Robin Garr's LOUISVILLE Restaurant Reviews

Autumn update: Recent summary reports

A few weeks spent traveling in Australia and New Zealand, judging an international wine competition and checking out great food and drink Down Under, has put me well behind schedule in updating LouisvilleHotBytes.com. Rather than keep you waiting for full-length reviews, we offer this batch of short-format reports on new, revised and revisited local spots. We'll catch up with full-length reviews - and more new ones - ASAP.

81	Captain's Quarters 5700 Captains Quarters Road Harrods Creek (502) 228-1651

Long one of the city's most attractive eateries for atmosphere, Captain's Quarters fell out of the top tier for a while; but I'm happy to report that it has bounced back under new management to offer both a delightful place to dine (indoors or alfresco) and credible bistro-style fare that won't disappoint.

78	Pigasus Chop Shop 2013 Longest Ave. (502) 479-8006

Now in its third metro-area location, Pigasus moved from tiny Southern Indiana quarters to an oversize New Albany hall that overwhelmed it a bit. Now it has moved to the Kentucky side, and in this little spot just off Bardstown (formerly La Peche Express) it offers decent (if not overly smoky) barbecue plus intriguing daily vegetarian specials with an Indian accent.

74	Smokey Bones BBQ 2525 Hurstbourne Gem Lane (502) 491-7570

A newish "concept" of the Orlando-based Darden chain that runs Olive Garden, Red Lobster and Bahama Breeze, this hot new Hurstbourne spot offers pretty good ribs, but the beef brisket was just OK while pulled pork and side dishes were lackluster at best. Noisy sports-bar environment emulates a Colorado ski lodge, but I'll stick to local barbecue eateries for the real thing.

85	Pepper Shakers Chili & Bar-b-q 4912 Preston Highway (502) 964-3011

Speaking of the real thing: Whoop! Here it is! This tiny spot near Standiford Field offers few amenities - it's strictly take-out or eat under a canvas tent, weather permitting - but a squadron of heavy black-iron smokers burn through cords of hickory to turn out some of the town's best barbecue at a price that's right.

82	Mambo Cuban 5309 Mitscher Ave. (502) 363-1160

The short, unhappy run of CoCo's Flamehouse after its first chef left in a huff might have given Louisvillians a poor impression of Cuban cuisine; but Mambo is set to turn that around with authentic island fare and very friendly service (plus live music many evenings) in this good-size, stylish South End room that formerly housed an Asian grocery.

77	Moe's Southwest Grill 2001 S. Hurstbourne Parkway (502) 491-1800

"Welcome to Moe's!" rings the merry shout of staff whenever anyone walks in the door, a chorus that's fun at first but quickly palls. The food, however, if not up to the kind of authentic Mexican that you'll find at local tacquerias or even La Bamba, is freshly made from quality ingredients and comes in oversize portions, and that's not a bad thing.

78	Qdoba Mexican Grill 1500 Bardstown Road (502) 434-3380

Already established in Louisville before the arrival of Moe's and clearly the concept upon which the latter is based, this chain operation boasts four local outlets plus more in Lexington and Frankfort. The chains are quite similar, but I give Qdoba a slight edge for wider variety and more interesting sauces, with extra credit for avoiding Moe's slapstick shtick.

77	Cutting Board Cafe 2905 Goose Creek Road (502) 423-9950

There's a lot of potential in this East End storefront, a small room that shares shopping-center space with a tire shop: Management's interest in food extends to having the cable FoodTV channel on the tube in a corner of its simple, spartan dining room. The bill of fare is mostly sandwiches, panini and wraps, but they're creative and generally well-made; points off, however, for such careless moves as offering pale-pink, underripe tomatoes and failing to provide bread or crackers with otherwise estimable soups.

82	Jarfi's Bistro 501 W. Main St. (502) 562-0735

Jeff Jarfi, whose departure from the Brown Hotel's English Grill knocked it out of the first rank of high-end downtown restaurants, has resurfaced as the eponymous host of the former Kentucky Cove, placing his name and signature style on the classy dining room in the Kentucky Center for the Arts. There's been little change in atmosphere and only evolutionary changes in the bill of fare, but Jarfi is making the right moves (including popular lunch and pre-theater buffet and somewhat more affordable prices) to draw crowds to a stylish if previously under-used venue.

80	Geli Cakes 1589 Bardstown Road (502) 456-2466

The specialty is billed as genuine Italian gelato and comes pretty close, although I find it a bit softer in texture than the real thing and lacking the authentic product's intense flavors. Still, it's a delight to have this new entry on Bardstown Road, even if early autumn does seem like an odd time for an ice-cream shop to go into business. (Note: Panini, Italian grilled sandwiches, are served too.)