Cincinnati has 320 reasons to be proud of its dining scene — that’s the number of local restaurants in CityBeat’s annual Dining Guide. We’ve got amazing Asian cuisine, bodacious burger joints, fantastic fine dining and even delicious dives. You name it, we’ve got somebody who does it, and does it well.   

Benihana Japanese Steakhouse, Palomino and Lavomatic, three busy downtown restaurants, recently hosted 10 Hughes STEM High School students for an unforgettable learning experience. Hughes STEM High School in Clifton, with its focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), ups the educational ante by incorporating a one-week intersession course twice a year to provide students with “outside of the box” educational experiences.  

I had been asked to represent CityBeat as a judge at the annual Best of Taste of Cincinnati competition. For over a decade I worked for a restaurant that always participated in Taste and I suffered through every Memorial Day weekend foodfest in the heat and rain. One year we were lucky enough to win the “Best Damned Dish,” and, trust me, that can mean big bucks for the winner. So it was with confidence and experience that I drove through the rain up to Sysco in Evendale one early Monday morning.  

Chef Gina Puopolo and her husband Matt opened the doors of their fresh new burrito operation in April and they’re excited with the results so far. At the Lime Taqueria, the couple uses natural ingredients — many grown in their own garden — to feed lunch and dinner guests, as well as late-night visitors to Covington’s Mainstrasse.  

Chef Sean Kagy was educated at the New England Culinary Institute and worked at The Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Va., in the early 1990s. From there he moved on to Chicago’s Four Seasons hotel before coming to Cincinnati to work under Chef Jean-Robert de Cavel at The Maisonette. After stints as executive chef of The Palace and owner/chef of One in Mason, Kagy opened his own corporate hospitality and consulting business.  

Nothing is quite so civilized as brunch, a leisurely parade of egg dishes, fruit and champagne cocktails served in the company of fresh flowers. On a recent Sunday, when we decided to pretend like we were real people with lives that included something other than work, we got all this and more at Honey in Northside.  

Though I had a couple bones to pick, Island Frydays is full of that cool Jamaican spirit. With good service, good food and good people, it’s a great place to go and try something different. Where else in Cincinnati can you find a full menu of Caribbean classics?  

What’s the best way to take on the big restaurant chains? Learn, succeed and then beat ’em at their own game! That’s what they’re doing at the new Copper Blue (A Grub Shack) in Milford. Copper Blue goes up against all the casual chain restaurants in the area and comes out a winner.  

Aunt Flora of Aunt Flora’s House of Soul (7207 Montgomery Road, Silverton, 513-791-7437) is not only a CityBeat favorite but a bona fide celebrity. She (and her famous cobblers) have appeared on The Martha Stewart Show, and recently she was a contestant on Oprah Winfrey’s Search for America’s Next TV Star.  

May is all about Mom! They both start with M, right? If you are a mom, then you can say May is “all about me!” Taking your mama out for a Mother’s Day meal is a common way to celebrate, but with so many options, it can be hard to choose. As always, I’m here to help.  

The dining scene in the Gateway District is getting better all the time. Senate is a huge hit and the owners are opening a second destination next door. A Tavola Pizza is opening any day now, and I’ve heard rumors of more plans in the works. Lavomatic Café put the first fork on the neighborhood’s table and they haven’t lost their luster.  

Chef Joshua Steven Campbell of the Mayberry restaurant (915 Vine St., Downtown, 513-381-5999) and the Mayberry Foodstuffs grocery store/market (203 Seventh St., Downtown, 513-621-5555) is a native Cincinnatian, but his culinary travels have taken him to far-away places like the Royal Thai Culinary Academy in Bang Saen, Thailand, and Graycliff in Nassau, Bahamas.  

At one time I successful careers as an Associate Desserts Technician and a Pre-Certified Delicatessenal Culinarian. At least, that’s what it says on my résumé. In layman/non-bullshit terms, I worked behind the counter at the deli/bakery combo station at the Kroger store on Harrison Avenue in Westwood. Kroger recently announced it would be closing the store.  

When it was announced that Chalk Food Wine in Covington was closing its doors this year, it left an empty spot in our stomachs (or hearts, for you sentimental types). Sandy Meyer and Gary Ginn with their chef Jon Spencer, they created a menu and had Blinkers Tavern open, breathing new life into the space.  

Hughes High School is a Clifton landmark. The building is indeed remarkable, but what is even more impressive are the students and staff that call the building a second home. The gargoyles keep watch over the exterior, but one woman, principal Ginger Rhodes (and her staff, of course), keeps the interior running like clockwork.