I F   Y O U   G O

Cody's Cafe Where: 48 W. McMillan St, (upstairs entrance at 113 Calhoun St.) Hours: Lunch, Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; brunch, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Happy Hour: 4 to 9 p.m. nightly, 4 to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Entertainment schedule Acoustic performances begin nightly at 9 p.m. Sunday is Open Mic Night. Check Cody's Web site for calendar information. Find out about other Internet cafes in Cincinnati.

By Alisha Woolery
Enquirer Contributor
for Cincinnati.Com

Inside one of the old brick buildings on Calhoun Street, in the heart of UC student traffic, is a restaurant/bar/cybercafe where you can spike your fruit smoothie with ginseng and perk up your coffee with a splash of rum.

During the day, Cody's Café is a favorite spot for the college crowd, who stop in for a gourmet pizza lunch or a study session over lattes. A rotating display of local artwork graces the bricked walls in the upstairs restaurant, which also features diner-like booths and an airy, relaxed atmosphere. The food is a fresh medley, with salads garnished by Gorgonzola cheese and homemade soups.

When the sun goes down, the tables are pushed aside for a lineup of local musicians who play seven nights a week. Regular artists include the Brian Newman Quartet, a jazz band, which usually plays on Monday nights, and other favorite performers like indie pop band Opi Yum Yum and electric rock group The Simpletons. The eclectic sounds can include anything from acoustic folk and rock, to drone pop - and Sunday through Thursday the shows are cover free.

The bar is upstairs, in a room next to the café, and is lined by gilded mirrors and tall stools. An impressive number of beers are on tap, and the place boasts a selection of more than 100 bottled and draft choices. There is also a selection of wine, frozen daiquiris and margaritas to add to the beer list—and an open biergarten to enjoy the libations and the warm weather.

Downstairs is the cybercafé, a hip basement hangout with souped-up computers, cozy retro furniture and the ever-scrumptious Smoothie Bar. Equipped with just about any fruit concoction possible, the smoothies can mix up healthy: strawberries, bananas and apple juice; or not: whipped cream, peanut butter, vanilla and chocolate. For the caffeine addict, choose from espressos straight-up, coffee with chocolate, or lattes with raspberry syrup.

While some people use the speedy Internet connections at the cybercafe's 22 computers just to check e-mail, others come for the networked games—like Counter-Strike or EverQuest. The gaming can get pretty intense and, for those outside the world of galactic conquest and futuristic warfare among aliens, a little weird. The downstairs is alcohol-free, so it's not uncommon to see a few teens playing a game of Deadly Dungeon Keeper 2.