Michael "Chucklepunch" C.'s Profile

How did I not know about this place until, like, two months ago?  Roxx is hands-down the nerdiest place in Clifton, which is exactly why I love it.  Their selection of teas is great, their baristas are very nice, and their steampunk decor fills my geeky heart with wonder.  My only slight beef with their setup is that they could use a few more small tables and coozy little nooks for people who show up solo with a book and/or work.  It's great that there's room for a place as dorky and independent as Roxx in the middle of the most aggressively corporate section of Clifton.

Yesterday I ate a late lunch at Lime Taqueria, the cozy new burrito restaurant in Mainstrasse Village.  I had their vegetarian burrito, which offered a nice blend of black beans, creamy tofu, and all the "regular" burrito fixin's.

My food was quite good.  Given the choice between a black bean burrito at Chipotle (which I feel is the only "chain" burrito restaurant worth visiting) and the veggie burrito at Lime, I'd probably go with Lime.  I was also pleased with the friendliness of the waitstaff and the decor of Lime's small but memorable dining area.

I didn't give Lime a five star rating for two reasons:

1.)  My burrito was a little smaller than I thought it would be.  Blame Chipotle for spoiling me but these days I expect my burritos to be hella massive.

2.)  I absolutely hate high-top and outdoor seating... which are the only two types of seating Lime has.  How 'bout a few indoor low-tops for short folks who hate having to climb onto our chairs?

Good stuff, overall.  I'll definitely be back... and recommend this place to friends.

I'm glad the Dragon is Happy but my stomach definitely isn't.  So good going down... So bad coming out.  Do yourself a favor and skip Happy Dragon unless you've got a few Uncle John's Bathroom Readers you've been meaning to catch up on.

My very first trip to Athens was capped off beautifully by my very first trip to Casa Nueva.  A worker-owned (aka Super Hippie) Mexican restaurant with numerous vegetarian and vegan options, Casa Nueva turned out to be every bit as delicious as my friends said it would be.

I enjoyed the lunchtime Burrito platter with Puerco Pibil and BBQ sauce.  My significantly less adventurous date decided upon a grilled cheese sandwich with chips and salsa.  My burrito definitely didn't taste like authentic Mexican food but it was certainly delicious.  The pork was very tender and the BBQ sauce was the perfect blend of spice, smoke and sweetness.  My burrito came with a side order of sticky, slightly crispy jasmine rice that I used to sop up every last bit of the remaining sauce from the burrito.  My date, who holds the unofficial title of Pickiest Eater I Know, ate every last bit of her food--a true rarity--and said she couldn't have been happier with her choice.

In addition to excellent food, Casa Nueva also offers excellent, friendly service and inexpensive prices.  My burrito combo maybe cost only $1 more than a similar combo at a restaurant that doesn't buy locally.  The walls were decorated with whimsical paintings by a talented local artist named Emily Beveridge.  I'm not sure whether the paintings change regularly but I do know that Casa Nueva supports the local arts scene by hosting musical performances several nights a week.

Long story short, I was blown away by how much I enjoyed this meal.  If you ever pass through Athens (or if you're dating a picky eater who happens to be an Ohio University alumni), I highly recommend you give Casa Nueva a try.

The highest compliment I can give Cinners was that it made me feel a little less homesick for Cincinnati while I was living in Albany Park.  That's not to say that their chili and coneys aren't good... They certainly are.  It's just nice that in a city with sports bars dedicated to the Pittsburgh Steelers and Iowa Hawkeyes everywhere you look, poor old Bengals fans can have a place to call our own.

To address a comment that other reviewers have made, yes, the service was pretty slow when I had lunch at Cinners, even though both times I was one of maybe three people in the entire restaurant.  But in fairness, Chicago on the whole has the slowest, worst restaurant service I've ever dealt with.  Cinners was no worse than average.

Cincy chili purists may turn up their noses at the fact that Cinners's coneys are actually full-size dogs, not the teeny-weenies we're accustomed to.  Don't worry, it's still good... But do yourself a favor and only order one.  Otherwise prepare for the "look at that fat guy" stare that I got while trying to polish off my second giant chili dog.

Whether you're a Chicago native or a Cincinnati ex-pat, Cinners is a good place to experience an approximation of Cincy food culture  Think of it like you're trying Kansas City BBQ in New York City.  It might not exactly be the genuine item, but it'll still put a big, greasy smile on your face.

Take The Cake has become for me what Bath and Body Works used to be a few years ago: The perfect place to find a last minute present for one of the special ladies in my life.  The ladies I know appreciate cupcakes far more than body wash, so why not give them exactly what they want and grab yourself a cupcake while you're there?

I've never had the pleasure of eating lunch or brunch at Take the Cake but their tasty and moderately priced selection of cupcakes has pulled my forgetful fat out of the special occasion fire so many times that I feel confident giving them a four star review.

One small piece of advice for any prospective customers: Even if you think you don't like Red Velvet cake, do yourself a favor and try Take The Cake's Red Velvet cupcakes anyway, as they're quite incredible.

Cafe Moca has a great selection of coffee and friendly service to go with it.  Every time I go there I'm greeted with a big smile from one of the young ladies who work there, which is certainly more than I can say for most coffee shops in town.  Their free Wi-Fi has saved my life numerous times when my "wonderful" Cincinnati Bell home internet service has gone out.  The only real drawback about using Moca's Wi-Fi service is the fact two of the cafe's walls are glass from ceiling to floor, which can cause a bad glare on a laptop screen when the sun is out.  

As another Yelper mentioned, I really wish that Moca was open at night.  East Walnut Hills doesn't have much in the way of nighttime culture.  It would be great to have at least once place in my neighborhood to spend a quiet evening reading a book and sipping a great cup of Ethiopian coffee.  Hopefully Moca will someday become that place.

Since Ohio doesn't have In-N-Out, I made a pact with myself that come hell or high water, I would eat an In-N-Out burger during my trip to Vegas.  Two hours, a monorail trip and a $25 cab ride later, I simultaneously accomplished my goal and realized that if I put as much effort into realizing my dreams as I put into eating delicious hamburgers, I'd probably be a lot farther along in life.

While In-N-Out isn't my all-time favorite fast food burger (Three cheers for Five Guys Burgers and Fries!) it's still one of the best I've ever had.  Yes, I had it Animal Style.  And yes, it was delicious.  Call me a freak if you will but I would've enjoyed a little more mustard mixed into the meat.

The best parts of my In-N-Out experience were my fries and shake.  At first, I was too busy digging into my cheeseburger to notice just how light and crispy my fries were.  Even more impressive was the fact that... Brace yourself... In-N-Out's fries actually taste like potatoes!  But as good as the fries were, they barely held a candle to what might have been the best fast food milkshake I've ever had.  Before my trip to In-N-Out, I was under the impression that White Castle had the best chocolate shake around.  It's always nice to be proven wrong, especially when being proven wrong means you can give White Castle a little less credit.

For years, I've heard In-N-Out described as the Mecca of fast food.  My verdict?  While In-N-Out might not be my favorite burger joint, I enjoyed every moment of my holy pilgrimage and would gladly make it again.

When the folks I was traveling with said we were eating dinner at Planet Hollywood, I had to bite my tongue so as not to blurt out, "You're kidding, right?"

I'd stopped into Planet Hollywood once before on a previous trip to Vegas back in 2001.  I'm sad to say that the decor doesn't appear to have changed at all since my initial visit... which is downright pathetic since the restaurant was butt-ugly back in 2001 and looks even worse now.  The entire back wall of the restaurant looks like... like... The 80's.  I know that's a very vague description but there's no other accurate way to say it.  It's as if the Planet Hollywood designers took every tacky design principal from the 80's and applied it to a Hollywood mural of famous faces and classic movie moments.  Trust me, you'll understand if you ever see it.  But hopefully you won't.

And not to go off on a tangent, but if you're creating a mural with pictures of Hollywood megastars, why the hell is there a picture of Tom Arnold?!?

I had a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a few chicken tenders that were apparently coated with Captain Crunch.  The food okay but in no way memorable.  If you've ever wondered whether a meal would taste better if you were sitting ten feet away from a rifle used in "Starship Troopers," the answer is no.

Simply amazing.  I expected to really enjoy this show but didn't think I would love it nearly as much as I did.  The show begins with a bang as Cirque performers tossing each other down from the ceiling like yo-yo's to the tune of "Get Back" yet manages to top itself time and time again.

Don't worry about the show's "plot."  I'm hardly a dummy but half the time I could barely figure what was supposed to be going on.  Just let the beauty of the music, the dancing and the incredible set design take you away to a stranger, happier place.

As we were walking out of the theater, an elderly couple in front of us joked, "They must have been on a LOT of drugs when they wrote that music!"  Thanks to them, I now have an excellent idea for what frame of mind to be in the next time I see "Love."