Selena’s has become a popular local tradition during its four-plus years in the landmark Willow Lake Tavern building. I dropped in with friends for Sunday brunch, and while I didn’t have a review in mind, I can’t help but praise the Belgian waffle ($8), a filling treat, dusted with powdered sugar and topped with a ball of pecan butter, served with choice of cheesy hash-brown casserole or creamy grits. Add a few New Orleans-style beignets ($4) and strong coffee or a Bloody Mary ($4), and you’ve got a meal fit for a king of Mardi Gras. Continue reading No Waffling About Selena’s Belgian Model
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Papalino’s Settles in at Springhurst
After nearly four years serving its gigantic New York-style pizza and other goodies to hungry hordes on the Baxter Avenue night-life strip, Papalino’s NY Pizzeria opened its second location in the somewhat less frenzied environs of the sprawling Springhurst center out in the East End.
Continue reading Papalino’s Settles in at Springhurst
The Terrible Couple
A few days ago, a server friend of mine posted the following Facebook status: “I’m at a restaurant and I’m looking at this couple I’ve waited on somewhere. They were regulars wherever it was. They were rude, bitter, bad tippers and everyone would cringe when they walked in.”
Continue reading The Terrible Couple
NamNam’s chicken soup feeds the soul
“Hack-hack! Ker-CHOO! Cough! Snort!” Aw, kee-rap! Mary’s got a cold, and it sounds like a monster. This can’t be good. Not only do I wish no ill on my dear bride, but also let’s face it: When Momma’s not happy, ain’t nobody happy.
What to do? What to do? I know! Chicken noodle soup!
Continue reading NamNam’s chicken soup feeds the soul
Bluegrass Burgers: Virtuous, Local and Delicious
Mmm, who doesn’t love a hamburger? Hot, juicy, dripping with … um … greasy fat? Let’s get real: burgers appeal to something primal in most of us, but that seductive call can lead us down a path that goes directly to excess calories, unhealthy fat and … well, let’s not even talk about the hormones, the antibiotics, the e. coli or the stench of inhumane stewardship that surrounds industrial feedlot beef.
Why, the not-so-innocent burger’s unsavory reputation has reached the point that even multinational giant McDonald’s was recently caught warning its own employees against overdoing the chain’s trademark product. Continue reading Bluegrass Burgers: Virtuous, Local and Delicious
Can Riviera Maya exorcise a haunted venue?
This may seem a topic better suited for Halloween than the dead of icy winter coming up on Fat Tuesday, but hey, let’s talk about “haunted” restaurant locations. Local foodies quickly learn about these venues that seem to labor under a curse, housing one short-lived restaurant failure after another. Continue reading Can Riviera Maya exorcise a haunted venue?
We wrestle and win at El Taco Luchador
Okay, Taco Luchador, we get the “taco” part. But what the heck is a “luchador”?
Simple, señoras y señores! The luchador is a skilled artisan, a practitioner of lucha libre (“free fight”), the manly art of self-defense. In other words, luchadores are Mexican pro wrestlers. But trust me on this, lucha libre makes the overweight, steroid-pumped thespians of the WWE look like a bunch of slow-moving sissies. Continue reading We wrestle and win at El Taco Luchador
Exchange Pub + Kitchen, a Pillar of Its Community
How good is Exchange Pub + Kitchen? Why, it’s a Pillar of its community.
I mean that literally: This month the popular spot in New Albany’s buzzing downtown dining scene won one of the city’s Pillar Awards, which recognize contributors to downtown restoration and renovation. Exchange Pub won the Horizon Award, honoring co-owners Ian and Nikki Hall for their 2012 move from the Grant Line Road area into the historic 1875-era Shrader Stables building downtown, the New Albany Tribune reported.
Continue reading Exchange Pub + Kitchen, a Pillar of Its Community
Ginza glitters, but ultimately disappoints
As the signature upscale shopping district in Tokyo, Ginza is a landmark akin to Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles, Miraflores in Lima or Chicago’s purportedly magnificent Michigan Avenue. Which suggests that Ginza Asian Bistro, a newish suburban eatery in Louisville, has set itself to a mighty high standard with its choice of moniker.
When you first step through the door of this flashy spot on Shelbyville Road near Hurstbourne, with its pools of translucent blue, green and red lights marking out space on the ceilings and walls, lots of mirrors and an oversize lighted fish tank, you might feel a flash of high color and high tech that could make you think, “Ginza, yeah!” Continue reading Ginza glitters, but ultimately disappoints
Jet’s Takes Off With Detroit-Style Pizza
If there was ever any doubt that pizza has truly become an all-American treat, it was surely put to rest with Pizzagate this week, when New York City’s new mayor Bill de Blasio provoked screams of outrage when he attacked a gooey pie at a Gotham pizzeria with – the horror – a knife and fork. “Blasphemy! No one would ever do such a thing in Italy,” the angry hordes shrieked.
Actually, that’s not really true. Continue reading Jet’s Takes Off With Detroit-Style Pizza