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Robin Garr

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LEO/HotBytes review: Noodles & Company

by Robin Garr » Wed Oct 22, 2014 5:23 pm

This locavore makes an exception for Noodles & Company

LEO's Eats with Robin Garr

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If you’ve been reading my gustatory musings for any time, you know that I bring a strong locavore sensibility to this work. I like to eat local food, and I prefer to dine at local restaurants. When I do business with a bank, grocer, optician, investment adviser, newspaper and, most definitely, restaurant, I like to know that the owner herself is available for a conversation, will look me in the eye, shake my hand, and offer me a fair deal.

The farther removed ownership and management recedes from my dinner table, the more layers of personnel that stand between the stock holders and my table, the more likely it is that the cold, heavy hand of the bean counters will have intervened to bring quality down to the most profitable denominator.

Long experience bears this out: Behind Door A, we have a lovingly hand-formed hamburger made of quality meat, grilled with care by an owner-chef with skills. I’m looking at you, Bill Smith at Shady Lane Cafe! Behind Door B, we have, well, Mickey D’s, bagging you up a flavorless burger made from industrial beef, all its joy drained into the profit bucket.


Which door would you pick, bubbeleh? Me, too!

But every now and then ...


Okay, nobody’s perfect, all right? I’m a locavore, but I love all manner of good eats. Even bad good eats, as long as they’re good. I’ll swing in to an In and Out Burger in California without regret. Occasionally I’ll even crave a White Castle. And I’m not ashamed to confess that I often grab a brace of tacos for lunch at Chipotle on Westport Road.

I mention Chipotle for a reason. Chipotle builds a loyal customer base that appreciates its commitment to the environment and making a significant effort to limit 100 percent of its pork, beef and chicken and “a majority” of its dairy to humanely raised, hormone- and antibiotic-free animals.

This model is so alluing that corporations in other food sectors, like the recently arrived Blaze Pizza (LEO Weekly, July 9, 2014), jockey to be recognized as “The Chipotle of Pizza” or whatever their niche may be.

I’m nominating Noodles & Company as The Chipotle of Noodles. It’s quality, affordable fast food made to delight lefties and tree-huggers (hand raised here). They advertise naturally raised pork, organic tofu, free-range eggs, the whole megillah; and they serve your quick-service meal on real china and glassware, not paper or plastic, to prove that they’re “green.” ...


Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/this- ... es-company
And in LEO Weekly:
http://leoweekly.com/dining/locavore-ma ... es-company

Noodles & Company
Plainview Shopping Center
1225 S. Hurstbourne Parkway
632-0102
Order online: http://noodles.com/order
Robin Garr's rating: 82 points
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Mark R.

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Re: LEO/HotBytes review: Noodles & Company

by Mark R. » Wed Oct 22, 2014 5:34 pm

Your opinion of Noodles & Company is exactly like our experience. We spent several times since and three convenient for us and each time have found it to be a very enjoyable yet reasonably priced meal. We haven't tried everything yet on the menu but between Laura and I we've certainly tried a majority of the menu items and each one is very good. They certainly have something that can be what almost everybody is looking for. It's nice that you can select which protein you want to go with each product because we've come up with a couple of combinations that we like much better than what they recommend. Laura especially likes to put the shrimp with the Japanese Pan Noodles. It's also nice that you can get a very nice side salad or cup of soup for a very reasonable price with your meal.

There next door is going to open in November in the Paddock Shops and they have plans to open a total of seven in the Louisville area. Hopefully they will be able to keep the same level of quality and the same atmosphere throughout them all.
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Re: LEO/HotBytes review: Noodles & Company

by Jason G » Wed Oct 22, 2014 6:47 pm

I don't think an 82 is unfair by any means, personally I would probably give it an 88. I think based on what they are trying to do, they did it very well. I tend to kind of personally judge restaurants based on their competition, not based on all the other offerings in the city.

We have VERY good service for a fast casual chain...when we were looking at the menu a guy came over and explained everything and how it all works. I'm sure if they're busy everyone may not get that but it was pretty solid service. Everyone was really friendly and a manager checked on us during the meal.

Restaurant was really clean and modern. The variety of dishes was pretty cool...of course no individual dish lives up to what you would get at a respective local restaurant specializing in that type of food, but at least the menu was something a little out of the normal for around here...not another pizza restaurant thank god. I had the buffalo pasta with chicken (on special)...tasted pretty much like buffalo wings in a bowl! Oh and good value too for the portions (not that noodles are expensive, but still pretty low priced.)

Only been once but I think we will go back. I don't know if it will make my regular rotation, but I can see stopping in once every couple months. I add 3 points to my final score for not being a pizza restaurant. 88. :D
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Re: LEO/HotBytes review: Noodles & Company

by Bill Veneman » Thu Oct 23, 2014 2:04 pm

Well, given all the praise, and the proximity of Noodles & Company to home, Alan and I ventured there for lunch today, and were pleasantly enamored by 1) the service, 2) the quality, and 3) the selections. For a little over $20, we had two pasta dishes and a couple of drinks and walked away satisfied with the opinion that we will return.

The only thing that would have made it better would be if they served wine....but I have a feeling, given some of the décor, that this might be in the works! :mrgreen:
If life's a Banquet, what's with all the Tofu?

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Re: LEO/HotBytes review: Noodles & Company

by Mark R. » Thu Oct 23, 2014 10:59 pm

Bill Veneman wrote:The only thing that would have made it better would be if they served wine....but I have a feeling, given some of the décor, that this might be in the works! :mrgreen:

We talked to one of the managers when we were there and they are just waiting for their permit to come through for beer and wine.
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Re: LEO/HotBytes review: Noodles & Company

by BevP » Thu Oct 23, 2014 11:09 pm

I have been to Noodles & Co. twice once with my son and once with my husband. Both times we were very happy. The first time I tried the spicy Indonesian Peanut dish and added chicken, it was good but I realized it would have been just as good without the chicken, so that is what I got the second time. I now see that I have a place to go and try to go meatless on occasion and not make a big deal out of it.
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Re: LEO/HotBytes review: Noodles & Company

by Susanne Smith » Sat Oct 25, 2014 4:52 am

Looking forward to trying Noodles & Co. Great concept and is just up our alley as always struggling small business owners. And thanks for the shout out, Robin.
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MikeG

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Re: LEO/HotBytes review: Noodles & Company

by MikeG » Mon Nov 03, 2014 2:22 pm

Figures after I move away you guys finally get Noodles in town. :)
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James Natsis

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Re: LEO/HotBytes review: Noodles & Company

by James Natsis » Mon Nov 03, 2014 3:25 pm

MikeG wrote:Figures after I move away you guys finally get Noodles in town. :)


Too bad you never visited Yang Kee Noodle in Oxmoor Mall. It appears they are expanding into the soon to be new shopping plaza at the Gene Snyder and Shelbyville Rd.
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Re: LEO/HotBytes review: Noodles & Company

by MikeG » Tue Nov 04, 2014 8:50 am

I went to Yang Kee often as I worked near there. However Noodles has a wider selection than just asian dishes. Dont get me wrong Yang Kee was good, there were just times I wanted something that wasnt asian inspired.
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Re: LEO/HotBytes review: Noodles & Company

by James Natsis » Tue Nov 04, 2014 1:04 pm

MikeG wrote:I went to Yang Kee often as I worked near there. However Noodles has a wider selection than just asian dishes. Dont get me wrong Yang Kee was good, there were just times I wanted something that wasnt asian inspired.


I hear ya!
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