Bock Is Back

Bockfest is upon us this weekend. Festivities include the annual Bock parade that will start at Arnold's, Cincinnati's oldest saloon. The parade will make its way up Main Street for the blessing of the bock ceremony that officially marks the beginning of a weekend of festivities. In addition to live music at bars and halls from Arnold's up through Main Street, Bockfest will include a Prohibition Resistance Tour on Saturday and Sunday.

The tour starts at the Cincinnati Museum Center and includes admission to the Cincinnati History Museum's exhibit and includes a bus tour to many of the remaining brewery buildings in Cincinnati, including the John Hauck Dayton Street Brewery, the Clyffside Brewery, the Jackson Brewery and the Christian Moerlein Brewery. For more information, full event schedules and Prohibition Resistance Tour tickets, visit www.bockfest.com.

Lavomatic Cafe, the Jean-Robert Restaurant Group's new wine bar and restaurant, opened at 1211 Vine St. in Over-the-Rhine. Grammer's, the historic German restaurant in Over-the-Rhine, has reopened as a bar. Owner Martin Wade and his wife Marilyn bought the building from former Cincinnati Vice Mayor Jim Tarbell in September. Ryan Breen, formerly of Greenup Cafe in Covington, and Lois Parker, formerly of Coach and Four, will be managing the new venture.

Kaldi's, a longtime fixture on Main Street in Over-the-Rhine, is contemplating a possible move to Findlay Market. Bob Pickford, president and CEO of the Corporation for Findlay Market, says he has been in negotiations with Kaldi's since before the holidays. Calls to Jeremy Thompson, Kaldi's owner, weren't returned. For more on this development, see Kevin Osborne's blog post here.

Boss Cox, a new gastro-pub, will open on Fourth Street Downtown in June. Gastro-pubs, which take the pub grub concept up a few notches, have become popular in London over the last decade, emphasizing culinary as much as community (and beer). The pub is named for the infamous Cincinnati politician.

Eddie Merlot's, a chain of steakhouses that are designed to have a broad and gender-neutral appeal, will open a location in Montgomery. The chain also has locations in Fort Wayne, Ind., Dallas and Indianapolis. BlackFinn Restaurant and Saloon, a chain of Irish pubs established in New York City in 1994, has replaced McFadden's Irish Pub at 19 E. Seventh St., Downtown. Yolk will open in the former site of Mokka Restaurant, which moved to Fifth Street in Newport.

In the suburbs, MISO Restaurant, featuring Japanese cuisine, will open at Tylersville Station (West Chester) and Sabor Latino, featuring food from Mexico and El Salvador, will be opening in Springdale.

McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant and TriHealth Fitness and Health Pavilion have partnered to create cooking classes geared toward a healthier lifestyle. The classes take place noon and 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the TriHealth Fitness and Health Pavilion (6200 Pfeiffer Road, Montgomery). Chef Gaetano Williams of McCormick & Schmick's will conduct the cooking classes that highlight the health benefits of cooking with seafood, especially salmon.

Vineyard Cafe (2653 Erie Ave., Hyde Park) is offering brunch every Sunday from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Selections include Eggs Benedict, assorted quiches and French toast. A new brunch beverage menu is also available and includes Bloody Marys, Bellinis and Mojitos.