Orchids at Palm Court Awards

Orchids at Palm Court Restaurant Review:

Orchids, located in downtown’s Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, is about much more than food and drink. It's about appreciating culture and history. This is a place that cares if you're celebrating an anniversary or big event. Admire the vaulted, muraled ceiling or the original Rookwood fountain as you enjoy a savory blue cheese beignet. The seasonal menu from chef Todd Kelly might include dishes from foie gras with cranberries and vanilla pound cake to red snapper with curry vinaigrette, Vidalia onions and tart apple tzatziki. Whatever the options, the chef's tasting is a wise buy ($65, or $95 with wine pairings), offering the likes of Maine lobster salad with "fried" egg, parsley, crème fraîche and caviar cream, or lamb with celery root, oyster mushrooms and almonds in juniper berry sauce. A vegetarian tasting menu holds appeal, too, perhaps with crisp tofu with smoked paprika, arugula and grapefruit, or fettuccine with truffles and mushrooms. For more local flavor, a number of pastry chef Megan Ketover's creations utilize a bit of private-label Bourbon. We recommend the maple ice cream with Bourbon caramel swirl and candied pecans.