Category Archives: Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands

$$ Modest ($30-$50), African, Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Black-owned, Commentary, World Food

Funmi’s delights with the flavors of Nigeria

Here’s something important to keep in mind about supporting Black-owned restaurants and other Black-owned businesses: We can’t do it just once. To make this right, we need to get into the habit of dining and shopping regularly at businesses owned by our Black, indigenous, and other brothers and sisters of color.

According to U.S. Census data, Louisville is about 70 percent white and moving toward one-quarter black, with smaller numbers of Hispanic, Asian, and other ethnicities. I might not commit to a rigid pattern of stopping at one Black-owned eatery for a certain number of reviews, but it must be done regularly, not one-and-done.

So, the quest for something different and delicious led me this week to Funmi’s Cafe. Hidden away in a nook cut into the back of Gardiner Lane Shopping Center, it’s Louisville’s only Nigerian restaurant. It’s known for friendly, welcoming service and a delicious introduction to African fare. Continue reading Funmi’s delights with the flavors of Nigeria →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Bistros, LEO's Eats, Pubs, Brew Pubs, GastroPubs

Agave & Rye brings a new generation of flavor

OK, Boomer, buh-bye. Yo, Millennial, come on in! That’s the sound of generational change on the north end of the Baxter Avenue strip, as the classy Bittner’s furniture and upscale fare of the defunct Ward 426 makes way for the bright street murals and fancy tacos of Agave & Rye.

Ward 426, a venture of former Jack Fry’s Chef Shawn Ward and the late Dean Corbett, held on for a good five-year run after supplanting the Brewery, a popular bar. But perhaps upscale fare and quiet class weren’t an ideal match for Baxter Avenue, while street art and what they call “chef-inspired” tacos fit right in. Continue reading Agave & Rye brings a new generation of flavor →

$$$ Upscale ( $50 - $80), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, LEO's Eats, Mexican, Cuban, Caribbean, New and noteworthy

Noche, the church of Mexican BBQ

The tall gray stone sanctuary of Calvary Lutheran Church was approaching its 90th anniversary when its congregation, aging and declining in numbers, regretfully decided to pack it in. “Emptying the building. Sad work,” the Rev. Austin Newberry wrote in February 2016 in the final post on Calvary’s Facebook page.

But now the lofty nave is filled with a new kind of spirit as Noche Mexican BBQ, opened early in August, settles in. Continue reading Noche, the church of Mexican BBQ →

$ Budget (under $30), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Buffet, LEO's Eats, Mediterranean, World Food

Al Hamra’s lavish buffet takes us to Jordan and more

Pulled chunks of Al Hamra’s whole roast lamb are surrounded by a stuffed grape leaf, okra, rice, hummus, yogurt-cucumber mix, and tomatoes, eggplant and lamb.
Pulled chunks of Al Hamra’s whole roast lamb are surrounded by a stuffed grape leaf, okra, rice, hummus, yogurt-cucumber mix, and tomatoes, eggplant and lamb.
Here’s something you won’t often hear me say: I love an all-you-can-eat buffet. Specifically, I love the buffet at Al Hamra Halal Mediterranean Buffet at Mid City Mall. Buffet, schmuffet: This is the only place I know of where you can fill up on Jordanian specialties and pull forkfuls of tender, juicy meat off a whole roast lamb. Continue reading Al Hamra’s lavish buffet takes us to Jordan and more →

$ Budget (under $30), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Commentary, Frankfort Ave., Clifton, Crescent Hill, Hurstbourne, Middletown, Jeffersontown, LEO's Eats, World Food

J. Gumbo’s feeds our Mardi Gras faces.

If you woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning, ready to get to work, you probably did not celebrate Mardi Gras in the traditional way last night. Lent starts today, and for those who observe the penitential season, there’ll be no more joyful excess until Easter arrives on April 21.

But we’ve got you covered! Even if you missed Mardi Gras, J. Gumbo’s is still good and affordable. Even after Fat Tuesday has come and gone, it stands ready to meet your Cajun dining needs. Continue reading J. Gumbo’s feeds our Mardi Gras faces. →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, BBQ, Burgers & Down-Home, Commentary, LEO's Eats, Vegetarian/Vegan

The Impossible Burger gets even more impossible

… and Morels has it.

Even if you’re not a vegetarian or vegan, the folks who make the Impossible Burger want to get their meat-free, gluten-free, hormone-free and ridiculously delicious burger into your mouth. No, they’re not pushy vegan evangelizers. They just want to save the earth by replacing resource-gobbling beef with eco-friendly plants. Continue reading The Impossible Burger gets even more impossible →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Germantown, LEO's Eats, Pacific Rim, World Food

Exquisite pho sets a high standard at Eatz Vietnamese

I was re-reading Anthony Bordain’s nook Medium Raw the other day, or I should say I was reading it, until I got to his loving, sensual passage on pho. Then I had to put down the book and go check out the state of the pho at the new Eatz Vietnamese. Continue reading Exquisite pho sets a high standard at Eatz Vietnamese →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, BBQ, Burgers & Down-Home, Commentary, Germantown, LEO's Eats

Martin’s lands in old Lynn’s with decent ‘cue, no ugly lamps

Five and one-half years and about 500 rumors later, the long-vacant space that long had housed Louisville’s Lynn’s Paradise Cafe is occupied again. Martin’s Bar-B-Que, a small Nashville-based barbecue chain, re-opened the Barrett Avenue A-frame in late August as its eighth property.

Lynn’s, which had enjoyed a 21-year run either beloved or mocked for its wacky decor and oversize Southern-style dishes, closed abruptly on a Friday night in January 2013. Continue reading Martin’s lands in old Lynn’s with decent ‘cue, no ugly lamps →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), 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 →