Paley, 21C to open new spot on East Market

[Robin Garr]

News release. As noted the other day in connection with Doc Crow's and the recent arrival of Mozz, it seems the Arena district and "NuLu" are hoppin'. Now can we come up with a name for NuLu that doesn't sound like it came out of a committee room in a PR firm?

ichael Paley and 21c Museum Hotels to Open New Restaurant at 700 East Market Street

A restaurant and bar will breathe new life into an historic building in the NuLu neighborhood. Located at 700 East Market Street, the building was most recently an auto service garage and historical records dating to 1918 show that it was a saloon.

The design and concept will speak to the history of the building, preserving its character as a garage and focusing on the bar scene in addition to a restaurant. Michael Paley will serve as the chef and part owner along with 21c Museum Hotels. Paley will also continue to oversee the kitchen at Proof on Main. The menu will focus on craft beer, Bourbon and wine, as well as pizza from a wood-fired oven, and Southern specialties.

“We love the spirit and creative energy of the NuLu neighborhood and look forward to being a part of it. This restaurant is a casual neighborhood spot where you can go any night of the week and sit down for a meal or just stop in for a drink,” says Steve Wilson, Founder and CEO of 21c Museum Hotels.

Paley adds, “Great restaurants are the building blocks of a neighborhood, and we are excited to add to the already thriving restaurant scene in NuLu.”

Construction is underway, and there will be more information to follow.

I drove by that spot last week and saw some people inside working. I commented to all that were listening (me) that it would make a fun restaurant.

"pizza from a wood-fired oven, and Southern specialties"

I love Proof and Paley, but that description sounds boring to me. I've grown skeptical of "upscale versions" of southern foods. I usually find them dense and salty, and without the charm of real southern cooking. Hopefully, he can breathe life into this sub-genre! Certainly: Ouita at Holly Hill Inn can do it, so Paley can too, right?

The pizza thing is troubling, too. Nobody seems to be able to make wood-fired pizzas that are as good as real NYC pizzas, so why bother? But again: I'm more than willing to give Paley a chance!

Robin I definitely have to agree with you about the NuLu slang! It sounds like the area and Louisville in general is trying to be something it's not! It reminds me of the episode of "How I Met Your Mother" where the realtor pawed off a condominium in a bad neighborhood by coming up with a neat sounding name for the area". Besides there is certainly nothing new about the area maybe we should call it RevLu for revived to Louisville!

The design and concept will speak to the history of the building, preserving its character as a garage and focusing on the bar scene in addition to a restaurant.

Did they clear their interior design with the folks in Miami, NY and Europe ?

BTW, I agree with your take on the word/term "NuLu"...it sounds too damn "Prissy".

"

The pizza thing is troubling, too. Nobody seems to be able to make wood-fired pizzas that are as good as real NYC pizzas, so why bother? But again: I'm more than willing to give Paley a chance!

Wood fired pizzas as good as NYC pizzas? Last time I checked, every European place that does pizza does it in wood fired ovens. Heck, even in Prague. During my 5 trips there in recent years I ate more pizza than usual because it was so fresh, charred, smokey, and simply something we don't find readily in Louisville. Even in St Martin the pizzas on the French side are all cooked in wood-fired ovens. This NY pizza conversation that is repeated about every 6 months by NY nostalgialites is very over rated. Give me a good Czech pizza any day at any pizzeria with their hands tied behind their backs! For that matter, just give me a simple St Louis Imos pizza over a slice on whatever NY pizza is supposed to be.

I would call it "Market."

I say things like, "Let's go to one of the bars on Baxter." I say things like, "Where is a good place to eat on Frankfort near Clifton?" I'd probably also say something like, "I had a good time down on Market last night."

Robin I definitely have to agree with you about the NuLu slang! It sounds like the area and Louisville in general is trying to be something it's not! It reminds me of the episode of "How I Met Your Mother" where the realtor pawed off a condominium in a bad neighborhood by coming up with a neat sounding name for the area". Besides there is certainly nothing new about the area maybe we should call it RevLu for revived to Louisville!

I rented an apartment in LA that was advertised "Nice one Bedroom apt. Great old LA building. Located at the foot of the Hollywood Hills. Boy that was true. Not much lower. Looked great during the daytime. Night --Oh boy. Tthis was in the early days of the Crack craze.

I do like the East Market area. Love the restaurants. NuLu. CuLu might be better.

james, you are right about euro pizzas. the few that I had in italy were excellent. but everything was better there. every atom of food was better. and it wasn't just perception: the food was different than it is here.

but i figure that italian pizza in nulu is just too much to ask for. but why can't we get nyc quality pizza? crisp, but not hard and crunchy. chewy, but not doughy on the inside. a few burned spots, but not too many, and not burned so bad that it turns into charcoal. sauce that's rich and oily, but not too salty or watery.

...irritated...

I wish their new venture well. I hope the food is better at this new place than at 21C. I have eaten there three times & had disappointing meals all three times. I never have understood why so many people ohh & ahh over 21C.

[Robin Garr]

I wish their new venture well. I hope the food is better at this new place than at 21C. I have eaten there three times & had disappointing meals all three times. I never have understood why so many people ohh & ahh over 21C.

I assume you mean Proof? 21c is the hotel. I like Proof and would rate it in my top 25, but based on my personal experiences, I wouldn't put it in my top 10.

I wish their new venture well. I hope the food is better at this new place than at 21C. I have eaten there three times & had disappointing meals all three times. I never have understood why so many people ohh & ahh over 21C.

I assume you mean Proof? 21c is the hotel. I like Proof and would rate it in my top 25, but based on my personal experiences, I wouldn't put it in my top 10.

Yes Robin, I meant Proof. Thanks for catching that.

[Robin Garr]

Yes Robin, I meant Proof. Thanks for catching that.

And thanks for taking the correction as constructive, Chris. As for your underlying premise, I guess I'm between you and the acolytes: I like Proof well enough, but never bought into the sense that it raised Louisville dining to a whole new level. I'd say it moved solidly into the upper middle but didn't come close to setting a new bar.

I've had one meal at Proof (early December) that was stunning - I've had several others that were real good. I think it makes my top 10 but falls shy of the top 5. I think it's does raise the bar in the heart of downtown. On the other hand, I don't think I'm an acolyte - a wandering ostiary perhaps.

I'm with you, Mark. Proof is one of my faves, but not quite top 5, I think.