So let's be real; Louisville has a pretty amazing food scene. It seems that not too many people outside the area seem to know this. I managed to get into three that pretty well knocked my socks off. Each offered a pretty expansive bourbon list because I mean, it is Louisville but, that is where the similarities ended.
Doc Crow's - This is a smokehouse and raw bar rolled into one. We got lucky enough to sit in view of the kitchen so for me, it was dinner and a show. Let me tell you that they did not disappoint. The sous chef running the line was quick, concise and never let food sit for more than a few seconds before he was pulling, setting up and sending it out with a runner. This man was serious about the delivery and quality of the food. Twice I watched him pull dishes and have them redone for minor details that the average chef would have overlooked on such a busy Saturday night (the house was packed as there was a Chris Stapleton concert at the KFC Center). We started with half a dozen oysters and a half-pound of peel and eat shrimp. I admit that we tucked in right away so no pictures (sorry y'all). My daughter, who is not an oyster fan actually ate two because they were just that good! From there we all migrated into our individual preferences, her with a vegetarian stuffed potato, my husband had an oyster po'boy with fresh lettuce and remoulade drizzled over the top and I tucked into my fried fish with jalapeno hush puppies and pickled vegetables. Did I mention everything had a spicy spin on it? The shrimp were dressed scrumptiously in Cajun spices and the remoulade that accompanied mine and my hubby's dish had that perfect zing. What took my breath away though were those pickled vegetables. They made me weep! My hubby got excited because if it's too spicy for me it is all his and he thought he found the key to heaven in those pickled veggies.
Now we could not go into Doc Crow's on Whiskey Row and not have whiskey. That would just be outrageous! We each chose a whiskey off the exclusive private selection list. He had the Barrel 921 and I had the Elijah Craig Small Batch 2017: Xenium. I fully admit that I preferred his as the spice and mouthfeel were way better than the Xenium.
Mussels & Burger Bar - So after depositing my loves at the airport I decided to grab lunch here on a whim. I was not disappointed. The staff were friendly, know their menus and are not afraid to tell you what they do or do not like. I ordered an appetizer of beef sliders and the wedge salad (no bacon). The wedge salad is a meal unto itself! The chefs are generous beyond imagination. You get an entire half of an iceberg head and it is dressed with red peppers, corn, avocado, blue cheese, and a jalapeno avocado dressing. I could NOT stop eating it. I finally gave up on my sliders and just added the meat and toppings onto my wedge salad. I ordered an old fashioned with Bardstown Bourbon Co Fusion. It was a good choice and softened the drink to pair nicely with my meal.
Whiskey Dry - Hands down my favorite place to tuck in so far! This restaurant is run by Chef Ed Lee. The place is spacious, sparsely yet playfully decorated and the bar, my gosh the bar, it is huge! It runs the length floor to ceiling and wall to wall of one side of the restaurant. As it was a slow time I sat at the bar and took my time selecting my options. The menu had me jaw-dropping then laughing because their recommendations and cocktail names are so much fun to read. I settled on the coffee & donut cocktail (I could have drunk this all afternoon). It was sweet, bitter, and spicy all rolled into one. It is like waking up on Saturday morning and going to the local donut shop in your pajamas. It is that kind of kid fun that you just giggle staring at it as your brain tries to work out what it is seeing and where to start. Yea, it's like that!
Now about that bar, if you are looking for a specific whiskey, there is a high probability they have it unless of course you are looking for Pappy's or say, a Kilbeggan then you would be out of luck. Now on to that food, and I mean food (there are no small portions in this town I came to realize). I ordered the Big Ed Cheeseburger and was overjoyed to see that I could sub out the beef for the Impossible beef (yes!). What I failed to read, only to learn after I got a mouthful is that everything here comes with heat. I am guessing that is Ed's Korean side kicking in but, I am not complaining y'all cause it was drooling good. And big. I could not even get my mouth around the entire thing. It is two patties with a slice of fried green tomato sandwiched in between plus pickles, plus lettuce and perfectly gooey cheese. I subbed out my fries for chicken fried onion rings. Those things were a meal in themselves because they are thick cut and perfectly battered. I confess I overate and still could not finish it all.
My biggest disappointment is that I only had the time and space in my tummy to eat at three places as there are just so many that I could not get to. I saw Guy Fieri's Smokehouse, there was Proof on Main, Merle's Whiskey Kitchen, Against the Grain Brewery, Falls City Market, and I could go on and on but let's just say that if you are a foodie and have a few days to spare; go to Louisville. You will not be disappointed.
Doc Crow's -
Mussels and Burger Bar downtown -
Whiskey Dry -
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