Can we rate Nulu (etc) eateries on the basis of NOISE?

[Robin Garr]

For starters, let me say that although I like dining out as a social experience, I get it that some trendy places tune the venue for noise with the idea of communicating that it's an active, vibrant scene. I guess. More specifically, I really like La Coop and Silver Dollar (to pick two random examples) in spite of the near impossibility of carrying on a conversation there.

But often I'll want to take a business client or visiting friend to dinner at one of our scores of cool places and would like to find a balance between decibel level and trendiness.

So, can we make a list from VERY LOUD to not so loud to QUIET?

Thinking along Main and Market including NuLu (tm), I see La Coop and Harvest among the loudest, with RYE up there pretty high as well. In terms of being able to communicate, would you say that Decca comes in a notch or two below them? Wiltshire? At the other end of the strip, Proof? St Charles Exchange?

Nominees from the other strips - Bardstown, Frankfort, St Matthew are welcome as well.

So, let's hear it! I'm sure it will change in time, but it would be really good to have a quick reference list.

I've never had too much trouble hearing at Rye, it seems like a regular restaurant soundwise.

I feel differently about Decca- it was the loudest restaurant I have ever dined in- there was no possible way to hear the person across from me and the only way the person next to me could hear me was to talk directly into her ear. I have never been back.

[Robin Garr]

Interesting, Gary, and thanks! Funny, it shows how night to night differences and, perhaps, individual preference can change one's perception. Last time we were at Rye we had a four-top at the back of the main room, and I was sitting on the back side with considerable space between me and the tables in the open kitchen. Maybe that made a difference? As for Decca, it's a large enough facility that I would guess table placement might matter there as well.

I do think La Coop and Harvest are generally recognized as loud; particularly the Green Building, as 732 Social and now as La Coop, is simply an acoustic disaster, although I loved both eateries and put up with it. Ditto Harvest, where I'm a big fan of their farm-to-table commitment but reckon that close table placement and hard edges are insurmountable. And at Silver Dollar, of course, noise is part of their thang.

Got any other nominees on the quieter side, Gary? I actually have a purpose here, in addition to my interest in making a little list, we have a guest speaker coming in from California soon, and want to show him some of Louisville's best when we take him and his wife out to dinner, but we also want to be able to talk.

Let's hear from some others, too! Over 100 "views" before Gary posted the first response! Is everybody in a shy mood today?

I personally think all of the notable ones in NuLu are overly loud and hard to communicate in. Proof has been relatively quiet and we've been there, St. Charles exchange was kind of in the middle.

How about Spring st Bar and Grill? They are in the vicinity, and can get really loud and crazy after a big show at Headliners. But for the most part, are mellow, and play some really good music, depending on the BT. I have always had a good time, regardless of the music as it is always at a good level for conversation. The food is good and the atmosphere is conducive to a good after-party chat fest. Try it out!!! Tim

Oddly enough I had dinner tonight at Rye, there were very few tables but I found it louder than on any previous visit- maybe the lack of diners made the Michael Jackson invasion sound louder.

Nominees from the other strips - Bardstown, Frankfort, St Matthew are welcome as well.

Sapporo is quite loud. Of all foods, sushi should be eaten in relative calm. I'd love to linger and drink sake, but it's unbearable to be there too long.

Call me a premature geezer, but I don't buy the notion of intentional loudness to portray a joint as "the happening place".

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/20/nyregion/in-new-york-city-indoor-noise-goes-unabated.html?_r=0

I personally think all of the notable ones in NuLu are overly loud and hard to communicate in. Proof has been relatively quiet and we've been there, St. Charles exchange was kind of in the middle.

+1 with the above

Also +1 with Sapporo, but we always thought this was part of their "vibe".

Haven't been to Jack Fry's in a while, but depending on your seat that seemed very loud.

Lilly's was always calm and quiet! Ditto for the English Grill and Oak Room. We've always been able to have a conversation at Marketplace, even with the jazz singer/trio! Buck's has been good for talking, also.

Volare impossible to hear tablemates. Basa started loud, but depending on where you are sitting can be (relatively) quiet now. Varnese - for being a wide open room with music - seems conversation friendly!

Does noise from the back of the kitchen count? That may be one of my biggest pet peeves. When music is playing in the dining room and it is drowned out from the music from the kitchen.

Does noise from the back of the kitchen count? That may be one of my biggest pet peeves. When music is playing in the dining room and it is drowned out from the music from the kitchen.

It certainly counts and I think it's a bigger distraction than the noise from the dining room. In most cases if I go to a restaurant where the kitchen can be heard in the dining room I won't return.

I personally think all of the notable ones in NuLu are overly loud and hard to communicate in. Proof has been relatively quiet and we've been there, St. Charles exchange was kind of in the middle.

+1 with the above

Also +1 with Sapporo, but we always thought this was part of their "vibe".

Haven't been to Jack Fry's in a while, but depending on your seat that seemed very loud.

Lilly's was always calm and quiet! Ditto for the English Grill and Oak Room. We've always been able to have a conversation at Marketplace, even with the jazz singer/trio! Buck's has been good for talking, also.

Volare impossible to hear tablemates. Basa started loud, but depending on where you are sitting can be (relatively) quiet now. Varnese - for being a wide open room with music - seems conversation friendly!

I've always been happy with the volume levels at Equus and Varnese. There's a particular buzz to Varnese that I really enjoy. Need to dine there next time I'm in town.