Meet the new Pine Room, something like the old Pine Room
LEO's Eats with Robin Garr
Dry-aged strip steak at the Pine Room, seared pretty pink medium-rare exactly as ordered.
Spring was in the air on the morning of March 10, 1977, when the Harrods Creek Volunteer Fire Department rolled out to an alarm at the old Pine Room restaurant on Upper River Road. A fire that began in the beloved restaurant’s kitchen quickly involved the rest of the building.
Before fire fighters could contain it, the building was gutted by fire, smoke and water. The restaurant, a local landmark since the 1940s, closed forever. In its heyday it had been a popular destination, known for its friendly saloon atmosphere, comfort food, and lounge pianist named Mable who kept a candle burning atop her grand piano.
Now, 40-some years later, the Pine Room is back, or something a lot like it, anyway. Opened late in August in the modern building that had replaced the also-burned-out Chick Inn in 2004 and later housed Cast Iron Steakhouse, the new Pine Room carries some of the spirit of an older generation in the style of the new.
Its walls are an elegant off-white now, with antique mirrors and an abstract fabric wall hanging. Attractive light fixtures are equipped with Edison-style bulbs that shed a cool light. A waist-high wall separates the dining area into sections, and a long, well-stocked bar dominates one end of the room. There’s no grand piano any more, and Mable has left the building, but an old spinet, sans candle, stands near the bar.
The menu offers just six main courses, with a more extensive list of starters that seem chosen to go along with the extensive bar service. Entrees range in price from $18 (for a vegetarian option, a quinoa-brown rice grain bowl) to $37 (for a dry-aged strip steak with marrow butter and frites.) Nine apps are $9 (for pan-fried spinach dumplings) to $14 (for Florida shrimp and grits or a nachos platter). Dinner salads are $11 and $12, and the Pine Room burger is $15.
Spirits, cocktail, wine and beer lists are well-chosen and interesting. ...
Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/new-pine-room
You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly's Food & Drink section today.
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/
The Pine Room
6325 River Road
528-4422
http://thepineroomky.com
https://facebook.com/thepineroomky
Robin Garr's rating: 82 points
Noise level: There’s a constant roar on a busy Friday evening with every table filled. Conversation was possible, with some effort, only with nearby seatmates. (Average sound level 84dB, often ramping up to a maximum 88.3 dB)
Accessibility: An impressive wheelchair and pedestrian ramp, built to code, bypasses the high front steps with a long zig-zag up one side of the building.