Who knew a fella from the Ukraine would be cooking up a storm of authentic German food in Mason. Oleg Makhayev, the owner of Oleg’s Tavern, is a native of Kiev, Ukraine. He’s lived in the States for about seven years and cooked at Jag’s in West Chester before opening his own restaurant last year.   

Nothing beats dinner in the cozy dining room of a restaurant located in an historic house when the weather turns cold. As I waited for my step-dad outside the Iron Horse Inn, the smell of a fire burning in a distant fireplace and melted candle wax stirred up images of Christmas dinners and drinks by the fire in northern Ohio.