Last week, almost exactly one long year since my last venture inside a restaurant, I decided it was time to go back in. Masked up and fully vaccinated, we pulled open the front door of Monnik Beer Co., chose a table, sat down, and you know what? It felt great! Continue reading Dining in at Monnik feels safe and comfortable
Category Archives: BY PRICE FOR TWO
Hog Father Pizza Shop brings pizza back to Butchertown
When one door closes, another opens, the sages say. And this simple wisdom appears to be true, at least insofar as the city’s pizza scene goes.
It was sad news for local pizza lovers when Butchertown Pizza, one of the city’s best, closed its doors in September 2019. Then more bad dining news struck when Couvillion restaurant shut its doors last November.
But then those fabled doors started opening. The space that had housed Butchertown Pizza, nicely renovated, became home to Hog Father Pizza Shop last month. Better still, WLKY-32 reported on its opening day, Couvillion’s head chef Crosby Reasor came on as Hog Father’s top chef, and brought many of the Couvillion crew along. Continue reading Hog Father Pizza Shop brings pizza back to Butchertown
Fish and all, it’s all good at The Fishery
For a long time I had my doubts about the trope that Louisville really loves its fish so much that we sell more cod than any other city except Boston, the home of the bean and … well, you know. Yeah, we love those fried cod sandwiches like the delights from The Fishery.
I didn’t realize how much we love our fried cod sandwiches, though, until we moved to New York City in the early 1990. Guess what: No matter how much I craved, I couldn’t get a good old Louisville-style fried cod sandwich anywhere. I am not considering Mickey D’s Filet-O-Fish in this discussion. Continue reading Fish and all, it’s all good at The Fishery
Tasty Tikka House takeout requires some assembly
You might not think that Indian food is anything like pizza. Right? But in these strange times when takeout and delivery dominate the pandemic dining scene, dishes from a quality Indian eatery like Tikka House have one important thing in common with pizza: They taste good hot or cold, and they take well to reheating.
So when I was in the mood for a delicious Indian lunch that would travel well this week, Tikka House filled the bill. Continue reading Tasty Tikka House takeout requires some assembly
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