Each week CityBeat staffers, dining writers and the occasional intern tell you what they ate this weekend. We're not always proud — or trendy — but we definitely spend at least some money on food.
Ilene Ross: Some days, the job of being a dining writer has more perks than others. On Friday morning I picked up the makings of a lobster boil from Lobsta Bakes of Maine in Newtown and delivered them to photographer Jesse Fox’s studio for a CityBeat photoshoot. Since both Jesse and our Artistic Director Rebecca Sylvester are vegetarians, they had no use for the lobsters post-shoot, so I watched my little crustacean friends pose for their close-up, while also volunteering my hands for a shot, and then took them home so the BF and I could enjoy them for dinner. Score!
Friday was also National Donut Day, and the lovely Katie Willing of Holtman’s Donuts asked me to participate in Cincy National Donut Day to benefit The Salvation Army on Fountain Square. All I had to do was partake in a donut stacking contest and I would get to eat all the donuts I could. Bad news, I lost the contest. Good news, I got to take home a huge box of Holtman’s. So all I ate all day was donuts and lobster. No complaints.
On Saturday night while it seems the whole world was down at Bunbury, the BF and I did our own little musical tour de Northside. We started out on the patio at Django Western Taco with absolutely fabulous strawberry basil margaritas, shrimp ceviche with avocado and corn chips, and beef, al pastor and chicken tacos. Next, it was on to Northside Tavern for drinks and music from Biloxi to Brooklyn, then Urban Artifact for beer and Don’t Fear the Satellites Jack Steiner Quartet. We finished the night with snacks outside at The Littlefield.
Katie Holocher: I treated myself to a fully-loaded turtle from Gomez Salsa on Friday after dropping off my friends at Bunbury, but it was this pregnant girl's perfect Friday night. The only downside? My addiction has been reopened. I now anticipate multiple drive bys a week. And because the taco craving continued, I had to have Nada on Saturday night. My usual is just the vegetarian tacos, but this time I went with just one veggie, one shrimp, and one Baja fish. The shrimp was such a good call because it was on the lighter, fresher end. The fish was a good call because it was on the indulgent, richer end. I also got a side corn tamal, which will probably become a must-have side order, much like the guacamole, because it hits the spot with the sweetness of the corn, and the spicy of the jalapeño. Actually, it all hit the spot.
Jesse Fox: I spent a large portion of my weekend at Bunbury so most of my food came from the vendors there. The best was my veggie dog from Wurst Bar. I typically don't like hot foods when I'm already sitting in the sun, but it was both good and sustaining for the next few hours of work I had to do. I also enjoyed a strawberry popscicle from streetpops, a really good tofu dish with lots of carrots in the artist catering area and probably one too many Red Bulls. Although I really, really wanted to try the Island Noodles everyone was carrying around with them, I couldn't justify waiting 30-plus minutes in their never-ending line to get them.
Maija Zummo: Saturday afternoon I was out running errands and made a pit stop at Mazunte for tacos. I've never been in the actual restaurant before — I've only had their tacos via their pop-up at Neons on weekends — and it was very cute. You wait in line to order from the cashier, and then take a sign to your table; the signs all say things like Cozumel, Oxaca, etc. I ordered vegetarian tacos to go (while vegetarian and vegan options are not listed on the menu board, they are available). The three veggie tacos came with zucchini and mushroom, guacamole and some type of red sauce on little tortillas with a side of lime. They were great; I ate them in my car. And while I waited for my order — the place was super packed for 2 p.m. — I had a red sangria. It was REALLY good. It tasted like a mix between normal sangria and like gluhwein, there was something cinnamony about it.
Zack Hatfield: At Findlay Market on Saturday, I found Pho Lang Thang, a Vietnamese restaurant that specializes in pho, a noodle soup with delectable broth and herbs. But you really have to try the Báhn Xá Xíu, an unapologetically unpronounceable Chinese barbecue pork sandwich that stole my heart forever. Sunday at high noon, I went to Barrio Tequileria in Northside and ordered a vegetarian burrito.