42-49_NuLu_inside_Beer_John_V1_Fall05.qxd 10/29/12 9:09 AM Page 42
Nu kids on the block Four restaurants have opened in the NuLu district in this calendar year, raising the area’s profile locally and nationally.
RYE Michael Trager-Kusman didn’t know much about NuLu when he decided to come back home to Louisville and open a restaurant. “I’d been gone for six years, and I don’t think I’d ever consciously driven down that street.” He had left Louisville for a job with the FDIC in Washington, D.C. When that proved less than exciting, he moved to New York, got an odd job in a restaurant and started working his way up. “The food aspect is my passion, but I’ve learned to love the entire realm of restaurants — the design, the image.” He was attracted to the East Market area because it seemed up and coming. “In New York, you’re always looking for what’s coming next. Brooklyn, Williamsburg, Greenpoint — all these neighborhoods were places that looked like nothing to some people, but to some people, they looked like gold. There are people out there who still think East Market is not the safest area, but to us it looked emerging and safe.” Rye opened Jan. 4 at 900 E. Market, in a 120year-old building most recently occupied by the Hausman Jeep Eagle dealership that now has a decidedly New York feel. The interior has a clean, orderly design, with large dining rooms featuring exposed brick walls and wood-plank floors that ring with the sound of conversation. A mirror over a banquette runs the entire length of one room, reflecting the artwork on the opposite wall. Design is important to Trager-Kusman; Rye’s website names his interior designer, photographer and furniture creator in addition to his general manager and chef. “This is an experiential restaurant,” he said. “We think a restaurant is a