Yang Kee Noodle plans second shop at Middletown Commons

[Robin Garr]

This just in ...

Louisville Favorite Yang Kee Noodle to Open Second Hometown Location
Local Asian Fast-Casual Restaurant Gets Revamp, Breaks Ground at Middletown Commons to Open this Summer

LOUISVILLE – For more than a decade Louisvillians have come to know and love Yang Kee Noodle, a local staple that brings a variety of full and fresh Asian flavors right to our bluegrass backyards. Soon Louisvillians will be enjoying a second location as the concept announced today the groundbreaking of their new restaurant in Middletown Commons on Shelbyville Road off of the Gene Snyder Freeway (near Academy and Texas Roadhouse).

A locally owned and operated concept, Yang Kee Noodle blazed the local fast-casual trail, opening at Oxmoor Mall in 2003 and quickly becoming a local favorite. Yang Kee Noodle offers pan-Asian cuisine inspired by the traditional noodle houses found throughout eastern Asia. However, the fast-casual concept is most known for offering create-your-own stir-fry dishes that invite guests to mix and match flavors, fresh ingredients and bold sauces.

“When we set out to create this unique concept we knew we wanted to do it well and do it right,” said Dan Huckstein, Operating Partner for Yang Kee Noodle. “That meant providing the highest quality Asian cuisine but at a value and a speed that Louisvillians hadn’t seen before. So, it is with pride and excitement that we announce the groundbreaking of our second location.”

Unlike most Asian-inspired concepts that specialize in one region, Yang Kee Noodle offers dishes inspired by a variety of different areas, including Thailand, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and China. Guests can choose from eastern Asian classics like General Tso’s or Chicken Lo Mein or build their own dish with a create-your-own recipe. The menu, developed by renowned chef and Yang Kee Noodle partner John D. Castro, consists of fresh, innovative ingredients prepared from scratch daily. The fast-casual restaurant’s menu also accommodates a variety of diet restrictions with vegan and gluten free options.

The new Yang Kee Noodle will feature a revamped interior, taking a local favorite and adding a fresh, modern atmosphere. The design of the new 3,000 square foot restaurant aims to compliment the concept’s dedication to variety, customization and freshness. The new location will include 90 indoor seats with an additional 30 on an outdoor patio. The local restaurant will also offer a selection of wine and craft beer, curbside pick-up, online ordering, catering and is available via Takeout Taxi.

As the first locally owned and operated fast-casual restaurant in Louisville, Yang Kee Noodle has developed a reputation for fast, friendly service that doesn’t compromise on quality. Ranked “Best Take Out In Louisville” in 2013 and 2014, the concept has seen incredible growth in the last few years as the fast-casual category has grown in popularity. NJV Louisville, which owns and operates Yang Kee Noodle, is opening their second location because of the great support they have received from their customers. And, Louisvillians should stay tuned because plans for additional locations may be right around the corner.

About Yang Kee Noodle
Yang Kee Noodle is a Louisville-based Pan-Asian style restaurant concept featuring fresh and flavorful dishes inspired by the noodle houses and cuisine throughout Thailand, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and China. Chef John Castro, Executive Chef of Winston’s at Sullivan University, is a partner and creative force behind Yang Kee Noodle. For more information, call (502) 426-0800 or visit http://www.yangkeenoodle.com.

I guess that they are trying to drum up some excitement for their new location. They announced this a long time ago and I read an article the other day, I think on insider Louisville, that it was going to be opening July 1! As a matter fact I believe quite a while ago it was even discussed on a thread here. It's on the side of the development facing Old English Station Road, the building is complete and they already have signage up on it.

[Robin Garr]

I guess that they are trying to drum up some excitement for their new location. They announced this a long time ago and I read an article the other day, I think on insider Louisville, that it was going to be opening July 1! As a matter fact I believe quite a while ago it was even discussed on a thread here. It's on the side of the development facing Old English Station Road, the building is complete and they already have signage up on it.

I guess so. I had forgotten all about that, so they snuck the "new" announcement by me.

I do wonder about the far out location, though. The economic flow that went from the city to the suburbs over 40 years or so is reversing, and if gas prices go way up or the economy deteriorates again, it could accelerate pretty fast.

If I had to guess I bet it's because the El Nopal in the same area is always packed at lunch and fairly busy at dinner. Maybe they were thinking same price point + ethnic = $s

So a funny thing happened the other day. I live what you would call "way out". Almost Oldham County, which I know for you city folk is about like saying I live in Ohio.

Anyway, I was sitting at the Skyline in Plainview and I said to a friend "Man, I really wish they would build a Skyline out in the East End". Realizing immediately I was sitting smack in the middle of what was once considered the "East End".

Robin, that location in Middletown is not way out. It's barely even out. The growth around there of homes and businesses is accelerating. They just finished 2 luxury apartment complexes and have begun work on a 300 home neighborhood nearby. That's in addition to the huge number of homes already in Middletown and stretching out into Shelby county to the east and Oldham county to the north east. Given this location is going into what will be a heavily traveled shopping center, and sharing space with a Comfy Cow, Texas Roadhouse, Blaze, Chipotle, Chick-fil-a and about a dozen or so various other restaurants and shops I'm betting it will be very busy. Louvino is going in about a mile down the road. The new theater and entertainment center off Blankebaker and Bluegrass Indoor Karting aren't far and they've started that huge outdoor sports and entertainment complex just up the road (King Louie's I think) not to mention The Park in Middletown is across the street as is the new trampoline park. It's also visible from the Gene Snyder (and inside of said if only barely) and really easy to get to.

The accelerating growth of businesses in and around the old industrial parks and the new Blankenbaker Crossing is driving a healthy lunch crowd into that area as well.

What was considered "way out" is no longer way out. It's barely out. You just live way in, and as the East End continues to stretch out east, I'm betting more and more local businesses like these will move in.

Time for a paradigm shift Robin. It is now quite possible to live, work, play, shop and dine in high style without so much as venturing inside the Watterson. You're missing out by not trying it. We're having big fun out here. In the new "East End".

[Robin Garr]

Time for a paradigm shift Robin. It is now quite possible to live, work, play, shop and dine in high style without so much as venturing inside the Watterson. You're missing out by not trying it. We're having big fun out here. In the new "East End".

I hear ya, Chris. I'm bringing the long view, though. As a kid reporter I covered a lot of the <i>suburban</i> East End development, and in more recent years I've seen some unexpected changes occurring. Yeah, I live in Crescent Hill, and when I was a kid, back in the Jurassic era, "East End" meant "Highlands and Crescent Hill." I am not making this up. St. Matthews was the outer suburbs, and beyond that was potato farms and villages.

But the changing economy, changing jobs sectors and gasoline prices do matter. I may live in the city, but remember, one of my day jobs - or maybe you could call it my Sunday job - is out Westport near Goose Creek and Hurstbourne, and that neighborhood is changing. Racially, ethnically and demographically mixed. Some gang problems in Lyndon. A number of foreclosed residential properties that would astonish you. Meanwhile, more well-off residents are pouring back into the city. It's starting to look a little more like the European model. (Ever seen the suburbs of Paris, or Torino? It's not a pretty sight.)

Of course developers will pour money into a hole that they see other developers pouring their money into. And honestly? I wish them well. I really hope I'm wrong. I'd like to see a rising tide come about and lift all boats.

But another Bush-era recession or worse could really crash a lot of the more speculative developments, and if the oil cartels decide it's time to kick prices up again, it all changes. The 2016 elections could impact this.

Okay, enough Eeyore. I'm just saying that life is complicated in the 21st century, and the way things have always been is not necessarily the way things always will be.

I live near Iroquois Park, which is on the wrong side of I264 and I65. I'm on my second gig working from home. I expect this telecommuting trend to continue and strengthen for many professions.

I have zero interest in moving closer in or further out or to a more affluent area. Nor do I wish to pontificate about how everyone should model my sustainable lifestyle. And I'm pretty sure that my area is more diverse ethnically and economically than most in town. I won't pontificate about that either.


And don't think that progress ended with the death of the Interurban railway. Carsharing with autonomous automobiles will be the future of cities, not some kind of forced centralization with mass transit.

Technology empowers differing lifestyles to proliferate. This will accelerate. Urban areas will not devolve back to the structures of the late 19th Century City Bosses. Hint: The future will not be centrally planned.

[Robin Garr]

some kind of forced centralization with mass transit. ...The future will not be centrally planned.

Nope. You're bringing a Randian idee fixe to the discussion, Steve, but it flees where no person pursues. I'm thinking strictly about the free market: When the economy changes and fuel prices rise, people make choices based on what they can afford. The outer suburbs become less sustainable for people who work, shop and play in the city, so they start moving in. If the previous choices of earlier adopters haven't made the city sufficiently desirable that the later-comers can't afford to live there.

Economics is multifactor, of which the cost of gasoline is only one. Other things in the balance are the price of real estate, the tax rate, and insurance costs, all of which are higher in the more urban areas. And there are many other qualities to trade off against when pick a place to live, like the crime rate and the quality of schools.

You always assume that yours is the single right answer, but there are as many different answers as there are people. Your assumption that the use of gasoline cannot be mitigated or replaced by something else is faulty. The era of personal transportation will evolve, but it will not end.

Some people like urban living. Some are attracted to the exurbs. And others are attracted to everything in between. And these same people might choose different areas depending on their current stage of life. I don't expect the price of gasoline to affect that much. The reasons families originally fled cities are still there. Cities are great if you are affluent and childless. There are reasons why places like San Francisco and Manhattan have the lowest number per capita of children in America. That right there says that your model cities are probably not for everyone.

[Robin Garr]

You always assume that yours is the single right answer, but there are as many different answers as there are people. Your assumption that the use of gasoline cannot be mitigated or replaced by something else is faulty. The era of personal transportation will evolve, but it will not end.

Once again, you're assuming things I did not say, Steve. It seems to me that the quotes I excerpted from your prior post better fit under "assuming ... the single right answer" than my response did.

But that's just my opinion, of course.

"High style?" "Paradigm shift?" When talking about chain restaurants and go-karts, you might consider reigning it in a bit. Telecommuting and self-driving cars might make the suburbs less unattractive, but they don't change the basic equation of lower population density = sparser clusters of interesting people and stuff to do, unless you think the internet will make neighborhoods irrelevant.

I live in Crescent Hill. I have never lived outside the Watterson and never will.

But....I recognize that "urban" living is not for everyone. The suburbs and exurbs appeal to a lot of people (And , yes, I would kill for an attached two-car garage but I'm not going to find that in my neighborhood of 100+ year old homes.)

Back when I was working a similar-aged co-worker sold her home in St. Matthews and moved to a patio home in Springhurst. About six months later I asked her how she liked it there and she said (I'm paraphrasing a bit) "It's great. I love it. Everything you need is right there." My (unspoken) response.....I guess it just depends on what you need.

There are several considérations when we talk about suburban living. First, this is Louisville, not Chicago or Atlanta. We live in Glenmary which is 1 mile south of the Gene Snyder. I can be anywhere from U of L, downtown, Frankfort Ave., to St Mathews within 20-25 minutes give or take depending on time of day. So ithe divide is not as evident between urban and suburban as it would be in many larger cities.

In addition, as was already mentioned somewhere above, the suburbs are expanding. Simpsonville will eventually become the gateway into Louisville from our end. The Outlet Mall (yuke!)is already expanding and the main road and the business park a bit inward are under construction and expansion.

Finally, the Parklands of Floyds Fork will be a game changer once completed. If you haven't been out there yet, it is a must see. This project is endowed with well over $100 million and will link Shelbyville Rd (across from Valhalla) to Bardstown Rd (near Mt Washington) by bike path, parks and beautiful landscapes. This is the Olmstead-like project for the 21st century on the outskirts of town. Its already becoming very popular.

All said, I almost always gravitate towards Louisville's city center areas. I love all the the Highlands, Crescent Hill, NuLu, the riverfdront, etc. have to offer. Thankfully its no big deal to marry the two colliding worlds.

Seriously, isn't the whole gist of the conversation that the population is expanding and we all need to eat? People's needs change as they enter into different segments of their life. When I was young and single I lived on Cherokee Road and loved it. Married, had a child, and moved to St. Matthews then Oldham County. Each filled a need in our family at each particular time. Now my daughter is grown and away and I am ready to move back into an area of town where I could walk to my amenities. (Shrugging) What's the big deal? Why so much 'self identity' attached to where we live rather than 'how' we live? I've said it before and I'll say it again, there's money to be made by restaurants out here in the burbs. Yeah, the population doesn't stay up past 11PM but that doesn't mean we don't appreciate better food.

Maybe an interesting poll would be to see where the participants on LHB live. I'm betting more folks that post here live either close to 264 or outside of it rather than in town . Do concentric circles centering on DT Louisville and out. Just thinking...

Once again, you're assuming things I did not say,

You didn't say Randian idee fixe ? Your primary style of debate is to categorize your opponent into an undesirable group and then dismiss them based on that. That way you don't have to understand their actual point of view. They are just haters, after all.

Steve. It seems to me that the quotes I excerpted from your prior post better fit under "assuming ... the single right answer" than my response did.

I've been reading your commentary here for many years. I think I know your positions pretty well. I know yours much better than you know mine. That is guaranteed.

You always look to put me and anyone else with different beliefs into the 'undesirable' bin where they can be safely ignored. Hence the "Randian" dig. And throwing that bonus idee fixe in there? That looks like classic psychological projection. My comment about being on the wrong side of I65 and I264 relates to comments like this that you have made in the past. You just keep on, keepin' on, Robin.

So, my response is not only to your points in this thread, but relates to your history of posts as well. Now, it's possible that you have changed some of your opinions about folks who live in these parts, the churches they go to, the pass times that they enjoy, the beverages they drink, the old decrepit buildings they might wish to tear down, and the political groups they engage with. Possible. I will grant you that, but not evident.

And who knows, maybe the price of gas will force all my neighbors to move to your area some day.


That might be fun if you think about it.