I’ve been on a bit of a blog hiatus lately, with everything else going on, it’s hard to find time to write! I do want to end the year on a delicious note though, so I came up with a list of my 20 favorite dishes to eat in Louisville (on the cheap too). Because sometimes it’s hard to know what to get from a new restaurant you’ve never been to. Some of these restaurants are not necessarily my favorites, but they do have that one dish that keeps me coming back.
- Koutign Amann | Blue Dog Cafe
Pronounced “Queen A mon”, this is a flaky pastry glazed with sugar, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. You can only get these on Fridays and Saturdays; they go fast so get here early in the morning.
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| Koutign Amann. Blue Dog Cafe |
- Char-grilled Oysters | Portage House
The oyster is smothered with butter, topped with chipotle seasoning then grilled. Squeeze a bit of lime on top and eat it with the buttered toast. It’s heaven on a shell.
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| Char-grilled Oysters. Portage House |
- Smoked Fish Taquitos | Guaca Mole Cocina Mexicana
Tiny tacos with a big taste inside. These tiny tacos is filled with crispy shallots, capers, pickled jalapenos, lettuce, and lemon oil.
- Chicken Wings | De’Ville’s Grille and Catering
I had the fried chicken from this elusive food truck only twice and have been craving these perfectly seasoned crispy wings ever since. (I'm hoping they are still around)
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| Fried Chicken Wings. De'Ville's Grille and Catering. |
- Woon Sen Pad Thai | Simply Thai
Sweet potato noodles that’s clear, chewy, savory and delicious. It makes the visit to this pricey establishment worth it. It tends to be on the sweet side, so ask for less sugar.
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| Vegetable Woon Sen Pad Thai. Simply Thai |
- Huu Tieu Kho | Café Thuy Van
Whenever I crave Vietnamese food, I head straight here. This dry rice noodles dish, topped with pork, quail eggs, shrimps and a hot broth on the side is my comfort food.
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| Huu Tieu Kho. Cafe Thuy Van |
- Sweet and Spicy Calamari | Mussel and Burger Bar
This calamari is beautifully executed, the fried calamari is fresh and goes perfect with the tomato sauce, black olive aioli, capers, and pickled Italian peppers.
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| Sweet and Spicy Calamari. Mussel and Burger Bar |
- New style Salmon Sashimi or Tuna Poke | Sapporo Japanese Grill and Sushi
Sometimes, the simpler the better. You can’t get simpler than these lightly seasoned fresh thinly sliced salmon. Equally delicious is the tuna poke, a Hawaiian raw fish salad that’s often served as an appetizer. A friend told me the salmon belly is her favorite, it is on my to eat list next.
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Tuna Poke. Sapporo
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| Salmon Sashimi. Sapporo |
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- Tripe Tacos | La Rosita
I’ve eaten at A LOT of tacos places, and honestly this is the best authentic taco joint in town. It’s in the back of a grocery store, their crunchy and delicious tripe taco ruined me for any other places.
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| Tripe and Beef Tacos. La Rosita |
- Sizzling Sticky Rice | Roots
It’s BBQ tofu and veggies goodness on top of soft sticky and crunchy rice. A delicious fusion of Vietnamese and Western food.
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| Sizzling Sticky Rice. Roots |
- Crispy Shiitake Mushrooms | Zen Garden Vegetarian Restaurant
The Shiitake mushrooms is sliced, battered and fried then sauté with an assortment of vegetables in slightly tangy thick sauce. If vegetarian food tastes like this all the time, I wouldn’t mind giving up meat!
- Kalbi Lunch | Koreanna II
My favorite here is Kalbi, savory Korean beef short ribs seasoned with a special ingredient, pear. Get it as part of a bento box for lunch, as an entrée for dinner or grill it yourself at the table. The banchan or Korean side dishes that come with the entrees are plentiful and generously replenished.
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| Kalbi Bento Box. Koreanna II |
- Pecan Shrimps | Oriental House
There are at least 20 different items here that are my favorite, but the pecan shrimps is on the top of the list. These plump shrimps are served on a bed of lettuce and crunchy roasted pecans. Slight sweet, the waiters nicknamed them the “cracked shrimps" for their addictive nature.
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| Pecan Shrimps (top left corner). Oriental House |
- Deluxe Burger | Lonnie’s Best Taste of Chicago
For only $4, you can’t beat the made-to-order, never greasy, and crispy around the edges burger at Lonnie’s. Get the deluxe burger as it comes with all the toppings. Everything from this nostalgia inducing Chicago style diner is cheap and delicious.
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| Deluxe Burger and Fries. Lonnie's |
- Ceviche/Tostadas de Cameron (shrimp) | La Riviera Maya
Ceviche is a popular South American seafood appetizer, the seafood is cooked/marinated in lime juice, seasoned with salt, mixed with chopped cilantro and sweet white onions. The shrimp ceviche here is the perfect combination of freshness and crunch. We always end up ordering an extra portion.
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| Tostadas de Cameron. La Riveria Maya |
- Kimbab | Choi’s Asian Food Market
Kimbab is a Korean roll, made with steamed rice, meat and/or vegetables and cut into bite sizes. My favorite in town is the grab-and-go beef kimbab at the counter of choi’s market for $4.99. Your other choices include, triangle, vegetable, cheese, avocado or tuna, prices range from $1.99 to $4.99.
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| Beef Kimbab. Choi's |
- Smoked BBQ Wings and Ribs| Shack in the Back
It’s worth the drive to Fairdale for a taste of the sweet and smoky wings and fall-of-the-bones ribs at Shack in the Back. The BBQ meat is well seasoned and so good you don’t need to slather it in sauce. I wasn’t a fan of BBQ ribs before, but they changed my mind.
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| Ribs and Sandwiches Platter. Shack in the Back BBQ |
- Udon Noodles | hiko-A-mon
When the weather gets cold outside, I dream of hiko-A-mon’s steaming bowl of udon noodles with tempura vegetables and shrimps. The light and flavorful broth, the soft udon and the crunchy tempura always satisfy my food cravings and warm my soul.
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| Udon Noodles. Hiko-a-mon |
- Potato Soup | Orange Clover Kitchen & More
The creamy, thick and garlicky potato soup at Orange Clover is worth the trip across the bridge, even with the toll in place. It’s a hearty and goes great with other delicious items on the menu.
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| Potato Soup. Orange Clover |
- BBQ Lamb Ribs | Hammerheads
I tend to avoid this popular dive because of the perpetually long waits, spotty service and cramp space. But the ribs keep making me wanting to come back.
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| BBQ Lamb Ribs. Hammerheads |
Here’s to a whole new year of delicious and cheap eats! Frank and I are working on a new food related project, so I hope you’ll check back.
