Summer 2010 (Vol. 28)

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SUMMER 2 010 | MAY- JUNE - JULY

beefed up

beef recipe challenge winners steakhouse party at home and more with recipes

900 restaurant listings with reviews & maps

profiles

jeff ruby’s|de la torre’s|caffe classico $4.99 U.S.

Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse Filet Collinsworth:

www.foodanddine.com

filet mignon crowned with crabmeat, béarnaise and topped with asparagus. (see story page 26)

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SUMMER 2010 PUBLISHER JOHN CARLOS WHITE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF SARAH FRITSCHNER VICE PRESIDENT PAUL M. SMITH COLUMNISTS ROGER A. BAYLOR JAY FORMAN SCOTT HARPER DAVID LANGE JERRY SLATER ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS-AT-LARGE TIM & LORI LAIRD CONTRIBUTING WRITERS GREG GAPSIS J. CHRISTIAN WALSH CONTRIBUTING CHEFS LEAH CREASON MATTHEW DIPIETRO BRAD STOUT CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER DAN DRY MAGAZINE DESIGN & LAYOUT JOHN CARLOS WHITE GRAPHIC DESIGN KATHY KULWICKI STEFAN TAMBURRO COPY EDITOR PAUL NAJJAR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES ANNETTE B. WHITE GINA WOLFE DISTRIBUTION / FACT CHECKING PAUL M. SMITH IN FOND MEMORY OF OUR DEAR FRIEND DANIEL F. BOYLE

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

All rights reserved.

___________________________________

Annual Subscription rate $18.

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.foodanddine.com For Advertising information call (502) 493-5511 ext. 550

ON THE COVER: Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse Filet Collinsworth: filet mignon crowned with crabmeat, béarnaise and topped with asparagus. (see story page 26) 4

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Photo by Dan Dry

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contents

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SUMMER 2010

RESTAURANT GUIDE DINING GUIDE

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MAPS (RESTAURANT LOCATOR)

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Our comprehensive listing of over 900 area restaurants complete with reviews.

Find all of the restaurants in our Dining Guide on 16 ar ea maps.

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PROFILES De La Torre’s

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Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse

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Caffe Classico

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Risen from the ashes — couple still committed to bringing fine Spanish cuisine to Louisville .

With its nods to local cultur e and cuisine, Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse feels right at home in Louisville .

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A pleasant little escape from the everyday chaos, this European-style coffee café continues to evolve.

COLUMNS

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STARTERS Tracking changes on the local r estaurant scene, with openings, closings and happenings.

SIDE DISHES

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COMINGS & GOINGS

A look at several cookbooks, local award winners and more.

FROM THE PUBLISHER: Jamaican jerk chicken

Jamaican Association of Louisville shares their delicious recipe.

FROM THE EDITOR: Local beef is what’s for dinner Kentucky raised beef recipe, the proof is in the taste .

HUMOR: Ahh, the joys of fatherhood

What does that have to do with f ood? Well, the stuff this writer eats has taken a sinister turn to ward the dark side .

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LIQUIDS

24 SPIRITS: Vodka — still in vogue 32 Out-selling all whiskeys combined, but still getting no street cred.

HIP HOPS: Summer brews for all occasions 34 Whether you’re catching a ball game or mo wing the lawn, these CORK 101: Life after Pinot Noir

Six cost-friendly wines that equal the fla vor of their pricier cousins.

44 42

five tasty brews are sure to fit the occasion.

COFFEE: Vietnamese coffee

A wonderful fusion of sweetness, creaminess and caffeine in a cup.

RECIPES EASY ENTERTAINING: Steakhouse night in

A complete and simple guide to hosting a steakhouse style dinner .

COOKING CLASS: “Quest for the Best” winners

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Winning recipes from our search to find the next rising y oung chef.

www.foodanddine.com Summer 2010

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starters comings & goings

comings

& goings

Spring burst upon Louisville quickly this year, very warm days following a lingering winter, and everyone and everything was ready. In less than a week, it seemed, the entire area was abloom — redbuds dripping pink, weeping cherries tossing their long streamers of pink and white blossoms, the dogwoods blooming early this y ear, in sync with early Easter.

The restaurant scene, too, has been blossoming, with eighteen new places offering a range of eating choices, from upscale Euro-accented pub grub to premium ice cream and desserts, to more sushi and pizza and Middle Eastern and Italian. In addition, eight established restaurants opened additional locations , ten have c losed — and at least thr ee of these locations quic kly found new tenants eager to take over.The season continues to br im with new life.

OPENINGS Notable among these newcomer s is the Village Anchor Pub & Roost, 11507 Park Rd. in Anchorage, a renovation and new concept of the train station proper ty by local restaurateur Kevin Gr angier, who is retur ning to his roots after a successful career in PR and adv ertising on the West Coast (the “Got Milk?” campaign was his brainchild).The twin-level, duo-themed restaurant will f eature The Sea Hag as the downstairs pub , with patio seating, a lar ge selection of cr aft and impor t beer s, and lar ge (very lar ge) screen TVs. Upstairs will be The Roost, with ter race seating, offering Euro-style bistro fare and a small, carefully selected wine list. Geoff Heyde , a CIA-tr ained chef, will r un the kitchens.

Closer into to wn, along Baxter Avenue’s restaurant ro w, Wasabiya Ja panese, at 972 Baxter, opened b y Ca viar o wner Sha wn Shin, has brought in a sushi chef from Boston,who is crafting contemporary interpretations of classic sushi and sashimi.

At 947 Baxter , Allan Rosenber g, who has manned the kitchens at Danielle’ s and Seviche , among other s, has opened Papalinos Pizza, offering just one siz e pie, an 18-incher, selling whole pizzas or by the slice as well as calzones, breadsticks, salads and desser ts. While offering an ar ray of toppings, Rosenberg is focusing on the crust, creating a kind of New York style thin crispy crust pizza that is a w elcome rarity in this area.

Also on Baxter , at 942, Donegan’s Restaurant & Pub has finally opened after extensive renovation of the space .

Downtown has tw o new lunch spots, Café on Fifth , which 6

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Papalinos Pizza’s Allan Rosenberg

takes over the basement space in the Kentucky Home Life Building and Zoe’s Kitchen at 500 W. Jefferson, one of tw o locations — the other is at 4126 Summit Plaza Dr . — of the regional chain of Mediterranean-style delis.

Out along Fr ankfor t Avenue’s restaur ant ro w, Difabio’s Casapela Italian Restaurant has opened in the b uilding that most recently housed Ray Parella’s, at 2311 Frankfort Ave. Lenny’s Sub Shop will be gr inding out gr inders at 3942 Taylorsville Rd., while Maxwell’s Bar & Grille has taken over the space vacated by Maggie’s at 9909 Taylorsville Rd. The eating options at Westport Village, 1301 Her r Lane ,

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continue to gro w with the adv ent of the Comfy Co w ice cream and desser t emporium, which was packing in ice cream fans even during the winter.

Out in Prospect, at 13206 W. Hwy. 42, the Burning Bush Grille & Mediterranean Café, operated by a v eteran of the Shir az mini-chain, offers an eclectic r ange of Middle Easter n dishes. And out at 6435 Bardstown Rd., Crabby Jack’s Fish House is fr ying at the f ormer location of Br uce’s Smokehouse.

Across the r iver, the sunn y side of Louisville has seen a lot of restaur ant activity. Cozza Osteria Enoteca , in the classy space once occupied by Timothy’s, at 214 E. Cour t Ave., Jeffersonville, is presenting an ambitious Italian/European menu and wine list. Also in Jeff ersonville, the regional famil y casual dining chain Zaxby’s has opened an outlet at 2740 Allison Ln. And El Sombrero, 2784 Meijer St., is a new Jeffersonville Mexican eater y.

New Albany’s dining scene renaissance gets one more pla yer, Paul’s One World Café, serving Mexican food at 133 E. Market St., in the space recently vacated by the Market Street Fish House .

Clarksville has tw o new side-b y-side eating choices, Stevie B’s Burgers & More, and Studio Pizza , under the same ownership, at 1401 Veterans Pkwy.

The expansion of existing restaur ants to additional locations is an encour aging sign of renew ed vigor in the restaur ant scene. The popular St. Matthews Cuban restaurant Ha vana Rumba has opened Havana Rumba II at 12003 Shelbyville Rd., in the Middleto wn strip mall location that once housed Pig City BBQ . Red Hot Roasters, the dr ive-through ar tisanal roastery on the edge of Clifton, is no w caffeinating Spalding Univ eristy students and local walk-ins at the Egan Leader ship Center, 901 S. Fourth St. The expanding Qdoba chain grows larger with its f irst downtown location, 300 S. Four th St., and another at 6814 Dixie Hwy., making f or 11 in the area.

IHOP fans in the East End can now hop in at the second area location, at 1401 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy. And Home Run Burgers has opened a Middleto wn location at 12949 Shelbyville Rd. The Fiesta Time Mexican Restaurant has opened a second location at 8133 Bardstown Rd, and Senor Iguanas a third outlet at 9424 Shelbyville Rd.

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CHANGES A few interesting changes ha ve occur red to existing restaur ants. After some extensiv e renovations Sweet ’n’ Sa vory Café, at 1574 Bardsto wn Rd., has been tr ansformed into Fleur de Lis Café , offering breakfast, lunch and dinner . Olivia’s on Goss , in the Goss Avenue Antique Mall, 946 Goss Ave., has been taken over by Michele Brinke, and is now serving lunch to mall browsers and dinner as Michele’s on Goss.

Tony Palombino continues to re-imagine and re-configure his mini-empire. His J’town pizzeria at 12613 Taylorsville Rd., will now be known as Boombozz Pizza Bistro. His small take-away location at the cor ner of Fr ankfort and Cannons Lane will mo ve across the street into the space vacated by the closing of The Patron, and become a Boombozz Taphouse, only without the taps — bottled beer onl y, along with the pizzas, pastas and salads.

CLOSINGS Of the ten restaurants that have closed in recent months,three have already been mentioned, because their spaces ha ve been re-occupied quickl y. Amber McCool had been scaling back her offerings at The Patron, 3400 Frankfort Ave., and finally decided to close. Olivia’s on Goss morphed fairly smoothly into Michele’s on Goss; antique mall browsers will not go without an on-site lunch option. Downtown, Dino’s Do wn to Lunch closed, but Café on Fifth opened not long after in its old space .

The closings of two long-running institutions — the Chick Inn at 6325 Upper River Rd. and Delta Restaurant at 434 Market St. — were more precipitous, and disappointed long-time fans. The Kentucky BBQ Compan y, 1800 Fr ankfort, has also shut do wn its smoker.

Turkey Joe’s, 2809 Hurstbourne Pkwy., is no more, and On the Border, 10601 Fisher Park Dr. is shuttered. Two notable Chinese restaurants have folded, Red Pepper Chinese at 2901 Brownsboro Rd., and Sesame Chinese Restaurant at 9409 Shelbyville Rd. And, to close out this issue’ s o verview of Louisville restaur ant vitality , Backyard Burger closed its 11201 Oscar Rd location, but is still gr illing at its remaining outlet, at 1800 Priority Way. We regret any omissions, but invite the restaurant community to keep us informed.

Send information by Email to publisher@foodanddine.com or give us a call at (502) 493-5511, ext. 501. www.foodanddine.com Summer 2010

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starters side dishes

side Book’em Danno!

Kentucky Bourbon Coc ktail Book Prize-winning Louisville bar tender Joy Perrine and f ormer CourierJournal restaurant critic Susan Reigler share the classics and secrets of Bourbon drinks in “The Kentucky Bourbon Cocktail Book” (University of Kentucky Press, $14.95).

From Maker’s Mar k owner Bill Sam uels’ “No Name Yet” cocktail with grapefruit juice and honey to the classic Pendennis Club OldFashioned, there are sw eet dr inks, strong dr inks, Derby dr inks, Christmas drinks, and punches — more than 100 recipes.

Perrine, bartender at Jack’s Lounge since 2000 and a bar tender for 40 y ears, walks the beginning bar tender through lessons on infusing Bourbon with spices, herbs, fruit and sw eeteners to come up with intriguing cocktails lik e her pr ize winning “Spiceberry,” which uses a spice-infused Woodford Reser ve to create a dr ink for winter holida ys — and a peach infusion used to fla vor iced tea.

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dishes Super-helpful for the beginner is a photo of bar tending tools (like a m uddler, for muddling mint and sugar to mak e the julep) and line dr awings of glasses, so you can mix and serve like a pro . There’s even a bib liography if y ou’d like to learn more. Who knew such a wealth of knowledge could be found in such a tidy book?

That’s Enter taining! Book Food & Dining contributors Tim and Lori Laird, authors of the Enter taining column since 2008, have released their first book, “That’s Enter taining!”

Collaborating with a ward-winning photogr apher Dan Dry, and pub lished b y Louisville’ s Butler Books, the Lairds collect all their Food & Dining menus, tips, and recipes in this “best of the best” edition, and add nine more to the collection. Each “entertaining” chapter is focused on a theme (see this month’s “steak night,” page 42), and is accompanied by a grocery list, suggestions for decorations to complement the theme, matching libations, and a plethora of easy recipes.

“We want the par ty hosts to ha ve as m uch fun as their guests,” says Tim. Many of the recipes can be prepared ahead; all are user -friendly and can mak e a beginner into an uber host.

The famous grilled pizza party may be worth the price of admission: deceptively easy with a huge “wow” factor for the guests, this meal is one that Tim Laird initially prepared for a CNBC crew. In the book, the menu comes with recipes f or pizza sauce , dough, and a list of suggested toppings, in addition to suggestions f or an antipasto tr ay (with a vinaigrette recipe) and an Italian par ty cocktail, the Tuscan Twist, you can make by the pitcher. Each of the 17 chapter s in “That’s Enter taining!” highlights another “enter taining occasion,” including New Year, St. Patrick’s Da y, tailgating, brunch and many others, in addition to a chapter on home bar setup and tools.

Tim Laird is Bro wn-Forman’s CEO , Chief Enter taining Officer, and says he has hosted more than 15,000 par ties in his life. His wife Lori owns an executive search firm in Detroit and commutes to w ork. Though the couple is often on the road, Lori seems calm and collected bef ore par ties. “I think it’s because I’m usuall y very organized,” she says. Her secret

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is rev ealed in timelines and grocer y lists giv en for ev ery par ty she plans, and included in “That’s Enter taining!”

The book, at 312 pages, displays hundreds of photogr aphs b y former Courier-Journal photographer Dan Dr y, who has w on o ver 400 awards f or photogr aphy, design and adv er tising and, among his other work, is the sole author of 23 coffee-table books.

Tim and Lori will be signing their book on May 8 from 11:00 a.m.to 2 p .m. at Highland Fish Market in Middleto wn.

This was the only signing confirmed at the time of this pr inting b ut there will be sev eral more in the upcoming months.

The book sells for $35 and is available at all Borders, Barnes & Noble, and Carmichael’s bookstores, Divas and other specialty shops, or order online at b utlerbooks.com.

American Cooker y Cookbook publishing has never had a real lull, but in recent years has seemed to be in o verdrive. Blame Food TV — ev ery o ver-exposed video “celebrity chef ” looks to capitalize on his or her moment of notor iety with a cookbook — or a ser ies of cookbooks. But what will be the shelf-life of the newest glossy tome purportedly written

by P aula or Rachel or Bob by or Mar io? Ho w m uch lasting kitchen wisdom or f ood knowledge are these flashes in the pan lik ely to offer?

This issue we begin an occasional series highlighting classic cookbooks whose usefulness has not waned,basic texts by cooks whose knowledge of food, and expertise in technique, and love of the process of cooking continue to inspire new generations of aspiring chefs.

www.foodanddine.com Summer 2010

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Long a luminar y among chefs, James Beard penned some of the most accessible and interesting cookbooks going.The sturdy, no-nonsense encyclopedic paperback of 800+ pages, “James Beard’ s American Cookery” will tell y ou the basics of just about everything you will want to know.

Beard prefaces each section with a discussion of American food history that continues with regional and ethnic var iations for a wide r ange of dishes. Looking f or a potato salad recipe? Beard giv es y ou a choice of eight v ersions, including tw o variations of “Russian salad.” Had troub le doing sunny-side up eggs proper ly? Follow Beard’s advice: use a small Teflon pan, a minimum of butter, add a little hot water to the pan once the whites ha ve set, and cover off the heat f or a minute or two.

The fish chapter tells how to broil whole fish, prepare sole meuniere, make a cour t bouillon, bake a stuff ed str iped bass. Turn to the chicken chapter for pickled chicken, chicken Calif ornia, old-fashioned r ich chicken pie and chick en strips, as well as a full discussion of ho w to roast a chick en.

The game chapter tells ho w to prepare venison, pheasant, quail, rabbit, squirrel, wild duck (but nothing on wild tur key).

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By the end, he provides an interesting education, stimulates y our creativity, and proves that America has its own distinctive and diverse cuisine that stands equal to any in the world.

Awards and Honors The James Beard Foundation has announced its nominees as semifinalists for excellence in the restaur ant and bev erage industry and Julian Van Winkle, III, of Old Rip Van Winkle Distiller y is among the top five f inalists in the “best wine and spir its professional” category. Both Anthony Lamas of Seviche and Edward Lee of 610 Magnolia w ere among a longer list of nominees f or Best Chef of the Southeast that was announced in Febr uary b ut did not mak e the shor t list. Winners will be announced Ma y 3 at the James Beard Foundation Award dinner at Lincoln Center.

Leo Fante of Consumer s Choice Coffee was named 2010 Coffee Operator of the Year by the industr y group National Automatic Merchandising Association. The award honor s the oper ator who exhibits the highest level of integrity, dedication and

Publication.

Commercial.

leadership in the coff ee ser vice industr y and was a warded b y f ormer NFL Coach Mike Ditka at an industry event last month.

Dumante V erdenoce, an Italian pistachio liqueur created b y Louisvillian Howard Sturm, earned a gold medal in the category of n ut liqueur s at the 2010 San Francisco World Spir its Competition held in March. The competition included more than 1,000 and awarded 189 gold medals.

Agri-tourism pioneer Joe Huber Jr ., whose Star light you-pick far m has been a destination for generations of area families, has been inducted into the Junior Achievement’s Kentuckiana Business Hall of Fame Laureate.The hall of fame honor s outstanding b usiness leader s who ha ve made legendar y contr ibutions to the free enterprise system, according to its Web site.

Huber’s y ou-pick oper ation began in 1967, and Huber was kno wn in the subsequent y ears f or creating more reasons to come to the far m, even when consumers became less interested in picking their o wn produce . He added a country store, company retreat and picnic program, and restaur ant, among other enterprises.

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10 Summer 2010 www.foodanddine.com

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New Places to Shop The Fresh Produce Warehouse A warehouse-style discount produce store opened April 14 in the Hik es Point Plaza at 4044 Taylorsville Road near Hunsinger Lane , in the same center with T.J. Maxx.

The Fresh Produce Warehouse, more than 22,000 square f eet of produce , is designed to sell produce f or lower pr ices than super markets and be more ser viceoriented, according to par tner Don Blackburn.

He says that they will carry Kentuckygrown produce, in addition to shipping it in from all over the world.

Blackburn and another par tner, Ward Plauche, operated the do wntown entertainment complex called City Block, which included Co yote’s night club . Rainbow Blossom founder Rob Auerbach is another partner.

The warehouse will car ry flo wers, dairy and bak ed goods in addition to produce. It is scheduled to be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

Turtle Blossom Produce Poultry far mer and produce distributor Br ad Gr ider, owner of Tur tle Blossom Produce , will open Tur tle Blossom Inspired Foods at 1570 Bardstown Rd. by June 1. The store concept, which star ted out as a Highlands option f or “good local produce , poultry and meats” will also contain a juice and smoothie bar, says Grider.

Though he’ s par tial to local and organic produce , he will deviate from them to accommodate far mers and consumers, he says. Being certified organic can be diff icult f or local far mers, he sa ys.

Farmers who put pressure-treated w ood in their chick en houses, for instance , can’t be cer tified according to la w. But if they don’t use treated w ood they are constantly replacing floor s, Grider sa ys.

Instead, he inspects far ms and makes sure they’re using safe practices.

And because y ou don’t f ind mango and papa ya gro wing in Kentucky , he’ll be importing those fruits and others to use in the juice bar. But he’ll grow his own wheat grass, and he’ll be guided by his customers’ requests to guide the nature of the inventory. “If they absolutel y don’t want tomatoes in the dead of winter, I won’t sell them,” he says. F&D

All things food... and the people, places and farms where it all begins.

The distance from farm to table just got shorter.

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Visit Chef John Varanese today at award winning Varanese, 2106 Frankfort Avenue.

(502) 899-9904 or www.varanese.com Eclectic Cuisine. Exciting Atmosphere. Extensive Wine List www.foodanddine.com Summer 2010

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starters from the publisher

BY JOHN CARLOS WHITE | PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAN DRY

In Search of Great Food

C

Jamaican Jerk Chick en Certain foods br ing more to the tab le than just their good taste. Some foods evoke a r ange of sensor y connections that tie us to experiences and memories. For me, when I eat the foods of the Caribbean, I see again the deep blue sky over the white sands that hug the b lue-green water s, I hear the happ y laughter of the people who ha ve come to lo ve living b y that war m sea, who create rich ar t and music out of their long-established culture.

I first exper ienced Car ibbean life and cuisine when I was in the Na vy. One of m y best disco veries was the vibr ant taste of street f ood, and jer k chick en is the street f ood that most reconnects me to the memor ies of life in the Car ibbean.

Although a few restaurants in Louisville have jerk chicken on their menus, what we generally find locally pales in comparison to the dish I ate in the Islands. But happily, once a year I can find the dish made authentically enough to flood me with happy memories once more — at the Kentucky Reggae Festival.

One per son responsib le f or cooking the 1,100 pounds of

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supernaturally good chick en ser ved at Reggae Fest is Harold Williams, who has lived in Louisville since he moved here in 1969.

Since the 1980s he and other member s of the Jamaican Association of Louisville ha ve cooked jerk chicken for the benefit of the Louisville pub lic, first on the Belv edere f or a var iety of international festivals, and for the last 19 years at the Water Tower for the Kentucky Reggae Festival.

Jerk chick en comes from the Arawak Indians’ use of the Jamaican “pimento,” known here as allspice , which they use to season meat (traditionally wild pig) before smoking it. For anyone who has bak ed Christmas cookies, the amount of allspice in jer k sauce seems unconscionable, but its place as a savory seasoning is indisputable once you taste this recipe .

A variety of other influences and additions ha ve resulted in a mix used to marinate the meat, including the hottest chili peppers known to man (Scotch bonnet), green onions, garlic and other tropical spices, including cinnamon and nutmeg.

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Jamaican Jerk Marinade 1

/2 /2 6 4 1

1

2 1 1 /2 2

cup ground allspice cup brown sugar to 8 large garlic cloves to 6 Scotch bonnet peppers tablespoon ground thyme (or 2 tablespoons thyme leaves) bunches green onions teaspoon cinnamon teaspoon nutmeg Salt and pepper to taste tablespoons soy sauce

Combine all the ingredients in a f ood processor and blend until smooth.This sauce will keep a long time refr igerated.

To use the sauce, rub about a third into the meat (dark meat chicken is preferred but pork shoulder is an option to be explored) and refrigerate overnight. If you’re using pork shoulder, score the fat and r ub marinade in. Use a third (or so) of the marinade to baste the meat as it cooks.Reserve the last to ser ve with the meat after it has cook ed.

Jerk is cook ed low and slo w, like tr aditional barbecue, not grilled like steak or chick en. Keep the heat at 250 degrees or so , and keep the top on the gr ill.

(You can also cook this in a pan in a lo w oven. If you do, reserve the juices from the meat, stir in more jer k seasoning and ser ve as “sauce” over meat and r ice.)

IF YOU GO Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the Kentucky Reggae Festival is an event fixture in Louisville dur ing Memorial Day Weekend. Live reggae music, a Caribbean vendor mar ket and authentic Jamaican f ood draw large, happy crowds year after year. And kids entertainment makes the event family friendly. Leave your pets and coolers at home but be sure to br ing lawn chairs and blankets.

May 29 - 31, 2010 at the Louisville Water Tower (River Road and Zorn Ave.) Times: Sat & Sun 2pm - 11:30pm, Monday 2pm - 7pm Admission: $6 before 6pm, $9 after 6pm, kids under 10 are free .

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starters from the editor

BY SARAH FRITSCHNER | PHOTOGRAPH BY DAN DRY

Local Beef is what’s for Dinner

T

Kentucky raised beef, the proof is in the tas te Though you can’t tell it b y the Toyotas and the UPS tr ucks, perhaps, Kentucky is an agr iculture state . Though man ufacturing, ser vices, mining and other industr ies contr ibute their par t, Kentucky ranks 5th in the countr y in the number of farms.

Tobacco has suppor ted those far ms and far m families since time immemor ial. But in the last decade or tw o, tobacco has provided less of a living. These da ys, beef accounts f or a lot of Kentucky far m income . Farmers here r aise more beef than an y other state on this side of the Mississippi Riv er (more than a million head). For some far mers, beef is taking the place of tobacco as their dependable source of annual income.

Traditionally, Kentucky farmers raised calves for a while , then sent them out west to be fattened in enormous feed lots where they were pushed into the industr ial food system as anonymous beef.

But those days are changing. More Kentucky far mers — and many of them in counties around Louisville — are k eeping the beef on the local far ms where the animals are al ways allowed to

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feed on gr ass. Eating grass is good f or beef — they aren’t meant to eat only corn and it hur ts them to do it. It’s also better for our health. Beef from gr ass-fed animals is better f or us than f eedlot beef. In addition, Kentucky far mers who r aise cattle on pasture avoid antibiotics, steroids and hormones.

While many people extol the “locally grown” nature of the beef and its n utritional vir tues, you don’t often hear the fla vor discussed. My exper ience cooking this beef is that it is sho wstoppingly fab ulous — wa y more fla vorful than super market beef. If you’ve ever heard people rave about farm-raised chicken tasting lik e “chicken used to taste ,” you get some idea of the flavor of farm-raised beef.

Start with a hamb urger. I ha ve skillet-fr ied hamb urgers and served them on plain, white, supermarket buns (no smoky grilling, no artisan bread) that have caused people to stop mid-burger and gush about how tasty they are . Hamburgers made with Kentucky farm-raised beef have become company food at our house .

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Sometimes, especially when dealing with animals raised only on grass, people find they have to learn to cook differently.

The meat toughens with high heat (so don’t bro wn shor t r ibs or chuck roast before you br aise it), and it tak es more care to brown a steak without drying it out.

But most animals in Kentucky are r aised with constant grass access augmented with grain feeding once or twice a day, and their meat cooks pretty nor mally.

You can f ind this type of beef at virtually any farm market (for a list, go to http://louisvillegreenguide.org/directory/ farmers.html). In addition, you can find a list of far mers who sell beef directl y to consumers, some of whom deliver it to you, at www.louisvillefarmtotable.org.

Grilled steak salad with Vietnamese flavors (SERVES 4)

This flavorful, high-protein dish uses the fresh mint and cilantro of early summer gardens (and farm markets).The beef is marinated and grilled medium-rare over hot heat, then sliced thinly and arranged over salad greens. To make it fancy (or as a warm-weather appetizer), slice it before grilling, thread it on skewers and grill it quickly. If you’re having company, use fancier steak (strip or ribeye for instance) and more than what is called for here.

2 tablespoons sugar /4 cup Asian fish sauce Juice of 1 lime 1 clove garlic, minced 1 hot red chile (like Serrano), minced, or to taste (substitute 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes) 1 /4 cup chopped cilantro 1 /4 cup chopped mint 1 to 11/2 pounds beef steak of choice (sirloin, strip, flank, etc.)

8 cups mixed salad greens or torn lettuce 1

Put the sugar in a pie pan or lar ge zipper-style bag and add remaining ingredients except beef. Stir or swish until sugar is dissolv ed. Add beef or beef str ips and marinate overnight. Dry off the steak before grilling (la y str ips on paper to wels bef ore you skewer them). Bring the marinade to a boil, then cool. Grill meat by your preferred method. When beef is cook ed, slice thin and fan on top of lettuce greens. Drizzle with cooled mar inade. If y ou’re cooking skewers, they take 3 minutes or so. F&D www.foodanddine.com Summer 2010 15

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BY JAY FOREMAN

A

Ahh, the joys of Fatherhood I am no w a daddy. What does this ha ve to do with f ood? Well, I don’t get much of that stuff any more. At least, nutritious food consumed at predictable intervals, such as breakfast, lunch and dinner. Complicating this is that m y diet, already weighted to the Winston Churchill side of gout-inducing, has taken a far more sinister turn toward the Dark Side.

Now instead of f inishing m y f ilet with f oie gr as compound butter, I find myself eating fistfuls of bulk-discount Halloween candy at 3 o’clock in the mor ning to keep my blood sugar at peak efficiency for my daughter Milly’s Olympian screaming bouts. She is a champion — ser iously, she took home the gold in Vancouver for colic. If these screams could be somehow harnessed and jacked into the grid, they could spin vast turbines and solve all our energy needs for probably the next 50 years. Also, I might get some sleep.

But that ain’t going to happen.

Given our fr azzled conditions, my wife and I needed a break.

We just returned from a weekend jaunt to Pensacola, Florida, just a half-day’s dr ive from our home in New Or leans, partially to gauge what taking a full-on tr ip with an infant will be lik e. Wow. Already I’m lear ning a little bit about ho w traveling with a baby in tow changes things. For instance, ten pounds of baby requires approximately 100 pounds of kit in pink duffel bags that erupt into low-fidelity baby songs if you accidentally step on it, plus batteries.

We f ollowed our usual tr avel modus, which is to rent a 16 Summer 2010 www.foodanddine.com

furnished flat and shop the local markets while eating out for lunch and then cooking a locally-sourced dinner. On the sourcing end,we struck gold at Joe P atti’s Seafood Company, a full-on high-volume fish market that moves product at such an astonishing pace that I feared Milly would be scooped up and packed in ice if I didn’t keep one hand on her at all times. Too bad she is far too y oung for me to freak her out by telling her I’m buying “squid tubes” and ribbon fish for a special dinner. That will come do wn the road, when she is old enough to know fear.

However, what shed more light on the changes that parenthood has wrought was lunch at the Fish House , a local haunt overlooking a scenic mar ina. The main dining room was spar sely populated, yet the hostess marched us str aight through it into the back where there was a dusty , unplugged sushi bar, pallets of dry goods stacked on the floor, and — most impor tantly — no other patrons. We were in Siberia, having been frog-marched past the beautiful people to eat our grouper sandwiches amidst the turnips and Sysco cans. And this treatment from a place with

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starfish-studded fak e f ishnets hanging on the walls? Oh, the ignominy. At first I was miffed, then our little daughter star ted rustling and squawking in the carry-all, and I realiz ed that our exile was as m uch f or our peace of mind as it was f or the other guests, and then it made sense .

Even so, it made me cr anky. My God, I don’t want m y dining future to be a grim parade of Chuck E. Cheese’s interspersed with Applebee’s f or “Those Special Occasions.” I love dining out,and as I review restaurants for a local magazine, it is one of m y jobs. But I’ve already been given the hair y ey eball from patrons in finer dining estab lishments when passing their tables with little Mill y in the car rier, and I’m getting a sense of how things have changed when dining with three . Also, I am dev eloping empath y f or parents in restaurants, something that I’ d honestl y not thought m uch about bef ore, either way. Now that is totally on my radar.

I’m not used to f eeling lik e a par iah, but I better get used to it,because now my wife Megan wants us to go to Fr ance. She makes the good point that a tr ansatlantic flight with an 8-month-old will be a r ich source of humor to tap. But this possibility is entirel y contingent upon on m y not being beaten to death with a f ood car t by a sleep-depr ived b usinessman. Like many wr iters, I am a painfull y selfconscious per son, and the thought of an infant meltdo wn at 35,000 f eet while trapped in an aluminum tube hurtling over the Atlantic fills me with extreme dread.

I suppose this is wh y God ga ve unto his children the mir acle of Benadr yl. And f or parents: Xanax.

As w e are planning to go to Bordeaux, there will, at least, be foie gras and truffles waiting f or us on the other side , along with the other ob vious per ks. Who knows? If the flight over there is sufficiently horrible I might not come back. There are worse places to liv e out the remainder of my da ys and, thankfully, I shall conf idently assume that in the Aquitaine region there is nar y a Chuck E. Cheese’s in sight, and the closest thing to an Applebee’s is a glass of Calvados. I can picnic with ar tisanal cheeses and fresh bread b y the Garonne , letting little Milly sing her arias in the clean and fresh air . But until then, it is still a learning exper ience, as I expect it will be for the rest of my life. F&D

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The

Perfect Location for Every Occasion

Anniversary or Birthday Dinners Sunday Brunch Wine Tastings Business Dinners

For reservations, call (502) 807-DINE (3463) 500 Fourth Street, Louisville, KY 40202

www.TheOakroomLouisville.com

www.foodanddine.com Summer 2010 17

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people and places profiles

BY J. CHRISTIAN WALSH | PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAN DRY

M

Married to it Maggie and Miguel De La Torre — committed to bringing Louisville fine Spanish cuisine.

Bardstown Road, 1988

De La Torre’s ar rived on the Louisville food scene before there was m uch of a scene to ar rive on. The restaur ant was par t of a fine-dining wave that broke in the mid-eighties with places like Equus and Le Relais. Asked about the early da ys, Chef Miguel De La Torre and wife, Maggie, describe a time when “ethnic” meant egg roll and “seafood” was salmon or sole.

Par t of the challenge back then was facing a local palate not yet accustomed to man y of Miguel’s beloved ingredients. Game dishes, like r abbit and wild boar , didn’t always go over well. Maggie, who has had a front-of-house view of Louisville’ s changing culinar y landscape, recalls one w oman’s reaction when served quail for the first time.

De La Torre’s “Oh my God, it looks like a small bird!” Maggie could do little but inform her customer, “Well, yes, that’s exactly what it is!”

In those days, a simple mussel in a shell could cause this recoil effect. Many dishes would catch on in the coming years, but some, like roast suckling pig, had to be dropped due to simple economics. Throughout these ear ly men u revisions, the couple never doubted their decision to open Louisville’ s onl y Spanish restaurant. Miguel was cer tain common ground was possib le between his new neighbors and the broad repertoire of his native cuisine. He f ound par t of the answ er in lamb . The meat was offered in Louisville restaur ants with some regular ity, but in Chef Miguel’s view , was handled improper ly. “It was something here they w eren’t used to ,” he recalls in his soft accent.

“It was overcooked, always, and very tough.”

(502) 456-4955 1606 Bardstown Rd.

The result of this obser vation became a specialty of the house. There are cur rently tw o lamb dishes on the sev en-item menu. The Castilian-style , roasted lamb ($23) is sa vory and succulent, with a meat-and-potatoes formula that is familiar, yet still very Spanish. Developed in Castile and Leon just north of Madrid, the area is so associated with the dish that it’ s become known as “the land of roasts.” A simpler, more “lamb forward” selection is the grilled chops ($27). These were a unanimous fa vorite in a recent group outing to De La Torre’s. Soft as a pillow, the lamb was left on the flame just long enough to char the outside without compromising the fla vor or moisture inside . Sliced potatoes and candied red cab bage accompanied both plates, lending a homey , comfort-food appeal that should entice ev en the fussiest set of taste buds.

A sampling of De La Torre’s tapas (small plates) —

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people and places profiles|de la torre’s

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The Next Wave The couple’s early perseverance was rewarded with what Maggie sees as a more adv enturous generation of patrons. On the kitchen side, Miguel notes that within the time it took to gro w their following, almost any fish he could want became a vailable.

Then, 17 y ears after f irst opening their doors, the De La Torres expanded with La A true representation of the Spanish cultur e, Paella Bodega. The tapas bar , which is adjacent to (opposite). A social dish that is meant to be shar ed and their or iginal space , was a breakthrough f or lingered over, it takes a little more time to prepare, Miguel, who could suddenly experiment with but is well worth it. Munch on an order of croquetas tapas in a wa y that Bardsto wn Road wasn’t (bechamel fritters) while you wait (below). quite ready for back in 1988.

The addition of a tapas bar put tw o distinct per sonalities in pla y — one classic , one cool, but both decidedl y Spanish. This can be seen in the décor ; from the breezy , clean La Bodega with its pockets of pretty tile and moder n light f ixtures, to the tr aditional De La Torre’s across the hall, which features dark, casa-style woodwork, set off by creamy, white walls.

The clientele also diff ers betw een the two rooms, but f or Maggie , it’s especiall y satisfying to see those customers who arrive looking for the full exper ience. She suggests getting settled in at La Bodega with a cocktail and small plate or two, then crossing over to De La Torre’s, where grilled marinated por k loin ($21, with a request that you not ask for the recipe) and made-to-order paella ($31) are key features. The menu rounds out with bacalao — cod filet in salsa verde ($24), beef tenderloin in Madeira sauce ($34) and a dish called “Our incredib le roasted chick en” ($21).

The off erings are more extensiv e at La Bodega, with its men u chock-full of montaditos (small bites, like tuna tar tare), pintxos (small plates, like spicy baby eggplant), and cazuelitas and platillos (little bo wls, like grilled calamari and sautéed shrimp.) The best way to f ind your way around this list is to supplement default tapas selections with the occasional exper iment. The delicious standards are al ways pleasing, but what better way to celebrate Louisville’s expanding culinary diversity than with a little adventure?

In tr ibute to those diner s who once squealed at the site of quail and m ussels, try the grilled sardines ($7).For many, these small fish conjure up the dusty par t of the pantr y and an inf inite expir ation date — notions that will be dashed once y ou order them. Expect a pair of fresh, robust fish with nicely charred skin. The crisp meat picks easily off the pin-bone frame and presents a distinct, exciting flavor that’s become a sur prise hit at the restaur ant.

If tapas like escargot ($6) and anchovies ($8) are too much of an adventure, there are plenty of safe bets to be had. There should be no shame in enjoying a good meatball from time to time and the albondigas a la Madrilena ($7) are certainly pleasant in their shallow pool of gravy.The piquillo pepper stuffed with beef and patata brava ($3) is another uncomplicated tapas; as is the tomato, serrano and quail egg ($3), which goes down like a smoky, bite-sized breakfast.With authentic and basic choices ranging from charcuterie to artisanal cheeses, the tapas menu is vast enough to suit most appetites. www.foodanddine.com Summer 2010 21

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people and places profiles|de la torre’s Rising from the Ashes For all that La Bodega br ings to the tab le, this par t of the enterprise was near ly lost on a b usy Saturday night in November ’08. Days before the b usiness’s twentieth anniversary, an alarmed citizen entered through the back door , warning staff and patrons that a fire upstairs was spreading to the restaurant.While watching firefighters w ork f or hour s, Miguel recalls what was r unning through his mind that night. “I wasn’t thinking about insur ance or anything. I was looking at it, thinking, there’s 20 y ears gone. What are we going to do?”

Within hours of the fire, an area blogger summed-up the emotion of losing a Louisville Or iginal with this simple headline; “Ugh. This sucks. De La Torre’s/La Bodega just b urned.” (’Ville Voice Eats.)

A funny exchange occurs when asked if, during the blaze, the De La Torres ever considered packing-up and retiring to Spain. As Miguel struggles to translate a metaphor to English, he looks at his wife for help. “You saw the finish line?” Maggie asks. When Miguel repeats the phr ase in Spanish, Maggie realiz es her husband was

stating quite the opposite — not “finish” but “Phoenix,” as in the mythical bird that emer ges from the flames.

This deter mination echoes a declar ation from the couple’ s first year of b usiness. They agreed that Spain will al ways be there if things didn’t w ork out. “But w e hate to go back lik e loser s,” Miguel says. “No, we want to sta y! This city, this state is beautiful!

Kentucky is like the nor th of Spain.”

It took three weeks for De La Torre’s to recover from water damage, with repair s at La Bodega languishing f or months. It was almost a y ear later when the tapas bar reopened, but it took no time f or the b uoyant Maggie to regain her str ide. She sa ys that going through a loss lik e that and coming out the other side has rejuvenated more than just the business. As for that rich dream of retiring to Spain one da y, the thought of lea ving their kitchen and customers behind is unbear able — so m uch so, that the couple doesn’t like to talk about this. Instead, Maggie sums-up the past 21 years in the restaurant business, and all the hard work still to come with, “It’s a wonderful life. Really.” F&D

A pair of tapas from De La Torre’s.

Chorizo, Serrano ham, goat cheese and quail egg atop a baguette (left), and mussel, shrimp and boiled egg with a piquillo pepper.

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“ How did I get so luck y? ”

“ You mean me? Or the desser t? ”

Louisville • 502-491-3125 Lexington • 859-254-6358

Reservations recommended.

Fondue coast to coast.

Locally owned and operated. meltingpot.com

www.foodanddine.com Summer 2010 23

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liquids cork 101

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BY SCOTT HARPER | PHOTOGRAPHS BY EDIS CELIK

L

Life after

Pinot Noir

24 Summer 2010 www.foodanddine.com

Bonarda Finca El Reposo 2006 (Mendoza, Argentina)

▲

True Bonarda is from Piedmont, Italy and is blended with the great Nebbiolo gr ape. Here is where the cer tainty ends; the Piedmont Bonarda and the Argentine Bonarda are thought to be the same b y some and totall y different b y other s, yet it still is called Bonarda. The wine has a medium pur ple color . While medium tannins on the f inish tighten the mouth f eel, you still get supple rich forward fruit and a medium body with b lack ber ry and b lack cher ry and a touch of spice. Around $10.00

▲

Before the Pinot Noir craze, I used to say that people who dr ank Mer lot reall y wanted Pinot Noir , they just didn’t know it.

Merlot was often descr ibed as round, soft, supple, smooth and/or velvety — all textural terms.Texture is what I think stands out in great Pinot Noir . While Mer lot can exhibit these characteristics, Pinot Noir epitomizes them.

When y ou deal with wine , not ev ery one hits the mark every time, but when Pinot Noir hits,it is a seductive texturally enlightened pleasure bomb that ma y show off flavors of red or b lack fr uits, floral notes, earth, baking spices, oak and tannins that are an ywhere from light to medium but typically well-integrated. Pinot Noir tends to be on the lighter side of red wine , but that is a gener alization. Many of these wines are full-bodied. And Pinot Noir can be deceptiv e: even when its color is light, it still can render a r ich flavor.

For many of us, Pinot Noir was put out of reach when prices sky-rock eted after the 2004 release of the mo vie Sideways, which caused more b uyers to be a ware of the wine’s attr ibutes. So where does one go with lif e after Pinot Noir ? My f irst thought of Pinot Noir replacements were gr apes lik e Blaufr ankisch from Austria or Legrein from Ital y. These and other var ietals w ould mak e excellent replacements but are not gener ally available. So I chose some of the more ob vious and some not so obvious possibilities.

The great thing about these wines is they each contain relatively lo w tannins (lik e Pinot Noir) which mak e the wines pleasant to drink without food as well as with lighter foods like seafood. And they have enough flavor to stand up to full-fla vor dishes as w ell. The key to matching red wine with seaf ood is the lo w tannins. Tannins tend to bring out the f ish oils making a wine seem “fishy” while covering up its delicate flavor.

Beaujolais-Villages Joseph Drouhin 2008 (Burgundy, France) The hallowed ground of Pinot Noir is Bur gundy, France. The only other red gr ape used to make red wine in the Beaujolais area of Bur gundy is Gama y. It makes perfect sense to start with a grape from the same area.Light red color with the fla vors of red flowers, raspberry, strawberry, red licorice and very light tannins, which giv e this wine a pleasant rich texture not unlik e its neighbor. This wine is dr y, crisp and light-bodied. Around $12.00

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▲

Nero d’Avola Baglio di Serramarrocco 2007 (Sicily, Italy)

“ ?\ @WYa D_YabWki

▲

Nero d’A vola hails from sunn y Sicil y and is one of the region’ s most impor tant gr apes. It lo ves the war m sunn y w eather and produces a soft yet full-bodied wine that is available in a variety of prices — generally, it’s considered a good value at an y price level.

With a medium red color and a pur ple core that possess r ipe flavors of b lackberry, black licor ice and ear th. The lo w cr ispness factor mak es this a r ich wine , silky with a medium plus body .

Around $20.00

YWd m_d j^[ CWij[hi Wj *," ? YWd m_d j^[ A[djkYao :[hXo Wj +*$

Schiava San Pietro 2008 (Alto Adige, Italy)

”

The name of this varietal from the nor theastern par t of Ital y means “little sla ve,” thought to be a reference to the gr ape’s Sla vic lineage. It also goes b y Vernatsch or Trollinger in Germany. Light red color with some light ear th and miner al notes, it has a r ich texture with flavors of red violet, cherry, cranberry and light tannins on the f inish.

Light-bodied and dr y with plenty of snappy fla vors that are cr isp and refreshing. Around $13.00

— Willie Shoemaker

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Valdiguie “Wildflower” J. Lohr 2008 (Monterey, California)

▲

The Valdiguie grape is originally from France where it is now hardly produced. It was once called Napa Gamay as it was similar in style to Gamay.Valdiguie is a little esoter ic b ut sev eral lar ge Calif ornia wineries produce it. Medium red color , nose and palate of wild str awberries, wild red cherries, and violets in a fr uit f orward style. Medium-bodied with a rich texture and low tannins. Around $11.00

VcY djg `cdlaZY\ZVWaZ hiV[[ add`h [dglVgY id ]Zae^c\ l^i] Vaa d[ ndjg 9ZgWn ZciZgiV^c^c\ cZZYh l^i] hVkkn gZXdbbZcYVi^dch [dg ^ciZgZhi^c\ l^cZh! hbVaa WViX] WdjgWdch! Vgi^hVcVa X]ZZhZh VcY hd bjX] bdgZ#

Dolcetto D’Alba Beni Di Batasiolo 2007 (Piedmont, Italy) The name means “little sweet one” in Piedmont’ s dialect although the wine is not sw eet. Piedmont is one of the great wine regions of Ital y as well as the world. Dolcetto is known as the ev eryday wine of Piedmont, but has r isen to new heights from noteworthy producer s. A medium dark red with ear th, leather, black cherry, ripe r aspberry, crisp acidity and medium min us tannins that are balanced with the medium body.

Supple, delicious and fla vorful.

Around $17.00

&*'. 7VgYhidlc GdVY lll#DaYIdlcL^cZ#Xdb lll#@n7djgWdc#cZi DeZc , YVnh V lZZ` *%'#)*&#-*.&

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people and places profiles

BY J. CHRISTIAN WALSH | PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAN DRY

Speaking Our Language

J

With its nods t o local culture and cuisine, Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse feels right at home in L ouisville.

Jeff Rub y looks lik e a steakhouse o wner.

With his shar p clothes and slick ed-back coif, a casting director w ould ha ve diff iculty f inding a better fit. Beyond the w ell-heeled visage is a New Jersey upbringing that Ruby still wears like a suit. He projects the swagger of someone who’s been good at something f or a long time and is savvy enough to know he is playing a role. It’s a character he’s been refining since running away from his Asbury Park home at 15 years old.

The penchant for showmanship he developed along the way is a quality Ruby now instills in his employees, who perform something that he calls culinar y enter tainment. It’s the device that makes visiting a Jeff Rub y’s feel a little lik e stepping into a movie.

Jeff Ruby’s With as m uch glitz-per-square-foot as an y place in to wn, Jeff Rub y’s Louisville uses a tr ademark mix of Holl ywood glamour, Manhattan spar kle and gangster br avado. He says that each of his dining rooms star ts from an or iginal script.

Ruby themes each location himself, usually sketching out a story around the b uilding’s histor y. Carlo and Johnn y’s, for example, is named after the Hamilton County sheriff and deputy who once r aided the Cincinnati mansion no w housing the restaurant. With f ixtures pluck ed from Al Capone’ s residence , the decor pa ys homage to the legendar y gambling par lor and mob haunt run out of the location all those y ears ago.

And the script for the Louisville location? To hear him tell it, it’s almost as if Ruby is pitching a screenplay. His Derby City story begins with a make-believe horse race — history’s fastest ponies brought together on one field.

26 Summer 2010 www.foodanddine.com

Steakhouse 584-0102 325 W. Main Street “I personally handicapped fantasy races and put them up on the racing board,” Ruby says. “I took the time to go through the decades and imagined if the best hor ses met, what the odds would’ve been, then did a r acing form for that.”

For those k eeping score at home , Triple Cro wn winner Affirmed is a 3-to-1 favorite.

Par t Louisville spor ts shr ine, par t Ar t Deco New York, Ruby’s achiev es cinematic scope with help from decor ator Dave Stev ens. Ruby sa ys this routine-hire once w orked on Frank Capr a and Otto Preminger sets. Stevens, now a Las Vegas restaur ant designer, missed few, if any, details in pulling together this throwback steakhouse.

Period hardware glitter s throughout the room, including a pair of doors from the famous Art Deco Chr ysler Building.

Orange mohair banquettes, a floating ceiling and a dazzling,

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1200-gallon shark tank help bring a buzz to the place that persists even when celebr ities aren’t co-opting the piano (singer Taylor Dayne, on one notable Derby weekend).

When explaining the posh set, Ruby retur ns to the culinar y entertainment model. People don’t come to see him because they’ re hungry. “They can go to their refrigerator f or that. People come here to celebrate life and be made to f eel special. From the v ery beginning, to me , it’s got to be more of a sensor y experience and a complete ev ening out. It’s got to achieve more than just satisfying appetites.”

This living-theater approach has onl y a little to do with the nightly, live music from perf ormers like Odean Mayes of Kool and the Gang. Ruby wants his staff to treat his dining rooms lik e a stage and uses the w ords “casting” and “audition” when ref erring to job inter views. Before opening in 2006, Ruby insured against bad actors b y sending his Louisville staff to rehear se at his Cincinnati restaurants f or six months, (with travel and expenses coming in at $100,000). In detailing what he expects in a waiter or hostess, the man is quite clear.

“I don’t want flat.

I want carbonated!”

All in the Family Many who kno w Jeff Rub y as the O .J. Simpson-bouncing, cigarpuffing big shot ha ven’t a clue about the softhear ted benefactor that one b usboy ref erred to as “Pop” during a recent visit. It would be hard to spend extended time with Rub y and not notice the paternal manner he tak es with his staff. Early in the ev ening, he gives the same b usboy gr ief f or a br uise he’ s w earing under his ey e.

Equal par ts firm and light-hear ted, Ruby reminds the y oung man that he was war ned about the gentleman who put the w ound there in the first place. Another face-off occurs later when Ruby is confronted by a group of waiter s.

“Boss, how approachable are y ou r ight now, on a scale of one-to-ten? Ten being, you can ha ve whatev er y ou want. One being, go to hell.”

28 Days: Jeff Ruby’s dry-ages its meat in-house .

Stored for four weeks, the process produces tender steaks with a mor e concentrated flavor.

“Negative five,” Ruby responds.

“Our team needs new softball jer seys.”

“Negative five,” Ruby repeats.

When Ruby objects to the team name — The Black Sox — one of the waiter s manages to sneak in a quip , saying that with Ruby as sponsor, the team ma y as w ell be called “The No So x.”

Not to be outdone , the boss informs his employee that the onl y uniform he’ s going to need is a hospital go wn. Watching him www.foodanddine.com Summer 2010 27

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operate, it becomes clear that Ruby has every intention of outfitting the team, but not before he has his fun.The grin that spreads across the ser ver’s face dur ing the banter indicates that he knows it.

The exchange f eels typical of a tight-knit famil y: a dynamic that repeats itself throughout the night. When asked about this, Ruby brings the discussion back to his Jersey Shore roots. It was here that he w orked in tw o restaurants while still a child. His mother’ s place , The Grapevine, and his stepfather’ s, Sid’s Hot Dog, were staffed with famil y member s who off ered plenty of good-natured r ibbing. So, fostering that atmosphere in his own restaurant has become second nature .

Ruby credits the mentor s he encountered along the wa y f or k eeping him on tr ack after he r an a way from home, and he stresses to his staff the impor tance of ha ving a f igure in y our lif e that y ou don’t want to disappoint. For Ruby, one of those mentors was his high school f ootball coach, and later , Sparky Anderson, manager of the Cincinnati Reds baseball team.

Ruby met Anderson after moving to Cincinnati in 1970. With one suit and tw enty dollar s in his pock et, Ruby secured a job as assistant manager of a Holida y Inn. Learning that the future Hall of Famer was a regular guest of his hotel,the long-time Reds fan made a point of introducing himself to Anderson.

That was the beginning: the meeting that made

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Jeff Ruby. Anderson took an immediate shine to the y oung innkeeper and the men became close . When Ruby was promoted to a diff erent Holiday Inn, Anderson and his coaches relocated to that hotel.

“Instead of sta ying r ight across the r iver from the stadium, he’d have to mak e a 25 mile dr ive in r ush hour tr affic. But, he’s sta ying where I’m staying. He’s not leaving me,” says Ruby.

It was through Anderson that Ruby would meet investors for future projects. If his Louisville steakhouse was a saf e bet f or the $60 million Galt House renovation, Ruby’s first endeavor couldn’t have been a bigger long shot. In 1981, with interest rates at 20 percent,skyrocketing inflation and unemployment across Cincinnati, the time was less-than-perfect for an upscale hot spot. The bad neighborhood and abandoned police station Rub y was mo ving into fur ther stack ed the deck against his restaurant The Precinct.

With only 68 seats, the house would need to be packed seven days a w eek to break ev en. The Precinct was a wager that onl y the most adventurous risk-taker would have bankrolled; a deal that w ould require a gambler of enormous stature.

(clockwise from left) Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse signature bone-in filet mignon with an herb r oasted lobster tail. With a decided nod to the local Kentucky distiller, the Maker’s Mark chocolate mousse .

Filet Collinsworth: filet mignon crowned with crabmeat, béarnaise and topped with asparagus. Kentucky Bibb Bleu Salad: American butterhead Bibb, tart apple, Maytag bleu cheese with black waln uts.

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Enter Pete Rose.

Rose and f ellow all-star Johnn y Bench had been pals with Ruby for years and were the first in a line-up of athletes who w ould f inance ventures with Rub y. After selling his car f or his share of the star t-up costs, Jeff Rub y obtained the f irst jew el in his steakhouse cro wn. The gamble paid off f or everyone, with The Precinct enjoying status as one of the Midw est’s best steakhouses for three decades now.

After expanding the enter prise to six Cincinnati locations, the br and f ound its wa y south in 2006. Today, Jeff Ruby’s Louisville is one of onl y a f ew spots around where diner s can pick from a stocked sushi and raw bar, as well as a men u of a half-doz en pr ime steaks. (Prices range from the $35 f ilet mignon to the $55 porterhouse.) The restaur ant dr y-ages its meat on the premises, each cut seasoned f or a minimum of 28 da ys. The humidity controlled meat lock er is a f eature proudl y displa yed f or diners as they enter the restaur ant’s foyer.

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Over a meal of bone-in r ib ey e (the Co wboy Steak, $49.75), Ruby goes o ver his methods f or keeping business fresh. Much like the décor, he spares no expense in his kitchens, as evidenced b y a recent reconnaissance mission to Las Vegas. Ruby treated seven of his chefs to a tour of the city’ s best steakhouses, including a stop at SW in the Michelin r ated Wynn Resort. Ruby was clearly inspired.After sampling the chile-rubbed, double rib eye there, he declared to corporate chef Jeremy Lieb, “I want that dr y rub!”

Lieb’s appro ximation no w gar ners the title , The Ruby Jew el. When ask ed ho w close his chef ’s steak came to its inspir ation, Ruby offers an aff irming nod, adding, “You kno w, SW doesn’t dr y age their s inhouse.”

There’s an ambition to Rub y’s steakhouses that’ s palpable and a confidence that’s infectious.Toward the end of dinner, Ruby’s phone rings. As if to validate the earlier talk of show business, the caller asks for Ruby’s help in getting a mo vie made . Holding an unlit cigar and m ulling o ver the project’ s f iner details, the onetime wanderer looks very much at home. F&D

Silver and gold: Decorator Dave Stevens leaned heavily on his movie background when making Ruby’s look like something from the silver screen’s Golden Age. www.foodanddine.com Summer 2010 31

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BY JERRY SLATER | PHOTOGRAPH BY DAN DRY

V Vodka

— Still in Vogue

Vodka is the most popular distilled alcohol in the United States, outselling all whisk eys combined, but it gets little to no “street cred” with the latest generation of bar tenders and mixologists.

The new cocktailians, this generation of mixologists that are fiercely studying and resur recting the cocktail, seem to ha ve little use for a product that wasn’t even around in the cocktail’s golden age, the roughly two decades before prohibition. Gin, rye, Bourbon, and cognac were the palette of colors that bartenders painted with, and in imitating old master s, the new students are creating their personal styles with the or iginal color wheel.

Vodka wasn’t imported into the U.S. in any great quantity until after World War II, and did not really catch on until the 1950s. In the 1960s, vodka got a little help from Ian Fleming’s 007, aka James Bond, the globe-trotting, Cold War, bon vivant spy. By the 1970s, vodka had sur passed Bourbon, America’s native spirit and closest competition at the time . And its meteor ic r ise hasn’t slo wed down, with a new br and appearing on the mar ket regularly.

Two Madison Avenue-type mar keting schemes w ere par tly responsible for vodka’s success. The first involved vodka’s or iginal

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classic dr ink, the Mosco w Mule , invented in 1941 b y tw o distributors selling tw o str uggling products, Smirnoff Vodka and Cock’n Bull ginger beer . Add lime and a fancy engr aved copper mug and Smirnoff ’s distribution tripled by 1951 and vodka started to become the mixer of choice over gin.

The next marketing campaign did not emphasize what vodka was, but r ather what it was not. Smirnoff ’s famous tag line , “It leaves y ou breathless, ” appealed to dr inking cultures sense of decorum, something equivalent to sophistication through hygiene.

And it seems to be the whiskey market that they were going after.

One Souther n distr ibutor w ent so far as to mar ket v odka as “white whiskey — no taste , no smell.” And if you think mar keting isn’t a factor in v odka sales today, tell me why fashion retailer s Ed Hardy and Rober to Cavalli have vodkas on the mar ket.

Furthermore, part of the popular ity, from the producer’ s point of view, is vodka’s ease of manufacturing. With a continuous column still and no barrel maturation, vodka can be on store shelves with a quick turnaround of cash. Compare that to Bourbon, which sits in the bar rel an a verage of six to eight y ears after the initial investment, and you can see the appeal. Even if you want to make

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whiskey, sell some v odka in the meantime to recoup some capital investment. Hence, the regularity at which new brands pop up on the liquor store shelf.

What cocktail purists may perceive as blandness, is actuall y v odka’s strength. In the flavor color wheel I mentioned ear lier, think of v odka as white , a neutr al that emphasizes r ather than stands out. A Bloody Mary does not need the additional flavors of gin or tequila. If made well, there is enough fla vor happening already. In fact, the v odka sometimes w orks best as a silent partner. In the Bloody Mary, it thins a thick, rich tomato base to dr inkability, adding the requisite alcoholic kick.

As a mix er, that white palate aspect works well when y ou want to emphasiz e other full flavors.Two of my own drinks, the Ruby Slipper and the Little Sam urai, are favorites on the One Flew South men u.

The Rub y Slipper star ted as an idea f or combining savory herbs and fr uits. One of my favorite combinations is rosemar y and grapefruit. Adding a nice or ganic vodka, like Kentucky’s own Rain, adds the needed backbone for the cocktail without interfering with the sur prising and delightful herb and fr uit pairing. The Little Samurai was created to ha ve a sak e cocktail, to complement the sushi aspect of the restaurant.Vodka lets the subtle, exotic flavors of sake and ginger shine .

Sometimes vodka works as a pinch hitter. Take for instance, the Caipiroska, a vodka version of the Caipir inha, Brazil’s national cocktail. The cachaca, a sugar cane distillate not unlike rum, is muddled and shaken with lime and sugar and is fairly neutral in flavor.

Add vodka instead of rum (and maybe just a tiny bit more sugar) and it might tak e a Brazilian to know the difference.

If, on the other hand,you like the flavor of vodka (I know you’re out there), do like the Russians or the Polish and sip it straight and ice cold, preferably with some salty and tasty treat, like pickled beets. I will give you some choices along the fla vor spectrum. For the tr aditionalist, try Hammer & Sickle, a tr ue Russian expor t, complete with Red Da wn-era packaging. Clean and smooth are the onl y tw o adjectiv es needed. For patr iotism, try Hangar One from Alameda, CA. Combining vodkas from both pot-distilled viognier grapes and column-distilled wheat, Hangar One has a (left to r ight) Caipiroska, Ruby Slipper and Little Samurai

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floral and citr us char acteristic with a weighty middle . Lastly, Karlsson’s, from Sweden, is the most full-flavored vodka I’ve tried.With hints of herbs, cocoa and hazelnuts, this v odka demands y our attention.

Serve it well chilled and neat.

So, is vodka a lot of h ype and fancy packaging? Sure . Is it also star ting to be taken ser iously by ar tisan producer s and cutting edge mixologists? Absolutely.

Caipiroska SERVES 1

1 lime, cut into 8 pieces 2 ounces vodka 1 ounce simple syrup Muddle lime and syr up in glass half of Boston shak er. Add v odka and ice and shake vigorousl y. Pour all contents into rocks glass and ser ve.

Ruby Slipper SERVES 1

11/2 3 1 3

ounces vodka ounces ruby red grapefruit juice ounce rosemary simple syrup ounces club soda Fresh rosemary sprig for garnish

Combine vodka, rosemary syrup, and juice with ice and shak e vigorously. Strain into a Collins glass f illed with fresh ice . Top with soda and stir . Garnish with long spr ig of rosemary.

Rosemary simple syrup: 2 cups sugar 2 cups water 12 sprigs fresh rosemary Bring sugar and water to a boil. Remove from heat and add rosemar y. Let steep for at least 30 min utes and remove rosemar y.

Store refrigerated. Makes 2 cups.

Little Samurai SERVES 1

1 1 1 /2 1 /2 1 /4

ounce vodka ounce sake (cold Junmai) ounce Canton ginger liqueur ounce blood orange juice ounce St.-Germain elderflower liqueur Dash orange bitters Lychee for garnish

Shake all ingredients together and str into a chilled cocktail glass. F&D

ain

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BY ROGER A. BAYLOR | PHOTOGRAPH BY EDIS CELIK

Summer Brews for All Occasions There are good reasons wh y I’m kno wn as the P otable Curmudgeon. My career in good beer has been pur sued with a contrarian’s sensibility, one suggesting that conventional wisdom in beer is to be avoided as often as a wider r ange of choices is available. Likewise, those lower-hanging, safer, easier beers are best left to those among us who nev er really liked beer in the first place.

In shor t, when consider ing a list of super lative summer time beers, my attention is drawn to the fruit visible in branches higher up the tree, where there are fewer concessions and greater rewards.

Consequently, I will not em ulate the admittedl y alluring message of the ubiquitous Corona television adv ertising and conjure for your approbation a tranquil, relaxing vision of Caribbean paradise, with blue oceans, pastel sunbrellas and honking cell phones flying into the water to symboliz e the blissfulness of nothingness.

For me, images like these are the ultimate in bait-and-switch tactics, substituting wishful holida y dreams f or the reality of beer content, and ensuring that vacationers will settle for lubricating their long-awaited holida ys with the most tasteless beer imaginable, something that would possess no flavor at all if not f or the lime wedge that shouldn’t be there .

No: Absolutely not in this column.

I’ll spend an endless summer surf ing, blush at summer love, endure the gr it of summer in the city , sweat through summer school, feel a summer breeze, recall the innocence of the summer of ’42, cheer the boys of summer, mop the floor s at a summer place, catch a summer cold, and div e full tilt into those lazy, hazy, crazy da ys of summer. I’ll even finger paint at summer beer camp if y ou show me how.

But I will not recommend light golden or lo wcalorie lager as a pref erred summer beer.

If I want refreshment, I drink str aight, unalloyed lemonade, and f or no w, I’ll also a void the most ob vious craft- and micro-brew ed styles: German, Belgian and American wheat-based ales.

These various Weizens and Wits surely are ser viceable, and yet as cr aft beer consciousness contin ues to r ise, arguably they’v e become the default f or any writer tackling this topic . Still, just for the joy of counter-contrarianism, I’ve located a solitary meritorious exception to the r ule.

What are the summer time beer alternatives?

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My f ive beer choices suit diff erent outdoor occasions, and while some bor row European style char acteristics, they’re all brewed right here in America and can be purchased at discer ning package stores throughout the metropolitan Louisville area.

The garden patch and Prima Pils.

You won’t catch me promoting the notion that dr inking and operating heavy machiner y is a good idea, so play it str aight and non-alcoholic when mo wing the la wn. At the same time , pruning shears and a spade don’t seem at all incompatib le with a shaded spot in the y ard, where the reward f or sweaty toil a waits, gently chilled in a cooler.

Victory Prima Pils, brewed near Philadelphia, remains the finest American cr aft inter pretation of Bohemian pilsner .

Prima implies stylistic specif icity abo ve and bey ond the vast horde of golden-colored lager s often associated with the term “Pilsner.”

The diff erence is a liber al hopping r ate, the hallmar k of the pilsner genre when it’ s done as or iginally intended, nongenerically, with the goal of bitter underpinnings and aromatic finishing hops balanced against clean, tantalizing malt, combining to create gently carbonated goodness.

Schlafly Biere de Garde by the grill and ar ound the barbecue pit.

In Nor thern Fr ance, brewers in olden times began the custom of cellar ing ales brewed in late spr ing, with the notion of ha ving stocks to last through the summer , when ev en the moder ate European temper atures made brewing prob lematic before refrigeration.

They made them in shades of golden, amber and brown — r arely o vertly hoppy, more often mediumbodied with a complex, rich malt character.

Schlafly’s v ersion of Biere de Garde falls precisely in the middle of this stylistic r ange. It is a lush amber color , exhibiting gentle yeast esters, with a restrained hop edge for balance.

It’s a perfectly calibrated beer for outdoor, early evening feasts, complementing the vibr ant flavors of b urgers, hot dogs and fresh summer vegetables; standing up to the stronger flavors of smoked ribs and pungent barbecue sauces; and still subtle enough to drink for enjoyment without the food.

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In extra innings, Brooklyn East India Pale Ale and its br ethren.

Ten y ears ago , my wander ings took me to Baltimore and its Camden Yards, the showplace retro ballpar k that has f or so long been cr iminally under served b y the woebegone Orioles.

It was August, and the air was f etid and sticky . Resigned to the usual insipid ballpark beer selection, I was delighted to be greeted with tw o pro vidential treats: Chesapeake crab cakes and locally brewed India pale ale from what used to be the independent Frederick Brewing Company.

IPA is m y pref erred accompaniment to America’s pastime , and while I’m offering Brooklyn’s as a specific recommendation, it’s impossible to predict the exact beers to be f ound at a par ticular city’ s baseball field.

In Louisville dur ing the 2009 season, rotating ales from Bro wning’s Brew ery (itself named f or P ete Bro wning, a 19thcentury local baseball star) w ere being poured from a single tap behind home plate at Slugger Field.

Browning’s ESB (Extra Special Bitter) and Extr a Pale, both close cousins to Brookl yn Brewing East India Pale Ale, were frequent guests.

Baseball’s histor ical antecedents are English, as is the case with India pale ale , a style or iginally brew ed f or expor t to the British Empire’ s administr ators in far -off India. Brooklyn Brew ery’s EIP A co vers all these conceptual bases.

EIPA is not to be confused with the fuller-bodied “Imperial” hop bombs that dominate the contempor ary cr aft beer marketplace, although with an alcohol content approaching 7%, it’s no banjo hitter .

The overall eff ect is distinctl y Br itish, with characteristically “biscuity” English malt and East Kent Goldings dominating the hop bill.

Look f or EIPA or something lik e it, and hope f or a high scor ing game with numerous pitching changes.

Gone fishin’ with a cooler of Stone Levitation Ale. The expansiv e, cutting edge brew ers who populate Stone’ s gr id in Escondido , California, probably were not thinking about mellow Midw estern angler s when they came up with the best amber session a le in recent memor y, but here it is: Honest, low gr avity, and fair ly br imming with exuberance. Everything about Levitation’ s crisp malt char acter and aggressiv e hopping (pr imarily in citr usy fla vor and

aroma, with little bitter ness) screams “American craft beer.”

Accordingly, the adaptab le Levitation has a light enough body to refresh a midday thirst after your line’s already been cast, and also flaunts enough olfactory backbone to enhance a mess of cor nmeal battered bluegill at the shoreline fish fry afterward.

Porch brew: Three Floyds Gumballhead, the winner for all-purpose, high summer hijinks.

For a wheat beer to make my summer list, it can’t merely be competent and workmanlike in any traditional sense. Happily, the one I’m recommending now bears a bright, cartoonish label adorned with a comic book cat snarling while smoking a cigarette .

That simply isn’t normal, and neither is its maker.

Three Floyds Brewing Company came to prominence dur ing the late 1990s b y conjuring the biggest and most outlandish specialty cr aft styles, with colorful names and legends to match, including Dark Lord Imperial Stout, Behemoth Blonde Bar ley Wine and Dreadnaught Imper ial IPA. A f ew y ears ago , brewery f ounder Nick Flo yd and the gang began thinking counter-intuitively, balancing their speed metal approach with l yrical inter ludes worthy of Chopin. The results r ange no less deliciousl y across the beer style spectrum’s moder ate reaches. While Gorch Fock Helles, Pride & Jo y Mild and MunsterFest all might do honor to a hot, humid, lazy summer’ s da y, my pick f or a quenching wheat ale with bountiful integrity is Gumballhead.

Gumballhead is ta wny, dark golden in color, with bar ley and red wheat in the mash and bountiful additions of Amarillo hops. Like Levitation Ale, Gumballhead does not ev en break 5% alcohol b y v olume. It looks like typically mild-mannered American wheat ale , and drinks larger than its specs without sacrificing its ability to refresh.

—————— In summar y, perhaps the best single word f or descr ibing these f ive f eatured beers is “versatile.” They’re not too hea vy to be inappropr iate on a scorcher , meaty enough to be contemplativ e dur ing a cooling summer’s rain storm, and endowed with complexity when it comes to pair ing with your Farmers Market haul.

Enjoy the hot w eather … and k eep a few Barley Wines hidden away just in case the air conditioner beckons. F&D www.foodanddine.com Summer 2010 35

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BY DAVID LANGE

V

Vietnamese

Coffee

PHOTO BY DAN DRY

When I had tak en my first sip, I knew that I had crossed the next threshold of caff eine Nir vana. The fusion of sw eetness, creaminess and caff eine swir led in m y mouth, awakening m y senses to this new and enlightening sensation.

I was in Chicago many years ago and after finishing dinner at the renowned French-Vietnamese restaurant, Le Colonial, our group decided to conclude with coffee.

One of m y fr iends suggested w e do something more exotic than regular coff ee. So what m ysterious dr ink provided a coffee revelation? The Southeast Asia staple of Vietnamese coffee. Vietnamese coffee is as much fun to make as it is to watch,a real treat,especially for those who enjoy their coffee strong and sweet.

Imagine a shor t glass with a hard dose of sweetened condensed milk, the color of iv ory and the texture of hot fudge.The glass wears a metal top hat, a filter with grounds and water , which dr ibbles drops of thick coffee, crude-oil black and nearly as bitter, into the lower level.They sit, stacked in two layers, until you take a spoon and give it a turn. For a moment,the coffee and milk swir l around each other , hesitating before coming together, a phenomenon smar ter people than I call sensitive chaos. You tak e a sip , and the sw eetness hits first, full and r ich. Then your mouth dr ies a bit, like the tide pulling back, and coffee leaves a mellow bitterness.

You tak e another sip , and suddenl y everything is r ight with the world.

The French brought coff ee to Vietnam in the 1800s, taking advantage of the climate to create massive coffee plantations. Historically, Vietnam is one of the most important countries involved in coffee cultivation, and today is the world’s second largest producer of coffee (second to Brazil), a fact that comes as a surprise to most coffee consumers. Despite bumper crops, it wasn’t exactl y a café au lait par ty: Vietnam was not home to a dair y-drinking culture. It was a tough place to f ind fresh milk, and whatever there was w ouldn’t last in the heat.

Condensed milk was the solution.

Several items are required f or y ou to enjo y this dr ink f irsthand, but trust me, it is definitely worth it.

To make Ca phe sua nong (Vietnamese coffee) you need water, a heat source , a phin (which is a little hat-lik e contraption), a glass coffee mug, and coffee with chicor y.

The last is up to debate , as some people like their brew with straight coff ee, but tr aditionally Vietnamese coff ee is made with chicory, which is a caffeine-free herb used to flavor the coffee. Café du Monde , French Mar ket and the Vietnamese coff ee Trung Nguyen are popular br ands and the gr ind is perf ect for brewing

36 Summer 2010 www.foodanddine.com

this coff ee. Trung Nguy en coff ee is unique because the coff ee beans are gener ally roasted in what is ref erred to as “butter oil,” which may or ma y not be actual clar ified butter oil. Occasionally vegetable oils are used, and histor ically, traditional “home-grown” coffee roasting style involves creating almost a caramel-like coating effect with the use of a small amount of sugar , oil, and generally a touch of vanilla or cocoa. Some f olks don’t lik e it ho wever and stick with straight coffee.

Start with y our glass coff ee mug, and pour about a third of an inch of condensed milk in it. It is thick, creamy, sweet, and the heart and soul of y our cup of Vietnamese coffee. Remember, it’s condensed milk, not evaporated. It may seem like a small difference, but the two are very different creatures. Condensed milk typically contains sugar and is heat processed with steam.Steamed milk has different physics from non-steamed milk and tastes better when used in coff ee (ask an y cappuccino dr inker). You can use easil y available Eagle Br and condensed milk, but I ha ve found the Sua Ong Tho Longevity Brand condensed milk to be a super ior buy.

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Avoid milks that have the word ‘filled’ on the label — they contain v egetable oil.

Check the ingredients!

Get your phin ready by taking the top off and unscrewing the top f ilter. Then dump three heaping teaspoons of coar se ground coffee and chicory (a French grind should do it). Replace the top f ilter and tighten the screw so that the top f ilter is snug against the coffee grounds. Don’t get too enthusiastic and mak e the f ilter tight, just aim for snug.

Set the phin on top of your glass coffee cup. Slowly pour hot water into the phin, until it is about one-f ourth full. It should take 20 seconds or more for the hot water to f ilter through. If it tak es less time , you need to tighten the screw on y our f ilter.

Once you have your filter squared away, fill the phin with hot water and place the cover on top. Let the coff ee brew in peace , this should take about f ive minutes. The liquid should drip out of the phin, not stream.

Once the coffee has stopped dripping, carefully remove the phin and set it aside .

You can then either stir the condensed milk into the coffee or leave it for a sweet finish. Vietnamese coffee is also great iced.

Enjoy!

The Louisville area has sev eral restaurants that feature Vietnamese coffee for those who aren’t conf ident enough of their culinar y or bar ista skills to attempt making it at home . August Moon Chinese Bistro, Vietnam Kitchen, Annie Caf e, Lemongrass Café and Pho Binh Minh are all excellent and reliab le cafés to experience the w onders and subtleties of Vietnamese coffee. If you are adventurous and looking for any of the abo ve items to tackle making this ambrosial drink on your own, you should be ab le to f ind them at any Asian market.

The resulting coffee has the texture of a good espresso and a car amel sweetness with a flavor close to good coffee ice cream.

This coffee may actually be too strong f or some people and it is not un usual to ask for a car afe of hot water to dilute the drink.The marriage of sweet thick milk and intense bitter coffee is sublime. Each, on its own, is too intense to be enjoyed.The milk is too cloying, the coffee too strong. There is a classic yin and y ang vying for attention and needing just a stir of the spoon to create an extraordinary balance.

Sip it slowly.The wait is worth it. F&D

I N S P I R E D

D I N I N G

Wiltshire On Market

D I N N E R

M E N U

C H A N G E S

W E E K L Y

www.WiltshireOnMarket.com Evenings Thursday thru Saturday at 636 East Market Street Unique accommodations for private events.

Reservations encouraged | 502.589.5224 www.foodanddine.com Summer 2010 37

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people and places profiles

BY GREG GAPSIS | PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAN DRY

European-style Coffee Café Evolves

I

A pleasant little escape fr om the everyday chaos Imagine a sanctuary from the noise and rush, add excellent coffees, beverages, and food, and you’ll grasp the inspiration that vitalizes Caffe Classico, a European-style coffee bar and café tuck ed on a cor ner of the Fr ankfort Avenue dining district.

There are no televisions; no Wi-Fi.There’s no clutter by the cash register, what supermarkets call “point of purchase” products. It’s a minimalist, calming environment deliberately created by the owner who wanted to mak e a place where people w ould sit and share an encounter, uninterrupted by life’s general busyness.

Tommy Mudd is responsib le for opening this oasis of sanity in 2003 at the cor ner of Fr ankfort and Clifton Avenues, in a mar ket that mostly didn’t understand it.“We want people to have a good meal and good conversation, a little escape from the everyday chaos so that when they leave they are rested and revitaliz ed,” said Mudd.

But in 2003, “the American drive-through culture didn’t y et under stand the value of sitting do wn to relax, to talk to each other ,” Mudd said. “That’s what we’re after here — a cleansing, a respite from the chaos in the world. Back then there was a very small market for us, mostly people who had tr avelled or international types who had emigr ated here.”

The decor is light and uplifting. Pale maize walls, floors of white oak, and white tr immed windows surround blonde, beechwood tables and chairs in the front café. A black-edged service counter backed by an etched mirror listing coffee selections and a few posters stand out crisply without overwhelming the room.

A larger, rear dining room, which opens at 5 p .m., continues the same color scheme , except that tab le sets are a deeper waln ut finish in a room crossed by columned arches. On one side, a bar area and curved banquettes casually surround several small tables.The opposite side has a small cor ner stage where some of the city’ s best flamenco guitar ists frequently play. Large windows stretch along the street-side wall lending the room a combined f eeling of openness and intimacy.

Saffron Asiago risotto cakes with lima bean succotash and wilted spinach.

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Proprietor Tommy Mudd

Caffe Classico Lessons Learned It is a bit sur prising the ambience and spir it at Caffe Classico doesn’t spr ing from a childhood of tr avel with parents in the foreign service or militar y.

Mudd is a local bo y brought up in an athleticall y-talented family. He shagged balls and caddied at Sha wnee P ark, went to college on a golf scholar ship in the Deep South, and didn’t tr avel to Europe until a decade-and-a-half out of school.

“I played the pro circuit f or a f ew years and then became a club pro, working in Baton Rouge before returning to Louisville to open the P olo Fields in the ear ly nineties,” Mudd said. “There I became friends with a German manufacturer of espresso machines, Markus Bihler, who took golf lessons from me .”

A few years later, the fr iendship helped Mudd gain a new perspective on lif e when he w ent through a div orce. Mudd took a y ear off and, with Bihler’s help , mounted an extended tour of Europe’s cultural capitals — London, Paris,Vienna, Munich, Florence,Venice, Pisa, Nice, Avignon and Amsterdam.

“A trip like that, with introductions and hosts at man y of my stops, was the equivalent of two years of college,” Mudd said.

While he returned to work in the golf industr y, assisting with

(502) 895-0076 2144 Frankfort Ave.

the national expansion of Different Strokes golf center s, Mudd’s immersion in European culture str uck a cord. He soon met and later mar ried an Argentine lady, Claudia P eralta, with whom he traveled to Buenos Aires, Spain and again to Italy and then decided to tr y the coff ee business, as a man ufacturer’s representative for Bihler’s company in the Midwest.

“I f elt the future was single-cup brew ers and set about to learn everything I could about coff ee, a culture that goes back to the Ottoman siege of Vienna in 1683 and their sacks of beans left behind for Europeans to discover,” Mudd said. “I still think Austrian coffee, the Julius Meinl br and we use, is the best coff ee in centr al Europe.”

But espresso machines did not command a wide mar ket in the late nineties and Mudd was faced with an uphill climb. In 2001, he moved into a f ormer antiques store that he used as an off ice, warehouse and repair workshop and opened Caffe Classico in the front room in 2003, initially as a coffee shop.

“We attr acted what I’ll call inter nationals, people who had traveled, the new Bosnian immigrants, Cubans, people who appreciated really good coffee and knew what we were about, but that was still a very small market,” Mudd said. “We tried to expand the www.foodanddine.com Summer 2010 39

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food off erings b ut that led to fur ther challenges because of m y ignorance, egos in the kitchen, and not really knowing how to run this type of business.”

That’s when a w ell-known and successful local restaur ateur, “in an act of generosity ,” agreed to become a par tner and teach him how to run the business, said Mudd.

It worked. He learned the necessary elements to sur vive in a tough market and was able to buy out his mentor in a f ew years.

“In retrospect they w ere simple lessons: watch your costs all the time , be here , relate to people , be present to y our workers and y our clientele ‘no matter what, ’ ” Mudd said. “It mak es y ou careful about what you say you’ll do, and makes you follow through on everything you say you will do. It was transformative.”

Menu Mudd lear ned along the wa y that he had to kno w as m uch about food preparation as the chefs he emplo yed. So, he took a crash course on how to prepare every evening dinner specialty — pastas, meats, fish, sauces — and f ollowed it up with tw o months of being the lead sauté and gr ill chef.

He engaged Axel Cooper — who had w orked at El Mundo and Wiltshire Pantry, helped open the Nor th End Café, and is a pesticide-free produce gardener — as a consulting chef to develop the menu and train kitchen staff.

“I didn’t want to put a large space into refrigeration, so we use purveyors who are willing to deliv er on a dail y basis — Creation

40 Summer 2010 www.foodanddine.com

Gardens, Blue Dog Bak ery, Divinity Fine P astries, Najla’s Cookies, Irish Hill Meats, Blue Fin Seafood,” Mudd said.“Everything we serve is delivered fresh every day and is made when y ou order them.”

The daytime menu offers sur prisingly diverse appetizers like salmon croquettes ser ved with wasabi aioli, pommes frites, empanadas, and a tr aditional Spanish plate of huevos fritos al caballo, a couple of sunny-side up eggs on a steaming plate of frites with tomato vinaigrette.The evening adds a rustic sampler plate of artisanal goat cheeses with salami, nuts, grapes and baguette slices or savory steamed mussels ($6 to $8.50).

Salad selections co ver multiple cultures, offering Greek, Lyonnaise, Caesar, Nicoise and Tortoni Buenos Aires, a chef salad with tomatoes, egg, mozzarella, cucumber, avocado and car rots ($6.50 to $8.50).

There are specialty soups of the da y, like a popular gazpacho or a recent v egetarian Moroccan lentil with chickpeas whose seasoning blend of tur meric, cinnamon and ginger was so r ich it imbued an almost smoky flavor.

A half-dozen, traditional, grill-pressed panini are available at all hour s, presenting war m b lends of var ious cheeses, meats, tomatoes and spinach to please the palate ($8) and a selection of specialty sandwiches that r ange from more familiar tuna and chicken salads to El Bocadillo, a hear ty Spanish v ersion of a club sandwich on steroids, all ser ved with a bed of mix ed greens and crackling, delicious kettle-fried potato chips ($8).

A small selection of gour met pizzas — Mar gherita, eggplant

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Parmesan, and an alla bobo is added to the mix ($11.50 to $12.50).

“The alla bobo was taught to me by a Bosnian who used to oper ate a famous pizzeria in Sar ajevo, Pescara,” Mudd said.

“With a fr iend tr anslating because he speaks no English, Bobo taught me how to make pizza, from the dough, to sauce , to hand-disking the pie.”

Entrées that br idge both lunch and dinner similar ly include creativ e mix es of high-flavor ingredients.

Sausages Alemania, is a combination of smoked sausages, rustic mashed potatoes and braised red cabbage topped with a red onion confit. Pan seared salmon or an eightounce sir loin come with, respectively, leek sauce, roasted sweet potato and gr illed asparagus, or roasted new potatoes, grilled asparagus and sauteed tomatoes in a butter shallot sauce.

Continuing the pleasing off erings are flank steak, Mediterranean vegetable pasta, saffron Asiago risotto cakes and a memorable peppercorn and thyme-rubbed pork tenderloin served on sweet potato medallions and gr illed aspar agus with a gr appa and honey reduction. A chick en roulade — pan seared chick en breast stuff ed with goat cheese, pine n uts, dried tomatoes, wilted spinach and prosciutto ser ved with pan seared risotto cakes topped with grilled asparagus — onl y lends a punctuation point to the dining exper iences a vailable (all $13 to $16).

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Ham and feta panini with sundried tomatoes, mozzarella, pesto and baby spinach with a side of Belgian pommes frites.

Proposition “For almost sev en y ears, we w ere something people didn’t under stand, but we’ve been per sistent and ha ve sta yed focused on a quality exper ience,” Mudd said.

“This is the beginning of conflict resolution,” Mudd sa ys, about the f ellowship that str ikes up o ver a tab le. “When you get to kno w other cultures and visit other lands, you begin to realize we are all in the same boat, that w e share similar concerns and cares. That’s Mer ton stuff.”

“That is what w e want here ,” Mudd said pointing to tw o w omen at a nearb y table animated in conversation.“Something good is going to come of that.” F&D (clockwise from left) Chicken roulade with grilled asparagus; brewing espresso; Yulitze Guerra serving up an order; Alfajores (traditional Argentinean cookies). www.foodanddine.com Summer 2010 41

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easy entertaining steakhouse night

W

We go to dinner at upscale steakhouses because they promise comf orting luxur y — familiar meat and potatoes fare , but of the best quality . And the best steakhouses deliv er on that promise: big steaks, steaming potatoes, side dishes big enough to share, all served with an opulence designed to impress.

But let’s face it — you don’t need a culinar y degree to cook this kind of meal. You can reproduce it at home with just a little care. Pay attention when selecting y our ingredients: deep green broccoli with tight clusters of florets, a premium steak (we chose T-bone for its compromise betw een flavor and tender ness — filets aren’t beefy enough f or this meal). Buy the best quality tomatoes you can f ind and let them r ipen a f ew days on the counter before you slice them. Even buying the best you can find brings you in way under the dollar s you’d spend eating out.

Brown is a flavor as well as a color and the dar ker that sear, the better y our steak will taste . They know that at steakhouses.

Pay attention and you’ll see the chefs cook it just short of burning.

Use the burner on your stove with the most f ire-power and use

42 Summer 2010 www.foodanddine.com

BY TIM AND LORI LAIRD | PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAN DRY

a heavy skillet (cast iron w orks very well). Let the pan and the vegetable oil get good and hot bef ore adding the meat. Pat the steak dr y with paper to wels before adding it to the hot pan so the sear begins r ight a way. And use salt and pepper with confidence bef ore y ou cook the steak; you don’t want to o ver salt, but a shake or two from the shaker won’t be enough.

We chose side dishes here just lik e w e do off a men u — these are our favorites.Tim loves the creamed spinach and it’s not something we ever make for our selves. Ditto the hash bro wns.

Baked potatoes are easy to do; hash browns at a steakhouse are special — cr isp on the outside and soft on the inside . Tim has perfected the recipe over many trials and we think you’ll agree it’s delicious.You can add onion or cheese to the potatoes if you like.

Besides la vish amounts of b utter used on steak in these restaurants, a spice rub is often used to add another dimension of flavor. Tim has dev eloped a spice r ub w e think is perf ect. Use what’s left over to r ub generously on the skin of chick en before grilling, or on pork shoulder before a long, slow barbecue.

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STEAK NightIn HOUSE Shopping List

Beefsteak tomatoes, 1 - 2 Red onion, 1 Blue cheese, 2 ounces, crumbled Basil, 1 bunch Large broccoli crowns, 2 - 3 Lemons Sliced mushrooms, 8 ounces Port Flat leaf parsley, 1 bunch Frozen chopped spinach, 1 12-ounce bag Shallot, 1 large Heavy cream, half-pint French fried onions Large russet potatoes, 2 - 3 Lobster tail, 10 ounces T-Bone steak, 26 ounces Bittersweet chocolate, 16 ounces Fresh raspberries, 1 pint Frozen raspberries, 1 12-ounce package Chambord liqueur Woodford Reserve Bourbon Red wine such as Merlot Sweet vermouth Bitters Maraschino cherries

Also pick up if not alr eady in your pantry Garlic bulb Kosher salt Pepper Eggs, 1 dozen Unsalted butter Olive oil Peanut or vegetable oil Paprika

Nutmeg Cayenne Garlic powder Onion powder Dried oregano Powdered sugar Sugar Flour

Timeline 1 Week ahead Shop for non-perishable groceries Make the ‘Spice Rub’ Order your cut of steak if it is not normally carried by your butcher

Chop the parsley for garnish; refrigerate Make the ‘Chocolate Decadence’; store at room temperature

2 Days ahead

Toast French fried onions

Prepare your table with platters and serving pieces

1 Day ahead Shop for last minute groceries Put the frozen spinach in the refrigerator to thaw Put the frozen lobster tail in the refrigerator to thaw Make the ‘Raspberry Sauce’

Morning of the party Crumble the blue cheese and dic e the red onion for the ‘Sliced Tomato Salad’

2 Hours ahead 1 Hour ahead Make the ‘Creamed Spinach’; keep warm Make the ‘Hash Browns’; keep warm Prep the lobster tail; refrigerate until ready to cook

Just before serving dinner Steam the broccoli Make the ‘Sautéed Mushrooms’ Cook the ‘Lobster Tail’ Season and cook the ‘T-Bone Steak’ www.foodanddine.com Summer 2010 43

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Creamed Spinach (SERVES 4 - 6)

1 12-ounce bag frozen chopped spinach, thawed 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon butter 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed garlic 1 /4 cup minced shallots 1 /2 cup heavy cream 1 /2 teaspoon salt 1 /2 teaspoon black pepper 1 /4 teaspoon nutmeg Canned French fried onions for garnish Make sure the spinach is dr ained of all water by either wringing in a kit chen towel or pressing in a fine sieve.

In a medium sautĂŠ pan heat the olive oil and butt er o ver medium-high heat. A dd the garlic and shallots and c ook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add the cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg and c ook until reduced by half, about 5 minut es. Place in serving dish and garnish with t oasted French fried onions. Serve immediately.

Hash Browns (SERVES 2 - 4)

2-3 large russet potatoes 1 egg white Kosher salt Fresh ground black pepper Peanut or vegetable oil Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Peel and shred the potatoes. Place in a kitchen towel and wring out all of the water until very dry (a must for crispy browns).

In an o ven-proof frying pan heat 1 tablespoon of oil o ver medium-high heat.

In a large bowl toss the potato shreds with the egg white and season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into the hot pan, pr ess do wn t o c ompress the mixture. Drizzle the top with oil and season with a little more salt and pepper.

When it starts to brown on the bottom and gets crisp y ar ound the edges flip the hash br owns o ver ont o a plat e, then slide them back int o the pan and br own on the other side . P ut the pan in the o ven and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly bef ore sliding ont o y our serving platt er. G arnish with mor e pepper and serve.

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SautĂŠed Mushroom (SERVES 2 - 4)

1 1 8 1 /2

tablespoon butter tablespoon olive oil ounces sliced mushrooms cup port Salt and black pepper Freshly chopped flat leaf parsley

Heat the butt er and oliv e oil in a skillet o ver medium heat. A dd the mushrooms in a single la yer and let cook without s tirring f or 5 minut es.

Raise heat to medium-high, remove the pan fr om the heat and add the port, return the pan t o the heat and c ook until liquid has been absorbed, about 3 to 5 minut es. Season t o taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh parsley.

T-Bone Steak (SERVES 2 - 4)

26-ounce T-bone steak 3 teaspoons vegetable oil 2 teaspoons spice rub, recipe below Fresh ground black pepper Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Brush both sides of the s teak with oil and sprinkle with all of the spice rub and a generous amount of pepper.

In an o ven-proof frying pan, heat 1 teaspoon oil o ver high heat. Sear one side of the s teak in the pan f or 2 minutes, flip to sear the other side for 2 minutes. Place the pan with the steak in the o ven and c ook f or 5 minut es or until a meat thermomet er registers 125 degrees. It will rise at leas t another 10 degrees to 135 f or medium-rare. Serve after it has rested for 5 minutes.

Spice Rub (MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP)

4 3 3 2 2 1 1

tablespoons paprika tablespoons garlic powder tablespoons kosher salt tablespoons black pepper tablespoons onion powder tablespoon dried oregano teaspoon cayenne

Combine all ingr edients in a small bowl and pour int o a spic e shak er.

Mixture will keep for 6 months. Use this mixture t o season an y sort of meat, chicken or fish whether baking, panfrying or grilling.

Lobster Tail (SERVES 1)

1 10-ounce lobster tail, thawed 1 lemon, cut into wedges Butter pats (3 teaspoons, cut from the end of the s tick) Paprika Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thaw lobster tail in the r efrigerator overnight. Rinse under c old water and cut the t op of the shell down the center to the tail. Pull the meat out and rest it on the top of the shell lea ving the tip of the tail s till connected to the fins. Make a small slit down the center of the meat and insert 3 pats of butter. Place on a baking dish and bak e for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and turn heat to broil on high. Squeeze a c ouple lemon w edges o ver the meat, sprinkle with paprik a and broil for 5 minutes until golden. For presentation leave the cooked meat on t op of the tail; t o eat, r emove the shell. Serv e with additional lemon wedges and melted butter for dipping. www.foodanddine.com Summer 2010 45

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Sliced Tomato Salad (SERVES 2 - 4)

You can also drizzle aged or reduced balsamic vinegar over the top to add another layer of flavor.

1-2 large Beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 4 or 5 slic es High quality olive oil 2 tablespoons red onion, diced 2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled Salt Fresh ground black pepper Basil sprig for garnish Place the slic ed t omatoes on your serving plat e. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with the r ed onion and blue cheese , season with salt and pepper . Garnish with sprig of basil.

Chocolate Decadence (SERVES 6 - 8)

6 3 1 1 16 10

eggs egg yolks tablespoon sugar tablespoon flour ounces bittersweet chocolate tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter 1 pint fresh raspberries Raspberry sauce for garnish Powdered sugar for garnish

Preheat o ven t o 350 degr ees.

Grease an 8-inch round cake pan.

In a mixing bo wl, blend the eggs, egg y olks, sugar and flour until smooth and thick. Set aside .

In a double boiler , melt the chocolate with the butt er. Slo wly add the egg mixtur e int o the chocolate mixtur e, s tirring until incorporated.

Pour into cake pan, smooth the top and bake for 15 to 17 minutes. It will seem undercooked but will set as it c ools. To serve: Place a piec e on a plat e, drizzle desir ed amount of r aspberry sauc e and sprinkle with powdered sugar, garnish with fresh raspberries.

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Traditional Manhattan 1 1/2 ounces Bourbon or whiskey 1 /4 ounce sweet vermouth 2 dashes bitters

Mix all ingredients. Pour into a tall glass filled with crushed ice. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Raspberry Sauce (SERVES 6 - 8)

Can be made a day in advance.

1 12-ounce package frozen raspberries, thawed /3 cup sugar 2 tablespoons Chambord liqueur

1

In a f ood processor or blender, puree the raspberries with the sugar and Chambor d. Press through a fine-mesh sie ve to remove the seeds. Pour int o a small pitcher for serving.

Woodford Ru by (SERVES 2)

3 6 2 2

ounces Woodford Reserve Bourbon ounces red wine such as Merlot ounces simple syrup teaspoons lemon juice

Combine ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into chilled martini glasses. Garnish with a lemon twis t.

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recipes cooking class

BY SARAH FRITSCHNER | PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAN DRY

Quest for the Best — 2010 A competition searching for the ne xt generation of culinary y oung guns

E

Even as a per son reaches to achiev e greatness, the foundation of that passion could be something quite simple .

“My famil y lo ves r ibs,” says Leah Creason, winner of the Food & Dining Kentucky beef cook-off contest held among the students of Sullivan University’s Center for Hospitality Studies.

The contest was the f irst Annual Quest for the Best Cook-off designed for those ready to r ise through the ranks of the culinar y field.

Dozens of students entered recipes, but only eight were chosen to enter the f inals. Judges included Allen Akmon and Rob Beighey of Sullivan; Ron Mikulak, assistant food editor at The Courier-Journal, freelance food writer Steve Coomes, and John Carlos White and Sarah Fritschner, publisher and editor of Food & Dining magazine, respectively.

Winner Creason explained that her Western Kentucky family tends to favor pork, especially baby back r ibs. “I remember loving those; they are so tender ,” she said. Given the oppor tunity to compete in a beef cooking contest, she passed on the fancy cuts lik e tender loin and the New York strip to tr y her hand at beef shor t ribs. Using the skills she learned in her “advanced techniques” cooking cour se, she bro wned, then braised the r ibs on lo w heat in liquid until they w ere just as fallapart tender as their por k cousins might have been.

“When I think r ibs I think all o ver your hands … sticky ,” Creason says, explaining the inspir ation for her sauce . And asked if she’s cer tain that six pounds of r ibs is required to f eed f our people , Creason confirms: she’s cooked them for her family of rib lovers and that’s what it takes.

Kentucky beef is especiall y good f or this recipe because slo wer growth of the animals who gr aze on gr ass results in meat that is more flavorful than conventional supermarket beef. Judges biting into this dish melted near ly as completel y as the meat did (Kentucky-r aised beef is available at farmers markets or go to www.louisvillefarmtotable.org).

Ohio native Matthew DiPietro reached back to his Sicilian roots to create his dish: beef filet browned well and served with a dried tomato compote and polenta. The salty-sweetness of the dr ied tomato sauce was a certain crowd-pleaser and it wowed the judges.In DiPietro’s fancy dish, the polenta is extr a firm, used as a gar nish as w ell as a starch. At home, you could easily serve the polenta creamy like mashed potatoes, a perfect foil against the intense ear thiness of the beef and compote .

Brad Stout said he wanted “to do something simple and rustic and something you could do at home.You can’t get any simpler than searing tenderloin in a pan.”

Kentucky beef tenderloin, like all beef tenderloin, would be potently flavorful enough seared with salt and pepper, but Stout took third place by adding a dollop of Wild Turkey honey liqueur and a pile of ear thy tasting mushrooms. Match with tender, creamy potatoes and a side of carrots f or a meal conser vative enough to please the meat-andpotatoes stalwart, but with an intr iguing twist.

48 Summer 2010 www.foodanddine.com

Leah Cr eason’s s weet chipotle shor t ribs w on her the gold in this y ear’s Quest for the Best competition featuring Kentucky beef. Matthew DiPietro (below left) received the silver for his seared steak with sun-dried tomato pesto and Brad Stout (below r ight) garnered the bronze with his beef medallions and m ushrooms.

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Sweet Chipotle Short Ribs SERVES 4

These are best made the day before eating and reheated.

6 pounds short ribs Salt and pepper to taste 12 ounces canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce 2 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 cups beef broth Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper and set aside .

Mince chipotles and combine in a medium mixing bo wl with bro wn sugar .

Mix these until they reach a paste consistency. Divide the mixture in half. Rub about half of the mixture on the r ibs.

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Heat vegetable oil o ver medium-high heat. Sear the ribs, bone side down, making sure to get a nice brown color. Flip to sear the opposite side.

In roasting pans or baking dishes, place the r ibs bone side do wn. Pour in beef broth until it comes 3/4 of the wa y up the meat. Cover pans with alumin um f oil and cook for 4 hours on the middle rack. Every hour, flip ribs over to ensure even cooking.

Meanwhile, combine remaining sugar mixture with 1/2 cup water. Put in a saucepan over medium heat and br ing to a boil, stirring. When sauce begins to boil, reduce to a simmer f or 30 min utes. Sauce should be loose , but not water y. If y ou f eel as though it is too thick, add more water until you ha ve reached desired consistency .

Serve with r ibs.

Vegetable Medley SERVES 4 TO 6

2 2 1 2 1

yellow summer squash zucchini carrot tablespoons butter cup frozen peas Salt and pepper

Cut the squash, zucchini, and car rots into pieces about the siz e of peas, keeping the carrots and squash separ ate.

Melt butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. When it sizzles, add carrot and cook for 1 min ute, stirring a couple of times.

Add squashes and cook another 2 minutes, stirring once or twice . Add peas and sautĂŠ them to heat through, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste .

Sweet chipotle shor t ribs with vegetable medley

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Seared Steak with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto SERVES 4

DiPietro used beef filet for this recipe, but you can use strip or rib-eye, or even use a less tender (and less expensive) cut like flank or skirt.

1

/2 1 1/2 1 1/2 1 1/2

4 12 /4 15 3 20 1

Olive oil cup heavy cream cups milk cups cornmeal cups shredded parmesan cheese Salt and pepper to taste single-serving steaks (such as tenderloin, strip etc.) sun-dried tomatoes cup pine nuts fresh basil leaves cloves garlic cloves asparagus tips

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 wide cookie sheets with non-stick spray or olive oil.

Seared steak with sun-dried tomato pesto

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Combine milk and cream in a hea vy saucepan and bring to a boil over mediumhigh heat. Slowly add cor nmeal, stirring constantly as you do. Reduce heat to simmer. Add 1/2 cup par mesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until mixture is quite thick.Pour onto greased cookie sheet and refr igerate.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup parmesan on the other baking sheet. The cheese should be in a thin la yer b ut not too scattered. Place in the o ven and bak e until golden bro wn.

Remove and set aside .

Combine tomatoes, basil, pine nuts, 1/2 cup par mesan cheese , garlic clo ves and a little oil in a blender. Blend to combine, but leave a little texture (you will need to stir several times). Add a little water if necessary to make a soft,thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside .

Bring water to a boil in a sauce pan, and b lanch aspar agus to al dente stage .

Drain water and set aside Heat a heavy skillet on high heat until it is very hot (a heavy pan on high heat will

brown the meat well to give it more flavor).

Add 1 tab lespoon oliv e oil. Sear beef on first side until nicely brown, flip and repeat.

If the steaks are thick, place them in the oven to achiev e desired doneness. Before serving, let rest at room temper ature 3 minutes before carving.

Once cooled, cut polenta into desired shape.

SautĂŠ asparagus in olive oil (with a few garlic slices if desired).

Divide tomato pesto among 4 plates.

Slice beef and ar range on sauce . Garnish with aspar agus tips and polenta.

Break parmesan cheese cr isps into shards and make a vertical garnish.

Beef Medallions with Mushrooms SERVES 4

4 filets mignons, each 2" thick Salt and pepper to taste 2 cups wild mushrooms 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

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For the Sauce 3 1/2 tablespoons butter 1 /4 cup finely diced carrots 1 /4 cup finely diced celery 1 /4 cup finely diced onion 1 bay leaf 1 /2 teaspoon thyme 1 /2 teaspoons black peppercorns 2 /3 cup Wild Turkey American Honey Liqueur (substitute Drambuie) 2 /3 cup beef stock Season f ilets with salt and pepper .

Wash the mushrooms and slice thinly. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt 5 teaspoons of butter in a heavy, wide saucepan o ver lo w heat. Add diced vegetables, bay leaf, thyme and pepper f or 10 minutes, until soft but not brown. Raise the heat and add the Wild Turkey and light it (tip pan to ward b urner, or light it with match) and let the f ire burn out. Add beef stock and reduce by two-thirds. Just before serving the sauce , whisk in remaining butter over low heat.

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Heat olive oil over high heat until very hot. Add medallions and bro wn w ell on both sides. Place in o ven to cook through to 135 degrees (f or medium r are) or to desired doneness. Cook mushrooms in the same pan until hot and glossy . Place a medallion in the center of each plate and garnish with m ushrooms. Pour the Wild Turkey sauce over before serving.

Potato Gratin 2 3 2 2

tablespoons butter pounds russet potatoes cups half-and-half garlic cloves, minced Salt and pepper 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese 3 /4 cup parmesan cheese Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel, wash, and slice the potatoes very thin. Butter a wide casserole dish (9- b y 13-inches).

In a small saucepan, bring the half-andhalf and gar lic cloves to a simmer . Season

to taste with salt and pepper . Remove the garlic cloves. Set aside.

Arrange half the potatoes in an overlapping la yer on the bottom of the dish. Season the la yer generously with salt and pepper. Scatter a little of the gr ated cheese and a little flour . Repeat the layers, finishing with cheese.

Pour the half-and-half mixture until the potatoes are covered. Cover the dish loosely with f oil and bak e 30 min utes, uncover and bak e another 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese is b ubbly and nicely browned.

Glazed Carrots 1 1 1 1

pound carrots can of ginger ale cup orange juice teaspoon salt

Boil the carrots in liquids and salt until done. Remove from liquid. Continue to boil the liquid until it’ s reduced to the consistency of maple syr up. Toss carrots in glaze.

Beef medallions with mushrooms

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Alphabetical Index

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

UNMAPPED [ ] DENOTES MULTIPLE LOCATIONS.

Cuisine Style

RESTAURANT

dining guide

AFRICAN 72 ASIAN/CHINESE 72 ASIAN/FILIPINO 73 ASIAN/JAPANESE 73 ASIAN/KOREAN 74 ASIAN/MONGOLIAN 74 ASIAN/THAI 74 ASIAN/VIETNAMESE 75 BAR & GRILL 70 BARBECUE 70 BISTRO/CONTEMPORARY 59 CAFÉS 60 CAFETERIAS 66 CAJUN/CREOLE 77 CARIBBEAN/CUBAN 78 CASUAL DINING 62 COFFEE/TEA HOUSE 80 DESSERTS/BAKERY 80 ENTERTAINMENT DINING 66 EUROPEAN/BOSNIAN 75 EUROPEAN/GERMAN 75 EUROPEAN/IRISH 75 EUROPEAN/ITALIAN 76 EUROPEAN/SPANISH 76 FINE DINING 56 HOME STYLE/SOUTHERN 65 INDIAN 76 MEXICAN 78 MICROBREWERIES 71 MIDDLE EASTERN 77 PIZZA 66 SANDWICH/DELI 68 SEAFOOD 62 SOUTHWEST/TEX MEX 80 STEAKHOUSE 62 UPSCALE CASUAL 57

Area Maps MAP # DIRECTION

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

82 PG #

Overview (Index)

82

Downtown

84

Near East

85

East

86

South East

87

East

88

(Downtown Louisville) (Highlands – Crescent Hill) (St. Matthews) (Hikes Point – Buechel) (Hurstbourne N. – Lyndon)

South East

89 (Hurstbourne S. – Jeffersontown) North East 90 (River Rd. – Brownsboro Rd.) North East 90 (Westport Rd.) Far East 91 (Middletown) North East 91 (Prospect) South East 91 (Fern Creek) South 92 (Airport – Okolona) South West 93 (Shively – Pleasure Ridge Park) Indiana 94 (New Albany – Floyds Knobs) Indiana 95 (Clarksville) Indiana 95 (Jeffersonville)

52 Summer 2010 www.foodanddine.com

PAGE #/CUISINE STYLE

#1 Asian Buffet 72 211 Clover Lane 56 60 West Bistro 57 610 Magnolia 56 732 Social 57 8 China Buffet 72 A Nice Restaurant 62 A Taste of China 72 A.J.’s Gyro Café 77 Acapulco Authentic Mexican 78 Adriann’s Around the Table 60 Adrienne & Co. Bakery Café 80 Adrienne’s Italian 76 Ahoy Fish Hut 62 Al Watan 77 Alexander’s Pizzeria 66 Alley Cat Café 60 Amazing Grace Deli 68 Amici´ 76 Angelina’s Café 76 Angilo’s Pizza 66 Angio’s Restaurant 66 Ann’s by the River 66 Annie Cafe 75 Annie’s Pizza 66 Another Place 68 Applebee’s 63 Arni’s Pizza 66 Aroma Café 60 Asahi Japanese 73 Asian Buffet 72 Asian Moon 72 Asiatique 57 Aspen Creek Restaurant 63 Atrium Café 59 August Moon 72 Austin’s 57 Avalon 57 BD’s Mongolian Grill 74 B.J.’s Restaurant & Brewhouse 63 Backyard Burger 68 The Bakery 80 Bamboo House 72 Bank Street Brewhouse 71 Barbara Lee’s Kitchen 65 Basa Modern Vietnamese 57 Baxter Station 59 Bazos Mexican Grill 78 Bean Street Café 8o Bearno’s Pizza 66 Beef O’Brady’s 70 Beijing Grill & Sushi Bar 73 Bendoya Sushi Bar 73 Big Al’s Beeritaville 70 Big Momma’s Soul Kitchen 65 The Bistro 66 Bistro 42 76 Bistro 301 59 Bistro Le Relais 59 Blackstone Grille 57 Blimpie’s Subs 68 The Blind Pig 63 BLU Mediterranean Grille 57 Blue Dog Bakery 60 Blue Horse Café 63 Blue Lagoon 62 Blue Mountain Wine Bar 60 Bluegrass Brewing Co. 71 Bombay Grill 76 Bonefish Grill 62 Bonnie & Clyde’s Pizza 66 Boombozz Famous Pizza 66 Boombozz Pizza Bistro 66 Boombozz Pizza & Taphouse 66 Boomer’s Café 60 Bootleg Barbecue Co. 70 Borromeo’s Pizza 67 Bosna-Mak 75 Boudreaux’s 77 Bourbons Bistro 59 Brandon’s Bar-B-Que 70 Bravo!

57 Breadworks 80 Brendan’s Restaurant & Pub 75 Brian’s Deli 68 Bristol Bar & Grille 57 Brix Wine Bar 59 Browning’s Brewery 59 Buca Di Beppo 76

MAP #

Asian/Chinese 2 Fine Dining 3 Upscale Casual 3 Fine Dining 12 Upscale Casual 1 Asian/Chinese 6 Casual Dining 14, 16 Asian/Chinese 1 Middle Eastern 14 Mexican 7 Cafés 9 Desserts/Bakery 16 European/Italian 16 Seafood 4 Middle Eastern 4 Pizza 16 Cafés 9 Sandwich/Deli 2 European/Italian 12 European/Italian 5 Pizza 12 Pizza 4 Cafeterias 16 Asian/Vietnamese 12 Pizza 1, 13 Sandwich/Deli 1 Casual Dining [8] Pizza 14 Cafés 14 Asian/Japanese 3 Asian/Chinese 4, 14, 15 Asian/Chinese 4, 6 Upscale Casual 2 Casual Dining 11 Bistro/Contemporary 5 Asian/Chinese 2 Upscale Casual 7 Upscale Casual 2 Asian/Mongolian 6 Casual Dining 5 Sandwich/Deli 6 Desserts/Bakery 4 Asian/Chinese 12 Microbreweries 14 Home Style/Southern 2 Upscale Casual 2 Bistro/Contemporary 2 Mexican 3, 6 Coffee/Tea House 14 Pizza [13] Bar & Grill 8, 9, 12, 14, 15 Asian/Japanese 14 Asian/Japanese 1 Bar & Grill 2 Home Style/Southern 1 Cafeterias 3 European/Italian 10 Bistro/Contemporary 1 Bistro/Contemporary 4 Upscale Casual 10 Sandwich/Deli 2 Casual Dining 2 Upscale Casual 1 Cafés 2 Casual Dining 12 Seafood 2 Cafés 1 Microbreweries 1, 3 Indian 5 Seafood 5 Pizza 13 Pizza 3 Pizza 6 Pizza 2, 7 Cafés 1 Barbecue 11, 12 Pizza 12 European/Bosnian 4 Cajun/Creole 1 Bistro/Contemporary 2 Barbecue 5 Upscale Casual 3 Desserts/Bakery 2, 7, 9 European/Irish 3 Sandwich/Deli 1 Upscale Casual 1, 2, 5, 10, 12, 16 Bistro/Contemporary 8 Bistro/Contemporary 1 European/Italian 6

RESTAURANT

PAGE #/CUISINE STYLE

Buck’s 56 Buckhead Mountain Grill 63 Buffalo Wild Wings 70 Buffalo Wings & Rings 70 Bulldog Café 60 Bunz Restaurant 63 Burger Boy 68 Burning Bush Grill 77 Butcher’s Best Deli 68 Butterfly Garden Café 60 Café 360 77 Café Fraiche 60 Café Lou Lou 59 Café Magnolia 63 Café Mimosa 75 Café Montagu 60 Café on Fifth 68 Café Palacio 68 Café Thuy Van 75 Caffe Classico 80 Cake Flour 80 California Pizza Kitchen 67 Calistoga Bakery Café 68 Cancun Mexican Grill 78 Captain Pepper Jack’s 77 Captain’s Quarters 63 Cardinal Hall of Fame Café 63 Carolina Shrimp & Seafood 62 Carolyn’s 65 Carrabba’s Italian Grille 76 Caspian Grill Persian Bistro 77 Cat Box Deli 68 Catfish Haven Restaurant 62 Caviar Japanese Rest.

57 Cellar Door Chocolates 80 Champions Grill 63 Champion’s Sports Rest. 70 Charlestown Pizza Co. 67 Check’s Café 65 Cheddar Box Café 60 Cheddar’s Casual Café 63 The Cheesecake Factory 57 Chez Seneba African 72 The Chicago Gyro 68 The Chicken House 65 Chicken King 65 The Chili Pot 65 Chili’s 63 China 1 72 China Buffet 72 China Café 72 China Castle 72 China Garden 72 China Inn 72 China King 72 China Taste 72 Chinese Chef 72 Chinese Express 72 Choi’s Asian Food Market 73 Chong Garden 72 Chopshop Salads 63 Chopsticks 72 Chopsticks House 72 Christy’s Bar & Bistro 63 Chung King 72 Cici’s 67 City Café 60 Clark Boy Bar-B-Que 70 Clarksville Seafood 62 Clifton’s Pizza 67 Coach Lamp 57 CoCo’s Chocolate Café 81 Cocos Lokos Caribbean 78 Coffee Crossing 80 Coffee Pot Café 80 Come Back Inn 76 The Comfy Cow 81 Conez & Coneyz 68 Connor’s Place 70 Corbett’s ‘an American place’ 56 Corner Café 57 Cottage Café 65 Cottage Inn 65 Cozza Osteria Enoteca 76 Crabby Jake’s Fish House 62 Crave Café & Catering 61 Cravings a la Carte 66 Creekside Outpost & Café 61 Cricket’s Café 61 Crystal Chinese 72 Culver’s 63 Cumberland Brews 72 Cunningham’s 63 The Cupcake Shoppe 81 Cyclers Café 61 D&C Diamond Café 63 Dakshin Indian Restaurant 76 DaLat’s Gateuux & Bakery 81 Danish Express Pastries 68 Danny Mac’s Pasta & Pizza 67 Day’s Espresso 80 De La Torre’s 76 Del Frisco’s 62

MAP #

Fine Dining 12 Casual Dining 4, 8, 16 Bar & Grill 2,3, 6, 8, 9, 13,15 Bar & Grill 8, 11 Cafés 12 Casual Dining 2 Sandwich/Deli 12 Middle Eastern 10 Sandwich/Deli 10 Cafés 2, 3 Middle Eastern 2 Cafés 7 Bistro/Contemporary 2,3 Casual Dining 1 Asian/Vietnamese 2 Cafés 12 Sandwich/Deli 1 Sandwich/Deli 3 Asian/Vietnamese 12 Coffee/Tea House 2 Desserts/Bakery 1 Pizza 5 Sandwich/Deli 1,3 Mexican 6 Middle Eastern 4 Casual Dining 10 Casual Dining 12 Seafood 3 Home Style/Southern 13 European/Italian 5 Middle Eastern 2 Sandwich/Deli 1 Seafood 13 Upscale Casual 1 Desserts/Bakery 2 Casual Dining 16 Bar & Grill 1 Pizza 16 Home Style/Southern 1 Cafés 9 Casual Dining 8, 15 Upscale Casual 3 African 12 Sandwich/Deli 2 Home Style/Southern 14 Home Style/Southern 1 Home Style/Southern 12 Casual Dining 4, 5, 8, 12 Asian/Chinese 3 Asian/Chinese 15 Asian/Chinese 12 Asian/Chinese 13 Asian/Chinese 12 Asian/Chinese 12 Asian/Chinese 6 Asian/Chinese 16 Asian/Chinese 12 Asian/Chinese 13 Asian/Japanese 5 Asian/Chinese 13 Casual Dining 1 Asian/Chinese 1 Asian/Chinese 1 Casual Dining 6 Asian/Chinese 1 Pizza 4, 14 Cafés 1, 2 Barbecue 13 Seafood 15 Pizza 2 Upscale Casual 1 Desserts/Bakery 2 Caribbean/Cuban 6 Coffee/Tea House 14 Coffee/Tea House 1 European/Italian 1, 16 Desserts/Bakery 7 Sandwich/Deli 2 Bar & Grill 14 Fine Dining 8 Upscale Casual 5 Home Style/Southern 9 Home Style/Southern 12 Mexican 16 Seafood 11 Cafés 2 Cafeterias 1 Cafés 14 Cafés 15 Asian/Chinese 1 Casual Dining 6 Microbreweries 2 Casual Dining 1, 10 Desserts/Bakery 3 Cafés 2 Casual Dining 2 Indian 11 Desserts/Bakery 12 Sandwich/Deli 3 Pizza 2 Coffee/Tea House 2 European/Spanish 2 Steakhouse 3

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MAP #

Derby City Dogs 68 Sandwich/Deli 2 Derby City Espresso 80 Coffee/Tea House 1 Derby Dinner Playhouse 66 Entertainment Dining 16 The Dessert Gallery 81 Desserts/Bakery 5 Desserts By Helen 81 Desserts/Bakery 1, 2 Devino’s 68 Sandwich/Deli 1 Diamond Pub & Billiards 70 Bar & Grill 3 Difabio’s Casapela 76 European/Italian 2 Ditto’s Grill 59 Bistro/Contemporary 2 Dizzy Whizz Drive-In 68 Sandwich/Deli 1 D’Nalley’s Restaurant 65 Home Style/Southern 1 Don Pablos 78 Mexican 15 Donegan’s Restaurant & Pub 70 Bar & Grill 2 Dooley’s Bagels 68 Sandwich/Deli 3, 7 Double Dragon 72 Asian/Chinese 1, 2 Double Dragon II 72 Asian/Chinese 8, 11, 12 Double Dragon 8 72 Asian/Chinese 1 Double Dragon 9 72 Asian/Chinese 6 Double Dragon Buffet 72 Asian/Chinese 5 Downtown Diner & Coffee House 61 Cafés 14 Dragon King’s Daughter 73 Asian/Japanese 2 Dueling Grounds Café 61 Cafés 14 Dynasty Buffet 72 Asian/Chinese 7 Eastern House 72 Asian/Chinese 13 Eggroll Machine 72 Asian/Chinese 2 Einstein Brothers Bagels 68 Sandwich/Deli 1 El Burrito de Oro 78 Mexican 15 El Caporal 78 Mexican 4,6,15 El Mundo 78 Mexican 2 El Nopal 78 Mexican 6, 8, 9, 12, 14 El Nopalito 78 Mexican 4, 11 El Rey Mexican 78 Mexican 4 El Rodeo Mexican 78 Mexican 13 El Sombrero 78 Mexican 16 El Tarasco 78 Mexican 3, 5, 6, 12 El Toro Cantina & Grill 78 Mexican 6 Emperor of China 72 Asian/Chinese 7 Empress of China 72 Asian/Chinese 4 The English Grill 56 Fine Dining 1 Equus 57 Upscale Casual 3 Erika’s German Rest.

75 European/German 6 Ermin’s Bakery & Café 61 Cafés 1, 10, 14 Ernesto’s 79 Mexican 5, 6 Eva Mae’s Creekside 63 Casual Dining 10 Expression Of You 80 Coffee/Tea House 2 The Falafel House 77 Middle Eastern 2 Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que 70 Barbecue 6, 15 Fat Daddy’s Pizza 67 Pizza 12 Fat Jimmy’s 67 Pizza 1, 2, 9 Feed Bag Deli 68 Sandwich/Deli 3 Fiesta Time Mexican Grill 79 Mexican 8, 11 Fire Fresh Bar B Q 70 Barbecue 1, 13 First Wok 72 Asian/Chinese 13 The Fish House 62 Seafood 2 The Fishery 62 Seafood 3 Five Guys Burgers & Fries 63 Casual Dining 8, 14 Five Points St. Matthews 59 Bistro/Contemporary 3 Flabby’s Schnitzelburg 75 European/German 12 Flanagans Ale House 70 Bar & Grill 2 Fleur de Lis Café 61 Cafés 2 Fork in the Road 65 Home Style/Southern 13 Forty Acres And A Mule 65 Home Style/Southern 12 Four King’s Café 70 Bar & Grill 4 Fox & Hound 70 Bar & Grill 3 Frankfort Ave. Beer Depot 70 Barbecue 2, 3 Frascelli’s N.Y. Deli & Pizza 68 Sandwich/Deli 7 Frolio’s Pizza 67 Pizza 12 Frontier Diner 65 Home Style/Southern 13 Fuji Asian Bistro 73 Asian/Japanese 13 Fuji Japanese Steakhouse 73 Asian/Japanese 8, 9 Fun Food Café 61 Cafés 2 Furlongs 77 Cajun/Creole 5 Gasthaus 75 European/German 7 Gavi’s Restaurant 63 Casual Dining 1 Genny’s Diner 65 Home Style/Southern 2 Gerstle’s Place 70 Bar & Grill 3 Gigi’s Cupcakes 81 Desserts/Bakery 6 Golden Buddha 72 Asian/Chinese 12 Golden Corral 66 Home Style/Southern 4,12,15 Golden Palace 72 Asian/Chinese 12 Golden Star Chinese 72 Asian/Chinese 12 Golden Wall 72 Asian/Chinese 12 Goose Creek Diner 63 Casual Dining 8 Granny’s Apron 66 Home Style/Southern 12 Granville Inn 70 Bar & Grill 12 Grape Leaf 77 Middle Eastern 2 Great American Grill 70 Bar & Grill 12 Great Harvest Bread Co. 81 Desserts/Bakery 5, 14 Great Life Café 68 Cafés 6,8,15 Great Wall 72 Asian/Chinese 2 Great Wok 72 Asian/Chinese 12 Green Room Coffee 80 Coffee/Tea House 6 Hall’s Cafeteria 66 Cafeterias 2 Hanabi Japanese Restaurant 73 Asian/Japanese 10 Happy China 72 Asian/Chinese 6 Hard Rock Café 59 Bistro/Contemporary 1 Harlow’s Bar & Grill 70 Bar & Grill 12 Havana Rumba 78 Caribbean/Cuban 3, 9 Hawksview Gallery 58 Upscale Casual 12 Hazelwood Restaurant 66 Home Style/Southern 13 Heine Brothers Coffee 80 Coffee/Tea House 2, 3 Heitzman Bakery & Deli 81 Desserts/Bakery 1, 5 Highland Coffee Co. 80 Coffee/Tea House 2 www.foodanddine.com Summer 2010 53

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Hiko A Mon Sushi Bar 74 Asian/Japanese 7 Hill Street Fish Fry 62 Seafood 12 Hitching Post Inn 71 Bar & Grill 11 Hobknobb Roasting Co. 80 Coffee/Tea House 14 Home Run Burgers & Fries 63 Casual Dining 3, 6, 9 Homemade Ice Cream & Pie Kitchen 81 Desserts 2, 3, 6, 8, 9,11,15 Hometown Buffet 66 Home Style/Southern 6, 3 Hometown Pizza 67 Pizza 7, 9 Honey Creme Donut Shop 81 Desserts/Bakery 14 Honeybaked Café 68 Sandwich/Deli 3, 11, 14 Hong Kong Chinese 72 Asian/Chinese 14 Hong Kong Fast Food 72 Asian/Chinese 12 Hoops Grill and Sports Bar 71 Bar & Grill 12 Hooters 63 Casual Dining 3,12,13,15,16 Howl at the Moon 66 Entertainment Dining 1 Hunan Wok 72 Asian/Chinese 11 Ichiban Samurai 74 Asian/Japanese 6 IHOP 63 Casual Dining 6, 15 Improv Comedy Club 66 Entertainment Dining 1 Incredible Dave’s 66 Entertainment Dining 8 Indi’s Restaurant 66 Home Style/Southern 1,3,12 Indigo Joe’s Sports Pub 71 Bar & Grill 7 Intermezzo Café & Cabaret 58 Upscale Casual 1 The International Mall 76 European/Italian 1 The Irish Rover 75 European/Irish 2, 7 Iroquois Pizza 67 Pizza 12 J. Alexander’s 58 Upscale Casual 3 J. Graham’s Café 61 Cafés 1 J. Gumbo’s 77 Cajun/Creole 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 12 J. Harrods 58 Upscale Casual 10 Jack Binion’s Steakhouse 56 Fine Dining 14 Jack Fry’s 58 Upscale Casual 2 Jack’s Lounge 60 Bistro/Contemporary 3 Jackson’s Seafood 62 Seafood 14 Jade Garden Buffet 72 Asian/Chinese 2 Jade Palace 72 Asian/Chinese 7 Jane’s Cafeteria 66 Cafeterias 4 Jasmine 72 Asian/Chinese 9 Jason’s Deli 68 Sandwich/Deli 3, 5 Java Brewing Co. 80 Coffee/Tea House 1, 2, 9, 10 Jazzyblu 60 Bistro/Contemporary 1 Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse 62 Steakhouse 1 Jersey Mike’s Subs 68 Sandwich/Deli 5, 6, 8 Jersey’s Café 71 Bar & Grill 15 Jessie’s Restaurant 66 Home Style/Southern 13 Jimbo’s BBQ 70 Barbecue 12 Jimmy John’s Sub Shop 68 Sandwich/Deli 1, 2, 3, 6, 14 Joe Davola’s 69 Sandwich/Deli 2 Joe Huber Restaurant 66 Entertainment Dining 14 Joe’s Crab Shack 62 Seafood 1 Joe’s O.K. Bayou 78 Cajun/Creole 6, 14 Joe’s Older Than Dirt 64 Casual Dining 5 John E’s 58 Upscale Casual 4 John O’Bryan’s Tavern 71 Bar & Grill 13 Johnny V’s 67 Pizza 6 Jucy’s Smokehouse 70 Barbecue 3 Jumbo Buffet 72 Asian/Chinese 6 Kansai Japanese Rest.

74 Asian/Japanese 15 Karem’s 64 Casual Dining 8 Kashmir Indian 76 Indian 2 Kayrouz Café 61 Cafés 3 Kern’s Korner 64 Casual Dining 2 King Wok 72 Asian/Chinese 3 Kingfish 62 Seafood 6, 7, 16 Kings Fast Food 66 Home Style/Southern 1 King’s Fried Chicken 66 Home Style/Southern 12 Kobe Japanese Steak 74 Asian/Japanese 16 Koreana II 74 Asian/Korean 12 KT’s 58 Upscale Casual 2 L&N Wine Bar and Bistro 60 Bistro/Contemporary 2 La Bamba 79 Mexican 2 La Bodega 76 European/Spanish 2 La Catalana 76 European/Spanish 3 La Gallo Rosso Bistro 76 European/Italian 2 La Monarca 79 Mexican 11 La Que 75 Asian/Vietnamese 2 La Rosita Mexican Grill 79 Mexican 14, 15 La Rosita Taqueria 79 Mexican 15 La Tapatia 79 Mexican 2 La Vida Java Coffee Co. 80 Coffee/Tea House 7 Lancaster’s Cafeteria 66 Cafeterias 14 Las Gorditas 79 Mexican 11 Lee’s Korean 74 Asian/Korean 12 Legend’s 64 Casual Dining 14 Lemongrass Café 75 Asian/Vietnamese 3, 9 Lenny’s Sub Shop 69 Sandwich/Deli 4 Liang’s Café 72 Asian/Chinese 8 The Lighthouse 71 Bar & Grill 16 Lil’ Loafers Bakery 69 Sandwich/Deli 12 Lilly’s 56 Fine Dining 2 Limestone 56 Fine Dining 5 Ling Ling 72 Asian/Chinese 5 Little Caesar’s Pizza 67 Pizza 6, 8, 11, 12 Little Chef 69 Sandwich/Deli 14 Little Jerusalem 77 Middle Eastern 12 Liu’s Garden 72 Asian/Chinese 9 Logan’s Roadhouse 62 Steakhouse 3, 13, 15 Lolitas Tacos Inc. 79 Mexican 12 Longhorn Steakhouse 62 Steakhouse 6, 8, 15 Lonnie’s Taste Chicago 69 Sandwich/Deli 2, 3 Los Aztecas 79 Mexican 1, 7, 10 Lotsa Pasta 69 Sandwich/Deli 3 Louisville Grille 66 Home Style/Southern 1 54 Summer 2010 www.foodanddine.com

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RESTAURANT

PAGE #/CUISINE STYLE

Louisville Pizza Co. Luigi’s Lunch Today Lynn’s Paradise Café Ma Zerellas Mai’s Thai Restaurant Maido Essential Japanese Main Eatery Main St. Tavern Maker’s Mark Lounge Manhattan Grill Mark’s Feed Store Martini Italian Bistro Masterson’s Maxwell’s Bar & Grille Mayan Café McAlister’s Deli The Melting Pot Meridian Café Mexican Fiesta Mexicano Mexico Tipico Mexico Viejo Michael Murphy’s Michele’s On Goss Mikato Japanese Steakhouse Mike Linnig’s Mimi’s Café Miss C’s Kitchen & Pantry Mitchell’s Fish Market Moe’s Southwest Grill Mojito Tapas Restaurant Molly Malone’s The Monkey Wrench Morris Deli & Catering Morton’s of Chicago Mr. Gattis Mr. Lou’s Mrs. Potter’s Coffee Mulligan’s Pub and Grill My Favorite Muffin My Old KY Dinner Train My Patria Nancy’s Bagel Box Nancy’s Bagel Grounds Napa River Grill Neil & Patty’s Fireside Grill New Albanian Brewing Co. New China New Direction Bar & Grill Nile Restaurant & Lounge Nord’s Bakery North End Café O’Charley’s O’Dolly’s O’Shea’s Irish Pub The Oakroom Oasis Japanese Restaurant Oceanside Restaurant Oishii Sushi Old Chicago Pasta & Pizza Old Louisville Coffee House Old Spaghetti Factory Old Stone Inn Ole Hickory Pit BBQ The Olive Garden Ollie’s Trolley Omar’s Fast Food Onion Restaurant & Tea House Orders Up Café & Deli Oriental House Oriental Star Original Impellizzeri’s Osaka Sushi Bar Otto’s Café Our Best Restaurant Outback Steakhouse P. F. Chang’s China Bistro Palermo Viejo Panda Chinese Panera Bread Co. Papa John’s Papa Murphy’s Pizza Papalino’s Passtime Fish House Pat’s Steak House Patrick O’Shea’s PattiCakes Café Patticakes & Pies Café Paul’s Fruit Market Paul’s One World Café Penn Station Peppers Bar and Grill Perfetto Pizza Perkfection Pesto’s Italian Pho Binh Minh Piccadilly Cafeteria The Pie Pantry Pit Stop Bar-B-Que Pita Delights Pita Hut Pizza By The Guy

MAP #

67 Pizza 6 67 Pizza 1 69 Sandwich/Deli 16 64 Casual Dining 2 67 Pizza 15 74 Asian/Thai 16 74 Asian/Japanese 2 69 Sandwich/Deli 1 71 Bar & Grill 1 58 Upscale Casual 1 64 Casual Dining 1 70 Barbecue 2, 9, 13, 14 76 European/Italian 8 64 Casual Dining 12 64 Casual Dining 6 79 Mexican 1 69 Sandwich/Deli 5,6,7,9,11,12,15 58 Upscale Casual 6 61 Cafés 3 79 Mexican 4 79 Mexican 11 79 Mexican 9, 13 79 Mexican 2 71 Bar & Grill 1 58 Upscale Casual 12 74 Asian/Japanese 3 62 Seafood 13 64 Casual Dining 5 66 Home Style/Southern 2 62 Seafood 8 80 Southwest/Tex Mex 3,6,8,11,15 76 European/Spanish 7 76 European/Irish 2, 3 64 Casual Dining 2 69 Sandwich/Deli 1, 2 62 Steakhouse 1 67 Pizza 4, 5, 12, 13 66 Home Style/Southern 13 80 Coffee/Tea House 1 64 Casual Dining 2 81 Desserts/Bakery 5 66 Entertainment Dining 12 79 Mexican 5 69 Sandwich/Deli 1 69 Sandwich/Deli 2 58 Upscale Casual 7 64 Casual Dining 14 67 Pizza 14 72 Asian/Chinese 9 71 Bar & Grill 8 78 Caribbean/Cuban 12 81 Desserts/Bakery 12 58 Cafés 2 64 Casual Dining 3,6,8,12,13,15 66 Home Style/Southern 12 76 European/Irish 2 56 Fine Dining 1 74 Asian/Japanese 12 77 Middle Eastern 4 74 Asian/Japanese 2 67 Pizza 6 80 Coffee/Tea House 12 76 European/Italian 1 58 Upscale Casual 9 70 Barbecue 11 76 European/Italian 6, 8, 15 69 Sandwich/Deli 1 77 Middle Eastern 12 72 Asian/Chinese 14 69 Sandwich/Deli 9 72 Asian/Chinese 3 72 Asian/Chinese 12 67 Pizza 2, 10 74 Asian/Japanese 1, 2 64 Casual Dining 1 66 Home Style/Southern 11,12,16 62 Steakhouse 3, 8, 11, 12, 15 58 Upscale Casual 5 76 European/Spanish 2 72 Asian/Chinese 10 69 Sandwich/Deli 1, 5, 6, 8, 12, 15 67 Pizza [30] 67 Pizza 3, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15 67 Pizza 2 62 Seafood 6 62 Steakhouse 2 76 European/Irish 1 61 Cafés 2 61 Cafés 14 69 Sandwich/Deli 3, 4, 7, 9 79 Mexican 14 69 Sandwich/Deli [17] 64 Casual Dining 1 67 Pizza 6 80 Coffee/Tea House 16 76 European/Italian 1 75 Asian/Vietnamese 12 66 Cafeterias 5, 6 81 Desserts/Bakery 13 70 Barbecue 9 77 Middle Eastern 1 77 Middle Eastern 2 67 Pizza 5

RESTAURANT

PAGE #/CUISINE STYLE

MAP #

Pizza King 67 Pizza 14, 16 Pizza Place 67 Pizza 4 Pizz-A-Roma 68 Pizza 2 Plehn’s Bakery 81 Desserts/Bakery 3 Ponderosa Steakhouse 62 Steakhouse 12 Porcini 76 European/Italian 2 Proof On Main 58 Upscale Casual 1 Pub Louisville 64 Casual Dining 1 Puccini’s Smiling Teeth 68 Pizza 3 Puerto Vallarta 79 Mexican 11, 14, 16 Qdoba Mexican Grill 79 Mexican [11] Queen of Sheba 72 African 4 Queenie’s Soul Cuisine 66 Home Style/Southern 4 Queue Café 61 Cafés 1 Quick Wok 72 Asian/Chinese 1 Quill’s Coffee Shop 80 Coffee/Tea House 2 Quizno’s Subs 69 Sandwich/Deli [12] Rafferty’s of Louisville 64 Casual Dining 3, 8 Ramsi’s Café 60 Bistro/Contemporary 2 Ray’s Monkey House 80 Coffee/Tea House 2 Red Hot Roasters 80 Coffee/Tea House 1, 2 Red Robin Gourmet Burgers 64 Casual Dining 3, 8 Red Star Tavern 58 Upscale Casual 1 Red Sun Chinese 72 Asian/Chinese 4 Red’s 69 Sandwich/Deli 1 Ri Ra Irish Pub 76 European/Irish 1 Rite Way Bar-B-Cue House 70 Barbecue 1 River City Winery 60 Bistro/Contemporary 14 Riverbend Winery 58 Upscale Casual 1 Rivue 56 Fine Dining 1 Rocky’s Sub Pub 68 Pizza 16 Romano’s Macaroni Grill 76 European/Italian 5 Roosters 64 Casual Dining 12, 13 Rootie’s Sports Bar & Grille 71 Bar & Grill 8 Rosticeria Luna 79 Mexican 12 Royal Garden 72 Asian/Chinese 11, 12 Rubbie’s Southside Grill & Bar 70 Barbecue 12 Ruben’s Mexican Restaurant 79 Mexican 15 Ruby Tuesday 64 Casual Dining 6, 15 The Rudyard Kipling 64 Casual Dining 1 Rumors Raw Oyster Bar 62 Seafood 9 Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse 62 Steakhouse 3 Ryan’s Steakhouse 62 Steakhouse 11 Saffron’s 77 Middle Eastern 1 Safier Mediterranean Deli 77 Middle Eastern 1 Saint’s 71 Bar & Grill 3 Sake Blue Japanese Bistro 74 Asian/Japanese 11 Sakura Blue 74 Asian/Japanese 3 Salsarita’s Fresh Cantina 80 Southwest/Tex Mex 3 Sam’s Food & Spirits 64 Casual Dining 14 Santa Fe Grill 79 Mexican 12 Sapporo Japanese Grill 74 Asian/Japanese 2 Sari Sari Exotic Filipino Cuisine 73 Asian/Filipino 2 Schlotzsky’s Deli 69 Sandwich/Deli 8, 9 Scotty’s Ribs 70 Barbecue 9 Selena’s at Willow Lake Tavern 78 Cajun/Creole 5 Senor Iguana’s 79 Mexican 5, 12, 15 Sergios World Beers 71 Bar & Grill 2 Seviche A Latin Restaurant 56 Fine Dining 2 Shack In The Back BBQ 70 Barbecue 12 Shady Lane Café 69 Sandwich/Deli 7 Shah’s Mongolian Grill 74 Asian/Chinese 6, 12 Shalimar Indian 76 Indian 6 Shane’s Rib Shack 70 Barbecue 7 Shanghai Restaurant 72 Asian/Chinese 1 Sharom’s 62 Seafood 11 Shenanigan’s Irish Grille 76 European/Irish 2, 4 Shiraz Mediterranean Grill 77 Middle Eastern 2, 5, 7, 12 Shogun 74 Asian/Japanese 6, 8 Shoney’s 64 Casual Dining 2, 12 Sichuan Garden 72 Asian/Chinese 6 Sicilian Pizza & Pasta 68 Pizza 1 Simply Splendid Salads 64 Casual Dining 5 Simply Thai 74 Asian/Thai 3 Sir Dano’s Pizza Parlor 68 Pizza 15 Sister Bean’s 80 Coffee/Tea House 12 Sitar Indian Restaurant 77 Indian 2 Skyline Chili 64 Casual Dining 2, 3, 6, 13 Slammer’s Sports Bar & Grill 71 Bar & Grill 13 Smoketown USA 70 Barbecue 1 Smokey Bones BBQ 70 Barbecue 6 Snappy Tomato 68 Pizza 8, 10 Sol Aztecas 80 Mexican 1, 2 Son Of A Sailor Seaf ood 62 Seafood 7 Sonny’s Island Grill 71 Bar & Grill 16 Sonoma Coffee Café 80 Coffee/Tea House 2 Soupy’s 69 Sandwich/Deli 4 Spaghetti Shop 76 European/Italian 11, 14 Spinelli’s Pizzeria 68 Pizza 2, 8 Sporting News Grill 71 Bar & Grill 12 The Sports & Social Club 71 Bar & Grill 1 Stan’s Fish Sandwich 62 Seafood 3 Starbucks Coffee 80 Coffee/Tea House [35] Starving Artist Café 69 Sandwich/Deli 5 Steak N Shake 64 Casual Dining 4,6,8,12,13,15 Steinert’s 71 Bar & Grill 14 Stevie B’s Burgers & More 64 Casual Dining 15 Stevens & Stevens 69 Sandwich/Deli 2 Steve-O’s Italian Kitchen 76 European/Italian 7 Stoney River 62 Steakhouse 8 Stop Lite Café 61 Cafés 1 Studio Pizza 68 Pizza 15 Studio’s Grille & Pub 71 Bar & Grill 14

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Stumler Restaurant 66 Entertainment Dining 14 Sub Station II 69 Sandwich/Deli 12 Sugar & Spice Donut Shop 81 Desserts/Bakery 11 Sully’s Saloon 71 Bar & Grill 1 Sunergos Coffee & Roastery 80 Coffee/Tea House 12 The Swan Dive 71 Bar & Grill 1 Sweet Stuff Bakery 81 Desserts/Bakery 14 Sweet Surrender 61 Cafés 2 The Sweet Tooth 81 Desserts/Bakery 3 Sweet-Tee’s 66 Home Style/Southern 12 Taco Bueno 80 Mexican 6 Taco Tico 80 Mexican 13 Tacos Toreados Taqueria 80 Mexican 6 Tacqueria La Mexicana 80 Mexican 12 Taj Palace 77 Indian 8 TanThai Restaurant 74 Asian/Thai 14 TC’s Sandwich Shoppe 70 Sandwich/Deli 1 Tea Station Chinese Bistro 73Asian/Chinese 8 The Tequila Factory 80 Mexican 2 Texas Roadhouse 62 Steakhouse 2, 12, 13, 15 Texicans BBQ Pit 70 Barbecue 7 TGI Friday’s 64 Casual Dining 1, 6 Thai Café 74 Asian/Thai 7 Thai Orchids 74 Asian/Thai 6 Thai Siam 75 Asian/Thai 4 Thai Smile 5 75 Asian/Thai 12 Thai Taste 75 Asian/Thai 2 The Back Door 71 Bar & Grill 2 The Bodega 70 Sandwich/Deli 1 The Café 61 Cafés 1 The Cheddar Box 61 Cafés 3 The Lunch Pail 61 Cafés 12 Theater Square Marketplace 60 Bistro/Contemporary 1 Third Avenue Café 61 Cafés 1 Third Street Coffee House 80 Coffee/Tea House 1 Thornberry’s Deli & Pies 70 Sandwich/Deli 12 Tiffany Cellar Café 61 Cafés 9 Toast On Market 64 Casual Dining 1, 14 Tokyo Japanese 74 Asian/Japanese 7 Tommy Lancaster’s Rest. 64 Casual Dining 14 Toni’s More Than Pizza 68 Pizza 12 Tony Impellizzeri’s Italian 68 Pizza 5 Tony Roma’s 70 Barbecue 5 Toronto Deli & Bistro Grill 80 Mexican 2 Trailside Café 80 Coffee/Tea House 7 Trellis Restaurant 64 Casual Dining 1 True Thai 75 Asian/Thai 11 Tubby’s Pizza 68 Pizza 7 Tucker’s 64 Casual Dining 14 Tumbleweed 80 Southwest/Tex Mex 1,2,4, 6,8,12,13,14,15,16 Tuscany Italian Restaurant 76 European/Italian 12 Twig & Leaf Restaurant 64 Casual Dining 2 Umai Zushi Buffet 73 Asian/Chinese 8 Uptown Café 58 Upscale Casual 7 Varanese 59 Upscale Casual 2 Vic’s Café 71 Bar & Grill 14 Vietnam Kitchen 75 Asian/Vietnamese 12 The Villa Buffet 64 Casual Dining 14 Village Anchor Pub & Roost 60 Bistro/Contemporary 9 Vince Staten’s BBQ 70 Barbecue 10 Vincenzo’s 56 Fine Dining 1 Vito’s Pizza 68 Pizza 12 Volare 76 European/Italian 2 VT’s Bubble Cup 80 Coffee/Tea House 2 W.W. Cousin’s 70 Sandwich/Deli 3 Wagner’s Pharmacy 66 Home Style/Southern 12 Wall Street Deli 70 Sandwich/Deli 1 Wasabiya Japanese Rest. 74 Asian/Japanese 2 Webb’s Market 66 Home Style/Southern 1 Westport General Store 64 Casual Dining 7 The White Oak 59 Upscale Casual 1 Whitney’s Diner 61 Cafés 4 Wick’s Pizza 68 Pizza 2, 8, 9, 13, 14 Wild Eggs 62 Cafés 3, 7 Wiltshire On Market 59 Upscale Casual 1 Windsor Restaurant & Garden 59 Upscale Casual 14 Windy City Pizzeria 68 Pizza 12 The Wing Zone 64 Casual Dining 12 Winston’s 56 Fine Dining 4 Wok Express 73 Asian/Chinese 1 Wolfgang Puck Express 62 Cafés 1 Wonton Express 73 Asian/Chinese 4 Yaching’s East West Cuisine 59 Upscale Casual 1 Yafa Café 62 Cafés 1 Yang Kee Noodle 73 Asian/Chinese 5 Yellow Cactus 80 Mexican 14 Yen Ching 73 Asian/Chinese 6 You-Carryout-A 73 Asian/Chinese 15, 16 Za’s Pizza 68 Pizza 2 Zahn’s Pizzeria & Pub 68 Pizza 16 Zanzabar 71 Bar & Grill 12 Zapata’s 80 Mexican 9 Zaxby’s 65 Casual Dining 16 Zaytun Mediterranean Grill 77 Middle Eastern 2 Zen Garden 75 Asian/Vietnamese 2 Zen Tea House 80 Coffee/Tea House 2 Zeppelin Café 62 Cafés 12 Zoe’s Kitchen 77 Middle Eastern 1, 8 Z’s Fusion 57 Fine Dining 1 Z’s Oyster Bar 57 Fine Dining 5

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GUIDE KEY Average Entrée Price:

$$ = under $8 $$$$ = $15–$20 $$ = $9–$14 $$$$ = $21 & up

RED = ADVERTISER

p = FULL BAR

h = LATE NIGHT

OPEN PAST 10 P.M.

✿ = VEGETARIAN f = OUTDOOR MENU ITEMS DINING AVAILABLE LIVE e = MUSIC = MENU ON-LINE ONLY ALL RESTAURANTS ARE LOCATED IN LOUISVILLE (unless noted otherwise).

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

211 CLOVER LANE RESTAURANT 211 Clover Ln., 896-9570. Owner and manager Andr ew Smith has added a 1300 bottle wine cellar and private dining room to burnish the upscale atmospher e and creative cuisine from long time Chef Troy Schuster.

This stylish spot in St. Matthews continues to rank among the city’s top tables. $$$$ p f ✿ 610 MAGNOLIA 610 Magnolia Ave., 636-0783. Chef Edward Lee’s creative international prix fixe menu has kept this elegantly comfortable Old Louisville restaurant a top table for more than 25 years. His monthly family style pasta and bistro dinners across the street in the Wine Studio give diners a way to appr eciate his skills at a lower price point. $$$$ p f ✿

BUCK’S 425 W. Ormsby A ve., 637-5284. Elegant but not overstated, this fine dining r oom in the Mayflower Apar tments has been quietly ser ving high-style lunches and dinners for over two decades.

Former namesake and house manager Buck Heath recently retired, but the high quality of food and service remains. $$$ p f e ✿ CORBETT’S ‘AN AMERICAN PLACE’ 5050 Norton Healthcare Blvd., 327-5058. Dean Corbett, longtime fixture on the Louisville dining scene, went all-out with his East End destination. Housed in the stunning former Von Allmen mansion, Corbett’s kitchen is state of the ar t, the dining r oom amenities include a chef’s table with closed circuit TV connection to the kitchen, and his menu has been earning raves. Worth the trip and the price. $$$$ p f ENGLISH GRILL 335 W. Br oadway (The Br own Hotel), 583-1234. This landmark, formal dining room is firing on all cylinders under Chef Laur ent Geroli, who brings an international sophistication to the menu, and a wider exploration of cuisines with occasional special wine dinners. W e r ecommend booking the chef ’s table for an especially memorable evening. $$$ p ✿ JACK BINION’S STEAKHOUSE Horseshoe Casino Hotel, Elizabeth, IN, 888-766-2648. Housed in the Horseshoe Casino, Jack Binion’s, a stylish, upscale place, is no gamble for hearty dining. A traditional steakhouse, but one that aims high: top quality meat, impeccable service, a high-roller’s ambience. $$$$ p h LILLY’S 1147 Bar dstown Rd., 451-0447. A Louisville institution appr oaching its quar ter-century mark, Lilly’s, under much heralded owner-chef Kathy Cary, continues to be as fresh as the locally-sourced foods she features on her Kentucky-accented menus. Her frequent special wine dinners ar e among the mor e affordable and creative in the area. $$$$ p e ✿ LIMESTONE 10001 Forest Green Blvd., 426-7477. Chef Jim Gerhardt and former partner Michael Cunha have

established a stylish and elegant dining experience in the East End. Cunha’s friendly departure to train the next generation of chefs at Sullivan leaves the kitchen in Gerhardt’s capable hands. $$$$ p ✿ THE OAKROOM 500 S. Fourth St. (Seelbach Hotel), 585-3200. Executive Chef Jim Ger hardt (who also operates Limestone in the East End) and his chef de cuisine Bobby Benjamin continue to make the Oakroom wor thy of its AAA five-diamond designation. The menu is r efined but lively, melding local pr oduce and specialty items like spoonfish caviar with classic continental cuisine. $$$$ p ✿ RIVUE 140 N. Fourth St., (Galt House Hotel) 568-4239.

You can still get a revolving view of the city in this upscale dining room. But a major makeover in 2007 has completely transformed the dark old Flagship Room into a sleek black and white modern fantasy right out of an old Fred Astaire movie. $$$ p h ✿ SEVICHE A LATIN RESTAURANT 1538 Bardstown Rd., 473-8560. Featur ed on the menu is s eviche, the Latino seafood dish “cooked” in tar t citrus juices, but Chef Anthony Lamas’ menu of fers a broad, eclectic range of Latin American dishes.

Nationally noted in many food magazines, Lamas has exposed diners to the cooking traditions of the Americas with his always inter esting Gusto Latino wine dinners, another fine value in the dining scene. $$$$ p f h ✿ VINCENZO’S 150 S. Fifth St., 580-1350. Known for its suave pr ofessional ser vice, high-end Nor thern Italian fare and many trademark dishes finished at tableside, Vincenzo’s continues to hold its own against growing downtown competition. $$$$ p e h ✿ WINSTON’S RESTAURANT 3101 Bar dstown Rd., (Sullivan University Campus), 456-0980. Higher education meets higher cuisine at this elegant oncampus restaurant staffed by Sullivan culinar y arts students. But this is no college lab; it’s an attractive and stylish restaurant. Chef John Castro runs the

WE ARE 732 SOCIAL!

A NEW RESTAURANT FEATURING FARM-TO-TABLE FOODS, ORGANIC WINES & PRE-PROHIBITION COCKTAILS WITH AN EVOLVING MENU OF FRENCHINSPIRED COMFORT FOOD AND A STAFF DEDICATED TO THE DETAILS. WE ARE LOCATED AT THE BASE OF THE GREEN BUILDING IN THE EAST MARKET DISTRICT. IT IS NICE TO MEET YOU.

732 EAST MARKET STREET LOUISVILLE, KY 40202 502.583.6882 732SOCIAL.COM

56 Summer 2010 www.foodanddine.com

RED = ADVERTISER

p = FULL BAR

f = OUTDOOR DINING

e = LIVE MUSIC

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staff thr ough its paces guaranteeing that while students are learning their craft, your dinner will ace the test. Open Fri. - Sun. only . Reser vations suggested. $$$$ p ✿ Z’S FUSION 115 S. Fourth St., 855-8000. Consummate restaurateur Mehr zad Sharbaiani (Z’ s Oyster Bar and Steakhouse) spent $2 million to r emake this 10,500 square foot space into a cool, sophisticated oasis. Chef Dallas McGarity’ s ingenious and delicious take on fusion cooking and the excellent service make this an exceptional dining experience at surprisingly reasonable prices. $$$$ p ✿ Z’S OYSTER BAR & STEAKHOUSE101 Whittington Pkwy., 429-8000. This exciting spot brings a level of fine dining to the suburbs that makes it stand out in the chain-rich envir ons outside the Watterson. Splendid steaks, extraordinary seafood, fine service and clubby ambience give Z’s the tools to dominate in the steakhouse competition. $$$$ p

60 WEST BISTRO & MAR TINI BAR 3939 Shelbyville Rd., 719-9717. 60 W est combines a comfortable dining room with a lar ge, friendly bar with an imposing list of mar tinis and martini-style cocktails. New chef Ray Ramir ez offers appealing, fairly priced Contemporary American bistr o far e. $$ p f e ✿ 732 SOCIAL 732 E. Market St., 583-6882. Since chef-owner Jayson Lewellyn opened the doors of his sleek, intimate spot in the midst of the NuLu art district, cr owds have flowed in, both for the innovative small plates, always-changing menu, and the creative bartenders who practice the art of preProhibition cocktail crafting. Dishes ar e designed to be shar ed, so be sur e to bring a convivial and hungry group. $$$ p f ✿ ASIATIQUE 1767 Bardstown Rd., 451-2749. Fifteen years ago Chef Peng Looi introduced Louisville diners to pan-Asian Pacific Rim fusion cuisine. In his sophisticated, multi-level, Bardstown Road restaurant he continues to of fer clean, simple, elegant dishes that pr esent often star tling flavor combinations.

His wok-sear ed salmon has long been a local favorite. $$$ p f h ✿ AUSTIN’S 4950 U.S. 42, 423-1990. Big, crowded and bistro-style, with heavy emphasis on the bar , this suburban watering hole taps the same vein as the national franchise booze ’n’ beef genre, and does so well, offering satisfying dining at a fair price. $$ p ✿

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 ✿ BRISTOL BAR & GRILLE 1321 Bardstown Rd., 4561702, 300 N. Hurstbourne Pkwy ., 426-0627, 614 W. Main St., 582-1995, 6051 T imber Ridge Dr ., 292-2585, 2035 S. Thir d St., 634-2723, 700 W .

Riverside Dr ., Jef fersonville, IN, 218-1995. A cornerstone of Louisville’s restaurant Renaissance, The Bristol started three decades ago on Bardstown Road. Now with six venues ar ound town, diners can always find dependable pub grub, eclectic entrées, and ever green standar ds like the gr eenchile won tons and the Bristol Bur ger. F&D columnist Scott Harper has crafted an exceptional wine selection. $$ p f ✿ CAVIAR JAPANESE RESTAURANT 416 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd., 625-3090. Sammy Sa, the genial host of the Fuji r estaurants in the East End, also pleases downtown diners with this stylish Japanese eatery next door to the Seelbach Hotel. Eat at the sushi bar, choose a comfor table table or r eserve the

traditional Japanese-style T atami Room for your group. $$$ p h ✿ THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY 5000 Shelbyville Rd., 897-3933. “Cheesecake” is its name, and this glitzy shopping-mall eatery of fers a wide variety of rich, calorific choices to eat in or take out. It’s more than just cheesecake, though, with a wide-ranging menu of California, Southwestern and Pacific Rim far e plus full bar service. $$ p h ✿ COACH LAMP REST AURANT 751 V ine St., 5839165. Hurricane Katrina blew chef Richar d Lowe into town, bringing fr om New Orleans his Cajun/ Creole/Caribbean magic to Coach Lamp’ s kitchen.

The restored 137-year-old building has a classic bar on one side and an upscale white-tablecloth dining room on the other side. $$$ 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. $$ p ✿ EQUUS 122 Sears A ve., 897-9721. W ith the newish Corbett’s in the East End hitting on all cylinders, veteran Chef Dean Corbett has r eturned to his flagship St. Matthews r estaurant, r edesigning the room for a more casual atmosphere, and refocusing

AVALON 1314 Bardstown Rd., 454-5336. W ith a new look and chef Laurence Agnew’s refocusing the menu on upscale value dining, A valon has once again found its direction. We always try to sit on the threeseason patio, one of the best in the city. $$$ p f ✿ BASA MODERN VIETNAMESE 2244 Frankfort Ave., 896-1016. Chef Michael Ton brought a new style of Asian fusion cuisine to Louisville, playing entertaining rif fs of f V ietnamese cooking, with daring choices like caramelized catfish claypot and tamarind-sriracha gelato. $$$ p BLACKSTONE GRILLE 9521 U.S. 42, Pr ospect, KY, 228-6962. Longtime r estaurateur Rick Dissell, formerly of Rick’ s Ferrari Grille, continues to please his many fans at his latest r estaurant in the Prospect Center. The menu offers sandwiches and an array of bistr o entrées — pasta, seafood, beef and chicken, including Rick’ s fried chicken livers and “light” fried chicken. $$$ p f ✿ BLU ITALIAN MEDITERRANEAN GRILLE 280 W. Jefferson St. (Louisville Marriott), 627-5045. BLU offers upscale Italian Mediterranean cuisine in striking surr oundings highlighted by Mexican limestone and Italian marble. For those seeking a relaxing libation and a quicker snack, the Bar at BLU offers a more casual alternative. $$$ p ✿

h = LATE NIGHT

✿ = VEGETARIAN MENU ITEMS

= MENU AVAILABLE ON-LINE ONLY

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the menu on comfor t foods, with no entrée over $19. Though the prices ar e lower, we don’t expect the quality of fare to follow suit. $$$ p ✿ HAWKSVIEW GALLERY AND CAFÉ 170 Carter Ave., Shephardsville, KY, 955-1010. In this “American bistro with a Southern twist,” diners eat amidst a gallery of hand-crafted glass ar t. Daily specials ar e inspired by world cuisines and the “confectionar y artist” creates sweets like Linzer tortes and extreme turtle cheesecake. Watch glass being blown as you dine. $$$ INTERMEZZO CAFÉ & CABARET 316 W. Main St., 584-1265. The elegant r estaurant space in Actor’ s Theatre of Louisville’s historic building features casual American bistro fare in an attractive dining room, plus nightly entertainment in a cabaret style. $$$ p e ✿ J. ALEXANDER’S RESTAURANT 102 Oxmoor Court, 339-2206. This comfor tably upscale venue, a Nashville-based chain, featur es “contemporar y American” fare with a broad menu that ranges from burgers and sandwiches to such upscale eats as grilled tuna or a New York strip steak. $$$ p f ✿ J. HARROD’S 7507 Upper River Rd., 228-4555. J. Harrod’s is discr eetly tasteful and pleasantly comfortable. The food is competitive in both quality and value. It’s an appealing, upscale blend of bistro fare and old-fashioned country cooking. $$$ p ✿ JACK FR Y’S 1007 Bar dstown Rd., 452-9244. Good times or bad, weeknights or weekends, this Louisville institution — the r emnant of a 1930s saloon — is always cr owded and buzzing. Stephanie Meeks has taken over from long-time owner Susan Seiler, but the upscale bistr o far e, like shrimp and grits and spicy fried oysters, is as good as ever. $$$$ p e h ✿ JOHN E’S 3708 Bardstown Rd., 456-1111. Owner John Shanchuck caters to the horseracing cr owd. Thirty years of framed Derby pr ograms and winning tickets line the walls. But you don’t have to place a bet to enjoy this rambling Buechel restaurant. The

58 Summer 2010 www.foodanddine.com

Porterhouse steak tastes good in the Bob Baffert Room whether or not your horse came in. $$$$ p e ✿ KT’S 2300 Lexington Rd., 458-8888. It’s hard to argue with success, and KT’s has earned its popularity by providing good American-style bar and bistro chow for a price that’s fair. $$ p f h ✿ MAKER’S MARK BOURBON HOUSE & LOUNGE 446 S. Four th St., (Four th Street Live) 568-9009.

Kentucky’s Maker’s Mark Distiller y lends its name and its signatur e r ed-wax image to this stylish restaurant and lounge in the booming downtown entertainment complex. A magisterial bar featur es more than 60 Bourbons, and the menu of fers traditional Kentucky fare. $$$ p f h ✿ MELTING POT 2045 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 491-3125.

This Florida-based chain brings back pleasant memories of fondue par ties of the ’70s. If you can melt it and dip things in it, the Melting Pot probably has it on the menu. $$$ p ✿ MICHELE’S ON GOSS 946 Goss A ve., 409-5909.

Michele Brinke has taken over the space in the Goss Avenue Antique Mall that used to be Olivia’s.

The lar ge, air y space will ser ve up lunch to mall browsers, and dinner as well. $ f ✿ NAPA RIVER GRILL 1211 Herr Ln., 893-0141.

Innovative wine-country cuisine, excellent ser vice and fine California-focused wine collection can be found in the stylish new quar ters of this popular , decade-old East End restaurant. With an expanded menu ser ving both lunch and dinner , it’ s now anchoring W estport V illage center , a tr endy new hangout. $$$ p f h ✿ NORTH END CAFÉ 1722 Frankfort Ave., 896-8770.

Known for their hear ty and inter esting br eakfast choices, The North End also satisfies diners at lunch and dinner. With an eclectic menu of diverse tapas and interesting entrées, it’s an appealing, affordable place to dine $$$ f h ✿

RED = ADVERTISER

OLD STONE INN 6905 Shelbyville Rd., Simpsonville, KY, (502) 722-8200. For many years diners have happily driven out to Simpsonville to enjoy both the historic building and the traditional Kentucky menu of this dining institution. Those in the know or der the fried chicken and country ham. $$$ p f e ✿ P.F. CHANG’S CHINA BISTRO 9120 Shelbyville Rd., 327-7707. This Arizona-based, Chinese themed restaurant offers a loud, happy scene with Chinesestyle dishes. T o its cr edit, ever ything is pr epared well and service is consistently fine. $$ p h ✿ PROOF ON MAIN 702 W . Main St., 217-6360.

Seasoned executive chef Michael Paley’ s ever changing creative menu continues to make Proof a destination dining spot, the culinar y equal of the quirky 21C Museum Hotel which has garner ed national notice. Mediterranean in focus, with a commitment to using local pr oducts as much as possible, the adventur ous dishes (grilled octopus, bison burgers, beef marrow, sea salt caramel gelato) are made with the freshest ingredients. $$$ p ✿ RED STAR TAVERN 450 S. Four th St., 568-5656.

Billed as “a hip, contemporary version of the classic American tavern,” this chain operation in Four th Street Live features steaks, chops and seafood in an atmosphere that’s upscale and clubby, with an extensive bar as a key part of the action. $$$ p f h RIVERBEND WINERY 120 S. Tenth St., 540-5650.

Watch the winemakers in action, crafting 20 varieties of wine from Kentucky-grown grapes, as you enjoy lunch or dinner in this upscale casual eatery just west of downtown. Weekly chefs dinners with wine pairings at reasonable prices. $$ p e ✿ UPTOWN CAFÉ 1624 Bar dstown Rd., 458-4212.

Anchoring a hot corner in the Highlands for two decades now , the Uptown continues to be a popular lunch and dining destination, with its excellent bistr o far e, and always appealing dessert selections. $$ p f ✿

p = FULL BAR

f = OUTDOOR DINING

e = LIVE MUSIC

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VARANESE 2106 Frankfor t A ve., 899-9904. Chef John Varanese has made even old-timers forget that this stylish venue was once a gas station. W ith a slate interior water fall and a fr ont wall that folds open in good weather , the dining r oom is as interesting as the lively , international seasonal menu. Live jazz, contemporary ar t and urban style complete the mood. $$$ p f e ✿ VOLARE 2300 Frankfort Ave., 894-4446. (See review under European/Italian) THE WHITE OAK 620 E. Market St., 583-4177. This NuLu stalwart has undergone some changes recently, but continues to serve up Southern comfort food using classical techniques and local suppliers. Look for dishes such as Southern-style fried chicken, cornmeal-dusted fried catfish and chicken-fried bison steak on the ever changing menu. $$ p f e h ✿ WILTSHIRE ON MARKET 636 E. Market St., 5895224. Understated elegance and cr eative dishes characterize this new r estaurant fr om Susan Hershberg, who set the benchmark for fine catering in Louisville with W iltshire Pantr y. Chef Coby Ming’s finely crafted small plates change weekly to showcase the best seasonal ingr edients available and no dish is over $15. Open Thur . - Sat. only .

Reservations suggested. $$ f ✿ WINDSOR RESTAURANT & GARDEN 148 E. Market St., New Albany , IN, 944-9688. New chef Charles Pierce has scaled back the price point a bit but is maintaining the quality at this upscale casual restaurant, housed in an historic hotel building.

When weather permits, diners can enjoy the charming courtyard. $$$ p f e ✿ YACHING’S EAST WEST CUISINE 105 S. Fourth St., 585-4005. Yaching’s promises “an eclectic menu of contemporary Asian fusion cuisine.” It’s an attractive mix of East and W est, sufficient to give just about everyone something to enjoy , r egardless of which compass point attracts your taste buds. $$$ p ✿

h = LATE NIGHT

ATRIUM CAFÉ 9940 Corporate Campus Dr. (Embassy Suites), 426-9191. An eclectic bistro atmosphere in the hear t of the hotel. Specials run fr om their popular crab cakes and array of pasta dishes to a Reuben sandwich or fruit pie. $$ p ✿ BAXTER STATION BAR & GRILL1201 Payne St., 5841635. The corner bar with the railr oad theme is also an ambitious r estaurant, known for surprises like Cajun linguini with andouille sausage, homemade desserts (from pastry chef Amy Berry) and lunchtime “steam table” plates. T ake par ticular note of an impressive beer list to go with your meal. $$ p f ✿ BISTRO 301 301 W. Market St., 584-8337. Quality contemporary American cuisine in a stylish environment makes Bistro 301 a reasonable alternative when you’r e looking for upscale-casual dining downtown. $$$ p f ✿ BISTRO LE RELAIS 2817 Taylorsville Rd. (Bowman Field), 451-9020. This ar t deco spot makes stylish use of an historic 1920’ s airport building to pr esent elegant modern French cuisine. After a long run as a fine dining establishment, owner Anthony Dike has recently reinvented his restaurant as a bistro, sparked by the arrival of new chef Bill Lynch. $$$$ p f e ✿ BOURBONS BISTRO 2255 Frankfort Ave., 894-8838.

It’s a comfor tably upscale-casual r estaurant, featuring the works of Fr ench-trained chef Michael Crouch. No, it’s a gr eat bar, with what must be the world’ s most compr ehensive Bourbon list. Actually, this Cr escent Hill favorite is both, and the bill of far e is well-matched with the excellence of its libations. Don’ t miss the duck confit strudel appetizer. $$$ p f ✿ BRIX WINE BAR 12418 La Grange Rd., 243-1120.

The use of an exceptionally obscure wine term (it’s pronounced “bricks” and refers to the sugar content

✿ = VEGETARIAN MENU ITEMS

= MENU AVAILABLE ON-LINE ONLY

of ripe grapes at harvest) hints that the proprietors of this wine bar know their vino. Interesting wines and a shor t bistr o-style menu make it a welcome suburban alternative. $$ h e BROWNING’S BREWERY 401 E. Main St., 5150174. Anoosh Shariat has r eturned to r einvent Browning’s. Lots of scheduled enter tainment, and upscale, inventive “tavern far e”. Also r eturning is brewmaster Brian Reymiller, back crafting a lovely range of beers and ales. $$ p f ✿ CAFÉ LOU LOU 106 Sears A ve, 893-7776, 2216 Dundee Rd., 459-9566. This popular spot wins critical raves and packs in cr owds. Owner -Chef Clay Wallace is comfor table with his international bill of fare and laissez les bon temps r ouler mood.

A second location in the Douglass Loop, is drawing equally-pleased crowds. $$ p ✿ DITTO’S GRILL 1114 Bardstown Rd., 581-9129. This informally whimsical Highlands space masks the work of classically trained owner -chefs Dominic Serratore and Frank Y ang. Sur e, take note of the fanciful artwork adorning the exposed brick walls and the gargoyles in the ceiling. But don’t overlook Serratore’s “gourmet casual” menu of New England crab cakes, fanciful salads and Sunday brunch egg dishes. $$ p h ✿ FIVE POINTS ST . MA TTHEWS 3930 Chenoweth Sq., 896-5680. The last time this location enjoyed success was when it was known as Rick’ s. After four shor t-lived incarnations, Five Points St. Matthews is poised to r eclaim that success by playing of f the syner gy of this bur geoning dining corridor. Solid new management is skewing to a younger demographic with a menu of American standards, pastas and vegetarian fare. $$ p f h HARD ROCK CAFÉ Fourth Str eet Live, 568-2202.

Louisville’s Fourth Street Live echoes with a bang amid hammering guitars and happy thr ongs at the local branch of this popular shrine to r ock. The

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music scene is the draw , but you’ll have no complaints about Har d Rock’ s standar d American cuisine. $$ p f e h ✿ JACK’S LOUNGE 122 Sears A ve., 897-9026. A sophisticated, elegant bar associated with the Equus restaurant next door, Jack’s offers a short but excellent menu featuring appetizers and light bites, along with a drinks list beyond reproach. $ p h ✿ JAZZYBLU 815 W. Market St., 992-3243. The basement space at Glassworks that formerly housed The Jazz Factor y is bopping again with r egularly scheduled live jazz per formances Thurs. - Sun. nights, and southern comfor t food style lunch buffets Tues. - Fri. $ p e h ✿ L&N WINE BAR AND BISTRO 1765 Mellwood Ave., 897-0070. If you’r e enthusiastic about good wine, you’re going to be excited about L&N. The fruit of the vine takes center stage in a vast, fairly priced wine list and imposing Cruvinet dispenser, with over 80 wines available by the glass. Comfor table atmospher e and excellent bistro fare with a cr eative twist fr om Chef Rick Adams add to the draw. $$ p f h ✿ RAMSI’S CAFÉ ON THE WORLD 1293 Bardstown Rd., 451-0700. The beating bohemian hear t of the Highlands. Ramsi Kamar brings a wonderfully eclectic spirit to the environment and to his menu. Cuban.

Jamaican. Greek. Middle Eastern. Moderate prices and late night hours add to the draw. $$ f e h ✿ RIVER CITY WINERY 321 Pearl St., New Albany, IN, 945-9463. The newest ar ea winery, open since late spring. Several of owner Melissa Humphrey’s wines medaled in the June 2009 Indy International W ine Competition, and since summer has been of fering a well-crafted appetizer style menu to pair with the wines. Don’t miss the crab cakes with black-eyed pea salsa. $$ e ✿ THEATER SQUARE MARKET PLACE 651 S. Fourth St., 625-3001. The old Kentucky movie theater has been impr essively r enovated into a classy in-the-

round bar with a sophisticated cocktail menu and a sleekly designed dining space ser ving ambitious nouvelle southern cuisine for lunch and dinner. Up front is a wine and spirits shop, a gourmet gr ocery and an upscale takeout deli. Plans ar e afoot for an extensive secluded patio. $$ p f h ✿

BLUE MOUNTAIN COFFEEHOUSE & WINE BAR 400 E. Main St., 582-3220. Host Nicholas Arno adds a Jamaican accent, and Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee is the specialty, at this sleek and sophisticated spot across Main from Slugger Field. A coffee house by day, it adds a wine-bar vibe in the evenings. $ f h ✿

VILLAGE ANCHOR PUB & ROOST 11507 Park Rd., 708-1850. In the heart of Anchorage at the old train station, this Euro-village inspired concept has two levels. The top (the Roost) will be a French bistro a la Moulin Rouge, with an outdoor terrace. Downstairs, at The Sea Hag, the ambience is a British pub. The hear ty upscale comfor t food style menu will be ser ved lunch and dinner , with plans for weekend brunch. A shor t, well-selected wine list and ambitious beer list with over 50 craft and import choices, and 55 bourbons that will mark inclusion on the Urban Bourbon Trail. $$$ p f h ✿

BOOMER’S CAFÉ 722 W. Main St., 585-4356. In the midst of the booming W est Main Str eet ar ts and museum district, this br eakfast and lunch spot offers standar d American café far e, and ser ves breakfast on Saturdays. $

ADRIANN’S AROUND THE T ABLE CUISINE 14041 Shelbyville Rd, 244-9695. Located out beyond the Snyder in the far East End, Adriann’ s offers family style diner far e ranging fr om sandwiches and wraps to fried chicken $ ✿ 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. $ ✿ AROMA CAFÉ Horseshoe Casino Hotel, Elizabeth, IN, 888-766-2648. Grab a bite before hitting the casino.

Sandwiches, salads, sides, cold beverages and cof fee will fuel you for a night of enter tainment. $ h ✿ BLUE DOG BAKER Y AND CAFÉ 2868 Frankfort Ave., 899-9800. This bakery with its $50,000 Spanish wood-fired oven makes ar tisanal bread as good as you’ll find in the U.S., and competitive withthe best in Eur ope. Its comfor table, upscale café of fers a short selection of tasty dishes made to show off the fine breads. $$ p f ✿

BULLDOG CAFÉ 10619 W. Manslick Rd., 380-0600. $fh✿ BUTTERFLY GARDEN CAFÉ 1327 Bar dstown Rd., 456-4500, 4600 Shelbyville Rd., 895-1474. This tasteful little spot that offers teas and lighter lunch fare in an attractive old-house setting on Bardstown Road has opened a second ladies’ lunch spot inside Dolfinger’s in St Matthews. $ f ✿ CAFÉ FRAICHE 3642 Br ownsboro Rd., 894-8929.

Cuisine from around the world is featur ed at this East End neighbor hood café, featuring homemade soups, breads and a variety of entrées on a seasonally changing menu. $ ✿ CAFÉ MONTAGU 1930 Bishops Ln., 451-6357. $ ✿ CHEDDAR BOX CAFÉ 12121 Shelbyville Rd., 2452622. An attractive — and busy — Middletown lunch spot, owner Michelle Bar tholmew ser ves popular salads, sandwiches and soups, as well as hot entrées such as potato-chip-crusted whitefish, specialty pizzas, and lemon-tarragon chicken with orzo. Pick up some frozen appetizers for your next cocktail party. $$ f ✿ CITY CAFÉ 505 W. Broadway, 589-1797, 1250 Bardstown Rd., 459-5600, 500 S. Pr eston St., 852-5739.

Chef Jim Henr y, a long-time star in the city’ s culinary firmament, brings his cooking skills and insistence on fr esh, quality ingr edients to these simple, but excellent, spots for lunch. $ f ✿

Offering a variety of wonderful creations to bring more taste to your table!

ORDER FROM HOUSTON’S ONLINE

60 Summer 2010 www.foodanddine.com

RED = ADVERTISER

p = FULL BAR

f = OUTDOOR DINING

e = LIVE MUSIC

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CRAVE CAFÉ & CATERING 2250 Frankfort Ave., 896-1488. Experienced cater ers and chefs of fer casual but quality café far e in this comfor table old frame house in Clifton. $ ✿ CREEKSIDE OUTPOST & CAFÉ 614 Hausfeldt Ln., New Albany IN, 948-9118. The Cr eekside Outpost warps customers back into the days of general stores and maintains ever y bit of old fashioned charm.

Serving up buf falo, elk and surprisingly good burgers. Exotic foods including Shinnecock ice fish, black bear, ostrich and kangar oo (when available) round out an excellent, traveled menu. $$ f ✿ CRICKET’S CAFÉ 7613 Old Hwy. 60, Sellersburg, IN, 246-9339. Of fering br eakfasts and lunch to local Hoosiers and travelers who take exit 7 off I-65. Full breakfasts, omelets, and br eakfast sandwiches. A full range of standar d lunch sandwiches, with Reubens, Philly steak and cheese, and daily specials. Homemade soups and salads, too. $ f ✿ CYCLERS CAFÉ 2295 Lexington Rd., 451-5152. Is it a bicycle shop or a r estaurant? Well, it’s both. 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 ✿ DOWNTOWN DINER & COFFEEHOUSE 506 W. Main St., New Albany, IN, 725-8680. $ DUELING GROUNDS CAFÉ 604 E. Spring St., New Albany, IN, 944-3617. This cof fee bar “plus,” located in Destination’ s Booksellers in downtown New Albany, serves up espresso-based drinks, teas and smoothies, as well as paninis and soups.

House-baked br eads by the loaf and desser ts ar e also par t of the mix, as ar e vegetarian and vegan options on most menu items. Most items on the menu are under $4. $ e ✿ ERMIN’S BAKER Y & CAFÉ 1201 S. First St., 6356960, 723 S. Four th St., 587-9390, 455 S. Four th Ave., 585-5120, 9550 U.S. Hwy . 42, 228-7210, 2736 Charlestown Rd., New Albany, IN, 941-8674.

h = LATE NIGHT

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

by French-style breads and pastries. $ ✿

this little storefront café serves breakfast and lunch, makes hear ty paninis and salads, and bakes up cakes, pies, muffins for takeout. $ ✿

FLEUR DE LIS CAFÉ 1574 Bardstown Rd., 456-6566.

Kyle and Jill Riggle bought the former Sweet ‘n’ Savory Café, and after a long winter and spring of renovation of the physical space and the concept of the r estaurant, ar e now open for br eakfast, lunch and dinner. Look for an upgraded br eakfast menu, and revamped lunch offerings crafted from locallysourced ingredients, and something new: a dinner menu with beer and wine. $

QUEUE CAFÉ 220 W. Main St. (LG&E Building), 583-0273. $ f ✿

FUN FOOD CAFÉ 1860 Mellwood Ave., 895-1003. $ ✿

THE CAFÉ 712 Brent St., 637-6869. Now well-settled in its new location just off East Broadway, The Café serves an eclectic br eakfast and lunch menu, including old favorites like tomato dill soup and chicken salad. And the new space r etains the old place’s yard-sale look of mismatched furnitur e and chandeliers and doorways to nowhere. $ f

J. GRAHAM’S CAFÉ & BAR 335 W. Broadway (The Brown Hotel), 583-1234. The home of the legendary “Hot Brown” sandwich, J. Graham’ s offers a mor e casual bistr o-style alternative to the upscale English Grill, with choice of menu service or buffet dining. $ f p KAYROUZ CAFÉ 127 W iltshire A ve., 896-2630.

Tucked in among St. Matthews sidestreets is one of the best sandwich places in Louisville. The tuna salad, Portobello mushroom Reuben, fish, chicken and hamburger — all ar e innovative and all come with some of the best fries in town. $ f ✿ MERIDIAN CAFÉ 112 Meridian Ave., 897-9703. This little lunch spot occupies a cozy old house in St. Matthews. Ser vice is competent and polite, the place is sparkling clean, and the luncheon-style fare is consistently fine. A selection of appetizing breakfast items rounds out a tasty mix. $ f ✿ PATTICAKES CAFÉ 1860 Mellwood Ave., 238-7387.

Located in the Mellwood Ar ts Center , Patticakes serves homemade soups and sandwiches — and cake, of course. Owner Patti Fadel offers more than 50 varieties of pound cake! $ f✿ PATTICAKES & PIES CAFÉ 155 E. Main St., New Albany, IN, 725-8510. In downtown New Albany ,

✿ = VEGETARIAN MENU ITEMS

= MENU AVAILABLE ON-LINE ONLY

STOP LITE CAFÉ 1348 River Rd., 584-3746. $ SWEET SURRENDER 1804 Frankfor t A ve., 8992008. Sweet Surr ender, with Jessica Haskell at the helm, has r eturned to its original Clifton neighborhood to pr ovide elegant desser ts as well as signature vegetarian lunches. $$ f

THE CHEDDAR BOX 3909 Chenoweth Sq., 893-2324. $f✿ THE LUNCH P AIL 502 E. W arnock St., 634-7116.

Offering yet another quick and comfor ting lunch option near U of L, this family-owned spot features warming soups and filling sandwiches. Lunch is offered year -round, with a dinner menu added from April through September. $ f ✿ THIRD AVENUE CAFÉ 1164 South Thir d St., 5852233. With a menu featuring many vegetarian and vegan options, this pleasant neighbor hood eatery attracts loyal crowds with excellent fare and a cozy setting that brings you back for mor e. $$ p f e ✿ TIFFANY CELLAR CAFÉ 11601 Main, 245-4411. $ f ✿ WHITNEY’S DINER 3061 Breckenridge Ln., 454-5955.

For many years a Fern Creek landmark before a short move west, Whitney’s remains a comfortable spot for a casual, diner-style breakfast, lunch or dinner. We recommend the “Grandpa style roast beef.” $ ✿

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WILD EGGS 3985 Dutchmans Ln., 893-8005, 1311 Herr Ln., 618-2866. The owners of Napa River Grill have hit a home run with these popular , highquality spots, the first two in a growing mini-chain.

Wild Eggs, ser ving br eakfast, brunch and lunch, features traditional favorites and specialty omelets, with upscale touches at moderate prices. $ p ✿

JACKSON’S SEAFOOD 400 W. Main St., New Albany, IN, 945-3474. Joe Jackson, 13-year veteran of locallyfamed Clarksville Seafood, ser ves up fried, br oiled or blackened fish, and rolled oysters. Fans of Jackson’s former employer will find many similarities in the food, but offered with customer-friendly service and rational, predictable hours. $

WOLFGANG PUCK EXPRESS 221 S. Four th St., 562-0983. Bearing the name of the celebrity Austrian chef, this downtown lunch spot in the corner of the convention center of fers tasty wraps, sandwiches and soups. $$ f

JOE’S CRAB SHACK 131 River Rd., 568-1171. The setting on the edge of River front Park is bright, noisy and fun, with a wraparound deck providing a panoramic river view. $$ p f

YAFA CAFÉ 22 Theater Sq., 561-0220. $ f h ✿ ZEPPELIN CAFÉ 1036 E. Burnett St., 365-3551. $$ h ✿

AHOY FISH HUT 2902 Bardstown Rd., 451-5508.

An upper Highlands outlet that has been delighting the neighborhood with fish tacos, fried and broiled cod, and homemade buttermilk pie. All dishes cooked to or der — nothing hangs ar ound under heat lamps. $ f ✿ BLUE LAGOON 2280 Bardstown Rd., 632-2583. The Sharom family, who operate Zaytun Mediterranean Grill and Shar om’s on the Outer Loop, has a new seafood place, on the site of the old Diamante’ s.

Hopes are high for an aquatic take on their falafel and hummus staples. $$ f h ✿ BONEFISH GRILL 657 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy ., 4124666. This franchise concept fr om the Floridabased Outback Steakhouse chain of fers impressive seafood in a comfor table setting. Add Bonefish to your shor t list of suburban chain eateries that do the job right. $$$ p ✿ CAROLINA SHRIMP & SEAFOOD 3922 Westport Rd., 894-8947. In an East End neighbor hood rich with seafood eateries, Carolina offers a tasty option within walking distance of downtown St. Matthews.

This spartan little joint featur es shellfish and cod, much of it healthfully steamed, not fried, in an affordable family setting. $ f CATFISH HA VEN LAKE & RESTAURANT 7208 Whipple Rd., 937-7658. If you like to fish, or if you like to eat fish, you’ll likely enjoy Catfish Haven, a simple, down-home eatery in Southwestern Jefferson County. Seafood is the specialty. Fishermen will enjoy their stocked pay-to-fish lake. Note though, it’s not possible to have your catch fried for dinner . $$ f 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. $ CRABBY JAKE’S FISH HOUSE 6435 Bardstown Rd., 365-3474. The owners of the former Bruce’ s Smokehouse have r e-oriented themselves ar ound fried fish, (“Fish is our br ead and butter ,” the manager said) with a little bit of barbecue and chicken for the seafood averse. $ THE FISH HOUSE 1310 W inter Ave., 568-2993.

Louisville is as over flowing as a well-stocked lake with fish-sandwich houses, and The Fish House is right up ther e with the best. Crisp br eading laced with black pepper is the signatur e of Gr een River fried fish from Western Kentucky. $ f THE FISHER Y 3624 Lexington Rd., 895-1188. The original fried-fish eater y in a neighbor hood that’s now awash with them, The Fishery r emains justly popular for its quick, sizzling hot and af fordable fish and seafood meals. $ f ✿ HILL STREET FISH FR Y 111 E. Hill St., 636-3474.

This Old Louisville tradition is small and easy to miss, but it’s worth the effort to get by. It’s oversized fried whitefish sandwich is the flagship dish, but a varied menu is also available. $ f 62 Summer 2010 www.foodanddine.com

KINGFISH REST AURANT 3021 Upper River Rd., 895-0544, 1610 Kentucky Mills Dr., 240-0700, 601 W. Riverside Dr ., Jef fersonville, IN, 284-3474.

Fried fish in a family dining setting has made this local chain a popular favorite for many years. T wo of its properties — upper River Road and Riverside Drive — boast river views. $$ p f e MIKE LINNIG’S 9308 Cane Run Rd., 937-9888. Mike Linnig’s has been dishing up tasty fried fish and seafood at family prices since 1925 and r emains immensely popular . Ther e’s indoor seating and a bar, but the picnic gr ove with its giant shade tr ees makes Linnig’ s a special place in season. Out of season — Nov . to Jan. — the family shutters the place and takes a nice vacation. $ f MITCHELL’S FISH MARKET 4031 Summit Plaza Dr., 412-1818. The decor of this upscale eater y evokes the feeling of a lar ge fish market, with an open kitchen that of fers views of chefs at work.

Quality seafood and service have made Mitchell’s a popular destination. $$$ p f ✿

downtown setting doesn’ t hur t either , on W aterfront Plaza at Main and Four th, next to the Galt House. The r ooms have Chur chill Downs themes.

The steaks take the rail with seafood and sushi coming up fast on the outside. $$$$ p e LOGAN’S ROADHOUSE 5055 Shelbyville Rd., 8933884, 5229 Dixie Hwy., 448-0577, 970 E. Lewis & Clark Pkwy., Clarksville, IN, 288-9789. With more than 100 pr operties in 17 states, this Nashvillebased chain parlays peanut shells on the floor and steaks on the table into a popular formula. $$ p LONGHORN STEAKHOUSE 2535 Hurstbourne Ln., 671-5350, 9700 V on Allmen Ct., 326-7500, 1210 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville, IN. 284-5800. Oversize steaks and a “big sky” western theme ar e the draw at this chain eatery , although most of its properties are east of the Mississippi. $$ p MORTON’S 626 W. Main St., 584-0421. This belowground temple to the r ed meat gods is elegant and masculine, full of wood paneling, brass rails and leather booths. Louisville r everes its home-gr own restaurants but has welcomed this Chicago-based chain with open mouths. $$$$ p OUTBACK STEAK HOUSE 4621 Shelbyville Rd., 8954329, 6520 Signatur e Dr ., 964-8383, 9498 Brownsboro Rd., 426-4329, 8101 Bardstown Rd., 2312399, 1420 Park Place, Clarksville, IN, 283-4329. The name suggests Australia, and so does the shtick at this popular national chain, but the food is pr etty much familiar American, and the fare goes beyond just steak to take in chicken, seafood and pasta. $$$ p

PASSTIME FISH HOUSE 10801 Locust Rd., 2674633. If you ar e looking for an honest fish sandwich and a cold beer or two, with no frills, this southside tavern is just the ticket. Belly up, place your order, and be sur e to have cash — no cr edit cards accepted here. $$ f e

PAT’S STEAK HOUSE 2437 Br ownsboro Rd., 8969234. A local favorite for fifty years and as traditional as a steakhouse gets, Pat Francis, like his father before him, cuts the meats himself. Its combination of quality beef and hospitality rank it among the best steak houses in town. Be sur e to bring cash: No credit cards accepted. $$$$ p f

RUMORS REST AURANT & RA W 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

PONDEROSA STEAKHOUSE 11470 S. Preston Hwy., 964-6117. Family-style dining with the ranch theme kept alive with the open flame fr om the grills. An extensive buffet with hot and cold foods, salads and desserts is also available. $ ✿

SHAROM’S 5637 Outer Loop, 968-8363. Family owned and family style dining with a wide net of seafood dinners and appetizers. Lunch and dinner menus also include such delicacies as fr og legs, shrimp and alligator. $$ p

RUTH’S CHRIS STEAKHOUSE 6100 Dutchman’s Ln., 479-0026. The Robb Report magazine has declar ed Rolex the world’ s best watch, Armani the best men’s suit, Cohiba the best cigar and Ruth’ s Chris the best r estaurant. It ser ves an excellent steak in an atmosphere of elegance that will make you feel pampered, at a price to match. $$$$ p

SON OF A SAILOR SEAFOOD REST AURANT 617 W. Jefferson St., LaGrange, KY, 265-2202. Son Of A Sailor of fers seafood Calabash-style (“bound” breading with seasoned flour and cornmeal, popular in the Carolinas). Munch the free, slightly sweet hush puppies while you wait. $$ f STAN’S FISH SANDWICH 3723 Lexington Rd., 8966600. The fish is the thing at Stan’ s, wher e the owner is a perfectionist who won’t sell any but the freshest fish, per fectly pr epared. Known for their fish sandwich, daily specials take advantage of fresh product. $ ✿ ] DEL FRISCO’S 4107 Oechsli A ve., 897-7077. Loyal Louisville beefeaters continue to fill up this 28year-old St. Matthews steakhouse, with its brick walls and beamed ceilings. Any red meat enthusiast would know to or der the filet or Por terhouse, but only regulars know the glories of something called green phunque. $$$$ p JACK BINION’S STEAKHOUSE Horseshoe Casino Hotel, Elizabeth, IN, 888-766-2648. (see listing under Fine Dining) JEFF RUBY’S STEAKHOUSE 325 W. Main St., 5840102. This Cincinnati r estaurateur has made an impact in Louisville with his outstanding steaks, glittery bar, urban vibe and top-notch ser vice. The RED = ADVERTISER

RYAN’S FAMILY STEAKHOUSE 5338 Bardstown Rd., 491-1088. This North Carolina-based chain of fers family dining with good variety: Its diverse and extensive buffet features over 150 items. $$ STONEY RIVER LEGENDARY STEAK 3900 Summit Plaza Dr ., 429-8944. Stoney River in the Springhurst shopping center is one of the chain’ s first properties outside its Geor gia home. It draws big crowds with its memorable steaks and trimmings, with extra points for friendly ser vice and a comfortable atmosphere. $$$$ p h TEXAS ROADHOUSE 757 E. Lewis & Clark Pkwy.

(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 W est sets the theme for this popular steak house. Salads, vegetables and br eads with hear ty side dishes r ound out your meal options. This is family-style dining, with no tray sliding — ser vice at your table. $$ p

A NICE REST AURANT 3105 Blackiston Mill Rd., New Albany IN, 945-4321, 2784 Meijer Dr ., 2809160, Jef fersonville, IN, 404 Lafollette Station, Floyds Knobs, IN, 923-7770. A Nice Restaurant, billed as “New Albany’s Finer Diner,” is, well, nice

p = FULL BAR

f = OUTDOOR DINING

e = LIVE MUSIC

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enough to have launched two mor e branches. All specialize in simple, down-home br eakfast and lunch at affordable prices. $

than just a place to chow down on baby back ribs, this national chain has a wide selection including fajitas, burgers, sandwiches and veggies. $$ p ✿

APPLEBEE’S (8 locations) This cheery national chain features an eclectic assor tment of salads, steaks, ribs, poultr y and pasta as well as full bar ser vice.

It’s as consistent as a cookie cutter , but competent execution makes it a good bargain for those whose tastes run to mainstream American cuisine. $$ p h

CHOP SHOP SALADS 436 W. Market St., 589-2467. The two-handed mezzalunas rock steady as the line cooks chop up lettuce, vegetables and meats into hear ty salads or wraps. Mostly a to-go place with limited seating, the steady lunchtime crowds attest that office workers see a need for fr esh light lunch fare. $ ✿

ASPEN CREEK REST AURANT 8000 Bar dstown Rd., 239-2200. The entr epreneur who cr eated T exas Roadhouse and Buckhead’s is back with a concept that’s both old and new — a lodge-style r estaurant that invokes the rustic feel of the Rockies, and offers a menu of pastas, bur gers, and poultry at prices that aren’t mountain high. $$ p h ✿

CHRISTY’S BAR & BISTRO 9700 Bluegrass Pkwy .

(InnPlace Hotel), 491-4830. $ p

B.J.’S RESTAURANT & BREWHOUSE 7900 Shelbyville Rd., 326-3850. This Southern California chain arrived east of the Mississippi, including a lar ge and imposing brewhouse at Oxmoor Center. A full range of made-in-Nevada craft beers is dispensed, along with upscale-casual pub grub. $$ p h THE BLIND PIG 1076 E. Washington St., 618-0600.

A popular hangout since its opening earlier this year, this Eur o-style gastr opub featur es Fr ench country cooking and house-made sausages and charcuterie in a casual but sophisticated atmosphere in an late-19th centur y building in Butchertown. $$ p e h ✿ BLUE HORSE CAFÉ 830 Phillips Ln., (Cr own Plaza Hotel) 367-2251. $$$ p h ✿ BUCKHEAD MOUNT AIN GRILL 3020 Bar dstown Rd., 456-6680, 707 W. Riverside Dr., Jeffersonville IN, 284-2919, 10206 W estport Rd., 339-0808.

Buckhead’s combination of mountain lodge atmosphere and American-style far e make these popular destinations. The large menu features down-home staples like meat loaf, pot pies, steak, ribs, and lighter fare for warm weather dining. The view of Louisville’s skyline fr om the riverfront location is not to be missed. $$ p f h ✿ BUNZ RESTAURANT 969 1/2 Baxter Ave., 632-1132.

This little Highlands made-to-or der gourmet hamburger shop concocts excellent quality burgers with a range of standard and oddball toppings. $ h CAFÉ MAGNOLIA 140 N. Four th St. (Galt House), 589-5200. The Galt House’s quick and casual secondfloor dining alternative, this spacious venue of fers a range of far e for guests on the go, fr om bacon and eggs to a late-night burger and fries. $$$ p ✿ CAPTAIN’S QUAR TERS 5700 Captain’ s Quar ters Rd., 228-1651. One of the city’ s most attractive eateries for atmosphere, Captain’s Quarters matches the beautiful setting with quality bistr o-style far e that won’t disappoint. Summer or winter , it’s a delightful place to dine. $$ p f e ✿ 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 spor ts with a “walk of fame” loaded with awards, photos, game balls and lots more Cardinal memorabilia. What? Y ou want food too? Sur e!

Casual American dining features everything from a “Cardinal Burger” to steaks and prime rib. $$ p h CHAMPIONS GRILL 505 Marriott Dr. (Holiday Inn), Clarksville, IN., 283-4411. Known by locals for its Saturday night buffet of New York strip, ribeye and prime rib. Salads, sandwiches, soups and a kidfriendly menu round out the selection. $$ p e ✿ CHEDDAR’S CASUAL CAFÉ 10403 W estport Rd., 339-5400, 1385 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville, IN, 2809660. This popular Dallas-based chain draws big, hungry cr owds with its lar ge bar and familiar “casual to upscale American” fare. $ p h ✿ CHILI’S 421 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy ., 425-6800, 3623 Bardstown Rd., 301-8888, 11600 Antonia W ay, 301-8181, 9720 V on Allmen Ct., 301-8880. Mor e

h = LATE NIGHT

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

When the trademark item is called a “ButterBurger” and fr ozen custar d tops the desser t menu, you know you’re not in for diet far e. Quality fast food and friendly service make this chain a popular new East End arrival. $ f

Celebrating 58 years as Louisville’s hometown favorite for top quality seafood and much, much more.

CUNNINGHAM’S 630 S. Four th St., 587-0526, 6301 Upper River Rd., 228-3625. Carrying on into its third century in modern quarters that capture much of the nostalgia of its history, Cunningham’s vends fine fish sandwiches and pub grub in this downtown location and in a second eatery on Harr ods Creek. $ f D&C DIAMOND CAFÉ 2017 Brownsboro Rd., 8950070. This lunch and dinner spot on the edge of Clifton and Cr escent Hill ser ves hearty, modestlypriced American café food—grilled pork chops, sandwiches, luncheon hot dishes, pastas—and weekend brunch. $$ ✿ EVA MAE’S CREEKSIDE 6313 River Rd., 614-6338.

One of a cluster of down-home style eateries just as River Road veers of f into Pr ospect, Eva Mae’ s is open for br eakfast, lunch and dinner . The open, waterside dining room is down-home and laid back at lunch, but gets a little crowded and rowdy as the drinks-before dinner cr owd stops in on the way home. Food and ser vice can be erratic, but a lot of fans rave about ambience and the chow. $$ p f

THREE CONVENIENT LOCATIONS: On the River: 3021 Upper River Road ■ 895-0544 (Just east of Zorn Ave @ I-71)

601 W. Riverside ■ 284-3474 (On the Jeffersonville riverfront across from Louisville)

Around Town: 1610 Kentucky Mills Dr. ■ 240-0700 (Blankenbaker @ 1-64)

FIVE GUYS BURGERS & FRIES 2221 State Str eet, New Albany, IN, 944-9958, 4320 Charlestown Rd., New Albany, IN, 944-7370, 4116 Summit Plaza Dr ., 426-1702. Based in Virginia, this burger chain invokes the early days of fast food with freshly-grilled burgers, big, smoky Kosher dogs, enough condiments to satisfy any craving, fr esh-cut fries that ar e out of this world and a cheery rock’n’roll sensibility. $ h GAVI’S RESTAURANT 222 S. Seventh St., 583-8183.

This family-owned eater y has been ar ound for decades. Standard casual American cuisine adds a few Russian-style specialties such as homemade borsht soup and beef Str oganoff. Daily lunch specials include lots of fresh vegetable dishes. $ ✿ 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. $ HOME RUN BURGERS & FRIES 2060 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 409-7004, 4600 Shelbyville Rd., 365-3388, 12949 Shelbyville Rd., 384-8403. Burgers, dogs and fries and drinks with a baseball theme highlight this suburban spot, and mor e than 20 toppings offer you a fielder’s choice of options to dr ess your burger. $ f ✿ HOOTERS 4120 Dutchmans Ln., 895-7100, 4948 Dixie Hwy., 449-4194, 7701 Pr eston Hwy., 9681606, 700 W. Riverside Dr., Jeffersonville, IN, 2189485, 941 E. Lewis & Clark Pkwy ., 131, Clarksville, IN 284-9464. Hooter’s may draw crowds with its long-standing r eputation as a par ty scene, but you’ll stay for the food, an appetizing selection of soups, salads, seafood and, of course, wings. $ p f e h INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF P ANCAKES 1220 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville, IN. 285-1772, 1401 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 618-2250. The familiar IHOP franchise across the river has now been joined by another outlet along the franchise r estaurant r ow on Hurstbourne. $ h ✿

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JOE’S OLDER THAN DIR T 8131 New Lagrange Rd., 426-2074. Going str ong 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 h KAREM’S 9424 Nor ton Commons Blvd., 327-5646.

Karem’s Grill & Pub, one of the first r estaurants to open in the village-like Nor ton Commons, carries the look and feel of a neighbor hood watering hole inside and out. The test of a r estaurant, though, is the food, and Karem’s is excellent. $ p f KERN’S KORNER 2600 Bardstown Rd., 456-9726. This family-owned tavern has been a popular neighborhood pit stop since 1978. Kern’s offers freshly made ham, chicken salad sandwiches and burgers, as well as a menu of soups, chilis and appetizers. $ p LEGENDS Horseshoe Casino Hotel, Elizabeth, IN, 888-766-2648. The hot and cold shor t or ders ar e served up with riverboat hospitality , but in a Las Vegas atmospher e. A well stocked bar and a live stage welcome the best of r egional and visiting national acts. $$ p e h LYNN’S P ARADISE CAFÉ 984 Barr et A ve., 5833447. A serious restaurant hides behind the funky décor and madcap events (like the annual New Year’s Eve pajama par ty and the Ugly Lamp contest). The Bourbon Ball French toast beat Bobby Flay on a Thr owdown. And everyone loves the fried green tomato BLT. The World of Swirl store in the front has been described as “Cracker Barr el on acid.” $$ p ✿ MANHATTAN GRILL 429 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd., 561-0024. $ ✿ MASTERSON’S 1830 S. Thir d St., 636-2511. A fine, family Louisville tradition, this familiar T udor structure near the U of L campus is the state’ s largest full-ser vice restaurant and the city’ s largest caterer. Scaling back in r esponse to economic conditions, Masterson’ s now is open only for Sunday Jazz Brunch. $ e MAXWELL’S BAR & GRILLE 9909 Taylorsville Rd., 267-9604. The former Maggie’ s, r eopened under new ownership, pr oviding more choice for casual, family-centered dining in the Jef fersontown ar ea.

Salads, sandwiches, bur gers, flatbr ead pizzas, honey-miso glazed salmon, Hot Br owns, kabobs and a full bar. $$ p f h ✿ MIMI’S CAFÉ 615 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy ., 426-6588.

This California chain, a subsidiar y of Bob Evans, goes urban and upscale where farmer Bob is folksy and country. This new East End location is drawing crowds, building its r eputation on those familiar with the chain from other places. $$ ✿ THE MONKEY WRENCH 1025 Barret Ave., 582-2433.

A popular spot in the urban neighborhood where the Highlands meet Germantown, The Monkey W rench offers comfort food with a stylish spin, top flight music, a relaxed ambience and welcoming ser vice.

The long-awaited rooftop patio is open and packing them in on warm evenings. $ p f e h ✿ MULLIGAN’S PUB AND GRILL 1801 Newburg Rd., 632-2818. Neighbor hood institution Kaelin’ s is gone, but Mulligans’ now holds down the for t.

Although the “If you can’ t stop, please wave sign” is still outside, inside, wood-paneled walls, a new horseshoe-shaped bar and vintage wooden golf clubs show that a new game is afoot. The beer list now includes BBC craft beers and Irish impor ts.

The menu is gear ed towar d hear ty sandwiches, pizza and steak and shrimp entrées. $$ p f h NEIL & PATTY’S FIRESIDE BAR & GRILL 7611 IN 311, Sellersburg, IN, 246-5456. A family owned and operated outpost up the r oad a piece, long known for their warm and welcoming, down-home atmosphere. The local cognoscenti know they can also find excellent pastas, steaks, seafood, and 64 Summer 2010 www.foodanddine.com

salads. Homemade soups ar e created daily and coffee and desser ts ar e always fr eshly made.

Breakfast served until 2 p.m. — look for the bison sausage served with organic eggs. $$ p ✿ O’CHARLEY’S (6 locations) O’Charley’ s, Inc. could serve well as the pictur e in the dictionar y next to “American casual dining.” The Nashville-based chain operates 206 pr operties in 16 states in the Southeast and Midwest, ser ving a straightfor ward steakand-seafood menu with the motto “Mainstream with an attitude.” $$ p h OTTO’S CAFÉ 500 S. Four th St. (Seelbach Hilton Hotel), 585-3201. Southern cooking with gourmet flair makes Otto’ s an intriguing alternative to the Seelbach’s more upscale Oakroom. Check out the Southern Br eakfast Buf fet and the Executive Express Lunch Buffet. $ PEPPERS BAR & GRILL 320 W. Jefferson St., (Hyatt Regency) 587-3434. The casual-dining facility in the Hyatt Regency of fers a full dinner menu for hotel guests and outside visitors as well. $$$p h ✿ PUB LOUISVILLE Fourth Str eet Live 569-7782.

Owned by Cincinnati’ s The T avern Restaurant Group, The Pub featur es “nouveau pub cuisine” ranging from shepherd’s pie and fish and chips to more Continental dishes like fried calamari and a seared ahi tuna entrée. $$ p f h RAFFERTY’S OF LOUISVILLE 988 Breckenridge Ln., 897-3900. 3601 Springhurst Blvd., 412-9000. This full-service, casual dining establishment has a hear ty menu. Specialties like Red Alfredo Pasta showcase the gourmet offerings along with some of the lar gest and most creative salad combinations in town. $$ p ✿ RED ROBIN GOURMET BURGERS 9870 Von Allmen Ct., 339-8616, 5000 Shelbyville Rd., 899-9001.

The Robin, a Seattle-based chain well r egarded for “gourmet burgers” and trimmings, has now landed in two East End locations. Despite a full bar, it reportedly attracts hordes of happy youngsters. $$ p f h ROOSTER’S 7405 Preston Hwy., 964-9464, 4420 Dixie Hwy ., 384-0330. This Columbus-based wings-and-brews chain con quered Ohio and is now spr eading its franchise wings acr oss the Eastern U.S. Its first two Louisville pr operties are gaining popularity for a lively spor ts bar setting and oversize wings. $ p f h RUBY TUESDAY 11701 Bluegrass Pkwy ., 267-7100, 1354 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville, IN. 288-5010. If success demonstrates quality, then Ruby T uesday’s 600 international properties and 30,000 employees can stand up with pride. They’ve been upholding the slogan “A wesome Food. Serious Salad Bar” in Louisville for a generation. $$ p h ✿ THE RUDYARD KIPLING 422 W. Oak St., 636-1311.

The word “eclectic” fits this Old Louisville eater y 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 fr om Generation X’ers to aging hippies. $ p f e h ✿ SAM’S FOOD & SPIRITS 3800 Payne Kohler Rd., Clarksville, IN, 945-9757. Opened by a man named Sam some 17 years ago, this popular Southern Indiana institution feeds an army of happy diners. You’ll find seafood, steaks, pastas, salads and desserts. The menu is extensive and child friendly. $$ p h ✿ SHONEY’S 811 Eastern Pkwy ., 636-1043, 6511 Signature Dr ., 969-8904. For nearly 50 years, Shoney’s r estaurants have been one of America’ s top choices for fast r oadside dining, and happily they’ve kept up with the times. $ SIMPLY SPLENDID SALADS 203 N. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 426-3373. Another pleasant spot for lunch or take-home dinner for shoppers and workers along the Shelbyville Road-Hurstbourne Parkway nexus. Choose fr om an inter esting selection of huge salad bowls (Asian shrimp, tuna Nicosia, chicken Caesar) or piled-high cr epe wraps (Philly RED = ADVERTISER

cheese steak, vegetarian, Hawaiian chicken, chicken and Brie) for eat-in or take-away. $$ ✿ SKYLINE CHILI 1266 Bar dstown Rd., 473-1234, Plainview V illage Center, 429-5773, 4024 Dutchman’s Ln., 721-0093, 6801 Dixie Hwy ., 937-4020.

Louisville’s outposts of a famous Cincinnati chili restaurant, these casual eateries of fer the r egional favorite (really it’s Greek spaghetti sauce, but keep it quiet) and other fast-food dishes. $ h ✿ STEAK N SHAKE 3232 Bar dstown 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. Lewis & Clark Pkwy., Clarksville, IN., 285-1154. One of the oldest fast-food 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 bur gers and hand-dipped shakes served, if you dine in, on r eal china. $ h ✿ STEVIE B’S BURGERS & MORE 1401 V eterans Pkwy, Clarksville IN 288-8365. Located near WalMart and I-65. Stevie B’ s lures hungry shoppers to dress their own burgers at the toppings bar. Or, fuel up on Philly cheesesteaks, cheese chicken sandwiches, or a quarter-pound chili dog. $ TGI FRIDA Y’S 9990 Linn Station Rd., 425-8185, Fourth Street Live, 585-3577. The original place to loosen the tie and congr egate after the whistle blows. TGIF carries on its par ty atmosphere tradition with American bistro dining and libations. The bill of fare ranges from baskets of appetizers on up to contemporary entrées. $$ p f h ✿ TOAST ON MARKET 736 E. Market St., 569-4099, 141 E. Market St., New Albany, IN, 941-8582. This local breakfast and lunch favorite housed in an old downtown theater building has opened a second location on New Albany’ s gr owing r estaurant r ow.

Chef George Morris’ simple yet exciting menu adds a tongue-in-cheek bistr o spin to traditional diner fare. $ p f ✿ TOMMY LANCASTER’S REST AURANT 1629 E. Market St., New Albany, IN, 945-2389. V alue and variety ar e the str ong points of this community tradition and the far e goes fr om burgers to steak.

Friday or Saturday evenings feature a buffet. $$ p TRELLIS RESTAURANT 320 W. Jefferson St. (Hyatt Regency), 587-3434. Dine on café far e in the Hyatt’s lofty atrium lobby while you take advantage of an environment made for people-watching. $$ p TUCKER’S 2441 State St., New Albany, IN, 944-9999.

Tucker’s gives you a little bit of ever ything with a down-to-earth flair, offering burgers, ribs, steaks, a variety of appetizers and pastas. $ p 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 leisur ely Sunday morning or heading home ver y late on a Saturday night. It’ s a place to grab a quick, filling bite, and doesn’t pretend to be more. $ h ✿ THE VILLA BUFFET Horseshoe Casino Hotel, Elizabeth, IN, 888-766-2648. The V illa Buf fet offers an impressive choice of international dishes, with some 150 selections. A seafood buf fet is featured on Fridays. $$ ✿ WESTPORT GENERAL STORE 7008 Hwy. 524, Westport, KY., 222-4626. It may be in the countr y, and you may feel far fr om the big city , until the food comes. Along with the requisite meat loaf and pork chops, you’ll find such ambitious far e as chicken buccatini and blackened scallops. $$ e ✿ THE WING ZONE 905 Hess Ln., 636-2445. Another new wings emporium situated to catch the fancy of U of L fans, Wing Zone excels with jumbo wings in 25 flavors, including traditional Buffalo-style wings that range from Mild to Nuclear. $ f h

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ZAXBY’S 2740 Allison Ln., Jef fersonville IN, 9200080. They have been all ar ound us out in the state, but now Louisville has its own Zaxby’ s, the casual dining chain that cutens its menu with a lot of “z’ s”: zappetizers, zalads, platter z, wings and fingerz — that sort of thing. $ f h

BARBARA LEE’S KITCHEN 2410 Br ownsboro Rd., 897-3967. Barbara Lee’s has been a late-night r efuge for years. It’s a reliable standby for those in sear ch of traditional blue-plate special lunch food. Honest grub, honestly priced, in a rootsy atmosphere. $ h BIG MOMMA’S SOUL KITCHEN 4532 W. Broadway, 772-9580. Big Momma’ s may be the most hospitable place in the W est End to get genuine soul food. A different main course is featured daily, all home-cooked food, including such goodies as baked chicken, smother ed pork chops, meat loaf, catfish … and fried chicken every day. $ ✿ CAROLYN’S 3822 Cane Run Rd., 776-9519. The steam table classic, the “meat ‘n’ two” gives you the roast chicken, gr een beans and mashed potatoes.

Or pork chops, applesauce and limas. $ CHECK’S CAFÉ 1101 E. Burnett Ave., 637-9515. You can whif f a scent of Louisville history coming of f the old walls of this quintessential Germantown saloon, along with years of fr ying grease. The bar food her e is about as good as bar food gets, and that’s not bad. The chili and the bean soup ar e 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 ver y hear t of American comfor t food, including gr een beans, dumplings, and mashed potatoes. $$ CHICKEN KING 639 E. Br oadway, 589-5464. Spicy, crunchy and sizzling hot fried chicken is the primary draw on a short, affordable menu. $ h THE CHILI POT 8118 Preston Hwy., 966-9920. This new Okolona outpost ser ves up chicken salad sandwiches, hot dogs, grilled cheese and gar den salad. Oh, and four kinds of chili: Louisville-style, green pork (with tomatillos), sirloin steak and white chicken. $ h COTTAGE CAFÉ 11609 Main St., Middletown, 2449497. This nostalgic old house in the countr yside offers a taste of Kentucky-style cookery in an array of lunch specials that range from homemade soups and sandwiches to the traditional Hot Br own. $ ✿ COTTAGE INN 570 Eastern Pkwy ., 637-4325. Now under new management by the Kreso family, Cottage Inn spor ts a bright new look, and it continues happily doling out the kind of excellent downhome food it has ser ved for more than 70 years. $ D’NALLEY’S 970 S. Thir d St., 588-2003. Dir t-cheap blue-plate specials and hear ty br eakfasts 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, gr een beans, and mashed potatoes, D’Nalley’s is a hard place to beat. $ FORK IN THE ROAD F AMILY RESTAURANT 4951 Cane Run Rd., 448-3903. $ FORTY ACRES AND A MULE REST AURANT 1800 Dixie Hwy., 776-5600. $ FRONTIER DINER 7299 Dixie Hwy., 271-3663. The name “diner” says it all, and this friendly neighborhood spot on Dixie Highway delivers just what you’d expect in down-home comfor t far e. The word on the str eet, though, is simple: Go for the pancakes. They’re worth a special trip. $ ✿ GENNY’S DINER 2223 Frankfor t A ve., 893-0923.

What’s the difference between Genny’s Diner and a

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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 hear ty, filling and well-prepared diner food. $ p e GOLDEN CORRAL 4032 Taylorsville Rd., 485-0004, 8013 Pr eston Hwy ., 966-4970, 1402 Cedar St., Clarksville, IN. 258-2540. Buffet style family dining — one price, all you can eat. Steaks are served beginning at 4 p.m. $ GRANNY’S APRON 2605 Rockfor d Ln., 449-9026.

Everything at Granny’ s Apr on is homemade by owner Jan Bradley , and it tastes that way: Dinner here will r emind you of a trip back in time to Grandmother’s house, assuming that Grandmother was a really good cook. $ HAZELWOOD REST AURANT 4106 T aylor Blvd., 361-9104. Whether you like your eggs over easy, or your cheesebur gers well done, you’ll like the Hazelwood Restaurant. Standar d shor t or ders cooked with lots of character and a low price. $ HOMETOWN BUFFET 1700 Alliant Ave., 267-7044, 6641 Dixie Hwy., 995-3320. This chain ser ves up nostalgic dishes, casseroles, meats and desserts that allow you to set an all-American supper table with the all-you-can eat price tag. $ ✿ INDI’S RESTAURANT 1033 W. Broadway, 589-7985, 3820 W. Market St., 778-5154, 2901 Fern V alley 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 af fordable soul food and barbecue specialties to take out or eat in. $ h ✿ JESSIE’S FAMILY RESTAURANT 9609 Dixie Hwy ., 937-6332. Countr y cooking is Jessie’ s specialty , with hearty breakfast, lunch and dinner platters to fill the inner person. $ KINGS FAST FOOD 2101 W. Br oadway, 772-7138.

This tiny, colorful West End eater y, open for takeout only, offers a vast selection of filling, affordable urban fare that ranges fr om hot-and-spicy chicken wings to rib tips and mor e. $ h KING’S FRIED CHICKEN 1302 Dixie Hwy., 776-3013. $ LOUISVILLE GRILLE 612 S. Fifth St., 217-0000. Chef Michael W ashington, veteran of Big Hopp’ s, smokes pork and beef, fries and grills chicken, and catfish, and builds cold and hot sandwiches, salads and soups for diners at the corner of Fifth and Chestnut. $ MISS C’S KITCHEN & P ANTRY 1319 Stor y A ve., 759-1085. This little Butchertown storefront serves deli lunches and Saturday breakfasts in a charming, homey atmospher e. Y ou will find traditional recipes using locally-sour ced foods, such as pimento cheese made with Kenny’ s white cheddar and tuna salad using the r ecipe fr om Stewar t’s Orchid Room. $$ MR. LOU’S COUNTR Y COTT AGE REST AURANT 5408 V alley Station Rd., 933-0806. Biscuits and red-eye gravy, country ham and grits show of f Mr. Lou’s countr y cooking style. Roast chicken is a dinner favorite, and so are homemade pies. $ ✿ O’DOLLYS 7800 Third St. Rd., 375-1690. Homestyle steam-table favorites ar e available fr om br eakfast through dinner, not to mention full bar service that makes O’Dollys a Southwest Louisville destination. $pfh✿ OUR BEST RESTAURANT 5404 Antle Dr., 969-6410, 2835 Holmans Ln., Jef fersonville, IN, 288-8133, 5612 Bar dstown Rd., 239-2656. The original Our Best, a fine family r estaurant in Henry County , is rapidly growing into a chain, with thr ee properties in the big city now. $$ QUEENIE’S SOUL CUISINE 2956 Richland A ve., 451-4698. Queenie has been cooking for her 13 siblings since she was a teenager . Finally she is getting paid to do it. She and her son ser ve breakfast, lunch and dinner: chicken and waf fles, meatloaf, a soul burrito, chicken (fried, smother ed or baked) and daily specials. $$ f 66 Summer 2010 www.foodanddine.com

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SWEET-TEE’S 4900 Poplar Level Rd., 966-0075. A modest little soul-food emporium, brimming with the ar omas of Southern ambr osia: collar d gr eens cooked with fatback, sweet potato pie, crusty ribs and slow-cooked pig’s feet. The chicken is fried while you wait, the way the customers like it. $

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

“Awesome dining, extr eme fun, wher e family fun hits maximum over drive” is the pr omise at this giant dining and enter tainment venue. It’s not just for kids: an upscale menu in a signatur e dining room is at the center of it all. $$ p h ✿

WAGNER’S PHARMACY 3113 S. Fourth St., 375-3800.

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

Racing history on the walls and ser vers who’ll call you “hon.” $

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 pr oduce is grown on the premises in season. $$ p f e

WEBB’S MARKET 944 E. Muhammad Ali Blvd., 5830318. An old-line neighborhood corner grocery store houses a delicious secr et: At the back you’ll find a steam table loaded with exceptional comfor t food.

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

ANN’S BY THE RIVER 149 Spring St., Jef fersonville, IN., 284-2667. This bustling eatery is cafeteria style dining done well. They ser ve up the standar d steam table meat-and-three menu items as good as any. With the Ohio River a block away, it’s aptly named. $ ✿ THE BISTRO 3701 Frankfort Ave., 714-5586. A gem hidden away in The Olmsted, on the Masonic Home grounds in St. Matthews. This little spot has earned terrific word-of-mouth buzz since it opened in the fall. Soups, sandwiches, salads, pastas are the mainstay of the menu, with a four -item lunch buffet that changes weekly. $ f CRAVINGS A LA CAR TE 101 S. Fifth St. (National City Tower), 589-4230. This thrifty deli of fers a variety of build-your-own sandwiches, a soup-andsalad bar , and specialty bars featuring baked potatoes, and a monthly ethnic cr eation. $ ✿ HALL’S CAFETERIA 1301 Stor y A ve., 583-0437.

Hall’s Cafeteria has been doing a brisk business on the steam tables since 1955, attracting customers from Butchertown’s truck loading docks and fr om offices downtown. $ ✿ 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. $ ✿ LANCASTER’S CAFETERIA 223 W. Fifth St., New Albany, IN, 949-2400. Troy Lancaster, the grandson of Southern Indiana catering king T ommy Lancaster, recalls the family’s culinary heritage with this family-friendly buffet-style cafeteria. $ f PICCADILLY CAFETERIA 2131 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 493-9900, 133 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy ., 4231733. An east end favorite for variety , Piccadilly offers r oast beef, fried chicken, cod, steak and shrimp dinners, a gardener’s list of vegetables and a few ethnic dishes for global measur e. $ ✿

DERBY DINNER PLA YHOUSE 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. $$$$ e HOWL A T THE MOON Fourth Str eet Live, 5629400. What’ll they think of next? How about a nightclub that featur es a “dueling” piano bar with two pianos and a sing-along concept? Y ou’ll find this 4,000-square-foot club at Fourth Street Live on the ground level. $ p e h IMPROV COMEDY CLUB & WET WILLIE’S 441 S. Fourth St., 581-1332. The menu is no joke at this downtown club. Chow down on well-grilled steaks, fr esh seafood and ribs that rank with the best in the city befor e the nationally-known comedy acts start. $$$ p f e h ✿ RED = ADVERTISER

MY OLD KENTUCKY DINNER TRAIN 602 N. Third St., Bardstown, KY, (502) 348-7300. T alk about a nostalgia trip: My Old Kentucky Dinner T rain offers a four-course meal during a two-hour voyage along scenic Kentucky railr oad tracks near Bardstown in vintage 1940s-era dining cars. Reservations are strongly recommended. $$$$ p ✿ STUMLER RESTAURANT & ORCHARD 10924 St. John’s Rd., Starlight, IN, 923-3832. Fr esh produce is available in the big shed a few steps away , and that fresh produce shows up on the tables her e in mammoth por tions. Combine that with honest fried chicken, big ham steaks, r oast beef, and sandwiches, and you can’t go wrong. $$ f ✿

ALEXANDER’S PIZZERIA 1611 Charlestown-New Albany Rd., Jeffersonville, IN, 284-9000. $$ 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. $ ✿ ANGIO’S REST AURANT 3731 Old Bar dstown Rd., 451-5454. This small Buechel eater y attracts a friendly neighborhood crowd with hefty subs and quality pizzas, along with cold beer. $ ✿ ANNIE’S PIZZA 2520 Portland Ave., 776-6400, 4007 Cane Run Rd., 449-4444. Annie’ s has made-toorder pizza and a variety of stacked sandwiches such as the Big Daddy Str om with beef, Italian sausage, onions and banana peppers. $ h ✿ ARNI’S PIZZA 1208 State St., New Albany , IN, 9451149, 3700 Paoli Pike, Floyds Knobs, IN, 9239805. A favorite Hoosier pizza and sandwich stop.

Insist on getting the Deluxe. $ ✿ BEARNO’S PIZZA (13 locations) What began as a simple, family-run pizzeria near Bowman Field has morphed into a local chain with, at last count, 13 locations. $ p ✿ BONNIE & CL YDE’S PIZZA 7611 Dixie Hwy., 9355540. It may look like a dive that hasn’ t been renovated in ages, the service can be surly at times, and you have to pay in cash, but devoted fans of its thin-crust pizzas and hoagies keep coming back and talk it up with their friends. $$ f ✿ BOOMBOZZ FAMOUS PIZZA 3400 Frankfor t Ave., 896-9090, 12613 Taylorsville Rd., 261-0222. The little Boombozz take-out joint at the corner of Frankfort and Cannons Lane has moved acr oss the street, taking over the former Patr on’s space, and changing its name, becoming a Boombozz Taphouse in all but its name—and the fact that it will be ser ving beer in bottles only . Look for the Taphouse-style menu of pastas and sandwiches along with award-winning pies. $$ h ✿ BOOMBOZZ PIZZA BISTRO 12613 Taylorsville Rd., 261-0222. Boombozz wins praise for exceptionally high quality pizza and other quick Italian-style fare.

Tony’s pizzas include both traditional pies and gourmet-style specialties that have won awar ds in national competition. $$ h ✿ BOOMBOZZ PIZZA & TAP HOUSE 1448 Bardstown Rd., 458-8889, 1315 Herr Ln., 394-0000. The Boombozz Pizza empire has expanded twice within a

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few months, with these sit-down pizza and taphouses The menu now extends into appetizers, sandwiches and pasta, and 21 craft beers on tap. The newest venue, in W estport V illage, has been attracting a varied cr owd enjoying the hear ty and well-crafted food, the excellent beer selection and the array of sporting events on the TVs. $$ p f h ✿ BORROMEO’S PIZZA 9417 Smyrna Pkwy., 968-7743.

Serving up old-school thin-crust pizzas to chowhounds south of the Gene Snyder. $ h 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 non-traditional Pacific Rim toppings. CPK successfully translates this trend for the mass market. $$ p f ✿ CHARLESTOWN PIZZA COMP ANY 850 Main St., Charlestown IN, 256-2699. This welcoming venue on Charlestown’s town squar e, a shor t trip upriver fr om Jeffersonville, is run by folks who learned their pizza and beer at New Albanian Brewing Company. That’s a fine pedigree, and it shows in impressive quality. $$ ✿ CICI’S PIZZA 470 New Albany Plaza, New Albany , IN., 944-4942, 3093 Br eckinridge Ln., 452-6700.

Serious bar gain-hunters will find Cici’ s culinar y offer har d to beat. This Dallas-based chain ser ves up all the pizza you can eat for only $3.99. $ ✿ CLIFTON’S PIZZA 2230 Frankfor t A ve., 893-3730.

One of the originators of “Louisville style” of pizza, with additional toppings placed over the cheese. The venerable Clifton’s Pizza appeals with its adult style, full of the bold flavors of herbs and spices and available with gr own-up toppings like anchovies and artichoke hearts. $ f e h ✿

MA ZERELLAS 949 S. Indiana A ve., Sellersburg, IN, 246-9517. Pleasant family-run-for -family-fun establishments. Pizza, pasta, salads and subs served for lunch and dinner seven days a week. $ ✿

high-school student in 1984 and has built his business into a 3,000-restaurant international chain on the basis of a simple formula: traditional pizza, made fr om quality ingredients in a straightforward style. $$ ✿

MR. GATTI’S 5600 S. Third St., 363-2211, 8594 Dixie Hwy., 935-0100, 3319 Bar dstown Rd., 451-0540, 1108 Lyndon Ln., 339-8338, 2247 S. Pr eston St., 635-6708, 4200 Outer Loop, 964-0920. This Austin-based chain was one of the first national pizzerias to r each Louisville in the 1970s, and quality ingredients — plus Gattiland playgr ounds for the kids — have made its crisp, thin-crust pizzas a popular draw for nearly 30 years. $$ ✿

PAPA MURPHY’S PIZZA 291 N. Hubbards Ln., 8956363, 5016 Mudd Ln., 962-7272, 9501 Taylorsville Rd., 266-7000, 161 Outer Loop, 361-3444, 4607 Outer Loop, 964-7272, 12535 Shelbyville Rd., 2539191, 6756 Bar dstown Rd., 239-8282, 1305 Veterans Pkwy ., Clarksville IN, 280-7272, 2221 State St., New Albany IN, 945-7272. $$ ✿

NEW ALBANIAN BREWING CO. 3312 Plaza Dr ., New Albany, IN, 944-2577. Touting “the best pizza in Southern Indiana” is quite a boast, but pizza only tells half of this tasty story . NABC combines the fine pies of Sportstime Pizza with the pub formerly known as Rich O’ s. Publican Roger Baylor’ s remarkable beer list, with more than 100 selections from around the world — plus locally brewed craft beers — has won international awards. A pizza like the famous “Herbivor e” (spinach, sliced tomatoes and r oasted garlic) makes a sizzling tr eat, with a world-class beer to wash it down. $ OLD CHICAGO P ASTA & PIZZA 9010 Taylorsville Rd., 301-7700. This gr owing chain specializes in both thick Chicago-style and thin traditional pizza, plus an imposing list of 110 beers from around the world. $$ p f h ✿

DANNY MAC’S P ASTA & PIZZA 1014 Clarks Ln., 635-7994. $

ORIGINAL IMPELLIZZERI’S 1381 Bar dstown Rd., 454-2711, 4933 Brownsboro Rd. Impellizzeri’s pizza, a Louisville icon known and loved for its massive pies for a generation, has r eturned to the Highlands! Benny Impellizzeri’s latest venture is already attracting happy crowds to the quarters vacated by Alameda. $$$ p f h ✿

FAT DADDY’S PIZZA 10611 W. Manslick Rd., 3637551. $ h ✿

PAPA JOHN’S PIZZA (30 locations) “Papa” John Schnatter got into the pizza game as a Southern Indiana

PAPALINO’S 947 Baxter A ve., 749-8515. Allan Rosenberg, who has cooked for several high-end restaurants, has opened this Highlands New Y ork style pizza-by-the-slice place, to considerable enthusiasm. He of fers just one size, an 18-incher , sold by the pie or the oversize slice, as well as calzones, breadsticks and a shor t list of salads and desserts. Choose from a dozen pr emium toppings, vegetarian and meaty, to go with the crispy crust. $

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

This new place in the old Slice of NY space of f S. Hurstbourne Parkway carries on the New Y ork style tradition: pies by the slice, just like on Flatbush Avenue. Hand-tossed crust, all kinds of toppings, plus Italian sausage and meatball sandwiches. $$ ✿ PIZZA BY THE GUY 814 Lyndon Ln., 426-4044. This locally owned franchise, now in lar ger quar ters, wins its fans’ praise for extra spicy sauce and handtossed dough. $ h ✿ PIZZA KING 3825 Charlestown Rd., New Albany IN, 945-4405, 1066 Kehoe Ln., Jeffersonville, IN., 2828286. The pizza at Pizza King is baked in a stur dy, clay stone oven and hand-tossed with thinner crust where the ingredients go all the way to the edge. $$ PIZZA PLACE 2931 Richland Ave., 458-9700. $ h ✿

FAT JIMMY’S 2712 Frankfor t Ave., 891-4555, 2208 Bardstown Rd., 479-1040, 13829 English Villa Dr., 244-0840, 528 S. Fifth St., 589-8559. 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. $ ✿ FROLIO’S PIZZA 3799 Poplar Level Rd., 456-1000.

Just ar ound the corner fr om the Louisville Zoo, Frolio’s is a neighborhood pizzeria with a cozy, dim Italian-American mood and an all-you-can-eat pizza-and-salad lunch special. $$ f ✿ HOMETOWN PIZZA 11804 Shelbyville Rd., 2454555, La Grange Squar e Shopping Center , 2224444. Pasta dishes, hoagies, str omboli and cold beer ar e available, and so is the one-of-a-kind Bacon Cheeseburger pizza. $$ h ✿ IROQUOIS PIZZA 6614 Manslick Rd., 363-3211. $$ ✿ JOHNNY V’S 10509 Watterson Trail, 267-0900. $$ p f LITTLE CAESAR’S PIZZA 816 Kenwood Dr ., 3665599, 9017 Galene Dr ., 267-8600, 5622 Pr eston Hwy. 966-5800, 6714 Outer Loop, 966-3111, 12418 LaGrange Rd., 241-5445. This Detroit-based pizzeria chain lost market shar e 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. $$ h ✿ LOUISVILLE PIZZA CO. 3910 Ruckriegel Pkwy ., 267-1188. Also known as Chubby Ray’ s, this local pizzeria makes good, fr esh pizzas and ItalianAmerican sandwiches. $ p f h ✿ LUIGI’S 712 W. Main St., 589-0005. If you think one pizza is pretty much like another, you may not have sampled New Y ork City-style pizza, a tr eat that you’ll find on just about ever y str eet corner ther e, but only Luigi’s offers in its authentic form here. $ ✿

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PIZZ-A-ROMA 1511 Bar dstown Rd., 290-6600. This family business has 40+ years of experience in Owensboro and Bowling Green, and has now opened a Louisville outlet for their family r ecipe pizzas, highly rated by Pizza Today magazine. $$ h ✿ PUCCINI’S SMILING TEETH 4600 Shelbyville Rd., 721-0170. A small but gr owing pizza chain based in Indianapolis opens its first Louisville pr operty on Shelbyville Road. Thin pizza by the slice and other Italian-American dishes ar e ser ved in an attractive setting that’s a cut above fast food. $$ ✿ ROCKY’S SUB PUB 715 W . Riverside Dr ., Jeffersonville IN, 282-3844. This longtime favorite earns its popularity with fine pizzas, a good selection of bottled beers and a select choice of Italian-American entrées and a view of the Louisville skyline that’s hard to beat. $ p f ✿ SICILIAN PIZZA & P ASTA 631 S. Four th St., 5898686. Ready for takeout or eat-in, this downtown storefront offers good, standard (not Sicilian) pizza and other familiar Italian-American dishes. $ h SIR DANO’S PIZZA P ARLOR 469 N. Indiana A ve., Sellersburg IN, 246-3346. $ f ✿ SNAPPY TOMA TO 10000 Br ownsboro Rd., 4126205, 13206 W. Hwy. 42, 228-9990. $$ h ✿ SPINELLI’S PIZZERIA 614 Baxter A ve., 568-5665, 2929 Goose Cr eek Rd., 632-2832. This tiny stor efront in the city’ s nightclub zone of fers a tasty option for the wide-eyed-late-at-night cr owd seeking good cheap eats; it’ s open until 5 am nightly from Wednesday through Saturday, offering Philadelphia specialties: Philly-style pizza and r eal Philly cheese steaks. Now ser ving at a second spot in the suburbs. $ f h ✿ STUDIO PIZZA 1401 Veterans Pkwy, Clarksville, IN, 288-6600. Owner Steve Baldwin will ser ve up Chicago-style pie, calzones and other tipico Italiano far e, with a per formance stage r eady for pro performers or karaoke. $$ ✿ TONI’S MORE THAN PIZZA 3213 Pr eston Hwy ., 634-5400. Friendly service and sizzling pies make this neighborhood pizzeria a favorite under any name. $$ ✿ TONY IMPELLIZZERI’S 108 V ieux Carr e Dr., 4290606. The original Impellizzeri’s Pizza is gone from the Highlands, but this decade-old strip-center storefront near Hurstbourne houses br other Tony’s venture. If you like the massive, heavily loaded Impellizzeri pizza style, it’s a treat not to be missed. $$$$ ✿ TUBBY’S PIZZA 103 Quar termaster Cr t., Jef fersonville IN, 288-8870. Jef fersonville’s venerable quadrangle — it dates back to the Civil W ar — is the perfect setting for settling back over a pitcher of beer, a Hoosier -style pizza (sliced in squar es) and catching a game on one of the wall-mounted flatscreen TVs. $$ h VITO’S PIZZA 1919 S. Preston St., 634-1003. A little neighborhood pizza pub on the edge of Germantown has been ser ving up its signatur e pies to neighbors and commuters who pick up pies befor e they get on nearby I-65 to head home. $$ p f e h ✿ WICK’S PIZZA PARLOR 975 Baxter Ave., 458-1828, 2927 Goose Cr eek Rd., 327-9425, 12717 Shelbyville Rd., 213-9425, 10966 Dixie Hwy ., 995-4333, 225 State St., New Albany, IN, 945-9425. W ick’s wins popularity with a welcoming mix of good pizza, a quality beer list and a friendly neighborhood feel at all five of its eateries. The pies ar e straightforward, made with ample toppings. “The Big Wick” is a favorite. $ p h ✿ WINDY CITY PIZZERIA 2622 S. Fourth St., 636-3708.

Stuffed Chicago-style and crispy thin-crust pizzas offer whichever option a pizza lover desir es. $$ ZA’S PIZZA 1573 Bardstown Rd., 454-4544. $$

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ZAHN’S PIZZERIA & PUB 201 Spring St., Jeffersonville, IN, 283-3663. A source of thin-crust, 68 Summer 2010 www.foodanddine.com

New York style pizzas, as well as sandwiches and calzones, in downtown Jef fersonville. Beer selection includes several local Louisville and Indiana craft brews. $$ p f h ✿

AMAZING GRACE WHOLE FOODS DELI 1133 Bardstown Rd., 485-1122. If you think “vegan” means only raw carr ots, bean spr outs, seeds and roots, think again. No animals wer e 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, patr onize a carpet shop. And if you’ve got a sandwich on your to-do list, it makes sense to go to a sandwich shop. $ ✿ 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, fr esh salads, f ruit cobblers and oldfashioned hand-dipped milkshakes enhance the nostalgic theme. $ ✿ BLIMPIE’S SUBS & SALADS 2020 Brownsboro Rd., 899-7960. Sublime subs — fast and fresh. Blimpie’s is all that … and a bag of chips. $ ✿ BRIAN’S DELI 531 S. Fourth St., 561-0098. Between Chestnut Str eet and Muhammad Ail Boulevar d, Brian’s ser vices the downtown lunch cr owd with soup, salads, sandwiches and snacks. $ BURGER BOY 1450 S. Br ook, 635-7410. For a r eal slice of Louisville life, this weather ed greasy spoon at the corner of Brook and Burnett is the real thing.

Neighborhood denizens drink cof fee and chow down on burgers and breakfast until the wee hours (the joint is open 24 hours). If Louisville is home to a budding Charles Bukowski, there’s a good chance he’s sitting at their counter right now , r ecovering from last night’s excesses. $ h BUTCHER’S BEST MEATS & DELI 9521 US Hwy. 42., 365-4650. This fully staf fed meat stor e in Pr ospect offers custom-cut beef, lamb, pork, bison, chicken and veal, plus a well-stocked deli and specialty foods, with skilled butcher Jimmy Mike at the helm. $ f CAFÉ ON FIFTH 239 S Fifth St., 585-2874. Formerly Down to Lunch, in the basement of the Kentucky Home Life Building. Standar d good quality lunch fare of bur gers, sandwiches and soups for the downtown business crowd. $ ✿ CAFÉ P ALACIO 4010 Dupont Cir cle, 708-1818.

Serving lunch to workers in the Dupont ar ea five days a week. $ ✿ CALISTOGA AR TISAN SANDWICHES 4000 Dutchmans Ln., 895-3779, 401 E. Chestnut St., 561-9092. “Papa” John Schnatter , founder of the worldwide pizza chain that bears his name, is taking another shot at the fast-food world with the more upscale Calistoga Ar tisan Sandwiches that some have likened to Panera Br ead. $ f ✿ CAT BOX DELI 500 W. Jefferson St., 561-6259. The name of this cozy downtown deli in the PNC Bank building might warrant a double-take, but its feline theme and kitty car toons earn a smile. Open for breakfast and lunch, it of fers a good selection of sandwiches, panini and wraps at budget prices. $ ✿

DANISH EXPRESS PASTRIES 102 1/2 Cannons Ln., 895-2863. Just a few tables turn this takeout nook into a sit-in breakfast and lunch spot for a handful of diners at a time. Full breakfasts and light lunches are available, but as the name implies, Danish pastries are the specialty, and they’re fine. $ ✿ DERBY CITY DOGS 960 Baxter Ave., 561-2880. This walk-up hot-dog stor efront ser ves Nathan’s brand all beef hot dogs with gourmet style toppings, bratwurst, corn dogs, veggie dogs, side dishes, ice cream and smoothies — they’ll even give your r eal doggie a tr eat if she’ s along with you. Catering to the nightclub cr owd, it’s open until 5 a.m. on the weekends. $ f h ✿ DEVINO’S 104 W. Main St., 569-3939. This stylish deli of fers another lunch and dinner option downtown. Sandwiches ar e made fr om quality Boar’s Head meats and cheeses cut on the premises, with dining inside and on the patio; package beer and wine is also available. $ f DIZZY WHIZZ DRIVE-IN 217 W. St. Catherine St., 583-3828. This neighbor hood eatery is an institution. It goes back mor e 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 DOOLEY’S BAGELCA TESSEN 980 Br eckenridge Ln., 893-3354, 2415 Lime Kiln Ln., 426-3354.

This convenient deli specializes in bagels, as the name implies. Br eakfast means fr esh bagels with an array of cream cheese, sausage, eggs and coffee.

At lunchtime lines form for sandwiches — subs, panini, wraps, hot melts and cold cuts. $ ✿ EINSTEIN BROTHERS BAGELS 320 W. Jef ferson St., (Hyatt Regency) 217-6046. Nothing beats a bagel and a schmear of cr eam cheese — unless it’s a bagel, a schmear , and a gener ous slab of lox. For those who don’ t live on bagels, a good selection of soups, salads and sandwiches offer quick sustenance at this branch of the national chain. $ f ✿ THE FEED BAG DELI 133 Br eckenridge Ln., 8961899. The grilled salmon bur ger is worth the visit, as well as the Triple Crown wrap with thr ee meats or a fr esh veggie wrap. Soups, desser ts top of f the lunch-only schedule. $ ✿ FRASCELLI’S NEW YORK DELI & PIZZERIA 6010 Crestwood Station, 243-9005. This Oldham County shop offers Italian-style deli sandwiches and pizza, plus home-style Italian hot dishes fr om lasagna to baked ziti. $ p h ✿ GREAT LIFE CAFÉ 9565 Taylorsville Rd., 297-8807, 9463 Westport Rd., 420-0707, 951 E. Lewis &Clark Pkwy., Clarksville, IN, 284-5624. This small but growing local chain, founded Steve and Jill Mazzoni and their friend Jason McCune, specializes in health and nutrition supplements and vitamins. $ ✿ HONEYBAKED CAFÉ 4600 Shelbyville Rd., 8956001, 6423 Bar dstown Rd., 239-9292, 3602 Northgate Crt., New Albany, IN, 941-9426. $ JASON’S DELI 410 N. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 412-4101, 4600 Shelbyville Plaza, 896-0150, 1975 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 493-4130. Don’t look for a New York kosherstyle deli at this Texas-based chain, but suburbanites are lining up at its multiple locations for oversize sandwiches, salads, wraps and more. $ f ✿

THE CHICAGO GYROS 2317 Brownsboro Rd., 8953270. $ f e ✿

JERSEY MIKE’S SUBS AND SALADS 10266 Shelbyville Rd., 244-1991, 10519 Fischer Park Dr., 425-1025, 9156 T aylorsville Rd., 499-9830.

East Coast-style sub shop with local faves that includes cheese, ham, pr osciuttini, capicola, salami, pepperoni and fixings. $ ✿

CONEZ & CONEYZ 2716 1/2 Frankfor t A ve., 8977222. As the name suggests, this new place in the former Café Glacé space is about ice cr eam (“conez”) and hot dogs (“coneyz,” a bit mor e of a stretch). The selection includes hot dogs and sausages, soft-serve cones and other desserts. A few small tables, but mostly takeaway ser vice. $ f h

JIMMY JOHN’S SUB SHOP 967 Baxter Ave., 587-0550, 4000 Shelbyville Rd., 894-3331, 3901 Dutchmans Ln., 894-9393,415 W. Jefferson St., 625-7101, 301 E. Market St., 587-7888, 1321 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy ., 425-4515, 3001 Charlestown Cr ossing W ay, New Albany, In. 725-8580. This national sandwich-shop chain offers a wide selection of over stuffed subs that

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benefit from fresh quality ingr edients. But what sets them apart from the r est is their value — and they deliver. $ f h ✿ JOE DAVOLA’S 901 Barret Ave., 690-5377. Near the government center in the lower Highlands, this popular sandwich shop featur es healthful choices for lunch. $ ✿ LENNY’S SUB SHOP 3942 T aylorsville Rd., 4547831. Another semi-national chain, covering mostly the South and Midwest, brings a selection of familiar subs, sandwiches and salads to Louisville diners eager for more standardized semifast food. $ f ✿ LIL’ LOAFERS BAKER Y 8522 Pr eston Hwy ., 9693990. For years, hair dresser Sheryl Lukenbill used to bake banana br eads and other tr eats as gifts for her customers. Her goodies wer e so popular that now Sheryl and her husband Paul have gone fulltime with Lil’ Loafers Bakery. $ ✿ LITTLE CHEF 147 E. Market St., New Albany IN, 949-7567. Ever y city needs a postage-stamp-sized 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 bur gers, in a joint that seems like a thr owback to the hear tland of America, circa 1940. $ ✿ LONNIE’S BEST T ASTE OF CHICAGO 121 St. Matthews Ave., 895-2380, 1034 Bardstown Rd., 4512965. 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. $ LOTSA P ASTA 3717 Lexington Rd., 896-6361. A Louisville pioneer in gourmet cheeses, oils, dips, hummus and, of course, pasta. They ar e mainly an eclectic specialty-food stor e but fans stand thr eedeep at the sandwich counter every afternoon. And next door is a comfortable place to have coffee and pastry or to eat your sandwich. $ ✿ LUNCH TODAY 590 Missouri Ave., Jeffersonville, IN, 282-1005. This outfit pr epares its shar e of the soups, salads and sandwiches that the downtown workforce needs to re-energize. $ f MAIN EA TERY 643 W. Main St., 589-3354. Smack dab in the middle of the Main Str eet historic district, this fashionable deli lur es 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, 6510 Bar dstown Rd., 239-9997, 12911 Shelbyville Rd., 244-5133, 1305 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville, IN, 282-3354, 1200 S. Floyd St. (U of L), 825-2285. Emphasizing quality customer ser vice, this delicatessen ladles up such soups as gumbo and chicken tor tilla along with cutting boar d favorites. They have a special way with a tumbler of sweet iced tea. $ ✿ MORRIS DELI & CATERING 2228 Taylorsville Rd., 458-1668, 555 S. Second St. (YMCA building), 587-2353. Many locals still know this small, popular Highlands deli as Kar em Deeb’s after its longtime previous owner. Mostly for takeout — it packs in a few cr owded tables — it’ s known for high-quality, hand-made deli far e. A second location is now open in the YMCA downtown. $ ✿

OLLIE’S TROLLEY 978 S. Thir d 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 sur viving tr olleys of the Louisvillebased chain that spr ead acr oss the nation in the ’70s. Oversize bur gers with a spicy , homemade flavor are just as good as ever. $ ORDERS UP CAFÉ & DELI 1981 Nelson Miller Pkwy., 245-5991. Quick and casual, Or ders Up of fers the inviting atmospher e of dr opping in to someone’ s home for lunch. Soups salads and fr eshly made sandwiches ar e uniformly appetizing, and sandwiches are affordably priced at $5 or less. $ ✿ PANERA BREAD CO. 7900 Shelbyville Rd. (Oxmoor Mall), 899-9992, 6221 Dutchmans Ln., 895-9991, 601 S. Hurstbourne Ln., 423-7343, 10451 Champion Farms Dr., 426-2134, 3131 Poplar Level Rd., 635-9164, 1040 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville, IN, 288-9400, 400 W . Market St., 540-5250.

Warm breads finish-baked on the pr emises make a tasty base for a variety of sandwiches. Soups, salads, coffee drinks and a fr ee W iFi hotspot make Panera’s outlets popular gathering places. $ f ✿ PAUL’S FRUIT MARKET 3922 Chenoweth Sq., 8968918, 4946 Br ownsboro Rd., 426-5059, 12119 Shelbyville Rd., 253-0072, 3704 T aylorsville Rd., 456-4750. One of Louisville’ s popular sour ces for produce, cheeses, deli items, and the like. Deli sandwiches and salads are available (takeout only). $ ✿ PENN ST ATION (17 Locations). Billed as the East Coast Sub Headquarters, this sandwich kitchen does a brisk business here in the Louisville area. $ ✿ QUIZNO’S SUBS (12 locations) Toasted breads, a sandwich selection of meats, veggies and fish are built to fight hunger. Fresh soups ar e available daily, from chili to chowder; so are salads and desserts. $ ✿ RED’S 514 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd., 587-7337. Acr oss from Louisville Gar dens, “Red” has thor oughly refurbished the former Picnicaters into a spotless “hot-daug stand” of fering gourmet wieners and sausages, chicken barbecue topped with coleslaw and vegetarian side dishes, many made with locally sourced products. Take away, or sit at one of the nine stools lining the little building and watch the passing parade. $ f ✿ SCHLOTZSKY’S DELI 10531 Fischer Park Dr ., 4258447, 12915 Shelbyville Rd., 244-9069. The original Schlotzsky’s of fered 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 far e, with one significant improvement on the traditional deli: the servers are invariably polite. $ f ✿ SHADY LANE CAFÉ 4806 Brownsboro Center, 8935118. Another attractive East End stor efront, Shady Lane Café, has been earning good r eviews for simple br eakfast and lunch far e ser ved in friendly surroundings. $ ✿ SOUPY’S 3019 Br eckenridge Ln., 451-5325. In the soup kettles you will find such classics as cheesy potato, bean and ham, br occoli and cheese, chicken and dumplings and mor e. At the cutting board they’ll make your meat, cheese and veggie sandwiches according to your custom design. $ ✿ THE STARVING ARTIST CAFÉ & DELI 8034 New Lagrange Rd., 412-1599. $ ✿

NANCY’S BAGEL BOX 651 S. Fourth St., 589-4004.

An outpost of Nancy’ s Bagel Gr ounds in Clifton, this new outlet, inside Theater Square Marketplace, offers a similar mix of light fare and Nancy’s unique take on the bagel. $ ✿

STEVENS & STEVENS 1114 Bar dstown Rd., 5843354. This authentic New Y ork-style deli occupies the rear third of the Ditto’s space in the hear t of the Highlands. T ake out or eat in one of the booths, you’ll get piled-high pastrami, brisket and corned beef and you’ll love lox and a schmear on your bagel — even if you don’t know what a schmear is. $ ✿

NANCY’S BAGEL GROUNDS 2101 Frankfor t Ave., 895-8323. A friendly and casual neighbor hood gathering spot. Of ferings include soups, snacks, coffee drinks and bagels made on the pr emises to its own rather idiosyncratic formula. $ f ✿

SUB ST ATION II 3101 Fern V alley Rd., 964-1075.

The hardy No. 19, a six-meat-and-cheese super sub, keeps the stor e buzzing. An array of sandwiches, salad sides and desserts fill out an appetizing lunch menu. $ ✿

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TC’S SANDWICH SHOPPE 438 W. Market St., 581-9200. $ THE BODEGA 829 E. Market St., 569-4100. At the back of the Felice Plaza east of downtown, the Bodega combines a small specialty-food market, wine-and-beer shop and deli under one compact roof. They’ll build your lunch to dine in or enjoy on their sunny patio. $ f ✿ THORNBERRY’S DELI & PIES 367-8394. $

5103 S. Thir d St.,

W.W. COUSINS REST AURANT 900 Dupont Rd., 897-9684. This locally owned and operated eater y 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 Metr opolitan Museum of toppings. $ ✿ WALL ST. DELI 225 Abraham Flexner W ay (Jewish Hospital) 585-4202. Of fering New York style with Kentucky flair, this busy downtown deli will ser ve in-house diners or take or ders for deliveries.

Authentic Nathan’s Hot Dogs are a specialty. $ ✿

BOOTLEG BARBECUE COMPANY 9704 Bardstown Rd., 239-2722, 7508 Pr eston Hwy ., 968-5657.

Bootleg Barbecue of fers a touch of rusticity and a good helping of country hospitality, as it dishes out hearty por tions of well-pr epared and af fordable smoked meats and fixin’s. It’s one of the few places in Louisville where you can get Western Kentuckystyle mutton barbecue. $ f BRANDON’S BAR-B-QUE 9901 LaGrange Rd., 4266666. Featuring hickor y-smoked T ennessee-style barbecue sandwiches and filling, affordable dinners. $ CLARK BOY BAR-B-Q 6728 Johnsontown Rd., 9335577. If it’ s a little of f the beaten path, ther e’s nothing the matter with that. Clark Boy’ s r easonably priced W estern Kentucky-style barbecue is well worth a special trip. Like many mom ’n’ pop eateries, it accepts cash only, no plastic. $ FAMOUS DA VE’S BAR-B-QUE 8605 Citadel W ay, 493-2812, 1360 V eterans Pkwy ., Clarksville, IN, 282-3283. This franchise chain operation may be based in the twin cities, but it looks like a Geor gia gas station with its exuberant, if tongue-in-cheek faux country decor. The impor tant thing, though, is the food, and Dave’ s excels with genuine, hickory-smoked barbecue. $$ p f

IN, 285-1998. Mark Er win star ted this chain in an old Hancock’ s Feed Stor e. T oday, Mark’ s r outinely takes local honors for its sauces, sandwiches and its meaty baby-back ribs. And don’ t miss the smoked take-home turkeys at Thanksgiving. $$ f

BIG AL’S BEERITAVILLE 1715 Mellwood Ave., 8934487. Good people, good food, cold beer: The sign out fr ont says it all, and we might add “cool atmosphere” in praise of this small but friendly Butchertown oasis. $ p f e

OLE HICKORY PIT BAR-B-QUE 6106 Shepherdsville Rd., 968-0585. Located in an attractive house not far fr om General Electric’ s Appliance Park, this Louisville r elative of a famous W estern Kentucky barbecue pit is well worth the trip. $ f

BUFFALO WILD WINGS (BW -3’S) 6801 Dixie Hwy., 935-1997, 4600 Shelbyville Plaza, 899-7732, 9134 Taylorsville Rd., 499-2356, 3584 Springhurst Blvd., 394-9596, 12901 Shelbyville Rd., 254-9464, 1055 Bar dstown Rd., 454-3635, 1112 V eterans Pkwy., Clarksville, IN, 283-9464. As much a sports bar as a r estaurant, this national franchise chain offers tasty snack-type far e, including the chain’ s trademark Buffalo chicken wings. $$ p f h

PIT STOP BAR-B-QUE 13303 Magisterial Dr ., 2536740. This familiar old local brand, long a downtown fixtur e, now of fers its smoky T exas barbecue in an East End industrial park just off the Gene Snyder Freeway and Old Henry Road. $ RITE WAY BAR-B-CUE HOUSE 1548 W. St. Catherine St., 584-9385. Open since 1943, this West End landmark in a one-time neighborhood grocery, offers exceptional urban barbecue, including ribs that rank with the city’s best. $ f h RUBBIE’S SOUTHSIDE GRILL & BAR 6905 Southside Dr ., 367-0007. This South End family knows how to do BBQ. It may be of f the beaten path for some folks but here you’ll find the bounty of secret BBQ recipes. $ p f e h SCOTTY’S RIBS AND MORE 14049 Shelbyville Rd., 244-6868. Ribs, pork, chicken a la car te and dinners. The small East End venue moves a lot of pizzas and salads as well. $$ p SHACK IN THE BACK BBQ 406 Mt. Holly Rd., 3633227. $ f e SHANE’S RIB SHACK 12420 Lime Kiln Ln., 4293907. “Rib” may be its middle name, but you can also fill up on wings, chicken tenders, sandwiches and more at this growing Atlanta-based chain, now open in this former Tijuana Flats facility. $$ f h SMOKETOWN USA 1153 Logan St., 409-9180. The name “Smoketown” does double-duty at this T exMex storefront just east of Old Louisville in the the Smoketown neighbor hood. Ribs ar e juicy and smoky; the pinto beans and the Blue Bunny ice cream from Texas are not to be missed. $ f ✿ SMOKEY BONES BBQ 2525 Hurstbourne Gem Ln., 491-7570. A pr operty of Orlando’ s Dar den fastfood chain, which also runs Olive Gar den and Red Lobster, this noisy Stony Brook-area eatery conveys more of a spor ts-bar than barbecue concept, but the ribs are fine. $$ p

FIRE FRESH BBQ 211 S. Fifth St., 540-1171, 8610 Dixie Hwy., 995-7585. Fire fighters, it is said, eat heartily and well. It’s no coincidence, then, that FireFresh Bar B Q pays homage to local fir e departments in its r estaurant’s decor . The barbecue and country fixin’ s stand comparison to the best firehouse cuisine. $ f

TEXICANS BBQ PIT 6608 Hwy . 146, Cr estwood.

241-9227. A small, neighborhood place just off I-71 in Crestwood pleases fans with standar d barbecue fare — pulled pork, brisket and ribs — as well as smoked sausage, chicken and boneless chops.

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

FRANKFORT AVENUE BEER DEPOT 3204 Frankfort Ave., 895-3223, 1202 Bardstown Rd., 384- 8077. A neighborhood bar that welcomes all comers with some of the most notable ’cue in town. The burgoo and the baked beans rank as some of the best in the city and the pulled pork by the pound is value worth taking home. Now with a second venue in the old NV Bar Grill (next to the W ine Market) on Bardstown Road. $ p f h

TONY ROMA ’S 150 N. Hurstbourne Pkwy ., 3278500. From the tomato tang to a smoky Blue Ridge savor, Roma’s advertises its ribs as the best dr essed in town. Bur gers, chicken and steaks ar e available as well, but we r ecommend the racks and baby backs of pork and beef. $$$ p

JIMBO’S BBQ 801 Kenwood Dr ., 375-1888. This South End barbecue shack, an outpost of a popular spot in Corydon, IN, offers a fine range of barbecue meats skillfully smoked on the pr emises, with sauce served on the side as it should be. $ JUCY’S SMOKEHOUSE BAR-B-QUE 7626 New Lagrange Rd., 241-5829. Jucy’s offers exceptionally good T exas-style barbecue fr om a little wooden shack that looks just like a countr y BBQ joint should. Highly recommended. $$ f MARK’S FEED STORE 11422 Shelbyville Rd., 2440140, 1514 Bar dstown Rd., 458-1570, 10316 Dixie Hwy., 933-7707, 3827 Charlestown Rd., New Albany, 70 Summer 2010 www.foodanddine.com

BUFFALO WINGS & RINGS 2610 Chamberlain Ln., 243-4464, 6501 Bardstown Rd., 239-0029. $ p f h CHAMPIONS SPOR TS REST AURANT 280 W. Jefferson St. (Louisville Marriott), 671-4246.

Another popular option at the striking new downtown Marriott, Champions pr ovides a fun, casual dining alternative with a Kentucky sports theme — and a galler y of big-scr een televisions to keep the sports action flowing as fr eely as the libations and upscale pub grub. $$ p f h CONNOR’S PLACE / MARKET STREET FISH HOUSE 132 E. Market St., New Albany , IN, 725-7055.

Hoosier Restaurateur Dave Himmel has mer ged Connor’s Place with the Market Str eet Fish House, retaining the casually upscale mood and food that he made a trademark and expanding his menu with pizza, subs and other casual fare. $ p f e h DIAMOND PUB & BILLIARDS 3814 Frankfort Ave., 895-7513. $ p f h ✿ DONEGAN’S REST AURANT & PUB 938 Baxter Ave., 562-1234. Another bar and grill has been added to the Revelers’ Row along Baxter in the Highlands, with 42 craft and impor t beers on tap, and a full ser vice lunch and dinner menu r eady to be phased in. $ p f e h FLANAGAN’S ALE HOUSE 934 Baxter A ve., 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 f h FOUR KINGS CAFÉ 4642 Jennings Ln., 968-2930.

Steam-table ser vice featuring spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna and chicken attract a hungry lunch cr owd at this casual spot, and brunch specialties are just as popular. $ p FOX & HOUND 302 Bullitt Ln., 394-7620. A “British pub” concept operated by a W ichita, Kansas-based chain, Fox & Hound features a “mid-casual” menu with burgers, pizza, chicken and pot roast, in a large venue with plenty of billiar d tables and an ample supply of large-screen televisions. $$ p f h ✿ GERSTLE’S PLACE 3801 Frankfort Ave., 742-8616.

A popular St. Matthews neighborhood tavern since 1924. Although dining is secondar y to booze and sports her e, the food goes well beyond mer e pub grub. $ p e h ✿

VINCE STATEN’S OLD TIME BARBEQUE 13306 W. U.S. 42, 228-7427. Author Vince Staten, who literally wrote the book on barbecue (Real Barbecue), has moved on, but his name remains on this neighborhood joint out the road in Oldham County. $

GRANVILLE INN 1601 S. Third St., 637-9128. A longtime gathering place for U of L students, faculty and fans, this stur dy redbrick tavern just nor th of the university campus of fers a good variety of bar munchies, sandwiches and simple grilled far e plus pizza. It’ s per haps best known, though, for the signature Granville Bur ger, widely r eputed as one of the best burgers in town. $

BEEF O’BRADY’S 239 Blankenbaker Pkwy., 2542322, 5628 Bar dstown Rd., 239-2226, 10000 Brownsboro Rd., 327-5496, 3101 S. Second St., 637-3737, 105 LaFollette, 923-1316, 1450 Veterans Pkwy., Jeffersonville, IN, 285-9464. 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 spor ts pub,” of fering a wholesome environment. $ h

GREAT AMERICAN GRILL 2735 Crittenden Dr. (Hilton), 637-2424. Located in the Louisville International Airpor t Hilton. Salads, bur gers, pastas and sandwiches ar e available for the casual diner; main entrées include New York strip, filet of salmon and more. $ p f

RED = ADVERTISER

HARLOW’S BAR AND GRILL 2787 S. Floyd St., 6371788. If you can’t get into Papa John’s Stadium nearby,

p = FULL BAR

f = OUTDOOR DINING

e = LIVE MUSIC

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hunker down with satisfying bar food and drinks, either at the sprawling bar or on the patio in good weather and keep on eye on the games on the tube. $pfeh

of this new river fr ont restaurant hails fr om Hawaii, and plans a fresh seafood option each weekend. Above the first floor grill the Bamboo Lounge pr ovides couches, a pool table, TVs and live music. $$p f e h

HITCHING POST INN 7314 Fegenbush Ln., 2394724. In addition to its full bar and beer gar den, and lively conversation, the Hitching Post Inn offers an array of pub grub, including bur gers, chicken tenders, and sandwiches. $ p h

THE SPORTING NEWS GRILL 6551 Paramont Park Dr. (Holiday Inn), 966-0000. Just what you want in a spor ts bar: seven 52-inch scr eens, subscriptions to all the pr o and college spor ts networks, and hearty appetizers, Angus bur gers, steaks, shrimp and salmon. $$$ p f h ✿

HOOPS GRILL AND SPORTS BAR 6733 Strawberry Ln., 375-4667. The name says it all: spor ts, casual dining and good things to drink all find their natural meeting place at this friendly neighborhood spot wher e hot wings and hoops r eign supreme. $ p f h ✿ INDIGO JOE’S SPOR TS PUB & REST AURANT 1321 Herr Ln., 423-1633. Louisville’ s first outpost of a growing Los Angeles-based chain, Indigo Joe’ s is a family-friendly American-style spor ts bar . It features large portions and 44 flat-screen televisions, with speakers on the tables so diners can tune in the sporting event of their choice. $$ p f JERSEY’S CAFÉ 1515 L ynch Ln., Clarksville, IN, 288-2100. Quality, af fordable far e that goes well beyond pub grub to include an awesome smokehouse bur ger and barbecued ribs so tender , they say, that you can just tap the end of the bone on your plate, and the meat falls of f. $ p e h ✿ JOHN O’BRYAN’S TAVERN 4123 Flintlock Dr., 4494940. $ THE LIGHTHOUSE 202 Main St., Jef fersonville, IN, 283-0077. This lighthouse has been a beacon of casual, home cooking and tavern envir onment for years. Daily specials, appetizers, chicken and fish baskets, salads and desserts round out the menu. $ ✿ MAIN ST. TAVERN 122 W. Main St., 384-0151. Longstanding blues bar Zena’ s closed, but fans wer e relieved when the funky downtown space was reopened by the owners of Amici in Old Louisville, who continue to of fer great music and even better bar food. $ p e h MICHAEL MURPHY’S RESTAURANT 701 S. First St., 587-0013. This full ser vice restaurant and bar has accommodated hardy thirsts and appetites for a couple of generations. Despite the Irish appeal, the food is American and lots of it. $ p NEW DIRECTION BAR & GRILL 2630 Chamberlain Ln., 243-8429. $ p e h ROOTIE’S SPORTS BAR & GRILLE 12205 Westport Rd., 365-4681. The first entry of the Buf falo-based chain to open in the ar ea. Rootie’s angle is char coalgrilled wings with a thick, hickory-smoked spicy sauce. $ p f h SAINT’S 131 Breckinridge Ln., 891-8883. Almost like two r estaurants in one, Saints featur es both a small, intimate, candle-lighted r oom and a lar ger, happily boister ous main r oom with the look and feel of a sports bar. $$ p e h ✿ SERGIO’S WORLD BEERS 1605 Story Ave., 618-2337.

Sergio built up a loyal following in his Shelbyville location, so that may account for the stealth pr esence he has established in his new Butcher town digs: minimal signage, a quirky W eb site, an aura of haughty mystery. If you can locate the place, it almost seems as if you need a secret word to enter. What you really need is a desir e to explor e Sergio’s world beer inventory, nearing 1000 different brews. $$ h ✿ SLAMMER’S SPOR TS BAR & GRILL 2800 Crums Ln., 618-3588. A kid-friendly spor ts bar , with 20 large flat scr eens and one huge (110-inch) one.

Expect a reasonably-priced pub menu (ribs, burgers, sandwiches) and plenty of opportunity to drink beer while catching any game you want. $ p f e h SONNY’S ISLAND GRILL & THE BAMBOO LOUNGE 100 W . Riverside Dr ., Jef fersonville, IN, 282-2500.

Take an island vacation just acr oss the river. The chef

h = LATE NIGHT

THE SPORTS & SOCIAL CLUB 427 S. Four th St., 568-1400. Replacing Lucky Strike in 4th Street Live, this Cordish-owned spot has four bars — including one that opens out onto the street — plenty of TVs to catch every game, and even a “stadium style sports media r oom.” Chow down with the usual burgers, sandwiches and wings. $$ p h ✿ STEINERT’S 401 E. Main St., New Albany , IN, 9458827. The name has been on the Southern Indiana restaurant/bar scene since 1880. The newest incarnation, amid the booming New Albany Main Street ar ea, featur es family-style dining until 9 p.m., in a room adjoining the bar, with live music, open-mic nights and other late-evening enter tainment. $ p e h STUDIO’S GRILLE & PUB 207 E. Main St., New Albany, IN, 590-3171. Add Studio’ s to the downtown New Albany Renaissance. T rish Meyer’s fine dining r oom and bar of fers an historic envir onment, a stylish outdoor cour tyard and a galler y of local art. $$ p f h SULLY’S SALOON 434 S. Four th St., (Four th Street Live) 585-4100. $$ p f h THE SWAN DIVE 921 Swan St., 632-1299. A longtime Germantown hangout has been r eincarnated as an all-vegetarian hipster bar and grill.

“Meatloaf,” Philly “cheesesteaks,” and “French dip sandwiches” all have been r eframed meat-fr ee.

They also of fer a solid craft beer selection and eclectic entertainment on weekends. $$ p e h ✿ THE BACK DOOR 1250 Bar dstown Rd., 451-0659.

One of the city’ s friendliest pubs lost one of its long-time owners, Mike Ewing, r ecently, but his partner John Dant is keeping his spirit alive at this Mid-City Mall saloon. Limited bar far e, but don’ t miss the chicken wings. $ p f h VIC’S CAFÉ 1839 E. Market St., New Albany, IN, 9444338. $ ZANZABAR 2100 S. Preston St., 635-9227. An icon of the ’70’s bar scene, the Zbar has resurrected itself at its original location in Germantown. The stylish tile fr ont has been r ecreated anew, and chef Jack Tapp is pushing the envelope on bar food, with items such as pulled pork smoked on site, sesame seed-crusted tuna salad, and pepper corn-crusted rib eye. “Pub grub” like this and top-flight live music is satisfying oldtimers and the newly hip late into the night. $ p f h ✿

BANK STREET BREWHOUSE 415 Bank St., New Albany, IN, 725-9585. With long-time Le Relais souschef Joshua Lehman at the helm, the food focus of this offshoot of F&D columnist Roger Baylor’s New Albanian br ewing empir e has sharpened into Belgian-style bistro cuisine. Mussels and frites will always be available, and croques monsieurs et madames to go with the exceptional beer br ewed on the premises. $$ p f ✿ BLUEGRASS BREWING COMP ANY 3929 Shelbyville Rd., 899-7070, 636 E. Main St., 584-2739, 2 Theater Square, 568-2224. A must-stop destination for beer lovers on the national ar tisanal-brew trail, but it’ s mor e than just a br ewpub. 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 ✿

✿ = VEGETARIAN MENU ITEMS

= MENU AVAILABLE ON-LINE ONLY

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BROWNING’S BREWER Y 401 E. Main St., (see listing under Bistros) CUMBERLAND BREWS 1576 Bar dstown Rd., 4588727. Giving new meaning to the term “micr obrewery,” Cumberland Br ews may be one of the smallest eateries in town. It’s usually packed, earning its crowds the old-fashioned way by providing very good food, friendly service, and high-quality handcrafted artisan beers. $ f e h ✿ NEW ALBANIAN BREWING CO. 3312 Plaza Dr., New Albany, IN, 944-2577. (see review under Pizza)

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CHINA TASTE 135 Quar termaster Ct., Jef fersonville, IN, 284-5580. $ ✿ CHINESE CHEF 2619 S. Fourth St., 634-0979. $ ✿ CHINESE EXPRESS 3228 Crums Ln., 448-1360. $ ✿ CHONG GARDEN 10341 Dixie Hwy., 935-1628. $ ✿ CHOPSTICKS 416 E. Broadway, 589-9145. $ ✿ CHOPSTICKS HOUSE 2112 W. Broadway, 772-3231. $ ✿ CHUNG KING CHINESE AMERICAN REST AURANT 110 E. Market St., 584-8880. $ ✿ CRYSTAL CHINESE 3901 W. Market St., 776-9702. $ ✿

CHEZ SENEBA AFRICAN REST AURANT 4218 Bishop Ln., 473-8959. Offering another interesting ethnic cuisine to Louisville’ s international dining scene, with gener ous por tions of spicy Senegalese cuisine from West Africa. $ QUEEN OF SHEBA ETHIOPIAN 2804 Taylorsville Rd., 459-6301. This authentic Ethiopian restaurant offers a wide selection of intriguing Ethiopian dishes, including a variety of vegetarian selections as well as the traditional beef and chicken specialties. Ethiopian far e is made for sharing and eating with the fingers, but they’ll gladly make forks available for the finicky. $ ✿

#1 ASIAN BUFFET 1250 Bardstown Rd., 451-6033.

Not just another in the her d of all-you-can-eat Chinese buf fets, this 350 seat eater y is the first between-the-coasts outpost of the original #1 buffet in NYC. $$ ✿ 8 CHINA BUFFET 1850 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 4933884. $ ✿ A TASTE OF CHINA 1167 S. Fourth St., 585-5582. $ ✿ ASIAN BUFFET 3813 Charlestown Rd., New Albany IN, 945-1888, 1305 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville, IN, 285-8888, 3646 Mall Rd., 479-9989. Competent cookery and car eful management that ensur es buffet of ferings stay fr esh and hot makes these buffets a good choice among the gr owing crowd of all-you-can-eat Asian spots. $ p ✿ ASIAN MOON 1915 Blankenbaker Pkwy ., 261-9998, 3360 Hikes Ln., 451-0077. $ ✿ AUGUST MOON 2269 Lexington Rd., 456-6569.

August Moon’ s secr et ingr edient is the culinar y 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 r ear affords a pleasant alfresco dining experience. $$$ p f ✿ BAMBOO HOUSE 4036 Poplar Level Rd., 451-3113.

An old-timer among local Chinese restaurants, this Southeastern Louisville spot may not of fer the trendiest Asian fare, but it’s a reliable source for the familiar Cantonese-American standards. $ ✿ CHINA 1 123 Breckinridge Ln., 897-6511. $ ✿ CHINA BUFFET 706 E. Lewis & Clark Pkwy., Clarksville, IN, 288-8989. Chinese buffets are ubiquitous, but this one is squar ely in the upper range.

Regularly r efreshed steam tables, attentively fried rice, and properly spicy General Tso’s Chicken raise it above the other places typical of the genr e. $ ✿ CHINA CAFÉ 8625 Preston Hwy., 968-7450. $ ✿ CHINA CASTLE 7420 Third Street Rd., 367-4272. $ ✿ CHINA GARDEN 7309 Pr eston Hwy., 968-4672. A busy restaurant with the double pleasure of Chinese and American menu items. $ ✿ 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. $ ✿ 72 Summer 2010 www.foodanddine.com

Iroquois Manor, this fast-food Chinese spot of fers Cantonese standar ds hot and fast and inexpensively. Check the daily specials for an occasional intriguing item. $ ✿

CHINA KING 3830 Ruckriegel Pkwy., 240-0500. $ ✿

DOUBLE DRAGON 1255 Goss A ve., 635-5656, 2600 W. Broadway, 778-2573. A standout among fast-food shopping-center Chinese eateries, Double Dragon hits on all cylinders, t urning out consistently well-prepared and flavorful fare. $ ✿ DOUBLE DRAGON II 12480 LaGrange Rd., 241-7766, 6832 Bardstown Rd., 231-3973, 3179 S. Second St., 367-6668. $ ✿ DOUBLE DRAGON 8 231 S. Fifth St., 587-8686. $ ✿ DOUBLE DRAGON 9 9501 Taylorsville Rd., 267-5353. $ ✿ DOUBLE DRAGON BUFFET 233 Whittington Pkwy., 339-8897. A sizable buf fet in a chic East End shopping strip, of fers a good range of Chinese treats on its all-you-can-eat buf fet. The far e seems prepared with attention and care. $ ✿ DYNASTY BUFFET 2400 Lime Kiln Ln., 339-8868.

The continuing pr oliferation of look alike, taste alike, all-you-can-eat Chinese buf fets never fails to amaze me. But I’m happy to r eport that Dynasty Buffet ranks well above the median. $$ ✿ EASTERN HOUSE 5372 Dixie Hwy., 568-2688. $ ✿ EGGROLL MACHINE 1543 Bar dstown Rd., 4591259. The Chinese side of the menu at Café Mimosa is pr esented as The Egg Roll Machine, as opposed to the V ietnamese dishes on the fine dining Mimosa menu. All the expected Chinese favorites are here, including combination platters. $ph✿ EMPEROR OF CHINA 2210 Holiday Manor Shopping Center, 426-1717. One of Louisville’ s fanciest and most notewor thy Chinese restaurants, the Emper or’s quar ters ar e stylishly str ewn acr oss multiple levels of a former suburban movie theater.

Outstanding. $$ p ✿ 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 ✿ FIRST WOK 3967 Seventh St. Rd., 448-0588. $ ✿ GOLDEN BUDDHA 8000 Preston Hwy., 968-7700. $ ✿ GOLDEN P ALACE BUFFET 161 Outer Loop, 3682868. $ ✿ GOLDEN STAR CHINESE RESTAURANT 368-1833, 3458 Taylor Blvd. $ ✿ GOLDEN WALL 3201 Fern Valley Rd., 968-9717. $ ✿ GREAT WALL 2206 Brownsboro Rd., 891-8881. This Clifton r estaurant ranks high up in the fast-food Chinese pack. Of fering steaming-hot, competently prepared and flavorful dishes. $ ✿ GREAT WOK 2502 Pr eston Hwy ., 634-1918. Just about ever y shopping center in town has a fastfood Chinese spot, but this one stands out, generating a buzz of wor d-of-mouth publicity about its well-crafted Chinese dishes at a bar gainbasement price. $ ✿ HAPPY CHINA 9106 Taylorsville Rd., 493-1001. $ ✿ HONG KONG CHINESE REST AURANT 345 New Albany Plaza, New Albany, IN., 945-1818. $ ✿ HONG KONG F AST FOOD 5312 S. Thir d St., 3678828. One of the many international eateries in RED = ADVERTISER

HUNAN WOK 231-0393, 6445 Bardstown Rd. $ ✿ JADE GARDEN BUFFET 1971 Brownsboro Rd., 8930822. Y et another lar ge, shiny , all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet featuring mostly Chinese dishes with a few American-style items and sushi r olls. $ ✿ JADE PALACE 1201 Herr Ln., 425-9878. Jade Palace is a decent place for Chinese food at any time, but don’t miss it at mid-day Friday thr ough Monday, when it of fers the metr o ar ea’s only dim sum (Chinese brunch) menu. $$ p ✿ JASMINE 13823 English V illa Dr ., 244-8896. A charming Asian eater y, wher e you can enjoy familiar Chinese-American plates or indulge your more adventur ous side with a selection of mor e unusual authentic dishes fr om the “Chinese Menu,” available on request. $ f ✿ JUMBO BUFFET 2731 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy ., 4950028. Housed in a good-looking dining room, high on Chinatown-style glitz and glitter, Jumbo offers a standard all-you-can-eat Chinese buf fet, with a larger-than-average selection of American dishes for those who want something less exotic. $$ ✿ KING WOK 291 N. Hubbards Ln., 899-7188. Another of the city’ s many tiny shopping-center fast-food Chinese eateries, King W ok of fers all the familiar standards plus a small lunch buf fet. $ ✿ LIANG’S CAFÉ 3571 Springhurst Blvd., 425-0188.

Genial host Roland W ong keeps Liang’s in the top tier of local Chinese dining rooms with both authentic Chinese cuisine and fine Chinese-American dishes in this airy, stylish dining room. $ ✿ LING LING 10476 Shelbyville Rd., 245-2100. Modern and efficient in its East End shopping center location, Ling Ling is a cut above fast-food Chinese; better yet, it adds a few Vietnamese dishes to the bill of far e. $$ LIU’S GARDEN 11517 Shelbyville Rd., 244-9898.

Small but charming, with white tablecloths and soft Chinese music, family-run Liu’s gains our approval with fr esh, competent cooker y and cour teous, friendly ser vice that makes you feel like you’r e visiting a Chinese family at their home. $$ ✿ NEW CHINA 231 Blankenbaker Pkwy., 254-9299. $ ✿ ONION REST AURANT TEA HOUSE 4211 Charlestown Rd., New Albany , IN, 981-0188.

Masterful Chinese and Japanese cuisine (including magnificent hotpots, donburi dishes, and woodenbucket steamed rice) set this airy r estaurant apart from the horde of other Asian spots. $$ ✿ ORIENTAL HOUSE 4302 Shelbyville Rd., 897-1017.

New owners continue the tradition at this longstanding St. Matthews r estaurant, featuring both traditional Chinese-American and now , authentic Cantonese, menus. $ p ✿ ORIENTAL ST AR 4212 Bishop Ln., 452-9898. A long-time ar ea favorite in this heavy traf fic lunch area. This establishment is quite good with Lo Mein Noodles, and Sweet and Sour Chicken. $ ✿ PANDA CHINESE REST AURANT 9543 U.S. 42., 228-6400. $ ✿ QUICK WOK 801 W. Broadway, 584-6519. $ ✿ RED SUN CHINESE RESTAURANT 499-7788, 3437 Breckinridge Ln. $ ✿ ROYAL GARDEN 5729 Pr eston Hwy ., 969-3788, 5316 Bardstown Rd., 491-8228. $ ✿ SHANGHAI RESTAURANT 526 S. Fifth St. 568-8833. $ SICHUAN GARDEN 9850 Linn Station Rd., 4266767. Another Asian r estaurant that has stood the test of time, Sichuan Gar den of fers high-end Chinatown style and well-made dishes, plus a few Thai specialties to spice up the bill of far e. $ ✿

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TEA ST ATION CHINESE BISTRO 9422 Nor ton Commons Blvd., 423-1202. This comfor table, sitdown Chinese r estaurant owned and operated by Paul and Amy Y ang joins the small but gr owing cluster of businesses in the Nor ton Commons village center. $$ f ✿ UMAI ZUSHI BUFFET 3710 Chamberlain Ln., 3298181. $ ✿ WOK EXPRESS 234 W. Broadway, 583-8988. $ ✿ WONTON EXPRESS 3000 Hikes Ln., 452-2646. Traditional Chinese fare. Family-owned-and-operated, this popular neighborhood establishment has enjoyed a steady patronage for seventeen years. $ ✿ YANG KEE NOODLE 7900 Shelbyville Rd. (Oxmoor Center), 426-0800. This locally owned and operated Oxmoor spot is color ful and stylish. It of fers an intriguing array of appealing noodle and rice dishes from all over Asia with fast-food ef ficiency and prices happily matched by sit-down r estaurant 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. $ ✿

SARI SARI FILIPINO CUISINE 2339 Frankfort Ave., 894-0585. The city’ s sole Filipino eatery of fers a tasty introduction to the Malayo-Polynesian far e of this Southeast Asian island nation. Filipino dishes are af fordable during the dinner hour and downright cheap on the lunch buf fet. $

ASAHI JAP ANESE 3701 Lexington Rd., 895-1130.

This small r oom in a new St. Matthews building houses this neighborhood sushi spot where awardwinning Chef Y ong Bong T ak, formerly of Osaka, works his magic at the sushi bar. $ ✿ BEIJING GRILL AND SUSHI BAR Sellersburg IN, 248-0900. $ ✿

8007 Hwy . 311,

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 stor efront just across the street from the courthouse. $ ✿ CAVIAR JAPANESE RESTAURANT 416 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd., 625-3090.(See listing under Upscale Casual) CHOI’S ASIAN FOOD MARKET 607 L yndon Ln., 426-4441. This suburban Asian grocery now serves hot table fare to enjoy between shopping. $ ✿ DRAGON KING’S DAUGHTER 1126 Bar dstown Rd., 632-2444. Owner Toki Masubuchi‘s audacious take on fusion cuisine seems to have hit a ner ve at this popular new café at the corner of Bar dstown Road and Elmwood. The eclectic and somewhat funky menu builds on traditional Japanese ingredients with unexpected twists:, pizza topped with sashimi, and tacos filled with avocado tempura. $pf✿ FUJI ASIAN BISTRO 6801 Dixie Hwy., 937-0488. $$ p ✿ FUJI JAP ANESE 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 or der, then sit back and sip your tea while the ar tist creates edible delights. This suburban sushi bar does the job well. $$ p ✿ HANABI JAPANESE RESTAURANT 6027 Timber Ridge Dr., 228-8244. A hospitable welcome, casual setting, and well-fashioned sushi and Japanese specialties have made this family run Pr ospect spot a wor thy alternative in the East End dining scene. $$ p ✿

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

Japanese-trained sushi chef Norihiko Nakanashi has earned quite a local following at Shogun. Now he brings his sushi knives to this sushi bar and Japanese grill in W estport V illage. In addition to fine dining at the bar or in traditional Japanese dining rooms, Hiko A Mon of fers sushi-grade fish from a small fish market. $$$ p ✿ ICHIBAN SAMURAI 1510 Lake Shor e Ct., 412-3339.

This large Japanese-farmhouse building, originally a Benihana, offers similar delights, with the traditional slice-and-dice food show and good sushi. Best deal, while the of fer lasts: All-you-can-eat sushi nightly until the karaoke starts at 9 p.m. $$$ p ✿ KANSAI JAP ANESE STEAKHOUSE 1370 V eterans Pkwy., Clarksville, IN, 218-9538. T raditional Japanese dishes and sushi ar e available her e, but like most Japanese Steakhouses, choose the grill tables with their slice-and-dice Japanese chef show for maximum entertainment. $$$ p ✿ KOBE STEAK HOUSE 301 S. Indiana Ave., Jeffersonville IN, 280-8500. Southern Indiana’s first serious Japanese r estaurant is drawing cr owds with its exceptional sushi bar, with skilled and friendly chefs who can be r elied on to fashion fr esh and tasty bites that are just about certain to please. $$$ p ✿ MAIDO ESSENTIAL JAP ANESE 1758 Frankfor t Ave., 894-8775. Not just another sushi bar , cool and stylish Maido is Louisville’ s first and only “izakaya”-style restaurant in the style of Kansai, the region surrounding Japan’s second city, Osaka. It’s also a sake bar, pouring a good variety of ar tisanal rice wine. $$ f ✿ MIKATO JAP ANESE STEAKHOUSE 3938 Dupont Circle, 891-0081. An upscale hibachi grillhouse in the popular r estaurant ring in the Br eckinridge Lane — Dupont Cir cle ar ea. Pleasant decor , entertaining grill chefs, fr esh sushi pr eparations, and sometimes glacial service. $$ p f h ✿ OASIS JAP ANESE REST AURANT 3311 Pr eston Hwy., 375-8766. Owners of downtown’ s Bendoya sushi r estaurant have opened this Japanese restaurant on Preston Highway. $$ h ✿ OISHII SUSHI 2245 Bardstown Rd., 618-2829. This small, attractive Highlands spot, operated by sushi chefs who’ve put in time at the popular Sappor o, has been attracting raves from neighborhood sushi lovers. $$ ✿

TOKYO JAPANESE RESTAURANT 2415C Lime Kiln Ln., 339-7171. It’ s appealing, pleasant in atmosphere and friendly in ser vice, and most impor tant, this East End sushi bar ser ves excellent Japanese treats, pr epared with car e and flair fr om highquality, impeccably fresh ingredients. $$ ✿ WASABIYA JAP ANESE REST AURANT 972 Baxter Ave., 618-2460. A neighbor hood sushi bar, with a chef fr om Boston with fusion cuisine intentions.

Look for some unusual items, like the sake kinuta, salmon wrapped in marinated daikon radish with a citrus sauce, or a fatty tuna carpaccio with white wine reduction and ponzu sauce $$ h ✿

KOREANA II 5009 Preston Hwy., 968-9686. One of the city’ s few r estaurants devoted entir ely to authentic Korean fare, Koreana is wor th a special trip for this ethnic cuisine that offers a hearty, spicy alternative to the more familiar Chinese. $$ ✿ LEE’S KOREAN REST AURANT 1941 Bishop Ln., 456-9714. This little spot has been a secr et since the ’70s, and it just keeps on going. Walk into what looks like a diner in an of fice building, but push past the counter to the back r oom, wher e you’ll find gener ous heaps of r eally authentic Kor ean food for next to nothing. $$ ✿

BD’S MONGOLIAN GRILL 1890 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 499-4406. The proprietors of this Michiganbased East End chain invite you to “go Mongo,” building your own choice of ingredients and sauces for the chefs to stir-fry. $$ p ✿ SHAH’S MONGOLIAN GRILL Stony Brook Shopping Center, 493-0234, 423 E. W arnock St., 409-5029.

Thirteenth Century Mongol warriors used to turn their steel shields to use as frying pans over the campfire, using their swor ds as spoons. Shah’ s carries their spirit for ward. This all-you-can-eat buffet is fun, and the food is fine. $$ p ✿

OSAKA SUSHI BAR 2039 Frankfort Ave., 894-9501, 426 W. Market St., 588-8899. This long-standing Clifton favorite has opened a second location downtown, ser ving up sushi and other Japanese dishes in a bright and cheery envir onment to a loyal clientele. $$ ✿

MAI’S THAI REST AURANT 1411 E. T enth St., Jeffersonville, IN, 282-0198. With a broad range of well-prepared and authentic Thai dishes, Mai’ s is the eater y to beat among the metr o ar ea’s Thai restaurants. For both authenticity and quality , it’s right up ther e with the top Thai places in New York, San Francisco and Seattle. $ ✿

SAKE BLUE JAPANESE BISTRO 9326 Cedar Center Way, 708-1500. This welcome addition to the Fern Creek dining scene of fers the “full-ser vice” Japanese r estaurant experience of hibachi grill tables and sushi bar, along with a traditional dining room and cocktail bar. $$ p h ✿

SIMPLY THAI 318 W allace A ve., 899-9670. Owner Mahn Saing is Burmese; his wife, a classically trained chef, is Thai. They’ve beautifully made over this little St. Matthews spot, of fering a small menu of traditional Thai dishes, well-made sushi and a few upscale Thai-style “fusion” dinner items. $ f ✿

SAKURA BLUE 4600 Shelbyville Rd., 897-3600.

Located in elegant, upscale quar ters in a St. Matthews shopping center , Sakura Blue — dir ect descendant of the old, popular Bonsai — ranks among the city’s top sushi bars. $$ ✿

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

SAPPORO JAPANESE GRILL & SUSHI 1706 Bardstown Rd., 479-5550. Ensconced in the middle of Bardstown Road’ s “r estaurant r ow,” tr endy, glitzy Sapporo steadily ranks as one of the city’s top spots for sushi and Japanese far e. If fr esh, well-made sushi is what you ar e hungr y for , you can’ t go wrong with a stop at Sappor o’s bar. $$$ p h ✿ SHOGUN JAPANESE STEAK HOUSE 9026 Taylorsville Rd., 499-5700, 4110 Hampton Lake W ay, 3940123. Shogun’s decor is attractive, and quality food and ser vice make it a pleasant dining destination.

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find exotic cuisine “challenging,” but good enough to satisfy just about anyone who craves a Japanese dinner or a bite of sushi. $$$ p ✿

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THAI CAFÉ 2226 Holiday Manor, 425-4815. You’ll find this small café tucked into a corner of the “Holiday Manor W alk.” Owner Chavantee Snow and her family of fer a small but well-pr epared selection of authentic Thai dishes at very reasonable prices. $ ✿ THAI ORCHIDS 9114 Taylorsville Rd. (Stony Br ook Shopping Center), 493-4073. This location has been known for good Thai r estaurants, and the shor t history of Thai Orchids shows that they have picked up the mantle, providing Jeffersontown-area lovers

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true, authentic V ietnamese. Friendly ser vice overcomes any language barrier, and prices ar e hard to beat. Don’ t miss the Banh Mi, traditional Vietnamese sandwiches. $ ✿

of southeast Asian cuisine with excellent noodles and curries. $$ ✿ THAI SIAM 3002 Bardstown Rd., 458-6871. Louisville’s first Thai r estaurant, this Gar diner Lane spot has built a loyal audience over the years, per haps responding to its r egular visitors’ pr eferences with food that’s a bit on the tame side for Thai. $$ ✿ THAI SMILE 5 5800 Preston Hwy., 961-9018. Part of a regional mini-chain, Thai Smile 5 ser ves up simple but well-prepared Thai far e. Don’t ask for the fivechile-pepper heat unless you really mean it! $ ✿ THAI TASTE 1977 Br ownsboro Rd., 897-7682. The owner-host of this friendly, casual spot in Crescent Hill had a r estaurant in Bangkok befor e moving to Louisville, and his experience shows. The warmth of his welcome — and the quality of the food — make Thai Taste special. $ ✿ TRUE THAI 8125 Bardstown Rd., 231-1992. A bright, attractive little place (just 4 tables) run by a former employee of Thai-Siam, one of Louisville’ s longest running Thai r estaurants. 30 standar d Thai dishes (pad thai, curries, fried rice) priced under $10. $ ✿

ANNIE CAFE 308 W. W oodlawn, 363-4847. Annie Cafe ranks not just as one of the better Vietnamese restaurants, but one the city’ s best of any variety , particularly when value and price ar e taken into account. Authentic V ietnamese food is made with care and served with pride. $ ✿ CAFÉ MIMOSA 1543 Bar dstown Rd., 459-1259. A fire last winter gutted the former location to the walls, but r esourceful owner Phat Le r ecently reopened in the old Lentini’ s building and is once again ser ving his V ietnamese, Chinese and panAsian dishes to happy regulars. $ p h ✿ CAFÉ THUY VAN 5600 National Turnpike, 366-6959.

A bit of f the beaten track, this South End spot is

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LA QUE 1019 Bar dstown Rd., 238-3981. Replacing the original Lemongrass in the Highlands (which continues to operate its suburban pr operties), La Que offers a similar blend of Vietnamese and other Asian cuisine. $ f h ✿ LEMONGRASS CAFÉ 11606 Shelbyville Rd., 2447110, 106 Fairfax Ave., 893-7757. Lemongrass Café offers an appealing blend of V ietnamese, Thai and Chinese fare in a simple setting that transcends an obviously low budget with style and grace. $ h ✿ PHO BINH MINH 6709 Strawberry Ln., 375-9249.

Tiny and lovably cozy , this six-table South End spot is true authentic V ietnamese, and so ar e the proprietors. There’s some language barrier, but the owners are so friendly, and the food so good, that it’s worth the ef fort if you love r eal Asian far e and inexpensive prices. $ ✿ VIETNAM KITCHEN 5339 Mitscher Ave., 363-5154.

This little South End stor efront is well wor th seeking out. The chef goes beyond the or dinary, preparing authentic V ietnamese dishes of unusual subtlety and flavor. We have yet to be disappointed with the quality of the food or ser vice. $ ✿ ZEN GARDEN 2240 Frankfor t A ve., 895-9114.

Vegetarians with a philosophical bent have found a combination guru and den mother in Zen Garden’s owner Coco, who ser ves up sincer e and soulful Asian vegan dishes.$ f ✿

BOSNA-MAK 3825 Old Bar dstown Rd., 456-1919.

Friendly and exceptionally hospitable, familyowned BosnaMak celebrates the heritage of the owners and chefs in Bosnia and Macedonia in the

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Balkans and picks up a few culinary additions from their time in Germany. $ f ✿

ERIKA’S GERMAN REST AURANT 9301 N. Hurstbourne Pkwy. 499-8822. For a city with a str ong German heritage, Louisville is woefully shor t on authentic German r estaurants, but this genuinely Germanic eater y attracts hungr y cr owds to Hurstbourne. Take care not to miss its former fastfood quarters just off I-64 local access ramp. $$ FLABBY’S SCHNITZELBURG 1101 L ydia St., 6379136. 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, fr om authentic German dishes to fantastic fried chicken on weekends. $ ✿ GASTHAUS 4812 Br ownsboro Center , 899-7177.

Michael and Annemarie Greipel came here with their five kids in 1993, straight fr om Nor th RhineWestphalia to St. Matthews. Tiny lights twinkle from strands of fake red geraniums. But the hearty German fare — schnitzels, sauerbraten and rouladen with red cabbage and dumplings — is the r eal thing. $$$

BRENDAN’S RESTAURANT & PUB 3921 Shelbyville Rd., 895-1212. This St. Matthew outpost of the O’Shea’s Irish bar empir e r eeks with atmospher e.

The brick walls look aged, the wood weathered and photos of old St. Matthews line the walls. Irish and non-Irish love the bar and the menu has daily specials, like the lepr echaun hangover bur ger, catfish po’ boy and bison and goat cheese lasagna. $$ p e h ✿ IRISH ROVER 2319 Frankfort Ave., 899-3544, 117 E. Main St, LaGrange, 222-2286. Owner Michael Reidy is the Irish r over, having come to the U.S.

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from County Clar e in 1984. His saloons ar e as smooth as Guinness, as warm as fish and chips, as genuine as Scotch eggs. The Frankfort Avenue building dates from 1859. $ p f ✿ MOLLY MALONE’S 933 Baxter Ave., 473-1222, 3900 Shelbyville Rd., 882-2222. A car efully constructed replica of a modern urban Irish pub, Molly Malone’s, a worthy addition to the city’s eating and drinking scene, has added a second, suburban location. Both ar e as authentically Irish as the Wearin’ o’ the Green. $$ p f e h ✿ O’SHEA’S TRADITIONAL IRISH PUB 956 Baxter Ave., 589-7373. One of the most popular watering holes in the entir e Bar dstown-Baxter corridor .

Twenty-somethings and Louisville belles love its action. But diners of all ages like its meat loaf, roast beef and Irish stew. When music fills the rooms, it’s great to be Irish, even if you’r e not. $$ p f e h ✿ PATRICK O’SHEA’S 123 W. Main St., 708-2488. This newest downtown cr eation of the Flanagan’ s/ O’Shea’s pub mini-empir e has beautifully refurbished one of the old war ehouses just east of the new stadium, anticipating the r evival of that edge of the Main Street corridor. Crowds have been elbowing in for upscale Irish-inflected bar food and plenty of sports talk. $$ p f e h ✿ RI RA IRISH PUB 427 S. Fourth St. (Fourth Street Live) 587-1825. Pr omising patr ons “an authentic Irish experience,” this gr owing chain opened last year in a sizable 9,000-square-foot space in Fourth Street Live. Ri Ra (Gaelic for “celebration and good fun”) decorates its pubs with authentic furnishings from Ireland. $$$ p f e h ✿ SHENANIGAN’S IRISH GRILL 1611 Norris Pl., 4543919, 4521 Bar dstown Rd., 493-3585. 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. Now with a second location out in Buechel. $ p f e h ✿

ADRIENNE’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT 129 W. Court Ave., Jef fersonville, IN, 282-2665. Joining the dining renaissance on the sunny side of Louisville, Adrienne’s has been pleasing Indiana diners with home-style Italian dishes. The owners also operate Adrienne’s Bakery in Jeffersonville. $$ f ✿ AMICI´ 316 W. Ormsby A ve., 637-3167. Scott and Sharon Risinger ser ve satisfying traditional Tuscan dishes in this inter esting — and supposedly haunted — Old Louisville building. Dine inside or on the romantic patio on a lovely summer evening, There’s no extra char ge if the ghosts want to shar e your penne alla Lorenzo or Valpolicella. $$ p f ✿ ANGELINA’S CAFÉ 1701 UPS Dr., 326-5555. $ ✿ BISTRO 42 6021 T imber Ridge Dr ., 632-2552.

Another entr y in the dining choices at Pr ospect Village shopping center . This little family-run place, ser ving pasta, sandwiches and Italian and American dishes is pr oud of its 5-cheese 3-meat Bistro lasagna and their 3-hour honey-baked ham, offered at an attractive price. $$ h ✿ BUCA DI BEPPO 2051 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy ., 4932426. Buca di Beppo’ s recipe has all the necessar y ingredients: huge portions of excellent food served with flair and the Buca scene is fun, a conscious parody of the exuberant decor of family ItalianAmerican restaurants of the 1950s. $$ p ✿ CARRABBA’S ITALIAN GRILL 617 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 412-2218. Not your or dinary suburban shopping-center franchise eatery . This place dramatically exceeds expectations. Fr om warmed bread dishes with quality olive oil to first-rate ItalianAmerican fare at reasonable prices. $$ p f ✿ 76 Summer 2010 www.foodanddine.com

COME BACK INN 909 Swan St., 627-1777, 415 Spring St., Jef fersonville IN, 285-1777. W ith both its branches located in urban neighbor hoods, Come Back Inn looks pr etty 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 ✿ COZZA OSTERIA ENOTECA 214 Cour t A ve., Jeffersonville IN, 284-4406. Italian fusion cuisine is what owner Al Papsoder o is of fering in the pleasant space that once housed T imothy’s. That’s the kind of Italian cooking done in Br ooklyn, Al’s hometown. Sample dishes: chicken Modena, salmon piccatta, fennel-r oasted organic pork loin, rigatoni pomodoro. $$ f p h ✿ DIFABIO’S CASAPELA 2311 Frankfor t A ve., 8910411. Ray Parr ella’s is gone, but almost immediately DiFabio’s Casapela snuck into the old Crescent Hill space, with a menu that harks back to the r ed-checked tablecloth and Chianti bottle era of Italian r estaurants. Look for baked stuf fed mushrooms and toasted ravioli, veal parmesan and chicken piccatta, and your choice of pastas with your choice of sauce. $$ f ✿ THE INTERNATIONAL MALL 737 S. Eighth St., 561-8871. $ ✿ LA GALLO ROSSO BISTRO1325 Bardstown Rd., 4730015. This small but attractive Highlands spot in the Shoppes on the Alley ser ves casual Italian and Continental food in a cozy family-style setting. $$ f MARTINI ITALIAN BISTRO 4021 Summit Plaza Dr., 394-9797. The successful formula of this Ohiobased chain featur es hear ty and well-fashioned Italian entrées, pastas and pizzas ser ved up in a comfortable appr oximation of a T uscan trattoria.

An open kitchen with wood-fired oven gives a peek at the culinary goings-on. $$$ p f h ✿ OLD SPAGHETTI FACTORY 235 W. Market St., 5811070. One of the original ventur es of this national firm. Bright and noisy , it of fers well-made if basic Italian family fare and dishes it out for surprisingly low prices. $$ p h ✿ THE OLIVE GARDEN 1320 Hurstbourne Pkwy., 3397190, 9730 Von Allmen Ct., 425-3607, 1230 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville, IN, 218-8304. The top property of the Darden chain, Olive Gar den now operates mor e than 500 pr operties and bills itself as the leading Italian restaurant in the casual dining industry. Hearty pastas of all shapes and sauces, appetizers and combo platters all carry the Italian theme. $$ p ✿ PESTO’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT 566 S. Fifth St., 584-0567. Of fices for blocks ar ound empty into this bustling Italian eatery for weekday lunches featuring hear ty platters of lasagna, zesty salads, red wine and iced tea. On Satur days, the kitchen switches over to a special Persian menu. $ ✿ PORCINI 2730 Frankfor t A ve., 894-8686. This anchor trattoria of the Cr escent Hill dining scene has been serving up risotto, ossobuco and bistecca since 1992. Crowds wait at the popular bar for one of the tables — or just wait at the bar . $$$ p ✿ ROCKY’S SUB PUB 715 W . Riverside Dr ., Jeffersonville, IN, 282-3844. (See r eview under Pizza) $ p f ✿ ROMANO’S MACARONI GRILL 401 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 423-9220. The Italian-style menu at this casual, Dallas-based family chain includes appetizers, salads, pastas, veal and desser ts. Chefs entertain while creating wood-fired pizzas. $$ p ✿

fine family-style Italian-American dishes make this casual eatery just of f I-71 at Buckner well wor th a special trip out from the city. $$ f ✿ TUSCANY ITALIAN RESTAURANT 165 Outer Loop, 363-0308. Adding an appetizing option to a stretch of the South End that hasn’ t been over -served by restaurants, this good-sized stor efront near New Cut Road boasts a Mexican chef who demonstrates an exper t’s hand with hear ty, r ed-sauced ItalianAmerican fare at a price that’s right. $$ h ✿ VINCENZO’S 150 S. Fifth St., 580-1350. (see listing under Upscale Casual) $$$$ p e h ✿ VOLARE 2300 Frankfor t Ave., 894-4446. The name evokes Sinatra, pasta with tomato sauce and candles in Chianti bottles, but stylish V olare kicks that image up a notch. W ith a combination of Italian standards and monthly menu updates, Chef Josh Moore and host Majid Ghavami have secur ed Volare as the city’s top spot for suave Italian dining. $$$ p f ✿

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

Authentic Castilian far e includes a majestic paella. but the renewed focus at this Highlands standby is tapas, in such variety that you can have anything on the menu in small-plates form. $$$ ✿ LA BODEGA 1604 Bardstown Rd., 456-4955. Nextdoor to the excellent De La T orre’s Spanish restaurant, La Bodega of fers diners the city’ s most authentic Spanish-style tapas bar , featuring the small bites originally invented in the outdoor cafés of Jerez. $$ p f h ✿ LA CA TALANA 4123 Oechsli A ve., 895-8882. The owners hail fr om Barcelona, but the menu casts a wide net over several Mediterranean cuisines.

Entertainment is eclectic too — flamenco guitar and dancing, gypsy music, Middle Eastern dancers, all in the heart of St. Matthews. $$ p h ✿ MOJITO TAPAS RESTAURANT 2231 Holiday Manor Shopping Center , 425-0949. An of fshoot of the popular St. Matthews Cuban r estaurant Havana Rumba, Mojitos quickly established its own identity as the East End spot for Spanish-inspir ed small plates with a global taste pr ofile. Always crowded on weekends; no r eservations, but call ahead to get high on the waiting list. $ p f h ✿ PALERMO VIEJO 1359 Bar dstown Rd., 456-6461.

Louisville’s best sour ce for authentic Ar gentine cooking: lots of beef (and chicken) slow-cooked over charcoal and Latin versions of Italian dishes, like chicken Milanesa. Palermo V iejo is the Little Italy of Buenos Air es, hometown of owner Francisco Elbl’s father. $$ p f ✿

BOMBAY GRILL 216 N. Hurstbourne Pkwy ., 4258892. W ith its br oad array of Indian r egional specialties including the r equisite lunch buf fet, this spot in The Forum on Hurstbourne is winning praise for its aromatic flavors and bountiful portions. $$ ✿ DAKSHIN INDIAN RESTAURANT 4742 Bardstown Rd., 491-7412. Owned and operated by the same family that brings us Kashmir Restaurant and Bombay Gr ocery in the Highlands, this addition brings aromatic and spicy Southern Indian far e to the Buechel-Fern Cr eek neighbor hood in the Eastland Shopping Center. $$ ✿

SPAGHETTI SHOP 4657 Outer Loop, 969-5545, 4510 Charlestown Rd., New Albany, IN, 944-5400.

Baked pasta dishes, subs, salads and appetizers ar e prepared while you wait. $ ✿

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 pr oduces an extensive menu of seemingly authentic Indian fare. $$ f ✿

STEVE-O’S ITALIAN KITCHEN 4205 W. Hwy. 146, LaGrange, KY, 222-0300. Outstanding pizzas and

SHALIMAR INDIAN REST AURANT 1820 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 493-8899. Modern and sleek

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in appearance, modest in price, this r estaurant has become the patriar ch of local Indian r estaurants.

With a substantial lunch buf fet and a full range of dinner items, it has built a loyal clientele. $$ p ✿ SITAR INDIAN RESTAURANT 1702 Bardstown Rd., 473-8889. Named after the Indian stringed musical instrument that Ravi Shankar made famous, Sitar features a full Indian menu and buf fet. It’s the first Louisville property for a tiny new chain with four places in Tennessee and one in Alabama. $$ ✿ TAJ PALACE 2929 Goose Cr eek Rd., 423-9692. The owners of the old India Palace have opened a new restaurant in the space vacated by the Goose Creek outlet of Seviche. Focused on Nor thern Indian cuisine, the menu of fers a wide range of chicken, lamb, seafood and vegetarian dishes. Spiciness can be decided by the customer . Lunch buf fet and dinner menu. $$ ✿

A.J.’S GYRO CAFÉ 9280 IN 64, Geor getown, IN, 951-1715. A recent name change now reflects what this Southern Indiana eatery has always done well, serving up authentic Gr eek gyros and side dishes.

Open April through November only. $ f ✿ AL W ATAN 3713 Klondike Ln., 454-4406. Classic Arabic dishes home-cooked by friendly people in a cozy environment. That’s the r ecipe that makes Al Watan a destination for lovers of fine Middle Eastern fare. $ h ✿ BURNING BUSH GRILLE & MEDITERRANEAN CAFÉ 13206 W. U.S. Highway 42, 228-7776. A franchisee of the popular Shiraz local mini-chain has struck of f on his own, cooking healthy Mediterranean foods — kebabs, steak, fish and lamb, salads, pizza, gyros and Balkan burgers. $ f ✿ CAFÉ 360 1582 Bardstown Rd., 473-8694. The latest in a long series of eateries in this pleasant Highland’s building offers an eclectic and international menu, with Southern fried catfish and Indian lamb bir yani in immediate juxtaposition. You can get it all, dinerstyle, just about 24/7. $ p f h ✿

OMAR’S FAST FOOD RESTAURANT 1272 S. Preston St., 637-1515. Comfort food south-east Asian style.

The owner’s wife brings family recipes and culinary study in Pakistan to bear on familiar far e such as chicken korma, chicken handi and biryani, and the Omar kebab, made with gr ound beef, onions and tomatoes. $ ✿ PITA DELIGHTS 1616 Grinstead Dr., 569-1122. This Near Eastern eater y in the Highlands of fers a splendid mix of gyr os, felafel and other pita-based goodies. $ f ✿ PITA HUT 1613 Bardstown Rd., 409-8484. A r ecent expansion mor e than doubled this tiny spot, offering mor e diners the chance to enjoy Mediterranean-Middle Eastern favorites, with the addition of a few “American” sandwiches — on fresh pita, of course. $ ✿ SAFFRON’S 131 W. Market St., 584-7800. Louisville’s first quality Persian r estaurant is as inter esting as the spice for which it’s named and as smooth as its owner, Majid Ghavami. Roasted duck “fesenjoon” means “food of life,” and life would be much worse without this dish. But you must also tr y the lamb. $$$ p ✿ SAFIER MEDITERRANEAN DELI 641 S. Fourth St., 585-1125. You can get standar d American far e at this welcoming downtown quick-eats spot, but who’d do that when you can enjoy such appetizing Arabian delights as hummus, mutabal, falafels and the gyros-like (only better) shawarma beef-on-pita sandwich. $ f ✿ SHIRAZ MEDITERRANEAN GRILL 2011 Frankfor t Ave., 891-8854, 2226 Holiday Manor , 426-9954, 201 N. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 426-3440, 3521 Poplar Level Rd., 632-2232. Of fering authentic Persian (Iranian) cooking, Shiraz quickly gr ew out of its tiny original location to occupy a bright and colorful stor efront in the new Clifton Lofts complex; now it is expanding into a local mini-chain. In

all its locations, Shiraz shines with char kebabs, fine pitas and lavish br ead. $ ✿

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ZAYTUN MEDITERRANEAN GRILL 2286 Bardstown Rd., 365-1788. Fine, freshly prepared seafood is part of the draw in this upper Highlands Middle Eastern eatery—excellent gyros kick it up a notch. $ h ✿ ZOE’S KITCHEN 500 W . Jef ferson St., 585-0000, 4126 Summit Plaza Dr ., 329-8963. This chain has been gr owing thr oughout the South and Southwest, and now comes twice to Louisville. An eclectic menu offers kabobs, hummus, quesadillas, roll-ups, pita sandwiches and chicken, tuna and shrimp salads. $ ✿

BORDEAUX’S 116 E. Main St., 568-6007. Located in the building that most r ecently housed Petrus nightclub, this new r estaurant pitches itself as “upscale Louisville meets the Fr ench Quar ter,” with a menu featuring po’ boys, burgers, soups and gumbos. Live blues and jazz will be the featur ed entertainment. $$$ p h FURLONGS 9601 Shelbyville Rd., 327-9299. The many fans of this popular eatery , distraught about its abrupt depar ture fr om Clifton, r ejoiced and returned in droves when Furlong’s reopened in the East end, in the lovely old house that was long home to Garrett’s. The menu offers well-conceived Cajun-style far e with a few surprises. W e suggest you don’t miss the mushr oom stuffed with shrimp and crabmeat on the appetizer list. $$$ p f h ✿ J. GUMBO’S 2109 Frankfort Ave., 896-4046, 531 Lyndon Lane, 425-0096, Four th Str eet Live, 5899245, 3115 S. Second St., 363-8888, 13301 Magisterial Dr., 326-3070, 8603 Citadel W ay, 4934720. Former jockey Billy Fox has cr eated a popular mini-chain ser ving hear ty, af fordable Cajun cuisine. After a stint focusing on expansion,

CAPTAIN PEPPER JACK’S AERO BISTRO 2810 Taylorsville Rd., 454-2777. This new place has an aeronautical mood to it: the name, the travel posters, the location near Bowman Field. The menu itself flies all over the world, too, fr om American-style fried chicken and bar food to Caribbean plantains with mango marmalade to Middle Eastern kabobs and gyros. $$ p h ✿ CASPIAN GRILL PERSIAN BISTRO 1416 Bardstown Rd., 365-3900. Joining the gr owing ranks of Louisville’s Persian restaurants, this small Highlands dining r oom is gaining good wor d-of-mouth for well-prepared food and cordial service. $ ✿ THE F ALAFEL HOUSE 1001 Bar dstown Rd., 4544407. This small Highlands spot is strategically situated to of fer quick and af fordable sustenance along the Bar dstown-Baxter enter tainment strip.

Look for the usual Middle Eastern far e in a casual, quick-service setting. $$ f h ✿ GRAPE LEAF 2217 Frankfor t A ve., 897-1774.

Relatively recent renovations and an expanded menu have elevated the Grape Leaf to destination status, placing it well above the generic Middle Eastern eatery niche. Prices remain affordable, while the food and mood now justify a special trip. $$ f ✿ LITTLE JERUSALEM 3825 T aylor Blvd., 6181806. This Shively-ar ea Middle Eastern r estaurant has acquir ed a loyal following for its hummus, chicken and rice plates, falafel and gyr os. $ f ✿ OCEANSIDE RESTAURANT 3707 Klondike Ln., 4543737. This Hikes Point spot, run by a friendly Moroccan couple, offers a variety of fish and seafood dishes (plus chicken wings and other munchies), with a Middle Eastern accent. A couple of Moroccan dinner items are available in the $10 range. $

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he is now back in the saddle and in the kitchen again, to the delight of his fans. The drunken chicken is addictive. $ f JOE’S OK BAYOU 9874 Linn Station Rd., 426-1320, 4308 Charlestown Rd., New Albany, IN, 948-2080.

Fine, filling and authentic Louisiana-style far e is the draw at Joe’ s. A lengthy menu and bayou fishing-shack decor showcases authentic Cajun and Creole chow. $$ p SELENA’S A T WILLOW LAKE T AVERN 10609 LaGrange Rd., 245-9004. New owner Alan Salmon has brought his Cajun/Cr eole food and T ampa Bay experience to the old W illow Lake T avern. The restoration and r enovation were extensive, turning this Anchorage roadhouse into a roomy and inviting restaurant. Shrimp or fish with Manale sauce is a tribute to Pascal Manale’s in New Orleans. And don’t miss the Saturday seafood boils. $$ p f h ✿

COCOS LOKOS CARIBBEAN CUISINE 1850 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 365-1777. You can find a taste of the Caribbean islands here: mofongo from Puerto Rico (grilled chicken over plantains), lechon adobado (Cuban roast pork), tostones, yucca, sweet potato fries and dishes with a Dominican accent. Chill out with tropical cocktails at the bar. $$ p e ✿ HAVANA RUMBA 4115 Oechsli Ave., 897-1959, 12003 Shelbyville Rd., 244-5375. A true taste of Old Havana, this bright, inviting and consistently busy Cuban restaurant has opened a second location, in Middletown, in the strip mall location formerly occupied by Pig City BBQ. Bountiful ser vings of Cuban fare as good as any in Key West or Miami, not to mention a hopping mojito bar , have earned Havana Rumba a place on our shor t list of local favorites. $ p f ✿ NILE RESTAURANT 5312 S. Third St., 384-9030. $ p h

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ACAPULCO AUTHENTIC MEXICAN RESTAURANT 1041 Zorn Ave. (Ramada), 895-9919. A bit of a surprise to find a solid, satisfying Mexican r estaurant in a motel, but this one seems to be doing things right, with fr esh piquant sauces, sizeable por tions and efficient service. $ p ✿ BAZO’S FRESH MEXICAN GRILL 4014 Dutchmans Ln., 899-9600, 1907-C S. Four th St., 899-9746. A downtown location joins its Dupont Cir cle sibling, offering fine fish tacos and simple fast-food Mexican fare in an inexpensive, casual atmosphere. $ f ✿ CANCUN MEXICAN GRILL 9904 Linn Station Rd., 327-0890. $ e ✿ DON P ABLO’S 940 E. Lewis & Clark Pkwy ., Clarksville, IN, 284-1071. Based in Atlanta, this Mexican-American chain, offers full bar service and a variety of dishes that range from sizzling fajitas to crisp salads tossed in a fajita shell. $$ p ✿ EL BURRITO DE ORO 1927 Gr eentree Blvd., Clarksville IN, 285-8820. $ ✿ EL CAPORAL 2209 Meadow Dr ., 473-7840, 1901 Blankenbaker Pkwy., 515 E. Lewis & Clark Pkwy., Clarksville, IN, 282-7174. Louisville’ s gr owing Mexican-American community has foster ed a happy trend: excellent, authentic Mexican food. El Caporal bridges the gap between the Latino and Anglo communities. $ p ✿ EL MUNDO 2345 Frankfor t A ve., 899-9930. This crowded, noisy little Crescent Hill storefront offers creative renditions of Mexican r egional specialties that make most diners want to yell “Olé!” The setting may lack the tr endy flair of Rick Bayless’ Frontera Grill in Chicago, but the far e mines a similar vein and does so nearly as well. $ p f ✿ EL NOP AL (10 Locations) These locally owned

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restaurants have become a gr owing mini-chain, winning popularity on the basis of delicious, authentic and inexpensive Mexican far e in comfortable surroundings. $ p f ✿ EL NOPALITO 4028 Taylorsville Rd., 458-7278, 6300 Bardstown Rd., 231-4249. This modest little eatery used to be a T aco Bell, but you’ll never find comidas like this at the Bell! Run by a family fr om Mexico, it’s truly authentic and delicious. $ p f ✿ EL REY MEXICAN REST AURANT 2918 Hikes Ln., 454-6520. Although it’ s mor e Mexican-American than har d-core ethnic Mexican, El Rey earns our recommendation for tasty far e, cordial service in a pleasant fast-Mexican-food envir onment, and affordable prices. $ f ✿ EL RODEO MEXICAN REST AURANT 9070 Dixie Hwy., 995-8722. At El Rodeo, you’ll find a blend of Tex-Mex and other Latin American classics fr om salty margaritas to sweet sopapillas. $$ ✿ EL SOMBRERO 2784 Meijer St, Jeffersonville IN, 2850109. An Indianapolis r estaurant group has taken over the old Bearno’s near Meijer in J’ville, and opened this “Americanized Mexican” restaurant. $ p ✿ EL T ARASCO 5425 New Cut Rd., 368-5628, 110 Fairfax Ave., 895-8010, 9901 LaGrange Rd., 3269373, 9606 T aylorsville Rd., 297-8003. Add El Tarasco to the happy new genr e of restaurants run

by Latinos and of fering authentic Mexican food and atmosphere, but that r each out to Anglos and make it easy to enjoy a South-of-the-Bor der culinary adventure without compromise. $ p ✿ EL TORO CANTINA & GRILL 1810 Hurstbourne Parkway, 491-7272, 10602 Shelbyville Rd., 4893839. One of the top Mexican r estaurants in the metro, El Toro earns our recommendation for food, service and envir onment. Tex-Mex dishes ar e fine, but save r oom for the authentic Mexican seafood specialties. $ p f ✿

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ERNESTO’S 10430 Shelbyville Rd., 244-8889, 4632A S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 671-5291. One of the first of the mor e authentic locally-owned Mexican restaurant gr oups, Ernesto’ s remains consistently reliable. From the crispy home-f ried chips to filling Mexican main courses and tasty desser ts, it’ s a worthy destination for good Mexican food and excellent value. $ p f e ✿ FIESTA TIME MEXICAN GRILL 11320 Maple Br ook Dr., 425-9144, 8133 Bardstown Rd., 231-2444. $ p ✿ 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 eater y that is more than it appears to be, and that goes for both quality and quantity. Franchised and fast-foodish, it pleasantly surprises with genuine Mexican far e and Latino flair. $ h ✿ LA MONARCA 6501 Shepherdsville Rd., 969-7938. $ ✿ LA ROSITA MEXICAN GRILL 1515 E. Market St., New Albany, IN, 944-3620, 113 Grant Line Ctr ., 948-7967. Housed in an historic stor efront, this Mexican r estaurant br eaks fr om the pack by presenting traditional Mexican dishes not found elsewhere. The Grant Line spot provides quick but fine taqueria fare. $ f ✿ LA ROSIT A T AQUERIA 1404 Blackiston Mill Rd., Clarksville, IN, 284-1362. $ LA TAPATIA RESTAURANT 8106 Preston Hwy., 9619153. One of the most authentic ethnic Mexican restaurants in Louisville, this little stor efront offers memorable tacos and burritos and more. $ p ✿ LAS GORDITAS 4756 Bardstown Rd., 492-0112. As Louisville’s small but thriving Latino community grows, it’ s now possible to enjoy an authentic Mexico City-style dining experience at this taco and gor dita wagon that r olls up in the Eastland Shopping Center on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays

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only. Family owners and chefs Pat and Esperanza Costas and Ofelia Or tiz ar e completely bilingual, and as friendly as can be. $ f ✿ LOLITA’S T ACOS 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 ✿ LOS AZTECAS 530 W. Main St., 561-8535, 1107 Herr Ln., 426-3994, 9207 U.S. Hwy . 42, 228-2450.

Authentic Mexican cuisine has become a viable option in Louisville, thanks to a gr owing immigrant community. W ith fr esh bar and blender of ferings, creative appetizers and comfor table seating, Los Aztecas is one of the best, with tasty Mexican dishes good enough to lure us back again and again. $ p ✿ MAYAN CAFÉ 813 E. Market St., 566-0651. Chef Bruce Ucán has r eturned to his original location in the burgeoning NuLu gallery district, and updated it into a stylish bistr o. The distinctive cuisine, fr om Ucán’s native Y ucatan Peninsula, tr eats pork, scallops, mussels and even lima beans memorably. $$ ✿ MEXICAN FIESTA 4507 Bardstown Rd., 491-2922 $ MEXICANO 6911 Shepher dsville Rd., 962-8526.

Traditional Mexican fare from the Ramirez family. $ ✿ MEXICO TIPICO REST AURANT 6517 Dixie Hwy ., 933-9523, 12401 Shelbyville Rd., 253-9828. One of the r egion’s first authentic Mexican eateries, Mexico T ipico has built a loyal following in for good Mexican food and friendly , fully bilingual service; now it r eaches the East End with a brandnew property in the Middletown area. $ p e ✿ MEXICO VIEJO 2319 Brownsboro Rd., 893-9880. $ ✿ MY PATRIA 808 Lyndon Ln., 339-9420. $ ✿ PAUL’S ONE WORLD CAFÉ 133 E. Market St., New Albany IN, 945-5555. Another entry to the hot new

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New Albany dining scene, in the space once occupied by Market Str eet Fish House. The owner ran the old Chiquito’ s, which explains the curr ent emphasis on Mexican specials (fajitas, carnitas, burritos) on the eclectic menu. Breakfast served all day, a wide selection of salads and sandwiches at lunch. $ p f ✿ PUERTO V ALLARTA 4214 Charlestown Rd., New Albany, IN, 945-3588, 125 Quar termaster Ct., Jeffersonville, IN, 288-2022, 7814 Beulah Cur ch Rd., 239-4646. $$ p ✿ QDOBA MEXICAN GRILL (11 locations). This chain operation extends fr om Louisville to Frankfort and Lexington. Fast-foodish in style, Qdoba edges out its competitors on the basis of variety and interesting salsas, plus sizable por tions at a price you can af ford. $ f ✿ ROSTICERIA LUNA 5213B Preston Hwy., 962-8898.

Tiny and cluttered and very friendly, this little spot on Preston looks like another tacqueria but the specialty, Mexican-style r oasted chicken, takes it to another level, juicy and succulent and r oasted golden brown.

Chicken simply doesn’t get any better than this. $ ✿ RUBEN’S MEXICAN REST AURANT 1370 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville, IN. 258-0417. $$ p ✿ SANTA FE GRILL 3000 S. Third St., 634-3722. This tiny eater y in a centur y-old r ed-brick South End storefront near Chur chill 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. $ ✿ SEÑOR IGUANA’S 1415 Br oadway St., Clarksville, IN, 280-8555, 3105 S. Second St., 368-0876, 9424 Shelbyville Rd., 425-4581. These thr ee MexicanAmerican eateries ar e known for their hear ty, well-prepared Mexican food, and plenty of it, in a casually laid-back, comfor table spor ts-bar atmosphere. $ p f ✿

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SOL AZTECAS 2427 Bar dstown Road, 459-7776, 2350 Frankfort Ave., 895-3333, 520 S. Four th St., 315-0666. Saul Gar cia, who’s known for the local chain of Los Aztecas eateries, has star ted this new chain, raising the bar with a br oader menu. His many Los Aztecas fans will find familiar dishes, along with some pleasant surprises. $ p h ✿ TACO BUENO 2350 Shane Dr ., 493-2008. This growing T exas-based chain, a competitor to T aco Bell, now has a location in the Louisville metr o.

Early reports declare it “better than the Bell.” $ f ✿ TACO TICO 5925 Terry Rd., 449-9888. Founded in Wichita in 1962, the same year as T aco Bell was born in Southern California, The T aco Tico chain has been gone fr om Louisville for mor e than a decade. Its happy r eturn has been drawing remarkable crowds. $ ✿ TACOS TOREADOS MEXICAN T AQUERIA 9109 Galene Dr., 468-3524. The Lyndon-based taco truck has settled down just outside Jef fersontown, serving up its authentic, budget-priced Mexican fare. $ ✿ TACQUERIA LA MEXICANA 6201 Pr eston Hwy ., 969-4449. The tacos are fine at this tiny storefront.

This is seriously ethnic stuf f, but Anglos ar e thoroughly welcome, the staff is bilingual, and they will happily pr ovide a menu with all the English translations written in. $ ✿ THE TEQUILA FACTORY 917 Baxter Ave., 459-9191.

The multi-level building on Baxter Ave.’s restaurant corridor has had a checker ed histor y. Its newest incarnation is a bar and grill with an extensive list of tequilas, a tapas bar , and an economical lunch and dinner menu focusing on hear ty, familiar Mexican dishes. $ p f e h ✿ TORONTO DELI & BISTRO GRILL Brownsboro Rd., 356-1157. $ f ✿

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YELLOW CACTUS 3620 Paoli Pk., Floyds Knobs, IN, 903-0313. Another in a gr owing list of ar ea TexMex r estaurants. New place calls itself a Mexican restaurant and American steakhouse. $ p h ✿ ZAPATA’S CORNER 12003 Shelbyville Rd., 690-8100.

Owner Tony Mora honors Emiliano Zapata, one of the folk her oes of the Mexican Revolution, at his restaurant in Middletown. Authentic too is his cuisine-mole poblanos, fried whole Huachinango fish and a meaty trio of chicken, beer and chorizo making up the El Brasero. $$ p h ✿

MOE’S SOUTHWEST GRILL 2001 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 491-1800, 1001 Br eckinridge Ln., 8936637, 4652 Chamberlain Ln., 425-3330, 1020 Veterans Pkwy., Clarksville, IN, (812) 288-6637, 9310 Cedar Center W ay, 614-7722. The food may be mor e fast-food Mexican-American than authentic South-of-the-Border fare, but it is freshly made fr om quality ingr edients and comes in oversize portions, and that’s not a bad thing. $ ✿ SALSARITA’S FRESH CANTINA 285 N. Hubbar ds Ln., 897-5323. Another entry in the hot “Fr esh Mexican” niche that features gigantic burritos made to order. Its colorful free-standing building houses a sit-in restaurant and an inviting bar. $ p f ✿ TUMBLEWEED SOUTHWEST GRILL (15 locations).

Tumbleweed started as a humble Mexican restaurant in New Albany and eventually came to dominate Louisville’s Tex-Mex niche with colossal margaritas, gigantic burritos and spicy chili con queso. Southwestern far e adds steaks and grilled far e to the familiar Tex-Mex with a formula that continues to draw diners in dr oves, but the ’Weed doesn’t stray far from its roots. $$ p f h ✿

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BEAN STREET CAFÉ 101 Lafollette Station, Floyds Knobs, IN, 923-1404. Bean Str eet intr oduced the Sunny Side to the joys of serious espr esso. Like all good coffee shops, they’re not just an eater y, but a cultural hangout. $ f CAFFE CLASSICO 2144 Frankfort Ave., 895-0076. At first a coffee bar, but over the years the classy space at Clifton and Frankfor t has matur ed into an elegant bistro serving an eclectic menu — salmon croquettes with wasabi aioli, empanadas, an international array of salads, panini, bocadillos and pizzas. A stylish place for lunch, or a hip stop for a late-night supper. $$ e h ✿ COFFEE CROSSING 4212 Charlestown Rd., New Albany, IN, 981-2633. $ COFFEE POT CAFÉ 234 E. Gray St. (Medical Tower South), 584-5282 $ f ✿ DAY’S ESPRESSO AND COFFEE BAR 1420 Bardstown Rd., 456-1170. Dark and cozy , with an old-fashioned feeling, Day’ s has ever ything you would expect in a college-neighbor hood cof fee shop except a college near by. $ f

QUILL’S COFFEE SHOP 930 Baxter Ave., 742-6129.

With its r ecent move to Bar dstown Road, Quills has updated its image, but faithful fans find that the joe is still fine, as are the pastries, and everyone lingers, with laptops and books. $ RAY’S MONKEY HOUSE 1578 Bardstown Rd., 4594373. A very nice fit with its crunchy-granola Highlands neighborhood, this “progressive coffee shop and gathering place” is consciously child-friendly .

Look for quality or ganic cof fee r oasted on the premises and vegetarian/vegan snacks. $ f e ✿ RED HOT ROASTERS 1402 Payne St., 569-0000, 901 S. Fourth St. (Spalding University), 585-9911.

The drive-thr ough take-away joint (entrance of f Lexington Rd.) has added a space at Spalding, with an expanded menu and new cold-br ewed iced coffee drinks. Excellent whole beans roasted on the premises are also available at groceries. $ ✿ SISTER BEAN’S 4956 Manslick Rd., 364-0082. $ f ✿ SONOMA COFFEE CAFÉ 3309 Poplar Level Rd., 384-0044. The first outlet in Kentucky of this franchise coffeteria. $

DERBY CITY ESPRESSO 331 E. Market St., 4420523. A highlight in Louisville’ s r oster of serious coffee shops, Derby City featur es quality cof fee from several ar tisanal r oasters, plus fine tea, pastries, and now craft beers. $ f e ✿

STARBUCKS COFFEE (35 locations) $ f SUNERGOS COFFEE & MICRO-ROASTER Y 2122 S. Preston St., 634-1243. Matthew Huested and Brian Miller used to r oast their own cof fee beans as a hobby. Their friends said they did it so well, they should turn pr o — the r esult is Suner gos Cof fee, another in the gr owing cadr e of espr esso bars in Louisville’s Germantown neighborhood. $ ✿

EXPRESSIONS OF YOU 1800 W . Muhammad Ali Blvd., 584-6886. $ f e ✿

THIRD STREET COFFEE HOUSE 711 S. Thir d St., 749-0026. $ f

GREEN ROOM COFFEE 3640 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 491-9396. Inside the Hurstbourne Music Center , music lovers can find music-themed br eakfast dishes to for tify them as they shop for instruments or practice their craft. $ f e

TRAILSIDE CAFÉ 1321 Herr Ln., 423-1545. $

HEINE BROTHERS COFFEE 2714 Frankfor t A ve., 899-5551, 1295 Longest A ve., 456-5108, 2200 Bardstown Rd., 515-0380, 118 Chenoweth Ln., 893-5103, 1449 Bar dstown Rd., 454-5212, 4123 Shelbyville Rd., 895-9388. Spar tan, friendly and affordable, with good coffee r oasted on the premises and a shor t list of pastries, desser ts and panini sandwiches, Heine Br os. has earned its outstanding local reputation. $ f e

ZEN TEA HOUSE 2246 Frankfor t A ve., 618-0878.

Another entr y in the T ran family’s Frankfor t Ave. restaurant row. There is tea, of course, black, green, and white and herbal infusions, spring rolls, soups, and paninis, all vegetarian. $ f e h ✿

HIGHLAND COFFEE CO. 1140 Bardstown Rd., 4514545. Of fering two ways to get wir ed, this cozy neighborhood cof fee shop also functions as one of Louisville’s top Internet cafés, where you can enjoy a hot cappuccino while you surf the ’net in a WiFi hot spot. Funky Seattle-style ambience is a plus. $ f THE HOBKNOBB ROASTING CO. 3700 Paoli Pike, Floyds Knobs, IN, 923-1458, 419 State St., New Albany, IN, 944-4555. HobKnobb of fers fresh hot coffee, espr esso drinks and fr esh baked pastries, cakes and cookies. $ f JAVA BREWING COMPANY 9561B U.S. Hwy. 42, 2922710, 516 W . Main St., 568-6339, 135 S. English Station Rd., 489-5677, Fourth Street Live, 561-2041, 2309 Frankfor t Ave., 894-8060. These casual spots boasts the ambience of a friendly old-fashioned book shop, with comfor table seating, a good selection of pastries, and quality coffee from Seattle. $ LA VIDA JA VA COFFEE CO. 1301 Herr Ln., 4129393. La V ida Java of fers espr esso drinks and pastries in this welcoming spot in the W estport Village shopping center. $ f MRS. POTTER’S COFFEE 718 W. Main St., 581-1867. $ OLD LOUISVILLE COFFEE HOUSE 1489 S. Fourth St., 635-6660. $ f ✿ PERKFECTION 359 Spring St., Jef fersonville, IN, 218-0611. $ e

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VT’S BUBBLE CUP 1043 Bardstown Rd., 452-8899.

Tea houses ar e a new rage. This Highlands place features a cute variation, bubble tea — a tapiocabased soft drink. Japanese teens love it. $ h ✿

ADRIENNE & CO. BAKERY CAFÉ 129 W. Court Ave., Jeffersonville, IN, 282-2665. If you need something for your sweet tooth and won’ t be denied, count yourself lucky if the craving strikes when you’re in the vicinity of this cozy Southern Indiana spot, with its good selection of homemade cakes and treats. $ f ✿ THE BAKER Y 3100 Bar dstown Rd., 452-1210. Not just a fine baker y but a place wher e bakers learn their business, this excellent establishment is par t of the culinar y program at Sullivan University . It’s hard to beat the quality breads and pastries offered here to eat in or carry out. $ ✿ BREADWORKS 3628 Br ownsboro Rd., 893-3200, 2420 Lime Kiln Ln., 326-0300, 2204 Dundee Rd., 452-1510, 11800 Shelbyville Rd., 254-2885. $ ✿ CAKE FLOUR 909 E. Market St., 719-0172. This jewel box shop serves up precious French pastries, quiche, scones and sweets seven days a week. The chef’s all-natural ethos and locavor e connections make for exquisite tastes. $ f ✿ CELLAR DOOR CHOCOLA TES 930 Baxter A ve., (inside Quill’ s Cof fee Shop) 561-2940. Erika Chavez-Graziano has been working some small miracles at the back of this Highlands cof fee shop, turning out luscious, inventive chocolate confections that she sells at various venues ar ound town, as well as at Quills. Her 365 Days of Chocolate project has gained her considerable notice with weird-sounding but delicious cr eations such as beer flavored truffles and avocado soft-centers. $

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COCO’S CHOCOLATE CAFÉ 1759 Bar dstown Rd., 454-9810. Stylish, ar tisanal chocolates and baked goods made on the pr emises make this tiny Highlands spot a stylish place to stop and linger over for a dessert and a cup of cof fee. $ f THE COMFY COW 1301 Herr Ln., 425-4979. A newfashioned ice-cream parlor in the W estport Village Center that has captur ed the fancy of customers from the star t, which was in the winter , so that seems to say something about the classy décor, the oft-changing flavor selections in the fr eezer (salty caramel, fresh roasted coffee, peanut peanut butter butter) and the rich, house-made desserts (cookies, cheesecakes, pies and brownies). $ h THE CUPCAKE SHOPPE 3701 Lexington Rd., 8992970. You won’ t need thr ee guesses to name the specialty at this little St. Matthews baker y, which has gained instant popularity for its wide variety of moist, tender cupcakes, always made in house. $✿ DALAT’S GATEAUX & BAKER Y 6915 Southside Dr ., 368-9280. It’s a French bakery, run by a V ietnamese family, which makes per fect sense. Or der Fr ench pastry, cakes and cookies as well as V ietnamese specialties. Savory choices, such as pork pate wrapped in choux pastry are also available. Eat in or take away. $ THE DESSER T GALLER Y 9305 New LaGrange Rd., 326-0700. You’ll find just about anything you could want in the way of a dessert at this East End shopping center storefront, from cakes to brownies and cookies, and it’s all hand-made from natural ingredients. $ DESSERTS BY HELEN 2210 Bar dstown Rd., 4517151, 9219 U.S. Hwy . 42, 228-8959. Helen Friedman has earned a loyal clientele since the 1970s with her elegant cakes, tempting pies and tortes and designer cookies. $

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GIGI’S CUPCAKES 1977 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 4994998. The first outpost of the T ennessee baker y chain in Kentucky, this little shop offers a changing selection of high-end cupcakes in designer flavors — Bailey’ s Irish cr eam, apple spice, coconut snowball, and so on. $ ✿ GREAT HAR VEST BREAD COMP ANY 1225 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy., 412-8573, 4214 Charlestown Rd., New Albany IN, 945-4422. $ ✿ HEITZMAN TRADITIONAL BAKERY & DELI 9426 Shelbyville Rd., 426-7736, 428 W. Market St., 5842437. The Heitzman family has been baking in the Louisville ar ea since your gr eat-aunt was a girl ordering dinner r olls. Made fr esh daily, the pies, cakes, cookies and specialty pastries pr ovide tasty nostalgia for all who visit. $ ✿

divine Danish, donuts, and gr eat cof fee fr om the nearby Sunergos micro-roastery — and if you’r e a sucker for over -the-top excess, tr y the caramel donut topped with — yes, it’s true, bacon. $ THE PIE P ANTRY 9208 Dixie Hwy ., 384-0743.

Lunch is served at this Southwest Louisville eatery but the main focus — and the str ongest reason to drive out that way — is the dozens of varieties of homemade pies. Por tions ar e lar ge and the selection extensive. $ f ✿ PLEHN’S BAKERY 3940 Shelbyville Rd., 896-4438. A neighborhood institution, this baker y is as busy as it is nostalgic. Enjoy the hometown soda fountain with ice cr eam while you wait for your handdecorated birthday cake, breakfast rolls or colorful cookies to be boxed. $ ✿

HOMEMADE ICE CREAM & PIE KITCHEN 2525 Bardstown Rd., 459-8184, 1041 Bar dstown Rd., 618-3380, 3737 Lexington Rd., 893-3303, 12613 Taylorsville Rd., 267-6280, 3598 Springhurst Blvd., 326-8990, 12531 Shelbyville Rd., 245-7031, 5606 Bardstown Rd., 239-3880, 1370 V eterans Pkwy ., Clarksville IN, 288-6000. $

SUGAR AND SPICE DONUT SHOP 5613 Bardstown Rd., 231-1411. This Fern Creek bakery has loads of loyal fans, who often buy out their favorite doughnuts by mid-morning. Cof fee to go too, of course, and even little half-pints of chocolate milk. $

HONEY CREME DONUT SHOP 514 Vincennes St., New Albany, IN, 945-2150. Of f the beaten track, this down-homey bakery in a plain white building offers a wide selection of doughnuts, fritters and Danish that keeps the shop’ s fans coming back again and again. $

THE SWEET TOOTH 3110 Frankfort Ave., 895-4554.

You’ll find an enticing collection of cakes, pies and other homemade goodies, plus excellent cof fee and a selection of loose-leaf teas, in this cozy little spot. $ ✿

SWEET STUFF BAKER Y 323 E. Spring St., New Albany IN, 948-2507. $ ✿

MY FAVORITE MUFFIN 9800 Shelbyville Rd., 4269645. All the muf fins are made right in the stor e, including such popular choices as the Cinnamon Crumb and the Turtle Muffin. $ NORD’S BAKERY 2118 S. Preston St., 634-0931. This old-school, family-owned baker y on the edge of Germantown has a devoted following, drawn by

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MAP INDEX

MAP INDEX

MAP # DIRECTION PAGE # 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

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DOWNTOWN > DOWNTOWN

MAP • 1

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NEAR EAST > HIGHLANDS/CRESCENT HILL

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EAST > ST. MATTHEWS

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EAST > HURSTBOURNE N./LYNDON

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MAP

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

8 > NORTH EAST > WESTPORT ROAD

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11 > SOUTH EAST > FERN CREEK

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SOUTH > AIRPORT/OKALONA

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SOUTH WEST > SHIVELY/PLEASURE RIDGE PARK

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INDIANA > NEW ALBANY/FLOYDS KNOBS

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15 > INDIANA > CLARKSVILLE

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Louisville’s favorite spot for Breakfast, Brunch & Lunch

‘‘Wild Eggs ... I Think I Love You.’’

DUTCHMAN’S LANE AND W E S T P O RT V I L L AG E crackinwildeggs.com