually my bag, but there were some fine specimens.

I’ve got a few hundred more photos, but it’s days like this where they’re so chock full, I get frozen
by the enormity of it all. I’m reminding myself to pick a few, step away, and plow forward.

Flyer for The Tempers in store performance at Everybody’s Records.

The day started out like a moody painting, but quiet and pretty like that can be.
Tom was out of the studio with errands and upon his return he mentioned the snow was coming down.
I’d been absorbed in the screen and hadn’t seen the gray-white blur obscuring the landscape out the window.
I immediately went into mild freakout I-don’t-like-to-drive-in-snow mode and packed up for the day.
In the back of my mind I knew I at least had the makings for lunch and dinner, secretly hoping
it would turn into a nice big snowstorm.

That didn’t happen, but I figure it will soon enough.

Perfect for a rainy day indeed.
I’d like to take credit for how good this soup looks (and tasted), but that’s all Take the Cake.