All posts by Robin Garr

Con Huevos makes takeout brunch work

Brunch is one of my favorite meals. It’s right up there with breakfast, lunch, dinner, and, of course, breakfast for dinner. Notice how breakfast keeps coming up?

But I’ve had a problem with brunch since the pandemic has wiped out my enthusiasm for dining inside a local eatery, no matter how carefully socially distanced: I love brunch dishes that feature soft fried eggs or poached eggs, ready to deliver their custardy yolk as a flavor booster to whatever they’re served on. Like the huevos rancheros at Con Huevos, for example. Continue reading Con Huevos makes takeout brunch work

Make Sal’s your go-to for Lenten fried fish

I realized the other day that Ash Wednesday and Lent are coming up, so this is the season when Louisville food writers are supposed to talk about fried fish … and all the Friday fish fries at Catholic (and a few Episcopal) churches around town.

Wednesday was also National Pizza Day!

This was a challenge. Like just about everyone in Louisville, I love fried fish. But I love pizza too. Could I do both?

Luckily, one of my favorite neighborhood pubs, Sal’s Pizza Pub in Lyndon, has both good old-school pizza and one of the best fried-cod sandwiches around. Continue reading Make Sal’s your go-to for Lenten fried fish

Exotic meats or veggie burgers: Get ‘em both at Game

I like Game restaurant. I like it a lot. It’s the only place I know of where you can get exotic kangaroo, alpaca, wild boar. elk, and venison burgers and more, and where you can get intriguing veggie burgers, too.

But I learned an important thing about getting takeout fare from Game the other day: If you live more than about five minutes away from this little free-standing shop on Lexington Road, you might want to consider ordering your burgers very rare, or waiting until you feel comfortable dining in to partake. Continue reading Exotic meats or veggie burgers: Get ‘em both at Game

We celebrate our immigrant neighbors at Alwatan

Within hours after taking office on January 20, President Joe Biden moved quickly to sign executive orders make life much better for immigrants and refugees. He halted construction on the border wall, stopped family separation at the border, and pushed for an end to mass deportations.

These good things merit celebration with a meal at an immigrant-owned eatery, so I headed for Alwatan. This little spot, which is operating for takeout only during the pandemic, is owned by Palestinian immigrants. It offers a good variety of Palestinian, pan-Arabic, and Mediterranean food, taking full advantage of fine Mediterranean breads from its sibling bakery next door. Continue reading We celebrate our immigrant neighbors at Alwatan

hiko-A-mon’s fine Japanese style rewards our eyes and palates

It’s hard to believe that Louisville got its first sushi bar, of sorts, as recently as the middle 1980s. (It’s also hard to believe that I’ve been writing about food and drink for that long, but that’s another story for another day.)

Back when Louisville had its first taste of locally-made sushi, served over a Fourth Street drug-store lunch counter on Thursdays only, the idea of sushi was a bit divisive. A few of us yelled “Yay!” A substantial percentage responded, “Yuk! Raw fish!”

Times have surely changed. Continue reading hiko-A-mon’s fine Japanese style rewards our eyes and palates

Grassa Gramma takeout makes a fine Italian dinner at home

GI wonder if you miss sitting down to a good meal in a fine local restaurant as much as I do.

It’s not just about the food. Driving through Holiday Manor the other day, I spotted Grassa Gramma and remembered how much fun it is to dine there. Continue reading Grassa Gramma takeout makes a fine Italian dinner at home

V-Grits is head-spinning good, even if you’re not vegan

I had a pit beef barbecue sandwich the other day that was so good it made my head spin. And here’s the kicker: This sandwich was vegan, made entirely from vegetables without a trace of meat.

How can this be? This sandwich, so delicious that I can still taste it in my mind’s palate a couple of days later, came from V-Grits, not just one of my favorite vegan restaurants but one of my favorite restaurants … period. Continue reading V-Grits is head-spinning good, even if you’re not vegan

New Albany’s Legacy Pizza is a keeper

As a pizza geek whose tastes have been formed (I will not say snobbified) from past years living in New York City’s Queens borough and many visits to Italy, I have a high standard for pizza. Allow me to assure you that the fine pie at Legacy Pizzeria & Bakery fully meets that standard. So did an excellent sub sandwich and a couple of tasty cannoli and homemade cookies. Continue reading New Albany’s Legacy Pizza is a keeper

2020, we hardly knew ye. Now get out of here!

Happy New Year! Anybody out there who isn’t happy to see 2020 go, raise your hand!

[Looking around]

I didn’t think so. This has been a strange, tumultuous, and downright scary year. Sure, it’s had some high spots. We’re looking at you, Joe and Kamala! But the arrival of a pandemic that none of us saw coming at this time last year turned 2020 into a swirling black whirlpool that didn’t make anyone happy. Continue reading 2020, we hardly knew ye. Now get out of here!

Ice cream for Christmas because why not?

Tell me about favorite desserts and sweet treats for the holidays: What have you got? If you celebrated Hanukkah in your household, you’ve enjoyed such deliciousness as hamentaschen, jelly donuts, and all manner of fried sweets. Christmas brings a wealth of sugary delights, from gingerbread cookies and Yule log cakes to the ubiquitous fruitcake and whatever the hell sugar plums are.

But wait! Where’s the ice cream? Yes, knocking back a pint of frozen cream can bring down your core temperature, but inside a warm and cozy house, in front of a fireplace, ice cream can be a festive treat. Continue reading Ice cream for Christmas because why not?