Virgil's Cafe

If you find yourself in Northern KY and are looking for some wonderful local fare, check out Virgil's Cafe in Bellevue.  According to their website, they serve locally-sourced, in-season food as much as possible, and they work to be accomodating to any type of diet: vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free.  Welll....I figured I'd see if they could accomodate a locavore as well!  I asked my waiter, "What are the chances you can make an entire dinner out of completely local ingredients?"  He said, "Well...lemme talk with the chef, and I'll see what I can do!"

He came back to report that the chef was in the walk-in cooler that very minute, gathering ingredients to make me a strictly local meal.  Now, I wanna point this out:  How many times have you gone to a typical chain restaurant, and requested "extra cheese" or "no onions" and the waiter kinda half-nods...and when your sandwich arrives--there's extra onions, no cheese?  

Happens to me a LOT.

That's what's so different about these local fare restaurants--you don't get into serving local fare because you're a cut-throat business owner wanting yet another chain restaurant.   You do it because you want to support your neighbor down the street who grows carrots, and the cattle farmer who has the best beef in town, and you want to make the community you live in a better place to be.   The atmosphere in a local fare restaurant, co-op, or Farmers' Market is so very personal, and friendly, and welcoming....completely opposite of a typical chain restaurant trip or grocery store visit!

So anyway, enough about my sunny revelation--because you really just wanna hear about the food, don'tcha??

Well here it is, my friends.  We started with a Kenny's Cheese Tray:

And then the main event? Korean Short Ribs with TONS of veggies--all locally grown!  And though the dish normally comes with rice, the chef gave me potatoes since they were locally sourced:

Let me tell you, this was a feast!  I loved it so very much...I really used to take going to restaurants for granted.  I would go a couple times a week, just so I didn't have to cook--it was cheaper, easier, and just as good for me, right?

Wrong.  

I have such a huge a appreciation now for going to a restaurant--its a new, exciting, special event all over again--and I swear you can taste the difference in these local restaurants. I know you can definitely feel it in the atmosphere.

The staff at Virgil's was so easy going, and good natured--after seeing me taking pictures of my food, they asked, "So what's this for anyway?"  I told 'em all about our blog, and our project, and told 'em I'd definitely be back there again-even after my "30 days" are up.  I have learned about so many cool places, and met so many interesting people I never would have known about if it weren't for this eating local thing.

I feel like I've made friends there, and I really want to go back and visit them--and have them cook me awesome food.

After all, that's what friends are for, right? ;)

Oh, and another reason you should eat there?   Because Guy did:

Go check it out, and let me know what you think!  Tell 'em "that one girl with the blog" sent you. :)

~Mel