Review: Bellevue Bistro

Ross and I have recently been enjoying Saturday or Sunday brunch.  We typically just go somewhere close to home, but I occasionally am able to talk him into trying some new places that are a bit further away.  I have read a couple blogs or reviews about Bellevue Bistro located on Fairfield Ave. in the heart of downtown Bellevue, KY. I really like this area of Bellevue.  It's a cute little town with a lot of character and appeal.  I'd like to go down here on an afternoon and check out some of the shops and other places it has to offer.

 Of all the information I had read, I remembered hearing that you need to get here fairly early because it fills up fast.  We headed out on a Saturday morning around 9:30 or 10:00 and did not have any problem.  The little bistro has a small town feel with an eclectic charm.  There are a couple wooden tables in the middle of the room and a wall with a booth bench and tables.  Some drink and daily specials were written behind a counter on a chalkboard.

Ross and I nestled in the corner near a window.  Our waitress greeted us and took our drink orders.  I felt like a coffee, but then I saw that they had a drink that was half coffee and half hot chocolate, this sounded awesome!  (It is called the Bistro Cafe for $2.25). There was also a Sangria drink, Mimosa, and other "eye openers" as they refer to on their menu.  Ross was satisfied with water this morning.

As I looked over the menu, I also looked around at some of our neighbors who were enjoying their meals.  The couple next to us both seemed pleased with their breakfast and even began to tell us how good their dishes were.  They were very friendly!

Bellevue Bistro has a variety of Benedict specials, and Eggs Benedict is one of my favorite breakfast dishes ever!  After debating between two specialty benedicts, I opted for the Kentucky Hot Brown Benedict, consisting of bacon, turkey, tomatoes, crab, cheddarjack, and hollandaise which is served over fresh made biscuits and eggs.   Ross decided to get the Sausage Biscuit sandwich with two fried eggs served on a biscuit and served with a side of Rosemary Potatoes.

After chatting with the friendly couple next to us and discussing what the rest of our day was going to entail, our dishes arrived.  My meal sounded very decadent on the menu, but I have to say it wasn't too much at all.  I liked the mix of all the ingredients; however, I would have preferred less cheese and more hollandaise.  The crab was a unique addition to a breakfast dish for me and I really liked this meal overall.  The biscuit was soft and I loved the tomatoes for a bit of sweetness to the dish.  I really couldn't taste much bacon or hollandaise though, and I think more of that sauce would have made this a more memorable breakfast.

Ross' really enjoyed his sandwich. I didn't try the sandwich, but I did have the potatoes and have to say they were amazing!  Some of the best breakfast potatoes I have had in a long time.  There was just enough hint of rosemary and they were cooked perfectly.  I hate when you get under-cooked potatoes, which seems to happen a lot when you are having breakfast/brunch.  Ross loved these as well and asked why I don't make these at home :)

This quaint little bistro is a great neighborhood dining experience.  There are many other dishes I'd love to go back and try. There are sandwiches and salads for lunch that I'm sure are just as good as the breakfast and everything is fairly priced.  I forgot to mention service--it was fine!  Unfortunately, I do think it could have been a little better.  We had two different servers which was great; however, no one really checked on us after our food was delivered until we were finished eating, and they weren't really all that busy.  It didn't really impact my overall feel of the restaurant, but I do think that aspect could be improved.  Check it out! I hope to go back again soon!
~Kate

Food: 3.5
Service: 2
Overall Experience: 3

Review: Lavomatic Cafe

I have heard a lot of mixed reviews about Lavomatic Cafe in the past year or two, so I’ve been anxious to try it myself and form my own opinion. Most of the positive reviews I’ve heard have been about brunch (versus dinner), so Kate and I decided to go there for brunch one Saturday morning.  

The eclectic atmosphere of Lavomatic is cute and inviting. Throughout the restaurant, there is exposed brick, unique, modern chandeliers and bright artwork of Cincinnati landmarks. Unfortunately, the atmosphere was deceiving and the food did not stand up to it.

I ordered The Whistling Dixie, which consists of two biscuits topped with poached eggs (not cooked properly), chorizo goetta, hollandaise sauce, asparagus and tomatoes. I was really disappointed that the food came out cold. It really ruined the whole meal for me. The chorizo goetta was without a doubt the best thing on the plate. It was very crispy, which is the only way to eat goetta in my opinion. The asparagus and goetta gave the dish a nice crunch, but overall I was not impressed. It may have been better if it was served hot.

Kate ordered the Eggs Lavo – poached eggs and bacon served over toast with hollandaise sauce. Unfortunately, Kate was even more disappointed by her meal than I was by mine. Her dish was served cold as well. On top of that, the toast was burnt, there was little to no hollandaise sauce on the plate, and there were two different types of eggs. One was a poached egg (which was what it was supposed to come with) and the other one, well we aren't even sure exactly, it was like a hard-boiled egg.  We were both very confused by this. Kate ordered a side of hollandaise sauce after tasting how dry it was, and that helped it a little but didn’t make up for all the other things that were wrong with it.

Kate and I also split a side of potatoes. These were a letdown as well. They were undercooked and hard. I think they may have tasted okay if they were cooked properly, but it was hard to tell.

I rarely treat myself to brunch, so this was a major letdown and turned out not to be a treat at all. At least I was with good company! That was the only saving grace for this meal.

~Kris