Cafe Lou Lou: What makes it so LOVABLE!?

[Robin Garr]

Okay, this didn't start out to be a review. I took my sweet bride out to lunch today to celebrate her birthday, and with all the fancy spots we might have gone, Cafe Lou Lou felt just right ... and it was!

The food was excellent - funky Caesars with spicy croutons. That amazing blue cheese polenta with portabellos and roast red pepper sauce. And for me, a frequently recurring special, penne pasta sauced with lots of perfect little shrimp and a bodaciously delicious tarragon cream, also with just a touch of piquant spice. Mixed-berry sorbet that tasted just like eating frozen fresh fruit ... and a special little treat, some of Marsha's famous coconut cake to bring home and stick a candle in!

Okay, so that's Cafe Lou Lou. But as these good folks get ready to open their Highlands branch (next month?), I find myself wondering: Just what is the secret that makes this casual spot so very special? I can think of very, very few foodies I know of who don't care for it, and a huge majority - including, I think, most forumites - are just absolutely smitten with it. One thing's for sure: It's so popular that it's slammed. In this economy, how many places really need reservations for lunch?

I've got plenty of ideas of my own, but rather than prime the pump, as I consider possibly writing an essay about this to mark the opening of Lou Lou Deux , I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. If you love Cafe Lou Lou, what specifically makes you love it? And if you were a restaurateur hoping to kick things up a notch and build the kind of loyal crowd that Lou Lou boasts, which of their concepts would you replicate first?

The food and staff are #1 at Lou Lou's. Clay has a very LARGE following of folks who just love to eat there as well as just hang out at the bar for beers . I love that I can walk there now and have never been disapointed with my meal. I look forward to the one in the Highlands!

I can speak for my family when I say that we went for lunch the other day and loved it. We have two foodie grownups, a picky 4 year old and a baby and every one of us chowed. I think David polished off most of his pizza! I told Mike that what made it most unique and special is that we can go somewhere and eat interesting, flavorful food while our sons are happy - we're not stuck in burger-and-chicken finger-purgatory. I will say that we can't make it a habit because a $40 lunch is not something we typically indulge in! However, the chunk of Marsha's lemon cake was a perfect way to end our meal.

Overall, it's friendly, not stuffy, casual enough to take the family and diverse enough to interest a variety of palates.

I love Marsha's sweets! But thats the only thing I have found thats outstanding. I hate to say it but, I think Cafe Lou Lou is average. Its strange because I really want to like it, and the service is excellent.

There are several things that I love about Lou Lou's; first and foremost is Marsha - the dessert Diva! I have yet to taste one of her culinary creations that hasn't just been "da bomb"! Her vanilla creme brulee, tiramisu, and lemon or coconut cakes are simply divine. Her sorbets are always an interesting combination of flavors that melt in your mouth.

My love for the place, however, goes beyond Marsha. There are three servers who are ALWAYS outstanding: Scott, Sara and Dee. I recently took one of my former students there for dinner ... Scott made us feel like our dining experience was the most important thing in the world to him. Never intrusive, but always friendly, he is one of the reasons I return over and over again. Sara and Dee are the same way. Sara came over to say hello on Monday, even though we were seated at one of Scott's tables. All three of them always say "hi" when I come in for carry-out. Their friendliness makes me feel like I am coming "home" ... not into a restaurant.

There are several items on the menu that I like, but my favorite is the Chicken Portabella Roll. My friend's favorite is the Spinach & Artichoke Roll. Another friend adores the Portabella & Pesto Sandwich. All of them are very tasty and the portion size is enormous. I always end up taking half of mine home (it also leaves room for dessert!!!). I enjoy the pizzas and pastas on occasion, but that Chicken Portabella Roll is hard to beat.

I think the icing on the cake for me was those few visits when the service wasn't outstanding. I was able to voice my displeasure (in a constructive way) and felt like my viewpoint was being heard, not placated. And .. of the 30 or 40 times I've been there in the past year, two of them have been less than stellar; the rest have been wonderful. That's a pretty good average for an incredibly busy place.

So there is my love letter about Lou Lou's: great food, greater service, even greater desserts and an atmosphere that feels like you are with friends. That's what makes it so special to me. Clay and Helen have a good thing goin'!

Rebecca

I think everybody's on the same track I'm on: a good variety of interesting food that appeals to all food interests - adults, kids, vegetarians, low fat, etc, etc. And the food isn't afraid to be spiced appropriately and well, just interesting. Consistency is also important., both in food and service, and I'm found both at Lou Lou.

Oh and also the menu descriptions and the dishes aren't overwrought. I'm getting tired of "chiffonade of baby spinach grown with spring water and organic vitamins" or whatever. "Roasted organic baby beets specially grown under the chef's supervision . . ." Well you get the idea.

Don't forget that they have BBC beer on tap....

If I had to point to one thing that keeps bringing me back, it's the shrimp and grits. A craving for their Shrimp and Grits is almost always what brings us back. We love the pastas, the pizzas, and the calzones... and don't even get me started on the Lemon cake. But the Shrimp and Grits is the heart for us.

The calzones are outstanding-haven't been able to finish one in one sitting yet.

Wait to ROCK the hood Clay!! Between you and Havana...... it's hard to keep a steady footing in St. Matthews!

Keep up the good work!

The times I have been there, the food has seemed average to me. One time my angel hair pasta was overcooked , and I really dislike that. Maybe we'll try again, since the forum regulars seem to swear by it, even to the point of it getting it's very own topic by the moderator.

I've only had positive great meals from Lou Lou.Unpretentious good wholesome food.The chicken portabello wrap with pasta salad.... delicious . It moved away from me , though.I hear they are doing better businessin their new location .

[Robin Garr]

the point of it getting it's very own topic by the moderator.

My posts don't carry any more weight than anybody else's, Nancy. As background, I wrote that post to share my pleasure after having a nice meal there with my bride - same as I did the first time I went to the Gordita Trailer or Buenos Dias Cafe. Second, I had a slightly hidden agenda: When I write about the new Cafe Lou Lou when it opens in the Highlands, I was thinking I might babble a little about the way that Cafe Lou Lou seems to inspire an unusual level of affection in a large core group, and figured if I could get a handle on that, it would help me write a useful piece about what makes a restaurant popular.

I'm really, really regretful if this post for these reasons came across to anybody as "Robin sucking up to a favorite." No such thing was intended.

I getcha now.....what makes your favorite restaurants your favorites.