Decca: Oh! Oh! Yes!!!

going to decca for the first time tonight. havn't been this excited about a new restaurant in a long time, but the hotbytes hype machine has me stoked!!! recommendations?

The pork and greens is really quite fine.

[Robin Garr]

recommendations?

Everything our party of four tried (see review) was splendid. The skirt steak may have been the most popular entree, and both the chicory and egg salad and the shaved vegetable salad were outstanding. Oh, yeah, and the mussels. And the desserts. Basically it's all good.

http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/decca ... the-making

thanks guys.

o.k., for once in my life something has actually lived up to the hype! all aspects of dinner last night were outstanding. dined on the second floor (the stairwell was really cool) and while it was loud, it was not bothersome. the bar downstairs is way cool and when it gets just a little warmer the outside areas will make an awesome addition! had the beef cheek which was perfect and the wife had the sole which couldn't have been cooked any better. all in all, totally agree with the reviews, this place is kicking butt and only in it's third week of operation (no new establishment hiccups)! i just really couldn't be more impressed. what an addition!

Well, I finally made it tonight and left very happy indeed. You know your in a good place when chefs from Louisville's finer restaurants are in the dining room.
The smokey Grilled Chicory Salad was delicious- I love salads with eggs on them.
The Duck Terrine with Cherry Mostarda was wonderful- with just enough lightly pickled celery root to cut the richness.
The Charred Beets with grapefruit zest were very good but a little one note IMO. I was wanting a bit more acid with them though.
My friends loved the mussels and especially the beef cheeks. And the Peruvian Lima Beans were I'll come back for more good.
I had the Afogato for dessert- Cinnamon Orange Gelato with espresso poued over it. Yum.
And they had a non-alcohlic cocktail selection that wasn't just a buch of juices poured into a glass but had some real thought put into it. It makes being the DD a treat.

Thinking of taking family here tomorrow night. I was wondering how loud it might be? We have someone who is hard of hearing and I don't want to make it uncomfortable for them. I have not been to Varanese and was thinking of that as well.

[Robin Garr]

We found it loud, but not as loud as many of the Nulu places. So much depends on the crowd, but on a Tuesday night it might not be bad. They also have a number of different dining spaces and might be able to accommodate you in a quieter corner on request.

I found it very loud indeed, but they have an upstairs dining room that is much quieter and an outdoor balcony that looks like it would be wonderful if it is warm enough.

I had a fabulous evening at Decca a couple weeks ago. We dined earlier in the evening, about six or six thirty in the upstairs dining room. It was quite pleasant with little noise, even did a little ear hustling to the table beside us as they were getting ready to order. I usually find myself having dinner and saying everything is pretty good but…. With Decca there was no but…. Simple menu, not so simple preparations, and attention to detail, not to mention delicious. I can’t wait to return for another dinner though I haven’t tried Rye yet and that is next on the list as well as Harvest, only after checking out NA exchange to see Rick Adams in action. Plus trying La Coop! What an exciting time for restaurants in the area, not enough hours in the day nor days in a week. Plus if you can’t decide, there will always the favorites I hold close to my heart, like sitting on the garden patio at L and N during the summer and watching a cook grab a handful of fresh basil from the potted plant next to me to make my tomato/mozz salad. I saw someone working the soil at L and N this morning on my way to work and I got excited.

Thinking of taking family here tomorrow night. I was wondering how loud it might be? We have someone who is hard of hearing and I don't want to make it uncomfortable for them. I have not been to Varanese and was thinking of that as well.

Unfortunately, we went last night for our anniversary, and it was the loudest restaurant we've ever been to( including 732 and Silver Dollar before they turned the music down). Due to the rain, a very loud ( but good group) moved inside to the lounge, and the upstairs dining area was reserved for a private party. Due to acoustics , the noise-level in the main dining room was louder than the the lounge itself. It was very good, but we literally couldn't speak without shouting so we finally gave up- not great for a couple who actually wanted to talk to each other

We'll be back sometime to enjoy the gorgeous outside patio, but if noise is a concern for you - call ahead to determine band plans and seating options.
Deb

Originally our reservation, last month on a Sat., was for the first floor along the window but when we arrived I asked to be seated upstairs because the noise level was approaching serious decibels. And upstairs we were fine. There were four of us and conversation was not a problem.

Catherine,

Unfortunately, those options were not available our evening.

Aside from the noise, we honestly left a bit disappointed and wondering if they are having a hard time keeping up with the hype. Our server was fine, but they seemed to be struggling to keep up. It took 2 requests to get the sommelier to our table- though the server offered it initially there was no follow-thru. Beverage pricing was uneven- my recommended German Pinot was $8, excellent and a great pairing, but my Empress cocktail was literally a 3 oz drink in a martini glass at $12-13 (maybe I got a short pour, but I would expect the server to notice). For the food, we had the duck terrine ( very good), beef cheeks ( well-flavored and tender) and lamb papparadelle ( excellent in a great combination), but our side of goat cheese polenta was cool and bland. The service was clearly maxed out- whether from the crowds or the rain or ?. It felt more like 2nd week operations not 2nd month, but maybe they just had an off-night.

Deb

Catherine,

Unfortunately, those options were not available our evening.

Aside from the noise, we honestly left a bit disappointed and wondering if they are having a hard time keeping up with the hype. Our server was fine, but they seemed to be struggling to keep up. It took 2 requests to get the sommelier to our table- though the server offered it initially there was no follow-thru. Beverage pricing was uneven- my recommended German Pinot was excellent and a great pairing, but my Empress cocktail was literally a 3 oz drink in a martini glass at $12-13 ( maybe I got a short pour, but I would expect the server to notice). For the food, we had the duck terrine ( very good), beef cheeks ( well-flavored and tender) and lamb papparadelle ( excellent in a great combination), but our side of goat cheese polenta was cool and bland. The service was clearly maxed out- whether from the crowds or the rain or ?. It felt more like 2nd week operations not 2nd month, but maybe they just had an off-night.

Deb

We were there Monday night - service was uneven and some of our food was cold. It was hopping on a Monday night so I think the place is getting slammed. None the less everything was tasty (how about not breading the beef cheeks) and our server was doing his best to hang in there. We assume these issues will even out over time.

We finally got to check Decca out last night, and I was mixed on my first impression. I will definitely be back to try some more items. We sat out on the patio, which is beautiful and very spacious,and ordered drinks and a few dishes. The drinks were good, I had a Negroni which was well mixed if not a bit smallish, but not any smaller or more expensive than I would get at any other restaurant of similar pedigree. Although I must admit I had a few more Negronis at Garage Bar after, which were more balanced, cheaper, and larger. We had the mussels, which were good and plentiful, although not my favorite preparation. I think next time I will just ask for the aioli left off, it was a bit too heavy for the dish, and only because the mussels were cooked perfectly. The "crispy" potato coins weren't very crispy last night either. The charred beets were fantastic and I will probably be trying to recreate these at home very soon.
My main issue last night was really with service however. It was very adequate service, but very bland and felt a little rushed. I was trying to figure out whether this was the only server for the patio and thus maybe he was a little in over his head, but couldn't solve that puzzle. We were lucky if we got an entire 4 sentences worth of dialogue out of him in the 6 or so visits he made to the table throughout our experience. I was really hoping for a little more guidance being that this is still a very new restaurant, and our first time there. We were also "warned" by the server that the pastas were "very, very small" which kept us from ordering one that we wanted to try. I wonder if they have been having issues with this. I will say that I would want more than a very small portion for a $17 dish. Anyway, nothing that would keep me from trying again, but was hoping for a little more last night after all the rave reviews I have been reading here. We all have off nights, and I think the key is to remember that, and try again, and I am looking forward to trying again.

Ned - My serving of the sea urchin pasta was so small the table gasped when it was placed in front of me. The lamb pasta wasn't much bigger.

I've been hesitant to post because of all the raves, but we went right before the CJ review hit print (was online) and the service was poor, poor, poor. Drinks went to wrong diner, we could see our wine sitting on the server's station waiting to come to the table, food and drinks weren't coordinated for delivery, etc.

We did enjoy the flavors, but for the money I don't know that we'll go back.