I stopped by Café Meridian for a quick lunch last week, and I have to say, it’s a quirky, fun little place. Located at 112 Meridian Avenue in St. Matthews, Café Meridian resides in a two-story house, and although it’s small, I didn’t think it was overcrowded. There was ample space between tables for customers and servers to navigate through without knocking into each other. This is a big plus with me, as I’m of the “that’s your dance space and this is mine” variety. Everything in the place is mismatched. Seriously. Mismatched tables and chairs, even the salt and pepper shakers for the most part. The décor is sort of like Lynn’s Paradise Café but without the wacky, kooky, acid-trippy element.
As I entered, I was invited by a busy but cheerful server to have a seat anywhere. The same server showed up just a few moments later to take my drink order. Hmm, what will it be? Water. I took a few moments to look over the entire menu, which even though it contained mostly sandwiches, had quite a variety. There are plenty of selections for the herbivore and the carnivore. Incidentally, Café Meridian serves breakfast and lunch. Ok, so after a pretty serious internal struggle over the Gourmet Grilled Cheese sandwich (three cheeses, bacon, avocado, and tomato on whole wheat) and the Greek Wrap (Bibb lettuce, Roma tomato, feta, cabbage, olives, and capers with sun-dried tomato vinaigrette on a spinach wrap), I chose the grilled cheese with a side of pasta salad (penne pasta, fresh veggies, in a basil- balsamic vinaigrette with feta cheese). Yes, I’m aware that’s a lot of cheese, but….it’s cheese.
It was crowded for lunch, and my sandwich took a little while, but I busied myself reading a copy of the LEO. My food arrived, and after the first couple of bites, I kind of felt like this was a grilled cheese sandwich I could have made at home. Maybe it was because I’d hoped for a little more of a smoky flavor from one of the cheeses, but I wasn’t too impressed. The pasta salad was fantastic though. It wasn’t drowning in vinaigrette like most pasta salads I’ve encountered. I finished up pretty quickly and asked for my bill, which came to $9.28. I left a 15% tip and was on my way. I enjoyed the atmosphere, and I’ll probably return sometime, but I’ll definitely order something else next time.
Cheers,
Fleur de Lunch
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Havana Rumba
I must admit, I have eaten at Havana Rumba before, so I was already a bit biased before sitting down for lunch. I love this place for dinner—the Vaca Frita is fantastic – but I’ve never had any sandwiches or other typical lunch staples, so I decided to give it a try.
Havana Rumba, located at 4115 Oechsli Avenue (If I say, “behind the old Sears building”, will that give away my age?), is one of a tiny handful of authentic Cuban restaurants in Louisville. I walked in for lunch on a weekday around 11:30 a.m., and the place was already pretty busy. I knew it was usually packed for dinner (they don’t take reservations, so be prepared to wait if you go because it is always jamming), but I took it as a good sign that it was this busy so early. I was seated by the hostess and only waited a few moments before a smiling server greeted me and asked for my drink order. Water, of course. Hey, I’m on a budget. I looked over the sandwiches menu because that’s what I came for, but my mouth literally watered as I glanced longingly at the dinner menu. Ok, so focus. There were seven sandwiches to choose from, and one was a vegetarian selection (kudos). I’ve heard from friends that the Cubano (roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard on hot pressed Cuban bread, served with sweet potato fries) is great, but I felt I should try something else. I chose the Havana Rumba (roasted pork, Spanish chorizo, Serrano ham, provolone cheese, hickory smoked ham, mustard, pickles and aioli, served on hot pressed Cuban bread with sweet potato fries. Gasp!). My server brought me a basket of bread with garlic butter after I placed my order, which I just stared at because I knew what was coming had to be gargantuan.
Then, it arrived. It was colossal, so what I spent on this meal actually fed me twice that week. After the first couple of bites, I really wished I had ordered a beer with it because all that meat just begged to be washed down with something a little more complementary than water, but I was being frugal. It was what I hoped it would be-- spicy, without overdoing it, and just the right amount of salt. The sweet potato fries were a nice side dish, but not the best I’ve had. They were a little overdone and dry. As a whole, I thought it was a good meal. Plus, I had leftovers to take home.
My total bill came to $10.07, and I added a 15% tip. I must say that I would still recommend the dinner experience at Havana Rumba over the lunch just because the atmosphere at night is much more festive. Next up, Café Meridian, so until then…
Cheers,
Fleur de Lunch
Havana Rumba, located at 4115 Oechsli Avenue (If I say, “behind the old Sears building”, will that give away my age?), is one of a tiny handful of authentic Cuban restaurants in Louisville. I walked in for lunch on a weekday around 11:30 a.m., and the place was already pretty busy. I knew it was usually packed for dinner (they don’t take reservations, so be prepared to wait if you go because it is always jamming), but I took it as a good sign that it was this busy so early. I was seated by the hostess and only waited a few moments before a smiling server greeted me and asked for my drink order. Water, of course. Hey, I’m on a budget. I looked over the sandwiches menu because that’s what I came for, but my mouth literally watered as I glanced longingly at the dinner menu. Ok, so focus. There were seven sandwiches to choose from, and one was a vegetarian selection (kudos). I’ve heard from friends that the Cubano (roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard on hot pressed Cuban bread, served with sweet potato fries) is great, but I felt I should try something else. I chose the Havana Rumba (roasted pork, Spanish chorizo, Serrano ham, provolone cheese, hickory smoked ham, mustard, pickles and aioli, served on hot pressed Cuban bread with sweet potato fries. Gasp!). My server brought me a basket of bread with garlic butter after I placed my order, which I just stared at because I knew what was coming had to be gargantuan.
Then, it arrived. It was colossal, so what I spent on this meal actually fed me twice that week. After the first couple of bites, I really wished I had ordered a beer with it because all that meat just begged to be washed down with something a little more complementary than water, but I was being frugal. It was what I hoped it would be-- spicy, without overdoing it, and just the right amount of salt. The sweet potato fries were a nice side dish, but not the best I’ve had. They were a little overdone and dry. As a whole, I thought it was a good meal. Plus, I had leftovers to take home.
My total bill came to $10.07, and I added a 15% tip. I must say that I would still recommend the dinner experience at Havana Rumba over the lunch just because the atmosphere at night is much more festive. Next up, Café Meridian, so until then…
Cheers,
Fleur de Lunch
Dragon King's Daughter
Ok, so after a bit of a hiatus due to dealing with two deaths in my family, I think it’s time to get back on track.
Several weeks ago, I visited Dragon King’s Daughter, located at 1126 Bardstown Road, for an early lunch. As I walked into the joint, I heard The Cure playing softly in the background, so I immediately felt optimistic about my dining experience. My server greeted me promptly, as I was the only customer in the place at 11:00 a.m. She told me the specials, and I dove into the menu, which is extensive and full of interesting dishes. How many sushi places around here do you know that serve Sashimi Pizza or Red Snapper Tempura Tacos? Wow. I noticed there were around 20 vegetarian selections to choose from as well. I’m a devoted carnivore, but I like the diversity.
The menu was very reasonably priced. The most expensive item was the White Tuna and Avocado Sashimi at $16, and everything else fell way below that price point. I started with a glass of water (hey, it’s lunch) and the Lemongrass Miso soup (white-miso paste, coconut milk, lemongrass, tofu, shiitake mushrooms, carrots and cilantro). It was both hot and sour with a good balance of all the ingredients. The broth wasn’t quite as thin as other miso soups I’ve had, which I liked. It wasn’t necessarily the best I’ve ever had, but I enjoyed it all the same. For my main attraction, I had The Indulgent (rolled sushi with spicy crab, cream cheese, and avocado, tempura fried). By the way, the seven pieces were HUGE! I could barely finish it, and I have a very healthy appetite. It was delicious. The crab was pretty spicy, but the cream cheese and avocado diffused it slightly, creating a nice balance. It was served with the typical smear of wasabi and pile of ginger. By the time I paid, there were only about five or six other people in the place, but it was lunch, and it was a weekday.
The Lemongrass Miso soup was $3, and The Indulgent was $7, so my total bill, including tax, was $10.60, and I was stuffed. Honestly, I should have taken some of it home instead of trying to finish the whole thing. Great service too, so I left a 15% tip, which as a server, I think is acceptable at lunchtime. Overall, I had a good experience, and I’d definitely go back.
Cheers,
Fleur de Lunch
Several weeks ago, I visited Dragon King’s Daughter, located at 1126 Bardstown Road, for an early lunch. As I walked into the joint, I heard The Cure playing softly in the background, so I immediately felt optimistic about my dining experience. My server greeted me promptly, as I was the only customer in the place at 11:00 a.m. She told me the specials, and I dove into the menu, which is extensive and full of interesting dishes. How many sushi places around here do you know that serve Sashimi Pizza or Red Snapper Tempura Tacos? Wow. I noticed there were around 20 vegetarian selections to choose from as well. I’m a devoted carnivore, but I like the diversity.
The menu was very reasonably priced. The most expensive item was the White Tuna and Avocado Sashimi at $16, and everything else fell way below that price point. I started with a glass of water (hey, it’s lunch) and the Lemongrass Miso soup (white-miso paste, coconut milk, lemongrass, tofu, shiitake mushrooms, carrots and cilantro). It was both hot and sour with a good balance of all the ingredients. The broth wasn’t quite as thin as other miso soups I’ve had, which I liked. It wasn’t necessarily the best I’ve ever had, but I enjoyed it all the same. For my main attraction, I had The Indulgent (rolled sushi with spicy crab, cream cheese, and avocado, tempura fried). By the way, the seven pieces were HUGE! I could barely finish it, and I have a very healthy appetite. It was delicious. The crab was pretty spicy, but the cream cheese and avocado diffused it slightly, creating a nice balance. It was served with the typical smear of wasabi and pile of ginger. By the time I paid, there were only about five or six other people in the place, but it was lunch, and it was a weekday.
The Lemongrass Miso soup was $3, and The Indulgent was $7, so my total bill, including tax, was $10.60, and I was stuffed. Honestly, I should have taken some of it home instead of trying to finish the whole thing. Great service too, so I left a 15% tip, which as a server, I think is acceptable at lunchtime. Overall, I had a good experience, and I’d definitely go back.
Cheers,
Fleur de Lunch
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