Libby’s Southern Comfort Balances Classic Comfort Fare With Polished Proteins

A new Covington spot from Brad Wainscott (of the Greyhound Tavern Wainscotts) mixes down-home with high style.
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Photographs by Dustin Sparks

The secret is out on Libby’s Southern Comfort. Primetime Saturday evening, every table is full, save for one two-top in the corner by the bathroom. (We took it, happily.) It was obvious why as soon as we tore into a plateful of goetta hush puppies, a crave-inspiring cross between a meatball and a traditional hush puppy that makes you wonder how no one else thought of this.

Photographs by Dustin Sparks

On a decent-sized menu, most entries could be described as contemporary versions of Southern classics. Including fried chicken, which you’d expect from owner Brad Wainscott, a member of the family behind Ft. Mitchell’s Greyhound Tavern. Given the Wainscotts’ legacy, I was most excited to try things I considered outside their wheelhouse, like the chef’s catch of the day and the frenched pork chop. The fish was a Norwegian steelhead trout, perfectly cooked and served over a creamy citrus sauce, with a suggested pairing of asparagus and mashed potatoes. The juicy 10-ounce bone-in pork chop—served with rustic garlic mashed potatoes—was more than an inch thick, bathed in a decadent bourbon-honey glaze and topped with a peach-mango-jalapeño salsa that successfully cut the richness of the glaze and added an extra dimension of bright flavors. You might have to ask specifically about dessert—or just skip it altogether and go for an extra special treat: one of many vintage bourbons lining the bar wall.

Libby’s Southern Comfort, 35 W. Eighth St., Covington, (859) 261-3106

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