OutpostUSA.org

Restaurants

Louisville

Downtown Louisville is blessed with a dozen outstanding restaurants. The three hotels each have a few. Fourth Street has several more. And another group are a few blocks east or west of Fourth Street.

To appreciate Louisville cuisine, you have to begin with four foundations. You must eat a Hot Brown where it was created, in the Brown Hotel. If you've never had one before, order the Petite Hot Brown the first time. It's a more manageable portion. You still may have a hard time finishing it. The Hot Brown was created by Fred Schmidt in 1926. It's a takeoff of traditional Welsh rarebit: an open faced sandwich of turkey, ham, bacon, cheese, paprika, parsley, tomatoes, toast and creamy Mornay sauce, baked until the bread is crisp and the sauce begins to brown. It's a very filling entree best eaten with a Woodford Reserve Double Oak On The Rocks, shaken not stirred, or with a classic Brown Hotel Old Fashioned (bourbon, sugar, bitters, orange slices, Ale 8). The other Louisville classic is Burgoo, a stew of hickory smoked Venison, Turkey, Squirrel, Rabbit, Corn, Okra, Tomatoes, Cabbage and Potatoes. Pork, Chicken, or Lamb are often substituted for the meats although they're less historically correct.

The Brown Hotel contains three restaurants : the English Grill, Lobby Bar Grill, and J. Graham's Cafe. All three are quite classy and offer various items from the same core menu. They all offer the famous Hot Brown, but they serve many other entrees : Filet Mignon, Crab Cakes, Shrimp & Grits, Scallops and Pasta Primavera. They offer two Salads, six Appetizers, four Desserts, and outstanding Bourbons and mixed drinks.

The Brown also serves fine breakfasts and lunches, either via room or table service. For Breakfast, the Fruit Plate, Belgian Waffle and Breakfast Sandwich (scrambled eggs, avocado, bacon, white cheddar and crispy golden brown potatoes) are outstanding. There's also the traditional Oatmeal, Eggs, Bacon, Sausage and Coffee.

Especially around holidays, Derby Week, State Fair, Basketball and Football weekends, or Valentine's Day, you definitely need a reservation.

Down at the Seelbach, J. Gatsby's (photo right) has still not recovered from the Pandemic. It no longer serves lunch, brunch or dinner, and the only breakfast option is a $20 breakfast buffet. Since very few people eat $20 worth of food for breakfast, this has had the effect of driving guests to other breakfast restaurants on Fourth Street. This is sad because this restaurant has a lot of history. In addition to the Presidents, British royalty, athletes, musicians, actors and actresses, celebrities and even Al Capone who ate here, novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald was a frequent customer. They changed the name to Gatsby's to honor Fitzgerald's most famous character. Seelbach management says it wants to restore J. Gatsby's to full restaurant status after the upcoming renovation, but they only plan to restore breakfast and lunch.

Since the Seelbach closed its five star restaurant The Oak Room, the Old Seelbach Bar doubles as the evening restaurant and bar for the hotel. It ofers a very extensive Bourbon and mixed drink menu. One option is a flight of classic Bourbons. They promote their Seelbach Cocktail (Old Forester, Cointreau, Angosturn and Peychauld Bitters, Sparkling Wine and Ale 8), but we've always thought their Old Fashioned was not only their best drink but one of the best Old Fashioneds in Louisville. The kitchen is across the hotel at Gatsby's, and slow, so prepare for a leisurely conversation, but at least you'll have a great drink to enjoy. Appetizers include Hummus, Hickory Smoked Chicken Wings, Smoked Gouda Mac n Cheese, Spring Rolls, Quesadillas and Fried Jalapeno Cheese Ravioli. Their House Salad and Caesar Salad are large and fresh. Their Burgoo is their best entree, but the NY Strip, Salmon, Hot Brown, Chicken Alfredo, and Bison Burger are worth ordering. They offer no Soup at all. Desserts are their weakest item. The Cheesecake is particularly disappointing; it's firm to the point of rubbery and quite lacking in flavor, meaning they probably over stirred it back in the kitchen, beating all the air bubbles out of it. The Derby Pie is tasty but comes as a round tart instead of a slice of pie. The Old Seelbach has been updated slightly since rowdy Roaring Twenties days, when casks of Bourbon were stacked along one wall. But it's still got plenty of atmosphere and a very skilled bartending staff.

Further down 4th Street, the Galt House contains seven restaurants, bars and snack bars. On the second floor of the western tower is Walker's Exchange, which is open three meals a day. All three feature extensive menus. 

Breakfast offers Belgian Waffles, Crab Cake Benedict, Steel Cut Oatmeal, Cast Iron Skillet Cinnamon Rolls and the usual Pancakes, Eggs, Grits, Country Ham and French Toast, but the real star is a creation called the Hot Brown Omelet, basically all the ingredients of a Hot Brown folded into a standard Omelet. 

Later in the day, entrees like Chili, Pot Roast, Fried Green Tomatoes, Mac and Cheese, Fried Chicken, Salmon, Shrimp, Spaghetti, Sirloin and Fettucini Alfredo are popular. 

The Bar Jockey Silks is right next door and provides a full array of drinks with lunch and dinner. There are even a few drinks available at Breakfast.

Guy Fieri grew up in Ohio, became interested in food while a foreign exchange student in France, graduated from UNLV, opened restaurants in New York City, Las Vegas and Los Angeles, and became famous hosting a show on the Food Network. His Smokehouse is literally in the center of Fourth Street Live, near the concert stage and under the huge sign. As the name suggests, it specializes in BBQ. Signature entrees are Ribs, Brisket, Pork Butt, Turkey and Sausage. There are also Sandwiches made from all these ingredients. Sides include Cole Slaw, Mac n Cheese, Baked Beans and Red Potato Salad. Smokehouse currently operates cafeteria style, where you push your plastic tray along a line and pay at the register. You get paper plates, styrofoam cups and plastic utensils. The BBQ and Smoked Turkey are very good. But you have to pay extra for the sauces. Even though they're very good, charging extra for them is sacrilegious in the South. Even worse, the Sides are dry and tasteless. The beans have no molasses, bacon, mustard, onion, pepper, worcestershire, ketchup, nothing at all. They're as flavorless as any baked beans have ever been. The Mac n Cheese is even worse : there's no cheese! Or anything else. It's just dry macaroni. The Cole Slaw has no dressing or anything else. It's just dry lettuce and cabbage. The problem is that this is a city and state that revere their barbeque and the sides that go with it. Locals consider violations of barbeque traditions as sacrilegious. If you just drop by for a Sandwich and wander off down 4th Street eating it, you'll think highly of Fieri's. They also serve pretty good alcohol here, beginning with a fine Old Fashioned. There's a short Beer and Wine list, and a longer list of Whiskey and mixed drinks. Sadly, COVID forced the abbreviation of the menu, so great sides like Smoked Corn and Fried Okra & Pickles are gone. Guy needs to check up on his restaurants. His name is on these, and there's no way he would find this acceptable.

TGI Friday's is right in the heart of Fourth Street Live and has weathered the pandemic fine. In fact, it offers a whole new menu featuring classic American food and a wide choice of drinks and appetizers to appeal to young professionals in their 20s and 30s : Wings, Potato Skins, Green Bean Fries, Whiskey Glazed Chicken Strips, Pot Stickers, etc. There are the usual Burgers plus a Veggie Burger and a Whiskey Glazed Burger. You can pick from three Salads, an outstanding White Cheddaer Broccoli Cheese Soup, and three Chicken Sandwiches. Then the menu shifts over to family friendly entrees. There are several Pasta items, Salmon, Chicken, Ribs, Shrimp and Sirloin. The list of sides include Mac n Cheese, Cheddar Cheese Mashed Potatoes, Onion Rings and Fried Green Beans. Beverages are very lively, with Raspberry Tea, Strawberry Passion Fruit Tea, Sweet Tea, Lemonade, Red Bull and Dasani Water. Desserts include a very good Cheesecake and a Red Velvet Cake. Prices here range from mid teens to mid 20s except for platters and boxes, which are designed to feed families or groups and cost in the 30s.

Chipotle's is diagonally across the corner from The Seelbach on Fourth Street. It offers Fast Food Mexican. It works best as a carryout rather than a sit down restaurant, although there are a few tables and chairs inside. Their menu is brief. It offers three Entrees : Burritos, Tacos and Quesadillas plus a list of 12 possible Bowls. The local favorite is the Burrito Bowl (freshly grilled meat, rice, veggies, guacamoloe, salsa, sour cream, cheese). There's a decent Salad. Sides include Chips, Salsa and Queso Blanco. Some of the Drink options are interesting. You could order a Mexican Coca Cola, MexSprite, Tractor RTD, Izze or a Nantucket. This is not gourmet food, but it's surprisingly good and service is very efficient.

Morton's Steakhouse on West Main Street is a very good restaurant but it's pricey, so it's a special occasion place for most diners. Everything on the menu is outstanding, beginning with Appetizers Lobster Ravioli, Wagyu Meatballs, Crab Cakes and Scallops. The French Onion and Lobster Bisque are exquisite Soups and there are four excellent Salads. We know people who go to Morton's, order an Appetizer, Salad, Soup and Beverage and just stop there. There's a Raw Bar with Oysters, Shrimp, Tuna and Lobster. Entrees are dominated by the Lamb, Pork Chops, Filets and Ribeyes, 11 in all. If you're not into Steaks, Morton's offers Chicken, Sea Bass and Salmon, all perfectly prepared. They offer two special items : Lobster Mac n Cheese and Truffle Mashed Califlower. Their Black Cherry Cobbler (a mixed drink, not a dessert) and Apple Snap are excellent drinks. Their Old Fashioned is just a hair behind the Brown and Seelbach. This is the best Steakhouse in Louisville.

Heine's is not a restaurant. It's a coffee shop. But since the Seelbach has drastically cut back at J. Gatsby's, this is where most hotel guests come for breakfast. It's right across the street and you can eat here or take your order back to the Seelbach. Heine's offers the usual Coffee, Espresso, Machiatto, Americano, Cappucino, Latte, Mocha, Caramella, Hot Chocolate, Fruit Smoothies and Chai Tea. On the food side, you can order Scones, Bagels, Muffins, Pastries, Cakes, Paninis, Turnovers, Pies, Fruit Strudel, Biscotti and Pecan Rolls. The quality of food and drinks is very good and service is efficient, although from 7 a.m. until about 9 a.m. it gets crowded and wait times increases.