Trip Home

I need some advice.

I'm planning a trip to visit family and friends in Louisville. We always includes dining plans and hold two or three slots open for restaurants that are new or just haven't risen to the top of the list before. Actually that last part is a test of sorts as a few places that were on the visit list disappeared before my next trip home. We take that as a sign that they were not meant to be.

On the new list, we are considering La Chasse and Migo for dinner, and Indi's for lunch. Others we have not yet visited are 8 UP, River House and Louvino's.

We will be in Frankfort on a Saturday for lunch and are considering Rick's White Lightning. We like Cajun but can find really good Cajun at home so if there are any other restaurants we should consider I would appreciate hearing about them.

Thanks in advance.

Bistro 1860
Selena's - (Cajun)
Artesano

La Chasse was good, but we all left hungry.

Migo is very good and interesting, lacks atmosphere.

Rick's is worth a trip, but just because of Rick . . . he's a wonderful chef, left over from the 60's, and does things his way; if he thinks the burger should be rare today given the look & feel of the meat, God help you if you order it medium! He's a character, his food is good, and it's fun. Go to the bathroom before you go; the only restrooms are around 25 stairs below ground, and likely last painted and repaired maybe 20 years ago?

While the Cajun food is top-notch, you're going for Rick, not the crawfish pie.

Eiderdown

And since it is a trip home -- a fried cod sandwich on rye, somewhere. Maybe Mike Linnig's.

[Robin Garr]

In addition to the above, based on recent visits, Migo and Monnik Beer Co.

Eiderdown

And since it is a trip home -- a fried cod sandwich on rye, somewhere. Maybe Mike Linnig's.

There will be fish for lunch! Grew up with one set of grandparents favoring Mike Linnig's and the other Suburban.

Eiderdown is also on our visit list. Hasn't risen to the top yet. Should it be lunch or dinner?

Dinner.

My folks were originally Linnig's people. We discovered the Suburban club late. We did add it to the rotation. The PRP Moby Dick was also right there.

For us, Eiderdown is good for lunch or dinner. It's one of the few places that seems to percolate to 'top of mind' for us these days, if that says anything.

Some other interesting places might be Joy Luck, Dragon King's Daughter, and Roots.

Both from personal experience and the reports of others I wouldn't include River House in my list. The locations beautiful but service and food are not that good. You should read the thread here if you have any questions about it.

I like your original dinner choices: La Chasse and Migo. Both are great places. I'd sub lunch at Indi's with the Seafood Lady. Go from rustic French to seasoned crab legs to unique tacos.... that's a fun culinary journey.

Thanks to your input we modified some of our plans and ended up with the following:
Dinner at La Chasse: Was excellent and although we fretted when someone said they left hungry we were well satisfied. I particularly enjoyed the rabbit. Service from Patti was outstanding.

Lunch: Fresh Virginia Salts oysters on the half shell at Doc Crow's. The briniest oysters I have ever had. Magnificent.

Dinner: Swapped out Migo for Bistro 1860 and glad we did. The foie gras and duck confit strudel were the show stoppers for us. I love the option of creating your own tasting menu and I also enjoy the wide selection of wine by the glass there. There was a critical moment that occurred when we were seated at a tiny two-top wedged between the window and the fireplace. Problem solved when we re-oriented the table angularly to allow for our, ahem, larger size frames. Thankfully no one was seated at the table next to us although it threw our capable server Katie briefly off her stride.

Dinner: Volare. A favorite. I couldn't resist the Osso Buco this visit. Wow. Fall off the bone and seasoned expertly. Excellent service as always from Kate although we missed Sammi that I understand has moved to Anoosh Bistro.

Lunch: Suburban fish fry. Can't get a fish sandwich like this west of the Mississippi! (all catfish)

Dinner: 610 Magnolia Wine Studio served a Hawaiian BBQ dinner. The pig was succulent. Chef Chris gave me his Pork Belly recipe for a bonus. It will be served at a tailgate party this football season!

Sunday Brunch at J Grahams where I enjoyed my first legitimate Hot Brown. Will do that again.

After dinner cocktails were enjoyed at the Butchertown Grocery Bar (among other haunts). Alex served a great Manhattan in the absence of the "Manhattan Goddess" Cameron vacationing in New York.