CityBeat | December 25, 2024

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VOL. 28 | ISSUE 26 DAVID AND LYDIA JACKMAN, CO-OWNERS OF WILDWEED PHOTO: AIDAN MAHONEY

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NEWS The Biggest CityBeat News Stories from 2024 These stories perfectly encapsulate the shifting cultural and political landscape in Cincinnati and beyond.

BY MADELINE FENING

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ell, 2024, you outdid yourself. Reflecting on the social and political impacts of the year, Cincinnati and Ohio broadly raised the bar for highs and lows. As CityBeat’s Editor-in-Chief Ashley Moor pointed out in her review of the publication’s top cover stories of the year, 2024 was marked with history-making moments: Middletown native JD Vance becoming Vice President-elect, police identifying the dismembered North Fairmount Jane Doe, the “shitstorm” involving WCPO’s Steve Raleigh. This year kept our heads spinning and our keyboards clacking, and there are plenty more news stories that defined our year beyond the diet soft drink headlines spurred on by Vance. Ohio’s abortion care landscape continued to reshape with big wins for patient advocates, while gender-affirming care for transgender youth saw a major civil rights rollback.

These are the 2024 news stories CityBeat readers couldn’t read fast enough, perfectly encapsulating the wind-shifting cultural and political moment of today.

“A Race Against Time: The Hidden Cruelty of Ohio’s 24-Hour Waiting Period Abortion Rule,”

by Madeline Fening Ohioans may have passed Issue 1 in 2023, enshrining the right to abortion care in the state’s constitution, but

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Mikey (left) and Kate (right) sit in a coffee shop with CityBeat to talk about the joys and hardships of navigating life as a transgender child.

P H O T O : LY D I A S C H E M B R E

patients and abortion rights advocates aren’t out of the woods yet. CityBeat’s Madeline Fening interviewed a patient who experienced the painful impacts of Ohio’s 24-hour waiting period law, which requires patients to wait 24 hours before receiving abortion care. A single day might sound like a short wait, but abortion providers told CityBeat the requirement puts stressful and harmful consequences on patients. But in August, Ohio’s 24-hour waiting period law was put on pause by a Franklin County judge, effective immediately. This was due to a filing from the American Civil Liberties Union to pause the rule while ACLU lawyers seek a permanent removal of the law in court. The case is expected to continue into 2025.

Planned Parenthood of Southwest

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Ohio told CityBeat that the 24-hour rule pause started to benefit patients almost immediately, especially outof-state patients who make up more than half of Ohio’s abortion patients following the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

“The Pride Issue: How Transgender Kids Navigate Ohio’s Hostile Politics, While Still Remaining Kids,”

by Madeline Fening While Ohio’s tides of health justice have been turning in a positive direction for abortion care advocates, Ohio lawmakers targeted transgender youth with bills that may drive some families out of the state. In addition to a bill that targets which bathrooms

trans kids can use, the Republicandominated Ohio Legislature passed House Bill 68, the “Save Adolescents From Experimentation Act,” which prevents transgender youth from starting hormone therapy and puberty blockers, and stops transgender athletes from playing middle and high school sports. The Ohio House and Senate voted in January to override Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s surprising veto on the legislation – he cited conversations with impacted families as his reason for opposing the bill. In March, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio filed a lawsuit challenging a provision in HB 68 that would ban gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors.

The Franklin County Court of Common Pleas responded to the lawsuit

by issuing a temporary restraining order blocking all provisions in HB 68. But in August, the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas ended up rejecting the ACLU’s challenge to the gender-affirming care ban, allowing the law to go into effect immediately. The ACLU’s lawyers filed an appeal – the outcome of which is still pending. In CityBeat’s Pride Issue, reporter Madeline Fening highlights the children and family members forced to navigate this twisting and turning legal landscape, how parents raise their kids amid political vitriol, and why doctors are confident that gender-affirming care is truly lifesaving medicine.

“CPD Captain Under Investigation for Alleged Off-Duty Strangulation at Washington Park,”

by Madeline Fening A witness video shared with CityBeat reporter Madeline Fening shocked thousands on Instagram after Fening shared the video in December. The scene reflects an alleged off-duty assault involving a high-ranking Cincinnati Police officer from October, and it’s still under investigation.

According to heavily-redacted records from CPD, Captain Brian Norris, commander of CPD’s Special Services section, is listed as the suspect in an assault investigation from Oct. 24, with the offense listed as “strangulation.” One of the witnesses at the scene spoke with CityBeat about the incident, recalling in detail how Norris allegedly dragged the women in a chokehold to Washington Park, throwing her on the ground and restraining her while she yelled for help. This witness told CityBeat she confronted Norris, who repeatedly told witnesses “she knows what she did,” about the woman on the ground. CPD and the City of Cincinnati Law Department have requested a bilateral investigation into the alleged assault by an outside prosecutor’s office, which is currently underway. CPD confirmed to CityBeat that Norris has not been charged with any crime and still has police powers at this time.

“Cincinnati City Council Passes Temporary Ceasefire Measure After Weeks of Public Comments,”

by Madeline Fening The deadly attack by Hamas militants on Israeli citizens on Oct. 7, 2023 ignited an even deadlier war against Palestinians in Gaza, sparking a global discussion on the decades-long Middle Eastern conflict. While Cincinnati feels worlds away, advocates,

politicians and students put Gaza’s future on the local agenda, oftentimes through tense conversations.

In March, a resolution calling for a six-week ceasefire from Cincinnati City Council newcomer Anna Albi passed 7-1, while a resolution calling for a permanent ceasefire from council member Meeka Owens failed 4-3, needing 5 to pass. Criticism from the gallery was repeatedly lodged against Albi’s resolution, which offered support for six-week ceasefire negotiations, while Owens’ resolution called for an immediate longstanding ceasefire. Rabbi Ari Jun, director of the Jewish Community Relations Council for the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, addressed council to urge against a ceasefire resolution on Feb. 7, saying council was being asked to make “an impossible decision to either support or condemn a distant war that has fundamentally divided our community.” Jun returned to council on March 6, telling CityBeat that Albi’s resolution represents a compromise.

Cincinnati’s elected leaders have no control over the negotiations taking place for peace in the Middle East. Still, one guest speaker told the council that their messaging on the topic sends a signal to the community about safety and peace.

“Evan Nolan Appointed to City Council,” Receives Backlash, by Zurie Pope Evan Nolan became the newest member of Cincinnati City Council after Reggie Harris resigned in September to join the Biden administration. An attorney for law firm Katz Teller with extensive ties to the Hamilton County Democratic Party, Nolan was selected by council member Meeka Owens, but Owens’ decision was met with some criticism. On Oct. 15, Cincinnati’s chapter of the NAACP issued a statement saying they were “deeply disappointed”

by Owens’ decision to appoint Nolan.

Former council member Chris Seelbach also questioned the decision, writing on X, “Appointing a cisgender, straight, white man to fill the term of Cincinnati’s first openly gay man of color is disappointing and a setback for our city.” A protester even interrupted the annual State of the City address to criticize Owens for choosing Nolan as Harris’ successor.

CityBeat’s news intern Zurie Pope sat down with Nolan and Owens to discuss the backlash, with Owens saying of her pick: “Identity politics don’t serve us well. So when I was thinking about what’s most important to me and my colleagues and the city of Cincinnati is someone who is ready on day one.”

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Our Favorite CityBeat Cover Stories from 2024

BY ASHLEY MOOR

Konrad Kircher, an attorney representing members of the Morrow family, addresses reporters about the June 22 incident involving Steve Raleigh and members of his family.

P H O T O : LY D I A S C H E M B R E

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n a year marked by history-making moments — for better or worse — CityBeat was there to contextualize the news that shaped Greater Cincinnati in 2024. One of the biggest national news stories of this past year was easy to localize, as it involved Middletown native JD Vance becoming the vice presidential candidate and, eventually, the vice president-elect of the United States. CityBeat news reporter Madeline Fening was there for every moment of his journey to the White House, and her cover feature on his ascent is fascinating. Fening and CityBeat’s news intern, Lily Ogburn, were also there to contextualize more local news stories, like the dismembered Black woman, Makaila Luckey, found in North Fairmount, and WCPO meteorologist Steve Raleigh’s involvement in a violent assault. On the more arts and culture side of the coin, Katie Griffith and Katherine Barrier examined the positive impacts of Cincinnati record labels on the local music scene and the interesting stories of the oldest bars in the Queen City, respectively. Throughout 2024, CityBeat released several captivating cover stories — these are just a handful of our favorites.

“On the Record,”

by Katie Griffith Jan. 24 issue Despite challenges presented by the uneven profit structures of the streaming industry (and music industry at large),

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local record labels have risen to the occasion, providing essential support to musicians in Greater Cincinnati and beyond.

In her cover feature in CityBeat’s Jan. 24 issue, Katie Griffith examined how four different local record labels — Colemine Records, Torn Light Records (now based in Chicago), Feel It Records and Whited Sepulchre Records — have shaped Cincinnati’s music industry through the promotion of local music and artists, creative partnerships, live shows, community events and more. And, as Griffith pointed out, record labels have always played an important role in Cincinnati’s music scene, even as far back as the 1940s with the city’s most well-known label, King Records.

“Missing in Plain Sight,”

by Madeline Fening Feb. 21 issue Before investigators had confirmed that the remains of a dismembered Black woman found in North Fairmount belonged to 25-year-old Makaila Luckey, CityBeat news reporter Madeline Fening penned this cover feature about the search for her identity and the inequities the case put on display. At the time the cover feature was written, Luckey’s torso and additional remains had been found but investigators were still struggling to identify her. The brutality of the crime was also striking to investigators, who rarely saw dismembered bodies in Cincinnati. The case highlights broader

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systemic issues, Fening argued, as Black women are disproportionately impacted by violence, often underrepresented in genetic databases and overlooked in missing persons investigations. Now, over a year after her torso was discovered, Luckey’s killer has yet to be found.

“The Drinking Issue,”

by CityBeat Staff July 24 issue Cincinnati’s bar scene has a fairly interesting history, especially during Prohibition, when many drinking establishments were wiped out or forced to adapt — in most cases, illegally. Only a few drinking establishments have stood the test of time in Cincinnati, and in CityBeat’s annual Drinking Issue, we paid tribute to those bars, from a legendary University of Cincinnati watering hole to the oldest continuously running tavern in town and a historical bar that recently received a facelift. Whether you want to learn more about the history of Cincinnati’s bar scene or you’re craving the ambiance of martinis in vintage digs, this cover feature is truly a fun (and informative) read.

“Shitstorm,” by Lily Ogburn Aug. 21 issue One of the biggest news stories of the year broke almost a month after the actual incident took place. On June 22, WCPO meteorologist Steve Raleigh and his son Kyle Raleigh were involved in an alleged

assault stemming from a fender bender that took place in the parking lot of the Montgomery Inn Boathouse on Riverside Drive. Media attention was finally brought to the incident when Stacie Morrow-Stickrod posted on Facebook about the assault, which involved her parents, both in their seventies. According to Morrow-Stickrod, her mother, Lois Morrow, was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion, fractured skull, brain bleeding, a contusion on the back of her head that required staples, a detached eye lens and cuts and bruises to her arms and legs. She says that her father was also knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion. To only add to the absolute chaos of the scene, Kevin Youkilis, a former UC and Red Sox baseball player, was eating dinner with an agent when he saw the incident break out. In her fantastic cover feature, CityBeat’s former news intern Lily Ogburn laid out all of the facts of the alleged assault and why it proved to be so sensational at the time (and her weather-related puns deserve some praise as well). Since her cover feature hit CityBeat’s newsstands, it was announced that Steve Raleigh would not be facing any charges for the incident.

However, Kyle Raleigh and Troy Morrow were both indicted on charges related to the incident back in September.

“Elegy,” by Madeline Fening Sept. 18 issue In 2024, a large part of CityBeat news reporter Madeline Fening’s job was dedicated to following JD Vance’s every move. In a move that stunned really no one at all, President-Elect Donald Trump chose Middletown native Vance to be his vice presidential running mate, thus sealing Fening’s fate as Vance’s shadow — especially during the last few months of the year. In her cover feature that hit newsstands just a few weeks before Vance would become the nation’s vice president-elect, Fening explored Vance’s complicated legacy in his hometown, and how he has transformed himself into the perfect MAGA politician. Much of the feature is centered around the image of Middletown (and of himself) that Vance constructed in his best-selling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis that largely casts Middletown’s working class as victims of their own shortcomings. As Vance campaigns with Trump, his attempts to balance personal ambition, populist rhetoric and political loyalty have raised questions about his authenticity and connection to the working-class community he once championed.

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2024 Year in Review

CityBeat’s dining critic reflects on the success stories and setbacks that defined Cincinnati’s restaurant industry in 2024.

BY PAMA MITCHELL

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don’t know whether you’ve noticed, but Cincinnati has become a top-tier dining city. Over the past couple of decades and especially in recent years, our food scene has developed beyond anything I ever would have imagined. We don’t have to go to Chicago, New York or California to enjoy astonishing, worldspanning restaurants and markets. It’s all right here.

When I moved to Cincinnati from Atlanta in the late 1990s, it felt like going backward in time for this food lover. In those days, Jungle Jim’s was my lifeline for home cooking, and places like Chateau Pomije in O’Bryonville and Maisonette downtown along with a smattering of spots in Mt. Adams were among the few interesting restaurants I could find.

Then, around 2003, 3CDC began its long-term investment in the OTR neighborhood, rehabbing historic buildings and attracting new businesses to the area. It was slow-going at first, but by 2010 or so, both OTR and downtown Cincinnati experienced both residential and commercial growth. Restaurateurs took note, and top chefs began to find their way here, often from larger cities in the Midwest and beyond. “Without the investment by 3CDC,” said David Falk, chef/owner of Boca and Sotto, “none of the restaurants in OTR or downtown would exist today.” Most of them managed to survive the 2020-2021 pandemic and have been joined post-Covid by another surge of exciting new culinary ventures.

But that’s not to say the past few years have been easy for restaurants, here or elsewhere. Inflation has taken a toll on

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Nolia chef/owner Jeffery Harris P H OTO : S E A N M . P E T E RS

discretionary spending. “I understand that it is a luxury to dine out,” said Jose Salazar, owner of Mita’s downtown and Safi in OTR. And yet he and many others are inspired to take financial risks and share their talents with those of us who are willing and able to gather at their tables.It’s certainly been a very good year for Cincinnati dining in terms of national recognition. For the 2024 James Beard Awards, sometimes referred to as the Oscars of food, four Cincinnati chefs were nominated as regional semifinalists for Best Chef. They were repeat nominations for Salazar (for Mita’s), Jeffery Harris (Nolia Kitchen), Elaine Uykimpang Bentz and Erik Bentz (Café Mochiko),

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but the final awards went elsewhere.

With our region overshadowed by the much larger city of Chicago, winning a James Beard competition in Cincinnati has been out of reach. The late Jean-Robert de Cavel, renowned chef at Maisonette and Jean-Robert’s Table, received four nominations as Best Chef, Midwest Region, without taking home the prize.

Additional recognition followed in 2024. Over the summer Camporosso, a deservedly popular pizza restaurant in Ft. Mitchell, Ky., was honored by Pizza Today magazine as Pizzeria of the Year.

That’s after Food & Wine named it Best Pizza in Kentucky in 2021. (I challenge you to find a better pepperoni pizza

within driving distance of the Ohio River.)

Later in the year, the New York Times selected The Aperture as one of the 50 best restaurants in the United States. In December, Esquire Magazine named Wildweed (chef/owners David and Lydia Jackman) one of the best 35 new restaurants in the nation. In December, Open Table announced the inclusion of six Cincinnati restaurants in its Top 100 for the year: Alfio’s, Boca, Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse, Pepp & Dolores, The Precinct and Sotto. No other Ohio restaurants made that list.

There is just so much delicious cooking coming from a variety of restaurants in our metro area. “Cincinnati boxes above its weight in the quality of our restaurants compared to our size,” said Salazar. There’s so much creative, innovative energy here, he said. “It isn’t lost on me how spectacular a dining public we have in our city, [and] I thank them very much for their support of independent restaurants.”

Dave Willocks, chef/owner of The Baker’s Table in Newport, also expressed gratitude for the public response his restaurant has enjoyed this year. “We’ve been pushing upward to [offering] more elevated food,” he said, applying innovations common at top-shelf restaurants in California, D.C. and New York. The response has been enthusiastic, Willocks said. For instance, one week per month Baker’s Table schedules elaborate wine dinners when they debut the following month’s menu paired with specially selected wines. Many of the dinners have been sellouts, he said.

Boca P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY B O C A

Willocks added that other area chefs also are “doing things we haven’t seen here before,” and “it’s working.”

Why chefs choose Cincinnati Willocks grew up in Washington, D.C., studied music and spent time in New York City trying to make it as a musician before he settled into cooking in topshelf California restaurants. He met and later married Wendy Braun, a Cincinnati-area native and now co-owner of The Baker’s Table. Although they could have set up shop in a larger metro area, they opened the restaurant on the edge of downtown Newport, Ky., in 2018.

“There’s so much opportunity here,” Willocks said. “Customers are really hungry for great food. And the market is still affordable enough to start a restaurant here.” Affordability has attracted a lot of chefs from larger cities to open for business here, alongside customers also fleeing bigger cities, he said.

David Jackman, chef/owner at Wildweed, born in Winnipeg, Canada, came our way after he married Ohio native Lydia Jackman, and she took a job in Cincinnati. “I knew nothing about the city, [and] I quickly fell in love with it.

We’ve spent a lot of time building our lives in this community.” He points to a “Midwestern sensibility” and “the support we get to share our alternate vision of Midwestern cuisine” that has made the couple settle here.

Harris had no connection at all with

Cincinnati when he arrived by bus after Hurricane Katrina devastated his home city of New Orleans. With a resume that included time as sous chef at Emeril’s in New Orleans, he started strong here. He worked under Todd Kelly in what was then perhaps our city’s top restaurant, Orchid, followed by stints with Salazar at the Palace and subsequently Salazar in OTR. Eventually he opened his own restaurant, Nolia Kitchen, in 2022.

Harris said that while New Orleans wasn’t the same after Katrina, “it took a lot to call Cincinnati home. What kept me here, kept me grounded, was the freedom to do my own thing with New Orleans cooking. I can bring what I miss, and what I love, to the people here.”

Jordan Anthony-Brown was born and raised in Cincinnati, then left for college in North Carolina followed by work in New York and Washington, D.C. When he unexpectedly found his way back here in the mid-2010s — for family reasons, he said — he was surprised that Cincinnati was “a much different, more inviting city.” After a few years working with Falk at Boca, he decided to work toward opening his own restaurant. After several years, delayed by the pandemic, and late in 2023 he opened The Aperture, which has been a smashing success by most measures.

Salazar was born in Columbia, South America, grew up in Queens, New York, and moved to Cincinnati in 2008 to become executive chef at the Cincinnatian Hotel’s Palace Restaurant. A few

The Baker’s Table chef/owner Dave Willocks P H OTO : SA M U E L G R E E N H I L L

years later, he opened the beloved Salazar’s in OTR, a space he rebranded in 2024 as Safi Wine Bar. As he plans for the downtown relocation of Salazar’s and continues to operate Mita’s, he reflected on how Cincinnati became his permanent home.

“I stay because I have a wonderful community of friends and because it is a wonderful city, [with] beautiful green spaces and architecture and of course because we have a spectacular food and beverage scene,” he said. “We have a great variety of restaurants that are

soulful and operated by people who have a real connection to the food they are cooking and serving.”

A veteran of restaurants in New York City before he moved here, Salazar suggested that the food-loving public of Cincinnati shouldn’t feel overshadowed by larger metro areas. “Unlike a lot of cities, the operators in Cincinnati are less concerned about what is trending and more into showing us who they are through their cuisines.”

But the operation of a restaurant, whether upscale or mid-range, can be

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a nail-biting way of life. The restaurant business “has always been a difficult model with very thin margins,” Salazar said. “Post-COVID it has become even harder to make the numbers work.”

The statistics are sobering. Almost two-thirds of new restaurants close within three years of opening, and the National Restaurant Association estimates that just 20 percent make it past five years. The upfront investment to open a restaurant easily can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars or more, which usually must be borrowed or otherwise raised from a variety of sources.

Staff turnover is among the highest in the private sector, while, for a variety of reasons, food waste can significantly dent a restaurant’s bottom line.

It’s remarkable that we have so many great dining choices, considering those scary statistics. I have wondered about the whereabouts of some of my favorite chefs whose restaurants closed, before or during COVID, and who haven’t been in the public eye since. Occasionally, I’ll look them up online, hoping for a recent entry.

I had lost track of Mark Bodenstein, whose cooking dazzled us at Nuvo in Newport back around 2013-2015, until he opened Alara in Madisonville this year. Turns out that after Nuvo he became executive chef with the suburban restaurant group Looking Glass Hospitality to help develop new ventures. After opening midrange to more upscale restaurants in Mariemont, Mason and Hamilton, he cooked at Alara for the first few months of its existence. His food was as great as I remembered it, but his tenure there was short. Turns out, that was his plan all along. He hired a replacement and left the company to start a small catering business as he contemplates his next move.

Bodenstein was born in Tennessee and moved to Cincinnati with his family in his youth. He learned his craft in Europe and Asia and settled in Louisville where he was sous chef at the award-winning Lily’s before he drifted back here.

“I didn’t intend to stay more than a year,” he said of his return in the mid2010s. But he was captivated by the changes he saw. “I enjoyed watching the city grow, evolve, and overcome past hindrances. It was cool to be part of the process [and] to help Cincinnati grow from a culinary standpoint.”

Falk — chef/owner of the downtown restaurants Boca, Sotto and Nada — deserves recognition as a major influence in generating that growth. When he opened Boca at its first location in Northside in 2001, he was only 25. But he already had worked in significant restaurants in larger cities, including Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago, and under Jean-Robert de Cavel at Maisonette.

moving to Japan to attend culinary school and worked in kitchens both there and in Europe. He eventually came back to Cincinnati with his wife and young daughter, opening his first restaurant in 2012. That was Kaze in OTR, which he later said was “exhausting” with its 200 seats. The more intimate Kiki seems to suit him and his family better.

“A huge part of my life revolves around this city,” he said. “From my childhood going to Hoshuko (weekend Japanese school) at UC and going to Findlay Market afterwards to my dad and I getting Skyline on the weekends, I just love Cincinnati.”

Harada expressed optimism about what lies ahead. “I think the culinary scene is starting really to take shape,” he said. “There are some seriously talented chefs here and we’re fortunate to have them in our small city.”

A taste of things to come

Chef Jose Salazar P H OTO : H A I L E Y B O L L I N G E R

“Jean-Robert never gets enough credit for revolutionizing fine dining” in Cincinnati, Falk said. “He was critical in pioneering the dining scene here.”

Falk now helms one of the most elegant restaurants in the Midwest at Boca, and one of the most sought-after tables in Cincinnati at Sotto. More than twenty years after he opened Boca, he still has an enduring passion to make Cincinnati dining better. “I am constantly searching for inspiration wherever I can find it,” Falk said.

The world at our doorstep Our metro area’s food bounty doesn’t end with the upscale, chef-driven restaurants. We are blessed with one of the best markets in the world at Findlay Market, where butchers, bakers, seafood purveyors, florists, produce kiosks, coffee and tea specialists, hot food stands and more operate six days a week. The two Jungle Jim’s locations in Fairfield and Eastgate offer countless foods and beverages you won’t see at your local supermarkets. When my food-loving relatives and friends visit from out of state, pilgrimages to these markets often make our activities agenda.

Smaller, less upscale restaurants located from downtown to our outer suburbs also are worth seeking out for lovingly prepared meals that span the globe. A very small sampling would

include everything from a family-run Peruvian place in Sycamore Township, Inkazteka, to Sago, a Malaysian spot in Mt. Lookout and the TurkishMediterranean Artemis in Montgomery.

Mt. Adams doesn’t have the variety of restaurants it did twenty years ago, but the cozy Luca Bistro has added homey cooking in a cozy, très français setting to the neighborhood.

We are well represented by Asian restaurants, including a handful of terrific Japanese places. Café Mochiko in East Walnut Hills, as noted above, has repeatedly caught the attention of James Beard voters, and Baru downtown has received recognition for its elevated take on sushi.

I’m a regular patron at the modest yet adorable Kiki in College Hill, owned by Hideki Harada. He and his wife, Yuko, received James Beard Best Chef nominations for that restaurant in 2023.

Kiki serves dinner five nights a week, including Sundays, making it one of the few independent restaurants open for Sunday dinner. The atmosphere is bright and casual, with an inviting bar and two small dining rooms. Open since 2019, the restaurant was featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives in 2023. Harada also owns a Japanese convenience store on Court Street, Daruma, as well as Sen, a wonderful seafood shop at Findlay Market that makes fresh poke and ceviche daily.

Harada grew up in Cincinnati before

The Aperture’s Anthony-Brown noted that our restaurant culture “has a kind of humility” in which restaurant owners encourage the personal growth of their ambitious, younger staff. “Everybody helps everybody to feel that you’re one part of a larger whole,” he said. In larger cities, competition can overcome cooperation, but he has found the opposite here. “Everybody helps everybody.”

Willocks echoed those sentiments.

“There’s too much egotism in California,” he said, referring to his time working in the state. “Here, people want each other to do well.” A rising tide lifts all boats, he noted. “Everybody doing amazing things elevates the standard for everyone else.”

“2024 was a tough year for many of us,” Harada said, suggesting that, as Salazar noted, dining out is a luxury for most people. “[But] I hope to continue to see more diversity in the dining scene in 2025.”

As chef/owner of a restaurant that opened in 2024, Wildweed’s David Jackman said he hoped for continued growth in Cincinnati’s restaurant environment, along with “stronger support for everyone who is part of it, our farmers, our co-producers, our vendors, our teams, our employees — and more opportunities to love food for our guests.”

Clearly, it will require energy, passion and a few lucky breaks to sustain the city’s momentum. “We have to keep pushing,” said Falk. “We aren’t close to what we can be.” He meant to include his own establishments — Boca, Sotto and Nada — which you might think already have reached a comfortable pinnacle of success. “I’m constantly searching for inspiration wherever I can find it and ask, how can we get better every day?”

If the recent past is prelude to the near future, we may have even more outstanding dining experiences to celebrate in the coming year.

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ARTS & CULTURE

“Trail That Would Connect Lunken Airport to Sawyer Point Gets Green Light,” by Katherine Barrier In May, it was announced that an agreement had been reached among Hamilton County’s Great Parks, the City of Cincinnati, Metro and the Indiana & Ohio Railway to construct the Oasis Trail, a shared-use, paved path connecting Lunken Airport to Sawyer Point. The Oasis Trail will extend the Ohio River Trail westward from its current endpoint at Wilmer Ave., creating much-needed connections for cyclists, runners and walkers to the Lunken Trail and Little Miami Scenic Trail.

This development marks a significant advancement in regional trail connectivity for the city and Great Parks. In October, it was revealed that the project received an $8 million grant from OhioKentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) to build the trail.

Great Parks says their goal is to begin construction on the Oasis Trail in 2027.

“American Sign Museum to Host Grand Re-Opening to Unveil Main Street Expansion,” by Katherine Barrier

BLINK at Newport on the Levee P H O T O : LY D I A S C H E M B R E

Five Arts & Culture Stories that Made an Impact on Greater Cincinnati in 2024

These Arts & Culture highlights from 2024 touch on everything from a Pompeii exhibit to the return of BLINK.

BY AS H L E Y M O O R

I

t would be easy to say that 2024 was a difficult year for many (and it likely was), but there are still plenty of reasons to celebrate the year that we’re leaving behind. Looking back on the arts and culture headlines that dominated CityBeat’s website and print pages, one thing is clear: there are an endless number of reasons to celebrate our fair city, from the announcement of a new event that sounds quite a bit like a Tall Stacks revival, to the return of BLINK and American Sign Museum expansion. Ahead, we’ve rounded up just a handful of arts and culture headlines from 2024 that showcase the vibrant arts scene in Cincinnati — and stir up some excitement for what’s to come in 2025.

“World-Renowned Pompeii Exhibit Coming to Cincinnati Museum Center,” by Katherine Barrier One of the first exciting exhibits of 2024 was at the Cincinnati Museum Center.

Debuting back in February, the CMC’s POMPEII: The Exhibition featured over 150 artifacts from the ancient city of Pompeii that have been preserved under volcanic ash since 79 A.D. On loan from the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, Italy, the collection included mosaics, frescoes, gladiator armor, statues, jewelry and everyday items, offering insights into Roman life. The immersive exhibit transported visitors back to the day Mount Vesuvius erupted, providing a vivid experience of this historical event.

“This Event Coming to Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky in 2025 Sounds Like a Tall Stacks Revival, and We’re Freaking Excited,”

by Katherine Barrier Earlier this year, it was revealed that Cincinnatians will soon have a major new festival to attend, America’s Rivers Roots. The festival, which will take place

along the Ohio River from Oct. 9-12 in 2025, aims to celebrate the river’s historical significance by featuring multicultural art, history, music and food that celebrates the culture along the Ohio River. Live performances from well-known artists in all of the roots genres will be curated by Cincinnati native and Grammy Award-winner Bryce Dessner of The National. Cincinnati’s Paul Sturkey, the product and project development chef at Kroger, will lead the charge on food at River Roots, inviting celebrity chefs to craft cuisine of America’s river regions and recruiting small businesses, food trucks, restaurants and caterers to offer a variety of eats at the event. River Roots will also bring in 12 riverboats to the region from other inland river cities. At its, um, roots (sorry), this festival is reminiscent of the Tall Stacks events that celebrated Cincinnati’s riverboat heritage in the past, and boy are we excited to take it all in next year.

This summer, the American Sign Museum unveiled the 20,000-squarefoot expansion of the museum that included more room for signs and events. The expansion took two years of planning to execute and construct, transforming the previously unfinished portion of the century-old building the museum occupies in Camp Washington and doubling the museum’s size. The expansion’s highlights include the loka Theatre marquee, the Ward’s Butter Bread sign, the Johnny’s Big Red Grill sign, the G & J Tire sign and 36 handpainted signs from across the United States and Canada.

“BLINK Returns this Fall with More Artists and Artworks than Ever Before,”

by Katherine Barrier BLINK, the city’s renowned light and art festival, returned in October, bringing an even larger array of artists, artworks and events with it. In addition to its existing footprint in Over-the-Rhine, Downtown, Pendleton and Covington, BLINK was expanded to also include Newport this year. Some of the favorite installations this year included “The Aronoff Oasis” at the Aronoff Center; “OPEN” by Fifth Third, B!G ART and Le Cirque de la Nuit; and “The Cathedral”

by Evan Verrilli. The crowd-favorite Asianati Night Market also returned for another year at BLINK, and it was just as magical as its 2022 debut.

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ONSTAGE

Greater Cincinnati Theater Companies Staged Several Spectacular Shows in 2024

BY R I C K P E N D E R

Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park’s production of Rutka: A New Musical P H OTO : M I K K I S C H A F F N E R

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reater Cincinnati theaters are finally returning to pre-pandemic attendance levels with full seasons over the past 12 months.

This is my roundup of especially good offerings on local stages, but I first need to mention two small companies that are producing shows worth seeking out. Falcon Theatre, performing in a storefront on Newport’s Monmouth Street, is a destination for thoughtprovoking works: Last January it staged a very good production of a one-man show about artist Vincent van Gogh; in March, Breaking the Code, the story of British mathematician and codebreaker Alan Turing was excellent.

Covington’s Carnegie Center offered a fine summer season with a rollicking, sold-out run of The Rocky Horror Show (planned for revival in 2025), Jonathan Larson’s Tick, Tick…Boom! and an excellent rendition of Beautiful: The Carol King Musical.

The early months of 2024 saw three excellent productions featuring characters of color. Cincinnati Shakespeare Company produced James Baldwin’s gospel-flavored Amen Corner in January. Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati mounted a February production of August Wilson’s How I Learned What I Learned, featuring an insightful and powerful performance by guest actor

“ranney” as the legendary Black playwright. On the Cincinnati Playhouse’s Shelterhouse Stage in March, Zora Howard’s Stew portrayed three generations of Black women in a kitchen, preparing an important meal.

April brought a world premiere comedy at Ensemble Theatre, The Match Game, by Ohio playwright Steven Stafford about a dysfunctional family struggling to rely on one another. Also in April, the Playhouse staged The Chosen, based on Chaim Potok’s 1967 novel about fathers and sons from different branches of the Jewish faith.

Broadway in Cincinnati delivered the touring production of Six, a set of pop concert musical portraits of the wives of King Henry VIII with sparkling costumes and lots of dance moves.

Know Theatre of Cincinnati spent the spring identifying and hiring a new artistic director, Bridget Leak, who worked with several local theaters for more than a decade. She brings new energy to the city’s most adventurous avant-garde producer. Her staging of Bess Wohl’s Camp Siegfried, a complex drama about fascism and romance, for Know in September was a welcome sign of more ambitious theater at this Over-the-Rhine alternative stage. In June, Know produced the 21st annual Cincinnati Fringe Festival, managed

for the third time by veteran performer Katie Hartman. She recently moved from New York City to Cincinnati to handle full-time marketing for Know’s year-round season. Still a stage veteran, in late October, Hartman performed a one-night encore of her past Fringe hit Edgar Allan, a fantasy imagining of the boyhood of Edgar Allan Poe. Over the summer Cincy Shakes toured its annual free Shakespeare in the Park show, a staging of Hamlet, a precursor for several subsequent productions in 2024-2025. James Ijames’s Fat Ham, a contemporary retelling of Shakespeare’s tragedy, translated the story into a lighter but thought-provoking tale that unfolded during a backyard barbecue with a Black Alabama family. (Hamlet is also the inspiration for an upcoming January production of Lauren Gunderson’s A Room in the Castle, telling Shakespeare’s story from the perspectives of two female characters.) Cincy Shakes also offered a frothy summer comedy in August, the world premiere of Alice Scovell’s Kindred Spirits, a brand-new sequel to Noël Coward’s Blithe Spirit.

Other theaters kicked off their fall seasons in September. The Playhouse’s Shelterhouse production of Mr. Parent was a humorous one-man show

(by actor Maurice Emmanuel Parent) about his career move from being an actor to an elementary school teacher.

Ensemble Theatre began its 20242025 season with The Garbologists, an engaging two-hander about two mismatched city workers played expertly

by Torie Wiggins and Nathan Neorr.

After butting heads while making the rounds picking up trash, they found a path to mutual support.

The Playhouse made big news in October with a pre-Broadway audition of Rutka: A New Musical. Based on the diary of a teenage girl in war-torn Poland in 1943, coping with fascism and a world at war, using an indierock score. This story seems likely to make its way to New York City. The Playhouse’s new mainstage, Moe and Jack’s Place – The Rouse Theatre, was designed to be the launchpad for such productions.

Cincy Shakes gave theater lovers October thrills with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein by David Catlin, conjuring a group of poets, writers and lovers who enact and invent the classic tale of a monster and his creator. A coproduction with Merrimack Repertory Theatre in Massachusetts, this Gothic story is another reminder of the versatility of the classic theater company.

A fall highlight was a tour stop by the Improvised Shakespeare Company for two performances at the Aronoff Center’s Jarson-Kaplan Theatre. This veteran troupe of improv performers takes an audience suggestion for a title and spins out a 90-minute play in Shakespearean style. It’s a remarkable feat, and hopes are high that the troupe will return to Cincinnati before too long.

Also at the Aronoff this fall was a very satisfying touring production of Funny Girl, the 1964 musical about early Broadway star Fanny Brice (that provided Barbra Streisand with her first starring role). Another musical hit from the past, Leonard Bernstein’s Wonderful Town from 1953, was staged by director and choreographer Diane Lala at UC’s College Conservatory of Music. It was the capstone of her 36-year career at CCM. Holiday shows are presently underway at the Playhouse (A Christmas Carol), Ensemble Theatre (Alice in Wonderland) and Cincy Shakes (Every Christmas Story Ever Told – And Then Some). Know Theatre’s inventive team has assembled a raucous new seasonal offering, Die Hard is a Christmas Movie (onstage through Dec. 22). Keep an eye out for explosive humor.

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CULTURE

Behind the Curtain: The Magic of Cincinnati Ballet’s The Nutcracker

BY E M M A H E L B L I N G

T

he holiday season is upon us, and with it comes all of our favorite holiday traditions, like baking cookies, hanging stockings and, of course, taking in the timeless story of The Nutcracker at the Cincinnati Ballet.

The Nutcracker, composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, touched the stage for the first time in Russia in 1892, and was based on the plot in Alexandre Dumas’ 1844 short story, The Nutcracker, which was a retelling of the original tale of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, written by E.T.A. Hoffman in 1816. The Nutcracker became an instant holiday classic in the U.S. in 1954 when George Balanchine partnered with the New York City Ballet to create an intricate and whimsical interpretation of the show.

So, what is The Nutcracker about?

The two-act ballet performance follows the story of a young girl, Clara, who receives a nutcracker from her godfather on Christmas Eve and embarks on a magical journey filled with toy soldiers, sugar plum fairies, dancing snowflakes and more. Since its debut, it has become a holiday tradition.

But when The Nutcracker takes the stage at the Cincinnati Ballet, it’s more than just a holiday tradition — it’s magic right before your eyes.

The Cincinnati Ballet performed their first rendition of The Nutcracker in 1974 under David McLain, and, according to the Cincinnati Ballet website, even had set designs that resembled prominent Cincinnati homes and costumes from local department stores. And now, for its 50th anniversary performance, the Cincinnati Ballet hopes to bring the magic of the holiday season to the stage again.

According to Cincinnati Ballet soloist Joshua Stayton, the work that goes into perfecting The Nutcracker begins long before we start decking the halls.

“We’ll usually begin after our first full-length program of the season (in September), and our days are a little bit longer in the beginning to refresh and relearn the choreography,” says Stayton.

“And then we cut down to about two to three hours a day, and then down to an hour or an hour and a half.”

Stayton, who plays the Cotton Candy Cavalier in this year’s performance of The Nutcracker, is a Cincinnati native who began his dancing journey at the School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCPA) and at 16 joined the Orlando Ballet School and Houston Ballet.

Before joining the Cincinnati Ballet in 2019, Stayton was also a soloist for the Tulsa Ballet.

The Cincinnati Ballet’s first performance of The Nutcracker in 1974 P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY T H E C I N C I N N AT I B A L L E T

Stayton’s time with the Cincinnati Ballet didn’t begin in 2019, though.

His journey actually began back in 2003 when he participated in a summer program and auditioned for Peter Pan. “I was too tall for the role of Little Michael,” says Stayton.

As The Nutcracker season approaches and the cast list is revealed to the public, many people wonder: How do you land a spot in the performance?

Principal dancer Sirui Liu says it’s not the typical audition experience that you’d expect.

“We’ve been doing this show every single year, so if you’re a company member the artistic staff picks the cast list, since they’ve been working with us and already know us.”

Liu, who portrays the Sugar Plum Fairy in this year’s production of The Nutcracker, began her journey with the Cincinnati Ballet in 2011 after sending in her audition tape and was promoted to principal dancer in 2017.

Before her time in the Queen City, Liu found her love for professional dance at the Shanghai Dance School in 2000, where she trained for seven years.

She continued her training with the Shanghai Dance College of Shanghai Theatre Academy for four years.

For Liu, the Cincinnati Ballet was her first time performing in any production of The Nutcracker, and through her effortless ability to pick up the choreography and create an enjoyable performance for the audience, she’s become a pro.

Stayton’s first large-scale performance was The Nutcracker, and he still currently performs in both the Cincinnati Ballet and SCPA versions, and watching as he lifts and carries Liu across stage all the while carrying out the choreography, it’s no surprise this isn’t his first rodeo.

In the production, the two perform as a dynamic duo for a few different performances, and each one captivates the audience and transports you to a world of magic. The two move completely in sync, and come together to create one seamless movement, even through complex lifts and mirrored choreography. The two create help the Cincinnati Ballet create a one-of-a-kind rendition of The Nutcracker.

“The adrenaline of performance I think takes away a bit of your mental exhaustion,” says Stayton.

Offstage, both Liu and Stayton work closely as teachers in the Cincinnati Ballet as well. Liu runs a professional

performance program and also teaches the student performance ensemble, while Stayton choreographs for the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (UC-CCM) and his alma mater, SCPA. The two have learned a lot through their teaching experiences.

“Teaching helps you go back to the basics,” says Liu. “It reminds you of those details you might have forgotten because we’re doing so many runthroughs and just little details during teaching, that it helps us too.”

The learning happens on stage, too.

The Cincinnati Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker includes a diverse cast of both seasoned performers and young dancers, many of whom aspire to become professional ballet dancers.

“The feedback and energy from audience members, and whenever kids come into our act two rehearsals, seeing them light up in that studio being surrounded by all of us is a fantastic reminder of why we all started,” says Stayton. “That joy and that light within.”

The Cincinnati Ballet’s 50th anniversary production of The Nutcracker will continue through Dec. 29 at the Springer Auditorium at Cincinnati Music Hall. More info: cballet.org.

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FOOD & DRINK

manufacturers with extra inventory and seasonal closeouts. The grocery chain says this expansion will help make high-quality and affordable groceries more accessible to more people throughout the Midwest, and it also brought over 30 new jobs to the area.

A Celebrity Gets Involved in the Skyline-Mountain Dew Drama

Several local Frisch’s Big Boy closed or were ordered to close in 2024.

P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY G A M E D AY P R

The Top Five Eats Stories that Shaped 2024

These top stories touch on everything from Frisch’s woes to Mountain Dew drama.

BY KATHERINE BARRIER

C

incinnati’s dining scene saw a lot of big changes over the course of 2024 — good, bad and even just a bit silly. From the downfall of one of Cincinnati’s favorite restaurant chains to the opening of a store that’s trying to make groceries a bit more affordable, here are the top five food and dining stories CityBeat covered this year.

Frisch’s Big Boy’s Eviction Woes One of Cincinnati’s most iconic and beloved local restaurant chains took a big hit this fall as its landlord began eviction proceedings. According to court documents, Frisch’s Big Boy owed its landlord, real estate company NNN Reit, over $4.5 million in rent.

In September, NNN Reit filed eviction notices for numerous Southwestern Ohio Frisch’s locations, including 17

in Hamilton, Clermont, Butler, Warren and Highland counties, but, so far, over 20 local Frisch’s restaurants have closed or been ordered to close, including the flagship and historic Mainliner location in Fairfax. Frisch’s vows it’s here to stay though, as some locations independent of NNN Reit remain open and a team of senior Frisch’s managers acquired multiple locations and future brand development rights.

Cincinnati area, where ABR has an office. Local restaurants to be featured include Cafe Alma, The Purple Poulet, Kelly Q’s & Whipper’s Dairy, Lisse Steakhuis, Bouquet and Hansie Flip Burger. Filming took place in July and August, and ABR says it will announce the air date of each episode on its social media sites as they come up.

Six Greater Cincinnati Restaurants Featured on Food Web Series

This year, an “extreme-value” grocery retailer opened its first Greater Cincinnati. Grocery Outlet Bargain Market expanded to Eastgate this June, with local independent operators Matt and Shannon Alicea at the helm. Grocery Outlet stores are independently operated by local families and offer the same trusted brands as traditional grocery stores, but at lower prices by using buyers who scour the country to find

Several Greater Cincinnati restaurants stepped into the spotlight this year after being selected to be featured on America’s Best Restaurants’ ABR Roadshow, a web series that highlights individual restaurants across the country, including many in the Greater

An “Extreme-Value” Grocery Store Opens in Eastgate

Skyline Chili and Mountain Dew have been a classic culinary pairing for years for many in Greater Cincinnati, so fans of the duo were heartbroken when Skyline announced this past spring that it would be switching its pop products from Pepsi to Coke. The online outrage became so prominent that it caught the eye of Mountain Dew, who enlisted a man who knows a thing or two about chili to help with a special promotion.

Actor Brian Baumgartner, a.k.a. Kevin Malone from the NBC hit series The Office, teamed up with Mountain Dew and took to social media for the special promotion in March: “I have been closely following the breaking Cincinnati-style chili news over the last day or so, and I’m here to tell you, there is no cause for concern.

I repeat: There. Is. No. Chiligate,” Baumgartner said in an Instagram video. “As a fellow chili aficionado, I come bearing good news. The truth is: Mountain Dew? It isn’t going anywhere — well, not really.”

Because while you could no longer enjoy a Mountain Dew in-store at Skyline, you could still enjoy it at home, and that week, Mountain Dew offered one of their beverages on them with the purchase of chili anywhere in Cincinnati.

Downtown Cincinnati Gets Its First Japanese Convenience Store Cincinnati chef Hideki Harada opened Daruma, a Japanese convenience store, or konbini, on Court Street downtown this past winter. Daruma carries a variety of authentic Japanese household staples like sauces and condiments, as well as candy and snacks. It also has grab-and-go meals, like sushi, onigiri and rice balls made with ingredients like pork belly, pickled plum and ham and cheese. Customers can also pick up some sake and beer, and there’s a hot water dispenser for making tea and instant cup noodles.

“I’m very excited to bring something new to the city, where folks can purchase Japanese items they can’t easily find nearby,” Harada said in February. “Daruma is a place where people can discover and try new things — a place where you may even find a few surprises.”

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EATS

17 Exciting New Greater Cincinnati Restaurants and Bars that Opened in Late 2024

BY K AT H E R I N E BA R R I E R

A

s we prepare to close the chapter on 2024, CityBeat is taking a look back at all the new restaurants and bars that emerged on Greater Cincinnati’s culinary scene this year. From brand new breweries with a range of beer options and modern Italian eateries to bars where you can challenge your friend to a board game or mini golf and vegan restaurants filling in the local dining gaps, here is just a sampling of the new restaurants that have recently opened.

Carmelo’s 434 Madison Ave., Covington Carmelo’s, a new Italian restaurant helmed

by Billy Grise and Chef Mitche Arens — two Greater Cincinnati dining and hospitality veterans — opened in Covington this fall. The restaurant is named after Grise’s grandfather, who inspired his love for the restaurant business. The space is inviting and modern, yet rustic — a reflection of Nono Carmelo’s warm and jovial spirit, says the team.

On the menu, diners can expect quintessential Italian American dishes, including some selections that will “push their palates,” with regional staples from Italy.

Menu highlights include the mozzarella, hand-pulled to order with grilled focaccia and olive oil, and the 101-layer lasagna, which is a whole pound of lasagna, pan-seared until the edges are crispy and served with red gravy and parmesan. As for the beverage program, Carmelo’s features classic cocktails with a spin, as well as an all-Italian wine list that highlights Italian varietals.

Mellotone Beer Project 1429 Race St., Over-the-Rhine Mellotone Beer Project is brand new to Over-the-Rhine, but it was already highly anticipated after a sneak peek it held for the community during BLINK. The brewpub just opened in November in the former Taft’s Ale House space — a beautiful former church — where it offers three experiences: its restaurant on the main floor, as well as a basement bar, Undertone, that will host live music and an indoor beer garden on the top level. Mellotone has a scratch kitchen, with Brendan Martin, formerly of Boca Restaurant Group, at the helm, and a menu focusing on modern American fare that pairs well with their fresh, uncomplicated beer selection.

Spear Ridge Cafe 7301 Industrial Road, Florence One Holland Restaurant Group (Barleycorn’s, Roney’s, Greyhound Tavern) opened its newest concept, Spear Ridge Cafe, in Florence this past summer. The

Spear Ridge Cafe P H O T O : FA C E B O O K . C O M / S P E A R R I D G E

restaurant was designed to resemble a horse barn, with stylish rustic-yet-modern touches throughout. The menu features Southern-style favorites like the Catfish Po’Boy and the Country Ham and Pimento Sandwich, as well as soups, salads and smashburgers. Sit in the cozy barninspired dining room, decked out in wood paneling and autumnal colors, or, when the weather is nice, enjoy your meal on Spear Ridge’s porch.

Tulum Restaurant and Bar 225 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue Recently opened in the former Nomad space in Bellevue, Tulum Restaurant and Bar serves up authentic Mexican street eats, like tacos, burritos and a special birria ramen. The drink menu includes a selection of margaritas, including a spicy option, as well as an espresso martini, an old fashioned, wine and a sharable fishbowl-style drink called the El Cenote.

Bramble Bubbly 6758 Bramble Ave., Madisonville If you’re looking for a unique bubble tea experience, head to Bramble Bubbly, an adorable shop owned and operated by The Cheesecakery’s Liz Field. The shop is bright, pink and fun and offers a menu of bubble teas with the same aesthetic.

You can select from the colorful Signature Drinks, which includes offerings like Matcha Melon (matcha creamie with watermelon syrup and strawberry popping balls) and the Taro Twirl (taro creamie with an ube swirl and brown sugar tapioca balls).

Par 3 P H O T O : N AT H A N Z U C K E R / P R O V I D E D BY N E W P O R T O N T H E L E V E E

Each month also features a selection of seasonal drinks, or you can make your own tea, with thousands of combinations possible between Bramble Bubbly’s varieties of teas, creamies and toppings. Bramble Bubbly also sources all of its high-quality ingredients from Taiwan for the most authentic experience.

Sudova 22 W. Court St., Downtown Opened on Court Street this past August, Sudova is the newest concept from Sarah Dworak (Babushka’s Pierogies). This Eastern European kitchen features a warm and convivial Old-World-style aesthetic, where

traditional dishes, timeless European style and modern tastes blend together.

Outside is a gated courtyard for al fresco dining, while the dining room features custom millwork, framed Ukrainian tapestries, stained glass windows from Wooden Nickel Antiques and locally salvaged Eastern European sconces. But the highlight of the dining room is a family heirloom — a well-worn and well-loved dining table that was once in Dworak’s grandmother’s home. On the menu, diners can enjoy modern takes on classic Eastern European dishes, including pelmeni (a type of dumpling) with salt cod and potato brandade and topped with caviar beurre

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cornbread. It also has desserts like banana pudding and strawberry crunch cake.

Harry & Shan Asian Cuisine 627 Main St., Downtown Harry & Shan Asian Cuisine opened in the former Deme Kitchen space in early November. The restaurant offers classic Chinese takeout items like sweet and sour chicken, General Tso’s chicken, Moo Goo Gai Pan and more, as well as other Asian dishes like Pad Thai. You can also get protein or vegetables made in traditional Mongolian, Szechuan, Hunan and Kung Pao styles or dim sum, a traditional Chinese meal of small plates.

Juniper Seed

MexCantina P H O T O : P R O V I D E D BY M E XC A N T I N A

blanc; hand-formed rye varenyky — another type of dumpling — stuffed with potato, sauerkraut, caramelized onions and dill sour cream; Ukrainian specialty green borsch, made with chicken, sorrel and a soft boiled egg; and ice cream made with sea buckthorn berries.

Par 3 1 Levee Way, Newport Newport on the Levee scored a miniature golf and restaurant concept this past summer. Par 3 calls itself an innovative and modern approach to traditional mini golf that focuses on “competitive socializing” through interactive gameplay. The venue is open to guests of all ages and skill levels and offers three different nine-hole courses with unique designs and overthe-top themes. Each hole is designed to be challenging, but fun, and each one was created to even the playing field for all participants, so even the beginner could quickly become a pro.

The space also has a full bar and indoor and outdoor dining areas with big-screen TVs, a gaming zone and a VIP section for private parties. The menu features highend, sharable small plates like flatbreads, tacos and burgers, as well as specialty cocktails named after golfing terms, like “The Putterfly Effect,” which is made with El Jimador-infused butterfly pea flowers, hibiscus simple syrup, orange curaçao and lime and orange juice, and the “Hole in One,” Par 3’s take on an old fashioned.

Free Parking 6200 Hamilton Ave., College Hill Go straight to Free Parking; do not pass “Go.” This board game and neighborhood bar where you can turn your friends into enemies over an intense game of Monopoly opened in College Hill this September.

Free Parking says it aims to be a welcoming space where patrons can enjoy a wide variety of board games, along with drinks

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and bites, in a relaxed atmosphere. The menu features specialty cocktails named after Monopoly spaces along with a selection of pub-style food, including sharables like pretzels and beer cheese, wings and a brisket flatbread, as well as handhelds like burgers and chicken sandwiches. They also offer a weekend brunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with offerings like breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, platters and more.

Something to Wine About 136 W. Fourth St., Downtown There’s no need to whine; there’s plenty of wine to go around at Something to Wine About. This new self-service wine bar in downtown Cincinnati celebrated its grand opening this December. Located in a nearly 3,600-square-foot space in 3CDC’s 4th & Race development, this establishment features self-pour machines along with a full-service bar. To use the machines, all you have to do is get a card at the bar, load money onto it and you’re ready to imbibe.

Owner Orlando “Lando” Chapman Sr. says Something to Wine About will also highlight African American and other minority-owned winemakers and host events like a book club and live performances. You can also sign up for the WineO membership for extra perks.

Sweets & Meats BBQ 3440 Burnet Ave., Avondale After closing their Mt. Washington eatery a few years ago, Sweets & Meats BBQ is back in the brick-and-mortar business. The BBQ joint opened a dine-in space in the Cincinnati Herald building in Avondale this September. The new dine-in restaurant offers the same menu items that made Sweets & Meats popular, including their award-winning smoked ribs, rib tips, brisket, chicken wings, pulled pork and pulled chicken, as well as a variety of homemade sides like mac and cheese, collard greens and sweet

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1809 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine A new addition to Findlay Market, Juniper Seed offers accessible, nourishing and delicious plant-based food that helps address the gaps in local vegan dining.

Juniper Seed started in 2022 as a fully vegan meal prep delivery service (which is still operating), before owner and founder Alecia Petroze took it through the Findlay Launch Storefront Accelerator program. It opened in a brick-and-mortar space this September, with a fully vegan menu — and any dish that is not inherently gluten-free has a gluten-free option.

for its beer, Hearth brews an assortment, ranging from lagers, pilsners and IPAs to stouts and porters, to appeal to all palates.

And if you’re hungry, try one of Hearth’s stone-fired pizzas.

Pastizza 6927 Miami Ave., Madeira Nothing goes together quite like pasta and pizza, which makes new pizzeria Pastizza a new hidden gem. The restaurant opened in downtown Madeira this October with a menu full of carby goodness. Take your pick between New York-style pizza and classic Italian-style pasta dishes.

Specialty pizzas range from a classic Bruschetta and Meat Lovers to the OldFashioned, which is described as having “Old-Fashioned Sauce — a perfect blend of tradition and mystery.” Pasta dishes include red-sauce classics like manicotti, lasagna and ravioli, as well as a couple trio dishes that allow you to try a variety. Pastizza says it prides itself on using only the finest ingredients and crafting each pizza and pasta dish with care. The tomato sauce is made fresh daily from Italian tomatoes, and, for their pizzas, they use a 70-year-old baker’s oven that creates a nice char on the crust while keeping the inside soft and flavorful.

MexCantina The offerings at Juniper Seed include breakfast options, such as Belgian waffles; vegan goetta; breakfast burritos with tofu scramble and Impossible sausage; grab-and-go options such as a kale Caesar salad and vegan cheesecake; and staple side dishes like buttered toast, fresh fruit and party potatoes. The party potatoes, Petroze’s favorite menu option, are a riff on her aunt’s recipe for funeral potatoes, a cheesy potato casserole well-known in Utah and the Midwest.

Highball Cincy 1834 Race St., Over-the-Rhine Gorilla Cinema closed its Cosmic Gorilla comic book shop and bar in July to pivot to what it says it does best: creating unforgettable experiences in bars and entertainment venues. The new concept, Highball Cincy, opened this fall. Highball features a menu focusing on highball cocktails and Spanish-inspired tapas. Music is also an important component of the bar, with a focus on vinyl and high-minded music always playing, and outside records welcome.

Hearth Brewing 1195 Stone Drive, Harrison Harrison welcomed a new brewery to its midst this September. Hearth Brewing says it aims to provide a welcoming space for the community to gather and enjoy good food and beer. Children are also welcome, as are dogs in the outdoor former greenhouse space. Inside, you’ll find a large stone fireplace that’s perfect for spending time around during the cozy season. As

2653 Erie Ave., Hyde Park Following the closure of Mesa Loca, high-end, modern Mexican restaurant MexCantina moved into its space in Hyde Park Square. The restaurant opened this August with a menu of fare inspired by Jalisco, Mexico, and the menu includes classic dishes like tacos, fajitas, tortas and a selection of margaritas. A favorite among diners is the Quesadbirria taco — a birria taco with beef broth for dipping and topped with cilantro, mozzarella, onions and tomatillo sauce.

Biscuit Love 1602 Pleasant St., Over-the-Rhine Another new addition to the OTR neighborhood, Biscuit Love is a breakfast and brunch concept that originally hails from Nashville, but OTR’s location is the chain’s first in Ohio and the first outside the Southeast region. The menu offers both breakfast and lunch favorites with a twist centered around its biscuits. Fan favorites include the “Bonuts” (fried biscuit dough tossed in sugar, topped with lemon mascarpone and served with blueberry compote); the “East Nasty” (a buttermilk biscuit topped with a fried boneless chicken thigh, aged cheddar and sausage gravy); the “B-Roll” (a biscuit cinnamon roll topped with a pecan sticky bun sauce and cream cheese icing); and the “Princess” (a buttermilk biscuit topped with a Nashvillestyle spicy boneless “hot chicken” thigh, pickles, mustard and honey). The menu also features a “Without a Biscuit” section, kids’ items, a full espresso and looseleaf tea program and brunch cocktails.

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MUSIC Cincinnati Wrapped: Top 15 Releases by Cincinnati Artists in 2024 This is a snapshot of the city’s music scene right now, or at least a fraction of it, the sound of a culture alive that is Cincinnati’s own — our own.

BY BRENT STROUD

T

his list is in no certain order other than what flowed best like a handpicked mix from CityBeat to you, the readers, to celebrate just some of the best sounds that the city had to offer from singles or albums releases this year.

These are the songs that were written, then pieced together in studios, bedrooms and basements, in most cases in and around Cincinnati, by someone down the street, released and in the racks of your local record stores.

It’s the music you heard at venues across the city on nights out or discovered online, over the airwaves from local radio or over the speakers in a hip coffee shop or bar in the know.

This is a snapshot of the city’s music scene right now, or at least a fraction of it, the sound of a culture alive that is Cincinnati’s own — our own.

Listen to these tracks to get out and find it.

“Psychic Gasoline”

by Vacation One of the city’s most prolific and essential bands, Vacation released their

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newest full-length record, Rare Earth at the beginning of the summer. There are plenty of songs on the album that could be included here, like “I Was a New York Ranger,” “Cheap Death Rattle” and the title track, to name a few, but this frenetic ball of fire shows the band’s range of power as well as their capability of changing speeds and adding dynamics for something even more effective.

“Still Tryin’” by Mol Sullivan Mol Sullivan, a Cincinnati favorite, released her first full-length album, Goose, at the beginning of the year with a triumphant performance at the Woodward Theater fitting for the sprawling record that features a group of chamber pop masterpieces ready for a larger stage. The album also brought a handful of inventive videos to match the varied and vibrant single releases over the year. “Still Tryin’” is just one of many great tracks but shows Sullivan’s range in style and arrangement and depth of emotion as a writer and performer.

“Bad Faith” by The Montvales The Montvales relocated to Cincinnati from Knoxville, Tennessee, a couple years back and released Born Strangers, a fully realized and powerful group of songs, early in the year. Members Sally Buice and Molly Rochelson handle bold subjects with ease and deliver fresh and immediate-sounding tales and lessons learned while working in the tradition of roots and country & western for a timeless touch. This song off the album is potently effective at getting the pain of circumstance and hard choices

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across, but, above all, defiant and understanding. In the chorus, Rochelson sings, “It’s a bad faith deal they made you honey, gonna set you up just to knock you down.” This song breaks your heart but ultimately builds you up.

“Embrace for Impact” by Annie D (featuring Eric Bates, Sappha and Tiffany Nicole) Annie D, also known as Ann Driscoll, has made an impression this year with performances at the North By Northside Festival and Indie Fridays on Fountain Square, amongst many others, even helping compose music for this year’s BLINK festival. This contemplative, hypnotic recording released at the beginning of December opens with a sweeping blend of violin from Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra violinist Eric Bates and guest vocalists Sappha and Tiffany Nicole backing Driscoll before dropping into an erratic drum and bass groove compressed to the maximum.

Bates’ violin rejoins alongside Driscoll’s guitar and synth before dropping away, ending where it all began. It’s another example of Driscoll’s effectiveness with melody and arrangement and a must-listen.

“Fallin’” by Lionmilk (feat. Muwosi) Local singer and artist Muwosi leads this bubbly, mood-inducing track from Los Angeles producer Lionmilk with her dreamy, velvet-soft vocal. The music video, a screen captured video call between the two, features Muwosi walking downtown Cincinnati streets in warmer weather, adding to the breezy, carefree feel of the song.

“Pay Phone” by Artificial Go From the band’s first release, Hopscotch Fever, released on local label Feel It Records, this nugget of catchy punk bliss is like finding some lost record from 1981 in a bargain bin. It captures a time when punk blended with funk to create something new, with bands exploring dance and rhythm with the no cares, nonchalance of punk.

“WHOREMONEY (sappha mix)” by Sappha (featuring Siri Imani and Jess Lamb) This fearless and bold EDM ode to the oldest profession and everything that comes with it features rapidfire delivery from Sappha with a type of vulnerability coupled with bravado. It also features local heavy hitter guest vocalists Jess Lamb and Siri Imani to take the stakes even higher. Sappha has been a vital artist in the city with multiple releases this year alone, as well as a frequent collaborator. She guests on rapper Turich Benjy’s Something Out the Bleu EP in addition to lending her vocal to the Annie D track on this list.

“MOTH” by Turich Benjy Cincinnati hip-hop artist Turich Benjy has had a big year with the release of ULTRASOUND DELUXE, touring the U.S. and Europe coming off a collaborative album with rapper Pink Siifu in late 2023 and the recent release of his Something Out the Bleu EP. This glitched out piece of future-leaning hip-hop off ULTRASOUND DELUXE packs a range of styles into an immediate and hardhitting display of power with two songs seemingly sewn together and all in just over two minutes.

“The Heavy Heavy”

by Touchdown Jesus One of the newer bands on the list, Touchdown Jesus defy tradition, structure and genre. This bizarre blending of colors and tones that shouldn’t exist together but come together for something fresh and seemingly meant to be is from their debut EP You Must Know Who You Are to Them, released in March. It’s also one of the catchiest tracks on this list, somehow magically blending free jazz, progressive rock, pop and noise rock (and plain noise — I think there’s a car horn in there somewhere) into some amalgamation of hooks and noise that seems the equivalent of scribbling that gives way to soaring melody and succinct hard-hitting groove.

“Dumbshit” by Beef From Beef’s Il Manzo EP released in September on Feel It Records, this track is a fine example of the band’s sound, or you could say, Grade-A Beef. The wall of forward-moving, raw power rhythm accented by synth lines dancing along on top, all work in unison. The sound of built tension and frustration burnt up through sheer will and the glory of rock and roll.

“My Mountain, My Mountain”

by Billy Fortune Billy Fortune is one of the younger artists listed here and shows some promise.

“My Mountain, My Mountain,” the first single off his EP, Be Sincere, released Nov. 1, straddles the border of lament and celebration with a full arrangement that includes a band backing Fortune that includes a weeping violin underscoring the repeated line of “don’t you cry.”

“Surrogate” by Mary Henry Mary Henry are one of the newest bands on this list but have most definitely gained the attention of the local music community with their bold choices in structure, mix of dissonant melody and almost abrasive attack that’s met with swirling melody. This track, the first single off their debut full-length record Stag, released at the end of 2024, is an atmospheric, more relaxed offering that doesn’t leave out their trademark experimentation. The serene vocals and synthesizer create a mood-inducing haze before it deteriorates into fuzz and static, like digital decay.

into one instantly catchy and distinctive organism with a post punk heart.

“Afterglow” by Victoria Lekson (featuring Eric Bates) Harpist Victoria Lekson is a member of Jess Lamb & the Factory and a frequent collaborator with hip-hop artist Siri Imani, as well as local experimental musicians like Umin and Pete Fosco, in performances. Her music is equally suited to providing atmospheric music for a night out at Somerset and performing with improvisational avant-gardeleaning touring acts at Northside Tavern or The Comet. This track, released at the beginning of November, features CSO violinist Eric Bates adding another layer to Lekson’s already lush harp arrangement.

The two blend into an ethereal stream of melody with Bates’ violin flowing like rays of light and Lekson’s harp moving like the line of flight a bird takes through it.

“The JB’s Tribute Pastor P”

by Bootsy Collins What would this list be without resident Cincinnati celebrity Bootsy Collins, the world-renowned funk pioneer and regular collaborator to acts like Snoop Dogg and featured on touchstone hits like Dee-Lite’s “Groove Is in The Heart” and Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice.”

Collins got his start as a young Cincinnati bass player in The JB’s, the backing band behind soul legend and King Records recording artist James Brown. This track, produced by Bootsy for his Bootzilla Productions and upcoming release, Album of the Year #1 Funkateer, features JB’s trombone player Fred Wesley, along with viral YouTube rapper Harry Mack, celebrated collaborator/drummer Daru Jones and local up-and-comer Manny Pemberton, among others, to pay tribute to his beginnings and the rest of the musicians that made up The JB’s. It’s a group of often under-praised musicians who helped lay the foundation, not only for Brown live and in the studio, but for a lot of what came after through style and sampling by hip-hop artists. Collins celebrated the release on his birthday, Oct. 25, with a party at the downtown library.

Scan the QR code below with your smartphone to listen to our accompanying playlist containing these songs:

“Elude the Torch”

by The Drin This driving, genre-bending track off Elude the Torch out on local label Feel It Records makes the lines between industrial, cold wave, dance pop and punk disintegrate into transparencies and blends

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SOUND ADVICE

Lez Zeppelin P H O T O : I N S TA G R A M

LEZ ZEPPELIN Jan. 3 • Ludlow Garage The all-female tribute band Lez Zeppelin is bringing a multimedia production of Led Zeppelin’s famous Physical Graffiti to Ludlow Garage. The double album will be performed in its entirety, honoring the 50th anniversary of its release.

Lez Zeppelin was formed in 2004 and founded by guitarist Steph Paynes. Since then, the group has reached levels that surpassed expectations from 20 years ago. Their ability to pay homage to Led Zeppelin’s legacy while creating authentic renditions of long-coveted songs is unique and admirable, as they tour throughout the U.S. and bring the renowned music of legends to places like Japan and Mumbai, India.

The tribute band’s self-titled studio album was released in 2007 and consists of one song from each of Led Zeppelin’s first six albums, plus two original tracks. The album was produced by Eddie Kramer (Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix) and kicked the band off for the future release of Lez Zeppelin I in 2010. The band’s most recent album, The Island of Skyros, was released in 2019, accompanied by a four-piece string quartet on tracks like the famous “Immigrant Song.”

Lez Zeppelin even garnered praise from Led Zeppelin founder and guitarist Jimmy Page in 2013 after he attended one of their shows in London. “They played the Led Zeppelin music with an extraordinary sensuality and an energy and passion that highlighted their superb musicianship,” Page said, according to Lez Zeppelin.

The current members of the band are Marlain Angelides (vocals), Steph Paynes (guitar), Leesa Harrington Squyres (drums) and Joan Chew (bass and keys).

After performing at venues like Madison Square Garden, as well as at festivals like Bonnaroo and Isle of Wight, the quartet has brought the essence of Led Zeppelin’s powerful and electrifying sound to crowds far and wide. More than remastering the classics, they have even added their raw takes with original tracks like “On the Rocks.” Through their passionate and authentic performances, the all-female band has showcased their ability to perform in a way that honors the legendary group and promotes their musical aptitude in an exciting new way.

Lez Zeppelin plays Ludlow Garage at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 3. More info: ludlowgaragecincinnati.com.

(Alanna Marshall)

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GIFT BOXES CROSSWORD

BY B R EN DA N E M M E T T Q U I G L E Y W W W. B R E N DA N E M M E T TQ U I G L E Y.C O M

Across

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2. Hunter’s target

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25. Guest column, often

4. Divining rod, with an insect name

30. TE stats

64. His number 24 was retired by both the Mets and Giants

31. Take things the wrong way

65. Miss on a loch

32. “Spill it”

49. “Caddyshack” director

22. Water holders

51. Like those in the out crowd

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52. Big test

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53. WNBA star ___ Charles

27. Alter ego

54. Mirai maker

35. Seafood from Long Island

Down

28. Give a little

55. Electrical units

39. Island whose capital is St. George’s

1. Egomaniac’s love

29. Singer Jackson

56. Puts into service

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