Maury's Tiny Cove — Restaurant in Cheviot

3.8 actually. Wonderful classic old-school restaurant with wonderful "back in the day" ambience.

Called to leave a reservation the night before...got the machine and left the requisite information. Called the next day to confirm, and left information with hostess, secured a reservation.

Arrived early--note, if you enter from the front of the restaurant, you're right in the main dining room area; if you enter in from the parking lot, one is a level higher, in the bar/lounge area--take the stairs to the right side of the room down to the main dining area.

Service was quite good-- Jack was an attentive server, despite having several tables to take care of. The atmosphere is nice, like going back to the 1940s/50s/60s-- which is why portions of the Cate Blanchett film "Carol" were filmed here. Lit nicely, a bit dim, but that falls in line with a classic restaurant, lights down low.

The appetizer was delicious! The Bang Bang chicken was an ample portion for two--we enjoyed it very much; we also enjoyed the complimentary pickles, and butter-brushed rolls, which melted in our mouths.

The chopped lettuce salad was just that--chopped lettuce, with a few bits of purple cabbage & carrot. Honestly, a few grape tomatoes would have spruced this ample portion of greens immensely. The dressing was quite good.

I ordered the famous Cavalier, my lovely bride the lasagna--and well, they were okay. The lasagna flavor was very robust, however, it was hot in some places, merely warm in others. Piping hot throughout would've made it perfect.

My cavalier NY strip steak looked quite tasty; however it was not as tasty as one would imagine, though cooked perfectly. Not sure if they forgot the spices/seasoning or what. It was okay. However, the 12oz cut was in actuality only 8 oz of steak--easily 4 ounces (1/3 of the cut) was fatty, gristle, and unable to be eaten. Conversely, dessert was fabulous! The Tira Misu was superb--the taste, consistency and presentation made it worth every bite. Indeed, Maury's Tira Misu was much, much better than the comparable dessert we had at a much pricier venue in Cincinnati. Definitely a keeper that one.

Note-- this is a classic old-school restaurant, in a nicer, older neighborhood. We'd never been there, so we dressed up a bit, (no jacket+tie, though) and anticipated a date-night experience. However, just a bit surprised to see at least seven (7) baseball-cap wearing individuals in this nice place. Yes, we know Americans are more casual and have been the last 20+ years, but honestly what is the purpose of wearing a ball cap indoors? Rain? Sun? "fashion"?

Lastly, the price of the evening: Not bad. The wine/beer/cocktail list was quite superb, and overall, despite inflation (which both individuals and small businesses have to deal with), our bill for the night was under $80--including the appetizer, 4 drinks, entrees, and dessert.

We'll be back, however given the lackluster experience with the entrees we selected, when we do return, definitely will get...

We were so excited to try this restaurant and was told it was good. We were celebrating my husbands birthday and were in high spirits. We got there early and went to the bar for a cocktail. They didn’t have patron and the Diet Coke was flat. I ordered another drink and it was fine. The bartender was friendly. Not a bad start. Then we got to the table and the waitress introduced herself as Valerie. She asked us if we paid for our drinks at the bar. We told her we did. Tried to order beer and she could not even tell us what beers they had. No beer for us. Asked her about the ribeye on the board at the door and the one on menu. She had no clue what the difference was. Did not offer to find out any of our question just told us she didn’t know. Took our additional drink order (water). She forgot one. Asked us again if we paid for our drinks at the bar. The food was pretty good but very little seasoning. To much money for the quality of you ask me. Brought our dinners and did not bring any butter for the potatoes when we asked for extra. Told us what she brought for the rolls was usually enough. It was not. Then time for the checks. For the third time she asked if we paid for our drinks at the bar. Good grief write it down. Got the checks and guess what my daughters was wrong for a check that should have been $40.57 she was charged $405.57. Of course it was not her fault and this just happens sometimes. Then wanted to argue with us about it. Took 4 days to get her money back into her account. The owner would not even come out to speak with us. She still got charged for her meal. The waitress never brought back the corrected receipts. I finally found her in the bar crying and whining to the bartender. God knows how long that would have lasted. Then she ended up giving me the copies for the merchant. She could have handled this so much better. The owner taking an interest would have helped. She was just to busy not knowing anything and saying it wasn’t her fault. Get some training or find a new profession. I will never go back. Really put a damper on our...

We love the atmosphere of Maury's Tiny Cove. We love the booths, the wood paneled walls, the dim lighting, the stairways, the low ceilings and the twists and turns into even more rooms, and of course, the pickles! We understand they are doing some renovating in early September, 2013, and we hope they don't change too much, although the place could use some freshening up (as in cleaning, not necessarily painting), and the old, worn, dirty carpeting needs to be replaced. The reason that we do not frequent this restaurant as much as I would like is, sad to say, the quality of their food. The owner(s) need to get downtown to Over the Rhine and see what is happening now with the food in those restaurants (which are so busy, it is hard to get a seat). Maybe Maury's loyal, dwindling clientele don't care much about the steaks and chicken breasts that seem to be oven-baked and watery, or the yellow Crisco-like substance they call "butter" that is served with the bread. But today's more knowledgeable restaurant patrons prefer fresh, (and if possible) local foods. When a restaurant is skimping on butter, then you know they are skimping on other ingredients as well. The topping for the chicken that was called "fresh mozzarella" definitely wasn't. I have to say, that I really did enjoy the large roll that came with each dinner; they were somewhat sweet, and seemed to be baked in the white ceramic cup in which they were served. The baked sweet potatoes were perfect, especially since we refused the "butter" which was offered as a topping (knowing that it would be the Crisco-like trans fat substance). Also, the broccoli and the mock turtle soup were delicious. The beers were ice cold, served with frosty glasses. I give this restaurant 5 Stars for the atmosphere (especially if they clean it up) and the friendly waitress, and 3 Stars for the food. For an...