A Creative Spot

Terrabella is a neighborhood in Covington off the beaten path that ML says reminds her of a movie set. It is the most unusual ”community” I've seen. It is mixed use with some offices, a few shops, apartments, a little green space, and even its own post office which is barely larger than my pantry. Off the green space is a restaurant space that has been a few things. 

What is particularly unusual about this restaurant space is that all of the restaurants that have been in here have been really good, good enough to be Tom favorites. Bosco’s was the first, followed by Forks & Corks of Pardo’s fame. Bosco’s is a long-standing delicious restaurant in Mandeville, and Fork & Corks was a sister restaurant of Pardo's. Both of them should have been long-time tenants of this space. I think maybe Terrabella had not yet come into its own.

The Reminding took a long time to arrive. It is as peculiar as its neighborhood. Its full name is The Reminding Coffee & Creative House. What was a private room for the restaurants that preceded it is now a studio for, well…I don’t know what. A wall has been partially removed and replaced by plexiglass so people can watch coffee roasting in house. Tom and I went to The Reminding about 15 months ago and had a club sandwich worth another visit. It took me this long to return. But what I found was that I needn’t worry about The Reminding. It is doing just great. I have no idea who is using the studio, but there are lines to order food, and finding a place to eat it is tough, so busy are they. 

The menu has grown, the cases are full of great looking items and the place is rockin’!

I figured it would be full of young people interested in the “creative” space, but the eclectic mix of people there intrigued me. A large table was full of people that seemed to be a book club. Moms meeting other moms with kids. Older people. Young couples. I find one of the most interesting things about dining out is to see the personality of a restaurant and who it attracts. People gravitate to a place that feels comfortable to them. It seems that The Reminding makes everyone feel comfortable. It is truly a community space, with items for sale in a little market.

Among the things for sale in the market is the house  coffee.

Another takeaway from our visit was an observation of restaurant prices. ML simply could not believe the prices of things at The Reminding. Neither could I. If we are to believe that restaurants simply cannot survive in this climate without nearly doubling their prices, how can The Reminding be selling gorgeous food with great raw materials at prices nearly 40% lower than their peers? Interesting question.

I had no intention of ordering so much but we wanted to try things, starting with a croissant. They looked so impossibly flaky. I got a ham and cheese croissant that was enormous. We made that our appetizer. And we took it to the table. The rest would be delivered.

ML got a breakfast sandwich, and she upgraded my American breakfast to a platter that included pancakes. We also got a biscuit.

I was glad to have the croissant to keep us entertained while we waited for our food. The appearance of this thing was not deceiving. It was a perfect croissant, very flaky and buttery, and Chisesi ham was literally stuffed inside. The ratio of ham to cheese was off, but this is a minor complaint. It was big enough for us both to share…for breakfast. 

The food was delivered at the table next to ours, and the most beautiful breakfast sandwich I think I’ve seen was placed there. It was the same flaky croissant with egg, bacon and cheese peaking out on all sides.

The sandwich ML ordered was not nearly as arresting. She went with sourdough and asked for the egg cooked hard. No runny yolks for her. Unfortunately, the eggs ran all over, so she ate the bacon off the sandwich.

I was disappointed with my eggs too. I asked for them over medium, and maybe they rolled them to fit the plate, but it was an odd presentation. And the bacon was missing from this ensemble. The server returned from the kitchen with two pieces of perfect bacon, long and stiff and crispy.

The pancakes were about as ordinary as could be. At first glance they looked like maybe whole wheat, and maybe they were. I could taste the vanilla, which is something, at least.

A cup of breakfast potatoes came with this platter, and I liked them fine. There were bits of onion in them, and they were a nicely sized little fried potato. They were not exceptional in any way, nor sub-par, though they did need a little salt.

We were both mystified by the biscuit. Judging by the croissants in the case up front, I expected a gorgeous specimen from the cut biscuit universe, tall and flaky. And then this thing came to the table. It was the most unusual biscuit I have seen, other than the “buffin” from Fete au Fete. (see its description here: https://nomenu.com/admin/posts/dixie-beer-reopens) 

This biscuit was definitely a drop biscuit, and a very large one. ML thought it had potential and took it home to work on it. I ate her yolk-soaked sourdough instead.

I returned to revisit the club sandwich, and asked that they toast the bread. I wasn’t as crazy about the club sandwich this time. I noticed that it had an avocado spread, which I’m never a fan of. Avocados are food of the gods, but never on bread. And there was American cheese on this club. Also what looked like Provolone. Hmmm.

I also got a feta cheese and arugula scone. This was a little dry, which I like, and filled with bits of Mediterranean ingredients.

There are misses as well as hits here, but I think there is a lot to like. I remember going to this little place and parking steps from the door. Those days are over, because there are cars everywhere. And that makes me happy for them. Finally, it’s a fit, or so it seems.