L&N-Louisville, KY

The s/o and I were invited to Louisville, KY this weekend for the St. James Art Fair and afterwards joined our friends(2 other couples) for dinner at L&N. This was my first visit to both. L&N appears to fill the niche of a middling-eclectic, moderately-priced bistro. We arrived on time for our 8:45 reservation to be told that our table was just starting dessert. No problem, we offered to have cocktails and app.s on the patio; it was a pretty night, not too warm, and, while the inside was apparently bustling, outdoor seating was plentiful. About twenty minutes later we're relaxing into our evening and inquire as to the status of our table...still on dessert. Okay...no problem.

We continue to ask after our reserved table throughout the evening. An hour in...the harried owner comes by and mentions that the kitchen's backed up. Cut to the chase; we're not gonna get our table, we ask if they could squeeze together a couple of inside tables...nope...we then offer to place some tables together ourselves and take our meal outside...go ahead, she says

Food was an afterthought, thankfully the company was convivial and enthusiastic. Cheese fondue app., fried green tomatoes(well-seasoned/a bit heavy---how you make heavy FGT, I dunno...it's a talent), I had the "fish n chips" an attempted play on the original-I was imagining a Keller-esque take...this was merely a pan-saute'...heavy(extremely heavy) on the fingerlings crowned with a "spicy frisee" that wheedled with the harsh drone of cayenne...at least the small filet of snapper was adequately-cooked. S/o ordered the shrimp and grits...pillowy white cheddar grits were the best thing all night...he said the prawns were on the verge of being over-grilled(but edible for all that *and* he said the smoked tomato chutney was decent, but didn't reach the "crack-like" heights of Indianapolis's L'Explorateur...he dearly loves his smoked tomato products does the s/o). L&N's known for their cellar, I welcomed the opportunity to create my own flight from well-curated wines.

Our waiter was efficient, if modulated in tone and approach with our dining companions...nothing terribly off-pitch, but definitely noticeable...

Come 11 o'clock or so(we didn't receive entrees until after 10) the restaurant's shutting down...here comes "our" table wandering out. How incredibly rude! ...the restaurant had plenty of opportunity to "boot them out" before we aquiesced and agreed to eat outside. Insult on top of injury, the waiter wrote in an 18 percent gratuity on the three checks(one per couple)...I don't recall the menu stating a factored-in gratuity for parties of a certain size...and, hey, you want 18%?, well, you certainly aren't going to receive the median 20%.

...bewilderingly, as the mother of our host and I get up to leave the restaurant, a busboy whips around and shouts at us, "we're closed!"

as if we hadn't just spent two hours at a table right outside the entrance
as if the restaurant weren't at fault for dragging out our repaste(we enjoyed a quick coffee after our entrees...by no means lingered)

anyhow, what would you have done when you realized the restaurant was too cowardly to "offend" the other party by moving them along(to the bar etc with free drinks, perhaps)

oh...and I appreciate that the owner mentioned the weeded kitchen(even though it was said in a tone that implied we were just making it worse by honoring our part of the reservation and omg ordering food)...I found it declasse' that they didn't comp us drinks or a dessert: I mean, we cooperated the entire night...they're the ones that hassled us.

My post might be a bit obfuscating: the waiter and owner kept referring to "our table" as in, "your table's not quite ready, your table's still on dessert, etc." It didn't even occur to me, so focused was I on our particular reservation conundrum, that they had to have honored other reservations to spite us. I emailed the restaurant hoping for an explanation or apology(I'm not looking for freebies...a small comp that night just to demonstrate empathy and professionalism sure would have been appreciated). And the yelling busboy was just beyond the pale...I assume he somehow thought we'd just walked up? Shouting at any guests is inexcusable.

I lived in Louisville for four years and the L&N was one of my favorite places for a nice glass of wine and a decent meal. There menu is seasonal and the macaroni and cheese is marvelous. I would recommend it for anyone visiting in the area. The also take pride in their wine selection.

Shaggywillis wrote:I lived in Louisville for four years and the L&N was one of my favorite places for a nice glass of wine and a decent meal. There menu is seasonal and the macaroni and cheese is marvelous. I would recommend it for anyone visiting in the area. The also take pride in their wine selection.

This October menu smacks of overreaching. The dishes I tried(with the exception of the fondue and grits) all had an element overspiced, overcooked, or just plain out of balance and, I'm not a plating Nazi, but the "let's just throw some junk on a dish" aesthetic was hard to overlook. Not to mention the aura of aggressive unconcern as the night wore on.

Yes, the wine selection is thoughtful, but it's far from the supposed treasure trove upon which they derive their following.

They need to reconsider and work on both sides of the house before they can rightfully claim the niche to which they aspire.