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Robin Garr

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Naïve’s sustainable ethos yields delicious fare

by Robin Garr » Wed May 16, 2018 9:38 am

Naïve’s sustainable ethos yields delicious fare

LEO's Eats with Robin Garr

Naïve’s Israeli chickpea tagine is topped with lamb kofta.
Image

It is so tempting to start with a joke about a restaurant named Naïve that I’m just going to resist temptation and not even go there. Seriously, the ethos behind the name of this charming new spot on the edge of Butchertown is so sweet that it deserves to stand on its own:

“We see the world as a place of hope,” Naïve’s owners write on the restaurant website. “Maybe that’s naive. But maybe it’s one of our greatest strengths. Because we’re not afraid to think big, with no preconceived notions. With a connection to what’s real, from the food we eat to the relationships we nourish.”

It’s hard to miss Naïve’s gray brick building: Tucked into the angle at the corner of Wenzel and Washington streets, its angular footprint resembles a tiny Flatiron building.

The owners, husband-and-wife team of Catherine Mac Dowall and Michael Kerrigan, spent much of the fall and winter converting the property, once residential, into a sleek, stylish restaurant and bar space. The dining room’s high ceilings and big front windows admit plenty of light to further brighten the glossy white colors and flotilla of hanging lamps that fill the open space. A wacky variety of seating includes everything from backless stools to comfy padded chairs and a tall-backed banquette, and from sturdy wooden tables to tiny, triangular bar tables.

There are a lot of vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free dishes on a bill of fare that’s labeled “fast-casual, plant-based, focused on a vegetarian lifestyle, with meat options, and some healthy indulgences, too,” so carnivores can choose sustainable and organic meat and seafood dishes.

The menu is at least three-fourths local and organic, the owners say. ...

Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/naive ... -delicious

You'll also find this review in LEO Weekly’s Food & Drink section today.
http://www.leoweekly.com/category/food-drink/

Naïve
1001 E Washington St.
749-7856
http://eatnaive.com
https://facebook.com/eatnaive

Robin Garr's rating: 89 points

Noise level: Hard edges and a talkative crowd make for a shrill environment that can hamper conversation at its peaks. (Average sound level 74-82 dB, with occasional spikes to 91 when someone forgets their indoor voice.)

Accessibility: Difficult for wheelchair users. A single step bars the front door. A level entrance at the rear is hampered by materials stored inside and a long sidewalk route to the doorway.
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Gordon M Lowe

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Re: Naïve’s sustainable ethos yields delicious fare

by Gordon M Lowe » Wed May 16, 2018 4:22 pm

I read this review in the LEO, this morning, and it really has me wanting to check the place out. I lived for several years within a block or two of there, and if my memory serves me correctly, it was called the Washington Wearhouse back then - a secondhand clothing store.
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Re: Naïve’s sustainable ethos yields delicious fare

by Robin Garr » Wed May 16, 2018 8:02 pm

Robin Garr wrote:Accessibility: Difficult for wheelchair users. A single step bars the front door. A level entrance at the rear is hampered by materials stored inside and a long sidewalk route to the doorway.

Naïve management responded in a Facebook discussion: "During this particular day our rain barrels and supply deliveries all arrived at once, creating unacceptable clutter near our back door. I can assure you that we train staff to keep this area completely clear at all times, in order to ensure full ADA accessibility. Our goal is to make everyone feel completely welcome in our space."
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Heather L

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Re: Naïve’s sustainable ethos yields delicious fare

by Heather L » Thu May 17, 2018 10:43 am

Went for lunch with some coworkers a couple of weeks ago and had such a bizarre experience honestly. I understand the place is somewhat new but their systems (or lack there of) needed some serious work. If they are going to do counter service at the bar, then they should at least encourage the person behind the bar to greet people, let them know where menus are and that you should order there. We were very confused when we arrived and the bartender didn't seem concerned. Or maybe she was unable to do anything beyond concentrating on the one drink that she was making. We finally saw a sign behind us saying we were to order at the bar but we couldn't find menus. Bartender finally pointed to the menus in the corner. There were 3 of us and we ordered. 2 of us got numbers when we placed our orders but the third did not. We sat down and waited. The first person was done with lunch and the other two of us still hadn't gotten our food. I finally got the tater tots that I ordered (which were amazing by the way) and the food runner asked if we had everything that we needed. Um no, two of us were still waiting for our food. They never took the table numbers, didn't bring silverware with the food - we had to go find that. It was all just so disjointed. We watched multiple groups come in after us and they all seemed to have the same confused reaction. Honestly, I think it would have been better to have true counter service - order at the back counter, give me a number, call my number when my food is ready (the entire order) and let me go pick it up, where I can also grab the flatware that I need. Oh - and tell staff to wear non-slip shoes!! The same staff person FELL twice while we there with her hands full of food.

Sorry - this is longer than anything I have ever written on here and this is only part of it. lol.....I will stop.
TLDR - bottom line, I paid $16 for one piece of toast and 3 tater tots. Again, these were likely the best tater tots I have ever eaten. I just shouldn't have offered to share them with my coworker. :lol:
....And be faithful to
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Never buy far off
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Re: Naïve’s sustainable ethos yields delicious fare

by Robin Garr » Thu May 17, 2018 11:11 am

Heather, no worries about length. That was a great review!

It's funny, I had a similar comment from a friend on Facebook who was very upset about her service there. Yet when Mary and I went (lunch time), we had cordial and competent service. You couldn't miss the menus. We got out numbers. We got our food. And the food was really, really good.

I would definitely mark off for the kind of service that you and my friend Laura describe, but we just didn't suffer that. And I'm pretty sure I wasn't recognized. ;)

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