As I told you a few weeks ago Queen of Sheba left its "just past the Watterson" location and relocated across the street from Bowman Field. Since it's now in a location that doesn't scare me I no longer had a reason to try it. So I did.

I went with a couple vegan friends and since Ethiopian dining is most often a communal experience we ordered all vegan food so we could just get one large platter of food that everyone could share. I've heard raves about meat dishes at Queen of Sheba but as of this moment I can't personally vouch for them.

What I can tell you is that the lentil and vegetable dishes we had were really delicious. A couple were on the mild side while one lentil dish in particular was hot like fire. This was a problem though because getting a refill of my diet coke was very nearly mission impossible. And that brings us to the one problem I had with my meal at Queen of Sheba: service. To call it laid back would be quite the understatement. However I seemed to be the only person in the place to mind or even notice. So I tried very hard to flow like water and just accept it. And I mostly did except for being really thirsty.

I don't want to end on a negative note though so let me tell you that that injera bread is spongy, tasty and a lot of fun to scoop up food with. Hands and injera bread are the eating utensils of choice at Ethiopian restaurants. So all the food comes with injera bread for your scooping and tasting pleasure. However, if eating with your hands is too much to take you can ask for silverware (if you  do ask for silverware though I'll totally call you a pansy).

All in all I really enjoyed my meal at Queen of Sheba, despite the laid back service. It seems like very laid back service is just kind of a trademark of Queen of Sheba and you should just know that going in. So long as you plan on having an extended, leisurely meal there you'll be just fine. You'll probably have a very good time and an excellent meal. My beloved absolutely adored the food at Queen of Sheba and the new location is in biking distance from our house so I'm betting I'm about to become a Queen of Sheba regular whether I want to or not.

Queen of Sheba
2804 Taylorsville Rd
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.

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.

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.

I shan't even pretend that there was even a possibility of me writing anything other than a full on lover letter to The Irish Rover. I make no false claims about being detached when writing about this place. I am so comfortable tucked into one of the Rover's booths in the bar that it's like a second home. When people ask me where to eat in Louisville and say they want something "comfortable" or "casual" or "not too fancy" or "has really good pub food" or any of about a dozen other code words The Irish Rover is where I tell them to go. Eight Friday nights out of ten will find me eating there, so in this case, perhaps more than any other, my money is most certainly where my mouth is. For me The Irish Rover is exactly what a pub should be: a warm, welcoming environment with outstanding food.

The first food you'll get at The Irish Rover will be a lovely basket filled with a mixture of Irish Soda bread and Sourdough bread. If you don't eat multiple pieces of both don't tell me because then I'll just have to consider you an odd sort who doesn't appreciate some of the finest carbohydrates known to humanity. If you're ordering an appetizer, and really you should, allow me to suggest the Cordon Bleu Fritters described on the menu as a "tasty mix of ham, chicken, and swiss, deep-fried in our famous batter". If you're not in the mood for deep fried goodness (there you go being odd again) then the Leek and Potato soup is an outstanding choice to start your meal.

Since getting back to Louisville in June I’ve been making the pizza rounds. I’ve hit a lot of old favorites as well as tried out some of the newer spots that came in while I was away. I haven’t tried every pizza place in town (not even every pizza place in the Highlands) but I’ve eaten a lot of pizza and at this point I’m ready to declare Impellizzeri’s to be my favorite.