VOICE-TRIBUNE Review by Robin Garr (April 11, 2014)
Does the Buddha daydream? As the ancient story is told, more than 2,500 years ago when Siddharta Gautama experienced his awakening, his six years of meditation and study provided him with sudden vast insight into the meaning of life. Thus he became the Buddha, “The Awakened One,” and one...Read more
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LEOs Eats with Robin Garr (April 9, 2014)
Just weeks after smacking a home run with El Taco Luchador, their tiny taqueria-style eatery in the midst of the Baxter Avenue fun zone, the team of Fernando and Christina Martinez and Fernando’s cousin Yaniel Martinez have slammed another rocketing blast high over the left field bleachers with The...Read more
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INDUSTRY STANDARD by Marsha Lynch (April 2, 2014)
In a full-service restaurant, the front (service team) and back (cooking, prep, warewashing and janitorial team) of the house have to work together in concert. As two teams, we rise and fall together like a chamber orchestra, like a synchronized flight demo team. If everything’s going well, we look...Read more
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VOICE-TRIBUNE Review by Robin Garr (March 27, 2014)
Wow! I’ve got to tell you about the cozy little place where we ate on a trip out to Oldham County the other day. It was a small space, intimate but surprisingly comfortable as we sat surrounded by walls of glass that let in plenty of sunlight and the...Read more
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LEOs Eats with Robin Garr (March 19, 2014)
Quick! Where’s Morocco? Can you point to it on a map? Tell us something about its history! What do you know about its culture and cuisine? ?Stumped? Sorry! But if you’re not comfortable with these questions, don’t feel too bad. You’re hardly alone in the geographical illiteracy that researchers...Read more
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VOICE-TRIBUNE Review by Robin Garr (March 13, 2014)
“Oh, times, oh customs.” as the ancient Roman philosopher-politician Marcus Tullius Cicero said. (Well, okay, actually, Cicero said “O tempora O mores” in the original Latin, but that’s another story for another day.) Cicero’s ringing phrase tells us, simply, that as time passes, things change. Consider, for example, the...Read more
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LEOs Eats with Robin Garr (March 12, 2014)
I’ve been eager to get back to Alwatan ever since I heard that this lovable little Eastern Mediterranean eatery had outgrown the small space it shared with its sibling Palestinian bakery and moved into larger quarters next door. We wheeled in and grabbed the last parking spot. Suddenly, a...Read more
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LEOs Eats with Robin Garr (March 5, 2014)
What the Flock?! No, that’s not a question. It’s a title, the moniker artist Johnston Foster bestowed on the “site-specific installation” (you or I might call it a “sculpture show”) that, since 2012, has filled the overhead space in Proof on Main with a squadron of exploding seagulls. Let’s...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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VOICE-TRIBUNE Review by Robin Garr (February 27, 2014)
After nearly four years serving its gigantic New York-style pizza and other goodies to hungry hordes on the Baxter Avenue night-life strip, Papalino’s NY Pizzeria opened its second location in the somewhat less frenzied environs of the sprawling Springhurst center out in the East End. Moving into storefront quarters...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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LEOs Eats with Robin Garr (February 19, 2014)
“Hack-hack! Ker-CHOO! Cough! Snort!” Aw, kee-rap! Mary’s got a cold, and it sounds like a monster. This can’t be good. Not only do I wish no ill on my dear bride, but also let’s face it: When Momma’s not happy, ain’t nobody happy.What to do? What to do? 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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