LEO/LHB Eats: Take that short drive to Stratto's

[Robin Garr]

<table border="0" align="right" width="310"><tr><td><img src="http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/strattos_pope.jpg" border="1" align="right"></td></tr><tr><td>Jerome Pope is now the chef at Stratto's in Clarksville. Look for his new menu after the first of the year. LEO Photo by Nicole Pullen.</td></tr></table>LEO's Eats with Louisville HotBytes
Take that short drive to Stratto's

If you've been meaning to check out some Southern Indiana dining spots but worried that it's a little too far, consider this: It took me just 11 minutes to drive from my house in Crescent Hill to Stratto's in Clarksville on a rainy Saturday night.

OK, maybe I couldn't have made it that fast during a weekday rush hour, but it's still a quicker trip for me than a ride out to The Summit or Brownsboro Crossing in endless suburbia.

What's more, the comfortable historic-house setting and hearty Italian-accented comfort food at Stratto's makes it well worth the short trip across the finally repainted Kennedy Bridge.

The venue may rank among the metro's most attractive: Montrose, a sturdy Indiana mansion, was built by the McCulloch family around 1870. With its surrounding grove, it's one of the few historic buildings left along Clarksville's aggressively commercial Lewis and Clark Parkway.

Restored in the 1990s as the Major McCulloch Steakhouse, it later became Sunset Grill, then Stratto's; the recent arrival of Chef Jerome Pope from Louisville's Coach Lamp marks Stratto's third chef since it opened in the spring of 2006. In spite of all the changes, it has maintained a consistent style, with a bill of fare that's upscale but comfortably so, putting a light immigrant-Italian spin on hearty down-home dishes.

(After New Year's, I'm told that Chef Pope plans some menu changes. Popular favorites are likely to remain, but I expect we'll see some de-emphasis of the Italian theme.)

<b>Stratto's Restaurant</b>
318 W. Lewis and Clark Pkwy.
Clarksville, Ind.
(812) 945-3496
http://www.strattosrestaurant.com
Robin Garr's rating: 78

Full reports in LEO and on LouisvilleHotBytes.

Strato's is great. I love the food and the setting. Nice writeup.

I loved Jerome Pope's food when he was at the Coach Lamp.

You are doing some cool stuff in a hard town and my hat's off to you!! Good luck in 08' and hang in there!

Thanks for the review. I've wondered about whether or not to try it.

That reminds me; I really need to sometime write the Montrose article for Wikipedia.

We've had a couple of lovely dinners there. We need to go back, especially since it's right around the corner.

I have great respect for Jerome. I once enjoyed my birthday dinner there and he came out to have a chat after our meal which was AWESOME!!!! Good luck to you Chef Jerome you made my birthday meal to perfection.

My boyfriend and I have been to Stratto's several times and have loved the atmosphere. Service has always been superb as well. I'm excited to see what menu changes will be made next year.

Thanks for the review. I've wondered about whether or not to try it.

That reminds me; I really need to sometime write the Montrose article for Wikipedia.

Is that Ronnie Montrose......from Gamma/Edgar Winter Group, etc, or that place in Switzerland with all that smoke on the water?

Montrose was the name the McCulloghs called it when they owned the building that Stratto's is in now. It's on Indiana's list of registered historic places as Montrose.

I would like to thank Robin for the nice write-up and only regret that I don't work Saturday nights...(I would have recognized you )

And I thank all the other posters for thier kind words. We (Trevor, Chef Pope and I) are working hard to make our place a destination, not an eatery. Southern Indiana is a tough market...it is hard to get Louisvillians to cross that "pond".

Merry Christmas to all!

And have a great 2008!

-Scott

It remains hard to draw Louisvillians across the pond, but if I might indulge, it boils down to being willing to take chances and be different, and whatever choice of options that involves, be damned good at it.

Simple, eh?

To me, the problem never has been so much the Louisville crowd as the stubbornly conservative locals. People will cross bridges for something unique and good, but unfortunately, too many of our brethren here are drinking Miller Lite and eating food that reminds them of the comforts of high school.

Oops - did I write that aloud? Even the latter can be converted with education and effort ...

[Robin Garr]

food that reminds them of the comforts of high school.

Hey! You got something against Pizza King?

It's an institution ... just not MY institution.

Not to twist the subject, but what is with KY folk that act like the Ohio River is a wall of fire? In my current job assignment, I get calls from people desperate to maintain their certification to keep their job. If I try to direct them to training resources, some in Indiana, 90% state they "can't" go there. HUH? Actually for us, Indiana is closer than the East End, we even had our last child there (though we do tease him about being a Hoosier ). We have enjoyed many fine meals in IN, at the late, lamented Bistro NA, Strattos, NABC, among others. My nieghbors will drive 30+ minutes to get to Hurstbourne, but won't go 10 minutes over the bridge to get the same things. Not being a native, is there a rule I never learned or is it genetic?