TheFatLamb LLaamb
profile | the fat lamb
I prepared just one question for Chef Dallas
McGarity: Do you need to have lamb on the menu at a restaurant called the Fat Lamb?
“I don’t know,” he laughed, “but I’ve told peo-
ple the lamb got fat by eating veggies.” Spoiler alert: yes. Chef McGarity serves lamb at his Fat Lamb Modern Kitchen and Bar as well as vegetables and many other dishes derived from his respect for “heritage” and “comfort” food. “It’s food that speaks to people when they sit down to eat,” McGarity explained as we chatted at Fat Lamb’s bar. “It brings back memories and evokes a feeling of home.”
BY ROGER BAYLOR PHOTOS BY DAN DRY
McGarity’s intriguing and constant challenge is to harness globallyinspired creativity, reformatting his menu while simultaneously keeping it much the same – perhaps comforting regular diners with familiar meat or fish while altering their accompaniment. “You’ve got to change the food around,” he said. “I’ll keep the same proteins and incorporate different sauces, starches and sides to go with them, based on seasonality. People remember the main part of the dish, but the rest of it gets changed enough to be a new dish.” Culinary expertise and people skills have been a winning combination for the bearded, jovial McGarity, who is an affable and engaged conversationalist in a gratifyingly pre-internet sort of way. The man knows his food, and he understands human beings, too. Fat Lamb is McGarity’s first solo venture and follows 12 years of local kitchen experience
26 Fall 2018 www.foodanddine.com
Chef/Owner Dallas McGarity (left) and Chef de Cuisine Brad Menear.
The Fat Lamb
2011 Grinstead Dr. 502.409.7499
www.fatlamblouisville.com