I came here with my boyfriend at noon on a Saturday. Â Surprisingly only two other tables were taken and the rest of the restaurant was completely empty! Â Despite the high ceilings and nice decors, the place felt abandoned. Â The waitress was very attentive and eager to describe to us the different dishes on the menu. Â We went with a couple rolls of sushi and the yellow curry. Â When the plates arrived at our table, I actually got excited. Â The plating looked really nice and elegant. Â However, my excitement ended there. Â The food was just average, actually felt like the servings were a little small for the price we got them for. Â Really, the flavors were very forgettable. Â I guess the best thing about this place is the friendly service and that they have their own parking lot in the back.
Review Source:It's O.K. I wasn't extremely impressed but wasn't really dissapointed either. I got the Thai spicy chicken dish to go. It was $13 and came with a side of rice. It could probably feed two people but it wouldn't make you stuffed if you were to share it. It had a lot of veggies. The chicken was not chunks but rather slices paper thin about an inch or two long. I did not like this. I wanted more meat and this was dissapointing. I'll probably never go back because Lemon Grass thai food is right down the street and WAY better.
Review Source:This is one of those places I've passed by a million times and finally had the opportunity to try.
Upon entrance you will notice a beautiful interior. Â Tall ceilings, a brilliantly tiled back wall with adjacent accents and a simple look.
We were promptly served by a friendly employee and ordered Jasmine tea. Â The tea was wonderful and required no sweetener or any other additives. Â It was wonderful all by its one-some. Â
We pursued Blue Elephant because we were in the mood for a new Thai go-to. Â But, ignoring my instincts, I tried the Mango Chicken Curry as opposed to my Thai mainstay, Chicken Pad, and I think I whiffed a bit. Â You could taste the coconut milk in the Mango Curry sauce, but I could not taste the mango, even when I knew I was eating a chunk of it. Â It seems like the mango bits stewed for too long in the sauce and became a mushy mess that was overpowered by the sauce, rather than really contributing to the taste. Â The mushiness also made for an unappetizing consistency issue. Â
Never-the-less, I'd be willing to try Blue Elephant again. Â I also found the presence of sushi and more traditional Thai dishes to be intriguing and had a hard time deciding. Â We'll be back!
Conspriacy theories: Â I don't really subscribe to 'em, but sometimes I have to wonder.
Ergo, a possible conspiracy theory: Â The maddening interchangeable-ness of the many Thai/sushi restaurants of Hyde Park/Oakley/Mt. Lookout suggests that they are actually all operated by a single owner or ownership group. Â
Nah, that's too simplistic, becaue they clearly are not. Â Only an idiot would buy that. Â Too easy to look up in public records.
Don't tell anybody else, but this what I REALLY think: Â The various owners of these restaurants have top-secret monthly collusion meetings at a hideout in a bunker underneath the Hyde Park Square fountain, accessible only by a hidden trapdoor in the floor of Wild Ginger's walk-in-cooler and an unused sewerage tunnel leading down Edwards Road to the square.
The object of this collusion? Â Maintaining a perfect balance of competition in the area through nearly identical pan-Asian, but Thai-anchored, menus, with food that's pretty good but not much more, but slightly different atmospheres that cater to the barely discernable demographic variances in Hyde Park/Oakley/Mt. Lookout. Â (Amarin over on Erie in East Hyde Park upset the balance by upping the food quality level just a notch or two. And guess what, they got the boot!) Â The only difference is the decor and atmosphere: Â RuThai's and Lemon Grass have that comfortable, lived-in thing going on; Bangkok Bistro has that Nineties vibe for folks who can't leave that decade behind; Green Papaya has kind of a New Age-y, serene look and feel; and Wild Ginger is slick, yuppie, wannabe-urbane. Â
Where does Blue Elephant fit in? Â It's kind of slick and wannabe-urbane, too, but maybe for a clubby, somewhat older set. Â It's pretty similar to Wild Ginger, but brighter and not quite as cramped. Â On account of this atmosphere and decor, it's a couple of dollars more expensive, like Wild Ginger.
And like pretty much all the others, you could probably do a blindfold taste test from its pro forma Thai menu and a bunch of the others and have no idea which one your food was from.
Horrible. The sushi is wildly overpriced and sub-average. Don't even think about using a groupon as their restrictions are ridiculous. When the bill came out, our waitress confused the whole thing. It took us 45 minutes to pay. There are so much better places in the immediate vicinity. Look elsewhere.
Review Source:We bought the Groupon that was $10 for $20. Â Was kind of disappointed because we couldn't use multiple groupons (which I bought) and you can only apply the groupon towards a slimmed down sushi menu. Â
The sushi was ok, nothing to brag about really. Â We got a couple of other dishes that turned out better than the sushi. Â The good thing about this place is if you ask for really spicy food they will actually give you spicy food, not just some lame weak-ass spice level.
The place is pretty nice, but the service was really slow. Â All dishes didn't come out in order. Â Nothing really special about this place unfortunately in a highly competitive asian fusion/sushi hyde park market.
I have lots of good things to say about this establishment. First impression: the whole "Thai+Sushi+Pasta" tag line is a little disconcerting. I know enough about these fusion places though, and that it's in my best interest to stick with the FIRST idea: Thai.
The Thai tea-$2.95 and tastes like normal Thai tea. We ordered the Beef Salad (Naum Toak), Som Tum (Papaya Salad) and Seafood Salad (Yum Talay). Very pleasantly surprised! Everything tastes as it should. The beef was soooo tender and charred perfectly on the edges. This salad also had noticeable toasted rice powder in it, giving it that unique flavor. Â The papaya was chopped, different from the usual shredded and had two firm shrimp topping it. The seafood salad threw me off a little when I found a large lump of the tamarind, but I just put that aside. I can imagine if some people weren't familiar with tamarind, they might be turned off by the dish.
Atmosphere: Very mod and upscale. Good use of space, as the tables were tightly knit together. Not much of a group setting, as most of the tables were two-tops. Clean bathrooms, and a small sushi bar. Not much waiting room for carryout orders waiting to pick up.
One thing to note: The mod-ness of the place keep things visually simple, but makes the acoustics of the wide open room very echo-y. I was in a party of three adults and one child and I can't imagine the noise of a full-house. To add to this, we gave our three-year old the iPhone to keep her preoccupied during the meal and she is pretty good at keeping the volume at a minimum. When we arrived, we were the only customers in the place and during our meal one other man arrived by himself to dine in. Now I'm sure if he had been with someone else he wouldn't have bothered us, but he shouted across the dining room for us to turn down the volume of her device. Kind of a catch 22, since the iPhone was keeping down the volume of a cranky, in-need-of-a-nap three year old. What's a mommy to do? So yeah, this place is def not kid-friendly.
I'll make sure to hire the sitter when I'm in the mood for Blue Elephant's authentic Thai food  again.
Service was great, and the outdoor seating is nice. But, I was disappointed by the Blue Elephant's food. Tried the Pad Kee Mao and the Pad Thai. We are coming from Philadelphia, and our favorite Thai places there produced dishes that seemed more full in flavor and complex in their spice profiles. Caveat--since we are used to Thai food that is incredibly spicy I asked for things on the milder side to be cautious. Will go back and order a higher spice level to see if that perks things up. The noodles were well-cooked and the vegetables were fresh.
Review Source:Big fan of the Blue Elephant. I have been here three times now and each time it satisfies my Thai craving.
I have gotten a few different items here, but always at lunch, and always an incredible lunch special deal for around $10. You cannot beat the value here. I have gotten some excellent salmon with a chutney on top and I have also gotten some sushi. I loved both.
It was very beautiful on the inside too, with really nice bathrooms. My only complaint is that each time I have been, it has been pretty dead. This is nice for finding a seat, but not as exciting in my experience. I would prefer Lemon Grass myself.
Good Thai food, most authentic we've tried so far. Â (we travel to Thailand often and have family there) Â You can tell it is operated by native Thai - I guess they also have a successful location in San Fran
But I also enjoyed the nigiri, the salmon was superb melt in your mouth delicate.
They also serve jasmine Thai (Homali) rice vs. cheap chinese rice.
Service was great, not overwelming and politely understated.
Spice levels were spot-on, complex but balanced Thai style; Â even though we order spicy - and l like the fact they use only fresh Thai chilies vs. 'old ground dust'
We like the modern Thai-American open themed ambience too, but it was not busy so quiet. Â Not sure how it would be if bustling
Not sure what'sup with the 'pasta' but worth a try.
Meh. I've been here twice and I'm not going again.
The first time, a friend and I went because we had that infamous Groupon and it was nearing the end of the month. Unfortunately, we didn't think about the fact that it was Friday, or that the restaurant would be so small, so we were upset to have to wait 40 minutes when we got there. After a while, we decided to get our food to-go instead, but didn't realize that the Groupon was only valid for sit-in dining, and we gave up our table due to that mistake. We ended up sitting at the sushi bar which was ok, but near the kitchen and very crowded.
We got the Roti with Thai Peanut Sauce for appetizer, which was basically Indian nan bread with peanut sauce. It was freshly baked and delicious and wonderful. My main meal, though, was not so appealing. I got pad thai (since it's a Thai restaurant and I love Thai) but had to actually return it to the kitchen because it tasted so strange. I've never done that before and felt horrible, but I really couldn't eat it; it was off and disgusting. After that, I got the Thai fried rice and enjoyed it much more. My friend got a curry that she enjoyed.
I went a second time, then, since the first time wasn't great but turned out fine in the end. I brought my dad who was only in town for a few days, but doesn't like eating out too much. Neither of us were impressed the second time, unfortunately. Our food was lackluster and we had the opposite problem of the first time - there was barely anyone there! The emptiness of the restaurant at 6:30 pm, combined with my dad's bad mood and lackluster food, did not leave him with a high impression. Also, we couldn't tell if we were underdressed or not. It was strange.
Long story short, it's alright, maybe if you're in the neighborhood, but there are definitely better Asian places to eat around Cincinnati.
Four stars because they deliver. Â Otherwise, it's more of a three and a half.
It's all slightly above average thai and sushi.
A few of the standouts are the Pad Kee Mao, Cashew Nuts (I go with tofu, as spicy as it gets), the Godzilla Maki, and the VIP Maki (although these two sushi rolls are of the anti-zen variety, in which the chef stuffs everything thinkable into a tube of rice and drizzles it with sauce).
If you eat in, plan on being there for a while, because they can be a little slow.
Also, I choose to ignore the fact that they also serve Italian. Â If I don't, it makes me suffer.
Italian, Thai, Sushi-- all on the same menu. Â What?! Â I went to Blue Elephant hoping that my premonition would be wrong. Â I hoped that a place that carries such different types of cuisine would not be lacking on all 3. Â I only tried the sushi, but it was quite disappointing. Â Most of the sushi options contained some fried component, which I think is a bad sign for sushi. Â If you have to fry it, why waste your money on sushi anyway? Â My friend and I were seated outdoors, and that was nice. Â The location is awesome, and I love a good outdoor patio, but I don't think I'll go back a second time to try the Italian or Thai, and definately not giving the sushi a second chance. Â Why waste time and money on mediocre food when better tasting, cheaper options are out there?
Review Source:I have passed by Blue Elephant many times on my way to Green Papaya, intrigued by the 'Thai, Sushi, Italian' tag, but also confused by it. I LOVE the lunch box offering at Green Papaya and in addition to my confusion about this 'fusion' I had a hard time passing up the lunch box, so never stopped in.
Imagine my surprise when my mom was in town a few weeks ago and we were looking for some place to eat and I found the lunch box HERE, and for dinner as well. It is a lunch offering only at Green Papaya, so SCORE!
Without trying to wade through the fusion confusion, I went with the lunch box (obviously). It. was. awesome. Some miso soup to start off, fried rice, tempura veggies, teriyaki salmon, and salad. DElish. There is something about a little of everything that appeals to me. This did not disappoint.
I saw other large Thai style dishes and some sushi come out when we were there, but all I can speak to (as my mom got the same thing with chicken), is the lunch box.
That's enough for me and I'd go back for this. Maybe venture into the larger menu, but probably not.
The interior isn't anything amazing to remark about, though there is a nice brick wall along one side. The seats are well constructed and have some kind of themed upholstery, modern lighting, but it was a little disjointed. The servers were nice and friendly, good at filling water and asking if things were good. It was also decorated with some slightly cheesy Valentines Day decor for the upcoming week, so I was distracted by that.
That said, I'm willing to overlook any decor for the lunch box. Seriously, try the lunch box.
As with several new places I try, I was brought into Blue Elephant because of a Groupon deal. Â At first I was kind of turned off by the dining area. Â The entire area is open, no walls or partitions. Â Just tables in an open room. Â You get quite cozy with the strangers in close proximity. Â I guess I got used to it after a few minutes, and it was interesting being able to see what others were ordering so close up.
The food wasn't terrible. Â But it also wasn't as listed in the menu. Â At least my particular dish during my particular visit wasn't anyway. Â I got the mango chicken because it was listed as a specialty, because it sounded like a nice change of pace for me, but really because it said it had the little baby corns (which I really enjoy for some reason). Â What I do not enjoy, at all, is fungus (that is: mushrooms). Â So I was quite disappointed to receive my mango chicken dish with zero baby corns and a boatload of fungus. Â It would have been fine if the menu listed that so I could have said no fungus, but it didn't. Â In an effort to find something positive, the amount of chicken in the dish was pretty impressive (usually places skimp on the meat), and the cashews were of good quality and stature. Â But overall, I just didn't find the meal to be a great value.
Bottom line, I'm glad I got to go... with a Groupon. Â It's unlikely I'll return without one.
I got an email reminding me that I had a Groupon for Blue Elephant that I needed to use before the 31st, so after church on Sunday my boyfriend and I decided to head over to Blue Elephant to check it out.
Blue Elephant is on Wasson and its one of those places that you could drive by dozens of times and not notice it. It has a tiny parking lot right next to the restuarant. The inside is modern and very well decorated. No waving kitties here.
The menu is extensive and it took me several minutes to decide what I wanted to try. Like most Asian resturants in Cincinnati it has both Thai and Japanesel. I settled on pad thai because I feel like how well a Thai restuarant can make pad thai is a pretty good indicator of how good they are. The pad thai was a little different than other pad thai's that I have had. The noodles were thinner and the sauce a little creamier, but still delicious. The one thing I missed was lime to squeeze over the dish, which I am sure they would have brought me if I had asked, but honestly was just feeling lazy so I didn't.
Overall the resturant was decent, the service was prompt and attentive, but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here again.
Not a big Asian fan, but went here for lunch with a friend and whoa am I glad I did. I don't know why this place doesn't have more hype around it. It i so beautiful inside. Its not that typical Asian place with weird colored pencil posters everywhere in plastic frames and chunky booths. This place is modern and sleek, but still incredibly cozy and comfortable. On to the food...
I am usually good with two rolls of sushi and a glass of wine. This place has decent prices for lunch but lets not forget the LUNCH BOX SPECIAL. Do not overlook this. I got a roll and a half, soup, salad, fruit, spring roll, rice, and dumplings for 9.95. And no I am not kidding you. For less than the price of two rolls of sushi, i got a giant feast i couldn't even finish.
This place is simply a delight. Tasteful decor, great food, good flavor, an all around 5 star experience!
I didn't even want to give this place one star! The restaurant is the perfect example of how important an ambiance is. As soon as we walked in the door, I thought to myself "Dear Lord why did I buy this Groupon". Â Don't get me wrong the restaurant appears to be very nice. The paint is beautiful and the furniture is new. Really it is a great looking place. However, Â it is small and when they designed the restaurant it is clear that they did not consider what it might be like if more than one family decided to dine in at once!
All the tables are very close together so it feels like you are sitting on top of strangers. Not to mention, the sound volume of this place is very loud. The floors are wood and the ceilings do not help. With only a few people in the place it sounded like a very loud cafeteria. Unfortunately who wants to spend a lot of money on dinner at cafeteria? Also, to make matter worse, they have their ringer on the phone turned way up so throughout your meal you have to listen to the phone ring (While we were there not a single person attempted to answer the phone). Honestly, if I had not purchased the Groupon, we would have walked out.
Onto the food- They did have a pretty big menu. We wanted to get sushi but it was way too expensive here so we didn't even bother. I would avoid this place if you are on a budget (I would just avoid this place in general though, even if you do have money to spend). Â We order a dish for the wok and were disappointed. We walked away thinking "Gosh we could make that at home". Â It was as if they went to Kroger and bought a bag of frozen veggies and then threw a little sauce in the wok. Â I did not understand why I was paying $13 bucks for a meal that I could make at home.
Also we felt that the drinks were kind of pricey. We went during "happy hour" time but unfortunately this restaurant doesn't have a happy hour. I just wanted to ask them one question.....Who doesn't have a happy hour? But I refrained. Also if you do decided to splurge on booze, I will caution you to not order wine. The wine pour is horrible almost embarrassing. The wine is served in a tiny glass (smaller than a white wine glass). It is not worth it!
Most likely we will never come back. I would not waste my money here.
Our trip to Blue Elephant began with trying to find a parking space in their under 10 space parking lot, only to see that one space was handicapped, and another was reserved for alternative fuel vehicles- which sat empty all night. After parking 5 blocks away, we arrived late to meet our friends.
After we were all seated, our server came by 2 minutes after dropping off our menues to take our order, after saying that we needed another minute, she ended up giving us at least 15 minutes.
There was a special on the menu that featured a selection of meats (chicken, steak or salmon) in teriyaki sauce with a sushi roll, miso soup, tempura vegetables and rice. That special didn't sound bad, but the sushi roll was a california roll, that they refused to substitute. --Which, I would eat a california roll if I was in grade school, or in Alabama, but I'm not in either. This was ridiculous. There was no other option similar to this special.
All in all, the food was ok, just ok, while the service was below par. With the profusion of Thai restaurants in Hyde Park that offer better food, generally with easier parking, and better service, I'd recommend Green Papaya or Wild Ginger over Blue Elephant.
I went there for lunch this past Saturday with a friend. We each ordered a lunch special - she ordered the shrimp tempura, while I ordered the beef pad thai.
1. The miso soup was very good, though I am used to a bit of wakame in my miso.
2. The sushi was so-so. We quibbled more about roll composition (specifically about the lack of avocado in the shrimp tempura rolls) than about actual quality.
3. The pad thai was a bit unevenly sauced, but we thought that if the flavors were more evenly distributed it would be superb.
4. The fried rice (that came with the pad thai) was simple, but quite delicious.
5. The egg roll & crab rangoon were fairly tasty standard fare.
6. The salad was poorly dressed. I think it was a peanut/ginger dressing, but neither flavor was very strong and it tasted watery overall.
Overall, we enjoyed our meal a lot, though the food was not the best we've had. The waitstaff were quite attentive (though the restaurant was pretty empty) and we loved the decor. I would definitely return for lunch and prospectively dinner.
After reading other reviews, I realized I've never been for anything but lunch... but if you're looking for a great lunch at a low price, this is the place!!
$10 Lunch Box= bowl of soup, noodles/rice, a small salad, 12 pieces of sushi, crab rangoon, a spring roll, and a few orange slices for dessert! How can you beat that?!
For the longest time I didn't go to this place after it popped up on principle alone. When you drive by and see Thai - Sushi- Pasta, well, I feel one of those, if not all three must be falling flat. It's odd enough for me to see sushi and thai in the same place.
At any rate, its good I finally gave this place a chance. Â This place is one of the best I've had in the city. I love them for their noodle dishes and curries (the green chicken curry is a great staple), which is really all I order when I get American Thai food, and I think they do a solid job.
The best part is, unlike most establishments here, Blue Elephant stays pretty true to their flavors and spice (because when I ask for it to be spicy, it's really supposed to blow your brain outs and almost make you cry, not just tickle your tongue) and they're easy on the sugar. I find most places here load it on and then I feel like I'm eating spaghetti and maple syrup like that scene out of Elf (I'm talking to you, Wild Ginger)
A word of advice: stick to the Thai dishes and you probably can't go wrong. They're Thai. Its what they do best. I have yet to really break this rule of mine, but who knows; they sent me a tiramisu once and it was pretty good and for all I know, maybe they make a mean chicken parm.
This restaurant seems to have an identify crisis. Â While there are many choices, ranging from spaghetti to sushi, the quality of the food is lacking. Â I would recommend Green Papaya instead of Blue Elephant if you are looking for Thai/Sushi in Hyde Park. Â
Blue Elephant's price/taste ratio is out of whack in the bad way--- Green Papaya seems to have gotten the ratio correct.
Not that this part of town needed another sushi/Thai restaurant, but this one has a few things going for it: dedicated parking lot, gorgeous decor, and great value bento boxes for lunch.
It was practically empty when dining there on a recent Saturday afternoon, although it did fill up a bit by the rime we left. The area is so super-saturated by restaurants like this, it's really a shame they didn't pick a different location.
My friend and I ordered bento boxes for lunch. For $10, I got miso soup, a Boston roll, 1/2 a spicy tuna roll, 1 "Siam roll" (aka Spring roll), 1 crab Rangoon, some fried rice, and a few orange slices. The Boston sushi roll was the best part with large pieces of fresh, delicious Salmon inside (plus cucumber, avocado, etc.). Â It's a nice little sampler that left me full, but not stuffed, and a good value for the price.
I'd like to come back and sample some entrees (curries, pad Thai, etc) as well, but I don't think I could be convinced to order off the Italian side of the menu--I just don't get that part!
Can I give this place a Me-ek? (half" Eek!"- half "Meh!")
Let's start with the Meh...and... that pretty much sums up the food.
The service was just plain terrible, but God love'em, they tried to make it up to us by giving us weird rice puffy things and satay sauce, and then some tiramisu (which screams Thai, right?) and pineapple.
Oh, and the decor is nice and clean, but the place is SUPER LOUD, due to a stone wall in the dining room. A little fabric goes a long way...
Not tempted to go back, clearly. I think I'll stick with Green Papaya.
Blue Elephant is one of those spots I've been meaning to try forever ... but now I know why everyone's hesitant to go there.
It's not that it's bad food, seriously, it's not. It's just it's not that great food either. Straight down, middle-of-the-road, eh experience.
The place is really nice to walk into. It's a giant one-room restaurant with stone walls and a vaulted ceiling. There are long tables for big groups and small intimate ones for people on dates (or one woman who read a Vogue magazine at 9pm by herself in a booth for an hour.)
They serve your typical Asian-cuisine. A mix of stir-fries and noodle dishes as well as a selection of sushi ... and for some really unknown reason, a whole page of pasta options. Seriously. In fact, at the survey they asked you to take at the end, they even ask if you come there for the pasta. Um, no, thank you, I did not come to your establishment for pasta.
I got spicy beef stir-fry with cashew nuts and it was ... meh. The sauce was tasty but the vegetables seemed a little undercooked and everything else seemed a little bland. And the super-bland brown rice (more bland than brown rice should be) didn't help when mixed in. My girlfriend got some sushi rolls and same deal - not bad but not great. You run of the mill kind of Asian cusine.
I guess I would be ok coming back here, if like, for say, a large group of us needed somewhere to go last minute. This would be a fine option. But with one or two people ... I just think there are better places to be.
I went here for dinner tonight with some friends and enjoyed it! Â The staff were friendly and attentive, and I'm sure this had nothing to do with the fact that we were the only ones there! Â We did get there about 915 on Monday night, so I suppose it is understandable. Â
I'm not sure what I anticipated inside, but it is very well decorated and a bit more upscale looking than what I was thinking! Â
We tried out the Tod Mun for an appetizer.... one word: Â ew. Â I can't say I'm too familiar with Thai fish cakes, but I was anticipating something more like a salmon patty. Â The texture of these was like eating a rubber band. Â I have never eaten something so rubbery! Â I will absolutely not order these next time. Â Â
For dinner I got the Pad Kee Mao with tofu. Â Very tasty! Â Even though there is a little pepper next to spicier selections on the menu, you can still choose mild, medium, hot or extra hot. Â I opted for the mild, (I'm a wuss, I'll admit!). Â The basil was super tasty and all the vegetables were cooked very well. Â The tofu was not overcooked, which I appreciated! Â
Although the appetizer was weird, I enjoyed my entree. Â This might just be my new favorite Thai place in town! Â Next on the list to try: Â their sushi!
Came here for sushi one night ... it was good, I think. Â
Clearly, it was forgettable.
However, they do have the one dish that I adore and immediately sky rockets any Thai restaurant on my list ...
Mango with sticky rice and coconut sauce.
This is what is consider Thai street food. Â When I was in Thailand, every morning, my auntie and I would hit the streets in search of the freshest, sweetest mangos and then to her favorite "sticky rice cart". Â Then we'd head back home with our goodies and wake everyone up for breakfast. Â
Sold. Â Will be back. Â Soon.
Hands down, this is my favorite place in the city for sushi.
This previous title, was steadfastly, held by Green Papaya (just a block away.)
But now I can't get enough of BE's sushi! As a vegetarian (previously vegan for four years) I'm limited to my options, so when a place gets their veggie sushi right, I'm hooked for life!
I typically get an avocado/cucumber tempura maki roll with spicy mayo when I do order sushi. (FYI, it's not on the menu, so ask for it!) BE's version is absolutely amazing! They deep fry the entire roll. Words can't describe how amazingly delicious this roll is with it's crispy tempura, warm avocado & rice! (See the picture I uploaded.)
True story: when I took a group of people (14 peeps) with me one night to sample BE's sushi, everyone agreed that they do sushi really well and in fact, that my veggie roll tasted even better than its non-humane options!
One thing I will say, BE does sushi really well. Their noddles & rice dishes? Not so much. I would say, that they're decent, but that title of the best Thai noodle & rice dishes in the city, still goes to Green Papaya.
Another Thai-Sushi place in that neighborhood? Â I've been there 3 times now, twice for business lunches and once for dinner. Â I've enjoyed the lunches - usually sticking with mixed veggies and pad thai. Â I had the sushi for dinner, and it wasn't very good at all - and I eat a lot of sushi. Â So, stick to the non-sushi food, and as a matter of principle, stay away from the Italian dishes (wha?). Â
Each time I've been there, the food comes out  at different times.  The person/people you're eating with may get their food 10-15 minutes before you.  Really strange.  When we were there for dinner, the couple we ate with was finished with their meals by the time we got our sushi.  They need to plan it out a bit better.  When I had lunch there today (party of 6), the plates were brought out one at a time - like they only had one wok in the kitchen.
On the bright side, it is very cozy and well-kept. Â The outdoor section looks charming. Â
I recommend checking the place out for lunch, where you can get a decent portion for a better price.
Don't think of Blue Elephant as another Thai restaurant. Â Blue Elephant is a sushi restaurant. Â Yes, their menu shoulder be trimmed a bit, but that's the business end; Yelp is about the customer's experience. Â Blue Elephant delivers for the customer!
If you've grown up in Cincinnati, and you are content with the sushi here, God bless you and your under-developed pallete. Â For those from elsewhere or visiting Cincinnati, if you're accustomed to the quality and freshness of sushi in L.A. or New York or even Chicago, you only have two options here, and Blue Elephant is the first.
My wife and I were greeted with friendly, smiling faces at Blue Elephant, and they stayed that way. Â Our rolls were just as pleasent, if not more, and were perfectly priced. Â Our meal of four rolls set us back only $27.
I don't know how to put into perspective the drastic differrence in quality at Blue Elephant over other sushi-serving restaurants in Cincinnati. Â You'll just have to read my reviews of those places.
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