Author: Randy A. Simes

Randy is an award-winning urban planner who founded UrbanCincy in May 2007. He grew up on Cincinnati’s west side in Covedale, and graduated from the University of Cincinnati’s nationally acclaimed School of Planning in June 2009. In addition to maintaining ownership and serving as the managing editor for UrbanCincy, Randy has worked professionally as a planning consultant throughout the United States, Korea and the Middle East. After brief stints in Atlanta and Chicago, he currently lives in the Daechi neighborhood of Seoul’s Gangnam district.

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Arts & Entertainment News

2010 Mt. Adams Music Festival to offer free admission – 8/14

The 5th annual Mt. Adams Music Festival is the spot to check out some great live music on Saturday, August 14 from 3pm to 11:30pm. This year’s festival will feature six rock bands including national recording artist New Medicine.

Joining New Medicine at this year’s festival is AutoVaughn, Gran Bel Fisher, Northern Liberties, Buffalo Killers, and Josh Krajcik. A sample of each of the bands’ music can be found on the festival’s website, along with AutoVaughn’s ‘The Cycles’ below.

Due to the growth in sponsorships, this year’s festival will have free admission. Organizers also state that light food and drink are going to be available for purchase, with beer provided by Christian Moerlein.

Parking tends to get crowded in Mt. Adams (map), especially in the evenings, so plan to take Metro bus service (plan your trip), carpool, walk, or ride your bike.

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Business News

Pet Wants to celebrate grand opening at Findlay Market with “Yappy Hour” festivities

Pet Wants will celebrate its official grand opening at historic Findlay Market today from 4pm to 7pm. Store owners Michele Hobbs and Amanda Broughton are encouraging pet owners to bring their pups to the store to take part in Findlay Market’s first “Yappy Hour.”

Hobbs and Broughton say that those attending will be treated to door prizes, live music, and 20 percent off purchases.  Other Findlay Market vendors like Market Wines, Daisy Mae’s Market, Silverglades, and Skirtz & Johnston will be providing light food and drinks.

The urban feed market is the first of its kind in Cincinnati’s center city. The store specializes in natural foods and treats, and also offers free delivery to its urban clientele. The owners also pride themselves on stocking food products that are made in Ohio, and pet toys that are made of organic and/or recycled materials.

Pet Wants’ grand opening Yappy Hour is free and open to the public. Free on- and off-street parking is available nearby including the Findlay Market merchant parking lots. The market provides free bicycle parking, and Metro bus service is also available (plan your trip).

Normal operating hours for Pet Wants (map) are Tuesday through Sunday from 9am to 6pm. Orders or questions can be submitted by calling (513) 721-8696, or emailing petwants@gmail.com.

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Arts & Entertainment Development News

Oudin and Boserup play tennis match atop 630′ Cincinnati skyscraper

WTA players Melanie Oudin and Julia Boserup are in town this week for the Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open being held in Mason. Before the tournament got underway, the two engaged in a friendly tennis match atop Cincinnati’s newest skyscraper 630 feet above the street.

The Western & Southern Financial Group Women’s Open has grown in prestige recently and was upgraded to a “Premier 5” Women’s Tennis Association event joining tournaments in Dubai, Rome, Toronto/Montreal, and Tokyo. In 2011, the women’s tournament will merge with the long-standing Western & Southern Financial Group Masters men’s draw in an eight-day event. The combined tournaments will make the new Western & Southern Financial Group Masters & Women’s Open one of the top ten tournaments in the world, and the largest summer tennis tournament in the United States outside of the U.S. Open grand slam event.

The back-to-back 2010 tournaments currently taking place in Cincinnati are the first to take advantage of a new $10 million facility upgrade that includes an additional 890 stadium seats, six new luxury suites, major media facility upgrades, and player amenity improvements within the new 52,000 square-foot West Building. With the upgrades, the stadium’s 11,500 seat capacity makes it the 22nd largest tennis stadium in the world, and the seventh largest in the United States.

The Great American Insurance Tower at Queen City Square is expected to be complete in spring 2011 and will become Cincinnati’s tallest building eclipsing the historic Carew Tower located blocks away.

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Business Development News

145-year-old College Hill home to be auctioned August 11-17

The Cincinnati Preservation Association (CPA) announced that a 145-year-old home in College Hill will be sold at an online auction between August 11-17.

According to CPA, the two-and-a-half story structure was completed in 1865, and boasts Greek Revival pilasters and Gothic Revival gables. The Hamilton County Auditor reports that the home has 2,800 completed square feet, and sits on nearly a half-acre of land in College Hill that is within walking distance of the neighborhood’s business district.

Currently owned by the U.S. Marshals Service, 1314 Groesbeck Road will have a nominal opening bid of $1,000. The auction will be held online only, and all bids must be made by 9:10am on Tuesday, August 17. Those interested in bidding are asked to visit the auction website being hosted by Williams & Williams Auction Services.

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Business Development News

Jean-Robert’s Table to open in downtown Cincinnati August 10th

The wait is finally over, as the much anticipated Jean-Robert’s Table will open in downtown Cincinnati for dinner on Tuesday, August 10 at 5:30pm.

Unanticipated construction delays, and personal reasons pushed back the original opening of Jean-Robert’s Table for the famed Cincinnati chef. The new restaurant is Jean-Robert de Cavel’s  first since parting ways with long-time restaurant partners Martin and Marilyn Wade which included endeavors like Pigall’s, JeanRo Bistro, Lavomatic, Chalk Food + Wine, and Greenup Cafe.

Since the break up, Jean-Robert de Cavel has moved on to become the chef in residence for the Midwest Culinary Institute, while also developing the concept for the new restaurant opening on Vine Street tomorrow.

“I have watched the dining public’s habits change during the last 24 months, and I have taken time to create a menu and an atmosphere that speak directly to what the dining public wants,” Jean-Robert said is a prepared release. “The people of Greater Cincinnati will see this is not Pigall’s and it is not JeanRo Bistro, but a hybrid of the two which will serve a broad range of items from specialty sandwiches to frog legs and escargot.”

Jean-Robert also says that diners will be able to enjoy a great wine list that offers reasonably priced wines, while also featuring some of the “Fantastic Years” for those looking to enjoy boutique wines.

Inside the refurbished restaurant space that once house Buddakhan and Longhorn Steakhouse, Jean-Robert’s Table will seat 115 people between the dining and bar areas. Beyond the interior modifications, the beloved French chef is excited about the restaurant’s location in the heart of downtown Cincinnati.

“I chose 713 Vine Street due to its centralized location one-and-a-half blocks from city center, that makes it easy access for both lunch and dinner. The location also has excellent parking adjacent to the restaurant which makes it easier for diners to park within steps of the front door,” Jean-Robert described.

So far the location and Jean-Robert combination seems to be paying off as the restaurant is already booked solid for its first night of dinner service, with an additional 120 people on a waiting list for Tuesday night’s opening.  Reservations are being accepted for the rest of the week’s “soft opening”.  As a result, a limited number of seats will be available, and lunch service will not begin for another two weeks.

Dinner service will be offered Monday through Thursday from 5:30pm to 10:30pm (bar open until 1am), and Friday through Saturday 5:30pm to 11pm (bar open until 2am). Once lunch service begins, it will be offered Monday through Friday from 11:30am to 2pm. Reservations can be made by calling (513) 621-4777 daily between the hours of 10am and 5pm.

“My staff and I are excited and looking forward to being back on the firing line! We cannot wait to see all of our friends who have supported us so kindly during the last 18 months. Jean-Robert’s Table is my attempt to support my adopted city, my adopted friends and give back in a way that I love to do, through cooking!”

The new restaurant is expected to employ around 30 full- and part-time employees.  Those interested can stay connected through the Facebook page for Jean-Robert’s Table or by following the restaurant on Twitter @jrtable.