Category Archives: BY LOCATION

$$$ Upscale ( $50 - $80), Pacific Rim, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs

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 →

$$$ Upscale ( $50 - $80), Italian (and Pizza), St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs

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 →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Germantown, Pubs, Brew Pubs, GastroPubs, Vegetarian/Vegan

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 →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Italian (and Pizza), Southern Indiana

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 →

$ Budget (under $30), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Coffee Shops & Desserts, Frankfort Ave., Clifton, Crescent Hill, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs

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? →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), A RESTAURANT LISTING..., Mexican, Cuban, Caribbean, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs, Taquerias

Taco Choza’s burrito is bigger than your sled. Well, almost.

Imagine yourself with a burrito on your plate. A hefty El Compadre burrito from Taco Choza, that’s a good one. Are you getting hungry? I sure am! Lift it, feel its weight, admire the tasty char marks on its textured wheaten surface. Mmm, mmm, good.

This is what I love about a burrito: When you bite through that tasty flour-tortilla wrapper, your first mouthful incorporates a collection of goodies. With Taco Choza’s signature El Compadre that’s going to be meat, reddish-tinted Mexican rice, two kinds of beans, some salad greens, a dash of pico de gallo, a taste of guacamole, a bit of sour cream, a drizzle of queso, all coming together in one symphonic gulp. Continue reading Taco Choza’s burrito is bigger than your sled. Well, almost. →

$ Budget (under $30), Commentary, Downtown, NuLu and Butchertown, Hot Chicken, Hurstbourne, Middletown, Jeffersontown

Support our local restaurants: This week, Royals Hot Chicken

The Louisville dining scene is facing a grim scenario as I write this, and we’ll be looking down the barrel of a disturbing deadline when you read this. Let’s talk about this, but first, as I’ve told you before: Get out there and order as much takeout food from local restaurants as you can, and tip ‘em as if you’re Scrooge McDuck. They need all we can do for them right now.

Here’s the heart of the problem: Restaurants and bars are perceived as potential pandemic hotspots, with reason: Even with social distancing, they attract people to gather indoors in crowds, and to make matters worse, it’s impossible to mask up for others’ protection while you’re eating and drinking.

That’s why restaurants and bars have borne a disproportionate share of regulation since Covid-19 came to town last winter. Continue reading Support our local restaurants: This week, Royals Hot Chicken →

$ Budget (under $30), Hurstbourne, Middletown, Jeffersontown, Indian

New Indian grocery leads us back to Shreeji

Back in the ‘90s, I lived for a while on New York City’s Lower East Side. It was quite an experience for a Louisville boy, and one of the best things about it was my proximity to Indian Restaurant Row.

That’s what we called the block of Second Street between First and Second avenues, anyway, and the name fit: Every single storefront on the south side of the block housed an Indian restaurant, and they were all good. Their menus were all similar, prompting the rumor that they all shared the same kitchen. Doubtful, I know, but it seemed right.

Now, Louisville is not New York City, but it crossed my mind the other day that we’re kind of, sort of developing our own Indian Restaurant Row. It’s not as dense as New York’s, and there’s no question of a shared kitchen. But hey! Six Indian culinary establishments – four restaurants and two groceries – in a three-mile stretch of Hurstbourne Parkway isn’t bad in a city where we once had to drive to Cincinnati to get Indian food. Continue reading New Indian grocery leads us back to Shreeji →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Downtown, NuLu and Butchertown, Italian (and Pizza)

Emmy Squared brings Detroit pizza from Brooklyn

Pay attention, now, because what I’m about to tell you might not make sense if you hear it with only half an ear: A popular Brooklyn restaurant that features Detroit-style pizza has opened in Louisville.

Yes, that’s right: Say hello to Emmy Squared, new in NuLu, where you can get fine square pizzas in the fashion of Detroit, plus worthy burgers and a lot more goodies that you won’t find in your usual pizza joint. Continue reading Emmy Squared brings Detroit pizza from Brooklyn →

$ Budget (under $30), Breakfast and lunch spots, sandwich spots, Frankfort Ave., Clifton, Crescent Hill

Boujie Biscuit brings the comfort

Covid is spiking … again. The election remains undecided as I write this, and chances are there’ll still be plenty of political controversy and yelling when you read this. It’s just plain common sense to reach for comfort food right now, and it’s hard for me to imagine an item more comforting than a warm biscuit.

Mmm, biscuits. No sooner did I write that than I want one right now. One of the simplest of breads, this buttery short, soda-risen delight is easy to make at home but difficult to perfect. Continue reading Boujie Biscuit brings the comfort →