It's been a long day. You're exhausted. Cooking for yourself -- let alone anyone else -- is hardly appealing. You review your options: Fast food drive thru. Ugh. Pizza delivery. Yawn. Micro-wave a Boca Burger. Again? Dinner at a restaurant. You'd rather have a date with the couch tonight. You're not alone. A growing number of restaurants and upscale restaurant/ market marriages are offering the dog-tired work force a refuge -- gourmet carry-out, the neighborhood deli with an extreme makeover.

Until recently, Cincinnati has had few of these: What's For Dinner? in O'Bryon-ville and Production Line Café in Oakley are two of the longest running; Camargo Cooking Company in Madeira and Bebe's Kitchen in Hyde Park have enjoyed a warm welcome from their surrounding communities. Recently, Northside residents sang happy-happy-joy-joy when Potluck (4163 Hamilton Ave., 513-542-2444) opened.

After years as a chef in places like Ivy Hills Country Club, James Demaree, chef/owner of Potluck and a Northside urbanite, was motivated to offer his talents closer to home. "I love Northside and really wanted to establish a business I thought we could use," he says.

Sharing a patio with the popular Northside Tavern next door, Potluck is housed in the typical Northside building -- brick, high-ceiling, shotgun style -- with the cheerful funk and a dash of retro interior. A few tables are available for dining in, but Potluck's main focus is in carryout and catering.

Herb Encrusted Pork Loin, Pad Thai and the wildly flavored Stuffed Portabella Mushrooms (with caramelized onions, fresh basil, tomatoes and bleu cheese -- yum!) are just a few of the entrée selections that share case space with heaping bowls of salads: Caesar, Pasta Primavera, Buffalo Mozzarella and Tomato, Fresh Fruit, among others. Sandwiches with curry chicken salad, tuna salad, hummus and vegetables or meats and cheeses are offered daily, and a changing rotation of soups (try the Summer Gazpacho) and desserts such as Flourless Chocolate Cake have Northside natives abandoning their stoves. (Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. Closed Sunday-Monday.) Grade: A-

One of the best-kept secrets in this category -- and only because it sits off the road in a non-residential strip mall -- is Salt of the Earth (4760 Red Bank Expressway, Madisonville, 513-272-3650).

Owners Jim Jennings and Debbie Johnson's "upscale comfort food" is so good I would drive out of my way to bring it home. Jennings has quietly served Cincinnati diners for many years. The late Bacchus next to Music Hall was a favorite of foodies and symphony-goers alike, but Jennings perhaps shined the brightest at The Celestial where his kitchen was awarded four diamonds for two consecutive years.

Tired of grueling, late-night restaurant hours, he and Johnson opened Salt of the Earth as a combination carryout, dine-in (for lunch and early dinners), catering, hard-to-find retail delicacies (area chefs shop here for things such as Pomegranate Merlot Sauce) and boutique wines.

With neighbors like the Ohio BMV and some plastic surgeons, Salt of the Earth's strip mall façade gives way to a large, light and airy interior where a corporate lunch meeting or solo diners would feel equally comfortable.

Let me state this simply: Salt of the Earth's food is marvelous, excellent and fabulous. OK, that's not simple, but it's sincere. My only problem (a good problem for them) is I have a difficult time making. Shrimp and Avocado Salad, Blue Cheese Coleslaw or Tofu Salad? Orzo and Roasted Vegetables or Meatless Shepherd's Pie? Baked Teriyaki Salmon or Crab Cakes? Blackbean and Corn Tortilla Cake or Stuffed Eggplant? Such a dilemma -- I'll take them all. And throw in one of those dark and decadent bittersweet chocolate brownies. And banana cream pie.

Thanks, I'll be back tomorrow. (Hours: 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. Closed Sunday.) Grade: A