Summer 2004 (Vol. 05)

SU B D S E C

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TA R IL I S P IN T SID IO E N

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SUMMER 2004

Ballpark Fare Listings and maps to 900 restaurants

From Cracker Jack to crème brûlée, stadium cuisine goes major league

6 Sweet Successes Profiles of restaurant couples who live, love and labor together

PLUS over restaurant

700

REVIEWS inside!

The Clean Cop Grading a restaurant for cleanliness is as easy as A, B or C

Recipes Jack Fry’s signature shrimp, grits and red-eye gravy Plus 4 other grits hits!

$4.99 U.S. 4 2>

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74470 58360

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www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

Z’s steaks are selected from Prime mid-western aged beef, hand-cut to order and cooked the way you like it.

Z’s seafood is purchased directly from “day boat fisherman,” prepared simply and cooked to perfection. Don’t call prior to 4:00 p.m. about seafood specials for the evening… Chef is still at the airport… we just don’t know, yet!

Z’s oyster lovers can select from both East and West Coast oysters!

Monday – Friday

11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Dinner

Monday – Thursday Friday – Saturday Sunday

5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

5:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Louisville’s ★The Courier-Journal ★★★&◆◆◆◆ Restaurant Opened in October 2000, Z’s Oyster Bar & Steakhouse is independently owned and operated.

HARDROCK.COM

Lunch

101 Whittington Parkway Louisville, KY 40222 Telephone (502) 429-8000 Facsimile (502) 339-0335 www.zsoysterbar.com Anti-established in 1971 in London, Hard Rock Cafe has been serving up great tunes and even better tasting food for millions of rockers around the world. And we don’t intend to stop anytime soon.

LOUISVILLE

LOCATED AT 4TH STREET LIVE

PHONE: 502-568-2202

l

424 SOUTH 4TH ST.

“Best All-Around Restaurant” CHATTANOOGA TIMES FREE PRESS

“Great Food and Service make J. Alexander’s a must-eat spot” THE DETROIT NEWS

“J. Alexander’s is just the right place” ST. PETE TIMES

“Voted one of the Best New Restaurants in Louisville” LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE

102 Oxmoor Court

Louisville

502-339-2206

Call Today!

502.456.6505

3101 Bardstown Road - Louisville, Kentucky 40205 • 800.844.1354 • www.sullivan.edu 2

Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

Choose Your Dealership As Carefully as You Choose Your Car.

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The Sam Swope Auto Group is pleased to offer a vast selection of new automobiles from some of the finest manufacturers in the world making us the #1 new car dealer in the region.

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Swope Discount AutoCenter I I-64 & S. Hurstbourne Parkway I Louisville, KY 40299

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3/29/04

5:03 PM

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summer 2004 PUBLISHER / EDITOR IN CHIEF JOHN CARLOS WHITE VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS DANIEL F. BOYLE PRODUCTION EDITORS RON MIKULAK STEVEN SHAW COLUMNISTS ROGER A. BAYLOR ROBIN GARR JERRY SLATTER CONTRIBUTING WRITERS MICHAEL L. JONES RON MIKULAK MARTY ROSEN CONTRIBUTING CHEFS EUGENE BELL KATIE PAYNE CHIEF RESTAURANT CRITIC ROBIN GARR CONTRIBUTING RESTAURANT CRITIC MARTY ROSEN CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER DAN DRY GRAPHIC DESIGN KATHY KULWICKI DONOVAN DEFERRARO STEFAN TAMBURRO COPY EDITOR DONNA GORDON EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT ALI BREE ROBERTSON ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES ANNETTE B. WHITE GINA R. WOLFE TOM SFURA

Food & Dining Magazine® is published quarterly by Louisville Dining Magazine, Inc. P.O. Box 665, Louisville KY. 40201.

COCONUT PRAWNS

Single copies $4.99, Annual Subscriptions rate $18.00. Submit subscription requests to: Food & Dining Magazine® P.O. Box 665, Louisville KY 40201, or call (502) 493-5511 ext. 540 or subscribe online at www.foodanddiningmagazine.com 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. Food & Dining Magazine® and Louisville Dining Magazine Inc. are in no way affiliated with Louisville Magazine® or any of its affiliates.

Reproduction without permission is strictly prohibited.

All rights reserved.

For Advertising information call (502) 493-5511 ext. 550 COVER CREDITS

104 Oxmoor Court • 423-9040 © 2004 Darden Corporation Open 11AM Daily www.BahamaBreeze.com

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Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

From the kitchen of Club Grotto, Chef Clay Cundiff offers their lobster bouillabaisse with Littleneck clams and Prince Edward Island mussels.

Photo by Dan Dry

p ro f i l e s 6 Sweet Successes

32

Many marriages don’t survive cohabitation. Yet some couples thrive even after they add another hemisphere of stress by operating a restaurant together. Do they know more about love or are they just too busy to hold a grudge? You be the judge.

fe a t u re sto r i e s The Clean Cop

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Wayne Lang controls two signs outside a restaurant.

One says A, B or C, reflecting its health inspection. The other says “open” or “closed.” We follow a Department of Health inspector to clarify the restaurant grading system.

Ballpark Fare Hot dogs, brats, popcorn and peanuts, sure. But baseball fans with refined palates can also find upscale offerings at the concession stand. Sushi and beer? Why not? Just don’t get rid of our Cracker Jack!

CORK 101

by Robin Garr

Is it time to pity the guys who spent a hundred dollars on a hightech cork lifter last year? The wine industry increasingly favors metal twist-tops and synthetic corks. It’s not as screwy as it may sound.

16 COMINGS & GOINGS

LIQUIDS

BOURBON DECONSTRUCTED

AND

DEMYSTIFIED

by Jerry Slatter

The Seelbach Bar’s bourbon impresario clarifies the “Where,” “What” and “How” of Kentucky’s signature spirit and may straighten out misconceptions of even veteran bourbon and branch sippers.

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BEER

by Roger A. Baylor

BEYOND THE LONGNECK

Step beyond that ice-cold, bland American lager this summer. Area breweries and better package stores offer wheat beers, Belgian lambics and ales with a berry tang. Rich-O’s brewmeister explains what is available locally.

MENU GEMS JACK FRY’S SHRIMP, GRITS

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by Ron Mikulak

RECIPES FROM YOUR FAVORITE AREA RESTAURANTS

AND

RED-EYE GRAVY

America’s answer to polenta: our guest chefs adapt grits to seafood, lamb chops and even foie gras.

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Coverage of Louisville’s ever-evolving restaurant landscape—recent restaurant openings, closings, moves & changes.

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Dining Guide Restaurant reviews and listings for more than 900 area eateries.

44 82 Maps Now that you have

Some restaurant-goers here in the Shallow South were intimidated by grits—until chefs like Shawn Ward popularized them in a dish that has become a bona fide bestseller.

RECIPE GEMS

co l u m n s

by Ron Mikulak

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decided where to eat, we’ll show you how to get there.

Our restaurant map directory details all the restaurants in our guide section on sixteen Louisville area maps.

[ comings ]

&

[ goings ] Even by the usual standard of action on the Louisville restaurant scene—a bubbly mix as yeasty as rising pizza dough—the past few months have seen an unusual pace of change, with some two dozen new restaurants opening their doors.

Fourth Street Live led the charge, but the new-restaurant action reached every end of town and just about every kind of eatery from ethnic takeout to white tablecloth.

Meanwhile, fewer than 10 metro-area restaurants went out of business during the period. Here’s a quick look at the highlights:

[ OPENINGS ] Fourth Street Live welcomed its first four venues, all national chains featuring an upscale mix of food, beverages and entertainment: Hard Rock Café and Red Star Tavern feature sit-down dining as a significant part of their offerings; at Parrott Beach and Red Cheetah Lounge, it’s about the drinks and the music. Making it five in Fourth Street live, T.G.I. Friday’s opened an additional area location.

Elsewhere around the city, Les Naiman, Louisville’s one-time deli king, has returned to the business after a 20-year break with Naiman’s Deli, 237 Whittington Parkway.

In the far East End, Paul Crump, late of Porcini, has reopened the historic Old Stone Inn at 6905 Shelbyville Road in Simpsonville.

In and around Crescent Hill, Chef Clay Wallace’s Café Lou Lou, 1800 Frankfort Avenue, is a welcome addition to Clifton, with light fare in a casually, arty setting. Cyclers Café, 2295 Lexington Road, offers well-made sandwiches and salads in a bicycle shop. Coming soon to the former home of Salsa South Beach is Volare, 2300 Frankfort Avenue, Louisville’s first outpost of a popular Chicago restaurant.

Mexican restaurant entrepreneur Saul Garcia, associated with the Los Aztecas restaurants, has gone a step upscale with his new Olmecas Gourmet Mexican Grill, 1582 Bardstown Road, featuring Mexican Gulf Coast cuisine in the old Highlands dwelling that once housed Parisian Pantry and was recently home to Haveli Indian.

The downscale, but high quality, Rosticeria Luna recently opened at 5213B Preston Highway, featuring first-rate roast chicken and other goodies in a tiny Okolona storefront. Bring your Spanish phrasebook.

There’s more… BB’s Chicken & Ribs, 318 Wallace Avenue, vends serious urban barbecue in the middle of St. Matthews. Blue 6

Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

PHOTO BY DAN DRY

Mule Sports Café, 10301 Taylorsville Road, adds another Jeffersontown option to the city’s list of sports bars. Also in J’town, Edna’s Good Stuff, 9810 Taylorsville Road, is the region’s first Filipino restaurant. Coming soon in St. Matthews, Havana Rumba, 4115 Oechsli Avenue (formerly Fat Bread Bosnian), will feature Cuban fare. And La Petit Patisserie, 1036 E. Burnett Avenue in Germantown, has turned the old Charles Heitzmann bakery into a French pastry shop.

Quickly told, other openings include Atomic Saucer, 1000 E. Oak Street; Big Subs, 9811B Old Third Street Road; Double Dragon 8, 231 S. Fifth Street; Jimbo’s BBQ, 801 Kenwood Drive; King’s Buffet, 5538 New Cut Road; Olive’s on Fourth, 570 S. Fourth Street; two locations of Papa Murphy’s Pizza, 291 N. Hubbards Lane and 5016 Mud Lane; and Po-Boy Shoppe, 2286 Bardstown Road.

[ MOVES & CHANGES ] The old Abruzzi drops the Italian accent and goes homestyle American under the same management. It’s now Anchor Inn, 1500 Evergreen Road.

Annapurna’s Veggie Place in Plainview retains many of its Indian vegetarian dishes under new management but goes omnivore with meat dishes as well. It’s now Taj India, 9904 Linn Station Road. And Sapporo’s Middletown sushi bar at

12905 Shelbyville Road has been sold; it’s now another branch of Springhurst’s Fuji Japanese Steakhouse.

Moving to new locations, Big Hopp’s shifts downtown from the West End, bringing its soul food fare to the Glassworks neighborhood at 800 W. Market Street. Greek Paradise Café, 2113 Frankfort Avenue, comes to Clifton from Butchertown. On the Sunny Side, Babby’s Steakhouse moves up the river from Jeffersonville to 108 S. Fourth Street in suburban Utica.

A few more local spots shut the doors at these old locations but remain in business elsewhere: Babylon Arabian on Strawberry Lane; Breadworks, 102 Cannons Lane; Ermin’s French Bakery & Cafe, 9213 U.S. 42; Luigi’s, 568 S. Fourth Street; Ponderosa Steakhouse, 5117 Preston Highway; and Sweet Surrender, 211 E. Main Street, New Albany.

Meanwhile, about a dozen restaurants have new locations in addition to their original spots: A Nice Restaurant, 2784 Meijer Drive in Jeffersonville; Beef O’Brady’s, 106 Sears Avenue; El Nopal, 10500 Watterson Trail (former Vivarazzi and Jug’s); Firehouse BBQ, 3065 Breckinridge Lane; Highland Coffee, 627 S. Fourth Street; Irish Rover, 117 E. Main Street, LaGrange; McAlister’s, 6508 Bardstown Road; Moe’s Southwest Grill, 1001 Breckinridge Lane; Soupy’s, 4632 S. Hurstbourne Parkway; and Wick’s Pizza, 10966 Dixie Highway.

[ CLOSINGS ] Finally, a moment of silence for restaurants that closed recently. We mourn the closings of Steam, Fire & Ice, 2427 Bardstown Road; Amshoff’s Fish Inn, 8012 Bardstown Road; Andrew’s Restaurant, 2286 Bardstown Road; Galaxy Bistro, 725 W. Main Street; Gilley’s Grill, 3977 S. Seventh Street; Obee’s, 641 S. Fourth Street; Old Walnut Chili Parlor, 333 W. Oak Street; and Pigasus Chop Shop, 2013 Longest Avenue. Fox Hollow Manor House Inn, 8909 Highway 329 in Crestwood, now operates as a private dining room. F&D Do you have information on something we missed?

Send it to: editor@foodanddiningmagazine.com

www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004

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A

By Marty Rosen Photographs by Dan Dry

Ah! A warm, sultry summer evening, the stands well-filled with fans, the home team still in contention. The beer-hawker is working his way up the steps—“Hey! Getchyer cold beer! Hey! Getchyer cold beer here!” You beckon for a couple of frosties, secure the foamy beer cup in the seat’s cup holder, and settle back with a tray of sushi, or a vegetarian burrito or a styrofoam bowl of clam chowder. Or maybe a barbecued brisket sandwich, or a couple of deep-fried Rocky Mountain oysters (a manly repast!) or a crisp pierogie.

Yes, you are attending a baseball game. But where are the Coney dogs and brats, the peanuts and Cracker Jack? You can still find the standards at the concession stand, but baseball stadium food purveyors are branching out, responding to the upscale tastes of today’s fans. Come with us to explore the expanding menus found at major and minor league ballparks around the country.

aseball has its share of controversies: bat corking, steroids, Pete Rose, the designated hitter, revenue sharing and the like.

But last spring, it was a menu change that roiled Yankee Stadium, aroused the ire of traditionalists, and attracted attention from baseball pundits around the world. Specifically, Frito-Lay decided to replace the waxy box in which Cracker Jack had been sold for a century with a plastic bag. The management at Yankee Stadium cried foul, and ejected

Cracker Jack from the arena, replacing it with an item called Crunch ’n Munch.

Never mind that Frito-Lay, which bought Cracker Jack in 1997, could be construed as the culprit here, or that a package of Crunch ‘n Munch doesn’t include a prize (let’s face it, the Cracker Jack prizes haven’t exactly been collectible the last decade or so). For baseball fans, dumping Cracker Jack was tantamount to doing away with the seventh inning stretch or allowing major leaguers to use aluminum bats. So the fans at Yankee Stadium gave this plan a

A team of hotdogs and sausages

rowdy Bronx cheer, and in June, after an enormous fan outcry, Cracker Jack was returned to its rightful place (though not its rightful price: in major league parks, it’s not unusual to pay five or six bucks for a box of Cracker Jack).

The Cracker Jack controversy was a powerful lesson about the symbolic importance of ballpark food (not to mention being an interesting lesson in the power of branding).

For Americans—and for inter national tourists visiting the United States—ballpark food goes to the very essence of our “foodways”: beer, hot dogs, peanuts and Cracker Jack have furnished the culinary backdrop for ballgames for a century, and, overpriced or not, nearly everyone feels young at heart when slathering yellow mustard, onions and relish on a steamed dog, and devouring it while watching the boys of summer.

In some parts of the country, those core traditions are driving forces. In Los Angeles, for instance, home of the Dodger Dog, 1.6 million hot dogs are sold each season. Wrigley Field and Yankee Stadium aren’t far behind, selling 1.5 and 1.3 million dogs respectively. And of course those Chicago dogs have to reflect local dog culture, so in Wrigley, that means tomato, neon-green relish, yellow mustard, celery salt and cucumbers and a seeded bun (with absolutely no ketchup). And the hottest spot for inter-league wiener rivalries may be Chicago, where escalating dog wars have reached the point where U.S. Cellular Field, home of the Chicago White Sox, now offers no fewer than eight different kinds of sausages. In the park’s upscale Stadium Club, diners can go beyond dogs, choosing from a menu that includes calamari, dim sum and wok-seared garlic prawns.

New York City is much the same: Shea and Yankee stadiums battle over whose dog will reign supreme. Shea serves up Hebrew Nationals, Strikly Kosher dogs and all-beef Kahn’s wieners. George Steinbrenner isn’t to be outdone, though: his customers dine on Glatt kosher dogs, Hebrew Nationals, and the legendary Nathan’s hot dogs, revered for their natural casings and toothsome bite.

Looking beyond the expected hot dog culture at ball parks, we find that idiosyncratic regional food traditions result in concession stand specialties that vary considerably from, say, Texas, to the Midwest to New England. Catch the Texas League San Antonio Missions, for instance, and you may be chowing down on a chililaden burrito; at Slugger Field in Louisville, you’ll find fried bologna sizzling on the grill; at Boston’s Fenway Park, you can dine on chowder from the famous local Legal Seafood restaurants. In Cleveland, the offerings include potato and cheese dumplings; in Montreal, French-Canadian culture is represented by artery-clogging poutine, French fries sprinkled with cheese curd and smothered in gravy. San Francisco’s SBC Park has long been noted for its more aromatic (and presumably somewhat lighter) garlic fries.

Slugger Field is also home to a trove of other traditional goodies: nachos, soft pretzels, elephant ears sprinkled with generous quantities of sugar, and of course the ubiquitous Cracker Jack.

In recent years, though, those traditional and regional favorites have been supplemented as ballparks around the country upped the culinary ante with offerings geared to increasingly sophisticated palates. That’s not surprising in cities like San Francisco or Seattle, but even in the heartland the menu is shifting.

In Pittsburgh, the Pirates have been vending sushi and Caesar salads for years.

Even minor league parks are part of this trend. Fans at Slugger Field, for instance, can opt not only for traditional ballpark fare, they can also find, not at the game itself, but nestled within the friendly confines of the stadium’s concourse, casual fare and micro-brewed beer at Browning’s.

And if they have an appetite for upscale dining, last spring Anoosh Shariat, one of Louisville’s most highly respected chefs, took over the culinary reins at Park Place on Main, another restaurant located on the concourse side of the stadium, where diners can opt for foie gras, lobster mango salad or maple sugar-cured bison accompanied by blackened Hawaiian prawns. Just a few steps away from the crack of the bat diners can find, before or after the game,

A plate of nachos feels right at home near home plate

world-class cuisine, and a wine list that would be quite at home in any major league city.

And perhaps the most surprising trend is the increasing availability of vegetarian food. In Milwaukee, for instance, a center of sausage culture, the Brewers have added soy-based veggie dogs to their 2004 menu.

But other places go even further.

PETA, the animal rights organization, each year gives ballparks a “vegetarian-friendly”

rating. In 2004, Cleveland topped the list, for its assor tment of veggie wraps, pierogies, bean burritos, knishes, vegetarian sushi and the like. The Toronto Blue Jays’ SkyDome was recognized for its vegetarian subs, burgers and hot-dogs, and the Oakland Athletics’ Network Associates Coliseum for its its gourmet Portobello mushroom sandwich.

Take a tour of ballpark menu highlights from around the country. (see ballpark menu highlights p. 12)

www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004

11

Arlington, Texas Every little burg in Texas seems to have six or seven smokehouses and barbecue pits, serving up everything from barbecued longhorn and rattlesnake meat to shredded armadillo. In The Ballpark, home of the Rangers, it’s smoked brisket.

Atlanta Media entrepreneur Ted Turner raises bison on his Montana ranch that furnishes the meat for Turner Stadium’s bison burgers and bison dogs.

Boston The Red Sox may be suffering from the curse of the Bambino, but die-hard fans can take comfort in Legal Seafoods chowder—no substitute for a World Series, but sweet consolation nonetheless.

Chicago In addition to the dogs, the White Sox cater to their burgeoning Latino fan base with a Mexican cantina in the outfield.

Cincinnati Like barbecue, chili comes in a multitude of regional variations. In Cincinnati, chili spices are influenced by Greek traditions, creating a distinctive style that’s immediately recognizable to any aficionado.

Skyline Chili is one of the principal proponents of the Cincy-style, and the

not-so-humbly-named Great American Ballpark, home of the Reds, dishes up Skyline’s cheese coneys to thousands of fans: it’s a dog on a steamed bun, slathered with chili, mustard, diced onions and shredded cheddar cheese.

Cleveland Pierogies are the highlight at Jacobs Field, home of the Cleveland Indians. And where most parks offer nothing but bright yellow mustard, Jacobs Field has long offered up a pungent brown mustard called Bertman’s Ballpark Mustard. (Art Modell has long been reviled by Cleveland fans not only for moving the Browns to Baltimore, but for replacing Bertman’s with a different brand of mustard.)

Denver Coors Field is a ballpark in more ways than one; it may be the only stadium in the country that includes Rocky Mountain oysters on the menu.

Detroit The fastest way to get a food fight started in Detroit is to start talking about Coney Islands (chili dogs in the rest of America). At Comerica Park, home of the Tigers, the Coneys come from a Leo’s Coney Island stand.

Houston In 2000, the Houston Astros moved from the Astrodome to Minute Maid Park, a place with real grass and actual sunlight.

Skyline Chili’s Cheese Coneys served up at Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark

12 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

The famous Dodger Dog

But you don’t have to restrict yourself to juice: check out Sheriff Blaylock’s Chili Parlor or barbecue from Maverick’s Smoke House.

columnist Roger Baylor will beg to differ, can anyone deny that the home of the Brewers is the epicenter of the American beer business, if not beer culture?

Kansas Food pundit and political poet Calvin Trillin popularized Kansas City as a barbecue mecca a couple of decades ago, so it’s no surprise that in the home of big band swing, the Royals’ Kauffman Stadium serves up nationally renowned Gates Barbecue.

Montreal The Expos announcers call the balls and strikes in French, of course, and Olympic Stadium, in addition to poutine, offers the famous Montreal viande fumé (smoked meat), which will knock the socks off anyone who’s gotten weary of mediocre corned beef and pastrami.

Los Angeles Tommy Lasorda didn’t ruin his girlish figure on sushi and Caesar salads, more likely it was the famous (some might say infamous) Dodger Dog, always cooked on a grill, never subjected to the nefarious steam and water most baseball dogs are heir to.

Philadelphia At the Phillies’ brand new Citizens Bank Park, which just opened for the 2004 season, you can find several varieties of cheesesteak, including one made by the justly renowned Geno’s; look closely, and you might even find some scrapple.

Miami Pro Player Stadium, home of the Florida Marlins, is smack dab in the middle of expat Cuban culture, so it’s not surprising that the drink offerings include Cuban Coffee, a high-impact brew that will give you a definite case of the seventh inning jitters. And Pro Player also offers Cuba’s signature dish, the Cuban sandwich of roast pork, cheese, pickles and ever-socrusty bread.

Milwaukee It’s sausage here—brats with red sauce.

And though Food & Dining Magazine beer

Pittsburgh At Pittsburgh’s PNC Park, home of the Pirates, the cheesesteak comes with a layer of coleslaw. If you prefer, Benkovitz’s fish sandwiches, a long-time local favorite, are also available in the park.

San Diego PETCO Park, home of the Padres, is noted for selling some fine fish tacos. And if you need something heftier, former Padres pitcher Randy Jones has a barbecue stand in the park. (continued p. 14)

www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 13

Elephant ear sprinkled with powdered sugar

At Louisville’s Slugger Field, home of the Cincinnati Reds Triple-A affiliate Louisville Bats, local fans can find usual ballpark fare alongside local traditions and just steps away from fine dining.

(opposite page) an inspired creation by Park Place Restaurant’s chef de cuisine, Allan Rosenberg: maple sugar-cured Kentucky bison and blackened Hawaiian prawns with asparagus, carrots and sunburst squash

Slugger Field’s signature fried bologna sandwich

Soft pretzels

CORK 101 Uncork or Unscrew?

By Robin Garr

You’re dining at a fancy restaurant and you order a fancy vintage wine. The sommelier brandishes a golden “church key” on a velvet neck ribbon and, with a genteel flourish, pops its beer-bottle-style cap. Or perhaps you’ve ordered a case of a noted Cabernet to mature in your cellar.

When your treasure arrives, you open the crate to find a dozen bottles plugged with plastic or secured with metal screw-caps, the traditional hallmark of cheap, “brown bag” wines.

Don’t laugh! The sudden ascent of cork’s competitors ranks among the most significant—and unexpected—wine trends of the past decade. As recently as five years ago, the synthetic (plastic) cork was still a novelty, and the notion of putting metal screw caps or beer-style “crown caps” on fine wine was akin to science fiction.

What a difference a few years makes! Spurred by a crescendo of consumer disgust with spoilage by the musty “taint” that accompanies a significant percentage of treebark corks, the industry is embracing alternatives apace. The trend is accelerating especially in Australia and New Zealand—but also in the United States and even winetraditional Europe.

Corks have been the traditional wine-bottle closure for about 300 years, and when they work well, they make about as good a stopper as anyone has invented. The cork is so enshrined in tradition that most of us chuckle at the very idea of a quality wine closed with threaded metal or a beer or jug-wine cap.

But the wine industry isn’t laughing. Here’s why: Natural cork all too often carries a fungus called 2,4,6trichloroanisole (TCA). If you’ve ever tasted a wine with a dank, moldy odor reminiscent of wet cardboard, a damp basement or mushrooms, that’s TCA—and the spoilage is said to be “corked.” By some estimates, as many as one in 20 bottles of wine is tainted by the TCA fungus.

Some wineries have reduced the incidence of “corkiness” by using expensive corks that undergo intense pre-inspection. Even then, however, some defective corks get through, resulting in a failure rate that many wine consumers consider unacceptable. During the last couple of years, high-tech screw caps (heavy-duty metal closures that resemble the foil or plastic “capsule” that shields the

PHOTO BY DAN DRY

traditional cork) appear to be overtaking synthetics as the alternative wine closure of choice among many producers.

It’s going to take a lot of experimentation before the wine industry can be certain that synthetics, crown caps and screw tops have the durability to protect pricey, collectible wines through long-term storage. Likewise, it’s going to take a lot of marketing before we wine lovers surrender our attachment to the traditional cork. Nevertheless it’s a fair bet that the old-fashioned cork will eventually go the way of the LP phonograph record.

Interested in trying a wine with an alternative closure? Two screw-cap brands currently available on local wine lists are the excellent Kim Crawford 2003 Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough in New Zealand, and the hearty Bonny Doon 2002 “Ca’ del Solo” Big House Red from California. For a beer-bottle-style crown cap, look for Mionetto “Il” Prosecco del Veneto, a dry, refreshing, sparkling wine from Italy. F&D

VISIT ROBIN’S WEBSITE AT LOUISVILLEHOTBYTES.COM, LOUISVILLE’S TOP ONLINE SOURCE FOR INDEPENDENT, UNBIASED RESTAURANT REVIEWS.

16 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

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BOURBON Deconstructed & Demystified

By Jerry Slatter

I haven’t been aging in a barrel, so I know what some longtime Louisvillians are saying as they leer at the title of this column: “not another article on bourbon.” Well, Mr. and Ms. Jaded, sometimes you have to get back to basics. Believe it or not, you may have acquaintances—even friends—who lack expertise on limestone water and charred white oak. (Friends, play it cool and finish the article when no one is looking.)

Among the Bourbon Country newcomers, who’ve migrated from every direction, Northerners generally know less about bourbon. Some people were too busy guzzling beer in college or got fixated amid the misguided trendiness of Scotch, without first understanding and appreciating their native spirit. Others cling to preconceived notions about the “class” of bourbon. Replace that mental image of a shot and a beer with a brandy snifter—or better yet, Austrian crystal scientifically designed to highlight the liquor’s best qualities. (Wineglass maker Riedel now makes a bourbon glass.) I would argue the range and depth of America’s unique distillate rivals that of any peat- and iodine-smelling Glensomething—and elicits more satisfaction than harder-to-pronounce French cognacs. I have nothing against these spirits. Let’s face it; they’re not Canadian—but first things first.

3

things about bourbon

The Where

The first rule (as defined by Congress) is that bourbon must be made in America. I note this requirement up front to debunk the myth that bourbon must be made in Kentucky. That fallacy is pervasive and sacred. My attempt to correct it once enraged a group of little old ladies who would defend the Commonwealth against any dishonor. But it’s no shame that our signature liquor is a hit. Almost all bourbons are made here in our beautiful state, but Virginia Gentleman and the nowextinct A. H. Hirsch from Pennsylvania are just two examples of fine, non-Bluegrass bourbons.

The What

Corn is the next important factor. The law mandates that bourbon be at least 51 percent corn-based. Some brands tout the nuances in the percent of rye or wheat added to their mash, but without a majority share of corn (and some malted barley to get it going), it is not bourbon. This is not to say there aren’t some great whiskeys out there that do not tip that scale. The Van Winkle 13-year-old rye (more than 51 percent rye) is a classic example, but the standard for corn in the mash mix is much closer to the 70 percent range.

The How

For now, we’ll leave distilling proofs and aging minimums to the master distillers. The last major rule of bourbon making is all 18 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

PHOTO BY DAN DRY

about the barrel. As bourbon comes off out of the still, it is a clear alcohol similar in appearance to vodka with an almost sweet corn smell. To achieve that amber glow and warm caramel nose, the distillate, called “new spirit” or “white dog,” is placed in virgin, charred white oak barrels. Through balmy Kentucky summers and frigid Bluegrass winters, the liquid expands and contracts in the wood of the barrel, picking up flavors and color along the way.

What emerges anywhere from four to 23 years later, depending on the distillery and particular brand, is the rich brown liquor whose long history has accented the horse racing industry and inspired writers like William Faulkner.

The Wrap-up

So, after putting a clear liquid made of at least 51 percent corn in a never-before-used, charred oak barrel (all made in the USA), you have bourbon. (There are some finer details to the craft, but you get the point.) You also might be thinking, with rules such as these, that all bourbons might taste the same. Nothing could be further from the truth. At last count, the Kentucky Distillers’ Association Web site (www.kybourbon.com) listed 130 brand names of bourbon. That means if you were to start on New Year’s Day and tried one each night, the Derby would be over before you finished them all. Though they might share characteristics, each has a unique range of nose, taste and finish. If I sound like your buddy the wine geek, be advised that mine is very much the language of whiskey writers as well. “Long legs,” “honeyed nose” and “sweet caramel finish” are terms that define the latest J. Lo video, but similar phrases are used in Whiskey Magazine and The Malt Advocate, which review and rank bourbon along with the other great whiskeys of the world. Therein lies another fine distinction. While similar spirits from America, Scotland, Ireland, France and yes, Canada, are all whiskeys, not all whiskeys can be bourbon. F&D

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BEER Beyond the Longneck

By Roger A. Baylor

Before Budweiser’s majestic Clydesdales became the icon of beer advertising, a mere painting reigned as the king of beer marketing. It depicted a man in formal 19th century attire standing amid blinding sunshine by a dusty rural lane, jacket in hand, mopping his brow, perhaps waiting for a stagecoach. It was called “Thirst,” and Denmark’s renowned Tuborg brewery made it the centerpiece of its advertising campaign. A century later, it is regarded a masterpiece of the genre.

The essence of Beer Marketing 101 remains the same: summertime heat + powerful thirst = ice cold light lager beer.

Only the images have changed. Advertisers have traded the lonesome landscape of the painting for happy models frolicking on volleyball courts, seashores, sports cars and tubs of ice. Today, thirsty dude looks like a lady (who likes guys brandishing beer).

Beer Marketing 101 doesn’t work for me. I quench my thirst with water. Only upon complete rehydration do I begin to consider the proper beer for the time, activity, mood and meal.

It helps to cultivate a brain for grains. Barley is the main grain that builds beer, but the brewer’s pantry includes other complementary grains, such as rye, oats and wheat.

Standing alone, wheat cannot match barley’s utility, depth and range. Rather, wheat is a model role player in brewing. Used in tandem with barley, wheat contributes reliably pleasant, grainy and tart sensations.

In Germany (primarily Bavaria), wheat ales are referred to as “Weisse” (white), and “Weizen” (wheat). The prefix “Hefe-” (with yeast) indicates an unfiltered wheat ale, and it is the milky appearance of yeast in suspension that originally inspired its characterization as “white.”

The classic wheat ales of Germany are fermented by special yeast strains that work hand in glove with the grain to produce aromas and esters not generally encountered in other beers. German wheat ales are quite expressive in this regard, with flavors and aromas like banana, apple, clove and baking spice arising purely from fermentation.

“Dunkel Weizen” signifies a dark wheat ale. Dark barley malts seem to add chewier, bread-like elements to the familiar mix.

Among the brands exported to America and usually available locally at our better package stores (Liquor Barn, Party Outlet, Old Mill Wine & Spirits in New Albany) are Franziskaner, Paulaner, Hacker-Pschorr, Weihenstephan and Ayinger, all brewed in or near Munich, Germany.

The best of them is Schneider Weisse, brewed near the Danube River in Kelheim. Schneider’s classic wheat ale is tawny amber and reddish hued. When poured into the recommended tall, footed glass, there is a vigorous, frothy head, and mid-range fruitiness bursts onto the palate with a bold effervescence. Spicy, delicate clove notes complete a profound taste sensation.

20 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

PHOTO BY DAN DRY

Schneider’s brewery in Kelheim is dedicated solely to wheat ales, and several delicious variations on the wheat ale theme are brewed and exported. Schneider’s awe-inspiring Aventinus, a dark and strong “wheat double bock,” is incredibly versatile. Drink it with a crunchy Bavarian pork knuckle or as dessert at the end of a long, tiring day.

As in Germany, wheat ales brewed in bilingual Belgium are known as white (“Wit” in Dutch, “Blanche” in French). Also sometimes seen on imported labels is the Dutch word for wheat, “Tarwe.”

Belgian wheat ales are brewed with unmalted wheat and flavored with coriander, orange peel and other spices. A wellmade Wit exhibits a wee trace of refreshing sourness alongside the prevailing citrus and balancing spice.

Once as ubiquitous a Belgian staple as mussels and fries, Wit came very close to disappearing in the 1960s. It took a single-minded man, Pierre Celis, to singlehandedly revive the style. Celis created the Hoegaarden Wit brand and nurtured it artistically and financially. Approaching retirement, and with Wit re-established in its country of origin, Celis sold out to the Belgian brewing giant Interbrew, which still brews it today.

Surprisingly, Celis resurfaced in Austin, Texas, in the early 1990s, giving his name to a microbrewery and its flagship brew. The first Belgian-style wheat ale for legions of aspiring American beer aficionados was Celis White.

Triumphant again, Pierre Celis sold his Austin microbrewery to Miller Brewing Company, which unceremoniously euthanized it. Celis returned to Belgium, taking his Wit with him to be brewed there, where it stands with Hoegaarden and the dozens of Wits spawned in the wake of his original creation.

Miller peddled the U.S. rights and recipe of Celis White to the Michigan Brewing Company, which today offers yet another revival of a style that simply refuses to die.

Other American microbreweries have learned from this saga. Belgian-style wheat is bread and butter for Upland Brewing Company, a microbrewery located in Bloomington, Indiana. Upland Wheat captured a gold medal at the 2002 Great American Beer Festival and is served on draft at Rich O’s Public House and Main Menu Pub & Grill, located a block apart in New Albany.

Belgian- and German-style wheat ales, with their various flavor profiles of citrus, banana, apple and cloves, offer numerous creative pairing opportunities with ethnic cuisine, but Louisville’s more exotic ethnic eateries, whether Thai, Indian, Vietnamese or Latin American, typically offer benign international lagers and nothing more.

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The

Clean Cop

By Robin Garr Photographs by Dan Dry

State law requires it. Diners appreciate it.

Restaurateurs — usually — welcome it.

Department of Health inspections heighten public awareness and encourage sanitary restaurant management. Follow along with a Department of Health inspector on his rounds to learn what makes for a sanitary, healthful kitchen.

www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 23

Wayne Lang works through his inspection checklist, ensuring clean ice, accurate holding temperatures and appropriate dishwasher settings

atch Wayne Lang work and, before long, you’ll wonder whether his are the cleanest hands in town. He rarely passes a sink or soap dispenser without stopping for a quick wash that leaves his hands with a pink, healthy glow.

It’s an occupational matter for Lang, a soft-spoken gent who’s been pounding the streets as a city-county restaurant inspector for a quarter of a century.

Lang raps on the back doors of food-service establishments, conducting unannounced sanitation inspections on his beat, Louisville’s Bardstown Road and Frankfort Avenue restaurant rows. “Board of Health,” he announces, flashing a ready smile and photo ID, barely gesturing at the “Louisville Metro Health Department” logo above the pocket of his burgundy polo shirt. “State law requires that we inspect restaurants twice a year.”

Restaurateurs generally greet Lang with a healthy mix of warmth and trepidation. The information he collects in an hour or so yields an all-but-irreversible rating that must be prominently displayed

W

24 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

on the restaurant’s storefront as a vivid green “A,” blue “B,” or, for those who fail to meet the inspector’s standards, a bold, accusing red “C.” “I’ve had people come in, see the ‘B’ and turn around and leave,” lamented one local restaurateur who ran into problems in a recent inspection. “It doesn’t happen a lot, but it happens.”

The city restaurant-inspection program isn’t intended to crucify restaurateurs but to benefit the industry and the public, said Matt Rhodes, a longtime restaurant inspector who now supervises the city’s inspection program as environmental health coordinator for the Metro Health Department.

Rhodes said he and fellow inspectors conceived the idea of the prominent inspection-score display, implemented in December 2002, to heighten public awareness and to encourage healthful, sanitary restaurant management.

State law has long required that county health departments inspect foodservice facilities twice a year, Rhodes said, noting that in the 1980s, the old Louisville

Times published the inspection reports, featuring such intriguing small-print details as “rat droppings found” or “toxic substances improperly stored.” The listings, which enthused health inspectors more than restaurateurs, were abandoned after the Bingham family closed the afternoon paper and later sold the remaining daily to Gannett.

Seeking another way to keep the public informed, county officials wrote new regulations in 1996, requiring that inspection results be posted. This wasn’t entirely successful, Rhodes said. “The form was nondescript and hard to understand”–and the actual score and letter grade were in small print. Moreover, the law wasn’t explicit about what constituted “prominent” display, so inspection reports (particularly lessthan-favorable ones) would be placed behind a bar or cash register, where consumers couldn’t easily read them.

The recent innovation resolves that, requiring that the inspection score be displayed in a standard form, featuring a 41/2-inch-tall, bold letter, large enough to be clearly visible from the street.

Inspector Lang carries a simple set of pocket-size tools in addition to his clipboard and legal-size inspection sheets: • A precision thermometer that reads from zero to 220 F—he calibrates it weekly to ensure that it reads exactly 32 degrees in an ice bath.

• A pocket-size Maglite brand flashlight, a sturdy black instrument about the size of a fat fountain pen, for peering into the dark nooks and crannies between stoves and behind refrigerators.

• A miniature Canon A60 digital camera to record violations for his reports.

• A handful of sterile alcohol swabs in individual foil packets, used to sanitize his tools.

We followed a demonstration inspection at L&N Wine Bar & Bistro, where proprietors Len Stevens and Nancy Richards confidently invited the inspector for an unofficial visit — with a reporter in tow.

Lang greets Richards and chats with her for a few minutes before the inspection begins. Then he steps behind the bar and into the kitchen, where he starts by checking the floor for cleanliness, poking his flashlight under appliances, nodding with approval at their shiny condition, free of stains and dust bunnies.

Next comes the dishwasher, a hightech appliance with digital readouts and automated cleaning-fluid dispensers.

“This has to be working right,” Lang observes, noting that an inoperative

dishwasher is a “critical violation,” a fault that requires closing the restaurant on the spot. In the event of such an unlikely disaster, though, L&N also boasts a shiny three-compartment sink with separate bins for washing, sanitizing and rinsing.

“That’s a great backup,” Lang explained.

“If you can’t use the dishwasher, it will keep you open. If there’s no threecompartment sink—and a lot of places don’t have ‘em—there’s no backup.”

He looks underneath to ensure that the grease trap is in good working order.

This device passes drain water through a series of “baffles” that collect grease and oil for separate disposal, keeping them out of the sewer system. Then he checks the sink to ensure that there’s no “backflow,” which occurs when a spray

Lang checks nooks and crannies for thorough cleanliness

www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 25

hose drops into dishwater and dirty water flows back into the clean water system. A problem here would prompt a failing “C” score and the immediate closure of the restaurant.

It all comes down to one simple premise, Lang says: “All we want is to keep people from getting ill.”

The inspection program has just nine full-time inspectors to cover the entire county. Eight are assigned to specific geographical areas, with a “rover” to cover on sick days, vacations and special assignments. The county lists about 3,600 facilities subject to inspection, including about 2,700 restaurants plus other public foodservice operations that range from grocery delis to day care centers, school cafeterias and nursing homes.

Lang notes a well-designed and maintained clean-up area

The state requires that all be inspected twice annually. Inspectors also check out some 1,200 individual complaints per year, responding to citizen complaints; and they inspect about 700 short-term food-service vendors such as those at the Kentucky State Fair. This bottom line is that most inspectors scrutinize five or six sites per day.

Independent inspectors working with merchants in a private setting, where the inspector’s decision can make or break a business, might seem ripe for a corrupt solicitation, but that’s not much of an issue in the real world, Rhodes says.

“My inspectors are professionals, and keeping their jobs and their retirement is more important to them than that.”

Overt bribe offers are rare, he says, although relatively subtle hints along the lines of “what would it take to get rid of

this?” are not unknown. Inspectors don’t have arrest authority but are told to make a formal record of suspicious offers in their inspection notes.

Lang turns on hot water and runs his hands through the stream to check its temperature (no thermometer is needed for this rough evaluation) and peers at the dishwasher’s digital readout to ensure that it’s above the required 180 F. Moving quickly through the kitchen, he ensures that washed pots, pans and kitchenware are airdried only. (Dishcloths and hand towels are verboten in a restaurant kitchen, as just one swipe on a clean pot with a dirty towel defeats all the work of washing it.)

He aims his flashlight up to check the ceiling and spots a missing overhead panel, removed to do electrical

work. Normally a missing panel is a violation because dirt and foreign matter can fall through from above, but necessary maintenance is an exception. “You have to be flexible and use a little common sense,” he says.

Clean, well-organized walk-in refrigerators and freezers with visible thermometers win his approval. Kitchen workers have carefully avoided the most common refrigerator violation, parking raw meat or produce above other foodstuffs, which might be contaminated by leakage. He notes a few water spots on ceiling tiles, a non-inspection item that he’ll call to management’s attention but that costs no points; it’s no surprise to see this in an older building after the stormy days of May and early June.

It’s not terribly difficult for a competent restaurant operation to earn “A” scores consistently, Rhodes and Lang said. Under the previous system, a 96-point score was required for the “A,” but—perhaps in a tradeoff for the more prominent public disclosure—the 2002 changes reduced the minimum requirement to 93 points. In practice, Rhodes said, about 85 percent of all inspections result in an “A.” There are a few “gotchas,” though. A critical violation, even if corrected on the spot, precludes an “A” for that inspection no matter how high the point score. And a restaurant that consistently fails on the first try may be limited to a “B” upon reinspection, regardless of its score.

How should consumers view a restaurant’s score? A “B” isn’t much to be concerned about, Rhodes said. “‘B’ is a passing score (reflecting 85 to 92 points). If you go to a restaurant and wonder about that ‘B,’ I’d ask the restaurateur what led to the ‘B.’ Truly, I’d choose an ‘A’ over a ‘B’ if the restaurants were next door to each other… but a ‘B’ is a passing score.”

However, he said, “‘C’ is a failing score [that reflects] enough minor violations to score below 85 percent or critical violations that can’t be immediately corrected. ‘C’ can require reinspection—we’ll come back and do another inspection within 10 days.”

A kitchen shelf is loaded with bottles—cooking wines and liquors, salt, baking soda, jars of black and white pepper, a big jar of bay leaves. Lang takes a quick but thorough look to see that no cleaning materials or toxic items are stored near food, another major no-no.

Peering under a sink, he nods approvingly at the footoperated water faucets, which safeguard against crosscontamination from dirty faucet handles to clean food. “We like that,” he said. “It’s not required by the law, but it’s above and beyond. We think that’s good, and so should their customers.”

But he casts a slight frown toward a white plastic cutting board with crisscrossing knife cuts, concerned because deep slits are difficult to clean. “This is going to need replacement or

The Clean Cop cleans up after another inspection

refurbishing pretty soon,” he says. It’s an issue that won’t cost inspection points but will be included in his informal recommendations to management.

Moving quickly past a set of stoves and ranges, he pulls out every drawer and looks inside. He flashes his light up into the vent hoods to see they’re free of grease buildup. A little spillage under a gas grill is not a concern. “It’s a working kitchen. This is clean!” Ditto for an ice machine, wherein he aims his Maglite to check for mold and mutters, “Ice is food. We treat it just like a hamburger or french fry.” A soft-drink dispenser gets a similar thorough going-over. “This is immaculate… they do a great job.”

In one rare criticism of the new program, a few restaurateurs who barely missed the “A” point out that the department’s willingness to reinspect promptly after a failing “C” score but not a “B” seems less than fair to establishments graded “B” for technical reasons, because the latter must live with the public display of a second-rate score for six months, while failures are erased almost immediately. www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 27

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Mark and Gena Wagner, coowners of Louisville’s Come Back Inn, agreed to discuss their situation after recently receiving their first “B” rating after 71/2 years of straight “A”s.

“We received a ‘B’ rating for our ‘blatantly blue’ spray bottles of window cleaner not being labeled and for a broken door handle on one of our coolers—which didn’t prevent the door from functioning properly,” Gena Wagner said. “Everything was fixed immediately, yet we’re stuck with this sign. Not one thing we were cited for had anything to do with food safety, yet it makes us look bad.”

Her husband Mark picked up the story. “On our recent review, one of my guys didn’t have a hat on. We got clipped for that. I understand and appreciate legitimate concerns like that, but some of our violations weren’t related to food safety. On the walk-in cooler, the door handle itself was broken. Not the latching or closing mechanism, but the thing you pull on to unlatch the door. I explained to the inspector that the part was on order. It wasn’t something I’m neglecting, but it resulted in a serious deficiency.” Adding insult to injury, he said, the part was delivered by UPS an hour after the inspector left.

“I called the inspector back and said, ‘Hey look, I recognize these problems and worked to get them corrected as quickly as could be. Is there any way to have you come and reinspect, appeal this or whatever? They said absolutely no, I don’t get a chance for reinspection until they come back for the regular inspection in six months.

“I’m kind of stuck with it,” he said.

“You can correct a ‘C’ but not a ‘B,’ ” Mark Wagner added. “It doesn’t seem to work the way you’d like it to.”

Stacey Roof, president and CEO of the Kentucky Restaurant Association, based in Anchorage, said she wasn’t familiar enough with this specific problem to comment on it. But she said health officials approached the association and discussed the regulation before imple-

menting it, and that the association’s restaurateur members are on board.

“Our members feel like it’s a good benefit to the dining public, and they support it,” she said. “It holds you to a higher standard, and if you don’t think you’re where you need to be, it gives you a reason to improve.”

That is exactly what the department had in mind, Rhodes said.

“We didn’t intend the system to penalize restaurateurs but to be a motivation.

Most are doing a very good job. Many score from 90 to 100. I can honestly say that a very large percentage are practicing excellent sanitary practices.”

The idea of requiring prominent public display of the inspection score is innovative and, apparently, not widely practiced elsewhere. Rhodes said there’s been a surprising level of interest from health authorities around the country, with requests for information about the program coming from Texas, Washington state and Florida as well as more nearby jurisdictions in Kentucky and Southern Indiana.

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“It’s a very interesting job,” said Lang, wrapping up his inspection at L&N. “You walk in and never know quite what to expect,” he added, recalling with a laugh the story of an inspector who found a walk-in refrigerator locked from inside… where an errant couple were engaged in a presumably romantic encounter.

“People ask me how I tell if a restaurant is clean,” he said. “I say, ‘Look at the bathrooms. If they can’t keep them clean, it probably won’t be any better back in the kitchen.’” L&N’s stylish restrooms predictably elicited Lang’s sought-after smile of approval.

“Some restaurant people just don’t want us in the place. They see us as adversaries,”Lang said. “But we want people to feel like we all want the same thing: We’re really here to work with people. Personal conflicts are going to happen, but all we can do is be fair.” F&D (see ABC’s p. 30) www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 29

The ABC’s of the

By Ron Mikulak

A B C ’s Every food-service facility starts with 100 points, broken down into a range of categories: condition of food and storage of perishables, health and hygiene of kitchen personnel, control of vermin and condition of plumbing and sewage disposal. The inspector deducts points for every problem or violation of regulations. The two-column checklist is thorough and detailed. Some problems are relatively trivial, such as mislabelled containers or lack of hair restraints, and merit only a single-point penalty.

Others, including food prep areas not fully cleaned and free of abrasives or excessive handling of food, are worth two penalty points. Thus two or three minor faults will not disallow an “A” rating.

But several aspects of food safety are deemed so essential that failure to comply with any one will automatically pull a kitchen into the “B” range; too many failures will warrant a “C.” These are the things a kitchen must be meticulous about, the critical violations that normally not only preclude an “A” grade but may, if not promptly corrected, require closing the restaurant.

Food The source and condition of all food in the kitchen must be sanitary. All spoiled food must be promptly discarded. Even potentially spoiled food—things left out of the cooler too long or not promptly cooled after cooking—must be discarded and not served or re-served.

Freezers and coolers Freezers and coolers where perishables are stored must work properly, with accurate thermostats and clearly visible thermometer readouts. The handles and hinges and other external hardware must be in working order. The racks and shelving inside coolers must be designed and used to prevent potential cross-contamination of food, such as raw meat juices leaking onto fruits or vegetables.

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Everyone working in the kitchen must be instructed in and held to high standards of hygiene. Their clothing and headwear must be clean and appropriate. They must wash their hands frequently and use paper towels for drying. No one with contagious infections is permitted to handle food.

Water, plumbing, waste disposal Sinks and dishwashers must be clean and operating properly. Water must be under proper pressure, and water temperature must be high enough for full sanitation. All water sources must be plumbed properly; all sewage and waste disposal must be properly designed and in working order. Any instance of cross-connection of water and disposal pipes or any backflow of water onto clean dishware or utensils may singularly exclude an “A.”

Toxic substances and vermin Every effort must be made to prevent entrance of rodents or insects into the kitchen. No live animals (especially birds and turtles, which can carry diseases communicable to humans) are permitted in the kitchen. All toxic materials and cleaning products including bleach must be clearly labeled, stored away from food and properly used.

It’s a long but logical list, a set of practices that even home kitchens should follow. The point is not to penalize food-service facilities, but to instill confidence in the dining public.

30 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

[ owners ]

Miguel and Maggie de la Torre de la torre’s 1606 bardstown road 456.4955 Amid Louisville’s culturally diverse culinary landscape, De la Torre’s stands perhaps as the most unlikely restaurant. Most ethnic eateries—Thai, Indian, Middle Eastern, South and Central American and Eastern European—have proliferated, during the past generation, in tandem with the region’s immigrant communities.

De la Torre’s grew the hard way—without an abundance of native patrons. The Spanish restaurant is rooted not in the Spanish-speaking nations of the Americas but in the European traditions of Iberian peninsula. And while Spanish restaurants aren’t difficult to find in cities like Chicago and New York, they’re rare in the heartland of

Mere cohabitation can produce enough tangles to choke a marriage. Working together, likewise, can cause couples to butt heads often or severely enough to break each other’s necks—or hearts. So how do husbands and wives manage the inevitable and potentially suffocating stress of living together and running a restaurant? They’re doing it in astonishing abundance right here in Louisville. Among the co-owner couples who spring to mind are L&N Wine Bar’s Len Stevens and Nancy Richards, Lily’s Kathy and Will Cary, Timothy’s Charles and Shayne Zanetis, Churchill’s John and June Roush, Nermana’s Damir and Nermana Pejkusic, Rockwall’s Guy and Joni Sillings, Starving Artist Café & Deli’s Tim and Angie Marshall—and Mark and Susan of Stevens & Stevens. Even lengthier is the list of distinguished couples who, side by side, are abiding two of the most agonizing of all human enterprises: relationships and restaurants. We know the untold stories are no less compelling or poignant than the six we share in this issue.They succeed with ingredients that sweeten what, for many, is a bitter and ruinous recipe. It takes hard work, communication, love, respect, forgiveness and negotiation. And sometimes it’s just wise to relent and say, “Have it your way.”

By Marty Rosen Photographs by Dan Dry

32 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

Miguel and Maggie de la Torre, restaurateurs of De la Torre’s

Miguel de la Torre prepares a salmon filet in a saffronscented white wine reduction, served with grilled asparagus and roasted red peppers

America, where a Spanish surname on an exterior sign almost always implies enchiladas inside.

The fact that Louisville is home to an authentic Spanish restaurant is largely an accident of fate. Chef Miguel de la Torre, 49, a native of Madrid, grew up in a banking family and didn’t decide to pursue cooking as a profession until he was in his thirties.

His wife, Maggie, 50, was born in Charleston, West Virginia, and followed her first husband to England. When that marriage broke up, she moved to Madrid and suddenly found herself in the restaurant business. “I’d never been involved in a restaurant before,” she said. “I was never a struggling waitress in college, or anything like that. But I like people and I had the opportunity and I grabbed it—and I loved it and never looked back.”

That first restaurant was an upscale place called Armstrong’s, located near the opera house in Madrid. Maggie and Miguel met through mutual friends, and it wasn’t long before she learned that, in addition to banking, he was a talented chef. “It’s a long day in the restaurant business in Madrid,” she recalled. “I would go home between six and nine in the evening, and then back to the restaurant for dinner. One evening

Miguel was watching my kids for me, and I was rushing home to give them something to eat. When I got there, he had fixed a dinner of duck a l’orange. It was a funny moment—I was trying to be a hero, but I suddenly realized that I didn’t have to worry too much when this guy was taking care of my kids.”

That was during the middle 80s, and Miguel was struggling to decide whether to remain in banking. “When I was a very small age,” he said in the mellow accent of his Castilian heritage, “I started helping in the family with the cooking. In my thirties I had to decide whether to follow the banking or the cooking, and I decided to follow the cooking because I consider it more like an art, with the color and flavor and everything.”

With three children between them, the couple faced a dilemma: whether to open a restaurant in Madrid or the United States. They decided to give Louisville a try.

“I had lived there for a couple of years when I was younger,” said Maggie. “And I knew it was a very nice city.”

So in 1987, the pair settled in Louisville, found a location and spent a year putting it together. “We had a shared vision,” said Maggie. “We were trying to

bring Spain here, to make the experience as authentic as possible, so people could experience Spain without buying a plane ticket and going over there. We had a very clear-cut notion of what we need to do in terms of how it should look and feel.” That shared vision has meant less conflict, Maggie said. “Sometimes there’s an adversarial relationship between the kitchen and the front of the house,” she said. “But we’re both trying to do the best thing for the restaurant, so we keep that to a minimum.”

Their occasional upsets usually stem from special orders. Spanish cuisine is relatively unfamiliar; thus customers will sometimes request things that run counter to Miguel’s culinary standards. “Sometimes a customer will ask for paella with hot sauce,” Maggie said. “We’ve had people ask for ketchup or things that we don’t have.

As the front of the house, you want to make the customer happy at all costs. But if the chef knows that something will ruin the dish, he doesn’t want to do that.

There’s a lot of pride. Miguel is very accommodating about dietary needs and if someone wants ketchup, he’ll make a tomato sauce—but it’s not ketchup.”

For Miguel, any conflicts between the kitchen and the front of the house www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 33

merely melt in the face of a more important reality. “We just love each other so much that those things don’t matter,” he said. “This is true, you know. But also, we have from the day one, one policy. I take care of the kitchen, making the plates, creating the food—and Maggie takes care of all the orientation in the dining room, and takes care of the people.”

Maggie also ensures that Miguel understands where American tastes diverge from those of his Spanish homeland. “In all the Mediterranean countries,” said Miguel, “shrimp is served with the head on, because that gives the best flavor. But in the United States, people don’t usually see shrimp with the head, and they say, ‘What is this?’” Once they try it, he continued, they are amazed at the difference.

Thus he is now serving shrimp-withtheir-heads in the couple’s new tapas bar, La Bodega. In the restaurant, however, the shrimp is still served American style.

When things go wrong, Miguel adopts a philosophical attitude. “Sometimes you’re in the doghouse,” he says, “and sometimes no. But no matter what, we discuss everything. We have worked together so long that we can almost read each other’s minds.”

[ owners ]

Indeed, in a business where the stamp of an individual is one of the key elements of success, it’s a bit of a miracle that three years after Chef Jim’s death, Club Grotto continues to thrive, because its current owners and operators, James and Juanita McKinney, never expected to be in the restaurant business. For them, Club Grotto is very definitely a labor of love.

For much of his career, James, 60, a Paris, Kentucky native, sold heavy-duty trucks, tractors and trailers and managed companies, among other roles. Prior to 1996, his only real kitchen experience had come during the early 1960s, when he was an Army mess sergeant, peeling spuds and cleaning up.That experience is far removed from running a sophisticated bistro like Club Grotto, the Bardstown Road restaurant the couple now own and operate. from Juanita, 60, originally Prestonsburg, likewise had never worked in a restaurant—though she had started cooking as child and is, by all accounts, gifted in the kitchen.

What drew the couple into the business was their son, Jim McKinney II, who founded Club Grotto and placed his

Jim and Juanita McKinney club grotto 2116 bardstown road 459.5275

There is no single formula for success in the restaurant business, but all fine restaurants share one trait: they manifest the distinct opinions and visions of their creators. Most of these profiles focus on restaurants founded and operated by couples with a common passion for the restaurant business— couples who founded their business together and, from the very beginning, planned to take advantage of their complementary talents and interests.

Club Grotto is a different story altogether. It was the creation of Jim McKinney, a single chef with a rigorously personal approach. He started his career waiting tables at Chi-Chi’s and went on to create a hybrid style that blended Southern roots with European influences.

By all accounts, McKinney was a charismatic and inspiring chef who made a lasting impression on the staff and customers at Club Grotto.

Proprietors Jim and Juanita McKinney of Club Grotto

Club Grotto offers their lobster bouillabaisse with Littleneck clams and Prince Edward Island mussels

formidable stamp on it before his untimely death of a heart attack at age 32 in January 2001.

By then, Club Grotto, which opened in 1993, ranked among the top Louisville restaurants. Chef Jim McKinney (whose resumé included a stint at the prestigious Coach House Restaurant in Lexington) had amassed a superior staff and had given his parents instructions that they never expected to enact. “He always said that if anything happened to him, we were to keep the restaurant open,” recalled Mr. McKinney. “If you’re closed more than a day or two, you start losing customers. So for us there was never a second thought about keeping the restaurant open. He was so passionate about everything in the restaurant—the food, the service, everything—that keeping the restaurant open was our way of keeping his memory alive.”

And McKinney had left the restaurant in good shape. “Our executive

chef, Clay Cundiff, was the first person Jim hired for the restaurant,” said Juanita.

“And most of the kitchen and serving staff have stayed with us, because the restaurant really does have the feel of being more family than business.”

That family atmosphere pervades not only the service, but also the menu. In the early days of the restaurant, even before it had a full-time pastry chef, Juanita helped out with the desserts.

Some of her family recipes, including corn pudding, are on the menu alongside such treats as chocolate soufflé, one of Chef Jim’s signature dishes.

These days, the couple share in the operation of the restaurant. He handles the accounts and paperwork while she helps with the front of the house operations. But the staff preserves the traditions. “When we hire new servers,” said Mr. McKinney, “the people who’ve been with us for several years train the new people how to do things the Club

Grotto way. It makes for a consistent experience. And the chefs are excellent.

They’ve never compromised on the quality of the food.”

After 43 years of marriage, said Juanita, “We’re really best friends. We know what the other one is thinking, and this has been a wonderful experience.”

Though neither partner had ever dreamed of being in the business, noted Mr. McKinney, Club Grotto is an extension of their family life. “Our house was always the place to eat after people had been boating or golfing or playing softball,” he said. “There was always a crowd cooking and eating, so I guess it gets in your genes.”

And Juanita concurs. “Chef Jim’s daughter Andrea is now nine years old,” said Juanita, “and already she’s beginning to develop the same kind of sophisticated palate. Jim loved being in the kitchen with me when he was young, and Andrea’s the same way.”

www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 35

[ owners ]

Jim and Toki Huie maido essential japanese 1758 frankfort ave.

894.8775 Several things distinguish Maido Essential Cuisine from Louisville’s other Japanese restaurants. First there’s the menu: this is no sushi bar, but an Izakaya restaurant, the Japanese equivalent of a tapas bar. A fascinating array of dumplings, soups, meat, vegetable and seafood dishes are offered, all rooted in Japan’s authentic home-style cuisine. Next there’s the remarkable list of sake, which includes a selection of premium bottles unseen elsewhere in Louisville. Then there’s a sense of youthful enthusiasm, a passionate advocacy for Japanese food, that seems to pervade the place. And finally there’s a hint of romance.

And why not? It was romance of the highest order that brought the owneroperators, Jim and Toki Huie, together.

Jim Huie, 38, a Murray, Kentucky native, came to Louisville as a student (he studied sociology at the University of Louisville) and began working his way through the Louisville restaurant scene, serving at places like Chi-Chi’s and Captain’s Quarters. Later, he would bartend at Bluegrass Brewing Company and Cumberland Brews, but the Maido story begins while he was working at Ditto’s. “It’s kind of crazy,” he said. “I was working at Ditto’s, and this girl came in one night. She was on a date, and someone I knew was with them, so I asked him about her. Later that night, as I was going home, the same couple crossed the street right in front of my car. Two or three days later, I saw the same girl in the Mid-City Mall.

“Then, like two days later, I was waiting tables at Ditto’s, and she came in and sat in the bar area. I had the eight tables up front, but I told the bartender to let me pick up that table, and I thought to myself, literally, if I don’t ask this girl out, I may regret it for the rest of my life.

“It was pouring down rain, and I had eight tables going, but I ran across the street to the Speedway to buy her a rose.

Jim and Toki Huie of Maido Essential Japanese

Needless to say, they were completely out of flowers—no roses, no anything. So I ran back over to the restaurant, completely dripping wet, sat down next to her and said, ‘I think you’re really beautiful, and I’d like to take you out.’ She said, ‘OK,’ and here we are… That’s how I met Toki.”

Toki Huie, 31, had been raised in Osaka, Japan. Her father, Kazumi Masubuchi, began his career bussing tables in a Japanese restaurant and eventually wound up president of a chain of Japanese home-style restaurants that numbers in the hundreds (Toki describes the restaurants as the Japanese equivalent of an Applebee’s). Toki was in the United States to earn a degree in communications from the University of Louisville (after transferring from Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky).

Food-wise, the two couldn’t have been further apart. “I’d never eaten Japanese food before I met Toki,” said Jim. “We always tell people that when we met I’d never eaten raw tuna, and Toki had never eaten cooked tuna. And I think she had the advantage—I’ve never eaten cooked tuna that’s as good as raw.”

Like Jim, Toki was working her way through school, preparing sushi at restaurants like Shogun and Sapporo. She was proficient in the ways of Japanese kitchens because she had been reared in a restaurant family. (Her mother’s farming family raised everything from daikon radishes and potatoes to pigs and chickens.) “At my home, my mother was always cooking, and my dad, and my grandmother. So everybody was always cooking, and they always told me to go in the kitchen, so I was always watching how people did things.”

When Jim and Toki married in 2000, her family came for the ceremony.

“We ordered sushi from a take-out place,” Toki recalled, “and my dad was very disappointed with the quality. He didn’t think it really represented Japanese-style food. In Louisville, people think Japanese food is sushi and tempura, but there’s much more than that. And when we went out to eat at Japanese restaurants, it was very expensive. So we wanted to have affordable food for anybody to come and enjoy the real Japanese food, the homecooking Japanese food.”

Mr. Masubuchi was ready to support the couple’s restaurant venture, but he insisted that they prove themselves first. He urged them to start small and see what it would be like to operate a business.

And so the pair opened a smallscale sushi-to-go business in the Seafood Connection on Bardstown Road.

Beginning in 2001, the couple established a reputation for innovative sushi offerings that introduced unusual textures and flavors.

“Jim brings an American per spective that I would never think of,” said Toki. “So we experiment with things like using roasted red pepper in sushi—or roasted garlic.”

“A lot of Louisville’s Japanese restaurants are very similar,” said Jim. “A lot of the sushi chefs got their training at Shogun, and they tend to take the same ideas and dishes with them wherever they go. We wanted to be distinctive. I’m not a chef, but I love to think about food, and I like dishes with a lot of flavor, so I’m always suggesting ideas to Toki. A lot of Japanese food is a little bit bland, so I try to find ways to boost the flavor.”

Maido Crab shumai: crab-filled steamed dumplings served with a spinach vinaigrette, hot mustard and chili oil

The couple’s sushi-to-go operation proved successful enough that Mr. Masubuchi authorized them to start looking for a spot, and Maido opened its doors in February 2004. Now Toki and Jim begin their workday at 10:30 a.m. and are typically in the restaurant until 1 a.m.

“It can be tough for a husband and wife to work together,” said Toki, “but in Japan lots of small restaurants are operated by couples. We’re just like any other couple, I guess,” she said. Then, with a chuckle, continued, “We argue, and then I get my way.”

Jim, still the romantic, said, “It’s not a problem for me to work with Toki,” he said. “I can be around her all day long. But I’m pretty much always out front and she’s pretty much always in the back, so it’s not like we’re working around each other all the time. I can see that if we were cooking next to each other all day long it could be tense. I’m a pretty non-argumentative type of guy, but she’s pretty fiery.”

These days the couple sums up their “spare time” activities pretty succinctly: “sleep.”

“I used to be one of those guys that went to concerts or clubs to hear music four or five nights a week,” said Jim. “But I don’t have time for that now. I’ll occasionally go see a movie. And after we close, a few of us will go over to Longshot’s, a tavern in the neighborhood.

They have a couple of Ping-Pong tables, and like every Japanese person I’ve ever met, Toki is a great Ping-Pong player.”

And though they’re still in the start-up phase at Maido, the couple has big plans. “My father told us that if we only wanted to open one restaurant, he would not support us,” said Toki. “He said that from the beginning we should plan to grow into a chain; so we plan to open a second Maido within five years.”

By then, if Jim has his way, Maido will have added a couple of unique elements.

“I’d like to open a sake micro-brew operation,” said the veteran of Bluegrass Brewing Company and Cumberland Brews, two local microbreweries. “I think it’s plausible to brew the sake on site. And I’m trying to develop a way to serve draft sake straight from the barrel” www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 37

T h e i r o n l i n e p r o fi l e s i n d i c a t e d t h e y we r e b o t h interested in cooking, music and travel. It turns out they were about the chef’s table as compatible as a couple can get.

103 west oak street And compatibility is crucial for a 587.2433 couple each of whom, for the moment anyway, is putting in 80 hours a week.

The Chef ’s Table and Old Louisville For Michele, 43, a native of St. Winery has a stately, old-world serenity, Matthews, restaurants have been a lifebut Michele and Bob Brinke, who own and operate the restaurant, got connected the long passion. From the ages of 16 to 19 new-fashioned way: in 2000 they met via she worked in an Arby’s—which wasn’t an internet match-making service. The quite a harbinger of things to come. Then at 20 she took a job in the kitchen couple married in 2002.

[ owners ]

Michele and Bob Brinke

Michele and Bob Brinke, co-owners of The Chef ’s Table

“Taste The Rest Now Taste The Best!”

“Louisville’s Only Upscale Mexican Restaurant”

1582 Bardstown Road

(Corner of Bonnycastle & Bardstown Road)

(502) 454-0180

Open 7 Days • Lunch: M-F 11am-2pm Dinner: M-Th 5-10pm • Fri 5-11pm Saturday: Noon-11pm • Sunday: 1-10pm

Party Rooms Available 38 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

at Phoenix Hill Tavern.

Salmon Wellington from The Chef ’s Table: a filet of Atlantic salmon “Most people don’t baked in puff pastry, served with mint couscous, roasted fresh believe it,” she said with asparagus and red peppers a chuckle, “but at that time they had a really good German chef. We opened up the Roof Garden to fine dining and served dishes like quail with peanut sauce.

It was a wonderful experience, and I got bit by the bug.”

For five years she worked in the kitchen at Parisian Pantry, then worked stints at Sweet & Savory, several Bardstown Road establishments and The Terrace Restaurant. After a few years as kitchen manager and chef at a retirement home, she took the risky step of becoming a freelance personal chef, taking her skills directly into the homes of her clients where she prepared meals on demand.

Before long, Michele ran up against a problem. She couldn’t be in two homes at the same time; thus she couldn’t meet the demand for her personal chef services. The answer was Creative Cuisine, a little consisted more of heavy salivating than Bardstown Road shop where she could heavy lifting. While stationed in Germany, prepare meals for delivery to the homes he worked a part-time job as an omelet of her customers. That idea gradually and crepe chef in a restaurant a few miles expanded into brunches and dinners— from the Czech border.

When Bob and Michele met, their and inevitably into the need to expand personal and professional lives blended yet again.

Meanwhile, Bob, an Atlanta native, almost immediately. Using Michele’s rich spent his early years traveling—first as an professional experience and Bob’s Army brat, then during a 21-year career in knowledge of wine, they began teaching the Army. Through military travel he’d continuing education courses at the encountered the cuisines of nearly three University of Louisville, introducing dozen countries and 30 states, and those students to cooking techniques, wine and encounters had whetted his imagination. food pairings, etc.

In an era when cooking instruction “I’d always dreamed about owning a restaurant,” he said. But as an infantryman, was exploding, they were in the advance drill instructor and teacher, Bob’s guard. And their blend of instructional experience in professional kitchens cooking and performance cooking is at

the heart of the Chef ’s Table concept, which brings chefs to the table and mixes fine dining and teaching. It’s an approach to dining that shatters the traditional boundaries between “front of the house” and “back of the house,” but Bob says they have a simple method of dividing the responsibilities: “I do what she tells me,” he laughs.

But laughter notwithstanding, it’s a serious and expensive affair to open a major establishment, and Bob’s business degree (from Troy State University in Alabama) is an asset, though one with limitations. “Nothing I learned in business school really prepared me for the restaurant business,” said Bob. “The numbers are the same no matter what business you’re in, but restaurant people are a different breed.”

And people who embrace the grueling schedule the Brinkes are working are a different breed as well.They arrive at the restaurant at 9 a.m. and typically don’t leave until 12 midnight. “We’re together 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” said Bob. Michele added, “We don’t expect to work this schedule forever, but during the start-up period we really have to.”

And by all accounts, their start-up period has been a success. The restaurant has hired new chefs with experience at fine Louisville restaurants like Limestone and Café Metro. Plans call for an international wine and cheese bar to open in July 2004, with the launch of a substantial winery operation later in the year.

These days, though, are all about work. Asked about what they do in their spare time, Michele said, in wistful tones, “We used to like to eat out.” www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 39

[ owners ]

parlors, Greek diners and fullservice restaurants. After a corporate downsizing left him high and dry in Louisville, he, too, took a job at Zena’s, where he met and began dating Gena—his future wife. “I worked 80 hours a week,” he said, “and saved up my nickels and dimes.” And from the beginning, those nickels and dimes had a single purpose: to open a place that captured the essence of the Italian pubs and eateries of Chicago.

Gena may not have planned to get into the business, but she’s the one who stumbled on the venue that would become the Come Back Inn. On a Friday night, she wandered into the tavern that previously occupied the spot, liked the feel of it, and mentioned to the bartender that she planned to return with her then boyfriend. “Come back within eight days,” the bartender told her, “because we’re going out of business.”

Her first thought was, “That’s too bad.” Her second thought was, “Well, not really.” The next day, she and Mark did return, looked the place over, began dealing with legal paperwork and—voila!

In November 1996 the Come Back Inn

Mark and Gena Wagner come back inn 909 Swan Street 627.1777 It wasn’t Gena Wagner’s youthful dream to own and operate a restaurant, and she’ll tell you that straight up. The Kenosha, Wisconsin, native worked as a bartender at Zena’s Café to earn her way through a degree program in international trade at the University of Louisville This was back when Zena’s was on Market Street, and you needed a shoehorn to pry through the hubbub into the club on Friday and Saturday nights.

After graduating, she took a job working with General Electric’s international affiliates in South and Central America and figured she’d live the corporate lifestyle, with reasonable hours, plenty of vacation, fun travel and evenings mostly free.

Mark Wagner, on the other hand, did dream of running a restaurant. He grew up in Chicago, working in pizza

opened. Its combination of hearty, fullflavored sandwiches and pasta, low prices and bustling Chicago-style energy immediately transformed it into one of Louisville’s hottest restaurants, a spot that remains a perennial favorite among Louisville diners.

Working together is almost second nature for Mark and Gena; both of their parents worked as husband-andwife teams. Mark’s mother and father were small-business consultants and dataprocessing suppliers who worked out of their home. Gena’s father was in the men’s clothing business; her mother operated a farm. But they cooperated.

“My parents really pushed the family to work together,” she said. “We just did the things you have to do. At the time it wasn’t always fun—especially when our friends could go out, and we were stuck at home milking goats or helping birth horses. But it really pulled us together, and we’re still a very close family.

And let’s face it, after you’ve spent some time mucking stalls nothing else ever seems all that hard to do.”

For Mark, working together is the very essence of family: “I couldn’t imagine a business or personal relationship any

Come Back Inn’s Italian beef combo: Italian sausage and marinated roast beef on a hoagie roll topped with hot giardinara

other way,” he said. “I can see there are a lot of people who shouldn’t work together. But the important thing for us is that Gena and I prefer to do very different things. It would drive me absolutely insane to have to do paperwork on a daily basis. Keeping up all the bookkeeping and payroll and banking information would drive me batty in a very short period of time. I prefer to be downstairs interacting with the customers, doing the hiring, training the cooks, doing the recipes, serving some drinks and telling some dirty jokes with the folks. But she likes doing those things, so our day-to-day work doesn’t conflict.”

The couple lives upstairs from the restaurant, so they’re never far from their work. From eight in the morning until midnight, or thereabouts, Mark is downstairs dealing with vendors and kitchen prep, while Gena is upstairs taking care of the books and paperwork. “We’re only separated by five feet of elevation,” Mark said. “But we don’t necessarily see each other. Even at night, when Gena’s handling the door and front of the house and I’m working at the bar, we might be only three feet away from each other. But on a busy night, we might only exchange ten words.The key is that we don’t overlap.

We each have our own preferences so it’s always worked out; it’s absolutely imperative that I’m not stepping on her or vice versa. If a couple isn’t willing to divide things up and respect what the other is doing, I can see where it could lead to fighting over the small things.”

For Gena, the couple’s success stems from one thing: “Courtesy,” she said. “It’s a big word. You just treat each other nicely every day. You say good morning, you say please and thank you, you don’t take each other for granted. That’s a big reason why our relationship works. When we get up in the morning we don’t just grunt at each other, we actually speak to each other and welcome the day.” She continued with a chuckle, “I think the division of responsibility that Mark was talking about is what makes the business profitable, but courtesy is what keeps us from killing each other!”

Mark and Gena Wagner, Come Back Inn proprietors

The business model Mark and Gena follow might not be for everyone, but it inspired their partners in the southern Indiana branch of the Come Back Inn. “They liked the idea of living above the place so much that they bought the place and became our landlords,” Mark said of Jeffersonville’s Chris and London Smith. “Chris does the downstairs operations, and they work together on nights and weekends.”

Like other couples in this business, the Wagners work a long schedule that amounts to double shifts every day. But in recent years they reduced their hours by closing on Sundays. “We just couldn’t keep up the pace and maintain the quality,” said Mark. “I’d rather have people disappointed because we’re not open on Sunday than to have them get here and be disappointed because Sunday dinner’s not good.” So these days, the couple spend their weekends relaxing, fishing, doing yard work and boating at a lakeside home they bought a few years ago.

But the business family remains a big priority. Said Gena, “The best summer we ever had, Mark and I were working here, and our nephew, my younger sister and my younger brother were working here. It was a great time because we were all related.

That’s really the feel of the restaurant. It’s a family place. And when we’re all together, it takes me back to when I was a kid.” (note: The Come Back Inn has a second restaurant in Jeffersonville, Indiana, located at 415 Spring Street, 285-1777.)

[ owners ]

Michael and Siobhan Reidy irish rover 2319 frankfort ave.

899.3544

By Michael L. Jones

Communication and empathy are essential elements of any successful business relationship, but they are especially important if your business partner is also your spouse. Michael Reidy has learned this after more than a decade of operating the Irish Rover with his wife, Siobhan.

“You can’t have grudges when it’s a man-and-wife team,” Michael said in his lilting Irish accent. “We have our differences—everybody does—but you know you have to open the store in the morning. When a couple works together and can do it on a consistent basis, it makes you a strong team.”

For the Reidys, teamwork involves juggling the two successful restaurant operations while raising two children, a 12year-old son and an 8-year-old daughter.

Siobhan Reidy said this merger of professional and personal life yields both advantages and drawbacks.

“It’s a seamless combination of work and family,” she said. “The biggest challenge is that you’re together 24/7. But now that we have two restaurants, neither of us is in the same place on any given day. We’re still learning how that is going to work out.” www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 41

Michael said the partnership has worked this long because he views the restaurants as part of their home. “In Ireland they call the pub a poor man’s university because you always learn things you don’t want to know,” he said. “You are always inviting people into your space. It’s literally an extension of your front door.”

Michael and Siobhan met in the early 80s at a party in New York City. Siobhan, a Smith College graduate, was working for Scribner’s, the well-known publishing company. Michael said he spotted her across the room and was smitten immediately.

They were married in 1986.

The couple had originally planned to stay on the East Coast, but frequent visits to the River City led them to relocate to Kentucky. “We started coming to Louisville because her family had moved here,” Michael said. “Her father used to work for the Capital Holding Insurance Company. I just fell in love with the town and we decided to stay. I’ve never regretted the decision. It was Siobhan’s father who suggested I open an Irish pub here.”

The idea may sound like a no-brainer (Irish man, Irish pub) except that neither Michael nor Siobhan had any real restaurant experience before opening the Irish Rover. Siobhan did have some limited knowledge of the food industry from a cafeteria job she worked during her summer breaks from school. But Michael had to serve a self-imposed apprenticeship at various local eateries before he was confident enough to go ahead with the pub idea.

The original Irish Rover opened in 1993 on Frankfort Avenue. “I had my doubts right up until we opened the door,” Siobhan said. “I’d ask myself, ‘Are these numbers right? Are we going to go broke?’ But we built a hugely loyal customer base

At The Irish Rover, the soy-ginger dressed roasted leek and new potato salad, tossed with red pepper, celery and scallions atop spinach and Bibb lettuce, makes a light summer meal

42 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

Owners of the Irish Rover, Michael and Siobhan Reidy

right from the beginning. We’ve surpassed all of our expectations.”

The couple recently opened a second location of the Irish Rover in LaGrange. Despite the success of their initial pub, Siobhan said she had reservations about opening another restaurant. “Having gone through opening a restaurant once, I didn’t know if I wanted to do it again,” she explained. “It’s like having children. You have to walk away for a while and forget about the pain before you want to do it again.”

The menu at each Irish Rover restaurant is based on recipes the Reidys collect on their frequent trips to Ireland.

Neither of them is a chef per se, but Siobhan said her staff is always able to reproduce the dishes.

The Irish Rover has 30 employees at its Clifton location.

The LaGrange location has 35, and Siobhan said she expects that number to increase as the restaurant matures.

Such a large staff can cause some scheduling headaches, which Michael said he’s glad to let his wife deal with. “I add the personality,” he said. “She brings a tremendous amount of organizational skills to the front of the house. I’m extremely grateful.”

Despite all of the chaos and headaches involved in running two Irish Rover locations and raising kids, Michael said he and Siobhan are still having the time of their lives working together. “If it isn’t fun, it isn’t worth doing,” he said. “Why do something this demanding if it doesn’t make you happy?” (note: The Irish Rover has a second restaurant in La Grange, located at 117 E. Main Street, 222-2286.) F&D

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[ menu gems ] Jack Fry’s

Shrimp, Grits &

by Ron Mikulak

Red-Eye Gravy

By Ron Mikulak Photographs by Dan Dry

Here below the “Grits Line,” that great American cultural divide that begins somewhat south of that other great divide known as the Mason-Dixon Line, grits tend to be pigeonholed as a breakfast item.

During Derby festivities, cheese grits are ubiquitous at brunches and even dinners.

Grits as a dinner menu item, however, have always been uncommon—even a bit audacious.

Yet there is no good reason why— especially considering that polenta, its carbohydrate cousin made of yellow corn meal, is commonplace on Italian menus, as a side dish or base for any number of sauces.

Using grits instead of rice, potatoes or noodles to fill out a plate is logical, tasty and regionally appropriate.

“Where I’m from, in South Carolina,” says Chef Shawn Ward of Jack Fry’s, “grits at any meal are real common. But that isn’t so here. When I first added the dish about seven or eight years ago, no one wanted to try them for the first couple of months. But once people tried them, they really got going. Now it’s among our most popular menu items.”

The dish, shrimp and grits with redeye gravy, also is among the recipes most requested by area diners. Chef Ward is happy to share the recipe and preparation with us. Using the best-quality stone-ground grits is essential to the dish. Cooking them with milk and cream, instead of just water, is a bit unusual; that’s what gives these grits an extraordinarily creamy texture. F&D

44 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

To make the grits /2 cup stone-ground grits, such as Weisenberger’s 2 cups milk 1 /2 cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 /2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese Salt and pepper 1

Combine milk, butter and cream in a saucepan. Bring to a light simmer; add grits. Reduce heat to low, stir frequently until grits are creamy and begin to thicken (about 10 minutes). Stir in cheese and salt and pepper to taste.

To make the red-eye gravy 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 3 oz. Kentucky country ham, minced 1 /2 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced 1 /2 cup onion, peeled and sliced in julienne strips 3 /4 cup green pepper, cut julienne style 1 /4 cup Madeira wine 1 /2 cup brewed coffee 1 cup chicken broth 1 /2 cup diced tomato, drained 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed well with one teaspoon of water Melt butter in a large sauté pan over high heat. Add ham and brown. Add onions, green peppers, mushrooms and thyme, and sauté until the onion becomes translucent.

Pour in Madeira, coffee, chicken broth and tomatoes and bring to a light boil, stirring. Stir in cornstarch slurry.

Reduce heat and simmer until it reduces about a third and thickens to the consistency of a sauce or gravy.

1 gather your ingredients

2 combine milk, butter and cream; simmer and add grits

3 add vegetables, Madeira, coffee and broth to browned ham

Final assembly 20 shrimp, peeled and deveined 2 tablespoons unsalted butter Heat one tablespoon butter in a large sauté pan, and cook shrimp until pink. Add red-eye gravy and finish sauce with one tablespoon butter, stirring until melted and incorporated into the gravy. Divide grits among six plates and top with shrimp and gravy. Garnish with grated Reggiano cheese and minced chives.

4 stir in cornstarch slurry and simmer

www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 45

[ recipe gems ] Chef Katie Payne’s blue crab and grits cakes with roasted red pepper pesto and green goddess dressing

grits Chef Katie Payne’s chipotle pork tenderloin with grits and garlic custard, sweet and sour mustard greens and sweet pickle relish

By Ron Mikulak Photographs by Dan Dry

Our two guest chefs, Sullivan University instructors Eugene Bell and Katie Payne, were happy to seize our recipe challenge, inspired by this issue’s Menu Gems: Jack Fry’s Shrimp and Grits with RedEye Gravy. Chef Payne grew up with Southern cooking, including grits, in southwest Tennessee’s Copper Hill. “Back then, grits were always a savory breakfast item,” Payne said, “served with lots of butter and salt and pepper. In the last 10 years or so, grits show up more and more on dinner menus. Chefs like to work with grits’ essentially bland taste; they take on seasonings and other flavorings so well.”

Chef Bell agreed that the popularity of polenta in contemporary Italian cuisine spurred the use of grits on American restaurant menus. “Polenta and grits are not quite the same. Polenta is just yellow cornmeal. Grits are made from hominy (corn that is soaked in an alkali solution to loosen and remove the husks, then dried and ground). But both give cooks another starch medium. Grits retain moisture better than polenta, and set up well, so a grits loaf can be sliced and fried crispy on the outside.”

Bell has worked in restaurants since he was a teen. After working his way from prep cook to chef at

46 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

Chef Eugene Bell’s foie gras with caramelized onion and honey grits with ginger pear chutney

Chef Eugene Bell’s balsamic glazed lamb rack with creamy sun-dried tomato and goat cheese grits, blanched fresh spinach with ginger, and red and yellow pear tomato relish

the City Club in Evansville, Indiana, he served as chef at several country clubs in Ohio and in Lexington, Kentucky and worked with Host Marriott to improve the design of university kitchens. Before coming to Sullivan last year, he ran an upscale catering service in Lexington, providing the food for Kentucky Horse Park events such as last year’s Queen’s Horses exhibit, where Princess Anne was a guest.

Payne earned her culinary degree at Sullivan in 1996, worked for two years at the four-diamond rated Inn at Blueberry Hill near Knoxville, Tennessee and then cooked for a season at the Caneel Bay Resort on St. Thomas in the American Virgin Islands.

For their F&D recipes, they looked to see what they had in the fridge and pantry. “I liked the idea of pairing the neutral starchiness of the grits against the fatty richness of the foie gras,” Bell explained. “And the tang of the chutney complements both.” Payne’s blue crab cakes made with grits adds a richer mouth-feel than the usual breadcrumbs provide. Their other recipes show how adding a few unexpected ingredients can give an added dimension to an old Southern staple.

Blue Crab and Grits Cakes with Roasted Red Pepper Pesto and Green Goddess Dressing Blue Crab and Grits Cakes SERVES ABOUT 6 Cake ingredients: 1 lb. fresh crabmeat 2 cups stone-ground grits, cooked and cooled 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard 1 tablespoon hot sauce 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped 1 /4 cup pine nuts 2 tablespoons pimentos, diced 11/2 tablespoons capers Breading ingredients: 2 cups flour 3 eggs 4-5 cups breadcrumbs 3 tablespoons water Salt and pepper 1. Cook grits according to package directions, adding 1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic to the water. Season grits well with salt and pepper.

Remove any small pieces of shell that may be in the crabmeat. Mix cake ingredients (but not too vigorously, as a few lumps of grits add a nice texture). Use a scoop or measuring cup to apportion each cake to the size you prefer.

2. Combine eggs and water, mix well and place in shallow bowl. Place flour in a second bowl and breadcrumbs in yet a third. Season each bowl lightly with salt and pepper.

3. Dredge the crab cake in flour. Make sure to

coat it thoroughly and gently knock off excess.

Next, place the cake into the eggs and, likewise, coat it completely. Lastly, move the cake to the breadcrumbs and coat thoroughly.

4. Deep-fry the breaded cakes at 350 degrees or pan-fry in olive oil about 1/2 inch deep until golden brown and hot. Serve with green goddess dressing and roasted red-pepper pesto. Garnish with salad greens dressed with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto YIELDS 2/3 CUPS 2 red bell peppers, roasted and roughly chopped 3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped 1 shallot, diced small 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves 1 /4 cup fresh parsley, chopped 7 tablespoons olive oil 1 /4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated Salt and pepper to taste 1. Place all ingredients except Parmesan in bowl of a food processor with cutting blade.

2. Process, scraping sides of bowl as needed, until smooth.

3. Transfer to a small bowl and add Parmesan, salt and pepper.

Green Goddess Dressing YIELDS ABOUT 2 QUARTS 1 bunch fresh parsley, stems removed 2 pints mayonnaise 24 ounces sour cream 2 tablespoons garlic, minced www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 47

3-4 tablespoons fresh minced chives 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar Salt and pepper Worcestershire sauce 1. Place all ingredients except mayonnaise in food processor and mince.

2. Add mayonnaise and pulse to blend. Season with salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce to taste. Allow to rest 3 hours prior to use.

Chipotle Pork Tenderloin with Grits and Garlic Custard, Sweet and Sour Mustard Greens and Sweet Pickle Relish Chipotle Pork Tenderloin SERVES 4-6 1 pkg. pork tenderloin as purchased 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo Salt and pepper 1. Puree about 1/2 of the can of peppers and mix with garlic. Season the pork with salt and pepper and rub with the chipotle mix.

2. Allow meat to marinate for a couple of hours.

3. Grill tenderloin to internal temperature of 140 degrees. Allow the meat to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

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www.kydinnertrain.com 48 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

Grits and Garlic Custard SERVES ABOUT 10 For the grits: 3 /4 cup stone-ground grits 21/4 cups milk 3 /4 cup cream Salt and pepper to taste For the custard: 3 cups heavy cream 8 eggs 11/2 teaspoon salt 1 /8 teaspoon nutmeg 1 /4 cup fresh, sliced chives 2 tablespoons fresh garlic, minced 1. Mix milk and cream in saucepan and bring just to a simmer.

2. Add grits and stir well. Cook slowly until tender (about 30 minutes). Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Combine all ingredients for custard; add grits to custard mixture.

4. Pour mixture into greased ramekins, timbales or soufflé dishes.

5. Bake at 325 degrees in a water bath for 11/2 hours or until set.

6. Serve right from the dish or unmolded, by running the blade of a pairing knife around the sides, turning the dish over and gently tapping the edge until the custard releases. Top with fried leeks.

Sweet and Sour Mustard Greens SERVES ABOUT 4 4 bunches mustard greens, washed thoroughly and stems removed 3 slices thick-sliced peppered bacon, julienned

/4 cup honey-Dijon vinaigrette Salt and pepper to taste

1

1. Chop greens into roughly 1- to 2-inch pieces.

2. Pour approximately 3 tablespoons olive oil or bacon fat into a large skillet. Heat for about 2 minutes. Add bacon to the pan and render over medium heat until bacon is cooked.

3. Add greens and stir. The greens will begin to wilt and will turn bright green.

4. Add the honey-Dijon vinaigrette and salt and pepper to taste.

Sweet Pickle Relish with Fried Sweet Potato Garnish YIELDS ABOUT 11/2 CUPS Relish ingredients: 10 sweet gherkins, diced 1/8 inch 11/2 yellow bell pepper, diced 1/8 inch 1 two-inch piece jicama, diced 1/8 inch 1 /2 small cucumber, diced 1/8 inch 1 /2 cup purple cabbage, thinly sliced then diced 1 /3 cup white balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon mirin 1 teaspoon sugar Salt and pepper to taste Garnish ingredients: 2 gaufrette sweet potatoes, peeled Vegetable oil Veal glace 1. Mix all relish ingredients and set aside, to allow the flavors a chance to meld.

2. For the garnish, press a peeled gaufrette sweet potato in a French mandoline to achieve the desired “waffle” pattern.

3. Deep fry around 300-325 degrees. This lower heat will help to achieve a crispy chip without taking on too much color. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Arrange relish with sweet potato chips and a flourish of veal glace. (Note: To make glace from scratch can take as many as 3 days. There are, however, several commercial products that are acceptable for home use. Glace, a veal stock reduction infused with mustard seed, makes a very elegant, rich sauce.)

Foie Gras with Caramelized Onion and Honey Grits with Ginger Pear Chutney Foie Gras SERVES 4 4 two-ounce portions Grade A foie gras 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 /4 cup flour 1 tablespoon corn starch Salt and pepper to taste 2 ounces brandy 1. Mix flour, corn starch, salt and pepper in shallow bowl and set aside.

2. Heat olive oil in medium skillet to the smoke point. Dredge foie gras in dry-ingredient mixture and place in hot skillet. Do not allow portions to touch. Sauté for 30 seconds to one minute per side.

3. Deglaze pan with brandy and cook down to au sec (almost dry) and serve.

Caramelized Onion and Honey Grits SERVES 4 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 small white onion, julienned 1 ounce Marsala wine 1 tablespoon honey 2 cups chicken stock 1 /2 cup stone-ground grits Salt and white pepper to taste 1. In heavy 4-quart saucepan, heat oil, add onions and simmer, stirring as little as possible until onions brown all over and soften.

2. Deglaze pan with Marsala and add honey.

Simmer until almost all liquid is absorbed. Add chicken stock and stir in grits. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook grits, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking until tender but still retaining a little “tooth” and almost all liquid is absorbed.

3. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. (Note: These grits can be piped into shapes.) Serve quickly as the grits will continue to thicken as they sit and cool.

Ginger Pear Chutney SERVES 8 2 cups pears, diced 11/4 cups granulated sugar 1 /2 cup sun-dried cherries 2 tablespoons ginger root, grated 1 /2 red bell pepper, diced 1 jalapeño, diced 1 lemon, juice and zest only 1. Combine all ingredients in a deep, nonreactive pot.

2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, turn to low and simmer, 30 minutes or until mixture is syrupy.

Balsamic Glazed Lamb Rack with Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Grits, Blanched Fresh Spinach with Ginger, Red and Yellow Pear Tomato Relish Balsamic Glazed Lamb Rack SERVES 2 1 lamb rack, trimmed and frenched 1 /2 cup Worcestershire sauce 1 cup balsamic vinegar 2 cups red wine 2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly 1 /2 bunch curly parsley, chopped 1. Clean bones of all sinew. Place all ingredients in a non-corrosive container (set aside 4 ounces of balsamic marinade for Red and Yellow Pear Tomato Relish recipe) and add lamb rack, being careful to keep bones out of marinade.

Marinate in refrigerator overnight.

2. Remove rack from marinade and grill over medium heat (careful not to char the glaze) until internal temperature reaches 125-130 degrees.

3. Remove from heat, let rest 10 minutes for juices to settle, then cut into 1- or 2-bone chops.

Serve with creamy goat cheese grits and red and yellow pear tomato relish.

Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Grits SERVES 4 1 garlic clove, minced 1 shallot, minced 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 cups chicken stock 1 /2 cup grits, stone-ground 4 sun-dried tomato halves, diced 1 egg, large 1 /2 cup heavy cream 2 ounces Asiago cheese, grated 1 ounce goat cheese, Montrachet 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves, minced 1 /4 teaspoon pink peppercorns, cracked 1 /4 teaspoon green peppercorns, cracked 1 /4 teaspoon black peppercorns, cracked 1. Pour oil into 4-quart heavy saucepan and place over low heat. When oil is hot, add garlic and shallots and sweat gently for 1 minute. Add chicken stock and stir in grits and sun-dried tomatoes.

2. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Cook grits until tender but still with a slight “tooth.” Most of liquid will be absorbed.

3. Turn heat to low. Break egg into a small container and mix with a fork just until thoroughly blended. Working quickly, whisk egg into grits and continue mixing until grits thicken and resemble custard (approximately 1 minute).

4. Remove pan from heat. Add remaining ingredients and stir until all cheese is melted.

Serve quickly, as grits will continue to thicken and set as they cool. (Note: Grits can be reheated over low flame with the addition of 23 tablespoons water.)

Blanched Fresh Spinach with Ginger SERVES 4 4 cups baby spinach, washed and stemmed 1 teaspoon ginger root, minced or grated Salt and white pepper to taste 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 ounce white wine

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1. Heat oil in sauté pan, add ginger, heat and toss for 10-20 seconds.

2. Add spinach and wine. Season with salt and pepper. (Also used as garnish for Foie Gras with Caramelized Onion and Honey Grits recipe.)

Red and Yellow Pear Tomato Relish SERVES 4 1 pint red pear tomatoes, halved lengthwise 1 pint yellow pear tomatoes, halved lengthwise 1 onion, medium, diced 4 garlic cloves, chopped 4 ounces reserved balsamic marinade 3 ounces veal glace 1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add onion and garlic and sweat until translucent.

2. Add pear tomatoes and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring once or twice.

3. Add reserved marinade and simmer gently for 5 minutes or until reduced by three-fourths.

4. Add veal glace and simmer until sauce begins to thicken slightly. Serve. F&D

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dining guide 50 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

ALL RESTAURANTS LISTED ALPHABETICALLY, FOLLOWED BY THE PAGE NUMBER OF ITS REVIEW, IT’S CUISINE STYLE, AND THE CORRESPONDING MAP NUMBER(S).

Alphabetical Index

50

[ ] DENOTES UNMAPPED MULTIPLE LOCATIONS.

RESTAURANT

Cuisine Style

54

ASIAN/CHINESE ASIAN/JAPANESE ASIAN/KOREAN ASIAN/THAI ASIAN/VIETNAMESE BAR & GRILL BARBECUE BISTROS CAFÉS CAFETERIAS CAJUN/CREOLE CASUAL DINING COFFEE HOUSE DESSERTS/BAKERY ENTERTAINMENT DINING EUROPEAN/BOSNIAN EUROPEAN/ENGLISH EUROPEAN/GERMAN EUROPEAN/GREEK EUROPEAN/IRISH EUROPEAN/ITALIAN FINE DINING HOME STYLE COOKING INDIAN INTERNATIONAL LATIN AMERICAN/MEXICAN MICROBREWERIES MIDDLE EASTERN PIZZA SANDWICH/DELI SEAFOOD STEAKHOUSE UPSCALE CASUAL

Area Maps

72 74 74 75 75 71 70 59 57 67 71 62 81 81 80 75 75 75 75 76 76 54 65 77 77 78 80 80 67 69 59 61 55

82

PG # MAP # DIRECTION Overview 82 (Index) Downtown 84 1 (Downtown Louisville) Near East 85 2 (Highlands – Crescent Hill) East 86 3 (St. Matthews) South East 87 4 (Hikes Point – Buechel) East 88 5 (Hurstbourne N. – Lyndon) South East 89 6 (Hurstbourne S. – Jeffersontown) North East 90 7 (River Rd. – Brownsboro Rd.) North East 90 8 (Westport Rd.) Far East 91 9 (Middletown) North East 91 10 (Prospect) South East 91 11 (Fern Creek) South 92 12 (Airport – Okolona) South West 93 13 (Shively – Pleasure Ridge Park) Indiana 94 14 (New Albany – Floyds Knobs) Indiana 95 15 (Clarksville) Indiana 95 16 (Jeffersonville)

PAGE #/CUISINE STYLE

2 Hahn’s Mongolian Grill 211 Clover Lane 610 Magnolia A La Fiesta Bar & Grill A Nice Restaurant Abyssinia Alley Cat Café Allo Spiedo Amazing Grace Deli Amshoff’s Fish Inn Anchor Inn Angilo’s Pizza Angio’s Restaurant Annie Café Annie’s Pizza Ann’s by the River Another Place Anthony’s Anytimes Apple Annie’s Café Applebee’s Appleby’s Café Arirang Arni’s Pizza Aroma Café Artemisia Asian Buffet Asian Pearl Asiatique Atmosphere Atomic Saucer Atrium Café Au Bon Pain August Moon Austin’s Avalon Azalea Babby’s Steakhouse Babylon Backyard BBQ Backyard Burger Bahama Breeze Baja Fresh Mexican Grill Bake’s Barbeque The Bakery Bamboo House Bank Shot Billiards Barbara Lee’s Kitchen Baxter Station Bazos Mexican Grill BB’s Chicken & Ribs Bean Street Café Bearno’s Pizza Beef O’Brady’s Beg for More Café Behar Café Bendoya Sushi Bar Benny B’s Bentley’s Big Hopp’s Big Subs Binky’s of Chicago Blimpie’s Subs Blue Dog Bakery Blue Mule Sports Café Blue Peppermill Café Bluegrass Brewing Co. Bluegrass Café Bombay Int’l. Market Bonefish Grill Bootleg Barbecue Co. Brandon’s Bar-B-Que Bravo!

Breadworks Brick Oven Bristol Bar & Grille Browning’s Brewery Buca Di Beppo Buckhead Mountain Grill Buck’s Buffalo Crossing

MAP #

72 Asian/Chinese 6 54 Fine Dining 3 54 Fine Dining 1 78 Latin Amer/Mex 15 62 Casual Dining 14,16 77 International 3 57 Cafés 9 76 European/Italian 2 69 Sandwich/Deli 2 59 Seafood 11 65 Home Style 9 67 Pizza 13 67 Pizza 4 75 Asian/Vietnamese 12 67 Pizza 1, 13 67 Cafeterias 16 69 Sandwich/Deli 1 69 Sandwich/Deli 1 62 Casual Dining 7 57 Cafés 4 62 Casual Dining [9] 57 Cafés 16 74 Asian/Korean 4 67 Pizza 14 62 Casual Dining 14 55 Upscale Casual 1 72 Asian/Chinese 14 72 Asian/Chinese 6 55 Upscale Casual 2 71 Bar & Grills 2 81 Coffee House 1 59 Bistro 5 69 Sandwich/Deli 1 72 Asian/Chinese 2 55 Upscale Casual 7 55 Upscale Casual 2 55 Upscale Casual 7 61 Steakhouse 16 80 Middle Eastern 2 70 Barbecue 14 69 Sandwich/Deli 6 77 International 3 78 Latin Amer/Mex 2 70 Barbecue 13 81 Desserts/Bakery 4 72 Asian/Chinese 12 69 Sandwich/Deli 1 65 Home Style 2 59 Bistros 2 78 Latin Amer/Mex 3 70 Barbecue 3 81 Coffee House 14 67 Pizza [12] 62 Casual Dining 3, 8, 9, 12 57 Cafés 12 75 Euro/Bosnian 12 74 Asian/Japanese 1 69 Sandwich/Deli 3 62 Casual Dining 1 62 Casual Dining 1 69 Sandwich/Deli 13 69 Sandwich/Deli 1 69 Sandwich/Deli 2, 4, 6 57 Cafés 2 57 Cafés 6 57 Cafés 14 80 Microbreweries 1, 3 57 Cafés 4 77 Indian 2 60 Seafood 5 70 Barbecue 11, 12 70 Barbecue 8 62 Casual Dining 3 81 Desserts/Bakery 2, 7, 9 76 European/Italian 6 55 Upscale Casual 1, 2, 5 80 Microbreweries 1 76 European/Italian 6 63 Casual Dining 4, 5, 12, 16 54 Fine Dining 1 88 Ent. Dining 6

RESTAURANT

PAGE #/CUISINE STYLE

Buffalo Wild Wings 71 Bull Frog Garden 63 Bulldog Café 57 The Butterfly Garden Café 57 C.A.P.P.P.’s Deli 69 The Café at the Antique Mall 63 Café Chardeau’s 57 Café Emilie 57 Café Fraiche 57 Café J 57 Café Kilimanjaro 77 Café Lou Lou 57 Café Metro 54 Café Mimosa 75 Caffe Classico 81 California Pizza Kitchen 67 Captain’s Quarters 63 Cardinal Hall of Fame Café 63 Carolina Seafood 60 Carolyn’s 65 Carrabba’s Italian Grille 76 Caspian Grille 80 Central Park Café 58 Champions Grill 63 Check’s Café 65 Cheddar Box Café 58 Cheddar’s Casual Café 58 The Chef’s Table 55 Chester’s Tavern 55 Chez Seneba African 78 The Chicken House 66 Chicken King 63 Chili’s 63 China Buffet 72 China Garden 72 China Inn 72 China King Palace 72 Chinatown 72 Chinese Chef 72 Chinese Express 72 Chinese Restaurant 72 Chong Garden 72 Chopsticks 72 Chopsticks House 72 Chucks on Baxter 63 Chung King 72 Ciano’s 69 Cici’s 67 City Café 58 City Wok 72 Clark Boy Bar-B-Que 70 Clarksville Seafood 60 Cleon’s Rib Shack 70 Cleo’s Coffee 81 Clifton’s Pizza 68 Club Grotto 55 Coach Lamp 55 Coffee Beanery 81 Coffee Pot Café 81 Colonnade Cafeteria 67 Come Back Inn 76 Corner Café 55 Cottage Café 66 Cottage Inn 66 Country Kitchen 66 Cravings a la Carte 67 Cribstone Pub 63 Crystal Chinese 72 Cumberland Brews 81 Cunningham’s 63 Cutting Board Café 63 Cyclers Café 58 Damon’s 70 Danish Express 79 Day’s Espresso 81 De La Torre’s 55 Deke’s Marketplace Grill 63 Del Frisco’s 61 Delta Restaurant 71 Derby Café 58 Derby City Café by Dalal 58 Derby Dinner Playhouse 80 Desserts by Helen 81 De-Ville’s 66 Diefenbach Café 58 Dillon’s Steakhouse 61

MAP #

Bar & Grills 2,3, 6, 8, 9, 13 Casual Dining 11 Cafés 12 Cafés 2 Sandwich/Deli 3 Casual Dining 1 Cafés 16 Cafés 3 Cafés 7 Cafés 3 International 1 Cafés 2 Fine Dining 2 Asian/Vietnamese 2 Coffee House 2 Pizza 5 Casual Dining 10 Casual Dining 12 Seafood 3 Home Style 13 European/Italian 5 Middle Eastern 12 Cafés 1 Casual Dining 16 Home Style 1 Cafés 3, 9 Cafés 8 Upscale Casual 1 Upscale Casual 12 International 12 Home Style 14 Casual Dining 1 Casual Dining 5 Asian/Chinese 15 Asian/Chinese 12 Asian/Chinese 1 Asian/Chinese 11 Asian/Chinese 3, 12 Asian/Chinese 1 Asian/Chinese 13 Asian/Chinese 12 Asian/Chinese 13 Asian/Chinese 1 Asian/Chinese 1 Casual Dining 2 Asian/Chinese 1 Sandwich/Deli 9 Pizza 14 Cafés 1, 2 Asian/Chinese 1 Barbecue 13 Seafood 15 Barbecue 1 Coffee House 14 Pizza 2 Upscale Casual 2 Upscale Casual 1 Coffee House 5 Coffee House 1 Cafeterias 1 European/Italian 1, 16 Upscale Casual 5 Home Style 9 Home Style 1 Home Style Cooking 13 Cafeterias 1 Casual Dining 2 Asian/Chinese 1 Microbreweries 2 Casual Dining 1 Casual Dining 8 Cafés 2 Barbecue 6 Sandwich/Deli 3 Coffee House 1, 2 Upscale Casual 2 Casual Dining 1 Steakhouse 3 Bar & Grills 1 Cafés 12 Cafés 4 Ent. Dining 16 Desserts/Bakery 2, 10 Home Style 12 Cafés 15 Steakhouse 6

RESTAURANT

PAGE #/CUISINE STYLE

Dino’s Down to Lunch Ditto’s Grill Dixie Cup Café Dizzy Whizz Drive-In Djuli Dmitri’s Deli D’Nalley’s Restaurant Domino’s Pizza Don Pablos Dooley’s Bagels Double Dragon Double Dragon 8 Double Dragon Buffet Double Dragon II Downtown New Orleans Dragon Garden Dutch’s Tavern Dynasty Buffet Eastern House Edna’s Good Stuff Eggroll King Eggroll Machine El Caporal El Mundo El Nopal El Nopalito El Paraiso El Rey Mexican El Rodeo Mexican El Tarasco Emperor of China Empress of China Encore at Actors Theatre The English Grill Equus Erika’s German Rest.

Ermin’s French Bakery Ernesto’s Euro Market Eve’s Sweet Revenge Expressions of You Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que Fast Break Pizza Fat Jimmy’s Federal Hill Feed Bag Deli Ferd Grisanti Fifth Quarter Figaro’s Pizzeria Finley’s BBQ Firehouse BBQ First Wok The Fish House The Fish Hut The Fishery The Fishery Station Flabby’s Schnitzelburg The Flagship Flanigans Ale House Fork in the Road Formosa Chinese Fountain Room Four King’s Café Frank’s Steak House Frolio’s Pizza Fuji Steakhouse Furlong’s Garden Room Café Garrett’s Hickory Grille Gasthaus Gavi’s Restaurant Geli Cakes Genny’s Diner Germantown Café Gerstle’s Place Golden Buddha Golden Corral Golden Wall Goose Creek Diner Gourmet Grazing Grand Buffet Granville Inn Grape Leaf Grapevine Pantry Great American Grill Great Wall

MAP #

69 Sandwich/Deli 1 63 Casual Dining 2 58 Cafés 13 69 Sandwich/Deli 1 75 European/Bosnian 12 69 Sandwich/Deli 1 66 Home Style 1 68 Pizza [20] 78 Latin Amer/Mex 5, 15 69 Sandwich/Deli 3, 5, 7, 9, 14 72 Asian/Chinese 2 72 Asian/Chinese 1 72 Asian/Chinese 5 72 Asian/Chinese 5, 8, 11 71 Cajun/Creole 1 72 Asian/Chinese 2 71 Bar & Grills 3 72 Asian/Chinese 7 72 Asian/Chinese 13 78 International 6 72 Asian/Chinese 13 72 Asian/Chinese 2 78 Latin Amer/Mex 4,6,12,15 78 Latin Amer/Mex 2 78 Latin Amer/Mex 6, 8, 12 78 Latin Amer/Mex 2, 4, 11 78 Latin Amer/Mex 12 78 Latin Amer/Mex 4 79 Latin Amer/Mex 13 79 Latin Amer/Mex 3, 12 72 Asian/Chinese 7 73 Asian/Chinese 4 55 Upscale Casual 1 54 Fine Dining 1 54 Fine Dining 3 75 European/German 6 58 Cafés 1 79 Latin Amer/Mex 3, 5, 12, 16 58 Cafés 8 58 Cafés 2 81 Coffee House 1 70 Barbecue 6 68 Pizza 8 68 Pizza 2, 5 59 Cafés 14 69 Sandwich/Deli 3 76 European/Italian 6 61 Steakhouse 12 68 Pizza 9 70 Barbecue 1 71 Barbecue 4, 11 72 Asian/Chinese 13 60 Seafood 2 60 Seafood 1 60 Seafood 3 60 Seafood 11 71 Bar & Grills 1 54 Fine Dining 1 63 Casual Dining 2 66 Home Style 13 72 Asian/Chinese 14 55 Upscale Casual 1 63 Casual Dining 4 61 Steakhouse 16 68 Pizza 12 74 Asian/Japanese 8 71 Cajun/Creole 2 59 Cafés 1 63 Casual Dining 5, 7 75 European/German 7 78 International 1 69 Sandwich/Deli 2 66 Home Style 2 59 Cafés 1 71 Bar & Grills 3 73 Asian/Chinese 12 63 Casual Dining 4, 12, 15 73 Asian/Chinese 12 66 Home Style 8 59 Cafés 10 73 Asian/Chinese 13 71 Bar & Grill 1 80 Middle Eastern 2 59 Cafés 9 71 Bar & Grill 12 73 Asian/Chinese 2

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Great Wok Greek Paradise Café Hall’s Cafeteria Happy Dragon Hard Rock Café Harper’s Restaurant Harvest Moon Havan Rumba Hazelwood Restaurant Heavenly Ham Heine Brothers Coffee Heitzman Bakery & Deli Highland Coffee Co. Highland Wildflower Highlands Taproom Hitching Post Inn Holly’s Legal Street Hometown Buffet Hometown Pizza Hong Kong Chinese Hong Kong Fast Food Hoops Grill and Sports Bar Hooters House of Dragon Imperial Palace Indi’s Restaurant India Palace Indigo Bistro & Bar The Irish Rover Iroquois Pizza J. Alexander’s J. Graham’s Café J. Harrods J.J.’s Café Jack Fry’s Jack’s Lounge Jade Palace Jalapeño’s Jane’s Cafeteria Jarfi’s Bistro Java Brewing Co. Jay’s Cafeteria Jazz Factory Jersey Mike’s Subs Jessie’s Restaurant Jicama Grill Jillian’s Jimbo’s BBQ Jimmy’s on the River Joe Huber Restaurant Joe Muggs Joe’s Crab Shack Joe’s O.K. Bayou Joe’s Older Than Dirt John E’s Juanita’s Burger Boy Jucy’s Smokehouse Julie’s of Jeffersonville Jumbo Buffet Kaelin’s Restaurant Kashmir Indian Kern’s Korner Kim’s Asian Grille King Buffet King’s Buffet King Wok King’s Fried Chicken Kings Fast Food Kingfish Kobe Japanese Steak Kolache Factory Koreana II KT’s Kunz’s KY Taco L&N Wine Bar and Bistro La Bamba La Bodega La Herradura La Marimba La Peche II La Petit Patisserie La Tapatia Le Relais Lee’s Korean Legend’s

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73 Asian/Chinese 1 75 European/Greek 2 67 Cafeterias 2 73 Asian/Chinese 1 63 Casual Dining 1 63 Casual Dining 5 73 Asian/Chinese 5 79 Latin Amer/Mex 3 66 Home Style 13 69 Sandwich/Deli 4, 9, 14 81 Coffee House 2, 3 81 Desserts/Bakery 5 81 Coffee House 1, 2 81 Coffee House 2 68 Pizza 2 71 Bar & Grills 11 66 Home Style 1 66 Home Style 6, 8, 13, 15 68 Pizza 7, 9, 13 73 Asian/Chinese 14 73 Asian/Chinese 12 71 Bar & Grill 8, 12 64 Casual Dining 3,12,13,15,16 73 Asian/Chinese 3 73 Asian/Chinese 11 64 Casual Dining 1, 3, 12 77 Indian 5 55 Upscale Casual 3 76 European/Irish 2, 7 68 Pizza 13 55 Upscale Casual 3 59 Cafés 1 55 Upscale Casual 3, 10 71 Barbecue 15 55 Upscale Casual 2 71 Bar & Grills 3 73 Asian/Chinese 7 79 Latin Amer/Mex 13 67 Cafeterias 4 56 Upscale Casual 1 81 Coffee House 1, 2,10 67 Cafeterias 1 59 Bistros 1 69 Sandwich/Deli 5, 6, 8 66 Home Style 13 79 Latin Amer/Mex 2 64 Casual Dining 2 71 Barbecue 12 64 Casual Dining 16 80 Ent. Dining 14 81 Coffee House 3, 8 60 Seafood 1 71 Cajun/Creole 6 64 Casual Dining 5 56 Upscale Casual 4 69 Sandwich/Deli 1 71 Barbecue 5 69 Sandwich/Deli 16 73 Asian/Chinese 6 64 Casual Dining 2 77 Indian 2 64 Casual Dining 2 74 Asian/Korean 1 73 Asian/Chinese 6 73 Asian/Chinese 12 73 Asian/Chinese 3 67 Home Style Cooking 1 67 Home Style Cooking 13 60 Seafood 4, 6, 7, 13, 16 74 Asian/Japanese 16 81 Desserts/Bakery 6 74 Asian/Korean 12 56 Upscale Casual 2 54 Fine Dining 1 79 Latin Amer/Mex 11 59 Bistro 2 79 Latin Amer/Mex 2 78 International 2 79 Latin Amer/Mex 15 79 Latin Amer/Mex 11 64 Casual Dining 7 59 Cafés 1 79 Latin Amer/Mex 12 54 Fine Dining 4 74 Asian/Korean 12 64 Casual Dining 14

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RESTAURANT

Melillo’s... where memories taste great!

Hours: Lunch Tuesday thru Saturday 11am til 2pm Dinner Tuesday thru Saturday begins at 5pm

Featuring wines from Felice Vineyards and Brown-Forman.

Imported Italian Beers.

Come experience and play on Louisville’s only Bocce Ball Court.

52 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

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Lemongrass Café 75 Lentini’s 76 The Lighthouse 64 Lilly’s 54 Limestone 56 Lindy’s 67 Little Caesar’s Pizza 68 Little Chef 69 Little Saigon 75 Logan’s Roadhouse 61 Lolitas Tacos Inc. 79 Lone Star Steakhouse 61 Longhorn Steakhouse 61 Longino’s Grill 64 Lonnie’s Taste Chicago 67 Los Aztecas 79 Los Indios Mexicano 79 Lotsa Pasta 69 Louisville Pizza Co. 68 Luchessi’s Ravioli & Pasta Co. 76 Lucky Dragon 73 Lucky House Buffet 73 Luigi’s 76 Lunch Today 69 Lynn’s Paradise Café 64 Ma Zerellas 68 Maharaja Indian Restaurant 77 Maido Essential Japanese 74 Mai’s Thai Restaurant 75 Main Eatery 69 Main Menu 64 Main Street Grind 59 Mama Rosa 79 Mambo 79 Manchu Wok 73 Mancino’s Pizza 68 Manhattan Grill 64 Manoosh’s 78 Mark’s Feed Store 71 Martini Italian Bistro 76 Masterson’s 64 Max & Erma’s 64 Mayan Gypsy 79 Mazzoni’s Oyster Café 60 McAlister’s Deli 69 Me Oh My Jumbalay 71 Melillo’s 76 The Melting Pot 64 Meridian Café 59 Mexico Tipico 79 Mezzaluna Tuscan Grill 76 Michael Murphy’s 71 Mike Linnig’s 60 Mitchell’s Fish Market 60 Moe’s Southwest Grill 79 Molly Malone’s 76 Morton’s of Chicago 61 Mr. Gattis 68 Mr. Lou’s 67 Mr. Z’s Kitchen 59 Muse Café 59 My Favorite Muffin 81 My Old KY Dinner Train 80 Naiman’s Deli 69 Nancy’s Bagel Grounds 59 Napa River Grill 56 Neil’s Place 67 Nermana’s Cuisine 75 Nero’s 56 New Direction Bar & Grill 71 New World Buffet 73 Nik’s Restaurant 76 North End Café 59 O’Charley’s 64 O’Dolly’s 67 O’Shea’s Irish Pub 76 The Oakroom 54 Old Spaghetti Factory 76 Old Stone Inn 56 Ole Hickory Pit BBQ 71 The Olive Garden 77 Ollie’s Trolley 69 Olive’s on Fourth 67 Olmecas 79 Omar’s Gyro 80 On the Border 79

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Asian/Vietnamese 2 European/Italian 2 Casual Dining 16 Fine Dining 2 Upscale Casual 5 Home Style 12 Pizza 6, 11,12 Sandwich/Deli 14 Asian/Vietnamese 8 Steakhouse 3, 13, 15 Latin Amer/Mex 12 Steakhouse 5 Steakhouse 6 Casual Dining 12 Home Style 3 Latin Amer/Mex 1, 6, 7, 10 Latin Amer/Mex 14 Sandwich/Deli 3 Pizza 6 European/Italian 7 Asian/Chinese 7 Asian/Chinese 4 European/Italian 1 Sandwich/Deli 16 Casual Dining 2 Pizza 15 Indian 2 Asian/Japanese 2 Asian/Thai 16 Sandwich/Deli 1 Casual Dining 14 Cafés 14 Latin Amer/Mex 4 Latin Amer/Mex 12 Asian/Chinese 5 Pizza 7, 8 Casual Dining 1 International 1 Barbecue 2, 9, 13, 15 European/Italian 8 Casual Dining 1 Casual Dining 6, 8, 10 Latin Amer/Mex 1 Seafood 4 Sandwich/Deli 5, 6, 11 Cajun/Creole 2 European/Italian 1 Casual Dining 6 Cafés 3 Latin Amer/Mex 13 European/Italian 2 Bar & Grills 1 Seafood 13 Seafood 8 Latin Amer/Mex 3, 6 European/Irish 2 Steakhouse 1 Pizza 1, 4, 5, 6, 12, 13 Home Style 13 Cafés 1 Cafés 3 Desserts/Bakery 4, 5 Ent. Dining 12 Sandwich/Deli 5 Cafés 2 Upscale Casual 3 Home Style 14 Euro/Bosnian 2 Upscale Casual 14 Bar & Grills 8 Asian/Chinese 8 European/Greek 6 Cafés 2 Casual Dining 3,6,8,12,13,15 Home Style 13 European/Irish 2 Fine Dining 1 European/Italian 1 Upscale Casual 6 Barbecue 11 European/Italian 6 Sandwich/Deli 1 Home Style Cooking 1 Latin Amer/Mex 2 Middle Eastern 2 Latin Amer/Mex 8

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Onion Rest.Tea House Oriental Express Oriental House Oriental Star Osaka Sushi Bar Oscar Brown’s Southbeach Otto’s Café Outback Steakhouse Palermo Viejo Panda Chinese Panera Bread Co. Pa Pa Murphy’s Pizza Papa Johns Pizza Papillon Grill & Bar Park Place Restaurant Parrott Beach Pat’s Steak House The Patron Paul’s Fruit Market Peking City Penn Station Pepper Shaker Bar-B-Q Perkfection Pesto’s Italian Piccadilly Cafeteria Picnicaters BBQ Pie in the Sky Pit Stop Bar-B-Que Pizza Box Pizza By The Guy Pizza Hut Pizza King Pizza Magia Pizza Place Plehn’s Bakery Po-Boy Shoppe Ponderosa Steakhouse Porcini Portico Prospect Fish Market Qdoba Mexican Grill Queenie’s Pizza & Such Quick Wok Quizno’s Subs Rafferty’s of Louisville Rainbow Blossom Ramsi’s Café Ranch House Ray Parrella’s Red Cheetah Lounge Red Horse Grille & Bar Red Lounge Red Star Tavern Rich O’s Public House Rinco Latino River Creek Inn River Grille Roadway Wings Rockwall Bistro Rocky’s Italian Grill Rollo Pollo Romano’s Macaroni Grill Rosticeria Luna Royal Garden Rubbie’s Bar-B-Que Ruby Tuesday The Rudyard Kipling Rufad’s Kebob Rumors Raw Oyster Bar Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse Ryan’s Steakhouse Saffron’s Saint’s Sakura Blue Sala Thai Sam’s Food & Spirits Samurai Santa Fe Grill Sapporo Japanese Grill Sarajevo Schlotzsky’s Deli Scotty’s Ribs Sesame Chinese Shalimar Indian Shanghai Restaurant Shenanigan’s Irish Grille

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73 Asian/Chinese 14 73 Asian/Chinese 9 73 Asian/Chinese 3 73 Asian/Chinese 12 74 Asian/Japanese 2 56 Upscale Casual 1 64 Casual Dining 1 61 Steakhouse 3, 8, 11, 12, 15 64 Casual Dining 2 73 Asian/Chinese 10 69 Sandwich/Deli 3, 6 68 Pizza 3, 12 68 Pizza [30] 75 Euro/Bosnian 2 54 Fine Dining 1 56 Upscale Casual 1 61 Steakhouse 2 59 Cafés 3 69 Sandwich/Deli 3, 4, 7, 9 73 Asian/Chinese 8 69 Sandwich/Deli [11] 71 Barbecue 12 81 Coffee House 16 77 European/Italian 1 67 Cafeterias 5, 6 71 Barbecue 1 68 Pizza 6 71 Barbecue 1 68 Pizza 8 68 Pizza 5 68 Pizza [15] 68 Pizza 14, 16 68 Pizza [13] 68 Pizza 4 81 Desserts/Bakery 3 69 Sandwich/Deli 2 61 Steakhouse 7 77 European/Italian 2 54 Fine Dining 14 61 Seafood 10 79 Latin Amer/Mex 2,3,5,8,15 69 Pizza 1 73 Asian/Chinese 1 69 Sandwich/Deli 1,6,8,14,15,16 64 Casual Dining 3, 8 81 Desserts/Bakery 8 64 Casual Dining 1, 2 64 Casual Dining 14 77 European/Italian 2 56 Upscale Casual 1 65 Casual Dining 12 59 Bistros 2 56 Upscale Casual 1 81 Microbreweries 14 79 Latin Amer/Mex 8 61 Seafood 7 65 Casual Dining 1 67 Home Style Cooking 13 56 Upscale Casual 14 77 European/Italian 16 65 Casual Dining 3 77 European/Italian 5 80 Latin Amer/Mex 12 73 Asian/Chinese 12 71 Barbecue 12 65 Casual Dining 3, 6 65 Casual Dining 1 75 Euro/Bosnian 2 61 Seafood 9 61 Steakhouse 3 61 Steakhouse 11, 12, 13, 15 80 Middle Eastern 1 71 Bar & Grill 3 74 Asian/Japanese 3 75 Asian/Thai 6 65 Casual Dining 14 74 Asian/Japanese 6 80 Latin Amer/Mex 12 74 Asian/Japanese 2, 9 75 Euro/Bosnian 11 70 Sandwich/Deli 6, 8, 9, 12 71 Barbecue 9 73 Asian/Chinese 5 77 Indian 6 73 Asian/Chinese 1 71 Bar & Grill 2

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Shogun 74 Shoney’s 65 Sichuan Garden 73 Sir Churchill’s Pub 75 Skyline Chili 65 Smokey Bones BBQ 71 Somewhere In Thyme 65 Soupy’s 70 South Side Inn 67 Spaghetti Shop 77 Sportstime Pizza 69 Stan’s Fish Sandwich 61 Star of Louisville 80 Starbucks Coffee 81 Starving Artist Café 59 Steak N Shake 65 Steinert’s Grill & Pub 71 Stevens & Stevens 70 Stoney River 62 Strawberry Patch Deli 70 Stumler Rest. & Orchard 65 Sub Station II 70 Sue’s Touch Of Country 67 Sweet ‘N’ Savory Café 59 Sweet Surrender 81 Tacqueria La Mexicana 80 Tailgaters Sports Bar 71 Taj India 77 Texas Roadhouse 62 TGI Friday’s 65 Thai Café 75 Thai Kitchen 75 Thai Siam 75 Thai Smile 4 75 Thai Taste 75 The Other Place 65 Third and Main Café 59 Third Avenue Café 59 Thyme Café 59 Timothy’s 56 Tokyo Japanese 74 Toll Bridge Inn 67 Tologono 59 Tommy Lancaster 65 Tony Boombozz 69 Tony Impellizzeri’s Pizza 69 Tony Roma’s 71 Trellis Restaurant 65 Tucker’s 65 Tumbleweed 80 Twiams Chicken & Waffles 65 Twice-Told Café 59 Twig & Leaf Restaurant 65 Two Bucks 70 Two Guys and a Grill 70 Uno Chicago Bar & Grill 69 Uptown Café 56 Vic’s Café 71 Vietnam Kitchen 75 The Villa Buffet 65 Vince Staten’s BBQ 71 Vincenzo’s 54 Vito’s Pizzeria 68 Volare 77 W.W. Cousin’s 65 Wagner’s Pharmacy 67 Wall Street Deli 70 Wang’s Wok 74 Webb’s Market 67 Whitney’s Diner 59 Wicks Pizza 69 Wild Oats Market 70 Willie’s Italian 77 Winston’s 54 Wok Express 74 Wonton Express 74 Woodford Reserve Grille 71 Yaching’s East West Cuisine 57 Yang Kee Noodle 74 Yen Ching 74 You-Carryout-A 74 Z’s Oyster Bar 55 Zen Garden 75

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Asian/Japanese 6, 8 Casual Dining 2, 6, 12 Asian/Chinese 6 European/English 6 Casual Dining 1, 2, 3, 6, 13 Barbecue 6 Casual Dining 6 Sandwich/Deli 4, 6, 8, 13 Cafeterias 14 European/Italian 11, 14 Pizza 14 Seafood 3 Ent. Dining 16 Coffee House [11] Cafés 5 Casual Dining 4,6,8,12,13,15 Bar & Grills 14 Sandwich/Deli 2 Steakhouse 8 Sandwich/Deli 9 Casual Dining 14 Sandwich/Deli 12 Home Style 13 Cafés 2 Desserts/Bakery 2 Latin Amer/Mex 12 Bar & Grills 12 Indian 6 Steakhouse 2, 12, 13, 15 Casual Dining 1, 6, 7 Asian/Thai 7 Asian/Thai 13 Asian/Thai 4 Asian/Thai 6 Asian/Thai 2 Casual Dining 2 Cafés 1 Cafés 1 Cafés 1 Upscale Casual 16 Asian/Japanese 7 Home Style 14 Bistros 3 Casual Dining 14 Pizza 2, 3 Pizza 2 Barbecue 5 Casual Dining 1 Casual Dining 14 Latin Amer/Mex [19] Casual Dining 13 Cafés 7 Casual Dining 2 Sandwich/Deli 8 Sandwich/Deli 7 Pizza 11 Upscale Casual 2 Bar & Grills 1 Asian/Vietnamese 12 Casual Dining 14 Barbecue 10 Fine Dining 1 Pizza 12 European/Italian 2 Casual Dining 3 Home Style 12 Sandwich/Deli 1 Asian/Chinese 9 Home Style 1 Cafés 11 Pizza 2, 8, 9, 13 Sandwich/Deli 3 European/Italian 13 Fine Dining 4 Asian/Chinese 1 Asian/Chinese 4, 12 Bar & Grill 12 Upscale Casual 1 Asian/Chinese 5 Asian/Chinese 6 Asian/Chinese 14, 15, 16 Fine Dining 5 Asian/Vietnamese 2

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UNLESS NOTED OTHERWISE, ALL RESTAURANTS ARE LOCATED IN LOUISVILLE. ALL KENTUCKY PHONE NUMBERS LISTED ARE IN THE 502 AREA CODE, INDIANA PHONE NUMBERS ARE IN THE 812 AREA CODE. RED DENOTES AN ADVERTISER.

$ $$ $$$ $$$$

p f

e

= = = = = = =

Average Entrée under $8 Average Entrée $9–$14 Average Entrée $15–$20 Average Entrée $21 & up Full Bar Outdoor Dining Live Music

FINE DINING 211 CLOVER LANE RESTAURANT 211 Clover Ln., 896-9570. Stylish and comfortable in its leafy suburban setting, 211 Clover’s upscale atmosphere and creative cuisine rank it consistently among the city’s top tables, earning it a sizable cadre of committed fans. $$$$ p f

beautifully uses a historic 1920s airport building to present elegant modern French cuisine from chef Daniel Stage. It’s not just the city’s best French restaurant but a contender for best of the region. $$$$ p f e LILLY’S 1147 Bardstown Rd., 451-0447. Chef Kathy Cary seems to spend as much time in New York City as she does in Louisville. As a repeat invitee to Manhattan’s James Beard House, she shares her Kentucky-accented cooking skills with the rest of the nation. Lilly’s combines style and Cary’s creative cookery to keep this landmark near the top of the city’s dining list. $$$$ p e THE OAKROOM 500 S. Fourth St., (Seelbach Hotel), 585-3200. When Chef Jim Gerhardt left the Oakroom last year to start Limestone, local restaurant-watchers speculated that his act would be hard to follow. To their credit, Executive Chef Walter Lefler and Chef de Cuisine Todd Richards have maintained four-star food and service in this elegant, historic hotel dining room. $$$$ p PARK PLACE RESTAURANT 401 E. Main St. (Slugger Field), 515-0172. The signature restaurant in Louisville Slugger Field changed its name from Wellinghurst’s to signal the arrival of popular local

Chef Anoosh Shariat as executive chef. Already a top local steakhouse, Park Place is solidifying its place in the city’s top tier of upscale eateries, with stylish service and an updated menu. $$$$ p f e PORTICO Caesars Indiana Casino, Elizabeth, IN, 888766-2648. High-end luxury and style bring a taste of Las Vegas to Metro Louisville in this pricey, white-tablecloth eatery located on the grounds of Caesars Indiana. You don’t have to be a high roller to enjoy its luxury fare and service. $$$$ p VINCENZO’S 150 S. Fifth St., 580-1350. Known for its suavely professional service, high-end Northern Italian fare and some trademark dishes prepared at tableside, Vincenzo’s owns a place as one of Louisville’s top tables. Some find its mood and attentive service a little overbearing; others love the luxury. $$$$ p WINSTON’S RESTAURANT 3101 Bardstown Rd., (Sullivan University Campus), 456-0980. Culinary arts students at Sullivan University staff this finedining restaurant on the campus, under supervision by experienced chefs and managers.

A fair number of the city’s top chefs got their training here. Open Fri.-Sun. Only. Reservations suggested. $$$$ p

610 MAGNOLIA 610 Magnolia Ave., 636-0783. For the first few months after its change of hands last autumn, local foodies fretted about whether Chef Edward Lee would reach the mark that longtime chef/owner Ed Garber set during his 25 year tenure at one of the region’s leading restaurants. We’re satisfied now. No mere caretaker of the Garber tradition, Lee has put his own individual stamp on 610, and we love it as much as ever. $$$$ p f BUCK’S 425 W. Ormsby Ave., 637-5284. Eclectic Victorian with tongue-slightly-in-cheek, pleasant and not overstated, this fine dining room on the ground floor of Old Louisville’s genteel old Mayflower Apartments combines a welcoming attitude with high-quality fare and atmosphere that’s frankly stunning. $$$ p e CAFÉ METRO 1700 Bardstown Rd., 458-4830. A local tradition that helped establish Bardstown Road as one of the city’s “restaurant rows” a generation ago, Café Metro remains an upscale landmark, with a core of loyal fans who hope it will never change. $$$ p ENGLISH GRILL 335 W. Broadway (The Camberly Brown Hotel), 583-1234. This elegant oak-paneled dining room is the same downtown landmark that our parents and grandparents enjoyed. Chef Joe Castro continues to win raves for creative, inventive (and expensive) fare that makes the Brown a major player in the downtown-hotel dining sweepstakes. $$$$ p EQUUS 122 Sears Ave., 897-9721. Tucked away in a simple white-brick building, Equus is a block off the main drag in St. Matthews, but happy diners beat a path to its door. Very fine international cuisine, a stylish setting and first-rate service combine to make it one of the city’s top dining rooms. $$$$ p THE FLAGSHIP 140 N. Fourth St., 589-5200. The best thing about the Flagship is its romantic, spectacular view of the city from its revolving quarters atop the Galt House hotel. It offers fine white-tablecloth dining with service to match. $$$$ e KUNZ’S FOURTH AND MARKET 115 S. Fourth St., 585-5555. One of the oldest restaurants in Louisville, Kunz’s has moved from one downtown location to another. Its old German accent has muted a bit with time; with a new menu in place, it now offers a choice of old-fashioned, hearty steak and seafood and stylish modern fare. $$$ p LE RELAIS 2817 Taylorsville Rd., (Bowman Field), 451-9020. Another longstanding contender for the city’s top table, this stylish art deco spot 54 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

winston’s

Sullivan University Campus 3101 Bardstown Road Louisville, KY 40205 Reservations are recommended

502-456-0980

restaurant

Friday & Saturday Lunch 11 am - 2 pm Dinner 5:30 pm - 10 pm Sunday Brunch 9:30 am - 2 pm

Z’S OYSTER BAR & STEAKHOUSE 101 Whittington Pkwy., 429-8000. This exciting spot brings a level of fine dining to the suburbs that’s previously been hard to find outside the city. Armed with excellent, oversize steaks, extraordinary seafood, fine service and clubby ambience, Z’s thoroughly outguns the upscale steakhouse competition. $$$$ p

UPSCALE CASUAL ARTEMISIA 620 E. Market St., 583-4177. As the bustling arts scene in this east-of-downtown neighborhood has blossomed, Artemisia has evolved right along with it, maturing from an excellent lunch spot to a favorite dinner venue in a gallery setting, with fare to please both vegetarians and omnivores, plus an attractive alfresco dining option. $$$ p f e ASIATIQUE 1767 Bardstown Rd., 451-2749. Chef Peng Looi, who has won diners’ raves and many culinary awards during Asiatique’s long tenure in St. Matthews, transplanted his innovative Asianfusion restaurant to larger and even more striking quarters on the busy Bardstown Road corridor, where he has kicked things up still another notch. $$$ p f

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, as we can tell from the neon signs across its front windows listing its fields of specialization: “Italian, Cajun, seafood, pizza and subs and more.” $$ p DE LA TORRE’S 1606 Bardstown Rd., 456-4955.

From Central Spain, authentic Castilian food ranging from tapas to a memorable paella make this Bardstown Road standby a unique experience reminiscent of dining on a square in Madrid. $$$ ENCORE RESTAURANT AT ACTORS THEATRE 316 W. Main St., 561-3344. Not so much a destination restaurant as a decent place to dine before the theater, Encore offers a short but eclectic bill of fare that will satisfy your palate and get you to your seat before the curtain rises. $$ p FOUNTAIN ROOM AT THE GALT HOUSE 140 N. Fourth St., 589-5200. This comfortable space features both buffet and menu dining. One price covers the fresh and hot buffet and salad bar. The menu often includes regional and contemporary selections and daily chef specials. $ p

INDIGO BISTRO AND BAR 3930 Chenoweth Sq., 893-0106. Creating a bit of confusion for oldtimers, this is a new restaurant in a location that formerly housed a more upscale and fancy eatery with a similar name. Now it’s casual, offering American-style food and drink. $$ p f e J. ALEXANDER’S RESTAURANT 102 Oxmoor Court, 339-2206. This comfortably upscale venue, a Nashville-based chain, features “contemporary American” fare with a broad menu that ranges from burgers and sandwiches to such upscale eats as grilled tuna or a New York strip steak. $$$ p J. HARROD’S 7507 Upper River Rd., 228-4555, 3814 Frankfort Ave., 899-7794. 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 oldfashioned country cooking. $$$ p JACK FRY’S 1007 Bardstown Rd., 452-9244. If you want to give visiting friends a one-shot sample of Louisville’s urban dining style, there’s no better destination than Jack Fry’s. This popular spot, always packed, saves just a whiff of the raffish aspect of its 1960s-era predecessor, a local saloon, but upgrades it with creative American fare in a bistro setting. $$$$ p e

AUSTIN’S 4950 US 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. $$ p AVALON 1314 Bardstown Rd., 454-5336. Fresh American and international cuisine come together in this stylish Bardstown Road spot that’s become a quick favorite since its opening two years ago.

The adjacent patio is a particularly popular spot on summer evenings, with heaters to extend summer well into spring and fall. $$$ p AZALEA 3612 Brownsboro Rd., 895-5493. Another of the city’s longtime favorites, Azalea—the Louisville outpost of a popular Atlanta eatery— delights with creative American and fusion-style fare whether you dine in or enjoy the open air of its shady, brick-walled patio. $$$ p f BRISTOL BAR & GRILLE 1321 Bardstown Rd., 4561702, 300 N. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 426-0627, 100 E. Jefferson St., 540-3214, 614 W. Main St., 582-1995, 2035 S. Third St., 634-2723. The Bristol has been a star on Louisville’s bistro scene since it helped kick off the Bardstown Road restaurant renaissance some 25 years ago. Old standards like the green-chile won tons and the Bristol Burger are always reliable, and the wine program is exceptional. $$ p f THE CHEF’S TABLE 1160 S. First St., 587-2433. If you love good things to eat, what could be better than dining at the chef’s table, sitting alongside the guy with the skillet and wooden spoon, enjoying the best he has to offer? That’s the deal at The Chef’s Table in Old Louisville, a charming new eatery where every diner gets personal attention from the chef. $$ e CHESTER’S TAVERN 5444 New Cut Rd., 368-8848. $$ CLUB GROTTO 2116 Bardstown Rd., 459-5275.

International touches make Club Grotto’s bill of fare memorable. Its comfortable, romantically dim and stylish environs and excellent service add value points. Sometimes overlooked, but worth making a special effort to remember. $$$ p COACH LAMP RESTAURANT 751 Vine St., 583-9165.

This urban neighborhood tavern serves “pub grub” for lunch, but Coach Lamp turns into a serious dining room Wednesday through Saturday evenings with well-prepared dishes that range from down-home favorites to pastas. With former Brown Hotel Chef Jerome Pope now in the kitchen, expanded evening hours and a new menu, this is a place to watch. $$$

www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 55

JARFI’S BISTRO 501 W. Main St., 589-5060. Jeff Jarfi, formerly the personality of the Brown Hotel’s English Grill, is now the eponymous host of the renamed Kentucky Cove. He is making the right moves (including popular lunch and pre-theater buffets) to draw crowds to this stylish venue in the Kentucky Center for the Arts. $$$ p

JOHN E’S 3708 Bardstown Rd., 456-1111. This old Louisville tradition earns a warm recommendation.

From its cozy setting in a historic Buechel home (once a log cabin) to its down-home service to its good American-style fare at reasonable prices, this comfortable place is a prime choice for a family get-together. $$$$ p e

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 and a modern bar scene for a price that’s fair. $$ p f LIMESTONE 10001 Forest Green Blvd., 426-7477. To succeed in the restaurant business, keep doing what you do best. Chefs Jim Gerhardt and Michael Cunha have followed this simple formula with considerable success at Limestone, transporting the concept that brought them international culinary kudos at the Seelbach’s Oakroom with good effect in these modern quarters in the East End. $$$ p NAPA RIVER GRILL 3938 Dupont Circle, 893-0141.

Spanning California and the Pacific Rim, this starkly modern St. Matthews spot has gained a reputation for consistent quality and service, featuring well-prepared California cuisine and an extensive, fairly priced wine list adds to its appeal. $$$ p f NERO’S Caesars Indiana Casino, Elizabeth, IN, 888766-2648. Joining Portico as the second high-end, fine-dining restaurant at Caesar’s Indiana, Nero’s— located on the casino boat’s Fourth Deck— complements Portico’s all-American steak-andseafood theme with a broader international menu that ranges from Tuscan fettuccini to Memphis BBQ pork ribs. $$$ p OLD STONE INN 26905 Shelbyville Rd., Simpsonville, KY, (502) 722-8200. This historic stone building east of Louisville in Simpsonville, Ky., housed a popular restaurant for more than a generation. After an alltoo-brief resurrection by Simpsonville’s sausagemaking Purnell family, it has reopened under the management of Paul Crump, formerly of Porcini.

We’re hoping his skills and the atmosphere will make it a deservedly hot spot. $$$ p f OSCAR BROWN’S SOUTHBEACH STATION 252 E. Market St., 581-1222. Chef Nick Sundberg features an American bistro style at his casual-upscale restaurant in the increasingly hot east downtown neighborhood,. His menu showcases Caribbean influences from Cuba, Jamaica and Trinidad (plus a few regional Kentucky items). $$ p e PARROTT BEACH Fourth Street Live, 589-5336. $$ pf e RED CHEETAH LOUNGE Fourth Street Live, 5890695. $$ p e RED STAR TAVERN Fourth Street Live, 568-5656.

Billed as “a hip, contemporary version of the classic American tavern,” this new chain operation in the rehabilitated former Galleria features steaks, chops and seafood in an atmosphere that’s upscale and clubby, with entrees from about $12 to $24, and an extensive bar as a key part of the action. $$$ p f

Le Relais Restaurant at Historical Bowman Field Airport serving dinner Tuesday-Sunday.

Prix Fixe 4 Courses $28.50 Tues.-Thurs.

★★★★ Louisville’s Most Unique Dining Experience 56 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

Light Jazz – Sunday Evenings Outdoor Dining • Sunsets • Plane Rides Special Occasion Luncheons Reservations 451-9020 www.lerelaisrestaurant.com

ROCKWALL BISTRO 3426 Paoli Pike, Floyds Knobs, IN., 948-1705. This stylish spot takes full advantage of an old rock-quarry location in scenic Floyds Knobs to offer an atmospheric eatery, with a creative menu that features a light Louisiana accent, and an interesting, affordable wine list. It’s well worth the 15-minute trip across the Ohio for one of the metro area’s most enjoyable dining experiences. $$ p f TIMOTHY’S 214 Court Ave., Jeffersonville IN, 282-2202.

In the wake of a somewhat unlikely move from funky East Broadway to suburban Jeffersonville, Timothy’s is still just as comfortable as an old shoe, and the happy crowds that are streaming across the bridges to enjoy it demonstrate that management hasn’t done anything to lose the affection of its loyal clientele. $$$ p f e UPTOWN CAFÉ 1624 Bardstown Rd., 458-4212.

Across the street and a step downscale from its partner, Café Metro, the Uptown Café offers

similar fare with a bit more of a bistro feel for quite a few bucks less. $$ p f YACHING’S EAST WEST CUISINE 105 S. Fourth St., 585-4005. Restaurateur Laura Tao’s stylish downtown restaurant promises “an eclectic menu of contemporary Asian fusion cuisine.” It’s an attractive mix of East and West, sufficient to give just about everyone something to enjoy, regardless of which compass point attracts your taste buds. $$$ p

CAFES 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. $ APPLE ANNIE’S AT HEALTH & HARVEST 3030 Bardstown Rd., 451-6772. Explore the vast grocery section before coming to rest for coffee, tea, juice, pastries and sandwiches—all prepared with organic ingredients and many vegetarian and vegan selections. $ APPLEBY’S CAFÉ AND CATERING 201 Spring St., Jeffersonville, IN, 283-3663. This café and catering business offers a variety of daily lunch specials plus gourmet coffees and a tempting array of desserts. $ f BEG FOR MORE CAFÉ 380-0085. $

8402 National Turnpike,

CAFÉ FRAICHE 3642 Brownsboro Rd., 894-8929.

This is truly cuisine that makes the world go round. Homemade soups, breads and globetrotting entrees make this a favorite café to sample new tastes. Menu changes seasonally. $ CAFÉ J 3600 Dutchmans Ln., (Jewish Community

Center) 459-0660. The city’s only authentic, totally Kosher delicatessen, with a flair for presentation and flavor. Homemade soups, salads and wide-ranging hot entrees are available. $ f CAFÉ LOU LOU 1800 Frankfort Ave., 893-7776.

Bright and bold and artsy, this neighborhood

Louisville’s Best Catch.

Equus Restaurant has a tradition of serving the best Parmesan-Coated Sea Bass and USDA Prime Beef Steaks in town.

Equus has been preparing fine continental cuisine with Kentucky accents for 19 years.

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?

BLUE MULE SPORTS CAFÉ 10301 Taylorsville Rd., 240-0051. Longtime buddies John O’Connor and Jim “Mule” Riley talked for years about opening a restaurant and sports bar. Riley died before their dream came true. But now O’Connor proudly presides over this 90-seat casual Jeffersontown eatery and watering hole, and he has named it in affectionate memory of his friend “Mule.” $ p e BLUE DOG BAKERY AND CAFÉ 2868 Frankfort Ave., 899-9800. This bakery with its $50,000 Spanish wood-fired oven makes artisanal bread as good as you’ll find in the US, and competitive with the best in Europe. Its comfortable, upscale café offers a short selection of tasty dishes made to show off the fine breads. $$ f BLUE PEPPERMILL CAFÉ 1882 Blackiston Mill Rd., Clarksville, IN., 945-5830. Any city would be lucky to have this superb little bistro with a Hoosier twist. The fare ranges from down-home to upscale. The atmosphere is happy and bright; the service personal and quick. It’s a bit hidden away, but worth the search. $$ p BLUEGRASS CAFÉ 3255 Bardstown Rd., (Holiday Inn) 454-0451. This is a relaxing full service, casual family dining spot at the southern end of Bardstown Rd. Traditional favorites available here range from the Hot Brown to Fried Chicken. A colorful menu of freshly made soups, salads, appetizers and desserts serves the light diner. $ p

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BULLDOG CAFÉ 10619 W. Manslick Rd., 380-0600. $fe THE BUTTERFLY GARDEN CAFÉ 1325 Bardstown Rd., 456-4500. Tiny but tastefully attractive, this little cafe is hidden at the back of a Victorian house filled with gift shops that share a quaint, welcoming ambience. Typical luncheon fare is skillfully prepared. $ f CAFÉ CHARDEAUS 359 Spring St., Jeffersonville, IN, 288-1050. Co-owners Becky Hutchens and Charlotte McGinnis may have built their reputation on catering, but you don’t have to plan a party to enjoy a taste of their stylish fare. Open for lunch weekdays. $ CAFÉ EMILIE 3939 Shelbyville Rd., 719-9717. Tucked into a corner of a tasteful furniture shop, Café Emilie is worth a visit. This French-accented East End eatery is a recent and welcome addition to the neighborhood’s casual dining options. $ f

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www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 57

restaurant and pub is now open in Clifton. Chef Clay Wallace, formerly of Cafe Metro and Uptown Cafe, is back from Louisiana and names his new spot after Louisville and Louisiana. Affordable edibles range from wraps and calzones to handmade pizzas among the best in town. $$ f CENTRAL PARK CAFÉ 316 W. Ormsby Ave., 6352066. It’s a delight to welcome another comfortable cafĂŠ to Louisville’s distinctive Old Louisville neighborhood. Simple bistro fare is attractive, but the atmospheric neighborhood bar is the big draw in this popular spot. $$ p f e CHEDDAR BOX CAFÉ 12121 Shelbyville Rd., 2452622, 3909 Chenoweth Sq., 893-2324. Ladies who lunch often do so here, and more than a few gents join them, lured by an attractive selection of luncheon fare that ranges from soups and salads to tasty sandwiches ... and, it goes without saying, desserts. $ f CHEDDAR’S CASUAL CAFÉ 10403 Westport Rd., 339-5400. A distinct buzz surrounded the arrival of Cheddar’s, Louisville’s first outpost of a Dallasbased chain. It’s drawing big, happy crowds with its large bar and familiar “casual to upscale Americanâ€? dishes. $ p

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CITY CAFÉ 1907 S. Fourth St., 635-0222, 505 W. Broadway, 589-1797, 1250 Bardstown Rd., 4595600, 500 S. Preston St., 852-5739. Chef Jim Henry, a long-time star in the city’s culinary firmament, now brings his cooking skills and insistence on fresh, quality ingredients to this growing local chain of quick, simple but excellent spots for lunch. $ f CYCLERS CAFÉ 2295 Lexington Rd., 451-5152. Is it a bicycle shop or a restaurant? Well, it’s both. Filling in the small quarters that August Moon vacated to move next door, this informal spot will sell you a first-rate sandwich, soup or salad or a tire for your bike—or the whole darn bike! $ 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. $ f DERBY CITY CAFÉ BY DALAL 3819 Bardstown Rd., 454-6160. Most of the dining crowd comes for the cream cheese and olive sandwiches, veggie pockets and Kentucky’s own Benedictine creations. $ DIEFENBACH CAFÉ 128 S. New Albany St., Sellersburg IN, 246-0686. $$ p e DIXIE CUP CAFÉ 4637 Dixie Hwy., 448-6999. Former Simpsonville, Ky. postmaster Pam Hale changed careers to open this welcoming spot on Dixie near the Watterson Expressway, and we’re glad she did.

Although it’s billed as a “gourmet coffee shop,â€? warming chili, soups and salads and alluring desserts make it a full-scale lunch destination. $ ERMIN’S FRENCH BAKERY & CAFÉ 1201 S. First St., 635-6960, 723 S. Fourth St., 587-9390, 454 S. Fourth Ave., 585-5120. Founded by an immigrant baker from Bosnia, these popular bakeries still attract crowds looking for an enjoyable soup and sandwich lunch highlighted

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58 Summer 2004Â www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

Corner of Third & Market 301 West Market Street â&#x20AC;˘ 584-8337 Dine In, Carry Out or Delivery - Outdoor Dining 11AM - 10PM Monday thru Thursday 11AM - 11PM Friday and Saturday Happy Hour 4PM - 7PM Monday thru Friday

EURO MARKET 12907 Factory Ln., 243-0000. It looks like a neighborhood convenience store and bottle shop, but when you get inside, it contains a delicious surprise: an appetizing service counter offers a variety of goodies to take out or eat in. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss the excellent fried-oyster box, as well as an intriguing selection of quality beers and fine wines. $ EVEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S SWEET REVENGE 947 Eastern Pkwy., 6360094. A small but stylish environment houses a genteel establishment where estimable sandwiches, soups, salads and similar luncheon fare are the order of the day. Eveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also provides the bill of fare for The Jazz Factory downtown. $

FEDERAL HILL 310 Pearl St., New Albany IN, 9486646. $ f

THE STARVING ARTIST CAFÉ & DELI 8034 New Lagrange Rd., 412-1599. $

GARDEN ROOM CAFÉ 911 S. Brook St., 625-1900.

The old Male High School cafeteria never looked better than it does in its new life as the Garden Room. The old school, now a privately owned office building called The Spectrum, has turned over the cavernous cafeteria space to popular Old Louisville caterer Phyllis “Gumby” Cornwell, who turns out tasty down-home fare for lunch plus a filling Sunday brunch. $ f

SWEET ‘N’ SAVORY CAFÉ 1574 Bardstown Rd., 456-6566. Hearty brunch fare with a vegetarian accent makes Sweet ‘n’ Savory a popular destination for the Bardstown Road bunch. $

GERMANTOWN CAFÉ 1053 Goss Ave., 637-9412.

One of the many old-fashioned, simple and welcoming bars serving pub grub in Louisville’s old Germantown neighborhood is as good a spot as any for a hot burger and a cold beer. $ p f e GOURMET GRAZING 9550 US 42, 228-0464. This Prospect Point eatery offers a variety of pastas, crab cakes, salmon, sandwiches and desserts for carry out from its well-stocked catering cases. $ f GRAPEVINE PANTRY & GIFT SHOP 11418 Old Main St., Middletown, KY, 245-1569. Off the beaten path, the Middletown Historic District is booming with bucolic storefronts, restaurants and a laid back glimpse of the past. The Grapevine Pantry serves up homemade soups, sandwiches and salads, and a selection of cakes and pies. $ J. GRAHAM’S CAFÉ & BAR 335 W. Broadway (The Camberly Brown Hotel), 583-1234. The Brown’s casual cafe offers an alternative to the pricey and upscale English Grill. $ p LA PETIT PATISSERIE 1036 E. Burnette Ave., 6343004. A Butchertown landmark has changed hands as the old family-run Heitzmann’s Bakery assumes an upscale look and a fancy French name under new management. There’s a short sandwich menu and a remarkable collection of soft drinks, but the Patisserie aptly shines in the pastry department with its memorable desserts. $ MAIN ST. GRIND 155 E. Main St., New Albany, IN, 944-2326. $ 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 ranges from good to excellent. $ MR. Z’S KITCHEN 869 S. Third St., 584-8504. It’s run by a friendly immigrant family from Eastern Europe, but the food is all-American at Mr. Z’s Kitchen. It offers an appetizing option for a hearty diner-style meal. $ MUSE CAFÉ 3110 Frankfort Ave., 895-9488. A direct descendant of the old Crescent Moon deli, this small, artsy space on the eastern end of the Frankfort Avenue strip offers coffee and exceptionally fine soups and sandwiches (plus breakfast all day) in a gallery-like setting dominated by bold works of modern art. $ f e 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. $ f NORTH END CAFÉ 1722 Frankfort Ave., 896-8770.

This atmospheric little Clifton spot in an artfully redesigned old shotgun house, is hitting its stride these days. Now with full dinner service, it offers a combination of diverse and eclectic tapas and interesting entrees, plus a bargain-seeker’s wine list.

It’s an appealing, affordable place to dine. $ f THE PATRON 3400 Frankfort Ave., 896-1661.

Viewed from the perspective of an evening meal, the Patron offers some of the best cooking in town. Chef Amber McCool offers a dinner menu that changes frequently, based on what’s available and perhaps the chef’s whim. It’s not just adventurous but civilized. $

THIRD AND MAIN CAFÉ 220 W. Main St., 587-6171. $ f THIRD AVENUE CAFÉ 1164 South Third St., 5852233. This exceptionally pleasant neighborhood eatery is attracting loyal crowds. One of my favorite places for a casual meal, it produces excellent fare and serves it up in a cozy setting that brings you back for more. $$ p f e THYME CAFÉ 711 S. Third St., 587-0400. This spicy eclectic café serves up big taste with special tuna, ham and chicken entrees and sandwiches. Fresh basil tomato soup with the BLT on grilled sourdough is a fast-rising favorite in the neighborhood. $ TWICE TOLD PERFORMANCE CAFÉ 3507 W. Hwy. 146, LaGrange, 222-4506. An eclectic urban café in a village setting, about twenty minutes north of downtown. Menu is casual and fresh: sandwiches, fruits and veggies; daily soups and entrees from Sesame Chicken to Vegetarian Burritos. Live music every night—folk, spoken word, blues, jazz. $ e WHITNEY’S DINER 5616 Bardstown Rd., 239-0919. $f

BISTROS ATRIUM CAFÉ 9940 Corporate Campus Dr., (Embassy Suites), 426-9191. An eclectic bistro atmosphere in the spacious heart of the hotel.

Specials run from their popular crab cakes and array of pasta dishes to a Rueben sandwich or fruit pie. $$ p BAXTER STATION BAR & GRILL 1201 Payne St., 584-1635. This cozy spot looks a lot like a neighborhood bar and grill, but the eclectic menu and unique atmosphere (a railroad theme and airy patio in season) take it a notch upscale. Take particular note of an impressive beer list to go with your meal. $$ p f JAZZ FACTORY 815 W. Market St., (Glassworks), 992-3242. Louisville’s restored Glassworks building makes a natural home for this edgy, stylish venue for serious, live jazz, and the Jazz Factory has quickly built a loyal following. Lita Goodrich and Reda Clayton of Eve’s Sweet Revenge show off their skills in fare to match the music. $$ p e L&N WINE BAR AND BISTRO 1765 Mellwood Ave., 897-0070. If you’re enthusiastic about good wine, you’re going to be excited about L&N Wine Bar and Bistro. The fruit of the vine takes center stage in a vast, fairly priced wine list; but comfortable exposed-brick atmosphere and excellent bistro fare add to the draw. $$ p RED LOUNGE 2106 Frankfort Ave., 896-6116. It’s loud.

It’s smoky. It’s slick and glitzy and fun. Red Lounge is a bar first and an eatery second, but the fare, a short list of gourmet pub grub, is very good. $ p f e TOLOGONO 3702 Lexington Rd., 899-2005. In an intriguing twist on takeout food, Tologono’s firstrate chefs will make you a gourmet-style meal to take out and enjoy in the comfort of home. I’ve found the dishes fully competitive with local bistro fare, and more than competitive in price. $$

SEAFOOD AMSHOFF’S FISH INN 8012 Bardstown Rd., 2312379. Offers one of the most affordable fish dinners in town. Service is friendly, with the kind of down-home warmth that makes you feel more like a guest than a customer. $ f

www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 59

BONEFISH GRILL 657 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 4124666. This new franchise concept from the 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. $$$ p

CONTINUING THE TRADITION Enjoy the open atmosphere while you watch the chef prepare your meal from any seat in the house. Or for the pinnacle in dining experience, you can sit, dine and interact with our chef at

CAROLINA SHRIMP & SEAFOOD 3922 Westport Rd., 894-8947. In an East End neighborhood rich with seafood eateries, Carolina offers a tasty option within walking distance of downtown St. Matthews. This spartan little joint features shellfish and cod, much of it healthfully steamed, not fried, in an affordable family setting $

The Chef’s Table

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. $ 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, and we’re mighty glad to have it here. $ f

Old Louisville’s finest new restaurant pairing international food with fine wine – at great prices.

THE FISH HUT 550 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd., 585-3474.

If this trailer’s not fryin’, you’ll go away cryin’. Known for their fried catfish, the only thing missing from this little fry shanty is a pond out back. $ f

Open for lunch, brunch and dinner.

Banquet room and catering services available.

THE FISHERY 3624 Lexington Rd., 895-1188. 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. $ f

On the corner of 1st & Oak

587-CHEF

THE FISHERY STATION 5627 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. For the landlubbers there are cheeseburgers and fries. $ p JOE’S CRAB SHACK 131 River Rd., 568-1171. The fake crab shack setting is bright, noisy and fun, and the servers keep everyone entertained. But the food is the bottom line, and I’m pleased to report that we’ve found the seafood at Joe’s uniformly fresh and fine. $$ p f

Voted #1 Steak House* Family owned and operated since 1958.

Specializing in steaks, chops, chicken, and seafood.

The perfect atmosphere for rehearsal dinners, small receptions, birthdays, anniversary parties, and business meetings.

Three private rooms and Irish pub located upstairs for private parties.

Outside Garden Bar Open Friday & Saturday Nights 2437 Brownsboro Road

893-2062

MAZZONI’S OYSTER CAFÉ 2804 Taylorsville Rd., 451-4436. A history that dates to 1884 makes Mazzoni’s one of the city’s longest-running restaurant acts. It moved from downtown to the suburbs a generation ago, but kept its historic serving bar and its urban feeling, with pub grub, cold beer and the famous rolled oyster. $ MIKE LINNIG’S 9308 Cane Run Rd., 937-1235. 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. $ f

Come Visit Our Historic Louisville Irish Landmark

*Pat’s Steak House wants to thank their loyal customers for voting them #1 Steak House in Louisville Magazine, LEO, Kentucky Monthly, and CitySearch.com.

60 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

KINGFISH RESTAURANT 3021 Upper River Rd., 895-0544, 3401 Bardstown Rd., 459-1432, 7483 Dixie Hwy,. 933-3474, 1610 Kentucky Mills Dr., 2400700, 601 W. Riverside Dr., Jeffersonville, IN, 2843474. 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. $$ p f

MITCHELL’S FISH MARKET 4031 Summit Plaza Dr., 412-1818. The decor of this upscale, Columbusbased chain evokes the feeling of a large fish market, with an open kitchen that offers views of chefs at work. Quality seafood and service has made this a popular destination, and everything we’ve tried here has been fresh and wellprepared. $$$ p f

PROSPECT FISH MARKET 9521A US 42, Prospect, 228-6962. A great place to get an oyster, a seafood dinner or a fine fried-fish sandwich. And if you’re on the eastern edge of the metropolitan area, Prospect Fish Market offers good, affordable fish in a pleasant shopping-center setting. $ RIVER CREEK INN 6301 Upper River Rd., 228-3625.

And yet there’s still something mighty pleasant about sitting on the dockside patio on the banks of Harrods Creek. It’s a favorite place to catch a quick dinner of fried fish and ice-cold beer. $ p f 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 bucket-of-oysters and impressive raw bar. $$ p f STAN’S FISH SANDWICH 3723 Lexington Rd., 8966600. The fish is the thing at Stan’s, where the owner (who also owns St. Matthews Seafood nearby) is a perfectionist who won’t sell any but the freshest fish, perfectly prepared. I’ve never had a better fish sandwich anywhere. $ Z’S OYSTER BAR & STEAKHOUSE (see listing under Fine Dining)

STEAKHOUSE BABBY’S STEAKHOUSE 108 S. Fourth St., Utica, IN., 288-2411. This independent-minded steakhouse is one of the metro area’s best values for expertly prepared steaks. They come in all the usual sizes and configurations, but someone in the kitchen has definite opinions about seasoning and grilling.

The result is a distinctive approach that rewards a visit. $$ f DEL FRISCO’S 4107 Oechsli Ave., 897-7077. Once ranked among the city’s top steakhouses, Del Frisco’s remains strong in its core competency.

For deeply marbled, fork-tender prime steaks, it’s still hard to beat on quality points. $$$$ p DILLON’S STEAKHOUSE 2101 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy, 499-7106. Dillon’s has a distinctly different atmosphere from more pricey steakhouses, with its ski-lodge atmosphere in a historic Louisville home. It’s probably the most affordable quality steak dinner that the city has to offer. $$ p FIFTH QUARTER STEAKHOUSE 1241 Durrett Ln., 3612363. The Fifth Quarter has that touch of class that evokes family nostalgia and romantic interludes. An attentive staff serves the sirloin your way. Some of the city’s best ivory masters are at the piano to enhance the dining experience. $$$ p f e FRANK’S STEAK HOUSE 520 W. Seventh St., Jeffersonville IN, 283-3383. A longtime north-ofthe-river favorite, this neighborhood steak house is known for comfort and hearty meals without pomp or circumstance. $$ p LOGAN’S ROADHOUSE 5055 Shelbyville Rd., 8933884, 5229 Dixie Hwy., 448-0577, 970 Hwy. 131, Clarksville, IN, 288-9789. 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. $$ p LONE STAR STEAKHOUSE & SALOON 340 Whittington Pkwy., 339-9495. Lone Star rises above the median for franchised chain establishments on the basis of popularity and style and very friendly service, with decent grub amid Texas-style surroundings and country music. $$ p f LONGHORN STEAKHOUSE 2535 Hurstbourne Ln., 671-5350. Order your sirloin on the flat-top or pork chops on the char; also prime rib, baby back ribs and a complete line of chicken entrees. All dinners come with salad and potato choice. $$ p MORTON’S 626 W. Main St., 584-0421. The steaks are as good as it gets, the atmosphere is elegant

without being stuffy, and the service is outstanding. This downtown outpost of a Chicago chain earns a solid three stars and ranks among the top tier of Louisville’s upscale dining choices. $$$$ p OUTBACK STEAK HOUSE 4621 Shelbyville Rd., 8954329, 6520 Signature Dr., 964-8383, 9498 Brownsboro Rd., 426-4329, 8101 Bardstown Rd., 231-2399, 1420 Park Place, Clarksville, IN, 2834329. The name suggests Australia, and so does the shtick at this popular national chain, but the food is pretty much familiar American, and the fare goes beyond just steak to take in chicken, seafood and pasta. $$$ p PAT’S STEAK HOUSE 2437 Brownsboro Rd., 8969234. A visit to Pat’s may not be exactly like a trip back to the ‘50s, but when I ate there last, I think I saw Ozzie and Harriet. A local favorite, its combination of quality beef and hospitality rank it among the best steak houses in town. $$$$ p PONDEROSA STEAKHOUSE 11470 S. Preston Hwy., 964-6117, 816 S. KY 53, La Grange, KY, 222-1226.

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 available if you don’t choose an entree from the kitchen. $ RUTH’S CHRIS STEAKHOUSE 6100 Dutchman’s Ln., (Kaden Tower), 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. $$$$ p RYAN’S FAMILY STEAKHOUSE 7405 Preston Hwy., 964-1748, 5338 Bardstown Rd., 491-1088, 4711 Dixie Hwy., 447-4781, 636 Eastern Blvd., Clarksville, IN, 282-8520. This popular North Carolina-based

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Around Town: 3401 Bardstown Road ■ 459-1432 1610 Kentucky Mills Dr. ■ 240-0700 (Blankenbaker @ 1-64)

7483 Dixie Highway ■ 933-3474 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 61

chain is family dining with a unique sense of variety and fresh presentation. The diverse buffet features over 150 items and the steaks, entrees and seafood are always made to order. $ STONEY RIVER LEGENDARY STEAK 3900 Summit Plaza Dr., 429-8944. Stoney River in the sprawling Springhurst shopping center is one of the chain’s first properties outside its Georgia home. It offers respectable steaks and trimmings, friendly service and a pleasant atmosphere. $$$ p

GREAT VIEW OF THE OHIO RIVER (Located six blocks from the Kennedy Bridge)

Casual Dining at its Best Daily Lunch, Dinner and Drink Specials

1 Domestic Longnecks

$

Sunday, Monday & Thursday

Karaoke with R/T Express Tuesday, Friday & Saturday 100 W. Riverside Drive • Jeffersonville, IN • 282-2500

Sam’s Food & Spirits offers excellent food and service in a casual atmosphere at reasonable prices. That’s why we’re a Southern Indiana favorite gathering spot for friends and family. Now you can enjoy Sam’s exclusively for your next social gathering, office meeting or civic function.

for your

SOCIAL & BUSINESS FUNCTIONS Reserve one of our private dining rooms for: • Company training sessions • Business meetings – Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner • Company Holiday and Christmas parties • Civic functions Special menus are available for group functions.

For booking information, contact either Sam’s location.

New Albany 3800 Payne Koehler Road New Albany, IN 47150 (812) 945-9757

Friends. Food. Fun. 62 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

Z’S OYSTER BAR & STEAKHOUSE (see listing under Fine Dining)

CASUAL DINING A NICE RESTAURANT 3105 Blackiston Mill Rd., New Albany IN, 945-4321, 2784 Meijer Dr., 280-9160. A Nice Restaurant, billed as “New Albany’s Finer Diner,” is, well, nice. This sunny corner shop in the Old Mill Shopping Center specializes in breakfast and lunch. The fare is down-home and simple, at a price you can afford. $ ANYTIMES AT THE RAMADA INN 1041 Zorn Ave., 8975101. Serving dinners only, the spacious restaurant opens at 4:00 and begins serving appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts. The chef’s special attention to the steak dinner has garnered a good word-of-mouth about town. $$ p APPLEBEE’S (9 locations) This cheery national chain features an eclectic assortment of salads, steaks, ribs, poultry and pasta as well as full bar service. It’s as consistent as a cookie cutter, but good execution makes it a good bargain for those whose tastes run to mainstream American cuisine. $$ p AROMA CAFÉ Caesars Indiana Casino, 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. $

PrivateDining Highlander Point 724 Highlander Point Floyds Knobs, IN 47119 (812) 923-7979

TEXAS ROADHOUSE Green Tree Mall, Clarksville, IN, 280-1103, 4406 Dixie Hwy. 448-0705, 6460 Dutchman’s Pkwy., 897-5005, 3322 Outer Loop, 962-7600. The spirit of the West makes for wildly popular steak dinners served with large portions of sides. Salads, vegetables and breads round out hearty meal options. This is family-style dining, with no tray sliding—service at your table. $$ p

BEEF O’BRADY’S 239 Blankenbaker Pkwy., 2542322, 5628 Bardstown Rd., 239-2226, 106 Sears Ave., 897-3725, 10000 Brownsboro Rd., 327-8881.

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 that will suit Mom and Pop and the kids too. $ BENTLEY’S 120 W. Broadway (Holiday Inn), 5822241. Enjoy a classic Kentucky hot brown or the allyou-can-eat prime rib buffet on Saturday nights.

Each day features a new pasta dish, a hearty soup and salad bar, as well as steady favorites from the cutting board and grill. A separate lounge touts a well-stocked full bar and there is a Kids Eat Free menu for the dining room. $$ p e BIG HOPP’S 800 W. Market St., 589-6600. A wide variety of family-style fare, from fettuccine alfredo to fried chicken, is dished up with friendly, welcoming service at this popular local spot, recently relocated in the busy Glassworks district from quarters farther west. $ p f 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 Roman-ruin setting houses abundant Italian-American style fare. We particularly enjoyed appetizers and first-rate grilled meats. $$ p f

BUCKHEAD MOUNTAIN GRILL 3008 Bardstown Rd., 456-6680, 4112 Outer Loop, 966-5555, 10430 Shelbyville Rd., 245-6680, 707 W. Riverside Dr., Jeffersonville IN, 284-2919. Despite a mountain lodge theme that might make you think of the Colorado Rockies, this growing chain is based in Louisville. Upscale bar food and a sizable bar to match make these popular destinations. $$ p f BULL FROG GARDEN 5440 Del Maria Way 4990393. Another of Louisville’s hidden secrets, this family eatery in the Fern Creek area is popular with its neighbors and is earning a broader reputation for good food at reasonable prices, prepared with care and served in a friendly setting. $$ p e THE CAFÉ AT THE LOUISVILLE ANTIQUE MALL 900 Goss Ave., 637-6869. One of the city’s most attractive spots for antique and junque-shopping, this cavernous old factory building on Goss Avenue offers a similarly attractive place to catch lunch while you shop, offering a selection of luncheon fare competently made with fresh ingredients. $ CAPTAIN’S QUARTERS 5700 Captain’s Quarters Rd., 228-1651. Long one of the city’s most attractive eateries for atmosphere, Captain’s Quarters has bounced back under new management to offer credible bistro-style fare that won’t disappoint. Summer or winter, it’s a delightful place to dine. $$ p f e

mostly sandwiches, panini and wraps, but they’re creative and generally well-made. $ DEKE’S MARKETPLACE GRILL 301 W. Market St., 584-8337. It starts as a downtown bar, a favorite hangout for lawyers and the Courthouse crowd, but Deke’s goes beyond the obvious to offer steaks, burgers, pasta dishes and more. The decoera architecture adds to the soul of each appetizer and entrée. $$$ p f DITTO’S GRILL 1114 Bardstown Rd., 581-9129. The bill of fare offers a large and eclectic selection that ranges from bar-food munchies to an appetizing mix of exotic items and down-home dishes like Mom used to make. $$ p FLANAGAN’S ALE HOUSE 934 Baxter Ave., 5853700. 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. $$ p 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. $ p

GARRETT’S HICKORY GRILLE 9601 Shelbyville Rd., 327-8143, 2341 Lime Kiln Ln., 425-4500. Whether your pleasure is a steak or a slab of juicy ribs or something healthy like a plate of pasta, you’ll find it easy to satisfy at this family-style restaurant.

The Shelbyville Road location is in a historic coach house. $$ p f GOLDEN CORRAL 4032 Taylorsville Rd., 485-0004, 8013 Preston Hwy., 966-4970, 1402 Cedar St., 258-2540. Buffet style family dining—one price, all you can eat. Steaks are served beginning at 4 pm. $ HARD ROCK CAFÉ Fourth Street Live, 568-2202.

Louisville’s Fourth Street Live opened with a bang this summer amid hammering guitars and happy throngs as the city gained its first branch of this popular shrine to rock with its giant neon guitar to show you the way. The music scene is the draw, but you’ll have no complaints about Hard Rock’s standard American cuisine. $$ p f e HARPER’S RESTAURANT 871 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 425-2900. Harper’s draws a happy crowd of regulars with a large bar and big menu that offers a wide range of American-style fair. Gourmet pizzas and fine libations are a specialty, and the prices are right. $$ p f

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. $$ p CHAMPIONS GRILL 505 Marriott Dr., (Holiday Inn), Clarksville, IN., 283-4411. Known by locals for its Saturday night buffet of New York strip, ribeye and prime rib. Salads, sandwiches, soups and a kid-friendly menu round out the selection. $$ p e CHICKEN KING 639 E. Broadway, 589-5464.

Formerly a Bojangles, Chicken King has changed little but the sign since it came under independent management a couple of years ago. Spicy, crunchy and sizzling hot fried chicken remains the primary draw on a short, affordable menu. $ CHILI’S 421 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 425-6800. More than just the hip place for baby back ribs, this national chain has the coolest in hot foods like fajitas, burgers, sandwiches and veggies. $ p CHUCK’S ON BAXTER 962 Baxter Ave., 562-1900. A huge bar and big-screen television are the primary draw at Chuck’s, and it’s already a popular scene. Early visits suggest that the bar is the primary function and food secondary, but a largish menu ranges all the way from competent bar munchies to surf ’n’ turf. $$ p CRIBSTONE PUB 1202 Bardstown Rd., 459-3339. This tiny Bardstown Road eatery turns a neighborhood bar into a lobster and steak house, where fine seafood and beef is served without pomp or circumstance in a setting so casual that you can wear your shorts and T-shirt to dine, and pay about one-third of the toll at fancier spots. $$$ p CUNNINGHAM’S 630 S. Fourth St., 587-0526.

Cunningham’s, whose 131-year-old brick building at Fifth and Breckenridge Streets was destroyed by fire in July 2001, has come bursting back to life downtown, and happy standing-room-only crowds seem pleased with its fish sandwiches and pub grub. $ f CUTTING BOARD CAFÉ 2905 Goose Creek Rd., 4239950. There’s a lot of potential in this East End storefront. Management’s interest in food extends to having the cable FoodTV channel on the tube in its simple, spartan dining room. The bill of fare is www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 63

Red Horse Grille & Bar Offering Lunch & Dinner Daily

Not your ordinary hotel restaurant.

Perfect for Baby or Bridal Showers, Rehearsal Dinners, and Much More!

Renowned for our Popular Monthly Bourbon Tastings 4004 Gardiner Point Drive

753-4413

◆

753-4405

HOOTERS 4120 Dutchmans Ln., 895-7100; 4948 Dixie Hwy., 449-4194; 7701 Preston Hwy., 9681606; 700 W. Riverside Dr., Jeffersonville, IN, 2189485; 941 East Hwy. 131, Clarksville, IN 284-9464.

This national chain’s motto is “Delightfully tacky, yet unrefined,” and there’s not much we can add to that. The average waitress boasts a 24-inch circumference and 11 7/8 inches of bare midriff ... and they serve good food, too. $ p f e

LYNN’S PARADISE CAFÉ 984 Barrett Ave., 583-3447.

One of the most popular places in town for brunch (and dinner too), Lynn’s Paradise Café lures happy, hungry crowds with its hearty fare and funky decor.

Lynn’s sponsors the State Fair’s tongue-in-cheek Ugliest Lamp Contest, but there’s nothing ugly about the delicious and filling food. $$ p

INDI’S RESTAURANT 1033 W. Broadway, 589-7985, 3820 W. Market St., 778-5154, 4901 Poplar Level Rd., 964-5749, 3353 Fern Valley Rd., 969-7993, 5009 S. Third St., 363-2535. 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. $

MANHATTAN GRILL 200 S. 7th St., 561-0024. $

JILLIAN’S 630 Barret Ave., 589-9090. Louisville’s outpost of the Boston-based billiard-themed restaurant concept, this big and noisy bar, food and billiards scene is housed under the towering concrete columns of a former grain elevator just east of downtown. Always filled with a happy crowd, it’s the place to go for casual food and fun. $ p f e JIMMY’S ON THE RIVER 100 W. Riverside Dr., Jeffersonville IN, 282-2500. The menu at this friendly bar and eatery features affordable bar food and munchies, but the fastidious may choose from the menu’s “Lighter Side.” Hearty meals at budget prices and a striking riverside view from two great decks makes for the quintessential moonlit night on the Ohio. $ p f e 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. $ p e KAELIN’S RESTAURANT 1801 Newburg Rd., 4511801. This Highlands tradition has been around for almost 70 years, and their cheeky claim to have invented the cheeseburger actually seems to have some basis in fact. It’s a popular standard for family fare. $ KERN’S KORNER 2600 Bardstown Rd., 456-9726.

This family-owned tavern has been a prime place to watch the world go by since 1978. Whether it is happy hour, lunch or dinner time, Kern’s offers freshly made ham, chicken salad sandwiches and burgers, as well as soups, chilis and appetizers.

This makes a tasty, traditional pit stop. $ p LA PECHE II Holiday Manor Shopping Center, 3397593. If you want to enjoy much-honored Chef Kathy Cary’s imaginative cooking without paying the prices at Lilly’s, this sibling spot is the place to go. Take-out or eat-in, offering a good variety of creative salads, sandwiches and cold pasta dishes. $$ f LEGENDS AT CAESARS Caesars Indiana Casino, Elizabeth, IN, 888-766-2648. The hot and cold short orders are served up with riverboat hospitality, but in a Las Vegas atmosphere. A well stocked bar and a live stage welcome the best of regional and visiting national acts from Wednesday through Saturday nights. $$ p e THE LIGHTHOUSE 202 Main St., Jeffersonville, IN, 283-0077. This lighthouse has been a beacon of casual, home cooking and tavern environment for years. Generous daily specials, appetizers, chicken and fish baskets, salads and desserts round out the menu. A full bar in back and dining area in front serviced by a friendly staff makes a return trip a must. $

Southern Hospitality At Its Best!

64 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

LONGINO’S GRILL 4041 Preston Hwy., 363-2266.

Home-style cooking at this popular South End family restaurant runs the gamut from grilled steaks and chops to chicken with buttery mashed potatoes and hot vegetables. $ p

MAIN MENU 3306 Plaza Dr., New Albany, IN., 9486501. $$

MASTERSON’S 1830 S. Third St., 636-2511. A fine, family Louisville tradition, this familiar Tudor structure near the U of L campus is the state’s largest full-service restaurant and the city’s largest caterer. Serving lunch buffet Mon.-Fri., 10am-2pm only. Sunday Jazz Brunch. $ e MAX & ERMA’S 6051 Timberbridge Dr., 292-2779, 2901 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 493-9662, 3921 Summit Plaza Dr., 412-5229. Max & Erma’s, a national chain that started in Columbus, Ohio’s German Village in 1972, has grown to nearly 100 properties with a steady formula of friendly service and casual-dining fare that ranges from specialty burgers, soups and salads to more weighty entrees. $$ p f MELTING POT 2045 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy. This Florida-based chain brings back pleasant memories of fondue parties of the ’70s. If you can melt it and dip things in it, the Melting Pot probably has it on the menu, from cheese fondue to beef fondue to its spectacular trademark chocolate fondue. $$$ p 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-and-seafood menu with the motto “Mainstream with an attitude.” $$ p OTTO’S CAFÉ 500 S. Fourth St., (Seelbach Hilton Hotel) 585-3201. Southern cooking with gourmet flair has earned Otto’s a constellation of multi-star ratings. And whether you try the Southern Breakfast Buffet, with its bourbon-bread French toast or The Executive Express Lunch Buffet, you will see why. $ PALERMO VIEJO 1359 Bardstown Rd., 456-6461.

This eatery may sound Italian, but is, in fact, Louisville’s only source of Argentinian cuisine.

Steaks seared on authentic parrillada charcoal grills are a primary draw, but there’s excellent chicken, seafood and much more—plus an affordable selection of intriguing Argentinian wines. $$ p f PETRUS 116 E. Main St., 583-3772. “Petrus” is also the name of one of the most expensive wines in the world, but this inviting “American casual” restaurant offers sandwiches, salads and soups with lunch for less than Chateau Petrus prices: under $10 and dinner less than $20. (There’s also a spiffy members-only nightclub upstairs.) $$ p 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. $$ p RAMSI’S CAFÉ ON THE WORLD 1293 Bardstown Rd., 451-0700, 215 S. Fifth St., 589-0800. Small, funky and fun, this favorite spot of the Highlands’ Generation X crowd attracts foodies of all ages with its friendly setting, reasonable prices and well-prepared international cuisine. The downtown branch is similar. $$ RANCH HOUSE Highlander Point Shopping Center, Floyds Knobs, IN, 923-1435, 2611 Charlestown Rd., New Albany, IN, 944-9199. $ e

RED HORSE GRILLE & BAR 4004 Gardiner Pt., (Holiday Inn) 753-4413. Not your ordinary hotel restaurant. Specializing in Black Angus steak dishes but a varied, well thought out menu has enough variety to suit most any party. At lunch their signature burgers feature specials such as the Wild Western, Buffalo Bonanza and the spicy Backdraft. $$ p f e RIVER GRILLE 140 N. Fourth St., (Galt House) 5895200. Gaze upon the lazy Ohio while enjoying an early bacon and eggs or enjoy a late night burger and fries. Casual and accommodating for guests on the go, the fast and friendly service awaits you on the second floor. $$$ p ROLLO POLLO 4975 Shelbyville Rd., 894-0012.

Healthy, delicious chicken dinners roasted on an open-flame rotisserie to seal all juices make a big difference in this local destination. Sides from cole slaw, lentils and mac ’n’ cheese to spiced apple desserts are also on the menu. $ RUBY TUESDAY 5001 Shelbyville Rd., 897-0200, 11701 Bluegrass Pkwy., 267-7100. 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. $$ p 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. $ p f e SAM’S FOOD & SPIRITS 3800 Payne Kohler Rd., Clarksville, IN, 945-9757, 724 Highlander Point Dr., Floyds Knobs, IN, 923-7979. Opened by Sam over sixteen years ago, the two locations feed an army of happy diners. You’ll find seafood, steaks, pastas, salads, appetizers and desserts. The menu is extensive and child friendly. $$ p SHONEY’S 1890 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 491-6870, 811 Eastern Pkwy., 636-1043, 6511 Signature Dr., 9698904. For nearly 50 years, Shoney’s restaurants have been one of America’s top choices for fast roadside dining, and happily they’ve kept up with the times. $ SKYLINE CHILI 1266 Bardstown Rd., 473-1234, Plainview Village Center, 429-5773, 392 Dutchman’s Ln., 895-7578, 6801 Dixie Hwy., 9374020, 426 W. Market St., 561-9999. Louisville’s outposts of a famous Cincinnati chili restaurant, these casual eateries offer the regional favorite (really it’s Greek spaghetti sauce, but keep it quiet) and other fast-food dishes. $ SOMEWHERE IN THYME TEA GARDEN 10320 Watterson Trail, 240-0671. The historic Seaton House, a pre-Civil War mansion on Jeffersontown’s old Town Square, makes a quaint and genteel setting for a luncheon list of soups, salads and light sandwiches. $ f e STEAK N SHAKE 3232 Bardstown Rd., 456-2670, 4913 Dixie Hwy., 448-4400, 4545 Outer Loop, 9663109, 2717 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 491-3397, 10721 Fischer Park Dr., 326-3625, 980 E. Hwy. 131, Clarksville, IN., 285-1154. One of the oldest fastfood chains in the U.S., Steak N Shake traces its ancestry to an Illinois roadside stand in 1934. It now boasts 400 outlets in 19 states but still sticks to the basics: quality steak burgers and hand-dipped shakes served, if you dine in, on real china. $ STUMLER RESTAURANT & ORCHARD 10924 St. John’s Rd., Starlight, IN, 923-3832. Fresh produce is available in the big shed a few steps away, and that fresh produce shows up on the tables here in mammoth portions. Combine that with honest fried chicken, big ham steaks, roast beef, and sandwiches, and you can’t go wrong. $$ f

TGI FRIDAY’S 9990 Linn Station Rd., 425-8185, 2311 Lime Kiln Ln., 327-8443, Fourth Street Live, 5853577. The original place to loosen the tie and congregate after the whistle blows. TGIF carries on a fine tradition of a party atmosphere within the realm of American bistro dining and libations.

Generous and creative servings range from baskets of appetizers on up to contemporary entrees. $$ p f THE OTHER PLACE 1600 Bardstown Rd., 458-2888. $fe TOMMY LANCASTER RESTAURANT 1629 E. Market St., New Albany, IN, 945-2389. Value and variety are the strong points of this community tradition and the fare goes from burgers to lobster tails.

Friday or Saturday evenings feature a buffet. $ p TRELLIS RESTAURANT 320 W. Jefferson St., (Hyatt Regency), 587-3434. With creative café fare in the spacious lobby, the environment is superb for people watching. You can order anything from drinks to desserts, a club sandwich to filet mignon.

Locals and regular visitors know they have one of the best Sunday brunches in town. $$ p TUCKER’S 2441 State St., New Albany, IN, 9449999. Tucker’s gives you a little bit of everything.

This chain has a down-to-earth flair for serving hungry folks burgers, ribs, steaks, a variety of appetizers, pastas and Mexican fare. $ p TWIAMS CHICKEN & WAFFLES 2517 Dixie Hwy., 775-0216. Former U of L basketball star Tony Williams now presides over Twiams, an attractive West End eatery that impresses the visitor with cordial service and quality fare. The name of the place pretty much describes the menu, which also features other soul-food favorites. $ 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. $ THE VILLA BUFFET Caesars Indiana Casino, Elizabeth, IN, 888-766-2648. The Villa Buffet offers an impressive choice of international dishes, with some 150 selections. A seafood buffet is featured on Fridays. $$ 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. $

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ANCHOR INN 1500 Evergreen Rd., 245-7121.

Enjoying new life under the same management, the former Abruzzi has switched from ItalianAmerican fare to American home-style cuisine.

But the best part—its upscale casual style in the park-like setting of suburban Anchorage—is just as good as ever. $$ p f 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. $ CAROLYN’S 3822 Cane Run Rd., 776-9519. The steam table classic, the “meat ‘n’ two” gives you the roast chicken, green beans and mashed potatoes. Or pork chops, applesauce and limas. $ CHECK’S CAFÉ 1101 E. Burnett Ave., 637-9515. You can scent a whiff 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

127 N. Sherrin Avenue behind Trinity High School

893-6700 895-2796 Fax www.gourmetcottage.com www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 65

that’s not bad. The chili and the bean soup are particularly recommended. $ p f e 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. $$

flexible catering we can cater to one or one thousand efficiently and on short notice businesses | wedding receptions | in-house caterings

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 Louisville Hot Brown. $ COTTAGE INN 570 Eastern Pkwy., 637-4325. Now, this is down-home dining. Tucked away under big shade trees on Eastern Parkway not far from the University of Louisville’s Belknap Campus, Cottage Inn has been happily doling out excellent food for more than 70 years. $ COUNTRY KITCHEN 1506 Berry Blvd., 367-5995.

Cafeteria style or dining room menu service: it’s up to you. This south end establishment serves up a variety of home-style food from sweet iced tea and biscuits to the country-fried steak and a fluffy mountain of real mashed potatoes and gravy. $ p f DE-VILLE’S 4900 Poplar Level Rd., 961-9102. De-Ville’s has made a science out of soul food, with collard greens, buttermilk cornbread, pork chop sandwiches and fried ribs. $ f

589.9679

D’NALLEY’S 970 S. Third St., 583-8015. Dirt-cheap blue-plate specials and hearty breakfasts bring droves to the counters and booths of 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. $ FORK IN THE ROAD RESTAURANT 4951 Cane Run Rd., 448-3903. $ GENNY’S DINER 2223 Frankfort Ave., 893-0923.

What’s the difference between Genny’s Diner and a saloon? You can take the kids to Genny’s. Better still, you can get a darn good meal at Genny’s, provided that you set your expectations for hearty, filling and well-prepared diner food. $ p e 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. $ 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. $ 715 W. HOLLY’S LEGAL STREET CAFETERIA Jefferson St., 584-4080 A longtime favorite of the Courthouse crowd, Holly’s steam table and grill consistently please, as does its full bar. $ p HOMETOWN BUFFET 1700 Alliant Ave., 267-7044, 3710 Chamberlain Ln., 326-9777, 6641 Dixie Hwy., 995-3320, 757 Hwy. 131, Clarksville, IN., 285-1893.

This national chain serves up nostalgic dishes, casseroles, meats and desserts that allow you to set an all-American supper table with the all-youcan eat price tag. $ 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. $ KINGS FAST FOOD 2101 W. Broadway, 772-7138.

This tiny, colorful West End eatery, open for takeout only, offers a vast selection of filling, affordable urban fare that ranges from hot-andspicy chicken wings to rib tips and more. $

66 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

KING’S FRIED CHICKEN 1302 Dixie Hwy., 776-3013. $ LINDY’S 5110 Preston Hwy., 964-6428. Open 7 days a week, this establishment is a local favorite for family dining. Variety is the key to Lindy’s reputation with buffet or full service menus available. Enjoy daily specials and down home selections from franks and kraut to steak dinners. $ 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. $$ MR. LOU’S COUNTRY COTTAGE RESTAURANT 5408 Valley Station Rd., 933-0806. Biscuits and red-eye gravy, country ham and grits show off Mr. Lou’s country cooking style. Roast chicken is a dinner favorite, and so are homemade pies. $ NEIL’S PLACE 7611 IN 311, Sellersburg, IN, 246-5456.

Best known for the specially seasoned fried chicken.

Neil’s also makes excellent pastas, steaks, seafood, and salads. Homemade soups are created daily and coffee and desserts are always fresh. $$ p O’DOLLYS 7800 Third St. Rd., 375-1690. Homestyle steam-table favorites are available from breakfast through dinner, not to mention full bar service that makes O’Dollys a Southwest Louisville destination. $ p f OLIVE’S ON FOURTH 570 S. Fourth St., 588-9003.

No matter what you’re hungry for, chances are Olive’s has it—from steam-table fare to pizza and calzones. Linda Zeisloft, longtime manager of The Bakery at Sullivan University, is owner and chef. $ f

HALL’S CAFETERIA 1301 Story Ave., 583-0437.

Hall’s Cafeteria is one of the first and finest of Louisville cafeterias, doing a brisk business on the steam tables since 1955. You’re just as likely to see customers stop by from Butchertown’s truck loading docks as you would from City Hall. $ 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. $ JAY’S CAFETERIA 1812 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd., 583-2534. Jay’s is without question the most successful West End eatery, with a big, wellscrubbed new building that wouldn’t be out of place on Hurstbourne Lane. Cafeteria fare is consistently fine, and hungry diners from all over town find a warm welcome here. $ PICCADILLY CAFETERIA 2131 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 493-9900, 133 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 423-1733. An east end favorite for variety—top notch choices in roast beef, fried chicken, cod, steak and shrimp dinners, a gardener’s list of vegetables and a few ethnic dishes for global measure have proven over time there’s something for everyone. $ SOUTH SIDE INN CAFETERIA 114 E. Main St., New Albany, IN., 945-9645. This venerable familyowned cafeteria is the very essence of cafeteria dining. Roast beef, fried Alaskan whitefish, spaghetti and meat sauce, pies chock full of fruit and old-fashioned vegetables come in huge portions for low prices. You’ll be hard pressed to spend five bucks here, and you’ll get a lunch or dinner that will leave you napping. $

PIZZA

ROADWAY WINGS 708 Cecil Ave., 774-5543. $ f

■ Mercedes-Benz is all we do.

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SUE’S TOUCH OF COUNTRY 2605 Rockford Ln., 449-4086. This family owned restaurant is the essential home cookin’ away from home. Get your pancakes, bacon, meatloaf, liver and onions, catfish and chicken and dumplings here. $

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. $

combined

TOLL BRIDGE INN 3300 Northwestern Pkwy,, 7765505. A rich and colorful history surrounds the century-old frame building in Portland that now houses the Toll Bridge Inn, a neighborhood favorite for simple, filling down-home fare. $ f

ANGIO’S RESTAURANT 3731 Old Bardstown Rd., 451-5454. This small Buechel eatery attracts a friendly neighborhood crowd with hefty subs and quality pizzas, along with cold beer. $

service experience.

WAGNER’S PHARMACY 3133 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 that love you up and call you “hon.” $ WEBB’S MARKET 944 E. Muhammad Ali Blvd., 5830318. Webb’s is deli sandwich market style dining.

Country ham sandwiches and the half-pound cheeseburger are a specialty. $

CAFETERIAS 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. $ COLONNADE CAFETERIA 455 S. Fifth St., 5846846. Sometimes cafeteria fare hits the spot, and this much-loved local landmark in the basement of the Starks Building has won a multigenerational crowd of loyal fans. $ CRAVINGS A LA CARTE 101 S. Fifth St., (National City Tower), 589-4230. Sequestered beneath the National City Tower, this thrifty and delicious deli offers a variety of sandwiches, build-your-own sandwiches, a soup-and-salad bar, and specialty bars featuring baked potatoes, Mexican pizzas, and a monthly ethnic creation. The seven-entrée hot food buffet is highlighted by nearly a dozen vegetables and four breads daily. $

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ANNIE’S PIZZA 2520 Portland Ave., 776-6400, 4007 Cane Run Rd., 449-4444. Annie’s has made to order pizza and a variety of stacked sandwiches such as the Big Daddy Strom with beef, Italian sausage, onions and banana peppers. $ 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. $ BEARNO’S PIZZA 131 W. Main St., 584-7720, 2900 Taylorsville Rd., 458-8605, 6101 Bardstown Rd., 231-2222, 135-F Marketplace Dr., 957-5100, 10117 Taylorsville Rd., 267-2549, 1318 Bardstown Rd., 456-4556, 8019 Preston Hwy., 968-6060, 4105 Dixie Hwy., 449-4141, 9222 Westport Rd.,423-1224, 7895 Dixie Hwy., 937-1234 1923 S. Fourth St., 6345155, 3002 Charlestown Crossing, 949-7914.

Bearno’s is known for its Italian entrees, generous salads, but most of all, its Chicago-style pizza with chunky toppings, rich sauce and lots of cheese. If you prefer something more substantial, Bearno’s also offers spaghetti, marinara and meatballs. $ p CALIFORNIA PIZZA KITCHEN 7900 Shelbyville Rd., (Oxmoor Center), 425-5125. California pizza became a trend when famous chefs gave this simple Italian fare a multi-ethnic spin with nontraditional Pacific Rim toppings. CPK successfully translates this trend for the mass market. $$ p f CICI’S PIZZA 470 New Albany Plaza, New Albany, IN., 944-4942. Serious bargain-hunters will find Cici’s culinary offer hard to beat. This Dallasbased chain’s New Albany pizzeria, the first of 10 planned metro locations, serves up all the pizza you can eat for only $3.99. $

1501 Mellwood Avenue Louisville, Kentucky 40206

502-587-7827 Fax: 502-587-7273

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CLIFTON’S PIZZA 2230 Frankfort Ave., 893-3730.

Clifton’s pizza appeals to me with its adult style, full of the bold flavors of herbs and spices and available with grown-up toppings like anchovies and artichoke hearts. All this and funky, fun decor makes it one of my favorite local pizzerias. $ f e DOMINO’S PIZZA (20 locations) $$ FAST BREAK PIZZA 6825 Central Ave., 243-1101. $ FAT JIMMY’S 9901C LaGrange Rd., 339-8111, 2712 Frankfort Ave., 891-4555; 2208 Bardstown Rd., 479-1040. 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; the Crescent Hill eatery reflects its urban setting. $ FIGARO’S PIZZERIA 16201 Eastwood Cut-Off Rd., 254-7220. So far out in the East End that it’s almost at the county line, this quaint little country storefront now houses something just a bit more urban: an excellent pizzeria featuring both thincrust and delicious thick Chicago-style pies. $ 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-caneat pizza-and-salad lunch special. $$ f HIGHLANDS TAPROOM 1279 Bardstown Rd., 4592337. This cozy nook for Bardstown Road music and microbrew fans features tavern fare and munchies, a full bar and thirteen beers on tap.

Eclectic rock, folk and blues round out a popular and late night live music scene. $ p f e HOMETOWN PIZZA 11804 Shelbyville Rd., 245-4555, 8442 Dixie Hwy., 935-3555, La Grange Square Shopping Center, 222-4444. Pasta dishes, hoagies, stromboli and cold beer are available, and so are the utterly unique Bacon Cheeseburger pizza and the Hometown Special, two favorites. $$ 68 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

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IROQUOIS PIZZA 6614 Manslick Rd., 363-3211. $$ LITTLE CAESAR’S PIZZA 816 Kenwood Dr., 3665599, 9017 Galene Dr., 267-8600, 5622 Preston Hwy. 966-5800, 6714 Outer Loop, 966-3111. This Detroit-based pizzeria chain lost market share in the ‘90s, but business analysts say the company known for its two-for-one “pizza pizza” deal has turned things around with a renewed commitment to quality and service. $$ LOUISVILLE PIZZA CO. 3910 Ruckriegel Pkwy., 2671188. Also known as Chubby Ray’s, this local pizzeria makes good, fresh pizzas and ItalianAmerican sandwiches. $ p f MA ZERELLAS 949 S. Indiana Ave., Sellersburg, IN, 246-9517. A pleasant family-run-for-family-fun establishment. Pizza, pasta, salads and subs served for lunch and dinner seven days a week. $ MANCINO’S PIZZA & GRINDERS 2420 Lime Kiln Rd., 429-5555, 12488 Lagrange Rd., 241-9902.

Oven-baked and stuffed with all your favorites, a “grinder” is a one-step hunger-slaying sandwich.

The local favorite is the Mancino’s Pride, which is topped with every veggie in the kitchen plus ham, pepperoni and sausage. $

Houston D. Jones Jr. 502.419.7799 w w w. t h e h o u s t o n g r o u p . n e t 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. $$ PIE IN THE SKY 10301 Taylorsville Rd., 240-9988.

This pizzeria offers up pies with fresh ingredients and hand-tossed dough. The selection of beer is wide and so is the TV screen for those weekend gatherings. Pasta, salads and sandwiches— including the popular Hot Sicilian—round out the casual dining menu. $$ PIZZA BOX 4111 Murphy Ln., 423-0530. Workers at the nearby Ford Kentucky Truck Plant make this bar and pizzeria a popular gathering place, but it’s more than just a blue-collar pub: the pizzas here are excellent, and an extensive brew list makes it a destination for serious beer lovers from all over. $ PIZZA BY THE GUY 8109 Lagrange Rd., 426-4044.

This locally owned franchise is famous for its extra spicy, hand-tossed dough. Come and get it, literally, because there’s only a cozy table for three at the store and most folks pick up their pie or have it delivered. $ PIZZA HUT (15 locations) $$

MR. GATTI’S 5600 S. Third St., 363-2211, 8594 Dixie Hwy., 935-0100, 3319 Bardstown Rd., 451-0540, 9010 Taylorsville Rd., 499-9804, 1108 Lyndon Ln., 339-8338, 2247 S. Preston St., 635 –6708, 4200 Outer Loop, 964-0920. This Austin-based chain with 170 properties in the Southeast 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, thincrust pizzas a popular draw for nearly 30 years. $$ PA PA MURPHY’S PIZZA 291 N. Hubbards Ln., 8956363, 5016 Mud Ln., 962-7272. $$ 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

PIZZA KING 3825 Charlestown Rd., New Albany IN, 945-4405, 1066 Kehoe Ln., Jeffersonville, IN., 2828286. The pizza at Pizza King is baked in a sturdy, clay stone oven and hand-tossed with thinner crust where the ingredients go all the way to the edge. $$ PIZZA MAGIA (13 Locations) This newcomer Louisville-based chain is making waves in the lowcost/high quality pizza biz. In addition to a variety of pizzas, it offers Stromboli, Sweetie Pie (an Italian dessert pastry crisscrossed with icing) wings and both cheese and traditional breadsticks. $$ PIZZA PLACE 2931 Richland Ave., 458-9700. $

QUEENIE’S PIZZA & SUCH 2622 S. Fourth St., 6363708. Queenie’s stuffed Chicago-style pizzas and its crispy thin crust pizzas will cover the pizza lover’s desires. On a walk through historic Old Louisville or on their way to campus, folks pick up hoagies, pastas, salads, appetizers and desserts.

And such a good deal. $ SPORTSTIME PIZZA 3312 Plaza Dr., New Albany, IN, 944-2577. Touting “the best pizza in southern Indiana” is quite a boast, but when the pizza biz is part of the New Albanian Brewing Company, the boast carries weight. The N.A.B.C. is the newest offshoot of Rich O’s, nationally noted for its huge selection of microbrews and hard-to-find imports.

Try the “Herbavore” with spinach, sliced tomatoes and roasted garlic for a sizzling start. $ TONY BOOMBOZZ 3334 Frankfort Ave., 896-9090, 1448 Bardstown Rd., 458-8889. 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. $$ TONY IMPELLIZZERI’S PIZZA 2306 Bardstown Rd., 451-7177. The pizza at Impellizzeri’s is something like a special effect from a Hollywood f/x lab: massive disks, broad and thick, almost unrealistically oversize. They’re good, though. $$$ UNO CHICAGO BAR & GRILL 6501 Bardstown Rd., 239-0079. This successful franchise serves up Chicago style pizza—deep dish with more toppings than crust. Steaks, pastas, sandwiches and burgers complement the full service menu. $$ p VITO’S PIZZERIA 3213 Preston Hwy., 634-5400.

Reasonable people can differ on the subject, but plenty would say that this is one of the best pizzas in town, a perfect, nearly blackened crust, savory sauce, and superb ingredients. A mandatory alternative to the chains for pizza lovers. $$ WICKS PIZZA PARLOR 975 Baxter Ave., 458-1828, 2927 Goose Creek Rd., 327-9425, 12717 Shelbyville Rd., 213-9425, 10966 Dixie Hwy., 995-4333. The pizza is very fine at this immensely popular neighborhood gathering spot for the Bardstown Rd. crowd. It’s a straightforward, over-sized pie, made with mounds of toppings. “The Big Wick” is a personal favorite. $ p e

SANDWICH/DELI AMAZING GRACE WHOLE FOODS DELI 1133 Bardstown Rd., 485-1122. If you think “vegan” means only raw carrots, bean sprouts, seeds and roots, think again. No animals were harmed in the making of the tasty alternative sandwiches and other dishes at this neat little deli attached to a spiffy local organic-foods grocery. $ 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. Another Place, now in this west-downtown location, has been making good ones for years. $ ANTHONY’S 22 Theater Square, 584-0364. $ f AU BON PAIN BAKERY CAFÉ 101 E. Jefferson St., 585-2200. Its French name means “the good bread,” and fresh warm breads and pastries are the draw at this quick and casual eatery. You’ll also find soups, sandwiches, salads and coffee— all the basic food groups. $ 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. $ f

BANK SHOT BILLIARDS 403 E. Market St., 587-8260. $ BENNY B’S 3801 Willis Ave., 896-8383. The British Earl of Sandwich may have invented the culinary confection that bears his name, but let’s all hail Benny B’s for perfecting it. You’ll find truly excellent sandwiches here, a tasty and healthful alternative to fast food. $ f BIG SUBS 9811B Old Third Street Rd., 933-2010. $ BINKY’S CHICAGO STYLE DELI 528 S. Fifth St., 568-2606. If you’re in the mood for a real Chicago-style hot dog or a delicious brothdripping Italian beef sandwich in the traditional style of the Windy City, you’ll find Binky’s a great place to grab a good, cheap lunch. $ f BLIMPIE’S SUBS & SALADS 1971 Hurstbourne Pkwy, 495-6565, 2020 Brownsboro Rd., 899-7960, 3360 Hikes Ln., 451-5480. Sublime subs—fast and fresh.

Blimpie’s is all that ...and a bag of chips. $ C.A.P.P.P.’S DELI 4010 Dupont Cir., 895-7064. $ CIANO’S 11904 Shelbyville Rd., 245-6997. $ DANISH EXPRESS PASTRIES 3713 Lexington Rd., 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. $ DINO’S DOWN TO LUNCH CAFÉ 239 S Fifth St. (Kentucky Home Life Building) 585-2874. $ 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. $ f DMITRI’S DELI 521 S. Third St., 584-8060. A downtown deli favorite. Great appetite-smashing daily specials are surrounded by an impressive variety of sandwiches, soups and salads. $ f DOOLEY’S BAGELCATESSEN 12903 Shelbyville Rd., 245-3354, 216 N. Hurstbourne Ln., 394-0021, 980 Breckenridge Ln., 893-3354, 2241 State St., New Albany, IN, 981-0124, 2226 Holiday Manor Center, 426-3354. A convenient and fresh deli that’s caught on big in the area. Breakfast means fresh bagels with a cool array of cream cheese, sausage, eggs and coffee. At lunchtime lines form for sandwiches— subs, panini, wraps, hot melts and cold cuts. $ THE FEED BAG DELI 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. $ GELI CAKES 1589 Bardstown Rd., 456-2466. It’s a delight to have this casual eatery on Bardstown Road. The specialty is Italian gelato, and it comes pretty close to the real thing. But don’t start with dessert; the panini (Italian grilled sandwiches) are first-rate, and it’s also open for weekend brunch. $ f HEAVENLY HAM 11606 Shelbyville Rd., 245-1527, 3000 Bardstown Rd., 451-6110, Northgate Center, New Albany IN, 941-9426. $ 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, proscuittini, cappacuolo, salami, pepperoni and any of the fixings you like. $ JUANITA’S 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 Juanita’s counter right now, recovering from last night’s excesses. $

JULIE’S OF JEFFERSONVILLE 326 Spring St., Jeffersonville, IN, 218-0318. Located in historic downtown Jeffersonville, this popular eatery is known for its Rueben plate, tomato basil soup or any one of the delectable desserts that Julie creates each day. $ f LITTLE CHEF 147 E. Market St., New Albany, IN, 949-7567. Every city needs a postage-stampsized spot that knows how to fry potatoes and grill up a burger. In New Albany, the place is Little Chef. Biscuits and gravy, fried eggs, and burgers, in a joint that seems like a throwback to the heartland of America, circa 1940. $ f LOTSA PASTA 3717 Lexington Rd., 896-6361. As the name suggests, Lotsa Pasta originated as an Italian specialty-food store, and it has been a local favorite since it opened over 20 years ago. It now offers deli meats and cheeses and an eclectic international selection of sausages and cheese.

You can’t dine in, but an excellent deli counter fashions New Orleans-style muffulettas and other sandwiches to go. $ LUNCH TODAY 590 Missouri Ave., Jeffersonville, IN, 282-1005. This outfit prepares all the soups, salads and sandwiches the downtown workforce needs to re-energize. $ f 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. $ f MCALISTER’S DELI 10041 Forest Green Blvd., 4258900, 2721 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 671-2424, 2400 Lime Kiln Ln., 339-8544, 6508 Bardstown Rd., 239-9997. Emphasizing quality customer service, this East End delicatessen ladles up unique soups like gumbo and chicken tortilla along with their cutting board favorites. They have a special way with a tumbler of sweet iced tea and lemon. $ f NAIMAN’S DELI 237 Whittington Pkwy., 423-1414.

What prompted Les Naiman to return to the deli business nearly 20 years after he closed his old Nosh Box in this very shopping center off Hurstbourne Pkwy.? “I musta been crazy,” he says with a laugh. But Naiman’s folly is our happiness, with a good selection of deli meats and homemade lunch-counter goodies to tempt the taste buds. $ 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. $ PANERA BREAD CO. 5000 Shelbyville Rd., 8999992, 6221 Dutchmans Ln., 895-9991, 601 S. Hurstbourne Ln., 423-7343. $ f PAUL’S FRUIT MARKET 3905 Chenoweth Sq., 8968918, 4946 Brownsboro Rd., 426-5059, 12119 Shelbyville Rd., 253-0072, 3704 Taylorsville Rd., 456-4750. One of Louisville’s best sources for produce, cheeses, deli items, and the like. Deli sandwiches (made from high end products like Boar’s Head meats) and salads are available. $ PENN STATION (11 Locations). Billed as the East Coast Sub Headquarters, this diverse and delicious sandwich kitchen does a brisk business here in the Louisville area. $ PO-BOY SHOPPE 2286 Bardstown Rd., 454-0424. $ QUIZNO’S SUBS 223 S. Fifth St., 589-5520, 332 W. Broadway, 589-4500, 2500 W. Broadway, 7755545, 4045 Summit Place Dr., 327-8469, 2112 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 493-8292, 4212 Charlestown Rd., New Albany, IN, 981-7849, 3826 D Hamburg Pike, Jeffersonville, IN, 283-7849, 402 S. Indiana Ave., Sellersburg, IN, 246-1419. Toasted breads, a sandwich selection of meats, veggies and fish are www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 69

built to fight hunger. Fresh soups are available daily, from chili to chowder; so are salads and desserts. $ SCHLOTZSKY’S DELI 4259 Outer Loop, 969-0506, 10531 Fischer Park Dr., 425-844, 12915 Shelbyville Rd., 244-9069, 8602 Citadel Way, 499-8081. 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. $ f SOUPY’S 3019 Breckenridge Ln., 451-5325, 4632 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 499-4404, 4590 Dixie Hwy, 449-2000, 9493 Westport Rd, 425-2549, 2930 Dr. William Weathers Dr., 774-2500. 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 you meat, cheese and veggie sandwiches according to your custom design, scoop up tuna and chicken salads and barbecue, or grill you a burger. $ STEVENS & STEVENS 1114 Bardstown Rd., 584-3354.

Sharing space with the popular Ditto’s, Stevens & Stevens is primarily known for catering and takeout fare. They cook just as well if you choose to stay in, though, offering appealing sandwiches and deli fare with a healthy twist. $

sandwiches, salad sides and desserts also make for a great lunch. $ TWO BUCKS 4113 Murphy Ln., 429-9902. $ TWO GUYS AND A GRILL Center, 893-5118. $

pe

4806 Brownsboro

WALL ST. DELI 225 Abraham Flexner Way at Jewish Hospital, 585-4202. New York style with Kentucky flair. This busy and dependable downtown deli will serve in-house diners, arrange carry out or take orders for deliveries. One of the few places in town that serves authentic Nathan’s Hot Dogs. $ WILD OATS NATURAL MARKETPLACE 4600 Shelbyville Rd., 721-7373. This national natural-food grocery includes a sit-down café where you can order pizzas, sandwiches, or even sushi. $ f

BARBECUE BB’S CHICKEN & RIBS 318 Wallace Ave., 259-9936.

This might seem an unexpected venue to find authentic urban barbecue, but don’t dismiss it just because it’s in the ’burbs. The ribs here are fine, and the barbecued chicken good enough to make you slap the Colonel. $ BACKYARD BBQ & GRILL 223 W. Fifth St., New Albany IN., 945-8310. A wide variety of barbecue, in generous portions, with exceptional side dishes make this large dining hall in New Albany well worth a trip. $ f

STRAWBERRY PATCH DELI 11616 Shelbyville Rd., 254-1440. Enjoy the quaint dining area for only a dozen or carry out a corporate lunch box for the office. This Middletown deli offers healthy food with a dash of gourmet, a sprinkle of southern.

From the same folks who brought you the Strawberry Patch Gifts and Tea Room, there is now a fresh lunch option. $

BAKE’S BARBEQUE 5503 Valley Station Rd., 9350999. You can eat Bake’s ribs with your fingers if you want to, but it’s messy: these succulent nuggets are smoked to such tender perfection that the meat slides gently off the bone. This is four-star barbecue, fully competitive with the region’s best. $$

SUB STATION II 3101 Fern Valley Rd., 964-1075. The hardy No. 19, a six-meat and one cheese super sub, is what keeps the store buzzing. An array of

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 Kentucky-style mutton barbecue. $ f BRANDON’S BAR-B-QUE 9246 Westport Rd., 4266666. Service is cafeteria-style in this shoppingcenter establishment featuring Tennessee-style barbecue, where hickory-smoked barbecue sandwiches and filling, affordable dinners are the specialty. $ CLARK BOY BAR-B-Q 6728 Johnsontown Rd., 9335577. If it’s a little off the beaten path, there’s nothing the matter with that. Clark Boy’s reasonably priced Western Kentucky-style barbecue is well worth a special trip. Like many mom ’n’ pop eateries, it accepts cash only, no plastic. $ CLEON’S RIB SHACK 701 Algonquin Pkwy., 6350750. It’s a shack, for sure, and Cleon keeps some weird hours, but that’s part of the mystique, and if you can catch him when the smoke is rising, you’re in for some manly spare ribs and soulful sides. $ f DAMON’S 1876 Hurstbourne Pkwy., 495-6111. If you’ve got a hankering for oversize ribs and a sports-bar environment for noisy fun, Damon’s might be just the place for you. But then, if you’re in the mood for a quiet steak dinner in a quieter environment, Damon’s can deliver that too. Award-winning ribs and big-screen entertainment are the primary draw at the local outpost of this 140-unit chain. $$ p FAMOUS DAVE’S BAR-B-QUE 8605 Citadel Way, 493-2812. This franchise chain operation may be based in the twin cities, but it looks like a Georgia gas station with its exuberant, if tongue-in-cheek faux country decor. The important thing, though, is the food, and Dave’s excels with genuine, hickory-smoked barbecue. $$ p f FINLEY’S HICKORY SMOKED BAR-B-Q 1500 W. Broadway, 581-0298. Ribs tips are the specialty

FULL SERVICE BAR OUTDOOR DINING

SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA CUISINE 2350 Frankfort Avenue

502.896.2610 www.furlongs.com 70 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

but you’ll find turkey legs, ham, half-chickens, pork chops and shredded beef and pork—all for dinners or sandwiches, and barbecued pig’s feet for the BBQ purists. $ f FIREHOUSE BAR B Q 6435 Bardstown Rd., 2397800, 3065 Breckinridge Ln., 459-5201. Fire fighters, it is said, eat heartily and well. It’s no coincidence, then, that Firehouse Bar B Q pays homage to fire departments in general and the Fern Creek Fire Department in particular. The barbecue and country fixin’s stand comparison to the best firehouse cuisine. $ f J.J.’S CAFÉ 1515 Lynch Ln., Clarksville, IN, 282-5280.

Sit down or carry out a sack of hot smoked ribs, chicken and a whole lot more. J.J. himself will be firing up the big grills early to get your lunch ready on time. To drop in for dinner, just follow your nose over the bridge. $ p f JIMBO’S BBQ 801 Kenwood Dr., 375-1888. $ JUCY’S SMOKEHOUSE BAR-B-QUE 7626 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. $$ f MARK’S FEED STORE 11422 Shelbyville Rd., 2440140, 1514 Bardstown Rd., 458-1570, 10316 Dixie Hwy., 933-7707, 513 E. IN Hwy. 131, Clarksville, IN, 285-1998. Named for its first restaurant’s location in a former feed store with that down-home country feel, Mark’s impresses with high-quality hickory-smoked pork and chicken, and rich, silken South Carolina barbecue sauce, the yellow mustard-based variety. $$ 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 from anywhere in town. $ PEPPER SHAKER CHILI & BAR-B-Q 4912 Preston Hwy., 964-3011. Looking for the real thing in barbecue? Whoop! Here it is! This tiny spot near Standiford Field offers few amenities—it’s primarily for take-out—but a squadron of heavy black-iron smokers burn through cords of hickory to turn out some of the town’s best barbecue at a price that’s right. $ p PICNICATERS BBQ & CATERING 514 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd., 584-7427. Smokin’ all the meats that can’t be beat for a down-home style meal in any season. Located across from Louisville Gardens this place puts the hot sauce, wings and chops right in the middle of a hungry business district. $ f PIT STOP BAR-B-QUE 612 S. Fifth St., 584-4054.

Genuine Texas barbecue, dry and tender meat, red-rimmed and savory from hours in the smoker, is the style served here. March up to the window, place your order, bus your own plate. No muss, no fuss, and it is very good. $ f RUBBIE’S BAR-B-QUE & BREW 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. $ p f e 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. $$ p SMOKEY BONES BBQ 2525 Hurstbourne Gem Ln., 491-7570. A newish “concept” of the Orlandobased Darden chain that runs Olive Garden, Red Lobster and Bahama Breeze, this hot new Hurstbourne spot offers pretty good ribs in a noisy sports-bar environment that emulates a Colorado ski lodge. $$ p

TONY ROMA’S 150 N. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 327-8500.

From the classic tomato tang to a smoky Blue Ridge savor, Roma’s ribs are the best dressed in town. Burgers, chicken and steaks get four stars as well, but the racks and baby backs of melt-inyour-mouth pork and beef hang the moon. $$$ p VINCE STATEN’S OLD TIME BARBEQUE 9219 US 42, 228-7427. Author Vince Staten, who literally wrote the book on barbecue (Real Barbecue), makes his own for sale now, and the smoked goodies here rate as good as any I ever ate. $

BAR & GRILL @MOSPHERE 917 Baxter Ave., 458-5301. One of the hottest spots on the local club scene, this oversize spot on Baxter flows through 4,000 square feet on several levels, including the tasteful, clubby rooms that once housed Jupiter Grill and briefly a branch of Bazo’s. On the eatery side, it features well-crafted upscale pub grub, sandwiches and salads at affordable prices, topping out at $7.25 for the chargrilled rib eye. $ p f e BUFFALO WILD WINGS (BW-3’S) 6801 Dixie Hwy., 935-1997, 3900 Shelbyville Rd., 899-7732, 9134 Taylorsville Rd., 499-2356, 3584 Springhurst Blvd., 394-9596, 12901 Shelbyville Rd., 254-9464, 1055 Bardstown Rd., 454-3635. 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. $$ p f DELTA RESTAURANT 434 W. Market St., 584-0860.

It’s not quite as historic as Gideon Shryock’s Jefferson County Courthouse around the corner, but this popular bar and short-order spot seems as if it has been a hangout for lawyers and the courthouse crowd for just about as long as there’s been a Courthouse. $ p DUTCH’S TAVERN 3922 Shelbyville Rd., 895-9004.

Do you like guitars with your grub? A popular half-way-home hangout for decades in the heart of St. Matthews, this no-frills but all charm pub serves up a hardy plate lunch by day and amps up the action with music by night. $ p e FLABBY’S SCHNITZELBURG 1101 Lydia St., 637-9136.

Family-owned since 1952, Flabby’s is a quintessential Germantown saloon. It’s also one of the city’s top destinations for inexpensive downhome eats, from authentic German dishes to fantastic fried chicken on weekends. $ GERSTLE’S PLACE 3801 Frankfort Ave., 899-3609.

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. $ p e GRANVILLE INN 1601 S. Third St., 635-6475. 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. $ GREAT AMERICAN GRILL 2735 Crittenden Dr., (Hilton), 637-2424. Located in the Louisville International Airport Hilton. Salads, burgers, pastas and sandwiches are available for the casual diner; main entrees include New York strip, filet of salmon and more. $ p f 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. $ p HOOPS GRILL AND SPORTS BAR 12205 Westport Rd., 327-8002, 6733 Strawberry Ln., 375-4667.

The name says it all: sports, casual dining and good things to drink all find their natural meeting

place in these friendly neighborhood spots where hot wings and hoops reign supreme. $ p f 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. $ p MICHAEL MURPHY’S RESTAURANT 701 S. First St., 587-7916. This full service restaurant and bar has accommodated hardy thirsts and appetites for a couple of generations. Despite the Irish appeal, the food is American and lots of it. One particular claim to fame is their hamburger menu. $ p NEW DIRECTION BAR & GRILL 2630 Chamberlain Ln., 243-8429. $ p e SAINT’S 131 Breckinridge Ln., 891-8883. Almost like two restaurants in one, Saints—occupying the St. Matthews space formerly known as Jake & Elwood’s—features both a small, intimate, candlelighted room and a larger, happily boisterous main room with the look and feel of a sports bar. Saints is mostly about the bars and the music, but don’t overlook its casual fare, from salads to pasta and excellent pizzas. $$ p e SHENANIGAN’S IRISH GRILL 1611 Norris Pl., 4543919. Not just a neighborhood tavern (although it’s a fine neighborhood tavern), Irish-accented Shenanigan’s goes an extra step with an estimable selection of memorable burgers. $ p f e STEINERT’S GRILL & PUB 2239 Charlestown Rd., New Albany IN, 945-8827. This is a cross between an old fashioned neighborhood tavern (with an aged and cozy ambience) and a trendy sports bar (with leanings in the direction of IU). Hearty burgers, rich soups, salads, and a full bar make this a hidden gem. $ p e TAILGATERS SPORTS BAR & GRILL 2787 S. Floyd St., 637-5241. Tailgating? No need to open your lawn chair on the Papa John’s Stadium parking lot before the U of L game now that Tailgaters is here.

Billed as a premier destination for good food and lots of fun, this casual spot features classic American favorites and seafood specialties, plus a full bar, TVs and an expansive game room. $ p fe VIC’S CAFÉ 4338. $ p

E. Market St., New Albany, IN, 944-

WOODFORD RESERVE BAR & GRILLE Louisville International Airport, 363-2526. Named after local distiller Brown-Forman’s artisanal brand of Bourbon, this is the airport’s fine-dining facility, serving Kentucky-style dishes in a sit-down environment. $

CAJUN/CREOLE DOWNTOWN NEW ORLEANS 1157 S. Second St., 797-5644. The smallish Old Louisville storefront has been turned into a Cajun-style setting that’s worth a visit if you like the spicy goodness of Louisiana-style eats. $ f e FURLONG’S 2350 Frankfort Ave., 896-2610. This Louisiana-style restaurant in Crescent Hill boasts a horse-racing theme that unites the spirits of Kentucky’s and Louisiana’s racing industries. A comfortably cozy spot, it offers a memorable selection of Cajun fare. $$$ f p JOE’S OK BAYOU 9874 Linn Station Rd., 426-1320.

Perhaps the best Louisiana-style fare you’ll find in Louisville is served at this East End shoppingcenter eatery. A lengthy menu and fishing-shack decor showcases authentic Cajun and Creole chow cooked by a New Orleans-born chef. $$ p ME OH MY JUMBALAY 2339 Frankfort Ave., 8955034. This truly idiosyncratic spot is tiny and cluttered, with an owner who boasts a memorable personality and a deft hand at turning out filling Southern soul food with a Cajun accent and a hint of Africa. $

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ASIAN/CHINESE 2 HAHN’S MONGOLIAN GRILL Stonybrook Shopping Center, 493-0234. Thirteenth Century Mongol warriors used to turn their steel shields to use as frying pans over the campfire, using their swords as spoons. 2 Hahn’s carries their spirit forward. This all-you-can-eat buffet is fun, and the food is fine. $$ p ASIAN BUFFET 3813 Charlestown Rd., New Albany IN, 945-1888. Competent cookery and careful management that ensures buffet offerings stay fresh and hot makes this Southern Indiana buffet a good choice among the growing crowd of allyou-can-eat Asian spots. $ ASIAN PEARL 2060 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 4956800. Asian Pearl advertises its Chinese Grand Buffet as “The Largest Buffet Selection in Kentuckiana,” prompting a trip to check it out. It stands out from the crowd by offering a selection of Thai dishes in addition to the usual Chinese. $ AUGUST MOON 2269 Lexington Rd., 456-6569.

August Moon’s secret ingredient is the culinary 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 an alfresco dining experience overlooking shady Beargrass Creek. $$$ p f 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. $ CHINA BUFFET 706 E. Hwy 131, Clarksville, IN, 2888989. 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 runof-the-mill places typical of the genre. $ CHINA GARDEN 7309 Preston Hwy., 968-4672. A busy restaurant with the double pleasure of Chinese and American menu items. $

squadron of campus police so large that one wonders who’s watching the campus. $ CHINA KING Highlander Point Dr., Floyds Knobs, IN., 923-1288. $ CHINA KING PALACE 6203 Old Shepherdsville Rd., 969-9696. On the edge of the county line, there’s a bustling kitchen that prepares sweet, sour and spicy Asian and Chinese entrees and a la carte items to go. Carry out service only. $ CHINATOWN 4000 Dutchmans Ln., 896-9888, 4214 Outer Loop, 968-2688. If you’re hungry, you can get more to eat here for less than just about anyplace else in town, and the weekend seafood buffet in particular is a deal that’s hard to beat. $ CHINESE CHEF 2619 S. Fourth St., 634-0979. $ CHINESE EXPRESS 3228 Crums Ln., 448-1360. $ CHINESE RESTAURANT 8605 Preston Hwy., 9687450. $ CHONG GARDEN 10341 Dixie Hwy., 935-1628. $

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. It’s generally packed with students, professors, and a

CHOPSTICKS 416 E. Broadway, 589-9145. $ CHOPSTICKS HOUSE 2112 W. Broadway, 772-3231. $ CHUNG KING CHINESE AMERICAN RESTAURANT 110 E. Market St., 584-8880. $ CITY WOK 526 W. Main St., 583-7238. $ CRYSTAL CHINESE 3901 W. Market St., 776-9702. $ DOUBLE DRAGON 1255 Goss Ave., 635-5656. A standout among fast-food shopping-center Chinese eateries, Double Dragon hits on all cylinders, turning out consistently well-prepared and flavorful fare. $ DOUBLE DRAGON II 12480 LaGrange Rd., 241-7766, 9901 LaGrange Rd., 326-0099, 6832 Bardstown Rd., 231-3973. $

Come savor Chef Looi’s

DOUBLE DRAGON BUFFET 233 Whittington Pkwy., 339-8897. A sizable buffet in a chic East End shopping strip, offers a good range of Chinese treats on its all-you-can-eat buffet. The fare generally seems prepared with attention and care. $ DRAGON GARDEN 2120 Bardstown Rd., 459-3311. $

wildly successful exotic Pacific Rim fusion.

Featuring LOUNGE A and Late Night Menu

DOUBLE DRAGON 8 231 S. Fifth St., 587-8686. $ DYNASTY BUFFET 2400 Lime Kiln Ln., 339-8868.

The continuing proliferation of all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets never fails to amaze me. Most of them look pretty much alike, and the food tends to be similar too. But I’m happy to report that Dynasty Buffet ranks well above the median. $$ EASTERN HOUSE 5372 Dixie Hwy., 568-2688.

Serving Chinese and American food from the menu or the buffet. $ EGGROLL KING 4819 Dixie Hwy, 449-3614. $ EGGROLL MACHINE 1216 Bardstown Rd., 459-1259.

A Highlands staple for good reason. This portion of the Mimosa Café does a brisk business. The Sesame Chicken is one of our publishers’ favorites. $$ p EMPEROR OF CHINA 2210 Holiday Manor Shopping Center, 426-1717. One of Louisville’s fanciest and most noteworthy Chinese restaurants, the Emperor’s quarters are stylishly strewn across multiple levels of a former suburban movie theater. Outstanding. $$ p

502.451.2749

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. $$ p

SUN. - WED. 5:30 - 10:30 P.M.

FIRST WOK 3967 Seventh St. Rd., 448-0588. $

1767 Bardstown Rd.

THU. - SAT. 5:30 P.M. - 2:00 A.M.

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FORMOSA CHINESE RESTAURANT 2116 State St., New Albany, IN, 948-2540. One of the leading Southern Indiana entries in the Chinese-restaurant sweepstakes, Formosa offers a hearty buffet and, Chinese friends report, “a Taiwanese taste.” $

GOLDEN BUDDHA 8000 Preston Hwy., 968-7700. $ GOLDEN WALL 3111 Fern Valley Rd., 968-9717. $ GRAND BUFFET 5362 Dixie Hwy., 447-8833. $ 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. $ GREAT WOK 2502 Preston Hwy., 634-1918. Just about every shopping center in town has a fastfood Chinese spot, but this one stands out, generating a buzz of word-of-mouth publicity about its well-crafted Chinese dishes at a bargainbasement price. $ HAPPY DRAGON 2600 W. Broadway, 778-2573.

Catering to office and residential customers, this Chinese restaurant has served the West Broadway community for many years. $ f

the biggest) all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet, not only because it offers a good selection of Chinese dishes but, more important, because it shows a consistent commitment to quality. $ 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 dozens of other Asian spots in the Louisville area.

Beer and wine are available. $$

ORIENTAL HOUSE 4302 Shelbyville Rd., 897-1017.

One of the oldest continuously operated Chinese restaurants in Louisville, this St. Matthews landmark still does a fine job with the old Cantonese-American standards that we, our parents and our grandparents enjoyed. $ p

HONG KONG CHINESE RESTAURANT 345 New Albany Plaza, New Albany, IN., 945-1818. $

ORIENTAL STAR 4212 Bishop Ln., 452-9898. A longtime area favorite in this heavy traffic lunch area.

HOUSE OF DRAGON 126 Breckenridge Ln., 8937994. Not just fast food, this longtime St. Matthews favorite offers an extensive menu of Chinese regional dishes in an attractive sit-down setting. $$

PANDA CHINESE RESTAURANT 9543 US 42., 2286400. $ PEKING CITY 3571 Springhurst Blvd., 425-0188. The regular menu features Chinese-restaurant standards and does them very well. But if you’re a foodie with a yen for the exotic, ask about the authentic Taiwanese menu—an intriguing regional cuisine new to Louisville. $ QUICK WOK 801 W. Broadway, 584-6519. $

ORIENTAL EXPRESS 12567 Shelbyville Rd., 2449838. This spot in Middletown stands a cut above its shopping-center status in its atmosphere, and maybe two cuts above the median in its food, a smorgasbord of both Chinese and Japanese fare that is good enough to justify a special trip. $

HARVEST MOON 10476 Shelbyville Rd., 245-2100.

Modern and efficient in its East End shopping center location, Harvest Moon is a cut above fastfood Chinese; better yet, it adds a few Vietnamese dishes to the bill of fare. $

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. $

This establishment is quite good with Lo Mein Noodles, and Sweet and Sour Chicken. $

ROYAL GARDEN 5717 Preston Hwy., 969-3788. $$ SESAME CHINESE RESTAURANT 9409 Shelbyville Rd., 339-7000. Not just another shopping-center Chinese restaurant, this East End eatery has provided some of the best fine-dining Chinese meals I’ve enjoyed in Louisville. $$ p SHANGHAI RESTAURANT 526 S. Fifth St. 568-8833. $ SICHUAN GARDEN 9850 Linn Station Rd., 4266767. One of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Louisville and another 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. $

tastefully exciting. casually chic.

IMPERIAL PALACE 5316 Bardstown Rd., 491-8228. $ JADE PALACE 1109 Herr Ln., 425-9878. When I’ve got a hankering for brunch, I choose Chinese.

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. $$ p JUMBO BUFFET 2731 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 4950028, 701 E. Hwy 131,Clarksville, IN, 283-6868.

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. $$ KING BUFFET 1801 Priority Way, 266-8886. Another in the growing niche of glitzy Chinese chromeand-plastic buffets, King Buffet offers a standard selection of all-you-can-eat dishes, with a few sushi items. $ KING WOK 291 N. Hubbards Ln., 899-7188. Another of the city’s many tiny shopping-center fast-food Chinese eateries, King Wok offers all the familiar standards plus a small lunch buffet. $ KING’S BUFFET 5538 New Cut Rd., 375-2236. $ LUCKY DRAGON 809 S. KY Hwy 53, Lagrange, KY, 222-1568. The pastoral setting of Oldham County surrounding the Day’s Inn Motel isn’t where you’d expect to find elegant Mandarin style dining but prepare to be surprised. Guests in the mid-south are treated to Far East hospitality and a consistently creative menu. $ LUCKY HOUSE BUFFET 4030 Taylorsville Rd., 4591188. A fresh idea on Asian dining, this generous and creative buffet serves all the menu classics from China as well as some Japanese and American entrees. $$ MANCHU WOK 7900 Shelbyville Rd., (Oxmoor Shopping Center), 429-8207. $ NEW WORLD BUFFET 9228 Westport Rd., 4231788. I rate this one of the city’s best (if not quite www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 73

WANG’S WOK 11517 Shelbyville Rd., 244-9898. This bright and attractive spot in Middletown is a step above your usual Chinese fast food. Dishes are served on attractive gold-rimmed white china, and there’s table service with a friendly, fluent hostess. Worth a special trip. $ WOK EXPRESS 234 W. Broadway, 583-8988. This corner spot has housed a variety of restaurants over the years. The latest tenant isn’t the fanciest, but it might be one of the most affordable. $ WONTON EXPRESS 3000 Hikes Ln., 452-2646; 5800 Preston Hwy., 961-9018. Traditional Chinese fare. Family-owned-and-operated, this popular neighborhood establishment has enjoyed a steady patronage for seventeen years. $ YANG KEE NOODLE 7900 Shelbyville Rd., (Oxmoor Center), 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 sitdown restaurant quality and style. $ f YEN CHING 1818 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 491-3581. $ YOU-CARRYOUT-A 1551 E. Tenth St., Jeffersonville, IN, 288-8313, 827 Eastern Blvd., Clarksville, IN, 282-8881, 3308 Plaza Dr., 944-9866. $

ASIAN/JAPANESE BENDOYA SUSHI BAR 217 S. Fifth St., 581-0700.

Adding international flair to its downtown neighborhood, Bendoya Sushi Bar is a genuine, serious sushi bar in a storefront just across the street from the courthouse. $ 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, sip your tea while the artist

creates edible delights. This suburban sushi bar does the job well. $$ p

ratings as the city’s No. 1 spot for sushi and Japanese fare. $$$ p

KOBE STEAK HOUSE 301 S. Indiana Ave., Jeffersonville IN, 280-8500. Southern Indiana’s first serious Japanese restaurant is 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. $$$ p

SHOGUN JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE 9026 Taylorsville Rd., 499-5700, 4110 Hampton Lake Way, 394-0123. 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. $$$ p

MAIDO ESSENTIAL JAPANESE 1758 Frankfort Ave., 894-8775. Not just another sushi bar, cool and stylish Maido is Louisville’s first and only “izayaka”style restaurant 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. $$ f OSAKA SUSHI BAR 2039 Frankfort Ave., 894-9501.

This bright and cheery Japanese restaurant and sushi bar is named after Japan’s second largest city and the home of one of its most historic samurai castles. Sushi Chef James Lae presides, and that’s a good thing: a first-rate sushi chef, his welcoming presence and excellent English makes diners feel at home. $$ SAKURA BLUE 4600 Shelbyville Rd., 897-3600.

Located in elegant, upscale quarters in a St. Matthews shopping center, Sakura Blue ranks among the city’s top sushi bars. $$ SAMURAI JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE 1510 Lake Shore Ct., 412-3339. Benihana has moved on after some 20 years in this Plainview lakeside landmark with its blue tile roof. But its successor, Samurai, appears to provide a very similar dining experience, featuring slice-and-dice chefs at grill tables, JapaneseAmerican standards and sushi. $$$ p SAPPORO JAPANESE GRILL & SUSHI Bardstown Rd., 479-5550. Trendy, even with hard-edged industrial decor—and important, excellent food—Sapporo ranks

1706 glitzy, most in my

TOKYO JAPANESE RESTAURANT 2415C 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 high-quality, impeccably fresh ingredients. $$

ASIAN/KOREAN ARIRANG 4160 Bardstown Rd., 495-1004. The sign out front indicates (in English) that it’s both a Japanese sushi bar and a Korean BBQ, and a couple of lines of Korean lettering presumably say the same. More elegant than the industrial-style exterior suggests, this is a worthy stop for a fine Asian meal. $$ KIM’S ASIAN GRILLE 813 E. Market St., 595-7025.

This lovable little Korean and Pan-Asian eatery is back where it started on a gritty urban block east of downtown. Despite its downscale look, you won’t want to miss its extensive selection of Korean and Japanese favorites. $$ f KOREANA II 5009 Preston Hwy., 968-9686. One of the city’s few restaurants devoted entirely to authentic Korean fare, Koreana is worth a special trip for this ethnic cuisine that offers a hearty, spicy alternative to the more familiar Chinese. $$ LEE’S KOREAN RESTAURANT 1941 Bishop Ln., 4569714. This little spot has been a secret since the

2113 FRANKFORT AVENUE

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891-0003

N G O CIN DS! N A D KEN WEE

There are many “Greek” restaurants in Louisville... but only one cooks Greek with OPA!!!

DINE IN

OR

TA K E O U T

OPEN 7 DAYS

Monday - Thursday 11am - 11pm Friday - Sunday 11am - 12midnight 74 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

‘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. $$

ASIAN/THAI MAI’S THAI RESTAURANT 1411 E. Tenth St., Jeffersonville, IN, 282-0198. $

subtlety and flavor. I have yet to be disappointed with the quality of the food or service. $ ZEN GARDEN 2240 Frankfort Ave., 895-9114. A vegetarian restaurant must pass one simple test: at the end of the meal, I must not miss meat. Zen Garden passes this test with flying wok and chopsticks. $ f

EUROPEAN/BOSNIAN

SALA THAI 9114 Taylorsville Rd., (Stony Brook Shopping Center), 493-3944. Fine and fancy, Sala Thai offers Louisville an upscale Thai alternative, presenting ethnic fare in a stylish setting that places it among the best of the city’s growing cadre of Thai eateries. $$ p

BEHAR CAFÉ 5600 National Turnpike, 368-5658.

This shopping-center storefront has become a popular after-work gathering spot for the city’s growing community of immigrants from Bosnia, for whom it’s a comfortable place to get a drink, a sausage, and feel at home. $

THAI CAFÉ 2226 Holiday Manor, 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. $

DJULI 5312 S. Third St., 368-5199. Bosnian fare is the specialty in this tiny spot in the increasingly international culinary smorgasbord at Iroquois Manor shopping center. Bosnian immigrants appear to be the primary clientele, but everyone’s welcome to discover this hearty Yugoslavian cuisine. $

THAI KITCHEN 5203 Dixie Highway, 448-4710. The historic House of Chen, one of the city’s first and longest-lived Chinese restaurants, is no more, but you can still get its famous egg rolls and other Chinese specialties—and Thai goodies too—under new management that has brought the Dixie corridor its first local taste of Thai. $

NERMANA’S CUISINE 2250 Frankfort Ave., 721-8998.

One of the city’s more recent Bosnian arrivals has gained wide popularity for its fine fare and excellent service. This family operation in a small, cozy and inviting old frame house in Crescent Hill offers a recently expanded menu that provides a good sampling of hearty and warming Bosnian cuisine. $$ f e

THAI-SIAM 3002 Bardstown Rd., 458-6871. Thai food—a fiery-aromatic cuisine that perches somewhere between China and India on the world culinary spectrum—is worth getting to know. This Highlands spot is Louisville’s first and oldest Thai eatery. $$ THAI SMILE 4 1983 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 495-2022.

We now have more Thai restaurants in the metropolitan area than French, German and Greek put together, and that’s good news. Food quality, selection and service in an attractive atmosphere place Thai Smile 4 near the top of the Thai batting order. $ 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. $

ASIAN/VIETNAMESE ANNIE CAFÉ 308 W. Woodlawn, 363-4847. Annie Café ranks not just as one of my favorite 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. $ CAFÉ MIMOSA 1216 Bardstown Rd., 458-2233.

Dating back to the ‘80s as the city’s first serious restaurant in the French-Vietnamese tradition, its current management still offers a short selection of good Vietnamese food plus Chinese-American fare, as well as one of the city’s more interesting sushi bars. $ p LEMONGRASS CAFÉ 1019 Bardstown Rd., 238-3981.

Lemongrass Café offers an appealing blend of Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese fare in a simple setting on Bardstown Road’s Restaurant Row that transcends an obviously low budget with style and grace. $ LITTLE SAIGON 3598 Springhurst Blvd., 425-4351.

Louisville’s Vietnamese restaurant community, no longer limited to the ethnic South End, now boasts a modern, stylish outpost in the Eastern suburbs. Quality, authentic Vietnamese dishes at moderate prices burnish its allure. $ 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

PAPILLON GRILL & BAR 1616 Grinstead Dr., 562-0058.

This friendly little Eastern European spot is run by Bosnian immigrants who offer tasty fare and casual elegance in a serious effort to become the city’s first white-tablecloth example of fine Balkan cuisine. $$ p RUFAD’S KEBOB 1613 Bardstown Rd., 479-9796.

Arslan Redsepovic—a refugee and restaurateur from the former Yugoslavian countries BosniaHerzegovina and Montenegro—introduces us to the delights of Bosnia’s cuisine at a fair price. $ f 325 Old SARAJEVO CAFÉ & RESTAURANT Bardstown Rd., 456-1919. In the running for tiniest restaurant in town, this four-table spot is more beer bar than eatery, but the meat-based ethnicBosnian goodies like bureks (turnovers) and cevapi (beef sausages) are excellent. If you can get in when they’re grilling a whole baby lamb over coals, it’s an experience not to miss. $

EUROPEAN/ENGLISH SIR CHURCHILL’S ENGLISH PUB & EATERY 10317 Watterson Trail, 297-8600. This welcoming spot in Jeffersontown offers a thoroughly British feeling enhanced by “pub grub” and a tasty selection of beers and ales from the British Isles. It’s a mighty pleasant place to quaff a cool pint and enjoy a plate of fish and chips. $$ p f e

EUROPEAN/GERMAN ERIKA’S GERMAN RESTUARANT 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. $$ GASTHAUS 4812 Brownsboro Center, 899-7177. The Greipel family comes straight from Bavaria to Eastern Louisville with Gasthaus, a destination for local lovers of Germanic fare. The setting has as authentic a feeling as the hearty and delicious German dishes here. $$$

EUROPEAN/GREEK GREEK PARADISE CAFÉ 2113 Frankfort Ave., 8910003. Maria Bell, who brought her Greek restaurant from the Fort Knox area to

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Butchertown last year, has moved again. The latest edition of Greek Paradise Cafe, Grocery and Deli features imported cheeses, Greek coffee and a wide variety of fresh-made meals—some grilled on charcoal—to eat in or take out. $ p e NIK’S RESTAURANT 1915 Blankenbaker Pkwy., 2611450. Nik’s menu combined “Continental dining with a Mediterranean flair” and offers both standard American fare and Mediterranean specialties with a distinct Greek-American accent that reflects the owners’ heritage. $$ e

EUROPEAN/IRISH IRISH ROVER 2319 Frankfort Ave., 899-3544, 117 E. Main St, LaGrange, 222-2286. A warm and welcoming pub with an authentic Irish accent, this is a delightful place for a tall glass of Guinness, a snack and a bit of Irish music. I recommend the fish and chips. $ p f MOLLY MALONE’S 933 Baxter Ave., 473-1222. A carefully constructed replica of a modern urban Irish pub, Molly Malone’s is worthy addition to the city’s eating and drinking scene, as authentically Irish as the Wearin’ o’ the Green. $$ p f e O’SHEA’S TRADITIONAL IRISH PUB 956 Baxter Ave., 589-7373. A steady schedule of music, and an assortment of beers may be traditionally Irish, but the food here is mainstream American pub grub, from the cheesy fries to the Rueben sandwich.

Wait, the menu also includes fish and chips—but what about that Portabello mushroom sandwich?

Is that Celtic? Who cares? It’s a fine, comfortable pub with quick, friendly service. $$ p f e

EUROPEAN/ITALIAN ALLO SPIEDO 2309 Frankfort Ave., 895-4878. This little rosticceria and pizzeria features Italian delistyle cuisine, with spit-roasted goodies, wood-

A

holds true at Lentini’s. Gone is the odd shotgun marriage of Italian and Vietnamese dishes offered briefly here. Once again Lentini’s is all-Italian, all of the time, with old family recipes, authentically prepared and served with style in a classic Italianeatery setting, plus a first-rate Italian wine list with many selections available by the glass. $$ p

oven pizzas and lusty country sandwiches on foccacia or ciabatta bread. It’s an Italian landmark on busy Frankfort Avenue. $$ f BRICK OVEN ITALIAN EATERY 9910 Linn Station Rd., 425-4310. There’s nothing that tastes and smells as good as Northern Italian cuisine as it comes out of a brick oven. The cutting board is a blur with sandwiches, salads and appetizers and the wine is red and dry. $ BUCA DI BEPPO 2051 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 4932426. Buca di Beppo’s recipe has all the necessary ingredients: huge portions of excellent food served with flair and the Buca scene is fun, a conscious parody of the exuberant decor of family ItalianAmerican restaurants of the 1950s. $$ p CARRABBA’S ITALIAN GRILL 617 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 412-2218. Carrabba’s isn’t your ordinary suburban shopping-center franchise eatery. This place dramatically exceeds expectations. From warmed bread dishes with quality olive oil to first-rate ItalianAmerican fare at reasonable prices. $$ p f COME BACK INN 909 Swan St., 627-1777, 415 Spring St., Jeffersonville IN, 285-1777. With both its branches located in urban neighborhoods, Come Back Inn looks pretty much like any other neighborhood saloon. But unlike most Louisville neighborhood saloons, this one houses a family Italian spot that wouldn’t be out of place in Chicago or Brooklyn. $ p FERD GRISANTI 10212 Taylorsville Rd., 267-0050. An East End landmark for 30 years, Ferd Grisanti’s is as comfortable as a close friend’s home. Friendly and unpretentious hospitality, the quiet but not staid atmosphere, and the fine Italian food prompts the comment, “They do everything so well, and they make it look so easy.” $$$ p LENTINI’S 1543 Bardstown Rd., 459-3020. The more things change, the more they stay the same, and happily for hungry Louisvillians, this old saying

R E T U R N

LUCHESSI’S RAVIOLI & PASTA CO. 2225 Holiday Manor, 719-0060. This Holiday Manor storefront, an Italian deli with a small dining room in the back, is the first expansion here of a popular Memphis specialty-grocery chain, featuring ready-tomicrowave Italian-style fare. $ LUIGI’S 702 W. Main St., 589-0005. If you think one pizza is pretty much like another, you may not have sampled New York City-style pizza, a treat that you’ll find on just about every street corner there, but only Luigi’s offers in its authentic form in the Derby City. $ MARTINI ITALIAN BISTRO 4021 Summit Plaza Dr., 3949797. The American-accented Italian fare at this Ohio-based chain might be a little closer to Bayonne, New Jersey than Florence, but it’s good, featuring a short but diverse selection of hearty pastas, pizzas and Italian-style entrees. Martini’s quality has quickly built a loyal crowd of regulars. $$ p f MELILLO’S 829 E. Market St., 540-9975. Adjacent to the locally owned and operated Felice Vineyards on East Market, Melillo’s offers hearty and delicious home-style Italian-American fare—and you can enjoy it with a glass of vino. $ p f MEZZALUNA TUSCAN GRILL 1381 Bardstown Rd., 459-6300. Arty yet comfortable, Mezzaluna makes a culinary bow to the trendy cuisine of Northern Italy’s Tuscany. It boasts a cozy, upscale-neighborhood-eatery atmosphere. $$ p f OLD SPAGHETTI FACTORY 235 W. Market St., 5811070. One of the original ventures of a national firm that places its properties in renovated urban

T O

Traditional Regional Italian Cuisine

A Little Bit of Italy Here in Louisville

Open Since 1962

Extensive Italian Wine List

A Louisville tradition for over 40 years.

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1543 BARDSTOWN RD.

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buildings, this favorite lights up the historic Levy Brothers’ department store. Bright and noisy, it offers well-made if basic Italian family fare and dishes it out for surprisingly low prices. $$ p THE OLIVE GARDEN 1320 Hurstbourne Pkwy., 3397190. Olive Garden is best known for hearty pastas of all shapes and sauces for all tastes.

Combo platters, and tempting appetizers with extra garlic, and good service keep Olive Garden’s clientele growing. $$ p PESTO’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT 566 S. Fifth St., 584-0567. Offices for blocks around empty into this bustling Italian eatery during the week for bubbling platters of lasagna, zesty salads, red wine and iced tea. On Saturdays, the kitchen magically changes and a very special Persian menu is offered. $

salads, pastas, veal and desserts. Charismatic chefs entertain while creating wood-fried pizzas in the California style kitchen. $$ p SPAGHETTI SHOP 4657 Outer Loop, 969-5545, 2669 Charlestown Rd., New Albany, IN, 9445400. Baked pasta dishes, subs, salads and appetizers—prepared fresh and fast with all the spice, sauce and cheeses you desire. $ VOLARE 2300 Frankfort Ave., 894-4446. The regrets that attended the recent closing of Salsa South Beach are giving way to excitement as renovations are underway in this Crescent Hill spot. Watch for the August opening of Volare, as Benvenuto “Benny” Siddu brings to Louisville the upscale Italian concepts he built in Chicago with the Sinatra-evoking Volare and Cantare $$$ p f WILLIE’S ITALIAN 8533 Terry Rd., 933-1080. $

PORCINI 2730 Frankfort Ave., 894-8686. An expanded dining room and a stylish alfresco patio facing busy Frankfort Ave. make Porcini’s an even more popular destination, a place to see and be seen—and, while you’re at it, enjoy a drink and a decent Italian-American dinner. $$$ p RAY PARRELLA’S ITALIAN CUISINE 2311 Frankfort Ave., 899-5575. Old-fashioned Italian-American family fare is served up with a warm and casual welcome at Ray Parella’s, the latest venture of a family that’s been pleasing locals for a generation. $ f

INDIAN BOMBAY INTERNATIONAL MARKET 1591 Bardstown Rd., 473-2077. The familiar landmark building that used to house the Bonnycastle Pharmacy has turned into an ethnic convenience store. Its allyou-can-eat Indian buffet may be the cheapest lunch you’ll find in the neighborhood. $ f e

ROCKY’S ITALIAN GRILL 715 W. Riverside Dr., Jeffersonville IN, 282-3844. This longtime Southern Indiana favorite earns its popularity with fine pizzas, excellent bottled beer list and limited selection of Italian-American entrees, with a great view of the city from its riverside location. $ p f

INDIA PALACE 9424 Shelbyville Rd., 394-0490. This longtime local Indian restaurant, originally on Bardstown Road and now housed in this exoticlooking East End building that has housed a string of well-known eateries, is a contender for the city’s top Indian spot. The expansive lunch buffet is well handled and a particularly good value. $$ f

ROMANO’S MACARONI GRILL 401 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 423-9220. Antipasti to Pollame, Insalata to Pesce—the folks at this delightful and spacious restaurant, grill and deli take their Italian cuisine seriously. Menu includes authentic appetizers,

KASHMIR INDIAN RESTAURANT 1285 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. $$ f

MAHARAJA INDIAN RESTAURANT 2901 Brownsboro Rd., 721-7200. Back in the late 1980s, an upscale Indian restaurant featuring the cuisine of the Moghuls, India’s royalty, led a short life in this rather exotic looking building. It recently returned to its original roots, with stylish Indian fare prepared in an open kitchen by the same management as suburban Shalimar. $$ p SHALIMAR INDIAN RESTAURANT 1820 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 493-8899. Modern and sleek in appearance, modest in price, this Indian restaurant has become the patriarch of local Indian restaurants. With a substantial lunch buffet and a full range of Indian dinner items, it has built a loyal clientele. $ p TAJ INDIA Linn Station Rd., 412-5579. Formerly Annapurna’s, this popular Plainview Indian eatery is now for omnivores, with many of the familiar vegetarian dishes still on the menu but offering a broader range that includes standard Indian meat, poultry and seafood dishes, too. $

INTERNATIONAL ABYSSINIA 3220 Frankfort Ave., 897-1706. Abyssinia is Louisville’s first and only Ethiopian restaurant, staffed by friendly Ethiopian servers and chefs and serving up a reasonably authentic version of this spicy East African cuisine. Eat with your fingers as the Ethiopians do, and enjoy! $$ p f e BAHAMA BREEZE 104 Oxmoor Court, 423-9040. It’s a long way from Oxmoor Center to the Florida Keys, but this chain-operated eatery does a good job of bridging the gap, offering a happy beachjoint experience without the ocean view. Bahama Breeze is stylish and upscale, with a good selection of island fare and a great bar. $$ p f e CAFÉ KILIMANJARO 649 S. Fourth St., 583-4332.

Café Kilimanjaro showcases Black-heritage

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Gyro (Greek Cuisine)

Grilled Salmon (International Cuisine)

Manoosh Khosrowshahi, Owner Lunch Served: Monday – Friday, 10:30am – 3pm Dinner Served: Thursday, 5pm – 9pm Friday & Saturday, 5pm – 10:30pm 558 W. Fifth Street • Louisville, KY (502) 584-0004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 77

cuisine, offering well-prepared treats from Africa, the Caribbean and Black America ranging from fiery Ethiopian wots (meat barbecue) to spicy Jamaican jerk cuisine to the comforting soul food of the American South. $ p f

Greek, Mexican and American dishes, plus Iranian goodies from his native Azerbaijan. $ f

CHEZ SENEBA AFRICAN RESTAURANT 1215 Gilmore Ln., 968-8659. Add yet another interesting ethnic cuisine to Louisville’s increasingly international dining scene. Friendly folks serve generous portions of filling, spicy Senegalese cuisine from West Africa in this tiny (three-table) free-standing building at Gilmore and Preston Highway. $

A LA FIESTA BAR & GRILL 914 Eastern Blvd.

Clarksville, IN. 284-2300. If you enjoy exploring the world’s cuisines and discovering new food experiences as much as I do, you’ll want to head for A la Fiesta, where you can enjoy dishes from just about every Latin culture from Acapulco to Tierra del Fuego. $ p f e

EDNA’S GOOD STUFF 9810 Taylorsville Rd., 2677500. Add another Asian cuisine to the increasingly diverse selection available in Louisville. Edna’s is good Filipino stuff, filling rice-and-noodle fare that blends influences of Spain, China and the Americas in a cuisine that’s very easy to like. Popular dishes include lumpia (Filipino egg roll) and pancit (a delicious noodle stir-fry). $$ GAVI’S RESTAURANT 222 S. Seventh St., 583-8183.

This family-owned eatery has been around for more than 20 years. Standard casual American cuisine adds a few Russian-style specialties such as homemade borsht and potato soups and beef Stroganoff. Daily lunch specials include lots of fresh vegetable dishes. $ LA BODEGA Recently opened as a next-door adjunct to the excellent De La Torre’s Spanish restaurant, La Bodega offers diners the city’s most authentic Spanish-style tapas bar, featuring the small bites originally invented in the outdoor cafés of Jerez to provide an edible lid for your glass of Sherry. $$ p f MANOOSH’S 558 S. Fifth St., 584-0004. At lunch time, Manoosh’s is an above average downtown eatery, featuring sandwiches and casual American-style deli fare. Come back for dinner, though, and you’ll find owner-chef Manoosh Khosrowshahi turning out an exotic mix of Italian,

LATIN AMERICAN/MEXICAN

BAJA FRESH MEXICAN GRILL 1255 Bardstown Rd., 657-6000. A “concept” of the Wendy’s corporation, franchised in Louisville by former U of L hoops star Junior Bridgeman, Baja Fresh is creating a real buzz since its glittery new fastfood operation opened on Bardstown. I give it high-fives for variety, including Baja-style tacos, and “lifestyle” choices including low-fat items and several “high protein” selections for Atkins dieters. $ f BAZO’S FRESH MEXICAN GRILL 323 Wallace Ave., 899-9600. Bazo’s Fresh Mexican Grill (formerly Baja Grill) is an inexpensive, casual spot where you’ll find the best fish tacos this side of San Diego as the highlight of its simple fast-food Mexican fare. $ f DON PABLOS MEXICAN KITCHEN 615 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 425-8780, 940 E. IN 131, Clarksville, IN, 284-1071. Authentic Mexican entrees and appetizers, and a full bar with blenders buzzing. Sizzling fajitas with portabello mushroom, beef or chicken, and crisp salads tossed in a fajita shell create a unique garden on the table. Whatever you’re hungry for, they’ve got the whole enchilada. $$ p EL CAPORAL 7319 Preston Hwy., 969-9693, 2209 Meadow Dr., 473-7840, 1901 Blankenbaker Pkwy., 515 E. Highway 131, Clarksville, IN, 282-7174.

Daily Fiesta SUNDAY FREE Nacho Appetizer with purchase of Two Entrees MONDAY MADNESS Steak & Cheese Dip Burrito TUESDAY Kids Eat FREE! (10 and under, Kids Menu) WEDNESDAY Special Fajita Night THURSDAY 2 for 1 Margarita Day

78 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

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. $ p 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’s Frontera Grill in Chicago, but the fare mines a similar vein and does so nearly as well. $ p f EL NOPAL 9473 Westport Rd., 327-6551, 11336 Preston Hwy., 961-9851, 10500 Watterson Tr., 2665956. Associated with the same family that runs the smaller El Nopalito, (or “the little cactus”), El Nopal (“the cactus”) offers similar delicious, authentic and inexpensive Mexican fare in somewhat larger and more comfortable surroundings. $ p f EL NOPALITO 4028 Taylorsville Rd., 458-7278, 6300 Bardstown Rd., 231-4249, 2319 Brownsboro Rd., 893-9880. This modest little eatery used to be a Taco Bell, but you’ll never find comidas like this at the Bell! Run by a family from Mexico, it’s truly authentic and delicious. $ p f EL PARAISO 6201 Preston Hwy., 968-4873. On weekend nights, it’s one of the hottest Latino spots in town, attracting Louisville’s Hispanic community (and Anglos, too) for music and dancing. It’s less frenzied by day, but if you like excellent Mexican food and don’t mind a bargain, it’s well worth making the trip. $ p EL REY MEXICAN RESTAURANT 2918 Hikes Ln., 454-6520. Although it’s more Mexican-American than hard-core ethnic Mexican, El Rey earns my recommendation for tasty fare, cordial service in a pleasant fast-Mexican-food environment, and affordable prices. $ f

HOURS: Sunday–Thursday 11am - 10pm Friday & Saturday 11am - 10:30pm

4430 Dixie Highway

448-5678

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. $$ EL TARASCO 5425 New Cut Rd., 368-5628, 110 Fairfax Ave., 895-8010. 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. $ p e ERNESTO’S 10602 Shelbyville Rd., 244-8889, 6201 Dutchmans Ln., 893-9297, 7707 Preston Hwy., 962-5380, 700 Riverside Dr., Clarksville, IN, 2800032. 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 in an enjoyable atmosphere. $ p f e HAVANA RUMBA 4115 Oechsli Ave. Cuban fare with a Latin beat is coming soon to St. Matthews, as restaurateurs Fernando and Christina Martinez plan the summer opening of Havana Rumba in the storefront quarters that previously housed the Bosnian bakery-cafe Fat Bread. Fernando, a Cuban refugee, received his training from the Havana International School of Tourism. Since his arrival in Louisville, he has gained a loyal following for his offerings at privately catered affairs. Truly authentic with great range—country to fine dining Cuban—Havana Rumba should be a hit. $ p

LOS AZTECAS 530 W. Main St., 561-8535, 1107 Herr Ln., 426-3994, 9606 Taylorsville Rd., 297-8003, 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. $ p LOS INDIOS RESTAURANTE MEXICANO 2743 Charlestown Rd., New Albany, IN, 941-9770, 730 Highlander Point Dr., Floyds Knobs, IN, 923-2929.

“Why have Tex-Mex when you can have MexMex?” is asked in fun on the servers’ T-shirts. This eatery is well worth the trip to Southern Indiana for high-quality Mexican dishes. $ p MAMA ROSA 4157 Bardstown Rd., 671-7025, 3061 Breckenridge Ln., 485-1811. Located in a shoppingcenter building that formerly housed another fastfood restaurant, Mama Rosa offers Mexican standards and a few more exotic Peruvian dishes. $ p f MAMBO CUBAN CUISINE 5309 Mitscher Ave., 3631160. Authentic island fare and very friendly service (plus live music many evenings) make this goodsize, stylish South End room the city’s place to go when you’re in the mood for Cuban cuisine. $$ p e MAYAN GYPSY 624 E. Market St., 583-3300. It may have evolved from a mobile taco van, but Bruce Ucán’s high-style Yucatan and tropical Mexican cooking shows his creative genius in the kitchen: subtle and complex, sometimes spicy but never fiery, it is fully competitive in quality with the city’s best restaurants. $$$ f

JALAPEÑO’S 4430 Dixie Hwy., 448-5678.

Jalapeño’s (Louisville’s first outpost of a Lexington-based mini-chain) is owned and operated by folks of Mexican heritage, but its fare and its flair make it comfortable for wary “gringos” in search of a mellow Margarita and mild, familiar Mexican food. $$ p e

MEXICO TIPICO RESTAURANT 6517 Dixie Hwy., 933-9523. It’s a bit of a trip out to Pleasure Ridge Park for those who don’t live nearby, but this little neighborhood restaurant, one of the city’s longerestablished Mexican spots, offers good and authentic dishes. $ p e

JICAMA GRILL 1538 Bardstown Rd., 454-4383.

Popular, youngish chef Anthony Lamas shares the culinary fruits of his Puerto Rican and Mexican heritage with delighted diners in this perennially trendy Nuevo Latino spot, specializing in South American goodies but ranging northward to a taste of Cuba and a hint of Mexico. $$$ p f

MOE’S SOUTHWEST GRILL 2001 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 491-1800, 1001 Breckinridge Ln., 893-6637.

“Welcome to Moe’s!” rings the merry shout of staff whenever anyone walks in the door. 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. $

KY TACO 6911 Shepherdsville Rd., 962-8526.

Traditional Mexican fare from the Ramirez family. $ 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 fastfoodish, it pleasantly suprises with genuine Mexican fare and Latino flair. $ LA HERRADURA 615 Eastern Blvd., Clarksville, IN., 280-8650. Is it possible to enjoy truly authentic tacqueria cuisine when the management speaks mostly Spanish and you speak only English? These friendly folks make it simple: a handy bi-lingual menu and a smiling staff make you feel at home.$ LA MARIMBA 5412 Del Maria Way, 493-0201. $ LA TAPATIA RESTAURANT 8106 Preston Hwy., 9619153. One of the most authentic ethnic Mexican restaurants in Louisville, this little storefront offers memorable tacos and burritos and more. You might run into a slight language barrier, but don’t be shy—Anglos are welcome here, and the staff is used to working through language differences. $ p 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. $ f

“The Best Mexican Food & Margaritas in Louisville” Monday-Thursday 11am-10pm Friday 11am-11pm Saturday Noon-11pm Sunday Noon-9pm

CLUB SALSA Friday & Saturday 10:30pm-4am 530 W. Main St. – 2nd Floor Los Aztecas Mexican Restaurant 502.561.8535

OLMECAS 1582 Bardstown Rd., 454-0180. MexicanAmerican entrepreneur Saul Garcia, having built a loyal following for his family’s excellent mini-chain of Los Aztecas restaurants, now moves upscale.

Olmecas offers an attractive blend of style and fine Mexican Gulf Coast gourmet fare that includes, but goes well beyond, the usual tacos and burritos. $$ p f ON THE BORDER 10601 Fischer Park Dr., 412-2461.

From the folks who brought you Chili’s and the Macaroni Grill, this contemporary spin on traditional favorites is the spice of life, from the Ultimate Fajita to their popular margaritas. Old Mexico décor with a flash of neon compliments the spacious dining area. $$ p f QDOBA MEXICAN GRILL 1500 Bardstown Rd., 4543380, 970 Breckinridge Ln., 721-8100, 4059 Summit Plaza Drive, 429-5151, 100 Daventry Ln., 412-6202, 4302 Charlestown Rd., New Albany IN, 941-9654. This chain operation boasts five local outlets plus more in Lexington and Frankfort. Fastfoodish in style, Qdoba edges out its competitors on the basis of variety and interesting salsas, plus sizable portions at a price you can afford. $ f RINCON LATINO 2840 Goose Creek Rd., 425-4548.

Truly authentic and ridiculously inexpensive fare attracts a largely Spanish-speaking clientele. This little spot offers one of the East End’s most appetizing Mexican options. $

LOS AZTECAS M E X I C A N R ESTAU R A N T www.losaztecasinc.com 4 LOUISVILLE LOCATIONS:

530 W. Main St.

502.561.8535

9207 U.S. Hwy. 42

502.228.2450

9606 Taylorsville Rd.

502.297.8003

1107 Herr Ln.

502.426.3994

www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 79

ROSTICERIA LUNA 5213B Preston Hwy., 962-8898.

Tiny and cluttered and very friendly, this little spot on Preston looks like another tacqueria (and the tacos, in fact, are very fine), but the specialty, Mexican-style roasted chicken, takes it to another level, juicy and succulent and roasted golden brown. Chicken simply doesn’t get any better than this. $ 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. $ TACQUERIA LA MEXICANA 6201 Preston Hwy., 969-4449. The tacos are fine at this tiny storefront, next door to a Latino grocery store.

This is seriously ethnic stuff, but Anglos are thoroughly welcome, the staff is bilingual, and they will happily provide a menu with all the English translations written in. $ TUMBLEWEED SOUTHWEST GRILL (19 locations).

Tumbleweed, which started as a humble Mexican restaurant in New Albany, eventually came to dominate Louisville’s Tex-Mex niche with colossal margaritas, gigantic burritos and spicy chili con queso. But what started as a sideline, mesquite grilled steaks, chops, and chicken, has become the main draw. These days, diners are more likely to dig into a perfectly grilled steak and baked potato as into a burrito. With its new Southwest focus, large and varied menu and added wine list, “The Weed” still has diners returning in droves. $$ p

MIDDLE EASTERN BABYLON 1971 Brownsboro Rd., 899-9100. With excellent if simple authentic Iraqi fare at rockbottom prices and an attitude that says “Welcome, we’re glad you’re here!”, Babylon offers a powerful

reason to head straight for the East End and a meal at this charming little place. $ f CASPIAN GRILLE 4218 Bishop Ln., 479-6222.

Louisville boasts three Persian (Iranian) restaurants, a surprising number for a city our size. Caspian Grille is a worthy entry, with a good variety of affordable dishes that comprise a tasty sampling of Persian delicacies, including a variety of skewered kabob dishes and the rich Persian stew called Khoresht. $ f GRAPE LEAF 2217 Frankfort Ave., 897-1774. Yet another Middle Eastern eatery, yet another good inexpensive source of food on Frankfort Avenue. $ f OMAR’S GYRO 969 Baxter Ave., 454-4888. No matter whether you pronounce it “Ghee-ro” or “Gyro,” you won’t be disappointed with the classic Greek sandwich served at Omar’s Gyro, a tiny Highlands shop with a simple, short and inexpensive bill of fare that seldom fails to please. $ f SAFFRON’S 131 W. Market St., 584-7800. Majid Ghavami, a veteran of Casa Grisanti and Vincenzo’s, has elevated this Persian (Iranian) restaurant far beyond a mere ethnic eatery. It transcends its location, a small urban-renewal building, with stylish decor, an intriguingly exotic menu, and a level of careful, professional service worthy of a white-tablecloth dining room. $$$ p

ENTERTAINMENT DINING BUFFALO CROSSING 1140 Bagdad Rd., Shelbyville, KY, (502) 647-0377. If you’d like to combine a day trip with a culinary adventure, consider a drive to Buffalo Crossing in Shelby County. This agricultural amusement park features a 500-head buffalo herd and an oversize dining room where you can give this healthy red meat a try. The food here is country-style and so are the friendly servers. $$ f

DERBY DINNER PLAYHOUSE 525 Marriott Dr., Clarksville, IN, 288-8281. The play’s the thing at Derby Dinner Playhouse, Louisville’s long-running entry in the dinner-theater sweepstakes ... but the expansive buffet dinner adds value to the mix. $$$$ e JOE HUBER FAMILY FARM & RESTAURANT 2421 Scottsville Rd., Starlight IN, 923-5255. A pleasant 20-minute drive from downtown Louisville, Huber’s has built a solid reputation for simple farm fare that’s well-made, fresh and good. Some of the produce is grown on the premises in season. $$ p f e 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. All aboard! $$$$ p STAR OF LOUISVILLE 151 W. Riverside Rd., Jeffersonville, IN, 589-7827. The Ohio River cruise is the best thing about this Love Boat-style yacht that makes nightly all-you-can-eat cruises up the river. $$$$ p f e

MICROBREWERIES BLUEGRASS BREWING COMPANY 3929 Shelbyville Rd., 899-7070, 636 E. Main St., 584-2739. A muststop destination for beer lovers on the national artisanal-brew trail, but it’s more than just a brewpub. BBC’s management gives equally serious attention to both liquid and solid fare, making this a great place to stop in for both dinner and a beer. $ p f e BROWNING’S BREWERY 401 E. Main St., (Slugger Field), 515-0174. Making beautiful use of the historic red-brick building that houses Slugger

Lunch: Monday - Friday 11:30-2:30 Dinner: Tuesday - Friday 5:30-9:30

Saturday 12:00-9:30

Located at 2nd & Market

131 West Market Street Louisville, KY 40202

(502) 584-7800

“One visit here and you’ll be singing Donovan for days: ‘I’m just mad about Saffron...’”

LEO, April 2001

80 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

Field, Browning’s offers first-rate brewpub beers and tasty, informal fare that ranges from pub grub to pastas, to pizza. $$ p f e 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 hand-crafted artisan beers. $ f e RICH O’S PUBLIC HOUSE 3312 Plaza Dr., New Albany IN, 949-2804. Decent barbecue and pub grub make Rich O’s a popular hangout, and his remarkable beer list of more than 100 selections from around the world—and now locally brewed craft beers—attracts beer lovers from all over. $ e

COFFEE HOUSE ATOMIC SAUCER 1000 E. Oak St., 637-5399. $ BEAN STREET CAFÉ 2736 Charlestown Rd., New Albany, IN, 944-6262. New Albany’s first gourmet coffee shop, Bean Street, introduced the Sunny Side to the joys of serious espresso. Like all good coffee shops, it’s not just an eatery, but a cultural hangout with an IUS flavor. $ f CAFFE CLASSICO 2144 Frankfort Ave., 894-9689.

Not just another funky neighborhood coffee shop, Caffe Classico is sleek, modern and very European in style. It may serve espresso drinks, teas and pastries, but it differs dramatically in mood and personality from many of its competitors. $ f CLEO’S COFFEE AND MORE Caesars Indiana Casino, Elizabeth, IN, 888-766-2648. Open 24 hours a day, the Pavillion area coffeeshop serves up hot and fresh java, breakfast orders, cutting board sandwiches, pastries and a popular hamburger that’s big enough to break the bank. $ COFFEE BEANERY 7900 Shelbyville Rd., (Oxmoor Center), 339-0738. $ COFFEE POT CAFÉ 234 E. Gray St. (Medical Tower South), 584-5282 $ f DAY’S ESPRESSO AND COFFEE BAR 1420 Bardstown Rd., 456-1170, 720 W. Main St., 5844932. Dark and cozy, with an old-fashioned feeling, Day’s Bardstown branch has everything you would expect in a college-neighborhood coffee shop except a college near by. You’re welcome to bring in pastries from Sweet Surrender next door. $ f EXPRESSIONS OF YOU 1800A W. Muhammad Ali, 584-6886. $ f e HEINE BROTHERS COFFEE 2714 Frankfort Ave., 8995551, 1295 Longest Ave., 456-5108, 2200 Bardstown Rd., 515-0380, 118 Chenoweth Ln., 893-5103.

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. $ f e HIGHLAND COFFEE CO. 1140 Bardstown Rd., 4514545, 627 S. Fourth St., 540-9909. Offering two ways to get wired, this cozy neighborhood coffee shop also functions as one of Louisville’s top Internet cafes, where you can enjoy a hot cappuccino while you surf the ‘net in a WiFi hot spot. Funky Seattlestyle ambience is a plus. $ f HIGHLAND WILDFLOWER & JAVA 1559 Bardstown Rd., 451-0553. In the heart of the Highlands, this storefront cafe enjoys a good buzz in the community, and we don’t just mean a caffeine buzz. It boasts a high-tech Segafreddo coffeeroasting machine. $

neighborhood spot boasts the comfortable ambience of a friendly old-fashioned book shop, with comfortable seating, a good selection of pastries, and quality coffee from Seattle. $ JOE MUGGS 994 Breckenridge Ln., (Books-a-Million), 894-8606, 4300 Towne Center Dr., 426-2252. $ f PERKFECTION 359 Spring St., Jeffersonville, IN, 2180611. $ e STARBUCKS COFFEE (11 locations) $ f

DESSERTS/BAKERY THE BAKERY 3100 Bardstown Rd., 452-1210. Not just a fine bakery but a place where bakers learn their business, this excellent establishment—like the nearby Winston’s—is part of the culinary program at Sullivan University. A recent renovation adds a touch of European style. The deli option is no more, but you can’t 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. $ DESSERTS BY HELEN 2210 Bardstown Rd., 451-7151, 9209 US Hwy. 42, 228-8959. Helen has enjoyed a local clientele in Prospect for years. Since her sweet addition to the Highlands community, the most elegant cakes, tempting pies and tortes and a kaleidoscope of designer cookies can be found at both ends of the county. $ 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 ordering dinner rolls. Made fresh daily, the pies, cakes, cookies and specialty pastries provide tasty nostalgia for all who visit. $ KOLACHE FACTORY 2915 S. Hurstbourne Parkway, 491-1161. What in the heck is a kolache? Pronounced “Koh-lah-chee” and originally brought to the state of Nebraska by immigrants from Czechoslovakia, it’s a tasty pastry pocket of slightly sweet yeast dough stuffed with just about any sweet or savory filling you can imagine (from fruit to eggs to meat), then baked golden brown. $ MY FAVORITE MUFFIN 3934 Taylorsville Rd., 4850518, 9800 Shelbyville Rd., 426-9645. All the muffins are made right in the store. Big hits are the Cinnamon Crumb and the Turtle Muffin, a double chocolate with caramel and pecans. $ 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 hand-decorated birthday cake, breakfast rolls or colorful cookies to be boxed. $ RAINBOW BLOSSOM BAKERY 311 Wallace Ave., 8973648. Organic and vegan pastries, rolls, breads and cookies, all in the tradition of freshness, and healthiness. $ SWEET SURRENDER 1416 Bardstown Rd., 458-6363.

Amazingly good desserts and pastries are available at this pastry shop. Debbie RichterKeller, featured in Southern Living magazine among other local and regional publications, has a way with Belgian chocolate that every sweet tooth should experience. $

JAVA BREWING COMPANY 2910 Frankfort Ave., 893-6996, 9561B US Hwy 42, 292-2710, 516 W. Main St., 568-6339. Another of Louisville’s many atmospheric coffee houses, this casual www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 81

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Come out to any of our three convenient locations and experience one of Louisvilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest dining traditions with our relaxing atmosphere, delectable foods and incredible list of fine wines.

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www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 83

MAP INDEX

71

MAP • 1 DOWNTOWN > DOWNTOWN 84 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

MAP • 2 NEAR EAST > HIGHLANDS/CRESCENT HILL www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 85

MAP • 3 EAST > ST. MATTHEWS 86 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

MAP • 4 SOUTH EAST > HIKES POINT/BUECHEL www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 87

MAP • 5 EAST > HURSTBOURNE N./LYNDON 88 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 89

SOUTH EAST > HURSTBOURNE S./JEFFERSONTOWN

MAP • 6

90 Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

MAP

7 > NORTH EAST > RIVER RD./BROWNSBORO RD. MAP

8 > NORTH EAST > WESTPORT ROAD

MAPS • 7 • 8

www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004 91

MAP MAP

19 > FAR EAST > MIDDLETOWN 10 > NORTH EAST > PROSPECT

MAP

11 > SOUTH EAST > FERN CREEK

MAPS • 9 • 10 • 11

MAP • 12 SOUTH > AIRPORT/OKALONA 92

Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004

93

SOUTH WEST > SHIVELY/PLEASURE RIDGE PARK

MAP • 13

MAP • 14 INDIANA > NEW ALBANY/FLOYDS KNOBS 94

Summer 2004 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com

MAPS • 15 • 16 Dinner Thursday-Friday-Saturday 4 PM - 9 PM

15 > INDIANA > CLARKSVILLE

Thursday Night Salsa Classes 9:30 PM - 3 AM Friday - Saturday Dancing 9:30 PM - 3 AM Party Rooms Available!

www.AlaFiesta.us &

+

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+*+(

'

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& +

16 > INDIANA > JEFFERSONVILLE

MAP

Visa * MC * AE * Discover

MAP

+& '

www.foodanddiningmagazine.com Summer 2004

95

PATIO DINING AVAILABLE FULL-SERVICE BAR LIVE MUSIC Wednesday – Saturday

DAILY LUNCH ESPECIALS

CATERING AVAILABLE

DINE IN ONLY MONDAY Speedy Gonzalez. . . . . . . . . . 3.99 Beef enchilada, beef taco, with mexican rice or refried beans.

Chicken Taquitos . . . . . . . . . 4.75 Laredo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.85 Bean burrito covered with cheese dip sauce, served with mexican rice and beans.

Nachos Supremos. . . . . . . . . 5.25

TUESDAY Numero Dos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99 Beef burrito, mexican rice and refried beans.

Order of Tacos . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.15 Chicken or Beef (Three) Matamoros. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.15 Giant flour tortilla taco shell stuffed with seasoned chicken, lettuce, anejo cheese and sour cream, served with mexican rice and refried beans.

Juarez. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.85 Crispy corn tortilla, refried beans, chicken, lettuce, anejo cheese and mexican cream. Served with rice.

WEDNESDAY Numero Tres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99 Cheese enchilada, bean burrito, and mexican rice.

Tijuana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99 Two beef enchiladas served with rice or beans.

El Paso . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.65 Two giant chicken flautas topped with lettuce, cheese and mexican cream.

Served with rice.

Piedras Negras. . . . . . . . . . . . 4.85 Mashed potato burrito covered with cheese and delicious onion/tomato sauce, served with rice and beans.

THURSDAY Numero Uno . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.99 Taco, chile relleno, guacamole salad and beans.

Eagle Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.29 One beef burrito and One beef taco.

Calexico. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.05 Chicken mini chimichanga topped with cheese dip sauce, served with lettuce, sour cream and mexican rice.

Myquesadilla. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.75 Large flour tortilla quesadilla-style stuffed with cheese and chicken served with lettuce, sour cream, cheese and pico de gall.

FRIDAY Crazy Taco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.25 Burrito Supremo. . . . . . . . . . 4.50 Beef burrito enchilada style with sour cream, lettuce, cheese and tomato.

Rio Grande . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.10 Chile poblano relleno with chihuahua cheese served with mexican rice and refried beans.

Reynosa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.99 Two chicken enchiladas served with lettuce, sour cream, cheese, and mexican rice.

PARTY ROOM AVAILABLE at our Dutchmans Lane location only Call 261-8232 for information.

mexican buffet at our Preston Hwy. location only MONDAY - SUNDAY 11:00am - 2:00pm Look for our discount coupons in Valpak®.

FOUR LOUISVILLE AREA LOCATIONS:

7707 Preston Hwy. MONDAY - SUNDAY

11:00am - 10:30pm

962-5380 10602 Shelbyville Rd. MONDAY - SUNDAY

11:00am - 10:30pm

244-8889 6201 Dutchmans Ln. MONDAY - SUNDAY

11:00am - 10:30pm

893-9297 700 W. Riverside Dr. Ste. B (Jeffersonville, IN) MONDAY - SUNDAY

11:00am - 10:30pm

280-0032

Z’s steaks are selected from Prime mid-western aged beef, hand-cut to order and cooked the way you like it.

Z’s seafood is purchased directly from “day boat fisherman,” prepared simply and cooked to perfection. Don’t call prior to 4:00 p.m. about seafood specials for the evening… Chef is still at the airport… we just don’t know, yet!

Z’s oyster lovers can select from both East and West Coast oysters!

Monday – Friday

11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Dinner

Monday – Thursday Friday – Saturday Sunday

5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

5:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.

5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Louisville’s ★The Courier-Journal ★★★&◆◆◆◆ Restaurant Opened in October 2000, Z’s Oyster Bar & Steakhouse is independently owned and operated.

HARDROCK.COM

Lunch

101 Whittington Parkway Louisville, KY 40222 Telephone (502) 429-8000 Facsimile (502) 339-0335 www.zsoysterbar.com Anti-established in 1971 in London, Hard Rock Cafe has been serving up great tunes and even better tasting food for millions of rockers around the world. And we don’t intend to stop anytime soon.

LOUISVILLE

LOCATED AT 4TH STREET LIVE

PHONE: 502-568-2202

l

424 SOUTH 4TH ST.

SU B D S E C

FR

EE

TA R IL I S P IN T SID IO E N

*

SUMMER 2004

Ballpark Fare Listings and maps to 900 restaraunts

From Cracker Jack to crème brûlée, stadium cuisine goes major league

6 Sweet Successes Profiles of restaurant couples who live, love and labor together

PLUS over restaurant

700

REVIEWS inside!

The Clean Cop Grading a restaurant for cleanliness is as easy as A, B or C

Recipes Jack Fry’s signature shrimp, grits and red-eye gravy Plus 4 other grits hits!

$4.99 U.S. 4 2>

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