Taste of Belgium |

It has been a while since I posted about things I’m loving. In an effort to take a break from the holiday hustle, I’ve rounded up some small but mighty moments and things I’m just loving.

First of all– this hilarious collection of gifts might almost completely reflect my choice of language. I’m basically Sharon Osborne’s long lost daughter.

Copper. Have you heard? Apparently its the next big home decor trend. And I don’t hate it. Give me copper! Here is a peek at Crate & Barrel’s metal trend inspirations.

Paying it forward. The other day I went to the coffee shop for a coffee. Totally normal, right? But then when the cashier ran my card it didn’t work. She apologized and ran it again. And again. No dice. Mortifying… I promise I had enough money for a latte (which my now had already been made and was sitting just beside her). She explained that their credit card system had been wonky lately and asked if I had cash or another card. My only other card in my coat was for work and I had zero cash. By now I’m so embarrassed. Then she shrugs it off and tells me she has a Pay-It-Forward for a latte already. You guys, people prepay for coffee, muffins and sandwiches for others and the store tracks them on the cardboard sleeves. When you need one, you just grab the appropriate sleeve and hand it to the cashier. I accepted and promised to pay it forward. The next day I returned (while an IT guy was there setting up a new card reader by the way) and bought 10 coffees and got to write on the sleeves. Above is my handiwork.

O’s artwork. O loves anything crafty. She’s been all about watercolors lately. She painted this the other day.. Of course I tell her it looks fantastic and that I can tell she worked very hard on it. She tells me “Its Blueberry (our Beta fish)!” Can you see it?

Krohn Conservatory’s Holiday Show. Cincinnati people: you don’t want to miss this! Not only is the botanical exhibit incredible, the gift shop irresistible and the trains impressive… they have the most insanely beautiful replicas of Cincinnati landmarks made out of bark, acorns, pine cones and branches. I found a replica of my childhood home, a painted lady Victorian of Tusculum (above).

Coozies. In my former life coozies were strictly for adult beverages. But O found this at Walgreens right before Halloween and has been using it for her Almond milk. Just slide your hand in and it makes you look like you have a monster hand. Never gets old. Its almost Christmas and this bad boy is in the daily rotation.

Balsamic anything. I brunched with a dear friend the other day at Taste of Belgium. You all KNOW how much I love that place. This time I paired my Mimosa (below) with a spinach, red pepper, goat cheese crepe topped with balsamic reduction (above). I need another trip to ToB already!

And as if you need more reasons to drink Champagne- I’ve heard it may prevent Dementia and Alzheimers. Article here.

This killer wall stencil. My cousin Megan just did this stencil on one wall in her dining room. I believe the wall is one color and the stencil is done in the next lightest color on the swatch and in the next highest sheen.

I died when I saw it. I must find a place for this technique! Also, Megan chalk painted and gel stained the table and chairs herself! Go girl! Looks sharp!Can a wall be sexy? Because this one just might be.

Union Terminal. Another Cincinnati treasure and architectural dream.
The dome shaped ceiling screams art deco and has some amazing acoustics.

I actually took these in selfie mode on my iphone. Not bad, eh?

Redeeming myself. Yup, totally loving that. I once really over baked some brownies for my boss’s dinner party. Like, so bad. That night she sent me a video of everyone trying to cut the brownies and soaking them with ice cream to attempt to soften them. All in good fun and we’ve been laughing about it for a year. The other day they asked if I would want to bake for a dinner party again. We joked about not making brownies and that hopefully nobody would choke or anything. I told them I had a family recipe for a carrot cake that promised to impress. It took me about 3 hours to make and it was perfect. Isn’t she purdy?

That night I received videos of guests eating the cake and raving about it’s decadence. Totally made up for the brownie incident of 2014.

Oreo truffles. Three ingredients, 20 minutes of your time and people think you’ve saved the world. Recipe here.

O’s selfies. She’s been filling my phone with photos and videos of herself, sometimes the dog and even myself. She’s snapped a few great ones and I’m obsessed wit h this one. She can fill my phone with her precious face absolutely any day.

Stitch Fix! I tried Stitch Fix over the summer and I’m hooked. I have posted some of my scores on Instagram. If you want to try it out be sure to use my referral link (this is not an affiliate link but I would get a credit via Stitch Fix for sending you).

So what are you loving lately? A song? Your new haircut? The weather? Spill it… I wanna know.

I think I’ve made my love of coffee, champagne and all things breakfast well known but I’ll be professing my love for all things deliciously glamorous and brunchy again in this post. [Pause for a moment to enjoy this classic breakfast video if you aren’t in the mood for my ramblings just yet]. Weeks ago, (more like 2 months ago because we’re all so busy) I made a “just because” date with my friends Molly and Jess. As the date approached we realized we had only scheduled the time but nobody had made a decision on where we’d be having our long overdue reunion. Then Jess had a minor mouth surgery and requested we go somewhere she could get either soft food, soup or “liquid lunch.” She mentioned Taste of Belgium and Molly and I were all about trying it. I’ve heard so much about this place, they even follow me on twitter… I don’t know why but it does make me happy. I was eager to finally experience Taste of Belgium.

Here we are in the OTR Bistro. It was a chilly day and we came at prime lunch time so we grabbed a seat at the bar. As you can see, we started out with mimosas which is never a bad idea. There were tons of people waiting for tables so squeezing into the bar was a good option for our little group. I figured if all these people are packed in here and some are standing outside shivering for 45 minutes they must think these famous waffles are worth all of that trouble so we didn’t mind a little wait for bar seats. Other seats opened up at the bar and we decided to eat there too. After all, the bartender was kind enough to take that great Instagram pic above. And then I guess he thought he’d be clever and take a selfie somewhere between the 3 he took of us. I didn’t realize it until I was flipping through my phone later that day. I sent it to the girls and we all had a good laugh… so big thanks to Kyle the Bartender for his cleverness. I bet you didn’t think your selfie would end up here. *Worthy side note*: Kyle makes killer “breakfast shots” (they taste like maple syrup and waffles) and now you know exactly who to look for when you visit… he also provides just the right amount of commentary and conversation as a bartender. His partner in crime Katie was witty and fun too. We exchanged bargain shopping secrets after I practically attacked her to find out where she got her adorable tuxedo style blouse with sheer sleeves. For those concerned, its from the outlet mall in Monroe. Good employees, service and atmosphere are just as important as the food if you ask me. I don’t care how good your food is, if your service sucks I won’t be returning. So this Bistro hasn’t seen the last of me!

Okay, okay. I know you’re just dying to hear about the food….

Jess ordered the fruit and cream waffle with a side of eggs and planned to nibble slowly with that mimosa. And then she got her wish of “liquid lunch” with the breakfast shot chased by OJ. Hopefully that dulled her mouth pain. She ate as much as her weak jaw could and promised that every bite was delicious.

Molly and I followed our usual tradition of sharing two entrees. We travel together often and were even roomies for a while if you recall. Not to mention that we are both vegetarian so we often gravitate to similar menu items. So we awkwardly ordered 2 banana Nutella waffles (Because we knew those were not sharable. I just don’t share Nutella.) As you can see from above, those waffles pretty and tasty. They were crispy on the outside and fluffy inside …Excuse me while I wipe the drool from my chin… And I haven’t even gotten to the part where we chose the vegetarian crepe. It was served warm and was stuffed with red peppers, fresh spinach and goat cheese. I was timid about having such a rich and savory crepe but the first bite convinced me to dive on in. Oh, and did I ever. I probably looked like a cavewoman as I devoured my half. Next time I won’t be sharing that either.

I made sure to try one of the espresso drinks as well. It is not breakfast without coffee! All espresso drinks come as doubles (as the should) and are topped with whipped cream. You guessed it, this bad boy was amazing as well.

So now I know what all the Taste of Belgium hubbub is about. And I know I’m late to the party but I like to think of myself as fashionably late. I promise to be returning as early as next week because this stuff is addicting and I’m certain that Hubby will be swept off his feet as well.

*I was not asked to write this review or given any compensation for what I have written. All opinions, photos and words are my own. Thanks for letting me share my thoughts with you.

Tag Archives: Taste of Belgium

Things I’m Loving

Taste Of Belgium Bistro OTR

Rate this:

Share this:

Like this:

Rate this:

Share this:

Like this: