After seeing the little flyer hanging up in the CityBeat elevator every time I came to the office, I’m glad I finally got to visit Gilpin’s Bagel & Deli (37 E. Seventh St., Downtown, 513-421-GBAD). I was welcomed with a nice retro display outside when I arrived for a recent visit. There was grass turf spread out on the sidewalk with a nice seating area, including an amazing retro-style green couch. Gilpin’s really stuck out, which is hard to do in a place like downtown Cincinnati.  

After picking up some hot sandwiches at the new World Food Bar at Findlay Market (1801 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, 513-342-1968), the only sounds emanating from our table were “mmm … mmmm” followed by: “Holy shit. Let’s go tell everyone how good this is.” It’s not surprising that the food was excellent, knowing chef/owner Joshua Campbell’s extensive background working in some of the finest restaurants in Cincinnati, Florida and the Bahamas.   

Quick: During what month can you learn how to raise urban chickens in your own backyard and get $2 million in free food and wine from Jeff Ruby? Yep, it could only be August in Cincinnati.  

When I walked into Blue Ash's new Rising Roll an hour and a half after I'd called in my lunch order, I didn't expect to feel like I was walking into a relative's house. But I did. "There's our mystery girl!" the woman sweeping the floor said. "We were worried about you, thought you'd been in an accident."  

Breakfast food is one of those things that everyone likes. We want to eat breakfast not only in the morning, but at lunchtime or even in the middle of the night. But it’s at least a good reason to get out of the house on a Sunday morning (or afternoon), especially if you’re going to the reborn Rookwood restaurant in Mount Adams.  

If you're in the mood to schmooze with strangers this month, there are quite a few communal drinking/dining experiences to get you out of your comfort zone and meeting new people — from "Euro-Chic" young professionals to not-as-chic UC professors. For instance, on July 9 the European-American Chamber of Commerce hosts "Euro-Chic" Happy Hour at Cumin. For $7, you can mingle with international and "internationally minded" young professionals.  

Jeff Ruby's newest production, Bootsy's, recently began serving lunch Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. While Bootsy's typically has more of an after-work party vibe, a midday meal there could be just the mini vacation that keeps you from going batty during a long day at the office. Lunch here is a bit of a production. We were brought to the dining room for the main attraction. It was gleaming with psychedelic lighting, and the staff, like ushers, scurried about, taking care of business.   

From the long-awaited opening of Shhhhh to Newport’s Italian Fest, this month promises plenty of dining adventures. On May 15, Mayor Mark Mallory cut the ribbon for College Hill’s Shhhhh Restaurant and Deli (5915 Hamilton Ave.), an opening almost as anticipated as Bootsy’s. Maybe it was the intrigue of the conversion of an old, abandoned Woolworth’s store into a contemporary restaurant space.  

I recently read an article about making biodiesel fuel out of spent coffee grounds. The grounds yield stable oil that can be extracted and converted into a roasted-smelling fuel. Well, cars don’t run on coffee yet, but there is a place in Greater Cincinnati that exemplifies a kinship between cars and coffee.  

Forty percent of moms will celebrate Mother’s Day by dining out this year, according to the National Restaurant Association. Others will be cooked for, waited on and showered with love. The rest — and you know who they are — will be in the kitchen making lunch and dinner for their families. Don’t let this happen to your mother (or wife). There are plenty of deals going on right now. Take that lady out.  

He looked like a Tony, but when a regular came in and addressed our host as Bill, I realized my mistake. I asked the woman at the cash register and she informed us that Bill Fuerst bought Tony’s 8th Street Deli (326 E. Eighth St., Downtown, 513-564-9866) about three years ago and decided to keep the name.  

Though I’ve been happy to see a few small ethnic restaurants pop up along McMillan Avenue in Clifton Heights during the past few years, I’ve found it hard to stray from my old favorites like Thai Express and Red Pepper. So I was happy to be assigned to review the quaint and colorful Tea N’ Bowl (211 W. McMillan, 513-421-9111).  

This month offers chocolate cappuccino Peeps cake with the Easter Bunny, vegetarian Gold Star for Lent and relaxed requirements for food stamps. What more could we ask for? Not all Easter brunches are created equal, but if you go to Mokka, Grand Finale, Greyhound Tavern or Orchids at Palm Court, you know you’ll get a good one.  

Housed in a former Frisch’s Big Boy, Parkside Cafe (1024 E. McMillan St., Walnut Hills, 513-221-2026) keeps it real with its own drive-thru window, soup and salad bar and what seems to be the original Frisch’s furniture. They must still have the same ice machine, too, because the ice was Frisch’s ice.   

In food news, Restaurant Week, sponsored by The Greater Cincinnati Independents Group, will run March 16-22. Twenty-six restaurants will be part of the action, offering a three-course prix-fixe dinner menu for $26.09 per person.