Courtney and I stopped at B Spot for lunch yesterday afternoon at Eaton while out shopping. B Spot is Michael Symon’s casual burger joint. I always thought it was a counter service place but it turns out it is a regular restaurant. We sat at the bar and I had a Bell’s Best Brown ale – yum- and Courtney has a Great Lakes Christmas ale. The space is nice even though it’s in a mall. There’s a great mural of beer cans on the wall with a big B in the middle. I had a bacon cheeseburger, Courtney has a thin lizzy and we split an order of onion rings. The burgers were great – nice and fresh, and buns were excellent – buttery brioche. There were different sauces to put on the burgers and dip the rings in. We especially liked the homemade ketchup.
Memoir written by an editor and writer about his mother who is dying of pancreatic cancer. They form a two person book club during their visits to the hospital. Great book about death and dying, the amazing life and attitude of the author’s mother and also about the love of reading with lots of great book recommendations. Another great book.
A 13 year old boy growing up on an Indian Reservation’s mother is raped. The boy and his father are involved in the investigation and eventual result. A great story that is very suspenseful at times and is beautifully written. I have read and enjoyed most of Louise Erdrich’s novels over the years and this one is especially good. 
As we were staying on the Kentucky side of the river, we walked across the Roebling Bridge on a beautiful night to go to Moerlein Lager House which is right on the river between the two stadiums. The place, just recently opened this year, was packed and was huge. We had a 7:30 reservation but had to wait a bit as there was ten of us. Everyone had some of their beer which was very good…had already been drinking a lot already thanks to Embassy Suites Happy Hour. We split a platter of pretzels with cheese and mustard and a plate of fried pickles and jalapenos. I had a grilled cheese with short ribs in it – very good. Lots of food had by all and all very good. A very nice place to go with a spectacular view…would be nice to go in warm weather as they have seating outside as well.
We went to 
Famous Brooklyn bank robber Willie Sutton is released from prison after spending twenty years behind bars. A journalist and a photographer bring him around his old haunts where the novel goes back and forth between past and present. Fictional biography I guess this would be. An interesting read but not too exiting.
An orchardist in Washington State in the early 20th century grows apples and apricots on his large farm. Two teenaged pregnant sisters show up on his property and change his way of life. I liked the language, pace and atmosphere of this novel.
I got my smitten kitchen cookbook in the mail the other day. It looks like a good one. I haven’t gotten a new cookbook in a long long time and have been looking forward to this one. 
Brown University early 1980’s: Boy loves girl; girl loves different boy; different boy is crazy. Same old story. I wanted so much to like this novel but couldn’t get into it at all. It took me forever. Blah blah blah. Sadly not as brilliant as his other novels.
Eat On Edgecliff 