This review is based on my lunch experience.
I met a friend here for lunch a few weeks ago and since she knew the bartender we ate at the bar. The bartender Chris was very knowledgeable and super nice to us both.
I ordered the Metropole drink and it was very good for my lunch I had the beef tongue with pickled red onions and arugula on blue oven bread and also ordered a side of fries which were served with pickle dressing.
The tongue was great and not tough at all, the fries however were a disappointment.
I also ordered a Beet Shrub and I highly suggest getting one.
After lunch we got a personal tour of the terrace.
there were 5 of us last evening for dinner prior to May Festival. Overall the 21 C Hotel concept is so needed for our city. Â Kudo's on the the look and ambiance. I like the look and feel that is suitable for jeans to tux's. I wish the noise level could be tempered, but that seems to be the trend with most of the recent additions to our downtown dining scene. Â I applaud the ecclectic and creative menu and wine options. Our table was please with the food and flavors we received. There seem to be plenty of servers but seemed somewhat disorganized. I have a thing about having to guess who ordered what, when courses arrive. Is ok at Frischs, but that is about it. Â There should be an ordering procedure, that identifies who is who at each table. Â The order stays the same throughout the process. An entree was missing for one of party, it was prepared and delivered in about 12 minutes, as others were finishing. Â But that can happen anywhere. Thankfully management did the right thing for our guest. That is the key thing. I would return. Â It is a comfortable experience. max f
Review Source:Great Experience. Went here after a show at the Aronoff Center - it is very conveniently located. Our server was fantastic, and our food was very good. I wouldn't rank it as high as Proof on Main in Louisville, but it was a very good experience overall. We tried almost everything on the menu (a group of 5 splitting so everyone could have a taste). The best, I thought, were the seared octopus and the sweetbreads. I thought sweetbreads (having never tried them) would be more like liver, which I don't care for, but they were amazing! The dessert was the only disappointment, and I think that is because it wasn't as good as the dessert I had at Proof on Main. Overall a wonderful experience and will be sure to eat here again. One note, we had to make an adjustment to our already made open table reservation, and that somehow ended up removing our open table reservation, so we didn't get points...just make a note of it if you are looking for points, any change to the reservation apparently cancels it through open table.
Review Source:Did New Years Eve here and was very pleased. You pay top dollar, but I think it is worth the cost. The service issues mentioned in earlier reviews seemed to have cleared up. Only downsides: house music was pretty loud, and the large plastic penguins kept falling over which was very annoying.
Review Source:I somehow overlooked the Cincinnati opening of Proof's (Louisville) sister restaurant! I can honestly say the best thing I have ever eaten came from a plate at Proof and I haven't found a place with the same ambience over the years. After finding out this morning, I new I had to go for lunch immediately.
We arrived a little before 1pm and lunch ends at 2. The place had a few tables with business folk, but the dining area wasn't crowded at all. Our waiter was friendly and dressed as casually as we were, which was comfortable. The decor is simple, contemporary and clean. It's larger than I thought it would be and lots of open space with wooden dividers breaking up the surrounding areas. Being a charcuterie fanatic, the open kitchen was my absolute favorite feature.
We ordered the Ploughman's plate, fries with pickle aioli, seared olives, cauliflower soup and the fried shrimp poe boy. Nothing disappointed.
After reading reviews about small portions, I was surprised that the charcuterie plate was pretty substantial and ended up taking half of it home. It came with house salami, aged cheese, a 7 hour egg (delicious), some relish, mustard and amazing smokey bread. The olives were of many varieties and served warm after being seared. I hate taking pits out of my mouth and putting them on my plate, but I would order them again. The fries weren't anything special, but they were cooked perfectly. The aioli was mellow in flavor, but rich and yummy. The cauliflower soup was thick, silky and had a very sweet garnish that worked well. I'm not sure what it was, but the bite I had tasted like sugary pickled raisins. The shrimp were cooked perfectly in the poe boy although by the time I tried it, the breading was soggy.
It ended up being $40 for a two person lunch with coffee. Kind of pricey, but I can't wait to go back. I highly recommend this spot for lunch and will be back for drinks soon in the evening. Bottom line...is it Proof on Main? No. But this is the closest thing to it I've experienced and am so excited Cincinnati has a restaurant of it's kind.
Metropole is the bar/lounge/restaurant in the 21C Museum Hotel. Â It's supposed to be based on open flame/fire/oven cooking. Â My rating is based on a combination of 2 dinner visits, one time in the lounge area, and a couple times at the bar.
Metropole definitely has a very nice decor. Â They incorporate aspects of the original building and stylishly update everything. Â I don't know if it's just me, but I feel like it's pretty warm / hot inside the restaurant, maybe because of the open fire.
The food itself is good, but I wouldn't say spectacular, which I feel like is the norm for Cincinnati. Â I went during the opening week and had the roast chicken and my friend had the steak, which were both very good. Â They do change the menu frequently based on what fresh local ingredients are available, which is both good and bad.
The octopus appetizer was very interesting and good. Â Not like sushi-style octopus, which is chewy (and I like), but was almost like meat in texture. Â
Service has always been very good. I've seen reviews about it being bad, but have never experienced that. Â
The bar and lounge are also excellent areas, if not better than the restaurant. Â Very good specialty cocktails, which I've had a couple. Â Lots of different beers available. Good selection of wines and big selection of bourbons. Â
Bottom line, it's a excellent upscale bar/lounge and good restaurant.
After reading the previous reviews, I nearly cancelled my reservation-- glad I didn't! Â Metropole delivered a wonderful meal with excellent service. Â The atmosphere was a bit noisy, but the high energy in the room made up for it. Â Salads are on a par in freshness and originality with John Robert's Table. Â The pork entree was actually a boneless short rib -- so tender and delicious. Â Wine selection was above average with several Pinot Noirs that deserve a second look. Â All in all a great experience.
Review Source:I really wanted Metropole to be as good as Proof on Main at the Louisville 21C, so I went in with pretty high expectations. Â That was my fault.
That being said there we a few few really good menu items; foie gras, octopus that you could get past even the pickiest eater, and the charcuterie selections. Our server was somewhat knowledgable and friendly, but couldn't tell me where some of the menu items originated, a must for a place boasting a fresh and local menu.
Where Metropole really falls short is the overall experience of dining. Â The ambience- loud, stark white and a little obnoxious. Â The wood-fired menu- fine for a few items but too much for the entire menu. Surprisingly the most memorable item was the slightly smokey bread they serve. Â I'm craving some now. I suggest using the oven for bread every night and adding a pizza night on Sunday. Â My prediction is Cincinnati will tire of this cooking method before the end of the next 100 degree heat wave in July. Â Then what will they do?
Metropole is the bar/lounge/restaurant in the new 21C Hotel that recently opened with a lot of fan fair. The 4 star rating is based on a combination of my  experiences at both the restaurant and the bar/lounge. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and offers a lot of ambiance, we went there for a friends birthday, having made reservations well in advanced we were treated to a semi-private table, which was a pleasant surprise. The food itself was good, but not spectacular, and for the price point, I was expecting spectacular. I ordered the bison burger at medium and I probably should have gone with medium-rare.
Now on to the bar/loung which if I were rating this place, based solely on that, I would have given it 5 stars. For me, Metropole offers everything I want from a bar/lounge, it sets just the right mood and tone for a truly chic evening. The drinks are higher end, but still affordable, and the wait staff serves you on comfy couches (which I find much more pleasant than bar stools).
My advice, go to dinner somewhere less expensive and then enjoy a night cap at the Metropole bar/loung.
My friend and i decided to try Metropole last night and definitely have mixed reviews. Â We had a late reservation on Saturday night and i was happy to see that the restaurant was still at 90% capacity. Â It's great to see Cincinnati night life buzzing despite the present economy. Â I liked the restaurant's neutral colored interior including the oversized windows despite being drafty on a chilly February night. Â Our server was quick to approach our table for our drink order but we waited at least 20 minutes or so until she returned with our drinks. Â Glancing over at the bar, i noticed no sense of urgency from the bartender to get servers drinks out. The bar wasn't even as full as the restaurant. Â I blame this on management who i saw had more interest flirting with the ladies rather than paying attention to service that night. Â
For our first course, we ordered the foie gras and the yellowfin tuna. Â Unfortunately, like a lot of other reviews on Yelp, the food took too long to come out of the kitchen. Â I was a big fan of the foie gras. Â It was grilled perfectly and the accompaniments on the plate had a great balance of acidity and texture. Â On the other hand, the tuna was just ok and it didn't wow us. Â Our main courses consisted of the sirloin and the duck breast. Â We had the duck breast prepared rare which was done perfectly but unfortunately the treviso, which the duck breast was served on top of, was cold. Â If it wasn't for that, i would of liked this dish. Â The sirloin was probably the biggest let down of the night. Â We still haven't figured out what happened to this poor piece of "meat". Â It almost tasted as if it was boiled in brine and thrown on a grill for a few minutes and tossed on a plate. Â It was prepared medium like we asked but, that too, was cold after a minutes of being served.
I really want this restaurant to work. Â It's such a great concept in a city filled with mediocre food experiences. Â Some advice if they care: I think the management needs tweaked a little. Â Pay attention to service! What else are you hired for? Â It definitely needs better talent at the hostess station (I wasn't going to let being barked at by one of the women in the front to ruin my dining experience). Â I also think they looked understaffed. Â Despite all these short comings, i'll still give 3 stars and I think i'd spend another $210 for dinner here just to see if they improve. Â Only time will tell.
I had the pleasure if trying out Metropole's lunch menu today. Something they just started this week. It was fantastic. I highly recommend the burnt carrot & avocado salad. The service is superb, the dining area is comfortable, and it's SO fun to watch Chef Paley in his open air kitchen. I'm dying to go back and try the "shrub" drinks - a vinegar based syrup beverage with your choice of clementine, blood orange or beet flavoring. Intriguing! Until next time...
Review Source:Rating on a curve, but for a guy who lives in Austin and previously San Francisco, Metropole, specifically the bar, is 5-star in my book for Cincinnati. Had a great variant on the old-fashioned (the "Don & Dirty"), and a delicious bison burger with grilled tomato and homemade pimento cheese... perfect end to a long travel day and a great introduction to downtown Cincinnati!
Review Source:food is actually good if you don't mind waiting at least 75-90 minutes for it - this place might be happening but I have no idea how long it will happen - it is mismanaged when you wait over 30 minutes after having a confirmed reservation and then 90 minutes for your food - maybe they should not change their menu so often then they would know what they are doing - not too mention the extremely high prices - I have been their two times - there will not be # 3
Review Source:I went to Metropole for my birthday and I was incredibly impressed with the service. Â The valet wasn't that bad, the food was great and the wine was fantastic. Â We had to wait for a bit to get our car, but we were able to wait inside which helped. Â
The food was good, but not spectacular. Â The portions were incredibly small, and the table seating was really close together and felt less intimate than I would have liked.
The penguins were cute though.
I love the lounge for drinks and charcuterie. I really like the olives. The steak was great and fully flavorful with a nice smoky taste.
One night we went after a Bengals game in our gear. We had to sit at the community table since we had no reservation but ended up having an amazing conversation with another local chef that lasted late into the night. It was a whole lot of fun and we will definitely do it again.
Great food, atmosphere, staff, one complaint: NO HAPPY HOUR! Boo! C'mon help a local sister out!
Beautiful venue! While dining, we all kept repeating that the restaurant did not feel like Cincinnati, this place reminded me of Chicago or some other city. Our group of 4 dined on SHAVED KOHLRABI, CHARRED FOIE GRAS, WAYGU TARTARE, SEARED OCTOPUS, which were all mouth watering. Our server was very knowledgeable ad quite pleasant. The entrees were not as good as the appetizers.
METROPOLE BURGER were outstanding, the men absolutely loved them. The ladies dined on the Tagliatelle Pasta (which was just ok) and Swordfish (which was just ok). Overall a good dining experience. We have reservations forValentines Day tasting menu. Im sure it will be a good one.
Growing pains. Went on a quiet Weds night after New Years. The bar service was great and the house cured charcuterie was delectable. Beyond that, things got dicey. Undercooked pasta, DRY chicken. The pork was delicious, but nothing I can't do at home. I will try it again as the atmosphere and bar are fantastic. I will give it some time to settle in.
Review Source:Oh Metropole. I really wanted you to be great, but you were just OK.
Our party of four was seated at 8:30, but we didn't order food until 9:15.
Our food did not come until around 10:15, and we didn't leave until 11 because it took eons to get our bill. For such a trendy restaurant, they really need to get their crap together.
I do appreciate the giant yellow penguins that they move around from table to table. My friend and I were pretty tipsy from drinking wine while waiting for our food, and stole a penguin from the table next to us And entertained ourselves by taking pictures with it.
Another complaint, the wine and cocktail list looked like word vomit on a page. The font was tiny and the layout sucked. To an already drunk person, it was hard to read.
I was in Cincinnati visiting some family, and they took us to Metropole. Â They had been here before and really talked it up. Â I was ready to be underwhelmed, but surprisingly I was not. Â This place was great! Â
The place had a neat kitschy vibe to it which was very comfortable. Â The servers and greeters were very nice and definitely made you feel welcome. Â I dropped some of my drink (the mellow yellow - bad name, good drink) when I tripped over a small stair I didn't see, and they replaced it quickly with no charge. Â It made me feel like they really wanted me to enjoy myself. Â
The food was excellent as well. Â The octopus was fabulous. Â Very tender and not rubbery at all. Â The Brussels sprouts and kale were surprisingly delicious as well. Â Even my husband liked them and he normally hates Brussels sprouts. Â The eggplant was only so-so, but you can't like everything. Â The pork and polenta, however, were out of this world. Â My husband said the polenta was the best he had ever tasted, and he couldn't decide whether that or the pork was the best part of the whole meal. Â For a meat-eater like him, that is saying something. Â
Anyways, summary is: great place for a nice meal.
My partner and I ate for the first time at the Metropole on 12/21/12. Â Our first impression was not at all good: we were taken to a table so close to our neighbors that we'd be sitting as close to a stranger as to each other, which wasn't what we wanted for a romantic dinner. I asked the waiter if we could just be moved to one of the empty two-tops that were open and he replied with a withering "No, I can't *just* move you anywhere. Â You can go back up front and see what they can do." Â
They were friendlier "up front" and moved us to another table, where we had a friendly waiter who told us a lot of interesting facts about the hotel's renovation and brought us very good food. Â I ordered the trout, which was some of the best I've had. Â The sides were unusual and tasty - we especially enjoyed the cauliflower with pomegranate. Â Once we got past the hurdle of the initial arrogant server, it was a great meal and evening!
We had dinner at the Metropole with some friends. Â The atmosphere is quite nice - contemporary but comfortable. Â Some of the tables had stuffed penguins which is a bit kitschy and seems out of place for a retaurant service $25+ entrees.
The menu changes frequently which is a good thing if you want to eat there on a regular basis. Â The night we had dinner there the menu seemed rather ordinary compared to some others I have seen online. Â That being said, we all thought our appetizers, salads and entrees were outstanding. Â The best entree of the night was walleye with a perfectly crispy skin and the Arugula salad with burrata cheese was excellent.
Unfortunately the food could not make up for the poor service. Â When arriving at the restaurant I asked to purchase a gift card for a friend. Â Instead of seating us and delivering the gift card to the table, the hostess disappered for 10 minutes to complete the gift card order. Â We waited at least 25 minutes between our appetizers and entrees with finished cocktails and nothing to drink - we couldn't even find a server to flag down as there were none on the dining room floor. Â Perhaps the oddest part of the service was that after setting the food down, our server stood at our table and watched us eat - it was sort of creepy.
Based on the food, which I would rate in the 4+ category, I would definitely return to Metropole and give it another try. Â I do recognize that all new restaurants have some service kinks - but the service was so bad I can only give a 3 star review.
So you want to wander a little and impress a lady on a date? grab a drink at the bar and wander around the mini museum, bonus points for playing with the interactive exhibit and getting on the elevator and seeing the displays on every floor. Great for a quick 30 minute intermission on a planned outing.
Review Source:Had a wonderful dinner @ Metropole w/ family home for holidays. Excellent service from the bartender (Ryan) to our waiter (Matthew). Chef Paley does an amazing job - we all loved the brussel sprouts & kale even though many of us thought we didn't even like brussel sprouts & kale! The potato soup & swordfish were excellent. Loved the environment and eclectic feel of the hotel & artwork. What a wonderful asset to Cincinnati!
Review Source:Having worked and stayed in Louisville I am a huge fan of the 21C hotel. So when I saw that 21C Cincinnati finally opened I wanted to give the restaurant a try. Since I didn't have a reservation I decided to eat at the bar. I ordered the Metropole Burger which was served with fries. I also ordered a brussel sprout salad for starters. I requested the burger to be cooked medium rare and when the burger arrived it was over cooked. Basically the chef just ruined the burger. The Metropole Burger was dry and had no flavor. How disappointing for a new restaurant with such hype to not be able to cook a simple burger to a medium rare temperature. Maybe that is a Midwest thing. The bar staff also seemed to be unfriendly and disinterested. I also couldn't eat the brussel sprout salad. It was horrible. Next year when back in Cincinnati I will stay at the hotel and try the restaurant again. I will also update this review.
Review Source:What a disappointment!  Starting with the wine--Bottles begin in the $40 range.  Menu has something for everyone.  Charcuterie was skimpy but tartar came with a very generous  portion of grainy mustard.  Too much smokey food.  Move on.  Besides the food coming out slowly, the entrees were cold as well as boring.  Initial service was slow but friendly and well informed.  Beautiful space.  Need to pick up on  the food.
Review Source:This week, the 21c Hotel made its debut in Cincinnati with tremendous fanfare, riding on the impressive reputation established by the flagship location in Louisville. Brought to life through the site formerly known as the Metropole Hotel, 21C management chose to retain this name and designate it to the main floor restaurant. Â If you are expecting Proof on Main, the acclaimed restaurant in the Louisville location, evidence of similar culinary magic is sorely lacking in Metropole. While I usually expect a few inconsistencies of experience during week 1, I was not counting on the absence of even a singular example of remarkable food in what has been billed as a high-end establishment.
We started our meal with a significant delay of service. The only item that made it to the table in the first 15 minutes of seating was some sparkling water. Our waiter Dave was friendly and seemed to be very confident in his command of the menu. He started the description by advising that 2 of the items were not even available. Given that our seating was at 8 pm, I was somewhat surprised by this announcement, but opening week doesn't provide the kitchen with sufficient benchmarks of demand.
As I placed my order, the waiter strongly suggested that I change my beer choice to something that he believed would pair better with my first course. Dave assured me that everyone prior to me, to whom he had made a similar recommendation, had been pleased with his advice. I have to say that I usually avoid beer infused with fruit flavors and this time was no exception. I doubt I would ever choose to consume this brand of beer again.
In general, I would argue that Metropole tries to present the diner with a menu of eclectic ingredients, sometimes to the detriment of the objective: producing a delightfully delicious meal that will make people want to return time and again.
For our appetizers, we selected Seared Octopus with Fennel Two Ways & Smoked Grapefruit and Charred Foie Gras with Three Onion Types and Toast. The first course came to our table within 8 minutes of the order being placed which made me suspect that the dishes had been prepared well in advance and simply plated with much haste. The dual preparations of fennel were both flat and the tiny octopus had a rubbery texture. The strong citrus flavor of the grapefruit overwhelmed our palates to the detriment of the dish's intended flavor profile. The Foie Gras was prepared correctly but the three onion sauce was cooked to excess, the burnt flavor lingering in my mouth for at least 10 minutes.
After the first course was cleared, our entrees didn't arrive for at least another 35 minutes. There are still some staging issues in terms of when courses are fired. I selected the Pan-Seared Walleye with Garbanzo Beans while my wife opted for the signature Metropole Burger on a Potato Bun with Bacon Apple Jam, cedar cheese and a pot of French Fries. This dish actually consists of two patties cooked to the desired temperature of the chef, not the diner. My wife's burgers were excessively juicy as the meat was not rested after cooking. The result was a dripping dish and a soggy bun. The fries were prepared perfectly. Immediately after the burger was served, my wife remarked that there was not ketchup. We waited for another 8 minutes before Dave returned and we could request the condiment. Â As for my Walleye, the fish was not overcooked, but it lacked an unctuous quality. It was good but hardly mouth-watering. We shared the Curry Tea Poached Egg side dish that included bulgar, cashew and grilled dandelion. A curious combination that missed the mark. I thought the bulgar was overcooked and excessively mealy.
The room itself is quite appealing. The dining room is separated from the bar by a glass window/wall. The staff spent part of the evening moving the trademark plastic penguins around from table to table. The children seemed to enjoy it.
We decided to pass on dessert but my wife appreciated the cotton candy delivered in a copper cup, accompanied by the bill.
I would recommend that Metropole be given 3 or 4 months to work through its menu and service issues before I am willing to give it another try. When the best part of the meal at a fine dining restaurant is the smoky butter served with the complimentary bread, you know there's a problem, especially given the prices.
I should note that the hosting staff was very engaging and playful as we entered but upon departure, my wife was made to feel uncomfortable by one of the hosts who made reference to my Facebook post expressing my lack of enthusiasm for the dining experience. Probably not a good thing to repeat even in a digital age where feedback is instantaneous.
Metropole,
I was very excited for you to open, but I felt like you went too big too fast. When I came here it felt unfinished. There were big carpet patches missing, and elevator covers hanging in the lobby. The Gallery wasn't finished and I felt disappointed. That being said, I had a wonderful time at the bar. Â
I got the I.T. A honey vanilla cocktail infused with fire roasted jalapeños. It was spicy, sweet and sinfully delicious. Our bartender was wonderful. She was talking with us about the history of the 21c brand, the special things they offer. She was kind, and wasn't pushy. The other bartender however, was verging on annoying. He was chatting it up so loudly with another patron next to us that I could barely think. "L.A. this, and Chicago that." It was a "one-upper fest" on who has been where. I thought maybe I was the only one annoyed by it, by other patrons were giving me hints that it wasn't just me.
Moving on the menu looks promising and seeing the chef work in the open air kitchen was awesome. The prices are steep, but the atmosphere is worth it, if you want that swanky cocktail lounge feel. I really enjoyed my cocktails here they were made by hand, from all natural infusions which was a nice surprise.
I will come back when things are finished and running smoother to get a better feel for the place but for now, it was just okay.
The latest addition to the downtown restaurant/lounge scene is the hipster cool locale in the lobby of the brand spaking new 21C. Â This beautiful old hotel has been updated to a modern day art museum and bar. Â It's a great place to wonder around with a crafty cocktail while you wait for your table. Â There are lots of spaces to grab a seat and contemplate the meaning of a brass sea turtle.
The restaurant itself is a spacious dining room with open kitchen and bar. Â Wide open windows and original tiles make the space feel old and new at the same time, but do make it a bit noisy. Â The staff is eager eager eager to please but professional. Â I think they might have some kind of hipster-off contest going on within the male waitstaff especially, but their service left nothing to be desired.
So why 3 stars? Unfortunately, the food is not just not exceptional. Â The menu is small and experimental, which I really appreciate. Â Bone marrow and brussel sprouts don't often sit next to each other in Cincinnati. Â But most things were underspiced and just not blow your socks off good. Â We had a large group and I tried most of the menu and overall, it was just ok. Â I really hope the food game steps up to meet the level of the atmosphere and the excitement because this has the potential to be the next best thing in Cincinnati.
I couldn't wait for Metropole, so I went as soon as I could once it opened. I must say, it completely met all my expectations even in its first week of operations.
The food was totally delicious and there were some very unexpected items on the menu (hearth baked oyster, yes please!). In fact, I wouldn't recommend poring over the online menu as it's more of an example of what they offer. The wait staff (sorry, wait staff) is sort of like the hipster creme de la creme of Cincinnati. They were all very nice, talkative, informative, etc, but ya know, hipsters.
And the building! The floor! The entryway! The art! The Cracking Art Group's Yellow Penguins! Made just for us! I die. Absoutely fanastic job to the designers, architects, blah blah blah whoever was involved. Nice work.
There was a list of craft cocktails, but I did get any. There was a well-curated wine list, but I didn't get any of that either. Instead I took my server's beer pairing recommendation (there's local options on tap!) and thoroughly enjoyed my beverage.
I can't wait to go back and try more of the vegetable dishes (definitely my favorite food items we tried) or perhaps get some charcuterie at the bar. Excellent addition to downtown Cincinnati.
Went here last night for dinner with friends that like to share everything, so was able to sample a good amount of the menu.
The atmosphere is great! Very open, clean, and "organic" feel. They do not cram the tables together which really helps when you are seated in the middle of the room. The bar and the kitchen are all open and are visible from essentially every table. The lobby and restrooms are still under construction with the hotel, but I am anxious to see the real finished product!
We started out with a few of their specialty cocktails at the bar: a honey-infused vodka w/ lime, soda & jalapeno and cava with lychee being the favorites (do not recall their specialty names). Prices ranged from $8-$11 per cocktail.
We sat in the middle of the restaurant and had clear view of the bar and kitchen/oven. I think the this view of the upbeat bar crowd and hustle/bustle kitchen actually added to the atmosphere of the entire restaurant. For all of the hard surfaces and open layout, I was surprised that the noise level was not much louder. The restaurant was booked and I still felt comfortable right smack in the middle of everything. They place 4ft tall plastic penguins throughout the restaurant, which is strange, but definitely was a source of entertainment towards the end of the night. As I am seeing more and more in Cincinnati, this definitely offers a unique big city feel.
The wine list is good, but pricey with the lowest priced bottle of white wine being $40. We ordered a White Bourdeaux, followed by a Pinot Blanc.. both good. I will tell you that when we order, it is very random... we mix everything together regardless of the course.
They immediately put out a basket of fresh french-loaf bread that is AMAZING and is accompanied with a smoked butter. I am not a bread eater prior to meals and I couldn't help myself! Come to find out it is provided by Blue Oven Bakery (Findlay Market Baker), which was no surprise. We ended up getting a second basket..
We started out with the leek & celeriac soup, Foie Gras, roasted marrow bones, and seared octopus. The soup is served with two oysters and we all thought it was very good! My friend is a huge octopus fan and said it was just OK and I can agree with this although I don't eat much octopus. We all agreed that the marrow was again good, but not exceptional. The Foie Gras was definitely the favorite.. delicious!
For our second round, we ordered the string-roasted chicken, pork confit, roasted cauliflower, and vinegar-poached beet salad. To our surprise, we loved the pork!! Different preparation and it was outstanding. The chicken was moist and also had a great flavor to it. The beet salad was good, but honestly nothing more than any other beet salad I've ordered. The cauliflower was pretty basic as well and we were surprised that it was cold... we all agreed it should be a warm dish.
We wanted to try the skirt steak, but they were unfortunately sold out, along with the Walleye.
For dessert, we chose the smoked pear and caramelized citrus caramel. The pear was much better but nothing jaw-dropping about either one.
Overall, it was a great experience and the food was very good! There is some room for tweaking, as to be expected with a newer restaurant, but I am definitely excited to come back here!
As I mentioned in me previous first impressions (which were simply based upon stopping by the bar), this place is beautiful. I'm very impressed with the revamp of the property, and the kitchen is beautiful. Plus, this place is a hipster paradise. The wait staff, the customers - hipsters of all ages. Using that term loosely, but if you're the type that hates OTR you'll be the type to hate this restaurant. You know who you are.
On to the experience. First off, it was 45 minutes before we got our drinks. The place is brand new, so there are plenty of kinks, and it's very busy. Frustrating to sit 45 minutes before receiving a drink (about 15 minutes before ordering, 30 before receiving), but again, opening week jitters. It took a while to see our waiter, but once we did he was knowledgeable and friendly.
The bread that came was excellent, but cool to cold. Given the open kitchen, and how packed it was, I'd been hoping for bread warm from an oven.
First dish was a pumpkin cooked in the fire and stuffed with arugala and goat cheese. Being a giant fan of all 3, I enjoyed this dish. It was very unique, and will be very short lived. Unlike anything I've ever had.
The main dishes, however, were not as successful. I went with the burger. It was two patties with a bit of an apple bacon jam. No ketchup on the table, though the waiter asked if we needed anything. The burger had a nice flavor, and was on a delicious bun. Sadly, it was dry. I was not asked how I wanted it, and the plate had maybe a spot or two of dripping from it. Not enough apple bacon jam, either. The fries, however, were great. Not Taste of Belgium best-of, but very, very good.
The other entree at the table was the steak. Ordered medium to medium well, came out definitely on the over-cooked side. It wasn't sent back, in part due to the slowness of the kitchen, in part due to it being our fault for how it was ordered (we weren't completely clear.) Its seasoning was nice and not overpowering, and the salad on top of it was strange and tasty.
We finished with a dessert - the caramelized citrus. It was tasty, but at $9 it would have been a bit of a ripoff even in NYC. A few thin slices of orange, one thin slice of grapefruit, some tufts of angel food cake and a quarter scoop of vanilla ice cream. Very, very skimpy for the price. The angel food cake, with the caramel sauce, was one of the highlights of the meal.
Quite honestly, this meal was very expensive for what it was. I'd normally give this 2 stars. However, the ambiance was great, and I'm adding an extra star to compensate for it being the third day it was open. It's not exactly fair to review a restaurant this soon - yes, they took my good money, but they're still working everything out. I see good potential here, and will absolutely return in a few weeks. For now, though, I consider this an expensive but interesting meal that wasn't overly tasty. I will recommend people go here to try something new, but it isn't on my list of places you need to take people to show off Cincinnati.
We'll try again in a month (or, if we listen to Guy Fieri, apparently even 60 days isn't fair to review a restaurant!) Hopefully it will live up to the potential. I think it has a very strong chance of doing so.
I hate, hate, hate panning a place during its opening week. There were some highlights to the evening, but this place really needs to get its act together if it wants to be a premier spot in Cincinnati.
We were greeted by friendly staff able to seat us pretty quickly. Metropole is very cool looking. I'll let people better than me at pictures show you. Kudos for keeping the mosaic tile floors and building the decor from there. The mostly-open kitchen is very dramatic and added to the intrigue of the space.
The drink order took a while, but was worth the wait. The "Don & Dirty" was a great twist (cranberry, I think?) on an old fashioned. I don't remember the names of the drinks others had, but they were good - new twists on classics. The only downside here was how long it took to get them, as evidenced by the server's comment: "I've woken the bartender; your drinks will be here soon."
Appetizers brought seared octopus. Delicious. Tender and well-seasoned. I'm generally not a fan of grapefruit, but it was just right for the dish.
Main course was the skirt steak, Brussels sprouts, and, unfortunately, a death spiral. I have had and understand skirt steak. This is not a melt in your mouth cut - but it should be chewable. The flavor on the steak was very good - nice and juicy, and the espresso and cocoa was present yet not overwhelming. But I could not chew it. I left 70% of the steak in chewed blobs on my plate and gave up on the last 20%. The 10% I could actually eat was good. Maybe it was one bad cut, but my guess is they didn't remove the membrane. Others had the chicken and the burger, which they described as adequate.
The sprouts were cold. If they were meant to be served room temperature Caesar style then I understand what they were trying with the dish and it simply didn't suit my palate, but these were cold and lacking flavor. In a Caesar salad I want the cheese and anchovies to punch me - these were bland.
We passed on desert - at this point we'd been there over 2 hours. They had a lot of service staff, but only a few of them - including our server- really knew what they were doing. Everyone else was pissing themselves and in the way. There was an uncomfortable amount of time between courses. I hope this improves as they work out the kinks.
I want Metropole to do well and add to the collection of great dining experiences available in Cincinnati. I really want them to rival their sister, Proof, and become a destination location. They have a long way to go.
I'll be sure to update this review - if I go back.
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