I've been spending a lot of time in Louisville lately. After Leigh and I went to our first Derby this year, I've been back there a few times a month for my day job. The upside to this is I'm checking out all kinds of really cool places to eat and drink.
Here are my current favs:
1) Omni Hotel Louisville - This new hotel in downtown Louisville is a favorite for two reasons: the Library Bar and Neighborhood Services. The Library bar is a fantastic place to meet before dinner and enjoy drinks in a beautiful setting. It should be on the cover of Architectural Digest for its refined lines, relaxing color palette and imaginative display of books. If you're a bibliophile with a penchant for bourbon, make this your first stop before a night on the town. And if you don't want to walk too far to fill your belly, just go down the Wizard of Oz-esque hallway to Neighborhood Services. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, you will enjoy imaginative dishes like Hot Brown Tots, charred Shishito Peppers and Corned Beef Hash. The service is always excellent and it brings in a good crowd. Leigh and I also had the joy of spending a weekend here and the rooms are to die for. Added bonus, the lighting in the bathroom is better than any Instagram filter!
2) Ramen Inochi - Located in the Highlands area of town, I had the good fortune of stumbling upon the perfect place to try ramen for the first time. (To clarify, I had eaten ramen before, but it was the Maruchan brand that I ate in college when I couldn't afford anything else; this kind was distinctly and deliciously different!) I had the pork buns (kind of like a pork taco) and miso ramen. The broth alone was heavenly. Be sure to get the spicy garlic edamame; it does a body good. I love that they locally source as much as possible, including their soy sauce which comes from Bluegrass Soy Sauce. It's not a big place, so if you have a problem eating in close proximity to others, you might want to reconsider, but if you want to feel exotic (and for me, eating ramen is pretty exotic), head over to Ramen Inochi.
3) Shady Lane Café - At the end of a strip mall on Brownsboro Road in St. Matthews, I was tickled to death to find this little mom-and-pop café that also includes other members of the family, too! On the day I visited, their daughter was working the grill! You go, girl! You know you've found a good place to eat if there is a line of people out the door. Don't be discouraged by the line, however, as it moves quickly, so take the time to chat it up with your fellow diners and ponder the many options they offer on the board hanging above the grill. Whether you go with the traditional Benedictine and bacon wrap or a New York Reuben piled high with corned beef, please, please, please do yourself a favor and save room for one of their handmade desserts! The lemon cake with blueberries put a smile on my face from the first bite to last, and I even went back and got one of their delicious brownies to take home for later. It truly is a gem!
I hope this inspires you to get to Louisville to try new restaurants, and if you have any hot tips for where these hungry gals should eat next, be sure to email us at info@kytastebuds.com or message us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat! Happy eating!