Sunday, May 09, 1999
Eateries hit the spot near river
Eclectic mix revitalizes area
BY CINDY SCHROEDER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON — Three years ago, Barton's on Park Place, a popular lunch-time hangout, was just another vacant business in the shadow of the Kenton County courthouse.
“It had been a Burger Chef, then a Shelby's,” co-owner Todd Barton recalled. “When my father and I decided to open a restaurant here, it had been empty for nine years. To picture what it looked like, imagine air ducts filled with grease, and old equipment laying everywhere. It was terrible.”
But Todd and his father, William, owner of The Pepper Pod restaurant in Newport, saw potential in the location near the foot of the Roebling Suspension Bridge.
“It was in the center of town, and it had the parking and everything that we needed,” Todd Barton said. “At the time, we didn't know anything about the (plans for the new Northern Kentucky) Convention Center, or plans for new riverfront hotels. We just liked the fact that it was close to the (Ohio) River.”
Barton's on Park Place, an upscale delicatessen and pizzeria, opened in October 1996 to packed lunch-time crowds.
Since that fall, an eclectic mix of restaurants and bakeries, representing an investment of nearly $5 million, has opened in the nearby blocks of Park Place, Court, Fourth and Greenup streets.
They include Down Under, formerly known as the Stadium Club, the Wild Flour Bakery, Scalea's deli, bakery and restaurant, and Jack Quinn's Irish pub and restaurant. Joining them later this month will be Sonoma, a restaurant featuring cuisine with a California and Mediterranean twist.
While all of the new eating establishments rely heavily on the immediate area for their customer base, an increasing number also are seeing more customers from the Ohio side of the river.
“It's the same principle where McDonald's plops down on a corner, and the other fast-food restaurants follow,” said Chip Smith, executive director of the Northern Kentucky Restaurant Association. “Only in this case, an Irish pub would also complement (20-year-old bar and nightspot) Coco's, Scalea's with its fine Italian cuisine, and all the other nearby places. You have an appeal for every type of appetite.”
The business owners themselves have developed a camaraderie within their tight-knit community and with the local police who maintain a visible presence and help direct lost customers.
“We've given out everything from condiments to change,” said Dean DiGiacinto, who owns and operates Scalea's on Greenup Street with his wife, Beth.
Mr. DiGiacinto said it's also not uncommon for him to refer customers to other nearby eating spots, if he's booked on a particular night, a comment other restaurant owners echoed.
Less than a block away, on Park Place, one of Down Under's day chefs keeps an eye on Mr. Barton's parking lot at night.
“On Fridays when it's nice out, I stand outside and watch the people,” said Sandy Hobt, general manager of Down Under. “You'll see customers go in one place for a drink, eat dinner at another and check out the entertainment someplace else.”
In most cases, it took healthy packages of Covington and state financial incentives to entice operators of trendy eateries to open in unknown territory.
Now that the area is becoming Covington's newest restaurant district, the business owners hope to build on their success with improvements such as reasonably priced parking, creation of a pedestrian plaza, and the designation of an official name for the historic entertainment district.
Covington Economic Development Director Ella Brown-Frye and City Manager Greg Jarvis agree with many of their wishes, but add that funding will be the key to making them happen.
“The city would like to see that area become more of a gathering place, something like (Cincinnati's) Fountain Square,” Ms. Brown-Frye said. “That's what we're shooting for.”
A Covington plan, recently endorsed by the Southbank marketing group, calls for new sidewalks and lighting, underground utilities and creation of a pedestrian plaza on Park Place, complete with a fountain or other landmark.
“To get to that point, we will have to phase in improvements,” Ms. Brown-Frye said. “Some of these things could happen in two years, if the right partnership came together.”
Mr. Jarvis said Southbank has adopted the project, and is working with city officials to explore fund-raising options for about $2 million in improvements.
On the issue of parking, Mr. Jarvis said a number of public spaces are available at a lot at Third and Greenup streets, as well as the nearby Kenton County Parking Garage.
Covington's city manager said the city also is trying to be more aggressive in its marketing efforts. As an example, he cited two Cincinnati Magazine advertising inserts within the past year touting a Covington that's “back and better than ever.”
Ms. Brown-Frye said city staff is looking for more unique specialty retail shops, such as the Morning Star pottery business across from Jack Quinn's on Fourth Street.
She added that city officials have had preliminary discussions about attracting more retail establishments to the Kenton County building, once the court functions move to the new Kenton County Justice Center in mid-June.
All that talk about development of an entertainment district delights Covington residents such as Karen Rafuse.
The president of the Licking-Riverside Neighborhood Association benefits as a nearby resident, as well as the proprietor of a historic bed-and-breakfast inn.
“It certainly puts you on the map for your friends in Cincinnati who didn't know where you lived before,” she said. “Now when they ask, "Where do you live?' I say, "Near all those neat little restaurants in Covington.'”
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