Restaurant Review : Keystone Bar & Grill in Covington

Keystone Bar & Grill has become our company's go-to place for celebrations, drinks, and even not so pleasant events like saying goodbye to co-workers who have moved on to different opportunities. I can go here in a large crowd or just for a quick lunch by myself. I have been here so many times, but I usually order the same things in rotation. But they have such an extensive menu that there are great options for everyone! If you are a human being, there has to be something here that you can enjoy!

One of my usuals at this bar and grill is the Grilled Cheese Sandwich with cheddar, Swiss, and American cheese on toasted wheat bread with a side of key lime chipotle aioli, and I add bacon for an additional charge of $1.50 (for a total of $7.50). I have wrote of my love affair with sauces before. Here I am again in another love affair with another sauce, this time the key lime chipotle aioli. It is amazing. I seriously could eat this on or with anything! I think that is why I continue to order this simple but jazzed-up grilled cheese - because of that dipping sauce!

I forgot to mention that their homemade Keystone saratoga chips are great as well, especially dipped in their smoky homemade BBQ sauce. I wonder if they sell this sauce by the bottle.... If not they SHOULD! They could make some more money from me!

Maybe one of the main reasons that I love Keystone is that they have.... wait for it....  Mac & Cheese Mondays, and Quesadilla Tuesdays! That means half off all mac & cheese options on Mondays, and half off all quesadillas on Tuesdays! What's not to love?! So of course they are super busy on those two days. Dine in may take longer than usual, and calling in a pick up order has also been a lengthy wait of 40 minutes! Everybody wants some of it, what can I say? I have tried the Pink Floyd Mac & Cheese, which has bacon and carmelized onions. It was just ok... I found myself yearning with envy for my boss's Buffalo Springfield Mac & Cheese which has buffalo chicken topped with crumbled blue cheese. I went back several weeks later to get my own.... Don't you wanna go now?

There is alot of food in that crock, don't let the size fool you! And it comes out to be a pretty cheap meal!

Their quesadillas are also delightful - there are so many options to choose from on this end as well. I usually just get the Classic Quesadilla and add chicken for $3.00 more. So on any day but Tuesday, a Classic Chicken Quesadilla would be $10.00, but on half price Tuesdays it would only be $5.00! I love the jalapeno-cheddar tortilla on this thing.

I have also tried a couple of other menu items but they weren't my faves. I've had Scotty G’s Philly Steak and I thought it was pretty good. I haven't really ordered it again because I found other things I like better. But I did enjoy it though. At one time, I ordered a burger (I can't remember which kind!) but I did NOT like the meat at all. It seemed to have little white pieces of grit in it. So I have not ordered a burger since, but a few weeks back my friend did order the Patty Melt and it did look tasty. Maybe I shall give it a try.... A few of my co-workers love the Buffalo Chicken Wrap... I have tried it before and it was all right but not my favorite. We also had a going-away party here and ordered the Dip Sampler from the Pub menu. It isn't available at lunchtime, though. I thought the trio of dips were good - spinach & artichoke dip, beer cheese, and roasted red pepper hummus. But since we usually go during lunch time and that was a rare after-work occasion, we usually can't order the Dip Sampler.

One thing that I didn't really like (but I see the potential in it) was the Grilled Chicken Sandwich. I ordered it because it came with that key lime chipotle aioli! It wasn't enough to make it better unfortunately. The chicken was grilled black and hard and crusty. They tried to put the burnt side down but I could taste it, and flipped the chicken to find a scorched piece of meat. I would probably order it again and just hope for no burntness!

They have an upstairs area for parties with a crowd, or just an area for dining with a big group. There is also a shuffleboard upstairs which is really fun to play on while waiting for food. 

Another thing that I love about Keystone is their display of local artwork. Yes, they have old Hollywood art on their walls in the main dining area. But if you go back to the hidden section (still on the first floor), here is where they display the local art. I enjoy it so much! I have taken two artists' cards while at Keystone. The work of Mike Maydak is currently on display here. He does comic-like paintings, some of which are Covington monuments and buildings.

I also loved the artwork of Robin Ewers - awhile back her celebrity paintings were on display at Keystone and I loved them so much! She also does portraits, pencilwork, and more! Check out both of these young artists' work!

So basically I love Keystone and everything about it - the decor, the food, the atmosphere, the convenience! I think you will too :)