Dee Felice Cafe

06/05/08

great food and a fun bar you can dine at

by kmast at Citysearch

we visit this restaurant whenever we are in town. 2-3 times a year for the last 10 years. we love it. the food is usually great, friendly and helpful bartenders and good service. it's a great place to kick back and listen to some good music while sharing some gumbo, ettoufe, cajun chicken ( a favorite of mine, spicy hot and juicy with a great sauce) good beef dishes (tournedos and marsala--yum!) or just an assortment of appetizers. Love that they have greens as a side, very tasty. I always look forward to going to the Dee Felice cafe. I say ---try it!

• Pros: good food and music
• Cons: not a good place to bring children

02/21/09

Less than expected

by delacosa at Citysearch

I'm a big fan of cajun food so my girlfriend and I decided to check out Dee Felice while we were in town. I did like the atmosphere and enjoyed the jazz band that was there that night but frankly was disappointed with the food. We opted for two very traditional Cajun dishes, the Jambalaya and the Crawfish Etoufee. Other than the cayenne pepper both were very bland and were served with either too much rice or not enough entree depending on how you want to look at it. The best part of the meal was the appetizer, calmari with cajun seasoning. The experience over all was just ok and I certainly expected more authentic, better quality food for the price.

• Pros: nice atmosphere, very cozy
• Cons: food not very "authentic" as advertised

02/16/09

Very Disappointing-Not even close to good NOLA food

by docjeff at Citysearch

My wife and I were in Cincinnati for Valentine's weekend,and for our second night out decided to go to Dee Felice. It was recommended to me by a sales rep that I see in my office who lives in Cincinnati.

To give it a true trial as to how authentic New Orleans the food is, we decided to try three things that are typical New Orleans-Gumbo,Causar Salad, Jambalaya, and Crawfish Etoufee. Hving been to NOLA several times I have a pretty good idea of what "authentic" Cajun/Creole food is. This place is a true imposter.

The Gumbo was extremely heavily tomato-based-not a bit of roux to it. It did contain okra as the thickening agent-yet it was listed as "File Gumbo". It contained some good sized pieces of sausage, was a bit too spicy for what good gumbo should be, and fee far short of what I expected.

The Caesar salad was average-this was the highlightof the meal. Fresh lettuce, but a typical bottled Caesar dressing, and bland parmesan cheese.

The Crawfish etoufee did have fresh, sweet tasting crawfish, albeit very small ones. Now, a good etoufee will be served over rice and the etoufee (meaning "smothered") smothers the rice. The onion, green pepper and celery should be cooked down quite a bit in a moderate roux, and somewhat thick. What I had was large pieces of onion, celery, green pepper, & TOMATO(?) in a thin, runny, tasteless liquid over rice. Not at all like a good, hearty etoufee should be.

The Jambalya was way too heavy in a tomato sauce, not at all typical of jambalaya. Large chunks of onion, a smoked sausage (not andouille), drowned in tomato sauce. Not even close.

It makes me wonder how this place could be in existence for so long and not have a clue of how wonderful true New Orleans cooking really is. They need to send the chef on a field trip or get a new one.

Bottom line-if you've been to NOLA, don't go here expecting good food. If you've never been to NOLA, eat here, then go to NOLA and see how it should be done.

• Pros: I'm sure the music would be OK-but they didn't have it when we were there
• Cons: Horrible gumbo, etoufee, and jambalaya

10/12/08

The locals must know something!

by eportzline at Citysearch

My wife and I live in Lexington, KY. Our friend lives in Phoeniz, but was visiting family in Columbus. We met half-way at Dee Felice in Covington. The reviews that you see here that are less than stellar? Make note. The restaurant is less than stellar.

First- credit where it is due: our waitress was a gem. Our friend was 30 minutes late. The waitress was very much more than patient. The mimosas were made with Korbel (not bad).

The restaurant was not busy- room inside for 100 people. Four were dining. Outside, room for 28. 6 were dining. All other restaurants on this beautiful Autumn day were swamped.

The salads- appeared to have been made the night before and left in the chiller uncovered. The greens, carrots, onions, were slightly brown and wilted. No tomato. No croutons. No bread. No butter.

The iced tea tasted as though it were instant. Awful.

The Poorboy was poor. While the oysters were brilliantly prepared in an amazing breading, some of the "advertised" items were missing: no pickle! The portabella mushroom "burger" was very undercooked (our friend complained that the mushroom was not even warm).

Sunday brunch for two with one drink each was over $40. Not at all worth it. Maybe it's better when the live band plays the tiny stage behind the bar (you should see this to believe), but for Sunday brunch- it's not worth it.

• Pros: Easy to get a table
• Cons: There's a reason that it's easy to get a table...

02/20/08

Perfect Pork Chops and Atmosphere!!

by HGIII at Citysearch

Went to Dee Felice Feb 17, 2008 before a Babyface concert at the Madison Theatre so this would be a great place to eat in regards to the concert location. I ordered the Tilapia (the special for the day) and my Fiance' ordered the Pork Chop with Apples and Sweet potato strips...

I live in Dayton and will be driving back for the Pork Chops!! They were the BEST Pork Chops in Dayton or Cincy - delicious with a great sweet but not too sweet sauce!! The waitress pointed us to the Chops so since my Fiance' ordered the Chops I went a different direction for variety to get the Tilapia which was very bland with not much taste at all. The jazz band was mellow and great. They didn't over power you with the music, a candle on eat table as well as table cloths and linen napkins. I will be returning soon for the Pork Chops, atmosphere and the jazz but not the Tilapia!! Great place!!!!

• Pros: Pork Chops, Atmosphere and the Jazz
• Cons: Tilapia

01/28/08

No Flavor...aweful food!!!!!!!

by emoflee at Citysearch

My husband and I found this place very disappointing. The appitizer of Ravioli was very good and flavorful, but everything else was aweful. I ordered the blackend Chicken. The first time it came out it was so burnt I could barely cut it and only tasted the burnt flavor. The second time it was juice but boring. I thought blackend was spicely, but I didn't taste any spice, and the rice it came with had no flavor... the peas were the best part of the dish, and all they were were peas. My husband had the blackend scallops which had slightly more flavor but still were not spice. The pasta it came with also had slightly more flavor then the rice I had, but over all it was all still boring. The band over the bar was nice, but after getting use to smoke free ohio, the smoke from the bar was very noticable. I would not recommend this resturant to anyone and we were shocked they are still in business.

• Pros: None..maybe the appitizer
• Cons: Everything else

05/06/05

One of my all time favorites...

by mwinterod at Citysearch

I happen to love the fact that there's a lound Dixieland band almost every night - it adds to the fun and romance. There are plenty of breaks when you can chat with your dinner date or companions. Also, the food is wonderful. I almost always get the same things and here are my favorites: Portabello mushroom appetizer, Ricardo's Ravioli, Escargot (the best in the city), Calamari (occasionally overcooked but usually excellent), Fried Oysters, Dee's Filet, Halibut Forte, Blackened Halibut, Blackened NY Strip, Crawfish Etoufee, and for dessert, Boule de Neige! I always get greens as my side because I love them. Their baked potatoes are nothing to write home about so go for red beans and rice instead. Salads are simple but good, especially with the house Creole mustard dressing. Cocktails are generous and reasonably priced. The wine list could be better.

• Pros: Food ROCKS, Dixieland Band, 1/2 price Mondays
• Cons: Too smoky, Back room seating

11/12/03

The lighting is right, the food is great and the music might inspire you to dance.

by Contributor at Citysearch

The Scene
How can a restaurant with a live band in the dining room rank high for romantic dining? Somehow, it works. (Though Dee Felice is better for conversation during the week when jazz trios play and it's not as crowded.) The back dining rooms are always a good bet, however, and on Fridays and Saturdays the Sleep Cat Band's Dixieland music will transport you down South for the night.

The Food
Cajun and Creole food is the specialty, although many other good choices are offered. For starters, try Escargot Mario--artichoke hearts and snails in lobster butter topped with parmesan cheese--or frog legs Provencale, sauteed in brandy with garlic, tomatoes and fresh mushrooms. Oysters Rockefeller is another favorite. For entrees, halibut, chicken, filet mignon, scallops and pork chops are all offered blackened. A highly recommended off-the-menu choice is the halibut forte, sauteed in lobster butter with shrimp, ordered with blackened seasoning. Cajun and Creole specialties include spicy jambalaya, shrimp Creole, crawfish etouffe and Cajun chicken. For dessert, try bol de neige, five types of chocolate in a brownie surrounded in a snowball of fresh sweetened whipped cream.

04/20/03

Was not impressed! EWWW!

by scumlike at Citysearch

The food was not good! Especially the Barbecued Shrimp. I have to wonder if the chef's have ever eaten in New Orleans or Louisana. I'm pretty sure it was simply shimp in ketchup. No butter. No spices. Yuck!

Also, we were sitting in the smoking section. They then set a huge group of people next to us with a little baby. Once they realized we were smoking, they had to move the whole group. You'd think they'd have been seated in non-smoking to begin with! We were made to feel like dolds for smoking in the freaking smoking section.

Overall, not a pleasant experience! Will never go back. The place across the street is better.

• Pros: Covington
• Cons: Not Cajun, at all!!, All of the food!, Barbecued Shrimp

09/30/02

romantic? maybe not

by bethpod at Citysearch

Great, great food. However, there's a DIXIELAND BAND sitting almost on top of you (literally). Great, raucous place on a Friday night, but not exactly the atmosphere to wisper into your date's ear.

• Pros: live music, tasty, good parking
• Cons: crowded