Category Archives: Bistros

$$$ Upscale ( $50 - $80), A RESTAURANT LISTING..., Bistros, Commentary, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs

Wathen’s Kentucky Bistro bounces back

Wathen's Mahi Mahi

LEO’s Eats with LouisvilleHotBytes.com

Everybody loves a parade? Maybe. Let’s say that most people love most parades. But the procession of broken dreams that has recently passed through the St. Matthews space that once was home to Rick’s? That’s a parade not so easy to enjoy.

For the historical record, let’s retrace the genealogy of this spot that once housed the offices of the then-Voice of St. Matthews: Rick Dissell established the original Rick’s around 1980, and earned his popularity the old-fashioned way, with a 17-year run in that location.
Continue reading Wathen’s Kentucky Bistro bounces back →

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

Let’s line up for breakfast at Meridian Café

Meridian bagel

LEO’s Eats with LouisvilleHotBytes.com
(Meridian Café, Maido, Les Relais, Dem Bones)

Louisville has always been a breakfast-loving town, it seems, and citizens of Derby City have always had our morning favorites.

From Canary Cottage back in our grandparents’ time to the Baby Boomers’ favorite, Lynn’s Paradise Café, and on to such modern attractions as the lovably urban Toast on Market and Wild Eggs (which just opened a second shop in Westport Village), we’re accustomed to queuing up and waiting, happily and patiently, for weekend breakfast or brunch.

You might find me in line at any of those spots on any given weekend. But you’re even more likely to find me at my top breakfast favorite, Meridian Café in St. Matthews. I honestly cannot understand why Meridian, which always has a cozy crowd of regulars, hasn’t developed the kind of cult following that prompts supplicants to line up outside the door.
Continue reading Let’s line up for breakfast at Meridian Café →

BBQ, Burgers & Down-Home, Bistros, Coffee Shops & Desserts, Downtown, NuLu and Butchertown, Southern Indiana

Don’t dismiss little ol’ Jeff

Our Best
Our Best Restaurant in Jeffersonville is a family-owned business that started as a single eatery in Smithfield, Ky. Photos by Robin Garr

LEO’s Eats with LouisvilleHotBytes.com
(Our Best Restaurant, Perkfection Café; Z’s Fusion opening report)

It would be easy to dismiss the dining options in little ol’ Jeffersonville, especially when you look across the majestic Ohio River and see … Hooters. But there are some rich and varied dining choices over yonder, from the delicious and affordable Mai’s Thai to the old favorite Come Back Inn.

Reporter Kevin Gibson tried a couple of Jeffersonville’s choices recently – Our Best Restaurant, located just off Ind. 62, and Perkfection Café & Bar – and found good things at both.
Continue reading Don’t dismiss little ol’ Jeff →

$$$ Upscale ( $50 - $80), Bistros, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs

Cruisin’ down the (Napa) River

Ahi Cornucopia
The Ahi Cornucopia appetizer from Napa River Grill. Photos by Robin Garr

LEO’s Eats with LouisvilleHotBytes.com

The landscape of Louisville restaurant history is littered with the dry bones of eateries whose owners thought it would be a really good idea to move to a new location and expand to a larger space.

The most recent victim, Mazzoni’s, fell just one year short of celebrating its 125th birthday. The home of the “rolled” oyster, it had survived several moves over the years before landing on Taylorsville Road in the 1980s. A move to shopping-center quarters in Middletown last year proved its undoing.

Similar fates befell Greek Paradise, which moved from a small, homey spot near Radcliff, Ky., to a hulking hall in Butchertown that proved more than it could handle; Hoosier standard Frank’s Steak House when it expanded into larger quarters in Louisville; and the last owners of Lentini’s, whose aggressive expansion plan yielded three eateries that all shut down fast.

Napa River Grill seems to be breaking the spell. Continue reading Cruisin’ down the (Napa) River →

$$$ Upscale ( $50 - $80), Bistros, Frankfort Ave., Clifton, Crescent Hill

Varanese: A most wonderful bird is the turducken

Turducken at Varanese
For the birds: Varanese’s turducken features turkey stuffed with duck stuffed with chicken stuffed with Cajun stuffing and topped with a clear duck velouté. Photo by Robin Garr

LEO’s Eats with LouisvilleHotBytes.com

If you’ve never heard of the wondrous holiday bird called turducken, you just haven’t been paying attention. If you’ve ever seen and actually tasted one, you fall into a much more exalted category, as this Cajun feast is so difficult to prepare that it’s almost as rare as the dodo bird.

Purportedly the invention of Paul Prudhomme, the rotund chef at K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen in New Orleans, the turducken is a combination of a partially deboned turkey that’s been stuffed with a deboned duck, stuffed in turn with a deboned chicken. Spicy Cajun stuffing is piped into the inner spaces like tasty grout; the hulking combination is roasted, sliced crosswise into impressive rounds, and served with a spicy Cajun sauce.
Continue reading Varanese: A most wonderful bird is the turducken →

$$$ Upscale ( $50 - $80), Bistros, Downtown, NuLu and Butchertown

Haunted House? Clancy lowers the boom

The patio at Carly Rae's
With the arrival of Chef David Clancy, Carly Rae’s is emerging as a strong contender to break the spell of the doomed location at the corner of First and Oak streets in Old Louisville. Pictured: The charming patio. LEO photo by Sara Havens

LEO’s Eats with LouisvilleHotBytes.com

Just about all local foodies can tell you about Louisville’s allegedly haunted or cursed restaurant venues, the unlucky spots that can’t hold a successful restaurant, housing one failed effort after another.

In at least one notorious situation, the old Parisian Pantry at Bardstown Road and Bonnycastle Avenue was widely believed to be cursed by an angry ghost who remained inconsolable over the removal of an upstairs wall. A dozen short-lived eateries must have come and gone before Café 360 seemed to break the juju – perhaps they replaced the wall?
Continue reading Haunted House? Clancy lowers the boom →

$$$ Upscale ( $50 - $80), Bistros, Commentary, Guest columnist, Hurstbourne, Middletown, Jeffersontown

Caffe Perusa is a secret that can’t be kept

Caffe Perusa
Caffe Perusa’s “A Study of Oysters” features oysters prepared in six different ways, from a traditional oyster dressing to crispy with rosemary barbecue sauce. LEO photos by Jane Mattingly

LEO’s Eats with LouisvilleHotBytes.com; Guest Critic Kevin Gibson

Walking into Caffe Perusa is a bit of a shock – it’s true that Louisville has a diverse and reputable fine-dining scene, but to find something like this in a strip mall is unexpected.

The wood floors, impeccable décor and crystal-adorned table settings in the main dining area are set off by a perimeter lined with booths that feature white Roman ionic columns and circular arches, set against accents of gold and red. The two-level, 10,000-square-foot restaurant also has four private dining rooms and a wine cellar that holds 10,000 bottles. Outside seating is being developed and should be open in a few weeks.
Continue reading Caffe Perusa is a secret that can’t be kept →

$$$ Upscale ( $50 - $80), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Bistros

Jarfi’s finds a new home in former Lentini’s

Jarfi's
Jarfi’s menu has changed a bit (it’s always evolving), but what is truly new here is the atmosphere. The fare ranges from that of a French-style bistro to a sushi bar. LEO photos by Jane Mattingly

LEO’s Eats with LouisvilleHotBytes.com; Guest Critic Kevin Gibson

Jarfi’s Bistro relocated from the Kentucky Center to the former Lentini’s Little Italy location on Bardstown Road in April. While it seems an odd metamorphosis for a place that, for more than 40 years, was Louisville’s epicenter of authentic Italian dining, Jeff Jarfi’s stylish international bistro is right at home in its new digs.

Jarfi’s menu has changed a bit (it’s always evolving), but what is truly new here is the atmosphere – whereas Lentini’s was upscale and old-world sophisticated, the new Jarfi’s is colorful, vibrant and ethnically diverse. Under one roof, diners can encounter a French-style bistro, a Moroccan lounge, a sushi bar, traditional formal dining and a Times Square-themed dining hall.
Continue reading Jarfi’s finds a new home in former Lentini’s →

$$$ Upscale ( $50 - $80), Bistros, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs

Napa River Grill settles in at Westport Village

Napa River Grill
Crowds packed the preview grand opening of the new Napa River Grill, which left Dupont Square for Westport Village. Photo by Robin Garr.

Napa River Grill moved last week from its longtime location in Dupont Square, opening June 16 as an anchor restaurant in the fast-growing Westport Village complex.

We took a quick peek on opening night without stopping to dine, amid a crowd so large and happy it was hard to make out the details. Continue reading Napa River Grill settles in at Westport Village →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Bistros, Commentary, Frankfort Ave., Clifton, Crescent Hill

Make mine migas at North End Café

Migas at North End Cafe
North End Café’s migas are the Tex-Mex breakfast of champions. Photo by Robin Garr.

Looking for a tasty Tex-Mex breakfast? One of my favorites comes from North End Café, a popular eatery renowned for its breakfast but not often counted among the city’s destinations for Border Country cuisine.

North End’s expansive breakfast menu features more than two-dozen goodies, including such traditional items as biscuits and gravy ($4.75), steak and eggs ($11.99), or even a warm bowl of oatmeal ($4.79). Some dishes add creative touches – you can get your biscuits, for example, with the option of vegetarian mushroom gravy; and French toast ($5.49) gets a subtle touch from the addition of orange spice flavors.

Down at the bottom of the menu you’ll find a tasty Tex-Mex snack: Continue reading Make mine migas at North End Café →