Greenup Cafe: Covington

It was a beautiful day on Sunday and therefore the best kind of day to experience the ever-charming Greenup Cafe. Located in the Covington historic district and close to the Ohio River, the Greenup Cafe is flanked by views of the Roebling Suspension Bridge and Libeskind's Ascent building. Depending on your mood, you can choose its quiet, floral courtyard; the Parisian-style sidewalk tables; or sit indoors near one of their full height windows.

We have eaten at Greenup before, so there were not too many surprises. Their coffee is always great and they offer traditional brunch options with a French twist.
I ordered the eggs benedict, John got the BLT, and our co-diners got the goetta puff, the tart du jour, and the fruit cup.

John was really pleased with the BLT. He thought it had delicious tomatoes, cut to a perfect thickness and good quality side greens. Plus it helped that he was in the mood for a BLT (and to be perfectly honest, so was I, but for the sake of review variety, I got something different). He also requested a fried egg in the sandwich, creating a perfect breakfast-lunch combo and further inciting my envy.

Normally I'm very satisfied with the food at Greenup, but I was just not impressed by the Benedict. It was fairly bland- the hollandaise sauce was hardly noticeable, and the tomatoes did not seem very fresh. There was one thin slice of Canadian bacon and ample bread. Maybe this is the way French eggs benedict are supposed to be prepared, I don't know.

The goetta puff, according to our friend, could have used more goetta, so maybe there was a meat shortage on this particular day. On a brighter note, the Tart du jour, which is a pastry shell that on this day was filled with chorizo, garlic, and banana peppers, was delicious and looked like a more flavorful, dynamic dish. Finally, the fruit cup looked like standard caterer's fare (cantaloupe, melon, pineapple. Repeat.). A four dollar fruit cup, in my opinion, should warrant some creativity...at least a strawberry or two would have been nice.

This isn't meant to be a total slam on Greenup, I've had really tasty dishes there (the French toast is always good, as are the quiches), so I don't want to discourage anyone from dining there. With dishes priced between $5.95 (BLT) and $9.75 (Huevos Rancheros; Eggs Benedict), it is also on the cheaper side of the fine dining brunch places around town.

Greenup Cafe website