About three years ago a space tucked away in a quiet corner in downtown Covington got a new tenant. This location had been another revolving door of restaurants, but the potential is high that this one will succeed.
The new one is called Meribo, and it is primarily Italian food with a wood-fired pizza oven. This oven turns out delicious pies in the Italian way rather than a New York pie. A very thin, limp crust with charred bubbles.
But it is not this Italian food that I write about today. We went for brunch on Sunday. I had heard good things about the brunch, even though the idea seemed odd to me. It is not a large menu, but it is large enough.
Tom wanted a sticky bun, with cream cheese icing and toffee crumbles on the brioche. There was also a bombolini on the menu, and a wood-fired pancake, which he wound up getting because the sticky bun was sold out. On the savory side the options were quite varied. There was the gourmet version of the Big Mac that everyone is doing now, one Benedict, a grits bowl and Trashy Hash, which starts with their signature Tater Tots. On Sunday, the Rabbit and Waffles was chicken, so I got this, specifically to try the jalapeno waffle. And to be safe, I got the Benedict, which comes with a small arugula salad. I turned this into a basic breakfast. Two eggs over easy with housemade bacon over the biscuit with Creole Hollandaise on the side.
This was a really delicious breakfast. The eggs were perfect, the Hollandaise had a nice kick to it, the arugula salad had a light and tangy dressing, but the biscuit was a dud. Not much flavor and very heavy. No matter, I was happy for the encouragement to stick to the healthier items on the plate. Over on the other side of the table, Tom was underwhelmed by his pancake in a skillet. It looked like something you would cook at a campfire, and made quite a cool presentation. But it was flat, which a pancake shouldn’t be. (Maybe they should go back to the drawing board with these baked items and add more leavening agent?) There were crumbled nuts and an unusual Bourbon butter on top. This wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t something you had to keep eating.
We both wanted to try the chicken and waffles, and here was a great version of this trendy dish. Three pieces of spectacular fried chicken sat atop a jalapeno waffle that really tasted like jalapeno, offset by the sweetness of puddles of syrup. The chicken had a superior quality to it. Not the fibrous tough bird so common now. The crust was crunchy, the batter not too thick or too thin, and the seasoning just right. This was delicious chicken.
I would love to go back and try a few more things on the menu, but I think I’ll have to go with someone else. The noise level in here is enough to register with me, which means way over Tom’s tolerance level, and the service annoying.
When the patio re-do is finished, it will be a really happening place. No one else in downtown Covington has that kind of area. The cooler weather should bring outdoor dining, and hopefully a much larger staff for better service.
Meribo
326 Lee Ln Covington
985-302-5533
Tu-Th 11-9
Friday & Saturday till 10
Sunday 11-9 Brunch 11-2
meribopizza.com
