bourbonNOOG Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 To preface my question, last fathers day my brother and I took my dad on the bourbon trail for fathers day. This year we've decided to do something similar. We hit 5 of the 6 distilleries last year (we missed 4R to be able to make Woodford). We've got a Hard Hat tour at BT at 11:30 on Saturday and then we're going to head over to 4R and catch the last tour of the day. We'll be staying in Louisville Saturday night because we wanted to hit most of the bars on the Urban bourbon trail. Do any of you oh so knowledgeable Kentuckyians or bourbon connoisseurs have dinner and/or bar suggestions? We've scoped out a couple of the bars on the urban trail but are looking for anything the locals might recommend or superb places to grab a bit to eat. We're staying at the Seelbach Hotel if that helps whatsoever with suggestions.I'm going to do a bit of "googling", but any help would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barturtle Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 You might also want to check out Wiltshire on Market, The Mayan Cafe, Toast (for breakfast). All in the NULU area.Other options: The Blind Pig, Eiderdown, LouisvilleHotBytes is on top of the Louisville restaurant scene. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 You can do everything in the Seelbach, as the Oak Room is a superb restaurant and the Old Seelbach Bar is a similarly-superb bar. Be sure to take a minute to check out the Rathskeller in the basement.The Maker's Mark Lounge is just a few steps south of the Seelbach. Great bourbon bar and very good food. A few blocks away is Proof on Main, if you like a more modern setting and cuisine. Outside of downtown there's Bourbon's Bistro and Corbetts's. And many others, but those are a few. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigthom Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 The Maker's Mark Lounge is just a few steps south of the Seelbach.North of the Seelbach! Across Mohammed Ali Boulevard, on the same side of the street. You can't miss it.NULU, Timothy's recommendation, looks interesting, but I've only been to the Louisville Beer Store and Jimmy John's over there, and I'm not even sure if Jimmy John's is far enough east to count. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronHead Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 You might also want to check out Wiltshire on Market, The Mayan Cafe, Toast (for breakfast). All in the NULU area.Other options: The Blind Pig, Eiderdown, LouisvilleHotBytes is on top of the Louisville restaurant scene.I think The Blind Pig gets the edge on food over Eiderdown. It has been a while since I have been to Eiderdown, but I don't think they have a full liquor license. If that doesn't bother you I say skip them all and go to Hammerheads.I haven't been to Wiltshire on Market, but The Mayan Cafe and Toast are both worth a stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bourbonNOOG Posted June 16, 2011 Author Share Posted June 16, 2011 Thanks for all the recommendations guys. I think there is more than enough here to keep us busy. We won't be there long but I wanted to make sure I visited the right places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LikeItWasSodaPop Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 The Holy Grale is f'ing spectacular if you need a break from bourbon and want some of the best fries ... ever. And realy great beers. They have a chorizo poutine (a Montreal specialty re-invented Louisville via Mexico style ... our minds were blown). Amazing beer bar in a converted old home. Proof on Main is freakin' awesome. We sat at the bar, and let me tell you, knowing your shizz when it comes to bourbon will, even in Louisville, impress. The art in the adjacent museum -- open 24 hours -- was great. The food even better. The octopus app ... if you don't like it, I'll pay for it. I mean it. One real caution -- stay the fuck away from: Jockey Silks Bourbon Bar 140 N. 4th St. 502-589-5200 www.galthouse.comWe stayed at the Galt ... it was 3rd world. Zombies manning the desks ... and people at JS were totally oblivious, willing to lie and bullshit about various bourbons. Made us really feel pissed upon ... even as guests of the hotel ... you're going to make stuff up about various pours, when you clearly know NOTHING about them? The BS press releases about the bourbon trail CLAIM that these people will know their bourbon, and they clearly DO NOT. The Galt is a weird 3rd world hotel, and this place needs to be taken off the bourbon trail as it compromises the other places. We got stuck for 2 hours in their elevator, and many patrons had similar problems being stuck on upper floors, unable to get to business meetings, etc. because of the elevator problems. Avoid this place, for the love of all that's holy. I loved our Louisville trip (Cox's Creek FR being the highlight) but my fiance is wary to return, just because we were treated like such shit at the Galt. Seelbach has some great old private bottlings ... the basement bar is the place to be. J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted June 16, 2011 Share Posted June 16, 2011 North of the Seelbach! Across Mohammed Ali Boulevard, on the same side of the street. You can't miss it.NULU, Timothy's recommendation, looks interesting, but I've only been to the Louisville Beer Store and Jimmy John's over there, and I'm not even sure if Jimmy John's is far enough east to count.Right, north. For some reason my sense of direction gets turned around in Louisville. Of course, if you go south by mistake you can eat at Cunningham's. I recommend the fish sandwich.And I second the caution about the Galt House and anything within its walls. The place is an abomination and always has been. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigthom Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I haven't had the fish sandwich at Cunningham's, but I have had their Hot Brown, and it was horrible. The Hot Brown at the other end of the block, at the Brown, is twice as expensive but a thousand times better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowdery Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I've been eating at Cunningham's for more than 30 years and probably only ever had the fried fish sandwich and the turtle soup, as recommended to me on my first visit. For some reason, Louisville is a good place for good fried fish sandwiches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronHead Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I've been eating at Cunningham's for more than 30 years and probably only ever had the fried fish sandwich and the turtle soup, as recommended to me on my first visit. For some reason, Louisville is a good place for good fried fish sandwiches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barturtle Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 I've been eating at Cunningham's for more than 30 years and probably only ever had the fried fish sandwich and the turtle soup, as recommended to me on my first visit. For some reason, Louisville is a good place for good fried fish sandwiches.I haven't been to Cunningham's since the original location burned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigthom Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Well, to give them credit, the hot brown had real chicken breast, not that chopped/pressed/formed "deli" stuff they have in the grocery store.But it was bone dry, and eating it was like chewing cardboard. Not even the ton of bright orange cheez-whiz-like sauce they covered it with could make it edible.I also got the meat loaf there once, which wasn't horrible. The gravy was a more subtle shade of orange.This was at the new location in the parking lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronHead Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Well, to give them credit, the hot brown had real chicken breast.Should have been turkey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigthom Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 Should have been turkey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macdeffe Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Very helpful thread thanks, gonna spend a couple of days in Louisville next month as well as Lexington. Gonna check out Proof on the Main for sure and probably also SeelbachSteffen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LikeItWasSodaPop Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Rye, a new-ish restaurant, is not to be missed. AaronWF and I went there pre-sampler, and really, REALLY enjoyed the food. We loved the pate so much we took some home for our ladies. Unbelievable. Their house-made meats (cured chorizo, cured pork loin, etc.) are on par with the best places in Chicago (Publican, etc.). And that's saying something. Really should be on the list for anyone Louisville-bound. The strip that it's on appears to be sprouting lots of great new restaurants. One in an a converted old gas station / auto garage also looked promising. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macdeffe Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Thanks, I guess we have to throw the towel in and also get some food on our trip :-)Steffen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronHead Posted May 24, 2012 Share Posted May 24, 2012 Rye, a new-ish restaurant, is not to be missed. AaronWF and I went there pre-sampler, and really, REALLY enjoyed the food. We loved the pate so much we took some home for our ladies. Unbelievable. Their house-made meats (cured chorizo, cured pork loin, etc.) are on par with the best places in Chicago (Publican, etc.). And that's saying something. Really should be on the list for anyone Louisville-bound. The strip that it's on appears to be sprouting lots of great new restaurants. One in an a converted old gas station / auto garage also looked promising.The strip that it's on is Market St. And yeah, there are a lot of good places popping up along it. The gas station place you mention is called Garage Bar. Also not to be missed are The Mayan Cafe and Decca. Decca is new but the Mayan Cafe has been there a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T Comp Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Rye, a new-ish restaurant, is not to be missed. AaronWF and I went there pre-sampler, and really, REALLY enjoyed the food. We loved the pate so much we took some home for our ladies. Unbelievable. I recall through the haze of the Saturday night gazebo you guys were going to turn me on to some but I came home empty handed :grin: . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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