One of my favorite foodie events of the year is coming to The Banks this weekend. I almost hate to report this, since it’s been a best-kept secret, but the Asian Food Fest is a don’t-miss.    

Yes, it’s May again, and time to get ready for Mother’s Day! I have some advice: Do not buy your mom a present! It’s just one more thing that, when she eventually moves, you will have to carefully wrap in layers of bubble wrap, put in a box, attach the lid on with miles of tape and carry out to the truck.  

Early spring has us all outdoors, exploring gardens, ballparks and eateries. If you’re not drifting through the daffodils or noshing on an outrageous hot dog topped with baked beans, Fritos, French-fried onions and cheese at the Machine Room Grille at Great American Ball Park, you should be exploring one of the following shiny new dining spots.   

Some weeks need to end on a good buzz, and I was delighted to head off to a brand new restaurant, Buz, in Columbia Tusculum, as last week wrapped up. Buz is the new sister restaurant of The Green Dog, and as we drove out Columbia Parkway there was a gorgeous bright rainbow in the sky that arched almost down to the diner’s doors.  

The Gateway Quarter should have its own zip code: Four Five Two Oh, Oh, Oh! Located in the south central area of Over-the-Rhine, during the past few years the Gateway has become a dining mecca. It’s home to some of the hippest new eateries in town, with rampant buzz amongst the Twitterati and lines out the doors on weekend nights.    

How lucky would you have to be to live in the Gateway District right now? We’ve raved about so many great places that have opened recently. Now it’s Bakersfield’s turn.    

Fat Tuesday, the day before Christians settle down to 40 lean days of Lent, is part of almost every culture, whether it’s called Carnevale, Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day. But before you pick up that Hurricane glass and get your beads on, you’d best pick up a fork and get something substantial in your tummy.  

I’m writing this on a January afternoon and there’s a bright blue, cloudless sky outside. Weird, but in a good way, right? I never would have expected anything but grey snow during this time of year, but with the sun shining I feel energetic and inspired.    

I haven’t had cable TV for the past five years. We watch DVDs and we’ve got streaming Netflix, so I’ve never missed day-to-day TV — that is, until the season two premiere of Downton Abbey! Yes, I know how big of a geek that makes me. I’ve been pining away to find out what happens next on this Masterpiece Theater British costume drama/soap opera ever since I watched Season 1 in practically one sitting on Netflix. There’s a war, you know! Poor Bates! Sweet Anna! And would Lady Mary ever confess to her love for Matthew and/or give her sister Edith the slapping she so richly deserves? Well, apparently I wasn’t alone. The premiere last Sunday night raked in 4.2 million American viewers, which is double the normal nightly average for PBS. It was like the nerd Super Bowl! I went out and bought an antenna for my TV so I could watch it. I felt like a crafty Dowager Countess, but without the corset. So what British things will we eat and drink while we watch the next episode? Cuppa tea? Chocolate biscuit? I’ll tell you, I’d rather have the lamb stew that the household staff was eating last week than the Crepes Suzette from upstairs that the new maid was asking for. Posh airs, bollocks.  

I get almost as many spam emails about weight loss as I do about erectile dysfunction. Since I don’t have a penis, the Viagra ones get an automatic delete. But I do have a bit of a tummy. Should I read about how to melt belly fat in just 15 days?