The Place Downstairs- wow!

All,
I was lucky to dine here pre-opening. From the intimate decor and vibe, to the inventive cocktails and the fabulous food- everything was fantastic!
The space is below Mussel and Burger bar and once you step off the elevator, you are in an entirely different world. Decorated with dark red walls, white leather banquettes and chairs, and lots of candles, the space feels like some cool urban space in New York (or maybe Spain? ) There is also a great lounge area at the entrance with couches and comfortable chairs. Fernando and Cristina have done a stellar job of creating an intimate environment that's upscale, but welcoming, and not at all stuffy. The cocktail list was inventive- our favorite was the "Global Warming"; served in a copper mug, the drink has frozen poblanos in it and heats up over time as the poblanos melt. The wine list is short but seemed carefully selected, and both the red and white pairing recommendations from our young server were excellent.

The menu seems to be carefully designed to have something for a wide range of tastes- from truly foodie combinations ( Iberico lardo anyone?) to an excellent riff on steak and potatoes. Our entrees ( Diver scallops with Iberico lardo, parsnip-vanilla puree, & fennel-blood orange, and the Ribeye filet with bone marrow croquettes and Hon Shimejii mushrooms) were both cooked perfectly and inventive flavor combinations. Entree prices were very reasonable for the food quality- firmly in the $20-30 range, the list topped out our night at $28 for the filet. Our favorites of the night were the prime beef sliders with black truffle cheese and tomato confit, served with melt-in-your-mouth fingerling chips ( the latter being a new form of crack ), and the duck rillettes "jar" – a confit duck spread with cherry compote and whole grain mustard- amazing flavor combinations.

A superb new addition to our dining scene from some of the best chef- talent in town. Congrats to Fernando, Cristina, Ricky and Ethan on a great new place! Get your reservations soon, folks- once word gets out, reservations are going to be very difficult to get!

Deb

Deb, I was wondering who was going to be the first to post, and am glad it was you!

We've got our "pre-opening" scheduled for Tuesday evening, and am very much looking forward to it!

I can really add nothing to Deb's post other than to continue to heap on the praise. I had the pleasure of dining there Thursday evening and experiencing what truly is another enormous step for our fair city's food scene. They will be booked nightly and I'd highly recommend making your reservations for a fantastic evening out now on opentable as I do believe they have opened up reservations.
This is a well conceived concept from atmosphere to service to food and my only frustrations are that I will see so much less of Ethan Ray, Matt Weirich, Fernando, and team because they're going to be swamped.

All great news. AND I am thrilled that they have added a new dimension to a different area of town rather than go into a familiar standby. Maybe we will see more exciting stuff opening up in the south/east area.

Let the pile on continue! Other than a few minor service missteps(which is why they have soft openings to work these kinds of things out) I fully expect that Fernando, Christina, Yaniel and their talented crew will garner some well deserved national press for what is obvious to me as the next great dining destination in Louisville! Very inventive and well concieved food and cocktails that are fairly priced in an upscale, sophisticated space that isn't the least bit stuffy. Two big thumbs up!!!

facebook https://www.facebook.com/theplacedowsntairsatMBB

Get your reservations soon, folks- once word gets out, reservations are going to be very difficult to get!

Deb

Does anyone know whether or not they will be taking reservations? Or will it be like M&BB?

Get your reservations soon, folks- once word gets out, reservations are going to be very difficult to get!

Deb

Does anyone know whether or not they will be taking reservations? Or will it be like M&BB?

Yes, on opentable

Doug-
Yes- That's why I said " get your reservations".

Definitely book it for a nice evening out with your wife- we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It's small , intimate space with relatively few tables so early reservations are a very good idea. Food is flavorful & unique, and I love the sophisticated ( but not stuffy) vibe. We are trying to figure out how soon we can get a sitter and get back again.

Enjoy!
Deb

Hmm, get a reservation to downstairs, order burger from upstairs. Im a genius!

Oh Doug- you'd be doing yourself a big disservice. Chef Ethan's food should not be missed.
(I know you are joking but I thought this was as good a place as any for a plug)

OK, we dined at TPD last evening, and to say it was an event would be a disservice! Incredible space, awesome food, grand service. Go for yourself and be the judge. The Octopus starter is INSANE. The Pork Heaven (as billed on the menu) is just that. And the desserts, well, lets just say loosen the belt a notch or two. I am not going to go into great detail, however, I'm sure once you go, you'll understand my hesitation for descriptive ramble. Words don't do it justice. You just have to go.

Make the reservations. Limited seating (intimately small space), and opening times. Well worth it.

We were lucky enough to be invited to dine Monday night. WOW!!!!! The food was amazing. The decor is beautiful. The atmosphere is classy, romantic, and yet hip at the same time. We started with cocktails, and the night only became greater from there.

I had a cocktail (the first on the list with farmer in the name. I apologize for not remembering) that reminded me of salad in a glass. Our octopus terraine quickly followed. Fernando had teased with the pics of this dish for months. It was sooooooooooooooo worth the wait. Our table also had the iberico ham, the mussels, the campfire jar, and the cheeks and trotters jar. ALL of the appetizers were fantastic, but the octopus and the cheeks and trotters jar clearly stood out as our favorites!

I had the most beautifully presented duck breast served over black lentils with turnips and a duck confit croquette topped with a fried quail egg. The duck was perfect. Rick was totally in love with his scallops wrapped in lardo and served with a fennel and orange salad. If someone tells me how, I'll post a picture of my duck!

We had dessert, though I don't know how we did. I had a pistachio cake served with froie gras ice cream and blueberry compote. Rick had a wonderful key lime tart with a beautiful flower made of fruit leather.

They have definitely hit it out of the park with this restaurant.

[Robin Garr]

If someone tells me how, I'll post a picture of my duck!

Email it to me at robingarr@gmail.com and I'll post it for you!

Just a note on TPD, today (3/27/14) is their first day to 'Open Hard" and OpenTable will be available to utilize for reservations!

As a 'smilin' sidenote, one of my dinner companions went ahead and made Derby reservations, she was that impressed!