Welcome to the Louisville Restaurants Forum, a civil place for the intelligent discussion of the local restaurant scene and just about any other topic related to food and drink in and around Louisville.
User avatar
User

Robin Garr

{ RANK }

Forum host

Posts

22984

Joined

Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:38 pm

Location

Crescent Hill

Discussion of Robin Garr's The Place Downstairs review

by Robin Garr » Wed Apr 09, 2014 9:30 am

No "I" in the winning t-e-a-m at The Place Downstairs
LEO's Eats with Robin Garr

Image

Just weeks after smacking a home run with El Taco Luchador, their tiny taqueria-style eatery in the midst of the Baxter Avenue fun zone, the team of Fernando and Christina Martinez and Fernando's cousin Yaniel Martinez have slammed another rocketing blast high over the left field bleachers with The Place Downstairs.

The place, specifically, is downstairs (via a quick elevator ride) within Mussel & Burger Bar, another of the Martinez's growing list of restaurant success stories. With Chef de Cuisine Ethan Ray in the kitchen and the affable Rick Moir, late of Equus and Jack's, presiding over a skilled team in the front of the house, The Place Downstairs hit the ground running after an extended series of "soft openings" last month.

It is already generating such a buzz, and operating - for now - on a tightly constrained schedule of dinner only on Wednesdays through Saturdays only, that you'll want to take advantage of its reservations policy and stake your claim on a table now. By Derby it's likely to be one of the hottest tickets in town.

Who knew that Mussel & Burger Bar even had a basement? You'd expect subterranean spaces in urban environments like NuLu, for instance (consider for example the lovable space beneath Decca), but suburban shopping centers aren't generally known for the space beneath.

The team has worked wonders in this space, creating a mood that's stylish and elegant, yet cool and casual, with a comfortable lounge and two dining rooms. Bold red walls and cream-color banquettes, undraped wood tables and comfortable off-white chairs might sound bright, but the large drum lamps overhead are turned down romantically low.

Ray, one of the city's top "young chefs" as a newly minted 30-something, is quickly building a top-chef resume. His experience at the Seelbach Oakroom with chefs Todd Richards and Duane Nutter, followed by service at Proof on Main and Metropole, 21c's Cincinnati venture, stands revealed in Downstairs' creative and beautifully plated dishes. 

His bill of fare draws on an international range of flavors and bears a distinctly personal stamp that might pay homage to Alinea or even El Bulli but is too individual to pigeonhole. ...

Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/no-i- ... downstairs
and in LEO Weekly:
http://leoweekly.com/dining/no-%E2%80%9 ... downstairs

The Place Downstairs
9200 Taylorsville Road
384-4834
http://Facebook.com/theplacedowsntairsatMBB
Robin Garr's rating: 95 points
no avatar
User

Margie L

{ RANK }

Foodie

Posts

326

Joined

Tue Sep 16, 2008 1:47 pm

Re: Discussion of Robin Garr's The Place Downstairs review

by Margie L » Thu Apr 10, 2014 6:36 pm

Robin, was that $82 each?
User avatar
User

Robin Garr

{ RANK }

Forum host

Posts

22984

Joined

Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:38 pm

Location

Crescent Hill

Re: Discussion of Robin Garr's The Place Downstairs review

by Robin Garr » Thu Apr 10, 2014 9:47 pm

Margie L wrote:Robin, was that $82 each?

Oh, no, Margie! I'm sorry if my grammar implied that. Unless stated otherwise, I always list the actual price I paid for dinner for two.
no avatar
User

Margie L

{ RANK }

Foodie

Posts

326

Joined

Tue Sep 16, 2008 1:47 pm

Re: Discussion of Robin Garr's The Place Downstairs review

by Margie L » Fri Apr 11, 2014 12:41 am

Robin Garr wrote:
Margie L wrote:Robin, was that $82 each?

Oh, no, Margie! I'm sorry if my grammar implied that. Unless stated otherwise, I always list the actual price I paid for dinner for two.


No, your grammar was fine. I couldn't figure out how you had appetizers, entrees, dessert and drinks for two for $82, but you must have shared with others.
User avatar
User

Robin Garr

{ RANK }

Forum host

Posts

22984

Joined

Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:38 pm

Location

Crescent Hill

Re: Discussion of Robin Garr's The Place Downstairs review

by Robin Garr » Fri Apr 11, 2014 7:24 am

Good question, Margie. The pricing is quite reasonable for such a fancy place, but I'll try to find my itemized info and see if I can reconstruct the bill. One thing, we had one cocktail each rather than a bottle of wine, so that cut costs a bit.
no avatar
User

Andrew Mellman

{ RANK }

Foodie

Posts

1694

Joined

Fri Mar 02, 2007 10:33 am

Location

Louisville

Re: Discussion of Robin Garr's The Place Downstairs review

by Andrew Mellman » Fri Apr 11, 2014 10:10 am

We had two drinks, one appetizer, one jar, and two entrees, and our total with tax & tip was $140.

Quite honestly, we thought the price - compared to what we ate - was a bargain! (we've felt robbed spending $10, and had bargains at even more than this) I just don't want you to have a major shock if you expect the $80-ish pricing! It's possible, but unlikely.

Note that our entrees (and appetizer) were at the high end of their menu, and we gave a generous tip, while Robin's meals were at the lower end of the prices, but Robin's total sounds a tad light to me.
Andrew Mellman
User avatar
User

Robin Garr

{ RANK }

Forum host

Posts

22984

Joined

Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:38 pm

Location

Crescent Hill

Re: Discussion of Robin Garr's The Place Downstairs review

by Robin Garr » Fri Apr 11, 2014 10:47 am

Andrew Mellman wrote:Robin's total sounds a tad light to me.

Well, I found our tab, and I see a few issues that alter things a bit. First, they failed to charge me for the veggie "jar" ($9); second, Mary got an app and a jar but no entree; and third, we ate with another couple and shared tastes, so we were able to sample the awesome cornish hen without paying $29 for it. The error saved us $9, which is embarrassing ... I'll toss in a little extra the next time I go. If Mary had chosen an entree rather than a jar, that would have added another $15 or so. So, around $100 for two would probably hit closer to the center of the bell curve.

It's still a great spot and a darn good value.

TPD Tab.jpg
TPD tab
TPD Tab.jpg (153.59 KiB) Viewed 4003 times
no avatar
User

Margie L

{ RANK }

Foodie

Posts

326

Joined

Tue Sep 16, 2008 1:47 pm

Re: Discussion of Robin Garr's The Place Downstairs review

by Margie L » Fri Apr 11, 2014 11:41 am

Thanks for clarifying Robin. It sounded low to me. I would expect it to be $100-$150 per couple, still great value for the experience.
no avatar
User

Trisha W

{ RANK }

Foodie

Posts

155

Joined

Sun Aug 17, 2008 8:51 am

Re: Discussion of Robin Garr's The Place Downstairs review

by Trisha W » Tue Apr 22, 2014 12:39 am

It's WELL worth the price. The food is beautiful and tasty. I can't imagine the prep work because of all of the little details.
Did you like the Cat and the Farmer? That's what I had. Found it interesting. Tasted like a salad in a glass, with gin.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 26 guests

Powered by phpBB ® | phpBB3 Style by KomiDesign