40 New Restaurants: Louisville

Showing posts with label Louisville. Show all posts

#55 - Cottage Cafe

October 2010

FINALLY....[I've lost count] years later...my bestest friend from first grade through college had a chance to have lunch and catch up on the past 20 years. And, the worst part....she lives in Louisville! :( How sad we cannot get together more frequently. We did promise that we won't wait another 20 years. Next week's her birthday....we will try again.

When I shared with her my goal of "new restaurants," she offered this darling cafe in old Middletown. We walked in the front door and we were handed a fork-full of delectable dessert...mine was "Pumpkin Praline Cake" - heavenly!!! It was Tuesday and we had Bible Study tonight...I think I'll ask about buying the whole cake and taking it tonight.

We both ordered a wonderful meatloaf sandwich with potato salad. Why we didn't have enough forethought to order different lunches to share was beyond me. Oh well...next time. The sandwich and salad were great. Very hefty portions. I would recommend it if you're looking for a quaint little cafe

Although....I'd not suggest buying a WHOLE cake...are you sitting down? It would be $47.00. I think I"ll make one! Thanks.

Cottage Cafe
11609 Main Street
Middletown, KY 40243
(502) 244-9497

#54 - Red Pepper

September 2010

So, have you ever met someone and thought...I sure would like to get to know them better? Well, today I had the honor of getting to know one of those "someone's" better...I traveled out to LaGrange, KY to get to know my new friend, Fifi. She's a wonderful Christian lady and an extremely talented artist. I got to go around her studio today and see her amazing works of art and hear the stories behind many of them. We had a wonderful time sharing and getting to know one another and then before we went on a little drive, I got a yummy chicken salad sandwich at the Red Pepper - a local dive in LaGrange on the square. The sandwich was great and the company even better!

If you want to see some of her great artwork, visit her website http://www.fifisart.com. She also is in the process of making many of her originals available in smaller prints and has a charming "angels" series of designs she's done.

Red Pepper

103 East Main Street,
La Grange, Kentucky 40031
502-225-0770
http://www.redpepperdeli.com/index.html

#53 - Patrick O'Shea's

September 2010

Had a fun lunch this afternoon with my friend, Gretchen. We met at Patrick O'Shea's on Main Street in downtown Louisville. Although there was some renovations going on outside, the inside was festive. Ordered a delicious grilled chicken salad. It was perfect...full of good veges and feta cheese! It was huge - enough for two.

I'll bet this is a blast on St. Patty's day and plenty of green beer to go around I'm sure.

Patrick O'Shea's
123 W Main St
Louisville, KY 40202-1343
(502) 708-2488
http://www.osheaslouisville.net/patricks.php

#52 - Oishii Sushi

September 2010

I'm hooked on sushi! Cindy, you never should have taken me! Thanks David, Corey, and Lauren for a great night. This is Corey's favorite sushi restaurant in Louisville and if you blink, you might just miss it driving down Bardstown Road in the Highlands. But, if you do, you'll miss a great time. It's a rather small restaurant and filled up quite quickly this Saturday night. The sushi bar was very close where I took a few minutes to watch the magic happen. These folks are experts.

Still being new to the sushi world, David ordered for me (thanks, dear! I may be old fashioned, but I don't mind for a man to order my meal for me). I remember we had a Lobster roll, Crunch Munch roll, Volcano roll, and about 6 others. It was a fun evening with everyone sharing what they brought next. I love trying new things!!!

Oishii Sushi
2245 Bardstown Road
Louisville, KY 40205-1917
(502) 618-2829
http://www.oishiisushiky.com/

#49 - Little India Cafe (Indian)

September 2010

Happy Birthday, my Indian-lovin' food-friend! So, I searched and urban-spooned to find the best Indian restaurant in Louisville for my friend's birthday before the Casting Crown concert...and Little India Cafe was it. hmmmm.....should have taken him back to Bombay Grill.

It wasn't bad, just we didn't think it was the "best." It was fast, which we needed as we were running late, and the food was good. So, I if you want some fast Indiana (kind of reminded us of a Chinese take-out) which I also have nothing against, then make a stop by Little India Cafe in McMahan Plaza in Hikes Point.

Little India Cafe
3099 Breckenridge Lane
Louisville, KY 40220
(502) 479-3353

#47 - Havana Rumba (Cuban)

September 2010

I have discovered my new favorite ethnic food.....CUBAN!!! Oh my goodness. What a mouth-full of flavors and absolutely fun atmosphere! Today, I started my Cuban adventure with my friend, Tara at Havana Rumba in Middletown. They've moved (I think) from St. Matthews to a larger location. They're where "Pig City" used to be up the street on Shelbyville Road from Blankenbaker Pkwy (closer to Gene Snyder.)

Tara ordered for me, but I think there was some sweet potato fries, empanadas, and I think Lechon Asado...I don't remember, but it was all yummy! Can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Just go and enjoy.

Havana Rumba
Ste 108, 12003 Shelbyville Road
Louisville, KY 40243-3009
(502) 244-5375
http://havanarumbaonline.com/

#45 - BBC

August 2010

My food groupies shared with me another one tonight - BBC. After church tonight we enjoyed excellent burgers and BBQ. Everything was delicious. This evening brought back fond memories from my college days where a group of us would hang out after church. The only thing missing was a good game of Spades.

One of our party ordered ribs - yummy! Very tender and juicy. One of our party ordered a burger - great, tasty off the grill!
No beer for this crew, so can't give you a comment on that one, although everyone else did order the ROOTbeer and said it was great.

BBC
3929 Shelbyville Road
Louisville, KY
(502) 899-7070
www.bbcbrew.com/

#44 - KY State Fair...

August 2010

OK, well...technically, I've eaten at the KY State Fair many years over my life...HOWEVER, this year there was something new on the menu – Krispy Kreme Burger. My new food groupies...we agreed to get ONE and split it 4 ways. So we did. "All for one and one" for all has a completely new meaning. All I can say is that chocolate covered pretzels are much better. Sweet and salty is only good for some things. But, we did it, we survived to tell about it. Thanks for the memory gang!

#40 - I MADE IT! GOAL ACCOMPLISHED!! - Sake Blue (Japanese)

July 2010

Well...only seven months past goal date, but I still accomplished it! Tonight's meal was monumental occasion. My dear friends, Mike & Cindy took me out to dinner after we finished doing some with with a great Touched Twice Clinic set up in Portland. And, if that weren't wonderful enough...of all my friends who have asked me to go eat Sushi...they were the first ones brave enough to do it. We went to Cindy's favorite Sushi restaurant - Sake Blue in the Fern Creek-ish area on Bardstown Road by Gene Snyder. We ordered the Hibachi grill...BUT Cindy ordered 3 Sushi rolls so I could try an assortment. She ordered me the Sake Blue Roll - to die for! They brought it out on fire. How exciting. then, she ordered Godzilla and King Cobra. Are you sitting down...the King Cobra was so cool, it looked like a bit snake BUT, on the top was EEL! AND I ATE IT! And, it wasn't too bad.

Sake Blue
Center Street
Louisville, KY 40291
(502) 708-1500
http://www.sakeblue.com/

#39 - Queen of Sheba (Ethopian)

July 2010

My dear sweet friend, Kendall, has been raving about her favorite restaurant...so we made a date and went! Ethopian...Queen of Sheba across from Bowman Field Airport in Louisville. What a unique experience! We ate with our hands! I couldn't tell you what she ordered me, but it's the "usual" and came out "family style" on a bit platter in the middle of us with rolled up "bread." So, you take your rolled up bread, tear off a piece and scoop up some of the delicious assortment of food on the platter...meat, veges, salad, humus, perhaps. As I said, it was just yummy. And as always...the company was even better!

Thanks, Baby for a wonderful lunch! Let's do it again.

Queen of Sheba
2804 Taylorsville Road
Louisville, KY 40205-3160
(502) 459-6301
www.queenofshebalouisville.com/

#38 - Luigi’s Pizzeria & Pasta (Italian)

June 2010

Well, today I not only broke the number one rule from Keith Ferrazzi...I ate alone! But I WAS reading a good book (not that one though!)

One of the coolest things about this "40 New Restaurants" journey has been the wonderful excitement of finding the hidden secrets and treasures in a community. Luigi's is most definitely one of those. I went all out...ordered a New York Roll...From East cost,this crispy crust roll is stuffed with our own pepperoni & sausage and top of the line mozzarella cheese is the first choice for the meat lovers served with hose sauce. I opted for the NY Roll because it was about 1/3 the size of the Calzones...KNEW I could never eat one of those all by myself. Then, I splurged and indulged in the chocolate cake. Can't go wrong with that, ever. To top it all off...I enjoyed my Italian sampling outside in the beautiful sunshine.

If you're in the downtown Louisville area, enjoying some of the sights of the Science Center or the Ali Center or the Bat Factory/Museum...plan to enjoy lunch at Luigi's - you won't be sorry! Or perhaps you work downtown...take a walk for lunch and have a calzone or roll.

PS...I even think I met "Mr. Luigi!" - Great restaurant, sir!

Luigi's Pizzeria & Pasta
712 West Main Street
Louisville, KY 40202-2634
(502) 589-0005
http://www.luigispizzeria.com/

#37 - Mulligan's

May 2010

Two of my oldest (not old, but longest) friends were conniving about a new business venture for the three of us...Thanks for letting me in on your plan, guys! So, when David was in town...he, Eric, and I met for some nuts and bolts conversation around the viability of a business together. I'm so very sad to say that one of Louisville's icons, Kaelin's, is no longer in business. Louisville's best hamburgers...gone! Sadness!!!

In it's place, a new kid on the block...Mulligan's. Mulligan's is your typical neighborhood pub. It reminded me greatly of the pubs we visited throughout Atlantic Canada with Rotary in 2006. Full of personality and character. We enjoyed a drink and an appetizer and excellent conversation along with good plotting for a business venture. Time will tell where this road takes us in the future. But, nonetheless...thanks for adding another restaurant on the journey!

Mulligan's Pub & Grill
1801 Newburg Road
Louisville, KY 40205
(502) 632-2818

#35 - Bombay Grill (Indian)

March 2010

My friend who loves Indian...I found "the top Indian restaurant in Louisville" and we braved it! It was funny...as we drove into the parking lot, he did a "drive by" to peek in the window and once he saw the inside was fairly full of Indians, and there were "nice cars" in the parking lot... he was up for the adventure.

WINNER! He concurred with the Urban Spoon, or Yelp, or wherever I found the posting. We put total and complete trust in our waiter to bring us his suggestion. Then the interesting question....what level of hot do you want? Scale of 1-10. My friend was gracious...he said "2." One of the "2's" was not very hot at all...however the other one....had some heat. Then...I got him! I asked the waiter if he had anything cooking in the back that was a 10 for my friend to try. :D Boy, did I get the look from him! We tried it and honestly, THAT particular one was not as hot as the "2" we had on the table.

I wish I could tell you what we ate, but I'm afraid, I cannot. As I said, we trusted the waiter and ate what he brought. But we have been back since for the lunch buffet and everything was delicious and very flavorful! You can't go wrong with Bombay Grill if you like Indian!

Bombay Grill
216 North Hurstbourne Parkway
Louisville, KY 40222
(502) 425-8892
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bombay-Grill-Louisville/136120233083351
http://www.bombaygrillky.com/

#34 - Mimi's Cafe

February 2010

A very dear friend of mine took me out for Valentine's Day this year. He chose...Mimi's Cafe (original suggestion was Skyline, but he opted to "dine-up.") What a scrumptious menu of food. I couldn't help myself, but to go for the grilled salmon...perfect! Seasoning was delicious, it was tender and moist. The side of smashed potatoes and grilled vegetables was a wonderful addition. And, as good as the food was, the company and afternoon spent sharing and talking was even more enjoyable.

Thanks for a wonderful celebration and a very special afternoon!

Mimi's Cafe
615 South Hurstbourne Parkway
Louisville, KY 40222-5040
(502) 426-6588
http://www.mimiscafe.com/

#33 - Pita Delights (Mediterranean)

February 2010

My friend and wonderful colleague, Howard, was leaving his current employer and moving on to something new and incredible. He is a gifted consultant and facilitator with non-profit agencies and has been given an opportunity to do what he loves...this and photography. So in celebration of our friendship and his new adventure, he indulged me and my 40 Restaurant Journey and we went to Pita Delights.

Pita Delights is a quaint little Mediterranean restaurant in the Highlands. Pita Delights is near the corner of Bardstown and Grinstead...next to Wendy's. The cuisine is packed full of flavor and the price is just as delightful. I think I ordered a Shwarma -- A Pita filled with fresh grilled beef, onions, romaine lettuce and mayo. The relaxing family-friendly environment allows you to enjoy cultural music and décor. It's a fun restaurant for those who are up for something new and exciting.

Pita Delights
1616 Grinstead Drive
Louisville, KY 40204
(502) 569-1122

#32 - Martini Italian Bistro

February 2010

If you can't travel to Italy in person...Martini's is a good "second best." When you walk into the restaurant, you feel as if you're walking into a quaint bistro in Italy. The decor, the music, the aromas, and definitely the food is 100% Italian. I felt the need to call "Oh, Cameriere..." for our waiter. This is definitely one on "the list" that I'd go back to again. That is the downside to my goal of 40 new restaurants! When you find the ones that migrate to the top of the list...do you return because it was so good? Or, do you stay focused on the goal of finding the next new one? <SIGH> the dilemma! Thanks Kathleen for enjoying a little bit of Italy with me. By the way...JUST in case you're a martini connoisseur, as you may have figured from their name... at last count, their martini selection was nearly 70! Grab a friend or two and take a visit to Italy and save the airfare - enjoy Martini's.

Martini's
4021 Summit Plaza Drive
Louisville, KY
(502) 394-9797
http://www.martini-italian-bistro.com/

#30 - Toast On Market

January 2010

Colleen...what a delightful brunch I enjoyed with you! If you're looking for an absolutely phenomenal breakfast - and unique menu - you've GOT to try Toast On Market. This restaurant was originally in downtown Louisville on Market and has crossed the "great ocean" and is now on Market Street in downtown New Albany (which is where Colleen and I met.)

French Toast, Omelets, and delightful combination's of flavors. These are just your typical toast and eggs. Kudos to the chef for the creative combination of wonderful ingredients. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Give it a try, you'll be glad you did.

Toast On Market

#29 - Shalimar (Indian)

January 2010

Today after church, a group of us went to eat lunch at a new Indian restaurant (one of our group's favorite is Indian!) They have a delicious and very full buffet on Sundays, price isn't bad either. There is a lot to choose from and...are you sitting down?... I even tried goat! Why not? Live life to the fullest, right!? The taste wasn't bad ("tastes like chicken") but I was not prepared for the bones. Evidently Indian tradition is to just drop the whole chunk of goat in the pot and cook it down, much like chicken and dumpling, I suppose. We had a delightful meal and as with most buffets, I ate too much! Shalimar offers four, I think, buffet bars and even had a selection of desserts. Thanks Perk, Melissa, Gracie, and Brian for adding another restaurant to my list!

Shalimar Restaurant 1850 S. Hurstbourne Pkwy, Ste 125
Louisville, KY 40220
502.493.8899

http://www.shalimarlouisville.com/

#25 - Jason's Deli

October 2009

I was invited by Touched Twice to attend the annual Catalyst Conference in Atlanta which I was honored to accept. Learning more effective ways to lead for the Kingdom and find creative ways to spread the word about Touched Twice!

Perry (my newest FourSquare buddy), Mike, Cindy, and another TTU friend.

Jason's is the best chili (no beans) I've had in a restaurant...it was really thick, full of meat, had an assortment of spices, and of course...NO BEANS! My favorite "Texas chili."

Again, this is a chain, so look for one near you!

http://www.jasonsdeli.com/

#24 - Aspen Creek

October 2009

In a previous post, I mentioned a Mexican restaurant I had eaten at in Cumberland, KY when I was there helping with a Touched Twice clinic. Well, in October, most of the missionaries with whom we worked on this clinic came to Louisville for a conference and so..."Hail Hail...the gang's all here."

We all met at my friend Cindy's favorite restaurant - Aspen Creek on Bardstown Road near Glenmary. Salmon, steak, salad, desserts...everything is delicious! It's a similar atmosphere to Buckheads.

Aspen Creek
8000 Bardstown Road
Louisville, KY 40291-3440
(502) 239-2200
http://www.aspencreekrestaurant.com/