Findlay Market is serving up some new specialties these days: The long-awaited Vietnamese diner Pho Lang Thang is up and running, as is Sushi Bears, with an extensive menu of vegetarian and vegan sushi and stir fries. Fresh Table opened last month and offers ready-to-serve takeout with a focus on healthy, sustainable ingredients.  

With a name like Smucker's, it has to be good. And so it follows that, with a last name like Swallow, you're bound to make food (or porn). Luckily, sisters Meg and Ellen Swallow went into the food business, creating Phro*ZEN, their own line of vegan ice cream — or vegan "frozen dessert" to be exact, since there ain't no cream in their cruelty-free concoctions.   

With The Classy Pig in Ludlow, Pinky Sue's in Newport and Riverside Barbeque and Drive Thru on River Road in Sedamsville, suddenly Greater Cincinnati is sprouting some of the little barbeque gems that you find in so many other parts of the country. If Guy Fieri ever decides to return to Cincinnati for his 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives' show, he has to stop at these new spots.  

After retiring from the Bengals at the end of the 1994 season, Cleveland native Tim McGee stayed in town and is now making his mark in the restaurant world instead of the football field. McGee, who also is a prominent sports agent, opened Geeter's Bar & Grill in Mason.  

November already ... it doesn't seem possible. On the plus side, this is the month of my favorite holiday, National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day. Ostensibly designed to make room for your turkey, it also serves the valuable function of making all those coagulated condiments and remaining bottles of raspberry beer you really didn’t like go away. Nov. 15, people. Celebrate!  

If I'm to be stuck anywhere awaiting tardy dining guests, I could ask for no better place than an Indian restaurant with a David Sedaris book. I was the only one in the Shaan dining room, save a steady stream of carryout customers. I had a pile of complimentary papardumm (fried, crisp, lentil wafers) and delicious accoutrements such as sweet tamarind, a pureed mint and a spicy onion chutney to keep me busy.  

The stigma attached to vegetarians has lessened over the decades. When I was in high school, "vegetarian" was just code for "pretentious Smiths fan." These days, major chain restaurants and supermarkets actually cater to the non-carnivores of society. So in the spirit of adventure, I gathered a few meatless meat products (all quite a bit more expensive than real meat) to find out how close they've come to the real thing.  

As linebacker for and defensive captain of the Cincinnati Bengals, Dhani Jones’ Sundays are pretty much booked up for the next few months. But Dhani isn’t just an autumn visitor to the area. His local ties just got stronger with the opening of the Bowtie Café, a Mount Adams eatery dedicated to coffee, conversation and cocktails.  

Airport dining usually conjures up thoughts of overpriced, processed fast food, but I discovered that could not be further from the truth when I recently had lunch at the Sky Galley Restaurant at Lunken Airport. Located in the charming Art Deco terminal, the Sky Galley is a throwback to a time when dining (and air travel) were both more relaxing and civilized than they are today.  

When you live in a city with an incredible German heritage, people sometimes ask whether it has great German restaurants. Before you suggest the famous one in that Italian city on the other side of the river, remember Mecklenburg Gardens. Sure, Hofbrauhaus has good beer, but Mecklenburg is a Cincinnati treasure.  

During his recent visit to Cincinnati, Michael Stern — who explores regional food for books ('Roadfood') and public radio's 'The Splendid Table' with ex-wife Jane Stern — told me Aglamesis ice cream was on his must-try list, so we headed to Oakley to visit the shop. "It seems like when you say you're coming to Cincinnati, there's a group of people who insist you have to try Graeter's, and then there's another group that says you have to try Aglamesis," he said. "What's the difference?"  

The Palmieris, the family most recently behind Angelina Fine Foods in Findlay Market, have another venture that's been flying a little below the radar since opening last June. It's Europa, located in the heart of Covington's MainStrasse area and bringing a taste of the old countries to Northern Kentucky.  

Total Juice Plus (631 Vine St., Downtown, 513-784-1666) has been serving natural fruit smoothies, wraps and fresh squeezed juices to the weekday downtown population for over a decade. Emil Mallat has been the owner for the past six years. With only two other employees, he does it all — from cooking, cleaning and managing to doing the books and promoting.  

Looking for a casual, clean and comfy place to cheer the Reds on during the playoffs or to gather with your Fantasy Football friends during a weekend nail-biter? With so many sports bars in the Greater Cincinnati area, it can be tough to find one that combines both the perfect atmosphere for relaxing and a great selection of game-time food.  

I had a chance to be the proud stage mama of Cincinnati dining recently. Since I love showing off the wonderful, unique aspects of our local cuisine, I jumped at the opportunity to spend the morning driving and dining with Michael Stern who, with Jane Stern, explores America's regional food and comments for 'The Splendid Table,' heard locally on WVXU-FM.