Category Archives: Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands

$$$ Upscale ( $50 - $80), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Italian (and Pizza), LEO's Eats, New and noteworthy

ROC rocks Italian food and drink

Some of Louisville’s favorite restaurants have their roots in other cities. Consider Selena’s, for instance, which came up from Tampa almost a decade ago. Or Jeff Ruby’s, which added Louisville to its thriving Cincinnati metro operation; or even Vincenzo’s, which can trace its roots to the Hill in St. Louis.

Now let’s put our hands together for ROC, an elegant eatery that owners Rocco and Stacy Cadolini pretty much loaded on a moving truck in Manhattan’s Tribeca and unpacked in Louisville’s Highlands last month. Continue reading ROC rocks Italian food and drink →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, LEO's Eats, Vegetarian/Vegan, World Food

Funmi’s favors us with Nigerian flavors

What do Americans know about Nigeria? Not much, to be frank, and sadly enough, a lot of what it isn’t good. Beyond Internet scammers with wacky schemes and Boko Haram terrorists, what do we know?

The most populous country in Africa, whose Yoruba culture goes back more than 1,000 years, and one of the world’s top producers of oil, Nigeria boasts coastal cities with glittering office towers and luxury living for the 1 percent. On the other hand, about 70 percent of Nigerians live in extreme poverty.

In other words, it sounds a little bit like Trump’s America! But let’s not go there today. Let’s focus instead on the warm and friendly people of a tropical nation with a hearty cuisine that’s well worth discovering. Continue reading Funmi’s favors us with Nigerian flavors →

$$$ Upscale ( $50 - $80), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Italian (and Pizza), LEO's Eats, New and noteworthy

When we say “Ciao” to Ciao, we mean hello and welcome

“Ciao!” Pronounce it “chow,” or something close to that, which makes it an ironically cheeky name for a friendly eatery. There’s ambiguity in this Italian greeting, though: Much like “Aloha” or “Shalom” or maybe even “Good Day,” you can use it to say hello, and you can also use it to say goodbye.

So let’s say “Ciao,” meaning “howdy,” to Ciao Ristorante, the warm and inviting establishment that has finally filled the long-vacant space where the beloved Baxter Station sadly said its “Ciao” as farewell in the summer of 2013. Continue reading When we say “Ciao” to Ciao, we mean hello and welcome →

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

We dine on the fat of the land, er, lamb, at Fat Lamb

When you think about a place named The Fat Lamb, if you think about it at all, you would probably imagine a temple of carnivorous delights.

And just as you would expect, Louisville’s new Fat Lamb offers some of Chef Dallas McGarity’s appealing takes on lamb, pig, cow, chicken, a bulging net full of seafood and fish. What’s more, there’s a similarly delicious cornucopia of healthy veggies. Continue reading We dine on the fat of the land, er, lamb, at Fat Lamb →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, LEO's Eats, Pacific Rim, Vegetarian/Vegan

Roots will make you eat your vegetables, and like them

Vegetarian and vegan lifestyles are on the rise, and this really shouldn’t surprise anyone. After all, the Baby Boom is growing older and more health-conscious, while a lot of Millennials are looking at a self-destructing world and worrying about a sustainable future for themselves and their children. Put these trends together, and it’s no wonder that more and more people are giving up meat.

This also may help explain why Louisville’s Roots and Heart & Soy restaurants have won a large and faithful audience since their opening in 2011. Continue reading Roots will make you eat your vegetables, and like them →

$$$ Upscale ( $50 - $80), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Mexican, Cuban, Caribbean

Go, go to Migo for creative, delicious tacos and more

Why, why, why did nobody tell me that I needed to go to Migo until now?

Look: This place, a partner in the triumvirate of Hammerheads, Game and now Migo, has been open since mid-October. In other words, I’ve been missing out on some of the best, most creative and delicious tacos and more in town for eight months! Continue reading Go, go to Migo for creative, delicious tacos and more →

$$$$ Luxury ($80 and up), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Frankfort Ave., Clifton, Crescent Hill, LEO's Eats, New and noteworthy, Steakhouse

We go full carnivore, almost, at Le Moo

For more than 60 years, tens of thousands of Louisville folks have made it their custom to stop off at KT‘s for an adult beverage — or several — and maybe a quick bite on their way home from work.

It opened as the Old Kentucky Tavern back in the 1950s, evolved into KT‘s in 1985, and lasted another 30 years. But everything eventually changes, so wave buh-bye to KT’s and say hello to Le Moo, marketing and PR guru Kevin Grangier’s spectacular new spot, now branded as a “mid-range steakhouse and more.” Continue reading We go full carnivore, almost, at Le Moo →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Italian (and Pizza), LEO's Eats, QuickBytes, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs, Vegetarian/Vegan

A Half Peach and a whole Slice

Some days I want to eat something healthy. Some days, not so much.

That’s why I’m glad that there is room in the world for places like North End Slice, where the bill of fare is all pizza, all the time; and places like Half Peach Bakery & Cafe, where there is nary a speck of meat or even any animal-based products like eggs or cheese on the premises. Continue reading A Half Peach and a whole Slice →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, LEO's Eats, Vegetarian/Vegan, World Food

We’re finally starting to “get” Ramsi’s

I’ve spent a long time trying to really “get” Ramsi’s. There’s a lot to like about this fun, funky, multi-ethnic eatery on Bardstown Road, not least of which is that it’s, well, fun, funky and multi-ethnic. Those are some of my favorite things. Continue reading We’re finally starting to “get” Ramsi’s →