last night i had the onus of selecting a restaurant/bar for a small group of my louisville-foodie-friends. our goal was to celebrate the birthday of my husband, jim. a few of them grumbled when i told them we were going to my home state, indiana, but they were all impressed – me too - with the outcome of our experience at the bank street brewhouse & brasserie in new albany. the bank street concept, pairing fine beer with good food, is the idea of my high-school friend, roger baylor, who owns the place.
at jim's request, i was to plan a low-key, and not-too-expensive evening out, featuring european style beers, and not anyplace we've been before . . . no pressure, right! so another old friend, david pierce, the craftsman who is brewing at bank street, convinced me to head north. it helped that there would be live jazz–– my group appreciates the blue notes–– and there is also wine, and high-end spirits at the bar.
when we got there, it was buzzing with happy-gregarious-people. we had a round at the bar before making our way to the north-side patio and eventually settling at the end of a large, wooden table by the jazz trio. we've all eaten communal style before, and enjoyed meeting the people at the other end of the table. my group knows and cares about a well-prepared dish, so i was relieved that the food chef josh lehman serves is elevated high above usual pub food. we ordered steamed mussels, halibut, steak, and scallops with a big plate of skinny fries with multiple sauces for dipping. it was all perfectly prepared, delicious, and the flavors well balanced. the crowd taxed the service staff a bit, but it didn't matter because the jazz was so downtown & the contemporary atmosphere and architecture sends out a great vibe.
i can't comment about the beer because i'm not a beer-drinker, but jim liked the elector . . . he says it reminded him of a pint he had in london once. the women in our group drank the dry white and red wines, both from local producers, and quite acceptable.
the evening turned out exactly as jim requested . . . it was casual, elegant, and contemporary. and i got to sing "back home again in indiana" as we crossed over the ohio! i couldn't be happier for my friends, roger and david, who are obviously hard working and talented, and deserve the successes of their efforts.
find out about more bank street at:
http://www.newalbanian.com/modules.php? ... age&pid=65