LouisvilleHotBytes (February 28, 2014)
When local-produce distributor Grasshoppers closed its Portland-based operation in December, the organization’s small-farm operators were left in debt. To lend a hand, organizers plan a “Grasshoppers After Party,” with music, hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar, on Monday, March 17, from 5-8 p.m. at Harvest Restaurant, 624 E. Market...Read more
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VOICE-TRIBUNE Review by Robin Garr (February 27, 2014)
Selena’s has become a popular local tradition during its four-plus years in the landmark Willow Lake Tavern building. I dropped in with friends for Sunday brunch, and while I didn’t have a review in mind, I can’t help but praise the Belgian waffle ($8), a filling treat, dusted with...Read more
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INDUSTRY STANDARD by Marsha Lynch (February 26, 2014)
A few days ago, a server friend of mine posted the following Facebook status: “I’m at a restaurant and I’m looking at this couple I’ve waited on somewhere. They were regulars wherever it was. They were rude, bitter, bad tippers and everyone would cringe when they walked in.” I...Read more
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VOICE-TRIBUNE Review by Robin Garr (February 13, 2014)
Mmm, who doesn’t love a hamburger? Hot, juicy, dripping with … um … greasy fat? Let’s get real: burgers appeal to something primal in most of us, but that seductive call can lead us down a path that goes directly to excess calories, unhealthy fat and … well, let’s...Read more
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INDUSTRY STANDARD by Marsha Lynch (February 13, 2014)
Is it OK to bring an infant to a high-end fine dining restaurant? My short answer is no, but I have a column word-count allowance to blow, so allow me to elaborate. A couple of weeks ago, some new-ish parents brought their 8-month-old along when dining at Alinea, Chef...Read more
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LEOs Eats with Robin Garr (February 12, 2014)
This may seem a topic better suited for Halloween than the dead of icy winter coming up on Fat Tuesday, but hey, let’s talk about “haunted” restaurant locations. Local foodies quickly learn about these venues that seem to labor under a curse, housing one short-lived restaurant failure after another....Read more
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LEOs Eats with Robin Garr (February 5, 2014)
Okay, Taco Luchador, we get the “taco” part. But what the heck is a “luchador”? Simple, señoras y señores! The luchador is a skilled artisan, a practitioner of lucha libre (“free fight”), the manly art of self-defense. In other words, luchadores are Mexican pro wrestlers. But trust me on...Read more
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VOICE-TRIBUNE Review by Robin Garr (January 30, 2014)
How good is Exchange Pub + Kitchen? Why, it’s a Pillar of its community. I mean that literally: This month the popular spot in New Albany’s buzzing downtown dining scene won one of the city’s Pillar Awards, which recognize contributors to downtown restoration and renovation. Exchange Pub won the...Read more
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LEOs Eats with Robin Garr (January 22, 2014)
As the signature upscale shopping district in Tokyo, Ginza is a landmark akin to Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles, Miraflores in Lima or Chicago’s purportedly magnificent Michigan Avenue. Which suggests that Ginza Asian Bistro, a newish suburban eatery in Louisville, has set itself to a mighty high standard with...Read more
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VOICE-TRIBUNE Review by Robin Garr (January 16, 2014)
If there was ever any doubt that pizza has truly become an all-American treat, it was surely put to rest with Pizzagate this week, when New York City’s new mayor Bill de Blasio provoked screams of outrage when he attacked a gooey pie at a Gotham pizzeria with –...Read more
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LEOs Eats with Robin Garr (January 15, 2014)
All right, boys and girls, it’s time for our French lesson! First, let’s review: “Bonjour” … “Merci!” … “S’il vous plaît” … “Je voudrais un verre de vin rouge.” Very good! Now, let’s learn two important food words. Repeat after me: “Cassoulet.” Draw it out, warm and rich, just...Read more
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LEOs Eats with Robin Garr (January 8, 2014)
Today, let us consider the incredible egg: a gift of nature that’s supremely edible when we handle it right, but when it’s raw or overcooked, not so much. You see, eggs coagulate, a process the American Egg Board explains as “the denaturation of protein, which is when proteins lose...Read more
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VOICE-TRIBUNE Review by Robin Garr (January 2, 2014)
Ho hum, it’s New Year’s Day, or mighty close to it, anyway. Shall we do another boring end-of-the-year wrap-up on the Louisville eats beat? Hmm. NuLu, NuLu, Nulu, small plates, locavore, snout-to-tail, Food Network, tapas, noisy, trendy, comfort food. Naah. Been there, done that, over and over again. Let’s...Read more
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INDUSTRY STANDARD by Marsha Lynch (December 24, 2013)
January: In an attempt to choose a catchy title for my column about the closing of Lynn’s, I found that each of the fantastic puns I came up with had already been used elsewhere. Note to self: Don’t ever try to fit the word “cornbread” into a Lady Gaga...Read more
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LEOs Eats with Robin Garr (December 18, 2013)
Ponder this: An Indian cooking technique based on clay pot principles as old as civilization can generate temperatures up to a roaring 900 degrees F. That’s hot enough to put even your neighborhood pizza oven to shame, and it’s even hotter than your home oven gets when it’s self-cleaning...Read more
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LEOs Eats with Robin Garr (December 11, 2013)
My friend Tom has been in Louisville for a few months now, and he knows his way around pretty well. But he got a little confused when we got together for lunch the other day at Cheddar Box Too. Tom said his GPS wasn’t offering much help, but when...Read more
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VOICE-TRIBUNE Review by Robin Garr (December 5, 2013)
’Tis the season … no, I’m not talking about that season. ’Tis the season for spectacular over-eating, indulging ourselves a the delicious risk of life and health because, well, that’s what we do at holiday time. If you’re ready for a break, though, or plan to be later, allow...Read more
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LEOs Eats with Robin Garr (December 4, 2013)
Ah, Germantown, that lovable little urban neighborhood. Who can drive, stroll or bike through its tidy streets of shotgun houses and sturdy brick storefronts without feeling connected with our city’s German heritage? Don’t look too closely, though. Back in the day – way back in the day, the 1840s...Read more
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INDUSTRY STANDARD by Marsha Lynch (November 27, 2013)
Waiting for a table: How long is too long? A recent spirited discussion on the LouisvilleHotBytes.com forum prompted me to think deeply about how long it’s appropriate to wait for a table in Louisville, and what circumstances might change the answer to that question. The short answer for most...Read more
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LEOs Eats with Robin Garr (November 20, 2013)
It is being reported that economic recovery is back, at least for the 1 percent, who get to eat $100 dinners at pricey new spots like Brasserie Provence, or nosh from the upscale end of the dinner menu at El Camino. For the 99 percent, though – the rest...Read more
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VOICE-TRIBUNE Review by Robin Garr (November 14, 2013)
When a kid, I looked forward to road trips as an occasion for fried pie, a rare culinary treat that seemed to exist only in those exotic places where people lived among cornfields and tobacco patches and spoke in a slow drawl. Fried pie! We never had anything like...Read more
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LEOs Eats with Robin Garr (November 13, 2013)
My pal the Bar Belle is also the boss of me when it comes to this column, but that sure doesn’t stop me from calling Bullwinkle when I just have to. So, yo, Bar Belle! You’ve got it all wrong when you go hatin’ on El Camino! How did...Read more
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LEOs Eats with Robin Garr (November 6, 2013)
Good eats make good neighbors in ‘restaurant clusters’ Birds of a feather flock together, it is said. And now it appears that maybe restaurants do, too. For many generations, after all, the dining scene that our parents and grandparents knew required a trip downtown for that special dining-out occasion....Read more
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VOICE-TRIBUNE Review by Robin Garr (October 31, 2013)
Ahh, it finally feels like autumn, and I’m thinking of comfort food. This nostalgic meme rarely attaches itself to the light, low-calorie and cooling dishes of summer. “Comfort” means stews and hearty soups, spaghetti and meatballs or maybe a thick pan of lasagna – the kinds of warming, stick-to-your-ribs...Read more
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INDUSTRY STANDARD by Marsha Lynch (October 30, 2013)
Foodies are constantly on the prowl for inspiration, often from the Internet. I have a friend whose disorganized “food bookmarks” folder on her computer is at least a thousand entries long. To qualify for inclusion in the folder, a recipe needs little more than a stunning photograph attached, or...Read more
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VOICE-TRIBUNE Review by Robin Garr (October 24, 2013)
Okay, let’s run the numbers here. Vietnam Kitchen has been open for about 20.5 years, six days a week. That’s roughly 6,500 days of serving the public since Alex and Kim Lam brought this lovable institution to town in 1993. Thinking out loud, that means that if every day...Read more
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LEOs Eats with Robin Garr (October 23, 2013)
“Je vais avoir le canard,” said my friend Anne, summoning a French teacher and one-time expat’s easy fluency. Our server looked puzzled, though. “Maybe you could point it out on the menu,” he said, blushing a little. “I’m still learning the dishes.” I’m not picking on the guy, though....Read more
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LEOs Eats with Robin Garr (October 16, 2013)
Somewhere out there in this wonderfully diverse world, there is bound to be at least one human who truly loves, loves, loves brussels sprouts. I have not yet met this person. Let’s face it, a brussels sprout is nothing but a tiny cabbage, with all of the faults that...Read more
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LEOs Eats with Robin Garr (October 9, 2013)
I’d like to sing the praises of Shady Lane Café, but I expect that café owner Susi Smith, an outstanding professional singer, could warble it far better than I; and her husband and co-owner Bill Smith, who’s not only a mean hand on the short-order grill but also a...Read more
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