Taste of Louisville: Blue Lagoon

The Highlands in Louisville is definitely known for its eclectic dining venues and busy Friday nights. Well, the traffic was nothing new on Bardstown Road at 715 on a Friday night, but this little place with an up and coming chef was a nice little surprise.
My friend Sarah and I went there for an evening of shared food and conversation. Love these meals. She knew the chef, so we got to place a special order (it had recently been taken off the menu).
I totally forgot my camera (blame it on Friday-night brain) so you'll have to deal with descriptions.
To start: sweet potato fries. I'm used to large, regular-fry looking, sweet potato fries - which I LOVE! But these were different. When our waiter asked if we would like them for dessert or an appetizer, I knew I was in for a treat. He quickly brought out a small bowl set on a plate of petite cut fries. A light snow-dusting of powdered sugar with a small bowl of dipping: saffron honey. I could have downed the whole container of saffron honey. If saffron weren't so expensive, I'd go buy some and make some for myself. The very last bite (once we had dumped the bowl of fries on the plate), was laced with the chili powder that had been dusted on the place. AMAZING. That was the best bite of the whole meal.
Jody, the chef, made us this wonderful Persian--version of paella. It served both of us and we weren't stuffed, so that was good. The rice was perfectly done - not sticky or crunchy. There was plenty of seafood in it: shrimp, cod, scallops, and mussels. He didn't skimp. It was very seafood-y so you would have to enjoy seafood to appreciate this dish. The only thing I could say that was a disappointment was it was not very complex in flavors - very monochromatic if I can use that word to describe food? But, we ate it all!
When the waiter brought our check, he also brought out these lovely tea shots as a palette cleanser I guess. Simple, yet a perfect way to end a meal.
So, if you are looking for something out of the ordinary and somewhat unknown still (so no wait on a Friday night) - go to Blue Lagoon on Bardstown Road. (order the sweet potato fries).

Taste of Louisville: Meridian Cafe

Thanks to Aarica's 3 year old camera phone for these pictures! I didn't grab mine this morning before heading to work!

I will always give a restaurant two tries before I make any final judgment. Well...the first time I went to this little cozy St. Matthews restaurant was over the summer. Actually, the restaurant came to me. We got an order to go. It was cold by the time we ate it and their hummus is just a little different then it ought to be.

Today, Aarica and I went with a gift certificate that my sister in law sent through restaurants.com. I'm glad I didn't pay for all of it!

Aarica had the tomato soup - she said she liked her's better.

I ordered the chicken salad - not very mayonnaise-y. Had good veggies in it and nuts - which I like. The bread was a wheat bread toasted - yum (best part). I enjoyed the dill pickle spear very much. So, I had 1/2 the sandwich. I exchanged the chips for the roasted balsamic tomatoes - everyone raves about - eh, not so much. I will puree them in boxed tomato soup for dinner tonight - at least get use out of them.

Aarica ordered "The Alana" - pita, cajun hummus, roasted veggies. The pita was good. Hummus shouldn't be cajun though.

Fave parts: the decor/ambience (even though crowded, not very loud), the dill pickle spear, and the bread.

Not so fave parts: the waitress, the hummus

Taste of Louisville: The Cupcake Shoppe

This little place is right down the street - next to other favorites such as Lotsa Pasta and Asahi. Today was the first day I tasted their yumminess!
My boss' wife brought me a yummy Pumpkin Patch Cupcake with Cream Cheese Frosting.
The frosting was tasty with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top. Perfect blend of sugar and cream cheese. Perfectly smooth.
The cupcake was so moist - perfect ratio of frosting to cake. Had nuts in it, perfect spicy/sweet level. Maybe the best fall cupcake I've ever had.
Darn - I didn't have my camera. Wish I did.
So cute. So yummy. Definitely worth the one bite!

Taste of Louisville: Irish Rover

I had heard much about this restaurant from friends and knew I needed to try it. My Dad likes Irish food and music so I wanted to take them there when they visited this week. It wasn't very loud on a rainy Wednesday night - we sat in the bar just because it was closest to the door.

I liked the decor and our waitress.

The bread was normal - nothing to waste calories on (but I did).

Dad got the Salmon Au Gratin - it was ok (yes, I had a bite). I got the Guiness Beef Stew - best and we all had some of that. Mom got the Lamb Cabbage Rolls (served with mashed taters). The mashed potatoes were definitely yummier than the rolls.

She had one of her rolls for breakfast on Friday. Dad had some leftover beef stew on Thursday for lunch.

We also shared the Bread Pudding for dessert. I thought it was too clumpy and not enough taste for bread pudding. Oh well.

So, it won't be a favorite restaurant of mine, nor will I probably go again. The prices were very good and the decor and wait staff were all nice.

Taste of Louisville: Kashmir

Bardstown Road in Louisville is known for its eclectic cuisine. This restaurant is no exception. It was a grand day weather wise so Jenny and I sat outside to enjoy lunch in the sun and cool breeze.
Kashmir is a locally owned Indian restaurant that has a relatively inexpensive lunch buffet. It was 7$ for each. They had a great tossed salad, some chopped fruit, breads (Naan and others), and then I tried a bit of each, or most:
Tandoori chicken
Curry Chicken
Curried potatoes and veggies
Laid off the rice because it was rice.
Had a T of their rice pudding for dessert - yummy - could have eaten much of that!

Everything I ate was good with differing levels of heat. So, if you like buffets, salad, and Indian food - there you go. Don't look anywhere further.

Taste of Louisville: El Mundo

Today I went to a new place here just a few miles from the seminary. I love close lunch places. And I love friends to go with. My friend Jenny and I went today and sat outside in their backyard next to the RR tracks (only one train came by and it was a quick one). The backyard was much quieter and the weather is outstanding today, so it was perfect! No one bothered us at all - such a calming lunch!
I got the Pan Fried Fish Tacos. Atlantic Cod that had been pan fried very lightly wrapped in warm flour tortillas with all sorts of veggies: salad greens, squash, zuks, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, cilantro. I thought these fish tacos were much better than the other ones I've had at Bazos. My only complaint with them was the tortillas had no flavor and the filling kept falling out, so I just left them on my plate. They had a small ctr of a mayo salsa dip for it - that was excellent but only used a little. Their side of beans was a mixture of black and pinto - amazing. And their rice was a tad on the spicy side and good - but I'm not a huge fan of rice and totally not worth the calories.
Jenny got the chips and avocado for us to share. That has got to be the best quacamole I've ever had. Amazing, fresh, cool all served with warm bagged corn chips (you know the round ones you usually get with nachos at a ball park). This was the first time I haven't complained about boring chips - all because the quac was so yummy.
I love the comfy decor. Not too big, local place, friendly staff, unmatched forks, water out of a cooler, you dip your own ice from an ice chest, straws from a spinny dispenser.
Only thing I didn't like about sitting outside was that I didn't get my water refilled because I didn't want to walk back in. And the last thing - the price was a bit high, but with good food - 9$ for lunch was ok.
El Mundo - I will be coming to you again!

Taste of Louisville: Kayrouz Cafe

I love trying new places. And I love St. Matthews. My church is starting a new campus in St. Matthews (a 4 mile area that I live near here in the ville). So, Rayann and I tried Kayrouz Cafe, behind The Reader's Corner (a great used book store) on Willis/Breckenridge. Unfortunately, this little cafe didn't live up to all the reviews (print and personal) I had received.
Liked the decor, inside and outside table, it was hot that day so we chose the indoor route. They are definitely known for their burgers. But, I didn't want a burger. I had been told their hummus was good and everyone knows I love hummus - so we got that and a cucumber cream cheese sandwich on rye (because it was so hot outside, we wanted something cold to eat).
Hummus: platter looked pretty with warm pitas, kalamata olives, tomatoes and cuks on it. The hummus didn't live up to the platter. It was overly tart because of too much lemon in it. The texture was good - the taste wasn't right. I loved the warm pita though and that turned out to be the best part of the meal.
Cuk/Cream Cheese Salad on Rye. Think chicken salad but with cream cheese and chopped cuks all mixed together. With bacon (which I took off) on toasted rye. I actually liked the rye bread, thought that flavor went well. The salad reminded me of watergate salad (you know the kind with pistachio pudding and marshmallows). I didn't care for it. I asked Rayann how the bacon was on it and she said the flavors clashed.
So, it was ok - don't need to go there again. Both of those things with water came at 15.
So, here is a new "beef" with local restaurants. If you are really good at something and that is what you are known for - stick with that, don't venture out into other things just to broaden your menu and then have it taste horrible. Stick with what you are good at. Because when I go to a restaurant I want to be able to pick anything off the menu and have it be amazing.

Taste of Louisville: Come Back Inn

I had asked a friend for a recommendation in the West part of the Louisville. He said his brother liked this place. So, we went to the Come Back Inn on Swan. Let me start with what I liked about it:

1. The service. Our waitress was kind, fun, laid back - this wasn't an "uppity" place, and I really liked it. She gave me recommendations for what she liked. She kept my water filled and it didn't take forever to get our food. She deserved a good tip.

2. It was a local place. Small parking lot, but with lots of street parking. Neighborhood pub type feeling. Well attended for Tuesday dinner, but no wait.

3. The sauteed shrooms. The above bruschetta that Billy ordered for our appetizer came plain but with two small bowls: diced tomatoes and sauteed shrooms. The shrooms was so good. I ate more of them on my salad once the bread was gone.

Things I thought were just ok: (ok, just ok, fazolis is just ok)!

1. I got the caprese salad (although they didn't call it that). It was big salad with lots of bocconcini balls. The tomatoes were tasty. I gave more than half the balls of mozzerrella to Heather to finish off. The croutons were good but tasted like they came out of a bag and weren't "store made".

2. Heather's gyro wasn't much to look at and she said she had had better. Billy's salad was huge and he said it was good.

3. There were spelling errors on the menu. We were trying to figure out what a clamalta olive was - a kalamata olive. Oh...

So, maybe the pasta and pizza are amazing - but we didn't get those. So, I know I can't judge a restaurant on the 4 things that we ate. But, I would rather Fazolis - its cheaper too and the breadsticks are better!

Taste of Louisville: Blue Dog Bakery

I finally made it to a trendy spot right here in the Crescent Hill area of Louisville. With Rach here to visit, I thought it a perfect time to try out Blue Dog Bakery (no website). It is a bakery turned restaurant but mostly still a bakery.
I had the Bourbon Orange French Toast. 2 slices of I think brioche (but I could be wrong) bread that had the greatest flavor of orange in it. So soft, melt in your mouth texture. Amazing pairing - really didn't even need the syrup but I used some.
Rach got the scrambled eggs with goat cheese and green chili sauce. Saltiness from the goat cheese paired with the green chilis - light and fluffy eggs - served with 2 pieces of grain toast. She also said the decaf was very tasty.
Praice were reasonable (9-12) because the food was good.
The service...we got seated ok. We didn't go during the breakfast rush and I was glad. But, it took a while to get cream for the coffee and it took asking for a glass of water from 3 different people, 4 different times to get it (at the end of the meal).
To go, we got a nainamo bar to split (it was ok, would have been much better chilled or at least cool) and their granola - which was pretty good.
All in all - I will go back - but it won't be an every Saturday thing unless I just had more money and wasn't concerned about my waistline!

Taste of Louisville: The Old Spaghetti Factory

This was the highlight of the evening. Sarah and I were downtown Louisville for the Taste of Home night at the Convention Center. Well, we walked in and knew we needed to go get dinner. I'd never been there - so I was excited to go.
They are set up like old street cars inside (pictures will be coming soon). Elegant chandeliers, etc. Very nice.
Let's start with the best of the evening:
I got a big ole piece of their Lasagna Vegetariano. Artichokes and many other things in a red sauce that wasn't drowning the piece of lasagna - with sauteed shrooms on top. The best thing was the marinara sauce - best I've tasted at an Italian restaurant. The lasagna was pretty good too - better than I thought it be - not heavy on the cheese. I ate half of it - gave the rest to Sarah to take home.
The house salad was nothing to write home about and the bread was a white loaf, soft, good, served like Outback's but not near as good.
We had a nice waitress, though not very effecient. We waited 12 minutes to get our water order taken - and it wasn't full at 7pm. She got Sarah's salad order wrong - but then she got better after that.
So, I've been, do I need to go again, no probably not, but I wouldn't rule it out. The marinara and the ambience definitely make it.

Taste of Fern Creek: Bootleg BBQ

Hole in the wall all the way.
A few months ago, a co-worker brought in Bootleg BBQ leftovers. I got to try their pulled pork. It was great. Smoked, no sauce on it at the time - and I really liked it - straight from the microwave.
Well, my parents love bbq. We love to try different places. So, while they were here, we decided to go to this place. We drove out and spent some time in Bardstown, then on our way back we stopped in Fern Creek to eat.
We got there before the lunch rush which was nice. We were the only ones in there. We got 2 rib tip plates (the special) and a pulled pork sandwich plate. My sides were the smoke house beans and cole slaw. The beans were great. Cole slaw not so much. Mom got the potato salad and green beans - both were really good. Dad got the same sides as me, and ate both. I still liked the pulled pork better - and would have liked it without the sauce. It was a little sweet for me and I like my bbq sauce more mild or hot than sweet.
But, we all ate it. And they served it all on baby shower plates. The lady told Mom that we just use what people give us!

Taste of Louisville: Wild Eggs

Man - what a great breakfast place.
My parents and I tried out Wild Eggs in St. Matthews this week while they were here. Got right in and our food was served very prompty and with friendly service. The weekends are a little harder to get a table right away - just get up early before work!
My Dad got his normal oatmeal - served with side dishes of whipped butter, blueberries, walnuts, brown sugar, syrup. He said the coffee was great for a restaurant (amazingly, not Starbucks).
Mom and I shared our meals.
I got the ACE of a BLT - Avocado, bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, fried egg on grilled sourdough - amazing sandwich. It all stayed together. Two things: the bacon was thick cut so it was a little chewy. And the avocado I wish was in slices rather than a mixture. But, still - the egg was a little runny and the grilled sourdough was perfect! This was served with home fries which was great - I just didn't eat them all - its all about choices!
Mom got the Crispy hippie Crunch. A delicious perfect belgian waffle, topped with their homemade granola, fruit compote and whipped cream. It was delicious!
So - maybe a little overprices for breakfast - but delicious! :)
I actually think I liked Mom's better and Mom liked mine better.

Taste of Louisville: Bazos

There is a little place here in St. Matthews I've been wanting to try - Bazos. My Mom will try anything - so we went yesterday on the recommendation from Timothy and Rayann.
It would be good because I walked in and they were playing the Gator/Vol bball game - even though the Gators lost - still...
It was completely empty on a Sunday at 430 - don't know if that's a good sign...and the service was still about 10 minutes - so...
They have a frequent diner card, so anything where I can eventually get something free is good.
Prices weren't bad either - entrees ranging from $2.50-7.00.
So, we got the Baja Fish tacos - which everyone raves about them here in the Ville. I took one bite of the lightly breaded, wrapped in two tortillas, lime, tilapia - and knew I didn't need to eat anymore. There was no taste and it was slightly rubbery.
So, we also got the Shrimp burrito - sauteed small shrimp, black beans, rice, sour cream, cheese, thin tortilla - well worth the $6.50. It was really tasty. I had some of their generic, nothing special chips and made my half of the burrito "naked" and scooped it up with the chips.
So, I would rank it a A- for price, C+ atmosphere (it was clean and easy to get to), F for the fish tacos, and an A for the shrimp burrito.
Will I go back - sure. Will it become a regular - probably not, but there is more to try on the menu too.

Taste of Louisville: Los Aztecas

I just enjoyed one of the best things I've ever had at a Mexican restaurant!
Los Aztecas is where Brandi I went today. It is a local chain, with this being their newest addition, right down off of Frankfort in the Clifton area.
I had the mushroom quesadilla which had mushrooms, green peppers, onions and cheese - yummy! Kinda a grilled cheese sandwich. I shared some of it with Brandi.
And their hot salsa was good - added the kick for the lunch!
Not the cheapest mexican food - but it was good. Reminded me of the spinach quesadillas at Las Mas in Wake Forest. It was my normal. This one wasn't as greasy or as fattening as that one was.

Taste of a Chain Restaurant: PF Changs

I think I've been to PF Changs about 3 times in life. I know, for how good it is you would think I would go more. But, I haven't. Its too expensive. Usually I am in a place where there is a good cheap Asian fare place, but here in Louisville, there is no Charlie's or Chen's.
Tracy and I went last night. She had never had the PF Chang's experience.
We got the spring rolls as an appetizer - they were yummy.
I got the ginger chicken with broccoli, brown rice. I added heat to it - about a 5 - and it was warm, but not so warm that I couldn't taste the food. It was really good. The sauce was great and the meal cooked just right.
The side dish I ordered was the sauteed spinach in something...but it was way too salty so I didn't care for that.
Tracy got the szechuan (sp?) beef with vegetables - and it was mild, so no heat at all. It was ok. The beef was jerky style and I didn't care for that.
Tracy got the garlicky green beans and they were great.
We both definitely downed the water. And we had a great waitress, Jill, who kept us stocked with water! :)
So, is PF Chang's good - yes. Is it always worth the price - no. i like my 5$ lunch special good Chinese places! But, its good for an occassional night out.

Taste of Chinese Louisville: Great Wall

I love hole in the wall Asain places. My two favorite are Chen's in Franklinton, NC (just north of Wake Forest, a 10 minute drive from the seminary) and a fmr place called Charlie's in Chapel Hill down the store front from the gym I worked out. Both places were friendly, cheap, a lot of food, and both had amazing General Tso's chicken and Charlie's had phenomenal Corn Egg Drop soup.
There is a little grocery front place on Brownsboro in the Clifton area called Great Wall. That is where Brandi and I ate lunch today - well, actually we brought it back to the office. I think the place only has 4 tables so I assume most of their business is pick up/delivery.
I had the chicken and mixed vegetables. They gave me a ton of chicken - but actually I just ate all the veggies (and maybe a piece or two of the chicken before I decided I really just wanted the veggies). I ate about 1/2 cup of the plain rice (why don't more Chinese places serve brown rice?). I took one bite of the tasteless egg roll and decided that definitely wasn't worth it. So, I opted for one of Brandi's Crab Ragoons - those were SO good! :) Put a tad of duck sauce on the top and it was yummy.
So...good, not outstanding, but cheap (4.65 for an entree, rice, egg roll or soda). Not bed. And you could definitely get 2-3 meals out of it. so, really - 2.50 for lunch if you split it with someone is darn cheap! And I like darn cheap!
Now to drink a ton of water today to flush out all the sodium from my system!

Taste of Louisville: Calistoga Cafe

Louisville has a new chain restaurant. Calistoga Cafe opened recently on Dutchmans in the heart of St. Matthews. Nearby restaurants are Moe's, Wild Eggs, Panera, Red Lobster, Texas, Ernesto's, Bazo's, Skyline Chili, Denny's - just to name a few. Definitely a popular location for food.
I was enticed by the menu and photo of atmosphere of this place, so I thought I would try it out today. Here is what I thought:
Great:
the staff - at least the ones I had. One of the bussers who worked the area near me had to deal with 4 uppity women who wanted things their way and weren't too grateful for her assistance. I was glad to get an opportunity to be gracious with my words to her.
fountain drinks - I love fountain drinks! :)
the coupon - with my meal today I got a coupon (good for 30 days) for a BOGO Free breakfast. Hopefully I will get to use this next Saturday.
Taste of half wrap: I got the veggie hummus wrap - I liked the marinade they put on it and the taste (although slight) of the hummus.
Not so great:
the price - you choose two and a fountain drink and small tip (10%) was 11.40. Too much for lunch.
I got the French Onion soup (least amount of calories I would think) - it was only warm and they seemed to have slapped some croutons then a slice of mozz cheese on top. At least it wasn't too salty. I just ate the broth and onions. The sandwich was piled in too much (wrap) so it started to fall apart. It was soggy from the vinaigrette they had put on it. The feta wasn't small cubes - but large blocks (3/4 in cubes) - that's too big for a sandwich.
Too loud: My Dad would definitely have not liked this place. I was trying to do some Bible reading and menu planning. I went after 1pm hoping to miss some of the crowd. But even by the time I left at 240 it was still so loud in there. Don't know if it is the acoustics or just the number of people, but I really think Panera is quieter.

So, will I go back? I'll give it one more shot - with the coupon and breakfast. But, I don't think I'll be making this place a regular! :(

Taste of Birthday Louisville - Cafe Lou Lou

For my actual birthday day lunch - Lilly and I went to Cafe Lou Lou after church. This is definitely one of the "Louisville" places as you can see by the Mardi Gras sign (and its not even February yet!). I was grateful for the new food and company on my bday!

We had a Greek salad - the sun-dried tomato vinaigrette definitely made the salad. So good, just tangy enough!

We split a veggie calzone for our main course. The dough was a bit soggy but the filling was great: fresh tomatoes, spinach, green peppers, and cheese, and other veggies too - my brain isn't remembering the others though.

The dessert "took the cake" - no pun intended. It was one of their specials for the day - and we got the last piece. It was realy popular. It was a Bananas Foster Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce. Wow! Is all I can say! It wasn't too sweet, it was amazing. I wish I could make bread puddings like that.

Thank you Lilly for a great lunch and splitting dessert! :)

Taste of Louisville: Butterfly Garden Cafe

Even though my lunch time was really hurried - this place was excellent - the soup definitely made everything worth it. Butterfly Garden Cafe is down on Bardstown, only about 3-4 miles from the seminary. Only problem with Bardstown Rd is it is very difficult to find parking places and there is tons of traffic.
But, once inside - its all good. We all had the tomato tuscan soup (broth based, fresh tomatoes, basil, onions, etc) - it was worth everything. So yummy and warm - especially with flurries coming down outside! The chicken salad was ok. I like chunky chicken salad and this was shredded. But, I loved the bread. It came with some sun-chips and a square of a corn casserole of some sort. That was very good too.
I sampled the Raspberry Chai while waiting for our table. That was very yummy - with just a hint of raspberry. Lilly and I ended up buying the cookbook from there - and Lauren already had both of them.
All in all - very good, poor parking, about a 1/3 higher than Panera - very nice servers, cozy place. Very thankful for Lauren who suggested it! Thanks!

Taste of Louisville: Shiraz

Dwon a couple miles from the school is a great district called Clifton - with tons of little restaurants in it. One the most affordable and also tasty and quick is a place called Shiraz. I had been there once before, but today I went again and had a much better experience.
I got a Shiraz Panini - flat bread warm with avocado and quinoa and jack cheese in it. Very very good. And some of their lentil rice: basmati rice with seasonings and lentils. This I will heat up this weekend to enjoy with some chicken or just some hummus from Whole Foods.
The people I was with enjoyed it as well. So - go, great for mediterranean food - and cheap on the wallet!