I've Got the Habana Blues

I love tapas. The idea of having little bites of a wide variety of things has always appealed to me. So, when Tom and I found ourselves on the other side of the river yesterday (New Albany, Indiana), I was pretty excited to try Habana Blues, a Cuban restaurant known for its extensive tapas menu.

We ordered three different hot tapas. First was a plate of vegetable empanadas with a red pepper sour cream sauce. Next was a dish of cremini mushrooms sauteed in olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and crushed red pepper, served with grilled Cuban bread. Last but certainly not least was a plate of dates stuffed with goat cheese and chorizo sausage, wrapped in bacon and drizzled with smoked honey. Tom and I both agreed that everything tasted great, but our favorite dish by far was the stuffed dates, though I thought it could've withstood a little more chorizo and a little less goat cheese. (Those of you who've had goat cheese know that a little goes a long, long way.)

For dessert, our first choice was the banana bread pudding, but we were informed that the banana cream that's served with it wasn't quite ready yet. We didn't really feel like waiting around, so we ordered churros with chocolate ganache instead. I thought the ganache was closer to chocolate syrup than actual ganache, but it was still tasty, and the churros were cooked just right.

Prices are about what you might expect from a tapas restaurant. Every item we ordered was between $5 and $9. That probably doesn't sound so bad, but our most expensive item also happened to be the one with the smallest portions, which was a little disappointing.

Now, let's talk atmosphere. The restaurant is in an old building that looks like it was probably quite beautiful in its prime, but now shows some obvious signs of wear. The vaulted ceiling had some significant water damage, and overall we got the impression that the whole place just hadn't been maintained very well. Festive music is pumped throughout the building via satellite radio, but when we were there it sounded more like a CD that kept skipping. Maybe it was a bad connection? In any case, it was really distracting, so much so that we strongly considered leaving at one point. But once the food arrived, we barely noticed the music, plus our server was really friendly and helpful, which somewhat made up for the distractions...somewhat.

All told, not a terrible experience, but not a great one. I was fully prepared to give Habana Blues a 3-star rating, but later that night, I was sick to my stomach like I haven't been in years. Seriously, morning sickness couldn't even hold a candle to this. I don't think it was brought on entirely by what I'd had for dinner (Tom ate all the same things that I did, and he was fine), but unfortunately it further spoiled my overall impression of the place. The food was good, but I don't think we'll be back.

Habana Blues Tapas Restaurant
148 E. Market St.; New Albany, IN
Price tag: $$

My rating: 2 stars
Tom's rating: 3 stars
Combined rating: 2.5 out of 5

Southwest Fare Sizzles at NuLu's Taco Punk

As I said in my last post, Esther and I like to try new restaurants, especially when aided and abetted by the fine folks at Groupon. When a place has some healthy options, so much the better. We managed to check off all three with our Friday night visit to the NuLu eatery Taco Punk.

NuLu is an emerging neighborhood between St. Matthews and Downtown, with a good bit of overlap with the latter. Taco Punk is located on Market Street, in a storefront that looks like it might date back to the early 1900's or before. This particular location used to be occupied by Toast, an excellent breakfast spot that has since moved further up Market. Back when it was Toast, I got the impression that the building might have been a horse barn at one point, but that's little more than speculation. Either way, it's a cool area and a cool building.

As mentioned above, Esther and I went in with a Groupon hoping to get a healthy option. Taco Punk specializes in gourmet TexMex made with fresh ingredients. Feel free to check out their awesome menu. Tacos are custom-prepared in front of you, a la Qdoba or Moe's. We knew we were in for a good meal when, upon stepping up to the counter to order, the cook informed us we'd have to wait a few minutes for them to finish a fresh batch of tortillas!

Esther and I opted to split a platter-we each got a bar-beer-coa taco, loaded with shredded cabbage, cilantro, and pickled onions. Platters come with tri-color chips and salsa, and one side. We chose smashed, spiced sweet potatoes, and added a side of chili-spiced kale to use up the whole Groupon. Salsa is laid out on a self-serve bar, and includes mild and hot salsa roja, salsa verde, pineapple habanero, and something called the drain cleaner that we were both too chicken to try.

Everything tasted great; fresh, interesting flavors and good texture from the fresh corn tortillas. We were a bit disappointed by the sweet potatoes; we're both big fans of sweet potatoes, but we couldn't detect what exactly made them "spiced." The prices were a bit steep compared to your Qdoba or Bazo's fare: we split a platter and extra side for about $15 (no drinks) but we were in a mood to eat light (the Groupon made it less, of course). You could easily spend $20-30 here for a serious meal, and it'd be worth it; just don't come in thinking it's just like Moes and expect to pay those prices.

All in all, a quality meal, and highly recommended if you don't mind paying a bit extra for high quality southwestern fare.

Taco Punk
736 E. Market St.; Louisville, KY
Price tag: $$

My rating: 4 stars
Esther's rating: 4 stars
Combined rating: 4 out of 5

Post-Race Brunch

This morning I participated in the Great Commission 5K, which Southern Seminary puts on every year to raise money for missions. It was a cold, rainy morning: NOT my ideal circumstances for a run, though I guess it could've been worse. Afterward, I was REALLY in the mood for some good, hearty food.

Enter The Silver Dollar on Frankfort Avenue. Its real claim to fame is that it's one of the best whiskey bars in the US, but they recently started serving brunch on the weekends, so we decided to give it a go.

(Does this look at all like a photo from a CD insert? Maybe I'm overestimating the power of Instagram...)

The Silver Dollar has great atmosphere. It kinda reminds me of a honky-tonk. Not that I've ever been to a honky-tonk. But it looks and feels like honky-tonks I've seen in movies and stuff...There was an record player behind the bar, cranking out music from folks like Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash. And the building looks like it used to be a firehouse. Lots of exposed brick. Very cool.

The food at Silver Dollar is described as "American South meets Southern California": lots of Southern favorites with a Southwestern twist. Tom and I did our usual brunch custom of ordering one sweet dish and one savory dish and splitting them in half; Tom ordered cornmeal pancakes, and I ordered flank steak and eggs, and we also got a side of hashbrowns.

Before our food came out, our server brought three different kinds of sauce to the table--a Mexican hot sauce, a salsa verde, and a mild ancho chile sauce--all made in-house, which I think is pretty special. (Doh, it just now occurred to me that I should've asked if they sell them by the bottle, 'cause they were all pretty good.)

The flank steak had a nice coffee-and-spice rub and was served atop a roasted poblano sauce, and it came with two eggs, over-easy. The hashbrowns were the thinnest I've ever seen, and they tasted like they'd been cooked in an ancient cast-iron skillet (that's a good thing, by the way), though I thought they could've been cooked just a little longer. They went really well with that ancho chile sauce, though. The pancakes were enormous and really good. They were nice and crispy on the outside, thanks to the cornmeal, and soft on the inside, with a hint of sweetness; and they came with butter, maple syrup, and homemade blueberry jam. YUM.

My only real complaint was that I didn't feel like the prices for the steak or the hashbrowns really matched the amount of food we got; but everything was so good that I would definitely go back if someone else was footing the bill. Overall, I think it was a pretty good choice for a place to celebrate my 5K.

The Silver Dollar
1761 Frankfort Ave; Louisville, KY
Price tag: $$

My rating: 4 stars
Tom's rating: 4 stars
Combined rating: 4 out of 5

Happy Birthday, Honey!

Guess who had a birthday last week? This guy.

We just happened to have a Groupon for Vincenzo's, so that's where we went for Tom's birthday dinner. Actually, it was our second visit; the first time we went to Vincenzo's was on our anniversary last year (also with a Groupon), and they gave us free dessert!

Oh, where to begin with this place? They really put their best foot forward in every area: 1) Location: It's in the middle of downtown, in a building that used to be a bank. Inside, the decor is fresh and modern while still holding onto some traditional Italian themes. 2) Staff: Depending on when you go, you may get to meet Vincenzo himself! He was the one who greeted us when we first arrived, and he was friendly and welcoming. The staff is dressed in tuxedos, and everyone is so helpful. I think they probably assume that most people won't be able to pronounce anything on the menu, but they're not snobbish about it at all. Also, there are burner tables on wheels placed all over the restaurant, which enables them to bring out your food still in the pan and plate it right there in front of you, just as an extra special little touch. 3) Food: Oh, the food...

Everything we've had at Vincenzo's is packed with flavor. My favorite entree is the Filetto di Vitello al Madeira, which is veal medallions stuffed with pancetta and smoked Gouda and topped with a Madeira wine sauce. Amazing! Veal seems to be the specialty here; the menu features five different veal entrees, which is unheard of anywhere else. This time around, Tom got the Vitello Saltimbocca, which was veal scaloppine topped with prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, and a white wine sauce. I ordered the Involtini di Vitello Sinatra: veal scaloppine wrapped around spinach, pine nuts, and raisins, with a Barolo wine sauce. As you may have guessed by the name, this dish was named after Frank Sinatra, but not only was it named after him; it was custom-made for him. When Old Blue Eyes did his last show in Louisville back in the 80s, Chef Agostino created this dish based on ingredients picked out by Sinatra himself. How cool is that?! And to boot, it tasted incredible.

Save room for dessert if at all possible because Vincenzo's tiramisu is the best around, and the serving size is big enough for two people to share. If tiramisu isn't your thing, don't worry; you've got plenty of other options. My favorite non-tiramisu item is a white chocolate mousse that is creamy and delicious.

Expect to pay a lot here (entree prices start around $30), but know that you are getting your money's worth. Thank you, Vincenzo's, for helping make Tom's birthday a great one!

Vincenzo's Italian Restaurant
150 S. 5th Street; Louisville, KY
Price tag: $$$$

My rating: 5 stars
Tom's rating: 5 stars
Combined rating: an enthusiastic 5 out of 5

New Life

So...I think I'd forgotten that this blog even existed. That is, until I checked it this morning and discovered that I haven't posted anything since December 2010...yikes.

Tom and I certainly haven't stopped going to restaurants; in fact, we go out more now than we did when I was writing regularly, thanks to Groupons and such. We're still in Louisville, which is a great city for dining out. We've had some great culinary experiences here, and I hate the idea of not getting to share them just because the experience may not have been centered around a special occasion. But life is not just the special occasions, is it? Of course not; it's the day-to-day! So I hereby declare this blog to be a true chronicle of "a life in meals" from this day forward!

[insert breath of fresh air here]

With a new format comes a few new features: 1) There's now a tab near the top of the page, entitled "The List." There you'll find a fairly extensive list of Louisville restaurants, with star ratings for the ones we've actually tried and dates next to the places I've already written about. Call it a bucket list, of sorts. 2) Tom will be getting in on the action and writing some posts too!

As we work through the list, we'll post about either a new place we've just visited or an old place we haven't described yet. We both love to write, and we've both been wanting to do more of it, so we're killing two birds with one stone because this is also something fun we can do together!

I also should mention: If you live in or have visited the Louisville area and somehow stumbled across this blog, I would love to hear your suggestions for places that aren't currently on the list. We're always looking for new places to try!

And away we go!