Otto's Deli - Covington

We hit up Otto's Deli in Covington with some friends a few weeks ago.  Honestly, I had heard very little about it, and was excited to give it a try.

It is in a perfect location right in the heart of the Covington action on Mainstrasse.  There are a couple of tables in the summer right on the sidewalk which give it a very welcoming feel right as you walk up.  We had reservations, and it is a good thing.  As we stepped inside the place was mobbed.  It is a relatively small restaurant with tables pretty close together.  It had a great vibe with every party in the place seemingly having great conversation over enjoyable food.  The crowd is a bit on the older side, but definitely the hip foodie type older crowd, not the stuffy formal older crowd - if that makes sense.  The atmosphere is eclectic with lots of character, and reminded me a bit of York Street Cafe in Newport.

They asked if we wanted to be seated indoors or out on the back patio.  Given how crowded it was inside, we opted for the back patio.  Again, very similar our back here as the back patio of York Street Cafe (though Otto's is a bit smaller inside and out).   The outside was fine, but did not have as much character as inside, and we were under a wooded deck.

The menu is gourmet and all of it sounds delicious.  To start we had the fried green tomatoes and the baked brie.  Both were delicious, here are the pics:

For main courses the table ordered the scallop dish, the salmon dish (which I don't think is on the menu anymore), and the special vegetarian pasta dish.  The scallop dish was phenomenal.  Scallops were perfectly cooked and atop a delicious bed of spinach and parmesan risotto.  The only complaint for the whole night is that the salmon was overcooked.  So be wary if you order that.  See photos below:

For desert we had a chocolate torte.  I would love to show you a picture of it, but it was too good to snap before it was gone.  See here:

Overall, it was a wonderful night out, and we will definitely be back.  The prices are a bit high (thought worth it) so we will save for out of town guests or special occasions.