Ethan Ray wrote:Diners in Louisville demand certain things.
That's why you see an influx of beef filets, salmon, Chilean sea bass (which is dangerously over fished and close to endangerment), potatoes, demi-glace, uninspired mixed veg, tomatoes out of season, crab cakes, etc. etc.
To some these are things they expect.
To others these are boring, uninspired mainstays of years past... that merely stay on menus because they sell, and because diners are too stuck to move on, and the operators are too afraid to take the risk to lose the "cash cow seller" dish, or to challenge their clientele.
Robin Garr wrote:MichaelBolen wrote:From what I hear, Louisville has done a complete 180 in the past 10 years, and the word needs to get out that it is a hip city.
Take it from a guy who was a foodie here in the '70s and writing about restaurants for the now-defunct afternoon paper in the '80s, Michael. That's absurd. Louisville's interest in dining out goes back a long way - to our grandparents' time at least - and the modern dining revolution - and the Bardstown Restaurant Row - were going pretty strong by the late 1970s
andrew mellman wrote:Robin, I have to disagree on this one.
andrew mellman wrote:Robin Garr wrote:MichaelBolen wrote:From what I hear, Louisville has done a complete 180 in the past 10 years, and the word needs to get out that it is a hip city.
Take it from a guy who was a foodie here in the '70s and writing about restaurants for the now-defunct afternoon paper in the '80s, Michael. That's absurd. Louisville's interest in dining out goes back a long way - to our grandparents' time at least - and the modern dining revolution - and the Bardstown Restaurant Row - were going pretty strong by the late 1970s
Robin, I have to disagree on this one. My wife & I moved to town in the early '80's from Chicago (w/ 18 mo in Memphis). We found every ethnic cuisine imaginable, as long as it was italian and/or American-Chinese (featuring either steak dishes or fried items). We tried for other Asian restaurants, and other than Lee's Korean it was something of a wasteland. Soos Hungarian had just closed. No eastern European. No Latin American (other than the first inroads of Mexican).
We got Broadway series tix from the beginning, and we had two options for eating after the plays: the Bristol or Hazenhour's (sp?). No other restaurant (excluding White Castle) was open after 10:30 on Friday nights. None. Not even in the still-fledgling Bardstown Road corridor.
Cafe Metro was good, and there were a very few good Southern/local places, but it was a vast wasteland. Maybe to use your words "Louisville's interest" was there, but it had not yet been put into practice!
Now, one only has to see this forum to know how much the city had changed. And - sorry those that keep talking about inside the beltway - but we even have a choice of restaurants in the burbs after 10:30 Friday and Saturday nights - along with literally dozens in the city!
And - regarding this Texas Roadhouse bit - two of the three Texas Roadhouses in Louisville - along with their headquarters - are INSIDE the Watterson (though I agree with a previous writer that he likely went to the one on Outer Loop)!
andrew mellman wrote:Emperor was the first "non-American" Chinese, followed by Empress, which together led the influx of new-Asian places throughout the city.
Jay M. wrote:Ethan Ray wrote:...I applaud those chefs in town who are not afraid to push this notion and to offer comparable options without sacrificing quality, seasonality or their own integrity as chefs.
The fact of the matter is that strive as we may, without a dining public who is both interested and educated enough to appreciate creativity, and not being stuck eating the same mainstays of the past 20 years... and without chefs who are willing to try to push their clientele to think beyond the traditional notions of food and dining...
Ethan, we'll be at The Oakroom in the next couple of weeks. What dishes do you recommend so that we can sample the creativity you describe? Should we wait to hear of special offerings on the night we visit?
Steve P wrote:As for your comments regarding airline "hubs"...be careful what you wish for. Having just "graduated" a couple of years ago from a 25 year career in the aviation industry I wouldn't wish being a "hub" city on anyone. The point however is mute because (and I'll bet ya something nice) a hub ain't never-ever gonna happen in Louisville.
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