Discussion of Robin Garr's lunch-at-Rye review

[Robin Garr]

Beating the crowds with a weekday lunch at Rye
LEO's Eats with Robin Garr



The buzzing gallery and nightspot zone along East Market Street that the PR-meisters wish we would call “NuLu” has become so crowded lately that, as Yogi said, nobody goes there anymore. Of course, this is not true. In fact, thousands of people joyously cram the nabe in pursuit of art and good things to eat and drink, and doubly so on weekend evenings.

Let us count the ways: Strolling along the strip to the east of I-65, we can make our way briskly from Toast (620 E. Market St.) to Harvest (624), Wiltshire on Market (636), Garage Bar (700), the new La Coop (732), Taco Punk (736), Please and Thank You (800), Decca (812), and Rye (900), and that’s without even grabbing some handmade chocolates at Muth’s (630) or an artisanal brewski at the Louisville Beer Store (746) or crossing the street to Cake Flour (909), Mayan Café (813) or Ghyslain (721).

Not only are you likely to encounter crowds, but you’re likely to find noise any evening in oh, all right, NuLu. With all those people and all that booze packed into environs that almost uniformly boast undraped tables, hard surfaces and exposed-brick walls, decibel levels can easily rocket to annoying levels.

But let’s face it, noise is in these days. I’m almost convinced that some of these places actually crank up the volume to foster that image. Are you listening, Silver Dollar? Can you hear me? But sometimes a person just wants good food, good drink and a little quiet conversation. When that’s your goal, here’s a secret: Try some of these hot spots for lunch on a weekday, and you may find the usual roar toned down to a more mellow rumble.

Mary and I dropped in on Rye for lunch on a Tuesday recently and practically had the place to ourselves. We could hear the server, we could converse. Even the garage-rock sounds of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club’s “Lien on Your Dreams” had been turned down to lounge-music levels to suit the almost empty room.

Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/beati ... nch-at-rye

And in LEO Weekly:
http://leoweekly.com/dining/beating-cro ... -lunch-rye


Rye
900 E. Market St.
749-6200
http://ryeonmarket.com
Rating: 82

Nicely written review Robin, bit intrigued by this comment though, "Never mind, there’s plenty to drink, although some of the lower-end items on the wine list carry disturbing markups". Maybe I missed what you were looking at as I haven't been in recently, but I found the beverage program on par price wise with the other destinations in the area and maybe even a bargain compared to some of the beverage margins being run at a recently opened (2012) multi-million dollar venture in the same area. E.G. Luksusowa Vodka on the menu for $8-9 at Decca when a 750ml bottle runs retail for $11-12.

What was the specific thing that stood out to you? Was it just wine and was it a "big name" brand or something obscure that people may not be familiar with? Do you think there is a trend in restaurants these days to meet their margins by overcharging on popular labels and obscure labels that people may not know the base price on?

[Robin Garr]

What was the specific that stood out to you? Was it a "big name" brand or something obscure that people may not be familiar with? Do you think there is a trend in restaurants these days to meet their margins by overcharging on popular labels and obscure labels that people may not know the base price on?

Early on, in an early non-review visit, I saw a Pinot Project California Pinot Noir, $15 at retail, offered at $60. I couldn't believe it. Ordered a beer.

In general I liked the place, but I did find food prep just "casual" enough to drop my estimation of it a step or two behind some of its Nulu neighbors. That said, as I mentioned in another thread, I will get back and do a review at dinner time before too much time gets by. For now, I wanted to slip in at a different time of day and see what I could discern.

What was the specific that stood out to you? Was it a "big name" brand or something obscure that people may not be familiar with? Do you think there is a trend in restaurants these days to meet their margins by overcharging on popular labels and obscure labels that people may not know the base price on?

Early on, in an early non-review visit, I saw a Pinot Project California Pinot Noir, $15 at retail, offered at $60. I couldn't believe it. Ordered a beer.

In general I liked the place, but I did find food prep just "casual" enough to drop my estimation of it a step or two behind some of its Nulu neighbors. That said, as I mentioned in another thread, I will get back and do a review at dinner time before too much time gets by. For now, I wanted to slip in at a different time of day and see what I could discern.

But it's a really trendy label design.

Robin:

I will look into the price of that bottle, thank you for mentioning. I really look forward to you giving us run for dinner.

Ryan:

Thank you for the continued support, look forward to seeing you again.

[Robin Garr]

will look into the price of that bottle, thank you for mentioning. I really look forward to you giving us run for dinner.

I stand corrected, folks. Let the record reflect that The Pinot Project is $11 a glass, $39 a bottle at Rye. My former notes were clearly addled. I would still argue that $39 represents a higher markup than I like to see, but it's within the normal range for Louisville dining rooms.

I've asked Michael to get me a full wine list, and I'll offer my thoughts after I've had a chance to look it over.

My husband and daughter ate lunch at Rye today - they were extremely pleased with their food. My husband had the Rye burger, and is still talking about it! My daughter had the Lambchetta, and she said it was fantastic. I think this is going to be their new father-daughter lunch spot! They are both adventurous eaters, and this is their kind of place!

Mary-Beth!

Thank you for the support!