A couple updates from downtown restaurants of note.

First, Proof has a new menu for spring.

The new lunch menu features sandwiches and entrees as well as small plates and salads. All sandwiches are served with Proof fries or a green salad, including the Yellowfin Tuna Panini with eggplant caponata, arugula and Cacio de Roma ($12) and the Bison Pastrami Sandwich with caramelized spaghetti squash ($10). Entrees include Spaghettini "Campanese" with San Marzano tomato, basil and ricotta salata ($14); Pan Roasted Trout with wax beans, almonds and brown butter ($18); and Chicken Milanese with arugula salad and grilled lemon ($16). A new midday feature is the daily lunch special, with entrees ranging from Raviolo Al Uovo with sage brown butter (Tuesdays, $13); to Soft Shell Crab Sandwich with Proof fries and sirachi crema (Thursday, $18); and Duck Confit Pizzette with grapes, Gorgonzola and roasted garlic (Fridays, $13).

New dinner entrees include Fried Soft Shell Crab Risotto with ramps, parmesan and lemon ($30); New Zealand King Salmon with citrus roasted endive, hazelnut and pancetta ($28); and Smoked Amish Chicken with spicy lettuce and bread salad, scallions, pine nuts and currants ($20). A selection of in-house cured meats and relishes is also offered.

Specialties on the newly expanded Proof bar menu are listed in three categories: Hearth, Antipasti and Snacks.  Hearth selections include Octopus Bagna Càuda with parsley, garlic and oregano ($13); Mushroom Pizzete with fontina, leeks, ramps and chervil ($14); and Tripe "Parmigiana" with San Marzano tomato and fettunta ($10).  The Proof Antipasti list includes a selection of relishes, charcuterie and cheese. Diners can order a la carte or create a tasting platter of their favorites. Several snacks round out the bar offerings, including Sunchoke Soup with cauliflower, shiitake and crema ($7); Soft Shell Crab with pine nuts and watercress ($15); and the Proof Bison Burger with bacon, cheddar and jezebel sauce ($14).

I finally, finally, finally had a meal at Proof last week and I enjoyed it very much. I won't do a full "review" of it because my meal was comped but I plan to go back sometime very soon on my own nickel and will write about my experiences. In advance of that I will tell you however that I was there for lunch and had the Bison Burger and it was great. I really enjoy Bison burgers and the one I had at Proof was excellent. So if you go before I have time to go back and experience Proof again I feel comfortable recommending that you order the Bison burger if burgers are your thing.

Park Place on Main is doing some cool things to celebrate spring/summer. I'm particularly interested in the 3 courses for $30 deal and the Farmers Market dinners. I say let's get a group of cool people together to share a table and a bunch of family style side dishes. I'm open tonight. Who's in? Oh wait the deals don't start until next week. OK who's in for next week?

Start your week with real savings as chef Denham is offering a three-course meal for only $30! Guests can choose from anything on the menu including the salads, appetizers, entrées, or desserts. Have each course paired with wine for an additional $10.

Come check out the bar plates and new ball park menu. Chef Denham will be sending out complimentary samples from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays for bar guests. This is in addition to Whiskey Wednesdays which means all bourbon flights are $5 off.

Bring the entire household and sit down to a Farmers Market Family-Style Meat and 3 Dinner on Thursdays. The cost is $20 per person and includes a choice of an entrée and three family-style sides for the table. Additional sides are available a la carte. Enjoy your family's company while dining on the freshest produce brought in by local farmers.

1. I really like the food at Toast on Market. I adore pancakes and I've got to say I think they make the best ones in town. The ones at Wild Eggs are fantastic, the ones are the North End Cafe are awesome but the ones at Toast are consistently wonderful and the variety (buttermilk, lemon soufflé, gingerbread) is a real treat. I'm also a serious fan of their banana nut oatmeal. However I hate the coffee they serve at Toast. Really hate it. This is a serious barrier to my breakfast enjoyment. I'd go to Toast a lot more frequently if they'd serve different coffee (I'm suggesting they start serving some very nice Jackson's Organic Coffee). Seriously, I can only go to Toast when I'm going to be ok with having diet Coke for breakfast instead of coffee.

Like the folks at Toast care if I really want them to serve better coffee so I can give them more of my business. This is my Monday morning rant though and I'm using it to rant about wanting better coffee at Toast.

2.Red Pepper on Brownsboro road is currently a very trendy place to love. I've heard raves about it from my neighbors and friends and read glowing reviews of it in both the Courier and Louisville Magazine. I've heard just one "meh, it was ok." We've been a couple times and have really enjoyed it both times. The restaurant's claim to fame is the offering of a green "Americanized Chinese" menu and a red "Authentic Chinese" menu. The green menu offers all the American Chinese restaurant staples like sweet and sour chicken, crab rangoons, hot and sour soup and egg rolls. The red menu has a great many dishes that have the little red pepper symbol beside them indicating extreme spiciness. I've yet to order from either menu because I've ordered the same special every time: General Tso's Tofu. I mention this for my other vegetarian and flexitarian friends. You know I've always got our collective non-meat eating back. When I ate more meat (and when I ate a way less healthy diet than I do now) I loved General Tso's chicken. I've never encountered General Tso's tofu anywhere before so the first night I saw it on Red Pepper's special board I had to order it. My only beef with it (Get it? Beef? I'm talking about tofu! Whew good heavens I'm funny with the puns. Or not.) is that they use soft tofu instead of the extra firm tofu I much prefer. I'm still not in love with the texture of soft tofu but I enjoy the dish as a whole very much. Normally I wouldn't mention a special dish like this because I don't want to crush your little vegetarian hearts by describing something that's not on the regular menu. However since it's been on the special board both times I've been there I'm going out on a limb since it seems like they serve it frequently.

3. Queen of Sheba is moving from that very scary Buechel motel location to the former Mazzoni's building on Taylorsville Road, directly across the street from Bowman Field. The sign on the door says they open May 12. Um, that would be today. I'm excited. I've heard from more than a couple people that Queen of Sheba has great, great Ethiopian food but I could never summon up the urge to go purely because of the old location. Now I can't wait to go try it. In fact I've already got plans to go there this week. Two out of two vegans polled say Queen of Sheba offers some of the best vegan food in town and now it's actually closer in town. Winners all around.

My next-door neighbor has told me for months that I need to have lunch at The Cafe. Last week I finally followed her advice and had a very pleasant lunch there. The lunch was very pleasant for two reasons. First, The Cafe has given me a perfect response to the "let's have lunch downtown" invitations that sometimes come my way. I hate dealing with parking downtown. I know I'm a baby about it, I confess that, and most of the time I just suck it up and deal with it. But don't you see? The Cafe is in the perfect location for both people who work downtown and say, someone coming from the Highlands. It's on the Eastern edge of downtown but it's got lots of easy parking. Sweet.

OK, second reason I dug lunch at The Cafe was the food itself, namely plenty of vegetarian options. Soups, salads and a few interesting vegetarian sandwiches show up on the menu but the star in my opinion is the meatless strata. I do love a baked egg custard, particularly one stuffed with French bread, Swiss cheese, parmesan cheese, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes and onions. Good stuff.

The only slight disappointment was dessert. I didn't order the bread pudding because it had raisins in it and there are few things in live I hate more than raisins. And I didn't order the Tuxedo Cake because it had raspberry filling. I don't hate raspberry filling, I just wasn't in the mood for it. My dining companion ordered a chocolate chip cookie though and reported it was yummy.

I'll definitely go to The Cafe again soon for lunch but I really want to make it back for breakfast. Sweet potato cinnamon rolls? Uh, yum.

The Cafe
712 Brent Street
Louisville, KY

I'm a fan of Le Gallo Rosso during the summer months when the weather is nice and you can sit outside in their charming courtyard. Now that I think of it I've never actually dined indoors there. Hmm, interesting.

The upcoming "A Big Night" event sounds like a nice opportunity to experience a meal there in a different way. A family style dinner will be served consisting of: Gorgonzola Fettuccine with Mushrooms (Vegetarian), Chicken with Artichokes and Spaghetti with Homemade Meatballs (from Chef Annette Saco's grandmother's recipe), salad, dessert and non-alcoholic beverages. The meal tax and gratuity are included in the $35 ticket price ($25 for Bon Vivant Savant members). 20% of that ticket price goes to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Tuesday April 29, 2008
Dinner begins at 7PM
Reservations are required, call 502-287-2772

Le Gallo Rosso
1325 Bardstown Rd
Louisville, KY

So there are a couple new-ish restaurants on Bardstown Road. I've been to one and plan to the try the other one soon.

The one I've been to is Jarfi's Bistro. I never made it to Jarfi's when they were located down at the Kentucky Center so I can't compare the two locations. I can compare the Jarfi's with the previous tenant of the space Lentini's. Well, as kindly as I can let me say that Lentini's was a bit past its prime and Jarfi's is a very welcome addition to the neighborhood.

Jarfi's has a front dining room and bar that straddles the vibe between casual and upscale. Window seats look out onto Bardstown Road, pots of fresh herbs decorate the tables and Cokes are served in glass bottles. The back of the house has a more formal dining room, a sushi bar and a lounge. I've only been there once and I ate in the front dining room so I don't have any opinion on the other dining areas. My meal in the front dining room was fantastic. The server was great and the hot brown was the best I've had in a really long time. B ordered the ahi tuna appetizer as her entree and said it was outstanding. I'm really looking forward to going back for dinner sometime soon and trying some of the vegetarian options on the menu.

The other new restaurant in the neighborhood is Oishii Sushi which sits near the corner of Bardstown Road and Woodbourne Avenue, next door to Conn's bodyshop. The building was formerly an AT&T/Cingular shop and then some kind of car accessory place. I think the building is happier now that it's a perpetually busy sushi restaurant. Like I said, I haven't been but every time I've driven or walked by the place has been very busy. I'm a complete sushi novice so I'm not really that jazzed about going but B has recently decided that she just freaking loves lightly seared ahi tuna so she's quite interested in sushi and trying more items. So, alas, we'll be walking up to Oishii soon. I don't like cucumber or avocado though I like slightly cooked tuna. Menu suggestions?

I was looking at Corbett's website yesterday (aside: yay! They finally got a website) and saw that they have all of their menus online including something called the Grande Tasting
Menu. There is no price listed with the Grande Tasting Menu. That of course means I can't afford it. Let's overlook that though because I want to tell you that there is not just one Grande Tasting Menu there are two including a, wait for it, wait for it, Vegetarian Grande Tasting Menu! Maybe instead of going to Havana Rumba for a festive birthday dinner in July I'll save up and hit Corbett's for the Vegetarian Grande Tasting Menu instead. Of course someone will need to tell me just exactly how much I need to save up.

I'd planned for this past weekend to be laid back and relaxed. We had a couple dinners with friends scheduled but nothing else was on the agenda. Then on Friday we got a call that some friends were quite unexpectedly going to be on our doorstep. We love them, they're good people so we said "sure, come on." Come they did, including two children under five. It was a full weekend to be sure and by full I mean full bellies. These friends enjoy eating as much as I do and since they aren't from Louisville every time they come I want them to get a solid taste of the Louisville restaurant scene. I didn't plan it this way but we ended up taking an international eating tour around Louisville. 

Back in November Park Place on Main introduced a dinner menu aimed at theater goers. I thought it was a great idea that allowed people to have a great meal in plenty of time to make it to the show on time. Morton's must have thought it was a good idea too because they've just introduced their own Pre-Theater menu.

You don't have to be on the way to a performance to take advantage of Morton's Pre-Theater Menu. Any occasion is a perfect one to dine early and enjoy legendary steaks and seafood at a bargain price. Morton's Louisville presents a special menu nightly from 5:30 to 6:30 that includes a salad, entrée, side and dessert. The menu is an incredible value at $49.95 per person plus tax and gratuity. For reservations, call (502) 584-0421.

Full menu after the jump.

Morton's The Steakhouse
626 West Main Street
Louisville, KY

Heck of a heck of a deal being offered at Equus every Tuesday during the month of April. Lucky for us April has five Tuesdays this year so you've got five chances for two people to experience a five course tasting menu for just $80 at the very highly regarded local institution.

From the press release:

The refined, classic cuisine of Equus is now offered at a simply delicious price. Every Tuesday during the month of April, two people can enjoy a five-course tasting dinner for $80, plus tax and gratuity. The menu will be created each week by Equus executive chef Josh Hillyard with the region's freshest ingredients. For reservations at Equus, call 502-897-9721.

On a personal level let me say I'm glad Equus is staying on top of their game and offering interesting events and opportunities like this. I've still not been to Corbett's though I've heard wonderful things about it but I can tell you that because of its location Corbett's would be only a few times a year dining event for me even if I could more well afford to eat there. Equus on the other town is in a prime location and is on my list of "eat here more places." Opportunities like this certainly encourage me to do just that.

Equus
122 Sears Ave
Louisville, KY

Remember when I said I knew very little about bourbon before diving in to Bourbon 101? Well I know even less about wine. Way, way less about wine. So I was a little intimidated when I sat down to speak with Scott Harper wine director for the Bristol Bar & Grille. I needed not be though because Scott was very patient with me and eager to share his knowledge.

The impetus for sitting down with Scott was to talk about the Bristol's year long wine special. To celebrate the local institution's 30th anniversary wine prices, both by the glass and by the bottle, are marked down to wine store prices at all of the Bristol locations through September 2008. If you're not familiar with the difference in wine markup at wine shops and liquor stores versus restaurants let me just say it's significant. For example last Friday evening my partner ordered a glass of Sonoma Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay at a downtown restaurant. At that restaurant the wine sold for $10 per glass. At The Bristol that wine is currently $6.75 per glass. A bottle at the other restaurant is listed at $40 per bottle, at The Bristol it's $21 per bottle. Those are not insignificant savings.

Scott shared with me lots of information about wines he considers particularly good deals, wines that he highly encourages people to try during this reduced price bonanza. I'll share those recommendations with you a bit later but truthfully my favorite part of the conversation was how genuinely interested in helping people enjoy wine Scott was. By this I mean he had absolutely none of the pretension you might expect from someone whose title is "Wine Director/Sommelier."

The Mayan Cafe is one of my favorite Louisville restaurants. I love everything about it from the atmosphere to the food to the fantastic Jackson's Organic Coffee the restaurant serves. Next Thursday March 27, 2008 The Mayan Cafe is going to be debuting a new menu and I for one am really excited about it. 

I got a press release about St. Patrick's Day festivities at Avalon. You know I've yet to go to Avalon but I've heard good, good things about it so I'm definitely going to have to make it in soon.

A St. Patrick's Day Celebration is being held on Saturday, March 15th at Avalon located at 1314 Bardstown Road in the very Irish Highlands. Join Avalon for lunch or dinner before or after the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Enjoy hearty Irish favorites of Guinness Irish Beef Stew, Corned Beef & Cabbage and, of course, traditional Fish & Chips - along with a variety of Irish beers and whiskey. Everyone's Irish on St. Patrick's Day!

Avalon
1314 Bardstown Road
Louisville, KY

I guess it's time to start compiling a list of special menus and events for Easter. The Brown Hotel gets the prize for being the first to send me a press release for Easter.

The J. Graham's Café menu is served buffet-style and features Potato Leek Soup and a selection of salads including Grilled Ostrich, Macadamia Nut and Green Pea with Chipotle Vinaigrette, Romaine Lettuce, Caesar Dressing with Cranberry Bread Croutons and Deviled Eggs with sour cream and chive. Entrée presentations include Roasted Chicken with lemon confit cream sauce, Herb-Crusted Mahi Mahi with vanilla beurre rouge and Kentucky Ham with Honey Glaze. At the carving station, diners can choose Rubbed Pork Crown with apple cider whole grain mustard sauce, Lamb Shoulder Confit with herb roasted new potatoes or Assorted Grilled Vegetables. Menu items made especially for children will also be available along with a display of assorted pastries, cheese and crudités fore everyone to enjoy. The cost for the J. Graham's Café Easter Brunch is $32 per person, $16 for Children 4-12, plus tax and gratuity. Lunch is complimentary for children under four-years-old. Seating times are 11:30 a.m./11:45a.m. and 1:15 p.m./1:30 p.m. For reservations please call (502) 583-1234, Extension 7225.

The English Grill's Easter Lunch begins with a gorgeous buffet in the Brown Lobby of Oyster Chowder and antipasto selections of Grilled Asparagus, Prosciutto and Capicolo Ham, Roasted Peppers, Grilled Artichokes, Marinated Olives and Fried Green Tomatoes. Salad selections include Red Endive and Watercress with pistachio vinaigrette, cubed bleu cheese and Limestone and Baby Cauliflower with fresh herb vinaigrette and tear drop tomatoes. A luxurious seafood display includes Smoked Salmon with traditional garnishes, Mussel Salad, Seaweed Salad, Shrimp Cocktail, Crab Claws and assorted Sushi. Entrées are served while guests are seated in the The English Grill. Selections include Roasted Pork Chop and Creamy Bleu Cheese Grits with sautéed haricot vert and bourbon sauce and Coffee Rubbed Pan Seared Lamb Loin with baby root vegetables and amaretto reduction. An assortment of pastries, breads, cheeses and desserts will also be available. The lavish lunch is $58 per person plus tax and gratuity. Seating times are at noon, 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. For reservations please call (502) 583-1234, extension 7166.

Tomorrow night, Wednesday March 12, 2008 Avalon will present an opening reception for the 2008 Avalon Spring Art Show. The show, which runs during the months of March, April and May features works by local artists in a variety of mediums (complete list of artists after the jump). Artists will be on hand for the reception which runs from 5-7PM.

Avalon
1314 Bardstown Road
Louisville, KY

Image: "Red Daisies" oil on canvas by Micki Thomas

On Saturday March 15, 2008 nios @ 917 will be getting into the St. Patrick's spirit just as much as any Irish pub around town will be. Starting at 2:00PM they'll be hosting a St. Patrick's Parade Parking Lot Party. It's $5 to get in (boo cover charge!) but that $5 for admission will also get you a free Guinness (yay free beer!).

Other highlights include:

• Executive Chef, and Irish born Josh Tuley will be preparing traditional Fish and Irish Chips for $5
• BBC beer specials will be featured as well as $5 Green Apple Tini's $5 Irish Car Bombs and Special Irish Whiskey's TBA
• Live music (but I don't know who will be playing)
  

nios @ 917
917 Baxter Avenue
Louisville, KY

We've discussed how I'm not a beer drinker, thus my input on this event probably wouldn't be helpful at all. So I'll just directly quote the press release instead.

Belgium displays unparalleled diversity of flavor and color in its native beer styles, and on Tuesday, March 4, Corbett's "An American Place" presents a dinner to celebrate the history and nuances of these noble brews. From the strong Trappist ales to the fruity lambics, Belgian beers offer extensive food pairing possibilities, and Pete Larsen of Wetten Imports has put together an unforgettable list. He will be on hand to discuss each brew along with Corbett's assistant general manager Carrie Crouch.

Belgian beers inspire reverence typically reserved for the finest wines. The cost for this dinner is $55 per person and includes five-courses prepared by Corbett's executive chef Chris Howerton. Tax and gratuity are additional. The evening begins with a 6:30 p.m. reception followed by dinner service at 7 p.m. Seating is limited for this special event and reservations may be made by calling (502) 327-5058.

Full menu after the jump

Corbett's
5050 Norton Healthcare Boulevard (Old Brownsboro Crossing)
Louisville, KY

Are you one of those unlucky souls who gets to celebrate on your birthday only every four years? Tony BoomBozz feels your pain and to help you celebrate the momentous occasion of you actually having a birthday this year they want to give you free pizza.

Get a medium 1-topping pizza on Friday, February 29, 2008 at any BoomBozz location just for proving that you were born on February 29 of any year!

4 locations:

2813 N Hurstbourne Pkwy
Louisville, KY 40223
Just south of Westport Road on Hurstbourne Pkwy
(502)394-0000

3334 Frankfort Ave
Louisville, KY 40206
Intersection of Frankfort Ave. & Cannons Lane
(502)896-9090

1448 Bardstown Rd
Louisville, KY 40204
Intersection of Bardstown Rd. & Eastern Pkwy.
(502)458-8889

Boombozz Pizza Bistro
12613 Taylorsville Road
Tyler Center at the Gene Snyder
(502)261-0222

Via Louisville HotBytes

The Bristol downtown is taking prime advantageous of its proximity to PYRO Gallery. For the month of March several PYRO artists will have selected works displayed in the Bristol's Terrace Room.

Louisville's premier casual dining restaurant The Bristol Bar and Grille Downtown is collaborating with the neighboring PYRO Gallery to present diners with an ongoing fine art exhibition, a great opportunity to enjoy the creativity of local artists during a night out. Gracing the walls of Bristol's Terrace Room through March will be art from such celebrated local artists as Ann Stewart Anderson, Keith Auerbach, Kim Huber, John McCarthy, Corie Neumayer, C.J. Pressma and Marilyn Whitesell. Bristol's display of PYRO artwork will rotate though the year, with fresh works making their debut every three months. All work on view at Bristol will be for sale.

The Bristol
614 West Main Street
Louisville, KY

I never made it to Cafe Lou Lou when it was in its old location on Frankfort Avenue. I suspect that location had a bit more charm than the present one but that sentiment is just my anti-strip mall bias coming out and should probably be ignored. It should be ignored because the new location on Sears Avenue is a perfectly nice one. It's a bit whimsical in terms of decor and atmosphere with lots of Louisiana influenced touches. And obviously the strip mall has one serious advantage over the old Frankfort Avenue location: a parking lot.

Corbett's is presenting a special dinner with Hahn Estates Vineyards winemaker Adam La Zarre on February 28. The five-course dinner will having featuring pairings from Wimbledon Wines with an emphasis on Hahn Estates.

"Wimbledon Wine Company specializes in importing estate winery brands from California and New Zealand including Hahn Estates.  Adam LaZarre, the winemaker at Hahn Estates, garnered much attention for the MontereyCoast vineyard with distinctive bottles of Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Meritage. His efforts have earned several distinctive national and international awards."

Complete menu after the jump.

Special Wimbledon Wine Dinner
February 28, 2008
$75 per person + tax and gratuity
Reservations required, call (502) 327-5058

Corbett's
5050 Norton Healthcare Boulevard (Old Brownsboro Crossing)
Louisville, KY

If there is one restaurant in town that could be called the place for pork lovers I think Park Place would be it. Seriously.

The evidence part 1
"..with the recent legal release of Iberico Ham in the United States, Chef Jay Denham has secured a portion for his loyal guests at Park Place. Through the month of February, this delectable ham from Spain will be featured as a special part of the Lateral Ham Tasting of America's Best Old Country Hams. The cost is $20. Quantities are limited, so be sure to get in and taste pure indulgence on a plate."

I've heard of the wondrous qualities of Iberico ham but have never tried them for myself. Looks like I've found a reason to head downtown for dinner next week.

The evidence part 2
"Chef Denham has invited some legendary friends to Park Place on Main for a one night only event! Nancy Newsom from Newsom's Aged Kentucky Country Ham, Allen Benton from Benton's Country Ham and extension professor of meat science at the University of Kentucky Greg Rentfrow are just a few of the pork aficionados who will join the line up for an evening of unforgettable dishes and history on Monday, March 17. The cost is $100 per person and includes a tasting of cured and potted meats and an educational and interactive look at pork. Seating will be very limited for this interactive event, so be sure to save your seat soon."

The description of this event has left my mouth watering. It's too expensive for me to be able to attend. If you can afford it and don't go I don't even want to hear about it. I'm just going to assume that anyone who likes pork and can spend $200 on a Monday night dinner for 2 without breaking a sweat will see what a fantastic event this is going to be and will naturally be dialing right now to get reservations.

Park Place
401 E. Main Street
Louisville, KY 40202
502-515-0172

I got an email reminding me of a few specials and events at Brownings that I thought I'd share.

They've got happy hour specials on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays

"Come to Browning's Happy Hour every Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. and receive free appetizers in addition to our great happy hour beer prices! We will have an appetizer buffet available to guests that will include Browning's bar plates as well as some special treats from Chef Denham.

Now you only have to make it half way through the week to celebrate. On Wednesdays, order any appetizer after 3 p.m. and get another one of equal or lesser value free! Consider it good practice for the weekend. On Saturdays, we've brought back our happy hour. Get session beer pints for $3.25 all day long."

On Saturday December 23, 2008 it's the Winter Beer Dinner.

"There's a new reason to celebrate at Browning's, where hearty winter fare is paired with tasty brews at the Winter Beer Dinner on Saturday, February 23, 2008 at 6 p.m. The event is $40 per person and includes a four-course dinner paired with Browning's beers. Door prizes, which include gift certificates and merchandise, will also be given away during the evening. Seating is limited and reservations are required for this event. To save your seat, call (502) 515-0714."

Click for complete Beer Dinner menu

Browning's
401 East Main St
Louisville, KY

I knew that Meridian Cafe made a mean sandwich long before I ever stepped foot in the place. Years ago my partner discovered their East Coast Turkey sandwich, a Thanksgiving-esque combination of turkey, Granny Smith apples, cheddar cheese and cranberries. That sandwich became known as "the sandwich" in our house. Years later, when we were living in a different city, occasionally B would say "do you know what sandwich I'm craving" and I'd instantly know it was the Meridian Cafe turkey sandwich.

Primo is presenting a Tuscan Wine Dinner on Thursday February 21, 2008 at 7PM. The dinner is $55 per person, reservations are required so you should call soon if this is your kind of event. The dessert course alone sounds delicious enough to make a reservation: Castagnaccio: Chestnut & Flour Cake w/ Tuaca Glaze and Tuaca & Finlandia White Russian

Tuscan Wine Dinner
Thursday February 21, 2008
7PM
$55 per person
Call for reservations: 583-1808

Primo
445 East Market
Louisville, KY

Complete menu after the jump

Like other fine dining establishments across town Avalon is offering a special dinner menu in celebration of Valentine's Day. The menu looks very nice and I'm pleased to report it even has a vegetarian entree. But by virtue of its association with Luna Boutique it would appear that Avalon has a leg up on other restaurants in the Valentine's department. Their secret weapon? For $25 the boutique will have a wrapped gift waiting on your table for the object of your affection.You can take care of dinner and gift giving with one call for reservations.

The $75 "Wine & Dine With Your Valentine" Dinner Package for Two offers each of you a choice of three of Chef Chip Lawrence's most popular menu items; and includes one bottle of wine from select vintners, Fess Parker, Kenwood, Gundlach Bundschu and St. Gabriel - or if it's bubbly you desire - one bottle of Korbel Champagne.

And for an additional $25 Luna Boutique will provide a unique gift wrapped and waiting
at the table for that someone special in your life.

Leave it to Avalon to make your Valentine's Day easy and memorable.

Call (502) 454-5336 for Reservations (and to make arrangements for that special Valentine's Day gift)

Full menu after the jump

Avalon
1314 Bardstown Road
Louisville, KY
454-5336

Though I enjoy soy milk in my cereal I'm a dedicated flexitarian who drinks whole milk cappuccinos, really loves cheese and comes from a family full of dairy farmers. In other words, I'm not a vegan.

Consuming Louisville's referral logs tell me though that there are lots of people looking for information about vegan food in Louisville. Since I did the second post in the series Vegetarian Food in Louisville last week I thought now would be a good time to talk about vegan food. So I pooled my limited information in with knowledge gleaned from my very nice and helpful vegan friends. Hopefully this combined knowledge will be useful to the vegans amongst us.

First up we'll talk about vegan restaurant options: 

There's still time to make reservations for Valentine's Day dinner. If you haven't made those reservations yet or haven't firmly decided where you'd like to go here's one more option. Primo is offering up a 3 course $45 meal that's got a little something for almost every taste. It's a very interesting menu and I particularly like that they have a non-chocolate option for dessert, a Blueberry & Raspberry Trifle. Don't get me wrong, I'd be eating the molten chocolate cake myself but it's nice to see an alternative for folks who aren't chocolate fiends. They seem to kind of get left out in the cold during Valentine's season.

Complete menu after the jump

Primo
445 East Market Street
Louisville
583-1808

I don't spend a lot of time downtown during the week but if I did I'd be all over the new Revive@5 promotion from Primo.

From 5PM through closing Monday through Friday
Primo is offering a brand new bar menu and these specials:

• $5 Spuntini (Italian Snacks)
• $5 Dumante Cocktails
• $5 Import Drafts
• $5 Featured Wines by the Glass

On Thursday evening they've got live jazz with Carly Johnson at 7PM.

Primo
445 East Market St
Louisville, KY
583-1808

There isn't anything new or innovative I could say about Jack Fry's. Everything relevant has already been said. Here are things I've heard about Jack Fry's that I absolutely agree with: it's a classic, it's a Louisville fixture, a Highlands landmark, it's got old school class and atmosphere, it's the spot for unpretentious fine dining against which all other restaurants in town are measured against, it's got some of the very vest food in Louisville and parking is a nightmare. That all being said I'm going to share my opinions on Jack Fry's with you anyway.

For surf and turf loves Morton's really is offering a heck of a deal.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Morton's is offering a special four-course steak and seafood dinner featuring two filet mignons, along with a choice of Morton's signature seafood, salads and desserts, all for only $99 for two!

Full menu after the jump

Morton's The Steakhouse
626 West Main Street
Louisville, KY

Back in October I mentioned a few of my favorite vegetarian meals in Louisville and I thought it was time for a sequel. Despite "falling off the wagon" as it were during the holiday season in terms of eating meat (my family, bless them, serves ham at every turn) I'm now firmly back to my flexitarian ways and eating meat only very rarely and constantly looking out for good, interesting vegetarian food.

In this edition of Vegetarian Food in Louisville I'm going to talk about four restaurant choices for the hungry vegetarian on the prowl.

I really wanted to not like Wild Eggs. First, it's totally in the wrong location. If any neighborhood needs a good breakfast and brunch spot it's the Highlands, not Dutchman's Lane/Dupont Circle. Second, everyone has fawned all over the place. Reviews, word of mouth and conversations I've eavesdropped on have all been about how good this place is and how long you have to wait to get a table because it's so popular. I'm cantankerous enough to automatically be suspicious of anyplace that everyone else loves.

So when I went I was totally prepared to be irritated and disappointed by the experience. The parking lot was totally full, we literally got the last open spot, so I expected the famed 20-40 minute wait. I planned to stew in irritation about the wait the whole time. That plan was thwarted when we were seated within 5 minutes. However the hostess had a pierced lip. so I did get to be a little bothered by that. Call me old, but I do not want to see a tiny little diamond speck sticking out of someone's lip when she's seating me for breakfast. Seriously, call me old, call me square, I can take it. I'm well aware of how not cool and not hip I am. 

I'm sad to say that I still haven't made it to Corbett's for a meal yet. I hope to change that quite soon both because I've heard great, great things about it and because I want to write a review of it because apparently, information about Corbett's is a hot commodity. Each day a surprisingly large number of viewers find their way to Consuming Louisville looking for information about Corbett's restaurant. They come via a variety of web searches like "Corbett's fine dining Louisville" or "Louisville Corbett's" or "Corbett's menu Louisville" or "Corbett's restaurant Louisville" or "where is Corbett's in Louisville" and on and on it goes.

So as soon as I dine at Corbett's rest assured I'll be writing a review. In the meantime allow me to share Corbett's menu(s). Menu information is current as of January 23, 2008.

Corbett's
5050 Norton Healthcare Boulevard (in Old Brownsboro Crossing)
Louisville, KY 40241

Menus after the jump