Category Archives: $$ Modest ($30-$50)

Haymarket lures us with farm-to-table BLT

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

Every now and then I’ll see an email or social-media ad that inspires immediate action. The new iPhone is available! Two-for-one sale on Häagen-Dazs! And, just the other day, “Tomato season has returned, and so has the beloved Haymarket BLT!”

Continue reading Haymarket lures us with farm-to-table BLT

Kiwami brings the ultimate ramen

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

Louisville seems to be having a ramen renaissance right now, and I am here for it.

Yes. we’ve had access to genuine ramen that didn’t come from a cheap supermarket packet for a while. Of course you can still get your ramen fix at full-service Japanese and other Asian restaurants. And we’re not even talking about all the tasty Vietnamese pho and Thai yum, which are delicious soups-as-a-meal too but entirely different.

But there’s no substitute for those memorable places where the chefs treat ramen as a calling, a spiritual experience that must be done properly and consumed with respect but quickly, before the broth cools.

Continue reading Kiwami brings the ultimate ramen

Clay Oven inspires an Indian food crave

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

I have this funny reaction to Indian food: The minute I start thinking about it, I want to go get some.

The only issue is where to go! Louisville is currently blessed with enough good Indian eateries that I’d be hard pressed to declare one of them the local G.O.A.T. It would be like trying to pick this year’s Derby winner without a photo!

But I’ll say this for sure: Clay Oven in Middletown is a strong contender for the prize.

Continue reading Clay Oven inspires an Indian food crave

Naive’s patio offers comfort on a chilly day

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

I really wanted to enjoy an al fresco lunch last Saturday. Conditions were perfect. Spring’s green had grown into a summery green canopy, and mild weather had finally shown up after a long, cool spring.

Then I heard an annoyed yell from the other room. Mary had just checked the weather forecast! Midday temperatures in the upper 50s, partly cloudy, with steady north winds and gusts to 24 mph?

Continue reading Naive’s patio offers comfort on a chilly day

Anoosh has left the building, but Noosh Nosh keeps up the pace

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

One of the many memorable immigrant stories in Louisville culinary history wrapped up last month when Chef Anoosh Shariat concluded a 30-year career in local kitchens, retiring from his namesake Anoosh Bistro. Over a year earlier, Shariat had trimmed his workload by selling his other popular East End eatery, Noosh Nosh.

New management at both establishments was quick to assure a wary public that no major changes would be forthcoming at either of the restaurants, which are situated just across a parking lot from each other at Brownsboro Center.

Continue reading Anoosh has left the building, but Noosh Nosh keeps up the pace

Looking for Mr. Goodpizza: The Post

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

I love pizza. You know that. I consider it one of nature’s most perfect foods, a balanced and nutritious blend of fat, protein, and mmm, mmm. carbs in a delicious meal on a plate that you can eat with your fingers or, if you must, knife and fork.

I’m so fond of this treat from Naples by way of New York City, widely modified across the United States and made indisputably our own, that I could review it every week if only my editors would let me.

But lately, it seems, I’ve been striking out on pizza just often enough to make me wonder if my tastes are changing or if pizza is.

Continue reading Looking for Mr. Goodpizza: The Post

Kathmandu Kitchen: A taste of Nepal

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

Kathmandu: Even the sound of the name of Nepal’s historic capital, gateway to the Himalayas, evokes feelings of romance and exotic travel. The bustling, noisy city of 850,000 lies in a green valley at 4,500 feet above sea level. It’s not even as high as Denver, but on a clear day you can see Mount Everest from historic Durbar Square in the old city, home to seven Unesco World Heritage sites.

Want to go? It will take you maybe 26 hours including layover time to get to Kathmandu from here. The price? Don’t even ask.

But here’s an easy workaround: Head to Kathmandu Kitchen on Old Bardstown Road in Buechel, and you can enjoy a fantastic Nepalese meal without all the hassle of international travel.

Continue reading Kathmandu Kitchen: A taste of Nepal

Four Pegs scores with smoky wings, ribs, and … jackfruit!?

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

It’s easy to run out of superlatives when we’re talking about the barbecue at Four Pegs in Germantown.

  • You’ve got those hefty, flavorful wings that come in a squadron of memorable flavors.
  • You’ve got those firm, flavorful, impeccably sauced baby back ribs.
  • And you’ve got that tender, mouth-watering pulled jackfruit

What?

Continue reading Four Pegs scores with smoky wings, ribs, and … jackfruit!?

Blue Dog’s new owner keeps on keeping on

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

It was a chilly, cloudy Saturday morning in January. The temperature was hovering around 37º. Even so, the sidewalk tables in front of Frankfort Avenue’s beloved Blue Dog Bakery & Café were filling up just the same, hungry travelers clad in parkas and mittens, eagerly awaiting a steaming coffee drink and pastry treat.

Inside Blue Dog’s warm, cozy space was jammed with more eager supplicants. Counter service would begin any moment, and they were ready.

“It’s always like this,” Blue Dog’s new owner Libbie Ackerman Loeser said with a smile.

Continue reading Blue Dog’s new owner keeps on keeping on

We love Sankalp Indian, once we found it

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

I try not to miss much when it comes to developments in local restaurants. It happened this month, though, when I finally got to Sankalp Louisville for what proved to be one of the best Indian meals ever.

Where has this place been all my life? Or to be more specific, why was I so clueless about this large, stylish Indian eatery that had announced its opening in an Instagram post almost exactly 18 months ago?

Continue reading We love Sankalp Indian, once we found it