2011 Fall Festival in Loveland

Some of you might remember the Frog Festival. It used to be the thing to do downtown in the fall. Well, Loveland has been the benefactor of Montgomery’s loss. Heartstone Foundation has been putting on a bike tour in Montgomery for years and it seems they came to Loveland this year, hoping to resurrect the Tour de Loveland since their tour was getting a bit big for Montgomery. While in discussions with the City Council, someone decided we should make this a fully engage festival of sorts. So on October 8th, Heartsone Foundation will join the Linked Music Festival and 3 of our downtown restaurants to put on the inaugural Bikes, Bands & Bites celebration! AllAroundLoveland.com was lucky enough to be one of the sponsors for this new event, so we’d really like it if you could bring your entire family and enjoy the day!

Tour de Loveland

The day will start with with the Heartstone Tour de Loveland, a series of 4 tours, ranging from 74.5 miles for the serious athlete, down to a 7 mile family tour. The advanced riders will leave at 9am, intermediate at 9:30am, novice ride starts at 10am and the family ride starts at 11am! There will be a ride for all athletic levels, so if you like to ride, you can find a tour for you. To register for the Tour de Loveland, go to Heartstones’ tour page and click on the purple heart!

Music Festival in Nisbet Park

From 1pm to 8pm, Nisbet Park will host the 2011 Linked Music Festival, which will bring several bands including Holly Spears Band, Lee Roessler, Marissa Rhinehart, James Potts Band, Tresler Comet and Nick Wing. The biggest news on the amphitheater floor will be Blessid Union of Souls! Born out of Morrow, the rose on the rock charts in the 90′s and we are very excited to be able to hear them right here in Loveland! The concert is free, so plan to spend the evening downtown!

Taste of Loveland

If you haven’t had a chance to try our wonderful downtown restaurants, Tano’s Bistro, Paxton’s Grill and the Works will be participating in a special event from 1-4pm. You will be able to get 2 tastings from each of them for only $15. That’s 6 tastings for just $15. You can get tickets at the Chamber website! It would be a good idea to order tickets for the tastings soon, as they will be mailed out September 30th! Contact Tracy at the Chamber if this presents a problem! (513) 683-1544. The Loveland Arts Council is decorating some bicycles to celebrate the day, so watch for them around town… follow them and they will lead you to each of the bites!

All in all it should be a great day out for the entire family! It will be the first in what we hope is a long relationship with Heartstone foundation as we bring back the Tour de Loveland!

Well, it took forever for us to be able to pull this story together, but we wanted to tell the vendors and management of the Loveland Farmers Market how much fun it was! I hear there might be one this fall, so keep your ears open. We attended a good portion of the event last week and we had so much fun. We participated in the Watermelon seed spitting, but alas there were more talented lips than ours.

The crowd seemed pretty thick during parts of the afternoon, probably due to the crowd of families who brought the kids out for the contests. We saw some friends and we saw a gentleman with a Penny-farthing and one of the vendors could certainly go pro with the hula hoop. It was a great time and the weather was actually pretty comfortable.

We have the results of the contests, and while we’re sad we didn’t win, the winners deserve some credit, for they did a great job!

Best Market Tomato winner was Can-Du-Farm (judged by the Corporate Sponsors)
People’s Choice Tomato winner was Good Life Farm (judged by the Patrons)

The Watermelon contest had 2 winners. The 3:30 winner was Paul Miklos and the 5:30 winner was Steve Tessler.

The Hula Hoop contests were run at 4:30 and 6:00. Winners are:

What an exciting time! We’ve included some of the pictures below!

[Show as slideshow]

We made it out to the Loveland Farmers Market this week again and caught some photos of the crops that are finally coming in larger quantities. Delicious looking tomatoes, corn and lots of other seasonal vegetables to choose from. It’s exciting to see a Farmers Market here in Loveland. We have a great Krogers here in town, but having the opportunity to pick up fresh, pesticide free locally grown vegetables is a level above what they can offer on a regular basis. More importantly, you can look in the eyes of the grower who picked your products. There is something special in that.

The week of August 16th is a special celebration! It’s termed the Summer Harvest Fest and the team that put together the Farmers Market have pulled together some special things to make the market experience very kid friendly. Take some time Tuesday 3-7PM to come and meet the growers and try some of their wares. Enjoy the games and music that will be available, for free. There will be face painting, flower making, clowns and children’s games from A-Z Fun Company. Here is a schedule of some of the events for Tuesday!

• 3:00PM Bell rings to open Market
• 3:30 & 5:30PM Watermelon Seed Spitting
• 4:00PM Tomato Tasting
• 4:30 & 6:00PM Hula Hoop contests
• 7:00PM Bell rings to close the Market

Enjoy the photos from last weeks market! Come out this week and celebrate with the vendors who have been bringing us fresh local foods all summer!

[Show as slideshow]

The ribs we loved from Liberty City BBQ are no longer available on the trail. A local personal chef has turned the tide on unhealthy, albeit delicious, food and has come ready to impress!

This new cafe in Loveland caters particularly to the healthy folks. Her target market are the bikers, hikers, strollers and roller skaters who take advantage of the Little Miami trail that goes through Loveland. The atmosphere of the cafe is especially conducive to families and to casual stops for salads and sandwiches. Owner, Tami Barrish Whitfield says she always uses wheat flour and tries to use natural sweetners, which make her foods a little more healthy than the average fare. On the menu: sandwiches, salads, breakfast sandwiches. A ratatouille sandwich made with seasonal vegetables and herbs on foccacia is one of her favorites, so is a crab cake salad and a smoked turkey sandwich with remoulade. Whitfield is interested in being friendly to vegetarians and using local produce.

Tami is really looking forward to the Loveland Farmers Market because it really lines up with her belief that local seasonal foods are so much better for us. We had some delicious carrot cake cupcakes and they were scrumptious. She says she makes a banana muffin that she really loves and sometimes she mixes it up, trying new recipes. Stop by if you are downtown for a healthy lunch or just a healthy snack. You’ll be glad you did!

For those of us who were heartbroken to see Liberty City BBQ no longer on the bike trail, we have some good news! We spotted their smoker out back at The Patio and they have a partnership with George to supply their delicious BBQ products on Saturday and Sunday all summer long!

Terrell is very excited to have the opportunity to work with The Patio to bring you his mouth watering BBQ! After the shakeup with Blue Chip moving out to Miamiville we’re really glad Terrell can keep a presence here in Loveland. We enjoy his ribs and pulled pork and I’m sure a lot of our readers to as well. To him and his crew we say Welcome Back!

There’s a new place to grab some great food here in Loveland. It’s called The Patio and George & Inshira would like to invite you to to give them a try! It’s Americana with a Tex Mex flair and it’s very tasty. George is new ownership! He sat and talked with us for a while and he understands that this building has been known for bad service and less than stellar food, but he is determined to get the word out that things have changed for the better! We agree!

We’ve eaten at The Patio about three times now and we have been impressed each time. George is working to make The Patio a destination spot in Loveland. He is bringing in music during the week! Our first trip he had Mike Duff on guitar. Friday he had a band out front and he’s had Karaoke on Thursday nights! Most importantly, he’s worked to bring a really nice menu with great taste!

We’ve enjoyed the Homemade Spicy Sweet Chili each time we’ve eaten at The Patio, and it’s our favorite in Loveland! It’s spicy enough for me, but still not too bad for Vickie! Served with onions and cheese, it’s a delicious start of the meal! I’ve had the Gyro, with what seemed to be fresh cucumber sauce, it was very good! We’ve had the wings, crispy and the spicy garlic sauce was very tasty. The burgers are very flavorful and Vickie had the Onion Straws and enjoyed them very much. I have also had the Chicken Quesadilla and not only was it stuffed with delicious veggies and cheese, it was huge! What a great value!

The Patio is located at 700 Loveland Madeira Road with a large green sign out front! Stop by or give George a call to see who’s playing this week! 513-677-5111

Lent is that time of year when the Catholic Churches fire up the deep fryers and we all get to experience some great food. Lent is a solemn time when Christians think about what our Savior has done for us. Meatless Friday’s are a tradition in the Catholic Church, so the Fish Fry eventually became a staple food and a way to raise funds as well.

We have two churches in Loveland that have the art of a fish fry down pat. There’s also more than just fried fish to be had. We are including this year’s menus in the story so you can decide which to attend… or you can switch between them each Friday.

The weather was great, not too cold. Valentines Day is often stress filled for many, but we are pretty laid back about it. We really enjoy a great meal and some time to just stop and talk. We got both tonight at Tano’s Bistro in downtown historic Loveland. We arrived around 7 for a 7:15 reservation. We had a moment to chat with friends who were in the bar area before being seated. This was the first time I had been to Tano’s since they opened the new section last Mothers Day. The bar area is very nice, and it looked well stocked. The servers were very elegant, dressed in black.

We decided to have the Valentines Dinner for Two, a three course meal. We opted out of the wine, but people around us seemed to enjoy the selection. I had a Caesar Salad and my wife had the Clam Chowder. the Chowder was delicious. Even though I only got one spoonful, it was enough to taste the freshness and the incredible mix of flavors. The clams were fresh and delicious. the meal came with a selection of delicious breads.

My wife chose the Hand cut Filet with garlic mashed potatoes and broccolini. The mashed potatoes were very tasty, whipped and lump free. The 5oz filet was seared and served medium with a cognac cream that my wife chose to have on the side. The kitchen accidentally sent the brussel medley that came default with the meal, and I chose to help my wife out by eating it for her. The broccolini was steamed, perhaps with a hint of garlic. Simply delicious!

I had the Pork Medallions. There were 5 medallions, served in a chipotle honey glaze. The glaze offered a bit of mild heat which really enhanced the flavor of the pork. The medallions were perfectly prepared and simply melted in my mouth. They were served on a bed of sweet potato hash, built around a circle of broccolini. The hash was very good, a mixture of flavors that stood out, but worked well as a group. The serving size was very reasonable, in fact I took 2 medallions home with me.

We chose the Creme Brulee Sampler for dessert. It was quite unique. Our server told us the flavors had been set only a few weeks earlier. The first was a clementine brulee with a very interesting texture. While it was difficult to pick a favorite of the three, I have to say the flavor and texture of this brulee raised it to the top of my list. The second was a cinnamon and anise brulee. Wow, once again a very unique but pleasing flavor. The hint of licorice added that special touch to make this one worthy of being included in this fine dessert. The third was a honey based brulee. It was a different texture as well, but the mixture of sweetness with the brulee made for a unique, but tasty flavor.

We so enjoyed the meal and the service was spectacular. Kelly did such a great job, friendly and attentive. The kitchen crew did a fantastic job of preparing our meal. We salute Tano & those helping him keep up with the crowd.

We also wanted to thank Andrew for the conversation. We spent 20 minutes talking with him about the changes to the restaurant since last year. The new section not only offers the bar, but a party room (where we were seated) that allows for business presentations as well as wifi for business meetings. We were very impressed with the Tano’s experience and look forward to returning.

A winter full of fun at Paxton’s!

There’s a lot going on at Paxton’s this winter! Music, Special Events and just hanging out with friends!

January Events:

Beer Tasting January 25th

Paxton’s Idol starts January 26th, with 8 weeks of fun. Maybe you’re the next Paxton’s Idol!

January Music:

22nd Signal Hill Band, tons of favorites from the 70′s to the 90′s
29th Ben & Joe

February Events:

White Table Cloth Valentine’s Day Special on February 14th, bring your seetheart for a special meal!

February Music:

5th Tom Kaper Duo – anything from solo acoustic gigs to country, rock to jazz
12th Karaoke – Where you are the star!
19th Tom & Andy
26th The Medicine Men – Soulful R&B and Blues

March events:

Kegs and Eggs on Saint Patrick’s Day on Thursday, March 17, 2011.

March Music:

19th Jeremy Francis – anything from country to originals, bluegrass, blues, classic rock, folk, even reggae, anything I can pull off on an acoustic guitar or mandolin.

Here’s a roundup of what’s going on in Loveland this weekend!

Friday

7:00pm – 9:00pm Whistle Stop Clay Works is starting a new series, called Final Fridays.
Add a little Mud Madness to your life and learn how to make something that you can use and enjoy. We promise not to cover you with clay but it is a perfect opportunity to relax and explore the wonders of creating things out of clay. A perfect event if you are looking to try something new, spend special time with a friend, start a new date night tradition or bond with a buddy.

Saturday

10-11am Granny’s Garden School – experience vegetables fresh from the gardens. Lindsey Cook, Chef Instructor at the Art Institute of Ohio – Cincinnati, will be preparing samplings of that morning’s harvest.

9-12pm – Lagniappe playing at Paxton’s Grill – Cincinnati’s only Cajun, New Orleans Jazz Band

Sunday

1pm Little Miami Inc. Scenic River & Trail Center – Ohio Wildlife Program! Bring the kids for a family friendly afternoon!

Monday

Ellen Mershon plays at Red Rock Tavern 6-9PM

Tuesday

11:30am-1:30pm Clermont Chamber of Commerce Tailgate Networking Lunch at Oasis Golf Club! It’s a free chance to do some business networking! More details