Afternoon Delight
Forget breakfast—lunch is the most important meal of the day. Here are four distinct destinations for whatever mood you're in.
By Aiesha D. Little
Photographs by Ryan Kurtz
Saturday Lunch
Greenup Cafe, 308 Greenup St., Covington, (859) 261-3663
Just as brunch is the fusion of breakfast and lunch, an early Saturday afternoon spent inside the brightly colored rooms of Jean-Robert’s Greenup Cafe mixes early-risers and late-starters in search of buttermilk pancakes, savory tarts du jour, and seafood crepes. Whether you rise at the crack of dawn or sleep in, they’ll be waiting for you.
Express Lunch
Paula’s Cafe, 41 E. Fourth St., downtown, (513) 381-3354
The ladies behind the counter at Paula’s Cafe give new meaning to the phrase “fast food.” In 10 minutes, you can have a turkey sandwich with Paula’s “special sauce,” some of that revered turkey chili, and a slice of the sweetest pecan pie you’ve ever tasted. Eat there under the gaze of several Elvis posters or take your meal back to the office and make everyone jealous.
For Ladies Who Lunch
Terrace Cafe, 953 Eden Park Dr., Eden Park, (513) 639-2986
At the Terrace Cafe inside the Cincinnati Art Museum, menu items like the Terrace Cobb Salad and the Terrace Chicken Salad served with focaccia triangles give the spacious restaurant a country club vibe. But it’s the perfect place for high art and good friends. Check out the next installment of the Girlfriend Get-Togethers series on March 15.
Destination Lunch
Through The Garden, 10738 Kenwood Rd., Blue Ash, (513) 791-2199
Coming up Kenwood Road through the office-park blandness of Blue Ash, it would be easy to miss Through the Garden. But once you’re there, the staff will make you feel like a regular. Try the char-grilled Garden Chicken (the Hawaiian version, with crushed pineapples and a sweet soy glaze, is pictured here)—you’ll be glad you braved the 'burbs for it.
Click here to return to Where to Eat Now 2008.
Originally published in the March 2008 issue.