LOUISVILLE — Ever since John Mariani, the noted food writer for Esquire magazine, anointed Louisville "one of the emerging food destinations in the U.S.," foodies — those who eat the cuisine and those who write about it — have flocked here. On a recent long weekend visit, I followed them, lemming-like, into Louisville's culinary waters.
Thursday
My first stop was Corbett's (5050 Norton Healthcare Boulevard, (502) 327-5058, www.corbettsrestaurant.com) for lunch. In the historical 1850 Von Allmen Mansion, it is visually stunning, outside (surrounded by century-old maple and magnolia trees) and inside (leather banquettes, 14-foot ceilings and a sweeping staircase).
Chef Dean Corbett is passionate about showcasing local produce, and he uses a Kentucky cheddar in his shrimp and grits, local blackberry jelly in his foie gras, and Kentucky Bibb lettuce in his artichoke salad. Try the bourbon-brined pork loin with sweet potato purée or lamb with a savory wild mushroom and blue cheese bread pudding.
I didn't think I could handle dinner, but that was before my friend told me we were going to Asiatique (1767 Bardstown Road, (502) 451-2749, www.asiatiquerestaurant.com).
Chef Peng Looi's inventive Pacific Rim dishes, such as lumpia — a Philippine version of a spring roll, combining the flavors of banana, chocolate, green tea, cardamom and caramel — are as unique as the building itself, which looks as if it could have been designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Asiatique advertises itself as a place where "palate meets palette." The vivid colors — lemony yellows, tangerine and raspberry — account for the palette, but it's the palate of flavors that keeps satisfied customers coming back.
Friday
If Salvadore Dali and Dolly Parton were to team up to open a restaurant, they might come up with Lynn's Paradise Café (984 Barrett Avenue, (502) 583-3447, www.lynnsparadisecafe.com).
If you aren't convinced by the 8-foot red coffeepot outside, wait until you get inside and see patrons lining up to get their pictures taken inside a giant fork and spoon while sporting clown noses. The morning I was there for breakfast, entries in the Kentucky State Fair's "ugly lamp" contest were on display.
The food, however, is serious: gargantuan "Popeye" omelets for breakfast; "Mom's meatloaf" with all the trimmings or catfish fried in a Cajun-spiced Weisenberger cornmeal breading for lunch; and the "Paradise hot Brown" or pecan chicken in Woodford Reserve mustard-maple cream sauce for dinner.
By lunchtime, I was still in a Lynn's-induced food coma, so when I got to Napa River Grill (1211 Herr Lane, (502) 423-5822, www.napariverlouisville.com), a casual spot focusing on Northern California cuisine fused with the flavors of the Pacific Rim, I could summon the strength to order only its well-known Caesar salad served in a bowl of Parmesan cheese.
It was delicious, but somehow I felt I had cheated the restaurant by not going for its big guns: the Napa River hot Brown, the classic five-layer lasagna, white cheddar pasta or short ribs on a bed of mushroom risotto.
Note to self: Come back to Napa River Grill when not under the influence of a Popeye omelet.
I had regained my appetite by dinner at Le Relais, a swank French bistro next to the tarmac at Bowman Field airport (2817 Taylorsville Road, (502) 451-9020, www.lerelaisrestaurant.com). It's a tough call as to which is the more impressive: the menu (steamed mussels, shallots and herbs in white wine, vichyssoise with baby peas and coquille St. Jacques, with a wine list featuring the best of Burgundy, Bordeaux and the Rhone), or the ambience (very film noir, with Art Deco touches).
Le Relais is the kind of place where patrons look as if they should be sucking the olives out of their martinis, and the wait staff should all look like Humphrey Bogart. If you can stand any more ambience, try dining on the outdoor deck and watching the planes take off and land.
Saturday
At Wild Eggs (1311 Herr Lane, (502) 618-2866, www.crackinwildeggs.com), I couldn't help but remember the adage that "breakfast is the most important meal of the day." If the line that extended out to the parking lot was any indication, Louisvillians agree.
The restaurant offers the usual fare: buttermilk biscuits and sausage gravy, and eggs anyway you want. There are also more adventurous alternatives: wild berry crepes with sweetened cream cheese, blackberry sorghum and cinnamon, or crispy waffles with caramel-coffee sauce, chocolate-dipped espresso beans and whipped cream.
I had barely finished breakfast before it was time for lunch at Lilly's (1147 Bardstown Road, (502) 451-0447, www.lillyslapeche.com). Chef Kathy Cary, a frequent fixture at New York's James Beard House, is a devotee of local produce, supplementing what she gets from purveyors with what she grows in her organic garden. Eating at Lilly's has been described as being like "eating in the dining room of a gentleman farmer."
Maybe, but I've never known any farmer who could whip up a roasted heirloom pumpkin soup topped with a fig quenelle, or seared scallops in mango-tarragon beurre blanc the way Cary does.
It was time for my "last supper," at 610 Magnolia (Magnolia Street between West Sixth and Seventh Streets, (502) 636-0738, www.610magnolia.com). You might think a restaurant called 610 Magnolia would be a cinch to find, but it is tucked in a building in an Old Louisville neighborhood with no signage. We circled the block a few times before we found it.
Inside, however, the scene was transformed into a movie set: wood beams, mullioned windows and French doors leading to a garden patio, and tables set with Frette linens and Riedel crystal.
Our four-course dinner began with barbecued scallops with lemon-citrus-chili sauce and cucumber-caraway relish, and it segued into grilled sorghum quail with roasted grapes and pumpkin seeds. The main course of rib-eye steak with a Parmesan-white bean ragout was followed by a parfait of strawberry, white chocolate and blueberry mousse.
Sunday
After about 22 hours of eating, I could see the finish line. But first, I had to muster one more burst of strength to tackle the buffet brunch at the Seelbach Hotel's Oak Room (500 Fourth Street, (502) 585-3200, www.seelbachhilton.com).
This is not as easy as it sounds when you are faced with a football field-size room lined with tables overflowing with salads; soups; breads; iced shrimp and crab; oysters on the half shell; eggs and omelets with all the accompaniments; fish, chicken, roast beef and lamb with all the trimmings; vegetables; cheeses; and desserts.
The Seelbach's brunch has been called Louisville's best, and as I prepared to dig into a slice of sinfully rich carrot cake, I had to agree.
