Just before the turn of the new year, men’s lifestyle magazine Esquire released a list of 100 restaurants America can't afford to lose to the COVID-19 pandemic, including Covington's Bouquet Restaurant.
“We also hope you’ll raise a toast to these spots around the country — old and new, scruffy and spiffy — that we consider restaurants that America can’t afford to lose,” the article reads. “Because if we lose them, we lose who we are."
Nestled on the list between Shepherdstown, West Virginia's eclectic Blue Moon Cafe and an unassuming New Orleans eatery slinging top-notch classic Louisiana fare, Bouquet won its spot based on the restaurant's refreshing elevation of "farm to table" dining.
"Maybe you’ve grown weary of the phrase 'farm to table.' Maybe it’s lost its punch, in certain quarters of the country. But Bouquet is a restaurant that makes 'farm to table' matter again—and in Mitch McConnell’s home state, no less. Chef Stephen Williams opened the restaurant in 2007 'as one of the first restaurants in the area to embrace local and sustainable farming as a cornerstone of its mission,' as the place’s website puts it, and that mission hasn’t lost an ounce of passion in the intervening years. The stuff on the menu sounds straightforward enough—deviled eggs, a green salad, meatballs, a pork chop—but everything soars because of the chef’s obvious reverence for the ingredients that he uses. Yes, that matters," the write-up reads.
The list also includes two Cleveland eateries; Slyman's Deli and Larder; Seviche Restaurant in Louisville; and St. Elmo and Public Greens in Indianapolis.
Bouquet Restaurant is located at 519 Main St. in Covington.
