Wiltshire at the Speed’s cacio e pepe pasta, plated with fresh heirloom caprese salad.
I’m not enough of an architect to describe the design of the expanded and improved Speed Museum and the way it seamlessly blends the old and the new, the traditional and the modern. In fact, I’m not an architect at all. But I know what I like, and I like the looks of the museum. I like the art within. And as a certified foodie, I really like what Chef Reed Johnson has done with its stunning cafe, Wiltshire at the Speed, the museum’s outpost of Susan Hershberg’s Wiltshire restaurant group.
Tucked into a corner of the tall glass first floor of the museum’s new section, the open, airy dining room takes full advantage of its view of the adjacent University of Louisville campus and the museum’s plazas, which also offer an al fresco dining option when weather permits.
The two inner walls, as museum walls should, fill the lofty cubical space with forms of art to engage the mind and imagination. One wall bears a huge installation made up of shades of blues and grays. A repetitive, silvery metallic pattern that shimmers in the light fills the other wall. It’s good food for the eyes, but Chef Reed’s dishes please the eye and the palate too.
This is not a high-end dining room with table service. It’s a quick-service, order-at-the-counter eatery, open only for lunch (11 a.m.-4 p.m.) Wednesdays through Sundays. It reopens one evening each month, with a special, elevated menu, during Evenings at the Speed on the third Friday of the month.
Place your order at the entrance to the dining area, where pastries, cookies and other treats from Wiltshire Bakery are on display behind glass. ...
Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/wiltshire-speed
You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly's Food & Drink section today.
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/
Wiltshire at the Speed
Speed Art Museum
2035 S. Third St.
224-9588
http://wiltshirepantry.com/wiltshire-at-the-speed
https://facebook.com/wiltshireatthespeed
https://instagram.com/wiltpantry1
Robin Garr’s rating: 85 points.
Noise level: Glass walls, undraped tables, and hard surfaces can rev up a steady sound when the room is filled, but perhaps thanks to the high ceilings, conversation remained possible. (Average sound was 72dB, the level of normal conversation, rising to 81dB, similar to the sound level of your kitchen garbage disposal.)
Accessibility: All the facilities in the recently renovated museum are fully accessible to wheelchair users, with the caveat that the cafe’s ordering counter, menus, and pastry case are situated for the convenience of walk-through customers.
