Stay, Eat, Drink: A Weekend In Cincinnati, Ohio (Slideshow)
The 21c Museum Hotel first opened in Louisville and quickly expanded to Cincinnati. The Cincinnati outpost is located just steps from the Aronoff Center for the Arts and the Contemporary Arts Center.
Museum and Hotel
It's both a boutique hotel and an art museum that's free and open to the public.
Corner Suite
The corner suite at the 21c offers a dining area, living area, and original art throughout.
Reading Material
Get acquainted with the city by reading Cincinnati Magazine or Edible Ohio Valley.
Rookwood Pottery
Cincinnati legends of design, Rookwood Pottery, designed these tiles specifically for the 21c. The various body part tiles are scattered around each bathroom in the 156 rooms.
Eat: Metropole
21c's restaurant, Metropole is headed by executive chef Michael Paley. The tile flooring is original to the building. If you're lucky, you'll have the chance to dine with one of their signature quirks, the yellow penguin.
Taste of Belgium
Founder of Taste of Belgium, Jean-François Flechet, brought a cast-iron waffled maker from Belgium to Cincinnati in 2007, and started making his tasty waffles in the back of a produce store in Ohio's oldest continuously operated public market, Findlay Market. After the lines got longer and longer, Flechet opened his own stand and now have five locations, two of which are full service restaurants.
Bakersfield
If you want Bakersfield's famous tacos, you'll have to go early. The tables fill up by 5:30 on weekends, but you'll still find plenty of people braving the (sometimes) two hour wait.
Holtman's Donuts
Holtman's opened in Cincinnati in 1960. They now have three locations, the most recent being in Over-The-Rhine. The family-owned business makes all their doughnuts from scratch and in-house.
Maple Bacon Doughnut
The maple bacon is one of their more popular flavors so get there early before they sell out.
The Eagle
Housed in a former post office, The Eagle is known for their fried chicken. They offer around 100 different beers, including local craft.
Kaze
Kaze is a Japanese sushi bar and gastropub located on Vine Street. They offer a contemporary dining room, a lounge, and a year-round beer garden.
Orchids at Palm Court
Orchids at Palm Court is Cincinnati's only four-star restaurant. It was named Cincinnati's best restaurant by Cincinnati Magazine every year since 2009. Pictured here is executive chef Todd Kelly on the roof with their herbs on the left, and on the right is pastry chef Megan Ketover in front of their old-school oven.
The Anchor
The Anchor is located adjacent to the recently renovated Washington Park. Chef/owner Derek dos Anjos, formerly of New York's Mary's Fish Camp, brings oysters from both coasts, Maine sea scallops, and whole grilled fish to Cincinnatians.
Drink: 1215 Wine Bar & Coffee Lab
For all your coffee and wine needs, go to 1215 on Vine Street where they offer wine classes, have live jazz, happy hour, and a sidewalk patio.
Moerlein Lager House
Located across the street from Great American Ball Park, the Moerlein Lager house offers over 100 beers, on tap, bottled, and canned. For $10 you can get a tour of the space, and trust us, it's worth it for how much history the brewery has. If you're lucky, you'll get a surprise visit from the owner of Christian Moerlein Brewing Company and Cincinnati beer baron, Greg Hardman.
Rhinegeist Brewery
Rhinegeist Brewery, celebrating their first anniversary this month, is located in the former Moerlein bottling plant in Cincinnati's brewery district. The building was built in 1895.