Doc Crow's opening Feb. 10 (detailed news release)

[Robin Garr]

Unedited news release:

Doc Crow’s Southern Smokehouse and Raw Bar Announces Feb. 10 Opening
New Restaurant is Located at 127 W. Main St. in Downtown Louisville

Basa owners Steven and Michael Ton and Master Sommelier and veteran restaurateur Brett Davis are pleased to announce that Doc Crow’s Southern Smokehouse and Raw Bar is scheduled to open in downtown Louisville on Thursday, Feb. 10. Located at 127 W. Main St. just steps from the new KFC Yum! Center, Doc Crow’s will serve traditional Southern fare, including barbecue and an array of seafood. The restaurant, which is named after the inventor of the sour mash process, will also focus on bourbon with an extensive selection of more than 60 varieties as part of a list of over 100 whiskies from around the world. Nearly 100 wines, nine beers on tap and 30 beers in the bottle will also be offered. Seating for 199 is divided between a front bar area, a dining area adjacent to and in view of the kitchen, and a dining room in the back of the building which may also be used for private dining for groups up to 60 people.

“The three of us grew up in the South, so we have a great variety of food memories,” said Davis. “From coastal seafood to smoked meats, our menu reflects the diversity of Southern food.”

Signature menu items at Doc Crow’s include oysters in multiple preparations like raw with bourbon mignonette, fried with Doc’s Remoulade and baked Rockefeller; shrimp, oyster and catfish po-boys; Texas style beef brisket; and Memphis baby back ribs. Desserts include bread pudding, cobbler of the day and fresh cookies baked to order. Entrées are priced between $14 to $25, with most items at $20 or less.

Chef Michael Ton draws upon his experience growing up in Texas to create a menu of traditional Southern favorites. As a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and an alumnus of such restaurants as Todd English’s Olive and Dean Moore’s Top of the Hub, Michael brings considerable culinary expertise to Doc Crow’s. Along with his brother Steven, he opened Basa in 2007 and received a nomination from the prestigious James Beard Foundation for Best New Restaurant.

Steven Ton will oversee front-of-house operations and the restaurant’s cocktail program. He brings extensive hospitality experience to Doc Crow’s, having worked for a variety of fine dining operations in Houston, Boston and North Carolina before opening Basa with his brother Michael. It was his work with Drew Nieporent’s Myriad Group in Manhattan that brought him to Louisville, as he was part of the team that opened Proof on Main.

Brett Davis will leverage his expertise as a Master Sommelier to manage the beverage selections and service standards. He is one of only 105 Master Sommeliers in the United States, and one of only two in Kentucky. Brett brings 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry to the table with notable stints at BIN 54 in Chapel Hill, N.C. Commander's Palace in New Orleans, Michael's in Santa Monica, Calif. and Geronimo in Santa Fe, N.M. Most recently, the Tennessee native served as sales manager overseeing sales in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky for fine wine importer and distributor Vintner Select.

Doc Crow’s Southern Smokehouse and Raw Bar serves traditional Southern fare, barbecue and seafood dishes in the heart of downtown Louisville’s Whiskey Row. The landmark dining destination pays homage to Kentucky’s bourbon industry with its name, which refers to the inventor of the sour mash process, and with its extensive classic cocktail menu. Featuring a casual, family-friendly atmosphere, the restaurant is located at 127 W. Main St. and is open Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday, 11a.m. to 11 p.m. and Saturday, 5 to 11 p.m. Reservations are not accepted, but there is a call ahead system. Visit http://www.doccrows.com or call (502) 257-7132 for more information.

Great article. There are some great restaurant minds behind this operation, and the cuisine and beverage programs the article describes are very exciting. I think the concept sounds like absolute dynamite, and will be fresh not only to Louisville, but nationally. I cannot wait to get in and try it out.

Congrats to Brett Davis!! I've done a lot of tastings and classes with Brett. He's very, very good and a great guy!

I'm really anxious to give them a go. There are a lot of moving parts on the menu, and I'm anxious to see how they pull it off!

[Robin Garr]

I am all over this. Super stoked.

The link in the first post is missing a 'c'. It should be http://www.doccrows.com/.

Fixed in the OP. Thanks for the heads-up.

(Frustrating, too. That was a direct select, copy and paste from the news release, which takes me back to my periodic rant about Louisville restaurants wasting their money on hired PR.)

We went last night to a soft opening. We had fried oysters, grilled mussels, crab cakes and oyster Rockefeller for starters. Very good, fresh and not overdone. For entrees, we tried the two ribs varieties, St. Louis (wet) and baby back (dry rub), smoked brisket and shrimp and grits. I was tempted by an oyster po'boy, but I think I had already had enough oysters at that point. My friend commented that the smoker needed more aging (which I interpret as more funk). Everything was well prepared and good portions with tons of side choices.
Being a soft opening, we had no prices on the menus, so that would probably affect my decision to eat there again more than the food quality, which was as good as you would expect from these guys.

There are a lot of moving parts on the menu

Where did you find the menu?

I didn't find a complete menu, but was responding to the news release.

Had the privilige of dining at Doc Crow's last night with 5 other friends. Sure it was a soft opening and service was a little slow, but after all it was test run and i can really see it's potential. Great atmosphere and walking through the restaurants it's almost like walking through 4 different restaurants. The bar area has high tables and cozy baquets(sp), then you travel to the area that overlooks the buzy kitchen that is light with a lot of activity. You then walk into a very intimate area with booths and lowered lighting then finally into 2 large rooms in the back that oversee Washington Street. You could take a bus ride to get from the front to the back.

This is how our dining went;

Appetizers

Fried Oysters-10
Wedge Salad- 8
Beef Brisket-10
Shrimp Gumbo-7

Entrees

Southern Fried Chicken Sandwich-9
All Out Burger-9
Shrimp & Grits-7
Baby Back Ribs-10
Pulled Pork-8

A really fun place that has a lot of character.

Just typed the address into Google Maps (street-level) and took a tour of the area. There's been a lot of changes on Main, based on the dated tour I just took. That's a good thing, right?

Had the privilige of dining at Doc Crow's last night with 5 other friends. Sure it was a soft opening and service was a little slow, but after all it was test run and i can really see it's potential. Great atmosphere and walking through the restaurants it's almost like walking through 4 different restaurants. The bar area has high tables and cozy baquets(sp), then you travel to the area that overlooks the buzy kitchen that is light with a lot of activity. You then walk into a very intimate area with booths and lowered lighting then finally into 2 large rooms in the back that oversee Washington Street. You could take a bus ride to get from the front to the back..

Thanks for the quick peek. Sounds fun and can't wait to give it a go.

Had a great lunch there today. No need to repeat the excellent decor description by David, really neat space. I had a by god real fried shrimp and oyster poboy made on french bread with house made chips. Excellent oyster to shrimp ratio, bread was a whole loaf split, sad winter tomato slices which should improve over time. Service was slow but that should improve over time as well. It will be really hard to not order that Poboy when I'm in........ah the sacrifice that we make. Get thee hence!