Category Archives: Frankfort Ave., Clifton, Crescent Hill

Soft shell crab tacos lure us to Red Hog

It all started, as things so often do, on social media. I was browsing Instagram, tapping through a lot of the local restaurants that I follow, when a simple white-on-black text image caught my eye.

Taco Tuesday,” read the post from Red Hog Artisan Butcher. And then the clincher: “Fried Soft Shell Crab Tacos!Continue reading Soft shell crab tacos lure us to Red Hog

Fork & Barrel’s brunch soothes and satisfies

There is something indulgent about brunch that we don’t often experience at even a lavish dinner. It’s not necessarily a matter of gluttony: I’d rather choose from a selection of chef-created morning and midday dishes rather than dive into a gigantic buffet spread under plastic hoods known as sneeze guards. Ick.

No, the joy of brunch has something to do with comfort food – breakfast for lunch – elevated by culinary touches that we aren’t likely to replicate at home. Continue reading Fork & Barrel’s brunch soothes and satisfies

Chef changes keep Mesh on tasty track

As smoothly as a runner receiving the baton in a fast relay, new hands have taken charge of the kitchen at Mesh restaurant without missing a step. If you’re looking for casual modern elegance for holiday-season dining, Mesh should definitely be on your list. Continue reading Chef changes keep Mesh on tasty track

Cozy comfort and creative cookery at Hearth on Mellwood

The bright mustard-yellow exterior paint job that made Bistro 1860 (2013-2018) stand out is gone, replaced by tasteful off-white with light sage-green trim. The huge 54-unit Cruvinet wine dispensing machine that made L & N Wine Bar (2004-2012) special is gone, too, a victim of disuse.

But the latest occupant in the historic 19th century brick farmhouse at the corner of Brownsboro Road and Mellwood Avenue, Hearth on Mellwood Eatery (2019- ), is looking good. Continue reading Cozy comfort and creative cookery at Hearth on Mellwood

Lola’s Kitchen, Filipino food for a “Happy lunchtime”

If language reflects culture, then it’s fair to assume that the people of the Philippines love to eat. Tagalog, the Filipino national language, is the only language I know with a special greeting, tucked between “good morning” and “good afternoon,” to wish people a good lunchtime.

So let’s say “Magandang tanghali po” to Lola’s Kitchen, serving Filipino fare in the Clifton quarters long occupied by Zen Garden. Continue reading Lola’s Kitchen, Filipino food for a “Happy lunchtime”

Palatucci’s offers Italian flair with a Bronx accent

A little piece of the Bronx has broken off and come to Louisville, and we couldn’t be happier. Especially since the chunk of Jonas Bronck’s old dairy farm that landed here reminds us of Arthur Avenue, the Bronx’ memorable slice of Little Italy.

So say hello to Palatucci’s Italian-American Ristorante, opened last month in the quarters previously occupied by Gary’s on Spring. Chef Richard Britney, who owns the place with his wife, Tamara, traces his roots, and his love of Italian food, to a grandmother who lived in the Bronx. Continue reading Palatucci’s offers Italian flair with a Bronx accent

Burger Girl fills our diner needs whenever we’re up

I got the jingle “two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun” stuck in my head the other day, and there was no way to stave off the crave. So I blasted off to get one. No, not Mickey D’s. Better. The double bison burger at the new Burger Girl Diner takes two all-beef patties to a whole new level. Continue reading Burger Girl fills our diner needs whenever we’re up

Shine on, August Moon

“Nobody goes there any more. It’s too crowded.” Yogi Berra purportedly said that, making the aphorism famous even if he didn’t say it first. Now I want to take an unlikely shot at similar fame with this Yogi-style observation: “I go to August Moon so often that I haven’t been there lately.” Continue reading Shine on, August Moon

We are Hooked on Frankfort

For many decades before the first pizza came to Louisville in the 1950s or the first real taquerias arrived in the 1990s, this town has had a love affair with seafood and fish.

It wasn’t long after the Civil War when Mazzoni’s started shipping fresh oysters up from the Gulf in railroad cars filled with ice; fried fish couldn’t have taken much longer in a city with a large Catholic population expected to consume fish on Fridays. Mike Linnig and his family were selling fish sandwiches out of their produce stand on Cane Run Road as early as the late 1920s; the first Kingfish restaurant greeted the dawn of the Baby Boom in 1948.

Nowadays there’s a source of fried fish just about everywhere you look, and the latest entry is a good one, too: Please say hello to Hooked on Frankfort. Continue reading We are Hooked on Frankfort

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.