Category Archives: Farm-to-table

$$$$ Luxury ($80 and up), A RESTAURANT LISTING..., Bistros, Black-owned, Farm-to-table, Frankfort Ave., Clifton, Crescent Hill, Pacific Rim

Our critic oohs and aahs over Enso

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

When a rising young chef at a popular new restaurant earns a James Beard Award nomination as an “emerging chef,” then steps up to serve as executive chef at another exciting new eatery, what would you expect?

When we’re talking about Chef Lawrence Weeks, who garnered the Beard nomination at North of Bourbon in Germantown, and spread his wings to hold down the same role at Enso in Clifton, I would expect great things.

Continue reading Our critic oohs and aahs over Enso →
$$ 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 →
$$$ Upscale ( $50 - $80), A RESTAURANT LISTING..., Bistros, Farm-to-table, Germantown, Italian (and Pizza)

Perso gets the small things and the big things right

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

One of the first things I noticed when I took my seat at a table in Perso was the high quality of the table itself: Burnished wood, smooth as silk, it reminded me of the work of Shaker artisans.

Then I unrolled the black cloth napkin and noticed something unusual about the quality stainless flatware: Every surface was mirror-shiny, without a single dishwasher spot in sight, almost as if each piece had been wiped clean by hand before service.

And speaking of service, that was great too: Friendly but not smarmy, attentive but not bothersome, there when we needed them, good with eye contact and a smile.

So what, you say? How about the food?

Continue reading Perso gets the small things and the big things right →
$$ Modest ($30-$50), Breakfast and lunch spots, sandwich spots, Brunch, Farm-to-table, Frankfort Ave., Clifton, Crescent Hill

Blue Dog achieves perfection, or comes mighty close

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

Blue Dog Bakery celebrated a quarter-century of making great bread for Louisville’s people this year, and it’s hard for me to believe that it has been that long.

It feels as if it was only recently, but it was actually way back in 1998 that I knocked on Blue Dog’s back door in the dark hours before dawn and met owners Bob Hancock and his wife Kit Garrett. Continue reading Blue Dog achieves perfection, or comes mighty close →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), A RESTAURANT LISTING..., Charcuterie, Farm-to-table, Frankfort Ave., Clifton, Crescent Hill

We go for the big cheese, and charcuterie too, at Harvey’s

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

Charcuterie. Not long ago, most of us weren’t even sure how to pronounce it. Now, says the National Restaurant Association, “Charcuterie makes the cut for 2023. A Top 3 hot menu trend and No. 1 in appetizers … charcuterie is a rising star on menus.”

Indeed, charcuterie is showing up in restaurants all over town. You can get a board on the menu at Red Hog, North of Bourbon, Mussel & Burger Bar, Monnik Beer Co., where the $21 charcuterie plate features local meats and cheeses … did I mention that charcuterie is trending? We’re even getting shops that specialize in charcuterie: Board and You in New Albany will fashion you a board to go, and so will Cultured – Cheese and Charcuterie Bar in Butchertown. Not to mention Harvey’s in Clifton, a newish spot that I’ve been meaning to check out since it opened at the end of February, when it moved into this storefront in the Clifton Lofts condo building from its former stand in the Logan Street Market. Continue reading We go for the big cheese, and charcuterie too, at Harvey’s →

$$$ Upscale ( $50 - $80), Downtown, NuLu and Butchertown, Farm-to-table, Healthy fare, Vegetarian/Vegan

Creative Naive scores high on our critic’s criteria

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

When I get a restaurant meal, I look for a number of things whether I’m reviewing or not, but especially if I am.
• I like a sense of design and style that doesn’t get in the way of comfort.
• I like good service. Friendly is fine. Fawning is not. And competence matters.
• I like a menu that’s clear, informative and easy to read in dim light; that lets me know what a dish is like. Extra points for naming the sources of meats and produce.
• Most of all, I like good food. Isn’t that what a restaurant is for? And “like” turns to “love” if the food isn’t just good but shows off the chef’s creativity and bold experimentation.

A recent visit to Naive Kitchen + Bar in Butchertown ticked off every one of those boxes, cementing its place among my local favorites. Continue reading Creative Naive scores high on our critic’s criteria →

$$$$ Luxury ($80 and up), Farm-to-table, Northeast Metro, Outer East End, Outside the city

Barn 8 delivers culinary treats in a delightful farm setting

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

If you haven’t made your way out to Barn 8 Restaurant at Hermitage Farm in Goshen, take my advice: You ought to give it a try soon. You’ll be glad you did.

Walk in the front door of the black, red-trimmed former horse barn on U.S. 42, and one of the first things you see will be a small painting of local art enthusiast and 21c hotel founder Steve Wilson, showing a big smile and his trademark red glasses.

Yep, Barn 8 is related by family to Proof on Main, 21c’s much-lauded downtown eatery. I might not call Barn 8 “Proof East” or “Proof in the countryside,” but it’s fair to point out the similarities, and there are plenty of them. Continue reading Barn 8 delivers culinary treats in a delightful farm setting →

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

Soft shell crab tacos lure us to Red Hog

It all started, as things so often do, on social media. I was browsing Instagram, tapping through a lot of the local restaurants that I follow, when a simple white-on-black text image caught my eye.

“Taco Tuesday,” read the post from Red Hog Artisan Butcher. And then the clincher: “Fried Soft Shell Crab Tacos!” Continue reading Soft shell crab tacos lure us to Red Hog →

$ Budget (under $30), Breakfast and lunch spots, sandwich spots, Farm-to-table, LEO's Eats, West End

The Table does well by doing good

Wouldn’t it be a wonderful thing if every restaurant followed the pay-what-you-can model of The Table in Portland? What if Vincenzo’s or Jeff Ruby’s, for example, made its menu pricing variable depending on what the diner could afford? Or offered creative alternatives like putting in a few hours serving tables or helping out with kitchen chores? Or invited you to pay your tab forward so someone else could take a seat at the table?

Yeah, I know. Not. Going. To. Happen. Continue reading The Table does well by doing good →