where is everybody?

I've been noticing that Louisville is pretty dead lately. Driving from St. Matthews to Bardstown Road, there is no traffic. We went to Kashmir for dinner today, arriving after 6:00, and there was hardly anyone there, and there was nobody at all on the patio. I have been noticing when I go to work that there is less traffic.
Is it gas prices, or the economy and people aren't going to restaurants, or is everybody just on vacation?

I just got back from a short ride and thought of going to Joes Crab Shack....The place was packed with about a one hour wait....Ended up at LongHorns near the Summit...Still had to wait 40 minutes to get a seat...but it was worth it...the steak was great....as usual...

I had a late lunch at Turkey Joe's and both Westport Rd. and Hurstbourne were packed with cars. Turkey Joe's was also getting slammed. Everyone who was working there was telling me the review in the Scene had caused them to be extra busy. I have Joe's burger and it was just as tasty as Marty had indicated. I MUST find out what the seasonings are they use on the fries. Being as I have become acquainted with the chef, it may very well be possible to do so.

Hey Ellen.
I noticed the same thing, we have been really steady too, but the roads, and stores are empty.
My son works at Havana Rumba, and he said they were slammed,(Fri.) and I told him the whole city must have been there because no one is on the roads.

Think folks are on vacation, but it is weird, almost eery.

H

Bardstown Rd was suspiciously devoid of its usual throngs this evening around 7:30. Must be waiting for the sun to go down...

Maybe the Summer solstice is the reason.

My son works at Havana Rumba, and he said they were slammed,(Fri.)

We ate lunch on Friday at Havana Rumba. They were packed !!! Tell your son it was great, as always !!!!

I would venture to say that you can find a good deal of Louisvillians down in Florida's Emerald Coast...Known colloquially as the "Redneck Riviera"...When I was serving at Hurlburt Field, Florida, I recall sporting a Louisville Cardinals T-Shirt in Destin and was running into Louisvillians left and right...GO CARDS!!

Melillo's was filling up fast during our meal there last evening.

Hey all,

First post here. Have found the site to be a useful place for food news and reviews, so I thought I would join the conversation when I found a topic where I could add to the discussion.

Went to El Mundo with my girlfriend on Friday around 7pm. The backyard was closed (because of rain?, low demand?) so I was expecting a decent wait. The upstairs was full other than a little two-top in the corner, so no wait occurred. Business seemed more slow than steady in the hour or so we were there. The first floor and sidewalk looked full when we arrived.

Frankfort Ave., in general, seemed to have steady business, but there were no crowds. I've been commenting since early May that I expected a dining-out recession at some point. That's not my field of expertise, though, so I'll save you the time.

[Robin Garr]

Welcome, Matthew! Glad you're here.

Adding to the discussion, we went to the new Queen of Sheba on a week night a couple of weeks ago, and every table was taken. On the other hand, I went to the new Mazzoni's for a slightly late lunch (1 p.m.) recently, and the room was just about empty. It seems spotty ... but of course with rising grocery and gas prices, times are going to be tough, and it's worth repeating that the more we can support our good local independent eateries, the better it's going to be for them.

I do not know about some of the Eateries in Louisville, but I had to go to Walmart in Clarksville yesterday (sorry, Robin, son needed something he only found there) and they were PACKED. We ate sushi at Kensai after and they were fairly busy.

I'll weigh in on this topic. I take a Pilates class at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays on Frankfort Ave. I can tell you that as I drove home this week I noticed that Basa, Varanese and Volare had strong crowds. In fact, I'm surprised every Tuesday evening by the restaurant traffic on Frankfort Ave. The season of the year doesn't seem to matter. We had dinner at Porcini's on Wednesday, June 11 and they were full. Two weeks ago we had a mid week dinner at Serviche Bistro on Goose Creek and they were doing a strong business.

Well, I don't know, maybe we just eat earlier than everyone else. Went to Lynn's on Friday around 6pm, got right in, no wait, lots of empty tables. As stated previously, went to Kashmir after 6pm on Saturday, only about 4 or 5 tables taken, with absolutely nobody on the patio. Bardstown Road just looked dead. Nobody was out walking around. And there is no traffic going from where I live in St. Matthews, down Lexington Road, Grinstead Drive, to Bardstown Road.
Then again, when the Baptist Convention was in town this week, downtown was like being in New York. I have never seen so many people. The sidewalks were totally clogged, and traffic around the Convention Center was awful. I hope some of the people who came to town for the convention checked out some local restaurants!

tonight went to Captain's Quarters @ 10:00pm for some dessert on the river . . . I think every person in Louisville under the age of 35 was there . . . parked a 10 minute walk away, found there's now a $5 minimum and dress code on Sunday eve's, four cops directing traffic, and you can't get near the place!