Note: Having grown up a Browns fan in a smallish blue collar town in N.E. Ohio (but lived and worked most of my adult life in a grey collar environment) sometimes I long to get back to my roots...
As mentioned in a previous review (Rooties) I sat out this weekend with the goal/s of enjoying some good wings and putting on a nice recreational buzz. Having spent an hour or two at Rooties I had accomplished the former but found myself a few beers shy of the later. So my designated driver (the Lovely Rebecca) and I left Rooties with the intention of checking out the game action at "Wings and Rings" just a mile or two down the road. The parking lot in the strip mall where W&R is located was packed and we found ourselves parking on the backside of this small strip plaza. As we made our way around the building and down the sidewalk toward W&R I was amazed and taken aback by a very large banner located in the window of a neighboring drinking establishment called "New Direction": "GO BROWNS" !!! Screamed the banner. WELL ! I thought...THIS might be fortuitous. Opening the door I was greeted with the sight of several dozen fellow travelers dressed in all their orange and brown finery, cheering on what has got to be one of the worst football teams evvvvver. Tears of joy welled up in my baby blue eyes. I had found a home. Pulling up a couple of stools we bellied up to the bar and watched the rest of the debacle that was the Ravens/Browns game, all the while taking in our surroundings.
New Direction (2630 Chamberlain Ln, Louisville, KY - (502) 243-8429) is a large (they have indoor cornhole tourneys) and definitely "old school" bar (pickled eggs, chips and peanuts for sale behind the bar, that sort of thing), it is owned by a husband and wife both of whom are retirees from Ford and expats from northern Ohio. The clientele is a diverse but a decidedly blue collar "Ford plant" crowd...black, white, hispanic...male, female, young, old and in between with a noticeable absence of the "Alt.pierced.tattooed" crowd. Everyone we spoke to shared the common trait of being exceptionally friendly. It is probably important to note that New Direction is not so much a restaurant that serves drinks (places like that are a dime a dozen) nor is it a "sports bar" per-say. Rather it is a bar that has a lot of TVs that happens to serve what we discovered to be great food at very inexpensive prices. Toward the end of the game, having achieved the second of the stated goals, a decision was made to forgo the grilled chicken spinach salads we had planned to prepare for dinner and instead check out the New Direction menu. Tears of joy gave way to uncontrollable sobbing of happiness when I discovered they had a "Lake Erie Perch" sandwich on the menu (They "import" the fish from Sandusky, Ohio). The fish was extremely fresh and fried to spot on perfection and was accompanied by a side of homemade tater sauce. When combined with an order of really tasty hand cut fries and a side of what turned out to be very good cole slaw it was a meal from heaven that took me back to the heady days of youth. The rest of the menu held some old favorites as well as some is decidedly UN-sports bar-ish entrees. Although I did not personally try it, the "regulars" claim New Directions 1/2 pound burger (hand formed patty) is one of the best in The 'Ville and should not be missed. The staff and "regulars" also kept telling us how great the lunch specials are at New Direction...Meatloaf, Roast Beef, Pork Chops, Roasted chicken, etc, etc...For the wallet reviving price of $5.50 (!!!). Not one to miss a bargain, I <eh-hem> found myself in the neighborhood again this afternoon (funny how that works) and decided to see for myself just how good things were. The special today was pot roast with sides of mashed potatoes and green beans...for the previously stated price of $5.50. When the order arrived there was WAY too much food for this skinny boy to eat but I managed to make my way through most of what was a very good meal. The total for lunch...including a coke for me and 3 beers I bought for some new "friends" sitting next to me as well as a $5.00 tip for the server came to $20. The beer list at New Direction is primarily domestic and universally affordable. The do have Sierra Nevada Pale Ale on tap for those who's taste goes in that direction...$3.50 for a 22 ounce draft (The same beer at other "Sports Bars" will set you back something on the north side of 6 bucks).
There have been several posts over the preceding months concerning who has the best fish "sammich" in town. While I'm sure there are some good ones, most leaning toward the "Green River" style, fish lovers everywhere are doing yourself a disservice if you don't avail yourselves of the wonderful Lake Erie Perch at New Direction. Sorry I can't recall exactly everything that was on the menu but it's had to read with tears in your eyes. Suffice it to say that if the regulars are to be believed, it's all good, most of it is home made and it's all affordable.
There you have it...New Direction, 2630 Chamberlain Ln, Louisville, KY - (502) 243-8429. give it a try.
Kathy, one of the owners, told me that she is of Hungarian decent and that a lot of their specials leaned in an ethnic direction... Stuffed Cabbages, Chicken Paprikash, Pork and Sauerkraut, etc, etc. Back "home" everyone (Including the Hungarians) used to call it "Hunkie" food and in my mind anyway these dishes are some of the best "comfort food" on the planet.
(I've been on both sides of that one). How about I volunteer to stop in on Friday night after dinner at the Italian place and report back ?