bellevue bistro

i really like the menu at bellevue bistro; there are some creative offerings. breakfast is organized by bakes (different hot skillet options served overpotatoeswith two eggs on top), benedicts (served over biscuits and topped with two fried eggs and various special sauces), and other good stuff like french toast and goetta grilled cheese. there were four of us that went for brunch and between us we tried the kentucky hot brown, the bellevue hot brown, the veggie bake, the bistro french toast, and the curry chicken salad sandwich. we enjoyed the food quite a bit, but i think the hardest part is that four coffee lovers, starting their day here, found the coffee very weak. they serve mt. lookout joes coffee, which is great, i just don't think they brew it strong enough. overall, bellevue bistro is a charming spot...but we did leave and get coffee somewhere else.

mmmmmmmm. i came to the bistro expecting ro order the famous and repeatedly recommended goetta sandwich.i couldnt order it though after i saw the mediterranean breakfast bake.potatoesonions mushrooms tomatoes basil eggs spinach mozzarella and feta cheese, basically everything i love in this life. and when i saw it, it did not disappoint. still sizzling as it was the served, the portion of food was enormous! the best meal ive eaten under ten dollars in a long time. great, homey service. quaint, artsy vibe. bellevue bistro is a hidden gem.

goetta sandwich. we were in the area last weekend and were looking for an interesting place to have breakfast. the high ratings of this place drew my attention, and they have some interesting things on their menu, so we gave it a try. since i was in the greater cincinnati area, i wanted a dish with goetta, so i ordered the goetta sandwich. it's served with a side of rosemary potatoes. thepotatoeswere big chunks that were fried and then seasoned with a mixture of spices. there was salt and pepper, along with what i thought was a bit of ground chile pepper of some sort, maybe some celery seed, and a touch of rosemary. they were tasty but would have been even better with a bit more crunch.

next up was the sandwich. it started with toasted whole wheat bread topped with the fried goetta, two fried eggs, and a generous amount of cheese, which i thought was at least partially american. there was also a side of bacon jam. i thought the sandwich was good egg sandwich, but that the goetta was sliced to thin so that it was lost amongst the egg and cheese. a thicker slab might have stood out more. the bacon jam was interesting. sweet like you probably would expect from a jam, with a bacon flavor. it added a nice note to the bites i spread it on.

food: 3
service: 2.5
atmosphere: 3
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explanation of rating scale:
1: does not meet expectations
2: meets expectations
3: exceeds expectations
4: far exceeds expectations
so, on this scale, a 2 is a respectable score. 4s will be very rare. (and hopefully so will 1s).

this is a great place to eat breakfast. my favorite so far is the bellevue. those rosemarypotatoes= yum

i've gotten the goetta sandwich ($5.95) , and the biscuits and gravy (also $5.95), and both were excellent. the skilletpotatoeswere lightly seasoned and delicious.

great concept. i think bellevue bistro has a pretty good thing going. went for the first time on a wednesday about 7pm. we were surprised how small it is, but that is one of the nice aspects of it. nice area for dining with a small coffee bar and featuring local artwork for sale that rotates monthly. i think it's creative to change your dinner menu every few weeks. they only featured 3 appetizers, and we chose the toasted ravioli-basically 8 pieces of ravioli, lightly breaded and fried. they were ok, tasted like a cheese stick, and not worth the 8 or 9 dollars.
my girlfriend had the 10oz ny strip and a side salad. she thought that the steak and redpotatoeswere overly salty. she wasn't really in the mood for steak but her 1st two entree choices they were out of for the night. that's all part of cooking with fresh ingredients though.
i had the ribs and onion rings. i think it was a 1/2 rack. they were very good. not falling off the bone, but they had a nice crust to them, were juicy, very meaty, and had a good thick bbq sauce. their onion rings were great....normally fried, then put on the grill for an extra crunch.
they serve bottled beer, but only 5 or 6 varieties. the best being stella and a bluegrass brewing co brown ale. i wish they served wine, but they only have wine coolers. maybe in the future?
despite my girlfriend thinking her food was like a salt lick, we are eager to go back so we can try another dinner menu and what looks to be a very nice breakfast(weekends only) and lunch menu. also, it's only right down the street from the levee.