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dominate Louisville’s Tex-Mex niche with colossal margaritas, gigantic burritos and spicy chili con queso. But what started as a sideline, mesquite grilled steaks, chops, and chicken, has become the main draw. These days, diners are more likely to dig into a perfectly grilled steak and baked potato as into a burrito. With its new Southwest focus, large and varied menu and added wine list, “The Weed” still has diners returning in droves. $$ p
MIDDLE EASTERN BABYLON 1971 Brownsboro Rd., 899-9100. With excellent if simple authentic Iraqi fare at rockbottom prices and an attitude that says “Welcome, we’re glad you’re here!” — plus belly dancing on weekends — Babylon offers a powerful reason to head straight for the East End and a meal at this charming little place. $ f CASPIAN GRILLE 4218 Bishop Ln., 479-6222. Louisville boasts three Persian (Iranian) restaurants, a surprising number for a city our size. Caspian Grille is a worthy entry, with a good variety of affordable dishes that comprise a tasty sampling of Persian delicacies, including a variety of skewered kabob dishes and the rich Persian stew called Khoresht. $ f GRAPE LEAF 2217 Frankfort Ave., 897-1774. Yet another Middle Eastern eatery, yet another good inexpensive source of food on Frankfort Avenue. $ f OMAR’S GYRO 969 Baxter Ave., 454-4888. No matter whether you pronounce it “Ghee-ro” or “Gyro,” you won’t be disappointed with the classic Greek sandwich served at Omar’s Gyro, a tiny Highlands shop with a simple, short and inexpensive bill of fare that seldom fails to please. $ f SAFFRON’S 131 W. Market St., 584-7800. Majid Ghavami, a veteran of Casa Grisanti and Vincenzo’s, has elevated this Persian (Iranian) restaurant far beyond a mere ethnic eatery. It transcends its location, a small urban-renewal building, with stylish decor, an intriguingly exotic menu, and a level of careful, professional service worthy of a white-tablecloth dining room. $$$ p
ENTERTAINMENT DINING BUFFALO CROSSING 1140 Bagdad Rd., Shelbyville, KY, (502) 647-0377. If you’d like to combine a day trip with a culinary adventure, consider a drive to Buffalo Crossing in Shelby County. This agricultural amusement park features a 500-head buffalo herd and an oversize dining room where you can give this healthy red meat a try. The food here is country-style and so are the friendly servers. $$ f DERBY DINNER PLAYHOUSE 525 Marriott Dr., Clarksville, IN, 288-8281. The play’s the thing at Derby Dinner Playhouse, Louisville’s long-running entry in the dinner-theater sweepstakes ... but the expansive buffet dinner adds value to the mix. $$$$ e JOE HUBER FAMILY FARM & RESTAURANT 2421 Scottsville Rd., Starlight IN, 923-5255. A pleasant 20-minute drive from downtown Louisville, Huber’s has built a solid reputation for simple farm fare that’s well-made, fresh and good. Some of the produce is grown on the premises in season. $$ p f e MY OLD KENTUCKY DINNER TRAIN 602 N. Third St., Bardstown, KY, (502) 348-7300. Talk about a nostalgia trip: My Old Kentucky Dinner Train offers a four-course meal during a two-hour voyage along scenic Kentucky railroad tracks near Bardstown in vintage 1940s-era dining cars. Reservations are strongly recommended. All aboard! $$$$ p
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STAR OF LOUISVILLE 151 W. Riverside Rd., Jeffersonville, IN, 589-7827. The Ohio River cruise is the best thing about this Love Boat-style yacht that makes nightly all-you-can-eat cruises up the river. $$$$ p f e
MICROBREWERIES BLUEGRASS BREWING COMPANY 3929 Shelbyville Rd., 899-7070, 636 E. Main St., 584-2739. A muststop destination for beer lovers on the national artisanal-brew trail, but it’s more than just a brewpub. BBC’s management gives equally serious attention to both liquid and solid fare, making this a great place to stop in for both dinner and a beer. $ p f e BROWNING’S BREWERY 401 E. Main St., (Slugger Field), 515-0174. Making beautiful use of the historic red-brick building that houses Slugger Field, Browning’s offers first-rate brewpub beers and tasty, informal fare that ranges from pub grub to pastas, to pizza. $$ p f e CUMBERLAND BREWS 1576 Bardstown Rd., 4588727. Giving new meaning to the term “microbrewery,” Cumberland Brews may be one of the smallest eateries in town. It’s usually packed, earning its crowds the old-fashioned way by providing very good food, friendly service, and high-quality hand-crafted artisan beers. $ f e RICH O’S PUBLIC HOUSE 3312 Plaza Dr., New Albany IN, 949-2804. Decent barbecue and pub grub make Rich O’s a popular hangout, and his remarkable beer list of more than 100 selections from around the world—and now locally brewed craft beers—attracts beer lovers from all over. $ e
COFFEE HOUSE ATOMIC SAUCER 1000 E. Oak St., 637-5399. $ BEAN STREET CAFÉ 2736 Charlestown Rd., New Albany, IN, 944-6262. New Albany’s first gourmet coffee shop, Bean Street, introduced the Sunny Side to the joys of serious espresso. Like all good coffee shops, it’s not just an eatery, but a cultural hangout with an IUS flavor. $ f CAFFE CLASSICO 2144 Frankfort Ave., 894-9689. Not just another funky neighborhood coffee shop, Caffe Classico is sleek, modern and very European in style. Outstanding espresso drinks, teas and pastries are bolstered with a short lunch menu including fine panini, and it differs dramatically in mood and personality from many of its competitors. $ f CLEO’S COFFEE AND MORE Caesars Indiana Casino, Elizabeth, IN, 888-766-2648. Open 24 hours a day, the coffeeshop at Caesars serves hot and fresh java, breakfast orders, cutting board sandwiches, pastries and a hamburger as big and smile-provoking as a slot-machine payoff. $ COFFEE BEANERY 7900 Shelbyville Rd., (Oxmoor Center), 339-0738. $ COFFEE POT CAFÉ 234 E. Gray St. (Medical Tower South), 584-5282 $ f DAY’S ESPRESSO AND COFFEE BAR 1420 Bardstown Rd., 456-1170, 720 W. Main St., 5844932. Dark and cozy, with an old-fashioned feeling, Day’s Bardstown branch has everything you would expect in a college-neighborhood coffee shop except a college near by. $ f EXPRESSIONS OF YOU 1800A W. Muhammad Ali, 584-6886. $ f e HEINE BROTHERS COFFEE 2714 Frankfort Ave., 899-5551, 1295 Longest Ave., 456-5108, 2200 Bardstown Rd., 515-0380, 118 Chenoweth Ln., 893-5103. Spartan, friendly and affordable, with