An introduction... to my soapbox

There seems to be a trend in the local bars and restaurants, and thankfully, it's trending up. That trend, which was M.I.A. 10 years ago, is slowly growing, and to my surprise, Cincinnatians aren't fighting it as much as I thought. It is creativity. Confidence. Curiosity. Education. No more are the masses lining up and being herded into the exact same drink, same music and same cliche menu items from spot to spot. There's interest in knowing more and trying something new. I remember when I was in college (granted that was 15 years ago), I was the goof-ball of my pack of friends. I was the guy who spent a little extra money and bought better beer for the parties. I took a lot of heat, but in the end, I drank better, and I was much happier. What stands out the most about that time is the fact that I had a running list of bars in town that served better beer. The list was short. That list if made today, would easily be ten times the size that it was. Did anyone even know, let alone drink, Belgian Ales or IPA's ten years ago? No. It excites me to see the masses not wanting to settle for the vanilla option anymore. I love seeing a beer list with one maybe two token domestic premium beers, followed by a well thought-out laundry list of imports and micro-craft beers that satisfy curiosity and work with the menu. I love the same attention given to the wine list or the cocktail list. And the menu? I understand there has to be some old favorites, but when 9 out of 10 restaurants have the exact same items with subtle seasoning variations, come on. Give me a break.
One evening I went to a new restaurant downtown. I figured I'd give it some business, check it out, see what it had to offer. What did I find? Caesar salad, potato skins, sliders, Miller Lite specials, blah blah blah. Why make the trip? For the casual visitor who works downtown and commutes out in the evening, why should they stay for happy hour? To spend more money than they should on exactly the same thing that they could get from the Applebee's next to their condo? I left terribly disappointed. Did I return? Yeah, I did, but only because I felt that I should give it another fair shake. I haven't been back a third time. This is far too common. I'm not suggesting that restaurateurs be so crazy, unique that everyone is scared to try their place out, but show us that you cared enough to think outside of the box. It goes the same for wine lists, beer lists and cocktail menus. If I look at one more featured martini list that has a Cosmopolitan or an Apple martini on it, I'll scream. I can get that ready-made in a tin can at a local drive-thru. You don't need to put it on your "featured" list. As far as the wine list is concerned, unless I'm at 4 or 5 star restaurant, I don't need to see how good your wine buyer is at spending money by having 300 wines on the list. That's not impressive. What is impressive, is having a 25-50 bottle list that covers all of the bases for the concept, has a nice range of price, and compliments the hell out of the chef and his menu.
All that having been said, I don't want everyone to think I'm some sort of a beer or wine snob. I just plugged down a can of Burger beer this evening after work. The Cosmopolitan martini... I have no problem with a bar serving or selling it, just know its' place. Potato skins and sliders, I love them. I just don't love them when they cost $13.95 and I'm going out for a night on the town. I can make 'em at home. Usually better. Give me something special. Now if you make the absolute best potato skin in the world, and you do something no one else does, then by all means, keep it going. But let's be honest, that's not happening. If you're some little mom-n-pop neighborhood spot, than that's OK. Give me wings and cheese sticks. But, when you're the next big thing, moving into a high profile spot downtown or in Hyde Park, and you have press releases and the whole nine yards, don't get me all excited for cookie-cutter, blah blah blah.