Cincinnati - Senate & Ice Skating

We checked into our hotel and had a quick swim.  We had originally planned to go to the Cincinnati Zoo for the Christmas lights, but it was a cold, rainy night.  So the new plan was to go to someplace unique for dinner and come back and swim some more.  I found a place, called "Senate" that was listed on several, "must eat in Cincinnati" lists.  It was fairly close to our hotel so off we went.

Of all things, their specialty was hot dogs - but everything was gourmet.  We started with poutine.  The french fries were fried in duck fat, then it was topped with local cheese curds, braised shortrib and gravy.  We also opted to have a fried egg on top.  Delicious!  Camden did give it a try, but wasn't crazy about it.

She opted for a plain dog with fries and loved it.  She wasn't able to finish all the dog, so I did.  One of the best hot dogs I have ever had.  The waitress said a local butcher shop makes them specifically for the restaurant.

And yes, I did let her wear her cute, new PJs to dinner.

Kevin and I shared two dishes. Our hot dog of choice was called, "Lindsey Lohan".  The menu description was a beef hotdog, goat cheese, caramelized onions, bacon, arugula, balsamic & tons of drama.  These are some of our favorite things (minus the drama) and this did not disappoint.

We also got a non-dog option - a falafel taco.  It was good, but wasn't exactly what was described on the menu.

We were surprised when we pulled up to discover the restaurant was in a really cool park.  If it were not winter, we would have spent the evening playing here.  However, they did have an outdoor ice rink.  It was covered so we didn't have to worry about the rain.  Neither Kevin or I enjoy ice skating, but Camden was willing to give it a go on her own.

The blue helpers change the game a bit.  It sure makes the learning curve not so painful.

She first basically walked on the skates.

Thought that might be the end of the evening, but she got right back up!

Then she mastered the one-skate glide.

A little too confident, but really improving!  More importantly, she was having a great time while pushing her limits a bit.  Kevin and I were also enjoying the evening watching her.

She explained later that the "stupid" thing was the blade at the bottom of the skate.  "It would have been so much easier without that."

Bravely attempted twice without the blue safety...she really enjoyed this and requested to go again.  Maybe yet this winter...