For great views of the Cincinnati skyline and the Ohio River, you can't beat the restaurants along the shorelines in Covington and Newport.
One of the best restaurants in Kentucky is found in Covington's Main Strasse. Dee Felice Café, Sixth and Main streets (tel. 859/261-2365; www.deefelice.com), mixes live jazz and spicy New Orleans-style cuisine. Main courses cost $9 to $35.
Just upriver on the east side of the Roebling Suspension Bridge -- a Civil War-era span that connects Kentucky with downtown Cincinnati -- is Mike Fink's (tel. 859/261-4212; www.mikefink.com). Named for a legendary riverman, the restaurant is housed in a paddle-wheeler replica at the foot of Greenup Street. Known for its seafood and raw bar, this is a fun place with moderate to expensive prices (main courses $19-$51).
Though it's not directly on the river, Behle Street Café, adjacent to the Embassy Suites Hotel just off the riverfront in Covington (tel. 859/291-4100), offers the rare combination of good food and low prices (main courses $11-$24). This is a great place to hit for a quick meal or drink before a Reds game or other evening event.
Newport, just east of Covington across the Licking River, has a whole strip of restaurants along an area known as Riverboat Row. Most are family-friendly and offer outdoor docks and decks that provide wonderful views of the city and give the kids a chance to feed the ducks.
At Newport on the Levee, near the aquarium, we recommend Fat Fish Blue (tel. 859/261-4401; www.fatfishblue.com), a hip Cajun eatery that features live blues and jazz. A few blocks away there's Hofbrauhaus (tel. 859/491-7200; www.hofbrauhausnewport.com), a friendly German-American restaurant serving up hearty Bavarian favorites. Main courses run $9 to $13.
