Three Latest and Best

Even with the heat, what's best about this time of year? The long evenings where everyone seems ready to cram in the best of summer the week before the kids go back to school. Most of us think of August as "the hot month", but even the weather seemed to take a back seat in the past few days as we enjoy the best the sunsets have to offer. Welcome to Three Latest and Best: Long Summer Nights edition.

Dinner at Ruth's Chris: What do I love most about being a grown up? Nights like four of us had on Saturday when an impromptu dinner (after a day at the pool) turned into a leisurely supper of cocktails, snacks, steaks, and fine wine. The filets were great (all ordered differently prepared -- hint: get the roasted sweet peppers), the mashed potatoes hit the spot, and the noble bread pudding that arrived swimming in sauce was the perfect end. The wine? A 2004 Caymus Cabernet -- Napa cab goodness.

Bread from Jungle Jim's: The weekend found me in Cincinnati for a quick commando raid on Jungle Jim's. (We didn't have much time.) It seems like I try something new every time I go there and this was the first time we'd raided the bakery. And oh, what a raid it was! The bread was so delicious looking, we opened it in the car! The best? The olive rosemary and the cheddar jalapeno. Tip -- have them slice it for you fresh before they bag your loaf.

Sunday Night at Bella Vita: I'm not a regular at Bella Vita by any means, but as far as restaurants on lakes go, this one can be pretty darn good. The food? Expensive but edible. The service? Surprisingly efficient although it wasn't crowded. And the deck? Perfectly suited for watching the comings and goings of life on Geist. It was pleasantly uncrowded which we attributed to weather, school starting, and the algae scare, but we enjoyed it immensely! Say what you will about the bars and "beach" (and those oh-so-tacky neon lighted palm trees), but we had a blast. (Yes, I did play corn hole. Try not to faint.) Here's a special shout-out to Jim Arnold and his lovely wife (and their entire party) who looked terrific in their summer whites! After dinner, we piled back in the boat and headed out to the lake to watch the spectacular sunset. Hail to long summer nights!