$ Budget (under $20), Commentary, LEO's Eats, Mexican, Cuban, Caribbean, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs, Taquerias

Tacos surpass pizza as Taco City and Taco Choza arrive

Some time during recent months, pushed by the arrival of the excellent taquerias Taco City in the Highlands and Taco Choza in St. Matthews, the metro area quietly, without any publicity, achieved full taco.

What’s that, you ask? Simple. The numbers are a little vague, but by my best count, hungry Louisvillians now have at least 65 locally owned, independent places to buy tacos, surpassing the roughly 60-plus local pizzerias.

Given all the cranky jokes about this being a city with a pizzeria on every corner, this is no small achievement. Continue reading Tacos surpass pizza as Taco City and Taco Choza arrive →

$$ Modest ($20-$40), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Healthy fare, LEO's Eats, Vegetarian/Vegan

We feast without meat at V-Grits

Frankly, it’s not that hard to be a vegetarian cook. Armed with all the world’s fruits and vegetables and a bounty of dairy products, it’s easy to produce a vegetarian dish so rich and succulent that your diners won’t miss meat.

But the vegan chef – like Chef Kristina Addington and the black-clad geniuses who toil in her open kitchen at the new V-Grits – faces a far steeper challenge. Continue reading We feast without meat at V-Grits →

$$$$ Luxury ($60 and up), Bistros, Commentary, LEO's Eats, Northeast Metro, Outer East End

Meet the new Pine Room, something like the old Pine Room

Spring was in the air on the morning of March 10, 1977, when the Harrods Creek Volunteer Fire Department rolled out to an alarm at the old Pine Room restaurant on Upper River Road. A fire that began in the beloved restaurant’s kitchen quickly involved the rest of the building.

Before fire fighters could contain it, the building was gutted by fire, smoke and water. The restaurant, a local landmark since the 1940s, closed forever. In its heyday it had been a popular destination, known for its friendly saloon atmosphere, comfort food, and lounge pianist named Mable who kept a candle burning atop her grand piano.

Now, 40-some years later, the Pine Room is back, or something a lot like it, anyway. Continue reading Meet the new Pine Room, something like the old Pine Room →

$$ Modest ($20-$40), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, BBQ, Burgers, Steaks & Down-Home, Commentary, LEO's Eats, Pubs, Brew Pubs, GastroPubs

Free-range chicken adds value at The Eagle

The Eagle landed in Louisville two years ago this month, fourth shop in a Cincinnati-based mini-chain. I have to confess that I didn’t pay much attention at first. But then I found out that The Eagle isn’t just another Highlands bar. Its fried chicken is also a big thing. It’s not your industrially fried chicken, either. It is, according to the firm’s website, “cage free, free roaming, all natural chicken.”

This is a big deal to me. I’d much rather enjoy cage-free birds if I can. Continue reading Free-range chicken adds value at The Eagle →

$$ Modest ($20-$40), Healthy fare, Southern Indiana, Vegetarian/Vegan

We eat healthy fare and the hell with it at CoreLife Eatery

“I say it’s spinach, and I say the hell with it.” This iconic New Yorker cartoon established a simple truth that was as valid when it was published in 1928 as it remains in 2018: For most of us, food that is good for us doesn’t appeal to our taste buds.

“Hold my beer,” responds CoreLife Eatery, a two-year-old, small but growing national restaurant chain that just landed in the metro amid the sprawl of Clarksville’s Veterans Parkway two months ago. Continue reading We eat healthy fare and the hell with it at CoreLife Eatery →

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