Category Archives: Breakfast and lunch spots, sandwich spots

$ Budget (under $30), Breakfast and lunch spots, sandwich spots, Frankfort Ave., Clifton, Crescent Hill

Boujie Biscuit brings the comfort

Covid is spiking … again. The election remains undecided as I write this, and chances are there’ll still be plenty of political controversy and yelling when you read this. It’s just plain common sense to reach for comfort food right now, and it’s hard for me to imagine an item more comforting than a warm biscuit.

Mmm, biscuits. No sooner did I write that than I want one right now. One of the simplest of breads, this buttery short, soda-risen delight is easy to make at home but difficult to perfect. Continue reading Boujie Biscuit brings the comfort →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Breakfast and lunch spots, sandwich spots, Downtown, NuLu and Butchertown, LEO's Eats, New and noteworthy

Butchertown Grocery Bakery bakes up deliciousness

The funky, stylish storefront offers European-style artisan breads, pastries, desserts, and an intriguing menu of creative sandwiches, salads, greens and grains, plus espresso drinks, beer and bourbon out front of its expansive bakery space. Nope, it’s not Blue Dog, but it follows a similar path to deliciousness as the Crescent Hill icon: We’re looking at you, Butchertown Grocery Bakery. Continue reading Butchertown Grocery Bakery bakes up deliciousness →

$ Budget (under $30), BBQ, Burgers & Down-Home, Breakfast and lunch spots, sandwich spots, Commentary, Downtown, NuLu and Butchertown, LEO's Eats, QuickBytes, Soul Food

Shirley Mae’s puts the soul in soul food

Some say that the art of soul, in music or in food, can never be mastered by white folks, and I can buy this hypothesis: Lacking a history of slavery and oppression, we just don’t have the tools born of heritage. But we can certainly enjoy soul, and honor it, whether we’re listening to Aretha or dining at someplace like Shirley Mae’s. Continue reading Shirley Mae’s puts the soul in soul food →

$ 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 →

$ Budget (under $30), Breakfast and lunch spots, sandwich spots, LEO's Eats, Northeast Metro, Outer East End, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs

More biscuits? Brunch at Gracious Plenty

Speaking of biscuits, we stopped by Gracious Plenty’s Prospect location on a Saturday recently with our friend Ann, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover its weekend-only brunch menu. Continue reading More biscuits? Brunch at Gracious Plenty →

$ Budget (under $30), BBQ, Burgers & Down-Home, Breakfast and lunch spots, sandwich spots, Frankfort Ave., Clifton, Crescent Hill, LEO's Eats

Burger Girl fills our diner needs whenever we’re up

I got the jingle “two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun” stuck in my head the other day, and there was no way to stave off the crave. So I blasted off to get one. No, not Mickey D’s. Better. The double bison burger at the new Burger Girl Diner takes two all-beef patties to a whole new level. Continue reading Burger Girl fills our diner needs whenever we’re up →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Breakfast and lunch spots, sandwich spots, Frankfort Ave., Clifton, Crescent Hill, LEO's Eats, Steakhouse

Brunch at Le Moo starts our day right

Le Moo just celebrated its third anniversary – its grand opening happened on Sept. 19, 2015 – and if it’s not your favorite steakhouse by now, it surely makes that grade with a lot of people. Ask for the best steak in town, and Le Moo will certainly be in the conversation along with a handful of other popular local and high-end corporate eateries.

What’s more, within six months of its opening, Food Network declared this Lexington Road landmark not merely Louisville’s best, but one of the 28 best spots for steak all across the nation. You could look it up.

But we’re not here to talk about steak dinners today. Continue reading Brunch at Le Moo starts our day right →

$ Budget (under $30), Breakfast and lunch spots, sandwich spots, Frankfort Ave., Clifton, Crescent Hill, LEO's Eats

A biscuit makes a meal at lovable Boujie Biscuit

Today let us consider the noble biscuit. An all-American delicacy with its roots in the South, this flaky, layered treat may be made with milk, buttermilk, or even cream. Some are made with lard, some with butter, but it’s always elevated with some form of fat worked gently into flour and leavened with baking powder. 

Biscuits may be flaky or crumbly, feathery or light, but softness always defines a good biscuit. Tough, gummy texture does not. A biscuit is almost always delicious.

Want a delicious biscuit? Welcome to Boujie Biscuit, where the massive, butter-streaked, square buttermilk biscuits meet all the criteria of excellent traditional Southern biscuits. Continue reading A biscuit makes a meal at lovable Boujie Biscuit →

$ Budget (under $30), $$ Modest ($30-$50), Breakfast and lunch spots, sandwich spots, Commentary, Hot Chicken, LEO's Eats, Mexican, Cuban, Caribbean, Northeast Metro, Outer East End, World Food

Go East to Con Huevos and Joella’s

Three years ago two interesting new locally owned fast-casual eateries came to town, and I loved them both: Con Huevos set a new standard with its delicious, chef-driven Mexican breakfast and lunch. Joella’s first introduced us to Nashville-style hot chicken, a feisty genre that might remind you of Indi’s hot fried chicken but that’s really not the same.

Both eateries have recently opened branches in the metro’s eastern suburbs. Naturally I had to check them out. Continue reading Go East to Con Huevos and Joella’s →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Breakfast and lunch spots, sandwich spots, Frankfort Ave., Clifton, Crescent Hill, LEO's Eats

LouVino and Con Huevos win at brunch

Fresh from delicious brunch experiences at LouVino and Con Huevos, I must ask a simple question: Who doesn’t love brunch? I certainly do!

Some folks love brunch buffets, and there’s a lot to like about a sumptuous feeding trough of pans loaded with breakfast and lunch goodies. But I like a set menu of brunch dishes even better. Sure, I’m down for unleashing my inner glutton at a massive buffet, but my inner foodie recognizes the value of chef-created individual dishes.

Both Con Huevos and LouVino offer thoughtful, inviting selections of brunch dishes that consistently show the delicate, complex but balanced nuances of flavor that reveal serious creative spirit and dogged attention to detail in the kitchen. Continue reading LouVino and Con Huevos win at brunch →