TASTE OF OTR

From Goettafest to the Inland Seafood Fest, every weekend of the summer seems to be marked with a culinary festival. Newest to the repertoire is Taste of OTR, highlighting bars, restaurants, and food trucks in Over The Rhine. The first annual Taste, which took place all day on Saturday, got off to a rocky start. Although the festival began at 11:00AM, half of the vendors were absent or didn't set up until well after noon. Fortunately, things were in full swing by evening, with eateries slinging food left and right to a massive crowd at Washington Park. An estimated 4,000 people were in attendance. At the peak of the night, most found themselves queuing with a 25-minute wait at each tent. Patrons eventually wiped out all of the food from the majority of vendors.

Overlooking Washington Park the morning of Taste of OTR

Cooking up pork bun sliders at Kaze

I missed out on sampling from the no-show vendors, but my tried-and-true favorites were there to satiate hunger: Streetpops, Eli's BBQ, Kaze, Lavomatic, Urban Grill Food Truck, plus a few more. Kaze was serving up their famous pork bun sliders, while neighboring Lavomatic dished out Korean beef tacos and vegetarian sloppy joes. Competing BBQ vendors Eli's and Urban Grill had two of the city's best pulled pork sandwiches up for grabs. My favorite OTR Taste was the Ohio Sweet Corn popsicle from Streetpops: a cream-based pop with a hint of creamed corn flavoring. Sounds strange, but it was oh-so-tasty. They also had several tamer fruit-based flavors.

Beef tacos with kimchi from Lavomatic

Despite the hiccups, Taste of OTR was an astounding success. Over $50,000 was raised to benefit the event coordinator, Tender Mercies, a non-profit which aides the disabled homeless population. The vibrant and lively atmosphere of the new Over The Rhine was in full swing, a testament to the vision of making Cincinnati a safe community that works together to make it an attractive place for visitors.

LUMENOCITY

Over 35,000 people flocked to Washington Park during the weekend for a first-of-its-kind sensory experience. As part of One City, One Symphony, the community-wide LumenoCity combined a live orchestra concert with elaborate electronic visuals for a mind-blowing 40 minute performance.

Music Hall twinkles with delight for LumenoCity.

 
In honor of Louis Langrée, the new music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, all five of Cincinnati's fine arts groups took part in the event as well as the venue itself. Music Hall's facade served as the canvas for the light show. Visual elements were laid out on a grid and projected from two semi-trailers opposite Music Hall on Race Street. The aesthetics portrayed the building to be dancing along to the music by highlighting its curves and crevasses. A variety of vibrant patterns were also illuminated as well as a story about the seasons of life. Silhouetted dancers used the facade's balcony and horizontal peaks as a stage.

Louis Langrée conducts the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at LumenoCity.
Photo by Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

VIDEO: Introducing LumenoCity

 

Saturday's turnout of over 15,000 people filled the event lawn to capacity over 2.5 hours before the show began. The enormous popularity led spectators for Sunday's show to begin staking out spots as early as nine hours before the show. Good thing too, as the final performance drew a crowd of 20,000, many of whom were repeat visitors from Saturday. To accommodate the masses, Cincinnati Police closed both Elm and 14th Street adjacent to Washington Park. Still, the overflow managed to exceed these boundaries, as the gathering pushed as far back to Republic Street on the east side of the park. Cincinnati is one of only 13 cities in the United States to offer all five fine arts including. Cincinnati Pops, Symphony, Opera, Ballet, and May Festival Chorus.

Spectators began arriving at noon to secure a spot for the 8:30pm LumenoCity show.
Photo by OTR Matters

By 6:30pm, not a blade of grass was seen on the Washington Park lawn.

One hour before showtime, the crowds overflow Washington Park as far back as Republic Street.
Photo by John Yung, UrbanCincy

Over 20,000 people in attendance at Washington Park for LumenoCity on Sunday.

Photo by Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Prior to the light show, John Morris Russell and the Cincinnati Pops warmed up the crowd with Broadway hits from Hairspray, Oklahoma, and selections from one of my favorites, Les Miserables.

VIDEO: "Do You Hear The People Sing?"  - Les Miserables

VIDEO: "At The End Of The Day" - Les Miserables

LumenoCity's glistening finale included audience participation as gigantic glowing balls were volleyed across the crowd. After the performance, I met a little girl who caught one of the balls. "I'll sell it to you for $5.00," she smirked. Prosperity is alive and well in Over The Rhine.

VIDEO:  LumenoCity Finale

The little girl with the glowing ball, amongst the exiting crowd on 14th and Elm.

INSIDER'S GUIDE TO GOETTAFEST

It's that time of the year! The first weekend in August is known for one of the most widely-attended festivals in Greater Cincinnati: Goettafest. In it's thirteenth year, the festival celebrates the original German breakfast sausage with vendors creating dishes ranging from goetta grilled cheese to goetta brownies.

Goettafest was started in 2001 by Cincinnati's oldest goetta manufacturer: Glier's Goetta. Over the years, it expanded from a neighborhood street festival to a four day weekend extravaganza occupying the riverfront in Newport, Kentucky. Over 100,000 people are expected to attend to taste some of the 42 goetta dishes created by thirteen local restaurants.

Here's what to put on your Goettagenda:

1.) Goetta-ing there
The Southbank Shuttle stops right in front of Newport On The Levee, allowing for easy access to-and-from Goettafest. The shuttle runs every 15 minutes connecting Downtown Cincinnati, Bellevue, Covington, and Newport and only costs $1.00. Check out the map.

2.) The Menu
Some new or something tried and true? Vendor menus located throughout the festival help you decide what to eat.

3.) The Must-Haves
Four dishes you gotta goetta your hands on:

New to this year's Goettafest is Bayou Fish House, serving up goetta fish tacos, goetta gumbo, and goetta bayou bites (fried jalepenos.) All three of these are mmmmm-mazing and easily my favorite dishes out of the whole festival.

Goetta Fried Rice from Yat Ka Mein was another delicious use of goetta, creatively melding Asian and German fare.

4.) The Keepsake Beer Mug
Every year, Glier's produces a new design for their keepsake collectors mug. An added bonus: if you buy a mug, you also get a discount on beer refills. This year's selection includes Moerlein, Hudepohl, and many more. Get your collector's mug early; last year they sold out at 7:00PM on Saturday!

5.) Goetta Your Groove On
With two stages of live music, the tunes keep on rockin' every hour of Goettafest. Be sure to check out the weekend's headlining bands: DV8, My Girl Friday, Red Beard's Revenge, and Kevin McCoy Band.

6.) Chill out in the A/C
You never know who might turn up the heat with a roll of Glier's Hot Goetta. For those afternoon heatwaves, cool off in Goettafest's massive air conditioned dining tent.

7.) Play Goetta-themed games on the Midway
From goetta ring toss to a mug slide with Mr. Goetta, there is enough entertainment at Goettafest to work up an appetite for your second wind.

8.) Goetta! Goetta! Goetta!
Eat more of the classic, elaborate, or wackiest concocted dishes made of goetta:

Goetta Bun Link, or one of Glier's Brats or Metts from Mick Noll's.

Deep Fried Goetta Balls from Goettahaus

Goetta Brownie by Busken Bakery

Goetta Sushi from Yat Ka Mein

Goetta Mex Bowl (Chipotle Style) by Butch Carpenter

Goetta Shepherd's Pie by Butch Carpenter

 9.) Buy a roll of goetta from the Goetta Vending Machine
Who needs a gift shop? Take home a souvenir roll of your favorite goetta for just $3.75.

 10.) Goetta your picture taken with Mr. Goetta.

11.) Pin the map of where you're visiting from.
On the last day of Goettafest, come back and check out the hundreds of pins in the map as folks have traveled across the United States and from around the world to partake in the celebration of Cincinnati's sausage.

12.) Enjoy the amazing sunset along Cincinnati's riverfront.

13.) Come back and do it all again tomorrow.

FARMERS' MARKET IN THE PARK

Every Monday from 4:00-8:00PM, during June 3 to August 26, a farmers' market sets up shop in Washington Park near the event lawn and Music Hall. The collection of local vendors offer ready-to-eat food and produce as alternative shopping to Findlay Market, which is closed on Mondays. You'll find several of your favorite Findlay vendors here, as well as many who are new to the scene.

Black bean salsa, bruchetta, and hummus, all garden fresh from the kitchen of Cara Bella Organic.

Chill Shaved Ice Bar uses all-natural fruits and sweeteners to create organic sno-cones for a no-guilt summer treat!

If you're a foodie, definitely stop by Hen of the Woods.  These creative snackers cooked up some unique treats to munch on while you shop the market, such as root beer cotton candy, celery and rhubarb soda, or my evening indulgence: curry popcorn with white chocolate and coconut.

The curry popcorn from Hen of the Woods was so tasty,
my friends all paused to Instagram it after the first bite.

One of my favorite food trucks, C’est Cheese, will be grilling up gooey, delectable sandwiches at Washington Park every week through August. I know where I'll be getting my Monday night dinner!

Market In The Park is still accepting vendor applications. Here is the list of local shops that have already signed up for the summer:

Brocato’s Italian Market
Cara Bella Organic
C’est Cheese
Censudi
Chill Shaved Ice Bar, LLC
Chipotle Chicks
Coffee Emporium
Deeper Roots Coffee
Famous Franks
Hen of the Woods
Madisono’s Gelato & Sorbet
Red Sesame Korean BBQ
Sweets by Shannon
Taste 513
The Spice & Tea Exchange of Cincinnati
The Spicy Olive

FINAL FRIDAY IN OTR

Beginning in the early 1990s, art galleries in the Pendleton Arts Center have been hosting open houses on the last Friday of each month. Known as the "Final Friday Art Walk," the revitalization of retail, restaurants, and variety shows in Over The Rhine have shortened it to an all-encompassing "Final Friday."

Drunk Music Reviews sketches each of the bands they feature in on their blog.

The flurry of activity takes place primarily along Main Street and Vine Street, creating a walkable urban experience from 6:00pm - 11:00pm. This month's highlights featured a visit to Smartfish Studio & Sustainable Supply, caricatures by John Sebastian, and taking a large group picture at Frameshop OTR with a 100-year-old camera.

Sebasitan sketching 5chw4r7z

Who says Cincinnati isn't high-tech? Even the traffic signals have iPads.

Maureen and Erin Marie pet a parade of puppies.

Tim lines us up for the photograph with the 100-year-old camera (mounted)

Post-picture hoorah. Mayor Mallory even showed up!
Stay tuned for an upcoming post on how the photo turned out.