Those Beautiful Meals I Had in Cincinnati... 🍽️✨

Cincinnati’s emptiness is the kind that swallows footsteps. There isn’t much to do — and doing requires energy. Eating doesn’t. A friend said he knew where to find good food. That was enough. So I went with no plan, no map — just an appetite. 1️⃣ Abigail Street The mussel broth was so good, we asked for more bread — just to wipe the plate clean until it shone like it had been washed 🍽️🧡. Octopus legs rested on smooth hummus, a few crispy chickpeas cracking between my teeth — a gentle reminder that I’m still alive. The clams? Forget them. You can’t love everything — much like life. 2️⃣ Roji Behind a door you’d hardly notice, someone was shaping sushi 🍣. The lunch set was simple, almost blunt. (3 Handrolls + 3 Nigiri) Too much lemon, heavy seasoning — as if they were afraid you’d taste the fish itself. But then, a slice of Madai stayed quiet and delicate. The Chutoro? Its fat was kind, at least. 3️⃣ Sotto We waited in line — to go underground. Goat cheese and honey, a love story told a thousand times 🧀🍯. Then hazelnuts stepped in — a delicious love triangle. Olive oil-poached tuna melted like Mediterranean sunshine on my tongue 🐟. Two pastas held me like an old lover’s embrace. Yes, this place deserves the hype. It deserves waiting for at dusk, before a date. 4️⃣ Tea & Bowl But the real comfort? A bowl of laksa near campus 🍜. Southeast Asian flavors — a symphony of the senses. The Assam Laksa whispered secrets of tamarind and shrimp paste. The broth, simmered with mackerel, ginger flower, lemongrass — a chorus of spices. Sour, spicy, fresh, fragrant, sweet — all rushing in at once. Just like life: complex, intense. The herbal scent of Bak Kut Teh? It smelled like a humble, safe childhood home. The Roti? Simple, yes — but dipped in curry, it could swallow the whole night. My friend asked how my trip was. I said: “I ate a few good meals.” My stomach was full. And this city — it felt a little less empty. #BeautifulMeals #RestaurantWorthy #OasisInAFoodDesert #EatLikeALocal #HiddenGems