Good chinese food - Cincinnati - Ohio (OH) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

Wilson513 · 02-01-2011, 08:43 AM

I think the Blue Gibbon is a place with a great past and a not so great present. Everything seems dirty, the food uninspired and has the freshness of yesterday's take out. I think of bedbugs when I am in there and of nursing homes. Scratch it off your list. There are so many better choices.

progmac · 02-01-2011, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wilson1010

I think the Blue Gibbon is a place with a great past and a not so great present. Everything seems dirty, the food uninspired and has the freshness of yesterday's take out. I think of bedbugs when I am in there and of nursing homes. Scratch it off your list. There are so many better choices.

that is so funny, you summed up my thoughts perfectly

Sarah Perry · 02-01-2011, 09:09 AM

I wouldn't be as hard on the Gibbon as Wilson, but the food has seemed pretty average for a while, and getting averager. I do give them points for opening on Christmas Day. Hubby and I being on our own, really like going out for dinner on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Wilson513 · 02-01-2011, 08:54 PM

In a little softer mood after having spent a couple of days with the Jesuits, but the point remains: it is not the place it once was and would not make the top ten list IMO. One does have to give a lot of credit for so many good years the BG had and I remember fondly taking my now wife to lunch there weekly when she was a student at XU. But that was then and this is now. My assessment is correct, it is just a shame to have to say it.

Lets hope things there turn around. That would be a good outcome.

On another subject, that Vietnamese place in Roselawn is a breath of fresh air. Song Long? Is that it?

goyguy · 02-01-2011, 10:39 PM

^ You called it. I've heard absolutely nothing but good (if not outright raves) about Song Long, even their Chinese menu - though why seek out a place for that type of cuisine if it gets second billing? It's said that the lines to get in can extend around the corner. (They're in the Roselawn Center Building's Section Rd storefronts on the short block between Brookcrest Dr and Reading Rd.) "City-phobic" types have been known to remark that the lines would be long every day if the place were only in a "better" neighborhood. But in reality "Woes Lawn" is more sleepy than anything else most of the time. Steer clear of the check-cashing joints and fast-food places along Reading Rd, and the brick-box apartment houses (along and north of Summit especially) and you might as well be in neighboring Amberley Village.

The elder Goyguys also hope for a Blue Gibbon turnaround, but they have it lower and lower on their take-out list. Since it's been a year and a half since I personally parked at their bar and loved every plentiful bite of my order (as did everybody else at the meet-up) I hope they can get back to a good level too. But since they've existed for over thirty years they may be coasting on their reputation and watching the clock until the owner decides to retire.

Somebody (I believe it was one of "our" regulars known on C-D as Sarah Perry) had kudos for a dive-looking Chinese restaurant on Winton Rd. It has "Wok" in its name. Information please!

Sarah Perry · 02-02-2011, 04:23 AM

[quote=goyguy;17685282 Somebody (I believe it was one of "our" regulars known on C-D as Sarah Perry) had kudos for a dive-looking Chinese restaurant on Winton Rd. It has "Wok" in its name. Information please![/quote]

Fantastic Wok in Brentwood Shopping Center. I did have a problem a while back placing a carryout order by phone, so now I just go in, order and wait. It's not a place I'd want to eat in; YMMV. Last time I was there, around 12:30 on a Sunday, the tables were crammed with Asian families and the hubbub of people enjoying lunch made the shabby space seem a little more welcoming.

Be aware, though, this is a typical shopping center place just with slightly better food. Not the same type of sit-down, more upscale place we've been discussing.

goyguy · 02-02-2011, 06:33 PM

^ "Fantastic!"
Is Oriental Wok the restaurant in the lobby of The Regency (Madison & Dana) which replaced J's Seafood? The atmosphere I give four stars (out of five); the food, one.

Sarah Perry · 02-03-2011, 05:41 AM

There are three Oriental Wok restaurants. I've never been in the one in Taylor Mill. Their main restaurant is on Buttermilk Pike in Ft. Mitchell. The newest one is in the Regency. I've been there a couple of times and thought the food was good. Kind of shocked to hear anyone give it such a low rating.

Wilson513 · 02-03-2011, 10:00 AM

I went in to the Oriental Wok in the Regency on New Years' Eve. Not a great time to sample a restaurant. But they are dependably good and have a service oriented atmosphere. Its a hard market they are in. There are two good Chinese places in the Paxton Ave. Center, PF Changs in Rookwood, one of the very best Thai places not 300 yards down Madison Road - Lemon Grass, then China Gourmet in east HP.

That's a business nightmare isn't it?

goyguy · 02-03-2011, 05:45 PM

...but good for the customer!
Oriental Wok's food was so bland when we tried it (four dishes) that you could hardly tell sweet n' sour from hot n' spicy.

Then again, given the average age of Regency residents these days - and of the clientele when dad and son Goyguy stopped there for carry-out - the management probably is smart to go the "safe" route. Mrs Goyguy Sr snarked that she'd had better from Blue Gibbon on a bad night. From the collective consensus regarding the Gibbon's current sorry state that's saying something. I'm glad others have happier things to say.