Noosh Nosh Is The Affordable, Yet Still Delicious Foil To Louisville's Anoosh Bistro

Here is the eternal question about dining out: Do we want to go someplace excellent but pricey, or shall we hit an eatery with great affordable fare?

Thanks to the wit and wisdom of Chef Anoosh Shariat, you can jump in the car and hold that decision until you swing into your parking place.

How’s that? Simple enough: Shariat runs two restaurants, right across the Brownsboro Center parking lot from each other. If your mood turned to fine dining, make your reservations and glide into his upscale Anoosh Bistro. If you want something tasty that will suit your wallet, stroll over to casual Noosh Nosh, where you can’t go wrong with a wide-ranging selection of affordable goodies for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

I’ll catch up with Anoosh Bistro soon, when my bank account recovers from the pandemic. But I’m ready for Noosh Nosh now. We dropped in a little before noon on a Saturday, hoping to beat the rush, and found a 15 minute wait and a happy, noisy crowd of supplicants in the small waiting area. By the time we were seated, the line was out the door. This place is popular, especially on weekends; it’s open daily except Mondays from 10 a.m. through the evening.

Don’t fret about the wait. Put in your name, and they’ll take your number, freeing you to check out nearby Brownsboro Hardware & Paint or the Party Mart wine-and-liquor shop until you get your call. Online ordering is also available for takeout or curbside pickup.

Noosh Nosh’s shopping-center space is large and bright, with colorful decor including walls covered with overlapping pizza peels in gold and bronze and pale and dark green. Dominating the open kitchen in the main dining room rises the red-tiled dome of an impressive wood-fired stone oven that turns out first-rate pizzas, flatbreads and more.

A swoosh of truffle oil on top adds a distinct truffle aroma to thick, rich creamy mushroom soup.

Specifically, two flatbreads and eight 10-inch pizzas are priced from $11 (for a cheese pizza) to $14 (for a BBQ chicken pie or an only-in-Louisville hot brown pizza). Mushroom or braised brisket flatbreads are $12.

But that’s only the beginning of an extensive and varied menu that covers world cuisines and includes ample vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. A dozen small plates for sharing range in price from $7 (for garlic fries) to $14 (for spicy tomato mussels). A breakfast menu (available Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.) includes nearly 20 items: Lots of egg options, french toast and oatmeal, even breakfast pizzas, topping out at $12 for several dishes including smoked salmon omelet, french toast foster and a couple of pizzas.

A half-dozen soups and salads are $6 to $14, and a dozen sandwiches and hearty plates range in price from $10 (for a grilled cheese sandwich) to $19 (for a steak burger or salmon al forno). A short, affordable wine list, a mix of commercial and craft beers and a variety of cocktails are the bar options.

We came hungry and ordered starters and mains and didn’t have much to complain about. A half-size caesar salad ($6; it’s $9 for a full plate) was well-made and delicious. Big, crisp squares of fresh iceberg lettuce, standing in for the traditional romaine, were generously dressed with a tangy, creamy caesar dressing. Croutons, likely fashioned from bread from the stone oven, were crisp and delicious.

Creamy mushroom soup ($8) would have been wonderful on a brisk winter day. It was mighty good under air conditioning on a sizzling summer day. A swoosh of truffle oil floating on top of the pale tan soup initially brought an almost overpowering truffle scent to the table, but it came into perspective when I stirred it in to the rich, creamy soup. Snipped parsley floating on top supported the succulent flavor combination of truffle, mushroom, crème fraîche and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Beef tenderloin skewers ($10) from the specials menu looked great but left us less than entirely satisfied. Three skewers each bore three two-bite bits of tenderloin that were tasty enough but were cooked almost well-done. That’s a sad thing to do — the cut loses its juicy tenderness, its pink interior turns dark brown. A drizzle of green, garlicky Argentine-style chimichurri and dabs of creamy and tangy tzatzki sauce added delightful cross-cultural flavor pops.

Skewered bits of tenderloin were tasty but cooked to near well-done, with potent Argentine-style chimichurri for flavor contrast.

Noosh Nosh’s take on the classic red, white and green margherita pizza ($12) departs a bit from tradition: It’s basically a white pie with melted, fresh mozzarella spread from edge to edge, with a few thin tomato slices mixed in and a small amount of snipped basil scattered on top. It was different, but still cheesy and appealing, with crust edges cooked dark and crisp from the wood-fired oven.

With strong, fresh iced tea, our lunch for two came to $38.16, plus a 20% tip.

Noosh Nosh
4816 Brownsboro Center
205-2888
nooshnosh.com

Top Story

15 Art Exhibits You Can See In Louisville This Month

Recent

Take A Photographic Ride Along The Monon Railroad With Upcoming New Albany Carnegie Center Exhibit

Keep Louisville Theater Weird: The Fringe Festival Returns Next Week

Louisville-born Filmmaker To Debut Horror Anthology Film, ‘8 Days To Hell,’ At Village 8 Theatres

The Fine Art Of Financing: 6 Opportunities For Louisville Artists To Get Seen, Funded

Top Story

Three Concerts To Catch In Louisville This Weekend

Recent

Stimulus Money Finally Rolls Into Indie, Louisville Music Venues, But Some Still Wait

My First Concert In Louisville Since COVID: An Anxious, Uproarious Experience With Prayer Line

Louisville Palace, Mercury Ballroom Announce First Performances Since The Pandemic

Plugged-in

Top Story

Churchill Downs Investing $76 Million Into Derby City Gaming Expansion, Hotel And More

Recent

Louisville Court Chaos Leaves Some Unaware They’re Missing Court Dates

LMPD, We’re Asking You Once Again, End Traffic Stops Now

Thorns And Roses: Kentuckian Takes Olympic Gold, What Happened To Ta’Neasha Chappell

The ‘Victoria’s Secret Karen’, Abigail Elphik, And The Stages Of White Tears

Top Story

New Restaurant, Big Bad Breakfast, To Take Over Former Lynn’s Paradise Café Location

Recent

Louisville’s Faces Bistro Settles On Menu — And Into Our Hearts

Noosh Nosh Is The Affordable, Yet Still Delicious Foil To Louisville’s Anoosh Bistro

Green District Salad Chain Sets Highlands Opening Date

A Happy Return To El Mariachi, A Favorite Taqueria

Top Story

Wizard of Oz

Recent

Terrapin Flyer

Sundance Short Film Tour

Summer SLAYcation

‘You Got Your Secret On’

Noosh Nosh Is The Affordable, Yet Still Delicious Foil To Louisville’s Anoosh Bistro

Advertisement

Comments

Publishing Louisville's arts and entertainment news, community-focused stories, and colorful local commentary since 1990.