Metropole Restaurant at 21c Museum Hotel

I have only been to Metropole for drinks, but they were awesome. They make shrubs (an ancient fruit preservation technique by using fruits and vinegars) in-house. The clementine shrub is the best.

Go now (september)! It's bourbon recognition month--or something--in Cincinnati right now and they have a whole menu devoted to it. You can do these bourbon shooters in a set of four that really just look like four shots. Hone your palate. I went for the margarita on the waiter's recommendation but it was a little sweet for my taste. Should've done the bourbon.

The burnt carrot salad is stellar.

Wander through the 21c museum while you're there. Funky stuff--check out the whole exhibition of camels--and super cool that it's there with the restaurant and hotel. It's all contemporary work (post-2000) and most of the stuff is from the past few years. It includes a range of artists' work from famous to emerging.

Burnt carrot salad!! Is delicious. All the food I've had here has been really good. It's kind of a classic, upscale hotel-style restaurant.

Had some drinks here and they're not my favorite. Trying hard, but not quite pulling it off.

Grab a drink and wander around the art gallery on the other side of the lobby and upstairs while you wait for a table. Or go to the rooftop bar (access in the alley between the building and Nicholson's, you'll see a bouncer who will let you into the elevator) and get a popsicle cocktail! Honestly, while the food is really good, it's not as exciting as the rest of the experience.

I've eaten here a couple of times - one dinner was a bit bland but the other meals were all delicious. I've heard mixed reviews but other than that one time, I've always had amazing meals and thought both the drink and food menus were unique. If the warm octopus salad is on the menu, it's delicious.