For this week’s exploration of the wacky and wild items found at most neighborhood supermarkets, I decided to go gummy. I’ve always been bewildered by the random shapes of gummy candy, which are often molded to resemble spiders, snakes, frogs and other creepy pests. In a short time span, I found around 15 different weird gummy items and also became a passable gummy expert.  

I used to have a rule: Never eat in a hotel, and never sleep in a restaurant. In downtown Cincinnati, though, that rule is made to be broken. Orchids at the Palm Court in the Hilton Netherland Plaza is world-class. Executive Chef Todd Kelly was named Chef of the Year by the American Culinary Federation.  

I interview a lot of chefs, and there is always a common thread: They don’t have time to dine out. This is especially true for Jimmy Gibson. While most chefs toil in a well-equipped, professional-grade kitchen, Gibson is making Whole-Hog Waffles and chicken wings using a two-burner electric hotplate, a Panini press and a smoker.  

With legacy eateries like Grand Finale and the beloved Friendly Stop, Glendale’s always been a great neighborhood for dining. Now it’s added a new option this fall with Meritage. Owners Tom and Kriste Fowee, the chef, opened their doors in early August. The grey-clad building is just north of the center of Glendale on the way to Tri-county.  

I’m glad to report that La Badiya has redeemed the Country Kitchen’s sins. This friendly, low-key restaurant makes good, authentic fresh food that really is from somebody’s grandmother’s recipes; somebody’s Turkish grandmother. And guess what the Turkish word for grandmother is? Anneanne. I like it. We had a wonderful dinner at La Badiya.   

It‘s time for Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, so who better to check in with than Cincinnati’s premier brewmaster, Greg Hardman. Hardman, since purchasing the historic Christian Moerlein Brewing Co. in 2004, has reinstated Cincinnati’s great brewing tradition by restoring many classic brands and crafting new beers, like my favorite, the Moerlein OTR Ale.   

The recent Do Downtown Restaurant Week was a big hit, at least for me. I had an exceptional three-course prix fixe dinner at Orchids at the Palm Court for just $35. It was elegant and delicious, and I couldn’t figure out why the place wasn’t packed. Well, if you are sorry you missed that deal, there’s another chance right away with Greater Cincinnati Independent Restaurant Week. Twenty-five local, independent restaurants will feature three-course meals for $26.11.  

Cincinnati native Fallon Horstmeyer is a passionate woman — passionate about quesadillas, that is. This spring, Horstmeyer opened Turophilia Quesadillas, a food truck that is semi-permanently located in the parking lot at the corner of Eight and Vine streets downtown.   

The building located at 527 York Street in Newport has not been kind to its recent restaurant tenants. Since Mokka moved a few years ago, this address has been home to NuVo and Pinky Sue’s Smoke House, both of which disappeared quickly after arrival. There is now another new restaurant hoping to break this string of bad luck.  

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.