Bourbon Barrel Foods and Loop 22

Our F5 Recap from Friday:

Unique Bourbon Gifts at Bourbon Barrel Foods

Delicious free appetizers and other organic freebies at Bourbon Barrel Foods.  It’s a cute place with lots of Bourbon infused food products, ranging from salt, to jam, sugar, etc. The price tag definitely reflects is cutesie local origin, meaning pricey!  BBF also uniquely brew their own soy sauce (I'm not sure I trust non-Asian with my soy sauce, but I'm open to be convinced!).  It's a good place for interesting gifts reflecting Kentucky's Bourbon industry, that's not Bourbon (the drink) related.  There's an event space with bar and you can also take a tour of the microbrewery.

 

 

 
Loop 22 Review, the short version:

Service: 5 stars. Our server was attentive and helpful and checked on us regularly.  All the staff friendly and welcoming.

Ambience: 2 stars.  The front was filled so we felt like step children as the hostess ushered us in the back.  It’s clean and spacious but the space seems to be added on as an afterthought, forgotten and away from the festivity of the front.  The place reeks of sewage throughout.  So not really a great place to try to impress your date.

Food: 3 stars.  I’m still not sure how I feel about the food.  It’s inventive, tastes fine, but doesn’t have the wow factor that will keep me coming back. The dishes are pricey, main dishes ($15-$28), unless you do sandwiches ($10-$13) or small plates/appetizers ($6-$13).  I enjoyed the brussell sprout salad, slightly grilled and crunchy.  The biscuit for the ham slider was a bit doughy and dried, making my experience less enjoyable.  I tasted my friend's bbq duck's sandwich, which has a strong duck smell, so a turn off for me. I’m willing to give it another try because the food has potential.  But my first visit was definitely a miss.