By Andy Foltz
NKyTribune Correspondent
In the mood for a pizza, a sandwich, a beer, and maybe something to bring home and cook yourself later? The Gruff in Covington has you covered on all fronts as the newest one-stop foodie shop in Northern Kentucky.
Like Covington itself, The Gruff has a little something for everyone. Avram and Kristin Steuber opened the restaurant/market on January 14, filling the need for a grocer, deli and oven brick pizzeria at the corner of East Second and Greenup Streets. The building sits just under the end of the Roebling Suspension Bridge.
“With more products, you have more avenues to generate business,” Avram said. “We want to generate an Over the Rhine type of vibe. This is different than the other restaurants in the area.”
That is easy enough to see from the vibrant red, green and yellow exterior, designed by BLDG, another Covington business that knows something about being unique. The interior of The Gruff has a green floor, to indicate the greener pastures on the other side of the bridge, the Steubers said.
“They had several options for names, but I liked The Gruff because I loved the book as a child,” said Kristin.
So far, business has exceeded the Steubers’ expectations, and kept themselves and their 30 employees hopping.
“We got slammed right away,” said Avram. “We were really happy with the turnout right away. We’ve gotten good support from the neighborhood and in social media.”
“People have been waiting for something like this in the neighborhood,” added Kristin. “They haven’t had anything quite like this since Scaleas (Ristorante) and Vieth’s (Deli) closed.”
Quality products are a top priority at The Gruff. Avram, a graduate of the Midwestern Culinary Institute, said everything starts there. The market includes Local Folks foods, made in Indiana, and such local beers, both on tap and for carryout, as Ei8ht Ball, Mad Tree, and Rhinegeist.
“We sell organic, free range eggs,” he said. “Our deli meat is from Smoking Goose, so they are nitrate free. All our deli sides, salads, and sausages are made on site. As long as you have good ingredients, you can do just about anything.”
The menu runs the gamut from the brick oven pizzas to unique appetizers and salads to a cheeseburger. The Steubers’ designed the menu keeping in mind the variety and vagary of human appetites.
“People can get creative without taking a huge risk,” said Kristin.
The top selling salad so far is roasted beet salad, which is made with goat cheese and duck prosciutto. The signature sandwich, the 3 Billy Goats, is salami, prosciutto and lomo, a cured and hand trimmed pork loin. It also includes goat cheese and an olive relish. Avram said the most popular appetizer so far are the pickle fries, served with a yogurt dill sauce.
The gourmet deviled eggs, also a good seller, are another example of the unique menu. They combine two traditional deviled eggs with two filled with ham salad and two filled with tuna salad.
“We’re trying to have something for everybody,” Avram said. “You can take a traditional thing like that, and put a little twist on it.”
The next twist for The Gruff will be putting a hot daily special on the menu as a quick and tasty dinner option. The Gruff has a pick-up window on the Greenup side of the building, which is expected to be a boon to the business. Currently, the restaurant area seats roughly 75 people. Once the weather warms up, there will be tables outside that will seat another 40 or so.
“I see a lot of potential in Covington,” said Kristin. “We live here and we wanted to stay in Covington.”
I cannot wait to check this out. I think it’s particularly appropo in its name, The Gruff, as Covington readies to put goats (and their gruffs) in Goebel Park this spring. I hope they get a flood of business — it’s the kind of place that sounds like it helps to build a neighborhood.