Greetings from Cincinnati! Although technically close enough to visit on a day trip, we decided to do a mini “stay-cation” and spend the whole weekend exploring all of the events, bars, and of course FOOD the city had to offer. And we weren’t disappointed!
Findlay Market
Naturally, the first foodie stop in any city is a marketplace. Although North Market (Columbus) and Chelsea Market (New York City) both have my heart, Findlay Market was a nice smaller version with plenty of options to fill our bellies. After taking a quick stroll through the vendors (PSA—soo many shops with fresh fruits and veggies, I wish I could have taken some home with us!), we were starving and ready to smash. After passing Eli’s BBQ, we couldn’t help but let the smell of pulled pork and hot ribs lure us in. The boyfriend dubbed the beef ribs “the best he’s ever had”, and I’d agree with him! They fell right off the bone and the BBQ sauce was the perfect addition.
While he munched on his ribs, I swiped a breakfast sammie from the little outdoor tent called “Grind on The Rhine”. I got a chance to talk to the guys running the operation, and they let me know that they had just started and were hoping to get their own brick-and-mortar store up and running in Cincinnati one day. Hit me up when that happens boys, because I’ll be back for some more dippy egg sandwiches any day.
Obviously we were both pretty stuffed from ribs and breakfast sandwiches, so dessert were a few macarons each from Taste of Belgium. You’ll never hear any bad words about macarons from me. YUM.
Sunshine and Cincinnati
After shopping around a bit, we headed out from Findlay Market to find a sunny patio to sit and have a drink. Let me tell you, we found one.
The outdoor drinking spot of ALL spots.
Rooftop patio, perfect summer weather, and a John Daly in the shade.
At one point, I remember thinking that this was the moment where life peaked. It might have been the boozy Arnold Palmer talking, but I was in some serious bliss.
And LOOK at that pour. No space wasted—my kind of bartender. 🙂
Although we weren’t hungry, we couldn’t help but notice all of the amazing smelling/looking/etc. food that was brought out to the tables while we were sippin’. (Spoiler alert, we ended up coming back here for dinner later that same night.) I got a veggie burger and fries and would recommend it to anyone. My boyfriend got the “Spicy” burger. And well, let’s say it was very accurately named. Spicy lovers, this burger is for you, but make sure you order an extra water on the side!
After stopping at Kruegar’s Tavern for a few drinks, we continued on our little bar hop to The Eagle. Even though we’ve been to The Eagle in Columbus plenty of times, we haven’t tried the Cincinnati location, and the day was starting to get pretty hot—that always calls for a Bourbon Punch!
Booze & Oysters
After a quick nap and shower, we headed to The Anchor for a few cocktails and an appetizer. If you know me or follow @crave_columbus on Instagram, you know we LOVE oysters. That means pretty much anytime I’m in a new city, I scout out the best oyster happy hour deal and check it out. Luckily, The Oyster had oysters on happy hour on this Friday night from 5-7pm for $1.50/oyster, which is a pretty good deal! The Anchor included a few sauces for the oysters that were new to us. My fave was the light pink ramekin, which was “grapefruit shaved ice” according to our server. Yum.
After a few cocktails each (“The Spanish Armada” on the left for him, and “Gone Fishing” on the right for me), we headed back to Kruegar’s Tavern for a delicious dinner. We both agreed that Kruegar’s Tavern was #1 on our list next time we come back to Cincinnati!
That is, until we had brunch the next morning. I loved Maplewood’s atmosphere, brunch menu, and staff SO much that I’ve decided to dedicate an entire post to the restaurant, so stay tuned!
Until next time, Cincinnati.
