Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch and Dinner in Louisville

Photos by Geoff Worden
If you’re headed to Louisville for Derby week there is some good news, the town boasts plenty of delicious dining options. The bad news is that it may not seem that way when the crowds descend for the Kentucky Derby. This article will help you pinpoint some good choices so if you have to wait, it will be worth it. Anyone can recommend Jack Fry’s (a Louisville institution), English Grill at The Brown Hotel (home of the original Hot Brown sandwich) or Wild Eggs (a quickly expanding local chain) and they may be worth a visit but here is where I would go during Derby week.
Brunch: You can avoid the wait at Highland Morning by going early, they open at 8 a.m. Maybe you’re an early riser and ready for that mimosa with your meal already. If not, expect to be standing on the sidewalk or getting coffee next door at Day’s. Highland Morning will eventually call your name and you will be happy they did. The menu is lengthy and has plenty of standards and familiar sounding dishes with their own special touch. However, you should be focusing on waffles, pancakes, or maybe french toast and the baja benedict. The last offers that perfect blend of breakfast (eggs) and lunch (chorizo and cilantro-lime crema) that makes brunch feel like brunch. The others offer richness and decadence and lots of choices. You could eat waffles or pancakes every day here for a week and never have to order the same preparation. The first two offerings are more like dessert, dutch apple pie waffles and key west key lime pancakes. Dreamsicle (remember creamsicles?!) pancakes and Katie’s leaning tower of waffles will make you want to return soon. You can also create your own with an assortment of toppings. Although I am not a french toast fan, if you are, there are some good choices here as well.
Also consider Wagner’s, a no-frills breakfast and lunch place across the road from the backside of Churchill Downs, if you want to be surrounded by horse racing pictures and classic diner fare. Do not expect anything called brunch.
ONE OF THE PHOTOS AT WAGNERS

Lunch: One of my favorite things to do is eating lunch in a fancy place on a weekday. Sometimes you want your food to look pretty and taste good. Plus, it feels like you’re on vacation and you get some inspired cuisine at a lower price than at dinner. Adding wine increases the indulgent glow you will experience.
Lilly’s Bistro would be a great choice for this approach. The menu changes often so I will resist tempting you with dishes that may not appear but pay attention to the soup offerings and leave your mind open to everything else. Lilly’s is fancy but not pretentious. Ingredients are top-notch but you don’t need an interpreter to understand the dish. The cocktail list is solid. The wine list is a bit predictable but there are plenty of selections. The bourbon list is impressive, have an impromptu tasting if everyone at your table orders something different and is willing to share. They take reservations and there are also a few seats at the bar, which is my favorite spot. It is also open for dinner.
Dinner: After a relaxing, upscale lunch, it’s time to let loose a little. The Silver Dollar will fit that bill. When your website is whiskeybythedrink.com a party should be expected. The place is a homage to ‘Okies’ and the ‘Bakersfield Sound,’ “tough rhythmic music…meant to be heard over the incessant din of a honky tonk.” Forget wine (though they have a decent, if very short, list) and focus on beer and cocktails. Order a Risin’ Outlaw (rye whiskey and mescal are the liquors) or a Kentucky Mule (a Moscow Mule with bourbon) and you’ll tap into the rebellious energy of the place. Six plus pages of bourbon will make a decision difficult. Consider a cheap draft, Coors Banquet or Falls City, while you ponder. These fit the hip, honky tonk vibe but the rotating ones are more interesting, if less kitschy.
Get a couple of cold beers on the table and you may never get beyond the first items on the menu: Chili Parlor (choose one of three options), Fried Dill Pickles, Fried Oysters, Basket of Livers and Hand-Breaded Onion Rings. Yes, please!
Try not to overdo it on the starters though. Leave room for brisket (arrive early, it may sell out), Beer Can Hen (when was the last time you saw Old Milwaukee listed as an ingredient?), Barbeque Pork sandwich and a side of collard greens. Or arrive late, ignore everything else and order The Ultimate: a double burger with grilled cheese sandwiches as buns. You’ll regret it the next day but thank me while you’re eating. The restaurant also has brunch on Saturday and Sunday.
If that scene isn’t your shot of whiskey, do not overlook Louvino! They do brunch (Sunday only, mimosa specials) and prix fixe multi-course dinners at night. On Derby day they are offering half off bottles of wine from 6 to 8 p.m. but you should consider the wine flights which are well thought out and brilliantly named: Pitino’s Pinots and Muhammad Ali (“Big, strong and packs a punch”) are two of my favorites.
CRESCENT HILL CRAFT HOUSE IS ALWAYS A GOOD CHOICE

Jeffersonville, across the Ohio River in Indiana, is not too far but may be far enough to lessen the crowds.
Other good possibilities for food include - Village Anchor, Against the Grain Brewery and Smokehouse, and BJ’s (it’s a chain but the food is good, there are lots of beers and it’s away from the crowds - maybe).
Also here are a few places I have written about before: Bristol Bar & Grille (Highlands, the original) and Crescent Hill Craft House (great beer selection), which are top-notch destinations as well.
If all else fails, there’s always Bambi Bar.