Category Archives: Seafood & Water’s Edge

$ Budget (under $30), A RESTAURANT LISTING..., Hikes Point, Seafood & Water's Edge

It doesn’t have to be Lent to enjoy Sharks Seafood

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

You probably didn’t even notice that I didn’t bother to talk about fried fish for Lent this year. Everyone else was doing it, it seemed, including our pals at LEO Weekly, so why add another voice to the chorus?

Plus, to be frank, with more than one-fourth of Americans now describing their religious affiliation as “nothing in particular,” and no more than one-tenth of the remaining religiously affiliated strictly observing abstinence from meat during Lent, it felt like the pressure was off.

On the other hand …

Continue reading It doesn’t have to be Lent to enjoy Sharks Seafood →
$$$ Upscale ( $50 - $80), A RESTAURANT LISTING..., Italian (and Pizza), Seafood & Water's Edge, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs

From Napa to Osteria: Italian seafood in Westport Village

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

Napa River Grill enjoyed a very good run before it renovated and rebranded as Osteria Italian Seafood last month.

Its name recently foreshortened to just-plain Napa, the upscale Northern California-style eatery had endured for 24 years, a long life for a restaurant.

Continue reading From Napa to Osteria: Italian seafood in Westport Village →
Commentary, Seafood & Water's Edge

Quoth The Raven, “Gimme more fish!”

By Robin Garr
LouisvilleHotBytes.com

It’s fish fry season in Louisville again! We’re back in that season of Lent when you don’t have to be Catholic to go gaga over Friday fish fries at dozens of local parishes … and a couple of Episcopal churches, too.

Now, for the record, all year is fish-fry season in this river city. Perhaps owing to a substantial rush of German, Irish, Italian, and Lebanese Catholic immigrants during the 19th century, when the L&N railroad would rush fish and oysters up from the Gulf in ice-filled boxcars, Louisville is crazy for seafood all year ‘round.

But that fishy history doesn’t deter us from piling on another layer of culinary excitement when those Friday Lenten fries return. If you’d like to track down a favorite church fish fry, or discover what’s available near you, here are a few handy sources: Continue reading Quoth The Raven, “Gimme more fish!” →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), BBQ, Burgers & Down-Home, Downtown, NuLu and Butchertown, Hurstbourne, Middletown, Jeffersontown, Seafood & Water's Edge

Mussel & Burger Bar’s wacky concept seems normal now

Early in 2013 when Mussel & Burger Bar opened its first shop in Jeffersontown, I couldn’t help but make fun of this previously unimagined combination. “‘Let’s go get some burgers and mussels,’ said no person ever,” I wrote, chortling.

Now, 8 1/2 years later, Mussel & Burger Bar’s founders have moved on to other ventures, but Mussel & Burger Bar appears to be going strong under new ownership. My recent visit to the J’town operation for lunch with a group of friends satisfied me that it remains just as good as ever. Continue reading Mussel & Burger Bar’s wacky concept seems normal now →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Seafood & Water's Edge, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs

Fish and all, it’s all good at The Fishery

For a long time I had my doubts about the trope that Louisville really loves its fish so much that we sell more cod than any other city except Boston, the home of the bean and … well, you know. Yeah, we love those fried cod sandwiches like the delights from The Fishery.

I didn’t realize how much we love our fried cod sandwiches, though, until we moved to New York City in the early 1990. Guess what: No matter how much I craved, I couldn’t get a good old Louisville-style fried cod sandwich anywhere. I am not considering Mickey D’s Filet-O-Fish in this discussion. Continue reading Fish and all, it’s all good at The Fishery →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), LEO's Eats, Pacific Rim, Seafood & Water's Edge, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs

Get your sushi on the go from ToGo Sushi

One of the great pleasures of sushi for me is the opportunity to sit down at the sushi bar, admire the artfully arranged rows of beautifully cut seafood and fish, and talk with the chef about what’s interesting and good.

But I have to be honest: During the pandemic, the idea of joining a few neighbors and a chef or two in such close quarters does not appeal, not even with masks and social distancing in play.

Happily, many of the city’s sushi bars offer a takeout option. But one stands out: ToGo Sushi, as its name implies, does most of its business – you guessed it – to go. Continue reading Get your sushi on the go from ToGo Sushi →

$ Budget (under $30), Commentary, QuickBytes, Seafood & Water's Edge, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs

Moby Dick’s drive-through satisfies fishy crave

We had been getting along pretty well without dining out since the pandemic got real last month, but someone in this house has been feeling a serious crave for that Louisville tradition, fried fish on rye.

Sounds reasonable. Let’s get some fish! But where?

As it turns out, quite a few local favorites are offering this local fave for takeout or curb service: The Fish House, Chik’n & Mi, Four Pegs, Hooked on Frankfort, Royals Hot Chicken, Joellas. I’m sure there are plenty more, but I already had my mind set on a favorite: Moby Dick. Continue reading Moby Dick’s drive-through satisfies fishy crave →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Commentary, Frankfort Ave., Clifton, Crescent Hill, LEO's Eats, New and noteworthy, Seafood & Water's Edge

We are Hooked on Frankfort

For many decades before the first pizza came to Louisville in the 1950s or the first real taquerias arrived in the 1990s, this town has had a love affair with seafood and fish.

It wasn’t long after the Civil War when Mazzoni’s started shipping fresh oysters up from the Gulf in railroad cars filled with ice; fried fish couldn’t have taken much longer in a city with a large Catholic population expected to consume fish on Fridays. Mike Linnig and his family were selling fish sandwiches out of their produce stand on Cane Run Road as early as the late 1920s; the first Kingfish restaurant greeted the dawn of the Baby Boom in 1948.

Nowadays there’s a source of fried fish just about everywhere you look, and the latest entry is a good one, too: Please say hello to Hooked on Frankfort. Continue reading We are Hooked on Frankfort →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Commentary, Italian (and Pizza), LEO's Eats, Pubs, Brew Pubs, GastroPubs, Seafood & Water's Edge, Sports bar, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs

Come to Sal’s for the pizza, stay for the fish

I must have passed by Sal’s Pizza & Sports Pub in Lyndon a hundred times without ever being motivated to stop in. This was a mistake. In retrospect I really miss all the good meals that I might have enjoyed there.

Don’t be like me. Go, soon. You’ll like it. Continue reading Come to Sal’s for the pizza, stay for the fish →