Cafe Perusa

Has anyone been there yet? I guess it's been open almost 3 months now?

I have a friend who ate there on a recent Saturday night, and other than special parties they were empty . . . she enjoyed dinner, but we have seen no advertising, notices, or any info about it!

I heard the same from my parents. They went in last night, and said it was a ghost town.

A previous mention. The bad puns are NOT mine.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2576&p=24725&hilit=cafe+perusa#p24725

I am planning on trying it.

They are in the group of new buildings behind HH Gregg on Taylorsville Rd at Six Mile Lane. No visibility at all. I missed them the first time I drove through the complex. Hard to find and with no visibility and no advertising I can't imagine how they will get customers.

A friend of mine in the business ate there a couple weeks ago and thought it was incredible. They had very good food and excellent service. They, too, reported that the pace was empty.

I actually had dinner there last weekend, and I was very impressed. The interior of the restaurant is absolutely beautiful; it would make a wonderful place for a special event or party. The service was attentive but not overbearing and readily able to answer any questions we had. I started with a blue cheese salad, which was very good and had some sort of different components (pumpkin seeds, cranberries, etc.). I also tried a bit of a friend's lobster bisque, which was wonderfully creamy and rich. For my entree, I had the shrimp and scallop, which consisted of a huge shrimp stuffed with crab meat, about 4 perfectly cooked scallops topped with a corn relish (I think?), and potatoes au gratin. For dessert, I was pleasantly surprised by the flan.

The previous commenters have correctly pointed out that Cafe Perusa hasn't gotten a lot of publicity, and they haven't advertised much. It's also kind of difficult to find, unless you know what you're looking for; it's tucked away behind some other buildings by Stonybrook. The place was virtually empty when I was there as well, so I would encourage those who are looking to try a new restaurant to check it out.

Is there a menu or website anywhere?

I understand that they currenty are running a "Tasting Menu" during the week for $30.00 a person...

This place is right in my back yard but still haven't dined there...

However, I have met several people who work there and they seem to be ready for anything and "per my conversations"...

Ready to impress anyone who walks in the door!!!!

Sounds like the problem is getting people TO the door.
I hate getting on my soapbox here (I sell advertising) but for all you folks, in any business, that think you can rely upon "word-of-mouth" advertising be aware that even though it IS effective, it is VERY slow. Be prepared to live off your capitol for 1-2 years minimum before your venture starts to pay for itself.(By that time you're no longer new and exciting and there is a bunch of new to compete with.) Here in Louisville where we are blessed with so many great restaurants you might go longer than that. And baby you need to be flat out awesome 99% of the time because while good reviews take their time, bad reviews travel with the speed of light.

I see it all the time... a great business, well run, feels that because they are very good at what they do that the word will travel like wild fire through the community. They wait until the wolves are at the door before they advertise and expect one or two ads to turn their failing business around. What they forget is that these days there is SO much competition for people's attention no one can afford to be passive about their advertising. You have to get out there and shout to be heard. Advertising is a MUST in any new business venture, especially a restaurant. It cannot be an after thought and it shouldn't be the first thing you cut when times are rough.(Although I understand the reasoning and the temptation to do so.)

My wife and I ate there about a week ago; it was very good and moderately priced. I had the crispy duck and a soup with crab. Both were delicious and the presentation was beautiful. We had a party of five and everyone was more than happy with the food and service. Supposedly, this guy brought this restaurant here after Katrina. Apparently, they do not advertise at all. And to make matters worse it is somewhat hidden. It is a very good addition to the restaurants we have in Louisville, but I fear that it will not last long considering the location and lack of advertising. We heard about the restaurant from her mother who had enjoyed her meal there a week earlier, who in turn, heard about the place from her friend... I would recommend Cafe Perusa to any fellow foodie

Couldn't find a website for Caffe Perusa, but I picked up a menu when we had dinner there last week (and liked it very much), so I'll key in the entrees. They had a separate $25 prix fixe menu that apparently changes daily. The menu wasn't as scary-expensive as I expected, and I'd love to see a place like this succeed in Jtown (fingers crossed tightly). The address is 9200 Taylorsville Road, but the building actually faced Six Mile. It's in one of the two stucco-ish buildings next to Stonybrook (where Shogun is).

Appetizers/soups/salads range from $5.95 for a cup of lobster bisque to $14.50 for "A Study in Oysters," described as:
"Eggplant, crab, gruyere; smoked bacon, parmesan, roasted red pepper; shrimp, leek, chili aioli; crispy w/crumbled bleu, rosemary BBQ sauce; grilled w/black pepper butter; portobello, fried shallot; oyster dressing, sage butter"

Entrees are:
Shrimp and Scallop $18.50
"Jumbo scallop, crabmeat-stuffed shrimp, chipotle cheddar potato, mango relish, roasted corn butter"
Crispy Duck $19.50
"Baby spinach, raspberry bacon vinaigrette, pistachio and cherry biscotti"
Cowboy Ribeye $32
"Worchestershire garlic butter, fried eggplant, romano cheese"
Mahi Hot and Sour $19.50
"Charred bab bok choy, tempura shrimp, Chinese long beans"
New Zealand Lamb $29.50
"Rack of lamb, sauce of port, rosemary and garlic, corn pudding souffle with baby corn"
Fried Drum $24.50
"Oyster dressing, vermouth butter sauce, crispy salsify"
Black Angus Filet $37.50
"Shiitake chips, roasted peppers, lemon veal jus, fried plantains"
Red Snapper Meuniere $26.50
"Broiled red snapper, salted fried capers, hon-shimeji mushroom, crab cream, meuniere sauce"
Halibut $27.50
"Pan-roasted, feta cheese, haricot verts, gaetta olive, fresh chickpeas, sundried tomato vinaigrette"
Buccatini Jumbo Shrimp and Clams $19.50
"Tomato bouillon, roasted garlic, basil, shrimp fumet"

Sides are sold separately, $5.50 each, and include:
Asparagus and Orange Zest; Grilled Sweet Potato; Chipotle Cheddar Potato; Fresh Creamed Baby Spinach; Israeli Couscous with Shallots, Hon-Shimeji Mushroom"

Desserts include Flan; Meyer Lemon Tart ($4.95); Cheesecake; Chocolate Bavarvois ($6.50)

Phone number is 495.5070.

Maybe no one would question the prices if someone who has been there and posted a review would let us know about the portion sizes. If they are even somewhat generous on the protioning, then I would expect to pay these prices. So someone who has had the chance to eat there- please speak up. By the way- the menu looks really good

El

In my opinion, the portions were generous. Out of a party of five, four people took food home (I could not stop eating).

My Chef Timothy Smith went there recently he said, and said the place was gorgeous. He also said that the prices for what you get are not outlandish. He got the Beef Tenderloinn and said that it was about 11oz. The portions were huge, and delicious. I didn't ask what the person he went with got, but he said they had a great dining experience. We got alittle busy shortly after so we didn't get to finish talking about it. Thats all Ive got.

I recently attended a business dinner meeting there in the private meeting room. The service was great and the food was absolutely divine. Usually when we have these dinner meetings, we are all crowded around tables like sardines. I really appreciated the ample elbow room we had at the tables. I think I will plan a private affair there soon. It was really done well.