One nice Saturday evening, we met a friend for dinner over in York County. Our various locations and activities that day pointed us to a likely area, and Herself recalled a restaurant in just the right place. The Cove, at 1500 S. George St.
Okay friends, I'm going to be real straightforward here. I wasn't impressed, and that's going to show here. Also, I intentionally sat on this review for a while, rather than jump in with both big feet. Well, here it is a week later, and I recalled I had something I should be writing about. Didn't we go out to eat last weekend? What was that place? Oh yeah....
That's when I figured out the most striking impression The Cove left on me. It's just plain forgettable. The place was packed, the location good, the decor not bad, the whiskey selection quite good, and the food...... utterly forgettable.
The Cove has two identities in one location. To the one side, a big bar and dining room. Lot's of TV's with sportsball playing, and a busy Saturday rush going on. On the other side, a 'Whiskey' bar, with more tables and a small bar well stocked with spirits from around the wold. Smoking is allowed in the whiskey bar, as well.
The main dining room was fully involved, and wait staff pointed out the whiskey bar, telling us there were lots of empty table there. Hmm.... whisky, cigars, and the same menu? Yeah, we can do that! I just 'happened' to have a few hand-rolled Cuban seed cigars with me.... ahem. (Hain's Cigar shop in Downtown York, 7th oldest tobbacco shop in the United States.)
To the Whiskey Bar! Yeah.... Jim Morrison and the Doors were playing a concert in my head at that point, like a sound track to a disaster film.
Our friend arrived as we took a table (Near the Skeeball machine, which cost Herself all the dollars ($3.00! I spent only $3.00 dollars, because SKEEBALL!) Perusing the Whiskey selection, we each chose something new to try. 'New' was easy, as the bar stocks things I've never heard of, let alone tried. The bartender at the time seemed to be filling in, and had no whiskey experience (None. Zip. Zilch. Nada. That in itself was a little frustrating). Luckily, we'uns DID have just enough knowledge to each order something interesting.
The whiskey shots on our check ranged from $8 to $15, which makes every bottle worth about a Squillion dollars.... and neatly explains why I do my whiskey drinking at home. They had a handful of the Trendy Japanese imported whiskies as well, but I just couldn't see paying $28 for a shot of booze beyond my ability to appreciate (I top out at the $80 a bottle price range with my palate). I will interject here and say as a novelty the whiskey and beer selection here is good. I had a Woodford Reserve Brandy Barrel Aged Whiskey, and it was delightful. A hint sweeter and very mellow, and Southern Tier Creme Brulee Beer, which is a personal favorite.(But costs a bloody fortune)
Food: We ordered a selection of Appies to share. Cheesesteak Egg-rolls, Lobster Mac-N-Cheese, and crab dip in a bread bowl. My impressions follow, and Herself can do her own thing.
- Cheesesteak egg-rolls. Exactly what they sound like. Meat and cheese rolled in a wonton, and deep fried. Served with some kind of forgettable sauce. Kind of greasy, and kind of bland, but exactly as advertised I suppose. If I was on the far end of a boozy night, they'd go down pretty well.
- Lobster Mac-N-Cheese. Yeah.... I guess that's what it was. It had Lobster in it, and some kind of cheese sauce, and Orzo as the pasta. Frankly, it looked and tasted like an expensive bowl of bland... or maybe blah.... or maybe 'Meh'. I had a few forkfuls, and that was enough.
- Crab dip in a bread bowl. Classic appetizer fare, and with good reason. The Cove's offering was decent, and probably counted as the best thing I had that evening (after the whiskey and cigar, that is).
The Cove has a 'novelty' sammich on the menu, and Herself was insistent that I order it. She wanted to see it, and maybe try a bite. After a suitable period of whining and cajoling, I gave in and ordered the 'Skull and Crossbones'. (I am laughing through his whole review because it really was forgettable for him. We shared the burger and split the appetizers between the three of us. I honestly can't stop giggling. The food here was really lack luster. I can say there were at least real lobster chunks in the lobster mac, but it was made with orzo which is a stupid pasta choice for a hearty sauce, IMHO (and honestly that is what a review is, my opinion) 😉. The most impressive thing was the crab dip in the breadbowl. One of the better crab dips I have had.)
Lesson learned..... NEVER order the novelty sammich. Never order the bar's 'I Dare Ya!' item from the menu. It's never good, and exists only so someone can say "Bet you can't eat that!" to someone else.
The Skull and Crossbones is a burger, stuck between grilled cheese sandwiches. One grilled cheese had bacon in it, and the other had tomatoes in it. There was a variety of cheese as well. It was stacked on a plate, with a heap of crispy coated fried as a side. It also had fried onions on it, and we actually shared it for dinner along with the appetizers.
Looking at the thing, we discussed how nice it would be to have a 'grilled cheese sampler' platter with maybe four half-sammiches, all of different kinds of grilled cheese. It says something when your dinner mostly makes you think of something else you'd rather be eating.
What I came away with, after an evening at The Cove: It's a bar. It's a restaurant. It's a whiskey and cigar place. It's all those things, in a good location for York (parking there is stupid when they are busy, so keep that in mind), and not a bad place to drop in for a drink and a meal.
As long as you aren't looking for something good enough you'll remember it the next day.
Oh yeah... parking there is pretty poor. I had to leave a note on my car, with my cell number, in case someone needed my car moved to get out. I expect they do the bets they can, with what they have.
How The Cove in York, PA Forks up?
2 Forks for flavor.
3 Forks for atmosphere.
2.5 Forks for location. 1.75 Forks for your value.
2.5 Forks for service.
2.35 Forks overall.
The whiskey and beer selection gets a 5 for variety and a 2 for value.
what a ripoff. was thinking of trying this place but not anymore
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