Happy New Year

I have been tardy in bringing my postings up to date and I will not list all the excuses. Yes, we did "Eat Out" over the holidays, but not quite as much as usual, since there were other activities and of course family events.

No place new was added, in the almost two weeks since I have written, but we did have some very good meals and several "old stand bys" did them self proud.
Maybe the most enjoyable was our dinner, with family, at "The Precinct", our neighborhood steak house, less than 5 minutes away at 311 Delta Ave. 513-321-5454.
Marilyn and I usually split a steak but that evening we decided to divide a Veal Chop and that was a great choice. It came perfectly prepared(medium rare +) and divided beautifully. The meat had been grilled and was presented in a bath of natural gravy with some finally diced mushrooms and possibly a splash of wine.. Our usual accompaniment, a house baked potato, also divided, seemed even better than ever. They seem to have a special knack of finding and baking sweet, firm potato's with a delicious crusty skin, never mealy inside. Perfect accompaniment for whatever meat one orders. We each order our own salad. I usually choose the "Greek" and we again divide some onion straws. That evening everything was outstanding.

Several visits to "J Alexander's Restaurant"( Rookwood Plaza) 2629 Edmondson Road (513) 531-7495 once again confirmed that a well run chain restaurant can provide a pleasant dining experience. One night Marilyn and I each had the "prime roast beef sandwich", a generous 8 oz, or more, cut of nicely roasted prime roast beef, served as ordered. Ours were both medium rare. I requested horse radish and received both the grated and the sour cream mixed, on the side. The beef comes with shoe string French fries but substitutions are willingly made. One of us stuck with the FF while the other had steamed broccoli, these we of course divided. Service always seems attentive and accommodating.
The other visit I went with the "soup and salad" and demolished a decent sized bowl of Chicken Pasta Soup( light on the chicken and heavy on the tasty, but thick, soup) plus a full helping of crisp Cesar salad. The meal was not as memorable as the "prime rib" but decent, none the less.

Other regular visits included "Senate" 1212 Vine St. (over the Rhine) 513-421-2020. My creamy tomato soup was certainly "creamy" but did have some tomato flavor while my "Mcbelly" Sandwich was a terrific combination of chopped roasted pork, cole slaw and bar-b-Que sauce, topped by FF onion rings, on a wonderful Gimmenetti bun. A filling and a delicious lunch, at a fun "in" spot.
"Sky Galley" at Lunken Airport, again in our neighborhood, is always easy to get in and serves decent food, usually from pleasant servers. The other night was no exception. I often have fried chicken livers with bacon and onions, very bad for me but prepared as well as any in the area and beyond. That night the rest of my meal was fairly healthy as I had two "sides", steamed broccoli and apple sauce. I tried in a small way to make up for the fat and cholesterol in the main course. Remorse!
We're headed for a new spot tonight and so when I next rouse myself I'll at least report on something different.