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

You know the drill this weekend: Everybody's Irish. Get your fish, chips and Guinness on.

Friday March 14, 2008
Rescheduled Trolley Hop
InKY Celebrates Women's History Month

Saturday March 15, 2008
St. Patrick's Day Parade
St. Patrick's Day Festivities at nio's @ 917
St. Patrick's Day at Avalon
Container Garden Event at Just Creations

Sunday March 16, 2008
Recovering Yiddishland Discussion at Carmichael's

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 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 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.