There’s nothing sweet about sweetbreads – Palermo Viejo chef Francisco “Frank” Elbl shows off the Argentina delicacy, which consists of … wait for it … a calf’s thymus gland. LEO Photo by Nicole Pullen.

LEO’s Eat ‘n’ Blog with Louisville HotBytes
(“Challenging” dishes at Palermo Viejo, Tokyo Japanese, India Palace)

It’s Halloween, blustery winds are whistling through the eaves and rattling the leaves, and there are ghosties and ghoulies and things going bump out there in the night. Let’s eat something scary!

How about a nice plate of sweetbreads, my dearies? The name sounds so appealing. Sweet meets bread. A dessert of some sort? A comforting sweet roll? Well, no. “Sweetbread” is a culinary euphemism, actually, for an organ that would be a much harder sell if it were explicitly identified as a calf’s thymus gland. It’s innards, OK? And it’s delicious.

Today let’s celebrate Halloween with visits to three local favorites for a trio of “challenging” dishes that tickle the taste buds but may require the diner to willingly suspend disbelief long enough to get them down. Trick or treat!
Continue reading Something scary this way comes →

From Robin Garr’s 30 Second Wine Advisor

For many wine lovers, one of the most frustrating things about enjoying wine from a restaurant wine list is the significant “markup” that management tacks on to the price.

While the practice varies from state to state and around the world, in most states of the U.S. restaurants routinely set the wine list price at three to four times the wholesale price they pay for a bottle. As a result, diners selecting from the list can expect to pay at least twice as much for the wine of their choice as they would for the same wine in a retail store.
Continue reading Bristol challenges wine-list markup →

The Shaking Beef at Basa Modern Vietnamese

(By Michael Tierney. Republished with permission from G3 Illustrated)

I recently had one of those perfect summer days – blue sky, bright sun, no humidity. And to top things off, I spent it at the pool as if I were on summer break like the kids that surrounded me. I swam, floated, read my book, played cards and basked in the perfection of the day, knowing that it just couldn’t get any better … I was wrong.

My perfect day was made complete by a perfect night – dinner for two at Basa on Frankfort Avenue.

Billed as Modern Vietnamese, Basa serves up elegant, accessible fare that punctuates the historical and culinary influence of France on traditional Vietnamese fare.
Continue reading G3 – A Great Bite at Basa →

(By Jim Murphy. Republished with permission from G3 Illustrated)

Proof on Main is just about the coolest place in Louisville. With avant-garde art displays, hip chic interior and one of a kind ambiance atmosphere, Proof is the destination spot for Louisville Area gays and straights.

I have gone to Proof many times: G3 galas, business lunches and wonderful dinners with close friends. I have never had a bad time or a bad meal. I leave feeling reminiscent of New York or Chicago.
Continue reading G3 – A Great Bite at Proof on Main →

The interior of Frank’s Steakhouse – dark, heavy wood beams and roughly quarried blocks of limestone – create an old-house atmosphere that seems just right for a steakhouse environment. LEO Photo by Nicole Pullen

LEO’s Eat ‘n’ Blog with Louisville HotBytes

There’s something about a good, old-fashioned steakhouse that builds enduring popularity. The old reliable Pat’s in Louisville (formerly Min’s), for example, started grilling its steaks and chops in 1958, and some of its clientele have been dining there regularly ever since.

Boasting almost as durable a record of longevity on the Sunny Side, the estimable Frank’s Steakhouse in Jeffersonville has been around for at least … well, let’s ask. “Uhhh … 30-something years,” guesstimated a longtime server. Close enough!

And now, more than a generation later, Frank’s has come to Kentucky. Taking over the East End quarters lately abandoned by the abrupt closing of Garrett’s (another popular casual American spot that grilled a few steaks in its day), Frank’s opened a Louisville outpost just off Hurstbourne Lane around Derby time.
Continue reading Big and bigger steaks at Frank’s →

(By Michael Tierney. Republished with permission from G3 Illustrated)

When I was little, my favorite family member was my Aunt Mooie. Her real name was Mildred; nobody ever really talked about how she got the nickname. Anyway, she was like the small town version of Auntie Mame, but instead of Martini’s and progressive education, Aunt Mooie was all Rice Crispy Treats and vacation bible school. For me, she was a rare and exotic breed of hostess who treasured her guests and poured love and care into every meal she put on her table – from her pea salad to fresh fruit cobblers – she made every guest feel like her most special one.

So this month we discovered Carly Rae’s, a place that is as warm and inviting as the comfort food it serves.
Continue reading G3 – A Great Bite at CarlyRae’s →

(By Jim Murphy. Republished with permission from G3 Illustrated)

Taste and palate are extremely personal and subjective. A restaurant review is simply one person’s opinion – their view, attitude or appraisal of a particular dining experience. It is not, nor should it ever be, a definitive statement of superlative or the death knell of any restaurant.

Unfortunately, that is not always the case in our little burg. Citizens apparently take heed of our locally published restaurant reviews. As a result, La Rouge, which had the possibility of being one of Louisville’s shining dining destinations, was unable to survive in light of one man’s assessment of his meal (which I am given to understand he consumed completely during yet his third dining venture to La Rouge).
Continue reading G3 – A Great Bite: One person’s opinion →

After two weeks as a wine judge and traveling wine writer, I’ve been dining very well indeed at some of the best eateries in Northern Italy’s Lombardy and Veneto regions. Not that there’s anything wrong with that: It’s a hard job, but somebody has to do it.

But on the eve of my flight home, I was almost desperately ready for something simple, earthy and divine: Pizza, of course, from the land of pizza, and if the Verona area isn’t quite as close to the mother lode of pizza as, say, Naples, it’s a lot closer than Louisville. Continue reading Italian postcard: Real pizza! →