LEO's Eats with Louisville HotBytes.comThe smiling gentleman forked a sizzling dish of bhaji in my direction. It sizzled gently, wafting wonderful aromas noseward: sweet, caramelized onion and an elusive mix of spices.
This is ethnic-foodie heaven: Omar Fast Food Restaurant, a new eatery featuring the fare of Pakistan, a South Asian nation that most of us have heretofore been more likely to encounter on the front page than on our dinner plate.
I took the plate hungrily.
"Ketchup?" the gent inquired, offering a fistful of red foil envelopes of Hunt's finest.
Gak! I won't even put ketchup on my french fries. The idea of sullying an authentic ethnic Pakistani dish with le sauce Americaine just about made me gag.
I didn't want to be rude. "We are very interested in Pakistani food," I said. "We want to eat this just as Pakistani people would."
He beamed. "Oh, yes! Pakistanis love ketchup."
So much for ethnic-food snobbery. That's globalization for you.
Actually, the simple existence of a Pakistani restaurant in Louisville speaks of globalization in a growing city that's not nearly as bland as it used to be. Want to meet a Pakistani? If you live in the East End, proprietor Akbar Malik might be your neighbor. He, his wife (the chef) and his brother commute downtown from the Summit area daily, leaving off the kids at Ballard High School.
Their new restaurant opened last month in a nicely renovated storefront near the edge of gentrification. A few old houses across the street appear vacant, but trendy Galerie Hertz is just up the block; turn right, duck under I-65, and you've moved from Shelby Park to Old Louisville's classy Victorians.
Omar Fast Food Restaurant
1272 S. Preston St.
637-1515
Robin Garr's rating: 86 points
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