Tonight I got to be a part of my first TasteCasting at Echo located in Hyde Park. Nestled within the Hyde Park Square it is more than your run of the mill restaurant, its a local landmark. Opened in 1945 by Louise Schwartz, this place was set up to cater to a predominate blue collar crowd. By offering home cooked meals it has built a great local reputation for great affordable food.
As I sat down I was immediately greeted by Angie, our server for the evening, with two great starters. One was the Party Caesar Salad and the other one was Bite size Crab Cakes. Both of these items are available on their Catering menu. If you are interested in letting Echo Cater your event. They will work with you in creating the perfect menu for your event. Just give Stephanie a call at The Echo (513-321-2816) to discuss all of the possibilities!
As I finished my appetizers I was able to just look around and take in the the charm and the history of the Echo. In this day of mid-size cookie cutter restaurants its nice to know the Echo is still around. The place you can go and meet the locals and have a cup of coffee and just know you belong no matter what. In a restaurant that is a good feeling to have and enjoy.
Well lets talk about the food. So we got a tasting menu and so upon looking at it we couldn't decide what to get so we just ordered one of everything. This is a dream for me. Because if I was able to do this at every place I ate I would. One of the items on the menu I just had to taste first was their Gazpacho. It was exactly what I expected cold, crisp and refreshing. It was nice to see the attention to detail given to the vegetables and how they were cut and served. This item is on their seasonal menu.
As soon as I finished about half of my soup the rest of the items we ordered starting showing up and quickly filling the tables. It was amazing seeing breakfast food along side turkey dinners and a Funky Chicken. Yeah, a Funky Chicken it was just of many items on the menu that were uniquely named. Which personally I love because I think it adds a bit more flavor to your experience. Besides with a name like that how can you go wrong right. Along with the Funky chicken we also had a Flying Pig that was pretty much a Monte Cristo sandwich, but it was super good. Anytime you can put powered sugar on a sandwich all I can say is, " you had me at hello... you had me at hello." A few other items of note would have to be some of the breakfast items. One it in particular was the Belgium waffle. It was light airy and so absolutely delicious. Now I know why the Echo is so crowded on the weekends for breakfast. Although Breakfast isn't all they serve weekly. The Echo has a great selection of dinners that can make any tummy happy.
Although as you know all good things must come to an end. As Angie cleared the table and my stomach was digesting the awesome food I just had I had to ask myself just one question. Do I have room for pie? Of course I have room for pie. So a few minutes later Angie came walking in with some of the sexiest plates of pie I have seen in a long time. They were Chocolate Moose, Cherry, and my favorite Pumpkin. After a few bites I could instantly recognize that these were homemade with a special love only found in a place like the Echo. From the moist flaky crust to the homemade whipped cream on top of each slice of pie we had, it was a great ending to a wonderful evening.
If you are looking for a home cooked meal at affordable prices with a bunch of love cooked in, please stop by the Echo. You will not be let down.
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