A few months ago on what was likely the most beautiful day in Greater Cincinnati in all of 2015, I was lucky enough to meet some dear friends at The Gruff in Covington, in the shadow of the Roebling Suspension Bridge on East Second Street and sit on the patio basking in the perfect weather and the company of great people. That particular location should serve The Gruff well, even though for many Cincinnatians, the decision of where to eat ends at the Ohio River. I am of the opinion that many times, restaurants across the river (in Newport and Covington in particular) get left out of the discussion of the restaurant renaissance that has been taking place in Cincinnati over the past few years. Maybe I can do my small part in bringing attention to some of the more worthy locations just across the Kentucky state line.

In addition to the outstanding weather on that day and the excellent company, there were also drinks and food from The Gruff too. I beg your forgiveness, for it has been a few months and I don’t remember what anyone else had to eat, but I ordered a delicious Meat and Potatoes brick oven pizza. The crust was topped with house made sausage, Yukon gold potatoes (my favorite variety of my favorite vegetable, due mostly to their characteristic subtle sweetness), and mozzarella and goat cheeses. What I do remember about the food that my friends ordered was how fresh all of the ingredients were and how I left the restaurant feeling full but not like I was going to explode. (You might find this difficult to fathom, but I may be guilty of overindulging every now and again.)

In order to whet our proverbial whistles, we all ordered cocktails of one variety or another. Again, I don’t remember exactly which of the 8 rotating local taps I chose, but I do recall that the selections were (charmingly?) written on the hand of our efficient server. If you are lucky enough to sit outside like we were, bring Fido (or in our case, Fergie) along for the ride, as the patio is pooch friendly. While we chose to enjoy the gorgeous weather, The Gruff also has a large interior dining area that I would describe as a deli meets your favorite local watering hole, topped off with a big dose of sunshine streaming through the vast expanse of windows that line the entire front of the building. All in all, The Gruff was a great, super casual, tasty and decently priced reason to drive across the murky Ohio River and check out a little bit of what Covington has to offer.

Postscript: If you are looking for other great choices across the river, I would recommend Sweet Basil in Crescent Springs, York Street in Newport, and Otto’s in Covington. These are just a few of my favorites, but I would love to hear what some of yours are as well.