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

$$ Modest ($30-$50), A RESTAURANT LISTING..., Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Frankfort Ave., Clifton, Crescent Hill, Pubs, Brew Pubs, GastroPubs

Antidote to winter cold? Make mine Irish.

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

“My cap is frozen to my head
My heart is like a lump of lead
My shoes are frozen to my feet
With standing at your window.”

It’s been that kind of winter, all right. The traditional Irish ballad “Cold Blow and the Rainy Night” captures well the feeling of snow and ice and bone-chilling temperatures that freeze our caps to our heads and our shoes to our feet. 

We’re finally enjoying a little break this week. But no one believes winter is over, or that we’ll even be out of the chill by St. Patrick’s Day on March 17. So when I’m looking for a warm, cozy place to grab a meal or a comforting drink, there’s a good chance I’ll find my way to one of Louisville’s favorite authentic Irish restaurants: Molly Malone’s in the Highlands or The Irish Rover in Clifton.

Whether you’re in the mood for a filling Irish repast, a warming glass of Irish whiskey, or a restorative pint of dark, bittersweet, well-drawn Guinness, you can’t go wrong at either of these establishments. Each, however, brings a distinctly different mood to the table.

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$$ Modest ($30-$50), A RESTAURANT LISTING..., Hurstbourne, Middletown, Jeffersontown, Mexican, Cuban, Caribbean, Outer East End

Friend’s Fusion offers fine Peruvian fare with a smile

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

Not that many years ago, we didn’t have many Hispanic neighbors around Louisville, and the puny quality of our Mexican restaurant scene reflected that deficit. But times have surely changed! 

Continue reading Friend’s Fusion offers fine Peruvian fare with a smile →
$$ Modest ($30-$50), A RESTAURANT LISTING..., Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Hurstbourne, Middletown, Jeffersontown, Indian, World Food

Bellissimo brings Afghan pride to the table

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

Just about every successful restaurateur worked hard to achieve that dream, but for some of our immigrant neighbors, that’s only half of the story.

Consider, if you will, an Iranian-born chef who learned Italian cooking at Vincenzo’s, then with his Afghanistan-migrant wife bounced from the upscale Italian eatery to a popular Italian food truck and restaurant that has now expanded into Louisville’s first Afghan eatery: Bellissimo.

Continue reading Bellissimo brings Afghan pride to the table →
$$ Modest ($30-$50), A RESTAURANT LISTING..., Hurstbourne, Middletown, Jeffersontown, Outer East End, Pacific Rim, Thai

Don’t miss the boat (noodles) at Amazing Thai

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

Hey, everyone! I’ve got to tell you about this really good new Thai place. Open only since early in August, Amazing Thai is living up to its name with fare that’s earning rave reviews from happy diners.

But wait, you say: Didn’t you just review a new Thai eatery last time? Well, yeah! Take Thai on Factory Lane deserved some props too.  

But I’ll tell you now what I told you then: Thai cuisine is really good. I’ll dig into a plate full of that any chance I get, and if a third new one opens before the next issue, I’ll probably go there too.

Continue reading Don’t miss the boat (noodles) at Amazing Thai →
$$ Modest ($30-$50), A RESTAURANT LISTING..., Outer East End, Pacific Rim, Thai

Take Thai’s fine fare lands in the East End

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

I love food from around the world, and I intend to try as much it as I can, within reason. With a possible exception for aged, fermented Greenlandic shark. But ask me to name a favorite, and I’d be hard-pressed to single out just one.

That being said, Thai cuisine clicks off quite a few boxes for me. It’s colorful, aromatic, full of flavors that sing together in at least four-part harmony. Specifically, I’m thinking about the four flavors that Thai cooks seek to hold in balance in every dish: salty, sweet, sour and spicy. 

Continue reading Take Thai’s fine fare lands in the East End →
$$ Modest ($30-$50), A RESTAURANT LISTING..., African, Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Ethiopian, Hikes Point

Have it your way at Queen of Sheba

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

There’s a lot to love about the spicy, aromatic wonders of Ethiopian food, and I’ll tell you right now that I love it. But Ethiopian cuisine makes some folks nervous.

Why is that? Here’s why: Walk in to an excellent Ethiopian restaurant like Louisville’s Queen of Sheba without a prior introduction to this ancient East African cuisine, and you’ll see surprising things.

Continue reading Have it your way at Queen of Sheba →
$$ Modest ($30-$50), A RESTAURANT LISTING..., Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Breakfast and lunch spots, sandwich spots

Good Belly brings us good deli, and we’re glad

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

Food-loving Louisville folks often complain that our city just can’t get a genuine, New York Jewish deli like Shapiro’s in Indianapolis, or for that matter like Katz’s or Sarge’s or the late, touristy Carnegie Deli in actual New York.

I have never quite gotten this. We have excellent Louisville-style delis here where you can get a pastrami or corned beef on rye that gives New York a run for its money. 

But nope, that doesn’t seem to satisfy the deli-hungry crowd. “That’s not autheeeennnntic, they cry. 

Continue reading Good Belly brings us good deli, and we’re glad →
$$ Modest ($30-$50), A RESTAURANT LISTING..., Pacific Rim, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs

It’s hard to go wrong at Namnam Cafe

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

I really like little Namnam Cafe in St. Matthews, but to be honest, the last time I was there it wasn’t easy to concentrate my full attention on the fare.

What was the problem? That was in mid-March of 2020, just days before Gov. Andy Beshear ordered Kentucky restaurants and bars closed to indoor dining. 

Continue reading It’s hard to go wrong at Namnam Cafe →
$$ Modest ($30-$50), A RESTAURANT LISTING..., Breakfast and lunch spots, sandwich spots, Brunch, Farm-to-table, Northeast Metro

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 →
$$ Modest ($30-$50), A RESTAURANT LISTING..., Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Pacific Rim

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 →