$$ Modest ($30-$50), LEO's Eats, Northeast Metro, Pacific Rim, Vegetarian/Vegan, World Food

We miss Diwali but dine well at Taj Palace

If we lived in India, there’s no way we could have been unaware that last week was Diwali, the Festival of Lights, when Indians – and Hindus around the world – celebrate the triumph of good over evil with a holiday filled with lights, color, fireworks, music and dance and plenty of good things to eat.

Diwali is like Christmas, New Year’s, Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July all rolled into one, or in other words, about as big as Derby. Diwali doesn’t have much of a profile here in the U.S., though. Well, the Hindu Temple of Kentucky off Westport Road did have a celebration last week. We couldn’t find Diwali at any of the local restaurants, though, but that didn’t keep us from enjoying a delicious Indian meal at Taj Palace. Continue reading We miss Diwali but dine well at Taj Palace →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), BBQ, Burgers & Down-Home, Germantown, LEO's Eats, QuickBytes

Home-style comfort food with a twist at Cottage Inn

Can a person – well, this person, anyway – ever get tired of international food, the vast smorgasbord of culinary delights from all the world’s regions? I would say not. Give me Indian, Mexican, Thai, Argentine, African, Chinese, German, Korean, Yugoslavian, French or German cuisine, and I’ll bounce right back in pursuit of the next fascinating thing. Continue reading Home-style comfort food with a twist at Cottage Inn →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Frankfort Ave., Clifton, Crescent Hill

Which came first? The chicken or the egg?

“Which came first? The chicken or the egg?” Have you ever wondered about the ultimate answer to this existential question? Who hasn’t? We found a tasty answer at Con Huevos in Clifton: It’s both! Order up a ration of Tamal de Mole con Huevos, and you can have your egg and your chicken too, all gussied up in spicy-savory Mexican flavors.

But wait! There’s more! Just out the road a piece, the buzzy new Joella’s Hot Chicken is all about chicken, all of the time, and there’s nary an egg in sight. Eat all the chicken! Continue reading Which came first? The chicken or the egg? →

$$ Modest ($30-$50), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, LEO's Eats, Vegetarian/Vegan, World Food

We’re finally starting to “get” Ramsi’s

I’ve spent a long time trying to really “get” Ramsi’s. There’s a lot to like about this fun, funky, multi-ethnic eatery on Bardstown Road, not least of which is that it’s, well, fun, funky and multi-ethnic. Those are some of my favorite things. Continue reading We’re finally starting to “get” Ramsi’s →

$$$$ Luxury ($80 and up), LEO's Eats, St. Matthews, Westport Village, and environs, White tablecloth, deluxe

Time flies, things change and 211 Clover Lane stays flawless

Sooner or later, every restaurant critic – or every restaurant critic who’s paying attention, anyway – confronts a dilemma: With so many restaurants and so little time, it’s hard to get back to those reliable old favorites. Continue reading Time flies, things change and 211 Clover Lane stays flawless →

$$$ Upscale ( $50 - $80), Baxter, Bardstown, Highlands, Bistros, LEO's Eats, New and noteworthy

Fontleroy’s: The buzz builds

To hear the buzz emanating from the local foodie blogosphere you might think that the newborn Fontleroy’s represents the second coming of Chef Georges Auguste Escoffier or somebody.

They’ve got a point, too. There is a lot to like about Fontleroy’s. It’s Chef Allan Rosenberg’s latest venture, and he’s cheffed a string of winners with a relentless focus on food quality and creative preparation. Service is very strong. And our own Marsha (“Industry Standard”) Lynch whomps up some excellent desserts. It’s in a great Bardstown Road location, and it’s fun.
Continue reading Fontleroy’s: The buzz builds →

Guest columnist, Industry Standard, Marsha Lynch

Product wrangling

I’m a morning person. Not that I greet the day by springing from bed singing songs with cartoon woodland animals like Snow White, all cheerful and such. But I am the morning person at a restaurant. I’ve always enjoyed being the first one in, greeted by a clean, cool, quiet commercial kitchen, with plenty of space and sparkling equipment to start the day’s prep.
Continue reading Product wrangling →

$ Budget (under $30), Commentary, Germantown

The Post’s pizza earns our salute

Mary claims that I never met a pizza I didn’t like, but this is a gross exaggeration. Sure, I like pizza, a lot, and I generally won’t say no to a slice. Why should I?

But liking the stuff doesn’t mean that I give up my critical discernment, dammit! Show me a Corporate Pie™ and I’ll shrug and go “Meh.” I know pizza, and I know what I like. And I’m here today to tell you that I like the pizza at The Post, an appropriately hip, casual pizzeria in a shotgun house that was once home to Lone Wolf Post #5636 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Louisville’s Germantown.
Continue reading The Post’s pizza earns our salute →

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

I want to bring the heat at Thai Cafe, but the chef won’t let me

Where in the world do you find the globe’s most fiery-spicy cuisine? This seemed like a simple enough question when I dreamed it up amid a sudden craving for culinary fire the other day, but it’s hard to get a definitive answer. Continue reading I want to bring the heat at Thai Cafe, but the chef won’t let me →

Louisville's top spot for talk and reviews from the food and restaurant scene