An Excellent Restaurant Destination in Louisville

Thanksgiving prompts families and friends to gather and be close together. Reminiscing, eating a bit too much and playing games are always a part of that time for my family. Traditions play a strong role during holidays. Many people in New Orleans believe the new season at Fair Grounds in New Orleans doesn’t truly begin until Thanksgiving. In Louisville, the holiday signals the final weekend of the meet at Churchill Downs until late April. If you’re in the area, get out to see some racing, and maybe escape some togetherness.
Wine is on the holiday table for my family. We always have plenty of turkey leftover and by the time the weekend rolls around, I’m ready for some other protein and some draft beer. Recently I visited a place in Louisville that will offer you plenty of craft on draft and a menu to satisfy a diverse group.
Crescent Hill Craft House (2636 Frankfort Ave) features “Local Beer and Local Food.” The locavore movement for food is far from unique but for good reason. Fresher ingredients and sometimes even a taste of regional cuisine make this a hit for travelers and locals alike. However, doing the same with alcohol can be severely limiting. While this might remain true for wine in the area, Crescent Hill Craft House offers 40 draft beers, all from Kentucky and southern Indiana. That is impressive.
THE BEER LIST

The beer list is projected onto the wall, a nice bonus while we waited for a table, dodging customers and waiters and generally trying not to be in the way while we enjoyed a cold beverage. They encourage ordering by the draft number, much easier for many than getting names straight. Our first round included Flat 12’s Upside Down Blonde, now retired according to their website but still listed on Craft House’s website, and Hipster Repellent IPA from Falls City. Flat 12 is from Indianapolis and their blonde is a soft, easy drinking style, perfect for Miss Wright. (They also have an outpost just across the river from Louisville, you can read more about that here). The IPA had a much more memorable name than style but fit perfectly into the category, unlike lots of other IPAs I find.
The wait was long, it was Saturday night after all, but well worth it and we were in no danger of running out of beers to try! Once at the table we, predictably, over-ordered. Lemon artichoke fritters were perfectly fried and presented with a celery root pure and a Bernaise sauce. We also had beer battered cheese curds with a “pimento cheese ranch” sauce. These were actually airy and nowhere near as heavy and dense as this dish can be. One of our diners compared the batter to the one at Long John Silver’s … in a very complementary way.
THE FRITTERS AND CURDS

Our waiter was fantastic, always a bonus to an enjoyable meal. He was quick with a suggestion when asked and not pushy at all. This is a trait I find often in restaurants that do everything well.
There is no need to steer people away from certain things, only to offer your excitement about some selections and let the diners follow or not.
Shrimp and grits with a “Cajun cream sauce” was ordered and I was, as most New Orleanians would be, skeptical. Too many places outside of Louisiana call things Cajun as an excuse to make a dish really spicy without understanding the deeper, more subtle flavors that should accompany that heat. This, however, was brilliant, with an amazing balance of flavor and enough heat to get your attention. The smoked chicken pot pie and chicken and dumplings also drew very happy reactions. I decided I needed more cheese and ordered the poutine, “French fries topped with cheese curds and braised beef with brown gravy.” It was pretty good but could have used more cheese and more seasoning. However, ordering it as my entree was unfair. We ate well and still had lots leftover.
SHRIMP AND GRITS

A few more beers hit the table during the meal. Country Boy’s Shotgun Wedding, a vanilla brown ale, reminded Miss Wright more of drinking a porter, but she was happy. The Home Wrecker IPA from Bluegrass Brewing Co., was excellent, with good snappy tartness and bite. We also tried out two from Goodwood: Louisville Lager and a Red Wine Barrel Saison. The former was classic and well-made for easy, pleasurable drinking. The latter was a bit confusing since it tasted to me much more like a bourbon barrel than wine. It was not as intense as bourbon-aged beers can be but still had lots of wood, not so much fruit, influence.
We had a fantastic meal and loved the variety of brews available, even more so since they are all local. As a side note, the menu features some notations that will be helpful to many diners, V for vegetarian and GF for gluten-free.
While you should be prepared to wait a bit, it will be less painful than those family portraits and you can find a beer to satisfy everyone in your group. Enjoy!