Findlay Market

Findlay Market Tour circles the globe

Findlay Market Tour circles the globe

We met a true kindred spirit when we signed up for a Findlay Market Tour led by Barb Cooper (90 minutes, $30). She and her husband used to operate a fresh produce and specialty shop at the market. In 2012, she founded Cincinnati Food Tours (cincinnatifoodtours.com) to show visitors the ins and outs of the market. Her company has expanded to offer nine different tours, but the Findlay Market tour is the original. Just as Findlay Market, completed in 1852, is itself an original. It's the oldest continuously operating public market in Ohio. Like all such markets in the pre-supermarket days, it provided fresh produce, meat, and fish to city residents, including the large German population of its Over-the-Rhine neighborhood (OTR). “In the last 10...Read More
Chili, bbq, fine dining, social justice rise in Queen City

Chili, bbq, fine dining, social justice rise in Queen City

Cincinnati chili was the lure. We always have high hopes for any community that has its own food specialty, especially if it's a signature fast food. It means that the folks who live there take pride in their traditions—and it usually signals a strong dining culture. That proved to be the case when we spent a few days eating our way around Cincinnati this summer. The Queen City has all the hallmarks of a great dining destination. In addition to that chili, we discovered delicious and eye-poppingly colorful raspberry chocolate chip ice cream at Graeter's. A welcoming breakfast and lunch place crossed the traditional breakfast sandwich with pimento cheese. We dined at an upscale riverfront barbecue institution as well as an elegant gourmet restaurant whose...Read More