My Life At Arnold's

Join the Beefsteak Club and Cruise the Bathtub

2012-01-26T13:20:00.000-05:00

My friends and most of my customers know how dear BockFest is to me. Not only is it financially needed over the cold winter months for all the bars/restaurant from Arnold's to Main Street to BockFest Hall but it is also good for our city and OTR. We have many events (such as the pretzelfest) before BockFest that leads up to the event. The reason we do this is because it takes a great deal of money to pull this awesome festival off! I do a fundraiser every year where all the proceeds go to help pay for BockFest. This is the 3rd year for Arnold's to do this. The past 2 years have been done at Arnold's. This year we have decided to move it to BockFest Hall for something different. Please read below the press release we have sent out for this event. The price of the tickets are $80.00 per person. So, if you have always wanted to drive the bathtub this night will be your chance. The bathtub will be at BockFest Hall and a course will be set up to drive it around.

For immediate release...

In the Spring of 1896, the Windisch-Muhlhauser Brewery hosted some of the most prominent Cincinnatians. Guests enjoyed an elegant meal with beer pairings in the unlikely ambiance of the brewery. Cincinnati's political and social elite enjoyed the experience so much that it became a regular occurrence, and the standard guest list called themselves members of the Beefsteak Club.

Bockfest and Arnold's are proud to announce the resurrection of this tradition. Instead of steak and Windisch-Muhlhauser, we will be serving slow roasted pig and goat (with apologies to Schnitzel), southern sides of sauces, greens, red beans and rice, yams, potatoes, all paired with Moerlein lagers and ales. Of course, there will be pie, bread pudding, and coffee to end the dinner off. You do not need to hold elected office, wear a bowler hat, or own a monocle to attend, but we do consider the people who join us to help make Bockfest possible to be the finest and most important members of Cincinnati society.

The historic malt room in the new Christian Moerlein Brewery will be transformed into a private dinner club decorated with many of the original works of art associated with Bockfest. Artist Jim Effler will unveil the 20th Bockfest Celebration original oil painting; and Effler and other hosts will discuss the storied, inside history of twenty years of Bockfest. Guests will get a behind-the-scenes tour of the nineteenth century lagering cellars under the brewery and free rides in the famous Arnold's bathtub. In addition to great food and drink and a signed copy of this year's Bockfest print, one guest will win free accommodations in a penthouse suite at Garfield Suites for Bockfest 2012, a chance to drive the Arnold's bathtub in the Bockfest Parade, and a dinner for two at Arnold's. Come join the people behind Arnold's, Christian Moerlein and Bockfest and become part of our version of the Beefsteak Club. All proceeds of the event go toward making Bockfest happen. Your support is needed and doing the right thing is almost never this much fun.

How To Make A Delicious Risotta

2012-01-25T22:47:00.000-05:00

The word in itself is impressive and a bit frightening. Sort of like Escargot or Caesar Salad or Creme Burlee. All those items are easy to make but for some reason we have been brought up to think that only a "qualified" chef could make them. I am about as "unqualified" as it gets and can make all of those dishes beautifully. So today you learn to make risotto, which is a fancy name for arborio rice cooked just right. Arborio is the region the rice comes from. It is very high in starch, which is what makes it sticky and creamy. Once you have learned the simple way to make risotto you can do anything and add anything you want. Today for you I make a simply blueberry rice for you. This makes a ton of rice so you can cut the recipe in half.

2 small jalapeno peppers
1 medium onion
3 cloves of garlic

3 TBS salt
1 TBS pepper
2 TBS ground cloves
Add above ingredients to food processor and pulverize

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cups arborio rice
4 cups water (you will be using 12 cups total
1 cup white wine
1/2 pound Swiss cheese
1 qt heavy cream
1 pt fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh chopped parsley

In nonstick pot add olive oil and pulverized ingredients cook at high heat until tender and onions are translucent then add rice and stir until rice is somewhat brown.
Add 4 cups of water and 1 cup of white wine and stir often, mixture will start to boil and thicken. As water is absorbed but not totally dry add 4 cups of water. Do this one more time with your last 4 cups of water. This cooking time will take about 20 - 25 minutes.
Once your water has cooked down and your rice is tender (if it isn't tender yet, add 4 more cups of water, but it should be) turn off burner. Add the Swiss cheese (small cubes) stir until melted then your heavy cream, blueberries and parsley. If it is too thin let it sit or turn on low to heat and thicken up. The ingredients can always change but the cooking process should always be the same. This is a very delicious dish that requires patience but is easy and so worth it in the end. Enjoy!

Cincinnati Beer Week at Arnold's

2012-01-24T10:45:00.000-05:00

February 2nd through the 9th is Beer week in Cincinnati. Here is Arnold's line up of events for it.

Thursday February 2 at pm

“A Cincinnati Brew Story” presented by Far-I-Rome Productions, Hudepohl, Little Kings and Burger

Beer Week Kickoff Party featuring Cincinnati’s Heritage beers

Arnold's is kicking it old school with a celebration of Cincinnati's beers of yore. Far-I-Rome and Hudepohl are presenting a full night of folk/pop music with three bands, The Evans Collective, Billy Otten and The Bostic Family Tent Revival. Arnold's will be providing 2.00 beer specials all night on Hudy 14k, Hudy Delight, Little Kings and Burger.

Friday February 3at 5pm

Arnold’s Bourbon Barrel 1861 Porter Happy Hour Tapping

In honor of beer week Christian Moerlein has remixed a batch of the Arnold’s 1861 Porter. Arnold’s is already the only place that you could get the Porter, but for this special release, Christian Moerlein will be aging the same beer in a bourbon barrel. Live music from The Cincy Brass at 9pm

Saturday February 4 at 6pm

Great Lakes Brewing Company - Dry Hopped, Cask Conditioned Burning River Happy Hour Tapping

Arnold’s will be the only place to get it in town and they have only 1 quarter barrel available. Great Lakes beer reps will also be on hand giving out free swag.

Cask-conditioned beer, often referred to as 'real ale', is brewed from only traditional ingredients and allowed to mature naturally.

The unfiltered, unpasteurized beer still contains live yeast, which continues conditioning the beer in the cask (known as 'secondary fermentation'); this process creates a gentle, natural CO2 carbonation and allows malt and hop flavors to develop, resulting in a richer tasting drink with more character than standard keg ('brewery-conditioned') beers.

Monday February 6 at 6pm

Rivertown Sensory Analysis

Sensory beer analysis course and discussion on starting a craft brewery. Join Brewmaster and CEO and Co-Founder Jason Roeper and Randy Schiltz as they discuss the finer points of craft brewing along with a full line up of Rivertown beers! Ever dreamed of starting a Microbrewery? you dont want to miss this event!

Tuesday February 7 at 5pm

Bell’s, Blues, and Barbecues

Bell’s beer is offering up not one, but two of it’s Pub Brews on tap. Arnold’s is the only place in Cincinnati that will have them and the only other place that you can get them in the world is at Bell’s own Brew Pub in Kalamazoo, MI. This release is super limited and there is only 1 quarter barrel of each in town. Bell’s reps will also be in handing out free swag. In addition to that John Redell will be on stage playing live Blues from 7-9 and Arnold’s will be serving an entirely Barbecue themed menu.

Wednesday, February 7 at 5pm

Listermann’s Cask Conditioned Imperial Baltic Porter Happy Hour Tapping

Super limited release from Listermann’s brewed in honor of beer fest. Lightly smoked and fermented in a Bourbon Barrel. Arnold’s is the only place that you can get it before Beerfest and our supply is very limited.

Cask-conditioned beer, often referred to as 'real ale', is brewed from only traditional ingredients and allowed to mature naturally.

Thursday February 8at 10:30pm

The Little King’s Sausage Queen Competition

The renowned (and sometimes notorious) Sausage Queen helps lead the Bockfest Parade by carrying a symbolic tray of Bockwurst sausage. The Sausage Queen is Bockfest royalty who is anointed in the least aristocratic manner we could create: a gender-neutral pageant that has multiple preliminary rounds in local bars. Winning contestants receive prizes, but are mostly vying for the honor and prestige of being the 2011 Sausage Queen.

In the weeks leading up to Bockfest, each participating venue will select its Queen contestant for the 2011 finale, held at the Hall during Bockfest. At each venue, a panel of "expert" judges (i.e. easily bribed) will determine the best applicant based on the following criteria:

• Personality: Good traits will include a love of bock beer, a sense of humor, and a taste for meat. The personality round will involve a series of questions posed to the contestants by the judges.

• Presence: The contestant must look good carrying a sausage and have diva tendencies. The presence round will involve a very short catwalk turn while sporting a string of bockwurst.

• Talent: Whatever "talent" you think a Sausage Queen should possess is good enough for us.

Rules For Competition:

• There is no admission fee.

• There is no need for registration prior to the night of the competition (except that the Final Judging will only be open to winning candidates from the preliminary rounds.)

• Contestants should register at the venue prior to scheduled start of the competition.

• The Sausage Queen will rule until the following year's Bockfest Sausage Queen Competition. It will be virtually impossible to commit any act unbecoming of a sausage queen sufficient to cause revocation of the title.

Contestant Requirements:

• Contestants must be at least 21 years of age.

• Contestants must have an appreciation for bock beer and sausage.

• Contestants must be available to compete in the March 5th Final Judging and available for the Bockfest Parade on March 4, 2011. The Queen must not be too much of a diva to show up to these events on time and must be capable and willing to traverse the full parade route.

• Contestants must be open-minded and fun. The competition is gender neutral. It is open to all shapes, sizes, and varieties of potential Bockfest royalty.

• Manner of dress is up to each contestant.

At each of the participating venues, a winner will be selected to participate in the final round.

The final round will be held at Bockfest Hall on Saturday March 5, 2011 at 7P.

Guest Blog: Mondays with Jimmy

2012-01-23T15:19:00.000-05:00

For the next 8 Mondays we will be featuring a guest blog from our friend James Cira. He will be doing two four part series. We hope that you enjoy.

My name is James Cira, but everyone at Arnold's knows me as Jimmy. I have been coming to Arnold's for quite sometime and, through my experiences at the most wonderfully eccentric bar & grill in the city, I have developed some amazing relationships that I will have for the rest of my life. One of those friendships is with Ronda Androski, and she has graciously invited me to write two four-part blogs over the next eight weeks. Since I am working hard to launch my own blog, I thought this would be a great opportunity to gain a little exposure and touch on some of the issues that are greatly important me. They also have quite an impact on the city that I love, as well. Therefore, without further adieu, I feel that is extremely important that we discuss the issue of homelessness in our city.

During the holiday season, we are always thinking of charity. Everywhere we go, we are asked to give to the less fortunate. Whether it is with the Salvation Army outside of the grocery store, the Toys for Tots barrels manned by the Marines, or donating to the Ruth Lyons' Children's Fund - We all gladly donate our money because it is the right thing to do. I was volunteering in a soup kitchen over Christmas and volunteers were pouring in to serve up holiday meals, donating fresh baked cookies with red and green sprinkles, and even bringing their children to teach them what the season is "all about". Unfortunately, once the Christmas trees come down and the lights are turned off until next season, this enthusiasm dramatically ends with the cold, bitter winds of January.

As the days grow longer and the snow blows in, that is exactly when our charity is most needed, especially for the homeless. Sometimes, I try to put myself in the shoes of a homeless person. What if I burned all of my bridges, had doors closed on me by my friends, and lost my apartment as a result? In a short time, I could be homeless. Out on the streets, alone, searching for a way to eat, and trying to find a dry, warm place to sleep. To be honest, with that thought in my mind, that is why I give change from my pocket and donate my time to a soup kitchen.

Did you realize, according to the website of the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless, that a shocking 3.5 million people could experience homelessness at any given time during the year, and approximately 744,000 men and women could be homeless at any given night in the United States! Now, let's take a look our local statistics in order to really understand this crisis. In the Queen City, we have about 25,000 people who have experienced homelessness at any given point during the year, with between 1,300 and 1,500 are homeless every night! Within our city, 25% of our homeless population are children and almost half are five years old or younger. With a child of my own, this number absolutely breaks my heart.

With that being said, I will no longer be standing on the sidelines as an innocent bystander. My mom always told me that it is my duty to leave the earth in better shape than when I got here. Even if I can impact just a couple of lives and create some positive change, I have done my duty. Therefore, I am taking a step to helping out the homeless within our community. During the holidays, I started volunteering at the Saint Francis Seraph soup kitchen on the corner of Liberty and Vine streets, in the heart of Over-the-Rhine. In speaking with the Director of the soup kitchen, he told me that he is always overwhelmed with volunteers in December, but that number dramatically decreases in January. Therefore, I have made a commitment to volunteer once per week at Saint Francis and to write about my experiences here for the next for weeks. I look forward to sharing my experiences with each and every one of you and, hopefully, I can inspire someone to volunteer, as well.

The Warmth Of Chicken Cacciatore

2012-01-23T07:52:00.001-05:00

It is in my roots to make stews and soups and one pot meals. It just doesn't leave me. My mom served this stuff with Zesta crackers, or buttered white bread. We also had lots of iron skillet cornbread and biscuits. These dishes are usually easy and you usually throw whatever is in the kitchen into the pot. I do have the luxury of having a small grocery store inside of Arnold's (our pantry) so I usually have plenty to choose from.

I made Cacciatore this past weekend as an Arnold's special. Perfect for our Local Local Local event and for a weekend filled with ice and rain. I also cooked this 3 hours in a 325 degree oven.

DO NOT ADD ANY SALT TO THIS RECIPE

4 chicken breast uncooked in a baking pan
add to pan
1 large can diced tomatoes
2 TBS capers
1/4 cup any kind of pitted olives. I used black, green and kalamata
4 pepperocinis chopped (leave seeds if you want it spicy)
8 whole garlic cloves
1/4 small red onion cut in half and sliced thin
pinch of cayenne (1/8 tsp)
pinch black pepper
10 large fresh basil leaves or 15-20 small ones just ripped in big pieces
1/2 cup of beer (I used for the event) or 1/2 cup red wine
Make sure everything is mixed up and your chicken is laying evenly in pan
Cover with foil and bake
Serve over fettucine or some broad noodle
Dust with fresh grated romano. Served with bread and butter!

Old Chair and Old Chair With New Look

2012-01-16T15:54:00.001-05:00

Things that get done when the restaurant is closed.

Local Local Local 3

2012-01-04T13:30:00.000-05:00

Local Local Local 3

A celebration of all things local

On Saturday January 21^st Arnold’s is throwing a party to celebrate all things local. For our third installment we have brought in more people than ever. For local music, we have Jake Speed and the Freddies Old Time Music Revue featuring local phenom and Sub Pop recording artist Daniel Martin Moore. For local beer, we have the owner and CEO’s of three local breweries (Greg Hardman of Christian Moerlein, Jason Roeper of Rivertown Brewing Co. and Dan Listermann of Listermann’s Brewing Co.) in house to hand out free swag and tell you anything that you would like to know about their brews. We will also be featuring 3.50 pints on craft beers from all three companies the entire night and a full local beer infused specials menu for the food. Madisono’s will also be on special for dessert. New this year, we are having a vendor area featuring 5 local etsy style artisans like Libre design and Robot Inside selling their crafts and artwork on site. Also new this year, everyone in attendance will receive a coupon book with discounts from local businesses like Park + Vine, Atomic Number 10, The OHIO Bookstore, Iris Book Café, Urban Eden, Another Part of The Forest and more. Beer and food specials run all day, Brewery owners show up at 7pm, Vendor area opens at 8pm and the music starts at 9pm.

A Cold Night And A Hot Curry

2012-01-04T09:52:00.000-05:00

I love curry dishes and there is little that can go wrong with them. 2 basic ingredients will always get the same results, delicious! Those 2 ingredients are a can of coconut milk and 2 TBS. curry. This night I kept it very simple but delicious. It was the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. You can add basil, mint, garlic, vegetables, fresh ginger. Go ahead and be creative, just don't over spice!

Monday Bret nor I wanted to leave the house. Me sick and Bret lazy. I scoured the fridge and this is the dish I made.

About 1 cup of leftover fried rice
6 scallops
6 shrimp
2 TBS curry
1 can coconut milk
2 TBS hot pepper jelly (Thanks Kristen for the great present)
My jelly was homemade but you can buy it at Kroger's

In a non-stick skillet add coconut milk, curry and pepper jelly. Let cook on high for about 4 minutes, until thick. Add scallops and shrimp until cooked. Place on top of rice or mix rice in with sauce.

Thank You Cincinnati For Our 150th Time

2012-01-02T11:49:00.000-05:00

Chris (my son/Gm/Social Media) and I have tolled with how to write this for a week. We both thought we should include everything that has happened in the last year. Every band, every event, every wonderful thing, every wonderful person. Well in doing that you leave out people and we would not want to do that. We really need to thank all of the Cincinnatians that help spread the word that we were here.  With you, your patronage, your company, your talent, your friendship, your products, your sources we were able to have a year a business can only dream about.

My family and our employees would like to thank you Cincinnati. You provide us with jobs to be productive members of society. There are 40 of us. We have roughly 30 spouses, mates or partners. We have roughly 20 children with a new one on the way this February. We own homes and rent homes.  Many of us own cars and the ones that don't take a bus. We go to bars and eat at local restaurants. We see movies, concerts and theatre. We spend the money you provide us.

Thank you Cincinnati. We look forward to serving you in 2012. That is our 151st Anniversary.  I can only image the Arnold family had no idea...   Dreams really do come true. Daily.

the Queen City Project :: Arnold's from the Queen City Project on Vimeo.

Holiday Celebration Part 3... A Daughter-In_Law, The Greatest Gift Of All

2011-12-22T10:53:00.000-05:00

I knew I liked her and I knew something odd was going on around me. Chris had that "smile" on his face and a lighter step. I couldn't put my finger on it and the staff was hush hush. Which around me, depending on how severe the gossip is they can be hush hush. And Bethany avoided me, she stayed under my radar. I never thought much about it until Derby Day two years ago. Bethany, Chris and their friend Henry were going to Louisville and man were they decked out. While they were gone, someone said something as I was passing about them dating. HaHa me being the crack investigator, as I am, I knew now what that smile was about.

Chris and Bethany have now been dating for almost two years and I couldn't be happier. Anyone reading my blog for the first time, Chris is my son. He has a wonderful heart and a great sense of adventure. Yesterday, Chris got down on his knee (with Bethany's dads approval) in Melt (their date place) and asked her to marry him. He will make Bethany a wonderful husband. She deserves none less since she is such a wonderful person herself. They have that click.

Chris is now the General Manager at Arnold's and is also in charge of events and social media. He has been a part (and I credit many) of turning Arnold's into a thriving entertainment mecca of the wonderful City of Cincinnati. Bethany is a server at Arnold's and also a dance instructor. She is as hard of a worker as anyone. I am thinking this is the perfect setup for a reality TV show.

I am done writing my blog for the rest of the year. Chris can look for guest bloggers (which do better than me). I was going to go strong with all the things I love about my job, my life and Arnold's. My life at Arnold's has allowed me to have this wonderful life with family, friends and all the things I need. I am grateful beyond believe to live my life one day at a time, with serenity, to share my stories, hope, dreams and yes, food with all of you. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you have given me. I welcome Bethany into our family with open arms and can't wait to live my future with her in it. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and the Happiest of New Year.

My Holiday Celebration... Part 2 Bad Grammar But I Can Kick Your Ass At Scrabble

2011-12-20T18:58:00.000-05:00

I am killing two birds with one stone today (my mom used that expression a lot). I get to talk about where I came from and my roots (part of my celebration for life). Then, I forever have wanted to express to some people how hurtful it is when you correct others grammar.

In this computer age very few people could be online and having a wonderful time if they had to be perfect on grammar. I now delete someone that rudely corrects me or Arnold's on grammar mistakes. I will gladly change something if you message me in private and let me know with a friendly reminder that I have used your instead of you re or you're. Or even you instead of your, a big keystroke mistake for me. If anyone of my friends or customers that love me dearly and would never want to hurt my feelings care to edit this post please do so and I will re post with the corrected post. I will even give you credit if you so desire.

I grew up in Newport. In a poor and caring neighborhood. It was on 2nd and Park.  Now called, "Mansion Hill".  Our gas and electric was often turned off and my grandmother often bailed us out of debt. Odd thing is I didn't know I was poor until I was in my thirties.  All of us kids started working in one form or another when we were under 10 years old. We baby sat, we worked at race tracks and carnivals. We sold cotton candy and ice balls. When I was 15 years old I went to Kings Island (just opening in 1972) and taught their workers how to get the most out of making a cotton candy. See I was really good at putting air in it and making them beautiful. The Gold Medal Company asked me to do that and as pay, me and my sister got to spend the day there.

When I was 14 years old my brother and sisters all moved out.  Three of them and all 2 years apart. My mom worked on a steam table in a restaurant and my dad had many jobs. My job was to finish or make dinner before my mom got home at 8pm. It wasn't daily but it was often. My mom always told me what to cook or how to finish something off. As I stated, I didn't know I was poor until I was in my thirties. I think one reason for that was because my mom was an awesome cook. That is where I started learning.

I come from a hard working family. That was important. To learn the skills to earn a living and take care of yourself. Welfare was unheard of and food stamps were not going to be an option in our family. Never. We were expected to do our homework and to pass. We were expected to get jobs and if someone chose to go to college that would have been okay, as long as we worked to do it. My parents didn't have the money to give us. If we did it, it was up to us. I did go to Cosmetology school and I did graduate. I made more money working in a restaurant so decided to do that instead.

When I was 26 I decided I would be a waitress forever. I made enough money at it and it was what I knew. I didn't need to go to college. I was raising a kid on my own and was doing well.   I did get married a few years later (then became single again and married again) and I did go to computer school for a few semesters. When I got promoted to Assistant Manager at Arnold's I asked my teacher if I should take the job, it was paying $10.00 per hour or if I should hold out and finish school. He told me I would probably never make that kind of money in computers. I wonder if I was a bad student or if that was the best advice he could ever give me.

My point is this. I never needed grammar to add up a customers check or to hug my son or to cook dinner. I never needed grammar to love my friends and family. I never needed grammar to have good credit and work my ass off and work my way up to owning Arnold's. I never needed grammar to play scrabble with my mom, my sisters or our next door neighbor. I never needed to learn grammar to succeed in my world. So now I am thrown into a delightful world of computers where people get to read my poor grammar.  If it had to be perfect I wouldn't know many of you. I didn't have time to learn it then and I sure as hell don't have time to learn it now.  Scrabble anyone?

My Holiday Celebration... Part 1, Latka's And Margarita's, A Hanukkah Fiesta...

2011-12-19T07:50:00.001-05:00

My blog today is a lead into a few post I am going to be writing over the next week. My friend Judy, which is my friend Sue's really good friend, asked me why I love Arnold's and my job. I always think that is a given but it made me think and is still making me think of all the reasons I love Arnold's, my job and my life. What can I say, it's that time of the year.

I met Sue at Arnold's though my friend Shannon Rae. She said she thought we should meet. Boy was she right, Sue and I have become dear friends over the years.

Latka's and Margarita's is a celebration dinner at my friends Sue and Rob's home. She celebrates Hanukkah and loves having her friends around to celebrate with her. It's a mixed crowd of no more than 14 people and it changes from year to year. I have been honored to attend several years. It's a light twist on a holiday that is very dear to Sue's heart.

We start the evening in Sue and Rob's kitchen with Mexican appetizers and some kick ass Margarita's that Sue makes from Tequila, agave, and fresh limes.  The sourness almost makes you pucker but the sweet agave smooths it at the end. It isn't written in stone but no one seems to have more than one or two, we do have to drive home, you know. While we are talking, eating and drinking, Bob (another friend), is making homemade Latka's on the stove. These are made from shredded potatoes, herbs and a pinch of flour. They are a bit thicker than Izzy's potato pancakes and very crispy. He makes tons of them.

Meanwhile Judy is making a salad which the greens are from her garden in Madeira. She is STILL growing micro greens in her community garden in the middle of December! She adds some tomatoes that I believe ripened on her window sill, green peppers and a cucumber. Her salad "dressing" is made of feta cheese, oregano, olive oil and a touch of red wine vinegar.  It was just sprinkled over the salad. I have to say, it was one of the most delicious salads I have ever had.

The salad is then place individually on the dining room table, the appetizers are cleared and the "buffet" is set. Sue carves the beef brisket that is the star of the show, believe it or not. She had to get the recipe from her mom because this brisket is that good. I Jones for that brisket throughout the year. She also has this deep red sauce to go with it. It isn't bbq sauce and it isn't spaghetti sauce. It is a deep rich flavor of tomatoes and beef. I think not asking her for the recipe is a huge compliment to her.  That's the respect I have for her and the dish.

Placed on the buffet table is the latka's, the brisket, the sauce (in a gravy boat of course), sour cream and apple sauce for dipping the latka's.

There are thirteen of us at a table for 8 and for some reason there is plenty of room. It is cozy, we eat our salad and then our meal. There are tiny candles on the table which burn out long before the dinner and the conversation. The meal is finished and removed from the table for dessert. Jody has made cookies and Bret (my husband) is always responsible for making the traditional apple cake (recipe below).

This dinner is one of my favorite things to do over the holiday season. Bret and I missed it last year because we were "too busy" at the restaurant. This year we decided to jump though every hoop possible, life is too short. The meal is awesome but the friends are more awesome. It is a night of happiness and joy. We remember Sue's mom that passed this year and the time we called her and she sang to us. Sue reads a hilarious letter she received from a friend. Jody ad libbing to put us in stitches. This is just one thing I love about Arnold's, my job and my life.

Jewish Apple Cake
1 1/2 c sugar
1/4 c sugar (use last)
1/2 c butter
1 tsp vanilla
6 oz. cream cheese (3/4 cup)
2 eggs
1 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
2 TBS cinnamon (use last)
3 c chopped peeled apples (2 large)

Preheat oven to 350
Beat 1 1/2 c sugar, butter, vanilla and cream cheese
Add eggs 1 at a time
Combine flour, baking powder and salt then add to liquid ingredients
Combine 1/4 c sugar and cinnamon mix in bowl and toss chopped apples then fold into batter
Pour batter into 8" springform pan that has been oiled (Pam)
Sprinkle remaining cinnamon over batter
Bake 1 hour 15 minutes or until cake pulls away from pan

Pumpkin Pie Crisp Bread Pudding Recipe And The Love That Goes Into It

2011-12-15T11:41:00.000-05:00

Yep I am going to give it up. At least I am going to try. A customer came in and asked straight up if they could have this recipe. I give almost all my recipes, it's just some of them we don't write down. Some recipes are more of a love.

Joe in the kitchen is a control freak. If I am making something he has to learn how to do it and then the next thing I know I come in and he has made it. This had happened with the creme burle, many of my soups and now the bread pudding. So talking to him and asking how I could get this recipe down so someone else could make it we both agree it has a lot of love in it. Finding the right doneness is more of a feel. Here is our attempt at telling you guys how to make it.

This is a bread pudding with a pumpkin pie on top then crisp (like from an apple crisp) on top of that. It then gets ice cream and a sweet vanilla glaze on top. Of course whipped cream for a final touch. You just might want to buy it at Arnold's since that would be way easier. I change the flavors of the bread puddings when the seasons change so this will be available until early spring. Our recipe makes about 40 orders requiring 2 extra large pumpkin pies so here is my best attempt for home use.

You have three layers, the bread pudding, then the pie filling, then the crisp part with the pie crust.

2 cups brown sugar

5 large beaten eggs

2 cups heavy cream

3 cups cubed bread (we use the ends of our grilled cheese loaves)

1 Tablespoon ground nutmeg

Place all ingredients in a large plastic bag, take all the air out and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

You need to use a deep pan like a roaster or buy a throw away pan (called a 1/2 pan) at the store. I am thinking a 9 X 11 will work, it doesn't rise much so once all the ingredients are added it can be about an inch from the top.

Spray or lightly oil the pan and place mixture in pan, if it seems dry you can add some milk to your mixture. It should be the consistencey of cake mixture only it will be lumpy if that makes sense. Preheat oven to 325 and bake for 20 minutes. wiggle pan, it should be wiggly but firm. If not place back in oven for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile you have a pumpkin pie that you have made or bought at Frischs Big Boy. After the bread pudding has baked take and scoop out the pie filling and place on top of bread pudding and spread evenly.

Topping

2 cups Oatmeal

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans

1/4 c melted butter

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

The pie crust from the pie

Mix all ingedients and then break up into pieces the pie crust. About the size of 2 quarters. Lightly toss with Oatmeal mixture and place on top of pumpkin mixture.

Return to oven for 15 minutes. Pan should have a slight firm movement. If too wigglely place back in oven and check every 5 minutes until done. Leaving in oven no longer than 25 total minutes.

This pudding is not a dry pudding. The slight wiggle says it is done and will be moist.

Sauce

1/4 cup heavy cream place on stove until just hot then take off stove. Add 1 Tablespoon of Vanilla. Start adding powdered sugar until you get a thick sauce but still pourable, like gravy (about 1 cup I am thinking but maybe a bit more.

This takes a lot of work and a lot of love. We have learned the love part of it is as important as the work part. I cooked bread pudding or a few years before I could say I was totally happy with it. Joe cooks it now, it didn't take him as long. It took him some time to get the love part of cooking but I think he has it now!

Super Easy And Delicious Indian Veggie Soup

2011-12-13T07:40:00.000-05:00

This soup is delicious and easy. In this recipe I am using canned bean for convenience. If you want to make your own, get a bag of mixed beans and you will be covered. If making your own beans, you don't need to season them while cooking.

1 can garbanzo beans
1 can cannellini beans
1 can black beans
1 can coconut milk
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup uncooked arboria rice (other types of rice can be use. don't use instant rice so not sure how that would work with this soup)
mixed veggies totaling 2 cups (I used shredded carrots, onions, roasted red peppers, spinach)
1 TBS chopped garlic
                                                                     3 TBS curry (be brave)
                                                                     1 tsp cayenne (be cautious)
                                                                     2 TBS craisins or raisins
salt and pepper to taste (do not add salt when cooking but when finished)

Add all ingredients except the beans and coconut milk to a big pot. Add 2 cups of water and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer until rice is cooked, about 15 - 20 minutes after boil. This is a thick soup and there shouldn't be too much liquid. If there is, turn your burner up and cook off some of the liquid. Add beans and coconut milk. Eat and enjoy! Your soup should look like the picture.

Jewelry Fridays: Amy E Wallace

2011-12-09T09:33:00.000-05:00

I decided to break away from photographers for the entire month of December and feature different artists from around the Arnold's community. Today's guest artist is Amy Wallace. She makes her own jewelry from scratch and that is pretty awesome.

Hello. My name is Amy E Wallace and my company name is Ovenfried Beads. I live downtown and visit Arnold's a LOT. Polymer clay has been my longest-running creative passion....16-1/2 years ago I started toying around with it and turned it into a part-time job. I make beads and buttons by hand and create jewelry from the beads. My main influences include fabric designs, natural formations and unconventional use of color. Most of my pieces start out very experimental, so I always feel like I'm playing rather than working. Bead embroidery is another artistic passion, and I have worked on several bead embroidery pieces while enjoying a tasty Moerlein, right there at the bar (or outside on warm and sunny days).

Work by Ovenfried Beads can be found in several local shops: Indigenous in O'Bryonville, Urban Eden in Over-the-Rhine, NVision in Northside, the public library downtown, and the Catherdral Shop on 4th Street downtown. You can also find my work on Etsy at www.ovenfriedbeads.etsy.com. On Thursday, December 15, I will be exhibiting a special trunk show at Indigenous from 3pm-8pm for the Third Thursday Wine Walk. Visit www.indigenouscraft.com for more information.

New Years Eve with The Young Heirlooms

2011-12-08T14:09:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, just when you are knee deep in holiday cheer I mention those 3 little words. New Years Eve. Well I am thinking this year you don't have to go crazy at the last minute trying to figure out what to do. Pick up you phone and call Arnold's for a reservation! 513-421-6234. No deposit required!

I am always excited about New Years Eve as it is the end to our holiday season. It is the end of our fiscal year and the beginning of a new anniversary. Next year will be 151 in case anyone didn't know.

What is so special about Arnold's this year is what we are not doing. We are not charging a cover, no inflated prices, no prix fixe menu. Just great food, great fun, great music and an affordable New Years Eve night out at Arnold's. I never know if people want cajun or traditional, Italian or Mexican. This year we are going to do our regular menu with some 16.95 specials. The entertainment for the night is the awesome new band the Young Heirlooms. We are not charging a cover, but we will pass the hat like always. We will also be well stocked with plenty of free party favors and a Champagne toast at midnight. We will also take reservations for the courtyard for the music (something we don't normally do).

Here's the deal...
Todd Hepburn on Piano from 6 - 8pm
Young Heirlooms from 9 - 12:30
All seating in the courtyard is for dinner seating until after 10:30.
Regular Menu plus specials

SPEICIALS
PRIME RIB... Prime rib coated in fresh herbs and seared in a giant cast iron skillet then slow roasted until rare. Finished on the grill to your liking. Served with garlic mashed potatoes, fresh sauteed green beans, au jus and horseradish sour cream.

BABY BAKE RIBS... Slow roasted until fall of the bone then char grilled in a spicy pineapple bbq sauce. Served with french fries and cole slaw.

FLAT IRON STEAK... Delicious! Grilled to your liking and topped with Ronda's bernaise. Served with garlic mashed and fresh asparagus.

SPAGHETTI SQUASH CASSELOT... Spaghetti squash, fresh spinach, red onions, sun dried tomatoes, artichoke, sundried cherries baked in a casserole with a spicy pumkin thai sauce. Topped with blue cheese crumbles and chopped pecans. Served with baked garlic bread.

The "GingerBreadMan" Drink at Arnold's

2011-12-06T09:34:00.000-05:00

This drink turned out very well and is incredibly spicy with just enough sweetness. I do let it "infuse" and make a large batch. Let this set at least a day before serving.

1 bottle 750mL Vodka (I used Stoli)
1 bottle 750mL Bailey's Irish Cream
1 quart heavy cream
1 TBS nutmeg
2 TBS grated fresh ginger
2 TBS ground dried ginger
1/2 cup simple syrup (make by dissolving 1/4 cup of sugar in 1/4 cup very hot water)

Let the simple syrup cool before you mix with other ingredients. Let sit for at least 1 day. Strain before using unless you want the bits of ginger in your drink. Serve in a rocks glass with ice and a cherry

The Bombshell's Brunch

2011-12-05T15:40:00.001-05:00

On Saturday December 10th from 11am-2pm, the Bombshells of Cincinnati are hosting a brunch that could be called unique to say the least. The outing will be in support of their next big bombing. Not only will those in attendance be the first to find out where it will be, they will be given their own Top Secret dossier with detailed instructions on a individual craft project to be completed by them, which will play a major role in the next yarn bombing. Beyond that, the Bombshells will be in attendance to lend their expertise to whatever helpful hints and help with any random yarn conundrums that you may be experiencing. The cost of the event and brunch will be $25.00 including tip and is a fundraiser going towards covering the cost of the Bombshells next bombing. Also included in the deal will be a $5.00 gift certificate going towards your next visit to Arnold’s. Please, please, please RSVP at cincybombshells@gmail.com

Pottery Fridays: Linda Legendre

2011-12-02T11:29:00.001-05:00

Ok, so we are switching things up a little this Friday. We are featuring the very talented potter and Arnold's employee, Linda Legendre. She has a show coming up this weekend so I thought it would be the perfect time to feature her just in time for it. Here is Linda Legendre.

Hi! I’m Linda LeGendre writing a guest blog on Ronda’s My Life at Arnold’s blogspot. I have been working as a server at Arnold’s for a little over a year now. I love every aspect of working at Arnold’s because of the great energy stoked on by the wonderful management and great co-workers. I have been amazed at what Ronda comes up with between everyday soup ideas, making bread with 1861 Porter hops, or the most recent gluten free cake. Besides my love of a quirky old time bar and grill I love my work in clay!

I was introduced to pottery in 1990 by my brother Steve. At the time he was living near Houston, Texas. I went down for a visit and he set me up in his studio, gave me instruction and let me have at it for hours. Before I returned home I had the bug. I knew I had to find a place in Cincinnati to get my clay fix.

I started out at two of the cities’ recreation centers Dunham and Clifton. I joined the Craft Guild (no longer in operation) as suggested to me by my out of town brother. I met some wonderful people that I still know today.

My first art show was in Columbus, Ohio in 1995. My mentor brother was by my side teaching me about doing art and craft fairs. Clay Alliance was formed in 1999 and it offered a great way to meet other people working in clay. The Clay Alliance’s Spring Fair Sale is one of the sales I have been in every year. It started out in Mt. Adams and moved to DeSales Corner three years ago. It is always held on the first Saturday in May (Derby Day). Another Clay Alliance yearly event has been Empty Bowls the benefit for FreestoreFoodBank’s Kids Cafe, the after school mealtime, homework help centers in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Clay Alliance Empty Bowls events are held on the first Sunday in November.

I’ve been making lizards from the “gec-ko” (get go). Down in the Houston area I was inspired by the anoles that were numerous around my brother’s home. A large portion of my inventory these days includes lizard mugs and garden gnomes. Even some of the gnomes have lizards coming out of their pockets and they usually mimic whatever the gnome is doing.

Shortly after my brother moved back to Cincinnati in 1997 we started having an Open House Pottery Sale. Steve’s long time friend and present day wife Sharon has been a wonderful potter doing sales with us all this time. Our 10^th Pottery Open House now held at Sharon and Steve’s home is this weekend. Saturday, December 3^rd 11am-6pm Sunday, December 4^th, Noon – 5pm. 253 Five Mile Road 45230. Come out and meet us, the clay trio. We’ll have snacks and refreshments and over 2 rooms of functional and decorative wares.

For directions to the show: www.sweetwinepottery.com/

For Facebook updates: http://www.facebook.com/events/146872188747770/

Scalloped Oyster Recipe & Our Arnold's Family Thanksgiving

2011-12-01T08:23:00.000-05:00

I can't decide if I have been in a food coma for a week or if I am just over planning for Christmas. I wanted to get this post in a week ago and the week just slipped away.

Thanksgiving was wonderful, the guest and the food. There were about 20 of us for dinner and then some more people came by as the night went on.

For people reading this and that don't know what we did for Thanksgiving, go here. The food was amazing and with no organization we did great. We all told what our dish was and we all brought a favorite we couldn't live without! Turkey, stuffing, another turkey, gravy, cornbread stuffing, green bean casserole, pecan praline yams, mashed potatoes, ham, corn pudding, slaw, cranberry concoction, lime jello dish, sausage chestnut stuffing, brocoli casserole, yeast rolls. Then dessert. Bruce's Turtle Cheese Cake, Cindy's Pumpkin Chiffon Pie, Apple Pie, Ice Cream, Pumpking Pie, Keith's Apple Bread. And scalloped oysters.

Scalloped oysters was my dish. It dates back in my family as long as I can remember. My uncle would buy fresh oysters to use in the dish because my mom always used canned. To be honest, I do like the can almost (note the word almost) as much as I like fresh. I was thinking what an amazing cook my mom was. We were not wealthy, I grew up in Newport before Newport was Mansion Hill and my mom is making oyster! Here is a very simple and delicous recipe for Scaloped Oysters. I don't know the reason behind their name but that is what we always called them. This is fast and you need to make it right before you bake it. Serve it right out of the oven and DO NOT keep the leftovers.

Scaloped Oyster Recipe

2 sleeves of Zesta crackers crushed slightly
12 oz. fresh oysters (Finley Market always have oysters) or canned
1 stick of butter melted
1 cup heavy cream (my mom used milk)
1/2 T salt
1 T finely ground pepper
Put all ingredients in a big bowl and lightly toss
Oil or spray oil a baking dish that will hold it all
Bake at 325 - 350 until golden brown on top. About 25 - 30 minutes.

The Revolting Ninjas

2011-11-21T13:38:00.001-05:00

For the Turkey Trot on Wednesday we are having what might be the most interesting band to ever play Arnold's. I can guarantee that they will be the only band to ever play here outfitted in Ninja Costumes. They are a super talented group of local jazz musicians that have invented their own genre. Ninja Jazz. Like true ninjas, exactly who they are is even a mystery to us. They choose to remain anonymous. We have only seen their separate resumes and they are long, varied and accomplished ones. They will be covering everything from Coltrane to the White Stripes. This is their inaugural show and should be a pretty interesting night at Arnold's. We hope to see you there. You can read their Manifesto below and find out more about them on their facebook here.

The Manifesto of the Brotherhood

of the Revolting Ninjas

The Revolting Ninja is committed to being disturbing.

The Revolting Ninja is committed to secrecy and absolute identity concealment.

And yet, The Revolting Ninja is committed to being memorable.

Like "in your pants" memorable.

The Revolting Ninja is committed to being a musical necessity.

The Revolting Ninja is committed to musical mastery.

The Revolting Ninja commands and demands attention.

One has no choice but to focus on the Ninja when present.

The Revolting Ninja is not musical wallpaper.
We are more like scratch-and-sniff Ninja wallpaper on wall in
lockeroom of really intense Asian porn film studio.

The Revolting Ninja, when present, is the air, the light, the smell, the sound.
When we are gone, it will still seem we are there.
Like a stain on your brain.
Or somewhere else.

The Revolting Ninja derives pleasure from performance,
and we perform better delivering pleasure after performance.
If nobody available for delivery, that's ok. We please ourselves.

You've never seen us, but will never stop seeing us.
Close eyes, open eyes, doesn't matter.

You've never heard us,
but will never listen again without hearing us.

You will drink your beer and eat your nachos and go to work the next day.

You will look at your innocent, stupid co-workers.

Your face will say "they don't know what happened to me last night."

We happened, jackass!

You will maybe ask yourself, "did I just have sex with a large monkey."

The answer is usually no,

you've just been in the presence of the Revolting.

The word "volt" is in Revolting.

So we shock you,

then we shock you again.

Choice is ours, not yours.

You do not discover the Revolting Ninjas.

We discover you.

If we find you, if you experience us,

you are honored to be near us and smell us.

Hence, no courtesy flushes.

If you know we might be somewhere, that's impossible.
But if you see us, we change your pathetic life.

You will wonder what the hell you were doing without us!

You Are Invited To Bruce And Ronda's Thanksgiving Dinner

2011-11-20T08:45:00.001-05:00

This is a long blog of how I came about inviting you to Bruce and Ronda's Thanksgiving dinner. We are eating at 5pm. Our treat. You can bring a covered dish and if you want something beside coffee, tea or soda please bring your own. Nothing will be sold that day.

My mom had huge Thanksgiving dinners. We had aunts and uncles and friends and neighbors. My mom would put the food wherever she had room. On the stove, on the sink, on the back porch. We only had four rooms and a back porch and I think the biggest room was 8 X 10. That's small enough for the six of us but then we would add many many more people for dinner. You would eat standing up, it didn't matter. Then people would play cards or sit and talk.

My mom died when she was 55 and I was 26. She died in the fall and we all tried to throw the same exact dinner together that my mom had always made. Well, as you know, it was a disaster. As the years went on Thanksgiving got smaller and smaller. With divorces, marriages, deaths and people just going their different ways.

The last few years the holiday has gotten smaller and to top it off Chris (my son) and Bethany (his delightful girlfriend) were vegetarians. So last year we cooked a big turkey and a different meal for them. I am not complaining, I am very grateful for all the things I have in life but I really like that big Thanksgiving dinner. It's actually my favorite holidays since no gifts are exchanged and it is all about fellowship.

Hence brings in the thinking of how I was going to change all that this year. We have options. Go to my brothers, go to Bret's parents in PA, go to my sisters down in Kentucky. That's not what I had in mind. Go to a food kitchen and help. Okay that can work.  So I find out they can really use my help more in January, so that is when we will make 160 grilled cheese and tomato soups instead of Thanksgiving dinner.

For many years my friend Audrey, who owns Mullanes (which is now gone but not forgotten) would open her doors and cook a Thanksgiving dinner. Anyone and everyone was invited. I always loved that idea but never really thought about doing it. So when I was talking to my friend Bruce (which also found himself in the same situation as me) we decided we would do the same as Audrey had done for all those years.

Bruce and I are cooking Thanksgiving dinner and you are invited. Yes, you the person reading this. If you don't have anywhere to go or if your family is small then please join us. We are cooking turkey, stuffing, ham, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, yams, scallop oysters, cranberry sauce and rolls. We ask you to bring a covered dish and a beverage if you don't want coffee, tea or soda.  Arnold's is closed that day and no sales will be made.  We are eating at 5pm and will ask everyone to help with the clean up. We will have the TV on sports, cornhole in the courtyard, cards, scrabble and whatever games we can find.

I just ask that you email me at info@arnoldsbarandgrill to let me know you are coming. We want to make sure we cook enough turkey!

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company And Arnold's Presents Cincinnati's "BHC"

2011-11-18T17:33:00.000-05:00

Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!)
by MICHAEL CARLETON, JOHN ALVAREZ & JIM FITZGERALD

Arnold's and Cincinnati Shakespeare Company have defied all laws of how to run a successful Christmas play. In it's sixth season and all but less than a handful of shows being sold out this show keeps getting funnier. The actors are so comfortable in the roles, they take them to another level.

This play is so close to my heart because of the friendship I have formed with the CSC. I have told the story many times about Brian coming over to Arnold's and wondering how they were going to make ends meet, all the while having that same discussion with him. This Holiday play truly helped me see a light at the end of the tunnel. Over the years this play has become a part of our operating budget and is very vital to going in the direction we need to go. The same is true with the CSC.

CSC is offering three shows in their theatre to help offset their ever growing cost of productions. If you would like to help sponsor their end of the show you can contact Lettie Van Hemert at 381-BARD.

BHC means "Beloved Holiday Classic".

Click Here for Rick Pender's (CityBeat) review.

Below is Cincy Shakes Press Release
Back for a sixth straight year at Arnold's Bar and Grill and now on CSC’s stage, Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!!), featuring Billy Chace, Justin McCombs, Miranda McGee and Sara Clark. This show condenses all of your Beloved Holiday Classics into one hilarious evening of theater. Whether you're a Grinch or a true believer, you'll howl with laughter as Sara, Billy and Justin (and a slightly tipsy Santa) send up every thing from fruitcake to nutcrackers. Perfect for adults looking for a little extra holiday cheer!

December 4-31, 2011
Showtimes: Performances Dec. 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 27 & 28 @ 7:30pm take place at:
Arnold's Bar & Grill
210 E. Eighth St.
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Arrive early for dinner, not included with ticket.
Showtimes: Dec. 22, 23 and 31 @ 7:30pm take place at:
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
719 Race St
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Prices: All Tickets $25 (Subscriptions, discounts & passes do not apply)

Guest Blog: Molly O'Toole from the CAC

2011-11-17T10:00:00.032-05:00

This week's guest blogger is the awesome Molly O'Toole. Communications & Community Engagement Director at the Contemporary Art Center. The CAC scooped her up back in 2009 and I am betting that you have noticed alot more about what they have been doing since then. We are honored that she would do a guest blog for us and here she is...

When I was asked to take a turn at blogging, I knew exactly what to write about: the time I took [fill-in-the-blank] to Arnold's.

Working at the Contemporary Arts Center, you get very good at showing off our city. Whenever our artists, speakers and guests come to town, we try to get them out and about as much as possible—connect them to things that are going on here. It's a favorite part of my job. And one of my favorite places to take them is Arnold's.

People like Shepard Fairey, Davy Rothbart, Rosson Crow and more have all experienced Cincinnati CAC-style. That not only means a stop at Arnold’s, but perhaps a tour of the sign museum, gallery openings in Brighton, shopping in OTR and Gateway Quarter, darts at Zola’s in Covington or brunch at Take the Cake and music at the Comet in Northside. We’ve done summer night baseball games that have spilled over into Fringe Festival fun at the Know Theatre; gone shopping in Oakley; gotten tattooed at Dana’s; had cocktails at the Netherland Plaza. We’ve enjoyed the view from Mt. Adams, skating on Fountain Square, Findlay Market, the parks and the universities. You name it, we’ve shown it off! And more often than not, our guests are left with a soft spot in their heart for our part of the world.

But it all starts on our corner of 6th and Walnut. The CAC is teaming with people who are deeply involved in this city, and that enriches everyone who comes through our doors—me included. I have the good fortune of working with wildly interesting individuals who are feeding Cincinnati’s creative ecosystem in the most unique ways. Because of them, I’m always learning about some crazy cool thing happening here that’s all kinds of awesome—like the reopening of the Emery Theatre, who’s playing MusicNow and MidPoint, or Yo-Yo Ma being simulcast on Fountain Square. Needless to say, being involved in the arts reveals a Cincinnati that is bright, connected, bustling and energetic. The view from where we stand tends to look pretty good. Many of our guests make the kind of connections here that turn into fruitful, enduring relationships. No wonder so many and end up coming back. I don't blame them at all.

So, if you see me at Arnold’s, say hello. I’ll introduce you to whomever I’m with and, depending on how the night goes, maybe you’ll end up in one of these pictures too!

ARNOLD'S GOES FRENCH (FOR A DAY)

2011-11-15T16:42:00.001-05:00

At the strike of midnight on the third Thursday of every November, France erupts in massive celebration in honor of the unveiling (or should we say uncorking) of the Beaujolais Nouveau wine. Beaujolais Nouveau, which is a young wine (only 6 weeks old) comes from a region south of Burgundy in France. It’s rumored that the light-bodied and fruity wine must be finished by Christmastime and the French government has put regulations delaying the wine’s release until the third week in November. This means the arrival of the new Beaujolais is warmly welcomed in France. All over the country, grand traditions have developed in honor of the release of the Beaujolais, with the biggest festival taking place in Beaujeu, the capital of the Beaujolais region. This little city springs to life during this weekend in November, hosting a massive party called Sarmentelles. The party gets its name from the french word for cuttings from the canes of grapevines called sarments, which are burned in the center of town just prior to the grand midnight unveiling. Then the huge barrels are opened to much fanfare and party-goers indulge in the new wine for the festival’s 3 day duration. Other areas in France also boisterously celebrate the arrival of the Beaujolais Nouveau. Lyon hosts the Beaujolympiades (Beaujolympics), marking the release of the wine with music and fireworks followed by 2 days of sampling. In Paris, restaurants and bistros host their Beaujolais Nouveau parties, staying open through the night and uncorking hundreds of bottles after midnight. Wherever you may be traveling in France, this is a great night to celebrate life, wine, and a grand French tradition.

Wherever you may be traveling in Cincinnati, this is a great night to celebrate at Arnold's. We are welcome to have the French Alliance Of Cincinnati. We hope you enjoy our meal.

APPETIZER…

Assiette-de Charcuterie aux Chévre
Assorted meats and cheeses with olive tapenade and warm red wine onion marmalade. Served with bread. 9.95

Au Confit de Tomato et Sardines aux Fromage… Crisp French bread loaf topped with Arnold’s delicious tomato sauce, sardines and cheese. Baked until golden brown. 8.95

SALAD…

SALADE LYONNAISE… Finely chopped lettuce topped with bacon, red onions and a poached egg. Dressed with a warm vinegar sweet dressing. 7.95

ENTREES…

AUBERGINE GRATINESS … Eggplant, Beaujolais wine, tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots and onion slow roasted with garlic and fresh herbs. Topped with thick sliced potatoes and gruyere cheese. Served with crusty bread. 15.95

PETIT SALE AUX LENTILS… Gammon (hind leg quarter “ham” of pork) Flash fried with olive oil, coffee and cracked red pepper. Served over pureed garlic green lentils and topped with fennel leek ratatouille. 15.95

BEEF DAUBE… Beef cubes marinated in beaujolais wine, cloves, carrot juice, orange zest and onions. This marinates for 24 hours then is slow simmered with whole garlic and olives. I am serving this over cabbage sauteed with a touch of olive oil and plenty of cracked black pepper. 15.95

CHICKEN BEAUJOLAIS… Quarter chicken roasted with mixed peppers, onions and fresh diced tomatoes. When time to serve we place on the grill to warm. Served over seasoned rice and topped with goat cheese. 15.95

Photographer Fridays: Roebling Bridge Special Edition

2011-11-11T10:57:00.000-05:00

On Monday November 7th, 9 members of the Club Blatz photography club got permission to ascend the southern pier of the Roebling Suspension Bridge. For photographer Friday each of them sent in one photo from the shoot. So, here they are. Enjoy! Oh, and don't miss their photo exhibit here tomorrow night (and every second Saturday of the month) on the second floor.

Dave Fishwick

Mandy Tudor - shot with Nikon D700 and 70-300mm Nikkor lens

Jason Haley - "From the Roebling", taken from the top of the southern pier of the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge; the view was certainly worth the climb.

Kevin Fishel - This was on the West side of the bridge looking North to the Ohio side of the river. Support cable and lights isolation.

Chuck Eilerman - It was a great photo opportunity, but here's a shot of why it was certainly not for the faint of heart. This is looking down the stairs on the way back. They're see-through and it's fairly daunting to spend much time looking down!

Dan Justes - "Bird's Eye/Fish Eye - From the top of the southern pier of the John Roebling Suspension Bridge; this location offers a stunning perspective of Downtown Cincinnati that very few ever get to see. I feel blessed to get the opportunity to be there. In order to get this shot I had suspended my camera from a rope and slowly lowered it down. Using a fisheye lens I get to present a birds’ eye/fish eye perspective.

Lisa Sullivan - Featherbolt - One of the small details seen at the top of the bridge. From the evjdence of the feather, pigeons may have been involved in the engineering.

Chris Breeden - I just loved how the guy on the bike really puts into perspective just how large the bridge really is.

Bill Fultz - "The Cable Gang" - Northern Kentucky's premier pigeon hang out since 1865

Guest Blog: Rome Ntukogu, Director of Far-I-Rome Productions

2011-11-10T11:06:00.001-05:00

You may not know Rome Ntukogu by name, but if your from downtown or OTR, I bet you have heard of one of his and his company's events. Far-I-Rome Productions are the ones behind The Clifton Heights Music Festival, OTR Skate, Turntables and Snares, and a whole laundry list of other events. They just set up there new offices at 1317 Main St. and if you are planning something big, they might just be who you want to get a hold of.

Rome Ntukogu

Director

Far-I-Rome Productions

A special events planning, and

marketing company based in Cincinnati, OH

1317 Main Street, 45202

www.fariromeproductions.com

A Scene Of Musical Chairs

I was asked to contribute to this blog recently and thought, “what the hell are you supposed to talk about?” After some time in contemplation, thankfully a friend of mine said “Hey Rome, you are always running all over the place, what's happening this weekend?...” and here we are.

My Cincinnati is comprised of a constant shift of 'scenes' vying to attain and maintain relevance. This is a city built on knowing about the cool things that very few are aware of. The 'scene' is based on discovery, select invites to crowds that inevitably band together to elect a spokesperson. When it becomes evident that you don't recognize the usual 75% of the people that surround you at a show then it is time to migrate to the next 'scene'. We have flashes of hotspots in which talented bands, businesses, promoters, press, and performers allocate most of their efforts, making said location the 'talk of the town'. Some create the scene, some are the scene, others graze on the outskirts committed to taking in all of it. I suppose this piece will be about the latter.

Cincinnati/Kentucky is an exceptional place to sample so much of the local culture, partly because of this constant 'scene' shift. We have pockets of people, within local communities, fanning the flames and putting what they are passionate about on display for the masses to consume. In one weekend I had the privilege of attending a beer tasting in Hyde Park, Final Friday in OTR finishing at The Pendleton (amazing by-the-way), a Jazz/Funk show atArnold's Bar, an Indie/Rock band at Northside Tavern, touched base at Mayday, caught a Bunk News event at The Mockbee, a Ska band at Southgate House, a Hip-Hop show in Clifton Heights, an impromptu street-side dance party in OTR, and then brunch in the Gaslight on Sunday. Believe it or not this barely scratches the surface of what we have available to us everyday.

You've seen us around, we are those fans rooted to a spot, happily doing the “Cincinnati Stance” with one hand in pocket, the other on a drink, thoughtfully bobbing our heads to the awesomeness emanating from the stage. I feel that being on the outskirts of the 'scene' is definitely something to cherish, it allows one to play a very important role in building into each community. Enjoying the experience, supporting motivated individuals, I will be happily doing my 'Cincinnati Stance” on any given weekend. Godspeed on the road you choose, and Cheers!

Guest Blog: Mike Amann, owner of BLDG Refuge

2011-11-09T11:19:00.000-05:00

Today's guest blogger is Mike Amann from the BLDG. This guy is sneaking some serious, heavy hitting, International artists into his small inconspicuous Pike St. gallery in Covington. Having them leave their Mark on Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky for years to come. We feel pretty lucky to have someone so devoted to bringing these level artists into town and you probably should to.

So many times I have found myself lost in conversation about art happening all over the world. I'm not sure when but one day I decided that Kentucky was going to be one of those places that others were talking about. I wanted people rattle off a list of U.S. cities where one might travel to see amazing street art and have Cincinnati be on that list. I am Mike Amann owner of one of The BLDG and this is my story.

The BLDG is an urban contemporary creative refuge located just across the river. It's an unexpected destination where artists and creative folks from around the world come to work and play. The business model is simple, if there is an artist that I love doing something unique, I contact them. I invite them to show in my gallery and spend some time in an area of the U.S. they probably haven't seen.

It all started in 2009 with an artist collective from Newcastle, England known as Prefab 77. They debuted their work to the U.S. at our opening show.

Since the opening we have hosted several shows, among them are a couple of our favorites; The London Police, a pair of geezers from London via Amsterdam, whose lads dawn buildings around the world. I first met these guys in Miami when they were participating in a curated mural installation, Primary Flight. We spoke for a bit and the next thing they knew they were on a plane destined for CVG.

Our most recent project was a two week artist in residence with world renowned street artist Vhils. This guy arrived with only a suitcase and in two weeks created an entire show from found objects carefully plucked from nooks and crannies all over the city. Did I mention he also jackhammered away for a solid 8 hours to create the incredible mural seen as you enter downtown from 5th street. I hear it was recently featured as a cut away on the prime time NBC drama Harry's Law.

Ahhhh....but the best is yet to come. I am constantly being inspired to take on new projects and try new things. The BLDG is a place, a process, a collaboration.We are, copious creatives, purveyors of dissidence and invite you to share the scene. Art available for consumption at www.BLDGrefuge.com.

Contact mike@BLDGrefuge.com

Guest Blog: Arnold's, Autism, A Kind Stranger, and an Epiphany by James Cira

2011-11-08T08:18:00.000-05:00

Todays guest blogger is James Cira, we call him Jimmy around here and he has to be one of the kindest Gentleman to have ever walked through the doors at Arnold's. He has been an off and on regular since way back in 1993 and we are proud to call him our friend. You are hard pressed to find a friendlier guy to pull up a stool next to. I am truly touched by this story and I'm sure you will be too.

Off and on, since 1993, I have enjoyed some of the best moments of my life at Arnold's. Even from the first moment of coming to one of our city's most treasured "watering holes," I was always enamored by the feeling of almost going back in time. If you look upon past photos of Arnold's, you can easily tell that not much has changed over the years at 210 East Eighth Street. Many times I would sit at that well-worn bar and try to imagine the different stories and tall tales that have been spoken through the years over it's aged, wooden surface The many moments of a joyful first encounter, or even some sage advice passed between a bartender and a patron. I just never imagined that I would experience a life altering moment at this same bar.

It was an early Spring evening in 2010 when I was enjoying several drinks with a very dear friend of mine who lived close by at the time. At that moment, I received a call from my newly designated ex-wife. To say that we had a rough divorce, would be a severe understatement. So, as anyone who has been in my situation can attest to, receiving a call from an "ex" while at a bar, typically has disaster written all over it.

This call was quite different in the way that most life changing calls have a habit of being. She was not calling to yell harsh criticisms, or to remind me how glad she was to no longer be my wife. This was the call that confirmed what I had learned earlier: That my five year-old son was indeed autistic. It is something that myself and my close friends had suspected for quite sometime. So, one day on my visitation, my son Sal and I went to Children's Hospital to have him tested. Being a parent, it is so difficult to sit and watch while your child struggle with basic socialization skills and not quite being at the same level as other children. For the longest time, I chose the path of denial. In fact, that was the same path she had chosen, until she had received a second opinion.

Even though we were quite certain that he was autistic, it was one of those rare moments that I was hoping to be wrong and that my ex-wife was right. That is not how it played out and, when I found out for sure, I was devastated. Of course, how I handled things then compared to now is quite different. That being said, after many shots and being consoled by my very good friend for most of the night, the stranger on the stool next to me spoke. From what I remembered about him from an alcohol induced haze, is that he was a very tall, young, good-looking guy that I had never seen before at Arnold's. He was a bright, young guy from Boston that was in town for a six-week management training program with his company. For the rest of the night, the three of us sat at that bar discussing, my wonderful son and his autism.

From that moment on, my life has changed quite a lot. I remembered waking up that very next day feeling energized and taking charge of my son's disease. I made a vow to myself that very night to take command of my life, and despite all of the differences between my ex-wife and myself, I will always be the best father that I could be. So, when I think of Arnold's, I not only think of all the wonderful moments I have spent there with very dear friends, but I think of the night that I became a man and a father to a wonderful boy with autism. It also speaks to the mystique of Arnold's. It is a place where, on any given night, you can meet a stranger with a sympathetic ear and walk out as good friends.

Guest Blog: Feoshia Henderson

2011-11-07T10:24:00.000-05:00

Today's guest blog is one for all the fellow local bloggers out there from Feoshia Henderson. Feoshia is a former Cincinnati Enquirer reporter turned http://www.cincyburb.com blogger, http://www.feoshia.com freelance content producer and writer for http://www.soapboxmedia.com Soapbox Cincinnati. She loves to write about people, places and businesses around the city, and sharing amazing stories.

If you're reading this you probably already know that Cincinnati has a very vibrant blogger community! From the photo and political blogs, to those focused on food, family and shopping, you can really learn about the daily lives and passions of Cincinnatians through our bloggers.

I started blogging around 2005 about politics on MySpace. I shut that one down years ago, but started http://www.cincyburb.com CincyBurb blog in 2008, chronicling my life in the suburbs of Cincinnati through the places I ate, played and shopped at and discovered. After taking a break from CincyBurb for almost a year, I brought it back, and in the process rediscovered my love for Cincinnati blogs.

Since I first started, tons of new blogs focused on the city and the 'burbs have popped up, including some that get nationwide audiences and attention. Blogs here, in many ways , have gotten so much more professional and bloggers are making an impact on life in Cincinnati, getting mainstream media attention and creating their own movements and buzz through social media. Some, I dare say, are even starting to make money.

It's because of those trends that I decided to create a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki wiki for Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky bloggers. We're just getting it started by finding members and setting up a comprehensive list of area bloggers by topic.

I envision this as a place where we can talk about blogging issues, ask each other questions, bounce ideas off each other or even plan joint events. It's also a way to see the landscape of Cincinnati blogs, and I hope it will be a tool that mainstream publications will use to reach out to the city's bloggers.

So if you have a blog (or know a blogger) add yours to the http://cincybloggers.wikispaces.com CincyBloggers Wiki today!

Photographer Fridays: Debbie Crowe

2011-11-04T14:58:00.001-04:00

This week's photographer is the very talented Debbie Crowe. Enjoy!

Debbie Crowe

dcrowex@aol.com

deborahcrowephotography.com

Photography is beyond a love or hobby for me. Several years ago this became a true passion in every sense. I see a picture in everything around me. I began taking photography on a more serious note about 7 years ago and it has been a wonderful journey learning the skills and exploring creativity I had never imagined. I love photographing everything from my grandchildren to landscapes and have even won a few contests along the way. It has been my good luck to meet up with the wonderful folks from Club Blatz . In fact, I participated in the very first Club Blatz exhibit at Arnolds well over a year ago. I wish to extend my appreciation to Arnold’s Bar and Grill for supporting the efforts and exhibits of the photographers and to the Club for creating such a fun and wonderful environment to nurture this passion we all share.

Walking through Rowes Nature Center, I felt pretty lucky to see this little fellow enjoying the sunshine. Having my long lens on brought him right to my fingertips!

Beautiful evening to catch the red sunset high on a hill in Northern Kentucky

Club Blatz Exhibit night - taken at the bar using special effects for a retro effect

Takeoff from the movie, Precious was hanging at my most recent Arnold's exhibit. We found it amusing that a young lady bought it, then asked if she could return it because her father would not allow it in the house because it was "evil".

My husband bought me my very favorite - red roses! The blooms were stunning and I decided to capture that beauty as a keepsake. This picture is also on a canvas hanging over my fireplace

I won first place with this photo in the Gate of Heaven Cemetary contest and it is being displayed at Christ Church starting this weekend along with other photographer selections.

Taken in the alley alongside Arnolds Bar and Grill, this employee was taking a break and he was kind enough to let me snap this shot of him. I found his expression most interesting.

I had some fun with this one. My 5 year old grandson loved his Paper Jam guitar. He gave me just enough time to put on a Fedora and Tstrap shirt to grab a few "serious" shots

In case you missed It...

2011-11-01T12:06:00.003-04:00

Here is the video of the Channel 5 news story yesterday about the Yuengling tapping. Thanks to http://www.wlwt.com for the video

Photographer Fridays: Mark Byron

2011-10-28T11:49:00.003-04:00

Today's photographer is the very talented Mark Byron. A regular from way back even before he was really taking pictures. His post today is concert photos but I decided to display one of my favorite photos that he took here, all those year back before he went pro, as the blog post head picture. It has been interesting to watch his career blossom since back then. I present to you Mark Byron.

Mark Byron

www.byronphoto.com
or check out my online gallery of images at
byronphoto.smugmug.com
www.cinwed.com
The blog I never update:
http://byronphotography.wordpress.com/

My name is Mark Byron - and I'm honored to be featured in Ronda's Photographer Friday.

I was born in Cincinnati, OH - but moved all over the place throughout my childhood. I went
to at least five Elementary and Middle schools - and three different High Schools. After finishing
my first undergraduate degree at the University of Kentucky, I decided to move back to Cincinnati and
stay put for awhile. I've been living in Cincinnati since 1998. I am doing my thesis work at the University
of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) where I've been studying Fine Art
and Photography formally since 2009.

My father (recently retired photographer) tells me I am either a 6th or 7th generation photographer. My Great Great Great Grandfather came over from Nottingham, England and started The Byron Co. in New York City. My Grandfathers were very successful photographers who were commissioned for so many amazing projects in NYC. When the Byron Company closed their doors in 1942, my family donated 22,000 original prints and glass plate negatives to the Museum of the City of New York.The collection of work from 1880-1942 - (called "The Byron Collection") is one of the Museum's most celebrated and most complete
works documenting life at the turn of the century in NYC. One of my biggest goals right now is to work with my father, Tom Byron and capture a new body of work in New York City - that 'revisits' many of the exact same locations my family photographed 100 years ago. My hope is that the museum will openly receive this work and feature the images side-by-side with my Grandfathers' photographs.

Photography is my life. Photography keeps me going each and every day. When I have my cameras in my hands - I am energized! Each time I work on project as a photographer - I am excited to see the end product. I work hard to capture images that are timeless and powerful. After wasting more than10 years of my life in "Corporate America " working in the IT industry- I formed my own photography company - The Byron Co., LLC. As a full time photographer - I have a 10,000 sq ft studio downtown on West 8th street where I focus primarily on commercial photography and portraits for professionals. I also do weddings, events and family photography. For more than 4 years now, I've been a regular contributor to the Cincinnati Enquirer and Metromix.When the folks from Arnold's asked me to participate - I am thankful that they asked me to feature some of my live concert photography! Not only did this make it much easier for me to choose what I would showcase on here - but shooting live music is easily one of my favorite things to do as a photographer.

I hope you enjoy these images. I've been very fortunate to have the opportunity to photograph many talented artists over the past few years.When photographing a live concert, the action is high and the pace is fast. I get three songs to capture my images - and then I have to leave the stage or pit area. That isn't much time when you're trying to shoot moving targets and wrestle with all kinds of changing lighting scenarios, screaming fans and sometimes tripping over the other photographers working around you. I'm not complaining, though!

If you're interested in looking at some of my Grandfathers' work - here's a link to the searchable database of images at MCNY.org -
http://collections.mcny.org/MCNY/C.aspx?VP3=CMS3&VF=MNY_HomePage#/ViewBox&VBID=24UP1GZAJGCM&IT=ThumbImageTemplate01_VForm&CT=Search

Travis Barker

Blink 182

Coldplay

Daughtry

The Decemberists

Goo Goo Dolls

Def Leppard

Kid Rock

Brad Paisley

Tom Petty

Phish

Mike Posner

Rascal Flatts

Shooter Jennings

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Snoop Dogg

Stone Temple Pilots

Taylor Swift

Pete Yorn

ARNOLD'S ATTIC: From Arnold's To Texas And Home Again

2011-10-26T23:13:00.000-04:00

I received this letter and medallion in 2003. What a wonderful gift and part of history to have. I do have one other medallion I found at Arnold's.

July 29, 2003
Dear Ronda,
I just wanted to say I enjoyed our telephone conversation last Saturday and I’m delighted that you have interest in the medallion that is enclosed in the envelope. I’m glad to have found a part of history memorabilia.

Just for history's sake I will repeat the story I told you last Saturday.

On June 23,2003 my husband and I were tilling up a part of our yard where grass had
died. We were preparing to plant some grass seeds. Years ago we had placed loads of
sand in that area trying to level our yard and mix sand with our clay soil. My husband
tilled up the soil and I found the medallion later as I was raking and removing rocks.
When I saw the medallion I thought it was a coin. I gave it to my husband to look at and
he said he would have to clean some of the dirt off and look at it later. Short story and
certainly not grandiose! We were both excited when we saw the 1948 date on the
medallion.
Our daughter saw the medallion later and wanted to see if she could find an Arnold's
Grill on the Internet, which she did. You were contacted after my husband and I
discussed many scenarios as to how the medallion got there. Before these homes were
built on this land we had heard that a lot of people had used the land for dumping!
In any case we are delighted to send the medallion back to its original home! We hope
you and your customers enjoy looking at he medallion and perhaps make up some
scenarios of your own.
Respectfully,We wish you the best for the future.
Shirley
P. S. As requested I have included our address and phone number.

BALLET AND BRUNCH SATURDAY OCTOBER 29TH.

2011-10-24T18:15:00.000-04:00

http://www.cballet.org/events/arnolds

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=233558673368638

The date is different on the ballet's website than it actually is. When you are purchasing the ballet and brunch ticket you are purchasing a ticket for Brunch on Saturday October 29th. The performance starts at 2:00 pm. Seating will be available at Arnold's from 11:30 on.

BALLET AND BRUNCH MENU

Enjoy fresh fruit and crackers while waiting on your choice of one of the following dishes...

Sausage Gravy Cassolet... Bake dish of biscuit, sausage and eggs. Topped with rich cream sauce and Pepper bacon. Heaven in a dish! Served with Ronda's hot potatoes.

Grilled Cheese and Egg... Take our regular grilled cheese of mozzarella and provolone add scrambled egg, fresh spinach, onions, roasted red peppers, artichokes and portabellas. Served with Ronda's hot potatoes.

Keep It Simple... Scrambled eggs, pepper bacon, Ronda's potatoes and whole wheat toast.

Pesto Egg Fratatta... Pasta, mozzarella, pesto, prosciutto and red onion sauteed with eggs to form this delicious fratatta.

Glutton Free Caramel French Toast... Glutton free bread marinated in a cinnamon egg mixture and grilled. Topped with fried apples, walnuts, caramel sauce and whipped cream. Served with pepper bacon.

Turkey Sandwich and Soup... Already had breakfast then have a turkey sandwich. Fresh baked in house turkey served on whole wheat bread with lettuce and mayonnaise. Served with a cup of soup of your choice.

Yuengling Official Kickoff Tapping

2011-10-20T08:34:00.000-04:00

We are beyond honored on this one. So many things have come to us in the last year, it really has just been amazing. Here is the press release for the tapping that Yuengling is having here on Oct 31st.

Yuengling’s Official Cincinnati Kickoff Tapping

America’s Oldest Brewery Meets Cincinnati’s Oldest Bar

On Monday Oct 31^st, Yuengling Brewery will host their official kickoff to the Cincinnati area.

They will ceremoniously deliver the first keg to be tapped in Cincinnati by way of horse drawn carriage at 10am sharp. Top Brass from both Heidelberg Distributing and Yuengling Brewery will be on hand giving out free, super cool swag and answering any questions patrons may have about the storied beer finally making it’s way into the Ohio valley.

This is an event for the true fanatics. The first 100 patrons to order a Yuengling will receive a frame worthy certificate, hand signed by reps from Yuengling and Arnold’s, stating that you were one of the first to get a Yuengling beer when it was made available in Southern Ohio.

Top all that off with Arnold’s offering 12 oz drafts and bottles for just $2.00 until noon and you have a pretty darn good, early morning, beer drinking, event.

My Life With Joe And A Pot Of Chili

2011-10-18T17:29:00.000-04:00

If you scroll way back in this blog you will see a post about Joe's first soup and how awesome it was. Well Joe has made many soups since then and I can always lean on Joe anytime I am too busy to do something. Joe is the kind of guy that says, "I want to make that Creme Burle". Next thing I know he is making the Creme Burle. Or the bread pudding. Or the stuffing on Thursdays. The list goes on and on. I trust Joe. I am HIS backup at lunch, not the other way around. Joe is the kind of guy most people would "give their eye teeth" for. I knew today a major advancement had been made. Joe made a pot of chili and we tasted it. I said, "What does it need Joe?". He tasted it and said, "Sugar". I was so proud of him to take the complexity of a pot of chili and figure out you need sugar, out of all the ingredients you have added it truly an amazing thing. To know the balance of the chili is only short of that ingredient is a big deal.

Below is Arnold's recipe for making Chili. We don't have it written down anywhere, we just go by the way my mom use to make it. Also we increase this by about 10 times so you will need to taste it and maybe alter the sugar or the salt or the cumin. Just like Joe did.

1 pound lean hamburger browned in 1 cup of water with 1/2 onion chopped
Add to browned beef
1 12 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 12 oz. can tomato sauce
4 12 oz. cans water (I always use the tomato can's for measuring)
1/2 green pepper finely chopped
1 small jalapeno finely chopped
1 TBS minced garlic
2 TBS cumin
1/4 chili powder (trust me)
2 TBS coriander
1 TBS salt
1 TBS
2 TBS sugar
1/8 tsp cayenne
1 12 oz can kidney beans (add these AFTER the chili has cooked for 1 hour)
Bring to boil and then slow simmer for at least 1 hour. Chili will thicken as it cooks down. Now add your beans.

Photographer Fridays: Brandon Frimming

2011-10-14T10:08:00.004-04:00

This weeks photographer is Brandon Frimming. School teacher and budding wedding photographer. He is a photographer on the rise. Keep an eye out for him.

Brandon Frimming
www.frimbot.com (website)
https://www.facebook.com/pages/FrimbotPhotag/195070857186055

My name is Brandon Frimming and I am the owner and photographer of Frimbot.Photag. I am also an elementary teacher and a husband to a beautiful girl. We have two adorable chihuahuas, that are rotten as can be. In the spare time I have, I love playing video games! I have been gaming all my life, since the original Nintendo. People ask me when I'm going to grow up. Do I have to?

I have been taking pictures for fun for over 10 years, but I only recently began shooting seriously. My Canon Mark II is my new best friend, just purchased last week! I have been into art all my life, but I have never felt like I excelled in any particular area. Photography is a different story for me. I had one class in high school and sadly, never had any other photo classes. I am always learning new techniques and figuring out my camera as I go.

I plan to grow as a photographer as long as I can and I hope one day I can focus solely on photography as a profession. But for now, I gotta keep teaching the future of tomorrow and hoping I do everything right! Photography is soothing. Every time I hear that shutter, every ounce of stress vanishes away instantly. Its an honor being on here with such talented photographers and I appreciate even being considered!

This is a selection from Meygan and Chris' Engagement photos. We jumped a train because the color of the train grabbed my eye from a mile away.

This is a picture of Meygan at her bridal party. Her hair looked amazing, so I thought this was a great picture to display.

This is a picture of my cousin Matt at our family reunion. Matt has been one of my best friends for all my life and now lives in Georgia.

This is a picture of my grandfather, Paul. HE IS THIS FUNNY ALL THE TIME. He is one of my favorite people and I always get interesting shots when he is around.

This is my little cousin playing in the sprinkler.

This is DJ Egotronic performing at CIRCUS in Columbus Ohio.

This is my youngest puppy Lulu when she was only 2 month old, she is a chihuahua and is not much bigger now!

ARNOLD'S ATTIC: Ziggy, A Mystery And A Long Overdue Thank You

2011-10-12T16:00:00.001-04:00

Interesting enough this story is somewhat like the "Wire Art" blog I posted about a few weeks ago. Again this was a mystery person that gave me a gift.

It was 2001 and times were tough. Tough for a lot of reasons but also the business was way down. People knew it because we (I had a partner then) made a public record of it.  We sang it from the highest tree and thank goodness people listened.

A gift was left for us at the bar. The bartender said a man dropped it off and said he was Ziggy's creator, Tom Wilson's son. When I questioned why the bartender didn't get us, when the man came in, he stated the man did not want him to do that.   Opening the gift I found a wonderful Christmas ornament with a tiny card. The card read, "I hope your business improves next year -- Please hang this on your Christmas tree and maybe good luck will follow.   Merry Christmas, John Wilson".

I don't think we had Internet here at the time but trying to find this person never seemed to happen. There are tons of John Wilson's in the phonebook. When we did have Internet I would hap hazardly Google John Wilson but never to any avail. When I thought about doing this Wednesday's "ARNOLD'S ATTIC" blog I knew I wanted to write about this ornament.  I recently saw where Tom Wilson had passed away.  He was the founder of Ziggy Cartoons and yes he did live in Cincinnati. Tom Jr. now runs the Ziggy Enterprise.

Because of this, I went looking a bit deeper for John Wilson and what his connection was to Ziggy. I still come up empty handed. I can not find one obituary stating where John Wilson is Tom Wilson's son or if he in fact had anything to do with Ziggy. I do know this. I always wanted to say thanks to John Wilson. Not only for the ornament but for the time and effort he put into it. Not only is it a pain staking piece of microscopic detail but it is also filled with the heart of a man I do not even know. Thanks John Wilson.

Photographer Fridays: The Queen City Project

2011-10-07T11:39:00.002-04:00

The first time I met Adam and John they asked us if we delivered. We said sure we can bring it to you, where are you? They were next door at Alias Imaging! I took it over and saw a really cool space they had just moved into. They were taking pictures. Since then we have gotten to know these guys and what awesome people they are. I love them being our next door neighbors.

I asked them if they would do one of my Photographer Friday blogs. When they agreed, little did I know that they were going to team up with the fellas from Bluestone Creative to use still photos to create an awesome video that would knock my socks off. I am so honored they chose "The Queen City Project" to showcase on Arnold's blog. It is the world premeire! Please take a close look at what these guys are doing, it is awesome! Although this is not an advertisement I will say they are available for personal projects and they are super awesome to work with. The video is above, make sure to click play on it.

I present to you : The Queen City Project

The Queen City Project: http://queencityproject.com/
Alias Imaging: http://www.aliasimaging.com/
Bluestone Creative: http://www.bluestonecreative.com/

The Queen City Project is the collaborative brainchild between two downtown-based companies: ad agency Bluestone Creative and photography studio Alias Imaging. If you’re a creative person or at least appreciate the mindset behind left-brained thinkers, you know the wheels are always churning and fresh ideas are mandatory in order to break the day-to-day monotony of the “real” world.

With that in mind, the idea of the QCP began churning early in 2011 when the guys from Alias decided to photographically document a typical day at Shadeau Breads in Over-the-Rhine (which started around 4am, mind you). The diligence and passion of owner, Bill Pritz, and his staff at Shadeau Breads is what drew Alias to this location first. Not to mention, they make some of the dankest bread and pastries you can find around these parts.

Once Alias shared their work with their friends at Bluestone, an idea was born. We weren’t sure what that idea was just yet, but we knew we liked the premise of telling a visual story behind cool independent establishments like Shadeau and Arnold's. Hopefully, helping them out along the way through our collective advertising industry experience and knowledge. Then, we realized how many other downright cool places there are in and around Cincinnati who, luckily for us, tend to fly under the radar. Knowing this quality is part of what makes them so special to us and understanding that appealing to the masses maybe isn’t necessarily their ultimate goal, we had the idea to focus our efforts solely on local independent people and places who inspire others (including us) by doing what they do everyday.

So, that’s our story. We’re a group of artists who politely ask local folks who we consider to be genuinely unique to allow us to hop on board for a day, photographically document their operation and tell their story in a way you’ve never seen before – and, of course, satisfy our creative itch doing so. Hopefully, our efforts accurately portray the emotional appeal behind all of the great establishments featured on the QCP as if you were actually there. We hope you enjoy watching the video below as much as we enjoyed making it.

If there is a place you love or would like to recommend please send us an email HERE

My Friend John And The "Bouquet" He Gave Me

2011-10-06T10:23:00.001-04:00

People that know me know how I love getting flowers. Welllll how about this arrangement! John, one of Arnold's next door neighbors, brought me this delightful hand picked arrangement right from his garden. The basil will be used in our pesto, soups and this weekend a special salad will be featured with a lemon basil vinaigrette dressing.

Look for tomorrows blog where John and his partner team up to present "Photographers Friday".

John and Bret's Salad... This is called John and Bret's salad because John grew the basil and Bret grew the tomatoes that are in the salad.

Warm Lemon Basil Dressing
1/4 c olive oil
1 red onion diced finely
Zest from about 1/4 of lemon
2 TBS Candied Ginger finely chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 TBS Honey
3 TBS cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup rough chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil, add onions, ginger and lemon zest and saute until onions are translucent. Turn off heat and add remaining ingredients. You might need to reheat, you want it to be warm enough to slightly wilt your lettuce. Can be stored and reheated when ready to use. Dressing will be full bodied.

Arugula
Chopped Romaine
Shredded Carrots
Dried Cherries
Walnuts
Apples
Diced Homegrown Tomatoes
Grilled Salmon
Drizzle With Warm Lemon Basil Dressing

ARNOLD'S ATTIC: Yes We Say Speak Easy...

2011-10-05T18:26:00.001-04:00

Doorbell leading out to alley

Door with small hidden room off closet in kitchen on 3rd floor

Corner "Secret" storage in small office 3rd floor

Doorbell on 3rd floor at top of steps

Lady emailed Polly Campbell and said her step father (one of the Arnold's brothers) told her they hide liquor bottles in floor right under this table. I don't have the heart to pull up the floor to find out.

There are about 5 boards in a pantry in the 3rd floor restroom. They lift up and there is a hidden area under the boards.

Gluten Free Skillet Cornbread Recipe

2011-10-02T21:53:00.002-04:00

Being Glutton Free now I do sometimes miss bread if I don't make sure to get some. Here is a quick easy way to get your bread fix.
1 cup corn meal
1/2 cup corn starch
1 TBS baking powder
pinch of salt
1 TBS sugar
pinch of baking soda
1 egg
1 TBS oil + 2 TBS oil for skillet
1/3 cup milk
Heat oven to 400
Mix all dry ingredients then add wet ingredients to batter. Should be a little thinker than a pancake batter.

Put 2 TBS oil in individual cast iron skillet. If you do not have cast iron use skillet you can put into oven. Once oil is heated really hot but not smoking add your batter and cook until bubbles start to form, about 2 minutes. Place in 400 oven for 6 - 8 minutes. Toothpick inserted should come out clean.

Flip over and place on plate. Good for 2 servings. You may also add spices or whole corn, jalapenos, bacon, etc.

Photographer Fridays: Bill Fultz

2011-09-30T09:44:00.001-04:00

This Friday's photographer is Bill Fultz. Co-founder of Club Blatz photo club, an amazing camera man and Cincinnati's own photographic master of ceremonies. You see, Bill loves getting the word out about photography events and getting people together to shoot cool things in mass. For no other reason than he loves to do it. A shutterbug shepherd if you will. To keep up with Bill and to stay up to date with photo events, when things are happening and other general goings on to do with photography in Cincinnati you can check out his posts here.

William H. Fultz II

Published: Digital Photographer Magazine April 2008

Capture Cincinnati 2007

Capture Cincinnati 2008

Capture Cincinnati 2009 Cover Winner

Spring Grove Cemetery 2011 Calendar

Website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamfultz/

Fultz Fotos website coming 2012

Contact: slakejustice@yahoo.com

Photography has had such a profound and positive impact on my life. Not only has it taken me to some of the most beautiful places I ever could have imagined, but it has introduced me to some of the most wonderful people, and it has made me look at the world through different eyes. I never thought, almost 5 years ago, when I bought my first digital camera, that it would have taken me on the journey that it has and I am also looking forward to what future photography has in store for me. It has been truly gratifying, not only because I can escape from the everyday hustle and bustle shooting a 70 ft. waterfall or by going into the back yard and shooting a wolf spider in search of prey, but also because of the friendships that I now share with so many wonderful people from Club Blatz and Flickr. Without photography I think there would be a lot more boredom and a lot more beer in my life, but on the other side there’d probably be a lot more done around the house. To me, I think it’s been worth it.

The Grate And The Watercolors – When I took this shot I was more fooling around than taking it seriously. When I got home, I realized that I had nailed a really cool abstract. It would later go on to be the 2009 Capture Cincinnati book cover shot.

We Wish You A Merry Sithmas – Other Sithmas Carols: Joy To The Empire; O Little Planet Of Alderaan; We Three Kings Of Tusken Are; O Holy Knight; Sith Came Upon A Midnight Clear; Sith Rest Ye Merry Stormtroopers; Hark! The Herald Emperor Sings; I Felt The Force On Sithmas Day.

Sunset At 6000 ft. - Shot from the Blue Ridge Parkway, this was my first attempt at merging multiple images together.

Sunrise At The Castillo – One of my personal all time favorites, I couldn’t believe my luck on this shot as I captured another day dawning on the 450 year old fort in St. Augustine, Florida.

Armageddon – It took sixty 10 second exposures before I nabbed my first and only lighting strike, on St. Augustine Beach.

Today, The Waterfall Gods Spoke To Me – This could be my favorite waterfall shot. Dead of winter at Creation Falls in Red River Gorge, the color of the low lying sun made the light look otherworldly.

The Other Cumberland Falls – The 35 ft. Eagle Falls is well worth the very moderate 3/4 mile hike in Cumberland Falls State Park.

Gluteus Mash – Yep, that’s what the kayakers named this falls in West Virginia. The unusual color of the rocks was caused by an acid mine spill 10 years ago, that left the river dead. I’m one of a handful of photographers known to have shot these falls.

The Garden Ornament – My favorite abandonment shot, found this little beauty along US 50 in West Virginia. The challenge of this shot? The resident guard geese and their unrelenting attack.

ARNOLD'S ATTIC: Bix Beiderbecke and His Friend Jan Carroll

2011-09-28T22:24:00.001-04:00

Bix Biederbecke's portrait has graced Arnold's wall on the "Booth Side" by the front door for over 25 years, 30 to be exact. I always remember it being there. A few years ago I found another painted portrait of him on the 3rd floor and hung it next to the one already there. Recently someone wanted to know about the portraits and the artist that did them.

The Artist is Jan Carroll. He use to live on Court Street with Jim Tarbell and many other artist/bohemian types. He loved Bix and somehow (I'm not sure) Bix ended up living in Hamilton Ohio which is where Jan grew up. Jan, Fred Gary (long time piano player at Arnold's), Roy (current trumpet player on Thursday nights) and many other people were in a band called "The Gin Bottle Seven". They mainly played in Hamilton but did play a few gigs in Cincinnati.

Cincinnati Enquirer did an article on Bix and took the photograph of Bix. It became a very famous portrait. I am told by Jim Tarbell that Jan just wanted to do that portrait and he was lucky enough to receive it. I am now lucky that I have received it when I bought Arnold's 13 years ago. Bret and I saw a copy of this portrait at the top of Sears Tower in Chicago.

He often used anything he could find to paint on since he loved the art so much. Our version of Bix is acrylic paint on an American flag. The painting has a patina from all the smoke over the years. It is almost wood stained looking. He also painted on shoes, used canvas's, newspaper and even old book covers.

Jan Carroll is still living in Hamilton Ohio and is in his 80's. Bix died at the young age of 28 of alcoholism. Here is his website http://www.bixbeiderbecke.com/

In Case You Missed It....

2011-09-27T19:10:00.001-04:00

Here is the video of the story that Channel 5 WLWT did on us for Harry's Law

Photographer Fridays: Bob Schwartz

2011-09-23T10:11:00.001-04:00

This week's Friday photographer is the man about town, Bob Schwartz aka 5chw4r7z. One of downtown's most prolific camera men, if something cool is going on around town, he has probably got it in his frame. His blog is kind of like a timeline of living and being social in downtown Cincinnati and if you weren't there to see it, Bob's photos will take you there. You can usually find him on Fountain Square, Findlay Market or anywhere in OTR when you least expect it. So keep an eye out.

Bob Schwartz
http://5chw4r7z.com
http://flickr.com/5chw4r7z
http://twitter.com/5chw4r7z

I've always had an interest in photography, it probably all started with my Dad and his Canon. As a kid, Friday night's entertainment was watching slides of all the pictures he had taken, new and old.

I never had anything fancy until recently, but I always made the most of what I had. And anyhow, I think people get caught up in the camera instead of the art. I never moved up into a better camera until I was better than it was. People see me out with my current camera, a Panasonic DMC-GF1 and ask if I'm a photographer and I reply, you can cut down a thousand trees, it doesn't make you a lumberjack...I don't know, maybe I am a photographer?

The photography bug really bit hard when I moved to Cincinnati, there are so many interesting photos to capture here.

Even after living in Cincinnati for 7 years I'm still finding new ways to see the city, it never gets old. There are discussions out there, is photography art or not. But for me its definitely my number one outlet for creativity. Some people might say taking an interesting picture is lucky. You could say that but you would be wrong. Getting that shot is usually a numbers game and having your camera handy. More and more when framing I always try to have in the back of my mind, why the hell would anyone want to look at this picture?

I was still learning how to shoot with my new camera, this was pretty late in an evening of partying at the Mockbee. When I saw this picture the next morning I got tears in my eyes. It was the first picture I was truly proud of.

Opening night, the sun was setting and shining straight into Japp's, magical.

My niece with her alternating nails and the colored pencils set me off messing around with depth of field and colors.

A BMX bike competition in Sawyer Point right after we moved to Cincinnati, lots of post processing.

I was sitting on the Square one evening and just happened to look up and see the moon rising. Now with the reconfigured Square and the new location of the fountain this shot will never be replicated.

Years ago on one of the rare subway tours.

Cimetière du Père-Lachaise in Paris, it was an overcast day and eerie, crows cawing overhead and not too many people around. I can still feel the intensity of the monument coming through this picture.

First pictures of the Harry's Law Set of Arnold's

2011-09-20T17:14:00.003-04:00

I cannot tell you how elated I was to receive these photos in the mail today from Harry's Law. We are so honored to be a part of this and can't believe how well they have represented Arnold's In Hollywood. Again, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to all that were involved with anything to do with Harry's Law and Arnold's. Check out the full story and a bunch more photos from John Keisewetter and The Cincinnati Enquirer here:
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110920/ENT11/109210341/Photos-show-TV-version-Arnold-s

Super Simple Delicious Pork Butt Rub Recipe

2011-09-20T09:31:00.001-04:00

1 pork butt about 2 pounds
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons coffee grounds
1 tablespoon cayenne
1 cup water and 1 cup of tomato juice

Place pork butt in roasting pan or deep pan fat side up.
Pour water and juice over butt.
Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl then rub on top of butt.
Cover with foil.
Place in 300 degree over for 3 hours then uncover and raise over to 375 for 30 minutes.
After the 3 hours you can place under a broiler for about 5 minutes instead of cooking for 30 more minutes. This is to brown the top. You can pull apart and mix with juices or you can remove from pan for a dryer meat.

This is delicious in tacos or on a bun as pulled pork sammies.

Photographer Fridays: Chris Breeden

2011-09-16T09:45:00.000-04:00

I am honored to have this weeks artist, Chris Breeden, show his work to you. He is an extra special guy because he is my son. Chris is also the GM and marketing director for Arnold's. He wears many hats and I am glad to see his creativity shine in the photos he takes. Holidays are always great at my house because I know somewhere in a package is another piece of Chris's work. With no further ado I present my son, Chris Breeden.

Chris Breeden
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/14389771@N04/sets/72157621755768019/
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=822725555
chrisbreeden@arnoldsbarandgrill.com

Not only am I the General Manager of Arnold’s, the son of Ronda, and the guy who sends out press releases, I am also a pretty darn good photographer (in my mind). It hasn’t always been that way though. I have always enjoyed looking at others photos, but never had the guts to dive into trying to do it myself.

I really picked up a camera for the first time about three years ago. You see before then, I was a raging alcoholic. No time for anything but partying. I was focused though. I put my heart into drinking, gave it my all and I was good at it. It was fun, until it wasn’t. Exactly one week after I turned the big 3-0, I found myself, broke, homeless, beat up and in Droege Detox in scenic Dayton, KY. A short seven day stay after that and I was at the Gateway House for men in recovery in sunny Over the Rhine. I credit four things for saving and changing my life those three years ago. AA, The Gateway House, the help and support of my Mother and her husband Bret, and Photography.

I needed a positive focus and creative outlet after devoting all my time trying to be the most epic party monster to ever peruse the streets of Main Strasse, Covington. A lofty goal, I know. My choice was photography. I like to say I put down the bottle and picked up a camera.

I bought a Canon XTI and a book on how to use it. I then hit the streets of downtown determined to master the thing. Three years later, I know about half of what the settings do on my camera. A master I am not.

Most of my photography has an urban edge to it. I attribute that to my life long love of all things Hip-Hop. I guess that could come as a shock to some, considering that I do book all of the music at Arnold’s. Once, my girlfriend Bethany, asked my mom “How long has Chris been in to Hip-Hop?” To which my mother replied “ Probably about since he could turn on the radio”. I am also responsible for one of our Burgers being called Wu-Tang style.

That being said, I chose to use my Photographer Friday post to show off my Hip-Hop photography. The challenge is in capturing it as it is happening. They aren't posed shots and you never know what is going to happen next. For those who don’t know, there are four elements to Hip-Hop culture. They are Rapping/MCing, DJing, Break Dancing and Graffiti art. The following photos are some of my favorites using those four subjects.

Graffiti

This photo was taken at Scribble Jam back in 2006. It was the first photo I ever took that I was really proud of. It probably played a big role in why I chose to dive into photography once I got sober two years later.

This is a piece by graffiti artist, SOE. He and another artist named JET let me follow them way down the train tracks to a place under I-75 that is a practice spot. The place was like a hall of fame for some of the best graffiti artists from Cincinnati and around the country. The funny thing is that most people will never see it.

Another one from underneath I-75. The guy above lived there. Had a whole set-up, cooler, clothes lines drying clothes and everything. He was a pretty nice guy really. Loved watching the artists do their thing.

Another one from below I-75. I just love the closeness and focus of the clutter with the dreamy look of Jet and Soe doing their thing. Kind of a contrast.

Took this one at The 5 Pointz in Queens, New York. Probably the finest, most detailed work of graffiti that I have ever seen. The bar in the way was pretty annoying but I just had to get that I <3 NY skateboard in there and that was the only angle I could take.

Got this one in Chinatown, San Francisco. It is very hard to find graffiti on the walls there. They fight graffiti fiercely there and it comes down as soon as someone puts it up. The way graffiti artists get around it is they paint all of the white moving trucks. I saw very few unpainted.

Break Dancing

This kid was truly awesome. He hopped on one hand about twenty times. It was a pretty amazing thing to watch. All of the breaking pictures are from a Break Dancing Battle I went to up at Indiana University.

Another one of him. He was like a rubberband.

I just like this one because it was pretty cool to watch this older more experienced guy giving this kid tips and helping him out.

I can totally do that

In the heat of battle

The head spin this kid is doing was pretty awesome, but the girls reaction won over my focus.

MCing

Ghostface Killah on 10/28/11 at The Mad Hatter in Covington. I have always loved the look of old photos from sweaty overcrowded Punk shows and was happy I got to try to recreate it at this show.

Redman and Method Man on 8/11/2010 at The Madison in Covington. Probably the best concert I have ever been to even though Method Man broke my glasses stage diving.

The Rza on 7/19/2009 at The Rock the Bells Festival in NYC. Also in the picture, Raekwon, Poppa Wu, The Alchemist, and DJ Premier

Method man on 7/19/2009 at The Rock the Bells Festival in NYC. Always a wild man, he ran out to the back of the stadium and then walked back through the center on top of people's seats.

Lauryn Hill on 8/22/2010 at The Rock The Bells Festival in San Francisco

Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest on 8/22/2010 at The Rock The Bells Festival in San Francisco

DJing

The DJ for The Knux on 7/19/2009 at The Rock the Bells Festival in NYC.

DJ Premier on 8/22/2010 at The Rock The Bells Festival in San Francisco

My friend Kyle who is a DJ let me get some shots of his turntable.

and here is Kyle at work.

Artist Bio: James Robinson creator of our Rookwood Mug

2011-09-15T16:30:00.001-04:00

Before the big party and Rookwood mug unveiling coming up this Wednesday. I wanted to share a little info on the artist behind the mug. These mugs are hand spun, each different, individually numbered, original works of art from renowned artist, James Robinson and the Rookwood Pottery Company. Each are $95 and your chance to get on the list is this Wednesday at our premiere party. We already have 30 reserved and they will go fast. Below is some background on James and some other examples of his work. Being honored doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about Rookwood and James deciding to do a piece for our 150th.

Bio taken from The Hansen Howard Gallery in Ashland Oregon

Artist

James Robinson

EDUCATION

Keene High School and Dublin School
Southern Oregon University

EMPLOYMENT

Studio Potter 32 years

ART COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

Jury "One Percent for the Arts," Oregon Arts Commission, August 1991

Researched and aided with organization of "Pioneer Potters on the Rogue: Hannah Wares for Homesteaders." Exhibit of Southern Oregon Historical Society, October 1988

Rogue Gallery, Medford, Oregon: Board of Directors 1978-1980; Exhibitions Committee

1978-1983; Rental-Sales Committee 1978-1983; Facilitated and arranged Six Portland Potters Exhibition, March 1983.

Statewide Arts Services, University of Oregon, Artists Workshop Program, 1977

Clayfolk workshop chairman -- a non-profit organization of Southern Oregon potters.

Arranged workshops with Karen Karnes, John Glick, Tom Turner, Tom Coleman, Ah-Leon, William Daley, Richard Notkin.

Medford Artists in the Schools Program

Ashland Artist in the Schools Program

Phoenix-Talent Artist in the Schools Program

EXHIBITIONS

"25 Potters x 5 Pots", Akar Gallery, Iowa City, IA, November 2003

"Major Works in Clay: 12 Artists," Karen Clark Gallery, Curated by Gil Harrison, September 2003

Group Show, Graystone Gallery, Portland, OR, August 2003

Two-Person Show with Bobbie Jansen, Hanson Howard Gallery, Ashland, OR, August 2003

"Regional Perspectives", Group Show, Schneider Museum of Art, Ashland, OR, May 2002

"American Shino", Babcock Galleries, New York, NY, September 2001

"Surface Tensions", The Art of Shino, Group Show, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN, September 2001

"Made of Clay", Group Show, Patina Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, July 2001

"American Masters", Artists from the Santa Fe Summer Workshop Program 1994-1999, August 1999

"Earth Figures", Two-person show, Rogue Gallery, Medford, OR, March 1999

"Shades of Shino", Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, MD, February 1997

Major Mud Exhibition, St. Petersburg Center for the Arts, St. Petersburg, FL, March -April 1996

Two-person Show with Marie Maretska, Hanson Howard Gallery, Ashland, OR, July 5-31, 1996

Faculty Show, Invitational, Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, Aug.-Sept. 1995

Feature Showing, Grants Pass Museum of Art, Grants Pass, OR, April 1993

Year of the Craftsman Invitational, Maveety Gallery, Gleneden Beach, OR, April 1993

Feature Showing, Hanson Howard Gallery, Ashland, OR, October 1992

Oregon Potters Association Showcase, Portland, OR, April 1992

"Clay and Canvas", Group Invitational, Contemporary Crafts Gallery, Portland, OR, August 4-September 7, 1991

"Animalia -- A Ceramic Menagerie", Group Show at Fisher Gallery, Farmington Valley Arts Center, Avon, CT, April 13-May 25, 1991

"The Spirit of Earth: Wood, Clay, Flora", Group Show with Takashi Haruna, Flora Henningsen, Rogue Gallery, Rogue Valley Art Association, Medford, OR, April 5-May 17, 1991

Two-Person Show with Michael Ferguson, Lawrence Gallery, Sheridan, OR, October 6-21, 1990

Third Annual Teapot Show, Group Invitational, Lee Sclar Gallery, Morristown, NJ, November 18-December 31, 1989

Feature Showing, del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, November 1-30, 1989

"The Primitive Image" , Group Invitational, Ferrin Gallery, Northampton, MA, August 5-September 23, 1989

Old Church Cultural Center, December, Demarest, NJ, 1988

Two-Person show with Deborah DeWitt, Lawrence Gallery, Sheridan, OR, October 22-November 13, 1988

"Northwest Clay", Group Invitational, Coos Bay Art Museum, Coos Bay, OR, July 1-August 23, 1988

Two-Person show with John O'Brian, Lawrence Gallery, Sheridan, OR, September 1985

Sunriver Art Invitational 1985, Sunriver, OR

Invitational Showing, Oregon School of Arts & Crafts, Portland, OR, October 1984

Eugene Arts Symposium Exhibit, Invitational, Hult Center, Eugene, OR, June 1984

American Contemporary Crafts Exhibition, Invitational, San Francisco Airport

Commission Exhibition Department, San Francisco International Airport Group Show, July-September 1984

"Clayart", Two-person show with Tip Toland, Contemporary Crafts Gallery, Portland, OR, August 1983

Invitational Exhibit and Sale arranged by Karen Karnes, Old Church Cultural Center, Demarest, NJ, November 1983

Vessels Aesthetic '83, Purchase award, Taft College Art Gallery, Taft College, CA

Northwest Crafts Exhibition, Allied Arts of Seattle, Seattle, WA, 1982

Oregon Artists Under 35, Portland Art Museum Invitational, Portland, OR, 1976

GALLERIES

Accents West, Bozeman, MT

Akar Gallery, Iowa City, IA

Artifacts, Indianapolis, IN

Blue Spruce Gallery, Bend, OR

Clay & Fiber -- Taos, NM

Graystone Gallery, Portland, OR

Hanson Howard Gallery, Ashland, OR

Karen Clerk Gallery, Eugene, OR

Lawrence Gallery, Sheridan, OR

Rogue Gallery, Medford, OR

NATIONAL EXHIBITIONS/FAIRS

ACE -- San Francisco, CA, July, 1996

American Craft Council Fair -- Springfield, MA, June 1993

American Craft Council Fair -- Baltimore, MD, February 1993

American Craft Council Fair -- Baltimore, MD, February 1992

American Craft Council Fair -- San Francisco, CA, August 1991

American Craft Council Fair -- Baltimore, MD, February 1990

American Craft Council Fair -- San Francisco, CA, August 1989

American Craft Council Fair -- Baltimore, MD, February 1989

American Craft Council Fair -- San Francisco, CA, August 1988

COLLECTIONS

Sam Francis -- Los Angeles, CA

Daniel Johnston -- Ashland, OR

John Storrs -- Portland, OR

Mark & Antoinette Hatfield -- Washington, D.C.

Robert & Elizabeth Cowman -- Portland, OR

Judy Howard -- Ashland, OR

Carl Halverson -- Lake Oswego, OR

Pattison Esmiol -- Denver, CO

John & Susie Glick -- Farmington, MI

Jackson County Federal Savings & Loan -- Head Office, Medford, OR

Harrison Museum of Art -- Utah State University, Logan, UT

Takiyoshi Inai -- Chairman, Matsushita Kotobashi Corp., Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan

Department of State Collection, Foreign Buildings Operations

PUBLICATIONS/WORKS CITED/TELEVISION APPEARANCES

Oregon Public Broadcasting (Television), "Art Beat", October 2002

American Shino, The Glaze of a Thousand Faces, Lester Richter, Babcock Galleries, New York, NY, 2001

With a Little Help From My Friends, Tom Coleman, 2000

Clay and Glazes for the Potter, 3rd Edition, Daniel Rhodes, Revised by Robin Hopper, 2000, Krause Publications

Out of the Earth, Into the Fire, Mimi Obstler, American Ceramic Society, 1996

"Revival Fires: Another Face for Shino", Studio Potter Magazine, Vol. 21, No. 1, Dec. 1992

"Pioneer Pottery -- Wares for Southern Oregon Homesteaders", Table Rock Sentinel, Southern Oregon Historical Society, September 1988

"Confessions of a Test Fiend: A Country Potter Comes to NCECA", NCECA Journal, Fall 1988

"Body Building for Potters: A Clay-Bending Formulary", Studio Potter Magazine, June 1988

Ceramics Monthly, News and Retrospect, November 1983

"Fear of Silica, an Approach to Stable Stoneware", Studio Potter Magazine, Vol. 9, No. 2, June 1981

LECTURES AND WORKSHOPS

Georgie's Clay, Portland, OR, "Materials Workshop", July 24-26, 2003

NCECA, San Diego, CA, "Glaze Doctor", March 2003

Arrowmont School, Gatlinburg, TN, "Clay & Glaze", March 25-29, 1996

Clay Clinic with Brian McCarthy, NCECA, Rochester, NY, March 21, 1996

Santa Fe Clay, Santa Fe, NM, "Clay/Glaze Doctor", June 27-29, 1995

Georgie's Clay, Portland, OR, "Clay and Glaze Doctor", October 22, 1994

Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN, "Vital Statistics for Clay Artists", March 28 - April 1, 1994

ARNOLD'S ATTIC "One Million Hand Squeezed Lemons"

2011-09-14T23:02:00.002-04:00

Arnold's has sold fresh squeezed lemonade since before I started there. That was over 25 years ago. I believe and I could be wrong but I think this is the same lemon squeezer we have always used. I was trying to figure out about how many lemons we have squeezed over the year. Back in the day we would squeeze 2 boxes at a time. Now that you can get it almost anywhere downtown we don't sell quite so much of it. So lets say 2 cases of lemons a week from May - September. That is about 23 weeks. 46 Cases of lemons and each box has about 100 lemons in the case. That would be 46,000 lemons per season times 25 years. I haven't had to use a pen up until this number.

So that number would be 715,000 lemons squeezed. I can safely say if Jim Tarbell started squeezing lemons before I did, that would/could be over 1,000,000 lemons squeezed. That is really turning lemons into lemonade!

Simple Syrup - Add 2 parts sugar to 1 part boiling water. Most people do 1/2 and 1/2 but at Arnold's we make it with more sugar. Once your water comes to a boil turn off and add your sugar. Stir constantly until all sugar is dissolved.

10 cups lemon juice
6 cups simple sugar
2 gallons and 2 cups of water
Stir and pour over ice.

Ready for the Bier Laufen? We Are!

2011-09-13T18:47:00.001-04:00

This Saturday is the Bier Laufen and Hudy 14K Brewery Run . Bret (my husband) has been working day and night and night and day to build our "cart" for the Bier Laufen. It is so top secret it is being housed in a temperature controlled room high up on the hill overlooking the brewery. Two furoucious dogs standing guard.

As a small side, there will be a 14K race in conjuction with the Bier Laufen (so what is a 1,000 or so runners?) and they will get free sample food from some great vendors, Arnold's, Taste Of Belguim, Queen City Sausages to name a few. I have decided to do donuts. Hot and delicious and perfect to get those calories back after a run!

These donuts are SO delicious. People rave about them. People can't get enough of them. I'm always asked, "Ronda, when are you going to do the donuts again?".

Oil heated to 375 degrees
1 can of any cheap biscuit
Powdered Sugar

Stick your finger though the middle to make a hole. Stick biscuit in oil until deep golden brown. Lay on paper towels to drain. While still hot sprinkle with powered sugar. Then sprinkle again. They should have lots of sugar on them. Eat while really hot.

A Book Does One Make

2011-09-11T10:15:00.000-04:00

I'm writing a book. Well, I'm not actually writing a book, I'm telling my story. A person that knows how to write a book (also known as an author) thinks I have enough to say. The publisher will be making 5,000 copies and they are hoping for a release at 2012 Bockfest. Just when you think your life couldn't get any cooler, it does.
I have been asked to ask my friends, family and customers to send me a story they have about me, about Arnold's or a wonderful dish at Arnold's you would like to see a recipe for.
This story might be about your first date at Arnold's, your second date at Arnold's or your third date at Arnold's. We all know what happens on third dates, right? This story might be about a great friendship you made, a wedding you had, a rehearsal dinner you attended. It might be about your mom's 50 birthday or a ballet dinner. It might be about the ghost you saw or the ghost you thought you saw. You get the picture?
One, a few or many might end up in the book. If you wouldn't want your name used, it wouldn't be. All persons will be contacted before we used your story. We're giving a few prizes to the best. The winner will receive $100.00 in Arnold's food stamps plus swag. 400 dollars more in Arnold's food stamps will be given away to other entrees. There are no rules at the moment because we really don't know what kind of rules there would be. He (the author) thought it would be fun to have a view from the other side of me and the restaurant.
Please email your musings to Ronda Androski at info@arnoldsbarandgrill.com or mail to
Arnold's Bar and Grill
Ronda Androski
210 E. 8th St.
Cincinnati Oh. 45202
Please type "Telling My Story" in the subject line of your email or write "Telling My Story" on the outside of your mailed envelope.
I hope to hear from you soon!

Photographer Fridays: Suzan Hayden

2011-09-09T10:05:00.000-04:00

This weeks photographer is Suzan Hayden. Club Blatz is having their monthly photography show at Arnold's tomorrow night and Suzan, along with last weeks featured photographer, Lisa Sullivan, will have work up at the show. So, if your at Arnold's this Saturday, you really should journey up to the second floor. It's worth it. We promise.

Suzan Hayden

http://www.schaydenphotography.com

schayden@cinci.rr.com

I have been working with digital photography for about 8 years now. I love the challenge of getting the right focus, the right exposure, lighting, timing, and all the factors to get a great photograph. It seems everyday there is a new technique to try. My photography consists of mostly landscapes and wildlife, but there is always an event or two to keep busy with. I really appreciate the time and work that Arnold's has put into the monthly Club Blatz show. It gives photographers a chance to show their work and get together with some great people. So without further ado... here are my photographs.

Foggy Morning

Foggy mornings are a photographer's dream. This day in particular had heavy fog that lasted thru late morning. It was so dense, it put a cool misty chill to the air.

The Curious One

I came across a family of deer while out for a walk. All of the deer turned and ran when they spotted me, except for this little one. Curiosity got the better of him. The more my camera clicked. The more he walked toward me. This went on for about 10 minutes and he ended up about 6 feet away.

Sunset across the Roebling

One of my favorite places to walk with my camera is in Covington, near the Roebling Suspension Bridge. This particular night, the Reds were in town, so it was a bonus to listen to the game while taking pictures along the river. As I turned back to walk toward the bridge, I saw the most amazing sunset. The people along the river had stopped what they were doing to enjoy this beautiful sight. The colors were so brilliant and vivid, I could not resist taking a few pictures.

Abraham

The Lincoln Memorial is America's tribute to their 16th President. Along with the statue of Abraham Lincoln, the interior walls are inscribed with his second Inaugral Address and the Gettysburg Address. It is a very popular attraction in Washington, DC. Even at 11pm, when I visited, there were hundreds of tourist that passed quietly and reverently thru Lincoln's sacred memorial.

The White House at night.

One thing I noticed while in Washington,DC, is that Washington is not a "tripod friendly town". My poor tripod was told to "get off the sidewalk" more times than I could count.Then I realized I just had to be a little quicker than they were. ;)

ARNOLD'S ATTIC "The Metal Wire Artist"

2011-09-08T11:51:00.005-04:00

So I'm sitting talking to Carla Streeter (Hoperatives) about some "stuff" I have around Arnold's. She says I should write about some of it on my blog. I thought and think that is a great idea. I got the stuff and I love to talk. I was thinking I would try and do this once a week but that might be too often. I will be doing these on Wednesdays and the series will be called Arnold's Attic. The first one is called, "The Metal Artist".

There is this guy that goes around and places metal wire art around town. I first noticed the wire art outside of Arnold's in my flower boxes. Then I started noticing them around Arnold's. I was later to find out he would come and drop them off when I wasn't there.

About ten years ago some guys were working at Arnold's on a Sunday when we are closed. Two of the guys are in the kitchen working and a glass breaks in one of the kitchen windows but doesn't fall out. They look at the tiny window and notice a guy that had taped the window then broke it out. One guy goes running out to find a guy (the metal wire artist) with a new pane of glass and window putty. He asked the guy what he was doing. The guy (the metal wire artist) says he is fixing the glass because he knows we don't have any money and seeing that window cracked was driving him crazy. He also said not to tell he fixed it. Of course they did tell me.

Seven years ago he walks into Arnold's on the day I got married and gave me a gift of a hanging sun catcher he had made. He brought it in during the ceremony and again I didn't meet him.

I did finally get to meet him during Bockfest one year. I finally got to say thanks. He still places his work around town and ocassionally I find a new piece at Arnold's. *One of note is the giant hand on The Deskey buildings wall. Keep your eyes peeled and you will find it. His name is John Rice. You can find his stuff at Urban Eden on Main Street in OTR.

A Crab Leg Boil Makes For A Happy Day

2011-09-07T16:20:00.000-04:00

I love those meals where you don't want to stop eating. Where no one wants to stop. I had been jonesing for some crab legs and what a better day than Sunday to have them. I decided to make a crab leg boil. We did the boil at Arnold's then walked down to the fireworks. I thought I had bought enough for an army but at then end I was proven wrong, we had some extra shrimp (I have adjusted in recipe) but that was about it. No one wanted to stop eating!

I went to Finlay Market and purchased the seafood from Luken's, the corn from Daisey Mae's, The bread from The Bean Haus. The rest of the ingredients I had at Arnold's.

8 friends
1 big table
1 very large tray or box with low sides totally lined with foil
eight paper plates or paper on table to eat off of
No silverware
1 wet towel (you could use a washcloth) per person
Salt, pepper and lemon wedges on table
Napkins
Drawn butter placed in 8 cups at each setting

Drawn or Clarified Butter
Place 1 1/2 pounds butter in sauce pan on medium heat. Once butter is melted and starting to boil it will separate in 3 parts. The fatty whey part on top, the milk solids on the bottom and the delicious drawn butter in the center. Skim off the top with a spoon then let sit for about 5 minutes. Strain drawn butter though cheese cloth or though a fine sieve. One thing I must note here is I used Arnold's garlic sauce for this so add some garlic while cooking if you would like. About 4 cloves. Also note if you just don't want to go though this process don't, just use melted butter. But this is way easier than it looks.

Okay now to start cooking the boil.
I used two 3 gallon pots but you could use 1 pot if that is all you have. If using 1 pot, cook the corn and potatoes first, pull them out then put you seafood into the pot of boiling water.

2 gallon water in each pot
1 cup of old bay spices per pot
1/4 cup sea salt per pot
3 lemons quartered in each pot
Bring to boil then add
8 medium red potatoes quartered, let cook for 10 minutes then add 8 ears of corn
Cook until potatoes are tender
Have your other pot of water boiling and ready to add your seafood or bring your corn/potato pot of water back up to boil, replacing any water you might have lost.
5 pounds of crab legs. I used the medium size. You could also use craw fish, I would say 3 pounds would do the trick on those.
1 1/2 pound of medium shrimp (18 - 24 per pound)
Drop crab and shrimp down into boiling water over high heat. Keeping burner on high heat bring back up to boil and boil for 3 minutes (hope this makes sense). If the crab and shrimp are frozen use this same principle.

Drain seafood in large colander. Put corn and potatoes right on tray/box and put seafood right on top. You have this huge pile of steamy heaven in the middle of your table.

Following is a butter Fiona and I made for the corn on the cob and bread...
1/2 pound softened butter
4 TBS honey
1 tsp cayenne
1 TBS sea salt
1 TBS coarse black pepper
mix all together until blended

Bloggers + Beer + The Number 5 = Cincinnati's Newest Beer: Arnold's Ziffel

2011-09-05T09:19:00.000-04:00

Almost a year ago I went to a great friend of mine who was a brewer and asked him to make a beer for Arnold's 150th Anniversary. He said okay. A month later I said I was serious about him making a beer for Arnold's. He said, I know. About a month had past, when I saw him again. Before I could remind him that third time, he told me Arnold's beer would be the first beer brewed in his new brewery in Over The Rhine. He said the beer would be a Porter to reflect what would have been drank in 1861. For any that don't know, 1861 is the year Arnold's opened. That New Year's Eve at 12 midnight (which would be new years day I guess) I tapped one keg of Arnold's 1861 Porter made by my friend, Greg Hardman, owner of Christian Moerlein. The next day at 6pm for for 150th Birthday party, we tapped the rest of that Porter and didn't stop until every drop was gone. We sold eight kegs in under two hours that night. We have since sold every single drop of Porter that they have ever made.

Almost one year after that September day I am in a seat at Arnold's, tasting a beer with a group of people that are nearly all bloggers from blogs that I read, follow closely and respect a great deal. Needless to say, I was pretty excited and very honored for them to be part of "Arnold's History". The beer that we are tasting is an Altbeir and it would have actually been made even before the 1800's. Before Arnold's even existed! The delightful man behind this beer was Dan Listermann from the Listermann Brewing Company.

Dan was contacted by Harry's Law to send them some signage and tee-shirts to be used for their upcoming season. The bar on the show will be Arnold's. It is a law show so I'm pretty sure we will get lots of airtime (see, I can be funny). But I divert, back to the beer. As soon as Chris, my son and Arnold's GM, found out that Listermanns would be part of the show he called Dan about getting one of his beers on tap. Boy, were we not aware of the gift that was about to be given to us. Dan had been thinking about making a beer for Arnold's all along and wanted to call it Arnold's Ziffel. There was a TV show that had a pig with that name and he had a beer in his head that was a smokey bacon beer that would just tie it all together perfectly. Arnold's, TV, beer and Bacon. Arnold's Ziffel! Genius!

It was a great tasting. We could all see how much Dan loves to make beer and we all loved to hear about Dan making the beer. He told of the yeast, of the settlement, of the flavors and ingredients. Of the process and of the history. It was delightful. In the end we had 4 variations of beer to choose from. Batch Number 5 won. I am not sure why Dan named that batch number 5, the others were named A,C and D.

Arnold Ziffel Altbier will be tapped on Sept. 21st at a party at Arnold's for the season opener of Harry's Law.

That's how we roll here at Arnold's. We put our trust in people that trust us and have a passion for what they do. Greg and Dan are just good guys making a beer with Arnold's interest at heart. From my old friend Greg, to my new friend Dan, I am liking these relationships.

People already love the Arnold's 1861 Porter and I am sure they will love the Arnold's Ziffel. These two beers take special taste buds. They aren't the "lawn mowing drinking" kinds of beers nor are they the "go to the Reds ballpark" kind of beers. They are big, hearty, "Arnold's kinds of beers". Arnold's is very honored to have these guys in our lives. And boy am I one lucky gal.

Want to learn more about the Arnold's Ziffel??
Check out Tom and Carla from The Hoperatives post about it here
Julie from winemedineme's here
Bob from 5chw4r7z: the ethos of downtown Cincinnati's here
and Josh Osborne's from CincyVoices here

Introducing....Photographer Fridays

2011-09-02T19:35:00.004-04:00

One thing that people who come to Arnold's or read my blog may not know is that we have a ton of talented photographers who frequent the place. We are the home to Club Blatz (a ragtag group of some of Cincinnati's finest photogs) and they have a free photography showcase on the second floor, on the second Saturday of every month. Even Arnold's General Manager, Chris (My son) is a pretty talented photographer if I say so myself. With all of this talent running around here I just had to find a way to do something with it. What I came up with is Photographer Fridays. Every Friday I will feature a different local photographer on my blog. Along with their artwork it will include all of their contact info and links to discover more of their work.

Our first featured photographer is Lisa Sullivan. Lisa has been published in the Capture Cincinnati coffee table book, both in 2008 & 2009. Featured in photography shows and galleries throughout the Cincinnati area. As well as published in Capture My Chicago 2009. She is the co-founder of Club Blatz , owner of Betty Photography - Portraits and Consignment work and pretty much an all around awesome lady......

Lisa Sullivan

bettyphotography.com - Site goes live on 9/9/11

www.bettysnaps.etsy.com

http://www.flickr.com/photos/deadbettysdiner/

I would like to send out a very special thank you to Chris Breeden, and Ronda and Brett Androski for allowing all of us who love to take pictures get the chance to show off our favorites and inspire each other once a month at Arnold's.

I have always loved taking pictures. Pictures are entertainment for me; they are one of the coolest forms of expression. I am always the one who wants to pull out old family albums from the closet and look at pictures I've seen a million times. After raising my two kids, my occasional hobby turned into something more, and I'm so glad it did.

I like to describe my work as random. Random, odd, unusual things that I just happen to catch - things one might not see every day, anything that will make me laugh or make me think - that is what I love to capture most. It can be anything really, from tacky laundromats to rollerderby jammers, to a huge bingo hall somewhere out in the middle of Nowhere, Kentucky, to capturing the true beauty of the cheese coney.

I sell prints on Etsy.com, and I'm really enjoying the work I've been doing with people - I challenge myself to get the personality of the subject instead of that "1, 2, 3 cheeese" set up of everyone smiling at once on cue in their Sunday best.

My most honest portraits so far have been from the little ones that haven't been trained to sit perfectly still and smile for a picture yet. And if they have learned that already, I am willing to spend a lot of time undoing that training to get the shot I'm looking for.

In the past three years I have met some incredibly diverse and talented people with all different styles of photography that keep me inspired every day.

Basically, I take pictures that entertain me, and I figure when I start taking pictures just to entertain others, I will go find another hobby. Nah, that's a lie. I'm addicted.

Elvis Curtains - As much as I love shooting in the city, sometimes a drive out in the country can turn up the coolest things to photograph. Found this awesome decor on an old building in Grants Lick, Kentucky.

Laundroworld - Monmouth Street Laundry in Newport, Kentucky. Laundromats are so cool.

Pins - One of those "never hurts to ask" shoots. We were lucky enough to be allowed to shoot behind the scenes at Southern Lanes in Alexandria, Kentucky. Got some really cool shots and gave free prints to the owner for letting us have the opportunity to explore and take photographs.

Jammer - Experimenting with movement, in the middle of about 200 shots, I found one that I really liked and tweaked it to get the grainy rock-n-roll mood I was looking for. Shout out to the BBRG!

Willie - I dabble in dogtography from time to time. Willie wouldn't look me in the eye even once. I guess he's bored with the paparazzi.

Wah - I did NOT make her cry. But I couldn't pass up this shot. Just for the record, Peyton smiled the rest of the time.

Will - He doesn't know what all the fuss is about. One of my favorite pictures I've ever taken.

Fountain Bear - Great friends in town for a visit + bear costume + Fountain Square = priceless.

Great American - One of my more successful drive by shootings - on Fort Washington Way in the passenger seat at about 60 mph.

Hot Brown - I love food, I love to take pictures of food, and I love Arnold's. I present their Hot Brown.

Bingo - There's a certain beauty in all places of worship don't you think?

Tijuana Turkey Tequila Soup Recipe

2011-09-01T15:36:00.000-04:00

TIJUANA

TURKEY

TEQUILA SOUP RECIPE

It’s Thursday at Arnold’s and we always have left over turkey stock from our Turkey Feast Special. Not to be wasteful a good soup will come from it. We always have turkey but if you don’t you could use chicken instead. You would bake a chicken, remove the meat and set aside. Take the chicken bones, skin, pan drippings, skin from your onion and 1 gallon of water. Boil until reduced by ½ and strain off. This is your stock.

½ gallon turkey stock

Corn cut from 2 cobs

2 cups of black beans cooked (Arnold’s always has them but you can use canned)

¼ red onion chopped fine

2 medium red potatoes diced

2 TBS Tabasco sauce

¼ cup cilantro leaves

Juice of 2 limes (trust me)

½ tsp cayenne

2 TBS cumin

1 TBS coriander

1TBS garlic chopped fine

1/2 cup Tequila (4oz. sounds less if you want less)

Meat from your chicken or about 2 – 3 Cups Turkey

Add all ingredients and cook until your diced potatoes are tender

Top with a dollop of sour cream if you would like a creamier soup

Serve with corn chips

Count Down To Harry's Law

2011-08-28T14:16:00.001-04:00

It started hitting home today that in a bit over 4 weeks we are going to be a part of a national TV show. I wonder if it will change our lives at Arnold's and how. I don't think tour buses of elderly people will be stopping by on a daily basis. I don't think people are going to ask to get their picture taken with Kathy Bates. I don't think we will be asked to join in "special appearances" or to be on "The Ellen Show".   I do believe we might sell more tee shirts. We are setting up an online store for such a thing just in case.

Hopefully we protected ourselves enough that the owner on the TV version of Arnold's won't be a mass murderer or an evil person.  I don't think the producers wanted that anyway. I do hope they made the owner a female. If not, that's okay too. Maybe the owner won't even be a part of the show. We are honored just to be a part of something like this. These things are a part of making our lives fun.

Speaking of fun, of course we will have a party for the season premiere. We are party central.  From riding in a bathtub and honoring goats, to Turkey Trots, to Mustache Bashes, to Johnny Cash's Birthday Party. I had no idea what I was getting into 25 years ago when I started working as a waitress at Arnold's. My how things have changed and I couldn't be more thrilled.   Thanks Mike Listo, all the staff of Harry's Law, The Cincinnati Film Commision and all else who played a part in this process.

My Life At Arnold's

Join the Beefsteak Club and Cruise the Bathtub

How To Make A Delicious Risotta

Cincinnati Beer Week at Arnold's

Guest Blog: Mondays with Jimmy

The Warmth Of Chicken Cacciatore

Old Chair and Old Chair With New Look

Local Local Local 3

A Cold Night And A Hot Curry

Thank You Cincinnati For Our 150th Time

Holiday Celebration Part 3... A Daughter-In_Law, The Greatest Gift Of All

My Holiday Celebration... Part 2 Bad Grammar But I Can Kick Your Ass At Scrabble

My Holiday Celebration... Part 1, Latka's And Margarita's, A Hanukkah Fiesta...

Pumpkin Pie Crisp Bread Pudding Recipe And The Love That Goes Into It

Super Easy And Delicious Indian Veggie Soup

Jewelry Fridays: Amy E Wallace

New Years Eve with The Young Heirlooms

The "GingerBreadMan" Drink at Arnold's

The Bombshell's Brunch

Pottery Fridays: Linda Legendre

Scalloped Oyster Recipe & Our Arnold's Family Thanksgiving

The Revolting Ninjas

The Manifesto of the Brotherhoodof the Revolting Ninjas

You Are Invited To Bruce And Ronda's Thanksgiving Dinner

Cincinnati Shakespeare Company And Arnold's Presents Cincinnati's "BHC"

Guest Blog: Molly O'Toole from the CAC

ARNOLD'S GOES FRENCH (FOR A DAY)

Photographer Fridays: Roebling Bridge Special Edition

Guest Blog: Rome Ntukogu, Director of Far-I-Rome Productions

Guest Blog: Mike Amann, owner of BLDG Refuge

Guest Blog: Arnold's, Autism, A Kind Stranger, and an Epiphany by James Cira

Guest Blog: Feoshia Henderson

Photographer Fridays: Debbie Crowe

In case you missed It...

Photographer Fridays: Mark Byron

ARNOLD'S ATTIC: From Arnold's To Texas And Home Again

BALLET AND BRUNCH SATURDAY OCTOBER 29TH.

Yuengling Official Kickoff Tapping

My Life With Joe And A Pot Of Chili

Photographer Fridays: Brandon Frimming

ARNOLD'S ATTIC: Ziggy, A Mystery And A Long Overdue Thank You

Photographer Fridays: The Queen City Project

My Friend John And The "Bouquet" He Gave Me

ARNOLD'S ATTIC: Yes We Say Speak Easy...

Gluten Free Skillet Cornbread Recipe

Photographer Fridays: Bill Fultz

ARNOLD'S ATTIC: Bix Beiderbecke and His Friend Jan Carroll

In Case You Missed It....

Photographer Fridays: Bob Schwartz

First pictures of the Harry's Law Set of Arnold's

Super Simple Delicious Pork Butt Rub Recipe

Photographer Fridays: Chris Breeden

Artist Bio: James Robinson creator of our Rookwood Mug

EDUCATION

EMPLOYMENT

ART COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

EXHIBITIONS

GALLERIES

NATIONAL EXHIBITIONS/FAIRS

COLLECTIONS

PUBLICATIONS/WORKS CITED/TELEVISION APPEARANCES

LECTURES AND WORKSHOPS

ARNOLD'S ATTIC "One Million Hand Squeezed Lemons"

Ready for the Bier Laufen? We Are!

A Book Does One Make

Photographer Fridays: Suzan Hayden

ARNOLD'S ATTIC "The Metal Wire Artist"

A Crab Leg Boil Makes For A Happy Day

Bloggers + Beer + The Number 5 = Cincinnati's Newest Beer: Arnold's Ziffel

Introducing....Photographer Fridays

Tijuana Turkey Tequila Soup Recipe

Count Down To Harry's Law

The Manifesto of the Brotherhood

of the Revolting Ninjas