top 5 Dining: Woman-owned restaurants

Cuisine 72 top 5: Woman-Owned Restaurants

top 5 Dining

BY DAWN ANDERSON • PHOTOS BY DANNY ALEXANDER Woman- OWNED Restaurants 74 TOPS LOUISVILLE | March 2022TOPS LOUISVILLE | March 2022

Celebrate Women’s History Month by supporting restaurateurs making some local history of their own! The women owners featured here represent various cultures and flavor profiles, including Mexican, Spanish, Italian, Vietnamese, vegetable-centric, and more. Gather your best girlfriends and put some Ladies’ Nights in your calendars. We know just the places!

Agave & Rye®

Recently named a 2021 Women Who Mean Business honoree by Cincinnati Business Courier, Agave & Rye® Co-Founder/CEO Yavonne Sarber is not one to rest on her laurels. “The recognition means a lot and is an opportunity to show what we’ve got. Success breeds more opportunities which are so important for women and minorities.” Sarber brought her fine-dining background, passion for interior design, and business savvy to propel her restaurants into an exciting growth pattern. The Agave & Rye® Tequila & Bourbon Hall concept has expanded to ten locations, including Louisville and New Albany, with over 900 employees. She takes pride in the individual artistry of each space and believes the people truly set Agave & Rye apart. “We are a family, not just team members. There are no managers, only leaders.” According to Sarber, their food is different from other taco & tequila concepts. “As food trends have changed and diners have become savvier, we take the fine-dining approach and put it in the vessel of a taco, which is approachable and affordable. We are a 100% scratch kitchen with a small freezer just large enough to hold some ice cream. We fresh-squeeze limes every day for margaritas.” A current craze and personal favorite of Sarber is Birria Grilled Street Tacos: consommé-dipped flour or corn tortillas filled with slow-braised beef, guajillo chiles, Oaxaca cheese, cilantro, and onions. Agave & Rye features 20 varieties of their famous double-shelled tacos. Sarber recommends The Rooster, inspired by Nashville Hot Chicken, and a side of HouseMade Sea Salt Tater Tots served with Alabama White BBQ Sauce. Her husband’s pick is The Alderman with carne asada steak, street corn salad, cotija cheese, and spicy Chile de Árbol salsa. For dessert, The Salty Pimp Epic Tacos are a chocolate and caramel lover’s dream. Agave & Rye®’s patio season begins mid-month with an outdoor bar and 130 seats in Louisville and a rooftop bar and 50 seats in New Albany. Sarber’s S.O.B. (aka Son of a Butcher) Steakhouse opening in Cincinnati will eventually expand to Louisville. For more information, visit agaveandrye.com. Follow @agaveandrye on Instagram and @agaveandryelouisville on Facebook for the latest updates.

Barcelona Bistro Bar

(pictured left) Alba Clementson, Chef/Founder/Owner of Barcelona Bistro Bar in Jeffersontown, learned to cook as a child from her mother. Magda recently visited Louisville from Barcelona, Spain, and mother and daughter reunited in the kitchen at long last! Clementson’s second home was the beautiful island of Menorca in the Mediterranean Sea, where she waited on the harbor for fresh fish straight off the fishermen’s boats. Barcelona Bistro Bar’s cuisine is a magical blend of family recipes like her grandmother’s Lasagna Bolognese and show-stopping Paella de Mar y Montaña (aka Sea & Mountain or Surf & Turf Paella), along with fresh ingredients, tapas, and sangrias. The art and architecture of beautiful Barcelona inspired the design and decor of the restaurant, and Clementson sets the tone for customer service as a charming host. Her passion is providing guests with laughter, happiness, and an escape from everyday life. That passion translates to the plates. She makes some tempting recommendations whether you’re in the mood to share small plates or dig into hearty entrées. Diced Grilled Sirloin sparkles with Mediterranean herbs atop Patatas a lo Pobre. Ribs are seasoned and cooked in a Basque-country 1920s era Kalamotxo cocktail of red wine and Coca-Cola. The ribs come with roasted potatoes, onion, cream, and cheese. Garbanzos with Chorizo is a traditional Spanish stew with pork ribs, pancetta, chorizo, chickpeas, onion, carrots, garlic, cloves, tomatoes, and cabbage. For Lamb with Chimichurri, three tender grilled lamb cutlets are served with chimichurri sauce, mashed potatoes, and caramelized apples. The Yellowfin Tuna Steak is grilled tataki on a bed of mashed potatoes covered with Mediterranean sauce and ponzu, sprouts, and fresh mango. Try a glass of cava “Catalan champagne” and indulgent Spanish-style churros with Chocolate a la Taza to end the meal. Visit barcelonabistrobar.com and follow updates @Barcelona_Bistro_Bar on Facebook and Instagram.

Ciao Ristorante

Armed with Calabrian family recipes and inspired by her father’s dedication and homestyle cooking, Bridgette Pizzonia builds on the success of Ciao Ristorante in Louisville’s Irish Hill neighborhood. “My father raised us and cooked for us every night. No one out there cooked like him.” Pizzonia grew up in The Bronx in NYC, where her father was a builder and set designer for Broadway shows. She opened Ciao with her brother Fred in November 2016. “We use fresh ingredients, local vendors, and make as much from scratch as possible,” says Pizzonia. “Our bread dough, sausage, and marinara are all made in-house.” She walked us through the menu, with its “concentration on Classic Italian and Mediterranean style cuisine,” to spotlight some of the most popular dishes. To start the meal, try the “Chef’s Whim” Savory Monkey Bread made with pizza dough and other ingredients that change daily. The Ciao Caesar salad has Kentucky Bibb lettuce from a local grower. From the Classico section of the menu, the Baked Lasagna with traditional ingredients and crumbled hard-boiled egg was a Pizzonia family Christmas tradition. Freddie P’s family recipe Spaghetti & Meatballs are “Large Enough to Fill You Up” with 10-oz meatballs, House Marinara, and parmesan. Pizzonia’s House Pasta pick is Gnocchi alla Vodka with house-recipe Italian sausage, vodka sauce, handmade potato gnocchi, Ricotta Salata, and house-made basil pesto. The 12’ or 20” Scampi House Pizza has shrimp, pesto cream, lemon, oregano, and sweet peppadew peppers. Have Dolci Dreams with Ciao’s house-made traditional recipe Tiramisu. Ciao’s Bar Manager Ashley Towning is a highly-skilled mixologist who has been with the restaurant since the beginning. She crafts the bar menu and fresh-squeezes and mixes all juices by hand for creative cocktails, such as The Marble Relief with Copper & Kings “A Symphony in Orange” Infused Gin. In addition to a heavily Italian wine list, Ciao offers sherry, port, aperitif, spirits, beer, and amaro. Bridgette Pizzonia sees Towning as a co-leader. “We are not only woman-owned; we are women-operated.” Visit ciaolouisville.com. Follow @ciao.louisville on Facebook and @ciaolouisville on Instagram for Ciao’s Daily, Fish, and Lenten Chef’s Specials.

District 6

Sisters and Co-Owners Tram Thai and Chef Hanh Duong opened District 6 Vietnamese Gastropub in September 2019 in St. Matthews. They wanted to honor their mother and late father, who owned Chinese restaurants in the Louisville area in the mid-1980s to early 2000s.

The District 6 menu was inspired by family recipes and their grandmother, who used to cook with Hanh when she was a young girl. The vision was to create a distinct Vietnamese experience that could fit into any city. “Vietnamese food is among the best in the world because it is fresh, flavorful, and balanced with a unique combination of influences from Chinese, French, and Southeast Asian cultures. Vietnamese cuisine is more well-known for pho and banh mi, but there is so much more worth trying.” The sisters put their heads together to highlight the most popular menu items. From the Lunch Menu, Chef Duong recommends trying the Sweet & Spicy Cauliflower: “crunchy fried cauliflower drizzled with sweet & spicy sauce, topped with green onions.” For Dinner, the Short Rib Pho features “Dino beef rib” slow-cooked for six hours until tender and juicy with an 8-10 hour broth and noodles. Crispy Fried Whole Fish with Tamarind Sauce is branzino sea bass topped with crispy shallots, fried garlic, and cilantro with a side of mango slaw. The caramelized Braised Pork Belly with Soft-Boiled Egg comes with rice and steamed bok choy. The District 6 Monthly Special for March is the savory, crispy crepe known as Banh Xeo or “sizzling cake.” The sisters are also cooking up ideas for a monthly Supper Club. District 6 takes its name from the southwest urban district of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s largest city, known for having an amazing variety of cuisines from different regions of Vietnam. Visit eatdistrict6.wixsite.com for more information. Follow @district_6_gastropub on Instagram and @ EatDistrict6 on Facebook for the latest specials.

Naïve Kitchen + Bar

Catherine MacDowall has spent her entire working life in the hospitality industry. Climbing the ladder to become Operations Manager for James Beard Award-winning and two-star Michelin Chef José Andrés in Washington DC, MacDowall earned degrees in Interior Design, Finance, and International Business at George Washington University. She noticed an opening in the Louisville market to bring a “forward-thinking concept” to a smaller city. “There is a misconception that we are a strictly vegan or vegetarian restaurant, but we do serve beef, pork, poultry, and fish.” At NaÏve Kitchen + Bar in Butchertown, “there is a seat for anyone at our table, no matter their dietary preference or lifestyle, to feel included on the menu.” According to MacDowall, ”Vegetables are at the forefront based on seasonality with four menus per year and what is local and growing at the center of each dish.” MacDowall remembers what it was like opening her first restaurant at 27, not understanding all the ins and outs, and trying to gain peers’ respect. She wants to impact the lives and futures of Louisville hospitality workers. “I hope to have influence and teach the lessons I’ve learned over fifteen years to heighten the food scene for the next generation of leaders who will create, innovate, and push.” MacDowall shared some recommendations from Naïve’s innovative Dinner Menu. From the Vegetable section, Roasted Sweet Potato has parmesan, garlic tahini, mint, chive, and hazelnut. Butter Beans come with Grainwright sourdough, crème fraiche, fennel, and herb salad. Garlic mustard vinaigrette dresses the Tuscan Kale Salad topped with parmesan, shallot, pink peppercorn, Asian pear, and everything spice. For an entrée, try the Bucatini with trumpet mushroom, truffle, sunflower cream, and lemon, or Braised Chicken with harissa, black lentil, and leeks. Be sure to check out the flatbread special on weekdays. Naïve has a renovated 3500 sq ft patio opening in March, and Spring 2022 also has a new restaurant opening in store with Nostalgic Restaurant & Cocktail House at The Bellwether on Bardstown Road. Visit eatnaive.com and follow @eatnaive on Instagram and Facebook.

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