LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor
Since 2004

Tag: margaritas

  • Street Style Mexican Food Coming to Downtown Loveland!

    Street Style Mexican Food Coming to Downtown Loveland!

    by Cassie Mattia the Loveland Food Guru

    Loveland, Ohio – The time has come for Downtown Historic Loveland to welcome a brand new restaurant just in time for Summer. Introducing TAHONA Kitchen + Bar inspired by Mexican Street Style Food and “TAHONA” style Tequila!

    TAHONA Kitchen + Bar, which is a part of a local successful chain of restaurants called Looking Glass Hospitality, opened its first location in 2017 in Summit Park in Blue Ash. TAHONA, meaning “the large stone wheel that is used to crush the roasted hearts of agave known as piñas into a fermentable mash,” uses only the freshest produce and slow-roasted meats as well as freshly squeezed juices and homemade ingredients for their cocktails.

    Scott Schmidt, Founder of Looking Glass Hospitality, invited Loveland Magazine to take a tour of the newly renovated TAHONA Loveland, located at 117 Karl Brown Way, which is set to open on July 13th. Schmidt indulged us in an exclusive on-camera interview explaining just why TAHONA is the home of the Walking Taco and what the “time-honored TAHONA technique” entails when producing their Patron Roca Silver Tequila for their infamous TAHONA Margarita. From the TAHONA Pineapple Mango Guacamole to the Vegetable Marinated Tofu Corn Taco to the legendary Donut Holes; TAHONA has a little something for everyone! Did I mention they specialize in Tequila inspired cocktails like “The TAHONA” (made with homemade ginger syrup), “The Granada Mojito,” and of course Fruit Margaritas? TAHONA also serves a twist on an Old Fashioned called “Clyborne’s Peach Old-Fashioned,” which is to die for!

    After speaking with Schmidt and hearing all about the mouthwatering menu I knew we had to try out TAHONA immediately so myself, David Miller (LM Editor in Chief), and my boyfriend, Adam Ploof, headed down to TAHONA Blue Ash to try out the menu. We were so unbelievably pleased with the atmosphere, the food, and the cocktails that we decided to share our experience with you in addition to my interview with Mr. Schmidt!

    Without further ado, I bring to you Cassie The Food Guru’s TAHONA experience including a one-on-one on-camera interview with Founder Scott Schmidt and a food photo album of our dinner at TAHONA Blue Ash!

    While you wait for TAHONA Kitchen + Bar Loveland’s Grand Opening you can watch their progress on FaceBook. In the meantime see what’s happening at their location in Summit Park in Blue Ash.

    For more of Loveland’s new restaurant openings and food culture stay tuned to Cassie The Food Guru!

  • Rethinking Cinco de Mayo By Sudie Hofmann

    Rethinking Cinco de Mayo By Sudie Hofmann

    From, If we Knew our History Series from Teaching a People’s History, a Zinn Education Project

    Rethinking Cinco de Mayo

    By Sudie Hofmann

    I recently came across a flier in an old backpack of my daughter’s: Wanted: Committee Chairs for this Spring’s Cinco de Mayo All School Celebration. The flier was replete with cultural props including a sombrero, cactus tree, donkey, taco,

    The week before the event, I received a phone call from the PTSA coordinator. They wanted my help and I was elated. My joy, however, soon turned to disappointment: She wanted to know if I knew anyone who could “do the Mexican hat dance.” I’m not kidding. No. I did not.

    maracas, and chili peppers. Seeing this again brought back the moment when, years earlier, my daughter had handed the flier to me, and I’d thought, “Oh, no.” The local K-6 elementary school’s Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) was sponsoring a stereotypical Mexican American event. There were no Chicana/o students, parents, or staff members who I was aware of in the school community and I was concerned about the event’s authenticity. I presumed the PTSA meant well, and was attempting to provide a multicultural experience for students and families, but it seemed they were likely to get it wrong.

    Unfortunately, the holiday has been commercialized by the food and liquor industry and in the United States, Cinco de Mayo (similar to St. Patrick’s Day) has become an excuse to imbibe spirits and help Corona and Dos Equis beer companies improve their market share. Bars offer half-price margaritas and Tex-Mex fast-food chains see an increase in sales while sombreros and piñatas fly off the shelves of big-box party supply stores. Chicana/o youth are exposed to strong alcohol marketing campaigns with damaging stereotypes. Some groups have resisted, sponsoring Cinco de Mayo con Orgullo (Cinco de Mayo with Pride) celebrations. These nonalcoholic events focus on heritage and empowerment rather than on Mexican hat dances and drinking games.

            Read the full commentary HERE