Cumin Eclectic Cuisine is an East Side hideaway I’d heard good things about but hadn’t visited until their recent menu change was announced. A stop confirmed all the positive predictions: Cumin is indeed chic, eclectic, fun and flavorful.  

If there's no vacation in the budget this year, there are still loads of opportunities to expand your dining horizons. You can flavor your staycation with authentic Chinese cuisine at House of Sun, where brunch rivals the best dim sum I've had in any city.  

I’ve whined in the past about Cincinnati’s mediocre pizza offerings. Sure, there are some exceptions — Dewey’s springs to mind — but for the most part, nothing here wows me. So, would Chi-nnati, a new Cincinnati-Chicago hybrid, become my new pizza Mecca?  

“Soul food blesses your whole body,” says Katrina “Aunt Flora” Mincy. “It uplifts your spirit. Whoever prepares it puts everything in their heart and soul into it.” Aunt Flora, as Katrina prefers to be called, has put her soul into soul food, and after a visit to her daughter’s Court Street restaurant, Flo’s Plate Full of Soul, I’m grateful for Flora’s philosophy.  

Hugo’s tiny, savory corn fritters ($9) are the perfect first course for our Taste of Oakley. Hugo’s slant on Southern cuisine is sophisticated but totally approachable, and the bar area offers a comfortable spot to share a starter without committing to three courses.  

After watching all eight seasons of the Sopranos and Godfather I, II and III, I know a little bit about syndicates. They who help you out in a jam and then expect to be repaid. The first few times they send an enforcer, they aren’t there to kill you — they’re there to warn you.   

Julie Fay and her business partner, Mike Markiewicz, had been involved in various aspects of Cincinnati’s Main Street arts and entertainment district since the early 1990s. After St. Theresa’s Textiles moved from a building that Fay owned, she decided to open a “destination business” that would bring people to the area.   

In my favorite movie, 'The Big Lebowski,' Maud's chauffeur tells an old vaudeville joke that starts with a litany of miseries and wraps up with the punch line, "But you know me — I can't complain." Well, lately, faithful readers, that joke has been my life. What's up with my karma?  

If you like your burger with a little Magic seasoning, then you already know about Fatburger (3158 Madison Road, Oakley, 513-871-8722). This Southern California-based chain is partly owned by Magic Johnson and other celebs - including Kanye West, Pharrell, Queen Latifah and Montel Williams - and is franchising across the country.   

I used to wonder why some bars brand themselves as Irish pubs when they're not. Wouldn't it be easier to be Fred's Bar and not O'Malley's Olde Ale House? Our team of pub wonders took in the area's latest Irish-themed spot, and we arrived to a shiny, new, crowded house on a Friday evening. The mood of the place was very festive, and I liked the look of some fried oysters on their way to a patron at the bar.