Fall 2012 (Vol 37)

FALL 2012 | AUG - SEP - OCT www.foodanddine.com

the

bourbon issue

restaurant guide over 1,000 restaurant listings and maps to them all

plus

profiles

guaca mole|sway

easy entertaining | $10 challenge brew festivals|humor|chef Q&A (pictured) A trio of guacamoles from Guaca-Mole — traditional, Yucateco and con chicharron.

NOW

FREE

FALL 2012 PUBLISHER / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JOHN CARLOS WHITE BUSINESS MANAGER PAUL M. SMITH ONLINE EDITOR STEVE COOMES COLUMNISTS ROGER A. BAYLOR JAY FOREMAN ASHLEE CLARK THOMPSON ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS-AT-LARGE TIM & LORI LAIRD CONTRIBUTING WRITERS CARLA CARLTON STEVE COOMES GREG GAPSIS J. CHRISTIAN WALSH KATY YOCOM CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER DAN DRY MAGAZINE DESIGN AND LAYOUT JOHN CARLOS WHITE GRAPHIC DESIGN KATHY KULWICKI STEFAN TAMBURRO COPY EDITOR KATHY KULWICKI SALES MANAGER GINA R. WOLFE ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES ANNETTE B. WHITE BART WHITEHOUSE IN FOND MEMORY OF OUR DEAR FRIEND DANIEL F. BOYLE

Food & Dining Magazine® is published quarterly by Louisville Dining Magazine, Inc. P.O. Box 665, Louisville KY 40201 The publisher and advertisers are not responsible or liable for misprints, typographical errors or misinformation. The opinions expressed herein are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publisher. +Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved.

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www.foodanddine.com facebook.com/foodanddine follow us on Twitter @FDzine For Advertising information call (502) 509-EATS (3287) ON THE COVER: A trio of guacamoles from Guaca Mole — traditional, Yucateco and con chicharron. (see story page 56) Photo by Dan Dry 4

Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

contents

FALL 2012 - VOLUME 37

RESTAURANT GUIDE

64

DINING GUIDE Our comprehensive listing of over 1,000 area restaurants complete with reviews.

MAPS (RESTAURANT LOCATOR)

98

Find all of the restaurants in our Dining Guide on these user-friendly maps.

40

FEATURES THE KENTUCKY BOURBON TRAIL & BEYOND

40

With Bourbon now the chic drink, the distillery industry is developing the Bluegrass as a destination spot for everyone interested in the history of America’s indigenous spirit.

18

VARANESE: BIG NIGHT IN THE BIG APPLE

18

Chef John Varanese cooks at America’s culinary mecca, the James Beard House in New York City.

PROFILES SWAY: The downtown Hyatt’s new “Southern Way” restaurant combines glitz, comfort and sophisticated down-home flavors.

34

CHEF Q & A: Chef Joe Frase — of The Blind Pig — answers some questions you’ve always wanted to ask.

GUACA MOLE: Cuban-born restaurateur Fernando

24 34 56

Martinez, who helped develop Havana Rumba and Mojito, goes 3 for 3 with his newest, sleekest East End venture.

COLUMNS STARTERS

6

COMINGS & GOINGS A summary of changes on the local restaurant scene, with openings, closings, moves and more.

HUMOR

24

FOOD

56

10

Naked Jay & The Bourbon Factory: A tour of one of Kentucky’s Bourbon distilleries sparks weird flashbacks to a movie about a different kind of factory tour.

EASY ENTERTAINING: Sandwiches & sangria Because sometimes a sandwich is the only thing that will do.

$10 CHALLENGE: The Monkey Wrench

14 16

Versatile venue in the Highlands serves up good food, cold drinks and live music — for under $10.

FROM THE EARTH: Bourbon Barrel Foods

38

Upstart blazes a new trail, smoking with Kentucky traditions.

LIQUIDS

12

HIP HOPS: Brew Festivals Our resident beer expert recalls some of his favorite past and present warm-weather beer festivals.

www.facebook.com/foodanddine Fall 2012

5

starters comings & goings

comings

&

goings

The numbers, once again, show a robustly positive trend in terms of the ratio of restaurants that have opened (17, plus 7 new locations of existing places), to those that have closed, or closed one of multiple outlets (13 and 4). But, among those that have closed, there are three long-time legends scattered around town and beyond: L&N Wine Bar and Bistro; Avalon; and Westport General Store.

Joining the fray anew are a few ambitious new concepts, locally owned and otherwise. And several established restaurants are feeling confident enough to open additional branches. This past quarter, the number of restaurants in town has moved toward equilibrium, as some old favorites will be missed, and some new guys are setting out to make their mark. If you like dining out, we are still living in interesting times.

NEW TABLES The most notable newcomer is Henry’s Place, 4864 Brownsboro Ctr., a handsome, sophisticated renovation of what formerly was Mike Best’s Meats. Cool gray walls, lots of banquettes and booths, and a wideranging menu that includes Wagyu car paccio, duck egg pasta, “fish pots” such as cioppino and sand dabs poele, and bison pot roast, has made an immediate sen sa tion out in the East End. Also out in the easter n ‘burbs off Hurstbourne at 1903 Embassy Square Blvd, is Charr’d Bourbon Kitchen & Lounge, an effort by the Marriott Hotel people to improve the image of suburban hotel restaurants. Charr’d’s menu plays with the Bourbon theme. The lunch menu is called “10-Minute White Dog” (referring to the alcohol distillate before it’s transferred to barrels for aging), you can choose from the Bootlegger Burger Bar, or the Prohibition salad menu, or the “After 1933” dinner menu. Bourbon enhances the recipes of many dishes, but you also will find 80 Bourbons for drinking in the lounge.

The southern regional Tin Roof (3921 Shelbyville Road) chain, which started in Atlanta, and made its mark in Nashville, is renovating the former Brendan’s space in the hear t of St. Matthews. Expect plenty of country pop bands, and the usual bar 6

Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

eats — wings, tenders, poppers, dips — and a very long list of quesadillas and sandwiches.

Speaking of sandwiches, those who crave grilled cheese have two new options, one local, and one a chain.

The Lil’ Cheezers food truck, which will still be making the rounds, has found an anchor-hold at 938 Baxter Ave., taking over that space from the now defunct Jamie’s 14K Cupcakes. South down Bardstown Road, but still in the Highlands, Tom + Chee (1704 Bardstown Rd.) has replaced Penn Station, offering a super-wide variety of combinations ranging from turkey and pesto and mozzarella on sourdough to the armagoetta, including goetta, cherry peppers, fried onions and pepper Jack on rye.

SuperChef ’s Breakfast is tr ying out a cool idea: ser ve breakfast at established restaurants that do not serve until lunch.

You can find their egg sandwiches — vegetarian and with meat — beignets, French toast and red velvet pancakes at the Chicago Gyros, 2317 Brownsboro Rd., or Seafood Connection, 3941 Chenoweth Sq. A few familiar places across the river have assumed new identities. What used to be the New Albany Country Club is now the New Albany Roadhouse, at 1702 Greybrook Rd. The iconic

JAPANESE

GRILL

AND

SUSHI

SAPPOROJAPANESE.COM 1706 BARDSTOWN RD. 502.479.5550 649 SOUTH 4TH ST. 502.589.3333

Little Chef place on the corner at 147 E. Market St. is now DP UpDogs, offering ice cream and franks.

Back on the Kentucky side of the river, River City Drafthouse has set up and is dispensing suds and bar food at 1574 Bardstown Rd. Sala Thai has experienced a re-birth, taking over the space that was True Thai at 8125 Bardstown Rd. And The Fishery Station (5627 Outer Loop) is a reincarnation of Sharom’s (5637 Outer Loop), which closed recently, but whose owners opened up under the new name.

Take out sandwiches and such can be had now at Take Out to the River, 9550 U.S. 42 in Prospect, and fans of Rocky’s pizzas and subs can now get them to go at Rocky’s Pizza & Panini, 3022 Bardstown Rd. The Louisville Tea Company, 9305 New LaGrange Rd., and King’s Coffee, 406 Pop Ave. in Sellersburg offer what is needed to get the day started, or to get you revived when you need it.

Clark’s Lyndon Village Pub, 813 Lyndon Ln., provides live music, plenty of bar food and daily drink specials. The Pink Baron BBQ at 400 W. Court Ave. in Jeffersonville — its logo is a pink pig wearing a WWI aviator’s helmet — provides lots of smoked meats.

A number of established restaurants have felt flush enough to open new outlets. You can now find Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina chow at 12915 Shelbyville Rd. in Middletown, and Qdoba’s take on fresh Mexican at 1831 Blankenbaker Pkwy.

There is a new branch of Longhorn Steakhouse at 4813 Outer Loop. Sunergos has opened another coffee shop, this one downtown at 231 S. Fifth St., and Java Brewing Co. has a new outlet way out in Springdale, 4828 Norton Healthcare Blvd.

And Queen of Sheba is now offering its interesting Ethiopian cuisine at 528 S. Fifth St.

MOVES & CHANGES

DINNER ONLY HIBACHI GRILL RESERVATIONS RECOMMENDED 8

Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

A few established places have moved location, some have changed names but stayed still, and some have new names and addresses. The owner of Ramiro’s Cantina bought out his partners in Sol Aztecas, at 2350 Frankfort Ave., and changed the name.

It is still serving up a Mexican menu. What used to be Fox and Hound, at 302 Bullitt

Ln., is now Champp’s Americana, another concept owned by the same company.

Expected to move in October … the NA Exchange, at 3306 Plaza Dr. in New Albany will be moving downtown to 118 W. Main St., and changing its name to Exchange Pub + Kitchen. (Call before you go.)

J. Gumbo used to be at Fourth Street Live , but has now moved to 426 W. Jefferson, and Desserts by Helen has closed her Douglass Loop store and opened a new one at 3500 Frankfort Ave.

CLOSINGS The abrupt closure of Avalon (1314 Bardstown Rd.) on July 1 came in the wake of owner Steven Clements’ loss of the catering contract at the Kentucky Derby Museum, where he has operated Clements Catering for 25 years, along with the Derby Museum Café.

L&N Wine Bar and Bistro’s (1765 Mellwood Ave.) closing was comparatively leisurely — they had a few weeks of farewell dinner nights for old fans — yet much lamented. The cozy space on the edge of Butchertown and Clifton, with its wine bythe-glass Cruvinet dispenser will be missed.

Out in the far upriver limits, Westport General Store (7008 Hwy. 525, Westport, Ky.) for nine years a reliable dispenser of quality comfort foods and funky, eclectic roots music and jazz, has folded.

Blooms Café, 307 Wallace Ave., has closed again after a brief resuscitation, depriving the luncheon ladies crowd of pleasant comfort food and good gossip.

After a brief run, Rudolph’s Bakery (1888 Blackiston Mill Rd., Clarksville, Ind.) has closed, along with I Luv Sushi & Teriyaki (2017 Brownsboro Rd.), City Girl Farm Café (4600 Shelbyville Rd.) and Neighborhood Café (119 St. Matthews Ave.).

After True Thai closed (8125 Bardstown Rd.), the space quickly reopened with new owners as Sala Thai. Vicario’s at 7773 Hwy. 311 in Sellersburg has closed, along with Jimbo’s BBQ (801 Kenwood Dr.), after a fire. Its owners are planning to reopen sometime in the future.

Finally, four existing multi-outlet restau rants have closed one outlet: Buckhead Mountain Grill (10206 Westport Rd.); Heine Brothers Coffee (4123 Shelbyville Rd.); Desserts by Helen (9219 Hwy. 42); and Java Brewing Co. (9561B Hwy. 42). F&D www.facebook.com/foodanddine Fall 2012

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As the only writer for this magazine who is not actually based in Louisville, I’m oddly removed from the very scene it covers. Consequently, I’d always felt a bit like an outsider. So when an opportunity to visit recently presented itself, I jumped on it. The trip came about due to happy circumstance — I have the good fortune to be a friend of a guy with deep roots in the liquor business. His family owns Buffalo Trace, along with some other properties, and he invited my wife and me up there (along with a small group of others far

BY JAY FOREMAN more swanky and deserving) to see where the magic happens.

On the trip up it struck me that what I was about to do bore striking parallels to the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. (*Film scholars please note that I am referring to the 1971 classic starring Gene Wilder, not the queasy 2005 Tim Burton reboot.) For example, in the film Charlie finds a Golden Ticket permitting him entry into a psychedelic factory that produces an array of delectable wares. In my case, I got an email from Jeffery inviting me to tour a complex of facilities that distill, mix and package hundreds of delicious liquors. And as our tour played out, other parallels became increasingly clear.

Naked Jay and the

Bourbon Factory

Act One: Sazerac Company’s Louisville Office In the movie, Golden Ticket winners are greeted by Willy Wonka, a mysterious man who initially appears stern yet is revealed to be spry, engaging and full of vitality. In our case, we were met by Sazerac president Mark Brown in the company’s Louisville office, where it initially appeared that we would receive a dry lecture on corporate tax policy.

Feet were shuffling — where was the hooch? Then Mr. Brown in his English accent (a nice touch) mentioned that perhaps rather than talking, it would be more illustrative to begin by viewing the company’s complete line of products. He then led us into a room. A very large room.

There, covering every inch of wall space, were hundreds upon hundreds of bottles, their contents ranging from crystal-clear gin to molasses-y dark spiced rum. Within genres there were permutations like Taaka’s Whipped Cream Vodka and the surprise hit of the tour — Naked Jay’s Dill Pickle Flavored Vodka. For whatever reason and despite the availability of vastly superior products, most everyone on the tour kept returning to this curio.

“Who buys this stuff ?” someone asked.

“Pregnant women,” was my quip.

Act Two: Buffalo Trace In Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the children are led into a sprawling, phantasmagoric factory full of hidden dangers as well as delights. On our tour, we were taken to the Buffalo Trace Distillery, which is a vast complex of buildings housing the same.

The distillery grounds were dominated by a water tower branded with the namesake buffalo. Here we were guided by the energetic Mr. Brown. In one room we were allowed to drill out the bung holes of Bourbon casks, then watch the raw contents drain into a vast filtration network. A former railroad shed served as a way-station for moneyed guests wishing to purchase their Bourbon by the customized barrel (some of that exalted group were among us). In a nearby shrine the 6 millionth barrel of Bourbon produced by the company sat in repose, much the same way as holy relics are displayed in churches throughout France. Unfortunately, there were no Oompa-Loompas in sight, but I couldn’t help but feel that a more aggressive taste-testing of the product might have eventually caused them to appear. I pictured them happily rolling barrels of Bourbon along the narrow-gauge train tracks that lace the grounds. Fizzy lifting drinks could be approximated 10 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

with the addition of soda water to the copious samplings of Eagle Rare, and the psychedelic tunnel scene could later be replicated through an episode of DTs. True, no fat German kid fell into a vat while greedily chugging its wares, but I walked that line when I discretely stuck my finger into one of the inflow pipes to see what the mash tasted like (answer: corn oil and warm, sweet beer).

Act Three: Glenmore Distillery Our last stop was the Glenmore Distillery in Owensboro.Though it is called a distillery, it is really a high-tech bottling and warehousing plant. And that brief description does not do it justice. From a technical and logistical point of view, it was staggering. A dock on the Ohio River allows raw spirits to be brought in by barge(!). A vast network of warehouses allows a huge inventory to be stored on site. But the real shock and awe of this facility occurred on the bottling floor.

It was a visual spectacle as we beheld the fully automated assembly lines engaged in a never-ending cycle of unpacking empty bottles, filling them, labeling them, repacking them in boxes and routing them to palletizers where they were staged for transport. It was like a mechanistic cross between Rube Goldberg and Dr. Seuss on steroids, hypnotic in its kinetic motion and otherworldly scale. There was a barrel of super-duper Long Island Ice Tea flavoring agent that was so insanely concentrated that one drop of it, unblended, could kill an adult male elephant. Or at least that is what I think we were being told, but given the background noise I couldn’t be sure.

At this point, words didn’t really matter.

I had never seen anything like it, and all of the sudden it made me realize that I had done very little that was productive with my life and I wanted to go home.

Later, on the bus back to the airport, I reflected on what I had seen. It had indeed been a Magical Myster y Tour. I clutched my gift bag tightly, full of Bourbon for friends and a stuffed buffalo for my daughter. It was then I realized that I’d actually not seen any of Louisville.

Oh well. I will need to come back soon.

After all, at the end of the tour I’d returned my everlasting gobstopper to Mr. Brown who then promised me I was next in line for his job. F&D

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11

brew festivals out here in the fields, craft beers are our meal

BY ROGER A. BAYLOR

uring the halcyon period of my southern Indiana youth, this time of year meant a profusion of outdoor beer festivals.

Natural settings constantly beckoned when I was 17, and I looked more like 13, lived at home and required divine intervention to get served at rarely obliging package stores.

We borrowed patches of isolated farmland belonging to folks who didn’t know or care that someone had procured the cheapest swill possible, borrowed a steel tub otherwise used to hydrate future beefsteak for an ice bucket, and now awaited the onslaught of teenagers who’d learned through the grapevine that there was a field party suddenly in progress.

D

When it rained at these summertime outdoor beer festivals, we got soaked; not the worst conceivable outcome in hot weather, especially if any girls bothered to come — which was seldom. But any style of lunchpail lager you wanted was available for sampling, so long as it was Falls City or Sterling, and by dawn, rock and roll blared from the subpar radio of a car stuck axledeep in a muddy field littered with cigarette butts and spent plastic cups.

Outdoor beer festivals have evolved considerably since then. These days, they bear refreshingly little resemblance to the midsummer’s night screams we staged during the presidency of Jimmy Carter — who, after all, legalized homebrewing, but probably never experienced the nuzzling of a well-turned beer bong in the steamy August drizzle.

As befits the era of craft beer’s ascendancy, today’s warm-weather, outdoor beer festivals are devoted to the exaltation of contemporary craft beer. Breweries and wholesalers provide a diverse selection of beers, and when possible, brewers and beer sales representatives are on hand to answer questions. A festival entry fee will 12 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

cover numerous, if not always truly unlimited, wee tastes of these many beers.

Local pur veyors vend food, and musical entertainment from the rock, pop, blues and bluegrass spectrums is offered, although just once, I’d love to hear a string quartet perform modern chamber compositions, or a rollicking Klezmer band revive “And the Angels Sing.”

Craft beer festivals enhance the genre through heightened consciousness and increased recognition, but such events also give back to the community by supporting charities. Reduced entr y prices for designated drivers and the encouragement of moderation illustrate that beer consciousness and social conscience go together like espresso beans and imperial stout. You drink beer, and you learn beer.

In Louisville, Brew at the Zoo — coming on August 25, 2012 — remains our most prominent outdoor craft beer festival in terms of sheer size and frantic scrum.

Local, regional and national craft beers will be dispensed in abundance, with plenty of animal lovers on hand to enjoy them, because craft beer and zoological gardens combine to reinforce the bountiful

diversity of the planet. Species have habitats, characteristics and a back story, and so do craft beer styles.

The Louisville Independent Business Alliance’s (LIBA) local Louisville Brewfest (formerly a June event, but scheduled to shift to September in 2013) has been gaining ground on the zoo in terms of the craft beer zeitgeist. The particular charm of LIBA’s fest, which moved to Louisville Slugger Field for 2012, is its specific local orientation. While LIBA’s indie ethos helps “Keep Louisville Weird,” the metro area’s small, indigenous brewers “Keep Louisville Beer’d.”

At least two open-air fetes will occur during this year’s Louisville Craft Beer Week (September 21-29, 2012): A caskconditioned “real” ale sampling at Bluegrass Brewing Company’s location on Shelbyville Road (Friday, Sept. 21) and an Indianacentric Craft Beer Showcase at NABC’s Bank Street Brewhouse in New Albany on the following day, coinciding with yet another independent business celebration sponsored by New Albany First.

We’re getting there, but speaking per sonally, my favorite of all festive rites of summer time craft beer takes place on the second Saturday in August: The Great Taste of the Midwest, held in Madison, Wisconsin.

The Granddaddy The Great Taste of the Midwest turns a ruddy 26 years of age this August, directed from inception by the Madison Homebrewers and Tasters Guild, and celebrated throughout Craft Beer Nation as a bucket list stalwart. There’ll be more Great Taste of the Midwest August 11, 2012 Olin-Turville Park 1155 E Lakeside St. Madison, WI 53713 www.mhtg.org (608) 255-2537

than 100 breweries in attendance, serving samples of nearly 1,000 beers for five hours to more than 6,000 attendees who congregate amid the greenery of OlinTurville Park on the shore of Lake Monona.

Participating brewers occupy a finite number of display slots, and for them, the Great Taste is no ordinary festival gig. Craft brewers always bring their “A” teams to Madison, and few beer festivals inspire such good-natured competition, with rare ales and lagers often appearing via limited, hourly releases throughout the afternoon.

Ticketholders cherish these liquid rewards, and they’re fortunate, because to stand within the compound is to beat considerable odds. The Great Taste sells out months in advance, and last-minute road trips are discouraged, although for those lacking ducats, there’s a thriving “resale” market near the festival entrance, and of course, a proliferation of on-line scalpers’ bazaars.

The Great Taste is nonpareil. It is savor y and savvy, its clientele wellbehaved, and the organizers among the friendliest and most efficient of evangelical elites in all Craft Beer Nation. Speaking as an unreconstructed social democrat, Wisconsin’s capital has a noticeably leftist tinge, so much so that state residents routinely refer to it as the People’s Republic of Madison.

Like the larger world of craft beer, the Great Taste of the Midwest represents the thinking man’s outdoor drinking.

Paraphrasing Winston Churchill, you can take more from the Great Taste than it takes from you. F&D

Brew at the Zoo August 25, 2012 Louisville Zoo 1100 Trevilian Way Louisville, KY 40213 www.louisvillezoo.com (502) 459-2181

Louisville Craft Beer Week • September 21–29, 2012 Sept. 26 – Meet the Brewers Sept. 21 – Casktoberfest BBC’s Taproom Bluegrass Brewing Company 636 E. Main St. (at Clay St.) 3929 Shelbyville Rd. (St. Matthews) Sept. 28 – Yappy Hour Sept. 22 – Indiana Craft Beer Showcase NABC’s Bank Street Brewhouse 415 Bank St., New Albany IN. Sept. 24 – Ladies Night with Kentucky Ale Butchertown Market 1201 Story Ave.

2013 Indiana Microbrewers Fest July 20, 2013 Indianapolis Art Center 820 East 67th Street Indianapolis, IN. Admission: $40 www.brewersofindianaguild.com

Sept. 29 – A Taste of the Craft Against the Grain Brewery 401 E. Main St.

Louisville Brewfest September 2013* Louisville Slugger Field 401 E. Main St. Admission: Free www.keeplouisvilleweird.com (502) 500-4669

Admission: Free (all events) For additional event listings visit www.louisvillebeer.com

*This year it was held in June.

There are now plans to move the festival to September in 2013.

Apocalypse Brew Works 1612 Mellwood Ave.

www.facebook.com/foodanddine Fall 2012 13

easy entertaining

&

sandwiches sangria

BY TIM AND LORI LAIRD | PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAN DRY

You can’t beat a sandwich for an easy, warm-weather evening dinner outdoors. Soft-shell crab sandwiches are perfect since they’re inherently casual (no formal setting can abide “Spider Sliders” with those extended legs), delicious when sautéed, bookended by good bread slices and lashed with a savory aioli.

Yet they’re mistakenly viewed as a summer-only treat though the crustacean’s molting season lasts into September. So if you can plan a soft-shell sandwich meal before they regrow their armor, you should.

If you’re not interested in tracking down and cooking crabs, your favorite sushi restaurant can help.

If a soft-shell crab slider doesn’t pinch your fancy, then scuttle into a Louisville treasure: creamy Benedictine. Named for a turn of the (20th) century Louisville caterer, Benedictine is traditionally a “ladies tea” sandwich filling. At home, we add a little substance with turkey and bacon and turn it from a pinkiesraised nibble into a double-fisted meal. Buy Benedictine at a store, or make it yourself from the original recipe.

Need other sandwich ideas? Find ingredient inspiration at your favorite farmers market. Marinated tomato, onion, cucumber, chickpeas and basil on a baguette is just one option — and vegetarian at that.

And sliced, grilled vegetables make a flavorful and firm replacement for lettuce. (Ham, cheese and grilled zucchini, anyone?)

We like punches and pitcher drinks for warm weather meals, especially sparkling sangria. But again, the season should guide you. In blackberry season, try mixing seedless pulp with limeade and rum for a blackberry daiquiri. You won’t be disappointed.

14 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

Spider Slider Soft-Shell Crabs 8 1 1 1 /2 1 /2 1 1 /2

jumbo soft-shell crabs cup yellow cornmeal teaspoon dried oregano teaspoon salt teaspoon pepper cup buttermilk cup peanut oil

Soft-shell crab with remoulade on a slider bun.

In a shallow dish, combine the cornmeal, oregano, salt and pepper. Pour the buttermilk into another dish. Dip each crab into the buttermilk, then into the cornmeal mixture to coat. In a 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add 4 crabs, cook each side about 2 minutes or until golden and crisp.

Transfer to paper towel to drain.

Garden Sous-marin Seasonal veggies in a Dijon vinaigrette on a soft baguette or hero bun.

Dijon Vinaigrette

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar /4 teaspoon salt 1 /4 teaspoon black pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil In a small jar, add the red wine vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt and pepper; shake to combine. This vinaigrette will be enough for 3 to 4 cups of chopped vegetables. Pour mixture over chopped vegetables (tomato, onion and cucumber were our choices). Add chickpeas, basil (and feta) if you like. Marinate for at least an hour to overnight.

1

Signature Cocktail Sparkling Sangria (SERVES 4 – 6)

Benedictine, bacon, turkey and tomato on white or sandwich bread.

3 ounces Old Forester Bourbon 2 ounces orange liqueur 2 tablespoons superfine sugar 1 orange, thinly sliced 1 lime, thinly sliced 1 lemon, thinly sliced 1 bottle Korbel Sweet Cuvée Champagne

Grate the cucumber and onion. Drain well by placing in a strainer and pressing down with a spoon to remove all of the liquid. In small bowl or food processor, add the cucumber and onions, cream cheese, food coloring and Tabasco. Mix well until combined.

In a pitcher, add the Bourbon, orange liqueur and sugar.

Stir until the sugar dissolves.

Add the fruit and Korbel. Serve over ice.

B2 – T2 Benedictine

1 cucumber, peeled 1 medium onion, peeled 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature 2 drops green food coloring Dash of Tabasco

about food $10 challenge

BY ASHLEE CLARK THOMPSON | PHOTOGRAPH BY DAN DRY

The Monkey Wrench challenge

$10 “

Versatile venue serves up good food, cold drinks and live music

Bar and music venue boasts an inexpensive, delicious menu.

T

”

The Monkey Wrench is a chameleon of a business that morphs into whatever its patrons need it to be.

The upstairs balcony, with blue Christmas lights under the canopy and a bar that sells cigars, feels like it belongs on a Florida beach. Customers are either wearing sunglasses at one of the tables scattered on the patio or keeping cool with a drink at the shaded bar.

The stage area has dark, sleek booths made for sinking in to watch a good show.

You get to know your neighbor when the room is packed and the walls are lined with people.

And toward the back is a dimly lit bar that hums as the bartenders whip out drink orders. Patience is a vir tue here as thirsty customers squeeze in between patrons on bar stools to yell for a beer.

But for me, the kitchen is the main attraction at The Monkey Wrench.

The cooks churn out a menu full of bar fare and hearty Italian food. A night of drinking with a group of buddies calls for the loaded beef nachos ($8), beer cheese and bread ($7.50) or a pizza (10-inch starts at $6). But a quieter evening would be nice to enjoy their selection of salads ($6-$8.50) or sandwiches served with chips or coleslaw and a pickle, such as a muffaletta or vegetable hummus (both $7.50).

The highlight of The Monkey Wrench week is Tuesday, when the bar knocks a couple of bucks off of every burger on the menu, charging $5 for a regular burger and $6 for a specialty burger. And if you stick around after dinner, a live bluegrass band called Blunt Honey performs at 9 p.m.

16 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

BBQ Bacon Cheddar Burger ($6)

The Taco Burger ($6)

The Monkey Burger ($7)

Good food shouldn’t be a luxur y. In this column, I set out to prove that it is possible to eat a high-quality, low-cost meal within Louisville’s diverse and expanding food scene. My goal is to find a meal at a local restaurant that costs $10 or less (excluding the tip), an ideal limit for those of us who are cashstrapped but have a hard time sacrificing a nice meal outside of the house.

The promise of discounted burger and live music led my husband and me to this bar-restaurant-music venue hybrid for a weekday dinner out of the house.

The summer hadn’t yet turned humid, so we climbed the metal stairs and took a seat on the second-floor balcony. My eyes rarely leave a menu until I have placed my order, but it was hard not to admire the view of the neighborhood from our perch above the street — clusters of modest houses, The Fish House across the street, cars creeping along Barret Avenue.

Since it was Tuesday, the question wasn’t if I was going to get a burger, but, rather, which one. I wasn’t feeling adventurous enough to try the Monkey Burger ($7), a concoction that includes cheese, a fried egg, coleslaw, bacon, French fries, onion rings, tomato and cucumber lime aioli. And I wasn’t in the mood for the Italian-themed Stromboli Burger ($6) topped with marinara, mozzarella, pepperoni, onions and mushrooms.

Inspired by the nachos that a couple across the patio was eating, I ordered the Taco Burger, a patty topped with white American cheese, jalapenos and guacamole. My husband ordered the BBQ Bacon Cheddar Burger.

Our meal arrived from the first floor after a 15-minute wait.

A mound of hot, hand-cut fries accompanied each burger. The fries were thick and crisp with patches of the potato skin still showing.

The top of my toasted hamburger bun was covered in a smear of guacamole that I tried on one of my fries. The guacamole was better than some comparable dips I’ve had at Mexican restaurants.

I needed two hands to eat the Taco burger, which was fully dressed with lettuce, tomato and onion. Juice from the medium-well patty dripped down my hand as I squeezed the sandwich down to fit in my mouth. It wasn’t ladylike, but it was the only way I was going to get through this burger.

The melted cheese fused the jalapeno slices onto the hamburger patty, so the pepper’s flavor sealed in tight. The coolness of the smooth guacamole helped temper the jalapenos’ heat. The burger itself was thick and juicy. Thank goodness the bun was toasted, or else the bread would have gone soggy with everything the Taco Burger loaded on.

Next time, I’ll order a side of salsa to really add more Mexican flavor to this dish.

My husband was equally pleased with his burger, which was covered in barbecue sauce and impaled by a knife just to hold all the toppings in place. The onion rings on top of the bun were an added bonus to his meal.

I knew that waddling down the steps to listen to the band would be hard after that meal. But there was a spring in my step when I looked at the check — two burgers and fries and a couple of beers for less than $20.

A cheap meal, a cold drink and live music? That’s exactly what I needed from The Monkey Wrench.

The Bottom Line: Taco Burger (comes with fries): $6 BBQ Bacon Cheddar Burger (comes with fries): $6 One can of Abita Purple Haze beer: $4 One can Miller High Life: $2 Total (before tax and tip): $18 Total (with tax): $18.72 Mission (two meals under $10 each): Accomplished

THE MONKEY WRENCH | 1025 Baxter Ave. | (502) 582-2433 www.facebook.com/foodanddine Fall 2012 17

Big Night in the Big Apple at theBeard House

BY STEVE COOMES | PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAN DRY

Chef John Varanese cooks at America’s culinary mecca, the James Beard House in New York City.

I

Is it true that any chef worth his (or her) sea salt should aspire to cook at the James Beard House in Manhattan?

Ask any of the 14 Louisville chefs who’ve made the painful and pricey pilgrimage to what most of them call America’s culinary mecca, and they’ll say, in essence, “Damn right you should!”

That insistence becomes ironic when you arrive at Beard’s former residence and observe that said mecca is not just modest, but pretty darn homely.

Located on a humble Greenwich Village side street, it’s easy to walk right past the house’s rather bland red brick frontage. So highly praised in print and video as the place where some of the world’s greatest chefs have plied their trade, one anticipates more grandeur than afforded by the weathered plaque signifying this is the one, though every other one around it looks mostly the same.

Decoratively speaking, it’s largely downhill from there — or downstairs, to be more precise.You enter at sidewalk level and descend into an ordinary and dated red and brown reception area leading to the kitchen; it’s a surprisingly dreary and low-tech space bordering on droll given the meals created there. At about 600 square feet, it’s tighter than a subway train at rush hour and twice as hot, especially when crammed with a cadre of cooks recruited to help the chosen chef produce the “meal of a lifetime.”

And it’s through this steamy channel which guests navigate — sometimes squeezing past cooks clutching sharp knives and hot pans — to the backyard garden for cocktails al fresco or up the 18 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

stairs to dimly lit dining (above, from left) The crew — Erik Abraham, Rory McCollister (head room?” asked Chris Trodglen, rooms on two of the house’s bartender), Chris Trodglen, John Varanese (chef/owner) and Hollis a cook on the crew. Trodglen, Barnett. (left) The evening’s fourth course — a trio of small bites (from chefs Hollis Barnett and Erik four creaky, worn floors. top): Woodland Farm crispy pork belly over tasso grits and corn Abraham, and bartender Impressed?

You should be, because butter sauce, Marcho Farms espresso lollipop lamb chop with lamb- Rory McCollister took a bite every chef who cooks here is sweet potato hash and caramel reduction, grilled Kentucky Bison out of the Big Apple and impressed. And at the Beard Company ribeye with marrow pudding and herb compound butter. didn’t stop chewing until the House, their opinion matters wee hours of that morning. most. As the Beard House’s Beard House veterans warn raisons d’être, they’re treated not to party too late the like the very generous stars night before the dinner, but they are: men, women and many admit it’s a rite of staffers who volunteer their passage and succumb to the time and spend wads of cash sensations of the City that for the privilege of donating Never Sleeps. “We wanted food, travel costs and skills in to see Times Square. We order to raise money for the wanted to eat street food.

James Beard Foundation.

We wanted to see what John Varanese, chefeveryone talks about when owner of his eponymous they talk about this city. I’m Louisville restaurant, signed tired, but it was worth it.” up for that duty March 13, As they prepared the when he and four staffers, countless ingredients des three food distributor reps tined for a menu including and two volunteer culinary students combined to prepare a five passed hors d’oeuvres and five hefty courses, they saw nothing memorable meal for 65 people including friends, relatives and a other than the Beard House kitchen. Despite Varanese’s detailed few dozen New Yorkers. Three months’ planning went into the planning, his own copy of the menu, hanging on the kitchen wall, dinner, capped off by three days of grocery shopping, list checking bears multiple scribbled adjustments. “No matter where you do a and van packing, plus a non-stop 13-hour drive to New York. meal, you always have to adapt,” he said. “Plan all you like, but On March 13, the cooking started — way too early for some things will change.” of Varanese’s crew members who howled late the night before.

And be forgotten, such as a caramel demi-glace “that I know “Are you going to come to New York and stay in your hotel I packed. I can’t tell you how many times I checked that list,” www.facebook.com/foodanddine Fall 2012 19

Varanese said, recalling the loss. Yet the missing lamb chop sauce is rescued with a visit to nearby Chelsea Market, where the Beard House staff located demi-glace for sale. “Sometimes the most fun part is solving problems. We’re cooks, and we’re determined to get the job done anyway, anywhere and anyhow.”

As guests are seated, mustering determination isn’t the trial on this unusually balmy March evening. The main challenge is timing, specifically producing a lot of food in a cramped, though reliably equipped space, while synchronizing the efforts of more than 20 people assembled to produce and serve the meal. Varanese called it “being the conductor, not the cook for once,” and tonight the conductor will use his scratchy baritone to direct, not a baton. When Varanese orders, “I need quail legs fired, crab going out and grape leaves going out,” Trodglen and Barnett exchange puzzled looks.

“Did he say quail legs or quail eggs?” Trodglen asked his sidekick, referring to quail eggs destined for a later course. “Am I the only one confused?”

“Quail LEGS! We’re still on appetizers,” Varanese replied above the noise. “In 10 minutes I want all this cleaned up so we can start on goat cheese.”

Two cooks pull plates from every nook and cranny in the diminutive kitchen and line them along the short, narrow counter, while others follow with goat cheese cakes and others still with garnishes. The assembly process is quick and smooth, and servers ferry plates up the house’s narrow and dark staircases.

The butternut squash bisque plate-up flows equally well until Varanese tries adding a beet gastrique garnish; the ruby red liquid sinks to the bottom of the bowl instead of lying atop the bright yellow soup. Frustrated, the crew thickens it as empty first course plates return to the kitchen. Blunting his own stress with an improvised tune, Varanese sings, “This is getting really painful now. … To be in my own kitchen now … .”

The plate-and-food-and repeat-cycle continues … a game bird sausage on a blueberry waffle … and again … a trio of seared pork belly, lamb lollipop and bison ribeye … and yet again … fire-toasted marshmallow on toffee bread pudding … servers bearing dirty dishes down the stairs as their peers trundle the opposite way with freshly plated food. The lone dishwasher labors to keep pace, sorting plates from glassware and silverware, and the cracked tile floor below him has become dangerously slick.

Yet the whole machine is humming, a synchrony of two staffs that have never worked together and confer very little as the intricate process proceeds ceaselessly for two hours. Like 20 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

(clockwise from above) Five passed hors d’oeuvres: Dungeness crab stuffed avocado, beef stuffed grape leaves, fried quail with toasted mustard seed emulsion, cured ham with sweet potato biscuits, zesty fried Brussels sprouts; (third course) game bird sausage over dried blueberry waffle and topped with fried quail egg; (second course) sea scallops in a butternut squash bisque, finished with paddlefish caviar and plantain chip; (fifth course) toasted marshmallow and toffee bread pudding with Bourbon sauce served with caramel-sea salt ice cream; (first course) savory brioche crostini of a pecan-crusted goat cheese cake with a red apple vinaigrette.

any chef, Varanese can get edgy and irritable, barking at cooks that fall short of high standards or servers who fail to retrieve food promptly.

But not tonight. On this eve, he’s smiling, arms crossed and taking in the scene — even sipping occasionally from a glass of wine. As peels of laughter from well-lubricated guests trickle down to the kitchen from the dining room above, Varanese cocks his head toward the cacophony and smiles, affirming all is well.

Asked several weeks later if he’d have changed a thing about the evening, Varanese doesn’t tarry in recalling one mistimed moment: “All of a sudden the whole thing stalled because we’re waiting for the buffalo ribeyes to finish. That irritated me, but it happens,” he said. “But like I said, we solve problems, and that was a minor one. Overall it went great.”

So does he now count himself among the ranks of chefs who insist cooking at the Beard House is worth it … the cost, the time, the stress, the hours?

“It’s a necessary notch in your belt for sure,” he said. “But the journey is the most fun: the planning, the packing and traveling with your crew, having a good time. It’s cool to get to say you did it together.” F&D www.facebook.com/foodanddine Fall 2012 21

Historic

Highlands Once a neglected section at the city’s center, Louisville’s historic Highlands neighborhood is now the town’s liveliest corridor. Its central artery — a linkage of Baxter Avenue and Bardstown Road — features an array of locally-owned amusements such as live music, nationally renowned restaurants, family-friendly movie theaters, taverns, microbreweries, coffee shops and grocers.

Like shopping?

You can expect sophisticated and hip clothing and jewelry boutiques, as well as antique and art galleries. No visit to Louisville is complete without a Highlands stroll.

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people and places profiles

sway

BY KATY YOCOM | PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAN DRY

Regionally sourced cuisine with a relaxed vibe

I

If you walk up Fourth Street, just north of Fourth Street Live!, you’ll notice a brand-new glass wall at the Hyatt, looking out onto a newly laid semicircular drive. On a pretty day, that glass wall folds up on itself, transforming an indoor bar into an plein-air patio of sorts, giving diners in window seats a view of the promenade along Fourth Street.

Within eyeshot of those well-placed seats is a brand-new restaurant enclave. Cattycorner across Liberty, there’s Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant. A trio of fast-casual lunch spots line up on the other side of Fourth Street. But without doubt, the patrons occupying those window seats are already sitting in the most interesting dining venue on the block. Make that one of the most interesting in all of downtown Louisville. It’s called Sway, a play on the idea of a “Southern way,” and when it opened on April 19, it brought its own take on southern dining to a city becoming ever more fascinated with that concept.

24 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

(right) Southern fried chicken in natural pork demi, with creamy mashed potatoes and slow-cooked greens.

Sway 320 W. Jefferson St. (Hyatt Regency) 502.587.3434

Southern, with a Twist

The Chef

In creating Sway during a six-month, $5.8 million hotel renovation — with northward of $1.5 million of that amount dedicated to the restaurant and bar — Hyatt transformed a cool, somewhat cavernous location into a warm, human-scaled space. Enter from Fourth Street, and you need never know you’ve stepped into a hotel. Enter from the hotel lobby, and the restaurant’s facade draws your gaze down from that soaring atrium. A beautiful stacked-wood wall flanks the restaurant entrance on one side; on the other, a homey-feeling “front porch” was built of wood reclaimed from the demolition of a 120-year-old bridge.

A glance at the retro-designed, single-sheet menu reveals what Sway is all about — an updated take on southern food in all its deep-fried glory, with a concern for sourcing and a more-thanpassing nod to diners seeking healthier choices. In the “Southern Starts” section, you’ll find deviled eggs with Mariah Smoke House bacon ($7) — “A must!” the menu trumpets. Under “Mains,” though, things take a healthier turn with an item called “Sustainable Salmon,” with organic spinach, grilled polenta cake, chanterelle and morel broth ($23). And in the section labeled “Sway Favorites — Classic Southern Food with Flair,” you’ll find this entry: Southern Fried Chicken $20 Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Natural Pork Demi Good Food Takes Time That last line is both a reference to the fact that the chicken, once it is ordered, takes 16 minutes for the kitchen to prepare, and an invitation to diners to relax and maybe nibble a starter while they’re waiting.

Hyatt pioneered Sway in Atlanta, rolling out its concept of a local, southern, farm-to-fork approach to dining. But the concept fits so harmoniously with the Louisville dining scene that diners with their eyes attuned to the names of local producers — Marksbury Farms, Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese — will feel right at home. What might surprise local diners is that the menu came together under a chef from Chicago.

Executive chef David Barrett has been with Hyatt more than 25 years, most of them in the Windy City. A Chicago chef might seem like an unlikely choice to head up a restaurant focused on all things southern, but Barrett, a blue-eyed, sandy haired man in his forties, has the pedigree. “My mother was born and raised in Kentucky,” he says. “I was a Chicago city boy raised on salt-cured ham and biscuits and gravy.”

In his own kitchen, southern food is done a little differently.

“My own take on it is healthier than my mother made. There’s not that coffee can of leftover grease, oh God!” He covers his face in mock horror, laughing at the thought. “We have better ingredients available to us than our parents had. Better than I grew up with, six kids in the house, on a budget.”

A new transplant to Louisville, Barrett was surprised by what he found here. “I didn’t realize when I was coming here, how many restaurants. Wow.” Coming from Chicago, he also appreciates Louisville’s convenience. He’s amused when people pity him his commute to downtown from his home near the Summit. “It’s fifteen minutes,” he says. “Everything here is fifteen minutes.”

26 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

Thoughtfully Sourced, Carefully Served Barrett is sitting at a table at Sway as he says this. Seated to his right is Donna Marquez, general manager of the hotel and, one gets the sense, Barrett’s partner in crime in bringing this restaurant to life. There’s a bit of an old-married-couple feel to the duo. They’ve worked together here for only eighteen months or so, though Marquez adds that they both worked for Hyatt in Atlanta during the 1996 Olympics. (“David refuses to remember that,” Marquez teases.)

On the subject of Sway — its philoOf the $5 million sophy and execution — they’re clearly on spent on the hotel the same page. Explaining Hyatt’s approach lobby’s renovation, toward its food and beverage program, $1.5 million went to Marquez says, “As a company, we’re heading Sway’s rustic wood toward food that is thoughtfully sourced and floors, darkly toned carefully served. That’s our philosophy.” tables and chairs, and Barrett picks up the thread. “We’ve a variety of dramatic made it front and center,” he says. “Things light fixtures in both that are good for our people, our planet, and the spacious main our community. People are becoming more dining room and educated on fresh, organic, local ingredients. curtained semi-private We’re giving our guests options. There are dining spaces. Long, lots of things [on the menu] that are very uninterrupted sight southern, and a lot of things that are very lines offer views into healthy, and you can tell by looking.” other corners As for taking care of the planet, Barrett of the beautifully ticks off details: The restaurant’s cooking oil modern bar area. is recycled into biofuel; food scraps are composted; and non-food items such as paper go

into single-stream recycling bins.

Hyatt spent nearly a quarter-ofa-million dollars outfitting Sway’s kitchen with quick-recover y cooking equipment, meaning burners, ovens and other items can be turned off when not in use , and then reheat quickly once restar ted.

As far as community goes, there’s the emphasis on Kentucky Proud and other regional vendors — in addition to Marksbury and Kenny’s products, the menu includes grits from Weisenberger Mill in Midway; ice cream from Chaney’s Dairy Barn in Bowling Green; and cage-free eggs from Rose Acre Farm in Brownstown, Ind. Barrett is hoping to use Kentucky shrimp as soon as farmers can produce a regular supply. There’s even a Tagalong Ice Cream Sundae, featuring Louisville-baked Girl Scout Cookies. “We’re local all the way down to our hot sauce,” Barrett says. (It’s from Fire on the Ridge Farm, located in Bracken County.)

Community also means giving Sway’s staff reasons to feel invested in the restaurant. Sway employees had a hand in decorating the dining room and bar — they blew the votive candle holders at Glassworks. The staff took field trips to Marksbury Farm Sway’s menu boasts in Lancaster, Ky., and to the recognizable southern Woodford Reserve distillery favorites like deviled in Versailles. Marquez boasts eggs, fried green that the staff is proud of the tomatoes, Benedictine restaurant, adding that the spread and mac and hotel ranks in the top five cheese, modernized among 140 Hyatts nation by Chef David Barrett wide in terms of customer with vivid seasonings satisfaction for food and and elegant beverage quality and service. presentations.

Sever al of the staff have

28 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

been with Hyatt more than 30 years.

What makes them special? “They’re just genuine,” Barrett says. “I wish I could bottle it,” Marquez adds.

The Clientele

Donna Marquez, Hyatt Regency’s General Manager

Located in the heart of the downtown business district, perhaps it’s not surprising that Sway does a booming lunch business. What might be more surprising is that diners don’t seem to be in a hurr y. A favorite item is the fried chicken, as well as the fried chicken sandwich with Mariah Smoke House bacon ($12), despite the fact that “Good Food Takes Time.” Among appe tizers, the fried green tomatoes with remoulade ($7) is the undisputed champion. And they are delectable

— hot, sweet-tart green tomatoes nestle inside admirably crunchy breading without a hint of oil. “At lunch,” Barrett says, “someone in the kitchen breads and fries tomatoes full time as the orders come in.” The tomatoes make an appearance as well in the fried green tomato BLT ($10).

For local diners, the appeal of Sway presumably lies in the comforting familiarity of the menu items; for hotel guests, it’s a chance to experience a taste of the Louisville dining scene without venturing far afield. www.facebook.com/foodanddine Fall 2012 29

Sway’s Place in the Scene

MY STORY, MY DESIGN

Before the renovation, the Hyatt had been without a destination restaurant for some time. For hotel guests, eating at Sway becomes a chance to experience a taste of Louisville’s increasingly wellregarded dining scene without leaving the hotel. Marquez looks to the booming lunch and breakfast business to spread the word, and lure the locals back for dinner. Marketing plans will emphasize the concept of “Sway Restaurant and Bar,” not “Sway at the Hyatt,” giving it, she hopes, a destination dining cachet.

With its menu focused on locally-sourced items with a southern flavor, Sway seems to fit right into the dining zeitgeist. With its crisp new look and bar that opens itself out to the passing parade, Sway announces that it is ready to be a player in the local restaurant scene.

Marquez tried to fit Sway into the restaurant world puzzle. “We purposely are priced under some [other restaurants] that we’d say are similar,” she said, mentioning Harvest. Then she added, “We’re not fine dining. It’s comfortable. Approachable.” Searching for the words to capture the atmosphere, she says, “It’s not white tablecloth, but it’s not a sports bar. It’s just good food. There’s no pretense.” F&D

Barrett’s tasty homage to Louisville’s Girl Scout Cookie factory can be found in the Tagalong sundae (below), while the spring vegetable pot pie bears unique twists of black-eyed peas and asparagus.

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30 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

www.facebook.com/foodanddine Fall 2012 31

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people and places profiles

CHEF JOE FRASE Age: 43 Current Restaurant: The Blind Pig Previous Restaurants: El Mundo (13 years), Bern’s Steak House (Florida) Neighborhood (current): Smoketown Hometown: Smithville, OH Significant Other: Michael Grider Kids: (cats) Bud, Pinky, Opie, Atticus, Butters Favorite Hobbies: Boating, camping, hiking, fishing Favorite Kitchen Gadget: Vita-Mix blender

QA &

With a kitchen career stretching back to when he was just 15-years old, and his longtime partner urging him all the way, Chef Joe Frase made a splash a couple of years ago with what some called Louisville’s first true gastropub. It was the only restaurant of its kind — or any kind — on East Washington Street, a split residential-industrial block in Butchertown. With a fresh renovation that built off the neighborhood’s charming architectural style and a menu that featured hearty, European fare like shepherd’s pie, cassoulet and plenty of house-cured meats, The Blind Pig continues to attract strong reviews and enthusiastic crowds.

BY J. CHRISTIAN WALSH | PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAN DRY

What is your first food memory?

My grandmother cooking breakfast. There was that can of bacon fat sitting on the stove, an old coffee can, and she’d do the eggs with bacon fat and a little bit of water, so they were almost poached in a way, but fried. I never quite understood how she did it.

Who influenced you to become a chef?

“The restaurants and the chefs I’ve worked for. And myself — a lot of self-discovery and exploration.”

Why did you become a chef?

My mom and my grandmom. And I had several Amish aunts who would show me stuff, because I would always ask.They were amazing cooks.

What about professionals?

Michael Ruhlman.

Who are your favorite chefs?

I enjoy watching Gordon Ramsey. It’s just fun. Julia Child. When I was a kid, I used to

watch her show obsessively. In the late 90s there was this show called “Two Fat Ladies.”

Talk about comfort food! They were it!

Why did you choose to do a gastropub?

It’s down home. It’s country. It’s more of a comfort food. That’s what I think of it as: European comfort food.

What is your favorite restaurant in Louisville?

Wiltshire on Market. I know Susan (Hershberg), and I love what she does.

Which seasonings don’t you respect?

Let’s see. Alum. It makes things really tart, sour. I don’t even know if they make it anymore to be honest.

Which are underrated?

Mace. People usually just go with nutmeg, but mace is a little more fruity. It comes from the nutmeg, it’s that outer netting.

They dry that, crush it up and that’s mace.

It’s sweeter (than nutmeg).

(pictured below, from left) Sage and brown sugar braised pork belly with roasted fennel, red cabbage and cherry tomato confit; white wine sautéed mussels with garlic, onions, house-made basil pesto and cream; housemade Italian sausage with basil pesto, onion, Provolone cheese and grilled peppers.

What’s the next big trend?

I think a lot more places will start making things in-house. That’s what I like to do. If I was any good at baking bread, I’d be making my own bread. But I suck at it, so I don’t.

Any you consider overrated?

Foams. I think foams are ridiculous. It looks like someone spit on your plate. It doesn’t seem to matter how you use it, it just doesn’t look good. Not to insult those who use it.

What is your biggest strength in the kitchen?

I temp meat really well. Just by feel, like a gambler. You just kind of know.

What’s your go-to ingredient?

Pork! (Laughs.) It’s versatile. You can do anything with it: you can cure it … I don’t know if you could do it raw like carpaccio.

I think people may still be a little weird about raw pork.

(See FRASE, page 36)

QA FRASE

(continued from page 35)

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Guilty pleasure ingredient?

I don’t use them here, but Miracle Whip, Spam, Velveeta sometimes. I really do like that stuff. Kind of embarrassed to admit it.

What’s your favorite quick meal?

Ramen noodles. I add sesame oil, a little soy sauce and then sriracha.

Best cooking tip for a novice?

Always wear a shirt when you’re cooking bacon.

What was the last book you read?

“Party of One: The Loners’ Manifesto” (by Anneli Rufus).

Last food “wow moment”?

Lingua (tongue) tacos at the Santa Fe Grill.

So good.

CRAFTED SINCE 1976 10601 FISCHER PARK DRIVE | 502.657.5700 9010 TAYLORSVILLE ROAD | 502.301.7700

What would you be doing today if you weren’t a chef?

Um. Hmmm. I don’t know. Following Phish (the band) around.

What about your most memorable meal: the one that will flash before your eyes before you die?

There was a place up in Covington. It’s not there anymore, but it was called Chalk. I remember the appetizer. It was calamari, but it was the fattest squid I think I’ve ever seen. They were as thick as your finger. It was impressive.

Which world figure, living or dead, would you like to cook for?

I can think of two: Bill Clinton and William S. Burroughs.

That would be an interesting table.

Yeah, you’d have to throw someone else in there too, like Whoopi Goldberg!

Is there a food you just can’t touch?

It’s really hard for me to find something that I don’t like. It’s been a while since I’ve been like ‘oh, I can’t eat that!’ So, no, I can’t think of anything.

Is there a chef you’d like to work for?

Hmmm. Probably Anthony Lamas (Seviche).

I appreciate what he does. He knows what he’s doing. Yeah, it’d probably be Anthony.

Iron Chef Louisville: who would you NOT want to battle?

Everyone! I’m just not a competitive person.

I’d have to say the two most obvious are Edward Lee and Anthony Lamas.

36 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

A

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Give us one reason Louisville should be a culinary destination?

Diverse food. I mean, there’s so many. If you like Mexican, you have like 12 different choices and they’re each different, all the way from Seviche to El Nopal or Sante Fe Grill, which is one of our favorite places because it’s so authentic.

Where would you bring an out of town guest?

Wiltshire and Jack Fry’s. They’re pretty consistent. I’ve never been disappointed.

Is there room for more restaurants in Louisville or have we reached the saturation point?

I think so, the way it’s going. Sure. I mean, when one opens, another one is closing, which is sad. And it is saturated, but there is so much choice. You can come to Louisville and it doesn’t matter what your tastes are: you’d be able to find a place.

Restaurant critics: like them, loathe them or don’t care?

I’m pretty indifferent. I don’t like that everybody knows who they are, because, you can say you don’t treat them any different, but they do get treated differently. I think food critics should be anonymous.

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Is culinary school worth the expense or should one just go apprentice in a good kitchen?

I don’t have anything against people going to school. I think that’s great. But, there are just some things that can’t be taught. This is just something I always wanted to do. I would prefer being an apprentice, because this is easier to learn by doing than reading about it. But, I have nothing against people going to school.

How truly local can a restaurant be in 2012?

You’d have to limit your menu if you want to be truly local. It could be done. That’s what they do at Harvest, right? Their menu changes every two weeks. It’s definitely possible, but you have to be really flexible.

After an 80-hour work week do you want a back rub, someone to make you laugh or just to be left alone?

A mixture of the last two. (Laughs.)

Make you laugh then leave you alone?

Yeah. (Laughs.) F&D www.facebook.com/foodanddine Fall 2012 37

about food from the earth

from the

EARTH

I

BY GREG GAPSIS | PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAN DRY

Bourbon Barrel Foods Upstart blazes a new trail, smoking with Kentucky traditions

In a delicious irony, a descendant of the man who helped bring down bootlegger mobster Al Capone is making history in Louisville with a line of specialty foods and condiments steeped in the tradition of Kentucky Bourbon distillers.

Matt Jaime is the creator of Bourbon Barrel Foods (1201 Story Ave., 502-333-6103), a young company making its mark producing gourmet food products, including America’s only microbrewed soy sauce.

“I am the only soy sauce micro-brewer in the United States,” Jaime said.

“And probably the only blonde one in the whole world.”

His great-great uncle, Alexander Jaime, got Elliot Ness his special commission and, with the support of a secret group of Chicago civic leaders, helped developed the evidence which led to Capone’s downfall.

Matt Jaime’s entrenchment with all things that are Kentucky started with his family’s move to Louisville when he was 8-years old. But his deep affiliation with the Bluegrass State didn’t really gel until he was away in college on an athletic scholarship.

“I really felt pride when I was introduced before our soccer games as being from Kentucky,” Jaime said. “It helped me realize how long I had been enamored with this region.”

Jaime was a talented athlete, but also loved food and worked in food-related jobs throughout undergraduate school. He met his wife in Louisville, when both worked at Captain’s Quarters, while she was going through medical school. When the couple, then married, went to the University of Florida for seven years while she completed a residency and fellowship in high risk obstetrics, Matt started on a graduate degree in exercise physiology, and worked in restaurant kitchens, rising to chef de cuisine and taking classes at the Culinary Institute of America in California. Then he came to a fork in the road and an epiphany.

“One day it hit me there was a difference between one’s hobby and one’s passion,” Jaime continued. “While I liked going out for a 150-mile bike ride, it was food that really fired my imagination.”

38 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

Jaime said his idea for crafting micro-brewed soy sauce, which “began on the back of a paper napkin while sharing beer and oysters with a friend,” met its biggest challenge in convincing his wife the idea could be a success when the couple returned to Louisville in 2005.

“Micro-brewed soy sauce simply just hadn’t been done,” Jaime said. “But Kentucky had such a rich heritage with fermenting and distilling Bourbon and shared with Japan features like limestone-fed springs and similar climate patterns,” Jaime said.

He started with home batches. Anxiety levels stayed high because it takes six months to brew a batch — which consists of cooked soybeans, roasted and millground wheat, salt and spring water, all inoculated with aspergillus oryzae yeast.

When his first batch seemed ready to test, he realized he didn’t know how to separate the sauce from the mash. “I heard one small producer used a woven grass basket,” Jaime said. “So I pushed a chinoise sieve down into the fermenting brew and the dark liquid came out of the mash. ‘Yes I can,’ I thought. ‘This can be done.’ ” In his process, Jaime went with the best ingredients: nongenetically modified soybeans already produced in Kentucky and exported to Japan.

“I like that I can shake the hand of the farmer Bernard Peterson in Loretto, who has a real pride in his crop,” Jaime said. “And I felt like I had met my wife’s family’s skepticism when my father-in-law saw my picture on the cover of Soybean Sentinel.”

Bourbon Barrel Foods’ goal was a premium soy sauce, which takes 12 to 18 months to brew. To generate cash flow and establish market presence, Jaime began a line of Bourbon-barrel smoked condiments — sea salt, Malabar pepper, Hungarian paprika, and a proprietary barrel-aged Worcestershire sauce.

“We produced the first Bourbon-smoked anything,” Jaime said. “I’ve approached each product for a reason. Either I was passionate about it or no one was doing it and it needed to be

done.” One thing he saw that needed to be done was Bourbon barrel-aged sorghum.

“We’re making the old new again. Sorghum was the sweetener of the South until the 1940s and ’50s. It was common at breakfast

with biscuits and butter,” Jaime said. “We re-invented it as a gourmet side to use as an ice cream topping or a side with cheeses.

I think it has a lot of potential in other products too.” Some big name food retailers agree. Both Dean & DeLuca and WilliamsSonoma now carry Bourbon Barrel Food products.

While Kikkoman is brewing 200,000 gallons a day in huge tanks on an industrial scale , akin to Budweiser, Bourbon Barrel Foods motto remains “Slow, Small, Simple.”

“We want to become a lifestyle brand that connects with this region. Louis ville is the gateway to Bourbon country, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, and has all these fantastic restaurants. I see us developing as the Napa Valley of the Bluegrass.”

Bourbon Barrel Foods is meeting with ready acceptance by chefs as it develops the niche of Kentucky-sourced, Bourbon flavor-enhanced products. In addition to its smoked condiments, soy sauce, Worces ter shire and sorghum, it has a line of Bourbon-smoked vanilla, Demerara sugar, Mint Julep blend, and a pro prietar y Kentuckyaki Sauce, which chef Sean Brock (of McCrady’s and Husk in Charleston, SC.) in a recent Vogue profile said ‘tasted good on anything.’

Jaime recently has also entered into a cross-branding agree ment with BrownF o r m a n a n d Wo o d f o r d Reserve to roll out three new spice blends and smoked sugars along with a special bitters recipe and a salad dressing. The future looks bright.

“There’s a unique flavor profile and experience here,” Jaime continued. “We’re an interesting place . There’s Bourbon, baseball bats, fried chicken, the Kentucky Derby.

Someday I hope people will also say ‘That’s where that awe some soy sauce comes Bourbon Barrel Foods owner Matt Jaime from.’ ” F&D www.facebook.com/foodanddine Fall 2012 39

THE

KENTUCKY

Bourbon

Trail & beyond

BY CARLA CARLTON | PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAN DRY

O

On a warm weekend in late spring, with redbuds providing Technicolor pops of purple against the tender green of new leaves, three Frenchmen arrived at Barton 1792 Distillery in Bardstown.

The surgeons from Paris, who were visiting Louisville for a medical conference, had ventured out into the Kentucky countryside to tour some bourbon distilleries.

They took photos and listened attentively as Don, the tour guide, explained the distilling process. They clanged up two flights of metal stairs to get a better look at the massive five-story still, and they inhaled the heady aroma of evaporated whiskey known as “the angel’s share” in historic Warehouse H. Back in the Visitors Center, they sampled Very Old Barton and 1792 Ridgemont Reserve and bought a bottle of the latter, which they said compared favorably to Armagnac, a brandy that, like bourbon, is aged in oak barrels.

Then they packed up to head to their next stop: “Woodford Reserve — in Ver-SIGH.” Their grasp of Kentucky dialect may have been shaky, but what their visit said about America’s only native spirit needed no translation. When surgeons from France are navigating Kentucky back roads to discover where and how that spirit is made, it’s pretty clear that bourbon is king again.

The route to Maker’s Mark in tiny Loretto, Ky., is a circuitous one, but you’ll know you’re almost there when you spy the “See Rock City” barn: It’s about 500 yards from the distillery entrance.

A distillery hand tends the cypress fermenting tubs at Woodford Reserve in Versailles, Ky. The mash bubbles as the yeast converts sugar into alcohol.

Making a Splash Fueled by the rise in premium brands, the resurgence of classic cocktails such as the Manhattan and the Old-Fashioned and the popularity of television shows like “Mad Men” and “Boardwalk Empire,” interest in bourbon has never been greater.

After a low point in the 1970s and ’80s, when gin and rum were more popular, “bourbon is cool again,” says Eric Gregory, president of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA). Young adults are making it their drink of choice. Celebrity chefs are cooking with it and bartenders are building cocktails around it.

Whiskey, including bourbon, is the largest export category of all U.S. spirits, accounting for 70 percent of the $1.1 billion in spirits the United States expor ts annually, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

And record numbers of people are visiting Kentucky, which produces 95 percent of the world’s supply of bourbon, to see how it’s made.

Last year, the six distilleries on the KDA’s official Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour — Jim Beam, Heaven Hill, Maker’s Mark, Four Roses, Wild Turkey and Woodford Reserve — reported more than 450,000 visits, Gregory said, a new record. The KDA’s passport program, which sends a free T-shirt to anyone who visits all six

distilleries, also set a record, with 11,757 people submitting completed passports.Visitors came from all 50 states and 16 countries.

Bolstered by the demand for bourbon and bourbon-related experiences, Kentucky distilleries are expanding production and promotions. Before Sazerac purchased what is now Barton 1792 in 2009, tours were offered by appointment only, and there was no place for tastings. The new Visitors Center, with regular hours, tastings and a fully stocked gift shop, opened in May 2011 in a building that once housed the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History, now located in downtown Bardstown. An historic photo of the Getz Museum’s grand opening hangs on the wall opposite the 1792 tasting bar; the smiling men in their white shirts and short ties look quite like Mad Men. The KDA’s member distilleries, meanwhile, invested more than $175 million in capital improvements just in the last year, Gregory said.

Most notably, Wild Turkey, which dates to the mid-1800s, doubled its annual production capacity when it built an entirely new distillery late last year on its Lawrenceburg proper ty overlooking the Kentucky River. In late March, Wild Turkey broke ground on a new packaging facility that will allow it to distill, bottle and age its products all on site. Next fall, Four Roses Distillery, also www.facebook.com/foodanddine Fall 2012 43

in Lawrenceburg, will move its visitors center and gift shop into a larger space to accommodate an increase in tourists.

In mid-May, Maker’s Mark opened three new tasting rooms with a total capacity of 105 people in a functioning Marjorie Samuels warehouse on the distillery proper ty in collected fine pewter, and Loretto, Ky. Tour guides can now spend more the “maker’s mark” time on the tasting portion of the tour placed on the pieces by experience, which had become somewhat master craftsmen rushed with only one tasting area in the gift inspired the name and shop. packaging of the bourbon And in October, Jim Beam will open a created by her husband, multimillion-dollar, state-of-the-ar t visitors Bill Samuels Sr. Today, experience at its distillery in Clermont, Ky., that attention to detail that more accurately reflects its status as the can be found throughout top-selling bourbon in the world. the picturesque distillery To better manage all this activity, the KDA grounds, from the bottlehired its first full-time director for the shaped cutouts on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour earlier this year. shutters to the Samuels Adam Johnson, former executive director of family “mark” etched on the Danville/Boyle County Convention and the glass of the two Visitors Bureau, focuses solely on promoting copper stills. bourbon tourism.

“Bourbon is not just a drink anymore,” Gregory said. “It’s a culture and a lifestyle that’s uniquely Kentucky.”

Tapping into Tradition In 1964, Congress declared bourbon “a distinctive product of the United States” and set into law the requirements that must be met in order for a product to be called bourbon: • It must be made of a grain mixture that is at least 51 percent corn. (Most distillers use between 70 to 80 percent and add two other grains, malted barley and rye or wheat.)

• It must be aged in new, charred white oak barrels.

• It must enter the barrel at no more than 125 proof (62.5 percent alcohol by volume) and be bottled at no less than 80 proof.

• No coloring or flavoring may be added.

• It must be aged for a minimum of two years to be called “straight bourbon.” (Most bourbon produced today is aged for at least four years.)

The law does not specify that bourbon be made only in Kentucky. But Kentucky’s climate and topography are perfectly suited for producing the spirit.

The limestone karst under so much of the state filters impurities from its waters.

Hot summers and cold winters force bourbon that is aging in warehouses to expand and contract into the walls of those charred oak barrels, where it picks up flavor and its beautiful amber color.

Distilling has been a part of Kentucky’s history from the very beginning, when the first settlers brought their whiskey-making traditions from the Northeast. Their colorless corn whiskey evolved into a more complex spirit as they began shipping it to points south, like New Orleans, and discovered their customers preferred the brown liquor that arrived months later.

To tour Kentucky’s distilleries is to tap directly into that tradition. They are situated in some of the state’s prettiest countryside, marked by rolling hills, verdant horse farms and hundred-year-old stone fences. Many of the buildings on the properties have been used for generations of bourbonmaking. Maker’s Mark and Woodford Reserve are National Historic Landmarks, for instance.

You don’t just stumble across Maker’s Mark; you have to want to get there. Located in tiny Loretto, it’s about 19 miles outside Bardstown, but it takes more than 30 minutes to negotiate the winding two-lane roads that lead there, marked with the occasional reassuring directional sign. That didn’t stop more than 100,000 people from making the trip last year, and the distillery expects to welcome close to 125,000 this year, said Rob Samuels, eighth-generation distiller and chief operating officer of Maker’s Mark.

With its distinctive red-wax-dipped bottles, Maker’s Mark is perhaps the most iconic bourbon brand in the industry. You will see the distillery’s signature symbol from the first glance at the warehouses, black buildings with bottle-shaped cutouts on the red shutters, to the bottling line, where women hand dip every neck to get those tendrils of wax just right.

You can make your own mark by dipping a bottle to take home at the new dipping station, which moved from the gift shop to the three new tasting rooms that opened in May. In classroom-style rooms with glass walls to showcase 1,000 barrels of aging bourbon in a working warehouse, visitors are educated on what’s involved in being a member of Maker’s Mark official tasting panel, which determines when each batch is ready.

46 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

“We bottle to taste,” Samuels said. So the tour is “a pretty compelling experience.”

A distillery tour engages all the senses, from the moment you catch your first whiff of sour mash — like wonderful sourdough bread — to that long-anticipated sip of the finished product at the end. And while some of the processes have been automated through the years, bourbon-making is still reassuringly dependent on actual people. Bourbon isn’t ready until the master distiller tastes it and says it is.

People have “a longing for authentic experiences,” said the KDA’s Gregory. You can’t get much more authentic The oldest and smallest than dipping your finger into the bubbling distillery in Kentucky, contents of a 16,000-gallon fermenting tub.

Woodford Reserve is also Visitors can do just that at Woodford the only one in the United Reserve, a distillery as pastoral as the horse States to triple-distill its farms that surround it in its namesake bourbon in copper-pot county. One of the smallest distilleries in stills. With its tree-shaded the country, Woodford Reserve is housed in limestone buildings and a collection of painstakingly restored, ivygracious visitors center, covered limestone buildings situated along the distillery fits right in burbling Glenn’s Creek. The tour covers all with the manicured horse aspects of bourbon production, from grain farms that surround its receiving to aging, including triple distillation property in the county in Woodford’s impor ted copper-pot stills, that gave it its name. the only ones used to make bourbon in the

United States. You’ll see an image of those three stills stenciled onto every barrel of Woodford Reserve stacked nine high in the warehouse.

Woodford Reserve “is picturesque inside and out,” said master distiller Chris Morris, who has seen an increase not just in distillery visits but also in enrollment in his Bourbon Academy, a daylong immersion in bourbon history and production held quarterly at Woodford Reserve. “We put them up on the site and they sell out immediately.”

He credits some of the interest in bourbon to the advertising and promotion being done outside Kentucky by a handful of brands — Woodford Reserve, Maker’s Mark, Knob Creek.

“They are portraying a really nice image, a new profile of bourbon, to the consumer. It’s not good ol’ boy hillbilly stuff — it’s a sophisticated spirit.

We in the industry are talking about flavor and taste. We didn’t used to do that.

“And overall, there is an interest in authentic products — craft beer, wine, whiskeys. When they are paying for a premium product, people want to know who makes it. How is it made? Can I kick the tires, so to speak. And so yes, you can visit Woodford Reserve, and you might bump into Chris Morris, and you can see how it’s made.”

Samuels of Maker’s Mark noted that unlike 20 years ago, when just about every visitor to a Kentucky distillery was Jim Beam is the topfrom inside the state, selling bourbon in the “80 percent of visitors world, but until this to Kentucky distilleries year, the visitors’ in 2011 came from outexperience has been side Kentucky.” pretty “minimal,” says Earlier this year, master distiller Fred Russell Corn of St. Noe. That will change Louis and two friends this fall with the from Missouri met up opening of the in Kentucky with a multimillion-dollar four th bourbon fan Jim Beam Heritage from Philadelphia for Center, capable of an inaugural weekend hosting 200,000 of distillery hopping. guests per year.

They enjoyed tours

and tastings at Jim Beam, Heaven Hill in Bardstown, Woodford Reserve, Wild Turkey and Buffalo Trace in Frankfort, but Corn said he was most impressed to learn how intertwined the bourbon trade was with the development of the state. “The way the history tied in was such a huge part of the tours.”

It’s not unusual to encounter visitors on a distillery tour from places much farther away — New Zealand or Japan, for instance — who have traveled to Kentucky just to see where their favorite brands are made.

Jim Beam master distiller Fred Noe said he once encountered a woman on a tour of his Bullitt County distillery who was from Australia, where his brand is the top-selling alcoholic spirit of any kind. She was in the States to attend a wedding, she said, and thought she’d stop by Jim Beam while she was “in the neighborhood.”

“Where was the wedding?” he asked her.

“California.”

Reclaiming a Heritage The impact of bourbon goes far beyond the small towns where it is crafted. An industry that has continued to grow during a national economic recession, bourbon brings jobs and dollars to Kentucky. The dollars flow to the state’s two largest cities, which tourists often use as their base for exploration of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. “Bourbon tourism has real economic value and impact for the Lexington and Louisville economies,” Samuels said.

The city of Louisville played a huge part in the bourbon story.

With its key location on the Ohio River, Louisville was a major shipping center that connected Kentucky’s spirit to the rest of the

world. At the turn of the 20th century, just before Prohibition knocked the distilling industry on its ear, there were almost 100 whiskey-related businesses operating along Louisville’s “Whiskey Row.” Bourbon “is so core to our culture here,” said Stacey Yates, vice president of marketing communications with the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau. “It’s our heritage.”

Louisville is finally making big moves to reclaim that heritage.

Historic buildings along the 100 block of West Main Street that were once home to whiskey warehouses and offices and were in danger of demolition are instead being redeveloped into bars, restaurants and loft spaces. Four Roses paired with Bluegrass Brewing Co. to open the Four Roses Bourbon Barrel Loft space across from the Yum! Center last summer.

And soon, Louisville’s Whiskey Row will have something it’s never had, even in its heyday: working distilleries that are open to the public.

Derby 2013 is the target date that Michter’s Distillery has set for opening a small-scale production facility in the 1890s-era Fort Nelson Building at Eighth and Main streets. The company is spending upwards of $8 million to restore the historic structure and outfit it with custom-made pot stills influenced by the stills used to make whiskey in the 1800s.

In April, Heaven Hill Distilleries announced plans for the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, an artisanal pot-still distillery and tourism experience at its 528 Main St. office. Named for the distillery’s flagship bourbon brand, the Evan Williams project will feature a dramatic façade dominated by a five-story bottle, an interactive exhibit on distilling, a Whiskey Row-themed tasting www.facebook.com/foodanddine Fall 2012 49

room and a retail store. It is scheduled to open next September to coincide with Bourbon Heritage Month.

Louisville Distilling, the producers of Angel’s Envy, a small-batch bourbon finished in port casks, also hopes to establish a presence in downtown Louisville, but details are still being worked out, said Samira Seiller, the company’s executive vice president and managing director.

Yates said the visitors’ bureau is excited by the prospect of having working distilleries that convention delegates could tour while they’re in town. And that wouldn’t necessarily discourage visitors from venturing out into the state, she added. “We think it will whet people’s appetite for the whole experience, and even if they don’t have time on that particular trip, they will make a return visit to Bourbon Country and take in more distilleries and bourbon-related experiences.”

In the biggest indication yet that the city is serious about its bourbon, the Louisville Downtown Development Corp. is seeking proposals from planning and design firms to create an official Bourbon District that would add plaques and signs about the area’s history, attract more venues and complement existing downtown museums and attractions.

Meanwhile, the Urban Bourbon Trail, a network of bourbon bars and restaurants that began in 2008 with seven stops, recently expanded to 19 with the addition of six new restaurants stretching from downtown to the eastern county suburbs to Anchorage. Each par ticipating establishment must offer a minimum of 50 bourbons and meet other criteria. (You only need six stamps in your passport to earn a T-shirt. See bourboncountry.com for details.)

As bourbon’s popularity has increased, so has the demand to join the Trail, says Yates, who oversees it. “At this point, we’re doing some focus groups and brainstorming to determine what the program will evolve into in the future,” Yates said. “How many stops are too many? Our focus was building it these last four years; now it’s really going to be maintaining that quality to mirror the quality of Kentucky bourbon. We want to be able to maintain its authenticity.”

There’s that word again. But when you produce 95 percent of the world’s bourbon, you have more than earned the right to use it, Yates said. Some have compared Kentucky’s bourbon tourism to the wine tourism in Napa Valley, but that’s not quite accurate, she said.

“Sure, California has wine, but so does Oregon and Washington and Virginia and France and Italy. When it comes to bourbon, Kentucky can stake that claim like no one else.” F&D

Tours at Barton 1792 include a stop at a warehouse, where the evaporating whiskey known as the “angel’s share” perfumes the air but blackens the exterior walls. A plumb line ensures that the barrels — and the building — stay balanced. The Tom Moore Spring provides limestone water for making bourbon. ▲

Continue with Distillery Tour Information

DISTILLERY INFO An asterisk denotes the members of the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail ® (Kentucky Bourbon Trail is a registered trademark of the Kentucky Distillers’ Association). – www.kybourbontrail.com

Distinctive feature: The only distillery producing bourbon in the city limits of Bardstown, the Bourbon Capital of the World.

Learn more: 1792bourbon.com or (866) 239-4690.

Buffalo Trace

Four Roses*

Location: 113 Great Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, Ky. (The distillery notes that GPS directions are flawed; check its website instead.)

Tours: Free Trace Tour on the hour, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday; 1, 2 and 3 p.m.

Sunday (April through October only). A Hard Hat Tour and Post Prohibition Tour are also available but reservations are required.

Tastes: Choice of two: Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, White Dog, Rain Organics Vodka or Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream.

Distinctive feature: Following Buffalo Trace’s appearance on the SyFy Network’s “Ghost Hunters” late last year, the distillery began a popular Ghost Tour that includes limited-access areas. It’s free, but reservations are required.

Other: The Firehouse Sandwich Stop is open on the property from mid-April through Oct. 31. Hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Call (502) 783-5673 for information.

Learn more: buffalotracedistillery.com (Prepare yourself for the snorting buffalo!) or (800) 654-8471.

Location: 1224 Bonds Mill Road, Lawrenceburg, Ky. Tours: Free tours on the hour from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. Sunday. (Note that although tours continue, the distillery halts production in the summer, typically July through mid-September.)

Tastes: Four Roses Yellow Label, Four Roses Single Barrel, Four Roses Small Batch.

Distinctive feature: Its architecture, which stands in startling contrast to the central Kentucky farms that surround it. The California architect employed by Four Roses modeled the distinctive yellow buildings on Spanish missions.

Learn more: fourroses.us or (502) 839-3436.

NOTE: Hours are subject to change. Call ahead to be sure.

Barton 1792 Location: 501 Cathedral Manor (31 E-New Haven Road), Bardstown, Ky. Tours: Free tours on the hour, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Wear closedtoe shoes and be ready to climb some stairs.

Tastes: 1792 Ridgemont Reserve and Very Old Barton.

52 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

Jim Beam* Location: 526 Happy Hollow Road, Clermont, Ky. Tours: Free guided tours of the grounds 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

Tastes: Samples of two Beam products; varies by day.

Distinctive feature: The tour includes the T. Jeremiah Beam home, where three generations of Beam distillers lived. A brand-new Visitors Center is set to open in October.

Learn more: jimbeam.com/visit-thebourbon-distillery or (502) 543-9877.

Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center* Location: 1311 Gilkey Run Road, Bardstown, Ky. Tours: 30-minute Mini-Tour

($3) or 1½-hour Deluxe Tour ($5), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays, March to December. Also available by appointment: 30-minute Trolley Tour of downtown Bardstown ($5) and 3-hour Behind the Scenes Tour ($25).

Tastes: Mini Tour, Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage; Deluxe Tour, Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage and Elijah Craig 18-Year-Old Single Barrel.

Distinctive feature: The tasting room inside the Heritage Center. As the name implies, the Parker Beam Tasting Barrel, named for the distillery’s seventh-generation master distiller, resembles a big bourbon barrel. Sample glasses are set on glass circles along the bar and are lit from below, making the amber liquid glow.

This tasting room comes closest to capturing the Napa Valley wine-tasting vibe.

Learn more: bourbonheritagecenter.com or (502) 337-1000.

Maker’s Mark* Location: 3350 Burk Spring Road, Loretto, Ky. Tours: Free tours conducted every hour on the half-hour 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Monday through Saturday and 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. on Sunday (March through December).

Tastes: Maker’s Mark, Maker’s 46 and Maker’s White, the distillery’s unaged “white dog.”

Distinctive feature: Try your hand at dipping your own bottle. Choose the 375ml bottle, Maker’s 46, Maker’s White or the commemorative Founders bottle. Prices start at $20.09.

Other: The Toll Gate Café offers bourbon-inspired meals and desserts from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily (12:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Sundays).

Learn more: makersmark.com/#distillery or (270) 865-2099.

Woodford Reserve* Location: 7855 McCracken Pike, Versailles, Ky. (The distillery notes that GPS systems will lead you to Indiana; check the map on its website instead.)

Tours: Tours ($7; 18 and under, free) every hour on the hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday year-round and at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Sundays from April through December.

Two-hour National Landmark and Corn-to-Cork tours ($25 each) are also available by appointment; check the website or call (859) 879-1934 for more information.

Tastes: Woodford Reserve; the new Double Oaked expression is also available on occasion.

Distinctive feature: The three copper-pot stills in which Woodford triple-distills its bourbon. This is the only U.S. distillery to make it this way.

Other: Woodford Reserve offers seasonal lunches and holiday dinners created by chef-in-residence Ouita Michel.

Check the website for details.

Learn more: woodfordreserve.com or (859) 879-1812.

Wild Turkey* Location: 1525 Tyrone Road, Lawrenceburg, Ky. Tours: Free tours, 9 and 10:30 a.m., and 12:30, 2:30 and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Sunday (March through December).

Tastes: Choice of two from Wild Turkey, Wild Turkey 101, Wild Turkey Rye, Rare Breed, Russell’s Reserve, Kentucky Spirit and American Honey.

Distinctive feature: The Wild Turkey campus perches on a cliff high above the Kentucky River. Look for the Tyrone Bridge, a now-defunct railroad bridge built in 1889 that crosses the river and grounds on the Wild Turkey property.

Learn more: www.wildturkey.com or (502) 839-2182.

A FLIGHT OF BOURBON TOURS

Ready to hit Kentucky’s highways and back roads in search of some of the best bourbon in the world?

You can’t make the full circuit in a single day any more than you could sample all of Kentucky’s finest in a single sitting. Here are some sample flights of distillery tours and genuine experiences from which to pick and choose. Enjoy them in one long weekend or savor over several weekends throughout the year.

FLIGHT ONE: Bardstown • Loretto • Lebanon THE BOURBONS: • Heaven Hill, Bardstown • Barton 1792, Bardstown • Maker’s Mark, Loretto THE CHASERS: • On the way to Bardstown, be sure to stop for a photo op (and maybe a baseball cap) at the Rooster Run General Store on Ky. 245 in Coxs Creek. You’ll know it when you see it.

• While in Bardstown, visit the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History, with its collection of artifacts that date to pre-Colonial days (whiskeymuseum.com), or My Old Kentucky Home State Park, where Stephen Foster is said to have been inspired to write Kentucky’s state song during a stay at the Federal Hill mansion (parks.ky.gov/parks/ recreationparks/old-ky-home).

• Enjoy a bourbon flight at the Old Talbott Tavern (talbotts.com), which dates to the 1700s. Then have dinner at The Rickhouse Restaurant & Lounge, 112 Xavier Drive (therickhousebardstown.com).

• Stay at a bed-and-breakfast such as Rosemark Haven (rosemarkhaven.com), 714 N. Third St. Or for a bit more history, try the Jailer’s Inn Bed & Breakfast (jailersinn.com), 111 W. Stephen Foster Ave., a renovated jail that dates to 1819.

FLIGHT TWO: Clermont • Louisville THE BOURBONS: • Jim Beam Distillery, Clermont • Start your exploration of the Urban Bourbon Trail (bourboncountry.com) with dinner and drinks at one of the 19 restaurants that meet the criteria (at least 50 bourbon brands on hand), from Proof on Main downtown to the Village Anchor Pub and Roost in Anchorage.

THE CHASERS: • After your tour of Jim Beam, spend some time at the Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest (bernheim.org), a 14,000acre gift to the people of Kentucky from whiskey distiller Isaac W. Bernheim.

• Back in Louisville, admire the renaissance of Whiskey Row as you stroll the 100 block of West Main Street.

KENTUCKY BOURBON FESTIVAL — A great way to get a taste of Kentucky’s bourbon industr y is the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, held each year in Bardstown, the Bourbon Capital of the World. This year’s festival runs Sept. 11-16 and includes dozens of events — but the must-do is the Great Kentucky Bourbon Tasting and Gala, a black-tie event on Saturday, Sept. 15. You can sample bourbons from eight distilleries and two brands, meet the master distillers and collect glassware in a Woodford Reser ve bag. It’s the world’s greatest cocktail par ty! Tickets are $140 per person.

Order tickets and get the complete Festival schedule at www.kybourbonfestival.com.

FLIGHT THREE: Lawrenceburg • Frankfort • Lexington THE BOURBONS: • Wild Turkey, Lawrenceburg • Four Roses, Lawrenceburg • Buffalo Trace, Frankfort • Woodford Reserve, Versailles THE CHASERS: • Sample the wares at Rebecca Ruth Candies, where they claim to have invented the bourbon ball. You can tour the candy factory at the downtown Frankfort location; there’s also a retail shop on Versailles Road as you head to Woodford Reserve.

See rebeccaruth.com for details.

• Take one of Kentucky’s most scenic drives along Old Frankfort Pike (Ky. 1681), which is lined with horse farms.

• Enjoy a relaxing meal on the patio at Azur in Lexington (azurrestaurant.com).

• Stay at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Lexington (Lexington.hyatt.com) or the Marriott Griffin Gate on the north side of town (marriott.com/ hotels/travel/lexky).

Take in the sites along the way: (1) See a bit of bourbon history at the Oscar Getz Museum; (2) stay at the Jailer’s Inn Bed & Breakfast; (3) tour My Old Kentucky State Park; (4 & 5) enjoy a Hot Brown at The Old Talbott Tavern; (6) dine at the Rickhouse Restaurant; (7) take in the wildlife at Bernheim Forest; (8) try a bourbon ball at Rebecca Ruth Candies; (9) stroll the historic streets of Midway.

’s W

Shop and Dine on the

The heart of St. Matthews is well known for its bustling convergence of Frankfort Ave., Lexington, Shelbyville and Westport Roads.

Off the shoulder of this confluence is an interesting little district of lovely treelined through-roads dubbed “The W’s” (Wallace, Willis, Wiltshire, Wilmington and Wendover Avenues).

The stylish area includes multiple places to visit, shop and eat within a stone’s throw of each other. Lunch at one of the rich handful of restaurants in the area, then shop for clothes at boutiques or consignment stores, or for home decor, gifts or flowers. For those in the know, “The W’s” is more than just a nice place to visit.

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people and places profiles

Flautas de Pato — crispy, rolled tortillas filled with duck confit and served with a cherry tomato and jalapeùo marmalade.

GUACA MOLE 9921 Ormsby Station Rd. 502.365.4823

guacamole en fuego w GUACA MOLE BRINGS A

NUEVO LATINO DINING OASIS TO THE EAST END

ith the opening last spring of Guaca Mole Cocina Mexicana, Fernando Martinez began a third chapter in his career as a restaurateur. That career began ambitiously — and illegally — in Cuba, included a harrowing escape by raft to the U.S. with his mother and six other refugees, and began to blossom in Louisville with the success of his first two restaurants, Havana Rumba and Mojito.

His latest venture looks to become an East End, and city-wide, standout of nuevo latino cuisine.

(above, left to right) Yaniel Martinez, Fernando and Christina Martinez

BY GREG GAPSIS | PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAN DRY

Tucked in an area off North Hurstbourne Parkway characterized by corporate campuses and strip malls, Guaca Mole succeeds in blending traditional Mexican foods and contemporary fine dining in an experience that is simultaneously trendy and affordable.

“Good food, fresh food at a good price,” said Fernando Martinez. “‘Value’ doesn’t always mean ‘cheapest.’ You have to offer a quality experience and that is our goal. ” Squinting, you’ll see the floor plan of an old Applebee’s, but the simple lines are transformed with walls in bright citrus colors of lime, orange, yellow and green. There are only modest accents — full-sized skeletal figures dressed in traditional garb, mask paintings, a few sculptures of tree frogs and an armadillo, Talavera pottery and an Aztec calendar. But each element carries a personal connection that represents the inspiration of the place.

“I got that calendar 12 years ago on a diving trip to Cozumel. The armadillo came from when I went to cook in Oaxaca,” Fernando Martinez said. “The Talavera sculpture represents the Day of the Dead and the Mexican spirit to enjoy life while we can, and the mask paintings were designed by my wife, Christina, to incorporate fruit and vegetables to make something scary — humorous.” www.facebook.com/foodanddine Fall 2012 57

INSPIRATION Fernando and Yaniel Martinez are used to being patient, planning ahead, and bucking conventional thinking, but both point to their childhoods in Havana, Cuba, and the Sunday family dinners served up by their grandmother, Abuelita Ela Valdez, as the early inspiration for their careers in food.

“It was obvious how those meals brought people together and gave them pleasure,” Fernando said. “It wasn’t long before I was spending time in the kitchen watching what Grandma was doing.”

As a go-getting Havana teenager, he first tried making food a vocation by hoofing it alongside the queue of cab drivers at the José Martí airport, selling them better sandwiches at a cheaper price than were sold at the official airport café.

A couple of two-week stints in jail for that first food enterprise did not squash Martinez’s nascent capitalistic urges.

His appreciative cabbie amigos suggested that if he could offer good food at his home, they could direct foreign tourists there. And so he tried his hand at operating a pop-up restaurant in his family’s living room, a not-uncommon way for ambitious Cubans to earn extra money.

But that new foray into private enterprise gained Martinez a stern warning that such activities constituted a “danger to the government,” and could lead to summary arrest and a sentence of five years in prison. Frustration with the oppressive political climate channeled itself into the urge to throw caution to the winds and escape. (opposite) Tropical colors, warm lighting and open but intimate spaces set the scene for the vibrant flavors to come. From the first refreshing cocktail (like the Sandia Mia pictured) to the final spoonfuls of dessert (here, Mexican banana bread pudding), meals at Guaca Mole intrigue and satisfy. (right) A trio of namesake guacamoles—traditional, Yucateco and con chicharron. (below) Day of the Dead figures dressed for partying reminds us to live fully every day.

With a friend, Martinez built a raft using inner tubes for flotation, and in 1994 set off with his mother and six others for an uncertain, but hopefully brighter, future. They were stopped by the Coast Guard within sight of the lights of Key West, and were remanded to the refugee holding station at the pre-9/11 Guantanamo Bay, where they spent a year waiting for their asylum application to be approved.

They arrived in Louisville in 1996, where Martinez got work as kitchen help in different restaurants, and came across the inspiration for what would become Guaca Mole while at Ernesto’s.

“Then most people in Louisville thought Mexican food was ground beef tacos with refried beans or chimichangas,” Martinez said. “But in the kitchen, the help was putting together moles, seviches, and pipian to feed themselves and I wondered why that wasn’t being served.”

A decade later, his cousin, Yaniel Martinez, was still in Cuba, working for a catering company preparing 3,000 daily meals for a dozen office buildings when Fernando returned on a tourist visa.

“We stayed up really late talking while he told me of the opportunities available in the United States,” Yaniel said. “Convinced, I worked for a year to get (a visa) to Mexico. Then, I went to the border and requested political asylum in the U.S.” Arriving in Louisville, he began working at Mojito and later became manager of Havana Rumba.

Both Martinez’s have personalities which complement each other. Yaniel projects an easy-going attitude while still prizing competence and technical perfection. He speaks easily about how quality at Guaca Mole comes in part from using the latest advances in kitchen technology (like Sous Vide water ovens and C-Vap

Salmon Pibil — achiote-marinated Scottish salmon with fried plantains and rice in a poblano cream sauce.

ovens from Louisville-based Winston Industries) and in using those techniques to create a wonderful table experience.

“It’s all about focusing on three or four flavors and making it a great plate,” Yaniel Martinez said, while discussing seviche.

“Sweetness, saltiness, crunchiness — we’re looking for that perfect balance.”

Fernando, on the other hand, obsesses about his vocation, challenging himself both to expand his knowledge and prove his concepts.

“I’m my own worst critic. I am never content. I sleep with a notepad next to my bed and am always thinking, reading, researching,” Fernando Martinez said.

His drive led to the creation of Havana Rumba in 2002 and Mojito in 2007, both of which became immediate popular successes. Still not fully satisfied with what he had accomplished, three months after opening Mojito Martinez decided to leave his wife and family in Louisville to study for three months in Paris at the Cordon Bleu academy, honing his kitchen skills with the “Basic French Cuisine” course. He returned to apply his newly-acquired technical skills to his two restaurants, but soon some bigger notions took hold.

“How do you tell your family that you want to sell two successful businesses because you want to go and learn some more?” Martinez said.

In 2009, Fernando sold both Louisville restaurants and, with his family in tow, decamped to Margarita Island off Venezuela.

There he pursued the dream of star ting a new hotel and restaurant resort from scratch, with the capital from the sale of his American restaurants.

Smoked fish taquitos Before Martinez even broke ground, complications in building the resort arose with the Venezuelan government.

Dealing with Latin American politics turned out to be more complicated than he had imagined and the project stalled. While waiting for the parts to fall into place to begin building, he travelled to Peru and Oaxaca, Mexico to explore New World cuisine. “I would cook for free in anyone’s kitchen who would let me in to learn,” Martinez said.

When it became apparent that he would not be able to continue with his Margarita Island resort plans, another door opened for him. “Then I came across the chance to work with Douglas Rodriguez in South Beach and we went.”

Generally considered “the godfather” of nuevo latino cuisine, Rodriguez is a luminary to an entire generation of chefs building on the ingredients and traditions of the Hispanic experience in the New World.

“When you work for someone like that, it changes your whole thinking about food,” Martinez said. “He was a genius in that he wasn’t afraid of making a mistake. That makes you more creative. If something doesn’t work, re-think it and redo it and you might come up with something wonderful.”

After working with Rodriguez at both the Astor Hotel in South Beach and De Rodriguez Cuba on Ocean, Fernando Martinez once again tested himself with the challenge of a sixmonth stint as executive chef at Café L’Europe in Palm Beach (earning a 27 Zagat rating).

“Afterwards, I felt I was ready to do whatever I wanted to do,” Martinez said.

SOMETHING WONDERFUL The ambition Guaca Mole shares with its peer restaurants in Louisville — Mayan Café and La Rosita come to mind — is excellent ingredients prepared and presented in a way that makes for both a mouthwatering and memorable dining experience. Part of what makes the meal memorable is presentation, how dishes might arrive looking so beautiful that you think maybe you should take a picture before digging in. Another part is surprise, when previously taken-for-granted ingredients grab your attention with delightful flavor. Guaca Mole excels at both.

The two-page lunch and dinner menus feature categories that focus on only two to four dishes. This is not a Tex-Mex carnival making you dizzy with numbered combination platters, but a considered celebration of salads, appetizers, seviches, moles, tacos, and only a handful of specialties. It’s not difficult to either choose something familiar or strike out in a new direction.

You can go traditional with Baja-style fish tacos ($9 lunch portion or $13 at dinner), or perhaps for the first time relish smaller taquitos filled with an addicting blend of smoked fish, capers, shallots, lettuce, pickled jalapeños and lemon oil (five for $6). A favorite Camarones a la Diabla is enhanced with a richly flavorful lobster stock and guajilla sauce ($10 or $14), but a trio of seviches offer truly surprising flavors using only simple citrus and herb ingredients with salmon, shrimp, or a blend of tidal pool treasures ($7 to $9).

The namesake guacamole comes in a traditional style as well as two other versions — Yucateco adds grilled corn, roasted peppers and pickled onions and is served with fried plantain strips, www.facebook.com/foodanddine Fall 2012 61

A sampling of General Manager Christina Martinez’s house-created cocktails. and Con Chicharron is loaded with crusty pork rinds along with radish and pumpkin seeds ($7 to $8). Other appetizers include duck confit in small fried taquitos with cherr y tomatoes, jalapeño preserves, cabbage, pickled onions and cheese ($7) and Elotes Callejeros, simple grilled corn on the cob made amazing with a light mayo spread dusted over with ground Piquin pepper and cheese ($5).

Among the standout specialties is Carne Asada, a grilled flank steak special-ordered from Creekstone Farms, seasoned in a garlic and thyme marinade with caramelized onions and chipotle ($14); a pan-roasted Scottish salmon served over a bed of rice with sweet plantains and garnished with translucent pickled red onions and a poblano cream sauce ($16); and Enfrijoladas, braised short rib enchiladas with black bean and cream sauce ($9 and $12).

Martinez’s moles are neither brusque nor overwhelming, but a rich combination of flavors that honors the unique blend of Indian, Hispanic and European experiences that make up Mexican cuisine. Mole Poblano, features pan roasted chicken in a dark, savory sauce that includes chiles, nuts and chocolate ($9 or $13); Coloradito is lamb shank with roasted cucumber and tomato and crisped shallots ($16); and Pepian Verde blends seared scallops with toasted pumpkin seeds, pickled fennel and orange salad ($12 or $15).

It is easy to build a meal out of appetizers, salads and sopes (small corn shells with toppings), like at a tapas bar, or have a full 62 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

dinner focusing on the specialties (the lunch menu also includes five sandwiches, $7 to $9). In either case, front house manager Christina Martinez has put together a bar menu that features both traditional and trendy drinks and a few more rare options which you can enjoy with your food. Impor ted and domestic beers and a moderately-priced wine list of select Spanish and South American wines (by the bottle or glass) are also available.

When asked why all this on the East End away from more developed dining districts, Fernando Martinez was direct and to the point.

“I’m used to people thinking I’m crazy. It’s happened when I wanted to build a raft to get off the island or put a restaurant in St. Matthews, Holiday Manor or here,” Martinez said. “But what they don’t see is the long process I go through thinking and researching. I lived on Dorsey Lane for 15 years and anytime I wanted good food I had to go to Bardstown Road, Frankfort Avenue or Downtown. There are a lot of people out here and I knew they would support something like this.”

The signs so far point to another success for the Martinez clan. Great dining, expert presentation, a relaxed and welcoming venue friendly to families, casual diners, as well as the gourmet betoken a bright new star in Louisville’s firmament. Maybe those chefs who think they are Number 1 had better start looking over their shoulders. F&D

Pork carnitas with guacamole and pickled red cabbage.

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African............................87 Asian/Chinese ................87 Asian/Filipino..................88 Asian/Japanese ..............88 Asian/Korean..................89 Asian/Mongolian ............90 Asian/Thai ......................90 Asian/Vietnamese...........90 Bar & Grill ......................85 Barbecue ........................84 Bistro/Contemporary......72 Cafés .............................74

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Fine Dining .....................68 Home Style/Southern ....80 Indian .............................93 Mexican..........................94 Microbreweries ..............87 Middle Eastern ...............93 Pizza...............................91 Sandwich/Deli ................93 Seafood..........................76 Southwest/Tex Mex ........96 Steakhouse ....................76 Upscale Casual...............69

Area Maps begin on page 98 Alphabetical Index

Check your balance when you’re away from home.

Cafeterias .......................81 Cajun/Creole...................94 Caribbean/Cuban............94 Casual Dining .................77 Coffee/Tea House ...........96 Desserts/Bakery .............97 Entertainment Dining......81 European/Bosnian ..........90 European/French ............90 European/German ..........91 European/Irish................91 European/Italian .............92 European/Spanish ..........93

RESTAURANTS LISTED ALPHABETICALLY, FOLLOWED

BY THE PAGE NUMBER OF ITS REVIEW, THE CUISINE STYLE, AND THE CORRESPONDING MAP NUMBER(S). [ ] DENOTES UNMAPPED MULTIPLE LOCATIONS.

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211 Clover Lane 60 West Bistro 610 Magnolia A Nice Restaurant A Taste of China A.P. Crafters Kitchen & Bar Achille’s Pizza Addis Grill Adobo Mexican Restaurant Adrienne & Co. Bakery Café Adrienne’s Italian Against The Grain Brewery Al Nuur Al Watan Alexzander Taqueria Alley Cat Café Amici Anchorage Café Angilo’s Pizza Angio’s Restaurant Ann’s by the River Annie Cafe Annie May’s Sweets Café Annie’s Pizza Another Place Anselmo’s Italian Bistro Apocalypse Brew Works Applebee’s Arata Sushi Arni’s Pizza Aroma Café Asahi Japanese Asian Buffet Asian Moon Asiatique Aspen Creek Restaurant Atrium Café August Moon Austin’s BD’s Mongolian Grill B3Q BBQ B.J.’s Restaurant & Brewhouse Baby D’s Bagels & Deli Backyard Burger The Bakery Bamboo House Bank Street Brewhouse Barbara Lee’s Kitchen The Bard’s Town Basa Modern Vietnamese Baxter’s 942 Bar & Grill Baxter Station Bazos Mexican Grill Bean Street Coffee Co. Bearno’s Pizza Beef O’Brady’s

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68 Fine Dining 3 69 Upscale Casual 3 68 Fine Dining 13 77 Casual Dining 14, 16 87 Asian/Chinese 1 72 Bistro/Contemporary 5 81 Pizza 16 87 African 1 94 Mexican 11 97 Desserts/Bakery 16 92 European/Italian 16 87 Microbreweries 1 87 African 13 93 Middle Eastern 4 94 Mexican 13 74 Cafés 5 92 European/Italian 13 74 Cafés 5 81 Pizza 13 81 Pizza 4 81 Cafeterias 16 90 Asian/Vietnamese 13 97 Desserts/Bakery 3 81 Pizza 1, 12 83 Sandwich/Deli 1 92 European/Italian 2 87 Microbreweries 2 77 Casual Dining [6] 88 Asian/Japanese 10 81 Pizza 14 74 Cafés 14 88 Asian/Japanese 3 87 Asian/Chinese 4, 14 87 Asian/Chinese 4, 6 69 Upscale Casual 2 77 Casual Dining 11 72 Bistro/Contemporary 5 87 Asian/Chinese 2 69 Upscale Casual 7 90 Asian/Mongolian 6 84 Barbecue 14 77 Casual Dining 5 83 Sandwich/Deli 2 83 Sandwich/Deli 6 97 Desserts/Bakery 4 87 Asian/Chinese 13 87 Microbreweries 14 80 Home Style/Southern 2 81 Entertainment Dining 2 69 Upscale Casual 2 85 Bar & Grill 2 73 Bistro/Contemporary 2 94 Mexican 3, 6 96 Coffee/Tea House 14 81 Pizza [13] 85 Bar & Grill 5, 12, 13, 14, 15

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Beijing Grill & Sushi Bar 88 Asian/Japanese 14 Bela’s Café 87 African 13 Bendoya Sushi Bar 88 Asian/Japanese 1 Big Al’s Beeritaville 85 Bar & Grill 2 Big Momma’s Soul Kitchen 80 Home Style/Southern 1 The Bistro 81 Cafeterias 3 Bistro 301 73 Bistro/Contemporary 1 Bistro 42 92 European/Italian 10 Bistro Le Relais 90 European/French 4 Blackstone Grille 69 Upscale Casual 10 The Blind Pig 73 Bistro/Contemporary 2 BLU Mediterranean Grille 69 Upscale Casual 1 Blue Dog Bakery 74 Cafés 2 Blue Horse Café 77 Casual Dining 13 Bluegrass Brewing Co. 87 Microbreweries 1, 3 Bluegrass Burgers 77 Casual Dining 3 Bluegrass Café 74 Cafés 2 Boardwalk Fresh Burgers 83 Sandwich/Deli 16 Bombay Grill 93 Indian 5 Bonefish Grill 76 Seafood 5 Bonnie & Clyde’s Pizza 81 Pizza 12 Boombozz Famous Pizza 81 Pizza 3 Boombozz Pizza Bistro 81 Pizza 6 Boombozz Pizza & Taphouse 81 Pizza 2, 5 Boomer’s Café 74 Cafés 1 Bootleg Barbecue Co. 84 Barbecue 11, 13 Borromeo’s Pizza 82 Pizza 13 Bosna-Mak 90 European/Bosnian 4 Bourbons Bistro 73 Bistro/Contemporary 2 Brandon’s Bar-B-Que 84 Barbecue 5 Bravo!

69 Upscale Casual 3 Breadworks 97 Desserts/Bakery 2, 5, 7 The Brewery 85 Bar & Grill 2 Brian’s Deli 83 Sandwich/Deli 1 Brickhouse Tavern & Tap 77 Casual Dining 6 Bristol Bar & Grille 69 Upscale Casual 1,2,5,10,13,16 Brix Wine Bar 73 Bistro/Contemporary 8 Brownie’s Grille & Bar 85 Bar & Grill 5 Bruegger’s Bagels 83 Sandwich/Deli 3 Buca Di Beppo 92 European/Italian 6 Buck’s 68 Fine Dining 13 Buckhead Mountain Grill 77 Casual Dining 4, 16 Bud’s Tavern & Barbecue 85 Bar & Grill 12 Buffalo Wild Wings 85 Bar & Grill 2,3,5,6,8,12,15 Buffalo Wings & Rings 85 Bar & Grill 8 Bungalow Joe’s 85 Bar & Grill 11 Bunz Restaurant 77 Casual Dining 2 Burger Boy 83 Sandwich/Deli 13 Burning Bush Grille 93 Middle Eastern 10 Butcher’s Best 83 Sandwich/Deli 10 Butterfly Garden Café 74 Cafés 2, 3 Café 360 93 Middle Eastern 2 Café Aroma 94 Mexican 2 Café Fraiche 74 Cafés 7 Café Lou Lou 73 Bistro/Contemporary 2,3 Café Magnolia 77 Casual Dining 1

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Café Mimosa 90 Café Montagu 74 Café Palacio 83 Café Thuy Van 90 Caffe Classico 73 Cake Flour 97 California Pizza Kitchen 82 Captain’s Quarters 77 Cardinal Hall of Fame Café 77 Carley Rae’s 80 Carrabba’s Italian Grille 92 Cast Iron Steakhouse 76 Cat Box Deli 83 Caviar Japanese Restaurant 70 Cellar Door Chocolates 97 Champions Grill 77 Champions Sports Bar 85 Champp’s Americana 85 Charim Korean Restaurant 89 Charlestown Pizza Co. 82 Charr’d Bourbon Kitchen 70 Check’s Café 80 Cheddar Box Café 74 Cheddar’s Casual Café 77 Cheer King Star 87 The Cheesecake Factory 70 Cheezy’s Pizza 82 Chez Seneba African 87 The Chicken House 80 Chicken King 80 Chili’s 77 China 1 87 China Buffet 87 China Café 87 China Castle 87 China Garden 87 China Inn 87 China King 87 China Taste 87 Chinese Chef 88 Chinese Express 88 Choi’s Asian Food Market 88 Chong Garden 88 Chopshop Salads 77 Chopsticks 88 Chopsticks House 88 Chung King 88 Chuy’s 96 City Café 74 Clarksville Seafood 76 Clark’s Lyndon Village Pub 85 Clifton’s Pizza 82 Clucker’s Wings 85 Coach Lamp 77 Coals Artisan Pizza 82 CoCo’s Chocolate Café 97 Coffee Crossing 96 Come Back Inn 92 The Comfy Cow 97 Corbett’s ‘an American place’ 68 Corner Café 70 Corner Door Bar & Grill 85 Cottage Café 80 Cottage Inn 80 Crave Café & Catering 74 Cravings a la Carte 81 Creekside Outpost & Café 74 Cricket’s Café 74 Crystal Chinese 88 Cuban Flavor 94 Cubana Restaurant 94 Culver’s 77 Cumberland Brews 87 Cunningham’s 77 The Cupcake Shoppe 97 Dakshin Indian Restaurant 93 DaLat’s Gateaux & Bakery 97 Dancing Sushi 88 Danish Express Pastries 83 Danny Mac’s Pasta & Pizza 82 Dave & Peg’s Copper Kettle 80 Day’s Espresso 96 De La Torre’s 93 Decca 70 Del Frisco’s 76 Derby Café 75 Derby City BBQ 84 Derby Dinner Playhouse 81 Desserts By Helen 97 Devino’s 83 Diamond Pub & Billiards 85 Difabio’s Casapela 92 DiOrio’s Pizza & Pub 82 Dish On Market 73 Ditto’s Grill 73 Dizzy Whizz Drive-In 83 D’Nalley’s Restaurant 80 Doc Crow’s 70 Dooley’s Bagels 83 Double Dragon 88 Double Dragon II 88 Double Dragon 9 88 DP UpDogs 83 Dragon King’s Daughter 88 Drake’s 85 Dunkin’ Donuts 97 DuValle Grub N Scrub 84

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Asian/Vietnamese 2 Cafés 13 Sandwich/Deli 3 Asian/Vietnamese 13 Bistro/Contemporary 2 Desserts/Bakery 1 Pizza 5 Casual Dining 10 Casual Dining 13 Home Style/Southern 1 European/Italian 5 Steakhouse 10, 16 Sandwich/Deli 1 Upscale Casual 1 Desserts/Bakery 1, 2 Casual Dining 16 Bar & Grill 1 Bar & Grill 3 Asian/Korean 3 Pizza 16 Upscale Casual 6 Home Style/Southern 1 Cafés 3 Casual Dining 8, 13, 15 Asian/Chinese 1 Upscale Casual 3 Pizza 16 African 13 Home Style/Southern 14 Home Style/Southern 1 Casual Dining 4, 5, 8, 13 Asian/Chinese 3 Asian/Chinese 15 Asian/Chinese 13 Asian/Chinese 12 Asian/Chinese 13 Asian/Chinese 13 Asian/Chinese 6 Asian/Chinese 16 Asian/Chinese 13 Asian/Chinese 12 Asian/Japanese 5 Asian/Chinese 12 Casual Dining 1, 3 Asian/Chinese 1 Asian/Chinese 1 Asian/Chinese 1 Southwest/Tex Mex 3,15 Cafés 1, 2 Seafood 15 Bar & Grill 5 Pizza 2 Bar & Grill 13, 14, 16 Casual Dining 1 Pizza 3 Desserts/Bakery 2 Coffee/Tea House 14 European/Italian 1, 16 Desserts/Bakery 2,5,13 Fine Dining 8 Upscale Casual 5 Bar & Grill 2 Home Style/Southern 5 Home Style/Southern 13 Cafés 2 Cafeterias 1 Cafés 14 Cafés 15 Asian/Chinese 1 Caribbean/Cuban 11 Caribbean/Cuban 2 Casual Dining 6 Microbreweries 2 Casual Dining 1, 10 Desserts/Bakery 3 Indian 11 Desserts/Bakery 13 Asian/Japanese 8 Sandwich/Deli 3 Pizza 13 Home Style/Southern 5 Coffee/Tea House 2 European/Spanish 2 Upscale Casual 1 Steakhouse 3 Cafés 13 Barbecue 13 Entertainment Dining 16 Desserts/Bakery 2 Sandwich/Deli 1 Bar & Grill 2, 3 European/Italian 2 Pizza 3 Bistro/Contemporary 1 Bistro/Contemporary 2 Sandwich/Deli 1 Home Style/Southern 1 Upscale Casual 1 Sandwich/Deli 7 Asian/Chinese 1, 2 Asian/Chinese 8, 11, 12, 13 Asian/Chinese 6 Sandwich/Deli 14 Asian/Japanese 2 Bar & Grill 3, 8 Desserts/Bakery 2 Barbecue 13

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Eagle Lake & Restaurant 76 Seafood 12 Earth Friends Café 75 Cafés 14 Eastern House 88 Asian/Chinese 12 Eddie Merlot’s 76 Steakhouse 1 Edesia Gardens 77 Casual Dining 6 Eggroll Machine 88 Asian/Chinese 2 Eiderdown 91 European/German 13 Einstein Brothers Bagels 83 Sandwich/Deli 1 El Burrito de Oro 94 Mexican 15 El Caporal 94 Mexican 4, 6, 15 El Mariachi 94 Mexican 5 El Marlin Seafood 94 Mexican 6 El Mundo 94 Mexican 2 El Nopal 94 Mexican [16] El Ranchero 94 Mexican 4 El Rincon Cuban Restaurant 94 Caribbean/Cuban 13 El Rodeo Mexican 94 Mexican 12 El Sombrero 94 Mexican 16 El Tarasco 94 Mexican 3, 5, 6, 13 El Toro Cantina & Grill 94 Mexican 6 Emperor of China 88 Asian/Chinese 7 Empress of China 88 Asian/Chinese 4 The English Grill 68 Fine Dining 1 Equus 70 Upscale Casual 3 Erika’s German Restaurant 91 European/German 6 Ermin’s Bakery & Café 75 Cafés 1 Ernesto’s 94 Mexican 6 Expression Of You 96 Coffee/Tea House 2 The Falafel House 93 Middle Eastern 2 Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que 84 Barbecue 6, 15 Famous Mike’s Steak & Lemonade 77 Casual Dining 13 Fat Daddy’s Pizza 82 Pizza 13 Fat Jimmy’s 82 Pizza 2, 5 FeastBBQ 84 Barbecue 14 The Feed Bag 83 Sandwich/Deli 3 Fiesta Time Mexican Grill 94 Mexican 8, 11 Fire Fresh Bar B Q 84 Barbecue 1, 12 Firehouse Subs 83 Sandwich/Deli 5 First Wok 88 Asian/Chinese 12 The Fish House 76 Seafood 2, 5 The Fishery 76 Seafood 3, 5 The Fishery Station 76 Seafood 11 Fish-Fry House 76 Seafood 2 Five Guys Burgers & Fries 78 Casual Dining 8, 14 Flabby’s Schnitzelburg 78 Casual Dining 13 Flanagans Ale House 85 Bar & Grill 2 Forty Acres And A Mule 80 Home Style/Southern 13 Four King’s Café 85 Bar & Grill 4 Four Pegs Beer Lounge 73 Bistro/Contemporary 13 Franco’s Restaurant 80 Home Style/Southern 12 Frankfort Ave. Beer Depot 84 Barbecue 3 Frascelli’s N.Y. Deli & Pizza 83 Sandwich/Deli 8 Frolio’s Pizza 82 Pizza 13 Frontier Diner 80 Home Style/Southern 12 Fuji Asian Bistro 88 Asian/Japanese 12 Fuji Japanese Steakhouse 88 Asian/Japanese 5, 8 FX Pizza 82 Pizza 14 Garage Bar 78 Casual Dining 1 Gary’s On Spring 70 Upscale Casual 2 Gasthaus 91 European/German 7 Gavi’s Restaurant 78 Casual Dining 1 Gelato Gilberto 97 Desserts/Bakery 8 Gerstle’s Place 85 Bar & Grill 3 Ghyslain On Market 90 European/French 1 Gigi’s Cupcakes 97 Desserts/Bakery 6 Golden Buddha 88 Asian/Chinese 13 Golden Corral 80 Home Style/Southern 4,13,15 Golden Palace 88 Asian/Chinese 13 Golden Star Chinese 88 Asian/Chinese 13 Golden Wall 88 Asian/Chinese 13 Goose Creek Diner 78 Casual Dining 8 Gordon Biersch Brewery 87 Microbreweries 1 Grady’s Burgers & Wings 78 Casual Dining 13 Granny’s Apron 80 Home Style/Southern 13 Granville Inn 85 Bar & Grill 13 Grape Leaf 93 Middle Eastern 2 Great American Grill 85 Bar & Grill 13 Great Harvest Bread Co. 97 Desserts/Bakery 5, 14 Great Life Café 83 Sandwich/Deli 6, 8, 15 Great Wall 88 Asian/Chinese 2 Great Wok 88 Asian/Chinese 13 Green Leaf Vegetarian 78 Casual Dining 13 Green Room Coffee 96 Coffee/Tea House 6 Guaca Mole 94 Mexican 5 Habana Blues Tapas 94 Caribbean/Cuban 8,14 Hall’s Cafeteria 81 Cafeterias 2 Hammerheads 73 Bistro/Contemporary 1 Hanabi Japanese Restaurant 88 Asian/Japanese 10 Happy China 88 Asian/Chinese 6 Hard Rock Café 74 Bistro/Contemporary 1 Harley’s Hardwoodz Bar-B-Q 84 Barbecue 16 Harvest 70 Upscale Casual 1 Havana Rumba 94 Caribbean/Cuban 3, 5 Hawksview Gallery 70 Upscale Casual 13 Hazelwood Restaurant 80 Home Style/Southern 12 Heart & Soy 88 Asian/Japanese 2 Heine Brothers Coffee 96 Coffee/Tea House 2,4,5,13 Heitzman Bakery & Deli 97 Desserts/Bakery 1, 5 Henry’s Place 71 Upscale Casual 7 Hibachi Sushi Buffet 88 Asian/Chinese 11 Highland Coffee Co. 96 Coffee/Tea House 2 Highland Morning 74 Cafés 2 Hiko A Mon Sushi Bar 89 Asian/Japanese 5 Hill Street Fish Fry 76 Seafood 13 Hilltop Tavern 85 Bar & Grill 2 Hitching Post Inn 85 Bar & Grill 11 Hobknobb Roasting Co. 96 Coffee/Tea House 14 www.facebook.com/foodanddine Fall 2012 65

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Holy Grale 74 Bistro/Contemporary 2 Home Plate Café 75 Cafés 1 Home Run Burgers & Fries 78 Casual Dining 3, 5, 6, 13 Homemade Ice Cream & Pie Kitchen 97 Desserts [9] Hometown Buffet 80 Home Style/Southern 6, 3 Hometown Pizza 82 Pizza 7 Honey Creme Donut Shop 97 Desserts/Bakery 14 Honeybaked Café 83 Sandwich/Deli 3, 11, 14 Hong Kong Chinese 88 Asian/Chinese 14 Hong Kong Fast Food 88 Asian/Chinese 13 Hoops Grill and Sports Bar 85 Bar & Grill 13 Hooters 78 Casual Dining 3,13,12,15,16 Howl at the Moon 81 Entertainment Dining 1 Hunan Wok 88 Asian/Chinese 11 Ichiban Samurai 89 Asian/Japanese 6 IHOP 78 Casual Dining 6, 15 Improv Comedy Club 81 Entertainment Dining 1 Incredible Dave’s 81 Entertainment Dining 8 Indi’s Restaurant 80 Home Style/Southern 1,3,13,16 Intermezzo Café & Cabaret 71 Upscale Casual 1 The International Mall 92 European/Italian 1 The Irish Exit 91 European/Irish 14 The Irish Rover 91 European/Irish 2, 7 Iroquois Pizza 82 Pizza 13 J. Alexander’s 71 Upscale Casual 3 J. Graham’s Café 75 Cafés 1 J. Gumbo’s 94 Cajun/Creole 1,2,5,6,13 J. Harrods 71 Upscale Casual 10 Jack Binion’s Steakhouse 68 Fine Dining 14 Jack Fry’s 68 Fine Dining 2 Jack’s Lounge 74 Bistro/Contemporary 3 Jackson’s Seafood 76 Seafood 14 Jade Palace 88 Asian/Chinese 5 Jane’s Cafeteria 81 Cafeterias 4 Jasmin Bakery 97 Desserts/Bakery 4 Jasmine 88 Asian/Chinese 5 Jason’s Deli 83 Sandwich/Deli 3, 5 Java Brewing Co. 96 Coffee/Tea House 2,8,10 Jazzyblu 74 Bistro/Contemporary 1 Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse 76 Steakhouse 1 Jersey Mike’s Subs 83 Sandwich/Deli 5, 6, 8 Jersey’s Café 85 Bar & Grill 15 Jessie’s Family Restaurant 80 Home Style/Southern 12 Jimmy John’s Sub Shop 83 Sandwich/Deli [9] Joe Davola’s 83 Sandwich/Deli 2 Joe Huber Restaurant 81 Entertainment Dining 14 Joe’s Crab Shack 76 Seafood 1 Joe’s O.K. Bayou 94 Cajun/Creole 6 Joe’s Older Than Dirt 78 Casual Dining 5 John E’s 71 Upscale Casual 4 John O’Bryan’s Tavern 85 Bar & Grill 12 Johnny Brusco’s Pizza 82 Pizza 8 Johnny V’s 82 Pizza 6 JR’s Pub 86 Bar & Grill 14 Jucy’s Smokehouse 84 Barbecue 5 Jumbo Buffet 88 Asian/Chinese 6 Kailana Sushi 89 Asian/Japanese 11 Kansai Japanese Rest.

89 Asian/Japanese 6, 15 Karem’s 78 Casual Dining 8 Kashmir Indian 93 Indian 2 Kayrouz Café 75 Cafés 3 Kenna’s Korner 82 Pizza 8 Kern’s Korner 78 Casual Dining 2 King Wok 88 Asian/Chinese 3 Kingfish 76 Seafood 6, 7, 16 King’s Coffee 96 Coffee/Tea House 14 King’s Fried Chicken 80 Home Style/Southern 13 Kobe Japanese Steak 89 Asian/Japanese 16 Koreana II 89 Asian/Korean 13 KT’s 71 Upscale Casual 2 Kum’s Kafe 80 Home Style/Southern 13 La Bamba 94 Mexican 2 La Bocca 92 European/Italian 14 La Bodega 93 European/Spanish 2 La Colombiana 93 European/Spanish 8 La Coop: Bistro à Vins 90 European/French 1 La Gallo Rosso Bistro 92 European/Italian 2 La Hacienda Guadalajara 94 Mexican 13 La Monarca 94 Mexican 11 La Pasadita 94 Mexican 16 La Que 90 Asian/Vietnamese 2 La Rosita Mexican Grill 94 Mexican 1, 14 La Rosita Taqueria 94 Mexican 5, 13, 15 La Tapatia 95 Mexican 2, 13 Lancaster’s Cafeteria 81 Cafeterias 14 Las Gorditas 95 Mexican 11 Las Palmas Cuban Café 94 Caribbean/Cuban 11 Lee’s Korean 89 Asian/Korean 13 Legend’s 78 Casual Dining 14 Lemongrass Café 90 Asian/Vietnamese 5 Lenny’s Sub Shop 83 Sandwich/Deli 4 The Lighthouse 86 Bar & Grill 16 Lil’ Cheezers 83 Sandwich/Deli 2 Lilly’s 68 Fine Dining 2 Limestone 68 Fine Dining 5 Ling Ling 88 Asian/Chinese 5 Little Caesar’s Pizza 82 Pizza 5, 6, 8, 11, 13, 14, 16 Little India Café 93 Indian 4 Liu’s Garden 88 Asian/Chinese 5 Logan’s Roadhouse 76 Steakhouse 3, 6, 12, 15 Lolitas Tacos Inc. 95 Mexican 13 Longhorn Steakhouse 76 Steakhouse 6, 8, 13, 15 Lonnie’s Taste Of Chicago 83 Sandwich/Deli 2 Los Aztecas 95 Mexican 1, 5, 10 Los Mezcales 95 Mexican 13 Lotsa Pasta 83 Sandwich/Deli 3 Louis Le Francais 90 European/French 14 66 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

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Louisville Pizza Co. 82 Pizza 6 Louisville Tea Co. 96 Coffee/Tea House 5 Luigi’s 82 Pizza 1 Lunch Today 83 Sandwich/Deli 16 Lynn’s Paradise Café 78 Casual Dining 2 Ma Zerellas 82 Pizza 15 Maa Sha Allah 87 African 4 Mai’s Thai Restaurant 90 Asian/Thai 16 Maido Essential Japanese 89 Asian/Japanese 2 Main Eatery 83 Sandwich/Deli 1 Main Street Coffee & Deli 83 Sandwich/Deli 1 Main St. Tavern 86 Bar & Grill 1 Majid’s St. Matthews 74 Bistro/Contemporary 3 Maker’s Mark Lounge 71 Upscale Casual 1 Manhattan Grill 78 Casual Dining 1 Mark’s Feed Store 84 Barbecue 2, 5, 11, 12, 14 Marketplace Restaurant 74 Bistro/Contemporary 1 Martini Italian Bistro 92 European/Italian 8 Masa Japanese 89 Asian/Japanese 5 Mayan Café 95 Mexican 1 McAlister’s Deli 83 Sandwich/Deli [9] The Melting Pot 71 Upscale Casual 6 Meridian Café 75 Cafés 3 Mexican Fiesta 95 Mexican 4 Mexico Tipico 95 Mexican 12 Mexico Viejo 95 Mexican 2 Mikato Japanese Steakhouse 89 Asian/Japanese 3 Mike & Matt’s 80 Home Style/Southern 16 Mike Linnig’s 76 Seafood 12 Mike’s Tavern 86 Bar & Grill 14 Mimi’s Café 78 Casual Dining 5 Ming’s Buffet 88 Asian/Chinese 2 Mirage Mediterranean Grill 93 Middle Eastern 13 Miss C’s Kitchen & Pantry 80 Home Style/Southern 1, 2 Mitchell’s Fish Market 76 Seafood 8 Moe’s Southwest Grill 96 Southwest/Tex Mex 3,6,8,11,15 Mojito Tapas Restaurant 93 European/Spanish 7 Molly Malone’s 91 European/Irish 2, 3 The Monkey Wrench 78 Casual Dining 2 More Shenanigan’s 91 European/Irish 4 Morris Deli & Catering 83 Sandwich/Deli 1, 2 Morton’s of Chicago 76 Steakhouse 1 Mozz Mozzarella Bar 68 Fine Dining 1 Mozzaria Italian Eatery 92 European/Italian 1 Mr. Gattis 82 Pizza 5, 12, 13, 15 Mrs. Potter’s Coffee 96 Coffee/Tea House 1 Mulligan’s Pub and Grill 78 Casual Dining 2 My Favorite Muffin 97 Desserts/Bakery 5 My Old KY Dinner Train 81 Entertainment Dining 13 The NA Exchange 74 Bistro/Contemporary 14 NamNam Café 90 Asian/Vietnamese 3 Nana’s Country Kitchen 80 Home Style/Southern 12 Nancy’s Bagel Box 83 Sandwich/Deli 1 Nancy’s Bagel Grounds 84 Sandwich/Deli 2 Napa River Grill 71 Upscale Casual 5 Neil & Patty’s Fireside Grill 78 Casual Dining 14 New Albanian Brewing Co. 82 Pizza 14 New Albany Roadhouse 78 Casual Dining 14 New China 88 Asian/Chinese 5 New Direction Bar & Grill 86 Bar & Grill 8 Nonnie’s Kitchen 75 Cafés 5 Nord’s Bakery 97 Desserts/Bakery 13 North End Café 75 Cafés 2 NuLu East Market Lounge 71 Upscale Casual 1 O’Charley’s 78 Casual Dining 3,6,8,13,12,15 O’Dolly’s 80 Home Style/Southern 13 O’Shea’s Irish Pub 91 European/Irish 2 The Oakroom 68 Fine Dining 1 Oasis Sushi & Soul 89 Asian/Japanese 13 Oishii Sushi 89 Asian/Japanese 2, 4 Old Chicago Pasta & Pizza 82 Pizza 6, 8 Old Louisville Coffee House 96 Coffee/Tea House 13 Old Spaghetti Factory 92 European/Italian 1 Old Stone Inn 71 Upscale Casual 5 Ole Hickory Pit BBQ 84 Barbecue 11 The Olive Garden 92 European/Italian 6,8,11,15 Ollie’s Trolley 84 Sandwich/Deli 1 Onion Restaurant & Tea House 88 Asian/Chinese 14 Oriental House 88 Asian/Chinese 3 Oriental Star 88 Asian/Chinese 13 Original Impellizzeri’s 82 Pizza 1, 2, 10 Osaka Sushi Bar 89 Asian/Japanese 1, 2 Otto’s Café 78 Casual Dining 1 Outback Steakhouse 76 Steakhouse 3, 8, 11, 13, 15 P. F. Chang’s China Bistro 71 Upscale Casual 5 Palermo Viejo 93 European/Spanish 2 Panda Chinese 88 Asian/Chinese 10 Panera Bread Co. 84 Sandwich/Deli [9] Papa John’s 82 Pizza [30] Papa Murphy’s Pizza 82 Pizza 3,4,5,8,11,12,14,15,16 Papalino’s NY Pizzeria 82 Pizza 2, 13 Passtime Fish House 76 Seafood 6 Pat’s Steak House 76 Steakhouse 2 Patrick O’Shea’s 91 European/Irish 1 Paul’s Fruit Market 84 Sandwich/Deli 3, 4, 5, 7 Paula Deen Buffet 78 Casual Dining 14 The PBJ Shop 84 Sandwich/Deli 1 Pearl 90 Asian/Vietnamese 14 Peking City Bistro 88 Asian/Chinese 5 Penn Station 84 Sandwich/Deli [17] Peppers Bar and Grill 79 Casual Dining 1 Perfetto Pizza 82 Pizza 6 Perkfection 96 Coffee/Tea House 16 Pesto’s Italian 92 European/Italian 1 Petra Mediterranean 93 Middle Eastern 4 Pho Binh Minh 90 Asian/Vietnamese 13 Piccadilly Cafeteria 81 Cafeterias 6

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Pina Fiesta Mexican Grill 95 Mexican 12 Pink Baron BBQ 84 Barbecue 16 Pit Stop Bar-B-Que 84 Barbecue 5 Pita Delights 93 Middle Eastern 1 Pita Hut 93 Middle Eastern 2 Pita Pit 93 Middle Eastern 6 Pizza King 82 Pizza 14, 16 Pizza Place 82 Pizza 4 Please & Thank You 96 Coffee/Tea House 2 Plehn’s Bakery 97 Desserts/Bakery 3 Police Donuts 97 Desserts/Bakery 5 Ponderosa Steakhouse 76 Steakhouse 13 Porcini 92 European/Italian 2 Potbelly Sandwich Shop 84 Sandwich/Deli 1 Proof On Main 72 Upscale Casual 1 Pub Louisville 79 Casual Dining 1 Puccini’s Smiling Teeth 82 Pizza 3 Puerto Vallarta 95 Mexican 11, 14, 16 Qdoba Mexican Grill 95 Mexican [13] Queen of Sheba 87 African 1, 4 Queenie’s Soul Cuisine 80 Home Style/Southern 4 Queue Café 75 Cafés 1 Quick Wok 88 Asian/Chinese 1 Quill’s Coffee 97 Coffee/Tea House 2, 13, 14 Quizno’s Subs 84 Sandwich/Deli [7] Rafferty’s of Louisville 79 Casual Dining 3, 8 Ramiro’s Cantina 95 Mexican 2 Ramsi’s Café 74 Bistro/Contemporary 2 Red Hog Tapas 74 Bistro/Contemporary 2 Red Hot Roasters 97 Coffee/Tea House 1, 2 Red Robin Gourmet Burgers 79 Casual Dining 3, 8 Red Sun Chinese 88 Asian/Chinese 4 Red’s Comfort Food 84 Sandwich/Deli 1 Ri Ra Irish Pub 91 European/Irish 1 Rite Way Bar-B-Cue House 84 Barbecue 1 River Bend Winery 74 Bistro/Contemporary 1 River City Drafthouse 86 Bar & Grill 2 River City Winery 74 Bistro/Contemporary 4 River Road BBQ 85 Barbecue 7 Riverside Café 75 Cafés 16 Rivue 68 Fine Dining 1 Rocky’s Pizza & Panini 82 Pizza 4 Rocky’s Sub Pub 82 Pizza 16 Romano’s Macaroni Grill 92 European/Italian 5 Rooster’s 79 Casual Dining 12, 13, 15 Rootie’s Sports Bar & Grille 86 Bar & Grill 8 Roots 89 Asian/Japanese 2 Rosie’s Pizza 82 Pizza 5 Rosticeria Luna 95 Mexican 13 Royal Garden 88 Asian/Chinese 13 Rubbie’s Southside Grill & Bar 85 Barbecue 13 Ruby Tuesday 79 Casual Dining 6, 15 The Rudyard Kipling 79 Casual Dining 1 Rumball’s Family Sports Bar 86 Bar & Grill 12 Rumors Raw Oyster Bar 76 Seafood 5 Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse 76 Steakhouse 3 Ryan’s Steakhouse 76 Steakhouse 11 Rye 72 Upscale Casual 1 SaE Café 84 Sandwich/Deli 1 Saffron’s 93 Middle Eastern 1 Safier Mediterranean Deli 93 Middle Eastern 1 Saigon Café 90 Asian/Vietnamese 3 Saigon One 90 Asian/Vietnamese 13 Saint’s 86 Bar & Grill 3 Sake Blue Japanese Bistro 89 Asian/Japanese 11 Sakura Blue 89 Asian/Japanese 3 Sal’s Pizza & Wings 82 Pizza 5 Sala Thai 90 Asian/Thai 11 Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina 96 Southwest/Tex Mex 3, 5 Sam’s Food & Spirits 79 Casual Dining 14 Santa Fe 95 Mexican 16 Santa Fe Grill 95 Mexican 13 Sapporo Japanese Grill 89 Asian/Japanese 1, 2 Sari Sari Filipino Cuisine 88 Asian/Filipino 2 Sato’s Zen Sushi & Sake 89 Asian/Japanese 3 Schlotzsky’s Deli 84 Sandwich/Deli 8 Scotty’s Ribs & More 85 Barbecue 5 Scotty’s Village Market 84 Sandwich/Deli 8 Selena’s at Willow Lake Tavern 94 Cajun/Creole 5 Senor Iguana’s 95 Mexican 5, 6, 13, 15 Sergio’s World Beers 86 Bar & Grill 2 Seviche A Latin Restaurant 68 Fine Dining 2 Shack In The Back BBQ 85 Barbecue 13 Shady Lane Café 84 Sandwich/Deli 7 Shah’s Mongolian Grill 90 Asian/Mongolian 6, 13 Shalimar Indian 93 Indian 6 Shane’s Rib Shack 85 Barbecue 7 Shanghai Restaurant 88 Asian/Chinese 1 Shenanigan’s Irish Grille 91 European/Irish 2 Sherry’s Corner Café 75 Cafés 16 Shiraz Mediterranean Grill 94 Middle Eastern 2, 5, 7, 13 Shirley Mae’s Café 81 Home Style/Southern 1 Shogun 89 Asian/Japanese 6, 8 Shoney’s 79 Casual Dining 2,5,13 Sichuan Garden 88 Asian/Chinese 6 Sicilian Pizza & Pasta 82 Pizza 1 The Silver Dollar 74 Bistro/Contemporary 2 Simply Thai 90 Asian/Thai 3, 5 Sir Dano’s Pizza Parlor 82 Pizza 15 Sister Bean’s 97 Coffee/Tea House 13 Sitar Indian Restaurant 93 Indian 2 Skyline Chili 79 Casual Dining 2, 3, 6, 12 Smashburger 79 Casual Dining 1, 5 Smokehouse BBQ 85 Barbecue 11 Smoketown USA 85 Barbecue 1 Smokey Bones BBQ 85 Barbecue 6 Smokey’s Bean 97 Coffee/Tea House 13

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Snappy Tomato 82 Pizza 8 Sol Aztecas 95 Mexican 1, 2 Sonoma Coffee Café 97 Coffee/Tea House 2 Soora Korean Restaurant 89 Asian/Korean 8 Soupy’s 84 Sandwich/Deli 4 Spaghetti Shop 92 European/Italian 11, 14 Spinelli’s Pizzeria 82 Pizza 1, 2, 3, 8 Sporting News Grill 86 Bar & Grill 13 The Sports & Social Club 86 Bar & Grill 1 Spring St. Bar & Grill 86 Bar & Grill 2 The St. Charles Exchange 77 Steakhouse 1 Starbucks Coffee 97 Coffee/Tea House [35] Starving Artist Café 84 Sandwich/Deli 5 Steak N Shake 79 Casual Dining4,6,8,13,12,15 Stevens & Stevens Deli 84 Sandwich/Deli 2 Steve-O’s Italian Kitchen 92 European/Italian 7 Stoney River 77 Steakhouse 8 Stop Lite Café 75 Cafés 1 Straight Out Da Kitchen 94 Caribbean/Cuban 13 Stricker’s Café 76 Cafés 16 Studio Pizza 82 Pizza 15 Sub Station II 84 Sandwich/Deli 13 Sugar & Spice Donut Shop 97 Desserts/Bakery 11 Sully’s Saloon 86 Bar & Grill 1 Sunergos Coffee 97 Coffee/Tea House 1, 13 SuperChef’s Breakfast 79 Casual Dining 2 Sway 72 Casual Dining 1 Sweet Stuff Bakery 97 Desserts/Bakery 14 Sweet Surrender 97 Desserts/Bakery 2 Sweets & Such Bakery 97 Desserts/Bakery 12 Taco Punk 79 Casual Dining 1 Taco Tico 95 Mexican 12 Tacqueria La Mexicana 95 Mexican 13 Taj Palace 93 Indian 8 Take Out To The River 76 Cafés 10 Tambayan Filipino Restaurant 88 Asian/Filipino 11 TanThai Restaurant 90 Asian/Thai 14 Tazza Mia 97 Coffee/Tea House 6 TC’s Sandwich Shoppe 84 Sandwich/Deli 1 Tea Station Chinese Bistro 88 Asian/Chinese 8 Texas Roadhouse 77 Steakhouse 2, 12, 13, 15 Texicans BBQ Pit 85 Barbecue 7 TGI Friday’s 79 Casual Dining 1 Thai Café 90 Asian/Thai 7 Thai Orchids 90 Asian/Thai 6 Thai Siam 90 Asian/Thai 4 Thai Smile 5 90 Asian/Thai 13 Thai Taste 90 Asian/Thai 2 The Back Door 86 Bar & Grill 2 The Café 76 Cafés 1 The Cheddar Box 76 Cafés 3 The Cheddar Box Too 76 Cafés 3 Thornberry’s Deli & Pies 84 Sandwich/Deli 13 Tin Roof 86 Bar & Grill 3 Toast On Market 79 Casual Dining 1, 14 Tokyo Japanese 89 Asian/Japanese 7 Tom + Chee 84 Sandwich/Deli 2 Tomo 89 Asian/Japanese 14 Tony Impellizzeri’s 82 Pizza 14 Trailside Café 97 Coffee/Tea House 5 Troll Pub Under The Bridge 86 Bar & Grill 1 Tucker’s 79 Casual Dining 14 Tumbleweed 96 Southwest/Tex Mex 1,2,4,6,8,12,13,14,15,16 Tuscany Italian Restaurant 92 European/Italian 13 Twig & Leaf Restaurant 80 Casual Dining 2 Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint 82 Pizza 2 Uptown Café 72 Upscale Casual 7 Varanese 72 Upscale Casual 2 Verbana Café 76 Cafés 8 Vic’s Café 86 Bar & Grill 14 Vietnam Kitchen 90 Asian/Vietnamese 13 Village Anchor Pub & Roost 74 Bistro/Contemporary 5 Vincenzo’s 68 Fine Dining 1 Vint Coffee 97 Coffee/Tea House 1,2,3,7 Vito’s Pizza 83 Pizza 13 Volare 92 European/Italian 2 W.W. Cousin’s 84 Sandwich/Deli 3 Wagner’s Pharmacy 81 Home Style/Southern 13 Wall Street Deli 84 Sandwich/Deli 1 Wasabiya Japanese Rest. 89 Asian/Japanese 2 Webb’s Market 81 Home Style/Southern 1 Wick’s Pizza 83 Pizza 2, 5, 6, 8, 14 Wild Eggs 76 Cafés 3, 5 Wild Ginger Sushi & Fusion 89 Asian/Japanese 2 William’s Bakery 97 Desserts/Bakery 15 Wiltshire On Market 72 Upscale Casual 1 The Wing Zone 80 Casual Dining 13 Wingstop 86 Bar & Grill 12 Winston’s 69 Fine Dining 4 Wok Express 88 Asian/Chinese 1 Wolfgang Puck Express 76 Cafés 1 Wonton Express 88 Asian/Chinese 4 Yaching’s East West Cuisine 72 Upscale Casual 1 Yafa Café 76 Cafés 1, 13 Yang Kee Noodle 88 Asian/Chinese 5 Yellow Cactus 96 Mexican 14 Yen Ching 88 Asian/Chinese 6 You-Carryout-A 88 Asian/Chinese 15, 16 Za’s Pizza 83 Pizza 2 Zanzabar 87 Bar & Grill 13 Zaxby’s 80 Casual Dining 5, 16 Zaytun Mediterranean Grill 94 Middle Eastern 2 Zen Garden 90 Asian/Vietnamese 2 ZiaLaLa Café 76 Cafés 5 Zoe’s Kitchen 94 Middle Eastern 1, 8 Zoup!

84 Sandwich/Deli 1 Z’s Oyster Bar 69 Fine Dining 5 www.facebook.com/foodanddine Fall 2012 67

GUIDE KEY Average Entrée Price:

$$ = under $8 $$$$ = $15-$20 $$ = $9-$14 $$$$ = $21 & up RED = Advertiser B = Breakfast Br = Brunch L = Lunch D = Dinner

h = Late Night

p = Full Bar

OPEN PAST 10 P.M.

f = Outdoor Dining e = Live Music

ALL RESTAURANTS ARE LOCATED IN LOUISVILLE (unless noted otherwise).

All phone numbers are local calls. When out of the area, use area code 502 for all listings except Indiana, use 812.

211 CLOVER LANE RESTAURANT 211 Clover Ln. 896-9570. This stylish spot in St. Matthews continues to rank among the city’s top tables. Ownermanager Andrew Smith and long time Chef Troy Schuster have burnished the upscale atmosphere and creative menu, moving 211 Clover Lane to a destination dining spot. $$$$ Br L D pf 610 MAGNOLIA 610 Magnolia Ave., 636-0783. Chef Edward Lee’s creative international prix fixe menu has kept this elegantly comfortable Old Louisville restaurant a top table for more than 25 years. His monthly family style pasta and bistro dinners across the street in the Wine Studio give diners a way to appreciate his skills at a lower price point. $$$$ D pf BUCK’S 425 W. Ormsby Ave., 637-5284. Elegant but not overstated, this fine dining room in the Mayflower Apartments has been quietly serving high-style lunches and dinners for more than two decades.

The quality of food and service remains high, and Rick Bartlett continues his long tenure at the piano. $$$ L D hpfe CORBETT’S ‘AN AMERICAN PLACE’ 5050 Norton Healthcare Blvd., 327-5058. Dean Corbett, longtime

Dine with the natives Support our local flavor during Bourbon Heritage Month September 2012 Asiatique August Moon Chinese Bistro Baxter Station Bar & Grill Bistro 301 Bistro Le Relais Bluegrass Brewing Co. - St. Matthews Bluegrass Brewing Co. - Arena Bluegrass Brewing Co. - Theater Square Bristol Bar & Grille - Highlands Bristol Bar & Grille - Jeffersonville, IN Bristol Bar & Grille - Hurstbourne Bristol Bar & Grille - Downtown Bristol Bar & Grille - Prospect Buck’s Restaurant & Bar Café Lou Lou - Highlands Café Lou Lou - St. Matthews Come Back Inn Cumberland Brews De La Torre’s / La Bodega

Equus / Jack’s Bar Hiko-A-Mon Irish Rover, Too Lilly’s Bistro Limestone Restaurant Mayan Café Meridian Café Napa River Grill North End Café - Crescent Hill North End Café - Highlands Palermo Viejo RIVUE Restaurant & Lounge Seviche Sweet Surrender The Irish Rover Uptown Café Vincenzo’s Winston’s Restaurant at Sullivan University

LouisvilleOriginals.com 68 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

fixture on the Louisville dining scene, went all-out with his East End destination. Housed in the stunning former Von Allmen mansion, Corbett’s kitchen is state of the art, the dining room amenities include a chef’s table with closed circuit TV connection to the kitchen, and his menu has been earning raves. Worth the trip and the price. $$$$ L D hpf ENGLISH GRILL 335 W. Broadway (The Brown Hotel), 583-1234. This landmark, formal dining room is firing on all cylinders under Chef Laurent Geroli, who brings an international sophistication to the menu, and a wider exploration of cuisines with occasional special wine dinners. We recommend booking the chef’s table for an especially memorable evening. $$$ D p JACK BINION’S STEAKHOUSE Horseshoe Casino Hotel, Elizabeth, IN, 888-766-2648. Housed in the Horseshoe Casino, Jack Binion’s, a stylish, upscale place, is no gamble for hearty dining. A traditional steakhouse, but one that aims high: top quality meat, impeccable service, a high-roller’s ambience. $$$$ D hp JACK FRY’S 1007 Bardstown Rd., 452-9244. Good times or bad, weeknights or weekends, this Louisville institution — the remnant of a 1930s saloon — is always crowded and buzzing. Stephanie Meeks has taken over from long-time owner Susan Seiler, but the upscale bistro fare, like shrimp and grits and spicy fried oysters, is as good as ever. $$$$ L D hpe LILLY’S 1147 Bardstown Rd., 451-0447. A Louisville institution for more than a quarter-century, Lilly’s, under much heralded owner-chef Kathy Cary, continues to be as fresh as the locally-sourced foods she features on her Kentucky-accented menus. Her frequent special wine dinners are among the more affordable and creative in the area. $$$$ Br L D p LIMESTONE 10001 Forest Green Blvd., 426-7477. Chef Jim Gerhardt has established a stylish and elegant dining experience in the East End. Seasonal theme dinners and the Feed Me Chef ad hoc dinners offer special values. $$$$ L D hpf MOZZ MOZZARELLA BAR & ENOTECA 445 E. Market St., 690-6699. Matthew Antonovich alumnus of Casa Grasanti’s, has energized this corner space on the edge of NuLu. Choose your dining locale:the fresh mozzarella bar, the upscale enoteca section emphasizing “rustic earth-to-table eating,” or the trendy NuLu East Market Lounge. $$$ D hpe THE OAKROOM 500 S. Fourth St. (Seelbach Hotel), 585-3200. Executive Chef Jim Gerhardt (who also operates Limestone in the East End) continues to make the Oakroom worthy of its AAA fivediamond designation. The menu is refined but lively, melding local produce and specialty items like spoonfish caviar with classic continental cuisine. $$$$ Br D pe RIVUE 140 N. Fourth St., (Galt House Hotel) 568-4239.

The sleek black and white modern decor, slowly spinning to give a panorama of the city, brings to mind an old Fred Astaire movie. Chef Brian Riddle’s menu, with a local emphasis and upscale flourishes, adds another top hotel dining experience to the city. $$$ Br D hp SEVICHE A LATIN RESTAURANT 1538 Bardstown Rd., 473-8560. Featured on the menu is seviche, the Latino seafood dish “cooked” in tart citrus juices, but Chef Anthony Lamas’ menu offers a broad, eclectic range of Latin American dishes.

Lamas has recently been getting national notice in Esquire and on TV’s “Extreme Chef,” and with the renovation and expansion of the restaurant now complete, he is setting a new standard of cool for the Bardstown Road eating scene. $$$$ D hpf VINCENZO’S 150 S. Fifth St., 580-1350. Known for its suave professional service, high-end Northern Italian fare and many trademark dishes finished at tableside, Vincenzo’s continues to hold its own against growing downtown competition. $$$$ L D hpe

RED = Advertiser B = Breakfast Br = Brunch L = Lunch D = Dinner

WINSTON’S RESTAURANT 3101 Bardstown Rd., (Sullivan University Campus), 456-0980. Higher education meets higher cuisine at this elegant oncampus restaurant staffed by Sullivan culinary arts students. But this is no college lab; it’s an attractive and stylish restaurant. Chef John Castro runs the staff through its paces guaranteeing that while students are learning their craft, your dinner will ace the test. Open Fri. - Sun. only. Reservations suggested. $$$$ Br L D p Z’S OYSTER BAR & STEAKHOUSE 101 Whittington Pkwy., 429-8000, 115 S. Fourth St., 855-8000. The successful upscale steak and oyster concept that has worked so well in the Hurstbourne suburbs is now also the theme at Z’s sleek downtown venue.

Splendid steaks, extraordinary seafood, fine service and clubby ambience will give visitors another center-city choice. $$$$ L D hp

The Perfect Location for Every Occasion

60 WEST BISTRO & MARTINI BAR 3939 Shelbyville Rd., 719-9717. 60 West combines a comfortable dining room with a large, friendly bar offering an imposing list of martinis and martini-style cocktails.

The menu offers fairly priced Contemporary American bistro fare. $$$ D hfe ASIATIQUE 1767 Bardstown Rd., 451-2749. Fifteen years ago Chef Peng Looi introduced Louisville diners to pan-Asian Pacific Rim fusion cuisine. In his sophisticated, multi-level, Bardstown Road restaurant he continues to offer clean, simple, elegant dishes that present often startling flavor combinations. His wok-seared salmon has long been a local favorite. $$$ Br D hpf AUSTIN’S 4950 U.S. 42, 423-1990. Big, crowded and bistro-style, with heavy emphasis on the bar, this suburban watering hole taps the same vein as the national franchise booze ’n’ beef genre, and does so well, offering satisfying dining at a fair price. $$ Br L D p

KENTUCKY’S Y’S FIRST AND ONLY AAA FIVE DIAMOND AWARD RESTAURANT

Located in

500 South Fourth Street www.TheOakroomLouisville.com (502) 807-DINE

BASA MODERN VIETNAMESE 2244 Frankfort Ave., 896-1016. Chef Michael Ton brought a new style of Asian fusion cuisine to Louisville, playing entertaining riffs off Vietnamese cooking, with daring choices like caramelized catfish claypot and tamarind-sriracha gelato. $$$ D hp BLACKSTONE GRILLE 9521 U.S. 42, 228-6962.

Longtime restaurateur Rick Dissell, formerly of Rick’s Ferrari Grille, continues to please his many fans at his latest restaurant in the Prospect Center.

The menu offers sandwiches and an array of bistro entrées — pasta, seafood, beef and chicken, including Rick’s fried chicken livers and “light” fried chicken. $$$ Br D pf THE BLIND PIG 1076 E. Washington St., 618-0600.

(See listing under Bistro/Contemporary.)

BLU ITALIAN MEDITERRANEAN GRILLE 280 W. Jefferson St. (Louisville Marriott), 627-5045. BLU offers upscale Italian Mediterranean cuisine in striking surroundings highlighted by Mexican limestone and Italian marble. For those seeking a relaxing libation and a quicker snack, the Bar at BLU offers a more casual alternative. $$$ B Br L D pe BRAVO! 206 Bullitt Ln. (Oxmoor Center), 326-0491.

Management describes the Ohio-based Bravo! chain as “a fun, white-tablecloth casual eatery … positioned between the fine-dining and casual chains.” A Romanruin setting houses abundant Italian-American style fare. We particularly enjoyed appetizers and firstrate grilled meats. $$ Br L D hpf BRISTOL BAR & GRILLE 1321 Bardstown Rd., 4561702, 300 N. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 426-0627, 614 W. Main St., 582-1995, 6051 Timber Ridge Dr., 292-2585, 2035 S. Third St., 634-2723, 700 W. Riverside Dr., Jeffersonville, IN, 218-1995. A cornerstone of Louisville’s restaurant Renaissance, The Bristol started three decades ago on Bardstown Road. Now with six venues

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around town, diners can always find dependable pub grub, eclectic entrées, and evergreen standards like the green-chile won tons and the Bristol Burger. F&D columnist Scott Harper has crafted an exceptional wine selection. $$ Br L D hpf CAVIAR JAPANESE RESTAURANT 416 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd., 625-3090. Sammy Sa, the genial host of the Fuji restaurants in the East End, also pleases downtown diners with this stylish Japanese eatery next door to the Seelbach Hotel. Eat at the sushi bar, choose a comfortable table or reserve the traditional Japanesestyle Tatami Room for your group. $$$ L D hp CHARR’D BOURBON KITCHEN & LOUNGE 1903 Embassy Square Blvd. (Marriott Louisville East), 4911184. The restaurant in the Jeffersontown Marriott plays up its Bourbon theme on the menu divisions (“10 minute White Dog” lunch choices, “Bourbon Kitchen Favorites,” “Bootlegger Burger Bar” and so on) but in addition you will find some interesting outliers: fish tacos, a turkey burger, truffle mac and cheese and hot water cornbread. The Bourbon selection is impressive and includes more than 75 offerings of Kentucky’s finest. $$$ Br L D hp THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY 5000 Shelbyville Rd., (Mall St. Matthews) 897-3933. “Cheesecake” is its name, and this glitzy shopping-mall eatery offers a wide variety of rich, calorific choices to eat in or take out. It’s more than just cheesecake, though, with a wide-ranging menu of California, Southwestern and Pacific Rim fare plus full bar service. $$$ Br L D hpf CORNER CAFÉ 9307 New Lagrange Rd., 426-8119.

There’s nothing fancy or overly elegant about this suburban neighborhood old favorite, but the term “eclectic” fits it well. $$$ L D hp DECCA 812 E. Market St., 749-8128. San Francisco chefs Annie Pettry and Loretta Keller bring their talents and a Bay-area vibe to Louisville. Making its home in a massive but intimate 1870s era building in the thriving NuLu area, with several well-tailored dining areas and outdoor spaces. The upscale cuisine features well-crafted “modern American” cuisine with Pacific Rim influences. $$$$ D hpfe DOC CROW’S 127 W. Main St., 587-1626. Doc Crow’s solidly anchors the dining choices on Whiskey Row. Oysters from both coasts, raw and fried, fried green tomatoes, pork rinds, shrimp and grits, all served in a handsome renovation of one of Main Street’s classic cast-iron front buildings. $$ L D hp EQUUS 122 Sears Ave., 897-9721. With the newish Corbett’s in the East End hitting on all cylinders, veteran Chef Dean Corbett has returned to his flagship St. Matthews restaurant, redesigning the room for a more casual atmosphere, and refocusing the menu on comfort foods, with no entrée over $19. Though the prices are lower, we don’t expect the quality of fare to follow suit. $$$ D p GARY’S ON SPRING 204 Spring St., 584-5533. Chef Harold Baker has been at the helm of this Irish Hill upscale casual spot since the start about a year ago. His menu features appetizers such as a baby Hot Brown and chicken fritters with red chili sauce, a buffalo mozzarella salad, bison ribeye, Bourbon Street scallops and eggplant napoleon. $$$ D phpfe HARVEST 624 E. Market St., 384-9090. Agricultural entrepreneur Ivor Chodkowski’s venture into the restaurant world focuses on locally sourced foods (Chodkowski and Chef Coby Ming are shooting for 80% from within 100 mile radius), which limits the fish selection, but increases diners’ awareness of how much local food producers can do. Dishes such as smoked goat cheese ravioli and buttermilk fried chicken with arugula hoecake show what they have in mind. $$$ Br L D hpf HAWKSVIEW GALLERY AND CAFÉ 170 Carter Ave., Shepherdsville, KY, 955-1010. In this “American bistro with a Southern twist,” diners eat 70 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

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amidst a gallery of hand-crafted glass art. Daily specials are inspired by world cuisines and the “confectionary artist” creates sweets like Linzer tortes and extreme turtle cheesecake. Watch glass being blown as you dine. $$ Br L D e HENRY’S PLACE 4863 Brownsboro Ctr., 690-6586.

Named for reputed gourmand Henry Watterson, this new East End, Euro-inspired brigade de cuisine restaurant offers affordable upscale dining in surroundings of “sophisticated retro Mad Men ‘60s” decor. The eclectic menu offers choices such as Wagyu beef carpaccio, seared ahi tuna with fennel slaw, chicken ballotine and cioppino. Chef and co-owner Charles Reed even uses double-yolk duck eggs in his house-made pasta for added richness and color. $$$$$ D p INTERMEZZO CAFÉ & CABARET 316 W. Main St., (Actors Theatre) 561-3344. The elegant restaurant space in Actors Theatre of Louisville’s historic building features casual American bistro fare in an attractive dining room, plus nightly entertainment in a cabaret style. $$$ D p J. ALEXANDER’S RESTAURANT 102 Oxmoor Court, 339-2206. This comfortably upscale venue, a Nashville-based chain, features “contemporary American” fare with a broad menu that ranges from burgers and sandwiches to such upscale eats as grilled tuna or a New York strip steak. $$$ D hp J. HARROD’S 7507 Upper River Rd., 228-4555. J. Harrod’s is discreetly tasteful and pleasantly comfortable. The food is competitive in both quality and value. It’s an appealing, upscale blend of bistro fare and old-fashioned country cooking. $$$ D p JOHN E’S 3708 Bardstown Rd., 456-1111. Thirty years of framed Derby programs and winning tickets line the walls. But you don’t have to place a bet to enjoy this rambling Buechel restaurant. The Porterhouse steak tastes good in the Bob Baffert Room whether or not your horse came in. $$$$ Br L D pfe KT’S 2300 Lexington Rd., 458-8888. It’s hard to argue with success, and KT’s has earned its popularity by providing good American-style bar and bistro chow for a price that’s fair. $$ Br L D hpf MAKER’S MARK BOURBON HOUSE & LOUNGE 446 S. Fourth St., (Fourth Street Live) 568-9009.

Kentucky’s Maker’s Mark Distillery lends its name and its signature red-wax image to this stylish restaurant and lounge in the booming downtown entertainment complex. A magisterial bar features more than 60 Bourbons, and the menu offers traditional Kentucky fare. $$$$ L D hpf MELTING POT 2045 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 491-3125.

This Florida-based chain brings back pleasant memories of fondue parties of the ’70s. If you can melt it and dip things in it, the Melting Pot probably has it on the menu. $$$ D hp NAPA RIVER GRILL 1211 Herr Ln., 893-0141. Inno vative wine-country cuisine, excellent service and fine California-focused wine collection can be found in the stylish quarters of this popular East End restaurant. With an expanded menu serving both lunch and dinner, it’s become one of the anchors of trendy Westport Village center. $$$ L D hpf NULU EAST MARKET LOUNGE 445 E. Market St., 690-6699. This supper club with a piano bar in the lounge and an octagonal “culinary theatre” complete with mozzarella-making stations, a gelato freezer and a Champagne and caviar bar adds even more pizzazz to trendy Mozz. $$$ D hpe OLD STONE INN 6905 Shelbyville Rd., Simpsonville, KY, (502) 722-8200. For many years diners have happily driven out to Simpsonville to enjoy both the historic building and the traditional Kentucky menu of this dining institution. Those in the know order the fried chicken and country ham. $$$ Br L D pfe P.F. CHANG’S CHINA BISTRO 9120 Shelbyville Rd., 327-7707. This Arizona-based, Chinese themed

DINNER MENU CHANGES WEEKLY www.WiltshireOnMarket.com Evenings Thursday thru Sunday at 636 East Market Street Unique accommodations for private events.

Reservations encouraged | 502.589.5224

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restaurant offers a loud, happy scene with Chinesestyle dishes. To its credit, everything is prepared well and service is consistently fine. $$$ L D hpf PROOF ON MAIN 702 W. Main St., (21c Hotel) 2176360. Founding executive chef Michael Paley turns the reins over to Levon Wallace as Paley heads to Cincinnati to start a new 21C Hotel restaurant. The commitment to using local products as much as possible will remain as the new man at the helm finds his focus. $$$ Br L D hpf RYE 900 E. Market St., 749-6200. After a long apprenticeship in the New York restaurant world, Michael Trager-Kusman has returned to his hometown where he and his partner, Aaron Yarmuth, have invested in the renovation of the old Hausmann Jeep Eagle building on far east Market St. Operating the restaurant is front-of-the-house manager Erin McDonald, who came from Chicago, and Chef Tyler Morris, a veteran of The Breslin in New York. $$ L D hpf SWAY 320 W. Jefferson St. (Hyatt Regency), 587-3434.

After a $5.8 million renovation, the Hyatt Regency, long without a signature competitive restaurant, is now back in the game, with one of the handsomest dining spaces around. The menu is based on the “Southern Way,” from whence comes the name Sway, which is an emphasis on fresh seasonal food with local sourcing whenever possible. The bar area opens onto Fourth Street, for superior people-watching. $$$ B L D hpf UPTOWN CAFÉ 1624 Bardstown Rd., 458-4212.

Anchoring a hot corner in the Highlands for two decades now, the Uptown continues to be a popular lunch and dining destination, with its excellent bistro fare, and always appealing dessert selections. $$$ L D hpf VARANESE 2106 Frankfort Ave., 899-9904. Chef John Varanese has made even old-timers forget that this stylish venue was once a gas station. With a slate interior waterfall and a front wall that folds open in good weather, the dining room is as interesting as the lively, international seasonal menu. Live jazz, contemporary art and urban style complete the mood. $$$ D hpfe VOLARE 2300 Frankfort Ave., 894-4446. (See review under European/Italian.)

WILTSHIRE ON MARKET 636 E. Market St., 5895224. Understated elegance and creative dishes characterize this NuLu restaurant. Owner Susan Hershberg set the benchmark for fine catering in Louisville with Wiltshire Pantry, which she continues here with her finely crafted small plates menu that changes weekly to showcase the best seasonal ingredients. Open Thur. - Sat. only. Reservations suggested. $$ D pf YACHING’S EAST WEST CUISINE 105 S. Fourth St., 585-4005. Yaching’s promises “an eclectic menu of contemporary Asian fusion cuisine.” It’s an attractive mix of East and West, sufficient to give just about everyone something to enjoy, regardless of which compass point attracts your taste buds. $$$ L D hp

A.P. CRAFTERS KITCHEN & BAR 1321 Herr Ln., 690-5000. Tony Palombino stretches beyond his gourmet pizza with this bold venture in Westport Village. The decor echoes the place’s name, with floor to ceiling shelving stocked with vintage cookware, distillery and brewer’s supplies. The menu concept is Euro gastropub, with upscale comfort food, craft beers and “Prohibition-style” cocktails. $$ L D hpf ATRIUM CAFÉ 9940 Corporate Campus Dr. (Embassy Suites), 426-9191. An eclectic bistro atmosphere in the heart of the hotel. Specials run from their popular crab cakes and array of pasta dishes to a Reuben sandwich or fruit pie. $$ B L D hp 72 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

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BAXTER STATION BAR & GRILL 1201 Payne St., 5841635. The corner bar with the railroad theme is also an ambitious restaurant, known for surprises like Cajun linguini with andouille sausage, homemade desserts (from pastry chef Amy Berry) and lunchtime “steam table” plates. Take particular note of an impressive beer list to go with your meal. $$ L D pf BISTRO 301 301 W. Market St., 584-8337. Quality contemporary American cuisine in a stylish environment makes Bistro 301 a reasonable alternative when you’re looking for upscale-casual dining downtown. $$$ L D pf THE BLIND PIG 1076 E. Washington St., 618-0600.

A popular hangout since its opening, this Euro-style gastropub’s menu focuses on French country cooking, house-made sausages and charcuterie, served in a casual but sophisticated atmosphere in a late-19th century building in Butchertown. After dinner, pop upstairs to the trendy Meat, one of Louisville’s top nightspots. $$ Br L D hpe BOURBONS BISTRO 2255 Frankfort Ave., 894-8838.

It’s a comfortably upscale-casual restaurant, featuring the works of French-trained chef Michael Crouch.

No, it’s a great bar, with what must be the world’s most comprehensive Bourbon list. Actually, this Crescent Hill favorite is both, and the bill of fare is wellmatched with the excellence of its libations. Don’t miss the duck confit strudel appetizer. $$$ D pf BRIX WINE BAR 12418 La Grange Rd., 243-1120.

The use of an exceptionally obscure wine term (it’s pronounced “bricks” and refers to the sugar content of ripe grapes at harvest) hints that the proprietors of this wine bar know their vino. Interesting wines and a short bistro-style menu make it a welcome suburban alternative. $$ D hpe CAFÉ LOU LOU 106 Sears Ave, 893-7776, 2216 Dundee Rd., 459-9566. This popular spot wins critical raves and packs in crowds. Owner-Chef Clay Wallace is comfortable with his international bill of fare and laissez les bon temps rouler mood. A second location in the Douglass Loop is drawing equally-pleased crowds. $$ Br L D hp CAFFE CLASSICO 2144 Frankfort Ave., 895-0076. At first a coffee bar, but over the years the classy space at Clifton and Frankfort has matured into an elegant bistro serving an eclectic menu — salmon croquettes with wasabi aioli, empanadas, an international array of salads, panini, bocadillos and pizzas. A stylish place for lunch, or a hip stop for a late-night supper. $$ B L D fe DISH ON MARKET 434 W. Market St., 315-0669.

Former Asiatique bar manager Anderson Grissom has stepped into the venerable lawyers’ lunch space on Market Street, renovating the kitchen and some interior space of the old Delta Restaurant into a somewhat upscale spot now open breakfast through dinner. $ B Br L D pf DITTO’S GRILL 1114 Bardstown Rd., 581-9129.

This informally whimsical Highlands space masks the work of classically trained owner-chefs Dominic Serratore and Frank Yang. Sure, take note of the fanciful artwork adorning the exposed brick walls and the gargoyles in the ceiling. But don’t overlook Serratore’s “gourmet casual” menu of New England crab cakes, fanciful salads and Sunday brunch egg dishes. $$ Br L D hpf FOUR PEGS BEER LOUNGE 1053 Goss Ave., 6341447. Taking over the space vacated by the Germantown Pub, Four Pegs offers craft beer at approachable prices, as well as well-priced pub grub such as a chicken and waffle sandwich and a pork chop sandwich served with a Granny Smith apple slaw.

Chef Matt Flink, formerly of Browning’s, helms the kitchen here. $ D h HAMMERHEADS 921 Swan St., 365-1112. Two veterans of the upscale kitchens along Bardstown Road have taken over the old Swan Dive space, and patrons of the previous vegan haunt are quickly

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becoming fans. Vegetarian selections such as crispy mushroom medley and veggie tacos join interesting oddities like duck sliders and bacon plantain croquetas. Also pulled pork and brisket, crab cakes, and a reasonable beer selection. $ D h HARD ROCK CAFÉ 424 S. Fourth St. (Fourth Street Live), 568-2202. Louisville’s Fourth Street Live echoes with a bang amid hammering guitars and happy throngs at the local branch of this popular shrine to rock. The music scene is the draw, but you’ll have no complaints about Hard Rock’s standard American cuisine. $$ L D hpfe HOLY GRALE 1034 Bardstown Rd., 459-9939. The owners of the Louisville Beer Store have converted a former church to a beer pub and restaurant. Twenty taps offer a rotating choice of international brews, and an eclectic menu offers Belgian fritjes, pretzels and beer cheese, tacos and crostini. $ L D he JACK’S LOUNGE 122 Sears Ave., 897-9026. A sophisticated, elegant bar associated with the Equus restaurant next door, Jack’s offers a short but excellent menu featuring appetizers and light bites, along with a drinks list beyond reproach. $ D pf

lasagna. Live music most every Friday and Saturday night. $$ L D he RIVER CITY WINERY 321 Pearl St., New Albany IN, 945-9463. Ten of owners Gary and Melissa Humphrey’s wines medaled in the June 2011 Indy International Wine Competition. Their honest, straightforward wines and Italian-inspired menu, featuring brink-oven pizzas, draw appreciative crowds. Don’t miss the crab cakes with black-eyed pea salsa. $$ Br L D e THE SILVER DOLLAR 1761 Frankfort Ave., 259-9540.

The old firehouse in Clifton is now a honky tonk bar and restaurant, the music (all on vinyl) focused on the “Bakersfield sound” — a fusion of Mexicali and American roots music. The southern country-style menu with sophisticated nuances has been an immediate hit. Choose from more than 80 Kentucky Bourbons, ryes, tequila and mescal, but no “foreign whiskey” like Scotch or vodka. $$ Br L D hpf

BUTTERFLY GARDEN CAFÉ 1327 Bardstown Rd., 456-4500, 4600 Shelbyville Rd., 895-1474. Both locations of this long-time ladies’ lunch favorite, in an attractive old-house on Bardstown Road and inside Dolfinger’s in St. Matthews, offer interesting, pleasant lunch fare, with very appealing dessert choices. $$ L CAFÉ FRAICHE 3642 Brownsboro Rd., 894-8929.

Cuisine from around the world is featured at this East End neighborhood café, featuring homemade soups, breads and a variety of entrées on a seasonally changing menu. $ B L

MARKETPLACE RESTAURANT 651 S. Fourth St., 625-3001. Up front in the old Kentucky Theater is a deli and gourmet grocery. Behind the circular bar is the serene dining room, with a central hearth, and beyond that, a large enclosed patio. Chef Dallas McGarity’s seasonal menu cleverly fuses culinary concepts: crawfish arancini, duck confit ragout and curry-seared scallops, for instance. $$ L D hpf

CAFÉ MONTAGU 1930 Bishop Ln., 451-6357. This breakfast and lunch place provides breakfasts and lunches mainly to the denizens of the Watterson Towers office complex. Home-style cooking, daily specials (meatloaf, pastas) and quick service keep the wheels of business rolling. $ B L

THE NA EXCHANGE 3306 Plaza Dr., New Albany, IN, 948-6501. This gastropub continues to be a major player in New Albany’s dining revival with clever but accessible American bistro style food available from lunch to late night. Notable on the menu are bison dishes — burger, nachos (house-made chips with bison chili topping) and skirt steak. $$ L D

CHEDDAR BOX CAFÉ 12121 Shelbyville Rd., 2452622. An attractive — and busy — Middletown lunch spot, owner Michelle Bartholmew serves popular salads, sandwiches and soups, as well as hot entrées such as potato-chip-crusted whitefish, specialty pizzas, and lemon-tarragon chicken with orzo. Pick up some frozen appetizers for your next cocktail party. $ L D f

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RIVER BEND WINERY 120 S. Tenth St., 540-5650.

Watch the winemakers craft 10 varieties of wine from Kentucky-grown grapes and imported juices as you enjoy lunch or dinner in this upscale-casual eatery just west of downtown. The winery serves a full bar-style menu including shrimp cocktail and fried calamari, soups, salads and sandwiches (including a bahn-mi) and entrées such as caramelized sea scallops, Kentucky Bourbon chicken and deep dish 74 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

BLUE DOG BAKERY AND CAFÉ 2868 Frankfort Ave., 899-9800. Still a popular breakfast and lunch spot as well as an artisanal bakery, producing hearty European-style breads that can be found on restaurant tables and in better grocery stores around town. But on Thursday through Saturdays nights, owners Kit Garrett and Bobby Hancock have started tapas service, many small plates featuring pork cured by Hancock from his own heritage pigs (see the blurb at Red Hog Tapas). $$ B L f

BOOMER’S CAFÉ 722 W. Main St., 585-4356. In the midst of the booming West Main Street arts and museum district, this lunch spot offers standard American café fare. $ L

MAJID’S ST. MATTHEWS 3930 Chenoweth Sq., 6182222. Long-time restaurateur and top-notch host Majid Ghavami’s current venture, in the heart of St. Matthews, offers a Mediterranean-American menu.

The wine bar serves small plates, and focuses on American wines and an eclectic list from unusual locations — Lebanon, Israel, Greece and the Balkans. $$$ Br D pfe

RED HOG TAPAS 2868 Frankfort Ave., 899-9800. By day, it’s the Blue Dog Bakery and Café, but on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights it takes on its new identity as a tapas bar, featuring, among other dishes, the cured pork products that coowner Bobby Hancock creates from his own red wattle hogs. A nice beer wine and spirits selection, to go with the fish flautas, catfish brandade and charcuterie. $$ p D hp

AROMA CAFÉ Horseshoe Casino Hotel, Elizabeth IN, 888-766-2648. Grab a bite before hitting the casino.

Sandwiches, salads, sides, cold beverages and coffee will fuel you for a night of entertainment. $ B L D hp

BLUEGRASS CAFÉ 3819 Bardstown Rd., 459-2320.

This little lunch spot in the Derby City Antique Mall in Buechel has a daily hot table buffet line plus a menu of soups, salads and sandwiches. On Sundays it offers a brunch buffet with a choice of breakfast and luncheon dishes. $ Br L

JAZZYBLU 815 W. Market St., 992-3243. The basement space at Glassworks that formerly housed The Jazz Factory is bopping again with regularly scheduled live jazz performances Thurs. - Sun. nights, and southern comfort food style lunch buffets Tues. - Fri. $ L D hpe

RAMSI’S CAFÉ ON THE WORLD 1293 Bardstown Rd., 451-0700. The beating bohemian heart of the Highlands. Ramsi Kamar brings a wonderfully eclectic spirit to the environment and to his menu. Cuban.

Jamaican. Greek. Middle Eastern. Moderate prices, a weekend brunch and late night hours add to the draw. $$ L D hpf

THE ANCHORAGE CAFÉ 11505 Park Rd., 708-1880.

It started as a suburban coffee bar and café offering continental breakfasts and sandwiches. But in no time Anchorage Café has morphed into a premium bakery and Anchorage-area go-to spot for eclectic, farm-to-table meals at lunch and dinner. And it still offers excellent espresso. $ B Br L D f

VILLAGE ANCHOR PUB & ROOST 11507 Park Rd., 708-1850. In the heart of Anchorage at the old train station is this two-level Euro-village inspired concept. On the upper level, a French bistro a la Moulin Rouge with an outdoor terrace. Downstairs at The Sea Hag the ambience is a British pub. The hearty upscale comfort food-style menu is served lunch and dinner with weekend brunch. A short, well-selected wine list and ambitious beer list with more than 50 craft and import choices accompany 55 Bourbons to boot. $$$ Br L D hpf

ALLEY CAT CAFÉ 11804 Shelbyville Rd., 245-6544.

This suburban Alley Cat is a cozy and bright little place, and the lunch-only menu is affordable and appealing. $ L

CITY CAFÉ 505 W. Broadway, 589-1797, 1250 Bardstown Rd., 459-5600, 500 S. Preston St., 852-5739.

Chef Jim Henry, a long-time star in the city’s culinary firmament, brings his cooking skills and insistence on fresh, quality ingredients to these simple, but excellent, spots for lunch. $ L CRAVE CAFÉ & CATERING 2250 Frankfort Ave., 896-1488. Experienced caterers and chefs offer casual but quality café fare in this comfortable old frame house in Clifton. $$ L D CREEKSIDE OUTPOST & CAFÉ 614 Hausfeldt Ln., New Albany IN, 948-9118. The Creekside Outpost warps customers back into the days of general stores and maintains every bit of old fashioned charm.

Serving up buffalo, elk and surprisingly good burgers.

Exotic foods including Shinnecock ice fish, black bear, ostrich and kangaroo (when available) round out an excellent, traveled menu. $$ B L f CRICKET’S CAFÉ 7613 Old Hwy. 60, Sellersburg IN, 246-9339. Offering breakfasts and lunch to local Hoosiers and travelers who take exit 7 off I-65. Full

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breakfasts, omelets, and breakfast sandwiches. A full range of standard lunch sandwiches, with Reubens, Philly steak and cheese, and daily specials.

Homemade soups and salads, too. $ B Br L f DERBY CAFÉ 704 Central Ave., (Kentucky Derby Museum) 634-0858. Lunch served year-round in the dining area adjacent to the Derby Museum with such regional favorites as meaty burgoo, and the Hot Brown. $ L pf EARTH FRIENDS CAFÉ AND COFFEE BAR 3211 Grant Line Rd., New Albany IN, 725-9393. Vegetarians and vegans can find a lot to love here in the sandwich, salad and soup sections of the menu, but they will have to co-exist with carnivores. The menu insists, though, that “all meats [are] produced from humanely raised, grass-fed animals and are produced without added hormones.” $ B Br L ERMIN’S BAKERY & CAFÉ 1201 S. First St., 6356960, 455 S. Fourth St., (Starks Bldg.) 585-5120.

These popular bakeries attract crowds looking for an enjoyable soup and sandwich lunch highlighted

by French-style breads and pastries. $ B L HIGHLAND MORNING 1416 Bardstown Rd., 3653900. You can order breakfast anytime at this Highlands space, with an eclectic menu that also encompasses brunch, burgers, soul food, Southern dishes and vegetarian fare as well. $ B L D h HOME PLATE CAFÉ 400 E. Main St., 618-4205. The former Blue Mountain Coffee House site on the corner of Main and Preston, across from Slugger Field, is serving up salad, soups and sandwiches. $ B L J. GRAHAM’S CAFÉ & BAR 335 W. Broadway (The Brown Hotel), 583-1234. The home of the legendary “Hot Brown” sandwich, J. Graham’s offers a more casual bistro-style alter na tive to the upscale English Grill, with choice of menu service or buffet dining. $$ B L pf KAYROUZ CAFÉ 3801 Willis Ave., 896-2630. Tucked in among St. Matthews sidestreets is one of the best sandwich places in Louisville. The tuna salad, Portobello mushroom Reuben, fish, chicken and hamburger — all are innovative and all come with some of the best fries in town. $ L D f MERIDIAN CAFÉ 112 Meridian Ave., 897-9703. This little lunch spot occupies a cozy old house in St. Matthews. Service is competent and polite, the place is sparkling clean, and the luncheon-style fare is consistently fine. A selection of appetizing breakfast items rounds out a tasty mix. $ B L D f NONNIE’S KITCHEN 11601 Main St., Middletown, 245-4411. Picturesque downtown Middletown needs pleasant places for ladies to lunch, and Nonnie’s Kitchen now occupies the space that once housed Tiffany Cellars Café. A mother-son team from Chicago has hit the ground running, with a menu of soups, salads, sandwiches and desserts that have delighted early adopters. $ L f NORTH END CAFÉ 1722 Frankfort Ave., 896-8770, 2116 Bardstown Rd., 690-4161. Now with a second location in Douglass Loop, folks in the Highlands, as well as Clifton, can enjoy North End’s hearty and unusual breakfast, or satisfying lunches and dinners. With an eclectic menu of diverse tapas and interesting entrées, it’s an appealing, affordable place to dine. $$ B Br L D hpfe QUEUE CAFÉ 220 W. Main St. (LG&E Building), 583-0273. $ B L f RIVERSIDE CAFÉ 700 W. Riverside Dr., Jeffersonville IN (Sheraton Hotel), 284-6711. The breakfast room and bar of the Sheraton Riverside. Breakfast served until 10:30 a.m. Unwind at the bar at night. $$ B pf SHERRY’S CORNER CAFÉ 1051 Market St., Charlestown IN, 256-3722. Breakfast and lunch are served at this archetypical family eatery specializing in fresh, home-style cooking. $ L STOP LITE CAFÉ 1348 River Rd., 584-3746. $ L

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STRICKER’S CAFÉ 2781 Jefferson Centre Way, Jeffersonville IN, 218-9882. Family style restaurant serving hearty soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, melts and breakfast too, in suburban Jeffersonville. $ B L TAKE OUT TO THE RIVER 9550 US Hwy. 42, 3652605. $ L D THE CAFÉ 712 Brent St., 637-6869. You can see the traffic on East Broadway from The Café’s serene walled patio. Choose from an eclectic breakfast and lunch menu, including old favorites like tomato dill soup and chicken salad. Or eat inside and be amused at the yard-sale look of mismatched furniture and chandeliers and doorways to nowhere, reminiscent of its former location in an antique mall. $ B Br L f THE CHEDDAR BOX 3909 Chenoweth Sq., 893-2324.

For more than 25 years this St. Matthews tradition has delighted ladies who lunch, hungry students who munch, and just about everyone else with their sandwiches, pasta salads and tasty desserts. It caters parties with almost 50 choices of appetizers, party sandwiches, dips, cheese rings and crostini. $ L f THE CHEDDAR BOX TOO 109 Chenoweth Ln., 893-2324. Tenant turnover in Chenoweth Square opened up a space for long-time Cheddar Box owner Nancy Tarrant to extend her presence in St. Matthews with a café. Look for the same tasty salads, soups and desserts that have made her takeaway business so popular. $ B L VERBENA CAFÉ 10639 Meeting St., 425-0020.

This Norton Commons eatery is open early for breakfast and serves hearty lunches till midafternoon, but you can order breakfast or lunch at any of those hours. $$ B L f WILD EGGS 3985 Dutchmans Ln., 893-8005, 1311 Herr Ln., 618-2866, 153 S. English Station Rd., 618-3449. Specialty omelets, the everything muffin, spicy egg salad sandwiches — these dishes and more have made Wild Eggs a wildly popular breakfast and lunch spot. Prized seats at weekend brunch can now be found at this growing minichain’s third outlet. $ B Br L p WOLFGANG PUCK EXPRESS 221 S. Fourth St., 562-0983. Bearing the name of the celebrity Austrian chef, this downtown lunch spot in the corner of the convention center offers tasty wraps, sandwiches and soups. $$ L YAFA CAFÉ 22 Theater Sq., 561-0222, 1489 S. Fourth St., 618-4201. $ L D hf ZIALALA CAFÉ 12220 Shelbyville Rd., 713-5803.

The owners, of Venezuelan and Italian backgrounds, tout their Middletown eatery as a “Latin café with a European flair.” The eclectic menu includes arepas, pizzettes (individual thin-crust pizzas), muffuletta, egg salad sandwiches, panini and empanadas with Chilean, Puerto Rican and Jamaican flavors. $ L D f

BONEFISH GRILL 657 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 4124666. This franchise concept from the Floridabased Outback Steakhouse chain offers impressive seafood in a comfortable setting. Add Bonefish to your short list of suburban chain eateries that do the job right. $$$ D hp CLARKSVILLE SEAFOOD 916 Eastern Blvd., Clarksville IN, 283-8588. As the only surviving descendant of Louisville’s old Cape Codder chain, Clarksville Seafood upholds a long and honorable tradition.

The menu is simple — fried fish and fried seafood, served on paper trays — but it is consistently excellent and affordable. $ L D EAGLE LAKE & RESTAURANT 7208 Whipple Rd., 937-7658. If you like to fish, or if you like to eat fish, you’ll likely enjoy Eagle Lake, a simple, downhome eatery in Southwestern Jefferson County.

Seafood is the specialty. Fishermen will enjoy their stocked pay-to-fish lake. Note though, it’s not possible to have your catch fried for dinner. $$ L D f 76 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

FISH-FRY HOUSE 2280 Bardstown Rd., 632-2583.

The owners of Sharom’s and Zaytun have opened a new fish house, serving up the crisp, fresh fried seafood that made Sharom’s an Okolona favorite. $$ L D hp

such a popular nerve that he opened two more locations on the Kentucky side of the river. The ambience of all his places is upscale with “no peanuts on the floor, antlers on the wall or country music,” Rader promises. $$$ D hpf

THE FISH HOUSE 1310 Winter Ave., 568-2993.

Louisville is as overflowing as a well-stocked lake with fish-sandwich houses, and The Fish House is right up there with the best. Crisp breading laced with black pepper is the signature of Green River fried fish from Western Kentucky. $ Br L D f

DEL FRISCO’S 4107 Oechsli Ave., 897-7077. Loyal Louisville beefeaters continue to fill up this 28year-old St. Matthews steakhouse, with its brick walls and beamed ceilings. Any red meat enthusiast would know to order the filet or Porterhouse, but only regulars know the glories of something called green phunque. $$$$ D hp

THE FISHERY 3624 Lexington Rd., 895-1188, 11519 Shelbyville Rd., 409-4296. The original fried-fish eatery in a neighborhood that’s now awash with them, The Fishery remains justly popular for its quick, sizzling hot and affordable fish and seafood meals. $ L D f FISHERY STATION 5610 Outer Loop, 968-8363. $$ LD HILL STREET FISH FRY 111 E. Hill St., 636-3474.

This Old Louisville tradition is small and easy to miss, but it’s worth the effort to get by. It’s oversized fried whitefish sandwich is the flagship dish, but a varied menu is also available. $ L D f JACKSON’S SEAFOOD 400 W. Main St., New Albany IN, 945-3474. Joe Jackson, 13-year veteran of locallyfamed Clarksville Seafood, serves up fried, broiled or blackened fish, and rolled oysters. Fans of Jackson’s former employer will find many similarities in the food, but offered with customer-friendly service and rational, predictable hours. $ L D JOE’S CRAB SHACK 131 River Rd., 568-1171. The setting on the edge of Riverfront Park is bright, noisy and fun, with a wraparound deck providing a panoramic river view. $$ L D hpf KINGFISH RESTAURANT 3021 Upper River Rd., 895-0544, 1610 Kentucky Mills Dr., 240-0700, 601 W. Riverside Dr., Jeffersonville IN, 284-3474. Fried fish in a family dining setting has made this local chain a popular favorite for many years. Two of its properties — upper River Road and Riverside Drive — boast river views. $$ L D hpfe MIKE LINNIG’S 9308 Cane Run Rd., 937-9888. Mike Linnig’s has been dishing up tasty fried fish and seafood at family prices since 1925 and remains immensely popular. There’s indoor seating and a bar, but the picnic grove with its giant shade trees makes Linnig’s a special place in season. Out of season — Nov. to Jan. — the family shutters the place and takes a nice vacation. $ L D f MITCHELL’S FISH MARKET 4031 Summit Plaza Dr., 412-1818. The decor of this upscale eatery evokes the feeling of a large fish market, with an open kitchen that offers views of chefs at work. Quality seafood and service have made Mitchell’s a popular destination. $$$ L D hpf PASSTIME FISH HOUSE 10801 Locust Rd., 267-4633.

If you are looking for an honest fish sandwich and a cold beer or two, with no frills, this southside tavern is just the ticket. Belly up, place your order, and be sure to have cash — no credit cards accepted here. $$ L D fe RUMORS RESTAURANT & RAW BAR 12339 Shelbyville Rd., 245-0366. Visualize Hooter’s without the scantily-clad waitresses, and you’ve drawn a bead on Rumor’s, the original Louisville home of the bucketof-oysters and impressive raw bar. $$ L D hpf SHAROM’S 5637 Outer Loop, 968-8363. Family owned and family style dining with a wide net of seafood dinners and appetizers. Lunch and dinner menus also include such delicacies as frog legs, shrimp and alligator. $$ L D f

CAST IRON STEAKHOUSE 1207 E. Market St., Jeffersonville IN, 590-2298, 6325 River Rd., 3847466. Buck’s owner Curtis Rader’s idea to cook steaks and sides in cast iron pans at moderate prices hit

EDDIE MERLOT’S PRIME AGED BEEF 455 S. Fourth St., (Fourth Street Live) 584-3266. The sumptuous renovation of the space at the corner of Fourth and Muhammad Ali has resulted in one of the largest dining spaces in town. The Ft. Wayne-based small chain with big ambitions boasts glittering mosaic artwork, a handsome bar opening onto Fourth Street, and luxurious seating in secluded nooks and corners. The menu focuses on high end steaks, well prepared seafood and seasonal specials. $$$$ L D hpe JEFF RUBY’S STEAKHOUSE 325 W. Main St., 5840102. This Cincinnati restaurateur has made an impact in Louisville with his outstanding steaks, glittery bar, urban vibe and top-notch service. The rooms have Churchill Downs themes. The steaks take the rail with seafood and sushi coming up fast on the outside. $$$$ D hpe LOGAN’S ROADHOUSE 5055 Shelbyville Rd., 8933884, 5229 Dixie Hwy., 448-0577, 970 E. Lewis & Clark Pkwy., Clarksville IN, 288-9789, 1540 Alliant Ave., 266-6009. With more than 100 properties in 17 states, this Nashville-based chain parlays peanut shells on the floor and steaks on the table into a popular formula. $$ L D hp LONGHORN STEAKHOUSE 2535 Hurstbourne Gem Ln., 671-5350, 9700 Von Allmen Ct., 326-7500, 1210 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville IN. 284-5800, 4813 Outer Loop, 969-9790 . Oversize steaks and a “big sky” western theme are the draw at this chain eatery, although most of its properties are east of the Mississippi. $$ L D hp MORTON’S 626 W. Main St., 584-0421. This belowground temple to the red meat gods is elegant and masculine, full of wood paneling, brass rails and leather booths. Louisville reveres its home-grown restaurants but has welcomed this Chicago-based chain with open mouths. $$$$ D hp OUTBACK STEAK HOUSE 4621 Shelbyville Rd., 8954329, 6520 Signature Dr., 964-8383, 9498 Brownsboro Rd., 426-4329, 8101 Bardstown Rd., 231-2399, 1420 Park Place, Clarksville IN, 283-4329. The name suggests Australia, and so does the shtick at this popular national chain, but the food is pretty much familiar American, and the fare goes beyond just steak to take in chicken, seafood and pasta. $$$ D hp PAT’S STEAK HOUSE 2437 Brownsboro Rd., 8969234. A local favorite for fifty years and as traditional as a steakhouse gets, Pat Francis, like his father before him, cuts the meats himself. Its combination of quality beef and hospitality rank it among the best steak houses in town. The big news at Pat’s: credit cards now accepted! $$$$ D pf PONDEROSA STEAKHOUSE 11470 S. Preston Hwy., 964-6117. Family-style dining with the ranch theme kept alive with the open flame from the grills. An extensive buffet with hot and cold foods, salads and desserts is also available. $ L D RUTH’S CHRIS STEAKHOUSE 6100 Dutchman’s Ln., 479-0026. The Robb Report magazine has declared Rolex the world’s best watch, Armani the best men’s suit, Cohiba the best cigar and Ruth’s Chris the best restaurant. It serves an excellent steak in an atmosphere of elegance that will make you feel pampered, at a price to match. $$$$ D hpe RYAN’S FAMILY STEAKHOUSE 5338 Bardstown Rd., 491-1088. This North Carolina-based chain offers

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family dining with good variety: Its diverse and extensive buffet features more than 150 items. $$ L D THE ST. CHARLES EXCHANGE 113 S. Seventh St., 618-1917. Two Philadelphia restaurateurs have brought this new upscale eatery and cocktail lounge, upstairs in the same building Morton’s steakhouse. The menu turns back the clock to early 1900s style food — dishes like crab Louie, shrimp cocktail, steak Diane, and coq au vin, with a “highlevel” cocktail program. $$$$ D hp STONEY RIVER LEGENDARY STEAK 3900 Summit Plaza Dr., 429-8944. Stoney River in the Springhurst shopping center is one of the chain’s first properties outside its Georgia home. It draws big crowds with its memorable steaks and trimmings, with extra points for friendly service and a comfortable atmosphere. $$$$ D hp TEXAS ROADHOUSE 757 E. Lewis & Clark Pkwy.

(Green Tree Mall), Clarksville IN, 280-1103, 4406 Dixie Hwy., 448-0705, 6460 Dutchmans Pkwy., 897-5005, 3322 Outer Loop, 962-7600. The spirit of the West sets the theme for this popular steak house. Salads, vegetables and breads with hearty side dishes round out your meal options. This is family-style dining, with no tray sliding — service at your table. $$ L D hp

A NICE RESTAURANT 3129 Blackiston Mill Rd., New Albany IN, 945-4321, 2784 Meijer Dr., 2809160, Jeffersonville IN, 280-9160. 404 Lafollette Station, Floyds Knobs IN, 923-7770. A Nice Restaurant, billed as “New Albany’s Finer Diner,” is, well, nice enough to have launched two more branches. All specialize in simple, down-home breakfast and lunch at affordable prices. $ B L APPLEBEE’S (6 locations) This cheery national chain features an eclectic assortment of salads, steaks, ribs, poultry and pasta as well as full bar service. It’s as consistent as a cookie cutter, but competent execution makes it a good bargain for those whose tastes run to mainstream American cuisine. $$ L D hp ASPEN CREEK RESTAURANT 8000 Bardstown Rd., 239-2200. The entrepreneur who created Texas Roadhouse and Buckhead’s is back with a concept that’s both old and new — a lodge-style restaurant that invokes the rustic feel of the Rockies, and offers a menu of pastas, burgers, and poultry at prices that aren’t mountain high. $$ L D hp B.J.’S RESTAURANT & BREWHOUSE 7900 Shelbyville Rd.(Oxmoor Mall), 326-3850. This Southern California chain arrived east of the Mississippi, including a large and imposing brewhouse at Oxmoor Mall. A full range of made-in-Nevada craft beers is dispensed, along with upscale-casual pub grub. $$ L D hp

square bars in all three locations, with multiple TV screens, make for excellent sports viewing as well. $$ L D hpf BUNZ RESTAURANT 969 1/2 Baxter Ave., 632-1132.

This little Highlands made-to-order gourmet hamburger shop concocts quality burgers with a range of standard and oddball toppings. $ L D hf CAFÉ MAGNOLIA 140 N. Fourth St. (Galt House), 589-5200. The Galt House’s quick and casual secondfloor dining alternative, this spacious venue offers a range of fare for guests on the go, from bacon and eggs to a late-night burger and fries. $$$ L D hp CAPTAIN’S QUARTERS 5700 Captain’s Quarters Rd., 228-1651. One of the city’s most attractive eateries for atmosphere, Captain’s Quarters matches the beautiful setting with quality bistro-style fare that won’t disappoint. Summer or winter, it’s a delightful place to dine. $$ Br L D pfe CARDINAL HALL OF FAME CAFÉ 2745 Crittenden Dr., 635-8686. This oversize eatery at Gate 4 of the Kentucky Fair & Exposition Center celebrates U of L sports with a “walk of fame” loaded with awards, photos, game balls and lots more Cardinal memorabilia. What? You want food too? Sure! Casual American dining features everything from a “Cardinal Burger” to steaks and prime rib. $ L D hp CHAMPIONS GRILL 505 Marriott Dr. (Holiday Inn), Clarksville IN. 283-4411. Known by locals for its Saturday night buffet of New York strip, ribeye and prime rib. Salads, sandwiches, soups and a kid-friendly menu round out the selection. $$ B Br L D pe CHEDDAR’S CASUAL CAFÉ 10403 Westport Rd., 339-5400, 3521 Outer Loop, 966-3345, 1385 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville IN, 280-9660. This popular Dallas-based chain draws big, hungry crowds with its large bar and familiar “casual to upscale American” fare. $ L D hpf CHILI’S 421 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 425-6800, 3623 Bardstown Rd., 301-8888, 11600 Antonia Way, 3018181, 9720 Von Allmen Ct., 301-8880. More than just a place to chow down on baby back ribs, this national chain has a wide selection including fajitas, burgers, sandwiches and veggies. $$ L D hp CHOP SHOP SALADS 436 W. Market St., 589-2467, 126 Breckinridge Ln., 384-4252. The two-handed mezzalunas rock steady as the line cooks chop up lettuce, vegetables and meats into hearty salads or wraps. Mostly a to-go place with limited seating, the steady lunchtime crowds attest that office workers see a need for fresh light lunch fare. $ L D

BLUE HORSE CAFÉ 830 Phillips Ln., (Crown Plaza Hotel) 367-2251. $$$ L D hp

COACH LAMP RESTAURANT 751 Vine St., 5839165. Hurricane Katrina blew chef Richard Lowe into town, bringing from New Orleans his Cajun/ Creole/Caribbean magic to Coach Lamp’s kitchen.

The restored 137-year-old building has a classic bar on one side and an upscale white-tablecloth dining room on the other side. $$$ L D pf

BLUEGRASS BURGERS 3334 Frankfort Ave., 6146567. Four women restaurateurs have partnered to offer a gourmet burger concept. Choose your burger — grass-fed Kentucky beef or bison, tuna or veggie (or grilled chicken, cheese steak or franks) — and then head for the topping bar. $ L D f

CULVER’S 4630 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 671-2001.

When the trademark item is called a “ButterBurger” and frozen custard tops the dessert menu, you know you’re not in for diet fare. Quality fast food and friendly service make this chain a popular East End spot. $ L D f

BRICKHOUSE TAVERN & TAP 871 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 326-3182. The Brickhouse Girls, wearing tight black baby Ts and denim minis, serve typical bar food, beer and ale and cocktails, and encourage patrons to play beer pong. This has to be a winning corporate concept, don’t you think? $$ L D hpf

CUNNINGHAM’S 630 S. Fourth St., 587-0526, 6301 Upper River Rd., 228-3625. Carrying on into its third century in modern quarters that capture much of the nostalgia of its history, Cunningham’s vends fine fish sandwiches and pub grub in this downtown location and in a second eatery on Harrods Creek. $ Br L D hpf

BUCKHEAD MOUNTAIN GRILL 3020 Bardstown Rd., 456-6680, 707 W. Riverside Dr., Jeffersonville IN, 284-2919, 10206 Westport Rd., 339-0808. The deck of the riverfront location in Jeffersonville, with its view across the river, is a great place for a lazy summer meal, when the familiarity of allAmerican fare like meat loaf, pot pies, steak or ribs and a couple of cold ones is all you want. The big

EDESIA GARDENS 10212 Taylorsville Rd., 263-7100.

Named after the Roman goddess of gourmet foods, this banquet and events space also offers a Sunday brunch buffet to the public. $$ Br FAMOUS MIKE’S STEAK & LEMONADE 3052 Wilson Ave., 618-0102, 4918 Poplar Level Rd., 9629999. At first a curious culinary combination — steak

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and lemonade — but this little near-West End place (that has just opened a second location) is a gem offering an eclectic range of quick comfort foods: chicken gizzard baskets, pizza rolls, cheese steaks, burgers and subs. $ L D h FIVE GUYS BURGERS & FRIES 2221 State Street, New Albany IN, 944-9958, 4116 Summit Plaza Dr., 426-1702. Based in Virginia, this burger chain invokes the early days of fast food with freshly-grilled burgers, big, smoky Kosher dogs, enough condiments to satisfy any craving, fresh-cut fries that are out of this world and a cheery rock’n’roll sensibility. $ L D FLABBY’S SCHNITZELBURG 1101 Lydia St., 290-7273.

Since 1952, serving up rolled oysters, German comfort food and fried chicken to Germantown residents and fans from far and wide. Where else can you find limburger and braunsweiger with onions on rye and Warsteiner on draft? $ D f GARAGE BAR 700 E. Market St., 749-7100. , Housed in a former service station in NuLu, Garage Bar serves up draft and bottled craft beers, Bourbons, seasonal cocktails and wine, pizzas from a woodfired brick oven and Southern specialties, with an emphasis on fresh, local ingredients. The ham flight is not to be missed. $$$ D hpf GAVI’S RESTAURANT 222 S. Seventh St., 583-8183.

This family-owned eatery has been around for decades. Standard casual American cuisine adds a few Russian-style specialties such as homemade borsht soup and beef Stroganoff. Daily lunch specials include lots of fresh vegetable dishes. $ B L

The hot wings and the honey BBQ are the biggest sellers. Deli sandwiches and gyros too. $ L D f GREEN LEAF NATURAL VEGETARIAN BISTRO 309 W. Cardinal Blvd., 637-5887. Green Leaf serves up vegetarian fare in the new town center of University of Louisville. The menu has a pan-Asian focus, with noodles and fried rice and stir fries, as well as smoothies and bubble tea. $ L D HOME RUN BURGERS & FRIES 2060 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 409-7004, 4600 Shelbyville Rd., 365-3388, 12949 Shelbyville Rd., 384-8403, 303 W. Cardinal Blvd., 708-1818. Burgers, dogs and fries and drinks with a baseball theme highlight this suburban spot, and more than 20 toppings offer you a fielder’s choice of options to dress your burger. $ L D f HOOTERS 4120 Dutchmans Ln., 895-7100, 4948 Dixie Hwy., 449-4194, 7701 Preston Hwy., 968-1606, 700 W. Riverside Dr., Jeffersonville IN, 218-9485, 941 E. Lewis & Clark Pkwy., Clarksville IN, 284-9464.

Hooter’s may draw crowds with its long-standing reputation as a party scene, but you’ll stay for the food, an appetizing selection of soups, salads, seafood and, of course, wings. $ L D hpfe INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PANCAKES 1220 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville IN. 285-1772, 1401 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 618-2250. IHOP fans can choose to go out to the East End or across the river to satisfy their jones for the national chain’s inimitable food. $ B L D h

GOOSE CREEK DINER 2923 Goose Creek Rd., 3398070. Goose Creek Diner offers old-fashioned comfort food, as the name “diner” suggests, but transcendently adds a gourmet taste to the down-home eats. $ B Br L D

JOE’S OLDER THAN DIRT 8131 New Lagrange Rd., 426-2074. Going strong after many years in this Lyndon location, Joe’s has gradually grown from a little house to a sprawling complex of indoor and outdoor tables with live music many evenings.

Excellent barbecue is a specialty, and so is ice-cold beer. $ L D hpfe

GRADY’S BURGERS AND WINGS 3825 Taylor Blvd., 361-1106. The name says most of what you need to know. Ten flavors of wings, breaded, fried and sauced.

KAREM’S 9424 Norton Commons Blvd., 327-5646.

Karem’s Grill & Pub, one of the first restaurants to open in the village-like Norton Commons, carries

the look and feel of a neighborhood watering hole inside and out. The test of a restaurant, though, is the food, and Karem’s is excellent. $$ L D h KERN’S KORNER 2600 Bardstown Rd., 456-9726.

This family-owned tavern has been a popular neighborhood pit stop since 1978. Kern’s offers freshly made ham, chicken salad sandwiches and burgers, as well as a menu of soups, chilis and appetizers. $ L D pf LEGENDS Horseshoe Casino Hotel, Elizabeth IN, 888-766-2648. The hot and cold short orders are served up with riverboat hospitality, but in a Las Vegas atmosphere. A well stocked bar and a live stage welcome the best of regional and visiting national acts. $$ L D hpe LYNN’S PARADISE CAFÉ 984 Barret Ave., 583-3447.

A serious restaurant hides behind the funky décor and madcap events (like the annual New Year’s Eve pajama party and the Ugly Lamp contest). The Bourbon Ball French toast beat Bobby Flay on a Throwdown. And everyone loves the fried green tomato BLT. The World of Swirl store in the front has been described as “Cracker Barrel on acid.” $$ B Br L D pf MANHATTAN GRILL 429 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd., 561-0024. $ B L MIMI’S CAFÉ 615 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 426-6588.

This California chain, a subsidiary of Bob Evans, goes urban and upscale where farmer Bob is folksy and country. This East End outlet has developed a following beyond those familiar with it from other locations. $$ B Br L D hpf THE MONKEY WRENCH 1025 Barret Ave., 582-2433.

A popular spot in the urban neighborhood where the Highlands meet Germantown, The Monkey Wrench offers comfort food with a stylish spin, top flight music, a relaxed ambience and welcoming service. A rooftop patio packs them in on warm evenings. $ L D hpfe MULLIGAN’S PUB AND GRILL 1801 Newburg Rd., 632-2818. Neighborhood institution Kaelin’s is gone, but Mulligans’ now holds down the fort. Although the “If you can’t stop, please wave sign” is still outside, inside, wood-paneled walls, a new horseshoeshaped bar and vintage wooden golf clubs show that a new game is afoot. The beer list now includes BBC craft beers and Irish imports. The menu is geared toward hearty sandwiches, pizza and steak and shrimp entrées. $$ L D hpf NEIL & PATTY’S FIRESIDE BAR & GRILL 7611 IN 311, Sellersburg IN, 246-5456. A family owned and operated outpost up the road a piece, long known for their warm and welcoming, down-home atmosphere.

The local cognoscenti know they can also find excellent pastas, steaks, seafood, and salads. Homemade soups are created daily. Coffee and desserts are always made fresh. Breakfast served until 2 p.m. $$ Br L D p NEW ALBANY ROADHOUSE 1702 Graybrook Rd., New Albany IN, 981-7777. $$ L D hp O’CHARLEY’S (6 locations) O’Charley’s, Inc. could serve well as the picture in the dictionary next to “American casual dining.” The Nashville-based chain operates 206 properties in 16 states in the Southeast and Midwest, serving a straightforward steak-andseafood menu with the motto “Mainstream with an attitude.” $$ Br L D hp OTTO’S CAFÉ 500 S. Fourth St. (Seelbach Hilton Hotel), 585-3201. Southern cooking with gourmet flair makes Otto’s an intriguing alternative to the Seelbach’s more upscale Oakroom. Check out the Southern Breakfast Buffet and Executive Express Lunch Buffet. $$BBr L PAULA DEEN BUFFET Horseshoe Casino Hotel, Elizabeth IN, 888-766-2648. Bubbly Paula extends her food empire to Horseshoe Casino. Modeled after her restaurants, the motif is based on the architecture of Savannah, Ga., where she lives. Of course, there’s a shop attached, where you can purchase aprons, cookbooks, cookware and her new furniture line. $$$$ B Br L D

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PEPPERS BAR & GRILL 320 W. Jefferson St., (Hyatt Regency) 587-3434. This newly renovated casualdining facility in the Hyatt Regency offers a full dinner menu for hotel guests and outside visitors as well. $$ D hp PUB LOUISVILLE 412 S. Fourth St. (Fourth Street Live), 569-7782. Owned by Cincinnati’s The Tavern Restaurant Group, The Pub features “nouveau pub cuisine” ranging from shepherd’s pie and fish and chips to more Continental dishes like fried calamari and a seared ahi tuna entrée. $$ L D hpfe RAFFERTY’S OF LOUISVILLE 988 Breckenridge Ln., 897-3900. 3601 Springhurst Blvd., 412-9000. This full-service, casual dining establishment has a hearty menu. Specialties like Red Alfredo Pasta showcase the gourmet offerings along with some of the largest and most creative salad combinations in town. $$ L D hpf RED ROBIN GOURMET BURGERS 9870 Von Allmen Ct., 339-8616, 5000 Shelbyville Rd., 899-9001.

This Seattle-based chain serves up its well regarded “gourmet burgers” and trimmings in two East End locations. Despite a full bar, it reportedly attracts hordes of happy youngsters. $$ L D hpf ROOSTER’S 7405 Preston Hwy., 964-9464, 4420 Dixie Hwy., 384-0330, 1601 Greentree Blvd., Clarksville IN, 590-3391. This Columbus-based wings-andbrews chain conquered Ohio and is now spreading its franchise wings across the Eastern U.S. Its first three Louisville properties have gained popularity for a lively sports bar setting and oversize wings. $ L D hpf RUBY TUESDAY 11701 Bluegrass Pkwy., 267-7100, 1354 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville IN. 288-5010. If success demonstrates quality, then Ruby Tuesday’s 600 international properties and 30,000 employees can stand up with pride. They’ve been upholding the slogan “Awesome Food. Serious Salad Bar” in Louisville for a generation. $$ L D hp

THE RUDYARD KIPLING 422 W. Oak St., 636-1311.

The word “eclectic” fits this Old Louisville eatery in just about every dimension, from its funky decor to its diverse bill of fare, not to mention an array of entertainment that bridges the generations from Generation X’ers to aging hippies. The owners are scaling back, though, and opening only on Fridays and Saturdays. $ D hp SAM’S FOOD & SPIRITS 3800 Payne Kohler Rd., Clarksville IN, 945-9757, 702 Highlander Point Dr., Floyds Knobs IN, 923-2323. Sam Anderson has been running his popular Southern Indiana institution for over 17 years now, feeding an army of happy diners.

You’ll find his extensive and child friendly menu at a second location in Floyds Knobs. $$ L D hp SHONEY’S 811 Eastern Pkwy., 636-1043, 6511 Signature Dr., 969-8904, 9921 Ormsby Station Rd., 423-6388. For nearly 50 years, Shoney’s restaurants have been one of America’s top choices for fast roadside dining, and happily they’ve kept up with the times. $ B L D SKYLINE CHILI 1266 Bardstown Rd., 473-1234, 9980 Linn Station Rd., 429-5773, 4024 Dutchmans Ln., 721-0093, 6801 Dixie Hwy., 937-4020. Louisville’s outposts of a famous Cincinnati chili restaurant, these casual eateries offer the regional favorite (really it’s Greek spaghetti sauce, but keep it quiet) and other fast-food dishes. $ L D h SMASHBURGER 9409 Shelbyville Rd., 326-4141, 312 S. Fourth St., 583-1500. A growing chain located mostly in the West and the South now has two Kentucky location serving made-to-order Angus beef burgers, and is looking to open up to four more locations. $ L D f STEAK N SHAKE 3232 Bardstown Rd., 456-2670, 4913 Dixie Hwy., 448-4400, 4545 Outer Loop, 966-3109, 2717 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 491-3397, 10721 Fischer Park Dr., 326-3625, 980 E. Lewis & Clark Pkwy., Clarksville IN., 285-1154. One of the oldest fast-food

h = Late Night p = Full Bar f = Outdoor Dining e = Live Music

chains in the U.S., Steak N Shake traces its ancestry to an Illinois roadside stand in 1934. It now boasts 400 outlets in 19 states but still sticks to the basics: quality steak burgers and hand-dipped shakes served, if you dine in, on real china. $ B L D h SUPERCHEF’S BREAKFAST 2317 Brownsboro Rd., 8953270. Inside the Chicago Gyro’s space on Brownsboro Road you will find Sullivan grads Darnell Ferguson and Ryan Bryson offering an ambitious morning menu including beignets and coffee, granolaencrusted French toast, red velvet pancakes and peanut butter and jelly oatmeal. $ B f TACO PUNK 736 E. Market St., 584-8226. Gabe Sowder, formerly of 610 Magnolia, set out on his own serving funky tacos at the Douglass Loop Farmer’s Market.

But now the Iron Chef alum (he was part of Edward Lee’s 2010 winning team) has taken over the old Toast on Market space to continue his exploration of everyone’s favorite “Mexican” food. House-made tortillas packed with ingredients ranging from traditional to the unique — duck, lamb and chorizo — make up the bill of fare. $ L D hf TGI FRIDAY’S 416 S, Fourth St. (Fourth Street Live), 585-3577. The original place to loosen the tie and congregate after the whistle blows. TGIF carries on its party atmosphere tradition with American bistro dining and libations. The bill of fare ranges from baskets of appetizers on up to contemporary entrées. $$ L D hpf TOAST ON MARKET 620 E. Market St., 569-4099, 141 E. Market St., New Albany IN, 941-8582. This local breakfast and lunch favorite has gained a loyal following and tremendous word-of-mouth, and opened a second outlet across the river. The original NuLu location has moved out of the funky, cavernous old theater building to the former Artemisia a few doors west. $ B Br L pf TUCKER’S 2441 State St., New Albany IN, 944-9999.

Tucker’s gives you a little bit of everything with a

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down-to-earth flair, offering burgers, ribs, steaks, a variety of appetizers and pastas. $ L D hp TWIG & LEAF RESTAURANT 2122 Bardstown Rd., 451-8944. A popular Highlands hangout, the “Twig” is probably at its best for breakfast — whether you’re enjoying it while venturing out on a leisurely Sunday morning or heading home very late on a Saturday night. It’s a place to grab a quick, filling bite, and doesn’t pretend to be more. $ B L D h THE WING ZONE 905 Hess Ln., 636-2445. Another wings emporium situated to catch the fancy of U of L fans, Wing Zone excels with jumbo wings in 25 flavors, including traditional Buffalo-style wings that range from Mild to Nuclear. $ L D hf ZAXBY’S 2740 Allison Ln., Jeffersonville IN, 920-0080, 807 Blankenbaker Pkwy., 742-8600. They have been all around us out in the state, but now Louisville and Southern Indiana have their own Zaxby’s, the casual dining chain that cutens its menu with a lot of “z’s”: zappetizers, zalads, platterz, wings and fingerz — that sort of thing. $ L D h

BARBARA LEE’S KITCHEN 2410 Brownsboro Rd., 897-3967. Barbara Lee’s has been a late-night refuge for years. It’s a reliable standby for those in search of traditional blue-plate special lunch food. Honest grub, honestly priced, in a rootsy atmosphere. $ B L D h BIG MOMMA’S SOUL KITCHEN 4532 W. Broadway, 772-9580. Big Momma’s may be the most hospitable place in the West End to get genuine soul food. A different main course is featured daily, all homecooked food, including such goodies as baked chicken, smothered pork chops, meat loaf, catfish … and fried chicken every day. $ L D CARLY RAE’S 103 W. Oak St., 749-6665. The Old Louisville corner place with the great fenced-in patio has reopened with the same name, but new owners, with a focus on soul food. $$ L D hpfe

CHECK’S CAFÉ 1101 E. Burnett Ave., 637-9515. You can whiff a scent of Louisville history coming off the old walls of this quintessential Germantown saloon, along with years of frying grease. The bar food here is about as good as bar food gets, and that’s not bad. The chili and the bean soup are particularly recommended. $ L D pf THE CHICKEN HOUSE 7180 Hwy. 111, Sellersburg IN, 246-9485. The parking lot of this white frame building in rural Indiana is packed on weekend nights as families from throughout the area wait on delectable fried chicken. This is the very heart of American comfort food, including green beans, dumplings, and mashed potatoes. $$ L D CHICKEN KING 639 E. Broadway, 589-5464. Spicy, crunchy and sizzling hot fried chicken is the primary draw on a short, affordable menu. $ L D h

— including politicians and national entertainers — are no longer bereft. Jay’s former owners serve up Southern Soul food in Shively at family-friendly prices.

Look for smothered pork chops, collard greens, fried chicken, fried catfish and fruit cobbler. $ L D FRONTIER DINER 7299 Dixie Hwy., 271-3663. The name “diner” says it all, and this friendly neighborhood spot on Dixie Highway delivers just what you’d expect in down-home comfort fare. The word on the street, though, is simple: Go for the pancakes. They’re worth a special trip. $ L D GOLDEN CORRAL 4032 Taylorsville Rd., 485-0004, 8013 Preston Hwy., 966-4970, 1402 Cedar St., Clarksville IN. 258-2540. Buffet style family dining — one price, all you can eat. Steaks are served beginning at 4 p.m. $ B L D

COTTAGE CAFÉ 11609 Main St., Middletown, 2449497. This nostalgic old house in the countryside offers a taste of Kentucky-style cookery in an array of lunch specials that range from homemade soups and sandwiches to the traditional Hot Brown. $ L

GRANNY’S APRON 2605 Rockford Ln., 449-9026.

Everything at Granny’s Apron is homemade by owner Jan Bradley, and it tastes that way: Dinner here will remind you of a trip back in time to Grandmother’s house, assuming that Grandmother was a really good cook. $ B L D

COTTAGE INN 570 Eastern Pkwy., 637-4325. Longtime neighborhood fixture Cottage Inn has a bright new look, and continues happily doling out the kind of excellent down-home food it has served for more than 70 years. $ L D

HAZELWOOD RESTAURANT 4106 Taylor Blvd., 3619104. Whether you like your eggs over easy, or your cheeseburgers well done, you’ll like the Hazelwood Restaurant. Standard short orders cooked with lots of character and a low price. $ B L D

D’NALLEY’S 970 S. Third St., 588-2003. Dirt-cheap blueplate specials and hearty breakfasts bring droves to this classic greasy spoon. Saturday morning hours are sporadic, but for a quick plate of meat loaf, green beans, and mashed potatoes, D’Nalley’s is a hard place to beat. $ B L D

HOMETOWN BUFFET 1700 Alliant Ave., 267-7044, 6641 Dixie Hwy., 995-3320. This chain serves up nostalgic dishes, casseroles, meats and desserts that allow you to set an all-American supper table with the all-you-can eat price tag. $ B L D

DAVE & PEG’S COPPER KETTLE 276 Main Cross St., Charlestown IN, 256-4257. $ B L D FORTY ACRES AND A MULE RESTAURANT 1800 Dixie Hwy., 776-5600. $ L D FRANCO’S RESTAURANT & CATERING 3300 Dixie Hwy., 448-8044. Long-time fans of Jay’s Cafeteria

INDI’S RESTAURANT 1033 W. Broadway, 589-7985, 3820 W. Market St., 778-5154, 2901 Fern Valley Rd., 969-7993, 5009 S. Third St., 363-2535, 2970 Tenth St., Jeffersonville IN, 288-8980, 1085 Market St., Charlestown IN, 256-3780. Grown from a tiny West End takeout spot to a mini-chain, Indi’s vends a variety of affordable soul food and barbecue specialties to take out or eat in. $ L D h JESSIE’S FAMILY RESTAURANT 9609 Dixie Hwy., 937-6332. Country cooking is Jessie’s specialty, with hearty breakfast, lunch and dinner platters to fill the inner person. $ B L D KING’S FRIED CHICKEN 1302 Dixie Hwy., 776-3013. $LDh KUM’S KAFE 4125 Preston Hwy., 964-6336. Crispy fried chicken and fried catfish, as well as daily Asian specialties. $ L MIKE & MATT’S 2835 Holman Ln., Jeffersonville IN, 590-1565. Good country cooking in the Amish tradition. Fried chicken, of course, but also more interesting dishes such as walleye, elk, quail and frogs’ legs. Real mashed potatoes and made-fromscratch pies a specialty. $$ L D f MISS C’S KITCHEN & PANTRY 1319 Story Ave., 759-1085, 308 W. Chestnut St., 992-3166. You will find traditional recipes using locally-sourced foods, such as pimento cheese made with Kenny’s white cheddar and tuna salad using the recipe from Stewart’s Orchid Room at both locations. $$ L NANA’S COUNTRY KITCHEN 5300 Cane Run Rd., 384-6525. When you want home-style cooking, you will want it like it is served here. Breakfast all day, lunch and dinner too. The regulars like the meatloaf and the chicken fried steak. $ B L D O’DOLLYS 7800 Third St. Rd., 375-1690. Homestyle steam-table favorites, available from breakfast to dinner, not to mention full bar service that makes O’Dollys a Southwest Louisville destination. $ B L D hp QUEENIE’S SOUL CUISINE 2956 Richland Ave., 4514698. Queenie has been cooking for her 13 siblings since she was a teenager. Finally she is getting paid to do it. She and her son serve breakfast, lunch and dinner: chicken and waffles, meatloaf, a soul burrito, chicken (fried, smothered or baked) and daily specials. $$ L D f

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RED = Advertiser B = Breakfast Br = Brunch L = Lunch D = Dinner

SHIRLEY MAE’S CAFÉ 802 Clay St., 589-5295. This Smoketown institution draws hungry locals as well as celebrities in town hungry for the soul food of their youth. BBQ ribs, and hot-water cornbread cooked in a cast iron skillets. Pig’s feet and chicken wings and collards, all seasoned with Shirley Mae Beard’s spice rack—salt and pepper. $ L D WAGNER’S PHARMACY 3113 S. Fourth St., 375-3800.

A track-side institution that has as much history as the nearby Twin Spires of Churchill Downs. Soups, sandwiches, shakes, cherry Cokes and an early bird “trainer’s” breakfast can be enjoyed all year round.

Racing history on the walls and servers who’ll call you “hon.” $ B L WEBB’S MARKET 944 E. Muhammad Ali Blvd., 5830318. An old-line neighborhood corner grocery store houses a delicious secret: At the back you’ll find a steam table loaded with exceptional comfort food.

Fried chicken is excellent, and don’t miss the chili. $BL

ANN’S BY THE RIVER 149 Spring St., Jeffersonville IN, 284-2667. This bustling eatery is cafeteria style dining done well. They serve up the standard steam table meat-and-three menu items as good as any. With the Ohio River a block away, it’s aptly named. $ L D THE BISTRO 3701 Frankfort Ave., 714-5586. A gem hidden away in The Olmsted, on the Masonic Home grounds in St. Matthews. This spot has earned terrific word-of-mouth buzz. Soups, sandwiches, salads, pastas are the mainstay of the menu, with a four-item lunch buffet that changes weekly. $ B Br L D f CRAVINGS A LA CARTE 101 S. Fifth St. (National City Tower), 589-4230. This thrifty deli offers a variety of build-your-own sandwiches, a soup-andsalad bar, and specialty bars featuring baked potatoes, and a monthly ethnic creation. $ L

You’ll find this 4,000-square-foot club at Fourth Street Live on the ground level. $ D hpfe

neighborhood crowd with hefty subs and quality pizzas, along with cold beer. $$ L D

IMPROV COMEDY CLUB & WET WILLIE’S 441 S. Fourth St. (Fourth Street Live), 581-1332. The menu is no joke at this downtown club. Chow down on well-grilled steaks, fresh seafood and ribs that rank with the best in the city before the nationallyknown comedy acts start. $$$ L D hpf

ANNIE’S PIZZA 2520 Portland Ave., 776-6400, 4771 Cane Run Rd., 449-4444. Annie’s has made-toorder pizza and a variety of stacked sandwiches such as the Big Daddy Strom with beef, Italian sausage, onions and banana peppers. $$ L D h

INCREDIBLE DAVE’S 9236 Westport Rd., 426-4790.

“Awesome dining, extreme fun, where family fun hits maximum overdrive” is the promise at this giant dining and entertainment venue. It’s not just for kids: an upscale menu in a signature dining room is at the center of it all. $$ L D hp JOE HUBER FAMILY FARM & RESTAURANT 2421 Scottsville Rd., Starlight IN, 923-5255. A pleasant 20-minute drive from downtown Louisville, Huber’s has built a solid reputation for simple farm fare that’s well-made, fresh and good. Some of the produce is grown on the premises in season. $$$ L D pf MY OLD KENTUCKY DINNER TRAIN 602 N. Third St., Bardstown KY, (502) 348-7300. Talk about a nostalgia trip: My Old Kentucky Dinner Train offers a four-course meal during a two-hour voyage along scenic Kentucky railroad tracks near Bardstown in vintage 1940s-era dining cars. Reservations are strongly recommended. $$$$ L D p

ACHILLES PIZZA 1730 Williamsburg Sq., Jeffersonville IN, 288-8882. $$ L D h ANGILO’S PIZZA 1725 Berry Blvd., 368-1032. The local favorite is the steak hoagie, dripping with pizza sauce, pickles and onions. Angilo’s also offers a wide selection of hot pizza pies and cold beer. $$ L D ANGIO’S RESTAURANT 3731 Old Bardstown Rd., 4515454. This small Buechel eatery attracts a friendly

ARNI’S PIZZA 1208 State St., New Albany IN, 9451149, 3700 Paoli Pike, Floyds Knobs IN, 923-9805.

A favorite Hoosier pizza and sandwich stop. Insist on getting the Deluxe. $$ L D h BEARNO’S PIZZA (13 locations) What began as a simple, family-run pizzeria near Bowman Field has morphed into a local chain with, at last count, 13 locations. $$ L D h BONNIE & CLYDE’S PIZZA 7611 Dixie Hwy., 9355540. It may look like a dive that hasn’t been renovated in ages, the service can be surly at times, and you have to pay in cash, but devoted fans of its thin-crust pizzas and hoagies keep coming back and talk it up with their friends. $$ L D h BOOMBOZZ FAMOUS PIZZA 3400 Frankfort Ave., 896-9090. This handsome space at the corner of Frankfort and Cannons Lane is another idiosyncratic link in the Boombozz chain. The taphousestyle menu of pastas and sandwiches along with award-winning pies carves its own niche with bottled beer exclusively. $$ B Br L D hf BOOMBOZZ PIZZA BISTRO 12613 Taylorsville Rd., 261-0222. Boombozz wins praise for exceptionally high quality pizza and other quick Italian-style fare. Tony’s pizzas include both traditional pies and gourmet-style specialties that have won awards in national competition. $$ L D hp BOOMBOZZ PIZZA & TAP HOUSE 1448 Bardstown Rd., 458-8889, 1315 Herr Ln., 394-0000. The Boombozz Pizza empire has expanded in concept, and the menu now extends into appetizers, sandwiches

HALL’S CAFETERIA 1301 Story Ave., 583-0437. Hall’s Cafeteria has been doing a brisk business on the steam tables since 1955, attracting customers from Butchertown’s truck loading docks and from offices downtown. $ B L D JANE’S CAFETERIA 4601 Jennings Ln., 454-7286. This 40-year-old family-owned restaurant knows how to cook for folks missing their home table. Count on an attentive staff and fresh southern fare. $ B L LANCASTER’S CAFETERIA 223 W. Fifth St., New Albany IN, 949-2400. Troy Lancaster, the grandson of Southern Indiana catering king Tommy Lancaster, recalls the family’s culinary heritage with this family-friendly buffet-style cafeteria. $ L D PICCADILLY CAFETERIA 2131 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 493-9900. An east end favorite for variety, Piccadilly offers roast beef, fried chicken, cod, steak and shrimp dinners, a gardener’s list of vegetables and a few ethnic dishes for global measure. $ L D

THE BARD’S TOWN 1801 Bardstown Rd., 749-5275.

On the ground floor a 60-seat restaurant and 30-seat lounge. On the second floor is the 70-seat Bard’s Town Theatre home to a resident troupe dedicated to producing new works from Kentucky playwrights and beyond, to other theatre, poetry and musical acts from around the country. Food and beverage service, but it’s not a dinner theater. $$ Br D hpfe DERBY DINNER PLAYHOUSE 525 Marriott Dr., Clarksville IN, 288-8281. The play’s the thing at Derby Dinner, Louisville’s long-running entry in the dinner-theater sweepstakes … but the expansive buffet dinner adds value to the mix. $$$$ L D pe HOWL AT THE MOON 434 S. Fourth St. (Fourth Street Live), 562-9400. What’ll they think of next?

How about a nightclub featuring a “dueling” piano bar with two pianos and a sing-along concept?

h = Late Night p = Full Bar f = Outdoor Dining e = Live Music

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and pasta, and 21 craft beers on tap. The Highlands location boasts one of the only “frost bars” in the area — a refrigerated rail designed to keep your brew cool. $$ L D hpf

JOHNNY BRUSCO’S PIZZA 10600 Meeting St., 749-8400.

The Kansas City chain has opened its first location in Kentucky, in Norton Commons, offering New York style pies, subs, calzones, pasta and salads. $$ L D

BORROMEO’S PIZZA 9417 Smyrna Pkwy., 9687743. Serving up old-school thin-crust pizzas to chowhounds south of the Gene Snyder. $$ L D h

KENNA’S KORNER 4111 Murphy Ln., 426-8340. $$ L D he

CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN 7900 Shelbyville Rd. (Oxmoor Mall), 425-5125. California pizza became a trend when famous chefs gave this simple Italian fare a multi-ethnic spin with non-traditional Pacific Rim toppings. CPK successfully translates this trend for the mass market. $$ L D pf

LITTLE CAESAR’S PIZZA (9 Locations) This Detroit-based pizzeria chain lost market share in the ’90s, but business analysts say the company known for its two-for-one “pizza pizza” deal has turned things around with a renewed commitment to quality and service. $$ L D h

CHARLESTOWN PIZZA COMPANY 850 Main St., Charlestown IN, 256-2699. This welcoming venue on Charlestown’s town square, a short trip upriver from Jeffersonville, is run by folks who learned their pizza and beer at New Albanian Brewing Company. That’s a fine pedigree, and it shows in impressive quality. $$ L D CHEEZY’S PIZZA 801 E. Market St., Jeffersonville IN 288-8500. Fans of the former Tubby’s Pizza and owner Tubby Muncy can smile again. He’s back in the kitchen in a little local pizza joint just east of downtown J’ville, serving up well crafted traditional pies whole or by the slice. $$ L D h CLIFTON’S PIZZA 2230 Frankfort Ave., 893-3730.

One of the originators of “Louisville style” of pizza, with additional toppings placed over the cheese.

The venerable Clifton’s Pizza appeals with its adult style, full of the bold flavors of herbs and spices and available with grown-up toppings like anchovies and artichoke hearts. $$ L D hpe COALS ARTISAN PIZZA 3730 Frankfort Ave., 7428200. The coal-fired oven bakes at 1000 degrees F, charring and crisping the crust in 4 minutes. The dough rises for three days, making for a lighter, more developed crust. Topping are fresh, regionallysourced, with specialty concepts. Look for local craft beers and house-made soups and salads in addition to pizzas. $$ L D hpf DANNY MAC’S PASTA & PIZZA 1567 S. Shelby St., 635-7994. $$ L D h DIORIO’S PIZZA & PUB 310 Wallace Ave., 618-3424.

The former Karem’s Deli location in St. Matthews finally has a new tenant, serving pizza by the slice, as well as a mammoth 30-inch pie. Also grilled sandwiches, salads, wings, and queso sticks, and a good selection of domestic and import beers, including some BBC brews. $$ L D hpf FX PIZZA 4865 Old Vincennes Rd., Floyds Knobs IN, 903-0086. The Newton brothers of Southern Indiana, veterans of the corporate chain pizza world, have named their own pizzeria after their grandfather, Francis Xavier. In addition to handtossed thin-crust, New York-style pies, FX offers chicken wings and breadsticks, and its owners are planning a nine-hole miniature golf course. $$ L D FAT DADDY’S PIZZA 10619 Manslick Rd., 363-7551. $$ L D h FAT JIMMY’S 2712 Frankfort Ave., 891-4555, 2208 Bardstown Rd., 479-1040, 12216 Shelbyville Rd., 244-2500. This friendly neighborhood nook offers a cold mug of beer and a hot slice of pizza, along with sub sandwiches, pasta dishes and salads. The Lyndon spot lures a friendly biker crowd. $$ L D h FROLIO’S PIZZA 3799 Poplar Level Rd., 456-1000.

Just around the corner from the Louisville Zoo, Frolio’s is a neighborhood pizzeria with a cozy, dim Italian-American mood and an all-you-can-eat pizza-and-salad lunch special. $$ L D h HOMETOWN PIZZA 11804 Shelbyville Rd., 2454555. Pasta dishes, hoagies, stromboli and cold beer are available, and so is the one-of-a-kind Bacon Cheeseburger pizza. $$ L D h IROQUOIS PIZZA 6614 Manslick Rd., 363-3211. $$ L D h 82 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

JOHNNY V’S 10509 Watterson Trail, 267-0900. $$ L D hp

LOUISVILLE PIZZA CO. 3910 Ruckriegel Pkwy., 267-1188. Also known as Chubby Ray’s, this local pizzeria makes good, fresh pizzas and ItalianAmerican sandwiches. $$$ L D hpf LUIGI’S 712 W. Main St., 589-0005. New York Citystyle pizza, a treat that you’ll find on just about every street corner there, has been making inroads in River City, but Luigi’s was one of the first to offer in its authentic form here. $$ L MA ZERELLAS 949 S. Indiana Ave., Sellersburg IN, 246-9517. Pleasant family-run-for-family-fun establishments. Pizza, pasta, salads and subs served for lunch and dinner seven days a week. $$ L D h MR. GATTI’S 703 E. Lewis & Clark Pkwy., Clarksville IN, 283-5005, 8594 Dixie Hwy., 935-0100, 1108 Lyndon Ln., 339-8338, 4200 Outer Loop, 964-0920.

This Austin-based chain was one of the first national pizzerias to reach Louisville in the 1970s, and quality ingredients — plus Gattiland playgrounds for the kids — have made its crisp, thin-crust pizzas a popular draw for nearly 30 years. $$ L D NEW ALBANIAN BREWING CO. 3312 Plaza Dr., New Albany IN, 944-2577. Touting “the best pizza in Southern Indiana” is quite a boast, but pizza only tells half of this tasty story. NABC combines the fine pies of Sportstime Pizza with the pub formerly known as Rich O’s. Publican Roger Baylor’s remarkable beer list, with more than 100 selections from around the world — plus locally brewed craft beers — has won international awards. A pizza like the famous “Herbivore” (spinach, sliced tomatoes and roasted garlic) makes a sizzling treat, with a world-class beer to wash it down. $$ L D h OLD CHICAGO PASTA & PIZZA 9010 Taylorsville Rd., 301-7700, 10601 Fischer Park Dr., 657-5700.

This growing chain specializes in both thick Chicago-style and thin traditional pizza, plus an imposing list of 110 beers from around the world. $$ L D hp ORIGINAL IMPELLIZZERI’S 1381 Bardstown Rd., 454-2711, 4933 Brownsboro Rd., 425-9080, 110 W. Main St., 589-4900. Impellizzeri’s pizzas, massive pies loved for a generation, can now be scarfed down near the new arena on Main, in addition to its Highlands and Brownsboro Road locations. $$$$ L D hpf PAPA JOHN’S PIZZA (30 locations) “Papa” John Schnatter got into the pizza game as a Southern Indiana high-school student in 1984 and has built his business into a 3,000-restaurant international chain on the basis of a simple formula: traditional pizza, made from quality ingredients in a straightforward style. $ L D h PAPA MURPHY’S PIZZA (11 Locations) $$ L D PAPALINOS 947 Baxter Ave., 749-8515, 337 W. Cardinal Blvd., 365-1505. After satisfying Highlands customers with his crispy-crust New York-style pizzas — specializing in premium, made in-house toppings — former restaurant chef turned pizza guy Allan Rosenberg has opened a second store, near U of L. The college trade can share his 18-inch pies, scarf down an oversized slice for a snack, or make a meal from the calzones, breadsticks and short list of salads and desserts. $ L D h

PERFETTO PIZZA 9910 Linn Station Rd., 426-4644.

Located in the old Slice of NY space off S. Hurstbourne Parkway, Perfetto carries on the New York style tradition: pies by the slice, just like on Flatbush Ave. Hand-tossed crust, all kinds of toppings, plus Italian sausage and meatball sandwiches. $$ L D PIZZA KING 3825 Charlestown Rd., New Albany IN, 945-4405, 1066 Kehoe Ln., Jeffersonville IN, 2828286. The pizza is baked in a sturdy, clay stone oven and hand-tossed with thinner crust where the ingredients go all the way to the edge. $$ L D PIZZA PLACE 2931 Richland Ave., 458-9700. $$ L D

hpf

PUCCINI’S SMILING TEETH 4600 Shelbyville Rd., 721-0170. A small but growing pizza chain based in Indianapolis opens its first Louisville property on Shelbyville Road. Thin pizza by the slice and other Italian-American dishes are served in an attractive setting that’s a cut above fast food. $$ L D ROCKY’S PIZZA & PANINI 3022 Bardstown Rd., 6908500. Need a quick lunch, and have a hankering for the classic Italian subs and pizzas that you have enjoyed for decades at Rocky’s? Now you can get them quick and to go at this counter-service only branch in the outer edge of the Highlands. $ L D hpf ROCKY’S SUB PUB 715 W. Riverside Dr., Jeffersonville IN, 282-3844. Rocky’s is reinventing itself by going back to its roots. Gone is the “Italian Grill” appellation, and back is the Sub Pub theme, along with a growing selection of craft and import beers and a select choice of Italian-American entrées. Go to enjoy a pizza, some baked ziti or chicken parmigiana and some hoppy draft. $ L D hpf ROSIE’S PIZZA 13829 English Villa Dr., 244-2484.

This Middletown pizzeria has been wowing customers for a while with its store-made crusts, and wide choice of toppings. Fans seem to go for the Whole Lot of Rosie, and the Hot Knots. $$ L D SAL’S PIZZA & WINGS 812 Lyndon Ln., 365-4700.

Pizza, calzones, chicken and salads join the food choices in the Lyndon strip mall that also houses other ethnic restaurants. $$ L D hpf SICILIAN PIZZA & PASTA 629 S. Fourth St., 5898686. Ready for takeout or eat-in, this downtown storefront offers good, standard pizza and other familiar Italian-American dishes. $$ L D hf SIR DANO’S PIZZA PARLOR 496 N. Indiana Ave., Sellersburg IN, 246-3346. $$ L D hf SNAPPY TOMATO 10000 Brownsboro Rd., 4126205. $$ L D SPINELLI’S PIZZERIA 614 Baxter Ave., 568-5665, 2905 Goose Creek Rd., 632-2832, 4001 Shelbyville Rd., 895-0755, 239 S. Fifth St., 749-0919. This locally-owned pizzeria, widely known for their massive pizza by the slice, has expanded into St. Matthews, and now downtown too. All four locations are open until 5 a.m. nightly Wednesday through Saturday, offering Philly-style pizza and real Philly cheese steaks. $ L D h STUDIO PIZZA 1401 Veterans Pkwy, Clarksville IN, 288-6600. Owner Steve Baldwin serves up Chicagostyle pie, calzones and other tipico Italiano fare, with a performance stage ready for pro performers or karaoke. $$ L D TONY IMPELLIZZERI’S 5170 Charlestown Rd., New Albany IN, 949-3000. Long-time Louisville pizzamaker moves across the river to fill the cravings of Hoosiers. $$$ D UNCLE MADDIO’S PIZZA JOINT 2011 Grinstead Dr., 690-8871. Finally the attractive space at the corner of Bardstown Rd. and Grinstead is luring some commercial occupants. The first restaurant in there is a pizza concept from the guys behind Moe’s Southwest Grill. Order at the counter from a range of custom choices and your pizza gets delivered to your table. $$ L D

RED = Advertiser B = Breakfast Br = Brunch L = Lunch D = Dinner

VITO’S PIZZA 1919 S. Preston St., 634-1003. A little neighborhood pizza pub on the edge of Germantown has been serving up its signature pies to neighbors and commuters who pick up pies before they get on nearby I-65 to head home. $$ L D hp WICK’S PIZZA PARLOR 975 Baxter Ave., 458-1828, 2927 Goose Creek Rd., 327-9425, 12717 Shelbyville Rd., 213-9425, 225 State St., New Albany IN, 945-9425, 9700 Bluegrass Pkwy., (Ramada Plaza) 409-4267. Wick’s wins popularity with a welcoming mix of good pizza, a quality beer list and a friendly neighborhood feel at all five of its eateries. The pies are straightforward, made with ample toppings.

“The Big Wick” is a favorite. $$ L D hpfe ZA’S PIZZA 1573 Bardstown Rd., 454-4544. $$ L D hpf

ANOTHER PLACE SANDWICH SHOP 119 S. Seventh St., 589-4115. If you want to buy a car, go to a car dealer. To buy a carpet, patronize a carpet shop. And if you’ve got a sandwich on your to-do list, it makes sense to go to a sandwich shop. $ L BABY D’S BAGELS & DELI 2009 Highland Ave., 365-3354. This Highlands deli serves steamed bagel sandwiches and wraps, made with housesmoked and roasted meats. Look for funky sandwich names and desserts such as chocolatecovered bacon. $ B L D h BACKYARD BURGER 1800 Priority Way, 240-9945.

The open flame at this counter-service diner provides the next best thing to a family cookout.

Sandwiches, fresh salads, fruit cobblers and oldfashioned hand-dipped milkshakes enhance the nostalgic theme. $ L D BOARDWALK FRESH BURGERS AND FRIES 2909 E. Tenth St., Jeffersonville IN, 725-0200. With outlets in 12 states, Boardwalk now brings their fresh fries and burgers concept to the Ohio Valley.

A step up from fast food with large patties that can be dressed to one’s whim. $$ L D BRIAN’S DELI 531 S. Fourth St., 561-0098. Between Chestnut Street and Muhammad Ali Boulevard, Brian’s services the downtown lunch crowd with soup, salads, sandwiches and snacks. $ L f BRUEGGER’S BAGELS 119 Breckenridge Ln., 6181158. The bagel / deli sandwich chain has set up shop in the middle of St. Matthews, offering another quick breakfast and lunch option. Choose from bagels and breakfast sandwiches, muffins, panini, salads and soups. $ B L f BURGER BOY 1450 S. Brook, 635-7410. For a real slice of Louisville life, this weathered greasy spoon at the corner of Brook and Burnett is the real thing.

Neighborhood denizens drink coffee and chow down on burgers and breakfast until the wee hours (the joint is open 24 hours). If Louisville is home to a budding Charles Bukowski, there’s a good chance he’s sitting at their counter right now, recovering from last night’s excesses. $ B L D h BUTCHER’S BEST 9521 US Hwy. 42., 365-4650. This fully staffed meat store in Prospect offers customcut beef, lamb, pork, bison, chicken and veal, plus a well-stocked deli and specialty foods, with skilled butcher Jimmy Mike at the helm. $ L D f CAFÉ PALACIO 4010 Dupont Circle, 708-1818.

Serving breakfast (omelets, scrambles, French toast) and lunch (burgers, grilled chicken Tuscany, vegetarian wraps) to workers in the Dupont area five days a week. $ B L CAT BOX DELI 500 W. Jefferson St., 561-6259. The name of this cozy downtown deli in the PNC Bank building might warrant a double-take, but its feline theme and kitty cartoons earn a smile. Open for breakfast and lunch, it offers a good selection of sandwiches, panini and wraps at budget prices. $ L DANISH EXPRESS PASTRIES 102 1/2 Cannons Ln., 895-2863. Just a few tables turn this takeout nook

into a sit-in breakfast and lunch spot for a handful of diners at a time. Full breakfasts and light lunches are available, but as the name implies, Danish pastries are the specialty, and they’re fine. $ B L DEVINO’S 104 W. Main St., 569-3939. This stylish deli offers another lunch and dinner option downtown. Sandwiches are made from quality Boar’s Head meats and cheeses cut on the premises, with dining inside and on the patio; package beer and wine is also available. $ L D f DIZZY WHIZZ DRIVE-IN 217 W. St. Catherine St., 5833828. This neighborhood eatery is an institution. It goes back more than 50 years and hasn’t changed much. It opens early and stays open late and offers good value for what you’d expect. $ L D hf

JIMMY JOHN’S SUB SHOP 976 Baxter Ave., 587-0550, 4000 Shelbyville Rd., 894-3331, 3901 Dutchmans Ln., 894-9393, 415 W. Jefferson St., 625-7101, 301 E. Market St., 587-7888, 1321 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 425-4515, 3001 Charlestown Crossing Way, New Albany IN. 725-8580, 1116 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville IN, 288-6700, 12903 Shelbyville Rd., 384-8884, 341 W. Cardinal Blvd., 634-3334. This national sandwich-shop chain offers a wide selection of over stuffed subs that benefit from fresh quality ingredients. But what sets them apart from the rest is their value — and they deliver. $ L D f JOE DAVOLA’S 901 Barret Ave., 690-5377. Near the government center in the lower Highlands, this popular sandwich shop features healthful choices for lunch. $ L

DOOLEY’S BAGELCATESSEN 2415 Lime Kiln Ln., 426-3354. This convenient deli specializes in bagels, as the name implies. Breakfast means fresh bagels with an array of cream cheese, sausage, eggs and coffee. At lunchtime lines form for sandwiches — subs, panini, wraps, hot melts and cold cuts. $ B L

LENNY’S SUB SHOP 3942 Taylorsville Rd., 454-7831.

Another semi-national chain, covering mostly the South and Midwest, brings a selection of familiar subs, sandwiches and salads to Louisville diners eager for more standardized semi-fast food. $ L D f

DP UPDOGS 147 E. Market St., New Albany IN, 9480768. The long-lived but now defunct Little Chef diner at the corner of New Albany’s Market and Bank Streets has a new life and identity. Stop in for a variety of wiener concoctions, or an ice cream sandwich. $ f

LIL’ CHEEZERS 938 Baxter Ave., 409-7424. The food truck specializing in sort-of upscale grilled cheese sandwiches has added a brick and mortar spot in the Highlands. Its specialties include caprese grilled cheese (tomato and mozzarella) and a Fancy Pants that includes Brie, caramelized onions, apple and walnuts. $ L D hf

EINSTEIN BROTHERS BAGELS 320 W. Jefferson St., (Hyatt Regency) 217-6046. Nothing beats a bagel and a schmear of cream cheese — unless it’s a bagel, a schmear, and a generous slab of lox. For those who don’t live on bagels, a good selection of soups, salads and sandwiches offer quick sustenance at this branch of the national chain. $ B L f THE FEED BAG 133 Breckenridge Ln., 896-1899.

The grilled salmon burger is worth the visit, as well as the Triple Crown wrap with three meats or a fresh veggie wrap. Soups, desserts top off the lunch-only schedule. $ L FIREHOUSE SUBS 215 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 3653473. This national chain touts that they steam their meat and cheese sandwiches. Specialty subs carry out the Firehouse theme and the kids meals include a little fire helmet. $ L D FRASCELLI’S NEW YORK DELI & PIZZERIA 4113 Murphy Ln., 243-9005. This shop offers Italian-style deli sandwiches and pizza, plus home-style Italian hot dishes from lasagna to baked ziti. $ L D hf GREAT LIFE CAFÉ 9565 Taylorsville Rd., 297-8807, 9463 Westport Rd., 420-0707, 951 E. Lewis & Clark Pkwy., Clarksville IN, 284-5624. This small but growing local chain, founded by Steve and Jill Mazzoni and their friend Jason McCune, specializes in health and nutrition supplements and vitamins. $ B L D HONEYBAKED CAFÉ 4600 Shelbyville Rd., 8956001, 6423 Bardstown Rd., 239-9292, 3602 Northgate Crt., New Albany IN, 941-9426. Before holidays, you go in and carry out huge spiralsliced hams or turkey breasts or beef roasts for your own parties. In the off season, you sit down in the café and order generous, filling sandwiches made from those same meats, served on rolls or croissants, cold or with a hot cheese melt. Soup and salads too. And cookies. $ L D JASON’S DELI 410 N. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 412-4101, 4600 Shelbyville Rd., 896-0150, 1975 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 493-4130. Don’t look for a New York kosherstyle deli at this Texas-based chain, but suburbanites are lining up at its multiple locations for oversize sandwiches, salads, wraps and more. $ L D f JERSEY MIKE’S SUBS AND SALADS 10266 Shelbyville Rd., 244-1991, 10519 Fischer Park Dr., 425-1025, 9156 Taylorsville Rd., 499-9830. East Coast-style sub shop with local faves that includes cheese, ham, prosciuttini, capicola, salami, pepperoni and fixings. $ L D

h = Late Night p = Full Bar f = Outdoor Dining e = Live Music

LONNIE’S BEST TASTE OF CHICAGO 121 St. Matthews Ave., 895-2380. This appetizing operation offers genuine Chicago hot dogs and a taste of Chicago atmosphere for a price that won’t hurt your wallet. Make Lonnie’s the place to go when you’ve got a hankering for Windy City fare. $ L D f LOTSA PASTA 3717 Lexington Rd., 896-6361. A Louisville pioneer in gourmet cheeses, oils, dips, hummus and, of course, pasta. They are mainly an eclectic specialty-food store but fans stand threedeep at the sandwich counter every afternoon. And next door is a comfortable place to have coffee and pastry or to eat your sandwich. $ L D f LUNCH TODAY 590 Missouri Ave., Jeffersonville IN, 282-1005. This outfit prepares its share of the soups, salads and sandwiches that the downtown workforce needs to re-energize. $ L MAIN EATERY 643 W. Main St., 589-3354. Smack dab in the middle of the Main Street historic district, this fashionable deli lures the savvy business midday crowd. $ L MAIN STREET COFFEE AND DELI 217 E. Main St., 992-8080. Offering sandwiches made from housesmoked and cured pastrami, sorghum bacon and other artisanal foods. $ B L f MCALISTER’S DELI 10041 Forest Green Blvd., 4258900, 2721 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 671-2424, 2400 Lime Kiln Ln., 339-8544, 6510 Bardstown Rd., 2399997, 12911 Shelbyville Rd., 244-5133, 1305 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville IN, 282-3354, 1200 S. Floyd St. (U of L), 825-2285, 4677 Outer Loop, 969-3328, 980 Breckenridge Ln., 895-1698. Emphasizing quality customer service, this delicatessen ladles up such soups as gumbo and chicken tortilla along with cutting board favorites. They have a special way with a tumbler of sweet iced tea. $ L D MORRIS DELI & CATERING 2228 Taylorsville Rd., 458-1668, 555 S. Second St. (YMCA building), 5872353. Many locals still know this small, popular Highlands deli as Karem Deeb’s after its longtime previous owner. Mostly for takeout — it packs in a few crowded tables — it’s known for high-quality, hand-made deli fare. A second location is now open in the YMCA downtown. $ L NANCY’S BAGEL BOX 651 S. Fourth St., 589-4004.

An outpost of Nancy’s Bagel Grounds in Clifton, this little outlet, inside Theater Square Marketplace, offers a similar mix of light fare and Nancy’s unique take on the bagel. $ B L

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NANCY’S BAGEL GROUNDS 2101 Frankfort Ave., 895-8323. A friendly and casual neighborhood gathering spot. Offerings include soups, snacks, coffee drinks and bagels made on the premises to its own rather idiosyncratic formula. $ B L f OLLIE’S TROLLEY 978 S. Third St., 583-5214. A little piece of fast-food history remains on an urban street corner in Old Louisville. It’s one of the nation’s few surviving trolleys of the Louisvillebased chain that spread across the nation in the ’70s. Oversize burgers with a spicy, homemade flavor are just as good as ever. $ L PANERA BREAD CO. 7900 Shelbyville Rd. (Oxmoor Mall), 899-9992, 6221 Dutchmans Ln., 895-9991, 601 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 423-7343, 10451 Champion Farms Dr., 426-2134, 3131 Poplar Level Rd., 635-9164, 1040 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville IN, 288-9400, 400 W. Market St., 540-5250, 1801 Rudy Ln., 710-0297, 1534 Bardstown Rd., 459-8160.

Warm breads finish-baked on the premises make a tasty base for a variety of sandwiches. Soups, salads, coffee drinks and a free WiFi hotspot make Panera’s outlets popular gathering places. $ B L D f THE PBJ SHOP 440 S. Third St., 439-8443. Yep, it’s all peanut butter and jelly, plain or snazzy, with honey or banana slices or bacon strips or a slab of bologna. A choice of jelly flavors and breads, of course, or you can forgo the bread and have your PB on apple slices or celery. And, they cater! $ B L PAUL’S FRUIT MARKET 3922 Chenoweth Sq., 8968918, 4946 Brownsboro Rd., 426-5070, 12119 Shelbyville Rd., 253-0072, 3704 Taylorsville Rd., 456-4750. One of Louisville’s popular sources for produce, cheeses, deli items, and the like. Deli sandwiches and salads are available (takeout only). $ L D PENN STATION (17 Locations). Billed as the East Coast Sub Headquarters, this sandwich kitchen does a brisk business here in the Louisville area. $ L D POTBELLY SANDWICH SHOP 302 S. Fourth St., 5401100. Downtown lunch goers have a new sandwich choice in this Chicago-based chain that is now franchising. The Fourth and Jefferson St. location is run by two escapees from the financial services world who depended on Chicago Potbelly sandwiches to get them through grueling trading sessions. $ L D QUIZNO’S SUBS (7 locations) Toasted breads, a sandwich selection of meats, veggies and fish are built to fight hunger. Fresh soups are available daily, from chili to chowder; so are salads and desserts. $ L RED’S COMFORT FOOD 514 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd., 587-7337. Across from Louisville Gardens, “Red” offers gourmet wieners and sausages, chicken barbecue topped with coleslaw and vegetarian side dishes, many made with locally sourced products.

Red closes for the winter, though, so his fans have to wait til spring. $ L f SAE CAFÉ 200 S. Seventh St., 585-3400. This spunky new downtown breakfast and lunch place has goals of serving more healthful — and tasty — choices.

Muffins and other breakfast pastries are by Najla’s, a Louisville baker that uses no trans-fats, corn syrup or preservatives. The sandwiches have clever names — Angry Bob, Hail to the Chief, Mexi Mama wrap and the Knuckle sandwich — and there are also salads and daily soup specials. $ B L SCHLOTZSKY’S DELI 10531 Fischer Park Dr., 4258447. The original Schlotzsky’s offered just one kind of sandwich — “The Original” — when it opened its first eatery in Austin, Texas, in 1971.

Now this national chain vends a full selection of deli-style fare, with one significant improvement on the traditional deli: the servers are invariably polite. $ B L D f SCOTTY’S VILLAGE MARKET 10640 Meeting St., 384-6338. A grocery store and deli joins the retail mix at Norton Commons. In keeping with the

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Village theme, the store will evoke the feel and ambience of the old local grocery, in addition to doing on-site baking, smoking meats, and offering full to-go dinners. $ L D f

BRANDON’S BAR-B-QUE 9901 LaGrange Rd., 4266666. Featuring hickory-smoked Tennessee-style barbecue sandwiches and filling, affordable dinners. $LD

SHADY LANE CAFÉ 4806 Brownsboro Center, 8935118. Another attractive East End storefront, Shady Lane Café, has been earning good reviews for simple breakfast and lunch fare served in friendly surroundings. $ Br L f

DERBY CITY BBQ AND CATERING 2932 S. Fourth St., 690-4204. $ L D

SOUPY’S 3019 Breckenridge Ln., 451-5325. In the soup kettles you will find such classics as cheesy potato, bean and ham, broccoli and cheese, chicken and dumplings and more. At the cutting board they’ll make your meat, cheese and veggie sandwiches according to your custom design. $ L D THE STARVING ARTIST CAFÉ & DELI 8034 New Lagrange Rd., 412-1599. $ L STEVENS & STEVENS 1114 Bardstown Rd., 5843354. This authentic New York-style deli occupies the rear third of the Ditto’s space in the heart of the Highlands. Take out or eat in one of the booths, you’ll get piled-high pastrami, brisket and corned beef and you’ll love lox and a schmear on your bagel — even if you don’t know what a schmear is. $ L SUB STATION II 3101 Fern Valley Rd., 964-1075.

The hardy No. 19, a six-meat-and-cheese super sub, keeps the store buzzing. An array of sandwiches, salad sides and desserts fill out an appetizing lunch menu. $ L D TC’S SANDWICH SHOPPE 438 W. Market St., 5819200. $ L THORNBERRY’S DELI & PIES 5103 S. Third St., 367-8394. $ L TOM+CHEE 1704 Bardstown Rd., 409-9494. Louisville’s first outlet of the Cincinnati-based soup and sandwich chain fills the space once occupied by Penn Station Subs. Its hook is serving many variations on grilled cheese sandwiches (including a grilled cheese donut that has gained TV notoriety) and tomato (and other) soups. Daily specials augment the 15 core menu choices. $ L D f W.W. COUSINS RESTAURANT 900 Dupont Rd., 897-9684. This locally owned and operated eatery looks a lot like the national Fuddruckers chain, but the local boys do a better job, with huge burgers on magisterial home-baked buns and a Metropolitan Museum of toppings. $ L D h WALL ST. DELI 225 Abraham Flexner Way (Jewish Hospital) 585-4202. Offering New York style with Kentucky flair, this busy downtown deli will serve in-house diners or take orders for deliveries.

Authentic Nathan’s Hot Dogs are a specialty. $ L D ZOUP! 318 S. Fourth St., 963-0777. Another new chain sets up shop downtown, giving all the lawyers and government workers another choice for soups, sandwiches and salads, plenty of low-fat, dairy-free and vegetarian choices that will rotate daily. $ L D

B3Q BBQ 1044 Copperfield Drive, Georgetown IN, 951-3900. Ribs, pulled pork and beef brisket, served up as sandwiches, wraps or platters. Also, smoked baloney and chicken, smoked turkey and sirloin tips, and plenty of side choices. Dine-in, carry-out and catering available. $ L D f BOOTLEG BARBECUE COMPANY 9704 Bardstown Rd., 239-2722, 7508 Preston Hwy., 968-5657.

Bootleg Barbecue offers a touch of rusticity and a good helping of country hospitality, as it dishes out hearty portions of well-prepared and affordable smoked meats and fixin’s. It’s one of the few places in Louisville where you can get Western Kentuckystyle mutton barbecue. $ L D f

DUVALLE GRUB-N-SCRUB 3501 Cane Run Rd., 7721277. Pull into this Shively carwash and get some Boss Hog’s BBQ while the boys detail your wheels.

Ribs and rib tips, chicken wings, hamburgers, pulled pork and chicken, milk shakes, and soft serve cones. $ L D FAMOUS DAVE’S BAR-B-QUE 8605 Citadel Way, 493-2812, 1360 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville IN, 282-3283. This franchise chain operation may be based in the twin cities, but it looks like a Georgia gas station with its exuberant, if tongue-in-cheek faux country decor. The important thing, though, is the food, and Dave’s excels with genuine, hickory-smoked barbecue. $$ L D hpf FEAST BBQ 116 W. Main St., New Albany IN, 9200454. Barbecue finally joins the restaurant renaissance in New Albany, with the renovation of a stately old commercial building into a full-service smokery. Owner Ryan Rogers, graduate of the French Culinary Institute, plans to offer sloooowsmoked meats and New Albany’s largest selection of Bourbons. $ L D hpf FIRE FRESH BBQ 211 S. Fifth St., 540-1171, 8610 Dixie Hwy., 995-7585. Fire fighters, it is said, eat heartily and well. It’s no coincidence, then, that Fire Fresh BBQ pays homage to local fire departments in its restaurant’s decor. The barbecue and country fixin’s stand comparison to the best firehouse cuisine. $ L D FRANKFORT AVENUE BEER DEPOT 3204 Frankfort Ave., 895-3223. A neighborhood bar that welcomes all comers with some of the most notable ’cue in town. The burgoo and the baked beans rank as some of the best in the city and the pulled pork by the pound is value worth taking home. $ L D pf HARLEY’S HARDWOODZ BAR-B-Q 1703 CharlestownNew Albany Pk., Jeffersonville IN, 284-4490. Owner Frank Harley said “I found my calling, which is barbecue.” He smokes up barbecue pork, chicken and brisket, marinated in Harley’s own barbecue sauce.

A menu specialty: smoked chicken white chili. $ L D JUCY’S SMOKEHOUSE BAR-B-QUE 7626 New Lagrange Rd., 241-5829. Jucy’s offers exceptionally good Texas-style barbecue from a little wooden shack that looks just like a country BBQ joint should. Highly recommended. $$ L D f MARK’S FEED STORE 11422 Shelbyville Rd., 2440140, 1514 Bardstown Rd., 458-1570, 10316 Dixie Hwy., 933-7707, 3827 Charlestown Rd., New Albany IN, 285-1998, 6501 Bardstown Rd., 442-0808.

Mark Erwin started this chain in an old Hancock’s Feed Store. Today, Mark’s routinely takes local honors for its sauces, sandwiches and its meaty baby-back ribs. And don’t miss the smoked takehome turkeys at Thanksgiving. $$ L D h f OLE HICKORY PIT BAR-B-QUE 6106 Shepherdsville Rd., 968-0585. Located in an attractive house not far from General Electric’s Appliance Park, this Louisville relative of a famous Western Kentucky barbecue pit is well worth the trip. $ L D f PINK BARON BBQ 400 W. Court Ave., 835-7361. $LD PIT STOP BAR-B-QUE 13303 Magisterial Dr., 2536740. This familiar old local brand, long a downtown fixture, now offers its smokey Texas barbecue in an East End industrial park just off the Gene Snyder Freeway and Old Henry Road. $ L D RITE WAY BAR-B-CUE HOUSE 1548 W. St. Catherine St., 584-9385. Open since 1943, this West End landmark in a one-time neighborhood grocery,

RED = Advertiser B = Breakfast Br = Brunch L = Lunch D = Dinner

offers exceptional urban barbecue, including ribs that rank with the city’s best. $ L D RIVER ROAD BBQ 3017 River Rd., 592-7065. Right next to the Water Tower, this little take-out only place smokes brisket and pork: some days one sells out, on other days the other. Winter hours are 116 or until the meat runs out. Potato salad, slaw and drinks. Buy it by sandwich or by the pound. $ L D RUBBIE’S SOUTHSIDE GRILL & BAR 6905 Southside Dr., 367-0007. This South End family knows how to do BBQ. It may be off the beaten path for some folks but here you’ll find the bounty of secret BBQ recipes. $ L D hpfe SCOTTY’S RIBS AND MORE 14049 Shelbyville Rd., 244-6868. Ribs, pork, chicken a la carte and dinners. The small East End venue moves a lot of pizzas and salads as well. $$ L D hp SHACK IN THE BACK BBQ 406 Mt. Holly Rd., 3633227. This Fairdale institution since 2004 smokes and serves slow-smoked pulled pork, brisket, ribs and a dozen sides (including Nanny’s potato salad) from an 1896 log house. House specialty is hickory-grilled steaks on Friday and Saturday nights. $ L D fe SHANE’S RIB SHACK 2420 Lime Kiln Ln., 429-3907.

“Rib” may be its middle name, but you can also fill up on wings, chicken tenders, sandwiches and more at this growing Atlanta-based chain. $$ L D f SMOKEHOUSE BBQ 5414 Bardstown Rd., 239-4422.

A new smokery on Bardstown Road just past Hurstbourne offers baby back and spare ribs, pulled pork, brisket, chicken and burgers, along with home-cooked sides like collard greens, sweet potato fries and onion loaf. Finish off with a coconut cream pie or chocolate cobbler. $$ L D p SMOKETOWN USA 1153 Logan St., 409-9180. The name “Smoketown” points to the restaurant’s location in this legendary midtown neighborhood, while signaling there’s consistently fine and cleverly fused Memphis- and Texas-style barbecue to be found here. Irrepressible owner Eric Gould maintains his neighborhood spot also is about vegetarian food and yard sales, and everything in the store is for sale (artwork on the walls, furniture, even the salt shakers, just make an offer). You’ll also find live entertainment three nights weekly. $$ LDf SMOKEY BONES BBQ 2525 Hurstbourne Gem Ln., 491-7570. A property of Orlando’s Darden fastfood chain, which also runs Olive Garden and Red Lobster, this noisy Stony Brook-area eatery conveys more of a sports-bar than barbecue concept, but the ribs are fine. $$ L D hp TEXICANS BBQ PIT 6608 Hwy. 146, Crestwood. 2419227. A small, neighborhood place just off I-71 in Crestwood pleases fans with standard barbecue fare — pulled pork, brisket and ribs — as well as smoked sausage, chicken and boneless chops.

Cinnamon apples join the usual side selection of green beans, slaw and mac and cheese. $ L D

BIG AL’S BEERITAVILLE 1715 Mellwood Ave., 8934487. Good people, good food, cold beer: The sign out front says it all, and we might add “cool atmosphere” in praise of this small but friendly Butchertown oasis. $ L D hpf THE BREWERY 426 Baxter Ave., 365-2505. First renovated in 1984, including the antique bar from the old Kunz’s, the original owners are back from a decade-long hiatus serving wings and calamari, chili, salads, burgers, sandwiches, subs and pastas.

And beer. $$ L D hpfe BROWNIE’S THE SHED GRILLE & BAR 237 Whittington Pkwy., 326-9830. Restaurant owner and namesake Keith Brown used to host neighborhood gatherings in a shed at his home. Now he brings the same sociable concept to his pub and eatery. Louisville’s official home for Cincy Bengals fans, Brownie’s may be the closest thing Hurstbourne has to a Germantown neighborhood saloon. $ L D hpfe BUD’S TAVERN GOOD FOOD & BARBECUE 4014 Dixie Hwy., 384-9131. New ownership has spiffed up this Shively outpost now offering honest bar food that’s receiving high praise. Check out the “gently fried” grouper, burgers (including a Rueben burger), burritos and barbecue. $ L D hpfe BUFFALO WILD WINGS (BW-3’S) 6801 Dixie Hwy., 935-1997, 4600 Shelbyville Rd., 899-7732, 9134 Taylorsville Rd., 499-2356, 3584 Springhurst Blvd., 394-9596, 12901 Shelbyville Rd., 254-9464, 1055 Bardstown Rd., 454-3635, 1112 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville IN, 283-9464. As much a sports bar as a restaurant, this national franchise chain offers tasty snack-type fare, including the chain’s trademark Buffalo chicken wings. $$ L D hpf BUFFALO WINGS & RINGS 2610 Chamberlain Ln., 243-4464. $ L D hpf BUNGALOW JOE’S BAR & GRILL 7813 Beulah Church Rd., 931-5637. A “family friendly sports bar and grill” in the Fern Creek area sports 23 HDTVs including a 5- by 7-foot HD projector for 3D football viewing. A game room for kids, and plenty of wings, shrimp, burgers and beer. $$ L D hpfe CHAMPIONS SPORTS BAR AND GRILL 280 W. Jefferson St. (Louisville Marriott), 671-4246. Another popular option at the striking downtown Marriott, Champions provides a fun, casual dining alternative with a Kentucky sports theme — and a gallery of big-screen televisions to keep the sports action flowing as freely as the libations and upscale pub grub. $$ L D hp CHAMPPS AMERICANA 302 Bullitt Ln., 394-7620.

The Fox & Hound sports bar concept wasn’t quite working at this Oxmoor location, so its Wichita owners are trying another sports bar concept. If you like “big, made-from-scratch burgers piled sky high, big selection of ice-cold beers and big ... no, massive screens on the walls,” it’s your kind of place. $$$ L D hp

BAXTER’S 942 BAR & GRILL 942 Baxter Ave., 4099422. This recent addition to the Baxter corridor, offers bar food, luring both rockers and good ol’ boys with a combination of rock and country and western in its music plan. $ L D hpfe

CLARK’S LYNDON VILLAGE PUB 813 Lyndon Ln., 290-7334. This sports bar-music venue highbred features Clark, a guitarist himself, joining musicians on stage for frequent jam sessions. Daily bar specials run the gamut of wine, spirits and beer for sports fans who also can catch games on its nine flatscreen TVs. In addition to the usual sliders and wings, the menu includes a fried bologna and bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. $$ L D hpfe

BEEF O’BRADY’S 241 Blankenbaker Pkwy., 254-2322, 5628 Bardstown Rd., 239-2226, 3101 S. Second St., 637-3737, 105 LaFollette Ct., 923-1316, 1450 Veterans Pkwy., Jeffersonville IN, 285-9464, 5501 Valley Station Rd., 933-5919, 11324 Preston Hwy., 966-8515. If you think your basic sports pub is only suitable for guys guzzling beer, take another look: Beef O’Brady’s puts the “family” in “family sports pub,” offering a wholesome environment. $ L D hf

CLUCKERS WINGS 4308 Charlestown Rd., New Albany IN, 944-8100, 100 W. Riverside Dr., Jeffersonville IN, 590-3662, 313 W. Cardinal Blvd., 365-1665. At this growing chain, you can get your wings doused in an array of sauces, from honey barbecue to spicy garlic barbecue to sweet Thai chili to inferno — a habanero-based sauce that has a legit name. Also breaded and grilled tenders, chicken sandwiches, appetizers and salads. $ L D hpf

h = Late Night p = Full Bar f = Outdoor Dining e = Live Music

CORNER DOOR BAR & GRILL 2222 Dundee Rd., 708-2885. This Douglass Loop spot features craft brews on tap, a tasteful selection of wine, and reasonably priced food, including the signature Zip Burger and ribbon fries. The Facebook page also boasts “the best-looking bartenders and wait staff in the Highlands.” $ L D hpfe DIAMOND PUB & BILLIARDS 3814 Frankfort Ave., 895-7513, 630 Barret Ave., 895-7513. $ L D

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DRAKE’S 3939 Shelbyville Rd., 614-7327, 3921 Summit Plaza Dr.,384-3921. Lexington-based Bluegrass Hospitality Group now has two Louisville outlets, the first in the old Burdorf’s building in St. Matthews and the second at The Summit. Twenty-four craft beers on tap to wash down the traditional pub grub of tacos, ribs and — these days — sushi. Familyfriendly by day and a hoppin’ spot at night, with music videos and a DJ. $$ L D hpf FLANAGAN’S ALE HOUSE 934 Baxter Ave., 585-3700.

Gourmet pizzas, hoagies, and an enormous beer selection draw Highlands folks to this cozy neighborhood pub. For a late night pizza (the kitchen’s open until 2 a.m.), it’s one of the best options in the city. $$ L D hpf FOUR KINGS CAFÉ 4642 Jennings Ln., 968-2930.

Steam-table service featuring spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna and chicken attract a hungry lunch crowd at this casual spot, and brunch specialties are just as popular. $ L D p GERSTLE’S PLACE 3801 Frankfort Ave., 742-8616.

A popular St. Matthews neighborhood tavern since 1924. Although dining is secondary to booze and sports here, the food goes well beyond mere pub grub. $ L D hpfe GRANVILLE INN 1601 S. Third St., 637-9128. A longtime gathering place for U of L students, faculty and fans, this sturdy redbrick tavern just north of the university campus offers a good variety of bar munchies, sandwiches and simple grilled fare plus pizza. It’s perhaps best known, though, for the signature Granville Burger, widely reputed as one of the best burgers in town. $ L D

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GREAT AMERICAN GRILL 2735 Crittenden Dr. (Hilton), 637-2424. Located in the Hilton Garden Inn. Salads, burgers, pastas and sandwiches are available for the casual diner; main entrées include New York strip, filet of salmon and more. $ Br D pf HILLTOP TAVERN 1800 Frankfort Ave., 742-2908.

The Skelton brothers (John is an alum of Seviche) have taken over this prime Clifton location, once the original location of Café Lou Lou. Their tavern fare is focused on barbecue, with pulled pork and beer-butt chicken specialties, along with hefty sandwiches (their meatloaf is a standout). $ D hp HITCHING POST INN 7314 Fegenbush Ln., 2394724. In addition to its full bar and beer garden, and lively conversation, the Hitching Post Inn offers an array of pub grub, including burgers, chicken tenders, and sandwiches. $ L D hpf HOOPS GRILL AND SPORTS BAR 6733 Strawberry Ln., 375-4667. The name says it all: sports, casual dining and good things to drink all find their natural meeting place at this friendly neighborhood spot where hot wings and hoops reign supreme. $ L D hpf JERSEY’S CAFÉ 1515 Lynch Ln., Clarksville IN, 2882100. Quality, affordable fare that goes well beyond pub grub to include an awesome smokehouse burger and barbecued ribs so tender, they say, that you can just tap the end of the bone on your plate, and the meat falls off. $ L D hpf JOHN O’BRYAN’S TAVERN 4123 Flintlock Dr., 4494940. $ B L D www.facebook.com/foodanddine Fall 2012 85

JR’S PUB 826 W. Main St., New Albany IN, 920-0030.

This new bar and grill adds more life to an increasingly busy New Albany downtown with live entertainment every Friday and Saturday, a daily $1 draft beer pick, a full menu including a daily $6 Blue Plate Special (think comfort foods like Salisbury steak and liver and onions), and an allyou-can-eat fish, fries and slaw choice. $$ L D

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THE LIGHTHOUSE 202 Main St., Jeffersonville IN, 283-0077. This lighthouse has been a beacon of casual, home cooking and tavern environment for years. Daily specials, appetizers, chicken and fish baskets, salads and desserts round out the menu. $ L D pe MAIN ST. TAVERN 122 W. Main St., 384-0151. Longstanding blues bar Zena’s closed, but fans were relieved when the funky downtown space was reopened by the owners of Amici in Old Louisville, who continue to offer great music and even better bar food. $ L D hpe MIKE’S TAVERN 3521 Paoli Pike, Floyds Knobs IN, 945-8915. A tavern that serves a full breakfast — eggs, bacon, hotcakes. For lunch, a varied 1/2-pound burger menu — jalapeno burger, bacon burger, mushroom burger — plus a 2-pounder that is free if it can be eaten in 60 minutes. Breakfast or lunch served anytime. $ L p NEW DIRECTION BAR & GRILL 2630 Chamberlain Ln., 243-8429. $ L D hpfe RIVER CITY DRAFTHOUSE 1574 1/2 Bardstown Rd., 690-5111. Another beer joint along the Bardstown Road corridor boasts more than 20 taps concerned on independent, American, craft beer (in sample, half-pint and pint sizes) and several bottled options. Its limited (for now) bar menu has garnered early praise for its wings. $$ L D hf ROOTIE’S SPORTS BAR & GRILLE 12205 Westport Rd., 365-4681. The first entry of the Buffalo-based

chain to open in the area. Rootie’s angle is charcoalgrilled wings with a thick, hickory-smoked spicy sauce. $ L D hpf RUMBALL’S FAMILY SPORTS BAR 5901 Terry Rd., 365-2781. A family-centered sports bar, with a welcome focus on scratch cooking (the chicken strips are cut in-house from actual chicken breasts) with a “Little League Menu” to appeal to the small fry. Along with wraps and salads, the regulars like the deep-fried burger. $$ L D hpf SAINT’S 131 Breckinridge Ln., 891-8883. Almost like two restaurants in one, Saints features both a small, intimate, candle-lighted room and a larger, happily boisterous main room with the look and feel of a sports bar. $$ L D hpfe SERGIO’S WORLD BEERS 1605 Story Ave., 618-2337.

Despite minimal signage, Sergio’s Butchertown digs pull in his fans, who dig the quirky website, and the whole aura of haughty mystery. What you really need when you locate the place is a desire to explore Sergio’s world beer inventory, nearing 1000 different brews. $$ D h THE SPORTING NEWS GRILL 6551 Paramount Park Dr. (Holiday Inn), 966-0000. Just what you want in a sports bar: seven 52-inch screens, subscriptions to all the pro and college sports networks, and hearty appetizers, Angus burgers, steaks, shrimp and salmon. $$$ L D hpf THE SPORTS & SOCIAL CLUB 427 S. Fourth St., (Fourth Street Live) 568-1400. This Cordish-owned spot has four bars — including one that opens out onto the street — plenty of TVs to catch every game, and even a “stadium style sports media room.”

Chow down with the usual burgers, sandwiches and wings. $$ L D hpf SPRING STREET BAR & GRILL 300 S. Spring St., 584-6630. A classic American bar and grill, open late on weekends, dispensing cold beer, burgers,

sandwiches and good cheer in a friendly atmosphere.

The decor includes a collection of old bicycles hanging from the ceiling, and amenities include several video games and pool tables. $$ L D hp SULLY’S SALOON 434 S. Fourth St., (Fourth Street Live) 585-4100. $$ L D hpfe THE BACK DOOR 1250 Bardstown Rd., (Mid City Mall) 451-0659. You need a bit of perseverance to track down this saloon on the back side of Mid-City Mall. When you do, you will find one of the city’s friendliest pubs, with a reputation for the best pour of drinks around. Limited bar fare, but don’t miss the chicken wings. $ D hpf TIN ROOF 3921 Shelbyville Rd. This Nashville-based chain, which will take over the old Brendan’s location in the heart of St. Matthews by the end of August, promises to maintain a split personality: a family-friendly vibe during the lunch hours; and a rockin’ juke joint at night with live music until 3 a.m.

Its menu will encompass everything you expect from bar grub: deep-fried hot dogs, hot wings, quesadillas and salads for the ladies. $ L D hpfe TROLL PUB UNDER THE BRIDGE 150 W. Washington St., 618-4829. On the downslope alongside the Clark Memorial Bridge, a large troll beckons the adventurous into a space excavated out of the lost space in the old whiskey warehouse. The renovation boasts lots of dark, brick-walled spaces, as well as a funky outdoor dining area in the lightwell. The menu offers stacked sandwiches, bison burgers and sweet potato tots, and ribeye steaks. $$ L D hpf VIC’S CAFÉ 1839 E. Market St., New Albany IN, 9444338. $ L D WINGSTOP 4812 Dixie Hwy., 409-6000. This Texasbased chain with 500 restaurants nationally, now reaches into Louisville. Their specialty? Wings of course, and you can get them 9 different ways. $$ L D hp

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RED = Advertiser B = Breakfast Br = Brunch L = Lunch D = Dinner

ZANZABAR 2100 S. Preston St., 635-9227. An icon of the ’70s bar scene, the Zbar has resurrected itself at its original location in Germantown. The stylish tile front has been recreated anew, and chef Jack Tapp is pushing the envelope on bar food, with items such as pulled pork smoked on site, sesame seed-crusted tuna salad, and peppercorn-crusted rib eye. “Pub grub” like this and top-flight live music is satisfying oldtimers and the newly hip late into the night. $ L D hpfe

AGAINST THE GRAIN BREWERY 401 E. Main St., 515-0174. Slugger Field once again has a beer-pub.

The owners, veterans of the local brewing revival, have worked out an ambitious rotating beer selection and a smokehouse theme for the kitchen, with an emphasis on seasonal dishes. $$ L D pf APOCALYPSE BREW WORKS 1612 Mellwood Ave., 589-4843. Veteran home brewers Leah Dienes, Paul Grignon and Bill Krauth have teamed up to open a new brewery in Butchertown. Their taproom, dubbed The Fallout Shelter, will serve up to 10 of their concoctions. $ h BANK STREET BREWHOUSE 415 Bank St., New Albany IN, 725-9585. The food focus of this offshoot of F&D columnist Roger Baylor’s New Albanian brewing empire has sharpened into Belgian-style bistro cuisine. Mussels and frites will always be available, and croques monsieurs et madames to go with the exceptional beer brewed on the premises. $$ L D pf BLUEGRASS BREWING COMPANY 3929 Shelbyville Rd., 899-7070, 636 E. Main St., 584-2739, 660 S. Fourth St., 568-2224, 300 W. Main St., 562-0007.

More than just a brewpub. BBC’s management gives equally serious attention to both cooking and brewing, making this a great place to stop in for both dinner and a beer. Its third restaurant site near the new arena boasts an upstairs Bourbon lounge. $$ L D hpfe

such as sambusas and nafaqo — a hard-boiled egg in a crust of potato and ground beef, a kind of African Scotch egg. $ L D CHEZ SENEBA AFRICAN RESTAURANT 4218 Bishop Ln., 473-8959. Offering another interesting ethnic cuisine to Louisville’s international dining scene, with generous portions of spicy Senegalese cuisine from West Africa. $ L D h MAA SHA ALLAH 4113 Bardstown Rd., 491-3152.

The name is an Arabic blessing or expression of joy, meaning “Whatever Allah wants to give.” This little Buechel storefront is another example of the entrepreneurial spirit of recent immigrants, in this case from Senegal and Sierra Leone. The menu is African, the ambiance modest, the food spicy and tasty. $$ L D QUEEN OF SHEBA ETHIOPIAN 2804 Taylorsville Rd., 459-6301, 528 S. Fifth St., 589-5777. This authentic Ethiopian restaurant offers a wide selection of intriguing Ethiopian dishes, including a variety of vegetarian selections as well as the traditional beef and chicken specialties. Ethiopian fare is made for sharing and eating with the fingers, but they’ll gladly make forks available for the finicky. $ L D

oversight of Chef Peng Looi, better known as the force behind Asiatique. Housed in a soaring, open space with a Zen master’s style. Consistent commitment in the kitchen and from the staff makes it a top spot for Asian fare. A lovely patio at the rear affords a pleasant alfresco dining experience. $$$ L D hpf BAMBOO HOUSE 4036 Poplar Level Rd., 451-3113.

An old-timer among local Chinese restaurants, this Southeastern Louisville spot may not offer the trendiest Asian fare, but it’s a reliable source for the familiar Cantonese-American standards. $ L D CHEER KING STAR 231 S. Fifth St., 587-8686. Just what downtown needed — a Chinese buffet for quick lunches. Mostly the familiar, a mix of Cantonese, Szechuan and Hunan choices for those who need a little spice to fire them up to get back to work. $ L D CHINA 1 123 Breckinridge Ln., 897-6511. $ L D CHINA BUFFET 706 E. Lewis & Clark Pkwy., Clarksville IN, 288-8989. Chinese buffets are ubiquitous, but this one is squarely in the upper range. Regularly refreshed steam tables, attentively fried rice, and properly spicy General Tso’s Chicken raise it above the other places typical of the genre. $ L D CHINA CAFÉ 8625 Preston Hwy., 968-7450. $ L D

A TASTE OF CHINA 1167 S. Fourth St., 585-5582. $ L D ASIAN BUFFET 3813 Charlestown Rd., New Albany IN, 945-1888, 3646 Mall Rd., 479-9989. Competent cookery and careful management that ensures buffet offerings stay fresh and hot makes these buffets a good choice among the growing crowd of all-you-can-eat Asian spots. $ L D ASIAN MOON 1915 Blankenbaker Pkwy., 261-9998, 3360 Hikes Ln., 451-0077. $ L D AUGUST MOON 2269 Lexington Rd., 456-6569.

August Moon’s secret ingredient is the culinary

CHINA CASTLE 7420 Third Street Rd., 367-4272. $ L D CHINA GARDEN 7309 Preston Hwy., 968-4672. A busy restaurant with the double pleasure of Chinese and American menu items. $ L D CHINA INN 1925 S. Fourth St., 636-2020. It’s not the posh, private Faculty Club, but this little Asian spot may be one of the most popular eateries around the University of Louisville’s Belknap Campus. $ L D CHINA KING 3830 Ruckriegel Pkwy., 240-0500. $ L D CHINA TASTE 135 Quartermaster Ct., Jeffersonville IN, 284-5580. $ L D

CUMBERLAND BREWS 1576 Bardstown Rd., 4588727. Giving new meaning to the term “microbrewery,” Cumberland Brews may be one of the smallest eateries in town. It’s usually packed, earning its crowds the old-fashioned way by providing very good food, friendly service, and high-quality handcrafted artisan beers. $ L D hf GORDON BIERSCH BREWERY RESTAURANT 400 S. Fourth St., 589-8935. The growing national brewery and restaurant chain has taken over the key corner location at 4th and Liberty, and will be brewing their characteristic German-style bottomfermented lagers, Hefeweizen, bocks, pilsners and Schwarzbiers. The large menu offers the usual pubgrub, but touted as fresh, seasonal and made on the premises. $$$ Br L D hpf NEW ALBANIAN BREWING CO. 3312 Plaza Dr., New Albany, IN, 944-2577. (See review under Pizza.)

ADDIS GRILL 109 S. Fourth St., 581-1011. The signage of this downtown ethnic eatery promises “Mediterranean & Ethiopian Cuisine,” but the menu offers mostly Mediterranean standbys — kabobs, hummus, baba ghannouj, dolmades, tabbouleh. $ L D h AL NUUR 2933 S. Fourth St., 210-7623. Another outlet for Arabian food, but one that goes beyond the usual. You can find long-braised lamb shank and roasted goat, as well as shish kebabs, fish and spaghetti. Take out or eat in. $ L D BELA’S CAFÉ 2933 S. Fourth St., 681-4909. This little Somali café caters mostly to the Muslim community settling in around Churchill Downs, offering cheap, filling, and interestingly spiced foods

h = Late Night p = Full Bar f = Outdoor Dining e = Live Music

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CHINESE CHEF 2619 S. Fourth St., 634-0979. $ L D CHINESE EXPRESS 3228 Crums Ln., 448-1360. $ L D CHONG GARDEN 10341 Dixie Hwy., 935-1628. $ L D h CHOPSTICKS 416 E. Broadway, 589-9145. $ L D CHOPSTICKS HOUSE 2112 W. Broadway, 772-3231. $ L D CHUNG KING CHINESE AMERICAN RESTAURANT 110 E. Market St., 584-8880. $ L D CRYSTAL CHINESE 3901 W. Market St., 776-9702. $ L D DOUBLE DRAGON 1255 Goss Ave., 635-5656, 2600 W. Broadway, 778-2573. A standout among fast-food shopping-center Chinese eateries, Double Dragon hits on all cylinders, turning out consistently wellprepared and flavorful fare. $ L D DOUBLE DRAGON II 12480 LaGrange Rd., 241-7766, 6832 Bardstown Rd., 231-3973, 3179 S. Second St., 367-6668, 5222 Dixie Hwy., 448-1988. $ L D DOUBLE DRAGON 9 9501 Taylorsville Rd., 267-5353.$LD EASTERN HOUSE 5372 Dixie Hwy., 568-2688. $ L D EGGROLL MACHINE 1543 Bardstown Rd., 459-1259.

The Chinese side of the menu at Café Mimosa is presented as The Egg Roll Machine, as opposed to the Vietnamese dishes on the fine dining Mimosa menu. All the expected Chinese favorites are here, including combination platters. $ L D hp EMPEROR OF CHINA 2210 Holiday Manor Center, 426-1717. One of Louisville’s fanciest and most noteworthy Chinese restaurants, the Emperor’s quarters are stylishly strewn across multiple levels of a former suburban movie theater. Outstanding. $$ L D hp EMPRESS OF CHINA 2249 Hikes Ln., 451-2500.

Older sister to The Emperor of China, the Empress was one of Louisville’s first serious, authentic upscale Cantonese restaurants, and its fare still stands up to fancy spots in New York’s Chinatown. $$ L D hp FIRST WOK 3967 Seventh Street Rd., 448-0588. $ L D h GOLDEN BUDDHA 8000 Preston Hwy., 968-7700. $LDh GOLDEN PALACE BUFFET 161 Outer Loop, 368-2868. $$ L D GOLDEN STAR CHINESE RESTAURANT 3458 Taylor Blvd., 368-1833. $ L D h GOLDEN WALL 3201 Fern Valley Rd., 968-9717. $ L D GREAT WALL 2206 Brownsboro Rd., 891-8881. This Clifton restaurant ranks high up in the fast-food Chinese pack. Offering steaming-hot, competently prepared and flavorful dishes. $ L D h GREAT WOK 2502 Preston Hwy., 634-1918. Just about every shopping center in town has a fast-food Chinese spot, but this one stands out, generating a buzz of word-of-mouth publicity about its well-crafted Chinese dishes at a bargain-basement price. $ L D HAPPY CHINA 9106 Taylorsville Rd., 493-1001. $ L D HIBACHI SUSHI BUFFET 5316 Bardstown Rd., 4918228. Capitalizing on two seemingly persistent trends in American dining, this hot table place offers standard Chinese buffet dishes, and standard sushi choices. Cashew chicken, shrimp with garlic sauce, Dancing Dragon roll, spring and summer maki — it is all here. $$ L D HONG KONG CHINESE RESTAURANT 345 New Albany Plaza, New Albany IN, 945-1818. $ L D HONG KONG FAST FOOD 5312 S. Third St., 3678828. One of the many international eateries in Iroquois Manor, this fast-food Chinese spot offers Cantonese standards hot and fast and inexpensively. Check the daily specials for an occasional intriguing item. $ L D h

JASMINE 13823 English Villa Dr., 244-8896. A charming Asian eatery, where you can enjoy familiar ChineseAmerican plates or indulge your more adventurous side with more unusual authentic dishes from the “Chinese Menu,” available on request. $ L D f JUMBO BUFFET 2731 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 495-0028.

Housed in a good-looking dining room, high on Chinatown-style glitz and glitter, Jumbo offers a standard all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet, with a larger-than-average selection of American dishes for those who want something less exotic. $$ L D h KING WOK 291 N. Hubbards Ln., 899-7188. Another of the city’s many tiny shopping-center fast-food Chinese eateries, King Wok offers all the familiar standards plus a small lunch buffet. $ L D h LING LING 10476 Shelbyville Rd., 245-2100. Modern and efficient in its East End shopping center location, Ling Ling is a cut above fast-food Chinese; better yet, it adds a few Vietnamese dishes to the bill of fare. $$ L D LIU’S GARDEN 11517 Shelbyville Rd., 244-9898. Small but charming, with white tablecloths and soft Chinese music, family-run Liu’s gains our approval with fresh, competent cookery and courteous, friendly service that makes you feel like you’re visiting a Chinese family at their home. $$ L D MING’S BUFFET 1971 Brownsboro Rd., 893-0822.

Yet another large, shiny, all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet featuring mostly Chinese dishes with a few American-style items and sushi rolls. $ L D NEW CHINA 231 Blankenbaker Pkwy., 254-9299. $ L D ONION RESTAURANT TEA HOUSE 4211 Charlestown Rd., New Albany IN, 981-0188. Masterful Chinese and Japanese cuisine (including magnificent hotpots, donburi dishes, and wooden-bucket steamed rice) set this airy restaurant apart from the horde of other Asian spots. $ L D f ORIENTAL HOUSE 4302 Shelbyville Rd., 897-1017.

New owners continue the tradition at this longstanding St. Matthews restaurant, featuring both traditional Chinese-American and now, authentic Cantonese, menus. $ L D p ORIENTAL STAR 4212 Bishop Ln., 452-9898. A longtime area favorite in this heavy traffic lunch area.

This establishment is quite good with Lo Mein Noodles, and Sweet and Sour Chicken. $ L D PANDA CHINESE RESTAURANT 9543 U.S. 42., 228-6400. $ L D PEKING CITY BISTRO 12410 Shelbyville Rd., 2536777. A step up from the usual Chinese hot table fare. Chef Chen, highly thought of in the Chinese community, runs the kitchen. $ L D QUICK WOK 801 W. Broadway, 584-6519. $ L D RED SUN CHINESE RESTAURANT 3437 Breckinridge Ln., 499-7788. $ L D ROYAL GARDEN 5729 Preston Hwy., 969-3788. $ L D SHANGHAI RESTAURANT 526 S. Fifth St., 568-8833. $LD SICHUAN GARDEN 9850 Linn Station Rd., 426-6767.

Another Asian restaurant that has stood the test of time, Sichuan Garden offers high-end Chinatown style and well-made dishes, plus a few Thai specialties to spice up the bill of fare. $ L D

HUNAN WOK 6445 Bardstown Rd., 231-0393. $ L D h

TEA STATION CHINESE BISTRO 9422 Norton Commons Blvd., 423-1202. This comfortable, sitdown Chinese restaurant owned and operated by Paul and Amy Yang joins the small but growing cluster of businesses in the Norton Commons village center. $$ L D h

JADE PALACE 1201 Herr Ln., 425-9878. Jade Palace is a decent place for Chinese food at any time, but don’t miss it at mid-day Friday through Monday, when it offers the metro area’s only dim sum (Chinese brunch) menu. $$ Br L D hp

WONTON EXPRESS 3000 Hikes Ln., 452-2646. Traditional Chinese fare. Family-owned-and-operated, this popular neighborhood establishment has enjoyed a steady patronage for seventeen years. $ L D

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WOK EXPRESS 234 W. Broadway, 583-8988. $ L D h

YANG KEE NOODLE 7900 Shelbyville Rd. (Oxmoor Mall), 426-0800. This locally owned and operated Oxmoor spot is colorful and stylish. It offers an intriguing array of appealing noodle and rice dishes from all over Asia with fast-food efficiency and prices happily matched by sit-down restaurant quality and style. $ L D f YEN CHING 1818 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 491-3581. $ L D YOU-CARRYOUT-A 1551 E. Tenth St., Jeffersonville IN, 288-8313, 827 Eastern Blvd., Clarksville IN, 282-8881. $ L D

SARI SARI FILIPINO CUISINE 2339 Frankfort Ave., 894-0585. The city’s first Filipino eatery offers a tasty introduction to the Malayo-Polynesian fare of this Southeast Asian island nation. Filipino dishes are affordable during the dinner hour and downright cheap on the lunch buffet. $ L D TAMBAYAN KARAOKE BAR & FILIPINO RESTAURANT 9601 Newbridge Rd., 749-2727. $$ L D h

ARATA SUSHI 9207 US 42, 409-4880. Prospect gets a sleek sushi place, with crisp dark modern interior, well-prepared fresh fish and rolls, and a fine selection of sakes. $$ L D p ASAHI JAPANESE 3701 Lexington Rd., 895-1130.

This small room in St. Matthews houses this neighborhood sushi spot where award-winning Chef Yong Bong Tak, formerly of Osaka, works his magic at the sushi bar. $ L D BEIJING GRILL AND SUSHI BAR 8007 Hwy. 311, Sellersburg IN, 248-0900. $ L D h BENDOYA SUSHI BAR 217 S. Fifth St., 581-0700.

Adding international flair to its downtown neighborhood, Bendoya is a genuine, serious sushi bar in a storefront just across the street from the courthouse. $$ L CAVIAR JAPANESE RESTAURANT 416 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd., 625-3090. (See listing under Upscale Casual.)

CHOI’S ASIAN FOOD MARKET 607 Lyndon Ln., 426-4441. This suburban Asian grocery now serves hot table fare to enjoy between shopping. $ L D DANCING SUSHI JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE 2809 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 384-3387. $$ L D DRAGON KING’S DAUGHTER 1126 Bardstown Rd., 632-2444. Owner Toki Masubuchi‘s audacious take on fusion cuisine seems to have hit a nerve at this popular café at the corner of Bardstown Rd. and Elmwood. The eclectic and somewhat funky menu builds on traditional Japanese ingredients with unexpected twists:, pizza topped with sashimi, and tacos filled with avocado tempura. $ L D hpf FUJI ASIAN BISTRO 6801 Dixie Hwy., 937-0488. $$LDp FUJI JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE 3576 Springhurst Blvd., 339-1978, 12905 Shelbyville Rd., 253-0036.

Part of the fun of sitting at the sushi bar is that you get to watch the chef at work. Put in your order, then sit back and sip your tea while the artist creates edible delights. This suburban sushi bar does the job well. $$ L D hp HANABI JAPANESE RESTAURANT 6027 Timber Ridge Dr., 228-8244. A hospitable welcome, casual setting, and well-fashioned sushi and Japanese specialties have made this family run Prospect spot a worthy alternative in the East End dining scene. $$ L D hp HEART & SOY 1216 Bardstown Rd., 452-6678. To the left is Roots, a sit-down restaurant. To the right is Heart & Soy, serving vegetarian “street food,” and entertaining passers-by with a glass-walled tofumaking room. State-of-the-art equipment from Taiwan transforms organic soy beans from Ohio into soy milk and then coagulates and presses it into tofu as you watch. $ L D

RED = Advertiser B = Breakfast Br = Brunch L = Lunch D = Dinner

HIKO A MON SUSHI BAR 1115 Herr Ln., 365-1651.

Japanese-trained chef Norihiko Nakanashi brings his artistic skills to this sushi bar and Japanese grill in Westport Village. In addition to fine dining at the bar or in traditional Japanese dining rooms, Hiko A Mon offers sushi-grade fish from a small fish market. $$$ L D hp ICHIBAN SAMURAI 1510 Lake Shore Ct., 412-3339.

This large Japanese-farmhouse building, originally a Benihana, offers similar delights, with the traditional slice-and-dice food show and good sushi. Best deal, while the offer lasts: All-you-can-eat sushi nightly until the karaoke starts at 9 p.m. $$$ L D p KAILANA SUSHI 6435 Bardstown Rd., 614-7244. Fern Creek gets another choice in sushi bars, with generous rolls priced competitively — nothing over $12. Four levels of 13-piece, mix and match lunch specials, as well as rice, noodles and salads. $$ L D h KANSAI JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE 1370 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville IN, 218-9538, 1850 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 618-1870. Traditional Japanese dishes and sushi are available here, but like most Japanese Steakhouses, choose the grill tables with their slice-and-dice Japanese chef show for maximum entertainment. $$$ L D hp KOBE STEAK HOUSE 301 S. Indiana Ave., Jeffersonville IN, 280-8500. Southern Indiana’s first serious Japanese restaurant has been drawing crowds with its exceptional sushi bar, with skilled and friendly chefs who can be relied on to fashion fresh and tasty bites that are just about certain to please. $$$ L D p MAIDO ESSENTIAL JAPANESE 1758 Frankfort Ave., 894-8775. Toki, the original owner of Louisville’s first and only “izakaya”-style restaurant, is back at the helm, serving elegant Japanese cooking in the style of Kansai, the region surrounding Japan’s second city, Osaka. It’s also a sake bar, pouring a good variety of artisanal rice wine. $$ D hf MASA JAPANESE 12336 Shelbyville Rd., 409-5040.

Middletown, too, joins in the sushi expansion. Open for lunch and dinner, the standard menu is bolstered by daily chef’s specials. Lunch specials include the Japadawg, a hot dog with Japanese toppings, a range of teriyaki choices and ramen noodles, Japanese style. $$ L D h

hibachi grill tables and a sushi bar, along with a traditional dining room and cocktail bar. $$ L D hp SAKURA BLUE 4600 Shelbyville Rd., 897-3600.

Located in elegant, upscale quarters in a St. Matthews shopping center, Sakura Blue — direct descendant of the old, popular Bonsai — ranks among the city’s top sushi bars. $$ L D h SAPPORO JAPANESE GRILL & SUSHI 1706 Bardstown Rd., 479-5550, 649 S. Fourth St., 589-3333. With its original location in the middle of Bardstown Road’s “restaurant row,” trendy, glitzy Sapporo has established itself as one of the city’s top spots for sushi and Japanese fare. Its second location is in a beautifully designed space in Theater Square off Broadway downtown. $$$ L D hp SATO’S ZEN SUSHI & SAKE 285 N. Hubbards Ln., 608-1866. The menu of this Japanese restaurant boasts “Zen salads,” soups, sushi, green tea, red bean and tempura ice cream, and a variety of flavored sakes. $$ L D h SHOGUN JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE 9026 Taylorsville Rd., 499-5700, 4110 Hampton Lake Way, 3940123. Shogun’s decor is attractive, and quality food and service make it a pleasant dining destination.

It’s unthreatening enough to appeal to those who find exotic cuisine “challenging,” but good enough to satisfy just about anyone who craves a Japanese dinner or a bite of sushi. $$$ L D hp TOKYO JAPANESE RESTAURANT 2415 Lime Kiln Ln., 339-7171. It’s appealing, pleasant in atmosphere and friendly in service, and most important, this East End sushi bar serves excellent Japanese treats, prepared with care and flair from highquality, impeccably fresh ingredients. $$ L D TOMO 4315 Charlestown Rd., New Albany IN, 9410200. This Japanese hibachi steak house offers a good show of knife skills and tableside grilling, as well as sushi. Patrons seem to admire the oversize sushi rolls, the salads with ginger dressing, and the grilled chicken and scallops. $$ L D p

WASABIYA JAPANESE RESTAURANT 972 Baxter Ave., 618-2460. A neighborhood sushi bar, with a chef from Boston with fusion cuisine intentions.

Look for some unusual items, like the sake kinuta, salmon wrapped in marinated daikon radish with a citrus sauce, or a fatty tuna carpaccio with white wine reduction and ponzu sauce. $$ L D h WILD GINGER SUSHI & FUSION 1700 Bardstown Rd., 384-9252. The old Café Metro space did not molder long—this sushi and Asian fusion spot has been pulling in intrigued customers who admire the sushi bar up front, and explore the pan-Asian menu. Standard Japanese entrées are joined with specials from Korea (bibim bop) China (Sichuanstyle crispy tofu) and Thailand (pad Thai and curries). $$ L D hp

CHARIM KOREAN RESTAURANT 4123 Oeschli Ave., 290-8900. This St. Matthews site behind the Old Sears building housed several other restaurants, and now the promise of Korean food in St. Matthews has many ethnic food fans salivating. $ L D KOREANA II 5009 Preston Hwy., 968-9686. One of the city’s few restaurants devoted entirely to authentic Korean fare, Koreana is worth a special trip for this ethnic cuisine that offers a hearty, spicy alternative to the more familiar Chinese. $$ L D LEE’S KOREAN RESTAURANT 1941 Bishop Ln., 456-9714. This little spot has been a secret since the ’70s, and it just keeps on going. Walk into what looks like a diner in an office building, but push past the counter to the back room, where you’ll find generous heaps of really authentic Korean food for next to nothing. $$ L D h SOORA KOREAN RESTAURANT 2840 Goose Creek Rd., 339-5888. The big space on Goose Creek has seen a lot of ethnic food service in the last few

MIKATO JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE 3938 Dupont Circle, 891-0081. An upscale hibachi grillhouse in the popular restaurant ring in the Breckinridge Lane — Dupont Circle area. Pleasant decor, entertaining grill chefs, fresh sushi preparations, and sometimes glacial service. $$ L D hpf OASIS SUSHI & SOUL 3311 Preston Hwy., 3758766. Owners of downtown’s Bendoya Sushi Bar have opened this Japanese restaurant on Preston Highway. $$ D h OISHII SUSHI 2245 Bardstown Rd., 618-2829, 2810 Taylorsville Rd., 365-3474. This small, attractive and popular sushi spot has opened a second location in the Upper Highlands. $$ L D h OSAKA SUSHI BAR 2039 Frankfort Ave., 894-9501, 426 W. Market St., 588-8899. This long-standing Clifton favorite also has a second location downtown, serving up sushi and other Japanese dishes in a bright and cheery environment to a loyal clientele. $$ L D ROOTS 1216 Bardstown Rd., 452-6688. Coco Tran, who has nurtured a loyal Clifton-area fan base with her Zen Garden, looks to seduce the vegan/ vegetarian world of the Highlands with this crisp, elegant room. Eat at tables in the front, enjoy smoothies and tea at the bar, or snuggle down in a Japanese pit table in the back. Choose from an international selection of small plates. $ L D SAKE BLUE JAPANESE BISTRO 9326 Cedar Center Way, 708-1500. This Fern Creek restaurant brings the “full-service” Japanese restaurant experience to the southeast part of Louisville Metro. Look for

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years — Latino, Turkish, and now Korean. If you are familiar with Korean foods, there will be little to surprise you. Barbecues and bee bim bop. $$ L D

BD’S MONGOLIAN GRILL 1890 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 499-4406. The proprietors of this Michiganbased East End chain invite you to “go Mongo,” building your own choice of ingredients and sauces for the chefs to stir-fry. $$ L D hpf SHAH’S MONGOLIAN GRILL 9148 Taylorsville Rd., 493-0234, 423 E. Warnock St., 409-5029. Thirteenth Century Mongol warriors used to turn their steel shields to use as frying pans over the campfire, using their swords as spoons. Shah’s carries their spirit forward. This all-you-can-eat buffet is fun, and the food is fine. $$ L D

Casino. Signature dishes include Vietnamese spring rolls, pho, ginger and scallion fried lobster and crispy salt and pepper shrimp. $$ L D hp ANNIE CAFE 308 W. Woodlawn Ave., 363-4847.

Annie Cafe ranks not just as one of the better Vietnamese restaurants, but one the city’s best of any variety, particularly when value and price are taken into account. Authentic Vietnamese food is made with care and served with pride. $ L D CAFÉ MIMOSA 1543 Bardstown Rd., 459-1259.

Owner Phat Le, serving his Vietnamese, Chinese and pan-Asian dishes to happy regulars, might finally wean Louisvillians from referring to his building as the former Lentini’s. $ L D hp CAFÉ THUY VAN 5600 National Turnpike, 366-6959.

A bit off the beaten track, this South End spot is true, authentic Vietnamese. Friendly service overcomes any language barrier, and prices are hard to beat. Don’t miss the Banh Mi, traditional Vietnamese sandwiches. $ L D

SIMPLY THAI 323 Wallace Ave., 899-9670, 12003 Shelbyville Rd, 690-8344. Owner Mahn Saing is Burmese; his wife, a classically trained Thai chef have built upon the popularity of their St. Matthews spot and opened a second location in Middletown. Their menu of traditional Thai dishes, well-made sushi and a few upscale Thaistyle “fusion” dinner items use many ingredients from their small home garden. $$ L D f

BOSNA-MAK 3825 Old Bardstown Rd., 456-1919.

Friendly and exceptionally hospitable, family-owned Bosna-Mak celebrates the heritage of the owners and chefs in Bosnia and Macedonia in the Balkans and picks up a few culinary additions from their time in Germany. $ L D

TAN THAI RESTAURANT 4510 Charlestown Rd., New Albany IN, 948-2012. It’s in a strip mall, but the folks who run TanThai create a distinctive atmosphere by hanging sheer white scrims that divvy the room up into serene little chambers. The menu of Thai specialties is small — just a dozen or so entrées — but nicely executed and beautifully presented. $ L D

BISTRO LE RELAIS 2817 Taylorsville Rd. (Bowman Field), 451-9020. This art deco spot makes stylish use of an historic 1920s airport building to present elegant modern French cuisine. Chef Bill Lynch and owner Anthony Dike’s refocus of the restaurant around a bistro menu continues its popularity. $$$$ D pfe

THAI CAFÉ 2226 Holiday Manor Center, 425-4815.

You’ll find this small café tucked into a corner of the “Holiday Manor Walk.” Owner Chavantee Snow and her family offer a small but well-prepared selection of authentic Thai dishes at very reasonable prices. $ L D f

THAI SMILE 5 5800 Preston Hwy., 961-9018. Part of a regional mini-chain, Thai Smile 5 serves up simple but well-prepared Thai fare. Don’t ask for the fivechile-pepper heat unless you really mean it! $ L D THAI TASTE 1977 Brownsboro Rd., 897-7682. The owner-host of this friendly, casual spot in Crescent Hill had a restaurant in Bangkok before moving to Louisville, and his experience shows. The warmth of his welcome — and the quality of the food — make Thai Taste special. $ L D

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SAIGON ONE 333 W. Cardinal Blvd., 638-8989. Vietnamese cuisine joins the choices for residents, with this newest addition to the dining array at the new university dorm and restaurant row at Cardinal Towne (where Masterson’s used to be). $ L D h

ZEN GARDEN 2240 Frankfort Ave., 895-9114.

Vegetarians with a philosophical bent have found a combination guru and den mother in Zen Garden’s owner Coco, who serves up sincere and soulful Asian vegan dishes. $ L D h

SALA THAI 8125 Bardstown Rd., 231-1992. This entry on the growing list of Thai restaurants is gaining fans, partly because it’s vegetarian- and vegan-friendly. Look for it in the former True Thai location and under new owners. $$ L D

THAI SIAM 3002 Bardstown Rd., 458-6871. Louisville’s first Thai restaurant, this venerable spot has built a loyal audience over the years, perhaps responding to its regular visitors’ preferences with food that’s a bit on the tame side for Thai. $$ L D

SAIGON CAFÉ 108 Fairfax Ave., 893-7757. St. Matthews diners can find tasty and inexpensive Southeast Asian fare here — Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese dishes are all choices on the menu. $$ L D h

VIETNAM KITCHEN 5339 Mitscher Ave., 363-5154.

This little South End storefront is well worth seeking out. The chef goes beyond the ordinary, preparing authentic Vietnamese dishes of unusual subtlety and flavor. We have yet to be disappointed with the quality of the food or service. $ L D h

MAI’S THAI RESTAURANT 1411 E. Tenth St., Jeffersonville IN, 282-0198. With a broad range of well-prepared and authentic Thai dishes, Mai’s is the eatery to beat among the metro area’s Thai restaurants. For both authenticity and quality, it’s right up there with the top Thai places in New York, San Francisco and Seattle. $ L D

THAI ORCHIDS 9114 Taylorsville Rd., 493-4073. This location has been known for good Thai restaurants, and the short history of Thai Orchids shows that they have picked up the mantle, providing Jeffersontown-area lovers of southeast Asian cuisine with excellent noodles and curries. $$ L D

PHO BINH MINH 6709 Strawberry Ln., 375-9249.

Tiny and lovably cozy, this six-table South End spot is true authentic Vietnamese, and so are the proprietors. There’s some language barrier, but the owners are so friendly, and the food so good, that it’s worth the effort if you love real Asian fare and inexpensive prices. $ L D

LA QUE 1019 Bardstown Rd., 238-3981. La Que provides the lower Highlands with a dependable, economical Vietnamese menu that includes some dishes from other Asian cuisines. $$ L D hf LEMONGRASS CAFÉ 11606 Shelbyville Rd., 2447110. Lemongrass Café offers an appealing blend of Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese fare in a simple setting that transcends an obviously low budget with style and grace. $ L D h NAMNAM CAFÉ 318 Wallace Ave., 891-8859. This small St. Matthews Vietnamese restaurant has gained many enthusiastic fans who flock there for the pho, the bahn mih and other authentic Vietnamese dishes. $ L D f PEARL Horseshoe Casino Hotel, Elizabeth IN, 888-7662648. Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine, elegantly served, Pearl is the newest dining choice at Horseshoe

GHYSLAIN ON MARKET 721 E. Market St., 690-8645.

In a carriage house behind the building that houses the corporate offices of Creation Gardens, a French bistro, run by French Canadian chocolatiers who are expanding their Indiana patisseries into restaurants and Kentucky. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, serving grilled baguettes, croque monsieurs, panini, quiches, soups, salads, and fine chocolates. $$ L D LA COOP: BISTRO À VINS 732 E. Market St., 4102888. The Ton brothers are trying it again in NuLu. The former 732 Social location has been renovated, and Bobby Benjamin, recently chef at the Oakroom, will head the kitchen. The general menu concept will be French country cooking, but done with modern touches such as sous vide. $$$ B L D hpf LOUIS LE FRANCAIS 133 E. Market St., New Albany IN, 944-1222. The New Albany dining renaissance gains a French bistro to extend the range of international dining options. Louis “Louis the Frenchman” Retailleau will serve prix-fixe dinners typical of the cuisine of his native southwest France. $$$$ D p

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EIDERDOWN 983 Goss Ave., 290-2390. The owners of the Germantown watering hole Nachbar also operate the popular Eiderdown, serving Southern comfort food influenced by the owners’ German and European heritage. Dreams of a microbrewery there also dance in their heads; in the meantime, diners are satisfied with a large selection of European craft beers on tap. $$ L D h ERIKA’S GERMAN RESTAURANT 9301 N. Hurstbourne Pkwy. 499-8822. For a city with a strong German heritage, Louisville is woefully short on authentic German restaurants, but this genuinely Germanic eatery attracts hungry crowds to Hurstbourne.

Take care not to miss its former fast-food quarters just off I-64 local access ramp. $$ D GASTHAUS 4812 Brownsboro Center, 899-7177.

Michael and Annemarie Greipel came here with their five kids in 1993, straight from North RhineWestphalia to St. Matthews. Tiny lights twinkle from strands of fake red geraniums. But the hearty German fare — schnitzels, sauerbraten and rouladen with red cabbage and dumplings — is the real thing. $$$ D

IRISH EXIT 209 E. Main St., New Albany IN, 944-1929.

The Irish Exit (a tongue-in-cheek name referring to the quiet, no-farewell leave-taking of inebriated Hibernians) serves pub fare and entertains patrons with karaoke and acoustic music, pool tables and dart boards. $ D hpe IRISH ROVER 2319 Frankfort Ave., 899-3544, 117 E. Main St, LaGrange, 222-2286. Owner Michael Reidy is the Irish rover, having come to the U.S. from County Clare in 1984. His saloons are as smooth as Guinness, as warm as fish and chips, as genuine as Scotch eggs. The Frankfort Avenue building dates from 1859. $ Br L D pf MOLLY MALONE’S 933 Baxter Ave., 473-1222, 3900 Shelbyville Rd., 882-2222. A carefully constructed replica of a modern urban Irish pub, Molly Malone’s, a worthy addition to the city’s eating and drinking scene, has added a second, suburban location. Both are as authentically Irish as the Wearin’ o’ the Green. $$ L D hpfe MORE SHENANIGAN’S 4521 Bardstown Rd., 4933585. $ L D hpfe O’SHEA’S TRADITIONAL IRISH PUB 956 Baxter Ave., 589-7373. One of the most popular watering holes in the entire Bardstown-Baxter corridor.

Twenty-somethings and Louisville belles love its action. But diners of all ages like its meat loaf, roast beef and Irish stew. When music fills the rooms, it’s great to be Irish, even if you’re not. $$ L D hpfe PATRICK O’SHEA’S 123 W. Main St., 708-2488. This downtown Irish bar was one of the first to open in the Whiskey Row complex, anticipating the revival of that edge of the Main Street corridor. Crowds have been elbowing in for upscale Irish-inflected bar food and plenty of sports talk. Now the owners have rehabbed the funky underpinnings of their building into a bar area and dubbed it “The Cellar,” focusing on an aggressive Bourbon program and live entertainment. $$ L D hpfe RI RA IRISH PUB 445 S. Fourth St. (Fourth Street Live) 587-1825. Promising patrons “an authentic Irish experience,” this growing chain is ensconced in a sizable 9,000-square-foot space in Fourth Street Live. Ri Ra (Gaelic for “celebration and good fun”) decorates its pubs with authentic furnishings from Ireland. $$$ L D hpfe SHENANIGAN’S IRISH GRILL 1611 Norris Pl., 4543919. Not just a neighborhood tavern (although it’s a fine neighborhood tavern), Irish-accented

Food

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European +american cuisine

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OPEN: TuesWedThurs: 4–10pm • FriSat: 11:30am–11pm • Sun: Noon–10pm • Mon: CLOSED

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Shenanigan’s goes an extra step with an estimable selection of memorable burgers. $ L D hpfe

ADRIENNE’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT 129 W. Court Ave., Jeffersonville IN, 282-2665. A part of the dining renaissance on the sunny side of Louisville, Adrienne’s has been pleasing Indiana diners with home-style Italian dishes. The owners also operate Adrienne’s Bakery in Jeffersonville. $$ L D AMICI 316 W. Ormsby Ave., 637-3167. Satisfying traditional Tuscan dishes are served in this interesting — and supposedly haunted — Old Louisville building. Dine inside or on the romantic patio on a lovely summer evening, There’s no extra charge if the ghosts want to share your penne alla Lorenzo or Valpolicella. $$ L D pf ANSELMO’S ITALIAN BISTRO 1511 Bardstown Rd., 749-0444. Highland residents hankering for simple, traditional, filling Italian dishes can find just that in this Italian bistro. The menu offers what one would expect: pizza, pastas, lasagna — at reasonable prices. $$ L D hp BISTRO 42 6021 Timber Ridge Dr., 632-2552. Another entry in the dining choices at Prospect Village shopping center. This little family-run place, serving pasta, sandwiches and Italian and American dishes is proud of its 5-cheese 3-meat Bistro lasagna and their 3-hour honey-baked ham, offered at an attractive price. $$ L D hpfe BUCA DI BEPPO 2051 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 4932426. Buca di Beppo’s recipe has all the necessary ingredients: huge portions of excellent food served with flair and the Buca scene is fun, a conscious parody of the exuberant decor of family ItalianAmerican restaurants of the 1950s. $$ L D hp

CARRABBA’S ITALIAN GRILL 617 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 412-2218. Not your ordinary suburban shopping-center franchise eatery. This place dramatically exceeds expectations. From warmed bread dishes with quality olive oil to first-rate Italian-American fare at reasonable prices. $$$ L D

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COME BACK INN 909 Swan St., 627-1777, 415 Spring St., Jeffersonville IN, 285-1777. With both its branches located in urban neighborhoods, Come Back Inn looks pretty much like any other neighborhood saloon. But unlike most Louisville neighborhood saloons, this one houses a family Italian spot that wouldn’t be out of place in Chicago or Brooklyn. $$ L D p DIFABIO’S CASAPELA ITALIAN RESTAURANT 2311 Frankfort Ave., 891-0411. DiFabio’s Casapela has made its mark in this Crescent Hill space, with a menu that harks back to the red-checked tablecloth and Chianti bottle era of Italian restaurants. Look for baked stuffed mushrooms and toasted ravioli, veal parmesan and chicken piccata, and your choice of pastas with your choice of sauce. $$ D f THE INTERNATIONAL MALL 737 S. Eighth St., 561-8871. $ L D LA BOCCA 134 E. Market St., New Albany IN, 725-9495.

This addition to the dining explosion in New Albany serves Italian cuisine, such as chicken piccata and rigatoni Bolognese. Zeppole on the dessert menu bespeaks the New York bono fides of the owner. $$ L D pf LA GALLO ROSSO BISTRO 1325 Bardstown Rd., 4730015. This small but attractive Highlands spot in the Shoppes on the Alley serves casual Italian and Continental food in a cozy family-style setting. $$ D f MARTINI ITALIAN BISTRO 4021 Summit Plaza Dr. 394-9797. Now locally owned, Martini’s continues to serve hearty, well-fashioned Italian entrées, pastas and pizzas a comfortable approximation of a Tuscan

trattoria. An open kitchen with wood-fired oven gives a peek at the culinary goings-on. $$$ L D hpf MOZZ MOZZARELLA BAR & ENOTECA 445 E. Market St., 690-6699. (See review under Fine Dining.)

MOZZARIA ITALIAN EATERY 450 S. Fourth St., 618-1904. Matt Antonovich of Mozz has stepped into the old Red Star space at 4th Street Live with his new causal Italian birreria and gastropub. Look for dishes that made New York’s Little Italy a mecca for devotees of classic Italian-American pastas.

Also, Roman-style flatbread pizzas and lighter chicken, beef and seafood fare from the grill. $$ L D hpfe OLD SPAGHETTI FACTORY 235 W. Market St., 5811070. One of the original ventures of this national firm. Bright and noisy, it offers well-made if basic Italian family fare and dishes it out for surprisingly low prices. $$ L D hp THE OLIVE GARDEN 1320 Hurstbourne Pkwy., 3397190, 9730 Von Allmen Ct., 425-3607, 4805 Outer Loop, 968-2978, 1230 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville IN, 218-8304. The top property of the Darden chain, Olive Garden now operates more than 500 properties and bills itself as the leading Italian restaurant in the casual dining industry. Hearty pastas of all shapes and sauces, appetizers and combo platters all carry the Italian theme. $$ L D hp PESTO’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT 566 S. Fifth St., 584-0567. Offices for blocks around empty into this bustling Italian eatery for weekday lunches featuring hearty platters of lasagna, zesty salads, red wine and iced tea. On Saturdays, the kitchen switches over to a special Persian menu. $$ L D PORCINI 2730 Frankfort Ave., 894-8686. This anchor trattoria of the Crescent Hill dining scene has been serving up risotto, ossobuco and bistecca since 1992. Crowds wait at the popular bar for one of the tables — or just wait at the bar. $$$ L D hpfe ROCKY’S SUB PUB 715 W. Riverside Dr., Jeffersonville, IN, 282-3844. (See review under Pizza.)

ROMANO’S MACARONI GRILL 401 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 423-9220. The Italian-style menu at this casual, Dallas-based family chain includes appetizers, salads, pastas, veal and desserts. Chefs entertain while creating wood-fired pizzas. $$ L D hp SPAGHETTI SHOP 4657 Outer Loop, 969-5545, 4510 Charlestown Rd., New Albany IN, 944-5400.

Baked pasta dishes, subs, salads and appetizers are prepared while you wait. $ L D STEVE-O’S ITALIAN KITCHEN 4205 W. Hwy. 146, LaGrange KY, 222-0300. Outstanding pizzas and fine family-style Italian-American dishes make this casual eatery just off I-71 at Buckner well worth a special trip out from the city. $$ L D TUSCANY ITALIAN RESTAURANT 165 Outer Loop, 363-0308. Adding an appetizing option to a stretch of the South End that hasn’t been over-served by restaurants, this good-sized storefront near New Cut Road boasts a Mexican chef who demonstrates an expert’s hand with hearty, red-sauced ItalianAmerican fare at a price that’s right. $$ L D hp VINCENZO’S 150 S. Fifth St., 580-1350. (See listing under Upscale Casual.)

VOLARE 2300 Frankfort Ave., 894-4446. The name evokes Sinatra, pasta with tomato sauce and candles in Chianti bottles, but stylish Volare kicks that image up a notch. With a combination of Italian standards and monthly menu updates, Chef Josh Moore has secured Volare a top spot for suave Italian dining. Its U.S.D.A. Prime barrel-cut beef program has received rave reviews. $$$ D hpfe

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DE LA TORRE’S 1606 Bardstown Rd., 456-4955.

Authentic Castilian fare includes a majestic paella.

But the renewed focus at this Highlands standby is tapas, in such variety that you can have anything on the menu in small-plates form. $$$ D hp

TAJ PALACE 2929 Goose Creek Rd., 423-9692. Focused on Northern Indian cuisine, the menu offers a wide range of chicken, lamb, seafood and vegetarian dishes.

Spiciness can be decided by the customer. Lunch buffet and dinner menu. $$ L D f

LA BODEGA 1604 Bardstown Rd., 456-4955. Next door to the excellent De La Torre’s Spanish restaurant, La Bodega offers diners the city’s most authentic Spanishstyle tapas bar, featuring the small bites originally invented in the outdoor cafés of Jerez. $$ D hp

AL WATAN 3713 Klondike Ln., 454-4406. Classic Arabic dishes home-cooked by friendly people in a cozy environment. That’s the recipe that makes Al Watan a destination for lovers of fine Middle Eastern fare. $ L D

LA COLOMBIANA 808 Lyndon Ln., 742-1179. Colombian cuisine is a variant of Latino cooking new to the area. Many of the dishes at this Lyndon-area restaurant feature the arepa, a thick corn cake, including huevos pericos conrepa, a brunch dish.

Look for plenty of beef on the menu, including lengua, tongue. Friendly service and no language barrier. $$ L D p

BURNING BUSH GRILLE 13206 W. U.S. Highway 42, 228-7776. A franchisee of the popular Shiraz local mini-chain has struck off on his own, cooking healthy Mediterranean foods — kebabs, steak, fish and lamb, salads, pizza, gyros and Balkan burgers. $ L D f

MOJITO TAPAS RESTAURANT 2231 Holiday Manor Center, 425-0949. An offshoot of the popular St. Matthews Cuban restaurant Havana Rumba, Mojito quickly established its own identity as the East End spot for Spanish-inspired small plates with a global taste profile. Always crowded on weekends; no reservations, but call ahead to get high on the waiting list. $$ L D hpf PALERMO VIEJO 1359 Bardstown Rd., 456-6461.

Louisville’s best source for authentic Argentine cooking: lots of beef (and chicken) slow-cooked over charcoal and Latin versions of Italian dishes, like chicken Milanesa. Palermo Viejo is the Little Italy of Buenos Aires, hometown of owner Francisco Elbl’s father. $$ D pf

CAFÉ 360 1582 Bardstown Rd., 473-8694. Highlands diners enjoy an eclectic and international menu at the friendly corner place, with Southern fried catfish and Indian lamb biryani in immediate juxtaposition. You can get it all, diner-style, just about 24/7. $ B L D hpf THE FALAFEL HOUSE 1001 Bardstown Rd., 4544407. This small Highlands spot is strategically situated to offer quick and affordable sustenance along the Bardstown-Baxter entertainment strip.

Look for the usual Middle Eastern fare in a casual, quick-service setting. $$ L D hf

Jerusalem lost their lease on Taylor Blvd., and found a new location in a former pizza joint out on Preston, which continues to grow its own international restaurant row. Gyros, hummus, falafel — what one would expect, but done with attention to details and a flair for flavor. $$ L D f PETRA MEDITERRANEAN RESTAURANT 3904 Bardstown Rd., 749-0924. Another addition to the ethnic choices out in Beuchel. As with many “Mediterranean” restaurants around, the fare is largely confined to that of the Levant schwarmas and hummus and felafel. $$ L D h PITA DELIGHTS 1616 Grinstead Dr., 569-1122. This Near Eastern eatery in the Highlands offers a splendid mix of gyros, felafel and other pita-based goodies. $$ L D PITA HUT 1613 Bardstown Rd., 409-8484. After its expansion more than doubled the space in this once-tiny spot, more diners can enjoy MediterraneanMiddle Eastern favorites, as well as the addition of a few “American” sandwiches — on fresh pita, of course. $ L D PITA PIT 9816 Linn Station Rd., 565-1220. A franchise operation dedicated to cramming all sorts of fillings into a flatbread pocket. Chomp on a chicken Caesar pita, or a Philly steak pita. Many veggie selections, from garden vegetables to falafel to hummus and baba ganoush. They’re open for breakfast too: ham ’n’ eggs and sausage scramble to go. $ L D

GRAPE LEAF 2217 Frankfort Ave., 897-1774. Relatively recent renovations and an expanded menu have elevated the Grape Leaf to destination status, placing it well above the generic Middle Eastern eatery niche. Prices remain affordable, while the food and mood now justify a special trip. $$ L D f

SAFFRON’S 131 W. Market St., 584-7800. Although Majid Ghavami has sold his interest in his downtown Persian restaurant, he sold it to Reza and Mimi Dabbagh, (she also co-owns August Moon), who are keeping on most of the staff and continuing with the popular menu: rack of lamb, roasted duck fesenjoon, salomon and kebabs. $$$ L D pf

MIRAGE MEDITERRANEAN RESTAURANT 4100 Preston Hwy., 363-7788. The owners of Little

SAFIER MEDITERRANEAN DELI 641 S. Fourth St., 585-1125. You can get standard American fare at

BOMBAY GRILL 216 N. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 425-8892.

With its broad array of Indian regional specialties including the requisite lunch buffet, this spot in The Forum on Hurstbourne is winning praise for its aromatic flavors and bountiful portions. $$ L D DAKSHIN INDIAN RESTAURANT 4742 Bardstown Rd., 491-7412. Owned and operated by the same family that brings us Kashmir Restaurant and Bombay Grocery in the Highlands, this addition brings aromatic and spicy Southern Indian fare to the Buechel-Fern Creek neighborhood in the Eastland Shopping Center. $$ B L D p KASHMIR INDIAN RESTAURANT 1277 Bardstown Rd., 473-8765. One of the city’s most popular Indian restaurants, Kashmir is casual, neither posh nor expensive, and it produces an extensive menu of seemingly authentic Indian fare. $$ L D hf LITTLE INDIA CAFÉ 3099 Breckenridge Ln., 479-3353.

It’s sort of an Indian fast-food place, set up in a former Quizno’s. The menu includes appetizers such as lentil soup and mirchi bajji — fried lentil-battered stuffed peppers — followed by Northern lamb and vegetarian entrées, tandoori chicken and kebabs.

There’s also a selection of Indian breads. A Punjabistyle (Northern Indian) lunch buffet is for those who want really fast service. $ L D f SHALIMAR INDIAN RESTAURANT 1820 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 493-8899. Modern and sleek in appearance, modest in price, this restaurant has become the patriarch of local Indian restaurants.

With a substantial lunch buffet and a full range of dinner items, it has built a loyal clientele. $$ L D SITAR INDIAN RESTAURANT 1702 Bardstown Rd., 473-8889. Named after the Indian stringed musical instrument that Ravi Shankar made famous, Sitar features a full Indian menu and an impressively tasty buffet. It’s the first Louisville property for a tiny new chain with four places in Tennessee and one in Alabama. $$ L D

h = Late Night p = Full Bar f = Outdoor Dining e = Live Music

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this welcoming downtown quick-eats spot, but who’d do that when you can enjoy such appetizing Arabian delights as hummus, mutabal, falafels and the gyros-like (only better) shawarma beef-on-pita sandwich. $ L D f SHIRAZ MEDITERRANEAN GRILL 2011 Frankfort Ave., 891-8854, 2226 Holiday Manor Center, 4269954, 201 N. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 426-3440, 3521 Poplar Level Rd., 632-2232. From a tiny neighborhood storefront, Shiraz quickly grew out of its original location and expanded into a local minichain. In all its locations, Shiraz shines with authentic Persian (Iranian) cooking, such as char-grilled kebabs, fine pitas and lavish bread. $ L D f ZAYTUN MEDITERRANEAN GRILL 2286 Bardstown Rd., 365-1788. Fine, freshly prepared seafood is part of the draw in this upper Highlands eatery with an eclectic Middle Eastern menu.

Excellent gyros and friendly, sympathetic service kick it up a notch from other hummus joints. $ L D h ZOE’S KITCHEN 500 W. Jefferson St., 585-0000, 4126 Summit Plaza Dr., 329-8963. This chain has been growing throughout the South and Southwest, and now has two Louisville locations.

An eclectic menu offers kabobs, hummus, quesadillas, roll-ups, pita sandwiches and chicken, tuna and shrimp salads. $ L D

J. GUMBO’S 2109 Frankfort Ave., 896-4046, 531 Lyndon Ln., 425-0096, 426 W. Jefferson St., 5899245, 3115 S. Second St., 363-8888, 8603 Citadel Way, 493-4720, 3017 Poplar Level Rd., 690-8080.

Former jockey Billy Fox has created a popular mini-chain serving hearty, affordable Cajun cuisine. After a stint focusing on expansion, he is now back in the saddle and in the kitchen again, to the delight of his fans. The drunken chicken is addictive. $ B L D f JOE’S OK BAYOU 9874 Linn Station Rd., 426-1320.

Fine, filling and authentic Louisiana-style fare is the draw at Joe’s. A lengthy menu and bayou fishing-shack decor showcases authentic Cajun and Creole chow. $$ L D p SELENA’S AT WILLOW LAKE TAVERN 10609 LaGrange Rd., 245-9004. Owner Alan Salmon has brought his Cajun/Creole food and Tampa Bay experience to the old Willow Lake Tavern. The restoration and renovation were extensive, turning this Anchorage roadhouse into a roomy and inviting restaurant.

Shrimp or fish with Manale sauce is a tribute to Pascal Manale’s in New Orleans. $$ Br L D hpf

CUBAN FLAVOR 5700 Outer Loop, 618-2181. The flowering of Cuban/Caribbean cuisine is reaching out beyond the city. This little place, in a strip mall, of course, brings black beans and rice and pork asado to Okolona. $ L D CUBANA RESTAURANT 2206 Frankfort Ave., 4094828. Cuban food, a growing segment of the ethnic offerings in town, has another outlet in the busy upper Clifton/lower Crescent Hill dining core.

Usimg local, seasonal food sources, the menu offers weekly specials that tap into the larger Caribbean/ Central American food traditions. $$ L D pf

has encouraged it to branch out with a new location in Louisville’s East End as well. The extensive Cuban menu has a few international dishes, too, and a nice selection of tapas. Also a half-dozen bocaditos (sandwiches) and a few dinner dishes such as paella Valenciana and arroz con pollo. $$ L D pfe HAVANA RUMBA 4115 Oechsli Ave., 897-1959, 12003 Shelbyville Rd., 244-5375. A true taste of Old Havana, this bright, inviting and consistently busy Cuban restaurant has opened a second location, in Middletown, in the strip mall location formerly occupied by Pig City BBQ. Bountiful servings of Cuban fare as good as any in Key West or Miami, not to mention a hopping mojito bar, have earned Havana Rumba a place on our short list of local favorites. $$ L D pf LAS PALMAS CUBAN BAKERY AND CAFÉ 4806 Bardstown Rd., 290-5690. Billing itself as the “first authentic Cuban bakery in town,” this little eatery out on Watterson Trail offers Cuban sandwiches, desserts (including tres leches cake) and a variety of pastries. $ L D STRAIGHT OUT DA KITCHEN 1610 Dixie Hwy., 4096565. Soul food with a Jamaican accent at this little take out place just west of Old Louisville. $$ L D

ADOBO MEXICAN RESTAURANT 5612 Bardstown Rd., 618-3430. Fern Creek gets some spicy Mexican with this eatery. The guacamole bar offers a huge portion in a rough stone mortar, just the thing to munch on while sipping a margarita special. $$ L D p ALEXZANDER TAQUERIA 8206 National Turnpike, 384-2530. Open til 2:30 a.m. Friday and Saturday to satisfy your late-night taco cravings. $ B L D BAZO’S FRESH MEXICAN GRILL 4014 Dutchmans Ln., 899-9600, 1907 S. Fourth St., 899-9746. A downtown location joins its Dupont Circle sibling, offering fine fish tacos and simple fast-food Mexican fare in an inexpensive, casual atmosphere. $ L D f CAFÉ AROMA 2295 Lexington Rd., 618-3434. Once Cycler’s Café, this little place is a true mom-andpop run family eatery. The ambitious, eclectic menu might be a stretch — stick to the Mexican fare that the owners know best. $ L D f EL BURRITO DE ORO 1927 Greentree Blvd., Clarksville IN, 285-8820. $ L D h EL CAPORAL 2209 Meadow Dr., 473-7840, 1909 Blankenbaker Pkwy., 515 E. Lewis & Clark Pkwy., Clarksville IN, 282-7174. Louisville’s growing Mexican-American community has fostered a happy trend: excellent, authentic Mexican food. El Caporal bridges the gap between the Latino and Anglo communities. $ L D p EL MARIACHI 9901 La Grange Rd., 413-5770. Early fans of this Mexican restaurant, situated between a bakery and an ethnic grocery, have found much to rave about: tacos and burritos made with the bakery’s fresh tortillas, funky authentic fillings, and quick, friendly service. $ B L D p EL MARLIN SEAFOOD RESTAURANT 1850 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 365-1777. As authentic a take on Mexican seafood cookery as is possible in land-locked Kentucky. Choose mild or spicy preparations of marlin, tilapia, grouper and snapfish. $$ L D p

EL RINCON CUBAN RESTAURANT 8118 Preston Hwy., 742-2768. Bringing Cuban cuisine to Okolona.

Along with familiar dishes such as arroz con pollo, the menu also includes specialties such as tasajo (braised beef in tomato sauce), ajiaco (a root vegetable stew made with malanga, yucca and corn) and cremas — a variety of pureed vegetable soups. $ L D

EL MUNDO 2345 Frankfort Ave., 899-9930. This crowded, noisy little Crescent Hill storefront offers creative renditions of Mexican regional specialties that make most diners want to yell “Olé!” The setting may lack the trendy flair of Rick Bayless’ Frontera Grill in Chicago, but the fare mines a similar vein and does so nearly as well. $ L D pf

HABANA BLUES TAPAS RESTAURANT 148 E. Market St., New Albany IN, 944-9760, 2813 N. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 423-4434. Habana Blues’ success in New Albany

EL NOPAL (16 Locations) These locally owned restaurants have become a growing mini-chain, winning popularity on the basis of delicious,

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authentic and inexpensive Mexican fare in comfortable surroundings. $ L D pf EL RANCHERO 2918 Hikes Ln,. 410-5668. Formerly El Rey’s, the new owner has spiffed the space up a bit, and aficionados of Mexican food speak well of the nacho grande, tostadas de ceviche and spicierthan-usual queso. $$ L D p EL RODEO MEXICAN RESTAURANT 9070 Dixie Hwy., 995-8722. At El Rodeo, you’ll find a blend of Tex-Mex and other Latin American classics from salty margaritas to sweet sopapillas. $$ L D p EL SOMBRERO 2784 Meijer St, Jeffersonville IN, 2850109. An Indianapolis restaurant group has taken over the old Bearno’s near Meijer in J’ville, and opened this “Americanized Mexican” restaurant. $ D p EL TARASCO 5425 New Cut Rd., 368-5628, 110 Fairfax Ave., 895-8010, 9901 LaGrange Rd., 3269373, 9606 Taylorsville Rd., 297-8003. Add El Tarasco to the happy new genre of restaurants run

by Latinos and offering authentic Mexican food and atmosphere, but that reach out to Anglos and make it easy to enjoy a South-of-the-Border culinary adventure without compromise. $ L D p EL TORO CANTINA & GRILL 1810 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 491-7272, 10602 Shelbyville Rd., 489-3839.

One of the top Mexican restaurants in the metro, El Toro earns our recommendation for food, service and environment. Tex-Mex dishes are fine, but save room for the authentic Mexican seafood specialties. $ L D pf ERNESTO’S 4632 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 6715291. One of the first of the more authentic locally-owned Mexican restaurant groups, Ernesto’s remains consistently reliable. From the crispy home-fried chips to filling Mexican main courses and tasty desserts, it’s a worthy destination for good Mexican food and excellent value. $ L D

pfe

FIESTA TIME MEXICAN GRILL 11320 Maple Brook Dr., 425-9144, 8133 Bardstown Rd., 231-2444. $ L D p GUACA MOLE 9921 Ormsby Station Rd., 365-4823.

Fernando Martinez, veteran of Havana Rumba and Mojitos, has graced the East End with his “creative Mexican” restaurant. The hyphenated name emphasizes the menu’s exploration of different moles, and the creativity comes with modern twists on classic Mexican dishes. Early buzz is hot, for both the food and the up-to-the-minute cocktail program designed by Martinez’s wife Cristina. $$ Br L D pe LA BAMBA 1237 Bardstown Rd., 451-1418. La Bamba boasts of its “burritos as big as your head.” It may be Louisville’s most startling case of an eatery that is more than it appears to be, and that goes for both quality and quantity. Franchised and fast-foodish, it pleasantly surprises with genuine Mexican fare and Latino flair. $ L D h LA HACIENDA GUADALAJARA 4132 Outer Loop, 384-6427. $$ B L D LA MONARCA 6501 Shepherdsville Rd., 969-7938.$LD f LA PASADITA 245 Market St., Charlestown IN, 2567918. $ B L D LA ROSITA MEXICAN GRILL 336 Pearl St., New Albany IN, 944-3620, 252 E. Market St., 589-5220. Starting as a little walk-in space, the popularity of La Rosita’s traditional Mexican food led to a move to a huge, former department store space near the action in the New Albany downtown renaissance. Continued consumer satisfaction has resulted in opening a second outlet on the edge of NuLu. $ B L D LA ROSITA TAQUERIA 8730 Westport Rd., 618-4588, 5059 Preston Hwy., 618-2833, 1404 Blackiston Mill Rd., Clarksville IN, 284-1362. For those who crave tacos, you want them convenient when the urge to scarf one down strikes. These authentic little places will certainly satisfy those cravings. $ L D

RED = Advertiser B = Breakfast Br = Brunch L = Lunch D = Dinner

LA TAPATIA RESTAURANT 8106 Preston Hwy., 7423485, 3022 S. Third St., 638-0300. One of the most authentic ethnic Mexican restaurants in Louisville, this little storefront has opened a second location, both offering memorable tacos and burritos and more. $ L D p LAS GORDITAS 4756 Bardstown Rd., 492-0112. As Louisville’s small but thriving Latino community grows, it’s now possible to enjoy an authentic Mexico City-style dining experience at this taco and gordita wagon that rolls up in the Eastland Shopping Center on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only. Family owners and chefs Pat and Esperanza Costas and Ofelia Ortiz are completely bilingual, and as friendly as can be. $ D hf LOLITA’S TACOS 4222 Poplar Level Rd., 459-4356. This tiny place may look like a fast-food joint, but the food is about as authentic Mexican as you’ll find. Crisp or soft tacos and burritos the size of paper-towel rolls turn a meal here into a real bargain. $ L D f LOS AZTECAS 530 W. Main St., 561-8535, 1107 Herr Ln., 426-3994, 9207 U.S. Hwy. 42, 228-2450. Authentic Mexican cuisine has become a viable option in Louisville, thanks to a growing immigrant community. With fresh bar and blender offerings, creative appetizers and comfortable seating, Los Aztecas is one of the best, with tasty Mexican dishes good enough to lure us back again and again. $ L D pf LOS MEZCALES 7502 Preston Hwy., 964-3466. A “family Mexican restaurant” on a strip with plenty of such to choose from. Serving huevos ranchero, burritos, chicken a la plancha and camarones a la diabla. $ L D MAYAN CAFÉ 813 E. Market St., 566-0651. Chef Bruce Ucán arguably kicked off the restaurant renaissance in the E. Market St. Nulu district.

Opening his stylish bistro, serving distinctive cuisine from Ucán’s native Yucatan Peninsula, before NuLu was fashionable. For the second

year his Market Mondays promote locally-raised pastured meats. $$ L D MEXICAN FIESTA 4507 Bardstown Rd., 491-2922 $ L D hp MEXICO TIPICO RESTAURANT 6517 Dixie Hwy., 9339523. One of the region’s first authentic Mexican eateries, Mexico Tipico has built a loyal following for good Mexican food and friendly, fully bilingual service. $ L D pe MEXICO VIEJO 2319 Brownsboro Rd., 893-9880.$LDp PINA FIESTA REAL MEXICAN GRILL 7895 Dixie Hwy., 995-6775. Fans of Mexican food have another place to try, out along the wide, wide highway. You won’t find anything new here, but they say it will be real. $ L D p PUERTO VALLARTA 4214 Charlestown Rd., New Albany IN, 945-3588, 125 Quartermaster Ct., Jeffersonville IN, 288-2022, 7814 Beulah Church Rd., 239-4646. $$ L D p QDOBA MEXICAN GRILL (13 locations). This chain operation extends from Louisville to Frankfort and Lexington. Fast-foodish in style, Qdoba edges out its competitors on variety and interesting salsas, plus sizable portions at a price you can afford. $ L D f RAMIRO’S CANTINA 2350 Frankfort Ave., 8953333. Ramiro Gandara bought out his partners and gave his mom, Tina Ruton Escajeda, control of the kitchen. His Mexican restaurant in the heart of Crescent Hill’s restaurant row has a new name and some unique menu items, such as enchiladas verdes, lobster quesadilla, guacamole burger, and shrimp fajitas. And don’t forget Tina’s specialty: scratch-made tamales. Vegetarian choices too, and a full bar. $ L D hpf ROSTICERIA LUNA 5213 Preston Hwy., 962-8898.

Tiny and cluttered and very friendly, this little spot on Preston looks like another tacqueria but the specialty, Mexican-style roasted chicken, takes it to

h = Late Night p = Full Bar f = Outdoor Dining e = Live Music

another level, juicy and succulent and roasted golden brown. Chicken simply doesn’t get any better than this. $ L D hp SANTA FE 318 Main Cross St., Charlestown IN, 2562595. $ L D SANTA FE GRILL 3000 S. Third St., 634-3722. This tiny eatery in a century-old red-brick South End storefront near Churchill Downs never fails to satisfy with genuine Mexican tacos and other simple fare at prices that will leave you plenty of change for an exacta bet at the races. $ L D SEÑOR IGUANA’S 1415 Broadway St., Clarksville IN, 280-8555, 3105 S. Second St., 368-0876, 9424 Shelbyville Rd., 425-4581, 9909 Taylorsville Rd., 409-9565. These four Mexican-American eateries are known for their hearty, well-prepared Mexican food, and plenty of it, in a casually laid-back, comfortable sports-bar atmosphere. $ L D hpfe SOL AZTECAS 2427 Bardstown Road, 520 S. Fourth St., 315-0666, 129 W. Main St,. 583-5505. Saul Garcia, owner of this expanding chain, seems to have a knack for finding hot locations to serve his satisfying fare. He was down on Main St.’s museum row before the museums were, took over the former Raw space on the southern edge of the hot Fourth St. Live corridor, and now has his classiest location on Whiskey Row, a handsome renovation with a more sophisticated Mexican decor, and a broader Mexican menu. $ L D hpf TACO TICO 5925 Terry Rd., 449-9888. Founded in Wichita in 1962, the same year as Taco Bell was born in Southern California, The Taco Tico chain has been gone from Louisville for more than a decade. Its happy return has been drawing remarkable crowds. $ L D TACQUERIA LA MEXICANA 6201 Preston Hwy., 969-4449. The tacos are fine at this tiny storefront.

This is seriously ethnic stuff, but Anglos are thoroughly welcome, the staff is bilingual, and they

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will happily provide a menu with all the English translations written in. $ L D YELLOW CACTUS 3620 Paoli Pk., Floyds Knobs IN, 903-0313. A yellow neon cactus draws diners to this Indiana Tex-Mex restaurant that offers standard Mexican cantina fare, as well as steak and chicken in both American and Mexican styles, and a few seafood dishes. $ L D hp

CHUY’S 104 Oxmoor Crt., 327-3033, 1440 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville IN, 282-2489. The Austin, Texas “unchain,” has two area locations, offering a complimentary happy hour nacho “car bar” set in the back end of a 50s era auto, plenty of Elvis memorabilia, and a wall of chihuahua photos. Oh, and Tex-Mex food at reasonable prices. $$ L D hpf MOE’S SOUTHWEST GRILL 2001 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 491-1800, 1001 Breckinridge Ln., 8936637, 4652 Chamberlain Ln., 425-3330, 1020 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville IN, 288-6637, 9310 Cedar Center Way, 614-7722. The food may be more fast-food Mexican-American than authentic South-of-the-Border fare, but it is freshly made from quality ingredients and comes in oversize portions, and that’s not a bad thing. $ L D SALSARITA’S FRESH CANTINA 285 N. Hubbards Ln., 897-5323, 12915 Shelbyville Rd., 365-1424.

Another entry in the hot “Fresh Mexican” niche that features gigantic burritos made to order. Now with two locations, in St. Matthews and Middletown. $ LDf TACO PUNK 736 E. Market St., 584-8226. (See review under Casual Dining) TUMBLEWEED TEX MEX GRILL & MARGARITA BAR (15 locations). Starting as a humble Mexican restaurant in New Albany, Tumbleweed grew to become an area favorite serving bold, southwest-inspired food

such as burritos, spicy chile con queso, mesquitegrilled steaks, fish and chicken. Each Tumbleweed Margarita Bar offers two dozen tequila varieties and dozens of sweet and tangy margarita combinations.

Sip one while savoring the river-view at its flagship River Road location. $ L D hp

BEAN STREET COFFEE CO. 101 Lafollette Station, Floyds Knobs IN, 923-1404. Bean Street introduced the Sunny Side to the joys of serious espresso. Like all good coffee shops, they’re not just an eatery, but a cultural hangout. $ CAFFE CLASSICO 2144 Frankfort Ave., 895-0076.

(See review under Bistro/Contemporary.)

COFFEE CROSSING 4212 Charlestown Rd., New Albany IN, 981-2633. $ f DAY’S ESPRESSO AND COFFEE BAR 1420 Bardstown Rd., 456-1170. Dark and cozy, with an oldfashioned feeling, Day’s has everything you would expect in a college-neighborhood coffee shop except a college near by. $ hf EXPRESSIONS OF YOU 1800 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd., 584-6886. $ fe GREEN ROOM COFFEE 3640 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 491-9396. Inside the Hurstbourne Music Center, music lovers can find music-themed breakfast dishes to fortify them as they shop for instruments or practice their craft. $ e HEINE BROTHERS COFFEE 2714 Frankfort Ave., 899-5551, 1295 Bardstown Rd., 456-5108, 2200 Bardstown Rd., 515-0380, 119 Chenoweth Ln., 893-5103, 1449 Bardstown Rd., 454-5212, 3060 Bardstown Rd., 458-7770, 1301 Herr Ln., 4259199, 822 Eastern Pkwy., 637-1060, 805 Blankenbaker Pkwy., 618-3420. Spartan, friendly and affordable, with good coffee roasted on the

premises and a short list of pastries, desserts and panini sandwiches, Heine Bros. has earned its outstanding local reputation. $ hfe HIGHLAND COFFEE CO. 1140 Bardstown Rd., 4514545. Offering two ways to get wired, this cozy neighborhood coffee shop also functions as one of Louisville’s top Internet cafés, where you can enjoy a hot cappuccino while you surf the ’net in a WiFi hot spot. Funky Seattle-style ambience is a plus. $ hf THE HOBKNOBB ROASTING CO. 3700 Paoli Pike, Floyds Knobs IN, 923-1458, 419 State St., New Albany IN, 944-4555. HobKnobb offers fresh hot coffee, espresso drinks and fresh baked pastries, cakes and cookies. $ fe JAVA BREWING COMPANY 4828 Norton Healthcare Blvd., 339-4744, 135 S. English Station Rd., 4895677, 1707 Bardstown Rd., 384-3555. These casual spots boasts the ambience of a friendly oldfashioned book shop, with comfortable seating, a good selection of pastries, and quality coffee from Seattle. $ fe KING’S COFFEE 406 Popp Ave., Sellersburg IN, 7489448. Sellersburg gets a taste of espresso, chai and exotic teas, along with fresh pastries. $ LOUISVILLE TEA COMPANY 9305 New LaGrange Rd., 365-2516. Teas of all sorts, pastries and cookies make for a perfect morning snack the English call “elevenses.” $ B L MRS. POTTER’S COFFEE 718 W. Main St., 581-1867.$f OLD LOUISVILLE COFFEE HOUSE 4956 Manslick Rd., 364-0053. $ f PERKFECTION 359 Spring St., Jeffersonville IN, 218-0611.$ PLEASE AND THANK YOU 800 E. Market St. Another addition to the burgeoning choices in NuLu district, this little coffee house with a difference serves breakfast and lunch, and offers an eclectic selection of vinyl records, which can be sampled in a listening

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room. Try the ganache latte, Thai iced coffee, granola parfait, Capriole cheese with honey and grapes on a baguette, or a field greens salad with dried cherries and blue cheese. $ f QUILL’S COFFEE SHOP 930 Baxter Ave., 742-6129, 327 W. Cardinal Blvd., 690-5553, 137 E. Market St., New Albany IN 590-3426. This local purveyor of excellent coffee and provider of amenable working spaces has opened two new locations, in the new U of L.student housing, and in the midst of the NuLu action. $ f RED HOT ROASTERS 1402 Payne St., 569-0000, 901 S. Fourth St. (Spalding University), 585-9911.

The drive-through take-away joint (entrance off Lexington Rd.) has added a space at Spalding, with an expanded menu and new cold-brewed iced coffee drinks. Excellent whole beans roasted on the premises are also available at groceries. $ SISTER BEAN’S 5225 New Cut Rd., 364-0082. $ f SMOKEY’S BEAN 1451 S. First St., 749-6900. Located on the corner of 1st and Burnett, this new coffeehouse and sandwich shop gives more choice to Old Louisville residents. Locally roasted coffee plus frappes. On Friday and Saturday nights sit down and puff on a hookah till 2 a.m. $ hf SONOMA COFFEE CAFÉ 3309 Poplar Level Rd., 384-0044. The first outlet in Kentucky of this franchise coffeteria. $ STARBUCKS COFFEE (35 locations) $ f SUNERGOS COFFEE 2122 S. Preston St., 634-1243, 306 W. Woodlawn Ave., 368-2820, 231 S. Fifth St., 589-3222. Matthew Huested and Brian Miller used to roast their own coffee beans as a hobby. Their friends said they did it so well, they should turn pro — the result is Sunergos Coffee. $ e TAZZA MIA 9700 Bluegrass Pkwy., (Ramada Plaza Hotel) 491-4830. The Cincinnati-based coffee shop joins the food options at the Ramada Plaza in eastern Jefferson County. Patrons can find breakfast pastries such as Danishes and muffins along with the house-roasted coffees. $ TRAILSIDE CAFÉ 1321 Herr Ln., 423-1545. $ VINT COFFEE 462 S. Fourth St., 561-2041, 516 W. Main St., 568-6339, 2309 Frankfort Ave., 8948060, 4901 Brownsboro Rd., 425-3688, 3600 Dutchmans Ln., 459-0660. Five Java Brewing Co. locations have assumed a new identity as VINT (although three other locations will remain under the Java name). The rebranding of the these spots reflects their assertion that all their beverages — coffee, tea, ale and wine — will “have a vintage, an annual release cycle.” Re-furbished interiors invite you in for morning coffee, afternoon tea or an evening of libations. $ f

ADRIENNE & CO. BAKERY CAFÉ 129 W. Court Ave., Jeffersonville, IN, 282-2665. If you need something for your sweet tooth and won’t be denied, count yourself lucky if the craving strikes when you’re in the vicinity of this cozy Southern Indiana spot, with its good selection of homemade cakes and treats. $ f ANNIE MAY’S SWEETS CAFÉ 3110 Frankfort Ave., 384-2667. The only gluten and nut-free bakery in the state caters to customers with dietary issues such as celiac disease and allergies. Cookies, brownies, cakes, pies, wedding cakes all made without wheat, dairy, eggs, soy or tree nuts. Arrive early, before the vegan and allergen-free oatmeal cream pie cookie sells out. $ THE BAKERY 3100 Bardstown Rd., 452-1210. Not just a fine bakery but a place where bakers learn their business, this excellent establishment is part of the culinary program at Sullivan University. It’s

hard to beat the quality breads and pastries offered here to eat in or carry out. $ BREADWORKS 3628 Brownsboro Rd., 893-3200, 2420 Lime Kiln Ln., 326-0300, 2204 Dundee Rd., 452-1510, 11800 Shelbyville Rd., 254-2885. $ B CAKE FLOUR 909 E. Market St., 719-0172. This jewel box shop serves up precious French pastries, quiche, scones and sweets seven days a week. The chef’s all-natural ethos and locavore connections make for exquisite tastes. $ f CELLAR DOOR CHOCOLATES 1201 Story Ave., 561-2940, 140 N. Fourth St. (Galt House) 588-4097.

Erika Chavez-Graziano has added a downtown outlet, along with her confectionary operation to the artsy Butchertown Market building on Story Ave., Look for esoteric, but luscious, inventive chocolate confections such as beer flavored truffles and avocado soft-centers. $ COCO’S CHOCOLATE CAFÉ 1759 Bardstown Rd., 454-9810. Stylish, artisanal chocolates and baked goods made on the premises make this tiny Highlands spot a stylish place to stop and linger over for a dessert and a cup of coffee. $ hf THE COMFY COW 1301 Herr Ln., 425-4979, 2223 Frankfort Ave., 409-4616, 339 W. Cardinal Blvd., 409-5090. This “new-fashioned” ice-cream parlor made an immediate splash in its original Westport Village location with its intriguing range of flavors (salted caramel, fresh roasted coffee, peanut peanut butter butter), and is in the throes of expansion, into the historic building on Frankfort next to the old Genny’s Diner and in the U of L project at the old Masterson’s site in Old Louisville. $ hf THE CUPCAKE SHOPPE 3701 Lexington Rd., 8992970. You won’t need three guesses to name the specialty at this little St. Matthews bakery, which has gained instant popularity for its wide variety of moist, tender cupcakes, always made in house. $ DALAT’S GATEAUX & BAKERY 6915 Southside Dr., 368-9280. It’s a French bakery, run by a Vietnamese family, which makes perfect sense. Order French pastry, cakes and cookies as well as Vietnamese specialties. Savory choices, such as pork pate wrapped in choux pastry are also available. $ DESSERTS BY HELEN 3500 Frankfort Ave., 451-7151.

Helen Friedman has earned a loyal clientele since the 1970s with her elegant cakes, tempting pies and tortes and designer cookies. $$ DUNKIN DONUTS 1250 Bardstown Rd., 290-3865.

The first of two new franchises in the area (the other will be in the East End). You will find hot sandwiches as well as doughnuts and coffee, just what you need to get you going in the morning or to get you steady enough to get home at night. $ B L h GELATO GILBERTO 9434 Norton Commons Blvd., 423-7751. Justin and Kristin Gilbert so loved the gelato they ate as students in Italy that they returned there after graduating to study gelato making. Their popular store draws fans out to Norton Commons, though owners can often be found scooping cones and cups at special events.

Their store menu includes pies and crepes as well. $h GIGI’S CUPCAKES 1977 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 4994998. The first outpost of the Tennessee bakery chain in Kentucky, this little shop offers a changing selection of high-end cupcakes in designer flavors — Bailey’s Irish cream, apple spice, coconut snowball, and so on. $

ordering dinner rolls. Made fresh daily, the pies, cakes, cookies and specialty pastries provide tasty nostalgia for all who visit. $ HOMEMADE ICE CREAM & PIE KITCHEN 2525 Bardstown Rd., 459-8184, 1041 Bardstown Rd., 618-3380, 3737 Lexington Rd., 893-3303, 12613 Taylorsville Rd., 267-6280, 3598 Springhurst Blvd., 326-8990, 12531 Shelbyville Rd., 245-7031, 5606 Bardstown Rd., 239-3880, 1370 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville IN, 288-6000, 2232 Frankfort Ave., 409-6100. $ L D hf HONEY CREME DONUT SHOP 514 Vincennes St., New Albany IN, 945-2150. Off the beaten track, this down-homey bakery in a plain white building offers a wide selection of doughnuts, fritters and Danish that keeps the shop’s fans coming back again and again. $ B JASMIN BAKERY 3825 Bardstown Rd., 458-0013. This “European-style” bakery offers fresh breads and rolls, as well as Eastern Mediterranean fare, such as gyros and baklava, at reasonable prices. $ B L MY FAVORITE MUFFIN 9800 Shelbyville Rd., 4269645. All the muffins are made right in the store, including such popular choices as the Cinnamon Crumb and the Turtle Muffin. $ B NORD’S BAKERY 2118 S. Preston St., 634-0931. This old-school, family-owned bakery on the edge of Germantown has a devoted following, drawn by divine Danish, donuts, and great coffee from the nearby Sunergos micro-roastery — and if you’re a sucker for over-the-top excess, try the caramel donut topped with — yes, it’s true, bacon. $ B PLEHN’S BAKERY 3940 Shelbyville Rd., 896-4438. A neighborhood institution, this bakery is as busy as it is nostalgic. Enjoy the hometown soda fountain with ice cream while you wait for your handdecorated birthday cake, breakfast rolls or colorful cookies to be boxed. $ B POLICE DONUTS 12416 Shelbyville Rd., 244-1880.

The first incarnation of this jokey concept did not quite work out, but new ownership is trying again, putting out good bakery products at reasonable prices. $ B SUGAR AND SPICE DONUT SHOP 5613 Bardstown Rd., 231-1411. This Fern Creek bakery has loads of loyal fans, who often buy out their favorite donut by mid-morning. Coffee to go too, of course, and even little half-pints of chocolate milk. $ B SWEET STUFF BAKERY 323 E. Spring St., New Albany IN, 948-2507. This long-time southern Indiana home-style bakery is noted for baked goods just like your grandmother made. Its specialty: painted sugar cookies, with designs in white chocolate that change with the seasons and holidays.

Also custom cookie and cake designs. $ B SWEET SURRENDER 1804 Frankfort Ave., 899-2008.

Sweet Surrender, with Jessica Haskell at the helm, has returned to its original Clifton neighborhood to provide elegant desserts as well as signature vegetarian lunches. $$ hf SWEETS & SUCH BAKERY 3947 Dixie Hwy., 4491008. A Shively area neighborhood bakery.

Cupcakes and cookies, brownies and cake, but its renown stems from the Presidential donut, a cream-filled concoction that won Bill Clinton’s admiration. $ WILLIAM’S BAKERY 1051 N. Clark Blvd., Clarksville IN. 284-2867. $ B

GREAT HARVEST BREAD COMPANY 1225 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 412-8573, 4214 Charlestown Rd., New Albany IN, 945-4422. $ B L HEITZMAN TRADITIONAL BAKERY & DELI 9426 Shelbyville Rd., 426-7736, 428 W. Market St., 5842437. The Heitzman family has been baking in the Louisville area since your great-aunt was a girl

h = Late Night p = Full Bar f = Outdoor Dining e = Live Music

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MAP INDEX

MAP INDEX

MAP # DIRECTION PAGE # DOWNTOWN 92 1 downtown louisville 93 NEAR EAST 2 highlands – crescent hill 94 NEAR EAST 3 st. matthews 95 SOUTH EAST 4 hikes point – buechel 96 EAST 5 hurstbourne – anchorage 97 EAST 6 hurstbourne s. – jeffersontown 98 NORTH EAST 7 indian hills – westport 98 FAR NORTH EAST 8 westport rd. – gene snyder NA NEW MAP 9 under construction 99 NORTH EAST 10 prospect 99 SOUTH EAST 11 fern creek 100 SOUTH WEST 12 shively – pleasure ridge 101 SOUTH 13 old louisville – airport 102 INDIANA 14 new albany – floyds knobs 103 INDIANA 15 clarksville 103 INDIANA 16 jeffersonville

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MAP • 1 DOWNTOWN 100 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

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(NEAR EAST) HIGHLANDS – CRESCENT HILL – CLIFTON

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MAP • 3 (NEAR EAST) ST. MATTHEWS 102 Fall 2012 www.foodanddine.com

MAP • 4 (SOUTH EAST) HIKES POINT – BUECHEL www.facebook.com/foodanddine Fall 2012 103

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(EAST) LYNDON – HURSTBOURNE – ANCHORAGE – MIDDLETOWN

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(EAST) HURSTBOURNE SOUTH – FOREST HGILLS – JEFFERSONTOWN

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(FAR NORTH EAST) WESTPORT RD – GENE SNYDER

(NORTH EAST) INDIAN HILLS – WESTPORT

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Kentuckiana’s most trusted Heating, Cooling and Electrical Contractor since 1962.

(NORTH EAST) PROSPECT

JOHN WATERS INC.

(502) 896-0850

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(SOUTH EAST) FERN CREEK

WWW.JWATERS.COM

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(SOUTH WEST) SHIVELY – PLEASURE RIDGE

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MAP • 13 (SOUTH) OLD LOUISVILLE – AIRPORT www.facebook.com/foodanddine Fall 2012 109

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(INDIANA) NEW ALBANY – FLOYDS KNOBS

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(INDIANA) JEFFERSONVILLE

(INDIANA) CLARKSVILLE

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