The Grove

It is impossible for me to dislike a vegetarian friendly restaurant. I saw this new restaurant listed in the Cincinnati Enquirer and knew I should check it out. It sounded delicious!
I went last night with another vegetarian friend. Oh my goodness– this place is ridiculously hard to find! Neither one of us were at all familiar with Northside, which may have contributed to the problem, but we went armed with directions.
Me: «OK, it’s 0.8 miles from where we turned. It’s on the right.»
My friend: «Got it!».
Five minutes later… and after driving past the St. Bernard Soap factory… My friend: «It’s not in St. Bernard is it? That’s what the sign says.»
Me: «Crap. I’ll call the restaurant.» (I use my Unilocal app to get the phone number and talk to someone from the restaurant)
Me: «Hi, my friend and I are trying to get to your restaurant and I’m pretty sure we’re lost. We’re in St. Bernard»
The Grove associate: «Haha, that doesn’t surprise me.»
After getting some directions we made our way in (of course after several wrong turns trying to find where to park!!) A helpful tip– look for the sign for Ray’s Restaurant, or the window with a cool tree painted on it. It actually says «The Grove» in the lower part of the window.
We had a very private dining experience, as it was only us in the restaurant. It, like most new restaurants has that «new» not yet quite put together look. They had also already made some menu changes and were out of several ingredients for dishes. My friend decided on the portabella burger and i opted for the corn cake burger. I loved it! It was so fresh and the perfect mix of corn, red pepper, and their special mayo.
All of their food is made fresh and in front of you. The kitchen isn’t in the back, it’s a diner style where you can see them cooking! My friend enjoyed her portabella burger as well.
All sandwiches come with homemade potato chips and a pickle. I thought the potato chips were good, but perhaps a bit too well done. They were a little too brown for my taste.
The other vegetarian options looked good, and the prices were very reasonable. I would love to head back in a couple of months once they are a little more settled. At least I know where it is now and won’t get lost!

I love going to restaurants when they just open.
I know, they’re filled with problems — they don’t have everything set up yet, the menu’s not often complete and a lot of time the food can be wonky. However, you really get the feeling of what the place is all about. Most often it’s the owner working behind the counter (if not the grill) and you get the bare-​bones experience — and either it’s got potential and will bring you back for more when they are full functional or it’s going to leave a bad taste in your mouth.
I’m absolutely going back to The Grove.
Now, when I say they’re not full up-​and-​running, I don’t mean you can’t get a great meal there. You can, and with options too! They have a great selection of delicious deli items. It doesn’t seem like you can go wrong with anything here. I got the corn cake burger with chipotle mayo and it was amazing — delicious and different. My friend and intern Laura got a turkey sandwich of some kind and it too looked grand.
This place is split evenly with items with meat and items for vegetarians, so no matter who you’re with (especially in Northside), chances are someone will be happy.
All items right now come with homemade potato chips. I asked Terry, the owner, why and he said that, «Everyone does fries. I wanted to do something different.» They are indeed different and really, really good! I’m not usually a chip man with my burger, but damn if these weren’t delicious. That’s the best thing about this restaurant — everything is homemade. They won’t serve anything that isn’t, right down to the wrapped up cookies you can grab to go.
Of course, he’s working on adding more sides. Terry is working on a bunch of things to make the place better. It was kind of funny actually, when I asked him what he was going to put in, he ticked off the things that I found missing. A) There are no other sides besides chips. B) There is no sign outside that says The Grove (making it a little hard to find this place). C) No wireless internet yet (I could see myself sitting in this great place for a while when they add it in). D) No real decorations on the wall and the tables are a little old. This is true; it does kind of feel like a faded old diner right now instead of a new fun restaurant. Still, I was impressed that Terry was keenly aware of some of the issues in his new spot and knows what he has to do to make it better.
Again, this is the start of a restaurant so there are bound to be issues anywhere. What I saw though, impressed. The food was cheap and delicious and the service was good and I’ll happily write an update in months to come when I go back and see what’s changed.
Huzzah!
Ps. I asked him what the name meant, «The Grove.» Terry told me that it was the only real name they could agree on and it comes from Spring Grove Ave, the name of the street it’s on. Aw, I like that. He also told me that originally they were going to call the place «Hungry As A Bear,» but thought that, maybe, possibly, somehow that might be taken the wrong way in Northside. *smirk*

I wish Unilocal would install half buttons so I could give 3 ½ stars instead of 4. My reason behind rounding up, instead of down, is due to the potential I see in the place. I would rate my experience as really good and however, I’m will to bet in 3 months I could be bowled over.
For those who are looking for a quicky review, here it is:
The Grove is a new mom and popish restaurant in Northside that serves home-​cooked, yummy food. The sandwiches are delish and my god, the potatoes are even better.
Now for the details:
The Grove’s interior houses a few wide booths and tables scattered about. The colors are warm and perfect for the kind food that Terry, the owner, cooks up. It could use some sprucing up, but funds are limited in the beginning, and I’m sure they have plans to update after business picks up.
Soda is served in bottles, which I actually love being the classy lady I am. My only recommendation is to serve all soda with a glass of ice. The menu is comprised mostly of sandwiches, some with meat and others vegan. Terry talked about adding casseroles in the future which got me totally psyched because, as you know, Midwesterners LOVE them some casseroles. For some reason the open-​faced turkey sandwich caught my eye, most likely because it had Jerry Springer in the name. My food partner-​in-​crime, Alex, ordered the corn cake burger.
Terry treated us to the tomato basil soup which alone earned a star in my book. The soup itself was really chunky with a sweet taste. I adore marinara sauce and have been known to eat it out of the jar so that was perfect for me. My sandwich consisted of turkey breast over white bread, topped with mashed potatoes and gravy. The sandwich is hard to judge. Admittedly, I’m used to fake mashed potatoes with tons of butter and salt. These were the real deal, complete with pieces of skin. The turkey wasn’t really exciting and same with the bread. The sandwich itself would get 3 stars in my book. Now the fried sliced potatoes… damn. I hate potato chips and I couldn’t stop eating these. They come with a side of ketchup, which confused me at first, but are perfect for dipping. For dessert, they sell over-​sized cookies by the register that are nothing short of delightful. My peanut-​butter chocolate cookie was the cherry on top of a satisfying meal.
Overall I think The Grove has a lot of growing to do, but is a really nice addition to Northside. They can cater to many different tastes and frankly, the owners can cook! I will definitely be back to see what they’ve cooked up in a couple months.