Friday night, we went to Ramsi’s Café on the World. I’ve been there many times and constantly rave about their Sloppy Falafel ($7.99), Medjool Dates ($6.90), and eclectic ambience. The last time I went, I had the Smoked Salmon Panini ($9.40, I asked them to lose the hard-boiled egg) and considered getting it again. However, we decided to tour our way through their extensive appetizer menu. We started with Madame Tussauds empanadas ($7.99). An unbelievable, Philly-cheesesteak-like combination of London broil, Kenny’s sharp cheddar cheese, portobella mushrooms, and onions. We paired that with the Potato Latkes ($5.25) which were just how they should be: a soft, tasty mixture of mashed potatoes, formed into patties and fried, rather than being a large tater tot. Following that, we delved into our sweet sides with the Brie Bernadette ($7.99), brie rolled in toasted almonds and pecans, fried and then drizzled with honey. After sitting for a bit, I convinced her that she MUST have the Medjool Dates stuffed with goat cheese and she convinced me that we MUST order the Fried Plantains drizzled with maple syrup and served with ginger whipped cream ($3.50). Well, if we must, we must…needless to say, we did not finish. Half the dates and the majority of the plantains came home with us, and were just as tasty the next night!
Saturday morning rolled around and brought with it the burning question, “Where do we go for breakfast?” You might guess that I said, “Wild Eggs,” but to do Louisville right, for her first time with the proper “Louisville” experience, we went to Lynn’s Paradise Café. It’s kitschy, a little overpriced, and does not have great service, but still…it’s Lynn’s! You go for the experience and to spend some time in the “World of Swirl.” After waiting the requisite 40+ minutes shopping around, and of course purchasing some goofy things for ourselves, we were seated. To drink, I had a Bloody Mary, which is usually the epitome of Bloody Marys for me with a full skewer of olives and peppers, but this time it was a little watered-down. My friend had a Mimosa, which she said tasted less like orange juice and more like orange drink, not completely yummy when mixed with champagne. We ordered fried green tomatoes to start, which were thinly sliced and lightly battered. What makes them is the parmesan mayo served alongside. I had my usual, the Wild Mushroom scramble with cheese grits and a biscuit (make sure to ask for the sorghum butter!), and she ordered the signature Bourbon Ball French toast, which was featured on Throwdown with Bobby Flay. I must say, I commend Lynn’s for allowing patrons to order half orders of most things on the menu. We saw a full order of the French toast come out…no way, so she asked for a half order and they accommodated without any issue. Overall, it was a good meal at Lynn’s and I still recommend it to anyone traveling through out great city.After all that, we wanted to work off a little of what we had consumed, so we proceeded down the street to Cherokee Park. The Scenic Loop has always lived up to its name. We strolled along and ventured up the bird sanctuary trail. It was a beautiful walk for a crisp autumn afternoon. We then decided to visit Glassworks and when we got there, a tour was just starting so we joined in. It was very informative and enjoyable and for the price tag (around $6) it was well worth it. After shopping for a while, it was getting towards 5 o’clock, so we ventured home to take care of my pup and plan the dinner attack.
We decided to continue the café theme and head to Café Lou Lou in St. Matthews. I stuck with the Shoofly Shiraz (still yummy) and she had a “Relaxation” cocktail, a mixture of fruit juices and vodka that is not overly sweet. After splitting a bowl of Shrimp & Grits, we ordered the small Smoked Salmon Pizza. A perfectly done, chewy crust topped with smoked salmon, goat cheese, capers, Kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, and mozzarella cheese. It was listed to have marinara sauce on it, but we both thought that would not be the best choice, so we asked to replace the sauce with the garlic sauce listed on other pizzas. It sounds like an odd combination for a pizza, but it was excellent. They didn’t go heavy on the salmon, which I was very happy about, and the salty bite of the olives and capers kept it from being too heavy.Now I need to go run for two days straight to work off all the calories! But it was completely worth it!
