Your number is up

“Who had the pork chop?”

We’ve all been through this. You and your dining companions have chosen a restaurant, been seated, presented with menus and had your orders taken. When the food arrives, the server starts making you do all the work. It’s a conversation-stopper. Hands point to one another across the table. A glass of wine gets knocked over due to all the reaching and pointing. This system is known as “auctioning” food, and it’s a big no-no in fine dining table service. Continue reading Your number is up

Korean food, a warming choice for chilly days

I’m wild about Asian food. From India across Southeast Asia to Japan and China in all its regional delights, my Asian culinary favorite is usually whichever I had last.

But winter’s coming on now – believe it, even if the leaves are still mostly green and the breezes balmy as I write this – and cold weather makes my Asian dining fancy lightly turn to thoughts of Korean food. Continue reading Korean food, a warming choice for chilly days

Garage Bar summons our meditative mindfulness

Garage Bar: It’s noisy, it’s fun, it’s all about artisanal pizza and fine country ham, not to mention a companionable bar scene in a cheekily renovated old auto service station. What’s so Zen about that?

Bear with me, Grasshopper, and I shall explain. Continue reading Garage Bar summons our meditative mindfulness

We find friendly folks and good East African eats at Safari Grill

How big is Africa? Africa is so big that you could fit the U.S., China, India, Japan and most of the countries of Europe neatly within its borders and still have plenty of nooks and crannies left for more. You’ve probably seen the colorful map that shows this; it’s all over the Internet.

How big is Africa? About 1.5 billion people live there, or almost 1 out of every 7 humans on Earth. That’s about the same as the total population of Europe, North and South America.

So riddle me this: How come so many of us know so little about Africa? And getting to the point, how come Louisville has so doggoned few African restaurants? Continue reading We find friendly folks and good East African eats at Safari Grill

Roots will make you eat your vegetables, and like them

Vegetarian and vegan lifestyles are on the rise, and this really shouldn’t surprise anyone. After all, the Baby Boom is growing older and more health-conscious, while a lot of Millennials are looking at a self-destructing world and worrying about a sustainable future for themselves and their children. Put these trends together, and it’s no wonder that more and more people are giving up meat.

This also may help explain why Louisville’s Roots and Heart & Soy restaurants have won a large and faithful audience since their opening in 2011. Continue reading Roots will make you eat your vegetables, and like them

Red Barn Kitchen is newer than dirt, and it’s good.

Now and then I crack that the Martinez family’s Olé Restaurant Group is “The Energizer Bunny of Louisville dining.” All together now, let’s say that again: I’ve just returned from my third review of an Olé Group eatery, and I’m delighted to award Red Barn Kitchen my “Recommended” gold star.

But something about this restaurant is different from all the rest. Continue reading Red Barn Kitchen is newer than dirt, and it’s good.

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