Chic Spotlight: Steinhaus Restaurant

Karen Koeppe, inside Steinhaus Restaurant’s “circle table”

Cincy Chic: What’s the concept behind Steinhaus Restaurant?
Karen Koeppe, Co-Owner of Steinhaus Restaurant: We want to serve local, fresh world-inspired cuisine in an atmosphere of casual elegance with a focus on warm and friendly service.

Cincy Chic: When did you open Steinhaus Restaurant?
Koeppe:We opened in October 2012.

Cincy Chic: What’s in the inspiration behind the business?
Koeppe: Opening a restaurant was something my husband, Detlef, and I always wanted to do. We would create meals at home and comment that “we could sell this in a restaurant.” Detlef’s mother was also an inspiration to Steinhaus. She was a great cook and Detlef learned from her. He is a hobby chef and certainly has acquired her skills.

Cincy Chic: Who’s behind Steinhaus Restaurant?
Koeppe: My husband, Detlef, and I as well as Chef Marcus Repp are the partners behind Steinhaus.

Cincy Chic: What makes Steinhaus Restaurant unique?
Koeppe: What makes Steinhaus unique is that it is not a franchise or chain restaurant. We are a local, family-owned business and put a lot of pride, heart and passion in our place. This is an extension of our home. Our guests feel that difference as soon as they walk in the door. We prepare all of our menu items from scratch and serve them with love and pride! Our staff appreciates working in a family environment and our guest reviews tell us that our service is five stars.

Cincy Chic: How have you expanded since opening?
Koeppe: This past summer Chef Marcus Repp came on board as a partner. His culinary skills are extraordinary as he has trained and worked in Europe, Russia and the Cayman Islands. He too has always wanted to have his own restaurant so the partnership is working out fantastic. His food preparation is getting great notice and our food reviews are incredible! We also have expanded our hours to include lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then we reopen at 4:30 p.m. to serve dinner Tuesday through Saturday. Catering is also another service we’ve added.

Cincy Chic: Can you tell us a little more about your recent reopening?
Koeppe: Detlef and I are novices at this restaurant thing. We admit it. Taking time away from the industry over the summer was important for the reorganizing and re-planning of Steinhaus. When Chef Marcus found his way to us as a partner and chef, we knew that we would succeed in our dream. So we reopened in August of this year.

Cincy Chic: Is there anything new on the horizon for Steinhaus Restaurant?
Koeppe: Yes there is and the word is out! We are opening a new venue on Monmouth Street in Newport, Kentucky. It’s called FACTORY. The restaurant will offer a more European concept with a coffee, wine and beer bar. We are putting our sights to February 1, 2015 for open.

Cincy Chic: Where can readers go to learn more?
Koeppe: Readers can visit www.steinhausrestaurant.com or on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/SteinhausRestaurant.