business dinner suggestions

Where would you take a young professional who may be relocating to Louisville to dinner? I'm thinking East End, kind of upscale, definitely local and maybe with a private room. I thought Napa River Grill, but I'm sure that there are others that I am missing. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

JEN,

So many great places...

http://www.hikoamon.com/

http://www.bourbonsbistro.com/Bourbons/home.html

http://www.corbettsrestaurant.com/content/

http://havanarumbaonline.com/

http://www.equusrestaurant.com/

http://www.selenasrestaurant.com/

Any of those would show them the kind of foodie town Louisville is.

Richard

Richard,

Thank you. My brain was stuck!

Where would you take a young professional who may be relocating to Louisville to dinner? I'm thinking East End, kind of upscale, definitely local and maybe with a private room. I thought Napa River Grill, but I'm sure that there are others that I am missing. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Are you recruiting this person? If I am recruiting a young professional I consider not only the restaurant, but the surroundings and the route you drive to get there. A young professional will be soaking it all in and they likely have some preconceived ideas about our fine town that are less than flattering...especially if you are recruiting them from a big city.

You will want to show them how vibrant our city really is...so I would count out Napa for this mission. It's in a strip shopping center (albeit a very nice one) and the route to get there doesn't really show off the best of what we have to offer young people. I would go with Bardstown Road or downtown (weekends only-it can be dead in the middle of the week). I would pick a place with energy like Seviche where it is fairly loud, people walking by the window, etc. Stay away from private rooms as they make the restaurant (and thus the town) seem dead unless you are bringing a whole lot of people with you.

If they are up for it go for drinks at Garage Bar or Silver Dollar after dinner to show off another part of town. If you ask the right questions at dinner you'll get a feel for what they are into and you can go from there. Good luck.

Good Points, Greg! I started thinking about those things after my initial post. We are recruiting the person and he has a young family. I thought Westport Village might appeal to the family side. True that the drive there isn't all that interesting... You've given me some things to think about.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

I'm thinking St. Mathews for a young family situation, lot's of nice neighborhoods to check out.

The dinning scene has improved a lot around there too. So, let's go with Majid's, Coal's, Cafe Lou Lou, Equus/Jack's, 60 West Bistro,

Frankfort Avenue from Clifton down to Crescent Hill also has some areas that might appeal to a young family. So, it might be fun to drive down Frankfort Ave. to take the in the sights before selecting a place to eat.

I can't think of a corridor that can take you from urban through suburban to exurban, with some of the best on offer, like Frankfort Ave. / Shelbyville Road.

I would love to have you in to Napa if you would like to contact me, I am sure I can make it a very special evening, as it seems you are looking to impress this individual. I love a lot of the other restaurants on the list as well, and am sure that they could all take great care of you.

I think that Westport Village has built a great reputation, and would hardly qualify as a "strip mall" in the old negative connaotation that the word implies, just my opinion. I think that most of Bardstown Road would qualify as "strip malls" as well if we are talking semantics: attached buildings, common ownership of property where businesses lease space, close proximity to the road, all outdoor entrances, etc... I mean let's face it guys, Bardstown Rd is awesome, great food, great bars, great shops, great entertainment, (many of which are the finest in the city), but it is not the best looking area of town in many respects. I would laso say that W.V. has a great family vibe, from restaurants to shops, and there are a ton of younger families who populate the surrounding areas of town.

Either way, I wish you the best of luck with your dinner and recruitment, and please PM, call, or email me if you wish. If you go Seviche, ask for Madi (she is amazing and a forumn member), Varanese ask for Dave Allen (great guy and forumn member), Captains Quarters could be fun ( I think we are all familiar with Allan H), lots of great stuff out there. I live in the Crescent Hill/Clifton area, and also agree that it would be a great option as well.

A very loud second for Garrett's for this sort of evening.

I mean let's face it guys, Bardstown Rd is awesome, great food, great bars, great shops, great entertainment, (many of which are the finest in the city), but it is not the best looking area of town in many respects.

I have to disagree with you on this, I think the Bardstown Rd area is definately one of the the best looking areas of town. It may not be as clean as Westport Village but it is far more urban, walkable, vibrant, unique and diverse. If I was taken to Westport Village instead of Bardstown Rd when I was thinking of moving here I wouldn't have been able to distinguish Louisville from any other mid size city in the USA. Luckily I was taken to Bardstown Rd & Frankfort Ave alot during my visits and loved it...

I would say, goto Jack Fry's, Seviche, Blind Pig, 610 magnolia, Rye or if you must goto the East End Corbett's

[Robin Garr]

We have a division of opinion here. So, why not talk to this guy? Tell him, "Look, Louisville is a great town for dining and entertainment. We have some outstanding restaurants in the suburbs - some of them, like Corbett's and Napa River Grill, are as good as you'll find anywhere. If you think you and your family might like the suburban environment, we'll take you out there to check it out." And maybe take them to Napa for drinks, Corbetts for dinner ...

But tell him, too, "Louisville also has an amazing, thriving urban scene - Frankfort Avenue, Clifton, Bardstown Road. If you'd like to see Louisville live and get a taste of what makes us "weird" and a little different from any other city you'll see, let us take you on a tour, and we'll end up at one of dozens of quirky, unique places." And then take him to Seviche or Bourbons or Varanese or Equus ... or maybe a progressive dinner.

Open up with him. Tell him the options and see which ones set his mind on fire.

We have a division of opinion here. So, why not talk to this guy?
......Open up with him. Tell him the options and see which ones set his mind on fire.

Actually, rule number one of recruiting is know your prospect before he arrives. I should have asked more questions before answering the question, but I was just kind of going off the information I had. I was assuming he was single or at least didn't have kids (not sure why), but that does usually change things....but not always. Prospects like to see that a city is hip and with it even if they are not.

The key is to control the entire visit. Plan your routes ahead of time based on their interests. If they like boats River Road and Captain's Quarters is a must. Everyone likes beautiful parks. I don't think I've ever taken someone to Bardstown Rd. without a trip through Cherokee Park...even if I'm coming from the airport!

Also, be careful not to assume everyone is a foodie, because most people aren't. Leave the fussy foodie places to us foodies unless you know they are adventerous eaters...from a menu stand point places like Napa and Seviche are perfect...a little something for everyone prepared excellently. My only issue with Napa, again, is routing. If you have a few days with the recruit don't worry about it...you can really show them around. On the otherhand, if you only have one short evening...keep it tight and stick to the urban highlights. It's not hard to convince people that the suburbs are out there. However, sitting in the 'burbs describing the urban scene is a little more tricky.

A very loud second for Garrett's for this sort of evening.

Ah... do you have access to a Time Tunnell or something ?

I have to disagree with you on this, I think the Bardstown Rd area is definately one of the the best looking areas of town. It may not be as clean as Westport Village but it is far more urban, walkable, vibrant, unique and diverse. If I was taken to Westport Village instead of Bardstown Rd when I was thinking of moving here I wouldn't have been able to distinguish Louisville from any other mid size city in the USA. Luckily I was taken to Bardstown Rd & Frankfort Ave alot during my visits and loved it...

I would say, goto Jack Fry's, Seviche, Blind Pig, 610 magnolia, Rye or if you must goto the East End Corbett's

yes, being a young person with a family. I feel the only thing to do in the east end is shop or eat ( I love both, but can't afford to do it 24/7) . I can just walk around in the highlands and feel like I have had a great time without spending a dime. People around everywhere and everyone is so diverse. The highlands are alive... and that is refreshing as a young mother. I'm like yay.. I'm not dead and neither is my hood.

If the person your recruiting is staying overnight why not do something for dinner in one area of town and do breakfast the next morning in a different area. That way the visit hopefully ends on a happy full belly! We would love to have you stop by either of our North End locations.
Either way good luck

our group takes all of it's m.d. recruits to basa. i think it's worked every time so far.