We have long been fans of Lola in Covington. It’s a fast casual weekday lunch place and weekend dinner restaurant. With two Southshore A-listers at the helm, Lola is consistently polished, delicious food.
For some time it had been rumored that Nellie, Mrs. Frentz and the baker of the operation, was set to have her own bakery. The rumored spot was in a not-yet-built expansion of The Southern Hotel. The expansion is still not-yet-built, but Nellie found a tiny space not far from the rumored spot, and not far from Lola. It is miniscule and very tucked away on Rutland St., the quiet more residential part of downtown. The English Tea Room is a block or two away on this sleepy street, and they have been busy constantly with their unique little spot.
Bertie’s is the new bakery, and it is located next to a barber shop and a cigar store. It would be easy to miss except for the fantastic peach color and signage out front. Inside the little peach door is more airiness and color. This is a chick place of the highest order, which I love, because I am a chick. Visually, the place delights me all the way to my toes. Such a thing would lead one to believe that guys might be repelled, but these very thoughts bring me all the way back to a conversation Tom and I had in Anchorage, Alaska, in a restaurant where I had my first grilled halibut. I remember the spot, the divine grilled halibut, and the conversation. The restaurant was arresting in its cool Alaskan decor. This former Nordstrom was my kind of place. The owner told him that his designer suggested that he cater the place to women, because men would follow. Who doesn’t love beautiful?
The offerings in this tiny place are limited. It’s not my kind of bakery because it’s traditional, and traditionally sweet. There was a chocolate chip cookie, blueberry muffins, Ooey Gooey Cake, Cinnamon buns with sticky icing that would have thrilled Tom, biscuits, and focaccia, which is not my thing. But before I left with just the cookie, I checked the cool letterboard menu. It was there that I noticed a biscuit sandwich. I got a biscuit sandwich with sausage, egg, and cheese. These were pre-made and wrapped in foil. It was warm when I opened it, releasing a generic “baked” smell. Just the smell of flour being baked makes me feel warm inside.
There wasn’t anything special about this egg sandwich, but I loved it. The biscuit was not a fancy cut, buttery, layered work of art. It was like a biscuit Mom would make, with the emotions such a thing evokes. The egg was not a new-fangled runny yolk fried egg, but a slab of scrambled egg cut into a square from a pan. The sausage was the same great pork patty used at Lola, and American cheese finished this ensemble. Simple, basic, old-fashioned good.
The chocolate chip cookie was the same: big, old-fashioned cookie filled with melted chocolate chips. No ginger, pepper, or anything unexpected. A safe chocolate chip cookie. Not crispy, not chewy, but in-between. Again, like Mom would make. And there is nothing wrong with that.
I love this delightful little spot. Bertie’s is a wonderful new addition to Covington’s downtown.