LEO's Eats with Robin Garr
The Hub's grilled-kale salad
Let’s get this right up front: I miss River City Tire. Nice folks selling good tires at fair prices, and whenever that stupid little flat-tire icon lit up on my dashboard, I could run by and get a free pressure check with a friendly smile.
But River City Tire is gone. There’s no use crying bitter tears over that. And I have to admit that the new building that replaced the old urban-grunge industrial facility fits nicely in to the upscale urban scene that promoters have dubbed The Avenue.
So rest assured that I hold no grudge against The Hub Louisville, which has settled in nicely to the western side of the attractively rebuilt former tire facility. (A Chinese-and-sushi eatery and a couple of retail shops are going into the other end, which looks a lot better in traditional red brick than it did as a faceless steel warehouse wall.)
So, the Hub is rolling. But its grill could use a little work. The grill in the kitchen, I mean. In the context of a dinner the other night that was generally pretty good, two grilled items failed to satisfy.
We’ll get to that, though. It was a footnote, really, to a mostly amiable dining experience in an attractive new venue. A little unpleasantnesses early in the meal can put one off just enough to discolor the rest of the evening, and we don’t want that. The Hub has been popular since its January opening, and there’s plenty to like there.
They’ve kept a simple, industrial decor — concrete floors, matte-black walls and ceilings and big-screen televisions everywhere you look. The large bar has ample floor space for crowds. To the left, pool tables line up in a row. To the right, down a step into the old warehouse, yellow-gold high-back leather-look banquettes and rustic wooden tables welcome you for dinner. (Only dinner and weekend brunch are served now, although lunch may be added later.)
Is the Hub a bar, or is it a restaurant? It’s both! ...
Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/?p=5588
See this column also in LEO Weekly:
http://www.leoweekly.com/2016/05/the-hub-is-on-a-roll/
The Hub Louisville
2235 Frankfort Ave.
777-1505
http://hublouisville.com
https://facebook.com/hublouisville
