CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Restaurant Week offers diners a chance to experience high-end cuisine at lower prices, with more than 60 restaurants participating.
Cristian Pietoso, owner of three well-known Cincinnati restaurants, has two establishments participating in the event: Via Vite on Fountain Square and Nicola's in Over-the-Rhine.
Pietoso has made his mark on the city's restaurant scene for decades. Nicola's is named after his father, who came from Italy to open the restaurant on Tax Day in 1996. Nearly 30 years later, the restaurant still offers a classic fine dining experience in the heart of Over-the-Rhine.
"When my dad opened Nicola's in 1996, people said a fine dining restaurant in Over-the-Rhine would never work. He proved them wrong — and nearly 30 years later, we're still here," Pietoso said.
The journey hasn't been easy. The restaurant has weathered multiple challenges, including the Cincinnati riots shortly after opening, the 2008 financial meltdown, and the pandemic.
"My dad, Nicolas, went through major catastrophes. We have done better and better as a tribute to my dad first and everyone else in the group," Pietoso said.
We sit down at the table with Cristian Pietoso in the video player below:
Pietoso says Restaurant Week not only encourages people to explore the city's food scene but highlights how Cincinnati's dining scene has grown over the decades, despite facing hardships.
His restaurants, like many others across the city, have faced challenges from rising food costs, such as beef prices, to national economic shifts. But he credits their ability to adapt quickly with keeping customers coming back.
"Because we're chef-driven, we can change the menu and adjust when prices go up," Pietoso said.
He acknowledges ongoing economic pressures but remains optimistic about managing costs.
"We have been in business long enough to shift as needed, tariffs are going to affect us at some point, some prices have definitely gone up already, and we have felt that, but it's not as terrible just yet. Some of the orders we have been able to negotiate the price at the beginning," Pietoso said.
Nicola's will soon be moving locations to Fourth Street. Pietoso says it wasn't an easy decision because of the history the current building holds, but he's excited to see what the future holds in the new space.
"You know it's a bittersweet move. We are on the corner here through my dad's hard work and ours, everyone who has worked here throughout the years, but my dad first. An immigrant that came in all day and night and made this place a destination," Pietoso said.
Learn more about Cincinnati Restaurant Week here.
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