Frida 602:

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have noticed a trend with some of my tweet content over the past year. It started innocently enough with me running a 5K race last spring.

After running inside on a treadmill all winter, I started to take my workouts to the road--and the races. I started upping my mileage during the week, getting more competitive, and on May 1st this year, ran the Flying Pig Half Marathon.

The Flying Pig has one of the earliest starts of the races I’ve run. To his credit, David got up at 5 a.m. on a Sunday without complaint to watch the race start at 6:30 and wait for me to finish about an hour and 45ish minutes later.

At most races, once you cross the finish line, there are usually volunteers with water, free bananas or other small snacks. I usually take the water, but skip the other goodies. Because when I finish a race, there are usually three things I really want, listed below.

1. A hug from David
2. Nachos
3. Margaritas

yaaaaaass

To fulfill that wish list, sometimes we head north to Chuy’s in Kenwood, to Mercado downtown, or take a short trip across the river to Frida 602.

 

Interestingly enough, Frida 602 is also owned by the same people that own Otto’s, the subject of my previous post. You’ll notice some similarities--the pairs of salt and pepper shakers, some quirky decor, and a menu that doesn’t disappoint.

Frida 602 not only has a nice selection of tequila, they also specialize in mezcal, which is a spirit that is growing in prominence in the past few years. The selection of mezcal at the Party Source has been steadily expanding, and now takes up several shelves as opposed to a few bottles.

The good mezcal (not that caramel colored stuff with the worm in the bottom) can get pricey, so if you want to learn more about it, this bar is an excellent place to start, as they have flights you can try. Flights are also a good idea because mezcal itself can vary so wildly.  Some are smoky and bold like Scotch, while others are delicate and vegetal like a more nuanced tequila.

A copita, or traditional tasting cup for mezcal.

The cheese dip at Frida 602 is excellent, and the thicker (almost too thick in my opinion) chips are up to the task of scooping out the melty cheese with a nice broiled crust. Don’t be scared of the peppers--they look spicy but are very mild.

 

Don't be skeered

I like the nacho assembly particularly. While digging around in a pile of chips and delicious toppings for that perfect combination of beans, cheese and whatever else you’ve ordered on your nachos has its charms, the nachos at Frida 602 come out on a plate already assembled and loaded with beans, cheese, chicken, cilantro and crema.

Individually assembled for your snacking pleasure

The real star of the “antojitos” menu is the empanada. If you go to Frida 602, do not skip it. The perfectly deep fried pastry is filled with juicy, braised short rib in a slightly spicy sauce and served with chimichurri and crema. Hands down, it’s one of our favorite things on the menu.

Get you some

We’ve also eaten all the tacos on the menu. In one sitting. Don't look at me like that!

Our favorites were the fried fish and the fried chicken, as well as the braised beef. The brussel sprout taco is also surprisingly good for what appears to be the token vegan dish on the menu. The only miss was the chicken taco, which was a bit dry.

These are substantial tacos, so we recommend either getting them with the flour tortilla (best with the fried stuff) or requesting a double wrapped corn tortilla so they don’t fall apart halfway through.

 

goat taco

Structural integrity holding...for now

Too many tacos

Only God can judge me

Drinks are excellent as well. Everything is fresh, vibrant, and housemade. No retail mystery mixes were spotted.

If you want to go traditional, there’s a solid house margarita. The passion-fruit punch, which is a delightful pink color, is so tasty I’d recommend a pitcher for a group--because you definitely won’t want to share an individual order.

Passionfruit punch

Oaxacan mule

Frida Margarita

Sangria

We’ve tried two desserts, the key lime pie and the tres leches cake. The pie has great flavor with real lime zest, and the cake is some of the best we’ve ever had. The torched marshmallow at the top really takes it up a notch. This is another thing not to skip at Frida 602.

 

One of the best parts of indulging post-race is I get to eat the whole thing without any guilt

Otto's:

Some songs are happy songs. It’s practically impossible to not crack a smile or nod your head and sing along.

Take for instance, Africa, by Toto. The song seems to have become more popular recently for some reason, which I’m totally on board with. David, not so much, because when it comes on I start grinning and dancing like an idiot in public.

Along those same lines there are some restaurants that are happy places. Otto’s in Covington is one of those places.

Otto’s is open for brunch on Saturday and Sundays. We prefer the less busy Saturdays, and have been in for brunch five times now. We’ve tried pretty much the entire menu.

Brunch cocktails include a variety of mimosas and Bloody Mary. David and I usually start with one of those.

Now David usually only gets a Bloody Mary once or twice a year, but the ones at Otto’s are so good he hasn’t been able to pass them up. They have two types on the menu, distinguished by your preferred vodka infusion: garlic jalapeño or cucumber.  The garlic jalapeño is punchy without being overwhelming, while the cucumber is restrained and refreshing. The tomato base has clean fresh flavor and hasn't been over salted (like most premixes are). A splash of ale rounds out the recipe, to produce a superbly drinkable cocktail.

David is a huge fan of Benedict, so we started our first visit with that for him and the B.L.F.G.T., (bacon, lettuce, egg, fried green tomato, cheese and mayo) served on a toasted croissant, for me. For a side, there’s a tough decision between a nice thick and crispy slice of goetta, a fruit cup, or a phenomenal, fluffy potato pancake.

David's Benedict dance

The Benedict stays inside usual bounds for expected ingredients (poached egg, country ham, dill hollandaise), but adds its own signatures of cherry tomatoes and kale, all on a superbly crunchy grit cake. Again, like the Bloody Mary, all of the flavors are balanced perfectly.

Hurry boy, she's waiting there for you

Our next visit, David opted for the lox and bagel with a hard boiled egg, cream cheese, onion and caper. I couldn’t resist the pull of the biscuits and sausage gravy.

It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you

There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do

The portion size for the biscuits and gravy is perfect, and the ratio of sausage to gravy and biscuit are excellent. I’ve gotten this dish twice so far. The eggs on all of the dishes we’ve gotten from Otto’s have been expertly poached, and this was no exception.

Our third visit, I once again went for the sausage (insert that’s what he/she said here) and grit bowl. David selected the breakfast casserole. I really enjoyed the fresh, bright flavor from the sauteed cherry tomatoes, and David’s casserole had plenty of melted cheese, sausage, potatoes and other tasty vegetables.

The following Saturday, we decided to order the lemon buttermilk pancakes we’d been eyeing, in addition to the crab hash. Dear Lord, those pancakes. Served with a tangy berry compote, sweet whipped cream and butter, these are as good or better than the ones we loved at Red Feather.

I bless the rains pancakes down in Africa  at Otto's Cafe

It’s not just the food that’s great at Otto’s. They have excellent iced tea, and if you ask nicely, make a kick-ass John Daly. Service has always been pleasant. The restaurant has a variety of quirky signs, lively abstract art, and adorable sets of salt and pepper shakers for each table and tiny bikes that hold sugar packets. It is, as I mentioned, a very happy place to spend a Saturday morning.

The biggest problem we run into at Otto’s is that everything on the brunch menu is just so damn good that it’s hard to choose a favorite dish. It’s a good problem to have. Throw in that it’s just a mile walk from downtown and I think we have a new favorite brunch spot.

Gonna take some time to do the things we never had...like go back to Otto's for lunch and dinner.

Non Nom; Laura and Janelle's excellent misadventure:

When we left our heroines Laura and Janelle, they had found their destination--Clique lounge-- closed. In a deserted, sketchy area of Covington, they look desperately for safe haven and decide to go to the first bar that they see...

The first bar we saw was the Deadwood Saloon.It was also the only bar on the block, so in we went. We entered a haze of smoke populated with mostly tattooed biker types, Metallica’s “seek and destroy” blaring over the stereos. I began to laugh. I felt like I was in an extra scene of the Blues Brothers….two girls, dressed up for a nice night out, ended up in the biker bar.

Janelle and I were kind of bummed about missing out on Clique martinis and plopped down on the bar stools by the door to catch our breath after hurrying down the block in our fancy footwear. I was wearing my new boots, so I was a little bit better off.

She ordered a Sam Adams draft, which came in the new fancy pants glass Sam Adams produced. I stuck with water while we figured out what to do. A live band was setting up. An elderly gentleman at the bar was making roses out of napkins at the bar. He gave one to Janelle and one to me, telling us that he’d been off crack for 7 years. OK, we said. Good for you.

I texted David an SOS to come get us. We looked around and saw a long bar, booze, the band, an electronic jukebox, and these on the wall.

OMG.

Janelle confessed she was curious to see how good the band was, and I admitted that I was too—at this point I was sensing a great story in the making and we felt relatively safe. I told David to stay put for now; I’d keep him updated.

We saw a lady at the bar order a Cosmo, and so we both followed suit.

Pretty.

Things were looking up. And they were cheap! Our bill for two Cosmos was 9.00. A song Janelle loved came on and Janelle was ecstatic—“cheap cosmos! Good music?! It’s like fate directed us to be here! It’s like we’ve found our mecca!”

Between the drink prices, my amusement over the absurdity of the situation and Janelle’s infectious enthusiasm, I was starting to not mind this strange turn of events.

See above for enthusiasm

I wandered over to the electronic Juke box and I giggled as I looked over the selection—Hanna Montana? Jonas Brothers? Much like Janelle and I, I wondered what the hell they were doing in this bar.
I pondered selecting the worst things I could find, but decided that could end badly—I was picturing that scene from the Blues Brothers again. I selected Queen’s fat bottomed girls from the list. Before it could play, however, everything was paused and the band started.

We finished our cosmos and then ordered rum and cokes. They were cheap too—and very strong.

I had packed my baby with me—the camera that David got me for my birthday in 2006, a Canon S3-IS.

Janelle and I walked to the other end of the bar so that we could take pictures of the band while they played.

Yep. more bras.

The were called Crosstie, and they played mostly country. We were starting to attract the notice of some of the patrons of the establishment with the flashy flashy—a couple people asked if we were with the band.

Everyone that we talked to was very nice, and Crosstie was pretty good. I don’t even like country, and I found myself rockin out. The band members really loved performing too—you could tell they were having a blast. Janelle knew most of the songs—she said it was the type of country her dad listened to. I kept taking pictures. That’s when I noticed the tambourine.

who plays you, lonely tambourine?

It was sitting there in front of the drums. I wondered who played it. It looked so dejected and lonely. When the band’s first set was over, I went over to them. I introduced myself and made sure they didn’t mind me taking pictures. I also asked two questions— would they play sweet home Alabama for Janelle and who plays the tambourine.


The lead vocalist replied “Yeah, we can play that. We usually play it towards the end of the night, are you staying long?” I told him we probably would. In regards to who plays the tambourine, he told me that “You do.”
I was super psyched. “I play the tambourine? Me?”

I jumped up and down like I was four. “Oh boy!” They told me I’d get to play the tambourine next song.
I gave the camera to Janelle and told her to take pictures.
“Have you ever done this before?” He asked me, handing me the jingly circle. “No.” I said. They started playing a Johnny Cash song.

It was at that moment that I realized I'm not very good

A kind assessment of my tambourine skills would be…enthusiastic. It took me half the song to find the actual beat I was supposed to follow. I’m pretty sure that I was awful. I didn’t care. I handed the tambourine off to the audience to let someone else try and rejoined Janelle.

I took some more pictures, and there was another set break. I went to the bathroom, which was very nice. Much better than Cosmo’s in mainstrasse, that has a shower curtain for a door. That just seems like an accident waiting to happen.

When I was in the bathroom, I heard my Queen song start to play. Yay! I almost toppled off the toilet in my hurry to get back and dance to a song I actually knew.

When I got back, I saw that the song had spurred some bar dancing. You know, like in Coyote ugly. I told Janelle the bathroom was safe—no shower curtain, and I’d watch our stuff while she went in.

No one seemed to mind the girls dancing on the bar. They seemed to be having a really good time. One of them reached her hand down to me and beckoned me to come dance. I glanced around and put our stuff in a chair so I could see it clearly.

And when Janelle came out of the bathroom….

My super awesome boots

Yup. Maybe I’ve seen Coyote ugly a few too many times.

We stayed for a little longer, but we were getting tired. We both had ordered two refills on our rum and diet cokes and it was time for us to head home. Crosstie started playing again.

We called Towne Taxi for the second time that evening to come get us. They said it would be about twenty minutes. As we were waiting, Crosstie, true to their word started playing Sweet Home Alabama.

Another lady got up on the bar and beckoned me up—I guess recognizing me from my earlier shenanigans. I looked at Janelle and handed her my phone in case the taxi company called.

Back up on the bar, the tambourine was passed up to me. Dancing on a bar with a tambourine?! Does it get any better? I think not.

I did much better this time around and managed to keep the beat. After the song was over, Janelle and I paid our tabs— mine was $9.00 and Janelle's was $12.00 (we paid for the Cosmos with cash) and turned to watch the exchange between a rather intoxicated bar-goer and the bartender.

The drunk guy was waving a bunch of dollars at her obnoxiously and yelling at her to get over there now! She was visibly agitated and was trying to explain to him that you do not get good service that way. He was still being a d-bag, so I walked over to the bouncer I had noticed earlier and tapped him on the shoulder.

Bouncer, with drunk guy he threw out behind him

“they need you at the bar.” I told him. He followed me back and observed drunky McGee. He went over to talk to him. He ended up throwing him out (literally) as we were leaving.

We got back to my apt a little after midnight. We both smelled like ashtrays from the bar but had returned from our misadventure. While we were skeptical at first, we both had tons of fun at the bar and everyone we met was really nice and sincere. And I got to play the tambourine. And we got cosmos!