Louisville - Seviche

The restaurant scene in Louisville never ceases to surprise me. Having experienced the rich Cuban flavors of Havana Rumba should have prepared me for the Caribbean flavors of Seviche, but somehow I was still happily surprised. From the delicious fresh seviche for appetizers to the new twist on classic cocktails, Seviche left me wanting to return for me. (Unfortunately, I went on the weekend I was moving out our house, but more about that later.) But before starting my review, let me first voice both a compliment and complaint: they do online reservations through Open Table (2 thumbs up!) but we still had to wait 20 minutes for a table (2 thumbs down for poor planning). Now on to the good stuff!

Having just driven from Virginia, a cocktail was needed immediately. I decided to try a fun drink that I forget the name of (sorry!). It was basically a caipirinha but it used mango vodka instead of cachaca. Yum! They also had a nice wine selection in addition to the various Caribbean drinks.

For an appetizer we had to get a seviche of course and decided to try the wild Salmon special of the day. It had a hot red aioli alongside it (whoa!) but was so light and fresh like any good seviche should. We also tried the pecan crusted brie with habenero jelly which a surprisingly large portion to share for our table.

For entrees we each had something different including the (pictured from the top, clockwise) macadamia crusted black cod, the Muggs bistec, and the Pacific halibut and crab cigar. Each were so different and so flavorful and served with a delicious sauce that complemented and decorated the plate. The cod had a nice crunch from the crust. The bistec had a nice fried egg on top that lent to the creaminess of the steak. The crab cigar was nice and crunchy with a spicy red chili ginger butter. The fish was all of superb quality (thank you to the UPS hub in Louisville) and the flavors were all fresh and flavorful. Overall, I would definitely recommend Seviche to anyone visiting Louisville or locals who just haven't had a chance to visit! Oh and the last perk? They are a Louisville Original so you can earn mad points towards another great meal!

Louisville - Tony Boombozz Taphouse

There are at least 5 pizza places along Bardstown Road, so how do you choose which to get your pie from? You may have read my blog of the rather tasteless and pitiful pizza from Bearno's. So I had to try something new: enter Tony Boombozz, self-proclaimed gourmet pizzeria.

Located at the intersection of Bardstown Road and Eastern Parkway, this is a very conveniently located restaurant. They have several other locations in the city, but this location has become the premier because of the "ice bar," which I will explain below. The inside is very nicely decorated, well lit, spacious and has huge flat screens lining the wall with lots of sports for all of you who don't want to go to Buffalo Wild Wings.

The menu is pretty large so there are lots of great choices for all. You can of course build your own pizza choosing your crust, sauce, and toppings. Or you can try one of the gourmet Portobello Bello, Chicken Fajita or the new Chicken Artichoke or Brooklyn Pizza Pie. There are also a wide number of sandwich options, though not very many pasta options. If you go during lunch there are some good specials. We decided to try the Irish Nachos and a custom pizza with a wheat crust, chipotle red sauce, artichokes and portobello. The Irish nachos were decent, though nothing amazing. The pizza was quite tasty but I would have liked more of the deliciously spicy sauce. (I think a lack of sauce must be a Louisville thing.)

The "ice bar" is a pretty great concept: all draft beer is kept at 32 degrees F and all liquor is kept at 5 degrees F. Can't complain about a drink that's too cold! They have about 30 beers on tap, though I would break it out approximately like this: 25% domestic such as your Bud and Miller products, 40% craft including BBC and Goose Island, and 25% import (the remaining 10% is ever-changing). Happy hour happens every day from 3-6pm, and they usually have a beer of the day which is always a good deal. Some have complained about the prices of beer here, but I haven't personally found a reason to complain.

I will certainly return to Boombozz Taphouse in the future for a decent slice of pie, a cold beer, though I am still looking for something that is on par with Norfolk's Cogan's. Unfortunately, Louisville still hasn't provided that though so my search will continue.

Louisville - Mark's Feed Store

Recently I reviewed Kentucky Barbeque Company because of the hankering for good ribs we had one night. Well, unfortunately (for the waist-line) that craving returned quicker than expected. Instead of driving the 10 minutes over to Frankfort Ave we decided to try the Bardstown Road location of Mark's Feed Store.

Similar to the visit to KBC, my husband decided to go for the combo which let him try some of each. I decided to go for a beef pulled barbeque sandwich. Of course the whole meal was one of comparison to KBC. Unfortunately for Mark's, their meat is dry and leaves one wanting a big glass of something to get it down. The sauces they have are all good, but a necessity rather than a nice addition. Perhaps the meat had been left in the smoker too long or was kept under a heat lamp, but I would definitely prefer to drive back over to Frankfort Ave next time I have a hankering for barbeque. If I return, I'd like to try the burgoo (a stew with all the meats and 7 vegetables) and cornbread as that's what someone recommended after I had already eaten.

We did have a delicious side item with our meal though that is not always something you see on a menu: fried pickles. When I've had fried pickles before at restaurants they were of the dill spear variety. These were thinly sliced dill pickles, meaning much more fry but lots of delicious. The atmosphere of Mark's is pretty nice and if you want a good place to take the family, it is very family friendly inside (unfortunately KBC was not). The prices aren't bad (I would say an average of $10 per person) and there is plenty of parking in the back. I'll give Mark's a 2.5 star (out of 5) for food, but if you want a decent and cheap place to go, this is probably a good place to stop.

Louisville - Sapporo

Some of you reading this may know that I used to live in Japan and that I often cook Japanese food at home. As such I tend to be really critical of Japanese restaurants, though I still enjoy going out and trying to relive my happy days spent on Lake Shinji. To start, let me say that Sapporo is extremely convenient, but certainly not the place most recommended for a good Japanese meal. We decided to go with a few others and see what it had to offer.

From the outside, Sapporo does not look like what I expected to see. In fact walking in it is much larger and nicer than one would think. There is a huge drinks bar at the front and they have a great selection of Japanese beer (not just the standard Sapporo rice beer or Kirin Ichiban). As you wander in further you see to the right a big open area where teppanyaki (Japanese grills) are set up. About halfway back on the left a huge sushi bar along the wall with probably a dozen seats. My group sat at a regular (non-sushi, non-teppanyaki) table.

Probably 2/3 of the menu were various sushi rolls, so we figured we had to start there. We decided to go with the eel roll and the Thai chili roll, if only because I liked all the ingredients and didn't want something fried. Both were delicious and were huge. They ranged in price from about $6 - 15. I could easily have made a meal out of one plus some soup and miso or edamame. There really are a ton of options for rolls, and even the pickiest of eaters could find something they liked. Next time I would maybe try the $35 sushi and sashimi chef's special because it looked pretty impressive and the chef chooses what to give you. This is always a great option at a sushi restaurant because sushi chefs will often give you the freshest, top-quality fish.

When it comes to entree options I would definitely say that Sapporo is not the place to get Japanese food. They had a few teriyaki dishes - something I never once at while living in Japan - a few udon/soba options and a few tempura options. To me those are very American-friendly Japanese dishes, so I can't say I was impressed. Additionally, they were very expensive ranging from $10 - 16.

Overall I would give Sapporo 3 stars (out of 5) but I would say I probably will go back. Why? Because it's convenient and has a great atmosphere. I think I'll stick to the rolls next time and get my fill that way. For more standard Japanese fare, I think I'll keep looking.

Louisville - Lynn's Paradise Cafe

If you watch the Food Network like I do, youmay have seen Lynn's Paradise Cafe featured on Bobby Flay's Throwdown. I won't deny the fact that is the reason we visited Lynn's for brunch this week. Located in the Highlands, Lynn's is a kitschy, down-home style restaurant known for its breakfast foods. The decor is over the top, just the way Lynn wants it. Every year she sponsors the "Ugly Lamp Contest" at the Kentucky State Fair, which we happened to view the day before eating at this establishment. Because of all the press Lynn has gotten, this restaurant fills up quickly on the weekend, so visitors beware. On a Wednesday at 11:30 am it wasn't too bad though.

Though nearing lunchtime, my group and I decided to go for all brunch. Looking over the menu you will notice her "classics" including the bourbon ball french toast, which sounded amazing but would probably send me into diabetic shock. Instead I chose the Wild Mushroom Scramble ($11) which was filled with mushrooms, spinach, cheddar cheese and bacon and topped with (the best part) a horseradish sour cream sauce. My husband and friend both go the Kentucky Farmhouse Scramble ($14) which included red peppers, Jarlsburg cheese, ham and topped with crispy tobacco onions. (Note to Lynn's, if you are going to use an asterisk on your menu to describe what these tobacco onions are, actually use it properly because no where does it explain what these are!) Having tried both we all agreed the Wild Mushroom scramble tasted better, but the fried green tomatoes were awesome.

The Farmhouse was served alongside three fried green tomatoes with a house tartar sauce. Both scrambles came with a choice of bread (biscuit, toast, English muffin) and the Wild

Mushroom also came with a choice of side (cheese grits, fruit, a few others). I decided to go with the the cheese grits and everyone got the biscuits. The cheese grits were fairly good, but not as good as they tried too claim. The biscuits were incredible though and huge at that, coming with fresh sorghum butter and strawberry jam.

Overall the food at Lynn's was pretty good brunch food. There was nothing original or new, but it was all good comfort brunch food. However, I think the press and fame have gone to the owner's head because the prices were outrageous. For $14 the meal should include either something more original or more food than the Kentucky Scramble did. For $11, the Wild Mushroom Scramble should automatically come with a side of fruit in addition to the bread and side item. The coffee they served was mediocre at best and the bloody mary's (though we didn't indulge in, but have heard are quite tasty) are expensive at around $8. Compare this to my review of The Publican in Chicago and you'll see we spent the same amount for an all around better meal at the same price.

Louisville - Bearno's

A few nights ago we were out drinking, and decided to grab some dinner. Everyone of course wanted pizza, so we ventured to Bearno's which was the closest pizza place relative to our location on Bardstown Road. I hadn't heard anyone mention Bearno's had good pizza for this neighborhood, and there's a reason why. It's not that great, though it's not the worst I've ever had either.

We decided to go with the Mama Bearno's special (read "supreme" style) and the barbecue chicken. My biggest complaint about both was the abundance of cheese. Obviously cheese is essential on a pizza, but this was not the right ratio. I could barely taste the pizza sauce on the Mama B's special or the crust on either. Which brings me to the crust...if you like thin crust, I guess you'd like this. However for me, I like to taste the crust so it wasn't enough. I will say I preferred the barbecue chicken over the Mama B's special, probably because I could taste all the flavors better while the Mama B's somewhat ran together. For the price, I think I'll keep searching for something better on Bardstown Road.

What I will say good about Bearno's is the fun and laid back atmosphere. We ventured to the back porch (up top) where we had a great view of the band playing. There was cornhole and darts up there as well. There was a decent enough selection of draft beer (available by the pitcher) which was good.

Overall, I'll happily return to Bearno's for fun, but not for food.

Louisville - Cumberland Brews

Unfortunately I ate at Cumberland a few weeks ago but never wrote on it. However, last night we went back for drinks and remembered I needed to comment on my experience there, so I'll push through the haziness of my memory created by their delicious beer...

Lucky for me Cumberland Brewery is about 100 yards from where I live. Not so lucky for my liver. Let's start with the beer since that's what they're all about. They have 5 brews always available including an pale ale, porter, red, meade, and cream ale. They also have a variety of seasonals and change these frequently. So far I have had the standard pale ale (4 stars), a delicious seasonal called Yerbeer (awesome at 5 stars) and the seasonal honey wheat (3 stars, very light). All were very good and I hope to try more:) Normally the beer is $4.50 a pint. However, they do great deals every day of the week (except Saturday I think). Tuesday happens to be the best day of the week with $2.75 pints all day long. Sunday they do $3.25 pints all day, and during the week pints are $3.25 from either 12-7pm or 4-7pm. Can't beat that!

The food at Cumberland is also very good. When we went for dinner we all ordered off the regular dinner menu. I decided to go with the KY Bison burger and it was delicious. My husband went for the BBQ sandwich, which he said was good but had a lot of sauce. (Note: we're used to NC style BBQ and they do more of a Memphis style here in Louisville, so it's been an adjustment!) Our friend ordered the fried bologna sandwich, which he was so happy to see on the menu, and said it was delicious. They also have a lot of dinner specials, including a lot of seasonal stuff; on my most recent and non-eating visit, specials included grilled chicken with fresh vegetables and a feta cheese sauce that looked awesome and squash soup (plus many others I can't recall).

Cumberland Brewery is great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone coming to eat a casual dinner on Bardstown Road. The food is good, the prices are reasonable, and the beer is delicious. I have a sneaking suspicion this will be our new go to place for dinner and beer!