Category Archives: Commentary

Robin Garr’s musings about food and restaurant matters that don’t fit neatly into the “review” category.

Commentary

Guess who’s driving your dinner

Times are tough for us all as we live through the worst pandemic in living memory, and the restaurant business is being hit hard.

Some of our favorite local eateries are closed, and their servers, kitchen staff, chefs and owners have been scrambling for alternative sources of income.

Many more restaurants are staying open for carryout and delivery. They’re hanging on to at least part of their staff, to cook the meals we love and hustle them out to a line of hungry diners waiting in our cars at the curb.

But how about the good folks who get our hot dinner the last mile to our houses? Continue reading Guess who’s driving your dinner →

Commentary, Eats Tweet, Eats Tweets

Is takeout food safe? NC State Extension offers reassurance

These are scary times, and a lot of us are worried about whether it’s safe to eat takeout or delivery food. This chart from NC State Extension at North Carolina State University offers a thoughtful – and generally reassuring – overview.

COVID-19 and food safety FAQ
Is coronavirus a concern with takeout? Continue reading Is takeout food safe? NC State Extension offers reassurance →

Commentary

How can you help? How can you eat? Check these lists.

Our friends in Louisville’s restaurant business are going through very tough times right now, and they need your help. Owners, managers, cooks, kitchen staff, waiters, sommeliers – everyone is facing huge challenges as Covid-19 shuts down dining-in operations for the foreseeable future.

How can you help? We thought you’d never ask! Buy some takeout! Pick up dinner at curb-side delivery! Or have dinner delivered, and thanks to Gov. Andy “Daddy” Beshear’s goodness, have an adult beverage delivered with it, too.

We decided not to reinvent the wheel, since there are already several thorough directories of take-out and such online. Use these links, help your favorite eatery, and enjoy your dinner! Continue reading How can you help? How can you eat? Check these lists. →

Industry Standard, Marsha Lynch

Welcome home, Chickens

Less than two weeks ago, LEO Weekly staff writer Danielle Grady interviewed me for a piece about sick leave in the local hospitality industry. I was glad to help her because I was already writing a similar piece, but she got the assignment first, and it was an important subject. At that time, the buzz phrase going around was “if you feel sick, stay home”, and we discussed how that was really not workable for people who live paycheck to paycheck. It’s also frowned upon in kitchen culture – you come to work, no matter how shitty you feel, or leave your co-workers in a lurch.

That all seems rather quaint now. Continue reading Welcome home, Chickens →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Commentary, LEO's Eats, Pacific Rim, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs, World Food

You can’t beat the pho at NamNam Café

It’s easy to overlook NamNam Café. It’s tiny, you don’t hear a lot about it, and it’s off on a St. Matthews side street.

But you really shouldn’t miss it. It’s one of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants, even among a dozen strong competitors.

[During the Covid-19 closure of dine-in restaurants, NamNam is offering carryout and curbside pickup for phone orders. Diners may also arrange delivery via Postmates or DoorDash.] Continue reading You can’t beat the pho at NamNam Café →