Outside the balmy perimeter of Margaritaville, conveniently nestled within the confines of the Horseshoe Casino’s walls, sits steakhouse Jack Binion’s, Café Italia and all-you-can-eat Spread Buffet. And each of these kitchens (plus the banquet and event center catering) are overseen by Horseshoe Casino Executive Chef Pete Ghione.     

Is there actual science behind why certain foods taste better with certain beverages? It turns out there is, and some of our local food professionals know exactly why.     

Summer’s the soggy time of year. It’s steamy, but when fall rolls around, you’ve got a chance at staying starched. Fall’s the crisp season; fall’s an apple.   

These two museums don’t just have wonderful art — they also both have fantastic cafés. I recently undertook a mission to dine at both: CAM’s Terrace Café and the Lindner Family Café at the Taft Museum. I decided that I wouldn’t just eat at the cafés — I would also see what treasures the museums had to offer.   

Green Dog Cafe is exploding on the scene and so far has been met with mixed reviews. Why? Because it’s different. Seeing as it was started by veteran restaurateurs Mark and Mary Swortwood, who also started the Brown Dog Cafe in Blue Ash and Tinks Cafe in Clifton, the decision to forgo conventional table service in favor of a walk-up counter wasn’t made on a whim.  

Unearthing a new restaurant is always an adventure, so I was excited to find myself exploring Great Scott! this past Sunday following an excursion with the family to Cincinnati’s Museum Center during the final days its Dinosaurs Alive! exhibit.  

Welcome to CityBeat’s annual Dining Guide, a roundup of great restaurants in Greater Cincinnati. Following the tradition that started in 2005, rather than serving up a comprehensive, A-to-Z list of more than 900 places to get eats in the Queen City, we’ve created a list of 270-plus restaurants that are worthy of your investigation — from old favorites to new kids on the block, from chic upscale establishments to no-frills, homestyle joints. New this year are features called the Ultimate Progressive Meal, in which each of our dining writers — Lora Arduser, Brian Cross, Anne Mitchell and Contributing Dining Editor Heather Smith — were asked to choose at least three courses from different restaurants in town to create their own “dream” meal.  

I know, it's a strange title for a review on a new tapas restaurant, but with martinis such as the French Kiss (topped with creamy pineapple juice and brewing with Stoli Vanilla vodka, Chambord and champagne) I would be remiss if I didn't mention the drinks at Relish Modern Tapas first.  

I find myself wanting to dine casually much more often these days. I'm happiest eating at the bar with paper napkins, and if I don't have to dress up I'm pretty close to bliss.  

He doesn't look like Matt Damon, but Tony DeFrancesco could teach the Talented Mr. Ripley a thing or two about playing multiple roles on a Tuesday night in a semi-full restaurant on the Ohio River, all the while dodging the path of a mewing cat in heat.