Appointments: Unique gifts, personals for the holidays

Appts 12 14With the holidays barreling down upon us, visitors to Greater Cincinnati may want to plan on a trip to Appointments in the very heart of downtown Cincinnati. Appointments is that special kind of shop with quality gifts you will not find in many places.

Ask to see the exquisitely crafted Cross Botanicals—upscale pens featuring floral patterns on the barrel of the pen, engraved into the surface and lacquered to protect the beauty. Cross has been a leading name in writing instruments for generations, and has served as a “special occasion” gift for decades.

You may want to consider the hottest thing in professional and personal accessories of the luggage variety. The pieces are done in waxed canvas with leather trim, and they are the rage among professionals. The bags are made in the USA, and they feature great style, offering the perfect balance between business and personal carry items.

There’s a large selection of leather-bound goods for a variety of uses among professionals and lifestyle consumers. There are finely tooled leather day planners and pads, briefcases, computer totes, messenger bags and satchels and travel kits for toiletries. “All of these items are finely made by the top names in the leather goods business, and a good value too,” said Douglas Kennedy, owner of Appointments.

Kennedy’s all-leather luggage goods are made by Johnston & Murphy. The genuine leather brief cases, laptop totes and leather document cases are of exceptional quality, and the perfect statement for professional types on the go and the climb— also great stocking stuffers or under-the-tree items.

The Key magazine team promises you’ll find a varied, exotic, interesting selection of items, and nobody else in Greater Cincinnati has such a collection under one roof.

In addition to the Cross Botanicals, Appointments carries a fantastic line of writing implements— yes, pens, exquisite and of the fountain variety, but also ball-points, fiber tips, mechanical pencils and the like—targeting writing aficionados of all inks.

There are fountain pens from all the world’s elite makers of fine writing instruments, including: Montblanc, Porsche, Waterman, and many others as well.

Restaurant of the Month: Pompilios Restaurant and Colonel Pomp’s Tavern

pompilios tortellini

An Italian gem awaits you at Pompilios in Newport, Kentucky (a few minutes from Fountain Square). The famous toothpick scene in the movie Rainman, with Dustin Hoffman, was filmed in the bar at Pompilios….and has kept visitors and locals pouring in for years!

Pompilios features a bar, Colonel Pomp’s Tavern, at the front, a bocci bar out back (complete with bocci-ball court), and an old world Italian restaurant in between.

The bar area is the happening spot for satisfying a thirst. You will see one of the best tied-house back bars in the Midwest, built the year FDR entered the Whitehouse—1933, when Pompilios opened for business. Colonel Pomp’s Tavern features period photos of the 1930s, but the bar area itself is that old, and a step back in time. The scene from Rainman was filmed in that very place, for an even richer taste of history. Colonel Pomp’s features a good number of Greater Cincinnati’s very best craft beers on tap, which visitors love to try.

The tavern also on Thursday or Friday features live music from an assortment of talents featuring boogie woogie, acoustic Americana rock, jazz, blues and more.

Go there and experience Colonel Pomp’s and grab a table and have a meal too, lunch or dinner. Pompilios features some of the best red-sauce dishes around. Pompilios has a slew of Taste of Cincinnati winners on their menu, so ask your server about the “Blue Ribbon” dishes. Also, the place has been voted into the Italian Restaurant Hall of Fame.

Pompilios makes EVERYTHING from scratch. The ravioli is hand-made, either meat or cheese. There are six sauce choices for ravioli, Bolognese meat sauce, along with marinara, regular meat sauce, meatballs, Alfredo, Puttanesca, and you can also add Italian sausage.

The Italian sampler, a favorite of the Rainman crew, is a Taste of Italy, with lasagna, meat and cheese ravioli, eggplant parmigiana and Italian sausage and meatball (both made in-house, as well). The sampler runs neck and neck with the meat-sauce lasagna as the best seller on the menu. It’s been a house specialty for decades.

Those wanting veal, steak or seafood will find a number of dishes, including veal parmigiana, filet mignon, shrimp scampi, linguini with clams, salmon gorgonzola, and more. Two favorite dishes are: the brasciuole, tender round steak seasoned with Italian spices, rolled and baked with marinara sauce and served with spaghetti; and the eggplant parmigiana, breaded, baked layered with parmesan and provolone cheese, and served with rigatoni and marinara. Serious yumminess, and quite reasonably priced!

 

 

Event of the Month: New Riff Distilling bring bourbon back!

new riff building

Greater Cincinnati Bourbon lovers rejoiced in May, 2014, when Kentucky Bourbon production returned to the area with the opening of New Riff Distilling. A member of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, New Riff is located right across the river from downtown Cincinnati. The distillery offers free tours Thursday through Sunday, and has a gorgeous events facility overlooking the river. Thousands of Greater Cincinnatians have already passed through New Riff, either on a tour or as a guest at one of their many events. (Weddings and receptions are scheduled nearly every weekend. Imagine, getting hitched at a Bourbon distillery!)

 

New Riff distills Kentucky Bourbon and Rye whiskey, to the tune of some 7,000 barrels per year. But these need to age at least four years before they’re ready for bottling. (Patience is a virtue among whiskey makers.) Local whiskey lovers can’t wait until June 2018 when the first New Riff Whiskey will hit the street. In the meantime, their Kentucky Wild Gin—distilled on site with locally foraged, wild botanicals—has taken Greater Cincinnati bars by storm. They also bottle a nine-year-old Bourbon distilled for them in nearby Lawrenceburg, Indiana. This is called O.K.I., and if you’re not from around here that stands for “Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana.” As the label states, it is “Distilled in Indiana. Bottled in Kentucky. Loved in Ohio.” We bet you’ll love it too!

 

The New Riff building itself is quite a sight. Recognizing that this is an urban 21st century distillery, Cincinnati architectural firm glaserworks designed a strikingly modern, cutting edge facility that blends form and function. The 60-foot-tall gleaming copper still is encased in a glass-and-steel tower soaring into the sky.

 

The free tours at New Riff are up close and personal. Unlike many of the big Kentucky Bourbon distilleries, at New Riff you can walk right up to the still (don’t touch it, it’s hot!) and see the entire Bourbon making process. And they have one last surprise up their sleeve…

 

New Riff is located on the campus that includes The Party Source, probably the largest liquor store in the country. All the way at the back of The Party Source, New Riff operates a microbrewery. With 42 draft taps, Ei8ht Ball Brewing serves up their own sparkling fresh suds—many of which are aged in New Riff Bourbon barrels—along with a stunning roster of the best craft beers in the world. It’s the perfect conclusion to a New Riff tour and tasting.

 

 

 

 

Destination of the Month: Ultimate Air Shuttle begins service to Cleveland

UAS cleveland flight

Ultimate Air Shuttle is proud to announce that they will be bringing their unique VIP air travel service to Cleveland, with the inaugural flight on October 26, 2015 (as pictured above), via the Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport.

They’re excited to welcome Cleveland as their newest destination, and look forward to connecting these two cities in a way that will allow their passengers to be both more productive and more time efficient. Cincinnati and Cleveland are two of Ohio’s strongest economic centers, and by giving their passengers easier access to Cleveland’s great communities, active business district and exciting sports arenas, Ultimate Air Shuttle becomes an even bigger force to be reckoned with.

Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport is located on the banks of Lake Erie, right next door to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; this location offers easy and convenient parking for Clevelanders to park up close and free at their facility. When Cincinnatians arrive to the lakeshore, they will be pleased to find that they are already in downtown Cleveland. Rental cars and cabs will be available to transport wherever and whenever is needed.

When Clevelanders arrive at Lunken Airport, there will be a free ground shuttle to downtown Cincinnati that will drop off and pick up for the return flight at the Cincinnatian Hotel. Ultimate Air Shuttle uses Mercedes Sprinter vans for ground transportation needs in Cincinnati, courtesy of their friends at Mercedes-Benz of Fort Mitchell. The 5-day schedule has been built to accommodate day trips for passengers originating from Cincinnati and Cleveland. The round trip fare is only $379! To kick off their newest destination, they are offering BUY ONE GET ONE FREE flights to Cleveland, from now until December 22, 2015.

Ultimate Air Shuttle thanks you for flying them: because of you they are here today and will be here tomorrow.

Hotel of the Month: Homewood Suites in Downtown Enquirer Building

homewood roomOne of the most fabulous buildings…..which once housed the Cincinnati Enquirer, is home to a brand new concept in Cincinnati: The Homewood Suites (along with The Hampton Inn…a duel hotel). This new gem in the Queen City’s crown features a 105-room Homewood Suites situated on the buildings’ newly renovated upper floors. The historic integrity of the structure and its interior were preserved as much as possible.

 

When you enter the building, the first floor lobby features marble surfaces, bronze ornamentation, stone-carved detail work and large chandeliers. Motifs featuring elephants, dragons and squirrels are displayed throughout, and a two-foot diameter brass sculpture (“The Naked Printer”) is embedded in the floor. Guests can walk up the “grand stair” or take the elevator to the second floor, which is where you check in and enjoy the fitness center, library, business center, billiards and the separate Homewood and Hampton lounges.

Hampton Inn is housed on floors nine through 15 (there is no 13th floor, of course) and caters to business and weekend leisure travelers. Homewood Suites on floors four through eight focuses on extended-stay travelers; each room has fully-equipped kitchens. Both hotels offer complimentary breakfast and free Wi-Fi. Valet parking is available in the Macy’s headquarters garage, adjacent to the hotel. You’re just a 17-minute drive from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport via I-75 and in walking distance of Cincinnati’s popular eateries, lively nightlife and unique shopping opportunities. The hotels are also close to entertainment venues such as U.S. Bank Arena, Great American Ballpark, Paul Brown Stadium, the Taft Theatre and the Duke Energy Convention Center.

Business…pleasure…leisure…it doesn’t matter what you’re coming to Cincinnati for, the new Homewood Suites in Downtown Cincinnati, along with the adjoining Hampton Inn, will fit the bill.

 

 

 

Cincinnati-themed artwork and art inspired by the newspaper and its former building are on display throughout 617 Vine.

 

 

Must Go: The Ohio Renaissance Festival: Thrill…Feast…Watch…Shop…Enjoy!

renaissance horse

Forget your cares and step back in time to this 30-acre re-created 16th Century English village and enjoy over 400 years of fun in a single day! The festival offers something for everyone featuring nearly 100 shows daily on 11 stages, over 135 unique arts and crafts shops, hearty food and drink, games of skill and human-powered rides to amuse all ages.   Over 150 costumed characters welcome you to the village! Rub elbows with Royalty as you cheer your favorite knight to victory in the thrilling Full-armored Tournament Joust. Welcoming you to a festive day in the village are dueling swordsmen, rowdy pirates, nobles, peasants, and daring jugglers.

The sprawling landscape is dotted with hundreds of unique shops in the Medieval Marketplace featuring many one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted items. See time-honored crafts of glassblowing, stone carving, blacksmithing, leather tooling, boot making, and more demonstrated.

The air is filled with the scents and smells of the foods of the Renaissance period. Feast like Royalty on juicy, giant roasted turkey legs, fresh baked bread bowls overflowing with soups and stews, fish ‘n chips, steak-on-a-stake, succulent roasted corn on the cob and a wide variety of the finest ales and wines. There’s something for everyone’s taste buds!

Visitors of all ages will be amused by the games of skill and human-powered rides. Try your hand at archery and see if you’re a modern-day Robin Hood, or climb the castle tower and rescue the lovely damsel in distress.

SEPTEMBER 5TH — OCTOBER 25TH, 2015 • SATURDAYS, SUNDAYS • 10:30AM – 6:00PM