Dee Felice is a humble little spot in Covington perfect for a date night, or drinks and some live jazz.
I've been here a few times and they have each been completely different experiences. The first we came here for happy hour with another couple. The Happy Hour Prices run all night Wednesdays and Sundays at the bar. We came here on a Sunday night and all ordered apps to share. We got the deep fried ravioli which was spectacular! Tons of flavor, crispy, and delicious. We also got fettuccine which was alright, and some other apps. Everything came out hot, and on time. We sat and drank delicious wine and you could not beat the price. I think we got a bottle of wine for $11. It was outrageous cheap!
The second time we went. We saw one look at the regular price menu and ran for the fences. Just kidding, we sat and had a cup of gumbo and listened to some music, and then ran. There is no way I would come here and pay full price. There food is good, but not anything out of this world, especially for the price.
Still, a nice, quiet, quaint little spot worth checking out.
While on business/pleasure trip with my wife, we asked our hotel to recommend a  jazz club where we could eat. They pointed us towards Dee Felice a few miles away in Covington.  It was a Saturday night, about 8:30 - the place was busy, and we were without reservations. But being only two of us, we were seated pretty quickly. Our server was very pleasant and treated us well. She informed us of menu details and perhaps more importantly, she brought my Hendricks Martini to me post haste. That was lovely. We started with and shared a grilled Portobello mushroom with leek sauce. The mushroom itself was very good, not too chewy. A nice rounded nutty flavor. The sauce, in good contrast, not drowning out the Portobello. Followed by their gumbo, plenty of pieces of shrimp and fish with rice. Gumbo is my wife's thing, I'm not a big fan. I will say it easy for the broth to taste too salty, this was not the case here. For the main, we shared the blackened pork chops with fried yams. The chop was a little too heated for my wife, but I love a kick in the taste buds. I'm not a big fried foodie, but the fried yams were perfect. Our server was head over heels for us to try the apple pie - we did.  To me a good pie starts at the crust, and frankly, this was light, flaky with a trace of butter. So good. After another round of Hendricks and I've forgotten to mention the real reason why we came, and that was to listen to jazz music. We saw 2 bands play and it was the perfect accompaniment to a making our experience at Dee Felice fantastic. I just wish we didn't live 2300 miles away.
Review Source:I would have to say that this place is possibly hit or miss--maybe just depending on what you order. This review is based on one experience....
We had a great experience with the staff, friendly hostess, engaging busboy, experienced server. Our server recommended two dishes--the halibut with lobster butter and the filet in a cream sauce with shrimp. She also told us about two of their appetizers--the seafood ravioli, and something else (I can't remember).
We ordered that ravioli, which was excellent. They were deep fried, in a cream sauce with crayfish and some sort of julianned green (maybe a pepper or green bean?). Hubby had oysters, which he said were some of the best he had ever had.
I ordered the hot slaw, which was truly awful......great idea--a slaw with warm dressing, which would sort of wilt the cabbage a bit, but it was literally shredded cabbage and veggie, sitting in a soup of warm vinegar. The smell was overwhelming, while it sat in front of me before I sent it back to the kitchen. (they should really work on that, because it could be a good dish.) I opted for a house salad instead. Anyway, hubby had the halibut, which was excellent and as soon as I took a bite of my étouffée, I regretted not ordering that for myself! I did ask that the chef back off a bit on the spice (but just a little--how does one gauge that??). It was really bland, but it did taste fresh and the veggies were nice and crunchy. I added some of the great hot sauce that came with hubby's oysters and that really helped it.
I told the server that she absolutely had my attention now because her recommendations were spot-on.
She said try the peanut butter pie or the flourless chocolate cake for dessert. We opted for the peanutbutter one. So good!
All in all, this place was pretty good. My only gripe about the actual room in which we dined? It's in desperate need of a paint job. Everything was mauve!
The band is situated behind the bar and I fondly thought about how long it's been since I've been to the Green Mill....
Finally, the bill was about 100 bucks.
Two apps, one salad, one whole entree and one half order, and two drinks from the bar. A little expensive, but it's also right in the heart of the historic downtown area and attracts a lot of tourists...
I will start with the obvious kudos: fried ravioli, halibut, cajun, and Live Jazz. Here is where Dee Felice goes above and beyond: they extended our groupon date because we couldn't find a sitter by the deadline, they corked our 2nd bottle of wine so we could take it home safely, they make everything to order--which some (When Harry Met Sally) call high maintenance--but happiness is getting what you want. Love the menu, atmosphere and staff!
Review Source:Just not so good. Â I'm sure they were once good - were once the pinnacle of dining on Mainstrasse, but I'm also sure that that was back in, oh, 1987. Â The service was slow, the food *atrociously* overpriced, and everything (etouffee, jambalaya) was drowned in a red sauce that had no flavor other than "salt" and "hot." Â And if they're going to claim the sausage in their jambalaya is Andouille, I want to see the package, because it sure looked and tasted a lot more like Eckridge Farms. Â Two beers, half an order of crawfish etouffee, a full order of jambalaya, and 75 minutes later, we walked away $50 poorer (and still hungry because the food just really wasn't good enough to eat).
Review Source:It had been NINE MONTHS since we'd had a date night. That's a lot of meals interrupted by screaming, dumped plates and gulping down my wine to make the process of eating with a toddler that much less painstaking. But NINE MONTHS, I can't believe I'm admitting that publicly.
So when we headed to Dee Felice, you better bet we had high expectations. We had looked forward to this dinner for two whole seasons, for god sakes.
When we arrived, we found the hostess to be cordial. The band was revving up behind her, so there was't much opportunity for discussion, but she was nice enough. We were escorted to our seats which were in the main dining area with a great view of the band. Spirits high, we decided to take the slow route to enjoying our meal. WE ORDERED AN APPETIZER. God did we feel like royalty.
Chesapeake Bay oysters. Always a favorite of mine, I was delighted when the server mentioned these were the flava of the evening. We took a dozen. Crispy, fresh and only one tiny piece of shell made its way into the chunky bites of goodness. We loved the option of hot sauce, but being one for presentation, I was a little put off by the plastic ramekins. Maybe it was because we came in for later dinner service, but I feel like if you're paying $30ish for a dozen oysters (and not at the Acme oyster bar) you can do a little better than plastic ramekins.
Next we split the blackened tomato salad. D y n o m i t e. BAM in your mouth! So good. It was like a sweet, tart, savory explosion with each bite. Tomagasm, if you will.
The kitchen split it for us, veddy nice.
For dinner, I went for the halibut and the huz scored the crawfish etouffee. I savored the lobster butter on the halibut, practically giggling with every bite. The crawfish was also delicious, not overcooked and seasoned perfectly.
We selected the flourless chocolate cake for dessert, just based on the fact that it seemed to be the lightest option available. It basically looked like a dirt patty covered with whipped cream. Almost like someone messed up the recipe and this was their excuse for saving it. What it lacked for in aesthetics, it made up for in taste. No complaints.
All in all, we had a fantastic experience. The band rocked. The percussionist was incredible. We left holding hands and on a high we hadn't felt in --- well, nine months. Hopefully it won't take us that long to go back.
Delicious. A must if you like Creole and Cajun food.
We ate dinner here last night and were blown away at how good everything was. We ordered the blackened halibut, shrimp creole, jambalaya, and greens. Everything was delicious. The dishes were the perfect amount of spicy, enough to leave our lips tingling, but not overpowering. Unfortunately we just missed the live jazz band, but we'll return a night when they're playing.
Beth and I were going to Yelp's preview of 39 Steps and decided to go to Dee Felice for drinks and appetizers beforehand. Its been about 8 years since Beth went and it was my first time and let me just say, this is defiantly a staple.
I've read mixed reviews, both super positive and disappointing. For us this place is amazing! My only disappointment was just that i felt a little cheated about the prices. We were told that vodka's were $4 a glass, but apparently flavored ones were $6. I'm not going to let that ruin my feeling for this place, just tell me up front.
The drinks were nice and strong, but happy hour prices didn't really exist. Monday's if half off bottle wine night, so we will for sure be heading back on a Monday.
Beth ordered a berry vodka with cranberry and sprite, very strong and delicious. I ordered a berry vodka with club soda. Let me just say that club soda mixed drinks are hard to do, sometimes they just taste like bland. Elene was spot on in mixing mine just right, i didn't even miss having sprite!
For appetizers we got the fried ravioli with jalapeno's, asparagus, and craw fish in a creme sauce. This was very delicious and hit most flavor palates. It wasn't near as heavy as i would of expected, but very filling all the same.
Beth ordered the portabello mushroom. It was grilled and topped with leeks, chicken and was tasted vaguely like an Alfredo sauce. Being allergic to mushrooms i didn't have but a bite, but what i did have was outstanding! It was so good that Beth used her rosemary bread to sop up any drippings left on the plate. When your willing to waste good bread doing that, you know its bound to be great.
The live music was just setting up as we were leaving, can't wait to experience it.
The parking was behind the building and very open. Dee Felice itself has a very romantic feel to it, tablecloth's, napkins, candles, very open seating. The wait staff was very helpful, friendly, and was always there for another refill. Its a bit expensive like people say, but if your looking for a night on the town, look no further!
Really wanted to love this place...but did not have a great first experience. Arrived for our reservation at 8...seated very promptly but in the back room away from the great music...but I will not rate on that. Seated at a table for 2 that had a very wobbly tabletop...had to be moved. Ordered some drinks which were just fine and priced about the same as other fine restaurants. Since this was the first time we were there we wanted to try a few things...so we asked the waiter if we were ordering too much...his response was I have seen others order more...what kind of help was that? We started with the cajun calamari...very good and nice kick to it...liked it without the cocktail sauce better. Great start so we were excited. Next came the special salad which was a mix of greens, blue cheese and a raspberry dressing...the whole salad was warm which we did not care for...but taste was ok. Then we ordered 3 entrees...a half order of jambalaya, a half order of crawfish etoufee and the blackened halibut. Halibut tasted fine...seasoned well...but lacked the spicy flavor we thought we would get...plus it was a tad overcooked. Crawfish etoufee was a little "soupy" for my taste and again lacked the spiciness we were expecting. Last was the jambalaya....not at all what we were expecting....red sauce swarmed over 3 pieces of chicken and a handful of andouille sausage...plus some red peppers and onions. Very sweet flavor and again not spicy and basically no evidence of seafood except maybe a small shrimp or two. We asked our waiter about the dishes and their lack of spice...he stated that he tells people that they are a 5 on the heat scale....if that is the case why do they say that these dishes are hot and spicy...maybe for the average american but not for somebody expecting a genuine creole restaurant. He said he would take the jambalaya off the bill which was a very nice gesture and appreciated. He came back with the bill in hand and then asked if we wanted dessert while holding the check? He rattled off the desserts as opposed to showing us the tray of desserts that passed us a couple of times during our dinner...very lazy in my opinion and rude to hold the check in hand. We ordered the bourbon glazed bread pudding...good but not great.
Overall not a great experience...I think I was generous to give a 3....especially for the lack of waiter politeness and help.
The atmosphere here is what would compel me to come back. The live band playing above the band during dinner was very entertaining. It was quite loud and hard to hold a conversation but once dinner was over it was pleasant to just sit back and listen.
The service was very good, but the food was lacking. My pasta with shrimp was very watery and bland. The desserts were delicious, especially the peach cobbler. I would more likely come for a late night drinks and music.
The music is still great. Â But my old standby restaurant shocked me last weekend. Â Ordered gumbo, I usually don't. Â It was strange and very tomato'ey and sausage was overcooked and hard. Â But most fundamentally, it lacked the authentic roux based nutty flavor that is required for gumbo. Â
Too bad. Â Go for the drinks and the music.
OK, so I'm in Cinci on business and when I am, I prefer to stay in Covington across the river. Why? Reminds me of Cleveland (Tremont) AND you can still smoke in the bars and I like a cigar with my buzz. Â I know, I'm already hearing most of you out there saying "Ewww! My clothes and hair will smell!!" What, you don't bathe every day anyway? Get over it! Be a grownup! Go to Chuckie Cheese. Anyway, went to Dee Felice (where you can't smoke) and had the Halibut Forte, a deliciously simple dish consisting of a generous portion of beautiful, firm halibut with lobster butter and shrimp. The shrimp were spiced cajun style and done to perfection. My colleague had the blackened scallops over a bed of linguine, served with a side of sour cream yogurt sauce for dipping. Again, ample serving, delicate, not overcooked and blackened nicely on top and bottom.
By the way, our bartender was great (Karen?) and we ended up eating at the bar. Tasted my first Maker's Mark 46 bourbon (straight up, neat, the way good booze should be done)-delicious. Got to get me a bottle for Christmas.
If you have a hankering for some cool jazz with your food, then Dee Felice might just float your boat.
In Covington's sea of otherwise dive-y sports bars and downmarket pubs, Dee Felice sails somewhat alone. It screams 'classier than the rest' with its delicious take on Creole/Cajun cooking, crisp linens, sparkly cutlery, comfortable seating, efficient but discreet servers and very groovy New Orleans-influenced environment and atmosphere.
Tuesday thru Sunday a live jazz band plays atop the bar. Grab a stool for the best view or reserve a table almost anywhere in the restaurant to savor the sounds.
Drink pours are magnificently generous and diners are treated to a mixture of well-cooked items that are a credit to the chef. The weekend specials are usually worth a punt, offering something off the main menu and often representing good value for money.
Usefully, and for those on a tighter budget, the menu offers you the option of a full sized or half-order, a great way to maybe slowly work your way through the list until you chance across a favorite. In my case, that would be the Chicken Piccata or the Jambalaya, although I have heard nothing but good things said about their Blackened Specialties by others we have dined with.
In a world of 'you get what you pay for' Dee Felice is perhaps pricey but certainly worth the extra expense for that special night out. It's a perfect place for a date or a small gathering of like-minded friends. With drinks you'll be lucky to walk away for less than $50 per person but sometimes you have to push that proverbial boat out a little further to get something tasty and enjoyable.
Went for dinner by myself on a Monday night. Â It was quite busy, so I was optimistic. Â Fresh rolls were good, creole mustard dressing on the salad was good as well. Â For a main I ordered a blackened NY strip, which the menu warned me would be spicy. Â I like spicy, so I was unhappy that the steak was flavorless. Â I had to salt the steak myself, and while I like a cool, red center to a steak, this was almost cold in the middle. Â It came with two ice cream scoops of mashed red potatoes, which weren't anything to write home about either.
Review Source:Food was delicious and the server was a sweetheart! They are able to make whatever you ask for. If you like spiciness, they can turn up the heat and vise-versa.
Although we went on a night where the band was missing the pianist, the music was still an awesome touch- not to loud or soft.
If you're looking for special night out (which we were), make a reservation! When we walked in for our 6pm reservation, we thought, "What a waste, the place is nearly empty!" but the hostess informed us it was absolutely necessary. We received a cute, little, intimate table for two next to a window and it was all ours for two hours.
Dessert is a must as well! Ask for the snowball- it's rich an delicious enough for two to share!
All around pretty pricey- but I think you get what you pay for! I plan to go back.
The adventure of Great food and Music. Â I have to say the people that work in this cafe were all very helpful, friendly and made you feel welcome. Â Â The Food was fantastic from the Oysters on the half shell, to the Blackened Halibut to the salad, bread and desert. Â Â To top it off we moved to the bar and a little Jazz band of 5 played some great smooth jazz that made the whole night a plus. Â Â Â We will go back and I can't wait.
Review Source:I want to start this review by mentioning that my wife and I spent 6 days in the French Quarter and ate most meals in the area. We were taken as a guest by two of our friends to Dee Felice. I was the only one who ordered items that are specialties in the French quarter. My wife and friends were happy with their meals. I was not. I ordered a greek salad and Jambalaya.The greek salad arrived with no feta,green or black olives, peppers, or greek salad dressing. Just when I thought it couldn't get worse they brought me a full order of Jambalaya. All I could taste was tomato and very hot sauce. Lucky for me the portions were skimpy. I left there feeling hungry and cheated. I couldn't believe the high price for such crudely prepared food.
Review Source:When I sat down at Dee Felice Cafe and noticed the elevated stage behind the bar (and all the liquor bottles), I knew I would like this place. Seriously, how awesome is that?
We went on a Thursday evening and by the time we left, the place was packed. I am not well versed in "authentic" Cajun food, but what I had was spicy and flavorful, so you won't hear any complaints from me. I got the crawfish etouffee and couldn't believe how many crawfish were in there. For many of the entrees, you can order a half or full size- the half was plenty for me, especially with an appetizer and their almost biscuit-like bread. While the meals are a bit pricey, having the option of a half-size entree really helps. The husband got the gumbo and the shrimp creole, both were savory goodness as well.
Dee Felice nicely adds some variety to the dining scene in the area- great place for a nicer dinner with friends or with a date.
Do you know what's awesome? Sitting along a bar while a kick ass groove session of jazz and funk careens from behind the bar and into your earlobes, while sipping your drink of choice and munching on their most extraordinary delectibles. While it's not your average dime bag to get into, it's definitely not top shelf prices either...unless you go all out on a "Bear riding Abraham Lincoln shooting lasers out of his eyes" binge. (Source: <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fimgur.com%2FYBqb7&s=2171756b5c60da6589bad1529a93ae292616e9c89a1ae2aea8d213625f83341d" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://imgur.com/YBqb7</a> )But that's any place.
And this food will make YOU want to make the SEX with the nearest available willing female. Or male. Whatever melts your butter. Speaking of spicy situations, I readily suggest anything on the menu that has the word 'creole' in it. Shit is mad tasty.
The only downside to this place is that one time a server jumped at the chance to have drinks with me, and then disappeared of the face of the earth. I'm pretty sure she was abducted by aliens.
I purchased a groupon for Dee Felice many months ago, and it was about to expire so my husband and I traveled to Covington to try out some "upscale" cajun food. Â We made a reservation for 7:00 and were a little early. Â They sat us in a back room, which was disappointing since the band starts up at 7 and we couldn't hear/see them from our table.
Our server took our drink orders immediately, we both ordered Abita Amber ($5), which is our favorite beer to drink when we're in New Orleans (one of our favorite cities to visit!). Â My husband ordered a salad and I ordered a side of red beans and rice as a starter. Â The drinks and food came out very quickly. Â The red beans and rice had a great flavor, it tasted like it was cooked with Andouille sausage, although I didn't find any in the dish. Â For our entrees, my husband ordered the half order jambalaya and I chose the half order of blackened sea scallops, served over a bed of linguine with a cajun cream sauce. Â The jambalaya was heavy on heat, but not on meat. Â It was much runnier than other jambalaya we have had. Â The flavor was good (very, very spicy), but he wasn't totally "wowed." Â My scallops were perfectly seasoned and cooked, but unfortunately the cajun cream sauce that they served on the side was served cold. Â When I added it to the scallops and pasta, it made my entire dish cold, which kind of ruined it for me. Â The portions were perfect, however, and I can't imagine eating any of the full-size entrees. Â
The service was wonderful, the food was so-so, and if we would have been seated in the main dining room, I might have given it 4 stars. Â But a $70 bill for two people for just an ok experience is only going to get 3 stars from me.
You cannot beat a Monday night at Dee Felice. Half price wine and appetizers sold us. They offer an appetizer portion of the pasta dishes-which, for us, is more than enough. They also have an outstanding wine selection that they are very knowledgeable about, which is very difficult to find. In the summer they have seating outside which is a great feature. The service is great! We have yet to be here on a night when the band is playing, so hopefully we will add that to our to-do list. Overall the place has a great atmosphere. We probably wouldn't come here if they didn't have half priced Mondays, its a little on the pricey side otherwise.
Review Source:This is not Cajun food. Â They served me Crawfish Creole under the misnomer of Crawfish Etouffee. Â The salad was ok and the scallops I got were done almost perfectly, but the pasta they came with was bland. Â They served 5 fried oysters for $15. Â That's silly. Â Oysters are a cheap food. Â Now, the Crawfish Creole (NOT etouffee) that they served was chalk-full of crawfish - which I couldn't be happier about and is basically the reason I won't give this place one star. Â The most important note about this place is that on Mondays, they offer half-priced appetizers and bottles of wine. Â It's not really that great of a deal considering the appetizers are all pretty expensive anyways. Â It's not that any of the food here was bad; it's just that it all lacked any sort of pizazz. Â However, pizazz is exactly what Cajun food is known for. Â Couple this with high prices and you've got yourself another 2/5 restaurant.
Bottom Line: I will probably never come back.
About halfway through my meal at Dee Felice, a Cajun trio band started playing ... behind the bar. At that point, I was pretty much sold on this place.
I had heard of Dee Felice for a while and finally, when my craving for the spicy was at it's peak, I went. This mood-lit spot in the heart of Covington is not where you think you'd get great Louisiana food, but you'd be wrong. The food I got was top-notch and spicy. Mmm.
They've got a crazy good selection of crawfish and shrimp and gumbo and everything else you'd want in a place like this. It also can be spicy - real spicy - and I love spicy. I knew I was going back for more beer simply because it was needed in a meal like this.
Dee Felice is also a great date spot. It's intimate, no matter what table you're sitting at, and it's a lovely play to start or have an evening.
The food is expensive, there's no way around it, and maybe a bit more than it should be - but not much.
What I really want to talk about, though, is the band. I watched them as they started to set up on a stage behind and above the bar - a trio of musicians high above the crowd. And when they started to play, it was fantastic. The sound was perfect (not too loud or soft) and everyone could hear and see because they were so high up. It was very unusual but very welcome.
Thumbs up, Dee Felice, you earned it.
This place was just okay.
The surroundings are nice, the staff is lovely and the food is average.
It gets a bunch of hype from people and maybe it's deserved and maybe it isn't.
I have been to New Orleans more times than I can count, all pre-Katrina.
The veggies in the crawfish etouffee were crunchy. Â I've never had it done that way. Â The fried oysters were nice and lightly battered. Â I had to ask for cocktail sauce to make me feel like I was back in the Acme.
I thought it was pretty average.
Glad we tried it, won't go back.
I only tried the Jambalaya and found it flavorful and the spicyness is right on. Â This sausage is flavorful, and the whole dish does not have a greasy feel.
However, this is the only Jam I've eaten which has a watery base, as in the liquid has not cooked into the rice. Â Also, the rice is 'Uncle Ben's' quality, which I think is a miss. Â Definitely will not order this again, but maybe I'll try the other dishes recommended by previous reviewers.
I find myself wavering between 4 and and 5 stars at this Cajun Hot Spot. I'll tell ya why.
I don't know what it is about Dee Felice Cafe that made me have a totally different perception than what it actually is. Maybe it is the Covington location, or the "Cafe" title, or the available patio seating. Whatever it was, I was wrong. Throw everything you thought about this place out the window because it was amazing.
As a born and raised Cajun from Baton Rouge, Louisiana I feel I have enough experience to judge this place properly. I said before that I was in between 4 and 5 stars and that is because this place is a little bit over-priced  on most days, $40 for an ounce filet is a little steep. Luckily, this wasn't most days, this was Monday. MONDAY!!! THAT'S THE WORST DAY!!! No, my friend, not at Dee Felice. You see, they have a spectacular deal on Monday's to get your toosh into their chairs. They offer half priced appetizers and half priced bottles of wine ALL NIGHT!!! This, my friends is why I decided to go with 5 stars instead of 4. This is the type of deal I will go for.
We got into the restaurant around 6 o'clock and the first thing I noticed was how well decorated the inside was. It had the look and feel of a fine dining restaurant without the Mobile Rating. Far from what I was expecting from this place. We met up with the couple we were going with and they had already ordered their wine (25 dollar bottle for 12.50, nice!) and we sat to see what this place had to offer.
We decided to get an assortment of items and then just share around the table. We went with the Crawfish fried Ravioli, Grilled Chicken Portabella Mushroom, Oysters on the Half Shell, and Barbecued Shrimp. We also went with the appetizer size of the Shrimp Fettuccine. Oh yeah, the appetizer size pasta dinners are half priced to, (and the deal keeps getting sweeter, or is it spicier...whatever, I digress). As the food was sat down I started to get the feeling this was going to be a great meal. I could smell each and every ingredient in the dishes we were given. I would say that out of all the dishes the dish I would recommend and get every time I go here is the Fried Ravioli, OMG, one of the best dishes I've had in a long, long time. Great flavor, spice to knock your socks off, and they don't skimp on the portion size just because it's half-priced. I no doubt give Dee Felice a passing grade with flying colors on authenticity of the Cajun taste. Best Cincinnati Cajun I've had yet.
Dee Felice isn't just about the food (the oh so good food). Sitting right behind the bar is a very unique feature about this building. I am talking about the Jazz/Swing/Blues stage hiked up behind the bar where music is played Tuesday-Saturday (sorry, not on Monday's). I have never been here on one of those nights but from what I hear, it is an event that you need to attend.
Dee Felice is an excellent place to go if your looking for a well trained wait staff, personable and genuine staff, fine dining(esque) experience, and fantastic food. Â For anyone turned off by the Cafe' tag they placed on this joint I implore you to gander inside and check out the best "cafe" I've eaten at in a long long time.
By far one of my favorite places to dine in this entire area. Â I've been going to Dee Felice since I was a child with my family, and have continued going as an adult.
The atmosphere is on the romantic side, but sexy romantic, not cheesy. Â The live jazz band is perfection!! Â Try the Crawfish Etouffee, or my personal fave the Blackened Halibut w/ Cajun Shrimp and Bernaise.... My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Â If you're up for dessert, the Flourless Chocolate Snowball is a MUST!!!
I love that this place has half orders!! The food is pretty good too =) I got a half order of the crawfish ettoufee and some grilled shrimp. The shrimp were definitely not jumbo prawns or anything and I kinda felt like for ten bucks, six small-ish shrimp was a little on the pricey side but whatev. Still tasty. I ordered to go and waited at the bar with a giant glass of Italian red - yum! and poured all the way up the brim. And I'm pretty sure I got under charged for the glass which more than made up for the shrimp. One thing that I do not understand is how the hell people can still get away with smoking inside restaurants. I was at the bar - but still. Come on Kentucky. Get it together. HUGELY good idea to order to go - it's one thing to have a drink in a smoky room. It's totally unacceptable to eat in a smoky room. If I had eaten there, this rating would be closer to a two.
Review Source:Dee Felice is my favorite of the Main Strausse restaurants, with a great location and a varied menu including seafood, pasta, and beef choices.
It has the feel of New Orleans with both indoor and outdoor seating, a nice bar that often features live jazz and separate rooms for small parties. The prices are moderate to expensive, but well worth it and the service is always superior.
I have had several Cajun and seafood dishes; the Jambalaya or Shrimp Creole are probably my favorites. Mondays are a great time to visit, since Dee Felice offers half price on wine by the glass and bottle and on appetizers.
Some of their sauces are available for sale on line and at Remke. I have used the jambalaya sauce many times while cooking at home.
The mood of Dee Felice is low-lit and with candles. I love sitting at the bar which faces a small stage where a band plays, but I am not sure what nights those would be. I love, love, love Mondays. They have half price bottles of wine and half price apps. The food is cajun and seafood, and delicious. The service is friendly and attentive. I would take my parents there as well as a date or friends.
Review Source:The atmosphere at Dee Felice is completely unique from my experiences. Â I am sure there are other upscale, low-lit, Cajun restaurants with Dixeland bands playing behind the bar, I just havent been there. Â The atmosphere rocks. Â I've heard it described as romantic (the low light, dark wood and excellent service), but the music makes it much more engaging than romantic. Â The band has always been fantastic, and adds so much to the experience. Â I have heard some complaints that it's too loud, but I like it.
The food is also awesome. Â I agree with the other reviewer; if I had one meal from Cincy, I'd think long and hard between some Montgomery Inn ribs and Dee Felice. Â I love their filet with crawfish cream sauce. Â We also always start with the toasted jalepeno raviolis (I'm not a pepper fan, but once cooked, the bite is lessened and adds great flavor). Â
I wish I ate here enough to try the other dishes, b/c really everything is amazing. Â Unfortuantely I only seem to make it there once every couple years, so I have to stick with the old favorites. Â Here's to wishing/dreaming they open a Chicago location.
Perched right near the Ohio River on Covington's Main Strasse is a beautiful cajun oasis. Yeah, I know. What's cajun got to do with a German street name?
If you turn the clock back 160 or so years, Cincinnati (just across the river) was known as 'Porkopolis', where German settlers produced more sausage, bacon, ham, etc...than anywhere else in the U.S. The Ohio River connects to the Wabash, then Mississippi River. Head south on a riverboat and ther's the connection. (no quiz-back to food)
The Dee Felice Cafe serves up the freshest, most delicious cajun food in the tri-state area in a resplendent time capsule of a room. I always order the crawfish etouffee and sneak bites of whatever perfectly blackened item, escargots, and seafood everyone else orders. Much to my sister's delight, they offer  some vegetarian interpretations of classic cajun dishes.
It's always memorable, particularly when accompanied by a dixieland/jazz/swing band perched high behind the gorgeous bar. The place is perfectly suited for special occasions. When my friend asked me where I wanted to have my last dinner before moving to SF, I didn't have to think twice. Well, I did, but I chose Dee Felice.