Greater Cincinnati Japanese Restaurants Review | 大辛辛那提日本料理評比

(中文翻譯請往下滑)

Greater Cincinnati encompasses Northern Kentucky, Southeast Indiana, and Southwest Ohio. Even though the Asian population is scarce here, we would always hear Japanese when we shop at the Costco in Northern Kentucky. After some investigation, I found out that Kentucky has the biggest Toyota plant in the US. At the No. 1 Children’s Hospital in the Nation, there are many Japanese researchers. Which led me to think, there must be some authentic Japanese restaurants! We were stoked when I found three Japanese restaurants near us! (Finally no more avocado and mayo/cream cheese sushis)


Matsuya Japanese Restaurant

7149 Manderlay Dr, Florence, KY 41042

Entering the restaurant transported us back to Okinawa. The daily recommendations are written in Japanese on a white board. I’m happy that I can still read some Japanese! The English and Japanese menu brings back so many great memories. The sushi chef chatted up his customers at the bar, and there’s a tatami dining area. The dishes that we ordered easily won the approval of our babies.

Nagomi Japanese Restaurant

Nagomijapaneserestaurant.com

Smaller portion, don’t ask if we got full. Like the other two Japanese restaurants, they serve hand rolls and sushi rolls.

Mei Japanese Restaurant 

http://www.meijapaneserestaurant.com/

This was the one Japanese restaurant I most looked forward to because of all the reviews. But maybe it got hyped up too much. I feel like the quality of the food does not justify the price. But I was still satisfied that I got to eat authentic Japanese cuisine. Btw, the minimum spend to get a private dining area is $100.


大辛辛那提區涵蓋北肯德基州、南印第安納州、俄亥俄州東南邊。雖然這帶亞洲人極度少,但我們常在北肯德基州的Costco聽到日文。於是我開啟偵探模式,發現這裡有Toyota美國中部最大廠。而在全美第一名的兒童醫院裡,有許多日本來的學者在做研究,我就想⋯這裡應該會有正宗日本料理吧!果然不出所料,被我找到三間道地日本料理店,讓我和UN都好開心!(終於不用吃酪梨壽司和奶酪壽司)

Matsuya Japanese Restaurant

7149 Manderlay Dr, Florence, KY 41042

一進去,感覺像回到沖繩。白板上用日文寫著今日特餐,好開心自己還能看懂日文字,菜單上一堆日英文參雜,真的太懷念了。師傅在吧檯邊做壽司邊和客人聊天,餐廳裡還有榻榻米區。這次點這幾道菜,寶寶們超捧場。平時不愛吃肉,今天卻把牛舌吃光(爸媽只能吃牛舌屑屑)。我點的壽司omakase,絕對是大辛辛那提裡最好吃的(三間裡價位最親民)。

Nagomi Japanese Restaurant 

Nagomijapaneserestaurant.com

份量偏小,別問我們有沒有吃飽!和另外兩家日本料理店一樣,都有握壽司和散壽司的選擇。用餐座位不多,建議打電話預約。

Mei Japanese Restaurant 

http://www.meijapaneserestaurant.com/

這家是我最期待的日料店,小紅書、Yelp都大力推薦,但可能被評論吵得太熱,我們有點失望,總覺得價位和食材沒有成正比。即使如此,我們還是很滿足能吃到道地日本料理。對了,包廂最低消是一百元美金。


先來給我們寶寶拍拍手一下!這幾家餐廳都特別安靜,我們一開始很擔心他們會在非常安靜的餐廳裡開始大聲發出聲音,沒想到完全被食物吸引,安靜的吃完桌上食物,只有最後大聲打飽嗝(笑)!大辛辛那提的日本料理選項不像美國東西岸一樣多,且價位偏貴,但在這地方能吃到道地日本料理真是小確幸!開心!

2023 March List | 三月清單

UN started his paternity leave! We decided to take our babies people-watching (H & G’s favorite activity).

UN開始放陪產假了!我們決定帶寶寶們觀察路人(H和G最愛做的事),所以三月清單我們去了清單上的幾家店。


James Coffee Cafe and Bakery

http://jamescoffeeco.com/
341 E Pennsylvania Ave, Escondido, CA 92025

As a coffee snob, UN approves of the coffee here. It’s a bit far from our house, but the good coffee makes it worth it!

UN喝第一口直接認可這裡的咖啡。雖然離家有段距離,但有好咖啡一切就值得了!UN對這裡的咖啡念念不忘呢!

Revolution Cafe

http://www.revoroasters.com/
1836 S Coast Hwy, Oceanside, CA 92054

We ordered the seasonal specialty Honeycomb Latte. There were no empty seats inside the coffee shop, this place is very popular. There are so many boutique coffee shops in Oceanside now, don’t forget to fill up your cup before you hit the road!

點了這季的特調咖啡Honeycomb Latte,店裡坐滿客人,生意非常好。Oceanside越來越多優秀的咖啡店,別忘了來滿杯咖啡再上路!

Windmill Food Hall

http://www.windmillfoodhall.com/
890 Palomar Airport Rd, Carlsbad, CA 92011

The large windmill outside is very eye-catching. The food court has a wide variety of selection, representing many cuisines, from Vietnamese pho to Southern style BBQ, everyone in your party will be able to find something they like.

大風車的外觀非常吸引人,美食街提供許多異國食物選項,從越式河粉到美式BBQ,很適合全家一起來的地方。

Campfire

http://thisiscampfire.com/
2725 State St, Carlsbad, CA 92008

Every dish we ordered had us amazed. It has been far too long since we had food with so many layers of tastes! The atmosphere, food, and interior design details all had us feeling like we were glamping. It’s not a surprise this is the sister restaurant of Jeune et Jolie. This is a must eat in North County San Diego! Big thanks to grandparents for babysitting so that we could go out to celebrate our 6 year anniversary!

我們點的每一道菜都讓我們讚不絕口,實在好久沒吃到這麼有層次的味道了! 無論氣氛、餐點和餐廳細節,都讓我們有glamping的感覺。和Jeune et Jolie是姐妹餐廳,絕對是來聖地牙哥北邊這一帶必吃餐廳!感謝爺爺奶奶照顧寶寶們,讓爸爸媽媽能出門慶祝結婚六週年。

2023 January List | 一月清單

Happy New Year everyone! Beginning of the year was packed with so many things, definitely started out with a bang! We were able to celebrate the Lunar New Year with our family. Wishing everyone a healthy and prosperous 2023! My hope for this new year is that I will efficiently utilize every minute of my life. Even if it starts with a 5 minute workout during the day. What about you guys? What do you wish to accomplish this year?

各位,新年快樂!2023一開始,行程滿滿,開啟美好的一年。我們也和家人一起過農曆新年,祝大家萬事如意身體健康!今年希望我能善用每一分鐘,即使是五分鐘的簡短運動都算是完成件好事!你們呢?


Restaurants

Tom Ham’s Lighthouse

2150 Harbor Island Dr, San Diego, CA 92101
http://www.tomhamslighthouse.com

The scenery is unparalleled here. Vast ocean dotted with sailboats. The food selection is on-par with buffet restaurants of equal value, including fresh oysters, clams, and crab legs. My favorite was spaghetti, where you get to pick your own ingredients, and the cook will cook your spaghetti in front of you. Buffet is only available on Sunday.

超美風景,海上滿滿的帆船,絕對是這裡的一大賣點。食物種類大致上和許多這價位雷同的餐廳一樣,有生蠔、扇貝、螃蟹腳,熟食區絕對有小孩最愛的mac n cheese。我最愛的是義大利麵吧,自己挑自己想要的料,廚師現煮出來加上白醬或綠醬,應該是這餐廳我最愛的食物了。自助餐只在星期日提供。

The Plot

1733 S Coast Hwy, Oceanside, CA 92054, United States
http://www.theplotrestaurant.com/

One of my favorite plant-based restaurant! It markets itself as a zero-waste business, and doesn’t even have a trash can. However, I don’t get why plant-based restaurants always name their dishes with meat. For example, I ordered the Hot Chicken Sando, but there isn’t any chicken in it! The meat is created with tofu, I like the texture, and when paired with the house special sauce, it tastes really good. They have their own “ketchup”, the consistency of which is more like jam, worth the try!

我很愛的全植物性餐廳!全植物性餐廳,標榜不產垃圾,餐廳沒有垃圾桶。但我總是無法理解這類餐廳特別愛用動物肉類命名每道菜,像是我點的Hot Chicken Sando,明明沒有雞肉呀!肉質部分用豆腐製作而成,我很喜歡有點嚼勁的豆腐口感,配上店裡的特製醬料,特別有味道。店裡的自製蕃茄醬質地很像果醬,值得嘗試!

Gonzo!

300 Carlsbad Village Dr, Carlsbad, CA 92008, United States
https://www.gonzo-japan.com

This place makes us miss Japan so much! They sell authentic ramen and Okinawa Orion beer here! I want to go back to Japan now! The owner Mika-san is from Niigata, and we chatted her up about our Niigata trip. If you are a ramen head, you must come here. This is the most authentic ramen place in Northern San Diego. Fun fact from owner Jamie, there’s another Gonzo ramen, located coincidentally in Niigata, but completely unrelated to the one in Carlsbad.

讓我們太想念日本了啦!店裡賣著道地拉麵和沖繩Orion啤酒,真的好希望能回日本!老闆娘Mika San從新瀉來,我們大聊去新瀉玩的趣事。喜歡日本拉麵的人,一定要來這裡吃,絕對是我們回來後在北聖地牙哥這帶吃過最道地的拉麵。對了,老闆Jamie說新瀉也有一家Gonzo Ramen喔!(但沒有關係啦!)

Hai Di Lao (San Diego)

4545 La Jolla Village Dr F9, San Diego, CA 92122, United States
(Located in UTC)

We ordered tomato soup base and spicy soup base. Still very delicious but missing the noodle pulling performance, so didn’t really feel like the typical Hai Di Lao experience.

我們點了番茄湯底和麻辣湯底,還是一樣好吃!但少了變臉和拉麵表演,氣氛不太像印象中的海底撈。


Activities

Annie’s Canyon Trail

498-450 Solana Hills Dr, Solana Beach, CA 92075, United States
Hiking Level: Easy

Had planned to hike this trail last month, but changed our plan last minute to go eat dim sum in Irvine instead. We drive by this trail every week, on the side of the I-5 freeway. Google maps leads you straight to the parking lot of the trailhead. The trail starts off with a slight uphill, but overall is not too difficult, even my mom could keep a pretty good pace. You will get a great view of the I-5 freeway as well as the Pacific Ocean.

愛吃個性還是不變,上個月原本要來這裡健行,但臨時改成去吃港式飲茶。新年不頹廢,我們週末來這裡爬山。這裡就是在五號公路往南開的路上會看到的步道,照著Google Maps就能找到路邊停車和路口。一開始以上坡來嚇大家,但整體偏簡單的步道,連我媽都能飛速走完。沿路上的風景最吸引我的就是俯望五號公路和遠方的海景。