Tickets are spilling out of the printer, faster than anyone could read them aloud. Cooks are busy filling orders for the previous 20 tickets, and not just a list of items, but a list of modifications including burger temps, steak temps, and at brunch, egg styles: sunny-side, scrambled with or without cheese, hard-fried, poached, hard-poached (that’s a boiled egg, out of the shell, people – it takes 10 minutes), with toast, without toast, gluten-free, sub a side of this, that or the other. Continue reading On a Wait
“Honest, simple” fare commands white-tablecloth prices at Butchertown Grocery
Hey! Let’s go out and get some gnocchi for dinner!
These are words one rarely hears, unless one grew up in a family or with friends who had an old-country Italian Nonna around. Hell, there aren’t many people around here who know what a gnocchi is (or, to be pedantic, what gnocchi are); and fewer still who know how to pronounce it. Continue reading “Honest, simple” fare commands white-tablecloth prices at Butchertown Grocery
A Half Peach and a whole Slice
Some days I want to eat something healthy. Some days, not so much.
That’s why I’m glad that there is room in the world for places like North End Slice, where the bill of fare is all pizza, all the time; and places like Half Peach Bakery & Cafe, where there is nary a speck of meat or even any animal-based products like eggs or cheese on the premises. Continue reading A Half Peach and a whole Slice
DiFabio’s offers comforting Italian family fare
Mmm, mmm, Tortellini! Who doesn’t love these little stuffed pasta rings? Artfully rolled into small rounds, their Italian name stems from “torta,” naming them as “little cakes,” a moniker that doesn’t actually make much sense since there’s nothing very cake-like about them. If you want descriptive food words, try their alternative name, ombelico, a.k.a. “belly buttons.” Continue reading DiFabio’s offers comforting Italian family fare
Humble
I started a new job a couple of weeks ago. The kitchen there is populated with young cooks, many much younger than me. I’m the oldest person working in the back of the house. At this point in my life, that’s not notable. Restaurant cooking is a young person’s game. Continue reading Humble
Hot and hotter: Royals joins the hot chicken derby
Mary took a bite of her Royals hot chicken, and wrinkled her nose.
“What’s wrong”? I asked. “Is it too hot? You ordered it mild.”
“No,” she grumbled. “It’s too sweet.” Continue reading Hot and hotter: Royals joins the hot chicken derby
Could Artesano possibly be that good? Yup. Sure could.
Will the Martinez family ever stop opening new restaurants? It’s starting to look more and more as if their Olé Restaurant Group – the metaphorical Energizer Bunny of Louisville-area dining – may keep on keeping on until they have an individual eatery for every family in the Metro. Continue reading Could Artesano possibly be that good? Yup. Sure could.
We look back at 2015, and way back at Oriental House
We’re just a few days into the New Year, and most of you foodies are probably already tired of reading many versions of the same basic story about all the new restaurants that joined the metro’s culinary community last year. So let’s not do that.
I’d like to tip my fedora to Baby 2016, though, by pulling up for a wider view: Was there any consistent flavor in the boiling, simmering, seething stew of the city’s eats beat in 2015? Continue reading We look back at 2015, and way back at Oriental House
Having standards
I applied for a job this week. I’m out of work right now, and things are getting pretty lean. I decided to swallow my pride and see about working at a corporate place, a place I knew would have job security and union protection and proximity to home and predictable hours to trade for a pretty crappy hourly wage. Continue reading Having standards
Our critic gets back to Decca and loves it as much as ever
Stop me if I’ve told you this before, but I have to say it again: One of the best parts about being a dining critic is that I get to try out all the great new eateries (and a lot of the old ones) around town. But one of the worst things about being a dining critic is that I can’t get back to my favorites as often as I would like.
I’m looking at you, Decca! Continue reading Our critic gets back to Decca and loves it as much as ever