Bouquet Wine Bar & Restaurant, Covington

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Saturday afternoon was one of those dreary, overcast, misty days. So we took in a matinee movie (Sweeney Todd, in case you’re curious) to beat the doldrums. We found ourselves rather hungry around 5 pm, so we headed over to Mainstrasse in Covington, figuring it would be easy to find something there.

Right at the bottom of Main, and sharing a block with Dee Felice, Otto’s, and Chez Nora, is a new wine bar and restaurant called Bouquet. Bouquet officially opened on December 1. They have a classy, but limited, menu and an approachable wine list. Chef and owner Stephen Williams is the former sous chef from next-door neighbor Otto’s.

We popped in a little too early – Bouquet doesn’t open until 5:30. (Had we read the sign, we would have known that.) So we had some burgers down at Zola’s and then headed back to Bouquet. I was determined to have wine and cheese for dessert. We were the first folks to walk into the restaurant on Saturday night, but the prime location right near the free parking lot on Mainstrasse encourages walk-ins. Several parties arrived after us, as well as several calls for reservations.

The decor is understated and classy. I particularly loved the miniature Tiffany shades hanging from the ceiling. But Kevin & I are bar people, so we picked two seats at the end of the 10-seat bar and got comfortable. I want to mention that although Bouquet is in tobacco-filled Kentucky, it is 100% non-smoking. I’m of the opinion that all wine bars should be non-smoking.

The wine list might look a bit overwhelming at first, but if you study it, you’ll realize it’s a friendly and eclectic selection of wines. Several of our wine picks were recommended by Jacy, the General
Manager, who happened to be behind the bar on our visit. It looked like
around 16 or so wines were available by the glass, but Jacy also seemed
willing to open almost anything, which was nice. …

…Over the course of the evening, we tried tastes of several things,
but the three that stick in our memory were Mr Black’s Shiraz-Viognier
blend (Barossa Valley, Australia, $11 glass/$44 bottle), D’Avril Rouge
(Bordeaux, France, $7 glass/$28 bottle), and the Domaine des
Corbillieres Sauvignon Blanc (Touraine, France, $9 glass/$36 bottle). I
went in search of these three wines at two local resellers and was only
able to find the Sauvignon Blanc ($9.99, Cork and Bottle).

We also ordered a cheese plate ($10), which had 4 different cheeses
as well as crackers, tart apple slices, and cranberry chutney. My
sauvignon blanc nicely complimented everything on the plate. While we
were there, they sent us out a complimentary dessert, which was kind.
It was also heavenly. (I have a deadly nut allergy, and dessert is my
favorite course, so I
was thrilled to discover that the wonderful brownie dessert was
nut-free.) Right now Bouquet is getting their desserts from Findlay
Market, but it sounds as if chef/owner Stephen has it in his head to
eventually create his own pastries.

Bouquet is still getting its feet, but they have some big ideas. In
the future they’re hoping to offer wine dinners with wine
makers/distributors and to put wine flights on the menu. (Always a
fantastic idea!) I can’t wait to watch this little wine bar evolve.
You’ll definitely find me there in the future.

Bouquet currently runs dinner and drink specials on Wednesday and Thursday nights.

Contact information:
Bouquet Restaurant and Wine Bar
519 Main Street
Mainstrasse, Covington
859.491.7777
No web site yet

Posted by Michelle at 10:23 am in Cincinnati, Restaurants, Tastings | Permalink | Comments (3)

3 Responses to “Bouquet Wine Bar & Restaurant, Covington”

Julie says:

January 10, 2008 at 12:47 pm

Thanks for the tip! There are SO many great restaurants and bars in N. KY., but I’ll be honest– I hesitate to go because of the smoke. York Street Cafe is one notable exception, so I’m glad to have another option!
andy says:

February 29, 2008 at 11:23 am

hello,
i will like to know if you do have (crystal champagne) for nowor if you can special order, and what is the price.
thanks
Greatest Hits: Mr Black’s Concoction (Shiraz/Viognier) « My Wine Education says:

June 13, 2011 at 7:26 pm

[...] first had this when we went to Bouquet in January 2008. I loved it and searched everywhere for it. Currently you can find it at [...]