I’m looking for any info that I can get on a nice Chinese or Japanese restaurant in the Cincinnati area.
Little bit of background…
My girlfriend of just over a year is going to college in Wilmington and I want to take her out to eat and to Les Miserables in April for her birthday. She loves Asian food, so, obviously that’s where I’d like to make reservations. I live about 2 hours north of Wilmington so my knowledge of good restaurants in the Cinci area is nonexistent.
If anybody has any information, preferably firsthand but I’ll take what I can get, it’d be very helpful. Thanks
You need to go to Chowhound.com and post on their Midwest message board. Their message boards are meant for this very thing: asking, recommending, and reviewing local restaurants across the country. They go out of their way to avoid chains in favor of neat local establishments, and out-of-towners always get great advice from local posters. You don’t even have to register to post there! Here’s a direct link to the Midwest forum:
There is a very nice Japanese restaurant called Jo-An which is one exit shy of the Cincinnati Airport. This is actually Covington/Hebron/Erlanger? Kentucky, but not so far, especially considering the distance you’ll be driving anyway. I’d recommend getting there pre-show vs after, since they have fresh items only and when they’re gone they’re gone. This is very authentic Japanese. Most of the customers are employees of Toyota, whose North American adminstrative offices are next door.
For Chinese you might try China Gourmet. Not been there in quite a while but I assume it’s still open. This is in or near the Hyde Park area.
Another option is Mama Fu’s. This is a sort of upscale noodle shop kind of place, with some interesting options, and not far from the theatre. There are also a couple of the upscale Chinese/fast food places in the area. There is a PF Chang’s in Norwood Plaza which is about exit 6 off of I-71. If you’re coming from Wilmington this exit is probably marked as Smith road.
I can probably link you all of these places if you need it.
Bah, I almost forgot Doodles, which is owned by friends of ours. It’s not that fancy, although it’s not exactly as downscale as the theme might suggest. Some very good noodle dishes, and a very nice area with a Graeters just a short walk away.
If you want good sushi and Thai food (I know Thai wasn’t on your list but the sushi is REALLY good here) try Amarin in Maderia. (7022 Miami Ave,Madeira, OH 45243) This is a wonderful “date” type restaurant while also being comfortable enough to be a “family” restaurant.
If you can’t find an Asian restaurant to your liking then consider some place like Montgomery’s along the river. I say this because it makes for a pleasant place to dine at night. Valet parking gives it a touch of class and the foods decent. You can also go out on the deck if the weather is warm enough. Something about dining along a river at night just seems romantic to me. Along the same thoughts, the revolving restaurant atop the Radison in Covington provides a romantic view of Cincinnati.
Sorry for the non-Asian cuisine hi-jack. I like to turn birthdays into mini events and a restaurant in a nice location adds something to a good meal.
Big Bad Voodoo Lou, thanks for the link. I scanned through it but didn’t see any relative topics up. Things have been too hectic for me to throw a post up today but I will defintely do that shortly.
I looked Jo-An up and it sounds very cool. We don’t really have anything like that around here so it’d be a nice change of pace.
And, Magiver, no problem with the non-Asian hijack. Dinner along the river does sound very nice and I hadn’t really thought of that. Some time ago she mentioned that her favorite places to eat out were Asian restaurants so I ran with that. But now that you bring up location, that might have to factor in.
Thanks again to everyone and more suggestions are always welcome.
I’m assuming that you’ll be at either the Aronoff Center or the Taft Theater for the show; both of these are no more than a few blocks away.
Japanese: Ko-Sho on 9th St. It’s a little pricey - I think the cheapest entree is like $15.
Chinese/Generic Asian: Shanghai Mama’s on 6th. They used to (illegally) keep the bar open 'till 4am, but I think they got busted awhile back. Entrees start at about 7 bucks. They’ve got a small, but varied menu, if that makes any sense.
You can’t go wrong at either of 'em. We eat at one of them at least once a month.