Discussion of Robin Garr's Blackstone Grille review

[Robin Garr]

Blackstone settles in as Prospect destination
LEO's Eats with Robin Garr



Some restaurants become landmarks through longevity in place, gaining familiarity by virtue of "always" having been there. The Seelbach's Oakroom and Brown Hotel's English Grill fall easily into this category of historic worth, and a generation of Baby Boom icons - the original Bristol, Jack Fry's, Lilly's, Equus, Pat's, DelFrisco's and quite a few more survivors of the '70s and '80s - have become fixtures on the local dining map.

(This, perhaps, is why so many feel particular pain as the former Azalea building, a graceful restaurant venue since 1870, was allowed to fall into grubby disrepair so as to justify its destruction in favor of an anonymous doctor's office building and a franchised chain eatery.)

But today, let's honor another kind of landmark longevity, a linear progression that focuses not on architecture but on individuals, those memorable hosts who move from place to place like wandering nomads, always bringing along a following crowd.

Bim Deitrich, of Formally Myra's, The Bristol, Deitrich's, Allo Spiedo, Primo and now Quattro in Fourth Street Live, is a local paterfamilias of this genre. But not far behind him marches the affable Rick Dissell, who has served since the '80s as welcoming host for at least three iterations of Rick's in St. Matthew's and a spell at Blue Parrot (the suburban location that later became Limestone), and who has settled in comfortably now after almost five years at Blackstone Grille in Prospect.

There is a consistent, and winning, formula that runs through all of the establishments where Dissell and his wife, Cathy, have provided the hospitality: a welcoming bar - or perhaps we should call it a "lounge" - that attracts a neighborly crowd; and a dining room that's comfortably upscale but never stuffy, serving well-fashioned American cuisine.

Blackstone is tuned for leisurely dining - I can't imagine ever being even gently pushed to hurry my pace so they can "turn" a table. You might very well bump elbows with a well-known Louisville sports or media personality here but are less likely to encounter a visiting Hollywood celeb. The simply furnished dining room keeps the lights turned down, but there's good lighting to illuminate the tables, a winning combination.


Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/black ... estination

And in LEO Weekly:
http://leoweekly.com/dining/blackstone- ... estination

Blackstone Grille
9521 U.S. 42
228-6962
http://theblackstonegrille.com
Rating: 90

Just curious as who else would fall into this category. Obviously Dean Corbett. Who else are the long timers, or the ones who have done well at multiple locations? Fernando and Cristina may not fit the time requirement, but as I ate there today and was explaining to my lunch guest their history it hit me that they are 4 for 4 in places they have been involved in. Who else fits the bill?

Just curious as who else would fall into this category. Obviously Dean Corbett. Who else are the long timers, or the ones who have done well at multiple locations? Fernando and Cristina may not fit the time requirement, but as I ate there today and was explaining to my lunch guest their history it hit me that they are 4 for 4 in places they have been involved in. Who else fits the bill?

I'd throw Peng Looi in there for Asiatique (St. Matthews then the Highlands) and August Moon. Maybe also Majid Ghavami for Saffron's and then Majid's, and also his involvement with Volare.

The Ton brothers?

The Ton brothers?

Add their aunt, and you've got a string of four to six restaurants existing for many years!