On November 29 the TTA Crew, bolstered by the most welcome presence of Jeanne Corgiat, Janet Slater and Rod Gossett, returned to the heart of downtown Loveland to try the offerings at Fresh Press, which is located on the west (river) side of the bike trail directly across from the previously reviewed Works. Fresh Press, basically a breakfast and lunch restaurant, is located in a beautifully refurbished historic house which fronts directly on the trail, and offers bike racks both right at the trail and at the front door. Breakfast is served from 7 until 11, but may be had later upon request. Lunch offerings are limited, and tend to be a bit pricey. As the name suggests, emphasis is placed on healthy fare. No alcohol is served, but smoothies and coffee, including expresso, are available. A very extensive outdoor patio extends from the trail to the front door. Interior seating, while in a light and airy area, is limited. Orders are placed at the counter, and food is delivered to tables.

Unfortunately, we found the kitchen to be overwhelmed by our party of five; each order was delivered individually, with complete service for the table spanning at least ten minutes. As a result, any hot dishes delivered first were cold by the time the last person was served. All offerings are served in generic plastic-coated pressed cardboard tubs, lacking any aesthetic appeal. Eating utensils were all plastic, with the knives incapable of cutting a strip of bacon. 

Jeanne ordered the Avocado Sweet Toast with eggs for $10 from the breakfast menu, while Janet picked an Arugula and Sweet Potato half-salad for $5, accompanied by a Deep Purple Smoothie for $8. Both Jeanne and Janet found their food a bit heavy on the vinegar. Janet liked her smoothie better than her salad. Both ladies’ orders were delivered significantly later than their dining companions’. John and Rod both ordered turkey sandwich wraps. John's was chipotle style with bacon and fries on the side, which set him back $15. Rod's club style with veggie chips was $13. Both were deemed "OK," though perhaps not worth the prices charged. Rod found the veggie chips tasteless and offered more of them to the group than what he ate himself. George, wanting something lighter for $8, asked for two eggs sunny-side-up and soft bacon. What he got was two eggs over easy and well-done bacon, all of which was stone cold by the time the ladies got their food.

If you like eating healthy or have food allergies, then this is a good place to stop when out and about on the trail in Loveland. It’s probably not the place to go with a large group, however. Rod noted that it had the feel of eating at a food truck: place your order and wait for your food while the next person steps up to order.

The Positives: GREAT proximity to the trail, attractive setting, pleasant personnel, and a light healthy menu for serious runners and bikers. 

The Negatives: Fairly high prices, slow kitchen response, poor dinnerware.

Our participants' ratings of Fresh Press varied depending upon their individual experiences, and ranged from 2 to 3 1/2. The group finally agreed upon an overall rating of 3 bells.

Fresh Press Juicery & Coffee
111 Railroad Avenue, Loveland, OH 
Phone: 513-677-2600
Hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

November 2017

Motivated by an enthusiastic recommendation from a loyal reader of earlier reviews, on November 15 the Trail Taste Adventure Crew (John and George), assisted by Joe Hermann, backtracked south from central Loveland to the previously overlooked Branch Hill Coffee Company, located just a couple of hundred yards west of the trail on Bridge Street and diagonally across that street from the previously reviewed Kirby's. Branch Hill Coffee specializes in basic American breakfast and lunch fare, and also offers a wide variety of muffins, scones and other baked goods. No alcohol is served, but a heavy duty and very impressive espresso machine stands ready to provide a wide variety of coffee drinks. Drive-through service is available (see photo of menu lineup), so trail visitors should be aware of such traffic as they make their way into the intimate 16-by-19-foot interior eating area. In that space is the counter to place your orders as  Branch Hill Coffee lacks a wait staff. Customers can take their orders outside in fair weather to a number of tables on the non-drive-through side of the building, or choose one of the only three 4-person tables or two 2-person tables inside.

Service was both prompt and congenial, and all personnel were helpful, personable and knowledgeable.

Joe led off, and chose the $9.75 Salad Trio: scooped portions of tuna salad, egg salad and chicken salad atop a bed of greens. He devoured every scrap, and pronounced it excellent. John picked a $5.95 breakfast burrito (in today's world, another basic American breakfast dish), and was quite satisfied with it. George, seeking something lighter, ordered a $4.75 bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup which was long on chunks of chicken, thick noodles and fresh veggies but disappointingly short on flavor. He didn't bother to finish it.

Positives: Good people, efficient service, excellent coffee, comfortable atmosphere, bike rack out front and good food reasonably priced.

Negatives: Minimal interior seating, no table service, no alcohol served and rest rooms must be accessed from the exterior, much like an old gas station.

The group agreed the positives significantly outweighed the negatives, so the Branch Hill Coffee Co. receives four bells.

Branch Hill Coffee Co.
371 Bridge Street, Loveland
Phone: 513/774-7774
Hours: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

November 2017

On November 1 the Taste of the Trail Duo -- aided and abetted by co-conspirators Bruce Lathrup, Rod Gossett, Mike Egan and Don Hahn -- convened for lunch at central Loveland's big venue restaurant, The Works.  

Sited atop an upslope, and fronted by an extensive parking lot (which, nevertheless, is often filled to overflowing), The Works directly overlooks the bike trail from a distance of perhaps 150 yards.  Bike racks are conveniently located adjacent to the restaurant's entrance.  Built in 1905 as a water filling station for steam locomotives, with later incarnations as a firehouse and public works facility (thus the name), the structure has been elegantly re-purposed as a charmingly rustic (think exposed brick walls) eatery with large garage doors in front which can be opened in fair weather to join the interior spaces with an extensive patio.  Patron capacity has been expanded via addition of a classic railroad dining car located at right angles to the north end of the building -- but even with that, don't be surprised if there's a wait for seating on beautiful summer weekend afternoons; The Works consistently is an extremely popular dining destination along the trail.

While a multi-page menu is offered, The Works' unquestioned "strong suit" is a wide variety of pizzas from their brick oven (see photo). For those who prefer something other than pizza, choices include a broad range of appetizers, salads, soups, sandwiches, pasta dishes, desserts—as well as a selection of "kids’ dishes."  Full bar service is available, and a continually rotating number of craft (and other) beers are on draft from a total of 25 taps. 

Service was prompt and professional without being obtrusive. During our visit John led off with ordering a Breakfast pizza, which was basically a dry (no sauce) pizza base topped with scrambled eggs, American cheese and a variety of toppings of his choice (including jalapeño peppers), which he pronounced to be absolutely delightful. Bruce went for the same, but without the peppers, and was equally happy with his meal.  Rod elected an Italian hoagie, and was completely pleased with it.  Don got a Caesar Mahi Mahi salad, and noted that while the fish was just fine, he didn't particularly care for the sauce used on it.  Both Mike and George ordered the fish sandwich, but Mike somehow had better luck with his, which he found eminently satisfactory. However, George, seemingly the ever-cursed curmudgeon, found his portion to be simply a heavily breaded slab of something which only might have once been some sort of fish. He deemed it to be unacceptable, sent it back—and ended up drinking IPAs for his lunch, which eventually made him just as happy as his more fortunate (or perhaps more tolerant) companions.

Despite George's unfortunate experience, the group felt that overall—given the restaurant’s ambiance, breadth of menu choices, proximity to the trail, variety of beverage options, great service, generally high food quality, and bike parking—The Works merited four bells.

The Works
20 Grear Millitzer Place, Loveland
Phone: 513/697-8408
Website:  theworkspizza.com
Hours: Sun. to Thurs. 11 am to 9 pm; Fri. & Sat. 11 am to 10 pm
     

November 2017