Still the Best Sushi in Louisville (Sapporo)

Food art... One feels helpless but be mesmerize by the beauty of good sushi.  It may be the iridescent nature of the ingredients or the ethereal disposition of the combination... regardless, there is just a pleasantness that is innately part of refined sushi. After all the aw, you eat it and the flavors open up the various thresholds of your tongue. And that is sushi...

Sashimi and Sushi Combo

But just like exceptional art, there is a price to pay for something so delicate in essence...  Well, generally it is that way.  Sapporo may be one of the few exceptions for the beggar who wants to be a chooser as well. Sapporo offers a sushi happy hour daily (Sun-Sun) from 5-6:30 P.M. I also recommend the Sapporo at Bardstown Rd. rather than the sister location on 4th St. Sapporo's sushi happy hour consist of

$1

Hot Sake

Edamame

Sunday Morning and California Roll

$3

Sunday Morning Roll

Vegetable Tempura

Goyza (Pan Fried Dumpling)

California Roll

Sapporo Beer

No Name Roll (VIP Roll with Shrimp) and yes, those are flames

New Orleans Roll

$6

New Orleans Roll (Spicy Crawfish)

Big Mouth Roll (Crab and cooked Spicy Tuna)

Yum Yum Roll 

Philadelphia Roll

Tuna Tataki

$10

Tuna Tataki

VIP Roll (Crab inside Salmon on top)

Play Boy Roll

I've been here numerous times and some weeks three to four times a week... Sapporo, like Wild Ginger offers a club like environment that seems filled with excitement but yet allows one to carry a private conversation. Food wise, I generally get Edamame, Vegatable Tempura, California Roll, New Orleans Roll/Big Mouth Roll, a Tana Tataki, and a VIP Roll. You just have to try it out for yourself. 

Rating
Food: 9.5/10
Ambiance: 8.5/10
Service: 8.5/10
Overall: 9.5/10

Recommendations Can be a Two Edge Sword (Meridian Cafe)

I'll start to say that breakfast has never been my meal... It might be the fact that I was raised Vietnamese (and Asian in general)... well, in terms of the dining aspect (As dining consisted of mom's cooking - we were too indigent to ever eat out and my parent's palette [with regards to the culinary arts] was limited to the Vietnamese/Chinese realm... when we were fortuitous enough to dine at a restaurant, my mother didn't deviate far from her roots)  In Vietnamese cuisine, breakfast was generally not in the vocabulary (figuratively) or it mainly consisted of Pho.  So... I grew up without the notion of breakfast and it stuck.

American breakfast (at least the type that instantly illuminates the plebeian mind) is rather on the fattening side (sausage, bacon, grilled eggs, biscuit and gravy, hash brown... ) All of which seems to be instrumental in inducing the common heart attack.  I believe the familiar breakfast was appropriate during the inception of America society... as the respective farmers and proletariat burnt every ounce of that fat during the arduous day's work.  Our general technological era is less labor intensive.  Enough of my digression...

Meridian Cafe was a stand alone house a corollary to the icon used to represent the restaurant.  The house was well irradiated with luminous sunshine as most of the walls were accompanied with windows.  The interior walls were adorned with small paintings with various mismatch chairs for the tables but seem to foster a quaint cloister of a restaurant.  A cool and bright ambiance; well suited for the breakfast/brunch service.  Meridian cafe doesn't serve dinner, if it did... the decor may be a bit on the blithe side...

I perused the menu for a little bit before seeking opinion from the waitress of the best that Meridian Cafe had to offer (in terms of Breakfast that is, they also had the brunch menu selections)... She was upbeat with her reply of French Toast and Hash... So I got the Nikkie's Way French Toast and Mr. Brown's Hash with Balsamic Mustard Roasted Tomato and a Green Tea. 

I'll start with the good | Nikkie's way French Toast.  I'll say... I like french toast, but was never really enamored with them... well, until today.  Meridian's cafe's french toast is a little thicker than the average but still maintained the fluffiness on the inside with the ideal manner of crunchiness on the exterior... The French Toast was garnished with broken bacon pieces and goat cheese.  But what made it so good was the agave nectar (the replacement for syrup)... it was just sweet enough but yet airy in nature that didn't over power the French Toast - combine that with the saltiness of the bacon/goat cheese, it just felt perfect.  I could come back just for the French Toast.  

My other dish | Mr. Brown's Hash.  Being that it was named Hash... I thought it was more like a hash brown... but it wasn't anything like it.  The dish description was "Thinly sliced pastrami, pan fried red potatoes, onions, tomatoes, Swiss cheese, with spicy brown mustard served on the side"... I think the dish really should be called pan fried RED POTATOES and others... The potato tasted good... but that made up 90% of the plate... there were "sprinkle" of cheese and pastrami (which really tasted like beef brisket that's been cooked in a crook pot - there wasn't really the flavor of pastrami) and I had to search to find it in the dish.  The seasoning tasted good... I ate what I could minus most of the potatoes... the plate still appear full I was disappointed. 

Rating
Food: 7.5/10 (8.5|French Toast, 6|Hash)
Ambiance: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Overall: 7.5/10

I'd be back, at least for the French Toast if nothing else.  

Vengeance at a Bucolic Place in the Heart of the City (Harvest)

“Now that’s what hot and juicy ought to taste like.” ~ Mr. Peters

(If you just want to read about Harvest, go down to ‘Harvest was our lunch destination.’)

Annually, I wager two bets with Mr. Nathaniel Peters II (Mr. Peters).  This year, I’ve had the fortune of winning both and an additional wager in the Sugar Bowl.  Let me back track and afford a little bit of information… Mr. Peters is a Lexington Academy University of Kentucky graduate (PhD) and advent fan (one of the more reasonable and logical UK fans I know, honestly).  I, on the other hand, am a University of Louisville graduate and self-proclaimed die‑heart Cardinal fan… that traditional city verses state rivalry. 

In previous years, I have had my share of epic failures… We got Kragtized at the beginning of the sport year then John Calipari’s genetically altered freshmen kicked our behinds a second time somewhere around New Year Day… Then there was that game in the Big Easy where the sense of melancholy descended into my soul as we failed to slay that evil in the Final Four last year… which I had the misfortune to witnessed firsthand.  This year however, we rose from the ashes to exact revenge. 

The wager was simple… We bet who would win the game, no spread, just pure jubilation of winning and bragging rights...  The victim had to bow in obeisance for the remainder of the year pay for lunch (a restaurant that has less than four locations in the city…) and the anguish of having to flaunt an item of the opposing team; of course, chosen by the victor… Just as a note, we made it a caveat that the chosen accouterments must be appropriate in nature… I must say, unique undergarments or cross dressing (especially exotic in nature) were banned, after all we were “gentlemen”.  Blue and white embroiled with a UK logo didn’t look particularly vogue on me… I felt like my lifeforce was slowly being leeched out me as I had to wear that shirt one year…

This year fostered a different story… The choose battlefield was the sugar bowl where Mr. Peters wanted to support the SEC against "undeserving" UL (Mr. Peters gave me the generous opening spread of16.5 pt)… Full disclosure, I thought he was going to win this one.  However, I think we all know the result by now.  Consequently, Mr. Peters graciously donned a UL flag on his car during his trip home; reveling in the pride of being a Cardinal. 

Harvest was our lunch destination.   

Harvest was first open in 2011 at the heart of downtown Louisville at 624 E. Market St. (right next to Toast, pretty solid breakfast place.)  As we walked into the door, the rustic (with a touch of modern) milieu hits you.  Wood was the defining theme with the wooden floor and wooden veneer covering most of the restaurant.  The table top itself were wooden… but what was unique about the table was the way it was not flawless... rather there was that patina glaze with natural wood edges that offered a provincial feel...  Like something that grandpa put together by hand.  The walls were more modern with photographs of some local farmers that provided 80 percent of the ingredients.  There were modern lights here and there… it was indeed a decent bit of designing to capture the essence of the two and integrate them together as Harvest had done.  One of the most noticeable features in the restaurant was the salient big circular map that showed the locations of where ingredients came from. Most were in the general vicinity, but it did reach as far as Glasgow, KY.  To the left of the map were pictures of the various farmers with a little description accompanying them. Just simply cool…

For our meal, I had the burger (chevre [goat cheese], lettuce, hog jowl bacon jam, pretzel bun) with a side of three cheese grits.  Mr. Peter had the smoked bbq chicken (blue gouda slaw, pretzel hoagie) with a side of spicy basil slaw. When I had sought the waitress for her recommendations, that’s what she pointed out… I was rather wary, as... well… I’m not a fan of grits or pretzel buns… but I trust her judgment as she was rather enthusiastic about the recommendation.  

When we got our food, Mr. Peter and I exchanged some of our food.  First bite, wow!  Man was that a good burger, I like burgers (especially W.W. Cousin’s which I think is the best in Louisville) but man this was up there if not even better than W.W. Cousin’s.  Mr. Peter was also enamored by the burger and summed it up with, “Now that’s what hot and juicy ought to taste like.”  The burger wasn't just juicy, it was so flavorful.  The slight sweetness of the pretzel bun complimented the saltiness of the burger so well.  The three cheese grit was also excellent.  Like I said, I wasn’t a grits fan, but I couldn’t stop myself from eating the whole thing!  Mr. Peter’s dish on the other hand was good but not too special…

Rating
Food: 9.5/10 (my dish)
Ambiance: 8.5/10
Service: 9/10
Overall: 9/10

I had notice that there was a “The French Laundry Inspired Dish” book on the counter.  I think it had a touch of it in my burger…

Just Fish and a Little History (Cunningham's)

Below is a piece written by http://www.epinions.com about Cunningham's... I though they expressed it well... I don't know the history of it well enough to write about it... On to the food... I simply love the fried fish at Cunningham's.  I don't think calling it fish justify... It is more like eating a fish steak.  If you love a thick cut, this is the place to be.  The fish itself has a juiciness that is just right.  You just have to try it out yourself one day...

Rating
Food: 7.5/10 (Fish, 9/10)
Ambiance: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Overall: 7.5/10

"In 1870, five years before the first Kentucky Derby was run at Churchill Downs, a combination delicatessen and Livery Stable opened at the corner of Fifth and Breckenridge Streets. For the next thirty years the restaurant's proximity to city hall, the courts, downtown businesses, and Churchill Downs, plus good food and a place to stable your horse while you ate, kept business thriving.

After the automobile made its debut, Cunningham's became more popular and the small rooms upstairs were let to a Miss Polly and her sisters who ran a rooming house, which was in fact a very popular Brothel. In 1922 Cap Cunningham, a local entrepreneur, bought the delicatessen and evicted Miss Polly and her sisters. Cap re-named the restaurant Cunningham's Delicatessen and offered the folks of Louisville an expansive menu of reasonably priced comfort food, classic ambiance, and convenience.

Prohibition was cutting into profits pretty badly, so Cap started selling soft drinks to his customers to boost business. The ploy worked very well until a Federal Agent stopped in for a soft drink and discovered the reason Cap's customers were so loyal, the soft drinks weren't soft, in fact they were pretty hard. The Federal Government closed Cap's business down.

The restaurant re-opened quickly, and once prohibition ended prospered. Cap, ever the entrepreneur, converted the stable area into small private dinning rooms and re-modeled the former blacksmith shop into what is still today, the main bar room. During the thirties the restaurant and bar were one of the focal points of Louisville politics and business. City leaders, local businessmen, and lovers used the small private dinning rooms to make deals, conduct business, and engage in illicit romances, Cap's waiters were known for their discretion.

By the early forties Cap had converted the delicatessen into Louisville's first drive in, complete with waiter service. Because of the large parking lot, and the restaurants location close to downtown, the drive in was a huge success. Cap continued to manage Cunningham's until the late sixties, when he retired and sold the restaurant to a group of local investors. The new owners (and several others after them) wisely changed nothing.

Cunningham's today is much like it was 130 years ago, there is still a sign in the bar room that says, This bar for men only, the walls are covered with paintings and photographs of Derby winners, Jockeys, local politicians, baseball players, and Kentucky movers and shakers. Newspaper clippings of prominent local events (like the prohibition shut down of Cunningham's and the 1937 flood) are displayed along with some of Caps early menus. The small private dinning rooms are filled each day with deal makers, business meetings, and romantic assignations. The friendly staff handle the large volume daily lunch business, efficiently taking and filling orders, for the many hungry office workers who flood the restaurant every day at noon. Most of the to go orders leave in large grocery style brown paper bags.

Cunningham's is best known for their Corned Beef and Cabbage, classic white bean soup (the very best in Louisville), the fish sandwich on rye, Turtle soup, hot roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy, and fried chicken. Portions are large and the prices are quite reasonable.

Historical Note

In July of 2001 Cunningham's Delicatessen was heavily damaged by fire. Many of the historic photographs, drawings, and paintings were saved. The original building at Fifth St. & Breckenridge has been torn down.

Due to the combined efforts of many local folks Cunningham;s re-opened in March 2003. The new restaurant's dark wood paneled interior is hung with some of the historic photographs that were saved from the fire at the original location. The new Cunningham's tries very hard to duplicate the ambience and atmosphere of the original with a menu that features old favorites like White Bean Soup, Corned Beef and Cabbage, and the classic Fish sandwich on rye. There are still private dining rooms available.

Cunningham's new location is at 630 South Fourth Street, just across from another Louisville landmark, the Palace Theater"

Two Rolls isn't Enough to Judge (Dragon King's Daughter Revised)

"When you injury my appetite, it hurts just a little bit more."

Sashimi Flatbread

My friends and I ventured back to Dragon King's Daughter (DKD) during the sushi happy hour (10-12).  I had two decent rolls the last time I dined there (DKD and Dipity rolls) and was thinking that this upcoming meal would be comparable.  The five of us (Bach, Tommy, Phi, and Quy) were ready to eat... especially Bach, Tommy and Quy.  We ordered a decent amount... Green Tea, edamame, Sashimi Flat Bread, Sashimi Salad, and just 8 rolls (DKD, Dipity, Caleb Don't Hurt Em, Shrimp Tempura, There Went Drew, The Indulgent, The Patsy Stone Roll and The Kraken Attack), Asian BBQ Beef Taco, and a Tuna Tataki Taco.  Also, Quy had a Lemongrass Meso Soup.

We knew this was going to be a long night when we attempted to mix the wasabi with the soysauce... the wasabi simply refused to dissolve... Only two or three rolls tasted good... the rest were okay to sad... the Sashimi Flatbread was pretty good... except I question the quality of the sashimi...  Overall... I'm too tired to even write more about it...Chance of coming back... Low, unless I really want eel.


Rating
Food: 6/10
Ambiance: 6/10
Service: 6/10
Overall: 5/10

I Just Can't Eat as Much as I Used too... Does That Mean I'm Getting Skinnier? (Jasmine Chinese Cuisine)

"If you want to know if the food is authentic, pay attention to who is dinning there... "  Most of my Asian friends love this place.

Crispy Tofu with Meat Sauce

I was a habitué of Jasmine... At times, we (friends, significant others, co-worker, bosses, teachers, people I may have never met) went to Jasmine weekly and more often than not 2-3 three times a week.  When I first went there, it was a hole in the wall (it has expanded quite a bit).  There was a grand total of five-six tables and much of the time, we would take up three of them (10+ people in our party).  Going there often wouldn't be too abnormal... it's just... we lived like 25 minutes from it, almost an hour round trip for a meal... and it was worth is almost ever time (every one is entitled to some bad days, even a chef)...  Jasmine is located where Shelbyville Road meet I-265 (Middletown Area). 

Spicy Chicken Chunk

You might wonder what makes Jasmine so special?  Louisville has a plethora of Chinese Restaurants... However, there is a fallacy many people haven't quite understand yet... The majority of Chinese Restaurants in Louisville don't serve authentic Chinese food... Authentic as in, you will find it a common stable in the respective native country.  Common known dishes such as Sweet and Sour Chicken (random thought... the sauce is made of ketchup and sugar...), General Tso's Chicken, Mongolian Beef, and most of the dishes on the Chinese menu did not originate in China.  Many people call these "fusion" food, as they took some ideas of Chinese dishes and Americanized them.  That doesn't imply that it isn't tasty, it just means that those dishes would occupy the various denizen kitchens... (Similarity exist for Mexican and Japanese Restaurants...)

Cold Sesame Noodle

Do be careful when you go to an authentic Chinese Restaurant, ask for the Chinese menu... as they have a tendency to just give you the American menu.  When I dine at a authentic Chinese Restaurant, they give me the Chinese Menu (and start speaking Chinese to me from time to time... I just stare blankly and nod for a little bit until they realize I don't know a lick of what they are saying...).   

Authentic Chinese food are based on the regions (Hunan, Schezuan, Mandarin (Beijing or Peking), some might throw in Taiwanese and Cantonese).  In Louisville, there are five authentic Chinese restaurants (That I'm aware of that is...):  Oriental House (Cantonese), Tea Station (Taiwanese - I think... never actually eaten there), Peking City Bistro (Taiwanese), Jade Palace (Catonese), Jasmine (Schezuan). Oriental House and Jade Palace also serve Dim Sum (One day I'll write about this... I'll really enjoy writing about it.  A delicacy.)

I had a standard meal that I liked at Jasmine... We (Jeni Rogers and I) started with Cold Sesame Noodle... I must say, I'm not too fond of cold dishes but Cold Sesame Noodle is one of those rare ones.  It consist of Lo Mein Noodle (egg and flour), sesame oil, peanut butter, scallion, ginger, rice/white wine vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar.  We followed that with three entrees:  Crispy Tofu, Spicy Chicken Chunk and a Beef  Brisket Soup Pot.  Crispy Tofu is lightly breaded tofu, fried and dipped into a meat sauce.  You can't find tofu anywhere else like this.  Spicy Chicken Chunk is chicken that is chopped into bite size pieces (I think they marinate it beforehand), deep fry, then stir fried with dry Thai Chilli Peppers.

Beef Brisket Hot Pot

Then there is the Soup Pot... More commonly known as Hot pots... Americans may relate to fondue (The Melting Pot Restaurant)... It seems that all Asian cuisines (Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai & many others) seem to have a Hot Pot.  During the winter or when the cold air seems to bind your body and slowly seep into your bones... the moment where your clothing begins to feel tenuous is the ideal time for a hot pot.

The unique part about hot pots is that one gets to cook the food as you go and eat as you please.  Hot pots consist of a pot with a unique type of broth (This varies based on the style: herbal hotpot, Numb and Spicy Hotpot, Vietnamese Canh Chua hotpot, Japanese Sukiyaki or Shabu Shabu, Thai Suki, Korean Jjigae Chongol) over a cooker and raw ingredients ready for to be dipped and cook.  Ingredients varies... Some common ones are beef, shrimps and other seafood, leaf vegetables, mushrooms, noodles... almost anything you desire.  With a group of friends, the fun is immense.

Our particular hotpot was precooked so we didn't get the pleasure of playing with our food.  However, it was still exceptionally delicious... beef brisket, tofu, Chinese black mushroom, cilantro, clear noodle (bean thread noodle), thai chilli pepper, garlic, mushroom, black muer (cloud ear mushroom), and others ingredients that I don't know.

I used to be able to finish almost the whole meal with very little leftovers (of course with the assistance of company)... This time, I didn't quite finish... lots for lunch/dinner the next day.

"It isn't what you do, it's the company with which you share." ~ Quy Vo...

I don't know where to start about the wonderful company... but good food never hurt.  Oh yeah... we started the meal by drinking Jasmine Tea. 

Rating
Food: 9.5/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Overall: 9.5/10

The rating is biased of course, because I simply love eating at Jasmine.

A Little Bit of New Orlean in Louisville (The Fish House and... Mike Liggin's)

Fish... at times, I think Louisville is known for its fish sandwich more than any other food.  The history of fried fish in Louisville is salient.  Cunningham's, Mike Liggin's, The Fishery, Hill Street Fish Fry, Kingfish, Mitchell's Fish Market, and Seafood Connection... just to name a few.  I've been to all of the above minus Mitchell's Fish Market and must say, Cunningham's has the best fish sandwich in my mind. 

The previous night (Thursday January 30, 2013), I had been at Mike Liggin's... a places that I've been told by many people to have a solid fish sandwich... It may have been the day... as it was rainy... or that it was rather late at night... I decided to have a "seafood order" (comprehensive spectrum of fried seafood), which consisted of 2 White Fish pieces, 4 scallops, 1 frog leg, 1 shrimp, 4 fish nuggets, 1 fried Oyster, 1 piece of salmon, 1 crab cake, 4 spicy fish nuggets, and 2 hush puppies.  Does that sound like a lot of food?  Well... it gets worst.  They decided to feed me a little extra that day.  How? The doubled of everything in the order.  I think I almost died eating that day. 

The fish was good and the hush-puppies were excellent but everything else was too dry or too mundane.  I left very disappointed.

Rating
Food: 6.5/10
Ambiance: 7.5/10
Service: 7.5/10
Overall: 7/10

The following day, I told my boss (one infamous Shelton Poole) about my experience at Mike Liggin's.  Shelton (one of the people who recommended Mike Liggin's) decided to say, "They don't make food like the old days.  I haven't been there in years... Have you tried The Fish House?"  You see... this is my problem.  People bring up food and I can't keep it off my mind.  Shelton later went by my desk and mentioned that the place also served beignets.  Beignets?  In Louisville?  My mind was salivating.

As I walked on the restaurant I felt a rather timorous as well... it was definitely a hole in the wall place.  The menu was divided into The Fish House and Cafe Beignet.  Cafe Beignet was only open on the weekend... I felt disappointed not to get a beignet this trip.  I asked about the scrod sandwich and the catfish sandwich... inquiring which one was better.  The server said, "We sale scrod the most, but if you like catfish, we have a really good catfish sandwich."  I decided to take the catfish and added onion rings.  I went to get some jalapeno tartar sauce... wow, was that good!  The catfish itself had corn breading and man was it juicy.  One good sandwich.  The union rings... At times, I'm weary of buying onion rings as most place doesn't make onion rings special... and they can be rather expensive, sometime $5 which simply isn't worth it.  The onion rings here was only $2.50 so I decided to give it a try.  The onion rings were lightly breaded just right and the onions had some juice to it.  One of the better onion rings I've had in recent days.

I was sitting with a gentleman from Louisiana who was at the restaurant.  He was waiting for his to-go order.  I asked what he got and he replied, "Some beignets."  What?!  They serve it today?  I asked and subsequently order some for myself to-go.  Since the catfish sandwich was so good, I "had" to get the scrod also.  The scrod was just as good as the catfish.  Now the beignet... I hadn't had one since I was down in New Orleans for the Final Four at Cafe Beignet and Cafe Du Monde and were they good.  Let me say... beinet is a french pastry made from deep fried choux paste (butter, water, flour, and egg) with confectioner's sugar on top.  I took my first bite and it was truely a delight.  It felt just like New Orlean's... the bread was slightly warm, which complemented the snow that was falling outside.  The powered sugar made it just sweet enough where the bread wasn't over overpowered.  

Rating
Food: 8.5/10
Ambiance: 7/10
Service: 7/10
Overall: 8.5/10

I'll definitely be back for this one day.  Dinning at Cafe Beignet... a taste of New Orleans right here in Louisville.