Ladies' lunch...advise me

I'm meeting a lady at the airport and driving her to St. Matthews. At lunch time. Where, sort of en route, can I get her a good lunch at a comfortable table (no folding chairs, something one can relax in) in a relaxed (because we have a lot of talking to do) atmosphere?

[Robin Garr]

I'm meeting a lady at the airport and driving her to St. Matthews. At lunch time. Where, sort of en route, can I get her a good lunch at a comfortable table (no folding chairs, something one can relax in) in a relaxed (because we have a lot of talking to do) atmosphere?

Bethy, one good choice might be to get over to St. Matthews and take your break at Meridian Cafe, which I think fits your criteria very nicely. It's just off Shelbyville Road on Meridian, pretty much right across from Trinity High School.

Mojito's is a great choice. Excellent food, comfortable surroundings, friendly people. Just one exit past St. Matt's on the Watterson. Easy choice.

[Robin Garr]

Mojito's is a great choice. Excellent food, comfortable surroundings, friendly people. Just one exit past St. Matt's on the Watterson. Easy choice.

I love Mojito, but if it's full, it can get mighty noisy. Same challenge with the new Cafe Lou Lou, which I also thought of suggesting until she got to the "quiet conversation" part.

Depending on where you are going in St. Matthews, Cafe LouLou's new location may be right on your way. DH and I had lunch there last week and it was filled with Ladies at Lunch (along with others). Bright and airy, great "vibe" and the food and the service were wonderful. We didn't have a conversation problem (but then again, I don't at Mojito either which is also an excellent choice), just request a table toward the back. If you go, the Shrimp and Grits appetizer is outstanding-worth a trip on it's own.

Deb

What about Rick's in Chenoweth Square? Don't they have a nice lunch in a quiet atmophere?

I was thinking of Mojito before I asked (because of the, you know, mojitos). Cafe Meridian I've never even heard of so I'm leaning heavily towards trying it. Then again, shrimp and grits has been off my radar for way too long. Thank you all for your kind suggestions. This forum's given me so much information and inspiration since I stumbled over it a couple of months ago. Well Done! (Didn't expect to use that particular phrase anywhere near food, did I?)

I vote for Cafe Emilie.

Puccini's Smiling Teeth in the Wild Oats plaza is casual and comfortable. Their pizzas and sandwiches are really good too.

I second Robin's vote for Meridian Cafe. Great, comfortable atmosphere and a nice menu. Definitely a place for ladies to lunch.

Depending on what day it is (I think they are only open Wed-Sat), Blooms Cafe is also a "ladies who lunch" place. It is in the same little strip center in St. Matthews where Bazo's is, tucked into the back of a card shop.

However, given the choice, I would definitely vote for Meridian. It's my favorite place!

I'm thinking Meridian tomorrow, Lou-Lou's for the shrimp and grits friday, and Mojito on saturday. Now, if somebody will just tell me what to order at Meridian and Mojito my whole foreseeable future will be settled. They told me Louisville was going to be friendly.

All of these sandwiches are really good:

1. Brian-served on pita with avocado, hummus, swiss, onion, and tomato.

2. West Coast Tuna-basically, a tuna melt, but a really delicious one!

3. East Coast Turkey-turkey w/apple slices, cheddar cheese, and cranberry sauce

4. Gourmet Grilled Cheese-comes with cheese and bacon. I get mine without bacon, but with avocado and tomato.

5. Can't remember what it's called, but they have a sandwich with artichokes, tomato, and feta

They usually have 2 daily specials. Their pita quesadillas are always good.

The hummus plate appetizer is a nice plate of hummus, pita, and chopped tomatoes, cabbage, cucumber, etc. It is an appetizer, but it could easily make a meal.

They have at least 2 soups every day, always vegetarian. Their tomato soup is really nice. In fact, I have never had a soup there that I didn't like (sometimes in the summer they have fruit soups, but I haven't ordered any of those because I generally want my soup to be warm).

Since your mom is coming to town, you may want to celebrate with a dessert. Their brownie is really good. You get two big pieces of brownie. It is warm and chewy. (You can get ice cream on it if you want, but it doesn't need it). They also have good mocha shakes.

I'm sure there's more, but that's all I can think of right now. It is basically a soup and sandwich kind of place, but the sandwiches aren't just your everyday things. They have a whole section of sandwiches served on pita bread (Brian, Elliott, etc.).

Hope you have a good time!

I've never tried the shrimp and grits, but here are some really good things at Cafe Lou Lou:

Meze Plate-hummus, pita, and other delectables-a lot of food, it's an appetizer and could probably feed 4 people

Another fabulous appetizer is (can't remember the name-man, I'm old) crispy lavash with cheese, spinach, tomatoes, and salt. I think it may be called Crispy Spinach Lavash. Oh, man, this one is good!

Their turkey delight sandwich is really good. I don't like the normal bread it comes on, so I ask for mine done as a wrap in their lavash flatbread. It has turkey, avocado, tomato, hummus, and sprouts (no sprouts in mine, please).

The pork tenderloin sandwich is really good. It has pork, onions, cheese, and spinach. It comes with Russian dressing (we always get our dressing on the side-it is pretty rich).

Their pizzas are really good, too.

I was there on Sunday and ordered the Summer Salad. Supposed to be made with spinach, but I got mine with romaine. It comes with strawberries, blueberries, and toasted nuts with a balsamic vinaigrette. It was good, but the dressing was very rich. Next time, I will get the dressing on the side.

In the mood for dessert? It will be tough, because you will be stuffed. The only dessert I've tried there is some kind of brownie with a white chocolate sauce. It is really good!

In the mood for dessert? It will be tough, because you will be stuffed. The only dessert I've tried there is some kind of brownie with a white chocolate sauce. It is really good!

That is my Kahlua White Russian Brownie. Thanks for the kind words, Ellen.

I'm also running revolving house-made sorbet and frozen yogurt specials, as it's so hot. Today's frozen yogurt is banana-mango, and the sorbets are lemon-buttermilk, pink grapefruit, and two hours ago I put a mojito sorbet in the freezer (order it with a splash of rum on top!)

Ellen,
Thanks for the Plug... and the sandwich with the artichokes is "Izzy's artichoke". I am glad you are always comfortable at Meridian.
Please let me know if there is anytime that you are not, I love getting feedback so we can make sure things are running smoothly.


MARSHA, THE PINK GRAPEFRUIT SORBET SOUNDS SO GOOD! Especially right now!