Category Archives: Commentary

Robin Garr’s musings about food and restaurant matters that don’t fit neatly into the “review” category.

Commentary, Eats Tweet

Taste of Independents!

2019 Taste of Independents</strong> Sunday, July 14, 2019, 1-4 p.m.Join APRON Inc. on Sunday afternoon, July 14, for Taste of Independents, its annual Louisville tasting event. This is a wonderful way to spend a lazy summer Sunday afternoon; enjoying tastings from over 30 independent restaurants and vendors, bidding on a silent auction, and enjoying the smooth jazz of the Robbie Bartlett Duo.

All proceeds go to support APRON Inc, serving independent restaurant employees since 2011.

Tickets are $50 and may be acquired online at this link.

For more details, see the Taste of Independents Facebook page

2019 Taste of Independents
Sunday, July 14, 2019, 1-4 p.m.
The Olmsted at The Masonic Home, 3701 Frankfort Ave.

The mission of APRON Inc is to provide temporary, limited financial relief to professional food and beverage industry workers in the Louisville, KY metro area who work at locally owned establishments and who are experiencing financial distress due to illness, injury or other issues. Go to the APRON Inc Facebook Page.

$$$$ Luxury ($60 and up), BBQ, Burgers, Steaks & Down-Home, Commentary, LEO's Eats, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs

So long, Artesano. Welcome Steak & Bourbon!

I’m not going to lie about this: I miss Artesano. It was a favorite. This does not mean that I don’t like Steak & Bourbon, its recent successor under the same management. But steakhouses are a dime a dozen around here. Serious Spanish tapas eateries are thin on the ground, so the loss of a favorite is a significant hit.

All my whining won’t bring Artesano back, I know, so let’s move on. We dropped in to Steak & Bourbon with a group of friends the other night and had a fine time. Continue reading So long, Artesano. Welcome Steak & Bourbon! →

$$$ Upscale ( $40 - $60), Chinese, Commentary, Frankfort Ave., Clifton, Crescent Hill, LEO's Eats, Pacific Rim & Other Asian

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 →

$$ Modest ($20-$40), Commentary, Ethnic & Eclectic, LEO's Eats, Pacific Rim & Other Asian, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs

Simply Thai comforts us with flavor and spice

When you need comfort food, nothing else will do. When you’re feeling down, pulling up to a plate full of comfort may be the best thing you can do for yourself. So it was for me last week when I had to say good-bye to my beloved cat Spike, a ginger-color furball buddy who’d been my special friend and constant companion for more than 17 years. It was either ugly-cry or fill up on comfort food, so I decided to do both.

But here’s the funny thing: When I needed comfort food, I realized that comfort for me does not come from the nurturing culinary memories of a Louisville childhood. No, my culinary comfort needs are filled with the bright, potent flavors of Southern and Southeastern Asia. Make mine Indian, Vietnamese, Indonesian or Thai, and I can feel the tension and sadness quietly draining away.

I hadn’t been to Simply Thai in St. Matthews for quite a while, so it felt like the perfect destination for a bittersweet yet consoling dinner in memory of Spike. Continue reading Simply Thai comforts us with flavor and spice →