Shanghai Mama’s was closed for nine months following a fire last October. There was some despair among downtowners as the months dragged on. Call it the dark night of the soul. But Mama’s back, and I’m happy to report that she’s better than ever.  

Today, gourmet dining is wheeled around in carts or prepared to order in trucks. Local food vendor Jamie Williams jumped on the bandwagon and launched Cincy Bag Ladies in the spring of 2012 with one mission: Let people eat without plates.  

Lisa Kagen is an artist, a chef, a parent and an entrepreneur — and all of those identities factor heavily into the operation of her two Northside businesses: Melt Eclectic Deli and Picnic and Pantry, a market that serves healthy, sustainable groceries and prepared foods.  

Tim Lambrinides opened Silver Ladle on Sixth Street back in March. The new “fast casual” restaurant serves a variety of hearty sandwiches, a dozen soups, fresh salads, gluten-free options and, of course, its own twist on Cincinnati-style chili and coneys.  

In a sense, Emily Frank is living vicariously through her food truck. C’est Cheese, pronounced “say cheese” (but it’s OK if you never get it right — few do), is a gourmet grilled cheese truck. A year in the making but only really a couple weeks old, C’est Cheese hit Cincinnati’s ground running.  

Maybe we’ve done enough for this summer, and it’s time to chillax. But then we’d miss out on the Farmers Markets, City Flea at the gorgeous new Washington Park and planning for September and the MidPoint Music Festival. This town is on a roll, people!  

The reopening of Maribelle’s could not come any sooner. I was eager to see the old recipes I once gushed over with friends as well as what the old tavern would look like juxtaposed with the cavalier Boca across the street.  

For Chef David Bach, Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming film, Django Unchained, can’t come soon enough. The movie, which opens in December, pays homage to the same ’60s Spaghetti Western that had inspired Bach and a posse of established local culinary artists to open the new Northside restaurant, Django Western Taco.  

“Lost in the Supermarket” has been on hiatus for a few months. For the column, I mostly play the “food rube,” searching the aisles of average neighborhood grocery stores for “everyday” items that strike me (and maybe you) as “weird” or “gross.” I investigate the food item and taste it so you don’t have to.   

When David and Liz Cook of Daveed’s at 934 decided this year to try a new concept in Loveland, Daveed’s Next, the Mount Adams space Daveed’s had occupied at 934 Hatch St. was not vacant long. Mantra on the Hill opened in late May, lead by Chef Yajan Upadhyaya, originally chef/owner of Cumin in Hyde Park.