My daddy was a bootlegger. Well, not exactly — he never sold the applejack, or “hard cider,” that he distilled in our cellar when I was a little girl, and he always told us that it was “strictly for medicinal purposes.” But now it looks like dad was ahead of his time. Bootlegging’s on the rise — legal, legit and oh so delicious.  

For years, Mythos was downtown’s “Greek place.” At the satellite locations, it was a quick stop for a gyro or, at the main location, a plate of spanikopita with a serviceable salad. Then, suddenly, Mythos was gone without a trace. Overnight, the feta and the baklava vanished, and those of us who like the occasional lamb in our lunchtime were left to wander the streets.  

When Chris Burns left The Bistro after seven years as chef, he'd made a lot of good connections in the farm-to-table movement. Now Chris and and his wife, Tess, are developing two new business concepts: Hearth, and Homestead. Hearth is a 21st-century general store, and Homestead will connect city folk with their rural heritage.  

Pho Saigon can be found in the uninspiring shopping strip across Mall Road from Florence Mall. It’s easy to miss — you’re more likely to spot the JoAnn Fabrics next door. The interior has tall apricot vinyl booths along its midsection, and that’s where we found ourselves on a recent hot summer night, with our guest of honor: a neighbor, this one celebrating his 30th birthday.  

Summer is tomato season, and that makes the BLT the king of summer sandwiches. Bacon, lettuce and tomato are three ingredients that really complement each other — bacon giving the tomato the salt it always needs; lettuce adding color, crisp crunch and stability. Tomatoes. Red, ripe and robust.  

For a restaurant to even survive their first year, that must be like aging a decade. Five years? To a lot of eateries, that’s getting past the young, vulnerable years and making it into adulthood. So you’d think that a restaurant celebrating its 70th anniversary would be ready for the rest home, but Sugar N’ Spice is alive, well and going strong.  

Amazing opportunity alert! I know you’ve heard that Todd Kelly, the executive chef at Orchids in the Hilton Netherland Plaza, was named Chef of the Year by the American Culinary Federation. This is huge, right? Cincinnati Chef Kelly wowed the judges with his Crispy Snapper dish and was named the best of a national organization of 20,000 chefs.  

Palomino (505 Vine St., Downtown, 513-381-1300), overlooking Fountain Square, has a new Tuscan promotion going on, and since I just had lunch there I can assure you that the menu items I tried were excellent, towering above the usual forgettable lunch salads was their Arugula and Pea Salad.  

Sung’s been mentioned in several recent “Look Who’s Eating” features in CityBeat; it’s a place where chefs go on their night off. The space is quite chic — although a little on the loud side — and the crowd on the night of our visit was hopping with at least three tables celebrating special occasions. I also noticed several lone diners who looked like they were enjoying a comfortable evening.  

I buy asparagus at the grocery store fairly often, and I’ll generally throw in an omelet or in a tangle of veggies and pasta. Not too exciting. Last week, though, I stopped at the Farmer’s Market in Bellevue, Ky., and grabbed a little bundle of purpley-green spears from one of the farm stands. As I was putting it away in the fridge later, I rinsed off a piece and nibbled off the tip. Incredible!