Orchids at Palm Court at Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza Named One of Top 100 Restaurants

 *Press Release*
CINCINNATI – Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza is pleased to announce that the hotel’s fine-dining establishment, Orchids at Palm Court, has been recognized as One of the Top 100 Restaurants Overall in the U.S.A. by OpenTable. The list of winners is derived from nearly five million reviews submitted by OpenTable diners for more than 15,000 restaurants in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The best overall restaurants award is based on reviews collected from OpenTable diners between December 2011 and November 2012. For more information about all of the restaurants on this list, visit OpenTable.com.

Orchids at Palm Court and Chef Kelly have been honored with numerous awards including the American Automobile Association’s (AAA) coveted four-diamond award for excellence for eight consecutive years; Polly Campbell, The Cincinnati Enquirer’s restaurant critic, gave the Orchids a five-star (extraordinary) rating; Zagat Survey named Orchids Cincinnati’s “Top Overall Restaurant” for 2013, 2012 & 2011; Cincinnati Magazine named Orchids #1 restaurant in the city for the fourth consecutive year (2012, 2011, 2010, 2009); Chef Kelly was named the American Culinary Federation’s 2011 Chef of the Year, the highest honor given in the 50,000+ chef national organization, and he is one of Hilton Hotel and Resorts’ Signature Chefs, just one of six in the USA.

Click link to order Chef Todd Kelly's Cookbook Todd Kelly's Orchids at Palm Court.

About Orchids at Palm Court and Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza
Orchids at Palm Court is part of The Restaurants at Palm Court which also includes The Bar at Palm Court and The Grille at Palm Court. They are located in Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, 35 West Fifth Street, downtown Cincinnati. Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza opened in 1931 and is one of the world’s finest examples of French art deco architecture, while the restaurant features rare Brazilian rosewood walls with German silver-nickel metalwork and lighting fixtures.
The two-story ceiling features large Romanesque murals and on the north end of the restaurant is an original Rookwood Pottery fountain flanked by two large seahorses which illustrates the magnificent examples of art deco in the restaurant. The hotel is a charter member of Historic Hotels of America, is a registered National Landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Website: Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza
Website: OrchidsatPalmCourt.com

Images furnished by Hilton-Cincinnati Netherland Plaza

Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated fine-living, travel columnist, freelance writer and photographer, and performing arts and restaurant critic for Gotta Go. Read Infused, her spirits, wine & beer lifestyle column, at www.GottaGo.us and www.FoodDigital.com and catch her as Indy’s Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC. Gotta Go is published on www.Gottago.us, www.BroadwayWorld.com, an in print. Follow her on Twitter @GottaGo, LinkedIn and Facebook.

6 Best Reasons to Return to Cincinnati

What does the general population really know about Cincinnati?

WKRP in Cincinnati?

Okay, granted that immensely popular show brought the spotlight to this Midwest city, but there is more to it than a sleepy town harboring aging disc jockeys.

So much more.

When visiting a city, it is next to impossible to see everything in one visit. Mentally you make a list, often forgetting the majority of it by the time you reach home. Attempting to remember all you wanted to go back and delve into six months, or years, later is nearly futile. What if, instead of a mental list, you had an actual list?

A recent visit to the city along the Ohio River proved that it is revitalized, re-energized and revamped. Sampling various hot spots, eateries and attractions, I made an actual list of reasons to go back.

Six reasons to be exact.

1) World Choir Games- The ONLY city in the United States ever slected to host the annual "Olympic of Choirs" which is currently taking place (July 4-14). More than 400 choirs from around the globe will descend upon the town, bringing choral music in a gigantic way.

2) Cincinnati Museum- A Day in Pompeii, the limited-time exhibit provides a goose-bump inducing atmosphere of the ancient town covered in a matter of hours by the volcanic eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79. Available only through Aug. 12, it is a must-see. The museum center (worth the drive alone) houses many museums in one and an OMAX-similar to IMAX except it wraps around you in an oval.

3) Netherland Plaza Hotel- Tinkling ivories, opulent French Art-Deco decor and soft-spoken, attentive staff ready to cater to your every whim create the ambiance every fan of old Hollywood glamour desires. Whether waiting for the elevator to whisk you to a suite, dining in the National Historic Landmark hotel's Orchids at Palm Court or sipping a Fleuri 75 cocktail at The Bar at Palm Court, you'll catch yourself glancing around for a glimpse of Bogey and Bacall.

4) Over-the-Rhine- The quirky, fun section of Cincinnati known as OTR to locals and those in the know, is the original brewing district started by a wave of German immigrants. Once the prohibition wiped out beer happenings, the settlement became more like a ghost town. Revitalization efforts give a younger generation a high-energy place to live, work and play, with restaurants, eclectic shops and live theater venues opening in historic buildings made of Italianate architecture.

5) Food- OTR's hip eateries, gourmet gastropub fare at Moerlein Lager House, award-winning menus from Orchids at Palm Court's Executive Chef Todd Kelly and Pastry Chef Megan Ketover, the Cincinnati-style guacamole at Nada, must-have Flying Pig Wings and Armadillos on the menu at sports bar & grill Cincy's on Sixth, Pompilios lasagna, the list goes on and on...Cincinnati culinary experts are striving to be considered a foodie's destination once again and they are definitely well on their way.

6) Christian Moerlein Lager House- If you haven't heard about this castle of beer baron Gregory Hardman yet, you are way behind the times. Hardman has resureccted the brewing heritage that once made Cincinnati one of the four kings of beer prior to that horrible blight on history known as Prohibition. Read review here.

These are just six of my reasons to return to Cincinnati although there are many more. Please leave your comments and questions about your own favorite reasons to return to Cincinnati.

Photo credits: E.J.Musgrave; Cincinnati Museum; World Games

Elizabeth J. Musgrave is a syndicated columnist, travel writer, performing arts and restaurant critic. Catch her as Indy’s Entertainment Adviser on 93 WIBC, and follow her on Twitter @GottaGo and Facebook. Gotta Go is published on www.BroadwayWorld.com and in M magazine and the following newspapers: South Sider Voice, Indiana Weekender, New Palestine Reporter, Pendleton Times Reporter and Fortville-McCordsville Reporter.