sesame chinese no more...

That's terrible news! First Red Pepper, now Sesame! Noooo!

[Robin Garr]

i just drove by there and i noticed a new temporary sign:
midori sushi.
sesame was one of a handful original chinese places.

Sesame was founded by a couple who had worked at Emperor of China. It wasn't really one of our originals - Oriental House and the defunct House of Chen in Shively hold that title, along with the long-lived but departed Hoe Kow, which started out in the late 1940s where we now enjoy Le Relais.

We got a big wave of more modern Chinese places with Sichuanese and Hunanese dishes starting in the late '70s (Empress and Emperor and Szechwan Garden in Plainview survive, among others), and it was probably our hottest dining trend in the early '80s. I'd say Sesame came along toward the end of that wave, in the late '80s. If it was the same couple all along, I expect they may simply have been ready to retire.

Chen's is one of those places it breaks my heart to think about just like Kim's. I miss both of them so much and would give almost anything to have one last meal at each.

It wasn't really one of our originals - Oriental House and the defunct House of Chen in Shively hold that title

Sesame started in 1989, I think, and had a very repectable run as Annamarie notes.
Robin mentioned a couple of older places and I wonder about them.
We've live in Louisville 30+ years. I believe Oriental House started well before that in the 60s? House of Chen I don't recall the pleasure of. But Shively had Lotus and it was a major fave of ours. I don't recall it after the mid-80s. Was Lotus and the House of Chen the same place under different mgmt / DBA or some other place entirely? I wish I could get that puree served in squeeze bottles as sweet & sour and mix it with the squeeze bottle of HOT mustard again. War sue gai was my late father's fave.

You know Jade Palace started when, 1975 or so in an old Dairy Queen in Jeffersontown. Right where the Euro-market is today. It's hard to believe it's been in existence that long. Of course Oriental House is still here. Is Empress of China still on Hikes Lane?

The first Eastern restaurant I can recall was the Jade House back in the early 60s. It was on Bardstown Rd a few doors down from Por Que No although I can't remember exactly where. Hoe Kow may still be even older as Robin Pointed out. But I thought Hoe Kow was at Standiford Field and not Bowman Field.

Pretty sure it was Bowman Field.

[Robin Garr]

Pretty sure it was Bowman Field.

Yep. Standiford had the Luau Room, which was sort of a faux Hawaiian tiki bar that had some "Chinese" food. Ah, those were the days!

Pretty sure it was Bowman Field.

Yep. Standiford had the Luau Room, which was sort of a faux Hawaiian tiki bar that had some "Chinese" food. Ah, those were the days!

And if I remember correctly (since I was a wee lad) the first salad bar of note in Louisville.

Genuinely surprised (and saddened) over the closing of Sesame...a group of us were there just a couple weeks ago and I've always had a good dining experience...oh well...back to Tea Station....

The first Eastern restaurant I can recall was the Jade House back in the early 60s. It was on Bardstown Rd a few doors down from Por Que No although I can't remember exactly where. Hoe Kow may still be even older as Robin Pointed out. But I thought Hoe Kow was at Standiford Field and not Bowman Field.

I remember Hoe Kow at LOU (Bowman Field) in the old Main Terminal building, now occupied by Le Relais...then they made a brief stand in Middletown (at Shelbyville Rd & Evergreen, present site of the Walgreen's).

Pretty sure it was Bowman Field.

Yep. Standiford had the Luau Room, which was sort of a faux Hawaiian tiki bar that had some "Chinese" food. Ah, those were the days!

Oh yeah! That's right. Now I remember.