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Robin Garr

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Martin’s lands in old Lynn’s - decent ‘cue, no ugly lamps

by Robin Garr » Wed Dec 19, 2018 9:19 am

Martin’s lands in old Lynn’s with decent ‘cue, no ugly lamps

LEO's Eats with Robin Garr

The scene at Martin’s pays some homage to Lynn’s memory, without the notorious ugly lamps.
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Five and one-half years and about 500 rumors later, the long-vacant space that long had housed Louisville’s Lynn’s Paradise Cafe is occupied again. Martin’s Bar-B-Que, a small Nashville-based barbecue chain, re-opened the Barrett Avenue A-frame in late August as its eighth property.

Lynn’s, which had enjoyed a 21-year run either beloved or mocked for its wacky decor and oversize Southern-style dishes, closed abruptly on a Friday night in January 2013.

Lynn’s was surely one of a kind, decorated in bright primary colors, retro diner-style chrome-trimmed tables, and bright red and blue booths, with a trademark ugly lamp on every table and a giant fake tree in the middle of the room.

Martin’s is not like that. In fact, every vestige of the Lynn’s look has been removed, including that famous tree, which had the unexpected effect of making the large room look even bigger. Overall, it looks like a gigantic country barbecue joint, from the plank floors to wooden walls, wooden tables laid out in long rows, and open rafters overhead.

In place of Lynn’s geegaws and tchotchkes, Martin’s covers the walls with barbecue-flavor road-trip kitch, a collage of country music posters, highway signs, license plates, college pennants, movie posters, no-trespassing signs, images of motorcycles and classic cars, and, hovering over one end of the room, a giant fake sailfish.

Diners line up along one side of the room to place orders for food and drink at the back, where you’ll also find a brightly lighted bar with a dozen beer taps, all stocked with well chosen local and regional craft brews. There’s also a long, 25-seat bar in another room. I settled right in with a pint of citrusy, hoppy Three Floyds Gumballhead wheat beer ($6) from Munster, Ind.

Martin’s extensive menu covers most of the traditional barbecue ground – pork, beef, chicken, turkey, sausage, even bologna – but they’re particularly proud of their pork, which is prepared daily with a whole hog smoked low and slow for about 20 hours over a mix of coal and hickory. ...

Read the full review on LouisvilleHotBytes,
http://www.louisvillehotbytes.com/marti ... -old-lynns

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

Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint
984 Barret Ave.
242-0020
http://martinsbbqjoint.com/germantown
https://facebook.com/martinsbbqlouisville

Robin Garr's rating: 85 points

Noise level: Even on a quiet weekday night with the room less than half full, the combination of chatty parties and country music can build up a buzz. It may be harder to hear your partner on busier evenings. (Average sound level 79dB, with peaks to 89dB.)

Accessibility: The entrances, tables and restrooms appear to be fully accessible to wheelchair users.
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neal.johnson

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Re: Martin’s lands in old Lynn’s - decent ‘cue, no ugly lamp

by neal.johnson » Thu Dec 20, 2018 5:06 pm

The mac n' cheese they serve is an abomination. $15 for 3 small pieces of meh brisket and 2 sides is a joke. They will be out of business in 6 months. They are never full. Only 4 tables on a Saturday night with an abundance of staff on hand.
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Re: Martin’s lands in old Lynn’s - decent ‘cue, no ugly lamp

by Mark R. » Thu Dec 20, 2018 6:59 pm

neal.johnson wrote:The mac n' cheese they serve is an abomination. $15 for 3 small pieces of meh brisket and 2 sides is a joke. They will be out of business in 6 months. They are never full. Only 4 tables on a Saturday night with an abundance of staff on hand.

That's our opinion of the one out in Indian Springs, overpriced, small servings and mediocre food. The crowds are certainly down since they 1st opened but my driving by looks like they're doing a decent business. Not really sure how based on our experience. In a be interesting to see if the one they put in the old Lynn's location does well. I'm not sure if the place is good enough to draw crowds when it's not near your home and you have to travel to get to it.
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James Natsis

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Re: Martin’s lands in old Lynn’s - decent ‘cue, no ugly lamp

by James Natsis » Fri Dec 21, 2018 9:51 am

I think location plays a role in the case of the two Martin's.

The clientele at the Indian Springs location (Westport Rd and the the Gene Snyder) is so different from that between the Highlands and Germantown along Barret Ave. The demographics and expectations are different on the east end of town where the population is less diverse than it is near the Highlands. Food choices (read competition) vary dramatically between the two areas. So where one may do well, may no necessarily be the case of the other.
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Carla G

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Re: Martin’s lands in old Lynn’s - decent ‘cue, no ugly lamp

by Carla G » Sun Dec 23, 2018 1:46 am

I drove past the old Lynn’s location of Martin’s at about 1:15 pm the other day. Plenty of parking available. Looked to only have 8 or 9 cars in the parking lot. Remember what Lynn’s was like at the same time on any given day of the week?
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Andrew Mellman

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Re: Martin’s lands in old Lynn’s - decent ‘cue, no ugly lamp

by Andrew Mellman » Mon Dec 24, 2018 12:36 am

Carla G wrote:I drove past the old Lynn’s location of Martin’s at about 1:15 pm the other day. Plenty of parking available. Looked to only have 8 or 9 cars in the parking lot. Remember what Lynn’s was like at the same time on any given day of the week?


Agree, but come to a different conclusion.

Lynn's was always jammed from roughly 8am to 2pm. Dinnertime reservations were preferred, but rarely required.

Martin's is crowded from 11:30 to about 1, but frequently slammed for dinner.

Apples and oranges.
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Re: Martin’s lands in old Lynn’s - decent ‘cue, no ugly lamp

by CrisBanaszynski » Wed Feb 20, 2019 6:20 pm

Martin's isn't going anywhere, any time soon, in far, they have made some interesting menu and procedural changes that will insure better quality and more consistency. The Mac and Cheese that the people who inhabit this forum has changed to a more homestyle baked mac, the ribs have a different cooking process that has yielded better results, they have added a few new menu items that are pretty exciting. The operational troubles that this forum noticed have been worked out and they have brought in the right hand man from Nashville to oversee the business. I ask that you give them another chance and I think you won't be let down. Or, maybe you still will, and then you can yell at me on this post. Thanks so much!
Never trust a skinny chef...or a fat vegan
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Robin Garr

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Re: Martin’s lands in old Lynn’s - decent ‘cue, no ugly lamp

by Robin Garr » Wed Feb 20, 2019 6:38 pm

Thanks, Chris, for your good humor and for your commitment to making the restaurant all it can be. :)

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