Category: Consuming Louisville

When it comes to drinks and spirits, everyone knows that Louisville is best known for its delicious bourbon, but the city is also home to some of the best breweries and microbreweries around. Our very own Tad Thomas recently had the pleasure of touring one such brewery– Mile Wide Beer Co. in Louisville. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to talk about his experience for Consuming Louisville.

Mile Wide Beer Co. is a brewery and taproom located in between Highlands and downtown Louisville, in a building that was once home to Louisville’s first brewpub. All of Mile Wide’s beer is brewed right on the premises and served on tap in bars and restaurants across Kentucky. The brewery magic happens in a production space surrounded with glass– for your viewing pleasure– in a system capable of brewing 3,800 pints of beer at a time.

You’ve put in a full week of work and now it’s finally Friday evening. You have a whole free weekend to do whatever you want in front of you and it’s time to celebrate.

Louisville is no stranger to good cuisine, but no other restaurant does it quite like Mercato Italiano. They bring all the There’s no better place to kick off the weekend.

If the shelved wall of wine doesn’t signal to you that you can indulge here, then maybe the beautiful wood U-shaped bar will. There’s plenty of natural lighting and the red chairs and lamps accent the white walls. The restaurant emits an urban industrial vibe with a warehouse-like ceiling, with soft lights attached to the pipes. Don’t want to sit inside? That’s perfectly fine here. Enjoy the weather in their beautiful outdoor dining area.

Bourbon is “America’s Native Spirit,” meaning only America can make whiskey and call it bourbon. When you want bourbon, you know the only place to go is Kentucky. For Louisville residents, the best place to get the largest selection and cool atmosphere is Commonwealth Tap at 9411 Norton Commons Boulevard.

You’ll never need to wonder about where to get a drink in Louisville with Commonwealth Tap around. They’re the ideal watering hole for people who want a good drink and a fun evening.

Commonwealth Tap’s hip atmosphere comes from soft lighting and an intimate setting. You can sit at the high round tables or sit at the bar. Various bourbons, wines, and giant chalkboards with the myriad drinks listed cover the walls. They offer outdoor seating options as well, which is perfect for balmy evenings.

Tonight my husband and I went to dinner at Citizen 7, a hip and modern Latin American style restaurant located in the heart of the business district of Norton Commons in Louisville.  The weather was beautiful, so the doors of the restaurant were wide open allowing a comfortable flow between indoor and outdoor patio seating.  We chose to eat inside and after a brief wait were seated at a two-seater table near the bar.

We started our dinner experience with an order of chips and salsa and two draft Pacifico beers. Citizen 7 offers three different types of salsa, ranging from classic garden fresh, to salsa verde, to a deep red salsa with an extra kick of spice.  The tortilla chips were fresh, salty, and delicious.

The dinner menu offers a wide range of a la carte items with Latin American flair, from tacos to burritos to side dishes.  There are also a variety of entrees, nachos, and fresh salads to choose from.  I ordered two tacos a la carte, the Pollo taco (chicken simmered in a tomato and chipotle sauce, pico de gallo, avocado crema and queso fresco) and the Baja Fish taco (blackened mahi mahi, pineapple mango salsa, pickled red cabbage and shredded lettuce), and a side of Elote in a cup (wood grilled corn topped with cojita cheese, mayo and chili lime seasoning).

For our first review of Louisville’s best restaurants and eateries, we’re talking about a charming hidden nook of a restaurant called Verbena Café. One of our law office’s staff members had the chance to review Verbena Café during lunch hour recently. Here’s her review:

Today I went to Verbena Café for lunch, located close to my home in Norton Commons. Verbena is a breakfast and lunch café few have heard of. This restaurant is truly a hidden gem with an extensive menu featuring both breakfast and lunch options.

The light-yellow walls in the dining area of the restaurant provide a bright atmosphere, well complemented with wooden booths. Overall, the charming restaurant exudes an atmosphere of sunniness and coziness wrapped up in one.