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August 29, 2006
Bank branch no longer local
For those who may not have heard, National city Bank is no longer located in the village of Mariemont.
The banks's branch was located on the west wing of the Mariemont Inn and neighboring The Top Drawer, but now members will have to find another branch to conduct their banking.
A new tenant has not yet been identified; for information regarding leasing a space in the village click on "Leasing" on the mariemontbuzz.com menu bar.
Posted by johnston at 02:55 PM
August 25, 2006
Free Internet access for Village Square, Strand
By mid-September Mariemont residents and visitors will be able to access the Internet for free within the village square and Mariemont Inn areas.
Lily Pad is part of a “Give Back Cincinnati” program where growing areas within the Tri-State area will be receiving the free service.
“We were approached for inclusion in the project are very excited for the village,” Mariemont Councilwoman Kim Sullivan said.
Project Lily Pad, in conjunction with Time Warner Cable, will install two access points – small devices the size of a pizza box with rabbit ear antennas – on top of Graters and the Mariemont Inn. The business owners expressed interest in having the free service, which would serve all village citizens, businesses and Internet users in the area.
The service is free of cost because it will be paid for by corporate sponsors solicited and retained by Lily Pad. Also, Lily Pad will be responsible for all devices, project and sponsorship maintenance. The service is maintained by volunteers, too.
“The goal is to provide hot spots throughout the Cincinnati,” so that eventually free Internet access will be provided almost everywhere, according to Lily Pad volunteer Dan Barford.
“Using a PC or a PDA, users can access information while sitting on a bench in the park, walking down the street or while dining at a local restaurant. All for free … no strings attached,” according to the Lily Pad Web site, http://lilypadusa.org/index.html
Lily Pad Web sites and signage will promote the area as a free wireless zone and recognize sponsors, enabling them to promote their products to users and inquirers. The tax-deductible sponsorship will cover costs of installation, data access, maintenance, and marketing of the Lily Pad.
Posted by johnston at 12:10 AM
August 18, 2006
What's cookin' for Aug. 18 - Aug. 20
This Weekend's Menu Features for:
Dilly Deli
Hand Cut Filet Mignon, grilled to order and topped
with a Wild Mushroon Demi-glace and served
with Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Mini Veg Trio
$25
Cornmeal Crusted Grouper, sautéed and served
with basmati rice and Mini Veg Trio
$18
Sautéed Soft Shell Crabs
topped with a fresh melon pureé,
served over rice with Broccoli
$20
Soft Shell Crab Appetizer
One fresh crab sautéed and served
with Remoulade sauce
$10
National Exemplar
Alaskan Halibut that is pecan crusted
with cherry burre blanc, garlic mashed potatoes
and green beans and mushrooms
$20.95
Bacon-wrapped Filets, encrusted with maytag blue cheese
and asparagus
$14.95
Chicken Oscar, which is a boneless Amish breast
sauteed and topped with blue crab, asparagus and bernais
with rice medley and zucchini and squash
$18.95
Posted by johnston at 01:12 PM
August 15, 2006
Search for English pub operator still afoot
Spinnenweber Builder’s, Inc., is still scouting for the most appropriate individual to operate the recently built Old English pub on the Village Square.
“We are looking for someone who will run with our vision of operating an authentic English pub, something that is unique and fitting to the village”, said Director of Hospitality Bill Spinnenweber.
SBI has been renovating the building located to the immediate right of the Mariemont Theatre, the location of the erstwhile Village Kitchen.
It is SBI’s vision to house an elegant and credible English eatery and pub in the refurbished building.
Gutting the interior, adding a couple additions, hiring carpenters to build the ambience and throwing a couple coats of paint on the walls will have culminated in created fine building ... but it is the smaller details that have put the final and finest touches to the establishment.
For starters, there is a passage-way between the building and the Theatre that handcuffs the village square to the front and a parking lot in the rear. The bricks that line the passage are the original rouge blocks that were laid when the buildings were constructed near the village’s creation. Thus, walking back and forth through the passage is a literal walk on and around a fingerprint of Mariemont’s history.
While walking through the passage, if one is to look up, they would see rustic-looking handmade wooden support beams every several feet. The beams give the passage an old-fashioned aesthetic.
“Dan Spinnenweber and I have been collecting and salvaging old pieces of architecture for more than 40 years,” SBI General Manager Bonnie Malone said. “When we see something that looks like it would fit in the era of old English Mariemont, we grab it.”
Located in the front facade of the building is a glass canopy arched over the ingress/egress of the passage. Vivid colors are refracted by the sun’s light when it hits the leaded glass. The leaded glass has been collected over time from various other structures.
Also on the facade are numerous flower boxes decorated with handmade flowers designed and cut by the Spinnenwebers and Malones.
The lower half of the building has been glossed with terra cotta insets that were salvaged from an old building in Chicago prior to its being torn down.
Just this past year, Spinnenweber purchased a pair of old, heavy oak doors with iron hinges that stretch across the wooden surfaces.
“All these items we have been hoarding, some for more than four decades,” Malone said, adding now the working doors will be employed at both ends of the passage to form a front door and gate.
At night, the door and gate will be closed and locked after closing time.
Malone explained that in England, when patrons enter a pub there is usually a bar downstairs and a restaurant upstairs.
Once open for business, patrons to the establishment will be able to climb a set of wide stairs leading to a spacious dining area. The patrons will dine while overlooking the village square through large divided light windows.
People should be mindful to look around and absorb the craftsmanship, for it all will be part of the experience.
Posted by johnston at 01:28 PM
August 11, 2006
Wine list one of the best
It just keeps getting better for the Dilly Deli.
Owners Chuck and Robbie Werriner recently learned the Dilly Deli was selected as possessing one of the finest wine lists in the world by Wine Spectator Magazine, a publication dedicated to identifying the highest dining quality the world has to offer.
"We can't claim exclusivity," Chuck said, adding there were 2,995 winners world-wide of the "Award of Excellence", including 15 located in the Greater Cincinnati area.
In addition to the award, the Dilly Deli's listing in the magazine is highlighted in green, signifying exceptionally good value ... to expatiate, it means there are very few places where you can find the quality, depth and breadth in a wine selection offered by the Dilly Deli.
Needless to say, the owners are proud to provide such excellent service to the village of Mariemont and to the Tri-State area.
And to make such news just a tad sweeter, BeerAdvocate.com - which rates the best beer retailers in the country - has raised the Dilly Deli's rank from 46th best beer bar in America to #16.
Oh, and AOL CitySearch rated the Dilly Deli the second best outdoor dining experience in Cincinnati -- right behind Mariemont's own Quarter Bistro.
For more information on the Dilly Deli, visit the eatery at 6818 Wooster Pike or call 561-9463.
Posted by johnston at 01:30 PM
August 04, 2006
"Passport Day" may offer some help
Starting December 31, 2006, a passport will be required for all air and sea travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Bermuda.
The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 requires that by January 1, 2008, all travelers to and from the Caribbean, Bermuda, Panama, Mexico and Canada must have a passport or other secure, accepted document to enter or re-enter the United States.
But as many travelers know, getting your passport may be a little confusing.
“Normally you can go to a post office that handles passports and get them there, but a lot of people don’t know the process,” Gail Carpenter, manager of The Travel Authority Inc./American Express in Mariemont, said.
To help people through the passport ordeal, the village Travel Authority Inc./American Express branch will be hosting “Passsport Day” Aug. 29, 2006. Representatives of the Butler and Hamilton County Clerk of Courts will be in the office to help travelers obtain new passports.
“This will be easy. You will fill out an application, get a photograph, and it costs the same. We are just providing a public service,” Carpenter said. Total costs will be $104 and the passport is valid for 10 years.
What to bring:
• a certified, state issued birth certificate
• current driver’s license
• expired passports, if applicable
• cash, check or money order payable to Butler County clerk of courts for $37 per person (includes fee for passport photos taken)
• cash, check or money order payable to U.S. Department of State for $67 per person 16 years and older ($52 per person 15 years and younger)
• appropriate passport photo attire
For more information regarding the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, visit http://travel.state.gov/travel/cbpmc/cbpmc_2223.html
And for more information regarding “Passport Day”, contact Gail Carpenter, Manager The Travel Authority Inc./American Express 6800 Wooster Pike Cincinnati, OH 45227 (513) 272-2887 fax (513)272-4355 toll free (1-888)853-7448.
Posted by johnston at 12:41 PM
August 01, 2006
Travel Authority offering two packages
The Travel Authority/American Express office in Mariemont has a couple voyages for people to check out. The first is a cruise to the Mediterranean, the second a Mind and Body cruise.
Let’s start first in the Mediterranean. The Royal Caribbean International cruise line is taking people on a seven night boat ride October 14-21, 2006, starting in Barcelona, Spain. From there voyagers will travel to Maseilles, France, to Villefrancho, around to Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Italy, visit Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy, and head to Naples, head back out to sea and wind up back in the ports of Barcelona.
While on board, people will have at their disposal an ice-skating rink, rock-climbing wall, in-line skating, the Royal Promenade, Johnny Rockets, Portofino Italian Restaurant, themed bars and lounges, Casino Royale, golf simulators, a nine-hole miniature golf course, Adventure Ocean youth facilities, ShipShape Day Spa & Fitness Center, and a full-sized basketball court. Prices start from $895.
And there’s the mind and body cruise.
Have you been sitting around, ruminating on how your aren’t getting any younger and that your body isn’t getting any fitter? Sure, expensive gyms may not be your milieu, zealous trainers may not be your favorite people, and watching fitness DVDs in front of your TV may not be how your want to utilize your living room.
But it is time to challenge yourself and have fun while doing it and The Travel Authority is offering vacation packages that might be the answer.
The Third annual SHAPE and Men’s Fitness “Mind/Body Cruise” aboard Carnival Glory will be weighting anchor Dec. 2nd to the 9th, 2006.
It is an exclusive cruise to the Western Caribbean. Experts from SHAPE and Men’s Fitness Magazine will be on board to conduct complete mind and body programs.
You can sign up alone, as a couple, or with a group of friends, and while learning how to change your life from being out-of0shape to being in great shape, you will experience everything a fun ship cruise has to offer. You will start from Port Canaveral and head to Key West, Belize City and to Costa Maya, Mexico.
It is a seven day cruise starting at $739.
For more information, visit the The Travel Authority/American Express office at 6800 Wooster Pike or call 272-2887, fax 272-4355 or toll free (1-888)853-7448.
You may also visit http://www.TheTravelAuthority.com
Posted by johnston at 04:06 PM
US Bank hosting auto promo
If you are a member of the the US Bank in Mariemont or just interested in high end, luxury cars, you might want to stop by the bank these next two weekends.
US Bank, located 6940 Madisonville Road, has partnered with Car Locators of Madisonville to promote the banks new "Auto Loan Extravaganza." Between the dates of July 28 to August 31, 2006, all members will receive US Bank employee rates for auto loans (loan approval is contingent on credit qualification).
Car Locators, who specializes in locating all kinds makes, models, colors and years of cars people are interested in buying, will have a high end vehicle in the bank's parking lot on display.
For more information regarding the auto loan promotion, visit the bank or call 272-5310.
Posted by johnston at 03:34 PM