Chewy and flavorful corn cakes topped with wild mushrooms, corn kernels, and crunchy goodies made a palate-wakening appetizer.
I really wanted to enjoy an al fresco lunch last Saturday. Conditions were perfect. Spring’s green had grown into a summery green canopy, and mild weather had finally shown up after a long, cool spring.
Then I heard an annoyed yell from the other room. Mary had just checked the weather forecast! Midday temperatures in the upper 50s, partly cloudy, with steady north winds and gusts to 24 mph?
“You can eat outside,” she said. “I’m eating indoors where it’s warm.”
Well, we could wait until tomorrow when it’s supposed to be warmer. No, wait! Mother’s Day? Busiest, wackiest day of the restaurant year after Valentine’s? Nope nope nope!
Obviously, our range of options was narrowing. Look for a place that was still using heaters? Possible, but not too likely in mid-May. Ditto for a place with an enclosed patio, which by literal definition is not al fresco, Italian for “in the fresh air.”
This was frustrating, and that was before I even thought about all the other negative aspects of outdoor dining, like bugs, noise, traffic fumes, breezes and, oh, geez, cigarette smoke.
Maybe we should call the whole thing off. But then I remembered that Naive Kitchen + Bar in Butchertown – one of my favorite places for eating indoors – has a really delightful patio hidden away behind the building. It offers plenty of open sunny space for a chilly day (and shady nooks too, for warmer times). It’s surrounded by wood slatted fences and dotted with trees and fences to break the wind, and there’s even a fire pit. This might work!
So off we went, dressed in layers, and had a really good time. Indeed, the sun came out and as the temperature rose to a breezy 67º by lunch time, I actually shed my jacket and asked a server to fetch a patio umbrella to shade my side of the table so I wouldn't melt.
The food is really good, too. Naive describes itself as “a west coast, vegetable centric restaurant with meat options, and some healthy indulgences, too, striving to be local and organic with dishes that focus on “a vegetarian lifestyle with options to include carnivores, vegans, and all diets in between.” ...
Read my full review on LouisvilleHotBytes:
https://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/naive-patio
You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly's Food & Drink section this week:
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/
Naive Kitchen + Bar - brunch on the patio
1001 E. Washington St.
749-7856
https://eatnaive.com
https://facebook.com/eatnaive
https://instagram.com/eatnaive
Noise Level: Music on the sound system, nearby conversations, and the pleasant undercurrent of birdsong and breezes generate a hum, but conversation is never a problem. Average sound level was a moderate 70.1dB.
Accessibility: Wheelchair access is available through a side entrance from Wenzel Street, but a stretch of fine gravel might be difficult for some to traverse. The indoor dining area and unisex restroom are accessible from the patio but not the front of the building on Washington Street, where a step bars the way.