Covey Kitchen + Cocktails - Gainesville (FL)

2 /5 Location Details: The wait staff are very friendly. The food is very salty and not plated well. The black plates show the oily finger prints that come from the cook to the waiter (They should always hold plates from the bottom to avoid fingerprints and smears on the top near the food.). The califlower appetizer is very good, the mashed potatoes are soooo salty I couldnt eat them, the small steak was disappointing. It sat on a small bed of lettuce that makes it hard to cut the steak into pieces. Its not very ideal at all. The au jus cheesesteak had legaments and fat and tasted very gamey, so the prep work was most likely minimal. I used the mashed potatoes and au jus cheese steak as compost (at home) since I didnt want to eat it. I was disappointed in the food due to the excessive amount of saltiness, plating, and flavor. In the photos you can see the oily fingerprints on the top of the plates. Thats a big no-no, and is also typically why most places serve with white plates to hide any finger smears.

2 /5 L P: We visited around 12:15pm on Tuesday since all the other Gainesville steakhouses open in the evening. Parking is valet only since the restaurant is inside the Eleo hotel, or you can walk from the free parking garage down the block to the restaurant. Restrooms were clean and 100% automated. The decor around the hotel is a minimalist nouveau style so very plain colors and barely any decorations. Carpet in the dining area was a questionable choice since anyone could see remnants of past stains on it. The restaurant was semi-busy for lunch and we landed a table near the kitchen. Electronic menu was interesting - low key minimal lunch menu. My husband and I ordered 2 hot teas, the 6 Oz. flank steak (well-done), crispy cauliflower appetizer, french onion dip sandwich with a side of boursin garlic whipped potatoes, and grilled salmon also with the whipped potatoes. The food arrived about 15 minutes after our order. Crispy cauliflower was spicy and excellent with the dipping sauce. Perfect for sharing. This was the best part of the meal. The steak, salmon, and sandwich arrived soon after. Oily fingerprints on the black plates were mildly unappealing so I wiped them off with the table napkin. We also found it odd the steak was placed on top of a bed of lettuce since that made it difficult to cut, but at least it was tender and tasted ok. The salmon was cooked well and did not have any fishy flavor at all (which is good). We finished the steak and salmon. However, the side of boursin garlic whipped potatoes was extremely salty, a heart-palpitating amount of salt, so after realizing the entire side tasted like this, it was inedible. My husband then tried the French onion dip sandwich and encountered a tough fatty ligament on the 2nd or 3rd bite so he decided to stop eating and we asked for the check and to go containers. We wouldnt be eating our leftovers, but the garden compost would certainly enjoy it. Total was $110 with appropriate tip. Customer service was excellent and the waitstaff are friendly, professional, and very accommodating. But after being disappointed in our lunch, first and last time were eating here.

5 /5 Beth Hovey: This place! Valet parking, beautiful dining area with a lovely view, delightful servers, and delicious food. Bonus: We could hear each other talk in this cozy, intimate environment. Great place to celebrate New Years eve. Well be back before long!

4 /5 Aleksandra Morel: Located inside the Eleo hotel it’s convenient. My drink was great and my food was good. It has more of “older people” vibe to be honest even though it’s near UF. So I think if you are a bit older I think you will enjoy this place. It has outdoor seating as well. It’s definitely not trendy , but a solid 4 star place.

3 /5 Ania: Good, not great. We popped for a quick dinner. The hotel looks like a newer, trandier one. The menu was not updated on the website, so we were slightly surprised. Tried the Ribeye and Flat Iron steak, preferred the second. They were also testing their key lime pie, and I have to say, it was pretty good! While wed cook better dinner ourselves, it was ok. Its still a solid option, just nothing special. The server was very helpful and knowledgeable about the gluten free options.