Cozy lunches at Old Louisville Tavern and bar Vetti warm our icy bones LEO's Eats with Robin Garr Old Louisville Tavern’s Best Beer-Battered cod sandwich.Well, 2018 sure came in with a “Brrrr!” The temperature didn’t rise above freezing for a week, and relief took its sweet time coming. When the air makes my face hurt, my instinct is to keep the doors shut and hole up at home with the thermostat cranked up to high.
When hunger and cabin fever set in, though, and the urge to get out in the world becomes irresistible, I can hardly think of a better cold-weather destination than the friendly confines of a cozy bar and grill that takes its commitment to good food as seriously as its beverages.
Last week we ventured out twice for warming lunches. One trip took us to Old Louisville Tavern, a longtime landmark made new again. The second expedition led to bar Vetti in the 800 Building, one of the city’s newest watering holes.
Old Louisville Tavern, a 70-year-old neighborhood watering hole at Fourth Street and Gaulbert, just north of the U of L campus, was struck by a serial arsonist one summer night in 2014. A trash fire behind the tavern spread to its roof and did heavy damage.
It took almost two years to restore it, but the refinished building may be better than ever, and that goes double for the food. Co-owner Dan Borsch, who also runs Burger Boy and Toonerville Deli/Old Louisville Pizza in Old Louisville, brings a similar focus on quality fare to all his properties. The Tavern’s menu features pub grub, to be sure, but it’s pub grub with a difference, comfort-food dishes at a level that wouldn’t be out of place in fancier quarters.
The restored Tavern isn’t fancy, but it’s neat and clean, with polished terrazzo floors, sturdy wooden tables, and a hefty plank bench. that lines one side of the room opposite the long bar. We chose a seat near the front windows and enjoyed the warming pleasure of a bright sun spot.
The menu is appealing, extensive, and fairly priced ....
Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/old-l ... -icy-bonesYou'll also find this review in LEO Weekly’s Food & Drink section today.
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/Old Louisville Tavern532 S. 4th St.
409-6281
http://oldlouisvilletavern.comFacebook:
http://bit.ly/OldLouTavhttp://instagram.com/oldlouisvilletavernRobin Garr’s rating: 88 points
bar Vetti’s crispy pork parm sandwich on the lunch menu.I was hankering for an excuse to get back to bar Vetti and try more good stuff, and the recent launch of lunch hours and a separate midday menu gave me the reason I needed.
Same as the first time, we couldn’t find a thing that we didn’t like. All our dishes were well-made and flavorful, and plentiful too. The short lunch menu of soups, salads, five pizzas, a half-dozen sandwiches and a single pasta dish tops out at $19 for a salumi pizza topped with three kinds of sausage.
Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/old-l ... -icy-bonesYou'll also find this review in LEO Weekly’s Food & Drink section today.
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/Lunch at bar Vetti800 S. 4th St.
883-3331
http://barvetti.comhttps://facebook.com/barvettihttps://instagram.com/barvettiRobin Garr’s rating: 89 points