Blind Pig closing Saturday :(

[Robin Garr]

BTW, what about that property out Shelbyville Rd across from Highview Baptist Church? Once called The Veranda or something like that. Also served as a sushi place. Beautiful, big old house, plenty of parking and a straight shot out Shelbyville Rd. Lots of charm.

That was Trattoria Mattei back in the day, run by Dominic Mattei and, in my opinion at least, a more than equal competitor to the fabled Casa Grisanti. A GREAT place for a fine restaurant, and I've often wondered what happened to it since Lanai left. (Was Lanai the last, or did a sushi place or something move in briefly after that?)

Robin,

I both live there and personally had a disastrous experience opening and closing a place on the East End. The issue is not that there are a lack of people on the East End who are interested in "Keeping it weird" food-wise. Seviche was in a horrible, out- of- the- way location ( and we had a similar issue as promised strip traffic never arrived). And there were perception issues/ expectations.

Now more than ever, the East End can be a fabulous market for the right independent - citing Mojitos, Guacamole, Corbetts and Mussel & Burger Bar. But I do agree that you can't recreate an version of a historic atmosphere place, pop it down in the suburbs, and have fake atmosphere not feel artificial.
But Blind Pig could certainly reinvent themselves as something else here.

Deb

Dont forget Village Anchor, Peking City, Havana Rumba, Simply Thai, Limestone, Napa River, Boombozz hell the east end supports lots of good indy restaurants. Yeah the majority of those are not fine dining or even keep-louisville-weird level but they aren't chains either and some of them have really good food.

Hell I think that Seviche could have made it if it wasn't in that location. I guarantee there were people who never even knew it was there, that is a HORRIBLE location.

I think if you take the Blind Pig concept, just tweak it a little to make it...I don't want to say family friendly but lets say acceptable to bring well behaved children during the early hours...it could definitely do well on the east end. Throw in a brew pub and a patio like Steve P said...boom winner.

BTW, what about that property out Shelbyville Rd across from Highview Baptist Church? Once called The Veranda or something like that. Also served as a sushi place. Beautiful, big old house, plenty of parking and a straight shot out Shelbyville Rd. Lots of charm.

That was Trattoria Mattei back in the day, run by Dominic Mattei and, in my opinion at least, a more than equal competitor to the fabled Casa Grisanti. A GREAT place for a fine restaurant, and I've often wondered what happened to it since Lanai left. (Was Lanai the last, or did a sushi place or something move in briefly after that?)

I think it was a sushi place last. We went there with a bunch of college friends of Sarah's and had a wonderful time. Stayed way longer than we would have if they were not located "out". Last I looked (a couple months) it was still vacant.

I remember when Casa Grisanti opened in that gawdaweful location it did back in the 70s on Wentzel(?) . Nothing else around it of any note, hardly a charming building and long before venturing into the inner city was hip. They did great. The food and service were wonderful and they flourished. Folks were willing to travel outside of their own little niches.

I remember Casa in there too, and that spot is still a little off the beaten path from what's going on in NuLu.

Just reading through this and wondering. Couldn't most, not all, of the comments regarding Seviche East problematic location have also been made about Mussel& Burger bar? If so, why did one work and not the other? Concept? Price point? I love them both so I'm not picking on anyone. Just wondering.

[Robin Garr]

Havana Rumba, Simply Thai

I realize I'm mostly just trolling at this point but I really hardly even think of St. Matthews as "suburban" any more. It's pre-war, it's "inside the Watterson," and demographically, it just seems to me that 40206, 40205 and 40207 are looking more and more alike in a lot of ways.

[Robin Garr]

Just reading through this and wondering. Couldn't most, not all, of the comments regarding Seviche East problematic location have also been made about Mussel& Burger bar? If so, why did one work and not the other? Concept? Price point? I love them both so I'm not picking on anyone. Just wondering.

Just to keep the discussion going, I'd say I hinted at this in a previous post in this thread where I credited Fernando (founder of HR and Mojito and operator of Guacamole and M&BB) with having an unerring sense of his market.

I'm having a hard time putting a finger on it, because I think all those places are awesome, and I think Seviche is awesome, too, but even while Seviche is world class, I just feel that it takes a little more effort on the part of the diner to fully appreciate.

Just reading through this and wondering. Couldn't most, not all, of the comments regarding Seviche East problematic location have also been made about Mussel& Burger bar? If so, why did one work and not the other? Concept? Price point? I love them both so I'm not picking on anyone. Just wondering.

And wasn't B&MB originally Perusa (?) or something like that? Which bombed almost from the get-go and then the space sat there empty until B&MB came along?

Havana Rumba, Simply Thai

I realize I'm mostly just trolling at this point but I really hardly even think of St. Matthews as "suburban" any more. It's pre-war, it's "inside the Watterson," and demographically, it just seems to me that 40206, 40205 and 40207 are looking more and more alike in a lot of ways.

Both of the above are in Middletown as well....doing well, and in the same center.

[Robin Garr]

Both of the above are in Middletown as well....doing well, and in the same center.

Funny you mention that. I find both those Middletown branches distinctly inferior to their originals. I attribute this to their spinoff nature more than to their location, but the fact is, I rated both M'town branches a notch below their St. Matthews originals bases on both food quality and service.

[Robin Garr]

Both of the above are in Middletown as well....doing well, and in the same center.

I've also got to add that I really just don't see anyone mistaking Middletown for St. Matthews.

Right....but Jason mentioned them regarding Middletown, and you referenced their St. Matthew's locations. I like Middletown Havana much more than St. Matt's......Simply Thai, I will agree with you.

[Robin Garr]

I like Middletown Havana much more than St. Matt's.

The old Chevy is worth the price of admission all by itself!

And yes, I agree that individual perceptions about the restaurants differ. We've kind of drifted away from my point, though. What I was trying to say - and I think this is true - is that given St. Matthews' early emergence as one of the city's first, prewar, suburbs, and looking at its location, housing stock and demographics now, I just feel like it's become a little more part of the urban environment and a little less suburban in the original sense of bedroom/commuter community.

Maybe it's unnecessary for me to point this out but originally I mentioned the possibility of expansion into OLD Middletown (along the Old Shelbyville Rd drag) and not just Middletown. Say "Middletown" and all I think of are big shopping centers. Old Middletown I see that small enclave of older, maybe 1920 or 1930 houses and boutique shops.

[Robin Garr]

Old Middletown I see that small enclave of older, maybe 1920 or 1930 houses and boutique shops.

Oh, yeah! All of the older suburbs have those way cool historic centers - Middletown, and Jeffersontown has a good-size one; Harrods Creek, Okolona, Valley Station ... Fern Creek used to, but I'm afraid it's become so thoroughly strip-mall'd that the old landmarks like Fanelli's is pretty much hidden by the CVS and Marathon stations. (C'mon, Creekers, tell me I'm wrong!)