- try the dilly deli
- see the counterfeiters
- explore mariemont
our dinner at the dilly deli was tasty and pleasant. the dilly deli is, it turns out, much more than a deli. they have a full dining room and an outdoor patio. we ended up sitting inside because the wait for the patio was too long. the atmosphere is ok but there was this one fluorescent light that kind of made it weird. also the ceiling was just that crappy foam stuff. but there was a woman playing a guitar so that was nice.
the crowd: mostly old people and families with insane numbers of children. we were the only group of people our age there that i can remember.
the food was good. between the three of us, we had roasted asparagus, sweet potato fries, crab florentine quiche, a crab cake sandwich, and a shrimp/asparagus/feta/spring mix salad. it was all yummy but it was also nothing too out of the ordinary. the special that night was ribs which looked delicious but none of us was really hungry enough to order them.
one major standout at the dilly deli is their beer selection. they have a bunch of bottles but also a lot of good beers on tap. in fact they have brooklyn lager on tap!!! there were also a bunch of other good choices (i remember seeing old specked hen and one of those interesting belgian beers, not delirium tremens but something along those lines).
the dilly deli does regular beer and wine tastings and meals. they also have a great selection of cheeses, meats, and other deli-type items. i did not get a chance to check out the deli selections because we had to get to the theater, but it looked very promising from my seat. celia also said that on certain nights (i forget which ones), there is no corking fee if you buy a bottle of wine in the deli and want to have it with your meal.
service was good but unremarkable. i have nothing to complain about though so that is saying something. prices were reasonable. i think i spent around $20 for dinner and a beer.
my friend at work, who actually now that i think about it is usually full of shit, told me that mariemont was originally founded with the purpose of excluding jews. i thought this was ironic given that we were there to see a holocaust movie. overheard in the mariemont theater bathroom saturday night:
emma (jewish): mariemont is so adorable!
me: you know they hate jews here, right?
emma: what???
me: i heard this place was started by a bunch of people who were trying to get away from jews
emma: i never heard that! i wonder how they feel about terrorists?
me (lebanese): we're about to find out... i have a bomb strapped on under my shirt.
emma: and what about irish terrorists?
celia (irish): irish people are just lazy
all this after we had scandalized the ticket guy by showing him our like 10 year old student IDs in order to get a discount. he was all pissy like "how is school going, girls?" this kid was like 17. kiss my ass, punk! movies are expensive as hell. let's talk in 10 years when you are no longer sucking off the rich teat of mommy and daddy in mariemont. never mind, you will probably be living off your trust fund by then.
i was looking around on google just now to try to find some support for the anti-semitic mariemont theory, and i found this: "Mariemont was a planned white community within Cincinnati, recently (c.1999) integrated. It was anti-Catholic at its inception." wikipedia lists the 2000 census race stats: 97% white. 2000 median income: $57,600. sounds like there is some interesting hidden history here...
reader vote: what's your pick for best unofficial mariemont motto?
- mariemont: what we lack in jews we make up for in beers
- mariemont: where the grass is green and the people are white
- mariemont: cincinnati's little germany
- mariemont: hey, at least we didn't gas anyone
anyway, the truth is that i totally love exploring the random neighborhoods in this city which all have their own weird quirks and interesting stories. and while i am not sure it is worth a special trip, i definitely recommend that you stop into the dilly deli if you're ever out that way.
13 comments:
I know Mariemont was a planned community but I never heard anything about the anti-Jewish thing. But I can understand keeping out the Catholics, they're just filthy.
Speaking of filthy, Dilly Deli has a questionable health inspection record; they've had several violations lately. Just something to keep in mind when you're in the mood for something uncooked.
oooh, interesting! i never check out that health inspection stuff. i probably should though...
I have been wanting to go back to Dilly Deli because my new mission is to find the best bread pudding in the city. I hear theirs is quality.
Mariemont is cute, adorable, etc but it seems a little too Pleasantville and Stepford Wives to me....
stepford wives = perfect way to describe it.
bread pudding... yum! the best bread pudding i've had in cincinnati is at honey. soooo good. have you tried it there?
Still have not been to Honey OR Slims...I really need to support my Northside neighbors. The only time I have been there was a couple of weeks ago my hubby and I went to The Hideaway. I just love the bohemian, ecletic feel of Northside.
funny post!
cin twin1 and I need to dine out more. I haven't had slims, honey or dilly deli. I was going to go to DD for Restaurant week when they had Salmon burgers and sweet potato fries for lunch. clearly, didn't make it. Chalk had great bread pudding.
Liz,
I found your blog through Wine Me, Dine Me. I'm the "Terry" whom Julie mentions from time to time.
I laughed out loud at your profile. I, too, am not from Cincinnati and, for the life of me, do not understand this obsession with "So where did you go to school?" How many times during the past five years have I heard people, many of whom are in their 40s and 50s, begin conversations with a ten-minute round of what Julie calls "West Side Bingo"? My response of "I'm not from here" is the biggest conversation-killer I have in my quiver.
Anyway. DO check out Habanero. Their chips are awesome, and their salsas (especially the pineapple-almond) are out of this world.
Interesting that you reviewed the Dilly Deli. It's pretty good. Back in the winter, I had the best soup I've eaten in a long time. I don't remember exactly what it was...some sort of cheese-based soup with Parma ham. I live about five minutes from there and was thinking about taking Julie there for lunch today (she loves their sweet potato fries).
I used to live in Mariemont, and the Dilly Deli (along with the Quarter Bistro, then The Latin Quarter) were real hangouts. If one could HAVE a favorite Starbucks, it would be the one in Mariemont. I also student taught at the HS. Anyway, Mariemont's history is fascinatingly anti-Catholic; though I'm surprised i haven't heard about the Jew thing (though, that in itself isn't surprising). If you notice, there's no Catholic church in the neighborhood. ANYWHO. I remember that while living there, I only saw one person of color-other-than-white there: he was African American, and he always wore Dockers, pink polos and a yellow sweater over his shoulders. It's an interesting little community, and the divisions at the school between Mariemont, Fairfax, and Terrace Park (which makes Mariemont look positively like the Rainbow Coalition) were fascinating, too.
I should tell you about all of the rules for the community, too: regarding garbage, lawns, cars, you name it. Too fun.
As for the Dilly Deli, we'll talk about THAT later today. There are sweet potato fries in my future.
terry, welcome to my blog! i am glad you found me. west side bingo = hilarious. i actually don't know that many people from the west side but i am pretty sure there is an east side bingo too. also NKY bingo seems popular among that crowd. i think we should start "not from here dammit" bingo...
julie, the sweet potato fries were awesome. whatever they give you to dip in is awesome (cinnamony/appley/bbqey?). thanks also for the mariemont history... it's such a strange and interesting place!
that's apple butter, liz! it's good stuff. :)
(And don't you love Terry? "Mentions from time to time" HA!)
I'm sure you meant you were afraid of being kicked out of Mariemont on principal (vs. principle). not such a nerd after all.
Anonymous, she was right the first time. Thanks for playing, though!
yeah Mariemont: let's burn it down as it represents a tiny haven of what used to be our culture. It is just a little too 'pleasant' isn't it? I'd much prefer dilapidation, disease, & drugs. And remember, it's perfectly acceptable to keep catholics out, but when they start discriminating against jews (of which you have no evidence whatsoever) well, that's just not American, since we suck israel's dick. The very fact that you've written on such a topic is testament to your oblivious absorption of the media's subtle, continual demands.
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