All posts by LEOs Eats with Robin Garr

$ Budget (under $30), Commentary, Hikes Point, Pacific Rim, World Food

Indian home cooking at Little India Café

risotto cakes

I’d like to tell you about a cozy new place where dining is much like being invited into an Indian family’s home for dinner.

Pop bustles about while Junior sets the table and keeps up a stream of friendly chatter. Mom’s in the kitchen with a clatter of pans and spoons, and wonderful smells come wafting out. Plates bearing aromatic, home-cooked Indian goodies soon start appearing on the table, and the whole family smiles, awaiting your thumbs-up.

That’s pretty much the scene at Little India Café.
Continue reading Indian home cooking at Little India Café →

$$$ Upscale ( $50 - $80), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Commentary, Pacific Rim

Wasabiya serves creative sushi, but not without a few flaws

sushi roll

All right, who ordered all this raw fish? At the rate things are going, the city’s Bardstown-Baxter strip is going to have to change its nickname from restaurant row to something like … well, how does “The Boulevard of Bistros and Sushi Bars” sound?
Continue reading Wasabiya serves creative sushi, but not without a few flaws →

$ Budget (under $30), Bistros, Commentary, Downtown, NuLu and Butchertown

Warming up at Wiltshire on Market

Pork tenderloin at Wiltshire on Market

We found a parking place right in front of Wiltshire on Market on a freezing Thursday evening, negotiated rock-hard ridges of icy snow and made it to the front door still standing. As soon as we stepped inside, a welcoming warmth enveloped us and drove away the cold.

Soon the three of us were ensconced on a soft, tall banquette seat at an oddly shaped, not quite triangular table big enough for six or seven. We adjusted puffy pillows behind our backs and felt quite sybaritic indeed.
Continue reading Warming up at Wiltshire on Market →

$ Budget (under $30), Commentary, Downtown, NuLu and Butchertown, Frankfort Ave., Clifton, Crescent Hill, QuickBytes, World Food

Irish Rover’s hearty fare warms a winter night

smoked salmon and potato gratin

The leaves on our big, old magnolia tree were rattling eerily, and the skies were a dismal gray. The icy wind cut through my parka as if it were a throwback baseball shirt.

The first day of winter may not arrive until Monday morning, but it already feels a lot like winter around here, and last week I had a powerful lust for comfort food in a cozy setting. I posted queries on the LouisvilleHotBytes Forum and my Facebook page and found lots of friends with similar hankerings. These foodie buddies quickly racked up a score of good ideas.
Continue reading Irish Rover’s hearty fare warms a winter night →

$ Budget (under $30), Chinese, Commentary, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs

Save Jade Palace for dim sum

I’ve reviewed the dim sum many times over the years, returning most recently to examine the chicken feet and other “challenging” specialties for a review in the Jan. 7, 2009, LEO Weekly. It is also a regular stop on our brunch circuit when I’m not reviewing.

But what’s Jade Palace like in the evening, when the dim sum carts aren’t rolling?
Continue reading Save Jade Palace for dim sum →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Bistros, Commentary, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs

Selena’s brings comfort to Willow Lake

Selena's Combo

An old, popular East End country dive bar, closed for years, reopened about a year ago as Selena’s and has been drawing crowds ever since, owing its growing popularity to bountiful food, friendly service and a relaxing atmosphere. “A tradition since 1979,” read the black awning over the entrance to what used to be the Willow Lake Tavern when we visited soon after it opened last fall.
Continue reading Selena’s brings comfort to Willow Lake →

$ Budget (under $30), Commentary, Pacific Rim, South End

Café Thuy Van: Vietnamese off the beaten path

More than 30 years after the first wave of Vietnamese immigrants came to Louisville, these refugees and their children and grandchildren have moved into the mainstream of community life.

Much like our Latino, Bosnian, Senegalese and other immigrant neighbors, these refugees of war brought Louisville a gift that delights both our hearts and our tummies. Our Vietnamese community has made a significant contribution to the cityscape in the form of inviting Vietnamese restaurants and groceries. Continue reading Café Thuy Van: Vietnamese off the beaten path →

$ Budget (under $30), Commentary, Downtown, NuLu and Butchertown, New and noteworthy, Pacific Rim, QuickBytes, Southern Indiana

TanThai sets new standard in Thai food

Ginger chicken with green beans

Foodies, food lovers and food geeks who’ve been around town for a while will recall the happy shock that comes with the discovery of an ethnic spot that stands out from the pack: A new arrival with food preparation and style that hint at something special going on in the kitchen.

So it was with Vietnam Kitchen, almost a generation ago now, around the same time as the Mayan Gypsy truck went land-based with its first bricks-and-mortar location. More recently, we’ve seen it with Saffron’s for Iranian and Red Pepper for hardcore authentic Chinese.

In each case, the food, the mood and the service — but especially the food — signal that this place is, well, different.

Now welcome another ethnic standout, TanThai Cuisine of Thailand. Continue reading TanThai sets new standard in Thai food →