Sean B.'s Profile

The food at Boca is fresh, local, and very good. Table service is attentive and knowledgeable. The atmosphere is relaxed and pleasant.

So with all of that, how can I rate Boca only three stars?

To start, bar service is awful -- flaky and ignorant. It's a small bar (maybe seats 10), but the bartenders have a hard time paying attention to their customers and simply don't know how to mix drinks. If you are waiting for your table, this is not the introduction you want for your evening. Go across the street and have a drink at Hugo instead.

As for the meal? Prix fixe three course meals start at $67 on the weekends. Throw in a couple of cocktails, a mid-range bottle of wine, and coffee, and you'd be hard pressed to walk out of here for less than $250. And for $250, I expect an experience.

I expect the 12-course delight at Arun's Thai in Chicago or the 9-course culinary adventure of the French Laundry. I expect to be impressed at every turn, and sadly, both of my trips to Boca have been disappointing. On my last visit, the lamb was overcooked and underwhelming.

So while Boca may very well be the "best" Cincinnati has to offer, it's not worth it. Unless, as others have noted, someone else is paying for it.

If you are looking for a comparable, prix fixe meal in Cincinnati, I'd recommend Slims in Northside. The food is equally fresh, local, *and* very good. Plus, you won't wince when you get the bill.

Relaxed, delicious, and just what I need in the morning.

A very welcome addition to Findlay Market, the kids at Dojo Gelato are dishing out delicious and creative takes on Italian ice cream.

Try the Porkopolis (flavored with BACON!).

My new favorite (sorry Madisono's) gelato. *Maybe* my new favorite ice cream.

Five Guys is like an East Coast version of In-n-Out Burger. Limited menu, fresh ingredients, no pretense. As far as QSR food goes, this is top of the line, but don't mistake it for the type of burgers offered elsewhere in the city like Terry's Turf Club or Arthur's. You won't be asked how you want your burger cooked, but you will get a bevy of toppings to choose from. If I had to choose between Five Guys and Fatburger, I'd probably give a slight nod to Five Guys, but they really aren't that far apart.

Good food and good portions. Can be a bit expensive for lunch, but a perfect place for a BYOB dinner with friends.

Great location (steps to Millennium Park and Michigan Avenue) and well appointed rooms. We actually got a pretty good rate here ($120/night) through Priceline, but standard room rates are typically more than double that. For OOT guests, parking can be rather pricey around these parts -- the Fairmont charges $50/day with in/out privileges -- so if you're not planning on moving your car, park in the Aon Building (directly across from the hotel parking), it's $13/day on weekends.

Duke is far from the cream of the crop for energy companies.

Their online interface is woefully outdated (try accessing it through a browser that meets W3C web standards and you will be sorely disappointed) and is frequently down. Their payment system is a cumbersome 3rd party application.Outage information could use a massive upgrade (Google maps might be nice).

I would rate my experience with power companies in other metros much higher.

If you'd like to know what a $5 milkshake tastes like, Graeters is your place. Like LaRosas, Skyline, and Montgomery Inn, Graeters can do no wrong in the minds of most CIncinnatians. (Must be the sugar.)

But in my mind (a foreign brain), this is way overpriced for what it is. $3 for a single scoop cone? I'd rather go buy a pint of Ben & Jerryy's.

You can get better locally at Aglamesis or Madisono's.

Doughnuts are good. But are they waiting in line for 45 minutes good? Methinks this is an impossible standard to meet.

Good biscuits, GREAT waffles. My wife said best she'd ever had. (Granted, she's pregnant and a lot of food is the best she's ever had right now).