A Very Sweet Blog

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant Review

If you live or plan on visiting Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia or Wisconsin, be sure to dine at Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants. We don't have one in New Orleans (yet), but my experience at the Cincinnati (Montgomery Rd) location was truly exquisite. It's modern casual dining and very sophisticated. I was a little worried they wouldn't let me in (hoping they would focus on the casual portion of their motto). HaHaHa We had been out all day and I was wearing shorts, flip flops and my new Tutti Frutti Chanel Nail Lacquer. HaHaHa Usually "these" kind of restaurants say NO SHORTS...NO FLIP FLOPS! So when the manager approached us, I was like "uh-oh...here we go! I'm about to be politely excused". HaHaHa Instead she gave me a FULL tour of the restaurant! We talked, laughed and hit it off so well! She was really sweet. Side note: If you're going to wear shorts & flip flops, black & white always looks chic ;) plus a confident attitude helps too! Cooper's Hawk has a wine club, tasting room, you can eat outside and you can even host private parties there. The food & service was absolutely amazing!!! I didn't drink any wine, but their fresh squeezed strawberry lemonade was super duper delicious. DO get their chocolate cake! They make it in house! It is the lightest, fluffiest, chocolate cake I have ever had. It will melt in your mouth (see gif below). It was SO GOOD! They have a vast assortment of wine, lovely gifts, yummy treats to take home and the high heel wine holders are very cute. Cooper's Hawk really impressed me. Our bill (for two) was a little over $65 + gratuity. So bring your platinum or black card for larger groups ;) HaHaHa You'll love this place. I will definitely go back. Can you believe I have lost weight since being in Cincinnati? One of my aunt's neighbors exclaimed out loud the other day, "Oh My God, you've lost weight (gotta love senior citizens! HaHaHa), I remember seeing you in 2012...You look so good now (side eye HaHaHa)...How did you lose it? Omg'd you've lost weight!" HaHaHa Her little dog Sophie (so cute) looked at her, as if to say would you please move it! I wanna go inside! HaHaHa Have A Great Day Everybody!

Sweet-Bittersweet-NotSweet

supersweet(run & buy it) sweet(really good,buy it) bittersweet(ok, issues)not sweet(not good,don't buy this stuff)

Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurants (Cincinnati, OH) is Supersweet

Mariemont Theatre and The Movie Belle

I went to see the movie Belle, while visiting Mariemont Village (see previous blog post). I first learned about the movie, when my friend Kizzy of The Dainty Dolls House tweeted about it, on Twitter. Thanks Kizzy! It's a true story about Dido Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate (i despise that word) mixed-raced daughter of a Royal Navy Officer. Belle was raised in a British household. As a child, she was unaware of slavery or that she was different from anyone else. As she became older, she started to see those differences. She also experienced more and more restrictions (not being able to eat with everyone else, not able to go certain places etc.). Two British men fall in love with her, and in the end she chooses one :). I won't reveal anything else about the movie, but I will say it teaches some very valuable life lessons and exposes a heart-wrenching story about slave ships & slavery. It will touch your heart. I don't know her story, but some people have brought up discrepancies of how much money she received from her father and some other things. It's a British drama film. There are some familiar faces in the movie. You will recognize Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy of Harry Potter), Penelope Wilton (Isobel Crawley of Downton Abbey), and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Doctor Who, Larry Crowne). It was a really good movie. It had substance. Despite having these powerful actors, there was something amiss about the movie. I can't put my finger on it, but I personally feel it could've been better. I think it had to do something with the directing, editing and accessory actors. I still enjoyed it. I encourage everyone to see it.

I saw Belle at the Mariemont Movie Theatre, in Cincinnati, OH. The movie theatre is so cute! It's a small specialty theatre. I love those, because they have so much charm! I had a chance to talk to the manager on duty. He was awesome and so was the young lady working concessions. Both made us feel at home. There's a beautiful fountain across the street with benches and in front of the theatre is an authentic London telephone box. It shows about 5 (five) movies max. They sell regular movie treats, but they also have caramel popcorn, cotton candy (candy floss), freshly frosted cupcakes & cookies, adult beverages :), chocolate covered potato chips, peanuts, cashews and a lot more. There's also a parking lot, behind the theatre. This theatre is on the same side as The National Exemplar and Mariemont Inn (previous post). So all you have to do is cross the street that separates them. So you can eat (The National Exemplar) & stay (Mariemont Inn) , and then go see a movie! Next to the theatre is Graeter's! Definitely stop there! They have REALLY good ice cream, milkshakes, donuts, cakes and other fine pastries. So as you can see, Mariemont Village has EVERYTHING! Have A Great Weekend!

Sweet-Bittersweet-NotSweet

supersweet(run & buy it) sweet(really good,buy it) bittersweet(ok, issues)not sweet(not good,don't buy this stuff)

The Mariemont Movie Theatre is Supersweet

Breakfast At The National Exemplar

I had breakfast at the cutest restaurant! It's called The National Exemplar. It's about 16 minutes away from where my aunt lives. It's in an area called Mariemont Village (Cincinnati, Ohio). Mariemont Village is so charming and has the cutest shops! You would love it! You can dine inside or outside at The National Exemplar. The outside is SO gorgeous. Whoever did their landscaping & design, gets two thumbs up from me. I wish I could pack it up and take it home with me! HaHaHa They have beautiful potted trees with twinkle lights, colorful flowers and shrubbery all around. The inside boasts a fireplace (but of course, they had the ac on...Summer) and pretty vintage pictures. You don't need a reservation for breakfast or lunch (unless you have a large party of people), but for dinner you do (so definitely check for availability / right now they're booked 31 days in advance!!!). Their breakfast was really good and their breakfast prices will not break your bank account. What's fabulous about The National Exemplar is that it is an extension of Mariemont Inn (Best Western Hotel). I wouldn't mind staying there. Mariemont Inn is a historic hotel that was built in the mid-1920's. It's funny, but you feel like a knight in shining armor with a horse will come out anytime. HaHaHa Ok, so here are my pics! I'll show you some other cool places later this week, in the very next block! I love Mariemont Village :) NOTE: My posting will be very sporadic (2 - 3 times a week), but I will definitely keep up with YOUR blogs.