friendships, down-home cincy style

i have to admit to being baffled by ‘nati natives who ask new folks, first off, where they went to high school. i mean, really, WHO CARES? but this obviously displays my west-of-the-rockies mentality. here in cincy everybody cares where you went to high school, precisely because, unlike in so many other places, where you went to high school reveals quite a bit about you. i’m only starting to get a grip on which school means what, and which school is affiliated with which part of town, and when those affiliations break down and why, but i figure when i *do* understand it all i’ll be as close to a native as i’ll ever possibly be.

but last night i enjoyed the fruits of this strange tradition: dinner with new friends. well, new to me (if not to s, who, you guessed it, went to high school right here with two of the guys). so our mutual friends j & a hooked all of us up, and eight adults plus one still-nursing infant headed out for a big social night in oakley.

one of the perks of the evening was being able to walk. we walked to j & a’s house before dinner, and then walked home from the restaurant afterward. it was briskly cold and, for our walk home, snow was gently falling. it felt good — a little romantic, a little community-minded, a little wintry — to be able to walk to good spots in the ‘hood, and reminded us (yet again) why we chose our neighborhood. let’s call “walking to most good things that we could need and want” reason number #7 that we love cincy.

another perk of the evening was finding out that dinner at kona bistro kicks butt all over lunch. that’s not to say the lunch fare isn’t good — among other things, we’ve sampled the butternut squash and pear soup, the woked salad, and the kids’ quesadilla — all of which were very pleasant if not super-memorable, but none of which made me feel like i just had to return to kona for another meal. (i’m told that my mistake was not ordering the bbt: the bacon, basil & tomato sandwich which is apparently addictive.) but dinner? dinner was yummy.

i scarfed down a generous portion of spicy jambalaya with tender chicken and soft, buttery shrimp. it could have done with less spice — the heat overwhelmed the other flavors — but since so many places are afraid to spice their meals up i was pleasantly surprised by the dish’s assertive heat. s didn’t even offer me a bite of his espresso-rubbed pork loin in a porter sauce, which was obviously so good it drove him to distraction. a enjoyed her parmesan-crusted salmon which came with a tarragon-tomato sauce on the side, where we believe all sauces should be served. b ate the pasta with chicken & pancetta in a rosemary-smoked cheddar sauce, which looked sooo good that i had to remind myself that i don’t know him well enough to eat off of his plate. we topped it all off with a couple bottles of zin and called it a scrumptious meal.

kona is a friendly place to boot. nobody minded that a baby tagged along at dinner time (in fact, one of the waitresses entertained her by making faces from across the room), the staff easily accommodated a party of 8+1 that showed up half an hour early for its reservation, and they were brave enough not to add a gratuity to our bill but instead to trust us to do the math. nobody minded that we sat around and chatted and were more interested in socializing than in ordering desserts. it felt comfortable, and welcoming, and fun. big bonus points, all, for a great neighborhood joint.

if you’re ever tempted to dine at a chain in rookwood, drive the extra half-mile east on madison and sample kona instead. especially at dinner time. and take your friends from high school.