Despite the goodwill of community support for THE DINER (12th & Sycamore streets, Over-the-Rhine), it's been plagued since its January resurrection by bad service, inconsistent food and internal management problems. That culminated in locked doors on May 16 and a handwritten sign taped to the window: "Closed For Good." The inside word is that there appears to be new ownership at the ready, such is the interest and need for this historical venue to thrive once again. Although several attempts were made to contact current owner Alex Patel to verify this information -- as well as several other sources -- our calls weren't returned. ...
This year marks the 25th anniversary of TASTE OF CINCINNATI, which began in 1980 as a one-day festival in Piatt Park (then Garfield Park) with approximately 5,000 people. The event expanded to two days in 1981, then three in 1988, moving to Central Parkway. Taste of Cincinnati is the oldest continuously running culinary arts event in the nation and one of the largest street festivals with about 500,000 expected to attend. The 2005 BEST OF TASTE awards involved 28 restaurants judged via blind taste tests on May 2. For the second consecutive year ARLOI DEE walked away with the most honors, including the prestigious "Best Damn Dish" award for their Tom Kha Gai. Other multiple award winners at Best of Taste: perennial Taste favorites SONG LONG (Curry Chicken Wings and Cold Sesame Noodles); MIKE FINK (Fried Green Tomatoes and Maryland Crabcakes); INDIGO CASUAL GOURMET (Black and Bleu Tuna and Cajun Cream Pasta); and MEJANA (Baba Ghannouj and Shish Tawuk Sandwich). Taste of Cincinnati is Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Admission is free. See the official event program inside this issue of CityBeat. ...
To meet the demand of lifestyle changes and increase consumer traffic, FINDLAY MARKET has expanded its hours to 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday. In addition to the two-dozen indoor merchants selling meat, fish, poultry, produce, flowers, cheese, deli and ethnic foods, Findlay hosts a farmers market, outdoor vendors, street performers and special events. It's the gathering place for people from all over the city, attracting the most socially, economically, racially and ethnically diverse crowds found anywhere in Cincinnati.
