You may have noticed fall has snuck up on us again, and quite smoothly, it seems. Something about the angle of the sun and the colors of the leaves and the crisp air … well, it all seems tailor-made for eating. Maybe it’s that ancient instinct to fatten up for winter, or maybe it’s because it’s harvest time and there’s so many fall festivals. Or maybe it’s just because it’s really fun to eat.
At any rate, fall is a great time for the annual LEO Dining Guide. Reading over the list of restaurants is always a treat — you notice new names, recall old favorites, compile a list of places you’ve just got to get to this year and, of course, build a separate list of places you’ve never heard of but which sound terribly interesting.
But there’s more to our guide. LEO dining critic extraordinaire Robin Garr spent a whole shift following a server at Volare and reports that, yes, there is a lot more to the job than meets the eye. Robin also shares his lists of favorite fancy, cheap and ethnic eats. Elizabeth Kramer challenged five area chefs to create something edible from a list of funky ingredients like Cheez Whiz and persimmons. (I am happy to report they were good sports and took to the challenge like Rush Limbaugh to OxyContin.) And last but not yeast, I talk about the eating challenges faced by people who are gluten-intolerant.
Louisville is blessed with a bevy of high quality eateries, from low-brow to high-falutin’ and lots in between. We can’t encourage you enough to go out and taste what our metro area has to offer. And our list is a great tool for making those plans. —Cary Stemle
This article appears in October 17, 2006.