steve, Author at Steve Coomes

Bluegrass Brewing Co., Lexington Brewing and Distilling prepare to create collaborative brew

May 7, 2013 by steve Leave a Comment

Kentucky’s two largest brewers may be cooking up something special.

Louisville-based Bluegrass Brewing Company’s bottling operation and Lexington Brewing and Distilling Co. (LBDC), maker of Kentucky Ale and several other beers, have begun talks to produce a collaborative brew.

Currently, the product has been loosely dubbed the I-64 Corridor Collaboration: LBDC-BBC Limited Edition Collaboration Brew, though no official production timeline has been set.

While both breweries produce premium bourbon barrel-aged beers, there also is no indication barrel-aging will be used.

Opening tonight: Meat bartenders staffing Angel’s Envy Derby Week ‘pop-up bar’ on Main St.

May 7, 2013 by steve Leave a Comment

Angel’s Envy, a super-premium bourbon brand produced by Louisville Distilling Company, is bringing back its popular “pop-up bar” for Derby Week.

The bar will be staffed with bartenders from (the currently idled) craft cocktail lounge Meat, who have produced a one-off list of crazy-good drinks for the week.

The bar is located at 400 E. Main St., directly across from Slugger Field, and will open tonight at 4 p.m.

Restaurants shouldn’t price gouge during Derby Week, and customers should be patient

May 7, 2013 by steve Leave a Comment

You get what you give in this life, and during Derby Week, Louisvillians—whether they are restaurant owners or restaurant customers—need to give a little extra.

As the past has proven, some restaurants—usually they’re expensive places—jack up prices Thursday through Saturday.

Nice. That’s pure greed, plain and simple, because no matter how many out-of-town guests you feed, at least half the crowd bellying up to your tables is made up of locals who eat at your place the other 51 weeks of the year. It’s the classic killing of the goose to get the golden egg, and any restaurateurs who do this should be ashamed of themselves.

Chef shuffle: Curry new exec at Napa River, McCandless exits St. Charles Exchange, Hungerford leaves Coals

May 7, 2013 by steve Leave a Comment

So much for the Harlem Shuffle. The Louisville Chef Shuffle is underway in at least three restaurant kitchens.

• Curry running Napa kitchen: Two weeks ago, Brian Curry, a long-time sous chef atNapa River Grill, was appointed executive chef there. Under direction from its new owner, Junior Bridgeman, he and sous chef Seth Butkus have recently overhauled the restaurant’s dinner and lunch menus. (Skip down to read more details.)

• McCandless bids St. Chuck fair well: Patrick McCandless has left the executive chef’s spot at St. Charles Exchange for as of yet unknown reasons. Longtime sous chef Tyler Powell has been promoted to executive chef.

Derby City Roadhouse opening in City Café space in Mid City Mall

May 7, 2013 by steve Leave a Comment

A new restaurant called Derby City Roadhouse could open next week in this space formerly home to City Café on the Baxter Avenue side of Mid City mall, technically 1250 Bardstown Road.

Owner-operator Chris Harris, who also owns and runs the Southern Table Bar & Grill in Shelbyville, Ky., originally envisioned a more upscale restaurant in the space, but decided at the last minute to change his concept.

“I was originally going to do a wine bar with things like small plates and flatbreads,” said Harris. “But I decided instead to make it a typical roadhouse with a focus on things like steaks and fried foods, pretty much what you expect.”

Breakfast mimosas soon? Sunday restaurant liquor law change vote set for Thursday

May 7, 2013 by steve Leave a Comment

If Louisville restaurateurs get their way, you soon could be drinking mimosas and bloody Marys as early as 10 a.m. on Sundays in their restaurants.

For nearly two years, local operators and the Kentucky Restaurant Association have teamed up to convince local Louisville’s Metro Council that dumping the longstanding “no alcohol before 1 p.m. on Sundays” rule is a good thing.

The issue comes up for a vote on Thursday when the council convenes next, and according to several sources, it appears they agree the old statute is on the way out.

Louisville Originals suing former treasurer, Asiatique partner Pabs Sembillo, for embezzlement

May 7, 2013 by steve Leave a Comment

Pabs Sembillo, co-owner of Asiatique Restaurant, is being sued for embezzlement by the Louisville Originals, a coalition of local independent restaurateurs.

Sembillo served several years as treasurer for the group before he was relieved of his duties in 2012 after an audit discovered numerous financial improprieties.

According to the group’s lawyer, Artie McLaughlin, Sembillo embezzled an estimated $42,000 from the group from 2009 to 2012 through multiple checks written against the group’s account and ATM and teller withdrawals.

Cellar Door Chocolates owner partnering in new Jackknife restaurant at Butchertown Market

May 7, 2013 by steve Leave a Comment

Louisville chocolatier Erika Chavez Graziano is joining forces with three partners to open a lunch and catering operation in Butchertown Market.

The name of the 50-seat restaurant will be Jackknife and it’s expected to open in July. The menu will include an array of seasonal soups, salads, brunch dishes and box lunches.

Chavez-Graziano, owner of Cellar Door Chocolates, will team up with Jack Mathis, owner of Work the Metal retail shop in the market, Butchertown Marketplace building owner Andy Blieden and James Tillett, who will be Jackknife’s chef.

Spring Break: Short trips, great food and bourbon, all within 2 hours

May 7, 2013 by steve Leave a Comment

Have you notice that there’s no cool dateline on any of our Insider Louisville pieces this week?

No … MIAMI, FORT LAUDERDALE, PANAMA CITY, etc. because we’re here, still pasty white as everyone else and filing stories from home base, which doesn’t require a dateline.

Though we have no faraway vacation plans for spring break, it’s not as though we’re chained to the desk and unable to enjoy a short trip or two. And there are some good ones around, especially if you think good food and drink are worth driving for.

Could tip pool lawsuits doom the restaurant gratuity system?

April 10, 2013 by steve Leave a Comment

Since it was reported that Doc Crow’s is being sued by a pair of former servers claiming the restaurant forced servers to fund a general tip pool, I’ve talked to several restaurant operators about that specific practice.

All said tip pooling is rarely a problem since 99.9 percent of servers willingly share tips with coworkers who help them.

Where it becomes a sticky wicket is when a server won’t share.

If he points to the law, which says his boss cannot force him to share tips, he’s standing on solid legal ground.

But in the few cases I’ve seen and in the many others I’ve read about, that ground becomes a slippery slope because the server soon suffers for that choice (I address this later).

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