Hot breakfast at Heine’s?

LEO’s Eats with LouisvilleHotBytes

Just out the pike from the Clifton J. Gumbo’s, the classic Crescent Hill storefront that houses the Frankfort Avenue branch of Heine Brothers Coffee has long been an appealing place to grab coffee, tea or espresso and a pastry or dessert.

Not long ago, the addition of a breakfast panini made Heine’s a reasonable option when you’re in the mood for a quick, hot breakfast.
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Molly Malone’s alive, alive-oh in St. Matthews’ fair city

mussels, red sauce, white plate

Think of the name “Molly Malone” and get an instant “earworm,” the tune that sticks in your head and will not go away. “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive-oh” indeed!

In Louisville, however, Molly Malone gains quick recognition as one of the region’s many amiable Irish pubs. Continue reading Molly Malone’s alive, alive-oh in St. Matthews’ fair city

Good eats among the antiques at Michele’s On Goss

eggs Benedict
Michelle’s Eggs Benedict

LEO’s Eats with LouisvilleHotBytes

Early in April, Michele Brinke took over as owner of the restaurant in the Goss Avenue Antique Mall, renaming it from Olivia’s to Michele’s On Goss. Chef Travis Hall moved on to focus on his school nutrition business, and Brinke is now joined by Sous Chef Philip Hess.

Brinke, who among other things joined her husband, Bob, as co-chef of the short-lived but excellent Chef’s Table in Old Louisville and worked at Highland Fish Market in Middletown, brings plenty of experience to this sizable space. She already has put her stamp on the menu and the service at this lunch and brunch-only eatery.
Continue reading Good eats among the antiques at Michele’s On Goss

Wasabiya serves creative sushi, but not without a few flaws

sushi roll

All right, who ordered all this raw fish? At the rate things are going, the city’s Bardstown-Baxter strip is going to have to change its nickname from restaurant row to something like … well, how does “The Boulevard of Bistros and Sushi Bars” sound?
Continue reading Wasabiya serves creative sushi, but not without a few flaws

Nobody knows the changes I’ve seen … on the eats beat

A look at 20 years of the Louisville dining scene

Mayan Gypsy
Mayan Gypsy

LEO’s Eats with LouisvilleHotBytes

Ah, nostalgia. There’s hardly a better way to get a room full of foodies chattering, in real time or Internet time, than to start a conversation about the evolution, development and changes of Louisville’s dining scene.

Scratch a food lover, find a memory bank full of stories about great meals past, real and imagined, along with a few stories about dining disasters. Are things just as good as they used to be, or are they even better? Grab a dish from your favorite restaurant, fill your glass with a tasty beverage, and let’s talk.

This week, celebrating the 20th birthday of LEO Weekly, we’re looking specifically at Louisville’s eats beat for the past 20 years, from 1990 to now.
Continue reading Nobody knows the changes I’ve seen … on the eats beat

Istanbul Palace introduces Turkish fare

meat, rice, sauce
Doner plate at Instanbul Palace

Voice-Tribune review by LouisvilleHotBytes

Louisville’s first Turkish restaurant has settled down in the East End, as Istanbul Palace, a popular spot in Lexington, has now moved to our town.

If you reckon you might enjoy Turkish food because you love turkey on Thanksgiving, you may want to re-think that: Despite the apparent coincidence of names, the turkey does not come to us from Turkey with a capital T. It’s a North American bird, most likely named by early settlers based on what they thought they heard the American Indians say.

Turkish food, to the casual observer, might seem to resemble Greek food, but I’d be careful about that, too: Turkey and Greece, both of which have been major world powers in their time, have a long record of rivalry, and sadly that relationship has had its rocky periods.
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Lots to like about Bank Street Brewhouse

plate of mussels
Mussels at Bank Street Brewhouse

LEO’s Eats with LouisvilleHotBytes

We arrived at Bank Street Brewhouse on a beautiful late-spring afternoon. The temperature was in the balmy upper 70s, the breezes were gentle, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.

I looked longingly at the four round patio tables out front and whispered to my bride how frustrating it is that the outdoor dining section has become the de facto smoking section for many Metro eateries.

The server must have overheard me. “Those tables are no-smoking,” she said with a smile. “Take your pick.”
Continue reading Lots to like about Bank Street Brewhouse

Well done, good and faithful servants

So, another Derby has come and gone. To the world outside Derby City, the “Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports” is, at most, a couple hours of viewing enjoyment on a spring Saturday afternoon. To Louisvillians, of course, it’s much more: a two-week extravaganza with a celebratory feel; a chance to glimpse celebrities from around the globe; short, lazy days at the office and lots of early business closings; an excuse to acquire an elaborate hat; and a reason to buy up half the supply of fresh mint in the northern quadrant of the country.
Continue reading Well done, good and faithful servants

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