Asking the beautiful, shiny revelers occupying the part of Vine Street comprising Gateway Quarter to recall and meditate on the April 2001 riots, curfews and economic boycotts that erupted after then-police officer Stephen Roach shot and killed Timothy Thomas on Republic Street is impossible.  

The Best of Cincinnati issue is an excellent place to find the kind of information you need to refute Know Nothings, people who like to tell you (and the world) how Cincinnati is a boring city where nothing new ever happens. Take the readers poll category "Best New Thing," for instance. As a snapshot of where Greater Cincinnati is circa Spring 2010, the top vote-getters form an impressive list.  

Senate is the new place where the cool kids go, and I know why: It's fun, the menu doesn't take itself too seriously and its location is red hot. Senate's mission is to present upscale street food, and they've done a terrific job of planning a menu that's varied enough to suit most appetites but taken up a few notches so no one is disappointed.