This week, Streetscapes checks out some businesses along Buttermilk Pike. We’ll start with a longstanding and locally famous establishment Oriental Wok, then head to a regional burger chain and the newest restaurant for some Mexican and Venezuelan street food.
Bru Burger Bar
As its name says, Bru Burger Bar is best known for gourmet chef burgers. They come in over a dozen options, including choices for vegetarians and vegans. Each specialty burger base can be substituted with a chicken breast, turkey burger, bison patty, lamb or turkey burger.
Standout options include the bourbon burger with bacon, peppercorn bourbon glaze and horseradish havarti, or the Viking Farms Lamb, a lamb patty with whipped goat cheese, spinach, marinated red onion jam and curry mayo on an oat bun. Less adventuresome folks can stick with classics: The Beginning and the Bru Burger are your basic American burgers.
Salads, sandwiches and sides round out their menu and are great additions to pair with burgers. Since Bru’s burgers are ordered solo, Bru fries are an ideal sharing side. They come with three house-made dips, including ketchup, a semi sweet and peppery combination that will put all generic ketchups to shame.
Bru has a full bar and a daily happy hour on weekdays, and the large dining space is doubled in warm months by a spacious side patio.
La Torta Loca
The newest addition to Crescent Springs comes from a familiar Florence favorite. La Torta Loca and quickly grew a fan following there, and its success has allowed it to relocate the original restaurant and expand with their second location in Crescent Springs – all in around five years.
La Torta Loca serves authentic Mexican and Venezuelan street food. Many options will be familiar: street tacos, empanadas and quesadillas. The quesadillas also can be ordered deep fried, the crispy shell and melty cheese balanced out by the fresh veggies inside.
La Torta Loca also has many menu items guests may have never seen. Their tortas are massive sandwiches filled with classic ingredients one expects from a Mexican restaurant. The namesake Torta Loca has chicken milanese, steak, carnitas, bacon, melted cheese, grilled onion and jalapeno.
It feels wrong to come to a place like this and not indulge in an appetizer and fancy drink. La Torta Loca’s sweet plantains are a great way to switch up from ordering chips and queso (which are phenomenal, by the way). The sweet plantains are topped with cream and cheese. Or try tostones and guacamole, plantain chips with house made guacamole, a refreshing start to dinner.
For drinks there are both American and Mexican soda and beer options. The stars of the drinks menu are the cocktails. These massive drinks are dressed to impress with garnishes and glasses that make them picture-worthy. A margarita is a must order here.
The space is vibrant and colorful, with plenty of seating, and a small outdoor patio for warm weather days.
Oriental Wok
Oriental Wok has been a staple of Northern Kentuckians’ diet since it opened. This upscale Chinese establishment has set the bar high for restaurants in the area, regardless of what cuisine they serve. The food has always been impeccable, in both taste and proportions.
Egg rolls, crab rangoon and pot stickers are all large, delicious appetizers to pregame the main event. Entrees include chicken, beef, pork and seafood options. Orange chicken and sesame chicken are among the most popular, drenched in delectable sauces. General Wong’s chicken isn’t for the faint of heart, a great option for fans of spice. The noodle menu is as ample as its classics, but the Pad Thai is arguably the best in NKY (my personal favorite dish from any area restaurant).
Oriental Wok’s drinks menu marries Asian culture with American, offering wine, beer and cocktails to pair with any dish. Wokstar beer (the restaurant’s collab with Rhinegeist) or Mandarin Mule are refreshing options to enjoy on the patio. Whether you’re wanting an intimate, cozy date night spot, a large gathering for a milestone event or a place for dinner and drink outside, Oriental Wok has it all.
What To Know If You Go
Bru Burger Bar
Location: 279 Buttermilk Pike, Fort Mitchell
Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Website: bruburgerbar.com/locations/Bru-Fort-Mitchell
Phone: 859-331- 3888
La Torta Loca
Location: 564 Buttermilk Pike, Crescent Springs
Hours: Monday, closed; Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday, noon-8 p.m.
Website: latortalocaflorence.com
Phone: 859-360- 2423
Oriental Wok
Location: 317 Buttermilk Pike, Lakeside Park
Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Saturday, 4 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Website: orientalwok.com
Phone: 859-331-3000