I visited Cincinnati for a couple of days during the summer. I have a friend who lives there, and he has the same kind of love and enthusiasm for his adopted hometown as I do Pittsburgh, so it was about time I went and checked out the city for myself.
On my first night, we went to
Nada, a trendy downtown joint, for Mexican and margaritas. I had heard good things about Nada before so I was looking forward to trying it out. My friend and I split two orders of
tacos: shrimp and pork belly and both were fantastic.
![Pork Belly Tacos at Nada (Cincinnati)](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7340/11267279534_af8ef093bf.jpg) |
Pork Belly Tacos |
![Shrimp Tacos at Nada (Cincinnati)](http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2877/11267250906_c4b21cae2e.jpg) |
Shrimp Tacos |
On my second night we dined at Nada's sister restaurant,
Boca, which happens to be my friend's favorite restaurant and had recently relocated to its current downtown space, right next to Nada. I somewhat wish I had taken photos of the interior of Boca because it is elegant and luxurious with an old-world charm (you can find some professional photos
here). Over a bottle of fancy wine, my friend and I split the signature
Caramelized Brussels Sprouts, topped with scallops, which were nicely done. I also had the
Mediterranean Sea Bass, served with a bouillabaisse sauce, braised leeks, and mussels. The sea bass itself was pan roasted to crispy goodness. The service at Boca, like its food, was also top-notch.
![Caramelized Brussels Sprouts at Boca (Cincinnati)](http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7298/11267325723_ac215133e8.jpg) |
Caramelized Brussels Sprouts |
![Mediterranean Sea Bass at Boca (Cincinnati)](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5471/11267273894_6c1f098de8.jpg) |
Mediterranean Sea Bass |
Before leaving Cincinnati, I made a stop at
Findlay Market, an awesome public market in Over-the-Rhine. There, I found my favorite place in Cincinnati:
Colonel De Gourmet Herbs and Spices. Talk about a kid in a candy shop! Colonel De carries an impressive (500+!) collection of spices, herbs, blends, rubs, salts, and more. Many of these products I have never even heard of, and some are the shop's own creations. The Colonel himself was there—great guy, by the way—and I spoke with him for some time about recipe ideas. I only picked up a handful of items that I knew I could use, but I would really love to try out some of his specialty spices sometime in my recipes, once I figure out how to use them. Luckily, Colonel De offers online shopping.
![Colonel De (Cincinnati)](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3830/11267420213_1655bf763a.jpg) |
Colonel De |
![Colonel De (Cincinnati)](http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3830/11267420213_1655bf763a.jpg) |
Colonel De |
![Colonel De (Cincinnati)](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5508/11267416053_0235339b3e.jpg) |
Colonel De |
All in all, it was a lovely visit to Cincinnati with good food, good company, and a really good find!