Hillcrest Tavern's patty melt was outstanding. It even maintained a little pink at the center after the drive home.
Halloween has come and gone, taking with it another piece of collateral damage from the pandemic: There was no Hillcrest Avenue halloween decoration extravaganza this year.
But there is still a doggone good reason to go to Hillcrest – or to be more exact, to cross the railroad tracks, turn left onto Frankfort Avenue, and drive a few blocks past Louisville Water Co. to Hillcrest Tavern.
You won’t be sorry. The bar-style comfort food at this relatively new Crescent Hill eatery is good enough to help us forget the ghosties and ghoulies and things that didn’t go bump in the night this year.
Hillcrest Tavern opened in August 2019, joining a growing cluster of bars and eateries – FABD, Patrick's, and Hooked on Frankfort – in this busy block where Crescent Hill starts edging toward St. Matthews.
It gained immediate popularity. Starting with exposed brick, high ceilings, and multi-paned front windows, it doubled down with vintage neon local beer signs and a spectacular antique bar. That iconic 120-year-old mahogany Mont Oro bar was made by Brunswick, the famed billiards table maker. It makes an evocative home for Hillcrest’s extensive bourbon collection, beers and wines.
Owners Dan Borsch and Scott Lukemire also own the Old Louisville Tavern as well as the Toonerville Deli, Burger Boy, and Burger Girl restaurants and have won praise for them all.
Co-owner Scott Lukemire serves as chef over the group’s kitchens, and, Borsch said, “has spent the last seven years at the Old Louisville Tavern perfecting our scratch-made sauces and recipes while training all our cooks to be focused on executing every order to our high standards, including to-go orders. We are always looking at ways to improve our operations and continue to tweak recipes in the process.”
In the face of the pandemic, Borsch said, the team overhauled its to-go operations to ensure quality, including premium packaging and intense staff training. They’re focused on pandemic-level sanitation and constantly working to keep the restaurants’ environment safe.
Hillcrest’s menu is similar to Old Louisville Tavern’s. It’s bar food all right, comfortable and unthreatening, yet it’s elevated here and there with touches that go beyond the ordinary. ...
Read the complete article on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/hillc ... rn-comfort
You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly's Food & Drink section today.
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/
Hillcrest Tavern
3212 Frankfort Ave.
290-6917
http://hillcresttavern.com
Facebook: http://bit.ly/HillcrestTavern
