I’m going to try something new and show a little more appreciation for all of the food I eat! I love going to restaurants and trying new things…so with the opening of a new restaurant in Dayton, I’ve decided to start reviewing the places I go….You may see some of my cooking too!

Thanks to a friend I was able to find out that a new place was opening in the Oregon District in downtown Dayton, Ohio. The restaurant is called Sidebar and is currently in it’s “soft opening.”

My friend Jess is a waitress there and had nothing but good things to say….naturally….

Well I’m not one to visit a restaurant without trying it out for lunch first. Give me a show in the evenings but lunch for most places is just food…and that’s what I love.

Well to my luck Sidebar was having its first lunch ever this Monday…so instead of hitting a usual place we opted for the new one!

The restaurant is surprisingly inviting and has used every inch of the building to their advantage. Hardwood with pounded metal gives the place a more down to earth, yet, sophisticated feel. Large windows allow the light to pour in making the otherwise classy dinner place…a nice casual lunch stop.

Now…this may be petty….but I enjoy the little things….and the water glasses and tableware were different from others that I’ve seen…I was impressed…I know…I’m a dork! But it’s the attention to detail in places like this that make the experience.

The prices were a bit off to me. This is a classy place but it’s lunch! A plate here is going to run from $11-$16 without a drink or dessert. I don’t really like paying over $10 for lunch and most places….Pasha’s in particular….you get an appetizer, entrée and dessert for $9.95! My advice is for them to package together some lunch options and lower the price…prep it prior to opening to cut the cost a bit.

The food however….ahhh the food….It was amazing and…frankly…worth the cost. I had the Chicken with Chimichurry sauce with rice and vegetables. The chicken was cooked to perfection and not dry at all…the sauce was the signature though and left me wanting more! Portion size overall was pretty good. I heard the chef specializes in kind of  French/Peruvian fusion…from what I saw this was spot-on.

Then we opted to split a dessert (Tim and I…since I drag him everywhere). We had a soft cake with a vanilla custard and whip cream. This was awesome as well…but for $7 a serving….kind of a splurge! I think the menu called it a layer cake.

When Sidebar celebrates its Grand Opening I think I will have to pay it another visit. The dining experience is great and would be perfect for any special occasion. The service was impeccable (Thanks Jess) and the food was everything to be expected.

She wasn't happy with me...

Hula Girl

Keg Stand

Horse vs. Drunk People

Well…Right now I’m trying to fend off a cold. And frankly it’s winning! This on top of all the of erratic weather patterns…well…This week can only go up from here!

There was also a kind of bittersweet moment to the week as well. I helped rescue a baby squirrel that seemed to be abandoned and dying. It was also being terrorized by some students. Tim and I did our best but sadly the baby squirrel didn’t make it. We did find some rat poison close to the site where we found her so that…coupled with the stress of almost being trampled by a band of evil students probably didn’t make for good odds.

Palmer Fest also happened this past weekend off of Campus…long story short….it was crazy as usual but I find it fun to photograph crazy drunk people! I didn’t stay for the entire event but apparently another couch was set on fire and some people were ran over by a police horse!

With the weather being the way it is though, I think I’m going to try and get out and photograph some waterfalls….hopefully this cold will stop soon!…If anyone has any good home remedies…or spells….or something….I’m willing! Haha!

Beatrix Kiddo the Squirrel....RIP

AND WOAH! I have almost reached 500 fans on Facebook! Find 8 of your friends and tell them to like me! And don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @nikonalex

What can I say about these past few weeks? They have been crazy to say the very least but somehow I’m still kickin’. Only 4 weeks now until I get the college diploma….for which I had to pay for….yes….I’m still irked over that!

Aside from all the educational trauma I’ve been suffering I have to say that other things have been going well. Just recently I made the cover of Over the Back Fence Magazine and I also have a picture in the next Ohio Magazine….It’s great to see my photos working for me!

Yesterday was a pretty busy day. Some of you may know that I’m President for the Ohio University chapter of NPPA. We frequently bring in speakers and yesterday we brought in two-time emmy award winner Eric Maierson from MediaStorm (a multimedia production company headed by Brian Storm). He gave a great presentation and inspired me to start hitting multimedia a little harder. I think this summer you’re going to see some more of it!

I’m also looking into some other things that have been on my mind for a bit…one of which is publishing something….what I’ll publish?….whoooo knows!….but I’m looking into it!

Also….the new section of the website is well on it’s way and will include the studio section of my work!

Remember to Become a Fan….or now they call it Like….of Alex Snyder Photography on Facebook and if you want to here me rant about my day….follow me on Twitter @nikonalex

Well this week has been a crazy one! The weekend was very busy with the 9th annual Shoot the Hills competition. We had over 180 entries and the weather was great….then bad….then great! The sudden storm, however, made for some great pictures! Everything went very smoothly with only a few glitches and the judges all did a great job!

Be sure to “Like” Shoot the Hills on Facebook for updates! http://www.facebook.com/ShootTheHills. Next year the contest is turning 10 and we’re going to do our best to make it memorable!

I’m also slightly poorer this week. I submitted my application for graduation and it set me back $85.00…..NOW……Here’s where I’m a little ticked off…..I’ve paid….well….A LOT….to the college. Why can’t they just give me a piece of paper. I mean I’ll even give them a piece of card-stock….just sign it and let me go!

I’ve also applied for graduate school!….I’m so done with filling out forms for this week that I’m just going to skip over details for now. My mind is numb.

Today was our weekly Soul of Athens meeting and the site is going to be amazing! Join us on Facebook for updates! We’ll be launching at the end of this quarter which is only a few weeks away! http://www.facebook.com/soulofathens

The pictures I’ve posted are from my parent’s house. I drove over today to pick up a few things and drop a few things off…..It’s essentially my personal warehouse…..Well I took the camera (of course) and just playing around grabbed a nice shot of Cooper and did a dip-tic of a dandelion….and whoooooo doesn’t love dandelions!!?? Well….I don’t…..but they make for good pictures! The Wisteria was looking nice as well!

Until next time!

Well I thought I would post something a little light-hearted today. And prove to everyone that it is possible to take pictures with camera phones and make them look presentable….Step 1) get an iPhone……Step 2)…..buy the Photoshop Application for iPhone! I also use a bunch of other Applications as well but that’s for another time.

I guess the message I want to convey here is that you don’t always have to lug around loads of equipment…..Yes….I have lost shots before but sometimes it’s better to enjoy the sunset rather than try to get the perfect frame….which will then be exploited to various publications for money. (and no…I’m not against that!)

But have some fun….grab the iPhone and go! Snap away….play around with it….make the picture your own!

This week….well…..this quarter has been a busy one! I’m pretty done with these 20 credit hours and all of the other work on top of that. The weather is so beautiful….or so I hear! …Ha Ha!

On a lighter note, though, things were rather exciting this past week. To start E.W. Scripps College of Communication hosted the Schuneman Symposium on Thursday and had a wide range of speakers primarily focusing on New Media (Twitter, Facebook, Blogging, etc…). The Keynote, however, was Ana Marie Cox who is probably the funniest person I have heard in a good while. I go to a lot of lectures and speeches and I can proudly say that I payed attention to this one. You can follow her on Twitter @anamariecox

“The internet is made up of cute animals….and porn” – Ana Marie Cox

This week Ohio University also hosted the annual Baker Peace Conference. I was asked to photograph the event that focused on Women’s Rights. The keynote for this event was Ayaan Hirsi Ali. I had heard of Ms. Ali before but to not a great extent. After hearing her speak, though, I was amazed. She is very well spoken and has gone through so much in her life……me being myself though…..I heard that she just purchased an iPad….so…..for the one on one time I had with her….we talked about the iPad!

She was kind enough to let me take a quick portrait of her….I wish I had more time to think about it…but her posture and the way she carries herself made for a decent photo!

So how is everyone liking the new website? The Senior and Wedding section is still in the works and hopefully will be up shortly…..keep checking for updates!

On a side note….I’m contemplating buying the iPad….if anyone has any comments or suggestions please let me know. I’ve pretty much decided that if I can type as well on it as I can on my laptop then I’ll buy one….what do you think?

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Ayaan Hirsi Ali