Voice-Tribune review by Robin Garr
How do you like your cornbread? Like Scarlett O’Hara, most Southern folk don’t give a damn for sweet cornbread. North of the Mason-Dixon, however, cornbread without a touch of sweetness seems just plain weird.
This topic came to mind the other day at Napa River Grill, where we were offered iron mini-skillets loaded with domed rounds of golden-brown cornbread topped with balls of soft butter. It was good cornbread indeed, crunchy on the surface, crumbly within, coarse-grained and sweet, sweet, sweet. You could put this on the dessert menu and call it corn cake.
There was no Southern tradition here, except maybe for the iron skillet. But then, Louisville is a border town, so we can have it both ways. And Napa River Grill, as the name implies, represents California’s wine country in its style.
The restaurant has recently changed co-owners, with J.D. Rothberg having sold his share to fast-food magnate (and one-time University of Louisville and pro hoops star) Ulysses Lee “Junior” Bridgeman, whose corporation owns over 160 Wendy’s properties and about 120 Chili’s restaurants.
This is Bridgeman’s first upscale property, and he’s wisely left this winning eatery pretty much alone, although I do wonder if the California style has been diluted just a bit.
Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes.com:
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/sweet ... iver-grill
and in the Voice-Tribune:
http://www.voice-tribune.com/life-style ... ver-grill/
Napa River Grill
Westport Village
1211 Herr Lane
502.423.5822
http://napariverlouisville.com