Mazzoni’s, the 125-year-old Louisville tradition, is still going strong in its new Middletown digs. The fried oysters should not be missed. Photo by Robin Garr.

Mazzoni’s, the 125-year-old Louisville tradition, moved out to Middletown from its longtime quarters on Taylorsville Road earlier this year. I wandered out the other day for a couple deep-fried delights and found its new shopping center quarters virtually indistinguishable from the old, complete with the trademark 27-foot-long walnut serving bar (which dates all the way back to its old downtown location) and gallery of old Louisville pictures on the walls.

It boasts pretty much the same down-home, seafood-heavy menu, but Mazzoni’s is surely best known for its iconic rolled oyster ($3.90 for one, $7.80 for two, $11.70 for three). Fresh-shucked oysters are rolled in a secret-recipe cornmeal batter called pastinga, breaded in a thick cracker-crumb coating, and deep-fried until what’s left is sizzling hot and mahogany brown: a delicious fried oyster sandwich that you eat out of hand. Mine were pretty good, although they bore a couple of burned-black spots that had to be torn off and discarded. I hope this innovation won’t last.

Mazzoni’s
12003 Shelbyville Road
451-4436