My latest business trip took me to Cincinnati, OH for a week. I had my hopes up because the "triple A" book for Ohio says that Cincinnati ranks second only to San Francisco for fine restaurants per capita in the US. Maybe so, but you wouldn't know it from what we found. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency downtaown. Their "fine" restaurant, Champs - an Italian chop house, is a definite pass. The food is only so-so, the service is terrible, the decor is dark and unappealing, and the lighting is low enough to have caused eye-strain (really!). We next tried Mallorca Restaurant on Sixth. Bad mistake! The four of us tried the roast goat, paella(sp), lamb, & lobster. Everything was VERY unforgettable. The place probably rates a visit by the health department, but not the eating public! The last "fine" restaurant on our list was the Maisonette, next door to the Mallorca. The food was OK, the service acceptable, but there the compliments end. The wine list was boring & VERY overpriced. The decor was too passive, the seating was too tightly bunched to enjoy dinner conversation, and the dessert list was totally unacceptable for a "fine" restaurant. This place rates a "go again" only if no better place can be found in town! On the positive side, we did find a little jewel in Cincinnati, Ciao Baby Cucina - which we'll write about some other time. Again on the negative side, the worst chili in the world is in Cincinnati. Cinnamon, chocolate, & nutmeg in chile? Wild Bill must be rolling in his grave! Robert Harmon
Cincinnati, OH