We waited too long after the show to head to the Southshore for dinner. That’s not a real problem because we love the restaurants we have, but sometimes we get tired of the same orbit.
Driving into Covington we remembered one we like but rarely visit. Meribo is the curse-breaker in a really weird little building that was renovated into a stylish space that uses a large patio too. It’s been around for 7 years, serving pizzas baked in an 800-degree wood-burning oven. Meribo’s menu is much more than pizza though, and even wanders off in surprising directions. Besides terrific pastas, there is a section of great sandwiches and housecut chips.
We have had Happy Hour here many times, and I think it’s a wonderful deal. They’ve been doing it a while, and have just changed the details from half-price pizza to $9 pizzas, regardless of the original price. There is a wide variation in pizza prices, because there is a wide variety of choices. The white pizza section has seven choices, and the red side has seven. These pizzas are Neapolitan in style, which means a limp and thin crust, but the ingredients are first-class and the dough has a nice flavor. The pizza is still really good, whether it is ordered from the red or white side. There is a strong pasta menu as well.
But it is the sandwiches that have impressed me the most, not that they are so fantastic (they are by the way,) but it’s just that I wouldn’t expect sandwiches that are not Italian to be part of this menu.
We’ve had a few of these, but I didn’t remember having had the burger, mainly because I couldn’t see myself ordering that here. We come for pizza, and occasionally pasta. They have an unusually good brunch too, with a lot of things you wouldn’t expect here.
Because it was Tuesday and that was Burger Day, the waiter strongly encouraged a burger, and I obliged. A burger with housecut chips is not a hard sell for me. But we came for pizza, so I ordered two. One was only to assuage guilt. It will go in the freezer for rainy days.
The burger came first and it was beautiful. I was instantly smitten by the sight of the smallish bun with a round too blanketed in sesame seeds. A very very good start. Oozing from the side was a dribble of melted American cheese. I opened it to inspect it and discovered two beautiful patties. The cheese was between the two patties, and there was a pickle slice or two. I asked for some ketchup as a dipper, receiving a few to-go packets of at least Heinz, but huh?
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It didn’t matter. This was my happy plate. Here was a terrific burger with patties that tasted delish all by themselves, but the whole sandwich with chips was wonderful. I will go there again just for that.
The pizzas arrived, and we moved on to that. The sausage and peppers pizza was a little of a surprise. I expected crumbled sausage and the peppers and onions that you get in an Italian restaurant. But why? Meribo is not your average Italian restaurant. Gavin Jobe is a hip guy with a different approach to it all. The sausage must have been sliced, which I enjoyed when Slice did it, but here it was under the cheese. The peppers were banana peppers, which I love as they pique everything they touch.
We also had a basic pepperoni, and there is nothing basic about it. This is the spicy large slice of pepperoni. I was happy to see the cheese was basic mozzarella. In a place like this, I have seen and expect Mozzarella di bufala. Not my thing.
Since it was Happy Hour we probably should have gotten a drink or wine, but we aren’t drinkers. Usually, we have tea, but they only have bottled tea. I like a little tea with my lemon, so we pass on this. And if Tom is going to have a soft drink it will be Dr. Pepper, so we pass on that too. That leaves a bottle of Aqua Panna, which I rarely see in the States, and I always enjoy it. I used to love Pelligrino until I noticed the sodium content.
It was fun to watch the fresh-faced kids making pizzas. I enjoyed this whole scene and will return soon. Meribo was a favorite of mine for a long time, and I’m glad to be reminded of that.
